Pathfinder Adventure Path #77: Herald of the Ivory Labyrinth (Wrath of the Righteous 5 of 6) 9781601255860

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CRe dit:s Authors Wolfgang Baur, Amanda Hamon, James Jacobs, Robin D. Laws, Ron Lundeen,Jason Nelson, Sean K Reynolds, and Greg A. Vaughan Cover Artist Wayne Reynolds Interior Artists Helge C. Balzer, Eric Braddock, Ekaterina Burmak,Jeff Carlisle, Diego de Almeida, Johan Grenier, Miguel Regod6n Harkness,Jon Neimeister, Roberto Pitturru, Maichol Quinto, Doug Stambaugh, and Kieran Yanner Cartographer Robert Lazzaretti Creative Director• James Jacobs

Publisher• Erik Mona

Editor-in-Chief• F. Wesley Schneider

Paizo CEO• Lisa Stevens

Senior Editor• James L. Sutter

Chief Operations Officer• Jeffrey Alvarez

Development Leads• Adam Daigle and James Jacobs

Director of Sales• Pierce Watters Sales Associate• Cosmo Eisele

DevelopmentTeam• Logan Bonner, John Compton,

Marketing Director• Jenny Bendel

Adam Daigle, Rob McCreary, Mark Moreland,

Finance Manager• Christopher Self

and Patrick Renie

Staff Accountant• Ashley Gillaspie

EditorialTeam• Judy Bauer, Christopher Carey,

ChiefTechnical Officer• Vic Wertz

and Ryan Macklin

Senior Software Developer• Gary Teter

Editorial Intern • Cassidy Werner

Campaign Coordinator• Mike Brock

Lead Designer• Jason Bulmahn

Project Manager• Jessica Price

Design Team• Stephen Radney-MacFarland

Licensing Coordinator• Michael Kenway

and Sean K Reynolds

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and Sara Marie Teter

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Graphic Designers• Emily Crowell and Sonja Morris

Heather Payne, Jeff Strand, and Kevin Underwood WebsiteTeam• Christopher Anthony, Liz Courts, Crystal Frasier, Lissa Guillet, and Chris Lambertz

This book refers to several other Pathfinder Roleplaying Game products using the following abbreviations, yet these additional supplements are not required to make use of this book. Readers interested in references to Pathfinder RPG hardcovers can find the complete rules of these books available online for free at

paizo.com/prd.

Bestiary 4

B4

Pathfinder Adventure Path #75

Bestiary

B1

Lost Kingdoms

LK

Ultimate Combat

Bestiary 2

B2

Lords of Chaos, Book ofthe Damned, Vol. 2

Bestiary 3

B3

Mythic Adventures

Advanced Player's Guide

APG

BOTD2

AP75 UC UM

Ultimate Magic

MA

This product is compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game or the 3.5 edition of the world's oldest fantasy roleplaying game.

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Path.finder Adventure Path #77: Herald of the Ivory Labyrinth© 2013, Paizo Publishing, LLC. All Rights

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've a lways l ove d mazes. I rememb er fo n dly wh en, as a k i d , I 'd get one o f t h ose activity b ook s printe d on c h eap newsprint. I 'd scour t hose b ook s fo r t h e mazes . I cou ld ta k e or l eave t h e connect t he d ots, an d actua lly d is l i k e d t he wor d searc hes or t h e " spot t h e d i fferences " puzz l es. But I d i d every sing l e maze I cou ld fi n d . As I grew old er, I came to real ize t h at my l ove o f mazes was more t h an just a k i d ' s fa ncy. T h ere were more and more compl ex mazes . . . entire books ab out mazes, in fa ct. I starte d rea l izing t h at mazes pl aye d k ey rol es in movies an d stories , suc h as in Steph en King ' s c l assic The Shinin9. An d o f course, mazes are potent symb o l s in myt h ol ogy­ t he myt h o f t he minotaur comes imme d iate ly to min d . An d it seems l i k e every ot her RPG vid eo game t h ese d ays features at least one maze. So why aren't mazes fu n in tabletop RPGs ? You'd th in k t hey 'd b e. You 'd th ink t h at a goo d complex maze wou ld b e a natural c hoice fo r a dungeon. And indee d ,

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l ook ing th rough t he countless a dventures th at h ave b een publ ish e d over t he d ecades fo r various game systems, you d o ind ee d see mazes s howing up in a dventures now and then-many o f t hem in a dventures publ is he d by Paizo. But t he s h ame ful trut h , I fe ar, is t h at mazes just aren't usually fu n to pl ay out in mo d ern tabletop game sessions. In fact, I 've never pl aye d in or run a tabletop game involving a signi ficant maze t h at d id n' t outstay its we lcome past the fi rst few corners and d ead end s, and d id n't end up wit h t he GM simply h and -waving the expl oration of the twists and turns so that everyone could get on with the next encounter or story d eve lopment. It ' s one t hing to navigate a maze on your own, b e it on a piece o f paper, in a vid eo game, or in real l i fe. But when every singl e c hoice in t he maze h as to b e a dju d icate d and expand e d upon b y a GM, and when every d ecision ab out wh ere to go in the maze end s up b eing a potential argument or d istraction among fo ur or more people who a ll might h ave their own pre fe rences on how to

