GURPS Dungeon Fantast Setting: Cold Shard Mountains

Citation preview

TM

TM

Written by MATT RIGGSBY Edited by NIKOLA VRTIS Cartography by MATT RIGGSBY Illustrated by GUY BURWELL, RICK HERSHEY, DENIS LOUBET, RAMÓN PÉREZ, and ERIC WILKERSON GURPS System Design z STEVE JACKSON GURPS Line Editor z SEAN PUNCH GURPS Project Manager z STEVEN MARSH Production Artist and Indexer z NIKOLA VRTIS GURPS FAQ Maintainer z VICKY “MOLOKH” KOLENKO

Chief Executive Officer z PHILIP REED Chief Creative Officer z SAM MITSCHKE Chief Operating Officer z SUSAN BUENO Director of Sales z ROSS JEPSON Page Design z PHIL REED and JUSTIN DE WITT ­­­Art Direction and Prepress Checker z NIKOLA VRTIS

Reviewers: Peter V. Dell’Orto, Steven Marsh, and Christopher R. Rice Special Thanks: Martin Heidemann, for sponsoring the art on p. 31 and p. 45 GURPS, Pyramid, Warehouse 23, the pyramid logo, Dungeon Fantasy Setting, Cold Shard Mountains, and the names of all products published by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated are trademarks or registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or used under license. GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Setting: Cold Shard Mountains is copyright © 2020 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. All rights reserved. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this material via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal, and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

STEVE JACKSON GAMES Stock #37-0353

Version 1.0 – February 2020

®

Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . 3

Recommended Works . . . . . . . . . . 3 About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 About GURPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

1. Geography . . . . . . . . . . 4 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Geology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Climate and Seasons . . . . . . . . . . . Land Use and Production . . . . . . . How Do Those Peasants Survive Anyway? . . . . . . . . . . . Map of Cold Shard Mountains: Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 5 5 5 6

Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Northern Badlands . . . . . . . . . . . . Central Highlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terrain Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Map of Cold Shard Mountains: Physical Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eastern Terraces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Southern Marches . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7 7 7

8 9 9 9

Your bones, taken from your living limbs, are our wood to burn forever. – Xuchlazek Inscription 2. History . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Prehistory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zaak’kee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . First Demon War . . . . . . . . . . . Empire of Kerenk . . . . . . . . . . . The High, Middle, . and Low Kingdoms . . . . . . . Second Demon War . . . . . . . . . . Hegemony of Ardo Yang . . . . . .

10 10 11 11 12 12 13

3. Gazetteer . . . . . . . . . 14 Major Factions . and Cultures . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Coleopterans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Glow-Fungus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dwarves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Map of Cultural Features . . . . . . . . The High Clans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Middle Domains . . . . . . . . . . . . .



14 14 14 15 15 16

New Empire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yangites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Faces of Ardo Yang . . . . . . . . . . . . Others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . What Kind of Guild? . . . . . . . . . .

16 16 17 17 19

People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Abbot Cipauatl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bright Tribune Aerenbath . . . . . Diabolist Ronna . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emperor Kerenk . . . . . . . . . . . . . General Xende . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Guan Yo the Scribe . . . . . . . . . . . Guan Yo’s Notebooks . . . . . . . . . . High Priest Solune . . . . . . . . . . . Huaddag the Riser . . . . . . . . . . . Mazczec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Podesta Iurat IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . Silent Qurren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tennen the Short of Penet . . . . . Yannanyabarek of Dread Memory . . . . . . . . . .

19 19 20 20 21 21 21 22 22 22 22 23 23

24

Towns and Settlements . . . . . . 24 Cliff Abbey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dry Triangle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Granite Kap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Towns and Villages . . . . . . . . . . . . North Kap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Penet Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Red Aerie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Villages of Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tabbagret Convent . . . . . . . . . . . Tower Absolute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tspetep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

24 24 25 25 25 26 26 26 27 27 27

Natural Features . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Angry Rocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 The Auditorium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Marsh Fires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Burning Marsh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Great Dragon Ridge . . . . . . . . . . 28 High and Low Anvils . . . . . . . . . .29 Mazczec’s Trenchers . . . . . . . . . . 29 Meadow Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 The Miasma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Miasma Peak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Obsidian Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Forests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Skystone Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Yannanyabarek’s Fist . . . . . . . . . 30

Legendary and Remote . . . . . . . 30 Alchemical Pits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deep Aerie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Demon Rift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dragon’s Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Faerie Fortresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . Faeries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Contents

30 31 31 32 32 32

King’s Kap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mad Tunnels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Physic Tarns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Revolving River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Maddening Effect . . . . . . . . . Yannanyabarek’s Vaults . . . . . . .

32 33 33 33 33 33

4. Treasures and Monsters . . . . . . 34 Treasures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Yangite Relics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Famous Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Style Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coleopteran Alchemy . . . . . . . . . Demon Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Additive Suites . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

34 35 36 37 37 38

Bestiary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Cave Witches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dead Giants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Demon Hornets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hive Lizards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ice Scorpions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mountain Wolves . . . . . . . . . . . . Red Rot Demon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Common Monsters . . . . . . . . . . . Riverspear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stone Mold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Third Circle Bull Demon . . . . . . Walking Trees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wise Raptors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Xuchlazek Spirit Demon . . . . . . Spirit Demon Spells . . . . . . . . . . .

39 39 39 39 40 40 40 41 41 41 42 42 43 43 43

5. Campaigns . . . . . . . . . . 44 Dungeoneering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Exploration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Fearless Monster Hunters . . . . . 45

Picking a Side . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Chevaliers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Death to Demons . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Holy War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 New Empire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Revolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 The Magnificent [N] . . . . . . . . . . 46 Triangle Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Megadungeons . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Town Underground . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Living Dungeons . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Hex Crawls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Hex-Crawl Map Notes . . . . . . . . . 48 Hex-Crawl Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

2

Introduction The forces of history don’t just make complex societies. dice which slowly converted themselves from icosahedrons to They also create the conditions for heroic deeds. The great spheres. Having been educated in the lore of lost civilizations, magicians of the past made the powerful artifacts today’s he still kills things and takes their stuff while working a day delvers search after. The unfathomable thaumaturgy of job for loremasters of healing. The marching order for the rest those early magic users both shaped the landscape and led of his party includes a sorceress, an eleventh-level rogue, and to their powerful creations being lost, which allows today’s a pack of dogs. adventurers to find those items. Long traditions of craftsmanship and local specialization mean that delvers can tell by looking at a pile of treasure that this sword is likely of very high quality bout while that enchanted item is not to be trusted. Steve Jackson Games is committed to full support of GURPS playAnd an unresolved conflict between nations and ers. We can be reached by email: [email protected]. Our address various cultural movements and professional is SJ Games, P.O. Box 18957, Austin, TX 78760. Resources include: organizations results in a lot of people who

A

are willing to hire competent agents to take on risky missions. The Cold Shard Mountains are layered deep with unfinished battles, riddled with tunnels filled with ancient monsters, and littered with lost treasures. Every inch of the region is full of history, so adventure is never farther away than a step out of the front door.

Recommended Works

While the whole of the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy series could be used with this setting, some are more immediately useful than others. This book makes several references to GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 2: Dungeons, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 3: The Next Level (particularly for coleopterans and dwarves), and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 16: Wilderness Adventures, and they are strongly recommended. Likewise, several enchanted items and other treasures refer to GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 4: Sages or GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 8: Treasure Tables. Other useful works include GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 7: Clerics, GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 17: Guilds, and the entire GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters series.

About the Author

Matt Riggsby has been playing RPGs since the only game in town came in three poorly typeset tan booklets in a white box, using cheap



GURPS

New supplements and adventures. GURPS continues to grow – see what’s new at gurps.sjgames.com. Warehouse 23. Our online store offers GURPS print items, plus PDFs of our books, supplements, adventures, play aids, and support . . . including exclusive material available only on Warehouse 23! Just head over to warehouse23.com. Pyramid (pyramid.sjgames.com). For 10 years, our PDF magazine Pyramid included new rules and articles for GURPS, plus systemless locations, adventures, and more. The entire 122-issue library is available at Warehouse 23! Internet. To discuss GURPS with our staff and your fellow gamers, visit our forums at forums.sjgames.com. You can also join us at facebook.com/sjgames or twitter.com/sjgames. Share your brief campaign teasers with #GURPShook on Twitter. Or explore that hashtag for ideas to add to your own game! The web page for GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Setting: Cold Shard Mountains can be found at gurps.sjgames.com/coldshardmountains. Store Finder (storefinder.sjgames.com): Discover nearby places to buy GURPS items and other Steve Jackson Games products. Local shops are great places to play our games and meet fellow gamers! Bibliographies. Bibliographies are a great resource for finding more of what you love! We’ve added them to many GURPS book web pages with links to help you find the next perfect element for your game. Errata. Everyone makes mistakes, including us – but we do our best to fix our errors. Errata pages for GURPS releases are available at sjgames.com/errata/gurps. Rules and statistics in this book are specifically for the GURPS Basic Set, Fourth Edition. Page references that begin with B refer to that book, not this one.

Introduction

3

Chapter One

Geography The Cold Shard mountain range is a region of rugged land, broken into countless valleys and small terraces by series after

series of peaks. Assorted societies and natural phenomena alike have shaped the Cold Shard range.

Overview The region of the Cold Shard Mountains is, of course, surface. Just about any hillside, however small, likely has a mountainous, but contains significant diversity. A set of high few crevices one can climb into, and it’s not uncommon for peaks runs roughly southwest to northeast through the center farmers to have to work around rents in their fields. Easily of the region. To the north, the land is a jagged waste populocated holes in the ground are fine garbage dumps and can lated mostly by monks and bandits. To the south are somegive a good head start on digging wells and root cellars, but what gentler mountains dividing the they also provide access to the land into a large number of small, surface for a wide range of underground-dwelling monsters. fertile valleys, each containing its Clade relations determined own sets of villages and strongholds.

Geology

by rotation of annular muscle, crystalography of pseudodents? – Mazczec’s Notes on Petrophages

Large parts of the Cold Shard Mountains, particularly to the north, are a limestone karst landscape. The terrain is full of tall columns, jagged ridges, deep fissures, and a great many caves formed by the interaction of water and the right kinds of stone. Patches of good-quality marble and a few other dense stones are mixed into the layers of limestone. There are also a number of volcanic intrusions into this landscape. These are believed to be at least partly a consequence of demonic incursions constructing conduits from a fiery underworld and excavations of prehistoric titanic vermiformous petrophages digging too deep. One side effect of this is a remarkably high number of hot springs, including some at quite high altitudes, and a few picturesque geysers. In addition to producing many caves, the considerable underground activity has led to the formation of numerous ore veins. They tend to be small and scattered but quite rich, which has attracted many societies accustomed to living underground. Water tables are unpredictable. There are many localized layers of impermeable stone between the layers of limestone. This leads to complicated series of dry caves and small underground bodies of water. In places, spelunkers can go down into old tunnels, come up to the shores of a miniature lake inside a mountain, cross it, and go down another tunnel to come out below the level of the lake. The actions of water, stone, digging creatures, and so on thus have left the underground of the region nearly as full of holes as termite-eaten wood – to the delight of cultures who prefer to live underground like dwarves and coleopterans and to the never-ending annoyance of those who live on the



A World Going on Underground

The Cold Shard range has a lot of different spaces underground, but delvers with a sharp eye for detail can glean a certain amount of information about their surroundings from the appearance of the tunnels they are in. Natural tunnels come in a variety of forms, but are characterized by their irregularity. Irregular slopes, dead ends, bulging walls, unusual curves, and peculiarly shaped chambers are produced by a variety of geological processes. Old tunnels dug by the vermiformous petrophages are typically slightly oval in cross-section, a bit wider than they are high, with a faintly rippled texture along the walls. A sort of polished sandy residue on the ground (a by-product of the petrophages’ consumption of stone) is sometimes found in the tunnels. However, prospecting in it for valuable metals has disturbed or destroyed many such deposits. Petrophages’ tunnels tend to curve and branch at gentle angles. And, of course, they can be quite large. The biggest tunnels have mostly collapsed over the years, unable to support the weight above them, but tunnels 20’ or 30’ wide are common. Coleopteran tunnels are typically circular or oval in cross section; unlike petrophage tunnels, these are taller than they are wide. They were often constructed in “hive and pod” plans, with a large round central chamber connected to clusters of similarly round rooms. The Zaak’kee civilization (pp. 10-11) which initially moved into the region lined their tunnels with pulverized stone mixed with resins, producing a sort of concrete or hard plaster. In poorly preserved areas, the plaster has decayed and fallen off, leaving rough patches on the wall and sandy floors. Modern coleopterans do not follow the practice of plastering.

Geography

4

Dwarven tunnels are complex and diverse, but tend to share some common features. Most settlements were and are marked by a small surface fortress called a kap. (Technically, only the surface portion is the kap, but most people in the Cold Shard range call an entire dwarven settlement a kap.) The kap protects a wide shaft leading into other areas, which might be a garrison, a temple complex, a mine, or an underground town. Most of these have a great many subsidiary tunnels. Dwarven work involves right angles where possible and pointed arches where necessary, with stone walls painstakingly carved in inhabited areas. Mines include broad galleries with pillars left in place. Demon tunnels have a dark but slick look to them. Hellfire was a common method used to cut tunnels during the demon wars, leaving passageways lined with stone which was either burned and blackened or fused with a glassy surface. Rather than right angles, demons tended to use multiples of 60° when crossing roadways, tunnels, and the like. Instead of a crossing of two tunnels, a junction in demon-built tunnels often has six passages, perhaps connected to a hexagonal chamber in the center. Finally, there’s the relatively rough work of tunnels built by surface-dwelling mortals. While well-done excavations can be found here and there, most of it is utilitarian at best. Indeed, people living on the surface tend to avoid construction below ground level. Between old tunnels (both natural and artificial) and new digging (by hostile monsters and wild creatures), fresh holes open in the ground all the time – and they rarely hold anything good. A few homes have basements with thickly reinforced walls, but most people on the surface try to leave well enough alone. Of course, tunnels can change over time. Delvers might find stalagmites and stalactites coating fine dwarven arches, silt from underground flooding covering mosaic floors, or cave-ins breaking the symmetry of coleopteran pods.

Climate and Seasons

Despite the name, the Cold Shard Mountains have a temperate climate. The name was originally a reference to the high peaks, which are always covered in snow and ice. Summers are warm but rarely hot. Winters can be quite chilly, though the larger lakes rarely freeze over entirely. The region south of the central peaks is quite rainy during the spring, with a

secondary wet season in the fall transitioning to often very heavy snowfall in the winter. Of course, the highest peaks are always cold. Trees aren’t viable at elevations higher than about 6,000’ (they may walk there sometimes, but rarely stay long), and snow and ice don’t melt at higher than about 9,000’. The highest peaks, running through the center of the region, are all well above the snow line, as are a few to the north and south. Travel through the region carries with it different seasonal challenges. During the winter, passes through the central peaks are often blocked by snow. Many streams and even the rivers may ice over as well, though there are enough hot springs in the region to keep at least some water flowing in places. However, when there’s not too much snow, travel over some overland routes can be easier, since the ground is reliably hard. Spring travel has a converse set of issues. The spring sees a lot of ice and snow melting. This typically results in high levels of water in the rivers and lakes which lasts well into summer, with dangerous floods an ever-present possibility. River settlements are, therefore, typically a good distance away from the banks to avoid flooding, though they’re often up against mountain slopes anyway.

Land Use and Production

The east central part of the region, which contains the most arable land, sees the bulk of the range’s farming and population. Even so, villages and individual holdings around the region take advantage of such level ground as exists and build artificial terraces where possible, particularly along shallower slopes. Most people farm for a living, with craftsmen and other professionals (alchemists, priests, etc.) in towns. Villages here are composed of more or less tightly distributed homes, often made of undressed stones from the fields. That keeps the arable land clear and makes homes more defensible from attacks by monsters, as occasionally happens. In addition to unremarkable field crops (heavy barley, yellow-striped peas, tallwhip wheat, candlegourd, and a few others), the region has a number of tree crops. Pommante, a tart yellow-green fruit resembling a small apple, grows widely through the region. The fruit is eaten dried and fresh, and is often juiced to make a popular if distinctly sour cider.

How Do Those Peasants Survive Anyway? The world is full of demons and ravening beasts and holy warriors. The landscape is also full of little villages full of common people. How does that work? For some campaigns, it doesn’t matter. This is dungeon-crawling fantasy. It’s in-genre for there to be a backdrop of embattled villagers who need to be saved by brave adventurers. For other campaigns, the situation isn’t stable. Encroaching monsters, magical disasters, and so on will eventually kill all the peasants who don’t flee to safer places. Adventurers are genuine heroes, if tragic ones, fighting a probably losing battle against the encroaching



forces of chaos, but they haven’t lost yet. And maybe they can still turn things around. A third option is that just as there are powerful forces acting against everyday people, there are powerful, if unspectacular, forces working for them. With divinely powered priests thick on the ground, plagues are rare, childbirth is safe, and injuries which aren’t immediately fatal are likely survivable. Semi-magical plants, fertility spells, and even alchemical fertilizers provide massive crop yields on small plots of land, letting people stay close to the fortified walls of their villages. The people may need help, but they’re holding their own.

Geography

5

The lower, warmer slopes of many mountains are home to thick stands of wild kasban, a tree which produces both high-quality hardwood and hard-shelled nuts which are often ground into a meal. However, local distrust of trees (see Forests, p. 30) means that they’re rarely cultivated in large numbers. Other parts of the Cold Shard range are occupied by farming villages where possible, towns and small strongholds of various kinds where suitable, and the dwellings of individuals or extended families engaged in wilderness-related trades elsewhere. Herding animals adapted to the mountains is common. The Cold Shard goat is hardy and has a thick coat which turns into good wool thread, though herders must choose between risking the wooded lower slopes or appeasing the Wise Raptors (pp. 15-16) who rule the better pastures above the tree line. Dwellings are usually built into slopes on the sides of valleys to preserve valuable crop land and for protection against a greater threat of attack. Homes in villages

are frequently tightly packed together, with irregular rows of homes facing zigzagging lanes going up the slope. Alternatively, the entire village may be built as something like a single large, sprawling building. Fortified towers are a frequent sight throughout the entire region, constructed with a combination of conventional masonry and earth magic to move stone. They can provide defense for a population in need of it, a center for local rulers, surveillance on critical locations, and so on. Freestanding towers, sometimes in clusters of nearby fortifications, have been more popular than castles with curtain walls (which provide little protection from airborne attacks). Square towers are preferred in the Cold Shard range, though a few – notably, rare coleopteran surface structures – are round, and some fortifications built by demons have been triangular, pentagonal, or hexagonal. Some towers built by magicians have more exotic shapes. A handful – constructed from pillars mined from Skystone Field (p. 30) – don’t touch the ground.

Northern Badlands

Central Highlands

Eastern Terraces

Southern Marches

Map of Cold Shard Mountains: Regions A more-detailed and larger version of this map is on pp. 49-52.



Geography

6

Regions The Cold Shard range is traditionally divided into four regions: the central highlands, the north badlands, the western terraces, and the southern marches.

Northern Badlands

The approach to the badlands from the far north beyond the Cold Shard range is made of increasingly steep, fragmented hills and mountains. Although the badlands don’t contain mountains as high as in the central highlands, the terrain is much more broken and difficult to traverse. Some mountainsides are so steep as to be practically vertical, producing a region of column-like promontories and razoredged ridges. The badlands are also notoriously poorly watered. Prevailing winds carry relatively little moisture to that region, the central peaks block most precipitation coming up from the south, and the rocky landscape sheds water quickly, keeping it relatively dry. The little there is drains away through an even denser than usual set of crevices and caves. Vegetation is mostly sparse and scrubby. Wells can provide adequate water, but who’s got time to dig? Taken together, these things make the badlands the most sparsely populated region of the Cold Shard range, at least on the surface. There are no settlements of humans or similar races bigger than a large village. And while a great many aeries are scattered across the badlands, they’re small, often occupied by lone Wise Raptors (pp. 15-16) or very small clans. Without herds below to raid or dense flocks of sheep and goats, they have little to sustain themselves. That said, the badlands have more than their fair share of those who want solitude. The badlands are notorious for bandit hideouts. The number of caves and tiny strongholds held by thieves laying low after stealing from people in the south is certainly greatly exaggerated in story and song, but there’s a kernel of truth to it. The often rocky ground is hard to track over, so those who do need to hide in the region often head for the badlands. A number of religious orders may be found in the badlands, most notably the Tabbagret Convent (p. 27), a center of Polyphysite activity and thought, and Cliff Abbey (p. 24), a Unifier stronghold. Finally, at the level of aeries, the region has a relatively high proportion of dragons, who prefer to remain a bit more remote from the more densely populated south.

Central Highlands

This part of the Cold Shard range is its backbone, containing the high peaks from which it draws its name. The central highlands (also called the central peaks) are split into northern and southern lines by a deep valley between them. A great many mountain streams drain into the valley, feeding the Loud Carwin River, which flows west to its confluence with the Silent Carwin. Folds in the earth hold some surprisingly deep pools. The central peaks, while quite steep, are nevertheless relatively easy to traverse in season through a number of well-used passes: Carwin Breaks, Lower Mother’s Pass,



Burning Hope, Upper Mother’s Pass, Green Demise, and Carrion Cross. Carwin Breaks takes advantage of relatively broad banks on either side of a major tributary to the Silent Carwin. With its relatively low altitude, this pass is usually easiest to traverse in winter, particularly if the Carwin itself freezes up. Burning Hope is always snowed over in the winter and can stay treacherous in the summer. Green Demise, beneath Miasma Peak (p. 29), suffers the ongoing effects of the demon wars and is used only by the desperate or well-protected. Lower Mother’s Pass and Upper Mother’s Pass were named for a maternal deity popular after the First Demon War, now largely forgotten. The former has a tendency to flood during rainy seasons; there are remnants of extensive dwarf-built water-control ditches which are no longer maintained. The latter has a tradition of being used as a graveyard for merchants, who are cremated and their ashes put in long, conical jars.

Terrain Types For the purposes of travel times (see GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 16: Wilderness Adventures, p. 22), the entire region can be regarded as Mountain, save for the eastern terraces, which can be treated as Plains. There are also scattered areas of Swamp, particularly in the southern marches, and patches of Forest here and there, particularly in the less inhabited badlands and central highlands. Beasts are sometimes used for transportation (see GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 13: Loadouts, p. 5, for a few examples), but vehicles are rare. Even in the eastern terraces, where they might be practical on the level ground, boats are preferred. Technically, these regions count the same for the purposes of foraging. However, nowhere in the southern marches or eastern terraces is more than a day away from at least a small village, and there are a number of small settlements in the badlands and highlands, so foraging is rarely necessary except for fugitives. Since there’s an official map for the Cold Shard Mountains, navigation and choices of routes offer some more reliable and clear-cut choices than the abstract decisions presented by the Travel sections of both GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 2: Dungeons, p. 5, and GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 16: Wilderness Adventures, p. 20. Traveling upstream on any marked river or stream in an appropriate season or through the central highlands by one of the named passes reduces travel time for that stretch by 15%; no Navigation roll is needed. Traveling downstream similarly reduces travel time by 30%. This makes travel time more predictable and often faster, but travel routes can get more roundabout. A successful Weather Sense roll at +5 can be used to tell in advance whether any given route is likely to be open.

Geography

7

4 1

3 2

5

6 7

13

8

12 9

14

11

10

15 16 17

22 18

21 19

20

23 24

25

Map of Cold Shard Mountains: Physical Features Key

A more-detailed and larger version of this map is on pp. 49-52. 1. Demon River 2. Green River 3. Great Dragon Ridge 4. The Auditorium

5. Marble Head River 6. High and Low Anvils 7. Skystone Field 8. Yannanyabarek’s Fist 9. Upper Mother’s Pass 10. Burning Hope 11. Loud Carwin River

Carrion Cross sees the least traffic of any pass (except, of course, Green Demise). The slopes around the area are lined with the “carrion grotesques,” heavily weathered stone figures which are variously believed to be petrified demons, cursed enemies of a nameless ancient king, or simply natural rock formations. The approaches to the passes have a remarkable number of current and ruined buildings along them. The military and trade value of the passes has led a variety of societies to build



12. Miasma Peak/Green Demise 13. Carrion Cross 14. Carwin Breaks 15. Lower Mother’s Pass 16. Silent Carwin River 17. Angry Rocks 18. Wolfstack Wood

19. Double Carwin River 20. Szesset River 21. Mazczec’s Trenchers 22. Penet Lake 23. Burning Marsh 24. Obsidian Lake 25. Meadow Steps

fortresses and mountain inns to alternatively control and facilitate travel. Many generations of such buildings have been built and destroyed by war or misadventure (the central peaks are notorious for avalanches). Even so, on the Carwin Breaks, Tower Absolute (p. 27) survives. With its great elevation, the central highlands naturally see the highest density of aeries. Dawn’s Fang, the highest mountain in the range, is home to Red Aerie (pp. 26-27), the closest thing the Wise Raptors (pp. 15-16) have to common ground.

Geography

8

Eastern Terraces

To the extent that there’s open land in the Cold Shards, it’s in the eastern terraces. This area is a series of relatively even plateaus (though only relatively; anywhere else, the terraces would be considered lightly rolling terrain). The plateaus are punctuated at intervals by steep slopes and cliff-like drops, descending to the south until the rise of the southern marches. This section is bounded on the eastern edge by the Crumbling Border, a small but difficult to traverse area resembling the northern badlands. The region eventually merges with the northward sweep of the southern marches. Better than half of the aboveground population of the Cold Shard range lives on or around the terraces. The area also contains Penet Town (the largest single settlement; p. 26) and Mazczec’s Trenchers (the largest body of water; p. 29). As a densely populated, well-traveled area, it tends to be less afflicted with wild beasts and dangerous monsters. However, as a long-standing center of civilization, it also has more than its fair share of restless spirits, undead, and similar threats. Currently, most of the terraces are formally under the authority of Tennen the Short (pp. 23-24), king of Penet and one of the few kings in the Cold Shard Mountains worthy of the title. While the terraces have at various times been in the hands of individual warlords, village councils, and so on, Tennen’s ancestors have established a network of petty noblemen, the chevaliers (p. 45), as local representatives of the royal government and as protectors of the realm. Although the terraces are relatively peaceful, no part of the Cold Shard range is truly safe. Thus, the crown maintains warriors and mystic professionals to watch for incursions of monsters (typically coming from the tunnels which underlie the region). When necessary, the defenders hold them off from harming



the common people until aid can arrive from nearby garrisons or the capital.

Southern Marches

While still rugged, the southern part of the Cold Shard range is at least gentle relative to the northern badlands. A number of modestly sized fertile valleys are set between a regular succession of mountains. The soil here is thicker than in most other regions and holds on to runoff better, so the southern marches are relatively productive, with many small farming settlements (often overlooked by a religious retreat or the fortified home of an overlord) scattered about. There are also a great many small lakes, a number of marshes, and, ominously, regions of dense forest. The marches are cut through with a great many streams which ultimately flow into the Double Carwin.

