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    MI An Adventure fo r Character Levels 25-30 91 59

    V a s t e r Gan AdventureInto the M aelstrom

    by Bruce and Beatrice Heard

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    Masrers Gam e Adventure

    Into the Maelstromby Bruce and Beatrice Hea rd

    or: Anne Gray McC read yver Artist: Jeff Easley

    Betty ElmoreT S R Inc. AI1 Rights Rcrcrve d. Printed in U.S.A .

    & D R A G O N S a nd D & D are registemd trademarksTSR Inc.IO the book trade in thc United States by Random

    Inc., nd in Canada by Random House of Canada, Lrd.to the toy and hobby trade by regional disfribufcm. Dis-

    in the United Kingdom by T S R UK Ltd.modulc is protected under the copyright laws of the UnitedofAmerica An y repmducrian or other unaufhoriicd "IC of

    matcrial or artwork herein is prohibited without the expresspcrmiosion of T S R Inc.

    R Inc756Geneva,53147

    TSR U K Ltd.The Mill, Rathmore RoadCambridge CB14ADUnited Kingdom

    TSR, Inc.PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION'.

    Table of ContentsINTRODUCTIONDungeon Master Background .................................... 2Raising a Fleet .................................... 3Monster & Ran ................................. 3

    Th e Sea Machine . . . . . . ...................... 4Encounter Setting .................................. 5Immortals' Goals . . ............................... 5Encounter Ke y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Aftermath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Encounter Setting ............................. 8Immortals' Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Properties o f this World .....................EncounterKey ..........................................

    Chapter 1: INTO THE MAELSTROM

    . . . . . . . . . . . . .Chapter 2: FLIGHT TO THE STAR KINGDOMS

    Immortals' Interventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................ 21E WARLORDSEncountersetting ......................................................................................... 24

    AELSTROMEncounter K e y ..........................................................................

    LIST OF PLAYING AIDS.......................... 6

    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15. . . . . . . . . . . . 16M M ap 3: Star Kingdoms . . . . . . .DM M a p 4: The Final Battle? . . . . . . . . . . . . .DM M a p 5: Alphaks' Mountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DM M a p 6: Flight to the Star Kingdoms . . . . . . . . . . .DM M a p 7: Th e Great Sea Spiral ....................................................................................................................... 30.......................... 31

    Rand om Encounters ChartSea Machine Comb at Table ..............................Dimensional Guide t o thePlayers' Ma p: Sea

    . . . . . ~. . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................................... insidecover.................................... outsidecover

    91590-88038-244-9

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    Into the Maelstrom must be played withthe D&D@ Master Set rules. F our to eightcharacters of levels 25 to 30 should join theadventure. For the best results, the partyshould have a minimum of 150 levels at thebeginning of the game.

    As soon as the party is ready to start theadventure, give them the Players Map onthe outside cover. D M M ap 1 on page 3 is foryour reference. It is identical to the PlayersMap except for the island of Alphaks.Norwold, early Winter:

    O n a dark and gloomy morning, a cold bil-lowing fog rose over deserted fields and ha m-lets of Norwold. This pestilence carries thesmell of poison and dea th. Its unna tural grayswirls cover every thing, choking all life tha t isexposed for more than a day. This foul windhas ravaged the northern realms for threeweeks. Peasants tell tales of horrible rainsthat burn, leaving dry and barren soil.Neighboring realms totter and epidemicsthreaten the cities. Famine-stricken peasantcommunit ies flee southward into the hands ofruthless bandits. Woe and chaos spreadamong the population.King Ericalls Court,Council of Norwold:

    Your Royal Majesty, we cannot waitmuch longer. Baron Norlan of Qeodhar hasrenewed his ultimatum. Your subjects areslowly perishing from his demonic fumes,and the realm is now on the verge of panic.We must accept his demands of allegiance ormeet our doom

    Never! We shall not surrender to this boldand evil blackmail! Baron Norlan is a merepuppet of another power. And I will unveil hewho is behind the plot.

    But Your Majesty, we may very well runinto the might of .4lphatia, o r worse, Thy atis.A war could utterly ravage what now remainsof our land.SObe it! The poisonous fog isnt any bet-ter, and surrendering as slaves might beworse. Norwold is no prey for petty vultu res,and those plotting to tread o ur soil must moveforward an d pay the full cost for their despic-able treachery. My loyal lords, may ourforces on land and at sea be raised at once,and let us face (destiny with the pride andhonor that is our31 Sail to Qe odh ar an d showthis miserable lordling the price of his impu-dence! The n we shall see!

    Dungeon MasterBackgroundTh e Barony of Qeodhar, a small isle across

    the northernmost ocean of Alphatia, is notresponsible for the poisonous winds destroy-ing the PCs lands. T he baron is unaware ofthis occurrence. Th e culprit is an ancient andutterly powerful creature named .4lphaks.H e sent the ultimatum to Norwold, in thenam e of Baron Norlan of Qeodhar, in ord erto make King Erica11 of Norwold believe thebaron is responsible for the killing fog.

    Alphaks is a chaotic Immor tal who plans toforce Alphatia and Thyatis into a majo r con-flict to bring their doom, as well as woe anddestruction upon the rest of mankind. Hisplan is to trick Norwold into attackingQeodhar, a dominion under the fealty ofAlphatia. An Alphatian intervention againstNorwold will certainly provoke an involve-ment of Thyatis, the rival of Alphatia.

    Centuries ago, Alphaks was a despoticAlphatian emperor. His own subjects betrayedhim, causing a disastrous revolt that nearlydestroyed the Alphatian civilization. Afterreaching Immortality, he finally returned forrevenge. Through a gate he opened from theplane of earth, he created a mountain in theAlphatian sea. From the top, it appears to be anormal volcano spewing forth gray-greenfumes. These are the fumes that have spreadover the land. However, the mountain containsno lava, but rather a two-way vortex to a Planeof Death. T he fumes are created by the mixingof the two alien atmospheres.

    Alphaks recent arrival on this world hascaught the attention of two other majorImmortals, Koryis and Vanya, who havealready started a quasi-divine challenge overthe fate of several nations. Though theirintervention has never been noticed by mor-tals, they indeed manipulate events toachieve their own particular goals.The Immortals Plot

    All three Immortals have specific reasonsfor intervening. T hey will oppose or supportthe player characters armada, in order tosatisfy their spiritual goals and gain power intheir respective spheres of power.

    They have specific goals to achieve whichare explained in each section of the adven-ture. U pon reaching their goals, the Immor-tals score points that determine thedominating Immortal at the end of theadventure.Koryis, Patron of Peace and Prosperity

    Koryis is a Lawful temporal from thesphere of Thought. He opposes wars and vio-

    lence. H e wants to prevent Alphaks fromreaching his goals and to maintain peace. H efirst tries to prevent the party from meetingNorlan, the Baron of Qeodhar. Alphaksplans ar e obvious a nd .Koryis wants to avoid along an d bloody war.Vanya, Patroness of War and Conquerors

    Vanya is a Neutral temporal from thesphere ofT ime . She is solely interested in his-tory, glory, and heroism. She naturally is onthe side of the conquerors; whether they areright o r wron s does nt3t matter. She tends totu rn againsi. her followers if they a redefeated, then support the other side as hernew champions. In the course of the adven-ture, she often changes her positions. To bal-ance the forces of the spheres, shealternatively supports Alphaks or Koryis.Alphaks, Patron of Chaos and Revenge

    Alphaks is a chaotic temporal from thesphere of Death. After he was abandoned onanother world, he managed to continue hisascension to Immortality. Now that hisimmediate needs have been satisfied, hedecided it is time to seek revenge.

    H e plans to provoke a ma jor conflictbetween Alphatia and Thyatis in order todestroy his puch hated descendants, and tospread chaos and destruction among theentir e world. His goal is to trick Norwold intoinvading Qeodhar, as described in the DMsNotes. He is aware of the barons treacheryand knows this will precipitate a violent con-flict between the two empires.Background on Qeodhar, Alph atia, andTh y atis

    Alphatia is the oldest empire of the world.It is located on a massive island off the easterncoast of Norwold. Th e empire built its poweron a solid foundation of magic, with no lesstha n a thousand wizards ruling the empirecouncil.

    Thyatis is much younger than AlphatiaThis empire has spread rapidly and nowencompasses several large islands off thesouthern coast of the continent.

    Both empires have been rivals for a longtime, particularly over the control oNorwold dominions. It has no importancwhich force controls the region. Althoughthey seek total independence, the local lordknow that if the two civilizations clash, themajor battles will be fought on their landspreading death a nd poverty. Such a wamust be avoided at any cost.

    Th e Baron Norlan ofQeodhar was a minoally of the Alphatian empi re, however, hiplot to marry an imperial princess failed and

    2

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    INTRODUCTIO

    Thyatis. How ever, Norlannot intend to attack N orw old. H e ismountain and the death

    Mo re background information on the twoand Norw old can be found in adven-re CM 1, Test of the Warlords.

    a FleetK in g Ericall of Nor wold decided to attackhar and ordered troops and fleets to

    he Royal C ourt of Norw old, in theadel of Alpha. T he y are to join the fleet,s heroes or as comm anders , and sail todhar. Th eir mission is to

    barony and bring Norlan back told, dead or alive. Inform the players ofpicions about Norlan s m otives

    I f the mission i s success-the party and N P C com manders (if any)us monetary reward as

    M , according to the campaign.On ce a war fleet is raised and the PCs fully, go to Chap ter 1 and start theIf the adventure is to be part of a cam-ers of dominions. They are welcome to use

    rs land and na val forces, how-sure the players fleets are o f suf-engths fo r this adventur e. Sin ce this

    s (game) months, if not years,

    4,000 men able to fight (troopclass = fair or better, for a total of 8,000levels or HD o fcreatures).Fleet: any fleet able to transport the army

    (and mounts if any). Galleys equippedwith ramming devices and artillery aredesirable.