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procee d (or ind ee d , who might not l i ke mazes at a ll) . . . t h at can quic kly turn a maze from b eing a d e l ight ful c h a llenge to a te d ious grind . Your group may b e d i fferent, of course. But the ones ' I ve b een a part of h ave grown to really d is li k e mazes. Wh ic h is a s h ame, b ecause mazes are so cool when it comes to serving as metaphors, as puzzles, as symb ol s, and as cultural touc h stones. In any case, you can see wh at sort o f conund rum face d me when I d ecid e d t h at we nee d e d to inc lu d e Baphomet 's real m in t he Wrath o fthe Righteous Adventure Pat h . We 've ch ange d a lot ab out him in this adventure since his c l assic portrayal as a lord o f minotaurs in previous versions o f the game, b ut we wante d to keep h im true to h is h istory. And t h at meant t h at h is real m, wh ic h we 've establ is he d as a "maze the size o f a world , " could b ecome a b ig problem in an a dventure set in th at real m. T he solution th at Wolfgang and I came up with was not to present vast maze maps fo r the pl ayer c h aracters to crawl th rough , b ut instead to treat mazes more l i ke terrain. You d on' t rolepl ay every tree the PCs pass in the fo rest or every turn t he road takes th rough t he h i ll s, a fter a ll , so why d o t he same fo r a maze t he size of an empire ? In this adventure, the maze navigation takes a b ack seat to the story and t he encounters. On a smaller scale, there are sti ll some corners and dead end s to vex pl ayers in ind ividual encounters, b ut you won't h ave to spend hours EJettinEJ to those encounters and t he next part o f t he story.

Mvthif TJ.rlals in t:he IVORY tabyiunt:h

By the time the PCs start t his a dventure, they s hould b e 7th myt h ic tier. In or der to reac h 8th tier, they nee d to accompl is h four myt hic trial s. To reac h 9t h tier by the a dventure ' s end , th ey nee d to accompl is h five more trial s. T h is adventure presents multiple trial s fo r the PCs to complete, b ut t he or d er in wh ic h they accompl is h these trial s isn't set in stone. T he PCs s hou ld reac h 8th tier b e fo re starting Part 3, b ut wh ich speci fic trial s t hey accomplis h to get to th at point (and to get to 9t h tier by the en d) d on't really matter. Note th at there are in fact far more th an nine trial s to attempt in th is a dventure-t h is is by design, so th at the PCs don't h ave to h it every single c h allenge. Once t he PCs reac h 9t h tier, regar dless o fwhere in the a dventure they 're at, they can' t accompl is h any more trial s until t he next adventure-with the one exception b eing t he d e fe at o f Baphomet in b attle. Meeting a Goddess: Regardless o f how we ll t hey answer Iome d ae ' s questions during Part i o f th is a dventure, the experience of meeting a go ddess and speak ing wit h her is a myth ic trial . Sightseeing: Visiting at least five d i fferent maze-real ms d an surviving a signi ficant (APL or h igher) encounter in

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eac h one is a myth ic trial . Discovering and fi nis h ing at l east eight encounter areas (ce llblock s count on ly as one encounter in th is case) in t he Ine luctable Prison counts as a myth ic trial as we ll . Defeat Powerful Foes: De fe ating any o f the following power ful fo es during t he course of t he a dventure counts as a myt h ic trial : th e Father of Worms, Igramal as h , Uffr and ir, Svend ac k , Ylles hk a, A lderpas h , or t he Herald o f the Ivory Labyrint h . Eac h one is its own myt h ic trial . Entering the Prison: Opening the Groaning Gate and entering the Ine luctable Prison is a myth ic trial . Redeeming Evil: Re deeming Alderpash is a mythic trial , as is re deeming t he Herald o f th e Ivory Labyrinth . Rescuing Prisoners: I f the PCs set at least a dozen signi ficant prisoners free (or, a lternative ly, rescue a ll fo ur o f t he key prisoners at areas H1-H4), they complete a myth ic trial . Slay Baphomet: Killing t he Demon Lord o f Beasts and b La yrint h s is a myt hic trial . T h is is t he on ly trial t h at counts even a fter t he PCs reac h 9t h tier.

Non-Mythic IVORY tabyiUnt:hs

In t h is a dventure, t he PCs will b e facing an increasing numb er o f encounters th at, wit hout myt hic power, wi ll b e incre d ibly d i fficult to overcome. I f you're not running th is a dventure using myth ic ru les, the PCs s hould h it 20th leve l b e fo re head ing into the prison, and you s hou ld consid er h aving t h is adventure serve as the c l imax o f your campaign. A lternative ly, th is cou ld b e a fu n point to intro duce myth ic power, b ringing a true sense o f c l imatic action to your adventure as it comes to a c lose ! In any event, c heck out previous install ments o f t h is d a venture path fo r general a dvice on running a non­ myth ic campaign, and don't fo rget to c hec k out t he Wrath o f the Righteous messageb oar d s at paizo.com as we ll­ I ' ll b e t here to offer advice along wit h numerous ot her experience d GMs.