Rivers

River systems tie together most (though not all) of the Cold Shard region. The Loud Carwin flows west through the river rift in the middle of the central highlands. It is relatively narrow, with many cataracts interfering with the river’s rapid flow and waterfalls feeding it from both sides in many places along its length. It’s possible to take boats up and down it, but it’s dangerous, and portages are preferred in many spots. The Silent Carwin is broader, deeper, and relatively open to navigation. It isn’t silent, but it’s much quieter than the Loud Carwin. After their confluence at Angry Rocks, the combined river flowing south is called the Double Carwin. The Double Carwin flows south and out of the Cold Shard Mountains, picking up minor tributaries along the way, as well as one major one. Double Carwin meets the Szesset at Dry Triangle. The Szesset is the major river of the eastern terraces. During better seasons, the Szesset is open to relatively easy shipping by barge. Unfortunately, of late it has been subject to raids by bands of River Friends (p. 18), as have the many other tributaries to the Double Carwin farther south. There are four rivers which run north from the central highlands and through the northern badlands: the Demon Blood, the Green Reed, the Hidden, and the Marble Head. All have tolerably navigable bits here and here, but also have unpredictable rapids as well as broad, shallow fords which are very useful for travelers attempting to cross them but not so good for those trying to sail down them. The Hidden river disappears several times along its course, flowing under several substantial hills through tunnels formed when ancient petrophages dug particularly deeply into the rock.

Geography

9

Chapter Two

History A lot has happened in the Cold Shard Mountains to make things the way they are today. Sages have divided the past into the legendary past from before recorded history and six historical periods: the coming of the Zaak’kee; the First Demon

War; the empire of Kerenk; the time of the High, Middle, and Low Kingdoms; the Second Demon War; and the hegemony of Ardo Yang.

Prehistory A variety of legends purport to tell of events in the region before the dawn of recorded history, many of which contradict one another in various ways. The Zaak’kee (below) say that the mountains are the remnants of a ladder which once connected the earth with “sky hives” beyond the clouds, but which were broken in a clan war. The local dwarves hold that the range is the result of primal giants striking the earth with hammers, causing the stone and dirt to ripple. Yangites (pp. 16-17) have a parable about the land once being a single perfect cone, but it shrank in shame when it was scolded by the culture-hero Patal. Other groups say the mountains are fragments of a stone altar dropped by a careless god and shattered into a thousand pieces. Still others believe the peaks are icicles petrified with great age during an endless winter. Sages have traced the Great Dragon Ridge (pp. 28-29) to a battle between two gargantuan dragons, Shanzuan and Black Mafir. However, the identity of the loser, whose bones in time became a prominent geological feature, is in dispute. However the mountains were formed, their population was likely quite sparse initially. Giants are known to have once inhabited the region. To this day, some people claim that low stone circles found around the region are the foundations of ancient giant huts, though architectural experts are as likely to identify them as coleopteran single-chamber buildings or sheepfolds built by humans. The giants, usually leading solitary lives, likely carried on low-level conflicts against the walking forests (p. 30), which blanketed the region even then. Underground, the Cold Shard Mountains were once home to the titanic vermiformous petrophages, enormous worm-like

beasts which chewed through rock like termites chew through wood. The largest could be hundreds of yards across and over a mile long, though most were merely tens of yards wide and proportionately shorter. They died out for unknown reasons, with hardly any recorded sightings of a live one and none for centuries. Some suspect they subsisted on a particular type of mana-rich rock and, once supplies were consumed, they could no longer survive. Others believe they inadvertently opened a demon rift in their grazing and were all but wiped out by an early demon incursion (though any demons involved appear to have been consumed as well). At any rate, their tunnels still permeate the region. The Wise Raptors (pp. 15-16) allege that they have always lived on the mountaintops, through an infinite regression of ancestors, and it’s difficult to argue with them. Indeed, no structures in the region are known to be older than the remnants of crude stone aeries, and the legends of the Wise Raptors are an important source of lore about the long-vanished giants. Yangite legend holds that humans and similar races made their way into the region, probably following the rivers upstream into the highlands, while avoiding both giants and hostile trees where possible. Other legends say that they were seeded on the surface by the gods or otherwise originated in the region in small numbers. The early non-giant humanoids may have interacted with insular and largely isolationist faerie communities connected to the region by portals. Indeed, there are threads of magical practice in the region which sages compare with faerie technique.

Zaak’kee The first forays of civilization into the region appear to have been by the Zaak’kee with their construction of tunnels. Extending from the north, many of the tunnels continue to be inhabited by large populations of coleopterans. The Zaak’kee were a widespread coleopteran culture whose tunnels and artifacts can be found in many places around the world. Their habit in this region was to expand by creating semi-independent colonies. When a hive went beyond

a significant population, likely in the low thousands, some inhabitants would start digging tunnels to found a new hive, and those from already inhabited areas would follow networks of tunnels to outlying areas and join the forefront of new habitations. The cave-riddled terrain of the Cold Shard range was ideal for their expansion, giving them ready-made room to settle and explore further.

History

10

By about 3,000 years ago, the Zaak’kee had tunnels under most of the region. These tunnels were quite deep, with shafts leading to the surface in only a few dozen places. Hives occupied major intersections in the sprawling tunnel network. These hives shared many aspects of culture, such as traditions of wall art (the Zaak’kee were known for elaborate combinations of relief carving and mural painting) and alchemical practice (somewhat at odds with Zaak’kee magical practice elsewhere). Their exact political structure is undetermined. However, modern belief is that these various settlements were nominally under the governance of a far-off council of rulers but were on their own in actual practice, retaining ties of kinship and trade with ancestor hives up the line. The Zaak’kee traded with humans and likely some goblin-kin living on the surface and with dwarves living at relatively shallow depths under it. The commerce attracted enough people to establish a handful of permanent trading

posts near Zaak’kee portals. Modest as they were, these were the first aboveground towns in the mountains. Dry Triangle was first occupied late during this period. It wasn’t associated with any Zaak’kee portals directly, but was in a good position to coordinate trade in and out of the region. As the Zaak’kee expanded, their ties with their homeland became tenuous and were disturbed by internal unrest. Nominal allegiance to a common center wasn’t enough to keep local conflicts over territory and resources from flaring up. The use of particularly sophisticated weapons and armor among the Zaak’kee became more common during this period, as did the use of offensive and defensive magic. Many valuable Zaak’kee artifacts found today date to this period. Expansion efforts also became more fragmented as more and more of the tunnels in resource-rich areas filled up, and some groups were forced into less desirable areas. This inadvertently set the stage for the tragedy of the First Demon War.

First Demon War As several surface towns were established and coleopteran settlements began to expand south even beyond the mountains, a Zaak’kee hive broke into a vast chamber deep beneath the mountains in search of a suitable place to establish a new community. This chamber held an apparently bottomless (and likely extradimensional) rift; see Demon Rift, pp. 31-32. Magical emanations gave the Zaak’kee a bit of advance warning, but they could not prevent the emergence of waves of demons. The resulting conflict has come to be known as the First Demon War. The open rift attracted more powerful and intelligent creatures. The Zaak’kee engaged in ongoing efforts to isolate the tunnels and seal off the rift through which demons were advancing, but to no avail. The monsters overcame the Zaak’kee defenses and burst into the surface. Some sages have characterized the conflict as an infestation as much as a war. Tunnels around the region saw mostly

bestial demons seeking to kill and devour, but following very little in the way of strategy. (See Third Circle Bull Demon, p. 42, for one example.) More intelligent demons sometimes whipped up herds of demon beasts to further drive back resistance, but mostly they just followed after the chaos. Once paths to the surface opened up, the intelligent demons established a sparse network of temples and palaces and encouraged the influx of beasts. War or infestation, many died. Many communities were destroyed, and others greatly reduced. The eastern terraces were all but depopulated. In the remainder of the region, survivors retreated into increasingly fortress-like villages, hoping that stone walls would keep the demonic threat at bay. They were only sometimes correct, though that style of architecture has remained in use throughout the region ever since.

Empire of Kerenk The First Demon War was mostly local to the Cold Shard Mountains. Between the fragmented coleopteran colonies, scattered aboveground settlements, and fiercely independent Wise Raptors, there were many battles but little in the way of a coherent defense. Eventually, the expanding sphere of the demon threat ran into an also rapidly expanding dwarven empire up the chain of mountain ranges. This was the empire of the legendary dwarf ruler Kerenk (pp. 20-21). Kerenk and his two companions, according to tradition, united their three feuding clans and put an end to centuries of rivalry. This newly unified kingdom was almost immediately threatened by the growing demon incursion from the nearby Cold Shard Mountains. Kerenk is a figure who looms large in local legends. Many stories about him are likely false, but it is generally agreed that he and his companions marched up the tunnels into the Cold Shard Mountains to end the demon threat. Kerenk himself and perhaps his army in general were clearly blessed

with remarkable divine favor. Many demons fled from him, and those who did not were defeated in (if the poets are to be believed) epic battles. While Kerenk is himself not considered a god or even a demigod, many dwarven temples in the region have a black granite image of him somewhere. Kerenk and most of his armies withdrew to Overlook Kap, his capital some hundreds of miles to the southwest, but his empire was firmly established in the Cold Shards. The empire’s first concern was with the mines and underground regions. The demon war had been won, but there were still mopping-up operations and ongoing efforts to secure the Demon Rift. A massive effort was made to survey the tunnels of the region and catalog potential sources of useful materials and possible sites for new settlements. But the empire took firm control of the surface as well, which was still chaotic once the demons had been driven back. Banditry was put down by frequent patrols, and taxes and tolls were collected with a remarkable thoroughness.

History

11

A number of massive bridges were built across the rivers, particularly on the approaches to the more important passes. These were impressive feats of engineering, often consisting of a single broad span at heights sufficient to avoid spring floods. Some bridges survive to the present day, though most are just impressive ruins. A provincial capital was established at Penet Kap, a stronghold constructed several miles away from the recovering aboveground town at Penet Lake. Smaller garrisons, called demikaps, were established across the region.

Accounts of relations between the high clans of the Wise Raptors (pp. 15-16) and the empire diverge. Imperial records suggest that the empire ignored the Wise Raptors, and the documents make no mention of dragons at the mountaintops. High-clan lore concerning the empire is mostly limited to mentions of dropping rocks. It seems likely that the empire found the Wise Raptors more trouble than they were worth, and the two peoples mostly ignored one another.

The High, Middle, and Low Kingdoms Kerenk was long-lived, even for a dwarf, as were his companions. But when he died after nearly 200 years on the throne, there was no clear line of succession. Because of his devotion to his companions, it is said, he had never married or had children. One of his companions, Turenk, rose to the throne, but he appointed the other, Murayad, as governor of the Cold Shard range. As devoted as they had been to Kerenk, they were somewhat less so to one another, so they began to find themselves at odds over a variety of issues. Moreover, they were quite elderly themselves, and within a few decades, both had passed away. In less than a century, Kerenk’s empire was wracked by civil war. Though the fighting only lightly touched the Cold Shard Mountains, it did greatly weaken dwarven control over the region. A handful at first, but then an increasing number of coleopteran hives drove out imperial tax collectors. Resistance spread to the surface as fighters banded together in the eastern terraces to become the Knights of Penet and get rid of tax collectors. The Murayadite fraction of Kerenk’s empire was driven completely from the surface as Penet extended its influence through the terraces and southern marches and even gained nominal control of Dry Triangle. After several years of fighting, a series of truces were enacted, recognizing several hegemonic powers. A badly reduced fraction of Kerenk’s empire held on to a substantial portion of the underground of the Cold Shard range, largely in the south and east. To the extent that any of the rest of the underground was under anybody’s control, it belonged to a variety of coleopteran hives and a few breakaway dwarven communities, kaps which had declared their independence for a variety of reasons. The kingdom of Penet ruled the eastern terraces and much of the southern marches, though it eventually lost Dry Triangle.

The dwarven empire (what was left of it) and the kingdom of Penet were recognized as the Low and Middle Kingdoms. These two polities made a show of recognizing Kee Fourin-a-Day, an influential elder among the Wise Raptors, as ruler of the peaks (the High Kingdom), though most of the Wise Raptors did no such thing. Still, it gave Kee some clout and privilege when negotiating with the downbelow. (Kee was not someone to cross – she had gained her nickname by fighting four successful challenges in a single day – but she was no ruler.) This period saw slow changes on the surface, with the extent of Penet’s influence slowly expanding and contracting over time depending on how influential this or that king happened to be over the southern marches. Underground, the remnants of the empire contracted over the course of centuries as the imperial government redirected resources, and dwarven communities found themselves growing increasingly independent. This era also saw the influx of a number of wizards and other mystical professionals. Many were attracted to the region by the prospect of studying demon artifacts and architecture as well as a number of aspects of Kerenk’s conquest during the First Demon War. Some of these wizards attracted others as students and apprentices, and some outsiders brought old rivalries with them or started new ones. Many of the Cold Shard Mountains’ most noted magicians come from this period. The best remembered is the legendary Mazczec (p. 22), who slew the last petrophage (see Mazczec’s Trenchers, p. 29). However, nearly as well-known (and perhaps in the long run more influential) is Lia-Panaia, the enchanter who developed the spells used in making additive suites (p. 38) of enchantments in the distinctive Cold Shard style and who passed them on to her school of apprentices.

Second Demon War The stability of the three kingdoms (or, at least, one kingdom and a bunch of petty states on the surface, the memory of a kingdom underground, and the loosely organized high clans on the peaks) was not to last. The causes of the Second Demon War are disputed. Some believe that cultists hidden in

the northern badlands found the rift which had been closed centuries earlier. Others believe a cabal of demons survived the First Demon War and, after long preparations, attempted to return home the way they had come. Either way, the rift reopened, and a new wave of demons entered the world.

History

12

Unlike the migratory infestation of the previous war, this invasion was smaller, but it was carried out in a more deliberate fashion. Rather than bestial creatures, the intruders this time were a number of intelligent physical demons and a good many insubstantial spirits who had to occupy mortal bodies in order to interact with the physical world. (See Xuchlazek Spirit Demon, p. 43, for an example.) This invasion spread like an infection, with mortals becoming dangerous monsters, some of whom could wield exceptional powers. The demon-possessed mortals and their purely demon cohorts quickly established their rule over the Cold Shard Mountains and beyond. The Xuchlazek Diabolism was established, and under the demon king Yannanyabarek of Dread Memory (p. 24), it spread out into the world. The Cold Shard Mountains were simply the epicenter from which new demons flowed.

Still, it wasn’t just demons everywhere. They formed the leadership and the shock troops, but mortals were engaged as overseers, informers, and functionaries in a vast demonic bureaucracy. Some were promised power, wealth, and other rewards; others were simply terrorized into serving. Eventually, the mortals struck back. The Lightbringers (p. 18), an alliance of clerics and holy warriors, set themselves against the Xuchlazek Diabolism. The front lines swayed back and forth across a continent, with the sacred armies driving into enemy territory, then being driven back as more demons were brought up through the rift. At last, an army of worshipers of the deity Ardo Yang (already one widely known in the Cold Shard range) infiltrated the deepest tunnels under the mountains and closed the rift for the second time. Demonic resistance finally collapsed, and the Cold Shard region was freed form their dominion.

Hegemony of Ardo Yang With the Second Demon War over, the surviving peoples of the Cold Shard range found a unifying and organizing force in the demobilizing holy armies of the worshipers of Ardo Yang (p. 17). Yangite religious leaders, perhaps surprisingly, showed little political ambition. Networks of monasteries were established in the badly battered region to be on guard against further demon incursions, but there were no moves to create an overarching theocracy. The region went back to being nearly as politically fragmented as it had been before the First Demon War. Nevertheless, Yangite worship became very popular and Yangite-tinged thought filled public discourse, which set a common tone for society in the years of reconstruction. To the extent that there were significant settlements and political territories, many sprang up near monasteries. Even without the regimentation of an army, the clerics and holy warriors of Ardo Yang were effective at pushing back non-demonic threats in the Cold Shard region. These efforts further won the hearts and minds of a populace which was already very much inclined to like them. Within a decade after the end of the Second Demon War, the worship of Ardo Yang was likely more popular than that of all other gods combined.

As all is from the primal cause and shall return to the ultimate unity, so the godhead must necessarily be manifold but singular. – Untitled Unifier theological Of course, things changed. Some monasteries drifted from their original mission as centers of religion and defenders against all manner of threats, and their leaders became involved in more worldly matters. And about 300 years ago, the community was rent by a variety of political and doctrinal disputes, leading to open warfare and the shattering of the community. The followers of Ardo Yang began to divide into two broad tendencies: the Unifiers and the Polyphysites. Initially, the two sides were more or less evenly distributed

geographically, and conflict was mostly at the level of doctrinal argument and the occasional brawl among the faithful. That inevitably changed. The king of Penet initiated a purge of Unifier priests from temples in and around the city. Parts of the populace rioted in response, and the situation quickly spiraled out of control. The eastern terraces were soon in a state of civil war, fighting spread to Dry Triangle, and there was a sharp uptick in fighting among the petty kingdoms of the southern marches. Religious hermits and communities in the northern badlands were drawn in as well. But the Unifiers and Polyphysites were not altogether unified themselves, nor were they the only factions. For example, the Polyphysites began to see the rise of cults favoring individual deities, while the Unifiers were split by increasingly abstruse arguments over the nature of the spiritual unity. Heterodox heretics formulated novel doctrines, such as proposing hierarchies of unity and connections to a primal divine force. Each of these factions had its own territory and power base. The possession of artifacts and control of territory inevitably became important as the factions broke into subfactions. Many temples became the objects of raids or pitched battles. The fighting even saw the reemergence of a handful of minor demons, in hiding since the Lightbringers (p. 18) had cast most of them out. They were defeated without too much effort, but their emergence proved a nasty surprise. The existential threat to the region put something of a damper on the ongoing conflict. The text civil war in Penet resolved with a new king who had Unifier sympathies, while moderate Polyphysites ended up controlling important positions in Dry Triangle. Religion joined the other reasons for local conflicts in the southern marches but became less of a motivating factor. Direct conflict remained most common in the northern badlands, but was reduced to a very low level as the most fanatical retreated into monastic strongholds. But ever since then, the conflict has remained part of the background noise in the region, perhaps needing only a local conflict to stir things up again.

History

13

Chapter Three

Gazetteer The Cold Shard range encompasses many different peoples, places, and significant individuals. Here are the better

known ones, as well as a sampling of the not so prominent, along with some adventuring possibilities.

Major Factions and Cultures The mountains are full of peoples and organizations large and small. Each has its own particular interests and inclinations which may be of interest to dungeon delvers.

tunnels with low levels of lighting to varieties of mushrooms which serve as their staple crops). This has also kept the coleopterans somewhat distant from the religious conflicts on the surface. While some added Ardo Yang to the lists of gods they’re willing to worship, the abstruse oleopterans theological conflicts never really took root in the deep tunnels. Though the current coleopterans are not necessarily the However, the coleopterans’ preferred locations have made original underground inhabitants of the region, they are them subject to the initial brunt of both Demon Wars. Zaak’kee among the longest-surviving. Their preference for deep underculture (pp. 10-11) was fragmented repeatedly because of disground living has kept them mostly separate from most other ruptions to coleopteran communities. Even today, coleopteran inhabitants of the region, culturally and politically. Indeed, hives remain relatively isolated from one another. they’ve even kept themselves largely apart from the dwarves. Even so, a number of coleopteran cultural movements have Dwarves in the Cold Shard range prefer relatively shallow tuncut across geographical lines. The most visible is the Imperial nels, giving them more access to shafts to the surface for air, Order, which is neither orderly nor particularly imperial. sunlight, and trade with aboveground people. Coleopterans, The order is a movement of (for lack of a better word) “patriotic” coleopterans inspired by the group-of-five genre of colemeanwhile, view light as something of secondary importance. opteran epic. Mostly set in the Zaak’kee period, the epics depict They have several native subterranean forms of cultivation emboldened groups of warriors defending the hives of others. which do best when practiced with certain kinds of stone The Imperial Order overlaps with the Home Guard, a more found deep in the bedrock (from glow-fungus providing their isolationist movement which aims to defend coleopterans by uniting them into a single polity and closing off contacts with outsiders. Finally, there are the Dolorous Scribes. This is a movement of sages and low ungus explorers who intend to commemorate coleopteran Glow-fungus is a catch-all name for several strains of cultivated communities of the past by exploring their old tunfungi used by the coleopterans to make their tunnels more accesnels and hives and recording what they find. sible. It is slow to establish, since it must send hyphae deep into the rock for adequate nutrition, but it is durable once in place, warves soon growing back if damaged. It doesn’t glow very brightly, but a large area provides just enough illumination to see by. A wall of Dwarves from the Cold Shard Mountains are glow-fungus improves darkness penalties by +3 for things immesomewhat more common than coleopterans, and diately adjacent, losing one point of bonus per yard away. somewhat less insular. Most dwarves live in small Unfortunately, an infectious strain of glow-fungus pops up kaps found through the region; indeed, save for now and again. This strain, if encountered, can infect anyone who North Kap, pp. 25-26, few have more than a thoumakes skin contact with it (except coleopterans, whose chitin is sand residents. Even so, many aboveground villages impenetrable to it) on a failed roll against HT. Within two days, have a dwarven family or two, who are often that the victim’s skin is infused with a faintly greenish glowing fungus. village’s best link to the outside world, since they In addition to making them very visible in the dark, it is harmful. maintain extensive webs of kinship. Some places The victim must roll against HT every day or take one HP of damhave neighboring aboveground/underground comage, which can be healed with Esoteric Medicine, but the undermunities, where humans and other surface dwellers lying infection remains. The infection can be removed altogether live atop small kaps, sharing food, water, and other with the Cure Disease spell, though some coleopterans know how resources produced above with the dwarves living to produce alchemical antifungals which can do the job as well. below. Mixed-race towns host larger communities, which are typically active in various craft guilds.

C

G

-F

D



Gazetteer

14

Key

1

1. Tspetep 2. Tabbagret Convent 3. North Kap 4. Cliff Abbey 5. Tower Absolute 6. Red Aerie 7. Penet Town 8. Dry Triangle 9. Granite Kap

2

4

3

6 5

7

8

9

Map of Cultural Features

A more-detailed and larger version of this map is on pp. 49-52.

Dwarves are as likely as anyone else to take a side in the Yangite schism (see pp. 16-17), though they go in for formal veneration of ancestors as well. While many dwarves can trace their family’s presence in the region to the empire of Kerenk (pp. 11-12), most are at least a little skeptical about the New Empire (p. 16). After all, the New Empire traces its history through Turenk (p. 12). Local dwarves retain Murayadite sympathies or simply want to remain independent. They’re willing to communicate and trade with foreign dwarves, but are wary of their motives. After this many centuries, the easy-to-reach veins of precious metal ores have been played out, but the dwarves are always searching for more. The constant digging and exploring new tunnels means that dwarves often stumble over nests of monsters and similar threats. Adventurers can make a modest living as mercenary protectors. The dwarves may not be enormously wealthy, but their reputation for craftsmanship is well earned. They can pay in kind. Moreover, metal weapons



and armor with up to two quality-related enhancements (see GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 8: Treasure Tables, pp. 33-35) may be purchased from dwarven settlements without qualifying as special orders. Many such items may come with a decorative enhancement as well, whether the purchaser wants it or not.

The High Clans

The high clans occupy most of the region’s peaks. These are insular family groups composed of Wise Raptors (p. 43), though several dragons in the region have been adopted into their society. The high clans embody the idea of “me against my brothers, my brothers and I against our cousins, our family against the world.” Wise Raptors regard their snowy mountaintops as their personal property, territory down to the tree line as their natural hunting ground by right, and anything at a lower altitude as negotiable, though they express no interest in anything underground.

Gazetteer

15

Members of the high clans inhabit aeries above the snow lines of mountains. An aerie typically consists of a number of scattered nests, each occupied by a lone Wise Raptor or a mated pair and sometimes accompanied by a brace of chicks. The young leave the nest as soon as they can and establish their own nests. They’ll settle on the same mountain if they must, but many set out to win a place in an aerie from a neighboring Wise Raptor. Duels are near constant. They are also rarely fatal; winners usually drive off the loser, who looks for someone else to challenge. Wise Raptors build nests starting with a dry stone foundation, usually dish shaped. Layers of branches are laid over the foundation to make a bowl shape large enough to hold at least one raptor. On mating, a pair rebuilds the nest into one suitable for two adults and several chicks; the nest can be as large as six or seven yards across. Dragons tend to inhabit high-altitude caves, sometimes constructed but often natural. Dragons of the high clans are on the small side as dragons go; larger, older ones usually move away from the austere but busy peaks to less crowded terrain. Historically, the high clans have held themselves aloof from the “downbelow,” as they call the lower altitudes. With both the lack of useful resources at the highest peaks and the difficulty of getting there, the more populated lower regions have been inclined to leave them alone. Individuals may (and do) violate this principle in search of the shiny objects which fascinate the typical Wise Raptor. However, the Wise Raptors are wary of intruders, have no qualms about striking first, and may have extended families capable of holding grudges for generations. That said, some members of the high clans take sojourns in the lower altitudes, mixing with the non-flying peoples there and returning home with stories to tell and sometimes a few particularly notable glittery objects. (Some Wise Raptors are happy to go adventuring but do so more for the honor and experience than for the loot.) A number of downbelow settlements, then, sometimes have a Wise Raptor living atop the highest building sturdy enough to withstand the weight. It’s regarded as a sign of good luck, so the villagers are pleased to have it happen.

Middle Domains

Middle domains, not to be confused with the Middle Kingdom (see p. 12), refer to the many small holdings which arose out of the collapse of the hegemony of Ardo Yang, though Dry Triangle and Penet are usually excepted from their number. Most of the southern marches are divided into small dominions, and a number of small and often short-lived domains can be found in the northern badlands, particularly along navigable routes through the mountains. Typically, an overlord (who takes a more or less fanciful title) rules a dominion. Any number of kings and princes in the marches can travel from one end of their land to the other in less than a day. High priests of small temples, wizards in their towers, or the heads of significant families rule other middle domains. (See GURPS Locations: The Tower of Octavius for an example of that kind of local ruler.) Each one seems to have its own long list of odd origins, unique dangers, or sets of local legends. Rulership of this domain carries a curse. Another village has to give a virgin to the dragon living in a nearby mountain every five years. That pond has turned into salt water, and kraken in it will



grab anyone who comes close. The soil here sometimes turns worms and bees into ravening beasts hundreds of times their original size. The forests near that domain keep coming closer and closer. Each of these problems, moreover, seems suited to being solved by mighty warriors, powerful wizards, and the like.

New Empire

After their own centuries of collapse, reformation, and change, a significant dwarf-ruled empire bordering on the Cold Shard Mountains has again emerged, claiming Kerenk as its spiritual ancestor. This empire lacks leadership as skilled as Kerenk’s, though, so it has yet to experience anything like that kind of expansion. It is limited to core territories of the old empire, south and west of the Cold Shard range. But the new empire is not without ambitions. The emperor in far-off Overlook Kap has declared ideological claims on the entirety of Kerenk’s old empire and has made some moves toward edging into the Cold Shard range. Notably, a garrison has moved into Granite Kap in the southern marches. The commander, General Xende, is believed to be gathering intelligence and plotting a massive return of the dwarves to the tunnels under the Cold Shard Mountains. At the moment, there seems to be little chance of that. Without a unified government to organize resistance, the territories of the Cold Shard range might be taken piecemeal. However, the New Empire is engaged in a war with a separate set of coleopterans to the west as well as dealing with clumsy internal administration and ongoing attacks by a cult of unholy assassins. Perhaps someday, the empire’s military leader, General Xende (p. 21), might attempt to win local allies or destabilize major players in the region, or even start building up his own power base, but as yet, he’s taken no significant actions.