    I f the party is low-level or has few in fleetsand armies, feel free to use prerolled charac-ters as NPCs, or some o f the fleets suggestedin the Prerolled Characters section, to sup-plemen t the partys forces.If the PCs have no fleet at all, they may beappointed commanders of the prerolled fleet,or act as heroes, with no military authority.Assign one squadron to each player characterthat chooses to be a commander. Appointextra players as deputy commanders. The

    MAP KE Y Ltl ountains LakeScak: 1 h ex = 150miks

    Marshes -nuin Passk.clRivercommanders may gather on a flag ship.

    Once the partys fleet leaves its port, thefleets cannot be added to or modified.Destroy ed ships that legitimately beio ng to aP C may n ot be replaced by a prerolled fleetonce the a dventur e has started.Prerolled Fleets: Fleet 1 is a multipurposeforce. Fleet 2 is a major task force which pri-mary use is offensive. It should be supportedby a convoy co ntaining supplies for the troopif the fleet leaves for a long cam paign. Fleet 3is a less disciplined invasion force. Ho weve r,it can be used independently on land or atsea, since the crew can act eithe r as sailors orfighting troops. Fleet 4 is a convoy type , withless offensive or defensive power, but m ore

    3

    l o lwcargo capacity and speed. It transports eittroops, mounts, supplies, weapons, poners, or treasure.

    Monster and RandomEncounter Tables

    Whe never a specific creature is mentioin the adventure , refer to the tables appearon the inside of the adventu re cover. Ra ndEncounters are also located on the outscover. Each column on this table correspoto a chapter of the aidventure. The chanand frequencies of Ra ndo m Encountersexplained at the beginning o f each sectio

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    TheMany naval E

    ture. Run thenrules, but with tlA fleet is commarine mops.eiig a transpono sink other shxcept to defends this adventur

    areships, orDifferent bato evaluate thcroops. The folln acceptable rStep 1:Dei

    ng (BR) in eacStep 2:Deating (BFR),

    f ship in istep 3: Dethe sailors I

    alleys:a. if20% ofleysb. if50% ofc. if80% ofd. if 20% ofe. i f50% off. i f20% of\ing deviceg. if50% of.ing deviceh. if1 % offlcally enchi. if 20 % of fleets total H P are magicallyenchantedj . if 100% of fleets total HP are magicallyenchanted

    Flying:k. if 1% of fleets total H P can maneuver in a3-dimensional space*1. if 20% of fleets total H P can maneuver in a3-dimensional space*m. if 100% o f fleets total H P can maneuverin a 3-dimensional space*(*)Applies to fleets able to fly, move underwater,or maneuver in another plane.

    Speed:

    agical:

    n. if the fleet has an average speed of 150 ft/0 . if the fleet has an average speed of 300 ft/roundround

    : Sea Machinebattles may occur during this adven-1 according to the War Machinehe following modifications:pcised of ships, sailors, rowers, andThe role of the ships, aside fromt, is to carryartillery, or devices ableips. Sailors do not normally fight,their vessel against boarding; as fare 11sconcerned, rowers never fightseamen). Marines board and seizedisembark to attack land objectives.tlr. ratings should be determined: lull power of ships and theirlowing steps are suggested to getesult.termine the marines Battle Rat-h force.termine the sailors Basic Forceignoring Equipment and SpecialIgnore rowers, unless they areoritrol the ship and able to fight.total Hull Points (HP) of eachhe fleets.%ermine the ships B R, starting3FR (see step 2). Use the modifiersne a condition applies, add oneind BFR as a bonus.fleets total Hull Points are gal-

    fleets total H P are galleysfleets total H P are galleysvessels have artilleryvessels have artilleryice:iessels have a ramming or crush-vessels have a ramm ing or crush-

    leets total Hull Points are magi-lanted

    p. rowers are seamen (not slaves, or con-demned prisoners)Penalty (reduce BFR instead, if):q. rowers* are less than 1/2 their original

    r. sailors* are less than 1/2 their original(*)Cannot use rowers if reduced to less than 1/4their original numbers. A ship cannot use itssails if sailors are reduced to less than 7 /4 of theirnumbers.step 4: Make an average of both BR s (by add-ing both and dividing by two). Th e total indi-cates the final FLEET BR. Then determineseparate combat modifiers for the fightingtroops and the fleet.For troops: base the ratio on the marines totalHD or levels rather than the number of creatures.Fo r the shipdsailors, determine the ratio fromthe total number of H P involved in each force(the sailors/rowersare then considered as part ofthe ship).Make an average of both combat modifiers(as above) and add it to the fleethroop BR.Resolve the combat with normal War Machinerules, using instead the table below.

    numbersnumbers

    Naval Combat Result TableShipDifference Damace

    1-89-1516-2425-3031-3839-505 1-6364-8081-9091-100101-120121-150151 +

    YW L0:5%O:lO%5%:15%5%:20%5%:25%10%:30%10%:35%15%:40%15%:50%20% :60%20% :70%25%:80%25%:90%

    ExtraCasualties FatigueW L W L- N : N- N : NO:lO% N : M0:20% N : M1/2X:20% M:S1/2X:30% M:SX:40% N:NF0:30% N:NFX:50% N:MFX:60% M:MF1/2X:50% M:SF0:30% N:SF1/2X:70% N:SUW Winner, L : Loser% = Th e percent casualties, in H P or ships, inHD or levels for creatures.X, 1/2X = the winner suffers the same amountor 1/2 the losers casualties (in HD or levels).N = Th e force is not fati!M = Th e force is moderzS = The force is seriousl!F = The force flees to itsU = Remaining ships suH o w o U s e the Chi

    step 5: Determine the damage the shipsreceive (Ship Damage). Force A chooses whattypes of ships are affected in fleet B, up to the totalof damaged HP. Ship Damage may be equallydivided among different types of ships. Fleet Bchooses which specific ships within the !+en types

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    are affected in its own force. Repeat procedure fleetA has Ship Damagr: as well. Unallocated HuPoints of damage are ignored. For purposes ocombat, damaged ships are considered lost wittheir passengers.Step 6: Th e winner captures up to 1/4 of thopponents lost ships; their passengers take 50%casualties and surrender. To keep a seized shipthe winner must dispatch a minimum of 12 saiors and/or marines to maintain order on boardOtherwise, the winner must either free 01destroy the captured ship.step 7: Determine Extra Casualties for thtroops (marines, sailors, rowers) on undamageships. Extra Casualties are evenly applied to eachtype of troop, rounded down.Step 8: Determine Fatigue effects onmarines, sailors, and rowers. Two consecutivM results are equivalent to a SeriouslyFatigued status. An S result for a fleehalves the galleys oar speed.The losing force always withdraws. N o winneshould ever suffer more than twice the loserdestroyed HF. Seized ships are not considereddamaged. Ignore excess H P o f damage.Likewise, the loser should never suffer morthan 10 times the winners H P o f damage. Thiis to limit the effects of a suicidal attack fromsmall Elite force.Recove r ing Losses

    Th e winning force (o r one remaining in tharea after battle) may recover up to 1/3 its damaged H P o r troop casualties (wounded, unconscious, or disorganized troops, men at sea)Recovery of Iships is cletermined in HP rathethan in number of ships.Recovered ships are treated as 10 Hull-Poinwrecks (out-of-combat) until repaired in porThose ships must be the type of vessels sunk durinbattle. If the amount of recoverable H P s insuffcient to allow one ship to be salvaged (at full HFstrength), then the ship cannot be recovered.The characters have a chance to hire some prioners into their own fleet. For each UOUD of 5Cprisoners of Chaotic or Neutral alignment (othethan elite troops or monster types), roll ld20, anapply the proposing characters Charisma bonuspenalty. With a modified score of 18 or higher, thmoiin of nrisoners ioinc t h r nartvs ranks O t h e r_... .. ~-............ .... .-.,. - . ~wise, the part) may freely use them as slave rower

    Ex-prisoners have a 60% chance of deserting iany port. However, after three months aboardtreat the ex-prisonersas regular sailors/troops. It normally not advised to have ships solely manne

    p e d .itely fatigued. in their galleys.i fatigued.original port.rrender to winner.u t by recent ex-prisoners. . .. . . . A-.. .-:I .L:- --- ---L-.- - ^^ - 2 . .rUly bdl l b l l lp LdIl LUIlldlll LW ILC l l l d l l y PIIoners as a normal shipload of marines. I f desiredany ship may contain 5-10 extra prisoners in thebilge. Allow the player characters to hire mercenary troops and sailors in friendly ports to make ufor their troop casualtiex

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    The partys fleet leaves one of the ports inrwo ld, sailing northeast. T he sky i s over-

    A day after their departure, the gray fogas the winds increase. I f the partytheir port, the fog rises again , untilsets sail again to invade Farend, thecity o f Qeodhar.For random encounters, use the firstolumn of the Random Encounters table on

    ccur once per day when the time seemsappropriate. Avoid them if the partys fleetas already taken heavy dam ages.This section functions as a programmedadventure. Based on what the party manages todo, a different sequence of encounters may occur.After each encounter, write down the points allo-cated to the Winning immortal. When the fleetfinally enters the maelstrom, read the Aftermathsection at the end of this chapter.Immortals Goals

    Koryis : hastily attempts to prevent contactbetween the partys fleet and the Baron , sincethat would increase the chances for war.Ko ry is cannot affect Alphaks vo lcano, buthopes to discourage him by causing the fleetto return to its original port.

    Vanya: expects the party to conquer thebarony of Qeodhar. Fo r the tim e being,Ko ryis is her main opponent.Alphaks: his goal is to cause the party tomeet the Baron. When the party is at sea,Alphaks closes the portal, ending the fumesso his island cannot be discovered.Encounter Key

    The following encounter must be playedfirst, anytime the armada leaves Norwold.Re ad the text below to the players:1. The Heralds of Peace

    Th e low sun of northern summer glistens onthe crest of the waves, between large ice-floes. As the shipsgail by, occasional com-munities of seals basking on the ice d ive intothe frigid green water. Th e brisk, cold windblows swirls of snow off huge icebergs. Th emountains of ice tower majestically over thearmada.Suddenly, three huge white lizard-likecreatures rise from behind the ice pack,roaring like a thousand thunders. Awe andabsolute terror spread among the men.