Yangites

Religion is not invariably benign in the Cold Shard Mountains. On the surface of the Cold Shard Mountains, the great conflict of the day is a religious one concerning positions on the popular god Ardo Yang. Yangite theology is complex, with theological issues spilling over into open political and even military conflict. Key doctrinal issues involve the unity of the godhead. Ardo Yang has often been vaguely defined. The name might be applied to avatar-like aspects of a single deity or a pantheon of related deities. Most Yangites fall into two camps. The Unifiers believe that their gods share a physical unity as well as a spiritual one. While they may call upon different gods, they regard them as facets or avatars of a single deity. The Polyphysite faction promotes the idea of several physically separate entities sharing a supreme divine dignity. Essentially, they regard Ardo Yang as a pantheon. Several generations ago, escalating tensions between these two sects led to open warfare and almost catastrophe. That conflict, at least as far as the common people are concerned, has moved mostly into the past. Most villages and small towns have residents of both offshoots. While they may regard one another with some suspicion, they’re willing to tolerate one another. Even so, issues still arise among the powerful and particularly devout.

Gazetteer

16

Most religious institutions around the region are strongly Polyphysite or Unifier and are willing to back theology up with fists and weapons if they aces of rdo ang have to. Their members may not be well suited A variety of names, personalities, and iconic symbols are associfor open warfare, but many scheme to undermine ated with Ardo Yang. Here are a number of the more widely known their rivals in a kind of cold holy war. There’s and celebrated manifestations of Ardo Yang and their associations. something of an arms race to stockpile magical items and texts. Indeed, given some peculiar Crunath: Deity of war; symbol is three horizontal lines, broken properties of Yangite relics (pp. 34-35), it’s a very on a diagonal from bottom left to top right. regular thing for temples to raid one another, Gatta: Represents fear and courage; symbolized by a square and “holy thieves” (who have no holy abilities, with a diagonal line from top left to bottom right. but have the sanction of religious authorities) are Great Eonder: An entity associated with growth, spring, and often employed. nature, using a curve like an upside-down U as a symbol. Between (and beyond) the Unifiers and PolyManoc: Stands for knowledge; represented by two nested physites are factions collectively called the heterocounter-clockwise spirals. dox. Mainstream theologians admit that this is an Hownath: The sun; symbol is a circle with eight lines through it, incoherent category, essentially containing “everyresembling an asterisk. body else.” It includes, for example, complex Pridda-Prit: Guardian of the family, Pridda-Prit is further divided beliefs which attempt to reconcile Polyphysite and into father and mother aspects; whether this is a single entity of a Unifier theology, such as the Orthopraxists of the fluid nature or two separate gods (Pridda and Prit) is hotly debated southern marches (Orthopraxists avoid theologiamong Polyphysites. Pridda-Prit’s symbol is a double curve resemcal arguments and focus on methods of worship). bling a backward S superimposed over a square diamond. Most dangerously, there are those who are best Sunau Yang: Goddess or avatar of community and loyalty; symdescribed as cultists. Polyphysites and Unifiers bolized by a circle with eight gear-like teeth. alike have variations which put a minimal value Priests of Ardo Yang are many and varied. Just about any of the on human life or, at best, regard death as a pasclerical types in GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 7: Clerics are reasonsage to a higher plane. Indeed, some strains of able for different Yangite aspects. Yangite thought link mortal life to the divine unity and take it as a sacred duty to liberate souls from their bodies to join it. These are necessarily underthe southern marches, and a few correspondents reside in the ground groups. The northern badlands are believed to northern badlands. contain their strongholds, but they’re always rumored to be However, they’re not just a group of well-read people with sneaking around the more southerly parts of the mountains, merely academic interests. The Blooming Circle has a number establishing hidden satellite temples in caves and planning of less public members, both those with considerable mystical programs of mass murder. “Heterodox” has consequently capabilities and with significant political power. The Circle is become a code word for the most adamant Polyphysite and loosely organized, but exceptionally well connected. Unlike Unifier bitter-enders as well as dangerous fringe elements. the Lightbringers, though, they don’t have a strong agenda. Primarily, they pursue a variety of philosophical, historithers cal, and mystical questions, pooling knowledge and sharing speculation. They also keep an eye out for mostly supernatWhile those are the major groups active in the Cold Shard ural threats (potential expansion of the New Empire into the range, there are other peoples and associations of note. region, for example, isn’t a concern for a majority of the membership). Though powerful, the Circle is mostly made up of Blooming Circle armchair types. If they need something physical done, they get Not everyone of power and influence is involved with the someone to do it for them. ongoing to-do about the nature of Ardo Yang. There are any number of independent sages, artificers, magicians, priests, Demon Underground and so on. Several of them are members of a semi-secret The demon wars didn’t completely settle matters. Demons brotherhood called the Blooming Circle. In their corresponcan still be summoned and banished conventionally, but dence with one another, they use seals with a series of intersome more notable demons have survived, hiding in deep locked and concentric circles, forming a complicated ring. caves or the wilderness of the northern badlands. They’ve The group dates back to the Second Demon War, when it was retained a network of mortal and semi-mortal helpers and a covert organization sending information on the Xuchlazek operatives over the centuries since the end of the Second Diabolism to the Lightbringers (p. 18). Their role became pubDemon War. licly known after the war, though they were regarded as a sort The demons themselves are not particularly united with of informal militia made up of common people. The presence one another with regard to goals, methods, or even authorof several powerful wizards, skilled alchemists, and other ity. They share a general interest in survival and if possible supernatural professionals was not emphasized. In the years a return to power, but they avoid one another, each keepsince, the Blooming Circle has developed into a loose associaing to its own secret location, or at most working in small tion of scholars around the Cold Shard range. Most live in Dry groups, with a demon lord or chief ruling over others. Triangle or Penet, but a number of members have holdings in

F

A

Y

O



Gazetteer

17

A variety of followers work for them, some devoted to a sinformed: villagers from the eastern terraces upset at mistreatgle demon, others working in their general service. These ment by arrogant chevaliers, would-be merchants locked out include both infernals (often offspring of the hidden demons; of the traders’ guilds, residents of domains ruled by particularly fanatical temples, even local dwarves alarmed at the see GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 3: The Next Level) and ordinary mortals. New Empire’s clear interest in returning to the region. This The immediate goal of the demon underground is to pronetwork, the Risers, undertakes a variety of missions in the tect the fiends from being found and destroyed. This involves name of resistance. Potential victims of official oppression watching for the questing warriors and mystic professionals are relocated, supplies are liberated and stockpiled against who comb through the darker corners of the Cold Shard range later necessity or for redistribution to the poor, and direct hunting down remnants of the invasions. Longer term goals attacks are made on corrupt and oppressive officials. are more diverse. Some creatures want to return to the power Naturally, the Risers do a lot of sneaking and hiding, they had during the demon wars, taking over the surface and which means they spend plenty of time in the dangerous ruling over mortals. Others want to find and reopen the longtunnels and more difficult bits of wilderness in the region, lost Demon Rift (pp. 31-32), perhaps to start a new invasion hoping that monsters and hostile terrain will help them and a third demon war, and some are rumored to be looking shake off pursuit. They also find themselves either cooperating or at odds with River Friends (below) now and again. into ways of reconstructing Yannanyabarek (p. 24). Risers aren’t enormously popular, but they do carry a certain Tradition holds that five demon princes survived the romantic cachet. Second Demon War and went into hiding: Pekket, Bleeding Bone, Qazad the Dead, Green Fao Fa, and Yenaquistor. The Lightbringers claim to have hunted down the first three of those as well as more than three dozen Pellucid blood of the world in Carwin’s minor ones. However, there’s some doubt as to the veracity of their declarations, since their testimonies veins, on this I am nourished. suggest they have disposed of Pekket twice.

Lightbringers The Lightbringers are (or arguably were) an alliance of holy warriors and priests, united across religions to battle demonic influences. Though their role was supportive during the Second Demon War, it was nevertheless key to enabling the followers of Ardo Yang to fight the conflict successfully. In the centuries since, the Lightbringers shattered into a large number of factions for a variety of reasons. Now several groups use the Lightbringer name and livery (the rayed circle); one of these groups is still present in the Cold Shard range. This faction, firmly established at Tower Absolute (p. 27), continues to carry out a long-standing duty to seek out and destroy demons. They have a solid core of warriors and holy people who are equipped with in-depth lore and tools for fighting the denizens of Hell, but they don’t have a lot of support personnel. As a result, they often engage independent adventurers to take on missions on their behalf. They have a disconcerting tendency to see demonic influence everywhere. Human-sacrificing cultists? Must be worshiping a demon. A rise in river banditry? They’re being provoked by a demon. The king of Penet refuses to work with Lightbringers who want to interrogate his entire court to find signs of possession? Must be influenced by a demon. Their intense focus can cause them to send their agents and those they hire ill prepared to face actual threats. That fanaticism can even lead them to act suddenly against any of their own members if suspected of being under malign influences – though this is largely at the level of rumor.

Risers Significant regions of the Cold Shard range are controlled either by Penet or the traders’ guilds. Some people object to that. Indeed, many people object to enough different kinds of rulership that a sort of regional network of rebels has



Cloudy blood of the world in angry Carwin, by this I am swept away. – Qurren’s “Ode on the River” River Friends

In a place as difficult to govern as the Cold Shard Mountains, banditry is inevitable. Indeed, there’s a proverb to the effect that when times are bad, there are more bandits, but when times are good, there are more bandits. In the former, more people turn to theft because they have to, while in the latter, people turn to theft because there’s more to steal. Whether or not it’s true, there’s certainly significant theft in the region. Criminal activity is particularly prevalent along streams and smaller rivers. Groups of bandits are known to stretch heavy ropes, chains, or walls of ice (when sufficient spellcasters are available) across the rivers and demand steep tolls before letting boats travel on. Of course, that isn’t their only approach. They still stop wagons on the road, ambush camps of travelers at night, and so on. In the popular imagination, at least, these groups of bandits are known for their exaggeratedly polite manner and have acquired the ironic nickname “River Friends.”

Traders’ Guilds The Cold Shard Mountains are home to any number of small fellowships and other organizations ranging from religious foundations to associations of crafters. The largest of these in the first generation or so after the Second Demon War was the Traders’ Guild. However, disputes between local groups of traders, political disputes between their rulers, and the inevitable fallout of the Yangite schisms (see pp. 16-17) led them to split. Now only two guilds claim exclusive rights to control trade in the Cold Shard Mountains.

Gazetteer

18

One guild, usually just called the Traders’ Guild, is based in Dry Triangle. The other is the Royal Traders’ Guild, based in Penet. Their memberships are spread throughout the region, and neither recognizes membership in the other. It’s an open secret, though, that wealthier merchants quietly pay dues to both. It’s expensive and can be grounds for expulsion from either group, but it’s a necessary investment for those doing business across multiple regions. However, the guilds have proved to be a bit more ruthless than one might expect from groups whose names imply a bunch of eager-to-please merchants. The guilds have been quite willing to engage in violence to clear roads and waterways for their members, and to control the movement of goods by excluding others, often engaging mercenaries and suitable specialists. They’ve usually opted to be thorough rather than precise. This has put them at odds with the River Friends (p. 18), and fallout from their actions has led in part to the creation of the Riser movement (p. 18). It is widely believed that the guilds have inner circles of members who are engaged in espionage and direct action against other. They assassinate particularly troublesome rivals, search for trade secrets, smuggle supplies of goods past toll takers and other gatekeepers, sabotage crafters, and simply steal goods.

And the Rest Goblin-kin are rare in the Cold Shard range. A handful of trolls can be found in the northern badlands. A few small

What Kind of Guild? The Traders’ Guilds present themselves as associations of business people. Functionally, they’re rather different. In terms of GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 17: Guilds, each guild operates as something like a merchant house (Guilds, p. 18) and can provide suitable assistance to those it employs. However, each guild also operates on a covert basis to perform some shady actions, so particularly trustworthy or deniable employees can get assistance as though they were mafia (Guilds, p. 16) as well.

goblin communities reside in some underground spots, mostly under the central peaks. However, they’ve never lived in the region in large numbers. Elves are also relatively uncommon. Dry Triangle and Penet have very small elven communities, little more than a few households. Faerie folk can be found here and there, though most stick to the faerie fortresses (p. 32) which survived the demon wars. And there are sages, wizards, and others who come through from time to time to learn unique schools of enchantment, study Yangite theology, and so on, but few end up settling long. They find the distinctly unfriendly forests (p. 30) disquieting.

People A number of influential individuals live in the Cold Shard range. These are some of the more notable ones, past and present. They may, at various times, be key in sending adventurers on quests or become the objects of quests themselves.

record buy him a lot of respect and even obedience, but it does rub some people the wrong way.

Abbot Cipauatl

The Lightbringers (p. 18) are in sad decline from their former days, which has caused them in some cases to double down on their fanaticism. Aerenbath, the newly appointed Bright Tribune (an office combining military, religious, and political duties), is an example of this tendency. He is a nearly stereotypical elf: tall, slim, long-haired, and handsome, with light blue skin which comes from his mother’s side. He is a skilled swordsman and unusually capable in magic and demon lore. Moreover, he is utterly dedicated to the destruction of anything which smacks of demonic influence. The current Bright Tribune is charismatic enough, though Lightbringers don’t rise to leadership positions without extreme devotion to the cause; he has the loyalty of a cadre of warriors and mystical professionals. However, he’s also an outsider to the region and has been rebuffed in his efforts to involve himself more deeply in local affairs. His frustration over this sometimes leads him to rash decisions and conclusions, such as his ongoing suspicion over demonic infiltration of the kingdoms around him. Aerenbath is probably more eager than he should be to enter into alliances with people who he thinks can give him more local influence.

To the extent the Unifiers have a leader, it’s Abbot Cipauatl, the head of Cliff Abbey (p. 24). Cipauatl is unusually old for a human (nearly 150 years according to some) and in surprisingly good condition (no athlete or warrior, but appearing to be in a fairly vigorous middle age), traits generally attributed to divine favor. He is of average height, a light brown complexion, and stout without being fat, with a neatly trimmed beard and short hair shaved high over the ears. He has a predilection for wearing elaborately decorated robes. Born into a priestly family, he has spent his entire life involved with religious lore and activities, making him one of the most formidable clerics in the region. All of this, combined with the ideological nature of the conflict he’s spent his life involved in, has made him conservative to the point of dogmatism. Cipauatl is convinced that he knows better than everyone else and is utterly confident in his positions. His leadership style is dictatorial, issuing orders without a lot of explanation and altering his plans only in extreme circumstances. To his credit, Cipauatl has been at this long enough that he’s often right. His seniority and track



Bright Tribune Aerenbath

Gazetteer

19

Diabolist Ronna 312 points

Regarding the defense of the kap, the captain must consider eight dimensions: the four points of the compass, above and below, the mystical, and the logistic. – Strategic advice ascribed to Kerenk

Ronna is chief priestess of the temple of Manoc (p. 17) in Dry Triangle (pp. 24-25) and head of the council of priests which selects and advises the podesta, the city’s chief executive. She’s a middle-aged woman who appears older than her years, in part because of a series of unbleeding but open wounds running down the left side of her face and well down her body, quite visible against her pale skin. The wounds are said to be the lasting consequence of a magical duel fought in her youth (opinion is split on whether she won or lost). In addition to being a versatile spellcaster and knowledgeable, if specialized, scholar, she’s a formidable politician. She’s managed to keep Dry Triangle powerful and independent and the council unified through a string of chief executives. That, at least, is what everyone believes. Ronna is an infernal. She appears entirely human, because she figured out how to permanently if imperfectly alter her features. She does retain the less visible traits of an infernal, notably her weakness around areas dedicated to Good gods. However, Manoc and a number of other aspects of Ardo Yang aren’t particularly good or evil, a fact which has kept her surprisingly safe. She’s working with Green Fao Fa, who is in hiding far from Dry Triangle, to keep an eye on the Lightbringers (p. 18) and any other force which could threaten him. She’d love to bring the demon back to power, but the time is far from right. Ronna has been doing this for decades and is not about to let on what she’s up to in front of any random band of adventurers. She’s got her own network of minor demons, less disguised infernals, and other agents for action related to the demon underground (though clues in the underground might lead to her). Delvers who encounter her or her representatives may be sent on quests to find items with demonic significance (though probably a hidden one they’re unaware of; Ronna has inside information) or to cast Unifiers or Lightbringers as enemies or potentially infiltrated by demonic influences. Her goal is to keep threats to Green Fao Fa distracted and in conflict with one another. Sending bands of adventurers into sensitive areas is a great way of doing that, and the noisier and clumsier they are, the better. ST 10 [0]; DX 12 [40]; IQ 16 [120]; HT 11 [10]. Damage 1d-2/1d; BL 20 lbs.; HP 10 [0]; Will 18 [10]; Per 13 [‑15]; FP 14 [9]. Basic Speed 5.75 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0]; Block 7 (DX); Dodge 8; Parry 9 (DX).

Advantages Damage Resistance 1 [5]; Dark Vision [25]; Fit [5]; Magery 3 [35]; Spirit Empathy [10].

Disadvantages Bad Temper (12 or less) [‑10]; Frightens Animals [‑10]; Low Pain Threshold [‑10]; Secret (Infernal and demon ally; Serious Embarrassment) [‑5]; Weakness (Blessed areas and areas of high or better sanctity to Good gods; Occasional; 1d/minute) [‑20]; Wounded [‑5].



Skills Alchemy (VH) IQ [8]‑16; Area Knowledge (Cold Shard Mountains) (E) IQ [1]‑16; Body Sense (H) DX-2 [1]‑10; Cartography (A) IQ-1 [1]‑15; Current Affairs (Cold Shard Mountains) (E) IQ [1]‑16; Diplomacy (H) IQ+1 [8]‑17; FastDraw (Potion) (E) DX [1]‑12; Fast-Talk (A) IQ-1 [1]‑15; Gesture (E) IQ [1]‑16; Hazardous Materials (Magical) (A) IQ-1 [1]‑15; Hidden Lore (Demon Lore) (A) IQ+2 [8]‑18; Hidden Lore (Magical Writings) (A) IQ-1 [1]‑15; Innate Attack (Beam) (E) DX+2 [4]‑14; Innate Attack (Gaze) (E) DX+2 [3]‑14; Intimidation (A) Will [2]‑18; Meditation (H) Will-1 [2]‑17; Occultism (A) IQ [2]‑16; Research (A) IQ-1 [1]‑15; SavoirFaire (High Society) (E) IQ [1]‑16; Shield (Buckler) (E) DX+2 [4]‑14; Smallsword (A) DX+1 [4]‑13; Speed-Reading (A) IQ-1 [1]‑15; Stealth (A) DX [1]‑12; Strategy (Land) (H) IQ-2 [1]‑14; Teaching (A) IQ-1 [1]‑15; Thaumatology (VH) IQ [1]‑16; Writing (A) IQ-1 [1]‑15.

Spells Agonize (H) [1]‑17; Alter Body (H) [1]‑17; Alter Visage (H) [1]‑17; Apportation (H) [1]‑17; Blackout (H) [1]‑17; Blur (H) [1]‑17; Clumsiness (H) [1]‑17; Colors (H) [1]‑17; Complex Illusion (H) [1]‑17; Continual Light (H) [1]‑17; Create Air (H) [1]‑17; Create Earth (H) [1]‑17; Create Object (VH) [1]‑16; Darkness (H) [1]‑17; Daze (H) [1]‑17; Deathtouch (H) [1]‑17; Earth to Stone (H) [1]‑17; Fascinate (H) [1]‑17; Flash (H) [1]‑17; Foolishness (H) [1]‑17; Haste (H) [1]‑17; Hide (H) [1]‑17; Hinder (H) [1]‑17; Hush (H) [1]‑17; Illusion Disguise (H) [1]‑17; Illusion Shell (H) [1]‑17; Independence (H) [1]‑17; Invisibility (H) [1]‑17; Itch (H) [1]‑17; Light (H) [1]‑17; Lightning (H) [1]‑17; Lightning Stare (VH) [1]‑16; MageStealth (H) [1]‑17; Mass Daze (H) [1]‑17; Mirror (H) [1]‑17; Pain (H) [1]‑17; Paralyze Limb (H) [1]‑17; Perfect Illusion (H) [1]‑17; Phantom (VH) [1]‑16; Purify Air (H) [1]‑17; Resist Lightning (H) [1]‑17; Sandstorm (H) [1]‑17; Seek Air (H) [1]‑17; Seek Earth (H) [1]‑17; Sensitize (H) [1]‑17; Shape Air (H) [1]‑17; Shape Earth (H) [1]‑17; Silence (H) [1]‑17; Simple Illusion (H) [1]‑17; Sound (H) [1]‑17; Spasm (H) [1]‑17; Stun (H) [1]‑17; Voices (H) [1]‑17; Wall of Silence (H) [1]‑17; Windstorm (H) [1]‑17; Wither Limb (H) [1]‑17.

Emperor Kerenk

Despite not being a native of the Cold Shard Mountains nor even someone who stayed there for long, Kerenk casts a long shadow over the region. Kerenk’s legacy is complicated. Among coleopterans and those who live on the surface, he’s seen as both a prototype of the foreign invader and the savior of the region from the scourges of the First Demon War. Dwarves of the region, who often practice veneration of ancestors, often look at him as a sort of “founding father.”

Gazetteer

20

A minority, though, see him as an invader, much as surface people do. Among dwarves, it’s best to be silent on the topic of Kerenk until one of them ventures an opinion and then agree with it. Either way, respect for Kerenk himself does not necessarily translate into a desire for the return of his empire, or even a successor to it. Unsurprisingly, a lot of local legends attribute events and places to him. The graves atop that hill? The dead from a battle between Kerenk’s armies and a bunch of demons long ago. That forest? Covers the tunnel leading to a demikap he used as a headquarters for a little while, and they say it’s still full of old dwarven weapons or treasure. And there are always rumors of a Kerenk reborn or the appearance of a long-lost line of heirs, but few genuinely believe them. Although many treasures and long-lost sites legitimately are associated with him, a great many more are simply local legends or downright fabrications.

General Xende 454 points Xende, commanding officer of all New Empire (p. 16) forces in the region, is relatively young by the standards of dwarven leadership, though that puts him well past middle age for a human. He has the dark skin which dwarves in the region generally regard signifying a relative, however distant, of Kerenk (pp. 20-21); though usually hidden by a helmet, he has a shaved head with a number of prominent scars, and he keeps his beard cut relatively short. His armor is decorated in various places by his family crest (a series of three interlocked chevrons) in gold. Xende is a solid professional and a firm leader. While he’s no expert at subsidiary tasks like map-making and blacksmithing, he knows enough to get by. Unsurprisingly for a dwarf leader, he’s a knowledgeable construction engineer. He’s a formidable warrior on his own, and he is rarely far away from troops (typically a squad of dwarf soldiers and likely a few advisers, technical specialists, wizards, and aides de camp). However, he’s unlikely to be directly involved in confrontations. Rather, he’ll ultimately be behind reconnaissance into the Cold Shard Mountains, probing for resistance and feeling out the situation on the ground. ST 17 [70]; DX 15 [100]; IQ 13 [60]; HT 14 [30*]. Damage 1d+2/3d; BL 72 lbs.; HP 17 [0]; Will 13 [0]; Per 13 [0]; FP 20 [0*]. Basic Speed 6.50 [0]; Basic Move 5 [0*]; Block 13†‡; Dodge 9†; Parry 15 (Axe)†‡.

Advantages Born War-Leader 3 [15]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Danger Sense [15]; Dwarf [20]; Enhanced Block (Shield) 1 [5]; Enhanced Parry (Axe/Mace) 1 [5]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Military Rank 6 (New Empire army) [30]; Striking ST 1 [5].

Disadvantages Code of Honor (Soldier’s) [‑10]; Sense of Duty (Nation) [‑10].



Skills Architecture (A) IQ-1 [1]‑12; Area Knowledge (Cold Shard Mountains) (E) IQ [1]‑13; Armoury (Body Armor) (A) IQ+1 [4]‑14; Armoury (Melee Weapons) (A) IQ-1 [1]‑12; Axe/Mace (A) DX+6 [16]‑21§; Brawling (E) DX+1 [2]‑16; Camouflage (E) IQ [1]‑13; Cartography (A) IQ-1 [1]‑12; Climbing (A) DX-1 [1]‑14; Connoisseur (Weapons) (A) IQ+1 [4]‑14; Diplomacy (H) IQ-2 [1]‑11; Engineer (Civil) (H) IQ+1 [8]‑14; Fast-Draw (Axe/Mace) (E) DX+1 [1]‑16†; Heraldry (A) IQ-1 [1]‑12; Hiking (A) HT-1 [1]‑13; Interrogation (A) IQ-1 [1]‑12; Intimidation (A) Will+1 [4]‑14; Knife (E) DX [1]‑15; Leadership (A) IQ+5 [8]‑18¶; Navigation (Land) (A) IQ-1 [1]‑12; Observation (A) Per [2]‑13; Packing (A) IQ-1 [1]‑12; Savoir-Faire (High Society) (E) IQ [1]‑13; Shield (Shield) (E) DX+2 [4]‑17; Spear (A) DX+2 [8]‑17; Strategy (Land) (H) IQ+4 [8]‑17¶; Tactics (H) IQ+3 [4]‑16¶; Thrown Weapon (Axe/Mace) (E) DX+3 [4]‑18§; Traps (A) IQ-1 [1]‑12; Wrestling (A) DX [2]‑15. * Modified by dwarf racial template. † Includes +1 from Combat Reflexes. ‡ Includes +1 from Enhanced Block or Enhanced Parry. § Includes +1 from Pickaxe Penchant (in dwarf racial template). ¶ Includes +3 from Born War-Leader.

Equipment Axe, Fine, Dwarven (p. B288). 3d+3 cutting. $450, 4 lbs. Backpack (p. B288). Holds 40 lbs. $60, 3 lbs. Blanket (p. B288). $20, 4 lbs. Canteen (p. B288). $10, 3 lbs. Plate Armor Suit (p. B283). DR 6*. $4,040, 89.5 lbs. Personal Basics (p. B288). $5, 1 lb. Medium Iron Shield (p. B287). DB 1. $300, 30 lbs.

Guan Yo the Scribe

A great deal of what’s known about the demon wars is attributed to Guan Yo. Guan Yo was an elven wizard who had come to the Cold Shard Mountains late in the period of the High, Middle, and Low Kingdoms. A specialist in demonic lore, she was on hand to see waves of demons appear on the surface again. She managed to escape them and fled underground, where she spent most of the war among coleopterans in the deepest tunnels, using her knowledge to identify weaknesses in the demons who came against them. She survived the entire period of the Diabolism, argued strenuously with the Lightbringers (p. 18) about the final disposition of Yannanyabarek, and died a few years later in an ill-advised search for alchemical pits (pp. 30-31).

Guan Yo’s Notebooks The handful of notebooks known to have been written Guan Yo are simply manuals for Hidden Lore (Demons). However, hidden in various places are the equivalent of primers which those with Book-Learned Wisdom can use to learn a perk. Each primer addresses a separate monster of the demon class (one for as-Sharak, one for Doomchildren, etc.). The perk provides +8 to banish that type of demon. Such notebooks are worth +6 CF (three for being essentially spells, another three for being written by someone so notable).

Gazetteer

21

Guan Yo is known for two things these days. First, she wrote a comprehensive history of the demon wars in several volumes. Copies of it have circulated widely through the Cold Shard range, and the royal library at Penet claims to own some pages of it written in her hand. Just as well known, if vastly more elusive, are her notes on individual demons and types of demons, which are believed to contain particularly useful lore.

High Priest Solune

If Abbot Cipauatl (p. 19) has a nemesis, it’s High Priest Solune, who presides over Tabbagret Convent (p. 27). They are opposites in many ways. Solune is quite young for a person in her position, hardly over 30. Where Cipauatl is a scholar and mystic, Solune is a warrior. Cipauatl can always be found at Cliff Abbey, whereas Solune uses Tabbagret as a base of operations but may often be found traveling all over, visiting other Polyphysite temples and clerics, accompanied by her Divine Seventeen, a bodyguard of holy warriors. Also, Solune is at least somewhat more willing to listen to advisers and underlings before issuing orders. Oddly, the appearance of Solune and Cipauatl is quite similar – even the way of wearing their hair. Some have jokingly suggested that Solune could be Cipauatl’s granddaughter (she’s definitely not, but it amuses those who know both of them). Solune works hard at uniting the fractious Polyphysites, though so far to little avail. One strategy which seems to be buying her a bit of good will, though, is going after more dangerous heterodox groups. There’s been some attrition in the ranks of competent agents loyal to the cause because of that (and corresponding uptick in her willingness to look beyond true believers to send against the heterodox), but making moves against murderous cultists is proving at least moderately popular.

Huaddag the Riser

The Risers (p. 18) have no single leader. There are multiple factions with their own primary interests, with Risers in the terraces looking to overthrow the king, Risers in Dry Triangle unwilling to take orders from a talking rock, and so on. However, a few individuals know how to coordinate different groups to share information and resources. The most influential and best known of those at the moment is Huaddag. Originally from a village in the highlands, Huaddag was a formidable hunter and trapper. But her village became the subject of attention of the traders’ guilds, and a rapidly escalating conflict resulted in the village being destroyed. She escaped with her infant son (legend has it she carried him out of the mountains in her quiver after emptying it by wiping out one of the guild raiding parties) and joined the Riser movement. Thirty years later, Huaddag hasn’t slowed down. Ruddy and often sunburned, she’s straightforward to the point of bluntness, but is relentlessly clear-headed, a brilliant tactician, deeply knowledgeable about the political and physical landscape, and forceful without being pushy. She’s also known to be one of the finest archers in the region. She is impossible to locate if she doesn’t want to be found, which is



useful on those rare occasions she visits her grandchildren. Huaddag is frequently on the move and rarely seen, appearing unexpectedly to set things in motion or share choice bits of information. Most Risers see her eventually, but rarely for very long.

Mazczec

By common agreement, the greatest wizard in the history of the Cold Shard Mountains is the enigmatic Mazczec. Other wizards may have surpassed him in various ways: Lia-Panaia was an enchanter of greater significance, Guan Yo (pp. 21-22) is certainly better documented, and the dwarf-mage Surriba Fire-Eyes racked up a more impressive body count. However, Mazczec is famed for a long and diverse string of magical feats, including some of unbelievable power and skill. A number of powerful items in the region bear his name, and his versions of well-known spells are taught by wizards throughout the region. However, some disturbing rumors have circulated about his activities. While he is believed to be dead, some think that he has become a lich and now lurks beneath the mountains, working on some absurdly complicated magical project. Some find this a bit disquieting, but worse are the rumors that the demon underground is influencing him. Could the most powerful wizard the mountains have ever seen be plotting with the surviving demon lords to find the rift and reopen it? Nothing, of course, has happened, but at the same time, none can say it isn’t true.

Podesta Iurat IV

Iurat, fourth recorded podesta of Dry Triangle that name, is a problem. At least, a problem for Dry Triangle’s Three Interests (an advisory council of representatives from three powerful civic groups; see p. 25). Unlike many podestas, who typically provide a public face for the town but aren’t really rulers, or at best grow into the role, Iurat is not just qualified to govern but also inclined to do so. Before being selected as podesta, she had been active on the fringes of the Blooming Circle (p. 17). She was also a successful broker of potions and other magical gear and materials, with an active role in the Dry Triangle Traders’ Guild (see pp. 18-19), though she left that behind to focus on her own work. A few years ago, she was selected as podesta. She came in the job with broad knowledge, versatile ways of dealing with people, and a powerful personality and a refusal to be swayed by others, though she is known to change her own focus abruptly. Podestas are usually easier for the Interests to deal with, either less able to handle the reins of government or less determined to do so. Iurat can and does do both, accepting little interference from the Three Interests. Naturally, this has caused some friction (particularly with Ronna, p. 20, despite a number of superficial similarities between the two), but she’s proved quite popular with the people. Iurat gives an impression of being bigger than her rather average frame, perhaps because of her fondness for multiple layers of regalia, particularly elaborate headdresses and crowns to perch atop an already formidable pile of curly auburn hair. The layers of white powder she wears to tone down her freckled complexion, though, aren’t fooling anybody.

Gazetteer

22

She is given to sudden enthusiastic interests, and she is insistent on getting things done. One of Dry Triangle’s priorities at the moment, for example, is hunting down River Friends and keeping Risers from becoming a threat, but Iurat might also find reason to send a search party out to survey potentially hazardous travel conditions or retrieve a lost artifact. Traveling adventurers are exactly the kinds of people who might be engaged in such tasks, since they can be found easily and hired cheaply (without engaging the Interests, who are a disapproving council of advisers at this point).

Silent Qurren

One of the favorite poets of the Cold Shard range is the individual known as Silent Qurren. They (Qurren’s gender appears to have been ambiguous even at the time) were born during the later days of the Zaak’kee, probably in the badlands. Qurren proved to be adept at languages, learning coleopteran languages (a remarkable feat for someone without the right anatomy) before picking up a variety of other tongues from other peoples traveling through the region, and writing remarkable poetry in each of them. Most early works were simple odes, comedic verses for friends, brief public prayers, and other short pieces. However, fragments of longer works exist, mostly extended moral narratives. Qurren’s epithet comes from an unusual bargain they made with a faerie ruler: In exchange for their voice, they would be allowed to sleep for 100 years. Qurren had the great fortune to strike this bargain shortly before the First Demon War, missing the conflict entirely. While Qurren no longer spoke, they could write just as well as before. They spent several years observing Kerenk’s empire and viewing the damage done to places they remembered. More poems followed, often “mundane epics,” describing the daily lives and struggles of ordinary people in elevated language. After a decade or so, Qurren went back to the faerie for another century of sleep, returning during the period of the High, Middle and Low Kingdoms. More works followed, and then more cycles of sleep. But eventually Qurren was not to reemerge. They are believed to have been in a faerie realm which fell during the Second Demon War. Qurren’s corpus, which spans a great deal of history as well as the physical breadth of the Cold Shard Mountains, is unmatched for quality and range of topics, and Qurren is often quoted to this day.

Tennen the Short of Penet 415 points King Tennen III Cincarian is a ruler whose ancestors had a reasonably good run of luck. His grandfather, King Tennen II of Penet (see p. 9), was a major force on the Unifier side during his time and managed to parlay that into broad control over the eastern terraces. His mother, Queen Modara IV,

made sure that the terraces weren’t just under Penet’s control, but were pacified and unlikely to break away. She took a softer line on religion than Tennen II, and she spent considerable time strengthening Penet’s network of chevaliers (p. 45), providing both protection for outlying villages and a more reliable conduit for taxes coming into the capital. This has left Tennen with significant resources but few challenges beyond the usual for running a small kingdom. He’s at best a competent ruler – far from the formidable General Xende (p. 21) or wily Podesta Iurat (pp. 22-23) – but he doesn’t need to be more than that at the moment. He’s by far the most powerful ruler in the region, with more wealth and more personnel behind him than the rest of the region put together. While he’d be a poor choice to lead troops into battle, he’s got generals for that. But he’s also no threat to anybody else (again, at the moment). He could attempt to expand Penet’s hegemony beyond the terraces, but he has no interest in doing so. He prefers gambling, drinking, and other amusements in the comfortable luxury of his ornate palace, jumping between enthusiasms and favorites at court with blinding rapidity. Still, one should not be fooled by his mercurial personality. He’s stuck with studying swordplay well enough to take care of himself, and he’s remarkably quick and light on his feet. Tennen is most likely of interest to adventurers as a source of funding and missions. He’s determined enough about his whims to have actual steps taken when he becomes interested in something, even if he’s unlikely to see it through or be very interested when the job is done. If Tennen hears that ice from Miasma Peak is like green and yellow marble and decides he wants to know if that’s true, then by the dozen prime aspects of Ardo Yang, somebody will be sent to find out. Tennen’s epithet is a bit misleading. At 5’4”, he’s certainly not tall, but he’s not shockingly short, either. He is, though, significantly shorter than the previous members of his dynasty, both of whom were over 6’ tall. Far from being upset about it, Tennen is happy to have the opportunity to rework most of the royal regalia to suit his frame. He’s particularly fond of bright colors chosen to show off his medium dark complexion. ST 12 [20]; DX 16 [120]; IQ 11 [20]; HT 13 [30]. Damage 1d-1/1d+2; BL 29 lbs.; HP 12 [0]; Will 11 [0]; Per 11 [0]; FP 13 [0]. Basic Speed 8.00 [15]; Basic Move 8 [0]; Block 13*; Dodge 13*†; Parry 13* (Smallsword).

Advantages Appearance (Handsome) [12]; Born War-Leader 2 [10]; Charisma 1 [5]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Enhanced Dodge 1 [15]; Enhanced Parry (Parry Missile Weapons) 1 [5]; Perfect Balance [15]; Serendipity 1 [15]; Status 6 [30]; Wealth (Filthy Rich) [50]; Weapon Master (Smallsword) [20]. Perks: Weapon Bond (Sword) [1].

No words and all words, silence and din. – Unfinished autobiographical verse by Qurren

Gazetteer

23

Disadvantages Bad Temper (12) [‑10]; Code of Honor (Gentleman’s) [‑10]; Compulsive Carousing (12) [‑5]; Compulsive Spending (12) [‑5]; Overconfidence (12) [‑5]; Short Attention Span (12) [‑10].

Skills Acrobatics (H) DX+1 [4]‑17‡; Brawling (E) DX+1 [2]‑17; Carousing (E) HT [1]‑13; Connoisseur (Wine) (A) IQ [2]‑11; Fast-Draw (Knife) (E) DX+1 [1]‑17*; Fast-Draw (Sword) (E) DX+1 [1]‑17*; Fast-Talk (A) IQ+1 [4]‑12; First Aid (E) IQ [1]‑11; Gambling (A) IQ-1 [1]‑10; Gesture (E) IQ [1]‑11; Intimidation (A) Will+3 [12]‑14; Jumping (E) DX [1]‑16; Leadership (A) IQ+1 [1]‑13§; Savoir-Faire (High Society) (E) IQ+2 [4]‑13; Search (A) Per-1 [1]‑10; Shield (Buckler) (E) DX+3 [8]‑19; Smallsword (A) DX+3 [12]‑19; Stealth (A) DX-1 [1]‑15; Thrown Weapon (Knife) (E) DX+1 [2]‑17; Wrestling (A) DX [2]‑16. * Includes +1 for Combat Reflexes. † Includes +1 for Enhanced Dodge. ‡ Includes +1 for Perfect Balance. § Includes +2 from Born War-Leader.

Equipment Mail Hauberk, Fine (p. B283). DR 4/2. $2,300, 18.75 lbs. Small Buckler (p. B287). DB 1. $40, 8 lbs. Smallsword, Fine, Balanced (p. B282). 1d+3 impaling. $3,200, 1.5 lbs.

Yannanyabarek of Dread Memory

When parents in the Cold Shard Mountains want to threaten their children with something which will come get them if they’re not good, Yannanyabarek is what they use. Yannanyabarek is said to have been between 8’ and 9’ tall, with a hide resembling charcoal and gray ash, limbs with double joints, a head like a crab, and six rusty iron spikes on each hand for fingers. His symbol, a stylized set of jaws with jagged teeth, is found in many ruins and on a number of enchanted items left over from the Second Demon War (pp. 12-13). His main palace remains as a geological feature in the central highlands, still regarded as cursed by most (see Yannanyabarek’s Fist, p. 30). Yannanyabarek’s reputation for cruelty ranges from mass executions to sneaking into country hovels at night and quietly slicing open one of the residents to be found by the others the next morning. Not all of these tales are true, but it appears that none are exaggerated. Worse yet, his capacity for destruction and torment was magnified by his capability for being in multiple locations at the same time. The destruction of Yannanyabarek at the hands of a Lightbringer army (which suffered tremendous casualties in the process) is well known in the Cold Shard Mountains. Even so, some fear that he might, against all appearances, still be out there.

Towns and Settlements Many small villages, religious communities, and other group habitations are scattered throughout the mountains. Some rise to the level of large towns or even cities. These are the largest or otherwise most significant.

Cliff Abbey

Cliff Abbey lives up to its name. The abbey is carved into a sheer cliff face in a mountain in the northern badlands, starting about 100’ above the ground. Access is by a narrow wooden walkway which wraps around the side of the mountain, or for supplies and distinguished guests, ropes pulling items up from below. The abbey is wide rather than deep. It has four levels of galleries lightly protected by wooden screens set between stone pillars stretching a hundred yards or more along the cliff face. These long corridors have chambers on the side away from the cliff, but few so deeply carved into the rock that they can’t take advantage of natural light from the outside. However, a few chambers lead to connections with caves and tunnels within the mountain. While the details are not widely disseminated, they are known to include archives, burial niches for deceased residents, and at least one large ritual chamber. Above these rooms is an immense shrine carved tens of yards into the cliff face, something between an artificial cave and an auditorium. The shrine features carved images of many aspects of Ardo Yang, cleverly etched onto



the surface of a single large relief representing Ardo Yang’s comprehensive godhood. Cliff Abbey is known for training holy warriors. It needs them. The cave-riddled mountains in the region contain a seemingly endless supply of dangerous creatures who encroach on it. While the current abbot (p. 19) is himself an intellectual rather than a man of action, he thinks it’s good training for cadet warriors to be on call to fight beasts at a moment’s notice. Perhaps for this reason, he usually forbids them from tracking creatures back to their lairs and clearing out the sources of all the monsters.

Dry Triangle

Dry Triangle lies at the confluence of the Double Carwin and Szesset Rivers. An ongoing pointless argument around the region is whether the confluence of these rivers is a couple of wide river branches which meet at the point where Dry Triangle rises from the water, or a small lake into which these rivers flow. Either way, Dry Triangle is a substantial piece of land which is home to the region’s most populous settlement. True to its name, it is a rough, nearly equilateral triangle pointing to the south. The island is a single steep hill, including a section of nearly sheer cliff around the northwest corner, though the eastern face has a shallow portion which makes it a preferred landing. The apex of the hill, somewhat off-center to the northwest, has a notch about 20’ from the top, so there are two peaks of roughly equal height.

Gazetteer

24

The settlement has a total population of about 2,000. A Dry Triangle is a city of towers; with real estate at a premium and around 7,000 residents in a very small space, quarter of the citizens are troops of the New Empire deployed builders must construct up. The ground floor is typically to this border garrison, with a similar number of family for business and workshops, with living quarters above and members with them. The remainder is largely comprised of storage higher still. The city isn’t itself fortified with walls. dwarves native to the Cold Shard Mountains who have come However, most buildings are themselves miniature fortresses to live in a large, well-protected dwarven settlement, along made from the region’s plentiful stone, so it is nevertheless with a few coleopterans and others. quite well defended. The wealthier classes also own villas and The underground portion of the kap is fairly typical for retreats in the surrounding area if they want to spread out. that kind of settlement: large chambers serving as markets The center of Dry Triangle’s government is in the notch and other public places, and complexes of smaller tunnels and between its peaks. A small shrine contains a roughly conirooms for more private spaces. However, it’s equipped with cal stone, the Triangle Heart. It issues pronouncements from more water reservoirs and “back door” escape tunnels than is time to time in a chorus of voices, preceded hours or days in typical, and the “governmental” sections of the kap are particularly well fortified. advance by a fire-like glow from the stone. Any listener easily understands them no matter what languages they know. Granite Kap is something between a town and a fortress. Pronouncements typically include predictions and warnings, Travelers can visit similarly to how they do anywhere else, but sometimes cryptically phrased, or commands to perform guards at the gate interview all visitors, at least so far as to ask a task (retrieve an object, fight a war, etc.). The predictions them names, origins, and destinations. Visitors are also subject to surveillance through their visit, though usually quite seem accurate, though many can only be rationalized after unobtrusively, and they’re prohibited from getting particuthe fact. Failing to perform the commands of the Triangle larly close to the general’s headquarters. Heart is inevitably followed by some kind of disaster for the city. The Heart doesn’t respond to any efforts to communicate with it, and it’s not entirely clear if it has a personality at all. The Heart’s pronouncements also include a parowns and illages ticular kind of political commandment. The Triangle There are towns, and then there are towns. What traveling Heart periodically calls for the appointment of an offiadventurers can get in a small village is different from what cial called the podesta. The podesta is the city’s chief they can find in a city. In the Cold Shard Mountains, only a few executive, and is seemingly selected more or less at settlements offer all of the services one expects “in town.” Dry random. Podestas are rarely completely incompetent, Triangle (pp. 24-25), Granite Kap (above), North Kap (below), but are often not well trained for the job either. The Penet Town (p. 26), and Tspetep (p. 27) offer all “in town” serpodesta is therefore advised by a council of agents vices and benefits. Adventurers can find lodging, buy and sell of “the Three Interests,” who represent particularly mundane goods without practical limits, pay for magical healpowerful civic groups. These include the priests of ing and other spells, get power items recharged, and so on. the city’s temple, resident magicians (and the more Most other settlements, including all the little hamlets not respectable magical trades like alchemy), and the listed here, are villages, which have limited resources. Lodging traders’ guild. The Interests sponsor a perpetual watch is still available at the usual rates. However, they offer little else. over the Triangle Heart to ensure no pronounceVisitors can buy no more than $200 worth of goods per week ments are missed and to accurately record what it (rations, equipment like rope and torches, etc.) and may not says. They also serve as nominal guards, though the receive more than $200 per week if selling treasure for cash. If Heart appears able to take care of itself: An attempt adventurers desire for some reason to call for “special order” to remove it by engineers during the brief dwarven items, they take at least two weeks longer to arrive and the occupation ended with widely scattered charred bits cost is 25% higher. Magical services are also in short supply. If of lifting equipment and dwarf. adventurers passing through a village need healing magic or to recharge power items, roll 3d. On 9 or less, a healer is available to cast healing spells. On 6 or less, there’s also a small shrine ranite ap where power items may be recharged. Cliff Abbey (p. 24) and The long-collapsed empire of Kerenk (pp. 11-12) Tabbagret Convent (p. 27) offer no accommodations for visiwas the high-water mark of dwarven power in the tors, but can provide healing magic and recharges. region, but the New Empire (p. 16) maintains a small foothold. That foothold is Granite Kap, near the edge of the region (ironically, there’s not a lot of granite there; the name comes from a mangled transliteration of orth ap the kap’s name in an ancient dwarven language). The surface fortress is blocky and approximately triangular (most fortified North Kap is more typical of the kind of dwarven settlement kaps are square, but the triangle better suits the terrain), with one finds in the Cold Shard range, though with a population low towers at each point as well as the usual fortified gate of about 3,000, it’s a relatively large one. Unlike Granite Kap, house, all of which are characteristically good dwarven workNorth Kap is a working mine and commercial settlement. A manship, though by no means masterpieces. It contains a few desultory blocky gatehouse is on the surface, with surprisingly small structures, but the most important feature inside the durable walls because they’re heavily reinforced by dense slag. walls is the broad ramp down into the main body of the kap. A predominantly human village surrounds the gatehouse.

T

G

K

N



V

Gazetteer

K

25

Underground, the tunnel from the surface quickly branches in several different directions. A few truly large chambers act as important public spaces; instead, a great many interconnected galleries of moderate size serve as centers shared by groups of families. They’re neighborhood centers, as it were, rather than civic ones. Civic business is conducted in and around a council chamber which is too small to comfortably hold all the heads of families in the town. North Kap has lately been plagued with attacks by dragonlike creatures which burrow rather than fly. They’re not particularly large, but there does seem to be a significant number of them. Since they can dig, they can bypass the kap’s traditional defenses. The residents of the kap have been offered aid by the New Empire, but they are inclined to maintain their independence and would doubtless appreciate assistance from other quarters.

Penet Town

Penet Town is the region’s largest settlement. Along with Dry Triangle (pp. 24-25), the community is the closest thing the Cold Shard Mountains have to a conventional city. Even so, at around 9,000 souls, it’s not a huge city. Penet Town sits on and in a hill on the northern shore of Penet Lake. The wall around the city is modest, 15’ for most of its length, but it follows the slope of the hill at about the half-way point for a considerable distance. The north face of the city falls off sharply, making it that much more defensible. The main gate is on the north wall, at the top of a broad artificial ramp which is paved and lined at intervals with statues of famous figures in Penet’s history and aspects of Ardo Yang. Penet Town is sometimes called the city of arches. The hill containing the city has been subject to elaborate patterns of geological formation, erosion, and some magical manipulation to the point where it now consists of layers of natural or somewhat modified stone arches, ledges, and bridges on several levels. Many of the city’s “avenues” are broad shelves of stone overlooking other arches and ledges, sometimes with

wooden bridges spanning the gaps and creating intersections. Indeed, in most places one can look down at least two or three levels below, if not farther. Stairways have been cut into or built on the steeper slopes as well. Homes and shops are cut into the sides of arches and extended with new wooden or stone construction. Altitude is a measure of wealth and class. The royal palace occupies a complex of ramps and arches at the center of the city, enjoying the best light. The lowest parts are on the level of the lake. They’re damp and mostly lit with torches and lightly magical lamps, save in a few spots where open shafts go all the way up. On the lake side, the lowest level provides entry to the city for commerce and travelers. A network of canals allows people and their goods to cross the city with relative ease rather than negotiating a maze of irregularly placed arches. Penet Town is by some counts the fourth of its name, all built on or around the current location. Indeed, the immediate vicinity of the city is full of layers of ruins of both predominantly human aboveground cities and dwarven ruins associated with the long-abandoned Penet Kap. Mildly adventurous souls may take a pleasant picnic among the half-fallen ruins. While valuable artifacts remain, so do supernatural threats; only the best prepared can more than pick bits and pieces off the surface.

Red Aerie

The high clans could hardly be more territorial, but there’s one exception: Red Aerie. The highest peak (located on the Dawn’s Fang mountain) is treated as common ground by all clans. While Red Aerie is sometimes a venue for settling longrunning individual or clan conflicts, that sort of thing is usually done on disputed peaks themselves. Red Aerie, rather, is the site of grand conclaves which bring together Wise Raptors (pp. 15-16) from across the clans. The formal purpose of the conclaves is ceremonial singing and games to celebrate the clans and their rulership of the peaks.

Villages of Note This chapter details the largest and otherwise most significant settlements in the region, but there are a variety of other notable settlements, though none hold more than 2,000 residents and most are much smaller. Here are some of the more peculiar villages found in the region. Floating Valley: This steep-sided valley in the highlands is warmer than one might expect because of several hot springs. The residents make a good living hunting mountain goats, which produce fine wool. On foggy nights, the valley has a tendency to move. Villagers wake up the next day to find that the valley is now between different mountains. This is sometimes inconvenient, but the residents have become used to it. Girrin: Girrin sits inside a broad curve on the southern reaches of the Double Carwin. A very low rocky ridge outlines the course of the river, with a shallow but large depression immediately behind it, so some of the river



flows through gaps in the ridge when water levels are high, making it a marsh. The people of Girrin play a dangerous game, letting water-loving trees grow until fairly thick, and then cutting them down to a foot or two above the surface of the water to use as foundations of houses. Villagers get around by rope bridges and canoes. They make a living by setting fishing nets between houses, letting the current bring food to them. Tolbrin: In the southeastern part of the marches, Tolbrin is the only settlement in the region ruled by a faerie lord. King Eaoe resides in a faerie fortress (p. 32) overlooking this fortified village. It becomes accessible to this world for two days and a night every week. Eaoe is content to delegate most day-to-day operations to a “viceroy,” whom the king selects from contestants in a musical contest (though the contestants are generally village residents trusted to be in charge and who have spent time learning to play the flute, harp, etc.).

Gazetteer

26

The massed choral singing of the Wise Raptors, joined by the occasional dragon, is formidable and can be heard echoing for miles. There are also athletic contests: races, diving contests, and seeing who can fly the highest. Conclaves also provide an informal setting where Raptors who would normally not speak can communicate. Conclaves are scheduled according to complex astronomical criteria, but are held on average every year to a year and a half. Between conclaves, Red Aerie is mostly empty. Wise Raptors occasionally use it as neutral ground to discuss alliances and other common interests, and those without elsewhere to go may stay there briefly, though spending more than two nights is frowned upon. Red Aerie is rumored to hold the remains of a primal founder of clans and a variety of hidden riches. It’s clearly visible from the surrounding area, so anyone from the down below trying to reach the peak is liable to have a lot of rocks dropped on them from a very great height.

Tabbagret Convent

Tabbagret Convent is a large but architecturally unremarkable fortified monastery in the western part of the northern badlands. The walls are particularly thick, doorways heavily built, and the under-levels notably extensive. Tabbagret is also very old, dating to the early years of the First Demon War. It has seen the worship of several different sets of gods before the Yangites (pp. 16-17) moved in shortly after the Second Demon War, and various bits of the imagery of older pantheons remain. While the upper levels are a major Polyphysite center, the lower levels are known to be extensively haunted. Those who venture into the lower basements rarely return, and those who do relate harrowing tales of their visit. The ghosts so far seem content to remain in the deeper basements, but repeated attempts to banish them have proved unsuccessful, which is more than a little disquieting considering the wealth of holy talent available for the job. While it is popularly believed that the ghosts are the victims of torture or sacrifice practiced by previous occupants of the convent, more serious sages believe that more than that is going on. This has left a significant part of the convent unused, and their archives and supply rooms untouched for decades or longer.

Tower Absolute

Tower Absolute is considered to be the oldest building in the Cold Shard Mountains, predating the First Demon War and quite possibly even human habitation of the region.

It is a tall, square tower, over 200’ tall (and 45’ on each side), divided into 15 levels. The higher floors have historically rarely been used. It is currently the local headquarters of the Lightbringers (p. 18). The tower consists of a single piece of stone, possibly raised by a long-forgotten wizard. It is exceptionally durable, and it appears to heal itself over time. It retains scars of past conflicts, but previous attempts to undermine it have filled in and new doorways opened by previous residents have closed up. A long stone relief spirals up the walls, depicting a series of scenes in a narrative. The figures in question are somewhat abstract, but resemble varieties of goblin-kin. The scenes change from time to time, snaking up and around the tower imperceptibly slowly. It takes about a decade for a scene appearing at the bottom of the tower to work its way up to the top and vanish. The import of the ongoing narrative is unclear, but a variety of sages and artists have recorded it over the centuries, and there are numerous schools of thought about what it might mean: prophecy, encoded knowledge such as spells and other powerful rituals, and so on.

Tspetep

Most coleopteran settlements under the Cold Shard Mountains are small villages. There’s a full-sized city, though, at Tspetep, deep beneath the northern badlands. Tspetep can trace its history back to the early days of coleopteran exploration of the underground of the Cold Shard Mountains. The original central chambers and tunnels were dug into a region containing many natural caves, so available space grew quickly. Over the years, it continued to expand. New chambers were dug and walls subdividing old ones were taken out. Tspetep had to be abandoned twice, once during each demon war, but was reoccupied each time. With a population around 8,000, Tspetep is one of the largest settlements in the region. While the population is predominantly coleopteran, there’s a significant dwarven community and regular visitors from the surface. The city’s ruling council, elected on oddly staggered schedules from constituencies representing extended families, ensures that the city remains as welcoming as it can be. The most notable features of Tspetep are its veritable forests of specialized fungi and lichens. Three vast chambers (irregularly shaped but each at least 200 yards across) are the equivalent of civic parks. An underground river even runs through the area, though gates were installed here and there along its length, since there have been issues with “sea monsters” in the past.

Natural Features Given the complex history of the region, it’s not surprising that the Cold Shard Mountains are full of landmarks and remarkable natural features, mundane and otherwise.