    Th e creatures are ancient and huge dragons.Koryis has magically enchanted them to inspireabsolute panic in anything with 5 HQAevels orless. I f the party is very powerful, gi ve thedragons a 75% Anti-Magic resistance. Thedragons orders are to stop the fleet and cause itto turn back to its port.Seeing the dragons, all the ships with noPCs on board are 80 % likely to sail backhome (roll percentile dice for each group of 5ships). T h e others remain under the orders oftheir commanders. As long as the threedragons are there, the PCs do not succeed inrallying the fugitives. O n board the PC sships, the crew attempts to abandon the ships(roll 1-2 on ld10 ) or run into the cargo hold toshamelessly hide in barrels or cratcs (roll 3-6on ldIO), or remain at their fighting quar-ters. Ma ke one such check for eaclh uo u a o f20

    1barpossilthe SIdragcthemstartate a:its brto COdamage IIUIII U I I ~uiiii UI aiiaLn). I tuna1 ~ i i i pform ice floes and are immobilized; the othersare slowed to 1/4 their speed if they sail towardany dragon. The strong winds have a 10%chance per round of causing I d4 ships to collidewith icebergs, inflicting 5d20 H P of damage.They do not fly away until they or the charac-ters are defeated.I f he party attempts to parley or surrenderduring the storm, the dragons stop theirattack (if attacking) and land on icebergs.They do not indicate who sent them, butinstead, reveal the following:

    WhdP th e c t n m IC in ettert nn QnPII-mstinu IF .

    V Imen on board the PCs ships. fleetDuring the confusion, the PCs may disem-.k on the icebergs or remain on their ships. bypaawa).. . . . - .. . .-_- -___.I __-----., _- ~ - . ~--- ^Ae because of the rolling and pitching oflips. PCs may flee, attack, or talk to the)ns. I f the party persists in sailing pastwith their remaining ships, the dragonsflapping their wings over the water to cre-n artificial storm. Th en each dragon useseath weapon against a ship under the rainfe r it with ice and frost (PCs take only half

    P--- LL:- PI- ..C-*&--L\ u..---- -

    return. I f after 24 hours the PCs haventreturned, the ships then set sail to their port .I f the party returns home, the Kin g abruptlyrefuses the dragons alternative. Once again,the fog rises over the land, spreading death andpanic. The council sends the fleet back, aftergreatly humiliating the party.I f the PCsare the major rulers o f Norw old ,they may abdicate now, in which case noth-ing happens. Baron N orlan had nothing todowith this situation and probably believes thatNorwolds letter of abdication is a grotesquefarce from one of his younger nobles inFarend. But the fog in N orw old gets thickerand deadlier every day. Ma gic may be used todecide what must be done, and all indicationsare that the fleet must sail again.

    At any time the fleet returns to the icebergs,the dragons reappear and attempt t o cause theto retreat again. If the PCs attempt toss the dragons area (at least 150 milesI from the previous encounter), run

    pnrniinter 7 A Sudden Gale. I f the dragons arepast them, run)n.

    This mighty fleet must returnat once and wait until the wrath of thegods is appeased. The force of arms willnot save your torm ented land, but insteadprecipitates an ev en worse fate. I f therulers care at all for their people, theymust obey the ultimatum, and Justice willtake its course in the end.The dragons then wait until the fleetreturns to its port, or attack as described

    above if the fleet tries to sail past them. T he yignore further questions.The fleeing ships stop an hour after theyleft the dragons area, waiting for the PCs to

    _ _ --_.._.,.. ~ - ~defeated or the party sailedencounter 2, Meetin g the BarcVictory Points for :[mmortaI f encounter 2 is the next erscores 5 points.I f encounter 3 is the nAlphaks scores 3 points.

    TC +ha q.li-m lnr& =++emn(

    1icounter, Vanyaext encounter

    cb lul,,15 .u.uI, uLLL.,.,;ed to abdicateKo ryis scores 3 points.2. Meeting the :Baron

    Choose one o f the partys squadron at random for this encounter. On ly one should havetime to intervene.regularly interruptedby the ships bows cutting through theswells. The lanterns of the fleet slowlywink in the night fog.As the watch is albout to change, ships aresighted to the starboard, the sails full. Youcan barely make out the arms but theyQeodhar on their sails.

    Th e baron is returning to Farend from Sundsvall, the imperial capital of Alphatia. Thimperial princess has secretly fled the capitawith her lover, the Baron Norlan. A s sights sethe partys fleet flying Norwolds pennants, thbaron panics, thinking his secret allegiance withThyatis and the presence of the princess havbeen discovered.Hoping to surprise, he immediately orders to break through the other fleehoping to disorganize it and disappear into thnight fog. Fleeing is not of benefit, so Norladecides to head for Farend.

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    1: INTO THE MAELSTROM

    Norlan can be captured only if all his fleet% chance of dlisappearing into the fog. If

    a 10% chance of catchingIf Norlan has mot been caught by the end ofwith the remnants o f his

    dissipates in the m orning.Merchant Fleet

    10 Small Sail Ships: 60 H P each, Artilleryass: Good Fleet Class: Go odB R : 111 Av. Speed: 15OhoundH P : 600 Sailors: 100arines:

    250 (500 HD)arines: 50% longbows, A C4 , level 2 fighters.

    Ships load: fine woods, spices, grain, 30 warhorses and heavy cavalry equipment.

    M e n in fleet: 350

    Car go value: 12,000 gp.Commander: Baron Norlan; off icers onboard, 4th level fighters.

    Norlan, Baron of Qeodhar, Kjavik of Nor-zee: F15; AL C ; In 13, W i 10, Ch 12.Personal treasure on board: 5,000 gp,sword +4, chain mai l +3, ring i fhumancontrol.Norlan is a brave fighter, however, hismany years of fealty to Alphatia havetaught him h ow to conceal his real motiv a-tions and feelings. Hed rather act cow-ardly if that would give him an advantage,however, he wil l react violent ly i fMa riell a, his secret lover, is in danger.Mariel la , a l ias Hyldeborg, Princess ofAlphatia: Normal Human; AC9; hp 3;AL C.N o personal treasure is on boa rd, except amedallion pro ving her identity.Mariella i s an attractive but rebelliousand haughty character. She does notreveal her r e d identity unless the baronslife is at stake, or unless she is treated as aperson of inferior social status.

    I f the baron is captured, he falls to the charac-ters knees and pretcnds to beg for mercy,pleading that a blind and hopeless lov e forcedhim t o commit this act of treachery!I f the party m entions the ultimatum,Norlan immediately realizes the party wasnot after the prince&. In this case, he does notreveal the real identity of Ma riel la, and vehe-mently denies any involvement with the poi-son fog and the ultimatum. Norlan claimsthat he has been framed b y som e e alous heirin Farend. After regaining his dignity, hedemands to be released since the party has noreason to imprison him.I f he baron is executed or imprisoned, runencounter 4, The Messenger.I f Mariella and Nor lan are released andmercy shown to his men, a conflict i savoided. Nor lan avoids any further publicity.The partys fleets may then set sail toNorwold. Tle next encounter should beencounter 6, The Mouth of OblivionVictory Points for Immortalspoints.points.points.3 . A Sudden Gale

    I f encounter 4 is next, Alphaks scores 3I f encounter 5 is next, Vanya scores 5I f encounter 6 is next, K ory is scores 8

    From out of the southeast, masses of lowthreatening black clouds roll over theocean. M e n rush about, battering thehatches andl bracing the equipment. Thepennants violently flap in the winds as theships rock o n the swe lling waves.Suspecting the partys fleet o f aborting its

    mission, Alphaks creates a storm in anattempt to blow the fleet to the northeast,directly toward Farend.Treat the elements as Gale or Storm(Expert rules, pp. 43-44). The partys fleet mayrun before the storm, or attempt to break free.I f the partv decides to avoid the storm, acontrol weatheror wish spell enables one fleetto break free of the high winds without anyfurther damage. I f the fleet is not divided intoseparate squadrons, then, each spell freesapproximately 1/4 of the ships. Th e othersonly have the option of sailing through thestorm. Treat as described below.The party may sail ahead of the gale (orwithin the storm) to reach their destinationfaster. N or ma l sail ships may d o so at no cost,but the galleys must use their sails. Galleys(1-2076) may be destroyed in the storm and

    6

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    Chapter 1: INTO THE MAELSTROM

    or Sea Machine purposes, but the fleetoves toward Qeodhar at triple normal

    speed. The fleet ends up 50 miles off thesouthwest coast of Qeod har.If all the partys ships break free of thestorm, run encounter 2, Mee ting the Baron.Fo r the ships reaching Qe odha r, runencounter 5, Clash at Farend. The otherships sailing toward Farend without otherencounters. T h e fleet at Qeodhar may with-draw until the rest of their force arrives.Victory Points for Immortals

    points.points and Vanya scores 5.above, adding 3 more to Alphaks.

    If encounter 2 is next, Koryis scores 2I f encounter 5 is next, Alphaks scores 3I f the fleets are separated, record scores as

    4. The MessengerA dark silhouette materializes before thebow of your ship. Its face is hiddenbeneath a hood. A low voice rumbles,You have challenged my heralds, andnow the fate of nations i s even more atstake. You have one ve ry special passengeryou must never talk about, fo r that wouldcause the destruction of your people. Fornow , there is nothing I may d o to preventyour imminent fate. Whe n the seas belowand the sky turns purple, beware of theMa ul o f the Storm.Soon a fter these last words , the shadowdisappears and two marines sound thealarm at the stern of the ship.The figure is an image of Koryis. H e hasjust warned the party of their descent into the

    maelstrom (see encounter 6).As the encounter is played out, Marie lla (andthe Baron, if still alive) disappears from theirquarters. They have been taken away byKoryis to hide Norwolds involvement in thisaffair. AU memory of this incident is erasedfrom their memories. If alive, the Baron isreturned to Farend, and Mariella to the impe-rial court.Run encounter 6 next, The Mouth ofOblivion. Kory is scores 5 points. I f the baronis dead, Alphaks scores 2 points.5. Clash at Farend

    Whe n the PC s ships reach Qeodhar, fiv elarge galleys leave port in the hex containingFarend. They are part of the city defense.