Angry Rocks

Angry Rocks is where the Silent Carwin and Loud Carwin flow together. A last series of jagged rock formations is at the



western end of the Loud Carwin, while the Silent Carwin narrows a bit just upstream from the confluence. This creates a spot in the river where turbulent waters from the east and surges of water from the west can alternate and throw boats against the rocks unpredictably from either direction. A number of famed sinkings have occurred at Angry Rocks. Angry ghosts are said to guard the remains of the boats, keeping their contents untouched.

Gazetteer

27

The Auditorium

This greatly eroded rock structure is in the northeastern part of the badlands. The Auditorium is a hollow partial dome eroded from an ancient hill rising above a slightly dished ground surface. The dome is about 80’ high at its tallest point and 150’ wide. The structure’s acoustics are remarkable on their own, but they are also magically perfect. Any sound within the Auditorium can be heard with clarity everywhere in the structure. Any utterance, even a whisper, can be heard intelligibly. Moreover, the structure captures sound from far away and from across time. Voices constantly whisper, and a listener who concentrates can potentially hear something to their advantage. The Auditorium counts as very high mana for Sound spells. The area also has powerful and unpredictable effects on BardSong abilities. Typically, spells cast with Bard-Song affect everyone in the Auditorium, including the caster. Other abilities often have stronger effects, but failures on activation or other such rolls count as critical failures. In short, bards take their lives in their hands there. Visitors can also pay attention to the echoes of the past and present for possibly meaningful words. For each day of focusing on the voices, roll 3d to discover what the listener hears: 3-4 – Something misleading. The listener hears a convincing lie or something taken out of context which gives a false impression. 5-8 – Nothing of apparent importance. 9-10 – Something interesting, but not necessarily important (for example, someone with a good voice singing an entertaining song or a snippet of conversation involving a famous person). 11-12 – Something important, but without any useful context (for example: “Don’t pull the third lever!” or “We shall kidnap the princess at midnight.”). The listener might file this information away for future reference, but there’s no guarantee that it will come up again. 13-16 – Something important in a context which makes some sense but lacks key details (for example, an enemy discussing plans, or someone communicating an important secret in enough detail to get a general idea of what’s being discussed). Treat this as a successful use of Oracle (p. B72), giving information which needs to be interpreted. In this case, it might provide leads for investigation as well.

17-18 – Something important in a context which makes some sense. As 13-16 above, but it requires no further interpretation.

Burning Marsh

The Burning Marsh is a shallow dish-shaped formation at the confluence of several streams. It empties into a small river, but the accumulation of silt over the years has led to the formation of what’s essentially a deep pool of thick mud. The mud has been fertile ground for huge quantities of vegetation and all kinds of animal life (including venomous reptiles, venomous spiders, venomous amphibians, and merely carnivorous birds and mammals). At the end of the First Demon War (p. 11), the difficult, dangerous swamp provided countless places for the last demonic beasts fleeing their hunters to hide. Some of them interbred or otherwise mixed with the beasts and plants already there, providing the wildlife with a variety of demonic traits. During the Xuchlazek Diabolism, a minor demon lord, Charred Xassakak, found it congenial and built a palace there. Xassakak is dead now – indeed, his skull is a prized trophy at the nearby temple of a militant order – but significant remnants of his hellscaping remain. Notably, waves of fire pass through the area like winds. This is not the mere ignition of swamp gas. Rather, the marsh creates its own unnatural flames which sweep over the surface of the slowly draining streams and muddy ground. The remaining plants and animals are highly resistant to fire or simply spend a lot of time under the surface. This has gone some way toward keeping anyone from locating the ruins of Xassakak’s palace and following up on tales of rich treasures kept there.

Great Dragon Ridge

One of the more impressive but least seen features of the Cold Shard Mountains is the Great Dragon Ridge, the fossilized remnants of the skeleton of a vast dragon. Though partly covered with vegetation and the accumulated dirt and decayed matter of thousands of years, this series of about 14 closely set peaks is clearly different from the surrounding mountains. The stone is paler and doesn’t have their banded appearance. It’s also pitted in places where the outer surface has worn away, revealing a semi-hollow interior structure. The interior of the Great Dragon Ridge is, for lack of a better word, “foamy,” shot through with networks of smooth, round passages and hollows. Marsh Fires The Great Dragon Ridge is even worse than The fiery breezes of the Burning Marsh are a bit like the weather. usual for agriculture than the rest of the northern Narrow bands passing through in a second or two sweep any given badlands, so it’s particularly devoid of villages area at least once every three or four hours. In a particularly active and individual freeholds. Draconic members of times, the wind can happen every five or 10 minutes, sometimes the high clans (pp. 15-16) avoid it out of respect. coming in thick bands lasting 10 seconds or in several thinner bands However, it has become the home of a great each lasting less time but hitting repeatedly over the course of a many subterranean creatures. Bandits and mysminute or less. They have the same effect as walking through an tic hermits also find the extensive cave networks area on fire (1d-3 burning damage per turn; see p. B433), save that full of places to stay. the fire is moving through the target rather than vice versa. VegetaOne of the great treasures to be found along tion and animals in the Burning Marsh have at least DR 3 against the ridge is called “old dragon ivory.” Even fire and flame attacks, but outside visitors need to worry about both now, the bones of the old dragon aren’t comflame damage and the additional risk of catching fire. pletely fossilized, and small veins of unmodified ancient dragon bone can still be found.



Gazetteer

28

The ivory resembles conventional dragon bone (Treasure Tables, p. 33), but is much more easily enchanted and has a number of other obscure but desirable properties (as decided by the GM). Enchanters and alchemists are willing to pay at least $5,000 a pound for it.

High and Low Anvils

The Anvils are an adjacent pair of mesa-like mountains in the northern badlands. High Anvil is slightly taller but the top a bit smaller, just under a quarter of a square mile, where Low Anvil is just over. Despite signs of occupation ranging from crumbling segments of low defensive walls around the perimeters of the flat tops to the ruins of dwarven, demonic, and other buildings, they are uninhabited. They could make an excellent site for a fortified town or other large institution, but no one has yet been able to make a go of it. Nearby locals attribute this variously to a curse, rock creatures who live under the soil but rise up if anything starts digging around, or an inadequate water supply.

part of the valley, rather than the steep, even cliff-like walls of the southern side. The temperature is comfortable, plants are green and lush whether wild or cultivated, and animals of all kinds from insects to birds to mountain goats are rife. The other six months of the year, though . . . it looks exactly the same. Meadow Steps is under a spell of unending summer, believed to have been established by faeries long ago, likely before the First Demon War. It’s certainly subject to heavy storms in appropriate seasons, but it is never cold. Snow and sleet stop at its borders, becoming rain, sometimes very heavy rain, and then freeze again once the clouds move on. While some would regard this as a blessing, others suspect it’s a subtle curse. Crops grow quickly and in abundance, certainly, but so do weeds and vermin which can easily overwhelm farmers, and stored food can rot just as quickly. Overnight bursts of activity can cover the castle of the local lord with vines. Stands of trees grow up suddenly, with all the dangers that implies (see Forests, p. 30). And plagues have a way of becoming especially virulent in Meadow Steps, making long-term habitation difficult.

Mazczec’s Trenchers

The most visible legacy of the wizard Mazczec (p. 22) is in the middle of the eastern terraces, a series of lakes and low islands called Mazczec’s Trenchers. The cause was the emergence of a titanic vermiformous petrophage, the largest and last seen. The petrophage burst into the plains of the eastern terraces, destroying whole villages as it breached the surface repeatedly. Mazczec struck it with a magical blow so mighty that its force could be felt everywhere it wasn’t blocked by the mountains themselves. The blow caused avalanches on the snowy upper slopes throughout the entire Cold Shard range, knocked Wise Raptors from the air, and shook down buildings miles away. But it worked; the petrophage was killed and what was left of the people of the terraces was saved. The strike also left behind a permanent scar on the land. Mazczec’s Trenchers is the name given to the concentric ripples left in the ground from the force of the wizard’s attack. The depressed parts quickly filled in with water, producing a shallow, round lake with a series of nested, ring shaped islands in it. The “wavelength” of the ripples (that is, the distance from the peak or trough of one ring to the next) is around 300 yards, so it’s not hard to swim from one ring to the next in pleasant weather. Nowhere is the water more than four yards deep during most of the year, though of course it’s a bit more in the spring and can be shallower in the colder months. There are also numerous breaks in the ring islands which make it possible, though roundabout, to get from the edge to the broad pool at the center entirely by rowboat. The ring islands have become inhabited, though mostly by individual freeholders who are loosely associated with one another. The odd topography makes it difficult to maintain a village. A chevalier has also established a stronghold on one of the outer rings.

Meadow Steps

Half of the year, Meadow Steps appears to be an unremarkable valley in the southern marches. The name comes from a series of step-like ridges descending from the northern



The Miasma The air on Miasma Peak isn’t instantly deadly, but it’s bad enough. After every minute of exposure, roll against HT or take 1 point of toxic damage. Doesn’t Breathe provides protection from the gas. The diffuse mist also obscures sight. Vision rolls are at ‑1 per 10 yards of mist.

Miasma Peak

One of the tallest mountains in the central highlands stands entirely (at least, as far as anyone knows) uninhabited. Miasma Peak had another name, now lost to the depths of time. Its current state is a relic of the First Demon War (p. 11). The sages say that demons attempted to make the mountains more hellish. In this case, the mountain was magically altered to produce a toxic atmosphere. The poisoned air is readily recognized by a sulfurous smell and yellow-green appearance. The mountain is shrouded in toxic gasses nearly down to its base, spilling slightly over into adjacent mountains on either side. Strong winds sometimes blow it farther, but it’s almost always limited to a foul smell or at worst a minute or two of exposure to damaging levels of haze. No animals seem to live on the mountain; it’s one of the few peaks the Wise Raptors avoid. Dead trees and shrubs are sometimes observed at lower elevations. Some speculate that the mountain may be home to some vegetation transplanted from the underworld. It is also believed that the mountain contains the ruins of demonic strongholds, probably abandoned (though not, of course, by demons who don’t breathe) and quite possibly unlooted since the demon wars. This might just be an unpleasant spot to avoid and ignore. However, Miasma Peak overlooks Green Demise, an otherwise excellent pass through the mountains. Unfortunately, since the pass is at an altitude a few hundred feet above the line of permanent coverage by poison air, it’s all but impassible.

Gazetteer

29

Obsidian Lake

The southern marches contain a number of ponds and small lakes. The largest is near the middle of the region. Obsidian Lake is not the biggest lake in the area or even the second; those would be Mazczec’s Trenchers and Penet Lake. It is, though, clearly the deepest. In fact, it is not known to have a bottom. Adventurers exploring the lake have found that the bottom slopes sharply down for about the outer half of its diameter, and the center of the lake appears to vanish into darkness. Unusual fish and even sea serpents are sometimes sighted in the lake (and, indeed, sometimes eat fishing boats), leading some to believe that it is somehow connected to far-off ocean depths or an elemental plane of water.

Forests In the region, it’s common to avoid the woods for fear of the walking trees (p. 42). Although most trees are entirely benign, there’s an indigenous phenomenon of intelligent, mobile trees. These appear to develop spontaneously. A small stand of trees is likely to remain simply a stand of trees, but the larger it gets, the more likely it is to awaken. Walking trees are known to “herd” other trees, moving forests around, so villages sometimes awake to the ominous sight of a new forest looming over them. The walking trees are universally hostile to animals. They rarely actively pursue anyone, and they avoid larger settlements, but they do sometimes lash out at smaller settlements, and those who enter groves usually do not to return. Wolfstack Wood is the one stable forest in the region. No trees have been observed to leave it, though few dare to enter it and fewer return.

Skystone Field

Skystone Field lies in the eastern part of the northern badlands. Like much of the region, it’s full of natural stone columns. However, here many of the bases of the columns have become broken or eroded away, leaving huge stones hovering in the air. To date, few people have successfully moved the floating stones, and none since before the Second Demon War, though not for lack effort. To recover the lost secrets

of moving the floating stones of Skystone Field would be regarded as a particular magical triumph. As it stands, any material removed from a hovering stone falls to the ground, and any force strong enough to push one away from its position simply knocks it over. However, some stones have been used in place. A number of larger stones have had rooms carved out of them. The rough terrain makes farming impossible, but they’ve served as anything from hermetic retreats to entire temples. Most are abandoned, but the area is said to have been at least temporarily the home of many noted sages and wizards.

Yannanyabarek’s Fist

One of the most visible relics of the Second Demon War (pp. 12-13) is a formation called (these days) Yannanyabarek’s Fist, a sizable formation protruding from one of the shorter mountains in the central highlands. Near the beginning of the war, a rent in the ground opened and lava flowed up from it, but it did not spread across the mountainside. Rather, it flowed upward, only partially cooling as it went, to form a lopsided shape (looking a bit like a balled fist, hence the name) looming over the slope. This formation of tuff, obsidian, and black sand was shot through with tunnels and hollows. Molten rock continued to flow through some of them, but most were empty. This was apparently by design, because the demon king Yannanyabarek immediately adopted it as his palace. From here, he ruled over his demon kingdom. Buildings sprung up around it in a sort of palace district occupied by legions of demon-possessed bureaucrats and jailers to torment an endless stream of mortal prisoners. At the end of the Second Demon War, the Lightbringers (p. 18) laid siege to the palace. With apparent divine support, they called down one lightning strike after another, and multiple earthquakes shook the mountain, pulverizing the dark, satanic offices and breaking open the prisons. By the end, every built structure on the mountain had been reduced to rubble and dust. The volcanic formation of Yannanyabarek’s Fist remained, though the lava ceased to flow and the structure cooled. Today, Yannanyabarek’s Fist still stands near the top of its mountain. The entire mountain has been largely abandoned for centuries. Even the high clans (pp. 15-16) don’t fight over the adjacent peak very hard.

Legendary and Remote Even in a place of limited size like the Cold Shard Mountains, some locations are poorly mapped, badly remembered, or simply sufficiently difficult to reach that they are nearly mythical in character. Getting to any of these locations is a quest in itself, and some may need to be found in the first place.

Alchemical Pits

Coleopterans of the Cold Shard range have long been prolific alchemists, though their techniques have developed significantly over the centuries. That long tradition of alchemy



survives in a number of ways. Advanced alchemical formulas are one, but others are less salubrious: Early coleopteran alchemy used large quantities of materials producing similarly large quantities of dangerous waste products. Those materials have proved unfortunately durable. The underground of the Cold Shard Mountains, thus, is riddled with alchemical waste dumps. These are usually modestly sized chambers which have been filled with a variety of magically toxic wastes and, once full (and assuming they haven’t already exploded, corroded through the walls, or otherwise destroyed themselves), sealed off.

Gazetteer

30

designed to contain alchemical solvents in 3d hours, giving those who carry them a messy problem.

Deep Aerie

On one hand, these are dangerous spots for anyone working underground – from miners to coleopteran and dwarven settlers to cave-crawling adventurers. At the very least, they pose a number of direct environmental hazards. And frequently, some of the wastes have filtered through the nearby rock and have been absorbed into adjacent plants and water supplies, creating alchemical mutants in the area. Many are distorted (see GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, p. 37), though other prefixes and combinations of prefixes (chaos, ravenous, the elemental prefixes, etc.) are always possible. On the other, each pocket of alchemical waste is in a way its own magical experiment. Each separate pit is a unique mix of ingredients which has been quietly brewing and marinating for centuries. Modern alchemists have made use of the residue of the old alchemical pits for their own research and novel potions. They’re a resource to be mined (at enormous risk, of course) as well as a hazard to be feared. The toxic residues of the alchemical pits can be recovered for sale to alchemical researchers for at least $50 per pint. However, there are a variety of hazards. The chambers themselves frequently emit fumes doing at least one kind of damage. Fumes may be toxic (anyone in sealed armor or with Does Not Breathe is protected), corrosive, or choking (does Fatigue damage). Mild fumes do one point of injury for every 30 seconds of exposure. Moderate fumes do one point for every 10 seconds of exposure. Severe fumes do one point for every second of exposure. Fumes from a given source often get more intense the closer one gets. Recovering samples requires a roll against Hazardous Materials (Magical). Success yields a number of pints equal to the margin of success, minimum one, while failure causes 1d each of toxic and corrosion damage. After gaining the materials, they’re still dangerous and unstable. They’re often at least one of mildly corrosive (does 1d-5 corrosion damage per minute if they should break open on someone or something until immersed in water or treated with a Hazardous Materials (Magical) roll), somewhat toxic (the same, but does toxic rather than corrosion damage), or flammable (if set alight, does 1d-2 burning damage for 30 seconds). Worse yet, some versions eat through containers not specifically



The Wise Raptors (pp. 15-16) have no interest in what lies under the ground. They care about the sky, the peaks, and little else. Or, at least, that’s what they’ll admit to. But there are rumors of an underground place that no groundling knows about, and not even all Wise Raptors. The bodies of deceased Wise Raptors are typically left to the elements, but some say that particularly famed and accomplished raptors, if their bodies become mummified by the cold, dry conditions of the peaks, are removed to a cave where they are arrayed in waiting for some future event whose nature even the Wise Raptors who bring them there don’t know. It’s also the site of secret councils of the most distinguished Wise Raptors. Should adventurers stumble on Deep Aerie, they might find a considerable amount of treasure in the form of prized ornaments worn by the entombed Wise Raptors. However, if anyone ever found out that they’d been there, it would bring down the undying enmity of the entire culture.

Demon Rift

The Demon Rift is said to resemble a pitch-black gash over 100 yards long at the bottom of a vast underground chamber. The natural stone has been partly shaped, though whether by mortal hands or demons themselves is unknown. Stalactites and stalagmites are covered with engravings in demonic scripts, and the walls are filled with carved reliefs of scenes from Hell. When inactive, the darkness of the rift acts like a solid floor made from infinitely hard glass. Looking down provides a view into unimaginable depths sometimes punctuated by faint red glows or the sinister movements of distant shadows. Of course, the descriptions are conjecture because no one is known to have actually seen the Demon Rift in a very long time. One of the inexplicable mysteries of the Cold Shard Mountains is the whereabouts of the Demon Rift. One would think that a significant geological structure which was the cause of two catastrophic invasions of the region by monstrous entities would be hard to misplace. However, the location has been lost for quite some time. The rift is generally believed to lie beneath deep tunnels around where the northern badlands fade into the central highlands, but no one credibly claims to have a precise area. Indeed, for at least the past century or so, sages and adventurers have actively been searching for it, following up leads in dusty tomes and barely comprehensible scrolls, but to no avail. A variety of theories swirl around the learned councils of the Cold Shard range about what’s become of the Demon Rift. One is that it simply doesn’t exist any more. Perhaps the Xuchlazek Diabolism (see p. 13) closed it to prevent the Lightbringers (p. 18) from launching a counterinvasion, the Lightbringers themselves shut it, or it became unstable in the long run and it simply collapsed on its own. None of those ideas, however, have proved satisfactory.

Gazetteer

31

The rift has been dormant in the past, but never showed signs of instability, and a lack of accounts of the closing of the rift make the first two possibilities seem unlikely. A somewhat more sinister possibility is that references to the true whereabouts of the rift have been carefully and systematically removed from existing texts so no one can find it. While it seems unlikely, the Lightbringers have been suspected of being the culprits by those with an inclination to think that of them, purportedly in order to prevent anyone from reopening it a second time. Survivors of the Second Demon War have also been suggested as being at fault, keeping alive the possibility of a new invasion and a third demon war.

Dragon’s Head

Something is missing from the Great Dragon Ridge (pp. 28-29): the dragon’s skull. The bones of the spine and tail form a chain of spiky peaks, and sages think that the wings and legs are deeply buried, but the head isn’t where it is expected. Most guess that it is still near the eastern end of the ridge, perhaps covered by the earth and stone of one or more adjacent mountains. Others believe it’s farther away and is less deeply buried but still covered and easily confused with more conventional peaks. Either way, many suspect that it’s potentially a place of great power, should it ever be found. At the very least, it would constitute an enormous volume of high or very high mana, perhaps divided into aspected regions; some sages have created elaborate maps of how that might play out, depending on a variety of sacred geometrical schemes. However, some warn that the dragon’s skull could still contain strong resonances of its spirit. It might not be a complete identity, as with a ghost which has volition and some reflection of its living personality, but rather areas of compelling mental energies. Explorers might find themselves with memories of places they never visited or doing things they never did, or they might find themselves compelled to undertake a task for reasons they can’t understand, or simply filled with intense, alien emotions.

Faerie Fortresses

The Cold Shard Mountains contain a number of stone circles which function as portals to faerie realms. Most of these portals open infrequently and under odd conditions

(only during a full moon on midwinter night, etc.), though some are opened by deliberate conjuring. These circles are sometimes difficult to find in the rocky terrain of the mountains, where interesting formations of stone turn up everywhere. Indeed, some mortal sages have suggested that all stone circles are potentially portals to faerie kingdoms for those who know how to open them. Within, visitors find a shifting landscape which blurs the natural and the constructed, the indoors and outdoors, and the above and below ground. Most are the equivalent of several miles across, somehow containing fields, forests, and streams in spaces which every now again appear roofed in or contained by caverns, ruled by various kings, queens, nobility, and councils. While the stone circles seem to be a necessary connection between these kingdoms and the mortal world, from the longterm faerie point of view, the frequent appearance of ravening demons became a cause for alarm. After several unexpected losses as demonic beasts invaded open faerie gates, the remaining faerie kingdoms took steps to defend themselves. These days, instead of stepping through a magic circle at the right time and inadvertently finding oneself in a “kingdom beneath the hill,” it’s possible to step into not a faerie kingdom, but a dangerous faerie maze protecting it. Details vary, and the faerie world being what it is the contents change from time to time anyway. However, anyone trying to reach the true faerie establishment inside must pass through a broad array of traps and dangerous illusions. Additionally, some faerie fortresses fell to the demon invasions anyway. Faerie strongholds have tended to be insular and independent of one another, but those conquered by demons were also invested with a certain superstitious dread. When one falls, other faeries, including survivors of the conquered stronghold, do not return to retake it. There are, then, believed to be a number of fortresses which are still protected by series of magical traps and inhabited by demons. Most are the ravening beasts of the First Demon War; while escaping demons of the second may have taken refuge in the occasional faerie fortress, most lack an easy way out other than the occasionally opening portal, which makes them a trap as much as a hiding place.

King’s Kap

While Kerenk spent most of his reign ruling from a distance, he did have a palace started for himself during his occasional visits, which also served as capital before the move to Penet Kap (see Faeries p. 12). The palace was only partly completed for reasons which are unclear. Rumors abound: An The faerie fortresses which remain are inhabited by a variety undetected underground spring flooded the palof faerie folk: fauns, leprechauns, nymphs, and pixies (see GURPS ace. The surrounding tunnels housed too many Dungeon Fantasy 3: The Next Level, p. 8). They are also inhabited monsters, and defending the in-progress palace by “greater faeries.” There’s some confusion on the part of non-fawas an excessive drain on resources. Lower levels erie about them. Outsiders usually think they constitute an aristocwere full of toxic gasses which seeped upward. racy which rules the lesser faeries. However, at least in the Cold A cursed underground chamber was discovered, Shard region, they’re simply taller than most other faerie, who do and the project was left undone to avoid awakentend to run on the short side. Greater faeries come in many subtly ing a great evil. different forms, but they may be treated as having the same stats as Whatever the reason, King’s Kap was abanelves (with whom they may have a very distant relationship) but also doned abruptly. Many believe that great riches have the same dependency on mana as other faerie – Dependency were left behind, from stacks of gold used to (Mana; Very Common; Constantly) [‑25]. pay workers to heirlooms of Kerenk’s clan.



Gazetteer

32

While these rumors have long been viewed with some suspicion, they’re regarded as somewhat substantiated by the fact that the New Empire has been searching for this kap as well.

Mad Tunnels

Underground, and not too deep at that, there is said to be a region of caves which drives those who visit it into fits of wild behavior. Creatures lurking there are particularly aggressive, fearful, or otherwise extreme in the way they act, and those who visit fall victim to the disturbing aura of the caves as well. The tunnels are believed to be full of treasure left behind by adventurers who have died there or which has simply been protected from looting by the difficulty of surviving. Of course, rumors suggest a fabulously rich temple or lost hoard at the center of it, and any number of people willingly sell maps of safe routes through the tunnels; some may legitimately wonder why they don’t just use it themselves.

Physic Tarns

A tarn is a mountain pool. A variety of geological forces can form depressions along a mountain slope, which later fill with water. One curious aspect of some of these upland pools is that they have remarkable healing properties. Any wound washed in a physic tarn stops bleeding immediately and recovers one point of damage. Bathing in one for an hour heals a further 1d points of damage and may provide additional healing; if applicable, roll against Cure Disease, Neutralize Poison, and Restoration with a skill of 16. Unfortunately, these tarns and their miraculous water are very sensitive to impurities. After use by a single person, the water loses its capabilities, and they may never return (the GM may roll 3d; on a 10 or less, the tarn recovers after a month). While old ones lose their potency to use and natural causes, new ones appear all the time, so travelers in the wilderness can’t rely on the location of known tarns but may hope to find new ones.

The Maddening Effect For every hour spent in the Mad Tunnels, the threshold for any self-control rolls for disadvantages decreases by one point. (Thus, a self-control roll of 6 drops to 5 after one hour, 4 after two hours, and so on.) Once the self-control number dips below three, rolls automatically fail. The slightest provocation can trigger Compulsive Behaviors, Impulsiveness, and so on. Moreover, anyone entering the tunnels is afflicted with Phantom Voices (p. B148) at an Annoying level, rising to Disturbing after six hours and Diabolical after 12. Any monsters lurking in the tunnels will be on a hair-trigger to avoid such behaviors as well. Self-control returns at a rate of one point per minute after leaving the tunnels. Phantom Voices decreases by one level every two minutes after leaving the tunnels.

The most peculiar aspect of the Revolving River, though, is that the water doesn’t move, but the terrain around it does. The water laps against the banks, of course, and otherwise behaves as water, but it’s the water which stays still while the cavern moves around it. Stone and earth out to several feet from the interior of the tunnel slowly move in a circuit at a rate of about half a mile an hour. The course of the Revolving River is approximately known. However, it does slowly shift over time, much as a real river may change its course as the result of silting, flooding, and erosion. Tunnels leading to it are not stable; old passages close and new ones open from time to time. It’s not a reliable way to get around, but it is accessible to those sufficiently determined.

Yannanyabarek’s Vaults

When Yannanyabarek (p. 24) was destroyed at the end of the Second Demon War, the Lightbringers (p. 18) had a quandary. The ruler of the Xuchlazek Diabolism was dead, but it was not clear that he was permanently dead. If the demon were to be revived, that would cause no end of problems for future generThe existential persistence ations. Their solution, then, evolving iver was to make it as difficult of greater demon lords is of Deep under the mountains flows the as possible to reconstruct particular concern. Revolving River. This body of water follows Yannanyabarek’s body. The an irregularly shaped circuit in a huge tunnel – Guan Yo’s official story was that the under the mountains. The tunnel is roughly remains were utterly conYannanyabarek Treatise an oval in cross-section, about 400 yards wide sumed by alchemical acids and a third as high at the highest points. The and fire. river (on average) takes up perhaps a third of that width, But there’s another story: Yannanyabarek’s remains were though it does vary from narrow but deep sections as little as resistant to those methods. Instead, the remains were divided 20 yards across to wide, shallow fords nearly 300 yards wide. up into 13 pieces. Each piece was given to a separate group of Along the length of the river are clusters of brightly glowLightbringers with orders to locate a place to hide their poring crystals. The brightness of some clusters of crystals waxes tion. Each group is believed to have found hard-to-reach locaand wanes, producing cycles resembling day and night. The tions resistant to magic and constructed an impromptu crypt crystals keep most of the tunnel at a brightness equivalent to for the remains. Some think that each group kept its location daylight during the brightest time, though some regions are in a secret, passing the location down only to one or two trusted perpetual twilight. people in each generation, but no one has ever known the locaWith constant light and plentiful water, the tunnel is full tion of more than one part. Others think those locations were of vegetation. Low but dense forest covers most of the rocky communicated to the grand master of the Lightbringers at the shores on either side of the river itself. Vines, moss, and time, and only the local leaders of the group know where the lichens climb up the walls and hang from the ceiling. parts are.