    Their strategy is to engage on e of the partysfleet before it can land on the beach. I fencounter 2 has been played, then Norlansmerchant ships that have escaped their pre-vious battle join the galleys.Th e other coastal hexes ofQeodhar are notdefended. I f the party decides to attackanother hex than Farend, they ma y disembarkfreely and maneuver on land.Th e southern side of Qeod har (four hexes)benefits from a rare micro-climate permittedby the proximity of high mountains, a warmocean stream coming from the east, and a pro-fusion of hot water springs. The northern sideo f Qeodhar is affected by a semi-permanentpolar climate.

    Th e city is not fortified. A 1,000-man m ili-tia (Troop class Fair, level 2 fighters, BR 75)defends the city, not counting the galleys. Seeencounter 2 for more information on N orlan.Attacking La nd ObjectivesAny fleet that does not win an initial attackagainst a land objective must withdraw, itssurviving troops remaining on board. Theloser cannot recover troops lost during a failedlanding, unless the objective is captured later.Once the initial attack against a land targetsucceeds, the troops may maneuver normallyon the isle. I f there are no defenders in the hexchosen by the attackers, disembarking auto-matically succeeds.NorlansHom e Fleet5 Large Galleys: 110 H P each, Artillery R amTroop Class: Go od Fleet Class: Go odAv. BR: 120 Av. Speed: 120lroundTotal Hull Points: 550Seamen: 950 (1,900 HD)Seamen: 50% long bows, AC4, level 2 fight-ers. Each ship carries 190 seamen, 180 ofwhom are rowin g, 10 others acting as sail-ors. Th ey are all able to fight.Troops: Chaotic.Commander: Baron Norlan; off icers on

    board, level 4 fighters.I f Norlan is executed or captured, play

    encounter 4, Th e Messenger. I f the party failsto invade the isle, or if Norlan is released andmercy shown to his men, play encounter 6,The Mouth of Oblivion.Victory Points for Immortalspoints.

    I f encounter 4 is next, Vanya scores 3I f Norlan is released, Koryi s scores6 points.I f the invasion fails, Alphaks scores3 points.

    6. The Mouth of OblivionSlowly, the fleet comes to a complete haltand starts backing up. Crewm en are rush-ing about the ship and the rowers drumsincrease their beat.Th e sky has turned purple and a frighten-ing roar thunders behind you. With horroryou realize your vessels are dragged towarda huge gaping whirlpool. Your crews raise allsails and row at maximum strength. Finally,the ships slowly move out o f the colossal cur-rents. Butauddenly the sinkhole widens andmoves behind the ships!Already some vessels begin to circlearound the gigantic maelstrom. In aninstant, the entire fleet is caught in the swirlsof dark green water. Th ere is great confusionon board. Despite the stunning rumble andthe cold darkness from the deep of the sea, avision appears at the bottom of the mael-strom.. .an opening.. .night, stars, perhapsan escape. But in this moment of terror,your shattered minds refuse this insanevision, and unconsciousness finally prevails.Donot allow the party any other alternativwhen this encounter is played. Send all thcharacters and their forces down into the maestrom at the same timeVanya opened a huge gate that actually com

    municates with another part of this galaxy. Shreserves a more glorious fate for her championin a distant world waiting to be conquered. T hmaelstrom ends this section. G o to Chapter 2Non e o f the immorteds gain any points here.

    AftermathI f Ko ryis scores the most points in this sectiohe heals 50-100% of the marines and sailorcasualties. T he men a r e found clinging to debridrifting near the partys ships, in the other world

    The y do not rememtier what happened.IfV anya scores the most points, a brave chaacter in the party, preferably a fighter o f Neutralignment, is granted a rod ofvictor)! Whil e thPC is unconscious in the maelstrom, the visioof a beautiful female.warrior appears in a dreaand says, T hy have done well m y hero! Takthine reward, and to further my might, bestoits powers in the name of Vanya! Up owaking, the character realizes the rod is solidstrapped to his belt.I f Alphaks scores the most points, the pardoes not gain anything and the two othImmortals reduce their scores by 5 points eacIn case of a tie, nothing happens. Save tfinal total each immortal scored; they are usat the end of the adventure for determining tImmortal that rewards the party and perhaopen a way to Immortality.

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    2: FLIGHT TO THE STAR KINGDOMSUse DM M ap 6 for this chapter. T he partys just crossed Vanya s maelstrom into this

    1, Th e Ice S torm, the fleet appearsthe sky, dark and dotted withIn fact, they float in the space between

    The party has entered the ancient empiree Alphatians abandoned. Ma ny centuries

    ne was based on the Element of Air,

    r on ce opened a gate to fill thisf space witlh air. It is now enclosed in af breathable air.Hum iliated, Alp haks started a war againste followers of Air. T he schools of F ire andr waged a crippling war that ravaged their

    inions, the school of A ir fledunleashing their lastIt was thought Alphaks

    As for the surviv-

    It is the world where once again the Alphatianst their great empire of magic. T he mostful secrets of arcane have been lost, buta fearsome realm by

    Th e par ty must explore this part of the sky

    ed at the end o f each encounter. Onc eor

    the most appropriate. A nccurs on a score of 1-6 on ld1 0.

    Any time a temporal reaches a score of 15(or a multiple of 15), he may in terveneintervention s are listed at the en d of this

    section. Play the intervention when it seemsmost appropriate.Koryis: may help the party during thisadventure if they avoid violenc e and destruc-tion (see interventions). Otherwise, heignores the PCs .Vanya: expects the party to prove theircourage at every opportunity. If this is thecase, she might help the party in a differentway (see interventions).Alphaks: is worrie d about the partys pres-ence in his ex-emp ire. H e desires only theirquickest and most violent destruction. H eopposes Vanyas plan to unve il Alph.atiasori-gins (and his) to the party (see interventions).Properties of This World

    Th ere is no particular gravity in the void ,except one generated by large masses. Anynon-living body of 20,000 cn of weight ormore generates an attraction. Anything elsethat is not subjected to a gravity floats in thedark void, drifting away in the direction ofthe solar winds.

    For Example: Passengers on a ship areattracted to the deck. Someone jumpin g fromthe top of the mast would crash on the deckbelow. A ship that lost al l its Hull Pointsbecause of damage collapses from its own grav-ity (wrecks may be recovered). The ships areattracted to larger celestial bodies, such as plan-ets or asteroids, unless they use some kind ofpropulsion (special or magical oars, pullingcreatures, sails that catch the solar winds,magic). A human-size creature cannot swimaway from another large objects gravity.Ships that are not adapted to this environ-ment cannot willingly gain or lose altitude,except as a result of attraction. Such adapta-tion would include large wings or similar hor-izontal stabilizers. A pulling creature caneasily help change the altitude of a ship (rocs,dragons). Artificial wings are easily madefrom woode n beams and sails. A strong windor pulling creatures enable ships to p ropel aship from the surface of an attracting world.

    I f the party maneuvers at less than 10,000feet from a lar ge celes tial body, the ships startdrifting toward its surface. Magic, strongwinds, or pulling creatures are sufficient tomain course immediate ly to avoid a catastro-phe . I f an unadapted flee t descends to 5,000feet of altitude, then the course cannot bereversed and it crashes on the attracting sur-face in 2d4 turns. Any creature less than 6HD levels automatically dies in the catastro-phe and all the ships are destroyt-d. M o repowerful creatures must make a successfulSaving Throw vs. Breath Weapon at -5 ordie. Survivors remain with id10 hp left.

    8

    If the players do not discover how to con-trol their ships course, then they should findvarious methods in encounter 2, ParadiseIsland.Encounter Key1. The Ice Storm

    When you regain consciousness, thesound of a storm replaces the inhumanroar of the maelstrom. The ships are stillspinning, however, a violent storm of ice,snow and sleet prevents anyone fromdoing anything more than finding cover.All the water drained through the mael-strom froze in the cold air of the void . It cre-

    ates an ice storm over the entire fleet. Havethe players roll a Saving Th row vs. Spells foreach of their ships. Thte ships save as a figh tero f the passengers average level. For each sav-ing throw failed, the ships suffer 30 % casual-ties because of the storm. Otherwise, thelosses are 10%.Th e storm lasts for !O minutes before it dis-sipates. On ly then do the passengers realizethey have enrered another world.

    The light has gone. So has the oceansmadness. Only a frightening silent voidremains above and below the ships. I n thedark, some distant stars twinkle, each o f adifferent color and bme as a full moon ofyour homeland. The air is cold and somestrange wind flutters through the tornremains of the sails.All the ships had their sails ripped by thestorm, and the galleys are unable to movewith their re

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    Chapter 2 : FLIGHT TO THE STAR KINGDOMSand is warm er and the smell of the for-

    Hundreds of natives wearing loin cloths,colorful robes, Feathers, and flowers rundown the beach, wav ing at the fleet. Mu s-cular natives push doze ns of large, wingedcanoes into the water and already, menpaddle toward the ships, keeping strangefeathered oars above the water. Youngermen and women dive into the blue waterand swim beh ind the canoes.

    La rge baskets o f fruit and heaps of mul-ticolored flowers fill the canoes. None ofthe natives bear any visible weapons.The natives greeting the armada are

    e isle. The y throw flowe rs and gar-

    Though the natives are friendly and haveentions, they do represent a dan-

    s them of ambition to do anything mo re

    ends, and becomes content to remain thet of his days iiving an easy life and nibblingDespite eventual contrary orders, 5d20

    easures of the isle. They do not return .er investigating, the PCs realize what hap-e a successful(Saving Throw vs. Poison at

    or suffer the same effects.If the characters gave immediate p ermis-n to d isembark, 63-90% (3d10 +60) of the

    crew to return to the ships and pre-to brin g the victims backup:Otherwise they try to return to therescue parties are able to retrieve

    following pe rcentage of losses: roll ld6 ; 1P C in the rescue

    nd cannot be foun d. I f the percentageloo%, the extra natives are

    The intoxication lasts ld4 days if the vic-prevente d from ea ting zzonga fruits.themselves, some hidden loads of zzong a

    50%,2-4 75%,5-6 = l OO% . A dd5%

    may start drifting and not answer orders,their crew intox icated by the infamous plant.Some undisciplined crew may even growsome on board and smug gle them throughoutthe adventure.By o bserving the natives canoes, the partycan understand how to m odify their ships sothey are easily controllable in the void. Thelong oars of their canoes end with large vege-tal feathers and their sails are made of astrong weblike fabric. Th e feathers grow ontrees in the local jungle and the webs arewoven by colonies of small harmless spiders.The party discovers those items if theyexplore the land. Th ey are needed to outfitthe fleet so it can leave the island.If the rest of the island is explored, theparty finds large statues on the side of a b arehill, repres enting tall slim men w earing longrobes or armor. Some designs can be foundon their rings or shields, represe nting severalold Alphatian families armorial bearings.When the survivors of ancient Alphatiafled, they stopped for a time on this islandand left the statues as a monumeni of theirpassing, and as a navigational sign. Thenatives of the island are descendants of theprisoners the Alphatians abandoned on theisland before they left.Th e characters can gain no other informa-tion on this island since the occupants areoblivious to whatever is happening in theirpart of the sky. When the fleet leaves, thewind blows in the direction of encounter 3,Th e Isle of the Eye.Victory Points for Immortalsscores 5 points.men, Alphaks scores 5 points.scores 5 points.3. The Isle of the Eye

    I f the party attacks the natives, VanyaI f the party loses more than 3 0% of theirI f none of the above is applicable, Kor yis

    ~ ~

    A huge rock appears in your way, sur-rounded by a sphere of light. I t seems likea dry, rocky asteroid, with some vegeta-tion in several valleys on the top. A multi-tude of jagged stones ring the rock,leaving a narrow ZOO-foot long passage toa small creek.Th e fleet can safely approach the rock onlyby flying be tween the series of jagge d stones

    floating near the rock. Mo vi ng at half speed,ld6 ships take l dl O H P of damage beforethey reach the creek. Triple the number ofdamaged ships if moving at full speed. U p to

    20 ships may stay there, while the rest of thfleet anchors at larger immobile rocks, 80feet away from the oufer ring. A rocky ledgleading to the top can be reached from thcreek of the island.Before disem barking , the officers on boarremind the PC s of the risk of sending regulatroops ahead in unknown lands. T he partypowers would be more suited to this type oaction i f disastrous consequences such as othe Paradise Island are to be avoided. forced to go, the marines show an obvioudiscontent. Non e of them return. I f the partdecides to go, a 20-man escort follows themAft er a few hours of search, the party findthe mouth of a huge ca.vern. Re ad the following to the players.

    The cave contains a monster-sized bed,covered with mounds of straw. Every-thing in the cave has gigantic propor tions;forks and knive s as bi g as an arm, a chestas big as a skiff. At the opposite side of thecave is an empty wooden corral. As youobserve the area, a flock of huge sheepenters the cave , each o f them taller than anormal man. Behind them, you can hear

    The chest contains millions of coppepieces bearing the face of Alphaks and thwords A lphat ia Ab ov e A l l - EmperoAlphaks I.The cavern belongs to a giant beholder.few moments after the party entered the cavthe creature arrives wirh a large flock of sheepIt enters and uses its telekinesis powers to rollmonumental stone slab in front of the exit. Thstone weighs f ive tons, and is 10 feet thick.T he creature is a 10-foot high gargantuabeholder. Th e ran ge of all its magica l poweris multiplied by 5. The beh older can lift up t50,000 cn with its tekkinesis, and cause 2dHu ll Points of dam age with its disintegratinstalk, if attacking ships. Otherwise, its othpowe rs are unchangetd. Th e sheep are harmless, but are of a gargantuan size as well. T hparty has few places to hide, so the creatuquickly discovers them. I f a marine escort present, the creature raises a soldier and eahim on the spot.The creature then attacks the rest of thparty, attemp ting to push each of them into20-foot-deep pit. It s telekinesis may lift 2dcharacters per round and dro p them into thpit. O nce all the characters are trapped, thbeholder covers the pit with a large stonEver y day, at sunrise, the beholde r opens thpit and pulls out l d4 men, choosing marinor N PC s first for breaefast. The beholder

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    Chapter 2 : FL IGHT TQ TH E STAR KINGD OMSgone fo r the rest of the day. I f the party finds away of out, they are able to return to theirships. Otherwise, the party may attack thebeholder eve ry time it opens the pit. I f thecreature feels it is losing the fight, it attemptsto flee, removing the stone at the entrance.Th e party is then free to return to the ships.I f the party has not slain the creature, itcomes to the ledge with three more giantbeholders, and attacks the ships at the when theparty starts to sail awav from the creek. The y d onot pursue the party beyond the ring o f rocks.I f the party escapes, a behold er casts acurse spell on the fleet, bes towing upon it thehatred of its creator, Alphaks. The playercharacters should hear the contents of thecurse and the nam e Alphaks.

    If all the partys ships in the creek aredestroyed, the beholders leave, ignoring anysurvivors. The bulk of the fleet then sendsskiffs to retrieve them. When the fleet setssail, the winds blow to the site of encounter4a, Th e Kee per of the Sky Winds.Victory Points for ImmortalsI f the party attacked and defeated the firstbeholder, Vanya scores 5 points.If the party escapes without losing ships,Ko ryi s scores 5 points.I f the party lost ships in the creek, and thebeholders have not been defeated, Alphaksscores 5 points.4a. The Keeper of the Sky Winds

    Across from your path lies a large silvercloud blocking the way, hundreds o f milestall and wide. O n the top of the cloudstands a large glowin g tower.Th e silver cloud is the land of the Ke eper o f

    the Sky Win ds. H e is an immortal lawful crea-ture whose sole fiunction is to control the windsof this part of the sky H e is immune to anyphysical o r magilcal attacks from the party.

    Th e characters have no problem reachingthe cloud, anchoring their vessels nearby, andsetting foot on the silver swirls. T h e consist-ency of the cloud is soft, but it is possible towalk on its surface.When the party reaches the base of thetower, read the follow ing to the players.

    A brass door at the bottom of the toweropens and a man dressed in long whiterobes appears. After studying the partyfor a few m oments, he raises one hand andsays, Welcome to my kingdom, nobletravelers. I am K in g Leosus, the master of

    these clouds. You have sailed far manydays and you have seen many places.Honor my abode and rest on my worlduntil the winds are favorable to your desti-nation.Th e keeper, King Leosus, gladly welcomesthe partys men on his cloud. H e offers food andshelter for as long as the party desires to remain

    on the cloud. King Leosus has the power toshape the clouds into large caves, beds, andtables. H e befriends the party and tries to helpthem. H e knows some information he revealsonly if the party asks specific questions.1. H e knows that a great em pire once ruledthis area, bu t since then, they have destroyedthemselves.2 . H e remembers that Alphaks was theirlast emperor, and that his people betrayedhim. He was utterly evil. Leosus does notknow anything about the beholders. Theydid not exist at the time of the ,4lphatianempire.3. H e belongs to the Sphere of Air, andKoryis is his master. Koryis currently isinvolved in some quarrel with other immor-tals ove r the fate o f another world. If the char-acters describe Th e Messe nger (seeencounter 4 in Chapter l), he reveals that thisis one of Kory is many forms.4. There is a place across the void whichhas the ability t o send lost voyagers back totheir homeland. It seems to be like a dense

    I f the party asks for directions to reach thisfog, he gives them a large leather bag. It con-tains all the foul winds that would prevent theparty from returning home. Thus, the windnow blowing is the one that finally pushes thefleet to this far place. Leosus explains thatthey are in a distant region, far away fromtheir home world if they ask. The y have beentrapped here by the whim of Koryis ene-mies. Leosus knows nothing moreI f K in g Leosus is ever attacked, he disap-pears as wel l as does his tower, only to returnwhen the party has left.Alo ng the way, the party m ay stop in vari-ous lands to replenish their food supplies.Read encounter 4b, and run encounter 5next, Th e Gentle Giantess.Victory Points for Immortalsscores 5 points.scores 5 points.

    fog.

    I f the party avoids the cloud, AlphaksI f the party gets the bag of air, Kory isVanva scores nothing in this enrounter.

    4b. Returning to the Keeper of theWhene ver the bag o f air is opened, whichmay occur upon Alphaks intervention, orbecause of a crew under the influence ofzzonga, all the foul winds escape and blow thefleet back directly to this encounter. Afterunderstanding the causes that forced the bagopened , Kin: Leosus realizes that the party i sup against powerful immortals. N ot wishing

    to get involved, he refuses to do anythingmore for the party and asks them to leave thecloud at once. K in g Leosus disappears withhis tower, and the clciuds slowly dissipate.Fro m this point, the winds blow the fleet toany encounter the characters avoided . Inone were missed, the fleet is blown toencounter 10, Th e Great Sea in Th e Sky.5. The Gentle Giantess

    Winds

    Several hundred feet ahead, a large flatcloud drifts in the sky. Sitting on it, herlegs swaying in the void b elow , is a giant-ess, waving at the partys ships. I f theparty gets closer, she calls for help.Th e creature is a female cloud giant. She andIJ her brothers are much larger than their normal kind so treat thern as gargantuan monstersThe giantess wears a ring ofmind barriethat saved her from Alphaks control (seenext encounter). She is a sweet, enjoyablcreature who desires no harm to the partyH er name is Kenatha. She was sleeping neathe shore of her cloudland when the cloudbroke off and drifted away. Wh en she awoke

    she found herself alone and lost a long wayfrom home. She begs the party to tow herback home. Her father is the King of thCloudland and would certainly reward theparty if they brought her back. She proposeto blow some wind into the partys sails untithey get to the Cloudland. I f the partaccepts, she gives directions to her home .

    Once there, she invites the party to comashore and meet her father. I f the party refusesshe seems disappointled, but does not preventhe party from leaving. Play encounter 7 nextI f the party accepts, they all go to the K ing palace deeper into the cloudland. Plaencounter 6 next.Victory Points for ItmmortalsI f the party abandoned the giantess on hecloud, Alphaks scores 5 points.