R



R

Gazetteer

33

Chapter Four

Treasures and Monsters The who and the where is fine, but this is Dungeon Fantasy. This is all backdrop for the point of the exercise: monsters to kill and treasures to win. While just about

anything from the Dungeon Fantasy series can be found in the Cold Shard Mountains, these are some which are native or unique to the area.

Treasures The Cold Shard Mountains are full of valuable or useful items. Some are unambiguously treasures to be prized and kept as heirlooms, sold to the highest bidder, or used in tricky circumstances. Others are more dubious. Some are useful but have significant social and practical drawbacks, while others are quite desirable but hard to hold onto.

that many Yangite clerics have held or at least seen many of them. The Seeker spell is widely used to track them down. There are dozens of Yangite relics. These are some representative ones:

Yangite Relics

This legendary mace appears cast from a single piece of coppery metal, with a cylindrical shaft and a long octagonal head. Crunath’s three-line symbol is engraved into the head. It is very fine quality and provides a number of magical benefits. It has +4 Puissance and +1 Accuracy. It is enchanted with Rive (GURPS Magic, p. 117) and provides 2 points of power for it, to which the user can add their own. Its greatest effect is its ability to push back and knock over enemies with a wave of tremendous force. It does triple knockback damage, and delivers full knockback if it makes contact with its target in any way; apply knockback even if the attack roll is successful but is parried or blocked. It does two fewer points of knockback to everyone in hexes adjacent to the target (the wielder of the mace is immune to this effect), two fewer than that to everyone one hex farther away, and so on until the effect drops to nothing. Weighs 5 lbs.

One of the reasons the worshipers of Ardo Yang (p. 17) are so divided is that their god (or gods, of you’re a Polyphysite) does not communicate clearly and directly with worshipers. Visitations of the divine are emotionally moving but allegorical in content at best. Likewise, the powerful relics scattered about the region are imbued with divine force but are similarly problematic for those who find them. Yangite relics are divine (GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 6: 40 Artifacts, p. 3, or GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 8: Treasure Tables, p. 50); they’re affected by sanctity rather than mana levels. The relics have an unusual property of never staying on one place or in one person’s possession very long. When found, a Yangite relic remains for at least a week. After that period, roll 3d; on a 15 or greater, the relic goes missing at some point during the next week when the person possessing it isn’t paying attention. And the mysterious divine power of the artifact ensures that there will be such a moment eventually. Should it not vanish, roll again every successive week. A relic may be given to someone else, who can hold onto it for at least a week until needing to see if it disappears, but only if the original possessor could not easily regain it. That is, relics can’t be kept within a group of people just by handing it from one companion to the next every few days. Despite decades of trying, worshipers of Ardo Yang haven’t figured out how to predict where a relic will reappear (which it does after a few days). However, many relics are very well documented, and they change hands often enough

Treasures

Crunath’s Army-Smashing Mace

Eonder’s Endless Pitcher Some in the Cold Shard Mountains believe that the physic tarns (p. 33) are distant manifestations or otherwise works of Eonder based on their similarity to this pitcher. The pitcher has a nearly spherical body and a long, straight neck, narrow enough for a cork or other stopper. Eonder’s curved symbol appears on both sides, protruding from the body as convenient handles. As the name suggests, the pitcher delivers endless water. If poured out, it does not stop pouring. The water is pure, clear, and cold with unusual healing properties. It stops bleeding immediately wherever it is poured, and extended washing with the water partly heals wounds (10 seconds per wound heals one point of damage for each separate wound washed).

and

Monsters

34

Immersing someone in the water provides the benefits of Neutralize Poison (Magic, p. 92), though it takes at least five minutes to fill a small barrel or tub to the point of being able to truly submerge someone. Weighs 1 lb.

Mask of Hownath The mask appears to be made of an opaque deep-green jade, carved in the form of a somewhat abstract human face with Hownath’s rayed circle on the chin. The mask gives the wearer perfectly clear but protected vision. The wearer can see at all light levels at no penalty as well as through mist, fog, smoke, and areas covered by spells like Darkness and Mystic Mist. These do appear faintly, so the wearer is aware that they are present but they do not interfere with sight. The wearer is immune to gaze attacks, blinding, and other vision-impairing attacks (stun grenades, the Flash spell, etc.). The mask also counteracts the Obscure advantage while providing Telescopic Vision 5. Finally, the mask is harder than it looks, providing DR 5 to the face. Weighs 1.5 lbs.

Manoc’s Duplicate Veil The veil is a modestly sized piece of gauzy fabric with Manoc’s double-spiral subtly woven into it. It operates in a peculiar, even tedious fashion. The veil is placed on a page of text, then on a blank surface. This copies the text to the new surface. It takes about 10 minutes to copy a primer, 20 minutes for a textbook, or 40 minutes for a thesis. It will, moreover, copy the text onto whatever medium it is applied to. It engraves text on metal, glass, and stone; tattoos it into hides; inks it on fabric or paper, and so on. It can be used to copy charged scrolls, though the process takes longer (about an hour per scroll). Weight is negligible.

Fire sign of the second order must not exceed two radicals of the blue group. – Mazczec’s Thaumaturgical Syllabary

Kapana’s Tomes One of the great innovations between the Demon Wars was the use of powerful but complicated mnemonic devices attributed to a legendary sage named Kapana. While they were produced in many forms, from paper scrolls to etched glass sheets, they’re all identifiable by their pale yellow covers and Kapana’s stylized signature as a colophon on the first page. It’s not clear whether Kapana herself wrote all of them or if students working in her short-lived tradition wrote some. Either way, Kapana found ways of arranging information which make it somewhat easier to benefit from the information in the manuals bearing her name. Kapana’s tomes can “share space” in a variety of ways. Two of Kapana’s tomes can share the same Book-Learned Wisdom slot as long as they don’t exceed the slot’s points of wisdom. For example, a sage with a two-point Book-Learned Wisdom slot could use it to temporarily learn two skills from Kapana-penned primers. Furthermore, if the manuals are for the same skill, they can be combined in the same slot, giving the sage the combined number of points in the skill so long as neither manual on its own is too big for the slot. For example, a sage can use two Kapana-style textbooks on Alchemy in a single two-point Book-Learned Wisdom slot, for a total of four points toward Alchemy skill. These benefits may not be combined with non-Kapana manuals. Kapana’s tomes have +9 CF.

Mazczec’s Hand

Famous Items

These are some of the most legendary items in the Cold Shard Mountains. All are essentially priceless, though their whereabouts are all currently unknown.

Kerenk’s Hammer Kerenk (pp. 20-21) was known to favor a warhammer, which he wielded with great success against his foes. Though many believe that Kerenk’s favored weapon is likely somewhere closer to the core of his old empire, others think that Murayad inherited it and brought it to the Cold Shard Mountains. If so, it was lost early on during the struggles against the fragmenting empire and remains hidden somewhere in the mountains. Silent Qurren (p. 23) described the weapon. If the account is to be believed, the head has both a hexagonal flat face and a pointed one, with shallow grooves horizontally along the side between rows of scalloped shapes. The head is polished

Treasures

iron, while the wooden shaft is wrapped in braided silver and bronze wires. The hammer, should anyone find it, may be treated as a very fine dwarven warhammer but with one face doing crushing rather than impaling damage. That face, of course, won’t get stuck. It also provides a range of magical benefits, including +3 Accuracy, +4 Puissance, +4 Lifting ST, and +2 Born War-Leader (this can exceed caps on Talents). The hammer weighs 7 lbs. and is essentially priceless. Finding it would also excite a great deal of attention from the dwarven population of the region and beyond.

Mazczec (p. 22) is known to have had only one hand. A number of conflicting stories suggest how he lost the other one, though most sages believe he was born with only one. Whatever the case, he wore a powerful artifact at the end of one arm in place of the missing body part. It was not a substitute hand; he got by perfectly well with just the one. Rather, it was a convenient way for him to carry an item which enhanced his already considerable power. The “hand” consists of an always-polished cuff of a brasslike metal attached to a spherical cage (about the size of a fist) of the same material. The cage contains a collection of many-faceted crystals which glow with shifting colors. The cuff tightens to fit securely at the end of any arm it is put on, so long as it’s missing a hand. Once worn (just carrying it is not sufficient), the hand grants its wearer a number of formidable capabilities, both active and passive. The artifact gives the wearer two levels of Magery, and this can exceed usual caps. It acts as a power item which can contain up to 25 FP. While this is relatively meager, the user can use both the hand and one other power item and may draw power from either or both at will.

and

Monsters

35

It provides three points of energy per turn for maintaining (but not initially casting) spells. It emits light at any intensity from starlight to daylight (see Magic, p. 110, for modifiers), adjustable at will by the user and requiring no energy expenditure. Finally, it can be used to cast Flash or Thunderclap at skill 20. Mazczec’s Hand weighs 2 lbs.

The faceless warrior is said to have had it mounted in the breastplate of their armor, while the Lightbringer priest displayed it on the end of a staff. Whoever carried it and however they did it, it has a number of magical effects. It glows with a light approaching daylight, and it negates Darkness spells up to 20 yards away. Its light has significant effects on demons (that is, monsters of the Demon class). All demons suffer Dread from it (pp. B132-133; ‑10-point level), preventing them from coming within tyle uide one yard of the artifact. Demons even have The makers of any number of relics in the Cold Shard Mountains can to avert their gaze (‑2 to IQ and DX if they readily be ascertained by how they’re made and decorated. look directly at it). At 20 yards, demons in its Coleopteran items are known for textured sections which make it light lose any Supernatural Durability they easier to grasp or wrap cordage around. For example, a typical potion may have. Starting at 10 yards away from it, bottle may have smooth sides but a series of thick rings for a few inches DR is reduced by one for every yard closer around the neck. The Zaak’kee regarded blue as an unlucky color, so they come. At a distance of less than five a coleopteran item with blue decoration could indicate that it is fake yards, demons take one point of damage per (because authentic Zaak’kee artifacts almost never used blue) or cursed. turn of exposure, bypassing any DR which More-recent coleopteran work uses a great deal of colored glass décor in may remain. the form of beading or inlay. Native dwarven work goes in for wire-wrapped grips and handles, Yannanyabarek’s Flail which they regard as more durable than leather or other surfaces. The local dwarves have a long tradition of geometric metal leaf and gilding, The flail was one of Yannanyabarek’s using carefully cut bits of copper, silver, gold, and iron foils to produce (p. 24) favored weapons, but not just any flail. complex interlocking forms. Items from Kerenk’s empire have somewhat It wasn’t hugely formidable in combat, but it similar motifs, using braided wires rather than single strands, and comwas an excellent weapon of terror. While it bine metal leaf décor with relief carving. The New Empire tends to do was called a flail, it’s technically a whip since less gilding and leaf and more relief and etched designs. it lacks any kind of weights at the end. It conThe kingdom of Penet has long used a variety of crown-in-diamond sists of five strands of chain fabricated from motifs, but the shape has changed over time. The old Knights of Penet wasps, which, depending on the sage one used gear marked with a square diamond and three-pointed crown, but asks, may be demonic, undead, or both. over the years the diamond has become elongated and the crown now At rest, the flail is an angrily buzzing, has four points. writhing coil which weighs 4 lbs. and can be Demons have tended to use simple hexagonal and octagonal motifs unrolled to a length of two yards. However, on their tools, or Yannanyabarek’s “fanged jaw” motif. However, beyond the user may extend it at will up to eight yards a tendency to asymmetric design, most demonic items are otherwise (like a monowire whip, but does not require unadorned. They didn’t waste a lot of time on making their goods pretty. a Ready maneuver; see p. B406 for more on That said, demon tools are often made of peculiar materials. Demon using whips). The wasps which make up the craftsmen typically produced items with stone-like materials where morwhip are responsive in various ways to the tals might use wood (for example, the handles of tools). Metalwork often user’s will, so the flail is at +3 to all rolls to involves alloys with a veined appearance (the surface of the metal is shot entangle a target. The insects scrape and through with meandering channels of metal of a slightly different color sting for extra damage (thus, the flail doesn’t or texture), which mortal smiths can’t reproduce. have a whip’s armor divisor). And the wasps hurt. A lot. Shock penalties last for five turns until the pain fades. In the event of overlapping penalties (say, ‑2 for an initial hit and ‑3 for a later one), use the highest one currently applicable. See Sun of the Underworld Wasp Flails Table, p. 37, for further stats. There are a few conflicting legends about this item. It is Finally, the user can make multiple attacks with the said to have appeared during the First Demon War in the weapon simultaneously. All five strands can be used at once, hands of a “faceless warrior” (they wore a helmet whose visor either on the same target or different ones. This counts as had no openings for eyes or mouth) with no apparent cona single attack maneuver and carries no additional penalty nection to Kerenk or his army or alternatively in the hands of above those incurred for each individual target. one of Kerenk’s companions, then again during the Second Of course, it has its drawbacks. The entire weapon is made Demon War with the Lightbringers (p. 18). The item vanof stinging insects, including the handle. The user takes 1d-4 ished soon after the demons were vanquished in either case, crushing damage to the hand holding it every turn, with the though some suspect there may be at least two Suns of the same long-lasting shock penalties, so gloves or gauntlets with Underworld somewhere. DR 2 or better are strongly recommended. The wasps are The Sun is a powerful weapon against demons. It’s a glass always buzzing at least a bit, so it gives ‑1 to Stealth in situaor rock-crystal sphere (it’s challenging to determine for sure, tions were hearing is involved. And like many demonic items, since the Sun is very difficult to look at directly). The sphere it is cursed with Lifebane. is about 3” in diameter and pleasantly warm to the touch.

S

G

Treasures

and

Monsters

36

Wasp Flails Table Terms and notation are as defined on pp. B268-271. For additional effects of the flails, see their descriptions in the text.

WHIP (DX-5, Kusari-3, or Monowire Whip-3) Weapon Yannanyabarek’s Flail Wasp Flail

Damage sw-2 cr x 5 sw-2 cr

Reach 2-8* 2-4*

Parry -2U -2U

Coleopteran Alchemy

The earliest coleopterans to move into the Cold Shard range were able alchemists. They produced a wide range of alchemical preparations, including some not easily found elsewhere. Air Wine (Drinkable). Provides the Doesn’t Breathe advantage for 4 hours. However, it’s also mildly intoxicating; roll against HT or be at ‑1 to IQ while the potion is in effect. $1,550, 0.5 lb. Alkazyme (Utility). A variant of alkahest (Magic, p. 220), this is a not-quite-universal solvent. It will dissolve nearly anything, but not living matter. Flesh and living plants take no damage from it, but alkazyme eats through inorganic matter (like rock and metal) and dead organic materials (like leather and lumber). $1,800, 1 lb. Hardener (Drinkable). Toughens the skin and bones or whatever equivalent the user may have. Doubles natural DR (adding a minimum of one point) for 3d+10 minutes. Also provides +2 to HT rolls to avoid crippling from damage taken while it’s in effect. $2,400, 0.5 lb. Shaking Fluid (Utility). When the vial is opened, a reaction with the air makes the liquid gently vibrate for 12 hours. It can be used to trace a path through one typical dungeon level, but it is only visible to those with Vibration Sense. $25, 0.5 lb. Stickfinger (Drinkable). Despite the name, this potion makes all the user’s extremities sticky, though the stickiness is difficult to finely control. The potion provides the Clinging advantage for 1d hours. However, it doesn’t work if the user keeps their hands and feet covered. With only one bare set of extremities (say, just hands or just feet), the user climbs with one-quarter Move rather than half. And if the hands aren’t covered, it provides ‑3 to fine-motor skills (it’s difficult to put things down or let go of them), as with Ham-Fisted. $3,000, 0.5 lb.

Demon Tools

of

Cost N/A $18,000

Weight 4 4

ST 3 3

enchanted tools. Digger claws are a set of extensions which can be strapped onto the user’s arms to extend their reach and increase their strength. They’re articulated metal structures with broad, shovel-like hands at the end, with a pair of heavy metal claws protruding from the sides. Putting them on or taking them off takes 10 seconds. Once they’re on, they give the user +10 to ST for the purposes of digging (p. B350), and the hands may act as either picks or shovels as the user desires. They can also be used for fighting, though they’re less effective. They provide +5 Striking ST, and they may be used to do cutting or impaling damage. However, they’re clumsy; they give ‑2 to DX and No Fine Manipulators. They also extend the user’s Reach to 1, 2; they are too long to use in close combat, so they can’t attack at range C. A set of digger claws weighs 10 lbs. and costs $75,000.

Lesser Wasp Flails

Yannanyabarek’s flail (p. 36) is a powerful, elaborate version of a weapon often used by demonic overseers during the Xuchlazek Diabolism (p. 13). They had something of the original’s flexibility and ability to torment, though not nearly as much. A lesser wasp flail is a two-yard whip when at rest, though it can extend up to four yards (as a monowire whip, but without a Ready maneuver; see p. B406 for more on using whips). It does not have an armor divisor. Shock penalties last for three turns until the pain fades. In the event of overlapping penalties (say, ‑2 for an initial hit and ‑3 for a later one), use the highest one currently applicable. See Wasp Flails Table, above, for further stats. Since the handle is made of stinging insects, the user takes 1d-4 crushing damage to the hand holding it every turn, with the same extended shock penalties; hand armor protects norI am the agonizing spores mally. The buzzing wasps also give ‑1 to Stealth. $18,000, 4 lbs. rot infecting all souls.

The frequent presence of demons in – Motto engraved on a the Cold Shard Mountains has meant Relentless Spear the introduction of a great many items Xuchlazek weapon Relentless spears are formiof demonic manufacture into the region. dable long-range weapons which Three common ones are listed here. track down their targets from a great distance. They’re found Many demonic weapons are made from a poison-metal in both spear and javelin size. To throw the relentless spear at alloy (Treasure Tables, p. 33) to which demons are immune, a target, the user must Aim for at least one turn. Compute the as, incidentally, are infernals. Some of them are enchanted. user’s attack roll at this point excluding modifiers for range, Inevitably, demonic items, including those below, carry Lifebut don’t roll yet. Once thrown, the spear flies toward the tarbane (p. B142) as well. get at a Move equal to its 1/2D range to a maximum of 10 times its nominal maximum range. For example, a javelin Digger Claw throw by someone with ST 10 flies at Move 15 to a maximum During the Second Demon War, the Xuchlazek Diabolof 250 yards. When the spear reaches the target, roll to hit; the ism (p. 13) dug a lot of tunnels. To do so, they often used attack may be Dodged normally.

Treasures

and

Monsters

37

A target could outrun a relentless spear, though that’s difficult except at extreme range. It’s also possible to try to hide from the weapon. If the target moves out of line of sight (for example, ducking behind a tree or into a ditch), the spear is at ‑1 to the attack roll for every second the target remains out of sight. The enchantment for the relentless spear is worth $20,000.

Additive Suites

Many enchanters of the Cold Shard Mountains worked at producing sets of magical items which function better together. Any item used in isolation has a modest enchantment.

However, if the bearer uses two items in the same suite, both manifest stronger or additional enchantments, and so on, as the user obtains more items in the group. (In the tables below, all abilities gained are cumulative.) Gear in some suites is interchangeable with others of their specific type of suite, in that the suite enchantment is not tied to unique items. Rather, schools of enchanters produced items which could work together. Any sword they made would work with any breastplate that they made, which would work with any of their helmets, and so on. There are also powerful suites of unique items, each of which is enhanced by being used with a specific set of other items. For one example, see Murayad’s Panoply, below.

Warrior Suite Warrior suites are sets of arms and armor made famous by some of the notable early Knights of Penet (see p. 12). Equipment in one warrior suite can be used interchangeably with gear in any similarly enchanted warrior suite. Ability Gained for Items Held/Worn Item 1 2 3 4 Sword Accuracy +1 Puissance +1 Increase Accuracy to +2 Penetrating Weapon (2) Breastplate Fortify +1 Lighten (25%) Increase Fortify to +2 Lighten (25%) applies to all armor worn Increase Fortify to +2 Keen Sense 1 Helmet Fortify +1 Endurance Item, 4 FP (Treasure Tables, p. 36) Shield Deflect +1 Lighten (25%) Increase Deflect to +2 Defending Shield +1

Wizard Suite This suite is designed to aid spellcasters. The Power enchantments can be used to power spells cast by any item in the suite! Pieces in one wizard suite can be used interchangeably with equipment in any similarly enchanted wizard suite. Ability Gained for Items Held/Worn Item 1 2 3 4 Wand Create Fire Ice Slick 1 point Power Lightning Ring 1 point Power Umbrella Stun 1 point Power Necklace Fear 1 point Power Iron Arm Mystic Mist Crown Keen Vision 1 Bravery Increase Keen Vision to 2 1 point Power

Hunter Suite This suite is suitable for scouts, barbarians, or anyone else who might work stealthily outdoors. Items in one hunter suite can be used interchangeably with gear in any similarly enchanted hunter suite. Item Bow Cape Hood Quiver

1 Accuracy +1 Blur 1 Keen Vision 1 Cornucopia (ordinary arrows)

Ability Gained for Items Held/Worn 2 3 Puissance +1 Increase Accuracy to +2 Resist Cold Hide Path Shape Plant Alertness 2 Umbrella Mage Stealth

4 Increase Puissance to +2 Freedom 1 Plant Speech (all plants) Quick Draw

Murayad’s Panoply Murayad, governor of the Cold Shard range after the death of Kerenk, owned a particularly formidable additive suite consisting of a dwarven great axe, a great helm, a mail shirt, and a golden torc. Unlike lesser suites, each item in the set is unique, and each can be the subject of its own quest. Ability Gained for Items Held/Worn Item 1 2 3 4 Great Axe Accuracy +2 Add Puissance +2 Increase Accuracy to +3 Add Penetrating Weapon (5) Great Helm Keen Senses 2 Add Endurance Item, 6 FP Add Dark Vision Increase Endurance Item to 10 FP Shirt Fortify +2 Add Lighten (25%) Increase Fortify to +3 Lighten (25%) applies to all armor worn Torc Deflect +2 Add See Invisible Add Missile Shield Add Defending Shield +1

Treasures

and

Monsters

38

Bestiary With the riches available, it’s inevitable that any number of creatures hoard treasures or simply stand as obstacles to adventurers trying to retrieve them.

Cave Witches

One of the more common cave-dwelling threats around the Cold Shard range is the cave witch. These creatures aren’t actually witches. They’re animals, albeit clever ones. Cave witches are believed by some to be distantly related to coleopterans in much the same way that some believe creatures like gladiator apes are distantly related to humans. They resemble upright grasshoppers or locusts more than they do beetles. Their claws are supplemented with wicked mandibles which are capable of piercing a remarkable amount of armor. They grow a long, shaggy mane of fibers resembling a style of cape once worn by magicians frequenting the northern badlands. Moreover, they do have limited magical capabilities. ST: 12 DX: 12 IQ: 5 HT: 12

HP: 12 Will: 10 Per: 10 FP: 12

Speed: 6.00 Move: 6

Dodge: 10

Parry: 12

DR 4

SM: +0

Bite (14): 1d-1(2) impaling. Reach C. Claw (14): 1d-1 cutting. Reach C. Traits: Combat Reflexes; Extra Arms 2; Extra Attack 1; High Pain Threshold; Night Vision 5; Peripheral Vision; Super Jump 3; Vibration Sense (Air). Skills: Brawling-14; Stealth-14. • One of Deathtouch-15, Flash-15, Paralyze Limb15, Stun-15, or Walk Through Earth-15. Class: Dire Animal. Notes: Cave witches aren’t enormously social, but they do sometimes hunt in packs. They are capable of producing one of a number of magical effects which act like the listed spells, but do so without understanding spells as intelligent creatures do and without learning prerequisites. This is apparently an innate capability.

Dead Giants

ST: 37 DX: 12 IQ: 6 HT: 13

HP: 55 Will: 10 Per: 10 FP: 13

Speed: 6.25 Move: 6

Dodge: 9

Parry: 10

DR 2

SM: +6

Club (14): 6d+7 crushing. Reach 1-4. Kick (12): 4d+4 crushing. Reach C-3. Punch (14): 4d+3 crushing. Reach C-2. Traits: Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; High Pain Threshold; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards; Immunity to Mind Control; Injury Tolerance (No Blood, Unliving); No Sense of Smell/Taste; Temperature Tolerance 10 (‑30°F to 155°F). Skills: Brawling-14; Broadsword-14. Class: Undead. Notes: Dead giants have very little in the way of tactics beyond “smash and eat the thing.” In addition to bone-based dead giants such as the one here, there are also fossil dead giants, who have turned to stone. Increase HP to 72 and DR to 5. However, they’re also liable to shatter; treat as Fragile (Brittle).

Demon Hornets

These dreadful insects still infest deeper parts of the tunnels of the Cold Shard Mountains, building nests from sand and dust. A swarm consists of 20 or so hellish flying bugs. The group stings for 2 point of corrosive damage and is dispersed after losing 10 HP. However, only magic spells and weapons with enchantments which increase damage injury the swarms. A one-hex swarm may be Banished with a single casting of that spell.

Hive Lizards

In the very distant past, giants inhabited the Cold Shard Mountains. While giants survive elsewhere in the world (and could potentially wander in from somewhere else), no descendants of those original Cold Shard giants survive. That does not mean, though, that they’re gone. Buried in the frequently magical earth of the Cold Shard range, the bones of dead giants are sometimes found reanimated. They are no longer intelligent; they’re just smart enough to keep using clubs. However, they remain just as large and durable as they ever were. (For the typical version below, reach 5+ weapons can be used to attack the head.)

Treasures

While they don’t actually need to eat, they show a clear and persistent desire to consume the flesh of the living. Sages and magicians have looked for ways of taking control of dead giants the way they might control other kinds of zombies and skeletons. To date, none have succeeded, but a very wealthy wizard might be inclined to fund an expedition to capture one for research.

Hive lizards are another common threat around the Cold Shard range. They look a bit like short, fat crocodiles, though their hides tend toward light-gray and pale earth tones. They’re comfortable living in darkness and underground spaces, and they reproduce rapidly. Individually, they’re not much of a threat. They’ve got sharp teeth and can spit an unpleasant toxin, but they’re not difficult for even modestly skilled and equipped adventurers to defeat. The problem is, though, that there is never an individual hive lizard. Hive lizards are rarely more that a few feet away from dozens of other hive lizards. They are easily provoked, and a fight with a handful can turn into dangerous exhaustion.

and

Monsters

39

Hive lizards aren’t terribly clever, but they are relentless. They will swarm their targets, grapple limbs, go for lightly armored spots, climb up cave walls, and drop on enemies from above. Well-prepared delvers may not have problems dealing with them, but adventurers can be overwhelmed by numbers to the point that they can’t protect pack animals, henchmen, and already incapacitated companions. ST: 9 DX: 13 IQ: 4 HT: 11

HP: 9 Will: 10 Per: 10 FP: 11

Dodge: 9

DR 3

Speed: 6.00 Move: 6 SM: +0

Bite (14): 1d-3 cutting. Reach C, 1. Claw (14): 1d-2 cutting. Reach C. Poison Spit (14): 1d-1 toxic. Reach 1-3. Costs 1 FP per use. See also Notes. Traits: Bad Temper; Discriminatory Hearing; Horizontal; Night Vision +8; Peripheral Vision; Wild Animal. Skills: Brawling-14; Climbing-14; Innate Attack (Breath)‑14; Wrestling-14. Class: Animal. Notes: In addition to their (minimal) combat abilities, hive lizards have one more dangerous trait: the aroma of the poison spray alarms and attracts other hive lizards. The first time in a fight that a hive lizard spits poison, roll 3d. On a 14 or greater, it attracts another 3d+10 hive lizards to the location within one minute. On a 17 or greater, it attracts 4d+20. The creatures aren’t smart enough to be evil, nor are they smart enough to negotiate, but they’re constantly hungry and can be distracted by food if they’re not already angry.