    I f the party tows the giantess to thcloudlands and then decides to leave immediately, Ko ryi s scores 5 pointsI f the party decides to follow the giantess ther fathers palace, Vanya scores 5 points.

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    2: F L I G H T T O THE TAR KINGDOMSThe Palace of the Cloud Giants 7. The Isle of the Turkeys

    low Kenatha as she steps onto ang down into the clouds.laughing loudly.

    Shortly after, you enter a large hallo f Kenathas mates area feast. She walks directly to one atof a long table who is wearing ae raises his hands and asks for

    e. Kenath a in troduces the party.e king suddenly takes a huge fork and

    spear the fa.ttest looking character. Atgiants rush the. party, claiming their

    ndness. Thei r sudden reac-

    of min d barrier.party must fight their way out or defeat

    with the help ofKena tha. O ne dis-magic spell frees one giant who ignores

    If the party is defeated, captured charac-

    has a dozen huge harpoons they2-40 (2d20) Hull Points of damage

    ls ld20 normal men on board. As theyof range, the ships may use their artil-

    giants.If the party wins, Kenatha apologizes for

    s bad manners. She grabs a handful ofr fathers pocket and gives it

    arty. It contains 10,000 pp, a magicf 5 , a wand of negation, a staff o fnd a large flying carpet. She then

    s the party back to their ship and bidsi next, The

    Soon after leaving, i t is noticed that thepplies on board are severely depleted,it because of negligence from careless

    for Immortalspoints.

    5 points.

    If the party defea.ts the giants, Vanya scoresIf the party flees, abandoning charactersKoryis scores nothing in this encounter.

    You see the familiar shape of a sky islandin your path. It is very small, perhaps 10miles in diameter at most. The sea sur-rounding the island extends 50 miles fromthe beaches.The isle is similar to Paradise Island. It is

    inhabited by a powerful magic-user, Kersy,who polymorphs people into animals, espe-cially turkeys. She lives in a cave concealedon the flank of a small mountain.

    If the characters explore the isle, they shouldnot find the cavern right away, however, itbecomes obvious that there are many turkeyseverywhere on the isle. In the PCs absence anddespite eventual orders to remain on board,several officers disembark with their crew. Toavoid agitation on board, they organize leadteams to get much-needed food, repair wood,and fresh water. Many (5d20) do not comeback. The PCs are informed of the missingmen when they return.

    The party may set up a rescue team andleave to find the missing men. If Koryis has asufficient score (1 5 or more), he may inter-vene now (see interventions at the end of thissection), as the party crosses the forest nearthe cavern. About an hour from the beach,they should discover Kersys cavern.

    rock, an incredibly beautiful maidengreets your arrival. She stands andmotions you to follow her in.Th e maiden is Kersy, a temporal in mortal

    form. She is of Neutral alignment, and closeto the Sphere of Earth. Though her mortalform is one of a 30th level magic-user, she hasspecial powers she uses when she encountersmen or humanoid creatures on her domain.

    If they follow her or not, the visitors must rolla Saving Throw vs. Spells at -10or be charmed.A second roll is then necessary since Kersy usesa gaze weapon that polymorphs other crratures.Her gaze can affect any number of creatureslooking at her. If a player states his character isnot looking at Kersy, he is not affected. Victimsare usually turned into turkeys, howe\rer, shemay choose another form. During the adven-ture, Kersy can use any spell described in therules (one per round).

    If anyone threatens Kersy with a weapon,she surrenders and promises not to harmanyone with the PCs. She restores the charac-ters original form and offers hospit.Lity tothe party. She says the missing crew are wan-

    12

    dering in the forest as turkeys, and she willtur n them back into men as soon as the partymanages to recover the m, if she is asked.

    Meanwhile, the rest of the crew has beenhuntin g turkey to resupply their ships. In theabsence of the PCs, they have started a g reatfeast. For each hour the PCs are gone, id10of the missing crew perish as a main course ofthe banquet. The troops may fill the shipswith extra supplies of turkeys or fruit, repai rdamage, and get some rest.

    Th e PCs believe they are permitted to stayin Kersys cave for as long as they wish. It is asmall comfortable abode.Kersy (30th level magic-user): AC 9, hp 60;MV 40 (120) ; AT 1 gaze or spell cast-

    ing; D charm + polymorph others, orspells; Save MU 30 ; 4 L N ; St 9, In 18, Wi1 7 , Dx 14, Co 14, Ch 19. No magic itemsor weapons.

    If the party stays to let the crews rest, Kersyadvises them to sail to the Underworld, wherethey should mert the soul of the ancient monkTheyraz (or of a missing PC). Th e soul, wear-ing a long red, hooded robe, tells the party whatdangers to avoid before they can return to theirhomeland. Kerey tells the characters to do thefollowing once they reach the Shrine of Death(encounters 8a. -8d.):

    Dig a small trench a.nd fill it with liba-tions of milk, honey and barley meal.Bring a young ram an d a black ewe to thealtar. Restrain the oth er dead spirits fromhaving their share. of the offering, unti l theproper spirit arrives.

    ~

    There is a 50% chance that th e fleet mayhave the two animals. If none are available,Kersy offers to create them, smiling kindly a ttwo marines st anding nearby.

    Th e party may wait l d lO days more, untila favorable wind blows to the Underworldgate. If the party reveals their mission to thetroops or their officers, ithe men refuse to go.They declare that they will wait one monthfor the party to return on Kersys island.Then they will set sail to the mists KingLeosus mentioned. However, one small sailship with a few men agrees to go to theUnderworld with the player characters.Victory Points for Immortalspoints.5 points.island, Alphaks scores 1 point.

    If the party destroys Kersy, Vanya scores 5If the party hefriends Kersy, Koryis scoresIf the party lost 40 me n or more on this

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    Chapter 2: F L I G H T T O T H E STAR K I N G D O M SIf the party leaves before Kersy mentions thet, The \Toice of Death.

    to the Underworld

    Far ahead of your route, an odd blackspot, so dark it appears in the night, ripshe sky open. Small electric blue lightning

    surrounds the gap. As you get closer, thewind rises, colder, blowing small stonesand dust into the darkness.The gate is not directly connected to the

    f Entropy lbut to an intermediate plane.or exit the sate .

    The Keeper of the Underworld

    of your ship as you plunge deeper into thisworld of darkness. About 300 feet in frontof your ship appears another ship, a blacklongship with its sails taken in and its oarsmotionless.The Keeper of the Underworld, a roaring

    hip and a crew of 80 shadows. The long-sails in itsso, the demon says the following:

    Leave your ship, for from here, only thisblack vessel can sail to your destination.The demon haa been instructed to trap the

    n this plant.. Th e demon lies. It tries to

    cp each to Shrine of Death a nd leaves them

    If the party attempts to avoid contact withWhipping its shadows to

    e party an d the sailors. Th e demon

    feet per round in this plane. It is consid-200 HP.

    If the party destroys the demon, the shadowse characters can then sail the longship to the

    urn safely to the gate. If

    the party uses the longship beyond the gate, itmoves only 90hound (sail speed).8c . The Shrine of Death

    Rising out of the dull black water, a smallisland of dark earth appears. I t is no morethan 90 feet in diameter. In the middlestands an altar in front of a round pit duginto the ea rth. Th e sides of the pit are cov-ered with a glistening black, greasy slime.Stalks ooze up to the outer r im of the pit,and crawl back down, releasing a nauseat-ing stench of death and decay.If the party arrived with the demon, they

    are stranded on the island and the longshipsails away, unless the party attacks anddestroys the demon.

    The pit opens directly to the Sphere ofDeath, which explains why the pit isntflooded. Anyone touching the slime in the pitloses one level of experience. Those ente ringthe Sphere of Death are considered dead.

    If the party does what Kersy described,various undead creatures appear from thepit. All of them attempt to drink from thetrench unless the party holds them at baywith their swords. The creatures do notattack the party, but instead, they try to creepbetween t he party to reach the blood trench.On e hp of damage causes an undead to backoff and hesitate for 2 more rounds. It takes 12rounds for one creature to consume thetrenchs contents. If the number of roundsplus the number of undead total 6 or more(six undeads during 1 round, or one during 6rounds, etc.), the meal is spoiled and thedesired spirit does not appear.

    The arrival of the desired spirit takes 3d4rounds during which ld8 other creaturesemerge from the pit. The clerics have theirnormal chances of turning them, however,none of the undead can be destroyed this way.Turned undead simply return to the pit.Determine each creature appearing on thetable below.id2 0 Creatures Appearing1 Wight2-3 Wraith4-10 Spectre11- 13 Phantom (Apparition)14-17 Ha un t (Ghost)18-20 Spirit (Revenant)

    The soul the characters expect appears as aLawful ghost, wearing a long red, hooded robe.It immediately drinks the milk and honey. Itthen reveals the following to the party.

    ~ ~

    He ar m e now, my friends, for your pathis difficult and many forces oppose yourendeavours.

    Alphaks has become immortal afterbetraying his primary philosophy. H e isthe one who desires the destruction ofmankind in your homeland. H e is the onewho plots vengeance against his kin.Beware of his wrath, for you have drawnupon yourselves his eternal hatred foroffending his son, the giant eye.

    If you survive his desire for your deaths,you may return to Norwold, alone, in a for-eign ship. Do not h a m Vanyas sheep onthe isle of Tharl. Her revenge would be asawesome as Nphaks .The ghost then heads back to the pit. If a

    cleric uses a raise dead fully or equivalenspell on the ghost, the undead form isdestroyed and the remains of the former mortal body appear on the bare earth. Thecorpse can then be normally raised. If theghost is not one of the PCs, use the followingstatistics for the NPC .Theyraz (14th level Mystic): AC -4; H D

    14**** ; AT 4 fistrfoot; D 5d6x4; SavF14; M 10; A L L ; St 14; In 14, Wi 15; Dx17, Co 16; Ch 13 No magic items, noequipment.

    Whe n the conversation ends, the presenceof living men on the island triggers jealousyand hate in the rankls of the undead. Thecharacters must flee or be attacked by l d4 +4undea d, chosen at random. They do not follow the party beyond 300 feet of the pit. T heothers crawl about the trench to get theirshare of milk and honey.If the party is stranded, they must flee ofight hordes of undeacl pouring from the pitThe party can flee using the flying carpet (ithey acquired it in encounter 6 ) , or spellsuch as f l x teleportation, or gate. The watesurrounding the isle is poisonous to touch(Saving Throw vs. Poison at -5 or die). Otherwise, either Vanya or Koryis may intervene, if they have an intervention left to bplayed (see page 21). Either could providtransportation (such iis an undersea boat-see Companion rules; however it should nobe able to submerge in this plane).Victory Points for Immortals

    If the party destroyed or neutralized thdemon, Vanya scores 5 points.

    If the party has no way of leaving thShrine of Death, Alphaks scores 5 points.

    If the party can leave on their own and sucessfully raised the body of the lawful ghosKoryis scores 5 points.

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    2: F L I GH T T O T HE STAR K I N GDO M STime moves much slower in the under-

    )to he prime material plane.f ships were waiting at the gate

    ys island, they are now gone. Play

    Return to Kersys IslandWhen the party returns, the winds blow

    to see the clhararters. She explains that

    She offers her hospitality again, for as long asor a small sailboat if their

    As time passes,warns them of dangers lying in their way:

    First, you must sail on the great flat seathat lies between here and three smallkingdoms. A void iny the sea is not advisedsince you would face the wandering rocks.Th ey exist in most o f the breathable spaceof this sky. Theiir speed is incredible andthey kill whatever they hit.

    Th ere is only one area thatcan e crossedto reach the other side. The region is infestedwith monsters. The ir singing is deadly and noone must listen to their voices.Beyond, in a dangerous strait, lurktwo horrid monsters. Qne dwells under

    the water. Ke ep aw ay from its whirlpool.T h e other hides in a mountain and alwaysattacks by surprise. Xo one has ever beenable to observe any o f them, so I cannothelp you more.Perhaps the people o f the three king-doms can help you find what you seek.Play encounter 3 next, The Great Sea in they. Th e players may choose their course then.The Great Sea in the Sky

    Beyond the remaining space ahead of youextends a titanic horizontal spiral of water,spreading several curviny arms on its outerrim. The center forms a great flat sea thatseems navigab le. As usual, the center sea iscovered with a dome of light and heat, asthough it were a separate world.Several miles above and beneath thegreat spiral, as well as on both sides,extends an endless region filled with vastfloating clusters of rough stones churningand crashing toqether.I f the party chooses to sail on the sea, they

    have no trouble reaching the water and sail-ing, toward the center o f the spiral. I f theparty attempts to sail in the empty spacebetween the f lat spiral and the stones, the spi-rals current pulls the ships back to the greatsea. No amount of magic or wind preventsthis from occurring.I f the party attempts to pass under thesea spiral, the ship hits the liquid surfaceupside down and sinks through it to reappearfloating on the other side. Characters cling-ing to the ship easily survive, however, theothers must be able to swim to follow theship. Heavily armored characters remainbetween the two surfaces and drown if notrescued. Once the party sails on the uppersurface of the great spiral, run encounter 11.

    I f the party chooses to cross the crushingstones, run encounter 10.Immortals do not score points during thisencounter.10. The W andering RocksA multitude of jagg ed rocks floats in thedark sky, endlessly filling the void. Occa-sionally, a spherical flaming stone dashesin between, bumping into another rockand shattering it. Thousands of smallrazor sharp shards then ricochet in alldirections, like deadly daggers.This region of the void is filled with .asteroids

    and small meteorites. I f the party decides toventure through them, they do not have anydifficulties avoiding the motionless asteroids.However, once every hour, a meteorite is likelyto hit the ship (hit roll as fighter level 1 , normalships AC) or, if it misses, has a 10% chance ofhitting a nearby asteroid.T h e ship takes 5d6 HP of dam age (impactand fire) each time a meteorite hits it. SeeSpecial Attacks rules on fire, page 26 of theMaster Players Book. All damages to shipsare treated as Hul l Points.

    I f the meteorite hits an asteroid, the ship takes5 H P of damage and all the passengers, whetherinside or exposed on the deck must make a Sav-ing Throw vs. Spells at -5. I f the saving throwfails, the victim suffers 5d10 points of damage. I fit succeeds, damages are halved. Th e shards pen-etrate the hull as though it were paper.The ourney across the wandering stones takes2d4 days. I f the party successfully crosses thatarea, play encounter 15. I f the ship is destroyed,the party drifts back to Kersy s Island, eventuallytaking more damage fr om the shards.Victory Points for Immortalsscores 5 points.

    I f the partys ship is destroyed, Alphaks

    14

    If the party successfully crosses the wan-

    I f the party finally chooses the other way,dering rocks, Vanya scores 5 points.Kor yis scores 5 points.11. The Voice of Deathnumbered 11 on Th e (Great Spiral Map.This encounter occurs in one of the tw o hexes--h e wind has been dowly dying for one

    full day. The surface of the sea is now assmooth as oil. Th e heat and the silence aremore oppressing with every hour.You have observed strange eddies andbubbles popping out of the glassy surface.The few bubbles become a multitudewhen the entire sea around the ship startsbubbling as though it were boiling.If the characters listen, they hear strangenotes and voices each time a bubble bursts. T hebubbles and the voices .we created by sea hags(see Masters Set). Th e hags songs and pleas

    reach their maxim um intensity when the sea lit-erally boils. Som e characters hear voices o f theirKing or Koryis if they have already met him,waming them that the sea is an illusion and theonly way back home iy to dive into the sea.Some zzonga-mtoxicated crew could unplugtheir ears to listen to the songs, causing theirown doom and their ship to drift aimlessly.A n y characrer with unplugged ears at thattime dives into the water and is dragged d ownby the hags (no saving throw). Th e victim istotally unconscious and unable to fight o r castspells. T h e creatures devou r the victim unlesshe is rescued. PCs with plugged ears mayattack the sea hags if they find a way tobreath. The victims are free once all the seahags are killed or neu tralized.There are 20 sea hags 50 feet below theship. They attack anything swimming, how-ever, they do not pursue the ship beyond 300feet ofthis spot. At 150 feet belo w is their lair,an old ship wreck containing 50,000 gp,masses of various skeletons, and rusty e quip-ment. Th e creatures use huge conches to cre-ate the bubbles and to amplify their songs.The shells are not magical.Victory Points for ImmortalsIf the party destroys all the hags, Vanyascores 5 points.I f the party sails past the hags, ign orin gtheir songs, K ory is scores 5 points.If the party loses any of their members andare unable to raise them1 (they abandoned themor lost their clerics), Alphaks scores 5 points.

    Run encounter 12 next, Whirlpool andStone Jaws.

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    ved. Printed in U.S.A

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    Jb Area 2

    %:ale: 1 square = 250 fee

    dAP KEY.+;

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    Chapter 2: FLIGHT TO THE STAR KINGDOMSWhirlpool and Stone Jaws

    the center of the sea spiral, two coastsstrait a half mile wide.Sheer vertical cliffs overlook the sea asr as the coast can be seen. O n the west

    f the strai t, a large whirlpool proba-

    feet wide, exists between the bottomf and the edge of the whirl-

    ent is weaker.If the party attempts to land elsewhere and

    s, they discover that the land is

    i t crumbles into rough. Th ere , they become wandering rocks,

    The temperature in the desert is over 100fahrenheit, and no water exists on its sur-

    this desert, some explo-at contact with air. Each explosion is10d6 fire ball and ha5 a 50%

    e of affecting he party. The party FhouldbeThis entire sea on which the party is sailing

    ater. T he desert is all that remainsis rivals destroyed it and

    d this vortex a nd closed all others. Th e

    13). This is one ofthe mons tersTh e other monster hides in a cavern above

    It can surp rise ships sailingw on its first attack. I t is able to cast one

    The creature is a giant hydra (treat as a gar-si x heads; how-

    4-40 (4610) points of damage to a PC or, or, it grabs ld 6 normal men off the ships

    only way to kill the creature is to cut alloff. As he PCs ship passes below, two

    of the heads bite the stem and aft of the ship tostop it, and the four others attack the passengers.Once the party has freed the ship from thehydras hold, it takes 2 more rounds to sail out ofrange of the heads.

    The giant hydra has a treasure containing10,000 pp and a bastard sword +2 , + 5 vs.demons. It is engraved with runes that say, TheStrength of Vanya Protects the Conquerors.

    The sword, of Neutral alignment, is intelligentand speaks Common, Elf, any water elementallanguages, and Storm Giant. It reads magic andcan detect invisible, detect creatures from theSphere of Death, and teleport back to Vanya if itsbearer is destroyed or killed.

    The sword knows Vanyas natu re an d pur-poses bu t only reveals them if the party scoresover 25 points for Vanya in this chapter. Itdoes not reveal anything else, however it doestend to direct its owner toward Alphaks, thusthrough the Magic Mists, a region on theopposite side of this world (see Chapter 3)and to Alphaks mounta in.Victory Points for Immortals

    If the party fails to cross the strait, and/orshuts the gate to the Plane of Water, Alphaksscores 5 points.

    If the party successfully crosses the straitwithout losing any crew members, or withoutdestroying the giant hydra, Koryis scores 5points.

    If the party destroys the hydra, Vanyascores 5 points.

    If the party crosses the strait, ei ther on landor on ship, go to encounter 14. By the timethe partys fleet crosses the sea spiral, the foodsupplies on board should be seriouslyreduced. If the party fails to cross the strait,they drift into the Elemental Plane of Water.Then run encounter 13 next.13. The Plane of Water

    Since the party entered through a vortex,they are now made of water. They do notneed breathing devices to survive in thisdimension. The PCs cannot go up the vortexbecause of strong currents.

    For every round the party remains in thisplane, the party has a 10% chance of encoun-tering 3d10 water elementals. They slowlycircle around the party for a turn, observingthem with their cold gray eyes before theydecide to parley. If the party attacks them,they have no chance to return to the straitother than a wish spell or their undersea boat(if it was provided earlier by an Immortal) .

    Vanya, closely related to the Plane ofWater, has sent these creatures to help theparty return to the strait and cross it safely.