Ice Scorpions

The snowy slopes of the northern badlands and central peaks are home to a variety of particularly unpleasant monsters adapted to the cold. Ice scorpions are person-sized arachnids, equipped with a formidable stinger and claws. Their thick chitin is dull white or mottled white and gray, the better to avoid being spotted in the ice and snow. Their most unusual feature, though, is the thick, furry, white ruff they have at the neck (some sages insist that it’s not really fur, but rather chitinous fibers; those are the kinds of sages who never come within a mile of such monsters). Ice scorpions aren’t generally social, but they do tend to cluster together around the same kinds of places, so where there’s one ice scorpion, there are likely to be several more. ST: 10 DX: 11 IQ: 1 HT: 10

HP: 10 Will: 10 Per: 10 FP: 10

Speed: 5.25 Move: 5

Dodge: 8

Parry: 9

DR 4

SM: +0

Bite (12): 1d+1 crushing. Reach C. Claw (12): 1d+1 cutting. Reach C, 1. Stinger (12): 1d+2 (2) impaling + follow-up poison (HT-2 to resist). Failure paralyzes the victim for a number of minutes equal to the margin of failure. Reach C.

Treasures

Traits: Extra Legs (6 legs); Horizontal; Nearsightedness; Peripheral Vision; Striking ST +4; Temperature Tolerance 3 (5°F to 90°F); Wild Animal. Skills: Brawling-12; Climbing-11; Wrestling-12. Class: Giant Animal. Notes: Ice scorpions often try to grapple their prey (with an effective ST of 14) and draw them into range of their wickedly sharp poison sting. They’re not even remotely smart enough to negotiate with; the best bet if one can’t fight them off is to run downhill very fast. Ice scorpions can survive out of the ice and snow, but they prefer not to.

Mountain Wolves

Mountain wolves are among the most common predators of the Cold Shard Mountains, particularly in the northern badlands and central highlands, though they make forays farther south as well. They don’t habitually spend a lot of time underground, but they do use caves as dens from time to time. They’re capable of handling the difficult steep terrain and the cold of the higher slopes. Most are predominantly patterned in shades of brown, but a few have gleaming white pelts. Mountain wolves are remarkably intelligent for animals and follow distinct tactics when hunting their prey. The wolves often attack in small groups from different directions, herding their prey toward the edges of cliffs or other places where the victims are unable to retreat. Other times, the wolves keep the prey constantly on the move, wearing them out while the wolves work in shifts so some can rest briefly between attacks. They also recognize the dangers posed by large groups and will attempt to split off members or otherwise divide them into sizes that are more manageable. They even appear to understand that white-pelted wolves are chased more often and will use suitable members of the pack as bait. ST: 16 DX: 13 IQ: 6 HT: 12

HP: 16 Will: 11 Per: 12 FP: 12

Speed: 6.25 Move: 9

Dodge: 9

Parry: N/A

DR 1

SM: +0

Bite (14): 1d+1 cutting. Reach C. Traits: Chummy; Discriminatory Smell; Night Vision 3; No Fine Manipulators; Quadruped; Temperature Tolerance 3 (‑1°F to 90°F); Wild Animal. Skills: Brawling-14; Climbing-13; Tactics-9; Stealth-13; Tracking-12. Class: Giant Animal. Notes: Mountain wolves work in packs of a dozen or so. There’s usually an alpha wolf who has Leadership-12. They’re not quite smart enough to negotiate, but since what they’re usually after is just a meal, they can be distracted by a large quantity of meat thrown their way. White pelts are worth at least $1,000.

Red Rot Demon

Red rot demons are one of the more unpleasant legacies of the Second Demon War. They are a bit shorter than the human average, fat, and have thick, warty, peeling red skin. Their knees and elbows bend the wrong way.

and

Monsters

40

Common Monsters In addition to the monsters here which are, if not unique to the area, then at least most likely to be found in the mountains, a wide range of monsters can be found throughout the region. Some appear particularly often or in specific locations. Demons of every description can be found throughout the deeper caves in the region. They are relatively rare on shallower levels. Most are bestial demons – like doomchildren (Dungeons, p. 22) – filtering up from beneath. Smarter demons like Demons of Old (GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, p. 10) are aware of the dangers of roving bands of holy warriors, Lightbringers, and the like, and the creatures proceed with caution. Ample tunnel space means bugbears (GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, p. 6) have an embarrassment of

They lurk in fungus-infested corners of the underground, using the already dangerous environment as cover to leap on passers-by to devour at their leisure, preferably while the victim is still alive. While their armor-piercing tongue is a formidable attack, they prefer to slap their enemies with layers of sticky slime to immobilize them and dispatch them at leisure later. ST: 11 DX: 14 IQ: 12 HT: 11

HP: 11 Will: 12 Per: 12 FP: 11

Speed: 6.25 Move: 6

Dodge: 10

Parry: 12

DR 3

SM: +0

Claw (15): 1d cutting + linked Binding (see Notes). Reach C. Tongue (15): 1d+2 (2) impaling. Reach C-2. Traits: Binding 4 (Melee Attack; Sticky; Unbreakable); Combat Reflexes; Dark Vision; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards; Injury Tolerance (No Brain, No Vitals); Obscure (Vision) 4; Sadism. Skills: Karate-15; Stealth-15; Tactics-14. Class: Demon. Notes: Red rot demons are naturally covered with layers of a red, sticky fungal substance which drips from their claws, from which they get their name. When they score a successful hit with their claws, they splatter the target with a layer of it. Treat this as a successful Binding attack (p. B40) with ST 4; additional layers give +1 to this ST. Red rot demons are willing to negotiate only because it gives them an opportunity to later betray their victims.

Riverspear

The rivers and lake of the Cold Shard range hold a variety of aquatic life, some more docile than others. The riverspear is definitely on the less docile end of the spectrum. The riverspear is a long, narrow fish (resembling, ironically, the pike) with a long, rigid, and wickedly pointed beak of almost supernatural sharpness. A series of bony plates protects the head.

Treasures

riches when it comes to hiding spaces. Flame lords and rock mites (GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, pp. 15 and 25 respectively) are quite common in deeper spaces. Foul bats are sometimes encountered underground, particularly in large tunnels and chambers. However, they’re rarely seen on the surface. Wise Raptors do not like them, and killing them is regarded as particularly prestigious. Dire wolves (Dungeons, p. 22) appear here and there on the surface and are more comfortable underground than mountain wolves. There are rumors of dire/mountain wolf cross-breeds. Frost snakes (Dungeons, p. 24) are also found on the surface, notably on high peaks in the central highlands.

The fish is capable of quite shocking if very limited bursts of speed. Riverspears generally live quietly in small groups (rarely fewer than six or more than 12) in the deeper parts of rivers and lakes, but react violently if disturbed. ST: 10 DX: 14 IQ: 3 HT: 12

HP: 10 Will: 10 Per: 10 FP: 12

Dodge: 7

DR 1/5 (head)

Speed: 6.50 Move: 6 (Water) SM: +0

Stab (14): 1d-1(2) impaling. Reach C, 1. Fast Stab (14): 2d-1(2) impaling with modified Slam attack (see Notes). Reach C. Traits: Bad Temper; Ichthyoid; Striker (Horn; Cannot Parry). Skills: Brawling-14; Sumo Wrestling-14. Class: Animal. Notes: Normally, the riverspear stabs at attackers with its beak/horn. However, it can move up to triple its usual Move at a cost of two FP per turn. The fast stab above is essentially a slam attack, but since it strikes horn-first, it does impaling damage. It may also become stuck after a fast stab attack: If the attack successfully penetrates the target’s DR and causes damage, the fish is stuck. On the next turn, the fish must make a successful ST roll to free itself and does half again the amount of damage it did when first impaling the target. (See Picks, pp. B405-406, for additional, general rules.)

Stone Mold

Stone mold isn’t quite a mold, though it acts like one. It’s a rocky growth which actively breaks down the stone it grows on. However, it can also affect living tissues. Worse yet, it’s far more durable than regular mold and not subject to the usual methods of cleanup. While is acts in many ways like typical squishy biological molds, it’s actually an elemental entity. It has a number of unpleasant additional properties. It’s much tougher than regular mold, for a start. Its crystalline nature causes it to resonate to uncanny frequencies.

and

Monsters

41

This is not maddening, necessarily, but it is distracting and frustrating, putting those subjected to it on a short fuse. It also combines many of the unpleasant effects of biological molds, shifting from one to another frequently. ST: 0 DX: 0 IQ: 0 HT: 16

HP: 5* Will: 0 Per: 0 FP: 0

Speed: 0.00 Move: 0

Dodge: N/A

Parry: N/A

DR 4

SM: *

Cosmic Drone: Everyone within a radius equal to twice that of the stone mold is at ‑3 to all self-control rolls and ‑1 to all IQ rolls. For actions requiring extended concentration, such as spellcasting, the IQ penalty is cumulative per second. All the Colors of the Rainbow: Each turn, roll a die and consult the list of mold colors on GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 2: Icky Goo, p. 9, for the effect of the moment: 1 – Black, 2 – Blue, 3 – Gray, 4 – Red, 5 – Yellow, and 6 – White. Traits: Clinging; Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Magic Resistance 4; No Legs (Sessile); No Manipulators; Spongy Goo (Icky Goo, p. 4); Unkillable 1. Class: Elemental. Notes: Stone mold has 5 HP per square yard. See GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 2, p. 9, for the effects of size on HP and spellcasting.

Wood is fine until it’s a forest. – Middle Domain proverb These demonic beasts, which resemble flaming cows, are typical of the kinds of monsters which roved the region during the First Demon War (p. 11). They’re neither clever nor possessed of remarkable supernatural abilities, but they’re powerful and absurdly difficult to kill. HP: 32 Will: 10 Per: 10 FP: 15

Dodge: 10

DR 6

Speed: 6.50 Move: 8 SM: +1

Bite (15): 2d cutting. Reach C. Flaming Aura: 1d burning. This harms anyone who touches or is touched by the bull demon in close combat. Hooves (15): 2d+1 crushing. Reach C. Traits: Berserk (12); Combat Reflexes; Immune to Metabolic Hazards; Injury Tolerance (No Brain, No Vitals); Quadruped; Short Attention Span (12).

Treasures

Walking Trees

The forests of the Cold Shard Mountains are a perpetual threat; see Forests, p. 30. However, with a need for wood, and an inability to reach everywhere trees might grow, these mobile plant-monsters can’t be dispensed with entirely. Walking trees dislike animals, and the bigger the animal, the greater the animosity. They’ll suffer birds and squirrels and the like to live, but take malicious glee in stomping on smaller domestic animals like sheep and pigs. They’re enormously hostile to humans, dwarves, and so on. Even elves don’t get along with walking trees. Walking trees nearly always attack by ambush because they are entirely indistinguishable from other trees until they lash out. They aren’t accurate in their attacks, but they’re very hard to kill. They can wear down even a well-equipped group of adventurers. The stats below are for a typical walking tree. It’s about 50’ tall, with a trunk about a foot in diameter. It weighs about a ton. ST: 100 DX: 10 IQ: 10 HT: 12

HP: 100 Will: 11 Per: 11 FP: 100

Speed: 5.50 Move: 2

Dodge: 5

Parry: 9

DR 2

SM: +6

Limb Flail (13): 2d+3 crushing, Range C-4.

Third Circle Bull Demon

ST: 24 DX: 13 IQ: 3 HT: 15

Skills: Sumo Wrestling-15. Class: Demon. Notes: Third Circle bull demons are exceptionally aggressive and tough combatants. Even when their thick hide is pierced, it’s difficult to do a lot of damage. They prefer to knock over and trample their opponents, combining their hard hooves with their flaming aura, but are happy to just bite them if they must. They’re bad enough by themselves, but they do sometimes appear in herds. The main advantage delvers have is that bull demons are both stupid and easily distracted. Just hiding from them for a few minutes is enough to get them to lose interest and wander off.

Traits: 360° Vision; Extra Arms (10 arms; 1/4 ST); Extra Attack 1; Injury Tolerance (Homogeneous, No Eyes); Unfazeable. Skills: Brawling-13. Class: Plant. Notes: The listed number of extra limbs is approximate. A typical walking tree has dozens of limbs it can flail about, but since they’re a bit stiff and limited in length, 10 to 12 is around the limit of what a given tree can bring to bear on any given set of targets. In addition to the traits above, walking trees have the ability to make other trees move with them. They can control other trees in a radius of about 40 yards. The affected timber walk with a Move of 2, but are essentially clumsy, remotely controlled objects. They cannot attack, defend, or sense things, and walking trees are largely limited to sending them “thataway” rather than controlling them precisely. Walking trees aren’t evil as such; they’re just hostile to animal life. They will not negotiate; it’s not clear whether they are actually capable of communication beyond apparent coordination with other walking trees.

and

Monsters

42

Wise Raptors

Wise Raptors are intelligent, articulate birds of prey native to the Cold Shard Mountains, though related birds can be found in many other places. The “wise” is relative; they’re smarter than ordinary birds, but they’re not notably more or less wise than any other intelligent mortal race. They rarely go in for tools, but they have formidable natural weaponry. Wise Raptor characters may be built on this template.

New Racial Template: Wise Raptor 63 points Wise Raptors weigh 10% less than a human of the same ST, and are about a foot and a half shorter. What they lack in height, they make up in wingspan, which is about twice their height. Wise raptors tend to have dark brown plumage punctuated by patters of white, black, or gold. Some have flaring ruffs around the neck or crests on the tops of their heads. Attribute Modifiers: DX+1 [12]. Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: Basic Speed +0.75 [15]. Advantages: 3D Spatial Sense [10]; Acute Vision 3 [15]; Flight (Winged, ‑25%) [30]; Sharp Beak [1]; Talons [8]; Telescopic Vision 2 [10]; Temperature Tolerance (Cold) 2 [2]. Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Wise Raptor)* [‑10]; No Fine Manipulators [‑30]. Features: May not wear armor or clothing made for other races. * Code of Honor (Wise Raptor): Never let an insult or challenge go unanswered (openly and honorably if possible). Defend your aerie with all your might. Always keep your word and hold others to theirs. Aid those close to you against those farther away.

was the spirit demons who did most of the day-to-day work of administering their empire. ST: 0 DX: 10 IQ: 15 HT: 3

HP: 1 Will: 14 Per: 10 FP: 3

Dodge: 8

DR 0

Speed: 5.50 Move: 5 SM: ‑1

Possession (18): After successfully casting the spell, the demon must be in the same hex as its target and roll a Quick Contest of Will. See Notes for further details. Traits: Doesn’t Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Immunity to Metabolic Hazards; Injury Tolerance (Diffuse); Magery 3. Skills: One of Intimidation-15 or Fast-Talk-15. • At least three sets of spirit demon spells (below). Class: Demon. Notes: In their natural form, spirit demons rarely have enough energy to cast more than a spell or two, and they have no innate physical attacks. Their primary strategy is to possess a target. If it succeeds, it merges with the target. Its own body is no longer accessible, but the demon controls the target body with a similar effect to the Possession spell (Magic, p. 49), though the effect takes no energy to cast or maintain. Xuchlazek spirit demons also have trouble reading their subject’s memories. Each time they try, roll a Quick Contest of Will between the demon and the subject. If the demon wins, it recovers the memories it needs at the moment. If the subject wins, it can attempt a separate Quick Contest of Will to expel the demon. It’s quite obvious that the target is possessed, because the victim obtains an Unnatural Feature: glowing red eyes and a network of discolored veins all over its skin.

Customization Notes Acute Vision and Telescopic Vision may be improved by up to five levels. It’s not part of the racial template, but Wise Raptors usually build up formidable levels of Dropping skill. Wise Raptors are carnivores, but will happily eat carrion, so they qualify for neither Reduced Consumption (Cast-Iron Stomach) nor Restricted Diet. They can learn Mount skill, but almost universally refuse to; they’re a proud people and won’t carry anyone anywhere.

Xuchlazek Spirit Demon

Among the more feared demons of the Xuchlazek Diabolism (p. 13) were the spirit demons. On their own, they’re not particularly threatening. In their “free” state, they are all but insubstantial. They resemble semi-coherent wisps of vapor with tiny green or red sparks. They can emit waves of horror, but are incapable of doing physical harm. It’s their mental capabilities which are a problem. Though nigh-immaterial themselves, they can take control of intelligent creatures, essentially using them as vehicles. Demon princes ruled the Diabolism, but it

Treasures

Spirit Demon Spells Spirit demons are spellcasters, though they must rely on the physical traits of their hosts in order to power all but the simplest spells. Any spirit demon will have at least a few sets of these spells, all at skill 16, and particularly powerful ones will have more. Where the list includes a Missile or jet spell, the demon also has a suitable Innate Attack skill at 13. • Acid Ball, Create Acid, Create Earth, Create Water, Earth to Stone, Purify Water, Seek Earth, Seek Water, Shape Earthquake. • Agonize, Itch, Pain, Sensitize, Spasm, Stun. • Air Jet, Create Air, Destroy Air, Devitalize Air, Lightning, Purify Air, Shape Air. • Apportation, Explode, Find Weakness, Ignite Fire, Purify Air, Seek Earth, Seek Water, Shatter, Weaken. • Blackout, Blur, Continual Light, Darkness, Hide, Light, Remove Shadow, Shape Darkness. • Fear, Sense Emotion, Sense Fear, Sound, Terror. • Compel Lie, Daze, Emotion Control, Foolishness, Hide Emotion, Hide Thoughts, Lend Energy, Mental Stun, Sense Emotion, Sense Foes. • History, Seek Air, Seek Fire, Seeker, Trace.

and

Monsters

43

Chapter Five

Campaigns The Cold Shard Mountains have thousands of years of history. These involve a series of natural and artificial events digging tunnels and otherwise altering the landscape, one society after another washing over the region and leaving behind both cultural traces and material remains, magicians, supernatural invasions, the rise and fall of kingdoms, monsters,

otherworldly faeries, merchants, and poets – with treasures and profound knowledge gained and lost repeatedly over the centuries. The question is less how to find adventure and more how one can possibly avoid it. Nevertheless, a good GM considers how to use the tools at hand.

Dungeoneering Between a subterranean landscape which is naturally inclined toward cave formation, the activities of prehistoric tunnel-digging species, two major cultures which prefer living underground, and a variety of supernatural activities here and there, the Cold Shard Mountains are full of underground spaces large and small. Intelligent creatures inhabited many of those locations at some point; a variety of exotic animals lived in many others. And it is plausible for a hole to open up in the ground literally anywhere. It’s almost the case that dungeon-crawling adventure has to be actively avoided. For those who don’t avoid it, there are several approaches to the process.

delvers might set up base camps and supply caches, gradually working outward from a secure or defensible position with a good store of provisions and consumables. Wealthier ones might hire henchmen to keep a supply line running. If all goes well, they can also carry out treasure. What delvers are likely to get out of such work is mostly loot, but that’s wildly unpredictable. Since they’re going into the unknown, they might find stacks of forgotten gold, or perhaps just dust and shattered bones. But they can also make a little back from sages and other interested parties, selling maps and descriptions of hitherto-unknown caves and tunnels.

Exploration

Recovery

Those endless miles of tunnels are only partly explored. No intelligent being has been down some of them, none has mapped much of the rest, and many maps have been lost or destroyed over the centuries. An adventurer could spend a career – should they live so long – checking out every hole in the ground to see where they lead. There’s no particular need for a sponsor or to find a quest. Just let a rope down the nearest gap into the darkness (and there will always be a nearby gap) and go. Since underground spaces can be unpredictable, it’s a better idea than usual to have a variety of skills suitable to exploring, particularly Architecture to make sense of built spaces like dwarven and coleopteran tunnels and Cartography to keep track of how to get in and out. Climbing, Forced Entry, Hazardous Materials (Magical), Navigation, Observation, Prospecting, and Survival (Underground) are also very useful. Because delvers don’t necessarily have to go very far or know much about their destination, outdoorsy adventurers like barbarians, druids, and scouts are less important than they might otherwise be. Scholars are likewise not as significant, though someone who can rotate through a large catalog of mental skills as necessary can be very useful. Since there’s no telling how long a delve will take, a strategy for carrying supplies is a good idea. Independent-minded



For the more goal-oriented delver, there are recovery missions. This is basic treasure hunting: figure out the most likely location of a long-lost tomb, temple, castle, artifact, treasure hoard, or the like, and go get whatever’s there. There are unique native treasures (pp. 34-38) as well as the generic kinds of artifacts the like of which could be found anywhere (see all of 40 Artifacts, Treasure Tables, and the GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Treasures series). This is typically more profitable than mere exploration, since there’s at least theoretically a pot of gold at the end of that particular rainbow. However, there’s research to be done, which requires skill sets less useful for pure exploration. That can be farmed out to scholars and others who have the knowledge but not the ability to go out and do something about it, but that cuts into profits. There’s not as much need for skills like Prospecting or Cartography to do recovery work. However, since expeditions may involve travel, skills like Boating and Riding are key for getting from point A to point B, possibly backed up by more than one Survival specialty. Pretty much any kind of adventurer can find a purpose on recovery missions, from travel and wilderness survival to fighting monsters to slipping into tight quarters. However, the ideal composition of a party of adventurers can shift from objective to objective.

Campaigns

44

Fearless Monster Hunters

Monster hunting is a lot like a recovery campaign, in that it involves going underground in a targeted, purposeful fashion. But while a recovery campaign is about infiltrating ruins for fun and profit, monster hunting is about keeping people safe. All of those holes in the ground are full of aggressive hazards from virulent fungi to giant carnivorous insects to nests of demons. Somebody has to push those threats back, and nobody is better suited for that than a band of dungeon-delving heroes. Basic monster hunters, like basic explorers, can start pretty much anywhere if they want to find monsters, but

skills like Current Events and Area Knowledge give much better pointers to what and where the biggest threats are. Once in the dungeon, skills like Hidden Lore (most specialties become useful sooner or later) and Naturalist provide ideas about how best to deal with what delvers find there. Again, any type of adventurer can find something to do most of the time. While the primary goal is to keep peaceful people from being eaten by ravening beasts, there’s likely to be a certain amount of loot gathered as a by-product. These missions can also provide a steady supply of monster parts, which can be sold to alchemists as raw materials!

Picking a Side While a campaign can be built on episodic dungeoneering, dungeon delving and related adventuring can be part of a broader story. Dungeon-crawling heroes can be out for more than just loot. They may go underground for the sake of their country, their gods, or the survival of the mortal world.

Chevaliers

The crown of Penet (p. 26) employs a number of chevaliers to protect the kingdom. While they are primarily warriors (and, indeed, started out as a knightly order), they have developed to encompass a variety of adventuring types. The organization habitually maintains a staff of skilled retainers and assistants. The primary duty of chevaliers is to defend the territory assigned to them, usually a village or other lightly populated bit of the eastern terraces. Inevitably, something terrible comes out of the ground to ravage the countryside. Chevaliers are the ones who ride out to stop it. Indeed, chevaliers go down the holes those terrible things come out of and clear them out, making sure that nothing else comes from that direction. Occasionally, they are called on to undertake special missions beyond the borders of the kingdom, depending on Tennen’s (pp. 23-24) whims.

Chevalier characters may have the Patron advantage and the Duty disadvantage, not usually found among footloose adventurers. Since they’re noblemen, they may have up to Status 3 if GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 17: Guilds is being used. Claim to Hospitality might represent the lodgings they are provided by the crown. They must face dangerous situations regularly and may be sent to recover specific valuable items, but beyond that, they can typically keep any loot they find. Tennen in his palace at Penet is a textbook example of a noble court (Guilds, p. 20).

Death to Demons

The crusade which brought the Lightbringers (p. 18) to the Cold Shard Mountains never quite ended. Certainly, the Diabolism which ruled a substantial part of the world is no more, but countless demons still lurk in the tunnels under the mountains, plotting their return. For centuries, a small cadre of Lightbringers has remained to stop them. The Lightbringers are very focused monster hunters. Their goal is to find and destroy demons. Intelligent demons capable of plotting against mortals get priority, but demonic beasts are on the menu as well, as are demonic artifacts and magical weapons and locating tools to fight demonic creatures. Given their fanaticism, the Lightbringers are not as highly regarded as they may once have been. They’re not persona non grata, since they are still reasonably effective in fighting demons, but they don’t get along well with many established powers (who have their own agendas). They are, therefore, treated like an unpleasant relative, to be tolerated but no more than that. The Lightbringers in turn will work with anybody who appears capable so long as they don’t appear associated with demons themselves. Ruthlessness and loyalty are prized beyond all else.

Holy War

The wars between Unifiers and Polyphysites aren’t over. Indeed, they’re going on right now, only covertly. Suitably skilled individuals could be valuable in the cause (either cause, of course), undertaking special operations: recovering relics in the hands of rival temples, taking out opposing leaders, clearing out dangerous heterodox cults, and preventing them from returning the favor.



Campaigns

45

True believers are the natural choice to carry on this kind of conflict, and they don’t have to be limited to clerics and holy warriors. Ideological purity is often expected of them, but that may lead to schism and making the war more complicated. Nonbelievers can be engaged to carry out tasks the more dedicated core of believers can’t, but they represent a moral compromise. Either way, an extended holy war is certain to be intense.

for use in a long-running campaign of resistance. The many tunnels of the region are a good way to move around unnoticed, though they can be dangerous. And the mountains contain all manner of treasures to fund the revolution’s activities. There may even be mystical secrets which can be used against those in power.

New Empire

Not all of the little villages and valleys of the southern marches have a ruler, and the people living there could use a protector. Some don’t even have a population, but people would move in if the area were cleared out. Ambitious heroes could set about ridding temples of evil spirits, driving away walking trees, and clearing out caves to make the land safe again for everyday people. Anyone can try, but few will succeed. Uninhabited valleys are usually uninhabited for a reason. They’re chronic problem spots which resist the efforts of adventurers. Clearing out immediate problems on the surface is achievable, but then the job gets tougher: monster nests, cursed caverns, demonic cabals, and so on. For those who do well, even in the short run, there’ll be acclaim from the people, reduced cost of living (peasants don’t have much to give, but they can defray simple daily expenses quite well), and even some decent loot left behind by other delvers who have tried before and failed.

The New Empire has ambitions in the Cold Shard range, albeit subdued ones. General Xende (p. 21) is playing a long game, laying the foundation for later expansion. This means that there’s a significant amount of short-term work for competent adventurers. Xende prefers to hire groups where there’s at least one dwarf included, but he recognizes talent wherever it appears, and he is willing to utilize it. A lot of what the empire is after is cartography. A great many tunnels are uncharted, or if they have been mapped, available information is grossly out of date. Xende needs people to map tunnels, even if that includes fighting from one end to the other. There are diplomatic missions to local dwarven communities which, because the imperial presence in the Cold Shard Mountains is stretched, may require mercenaries as escorts through the tunnels. And every now and again, there’s a mission to find long-lost relics of empire. The New Empire hires all types, but unless they prove exceptionally capable or exceptionally trustworthy, prefers not to keep them regularly employed. After all, they prefer for outsiders not to have a clear idea of what they’re up to.

Revolution

The fertile fields of the eastern terraces are under the thumb of the king of Penet and his chevaliers. No significant trade goes on without the involvement and approval of at least one of the traders’ guilds. The Unifiers and the Polyphysites are lurking in the shadows, ready to leap on anyone for heresy, while the Lightbringers see demons behind every tree (which, to be fair, isn’t a bad place for them to lurk). Isn’t it about time to sweep them all away? The Risers face a long uphill battle, but it’s a target-rich environment. There are a lot of weapons and supplies to locate

The Magnificent [N]

Triangle Heart

The power behind the throne in Dry Triangle is a rock which sometimes talks (see p. 25). It speaks cryptically, but in the long run, it makes good sense. The governing parties in Dry Triangle, therefore, do what it says, even if they don’t understand why. Dry Triangle, therefore, is always in the market for heroes who are willing to undertake unusual quests on faith (and for reasonable guaranteed compensation). The Three Interests (p. 25) look for individuals who can travel to unlikely locations and carry out unusual instructions. Ideally, they will come back alive, though the benefits of following the Triangle Heart’s instructions tend to accrue to the city, not necessarily the people undertaking missions.

Megadungeons The megadungeon is a time-honored style of dungeoncrawling fantasy. Rather than adventuring through a tomb here, a cave there, and a cultist-infested temple somewhere else, a megadungeon is an enormous connected series of different dungeon levels. Its character may change from place to place. The rat-infested basements and sewers under a city might connect to a series of natural caves used as a bandit hideout, which lead to old dwarven mines, which in turn lead to an ancient dragon’s lair, which has become connected to the abandoned hive of giant insects, and so on. The farther down adventurers go, the tougher the challenges, but the greater the rewards.



The Cold Shard Mountains are potentially one huge megadungeon. The region started out as one naturally riddled with caves (and, with things like the Revolving River, supernaturally riddled with them as well). It was also home to a few species of large tunneling creatures. Over the centuries, a number of societies who lived mostly underground have expanded into the region, digging their own subterranean settlements and long-range passages. Other societies have done their own underground work, building basements, refuges, cave shrines and homes, and the like. For any given underground space, it’s a good bet that it’s attached or at least close to some other underground space.

Campaigns

46

That said, “levels” don’t necessarily have to go from easy near the surface to hard farther down. Caves, basements, sewers, and so on near the surface are likely to get the most attention from adventurers and other defenders of the surface world and so have the fewest monsters and least treasure. However, the rule is that places farther from civilization are less touched by crusaders, delvers, and the like – but that doesn’t necessarily mean farther down. With dwarven and coleopteran settlements through the region, there are pockets of well-defended civilization at all depths, and the going gets tougher as one goes outward from there – not just down but potentially sideways as well. Likewise, in a landscape full of mountains, tougher areas might be found inward from the outermost caves or even up toward the less-traveled peaks.

Town Underground

The Cold Shard Mountains’ major settlements are all described in Chapter 2. However, any number of minor settlements (villages, seasonal camps, and trading posts) are not detailed in this supplement – and not all of those need be on the surface. Adventurers wandering around underground, tramping through uncharted tunnels and running low on provisions and power reserves, could easily come across the equivalent of a village or even a small town. As shallower depths, they could come across a small dwarven kap or an underground temple run by a relatively benevolent bunch of cultists. Farther down, residents are more likely to be coleopterans. Either way, delvers have options for locating places to resupply and rest up in the middle of long underground adventures.

Living Dungeons

One aspect of some megadungeons is that they’re not static. They’re living places (metaphorically, mostly) where monsters come and go. While a campaign might proceed with adventurers clearing out one level after another, monsters may come in to claim the spaces which the delvers empty and leave behind. Delvers may be able to identify the approximate size of the group which had camped or passed through the area (roll against Observation), and figure out where they came from and which way they went (roll against Tracking). See GURPS Dungeon Fantasy 16: Wilderness Adventures, pp. 27-28, for some additional modifiers depending on the time since the group was last there. The GM can roll 1d, 1d to randomly pick something on the following table, which might occupy a space adventurers have already come through. (Rather than adding dice together, roll one die at a time for each comma-delineated range. For example, “2, 4-5” means a roll of 2 on the first die, and then a roll of 4 or 5 on the second die.)

People and Creatures 1, 1-3 – River Friends: A small group of bandits. Roll a die. On a 1-4, they’re planning something. On a 5-6, they’ve just completed a raid and may have some loot. 1, 4-5 – Risers: A group of rebels and guerrillas. They may be using it as a safe haven from reprisals (depending on how deep they are, “safe” is a relative term) or a secret base from which to launch future attacks. 1, 6 – Refugees: Villagers, traveling merchants, or others who have fled a calamity



2, 1-2 – Pilgrims: Travelers on their way to a temple or shrine. 2, 3-4 – Local Dwarves: A mining party or group of traders from a Cold Shard mountain dwarven community. 2, 5-6 – Imperial Dwarves: A scouting party or small military detachment of dwarves attached to the New Empire. 3, 1-2 – Coleopterans: A mining group or trading party from a coleopteran community. 3, 3-4 – Monsters: Hostile creatures; see the Bestiary (pp. 39-43) for ideas.

Physical Conditions 3, 5-6 – Minor Flood: The space has flooded and is still damp, but the water is shallow enough to wade through easily, though it can hide pitfalls and small underwater monsters. 4, 1 – Major Flood: The space is almost entirely flooded. Getting through it requires swimming. 4, 2-3 – Minor Cave-In: There are piles of rubble through the space, narrowing passages in spots and/or creating scattered obstacles in larger chambers. There may still be some instability; falling rocks target the Brain location. 4, 4 – Major Cave-In: Large chambers have major obstacles, and some passages may be completely blocked. Delvers won’t be able to go out the way they came in. 4, 5 – Vapors: The space is filled with an unusual and at least slightly unpleasant smelling gas. At best, it’s annoying and blocks vision. It may also be toxic or even explosive, set off by any open flames, like torches or candles. 4, 6 – Lava Flow: Molten rock is flowing through the space. It may be possible for adventurers to pick their way across, but it won’t be easy.

Remnants 5, 1-2 – Camp: The space contains signs of cooking fires, marks in the dirt outlining places where there were bedrolls, bits of trash, and so on. 5, 3-4 – Battle: The space is splattered with blood and perhaps other fluids. A few dead bodies may still be lying around. There was a serious fight here. 5, 5-6 – Ritual: The space bears the marks of sacred or mystical signs and perhaps a few other remnants of a ritual (such as evenly spaced candles and torches, the body of a sacrificial victim, or the aroma of incense). 6, 1-2 – Small Excavation: At least one new hole has been dug since the last time the delvers were around. If they care to examine the room closely, they’ll find clues indicating what the digger was looking for. (Fragments of an old treasure chest? Fragments of unusual bone?) 6, 3-4 – Burial: A hole was dug here, and then filled in again. Someone or something has been buried. It could be hidden treasure, something extremely dangerous, or both. 6, 5 – Large Excavation: At least one large hole or fullblown tunnel has been dug since the last time the delvers were around. It’s big enough to lead to another, previously unknown underground space which they have not yet visited. 6, 6 – Existential Event: Something magical and exceptional has happened. For example, the presence of a ghost can be felt, a body has become partly fused with the walls or ceiling, the mana or sanctity level has changed, the outline of a portal to another world can be discerned, or bare rock has been turned into a patch of grass or pool of acid.

Campaigns

47

Hex Crawls Hex-crawling is another time-honored tradition in dungeon-style gaming. In a hex crawl, adventurers explore a region (conveniently delineated into hexagonal areas, hence the name), looking for things to do. Some features might be filled in – major cities and geographical features such as mountains, seas, and large areas of particular types of terrain – but the heroes spend time looking more deeply into details. The Cold Shard range is relatively well explored and documented, so it’s not necessarily a place for a pure exploratory campaign. Nevertheless, it’s full of both new and forgotten sources for adventure: cursed ruins, bandit dens, monsterand treasure-filled abandoned coleopteran hives and dwarven kaps unsuspected under the feet of the peasants aboveground, and more.

Hex-Crawl Map Notes A large hex-crawl map has been split over pp. 49-52. Some overlap was included, to make joining the map sections easier. This map contains all the points of interest discussed in this supplement.

1-3, 3, 1 – Toll bridge or ferry landing. 1-3, 3, 2-3 – Open village (a village without walls or other significant defenses). 1-3, 3, 4-5 – Fortified village (a village of tightly clustered stone homes surrounded by a substantial stone wall). 1-3, 3, 6 – Abandoned camp. 1-3, 4, 1-2 – Abandoned castle. 1-3, 4, 3 – Abandoned coleopteran hive. 1-3, 4, 4-5 – Abandoned convent, monastery, or other religious community. 1-3, 4, 6 – Abandoned dwarven kap. 1-3, 5, 1 – Abandoned hideout. 1-3, 5, 2-3 – Abandoned temple. 1-3, 5, 4 – Abandoned toll bridge or ferry landing. 1-3, 5, 5-6 – Abandoned village (scattered houses). 1-3, 6, 1-2 – Abandoned fortified village (fortified). 1-3, 6, 3-4 – Cave. 1-3, 6, 5 – Demonic temple. 1-3, 6, 6 – Faerie fortress (p. 32). 4-6, 1, 1 – Forest (p. 30). 4-6, 1, 2 – High or very high mana level. 4-6, 1, 3 – Physic tarn (p. 33).

People Roll 1d to get the total the number of people encountered.

Adventurers on their way somewhere can ignore the small sights along the way, but the encounter table below helps add details to the immediate landscape as travelers run across various kinds of people, places, and events. All of these have the potential to turn into adventures. Settlements may need to be defended from threats or need someone to undertake a quest for them. Abandoned ruins may hide treasures as well as dangers, and nearly everything in the Cold Shard range has some kind of underground space beneath it. This table can even be used multiple times as wandering adventurers pass through the same places, visiting a temple on one trip and noticing the ruins of an old castle a different time. To find encounters, roll 1d, 1d, 1d on the table. (Instead of adding dice together, roll one die at a time for each comma-delineated range.)

4-6, 1, 4 – Aristocrat. 4-6, 1, 5-6 – Bandits. 4-6, 2, 1 – Chevalier (p. 45). 4-6, 2, 2 – Entertainers. 4-6, 2, 3-4 – Herder. 4-6, 2, 5-6 – Hunter. 4-6, 3, 1-2 – Merchant. 4-6, 3, 3 – Messenger. 4-6, 3, 4-5 – Peasants. 4-6, 3, 6 – Peddler. 4-6, 4, 1-2 – Pilgrims. 4-6, 4, 3-4 – Priest. 4-6, 4, 5 – Risers. 4-6, 4, 6 – Sage. 4-6, 5, 1 – Soldier or troops. 4-6, 5, 2 – Wise Raptor (pp. 15-16,   43). 4-6, 5, 3 – Wizard.

Events 4-6, 5, 4 – Battle. 4-6, 5, 5 – Earthquake. 4-6, 5, 6 – Festival. 4-6, 6, 1 – Fire. 4-6, 6, 2 – Landslide or avalanche. 4-6, 6, 3 – Monster attack (see pp. 39-43 for ideas). 4-6, 6, 4 – Sudden storm (rain, snow, sleet, etc.). 4-6, 6, 5 – Supernatural vision. 4-6, 6, 6 – Wounded traveler.

Places 1-3, 1, 1-3 – Castle or other stronghold. 1-3, 1, 4 – Coleopteran hive (p. 14). 1-3, 1, 5-6 – Religious community. 1-3, 2, 1 – Dwarven kap (see p. 5). 1-3, 2, 2 – Hideout. 1-3, 2, 3 – Lone house. 1-3, 2, 4 – Roadside shrine. 1-3, 2, 5-6 – Temple.



Campaigns

48

Hex-Crawl Map

of

Cold Shard Mountains

49

Hex-Crawl Map

of

Cold Shard Mountains

50

Hex-Crawl Map

of

Cold Shard Mountains

51

Hex-Crawl Map

of

Cold Shard Mountains

52

Index Additive suites, equipment, 12, 38. Adventures, see Campaigns. Aerenbath, Bright Tribune, 19. Aeries, 8, 10, 16; notable, 26-27, 31. Air Wine alchemical preparation, 37. Alchemical, pits, 30-31; preparations, 31, 37. Alkazyme alchemical preparation, 37. Angry Rocks, 9, 27; map, 8. Anvils (mountains), 29; map, 8. Ardo Yang, aspects, 17; Cliff Abbey, 24; coleopterans and, 14; followers, 13, 1617, 19, 20, 22; hegemony of, 13; history, 13; relics, 34-35; symbols, 17; see also Lightbringers, Polyphysites, Unifiers, Yangites. Armor, magical, 38; purchasing dwarven, 15. Auditorium, the, 28; map, 8. Bards, 28. Bats, foul, 41. Bestiary, see Demons, Monsters, Petrophages. Blooming Circle, 17, 22. Bull demons, 42. Burning Hope, 7; map, 8. Burning Marsh, 28; map, 8. Campaigns, hex crawls, 48-51; megadungeons, 46-47; motivations, 4546; peasant survival, 5; themes, 44-45. Carrion Cross, 8; map, 8. Carwin Breaks, 7, 8; map, 8. Cave witches, 39. Central highlands, 7-8; climate, 5; map, 6; monsters, 40; passes, 5, 7-8; terrain type, 7. Character creation, motivations, 45-46; suggested skills, 44-45. Chevaliers, 9, 23; campaigns, 45; equipment, 38; Knights of Penet, 12, 36; see also Penet (kingdom). Cipauatl, Abbot, 19, 22. Cliff Abbey, 7, 19, 24, 25; map, 15. Climate, 5. Clothing, magical, 38. Coleopterans, alchemy, 30-31, 37; dwarves and, 16, 27; history, 10-12; item style, 36; overview, 14; settlements, 25, 27; surface structures, 6; tunnels, 4; see also Zaak’kee. Concoctions, see Alchemical. Crops, field and tree, 5-6. Crumbling Border, 9. Crunath, 17; Army-Smashing Mace, 34; see also Ardo Yang, Yangites. Cultists, 12, 17; see also Demons. Dawn’s Fang, 8, 26. Dead giants, 39. Deep Aerie, 31. Demon Blood River, 9; map, 8. Demon hornets, 39. Demon Rift, 11, 18, 31-32.



Demon wars, affect on region, 7, 28-32; coleopterans, 11, 14, 27; demon network, 17-18; faerie fortresses, 32; first, 11; second, 12-13, 18, 24; tunnels, 5, 37; see also Lightbringers. Demons, artifacts, 36, 37; campaigns, 45; cultists, 12, 17; dwarves and, 11; example, 40-43; faerie fortresses and, 32; fortifications, 6, 29-31; history, 10-13; infernals, 18, 20, 37; item style, 36; locations, 28; Mazczec and, 22; network, 17-18, 20; notable, 24; notable agent, 20; notebooks, 21; possessing mortals, 13, 43; princes, 18; tools, 36-38; tunnels, 5; weapon against, 36; see also Lightbringers, Yannanyabarek. Digger claws, 37. Double Carwin River, 9, 24, 26; map, 8. Dragon’s Head, 32-25. Dragons, 15, 16, 27; history, 10; lairs, 7, 16; land features, 10, 28-29, 32. Dry Triangle, adventures, 46; Blooming Circle, 17; history, 11-13; leader, 22-23, 25; map, 15; notable people, 20, 22-23; services, 25; Three Interests, 22, 25, 46; traders’ guild, 19; Triangle Heart, 25, 46. Dungeoneering adventures, 44-45. Dwarves, 14-16; campaigns, 46; coleopterans and, 16, 27; history, 10-12; item style, 36; kaps, 5, 25-26; legendary artifact, 35; New Empire, 15, 16; notable locations, 2526; notable, 20-21; treasure, 35; Triangle Heart and, 25; tunnels, 5. Eaoe, King, 26. Eastern terraces, 9, 29; adventures, 46; history, 11-13; map, 6; Penet and, 23; river, 9; terrain type, 7. Elves, 19, 42; notable, 19, 21-22. Empire of Kerenk, 11-12, 15; item style, 36; kaps, 25, 32-33; see also Dwarves, New Empire. Eonder, Great, 17; Endless Pitcher, 34-35; see also Ardo Yang, Yangites. Equipment, additive suites, 12, 38; legendary, 34-38; purchasing dwarven, 15; tomes, 21, 35; see also Weapons. Faeries, 19, 23, 32; fortresses, 26, 32; history, 10; notable location, 29. Features of region, see Land. Flails, artifacts, 36, 37. Floating Valley, 26. Forests, dangers of, 30, 42. Gatta, 17; see also Ardo Yang, Yangites.

Gear, see Equipment, Weapons. Geography, overview, 4. Geology, 4-5. Giants, dead, 39; history, 10. Girrin, 26. Glow-fungus, 14. Goats, 6. Goblin-kin, 19. Granite Kap, 16, 25; map, 15; services, 25. Great Dragon Ridge, 10, 28-29, 32; map, 8. Green Demise, 7, 29; map, 8. Green Fao Fa, 18, 20. Green Reed River, 9; map, 8. Guan Yo the Scribe, 21-22; notebooks, 21. Guilds, traders’, 18-19. GURPS, Dungeon Fantasy, 3; Dungeon Fantasy 2: Dungeons, 3, 7, 41; Dungeon Fantasy 3: The Next Level, 3, 18, 32; Dungeon Fantasy 4: Sages, 3; Dungeon Fantasy 6: 40 Artifacts, 34, 44; Dungeon Fantasy 7: Clerics, 3, 17; Dungeon Fantasy 8: Treasure Tables, 3, 15, 29, 34, 37, 38, 44; Dungeon Fantasy 13: Loadouts, 7; Dungeon Fantasy 16: Wilderness Adventures, 3, 7, 47; Dungeon Fantasy 17: Guilds, 3, 19, 45; Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 1, 31, 41; Dungeon Fantasy Monsters 2: Icky Goo, 42; Dungeon Fantasy Monsters series, 3; Dungeon Fantasy Treasures series, 44; Locations: The Tower of Octavius, 16; Magic, 34-37, 43. Hammer, artifact, 35. Hand artifact, 35-36. Hardener alchemical preparation, 37. Heterodox, 13, 17, 22, 45; see also Ardo Yang, Polyphysites, Unifiers, Yangites. Hex crawls, 48. Hidden River, 9; map, 8. High Anvil, 29; map, 8. High clans, see Wise Raptors. High Kingdom, see Wise Raptors. History, 10-13. Hive lizards, 39-40. Hownath, 17, 35; see also Ardo Yang, Yangites. Huaddag the Riser, 22. Humans, notable, 19, 22-24; tunnels, 5; see also Dry Triangle, Penet. Hunter suites, equipment, 38. Ice scorpions, 40. Infernals, 18, 20, 37; see also Demons. Iurat IV, Podesta, 22-23.

Enough duty for today. Wine! – Tennen the Short Index

53

Jewelry, magical, 38. Kaps, definition, 5. Kapana, 35; tomes, 35. Kasban, 6. Kee Four-in-a-Day, 12. Kerenk, Emperor, 20-21; hammer, 35; New Empire and, 16; see also Empire of Kerenk. King’s Kap, 32-33. Kingdoms, history, 12. Knights of Penet, see Chevaliers. Lakes, 5, 9, 30; Dry Triangle, 24; fish, 41; Mazczec’s Trenchers, 29; Obsidian, 30; Penet, 12, 26; see also Rivers. Land, climate, 5; cultural features map, 15; legendary features, 30-31; natural features, 27-30; physical features map, 8; region map, 6; regions, 7-9; remote features, 30-31; seasons, 5; settlements, 24-27; use, 5-6. Lia-Panaia, 12. Lightbringers, 18; Blooming Circle, 17; campaigns, 45; demon remains, 33; Demon Rift, 31, 32; demons princes and, 18; headquarters, 27; history, 13, 30; leader, 19; relic, 36. Lizards, hive, 39-40. Loud Carwin River, 7, 9, 27; map, 8. Low Anvil, 29; map, 8. Low Kingdom, see Dwarves. Mace, artifact, 34. Mad tunnels, 33. Manoc, 17, 20; Duplicate Veil, 35; see also Ardo Yang, Yangites. Maps, cultural features, 15; hex-crawl, 49-51; physical features, 6; regions, 8. Marble Head River, 9; map, 8. Marsh fires, 28. Mask of Hownath, 35. Mazczec, 12, 22; Hand, 35-36. Mazczec’s Trenchers, 9, 29, 30; map, 8. Meadow Steps, 29; map, 8. Megadungeons, 46-47. Miasma Peak, 7, 29; map, 8. Middle domains, 16. Middle Kingdom, see Dry Triangle, Penet. Monsters, 39-43; common, 41; see also Demons, Petrophages. Mother’s Passes, 7; map, 8. Murayad, 12, 15, 35; Panoply, 38. Natural features, noteworthy, 27-30. New Empire, 16, 33; campaigns, 46; item style, 36; notable location, 25; notable person, 21; relation with Cold Shard dwarves, 15, 18, 26; see also Dwarves. North Kap, 14, 25-26; map, 15; services, 25. Northern badlands, 7; cultists, 17; demon, 17, 31; history, 12, 13; key locations, 24, 27-30; map, 6; middle domains, 16; monsters, 39, 40; rivers, 9; terrain type, 7; trolls, 19. Obsidian Lake, 30; map, 8. Orthopraxists, 17; see also Ardo Yang, Polyphysites, Unifiers, Yangites. Peasant survival, 5. Penet (kingdom), 9, 23; Blooming Circle, 17; campaigns, 45; Guan Yo’s writings, 22; history, 12, 13; item style, 36; religion,



13; traders’ guild, 19; see also Chevaliers, Penet Town. Penet Kap, 12, 26, 32. Penet Lake, 12, 26, 30; map, 8. Penet Town, 9, 26; map, 15; services, 25. People, influential, 19-24. Petrophages, 10, 12, 29; tunnels, 4, 9. Physic tarns, 33, 34. Pitcher, artifact, 34-35. Podesta of Dry Triangle, 22, 25. Poison-metal alloy, 37. Polyphysites, 16-17; beliefs, 16; campaigns, 45-46; central monastery, 7; history, 13; leader, 22; Pridda-Prit, 17; relics, 34-35; see also Ardo Yang, Yangites. Pommante, 5. Potions, see Alchemical. Prehistory, 10. Pridda-Prit, 17; see also Ardo Yang, Yangites. Qurren, Silent, 23.

Red Aerie, 8, 26-27; map, 15. Red rot demons, 40-41. Regions, 7-9; map, 6; see also Land. Relentless spear, 37-38. Religion, see Lightbringers, Polyphysites, Unifiers, Yangites. Revolving River, 33. Risers, 18; campaigns, 46; guilds and, 19; leader, 22. River Friends, 9, 18, 19. Rivers, 7, 9, 24; Angry Rocks, 27; climate, 5; dwarf bridges, 11-12; fish, 41; notable village on, 26; travel, 7, 9, 18; underground, 27, 33; see also Lakes. Riverspears, 41. Ronna, Diabolist, 20. Scorpions, ice, 40. Seasons, 5. Settlements, coleopteran, 14; dwarven, 14; notable, 24-27; services, 7, 25; size of and underground, 47; Wise Raptor, 16. Shaking Fluid alchemical preparation, 37. Silent Carwin River, 7, 9, 27; map, 8. Skills, magical tomes, 35; suggested, 44-45. Skystone Field, 30; map, 8. Solune, High Priest, 22. Southern marches, 9, 16; campaigns, 46; dwarves, 16; history, 12, 13; lake, 30; map, 6; notable location, 29; religion, 17; terrain type, 7. Spears, artifacts, 37-38. Spells, additive suites, 12, 38; legendary items and, 35-36; Sound, 28; spirit demon, 43; stone mold and, 41-42; tomes, 21, 35; town services, 25; see also Wizards. Spirit demons, 43.

Index

Stickfinger alchemical preparation, 37. Stone mold, 41-42. Sun of the Underworld, 36. Sunau Yang, 17; see also Ardo Yang, Yangites. Szesset River, 9, 24; map, 8. Tabbagret Convent, 7, 22, 27; map, 15; services, 25. Tables, dungeon features, 47; hex crawls, 48. Template, new racial, 43. Tennen the Short, 8, 23-24; adventures, 23, 45. Terrain types, 7. Third Circle bull demons, 42. Three Interests of Dry Triangle, 22, 25, 46. Tolbrin, 26. Tomes, magical, 21, 35. Tower Absolute, 8, 18, 27; map, 15. Towers, 6, 30. Towns, see Settlements. Traders’ guilds, 18-19. Travel, 5; mountain passes, 7-8; terrain, 7. Treasure, style guide, 36; 34-38; see also Equipment, Weapons. Triangle Heart, 25, 46. Trolls, 19. Tspetep, 27; map, 15; services, 25. Tunnels, identifying, 4-5; maddening, 33; river, 33. Unifiers, 16-17; beliefs, 16; campaigns, 45-46; history, 13; leader, 19; relics, 3435; stronghold, 7; see also Ardo Yang, Yangites. Veil, artifact, 35. Walking trees, 10, 30, 42. Warhammer, artifact, 35. Warrior suites, equipment, 38. Wasp flails, lesser, 37. Water tables, 4. Weapons, additive suites, 38; purchasing dwarven, 15; treasures, 34-38. Wise Raptors, 15-16; dwarves and, 12; foul bats and, 41; herders and, 6; history, 10, 12; key locations, 31; Miasma Peak and, 29; nests, 16; template, 43; see also Aeries. Wizards, 19, 30; equipment suites, 38; greatest, 22; history, 12; middle domains, 16; notable, 21-22; organization, 17; tomes, 21, 35; see also Spells. Wolfstack Wood, map, 8. Wolves, dire, 41; mountain, 40. Xende, General, 16, 21, 46. Xuchlazek Diabolism, 13, 28; tools, 37; see also Demon Wars, Demons, Yannanyabarek. Xuchlazek spirit demons, 13, 43. Yangites, 16-17; headquarters, 27; history, 10, 13; relics, 17, 34-35; see also Ardo Yang, Heterodox, Lightbringers, Polyphysites, Unifiers. Yannanyabarek of Dread Memory, 13, 24, 30, 33; motif, 36; reconstructing, 18, 33; weapon, 36. Yannanyabarek’s Fist, 30; map, 8. Yannanyabarek’s Flail, 36. Yannanyabarek’s Vaults, 33. Zaak’kee, 4, 10-11, 14; item style, 36; see also Coleopterans.

54

STUCK FOR AN ADVENTURE?

NO PROBLEM. Warehouse 23 sells high-quality game adventures and supplements in print and PDF formats. l

Free downloadable adventures for GURPS and In Nomine!

l

Fun gaming accessories – shot glasses, shirts, specialty six-siders, and more!

l

PDFs from Atlas Games, Amarillo Design Bureau, Goodman Games, and many others – plus gems from the up-and-comers.

l

l

Original material for Transhuman Space and new GURPS supplements from Kenneth Hite, Phil Masters, David Pulver, Sean Punch, and William Stoddard! Fully searchable files of GURPS Fourth Edition supplements.

l

Digital editions of out-of-print classics, from Orcslayer and the complete run of ADQ to GURPS China and GURPS Ice Age.

l

Buy board games and roleplaying PDFs in the same order! Download digital purchases again whenever you need to.

®

STEVE JACKSON GAMES warehouse23.com