    Th e creatures are able to invert the vortex fora limited time.During their conversation with the party, thecreatures may reveal they are followers of Vanya.

    They say she is a powerful temporal of theSphere of Time, and the patron of Conquerors.She is busy right now dealing with a possible warin another world, however, they say they beenordered to help the party If the party shows therodof victory (see Chapter l), the creatures saythat Vanya had the same one once.Victory Points fo r Immortalsscores 5 points.she scores 5 points.means, Koryis scores 5 points.

    If the party attacks the creatures, AlphaksIf the party discovers the nature of Vanya,If the party leaves this plane by their ownGo to encounter 14 next, Vanyas Flock.

    14. Vanyas FlockThe trip to this area should take long

    enough so the party runs low on food sup-plies. The sea currents in this area of the spi-ral are awesome and storms are common.However, despite rough waters, the partyshould reach this encounter without excesscasualtics or damage to the fleet. Meanwhile,Alphaks foils any attempt to use magic inorder to make food (except zzongas) in theform of contamination, pests, zzonga, orfungi. The Chaotic temporal is trying tostarve the party so they attack Vanyas sheep.When they arrive at the site of the encounter,read the following.

    After a long and difficult navigationagainst opposing currents, you reach asmall island near the other end of the seaspiral. It is partially covered with an oakforest. Between the beach and the treesextends a wide hilly area, covered withthick green grass. Dozens of sheep peace-fully graze in front of the trees.If crew members still remain, they refuse to

    weigh anchor before supplies are stocked in theship or on the raft. They wait until the PCs arebusy exploring the forest or fishing elsewhere toattack the animals and make a feast.

    Ru n encounter 15 newt.Victory Points for Immortals

    If the sheep have been harmed, and/or thecrew rebels against the party, Alphaks scores5 points.

    If the sheep are not lharmed and the partyavoids a mutiny, Koryis scores 5 points.

    Vanya does not score points in thisencounter.

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    2: FLIGHT TO THE STAR KINGDOMS~ ~

    platform. It seems like a man -ma de con-struction, with a stone observa tion tower.An unknown flag flutters above the tower.You faintly hear the sound of a horn whena small but sturdy skiff appears frombehind the tower, braving the rough windsto come to your rescue. Seven men sitinside, one at the rear, holding the rudder.

    A n Immortals StormPlay this encounter as soon as the party

    Th e sky turns black and the sails violentlyflap in the winds. Ground swells rock thevessel, as huge rolling waves appear roar-ing at the horizon. The storm grows moreviolent every second until horrendouswaves smash the vessel to pieces.The storm is caused either by Vanya whose

    Th e party may not control the storm sincecreated by an immorta l. As revenge, the

    remaining crew. The party mayto debris or broken masts.

    For a few days, they drift in to the void, finallyleaving the great spiral sea. Run encounter16 next.

    The immortal responsible for the stormautomatially scores 5 points in this enounter.IfVanya has been irritated by the death of he rsheep, or if she has scored 20 points or less inthis chapter, she turns against the party.From now on, her interventions are aimed atthe destruction of the adventurers, until theparty proves worthy by per forming some glo-rious act, explained in Chapter 3 .16. The Delthan Outpost

    After the violent storm has destroyed yourlast hope of returning home, the roaringwinds of the void toss you near a small

    20

    When the rescuers bring the party back tothe tower, Yorrick offers food and rest to thesurvivors. The tower is constructed simply,with a small pier behind the tower, a mainhall at the lower level, and a dormitory at theintermediate level. The last floor opens onthe roof, where !:uards constantly observe th esky. Every three months, several Delthan ves-sels stop at the tower to change the garrison,get their reports, and bring new supplies.More information is available on the Del-thans, Belthans, and Gammaria ns in Cha p-ter 3.

    The Delthans are worried abou t a largefleet that sailed past their tower a few daysbefore. They sent a messenger to warn theirking. They think it was a Ga mma rian fleet onits way to attack Delthar. If it was, a new warwill surely begin. The description of the shipscorresponds to the partys fleet. IfYorrick dis-covers the partv has something to do withthat fleet, he immediately orders themarrested, on thts charge of espionage. Anyresistance provokes a fight to the death withthe Delthan garrison.If the party asks about Delthar, Yorrickreplies it is their kingdom. He indicates itsapproximate direction but warns there aretwo other realms, Belthar and Gammar. Afragile truce exists between them and fric-tions are common. Regulations prevent him

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    Chapter 2: FLIGHT TO THE STA.R KINGDOMSgiving m ore details to strangers. How-

    suggests the party use one of hisships if they want t o leave.will be granted shelter in the port oflag. F rom there

    f the party has nothing to hide,ffered. Yorrick gives the

    for Immortalsf the party decides to wait fo r the next Del-

    s scores 5 points.f the party attacks and seizes the tower,f the party thanks Yorrick and sails ontely. Ko ry is scores 5 points.f the party waits for the next Delthan ship,

    section at the end o f this

    f the party immed iately leaves the tower,17 .

    . The Return of the Armada~

    sails appear at the horizon,full speed astern.

    he ships belong to the partys armada. Asume combat formationhe party s vessel. W he n theythe party, they

    g rocks. Kor yis could do so becausecharac-in the Sphere of De ath.fter crossing the w-andering rocks, withhelp of Vanya, K or vis stopped the fleet in

    e party is now ahead of the ships course.PCs on its way toar Kingd om s (see Chapter 3).In his hurry to find the mist region King

    To hiss actually attack the fleet,ry is scores 5 points

    InterventionsEvery time one immortal scores 15 points

    immortal may intervene to help or causetroub le to the party. Tho se interventions m aybe played at the mom ent chosen by the DM,when time seems most appropriate.

    Koryis: Ko ry is usually intervenes t o helpthe party, either healing them , raising fullyalost character, or repairing their ship. On e ofKo ry is possible interventions occurs justbefore the party encounters Ker sy for the firsttime (see encounter 7). I f this happens, readthe followin g to the players:

    A handsome glowing man materializes inyour path, and says, Welcom e, my sons.As I had foreseen, you hav e not escapedyour fate. However, I must warn youagain o f the dangers and rewards awaitingbeyond this forest. Look near your path,and pluck the blue flowers. Eat their rootsfor they will protect you against a sorcer-ess powers. Force her to swear loyaltyand she will becom e you r ally.

    The apparition fades and the naturallife o f the forest reawakens, as though youwoke from a dream.I f the party obeys the advice, none of Ker -sys powers can affect them.Koryis may also intervene if the party is

    stranded at the Shrine of Death (seeencounter 8c). In that case, read the follow-ing to the players:A bridge of white light flashes from theshore to the direction of the gate. Theundead creatures cover their faces andimmediately retreat back into the pit. Avoice suddenly booms, Leave Alphaksantechamber. Your path has come tooclose to his lair. Follow the bridge andreturn t o the fre e sky.Vanya: She normally intervenes to help theparty Save one intervention until the party

    reaches the Shrine of Death. If they arestranded, read the preceding encounter.Otherwise, her most common intervention isto raise one of the bravest characters statisticsone point. She normally chooses one statistic inthis order of preference: Strength, Charisma,Dexterity, or Constitution. She never causes astatistic to be raised higher than 18.I f Vanya turns against the party (her sheephave been harmed or her score is less than 25in this chapter), her future interventionsoppose the party during Chapter 3. If, onceagain , the party proves by their actions to beworthy of her protection, she is appeased andforgives them.

    Alphaks: Alphaks always opposes the par tySince the adventurers go against all of his plots,chances are Alphaks has fewer chances to inter-vene than the two other temporals.Alphaks must intervene at least oncebefore the party reaches the great sea spiral.I f at that time Alphaks does not have 15points yet, he intervenes anyway, but he losesall the points he scored in this chapter, up toencounter 9.Alphaks first intervention against theparty is to tear up their wind bag (seeencounter 4a). H e does so by teleporting arevener near the bag. Th is happens when thecharacters least expect the encounter. I t thenrips the bag open and attacks the party as allof the foul winds turn against their ships. Th estorm blows the party and any accompanyingships back to encounter 3b.Otherwise, Alphaks intervenes with vari-ous curses such as:Al l the party saves at -5 until the end of

    the adventure.All the appointed commanders in thefleet are treated as if their Char isma was 5points lower. T his affects only the reactionof the troops and sailors in the fleet.Orders m ay not always be obeyed , deser-tion may occur, mutinies, or chaos onboard. This holds true until Alphaks isdestroyed.

    All the food o n board rots one hour afterit is created or stocked into the ships. Allmagical attempts to create food are imm e-diately foiled.

    Tho se curses may not be dispelled, exceptby Alpha ks himself or another temporal.

    AftermathIf Koryis scores the most points in thischapter, all of the curses Alphaks ma y ha vebestowed upon the party are remov edI f Vanya scored the most points, two possi-bilities may occur. I f she is still friendly, shecreates a spirit of heroism within the troops.Al l of the fleets and troops increase their Bat-tle Rating 20 points. I f on the contrary, shehas been irritated by the partys acts, she

    instead reduces the Battle Ra tings 20 points.Th is holds true until Alphaks is destroyed.I f unfortunately Alphaks has the highestscore, an incurable rotting disease decimates50% of the troops, sailors, rowers and sea-men still existing in the fleet.In case of a tie, nothing happens. Add upthe two scores each temporal generated dur-ing the two last chapters and save the resultfor the end of the adventure. T he results helpdetermine which temporal becomes the dom-inating one at the end.

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    Th e PCs goal in this chapter is to reach the

    e arrival of the partys arm ada provokesaciion. Let the players handle

    p 2A . Map 2B should only be used to vis-

    at the same level, sothree-dimensional

    Ma p 3 when the party reaches one of theAfter the PCs reach their goal, the Magic

    or conquering realms

    This realm occupies a huge island similarth rich farmlands with several vil-

    located at key points. Thei r economy isure. It is sufficient to feed

    or near the capital city.A powerful church council and a king rule

    er the control of King Korwald,for. If anything happens to the king,

    r, until a proper knight of

    vel paladin): AC -5/-10;F3 5; hp 110; AT 1 bastard sword; D ld6 +2(ld6 +7); Save F