James Jacobs Creative Director [email protected]

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Advent:uRe Backc;Round

Baphomet, t he Lor d of t he Minotaurs, the Horne d Lor d , the Master o f the Ivory Labyrinth , fi rst came to the Worldwound in 4650 AR, 44 years a fter t he blight opene d in l ost Sark oris. Des k ari enl iste d Baphomet not fo r h is mastery over l abyrint h s or association with minotaurs, b ut b ecause the Lor d of t he Locust Host wante d to use the Templ ars o f t he Ivory Labyrinth as a tool to fu rt her the corruption and d estruction o f the Mendevian Crusad e from wit hin. An all iance wit h Baphomet was, to Des k ari, an un fo rtunate necessity, b ut in the long run it h as excee d e d t he d emon lord ' s expectations. T he Templ ars o f the Ivory Labyrinth h ave fully in filtrate d the crusad e, and it was on ly recent ly, with t he actions of th e heroes of Kenab res, th at the Templ ars ' in fluence h as b egun to falter. Baphomet k new Desk ari wante d h is cult and not his d irect in fluence, o f course, b ut h e was not hing i f not a master o f Ab yssal pol itics. He increasingly put h is cult, his c hi ld ren, and even himse lf to work at supporting the Worldwound agend a, intend ing to reac h a point where he could wrest control o f the region from Des k ari and use it to d raw muc h o f Gol arion into h is Ab yssal rea l m in the same way he stole an endless maze fr om Cania, the eighth l ayer of He ll , after escaping imprisonment at the h and s of Asmo d eus so long ago. Yet the actions o f the heroes o f Kenab res h ave stymie d his pl ans. T hey 've s l aughtere d h is greatest agents, d isrupte d Templ ar command , destroye d the flow o f Nahyndrian crystals, and perh aps most insu lting o f all , de feate d his favorite d aughter. It was this final a ffront th at move d Baphomet to act, and in a h asty and ill - conceive d fit o f rage he use d his d aughter ' s soul as a conduit to invade the Mid night Is les, fully intend ing to s l aughter the PCs h imse lf Yet he fo rgot one important t h ing: the Mid night Is les are rule d by a d emon lor d who special izes in the assassination ofher own k ind . As Baphomet material ize d in t h e Mid night Is l es, Nocticu l a mad e her move. More as a reaction to h aving her real m inva d e d t h an any real sense o f a llegiance to t h e heroes wh om s he h a d grante d permission to remain in her real m, Nocticu l a struc k at the Lord o f the Minotaurs, in t he instant a ft er he physica lly mani feste d . Baph omet rea l ize d h is fata l error too l ate an d trie d to fl ee, b ut Nocticu l a' s wrat h followe d h im t h rough t he b arrier b etween pl anes and struc k h im, fo r t he b rie fe st o f moments, d ead . He imme d iate ly resurrecte d in t he heart o f h is realm, h s a ken at h is c lose b rush wit h obl ivion. And across a ll world s, h is cu lt ree le d as we ll at the momentary interruption to their d ivine powers. Now, Baphomet 's b ras h ness and se lf- con fidence are s h a ken, and he h as retreate d to h is fo rtress at the heart of the Ivory Lab yrinth , fo r i fhe is s l ain again b e fo re a year can pass and h is realm

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can recover fr om b ringing h im b ac k to li fe, h is death wi ll b e l asting. Fear ful t h at Nocticul a may come to fi nis h the j ob , or t h at Des k ari might see k him out to castigate h im fo r h is various failures, he c l ings to one fi nal a dvantage: the abduction o f lome d ae ' s herald . T h is abduction ran k s h igh among his more recent au d acious accompl is hments. Wh i le the b eing k nown as t he Hand o f the In heritor is power ful , he is no matc h fo r a d emon lor d , and he re l ie d on the protection of his mistress to s h ie ld h im. Yet even a go dd ess can lose track of her agents. When a d esperate priest calle d upon Iome d ae ' s herald to aid in an attac k on the demon-ru le d city of Ral iscrad , Baphomet saw h is c h ance. He d ispatc he d Ylles hk a, t he war den of his great Ine luctable Prison, to the b att le. Her capture o f the herald and retreat to the Abyss b roke t he crusad er army and save d Ral iscrad from a critical d e feat, and now one o f lome d ae ' s c losest agents is the Horne d Lor d ' s prisoner. Baph omet waste d no time in ta k ing h is fr ustrations out on t he hera ld . T h e torments h e put t h e outsid er t h rough were b rutal an d outrageous, and as h e tore t he hera ld ' s heart fr om h is c hest, h e comp l ete d a vi l e ritual , trans fo rming h is captive fr om t h e Herald o f Iome d ae into an agent o f h is own. His prisoner h as b ecome t h e Hera ld o f t h e Ivory Lab yrint h . For now, the corrupte d Herald remains imprisone d . Baphomet hopes to fu rt her d e file the Herald to the point th at it willingly serves as a b o dyguard and repl acement for his lost d aughter Hepzamirah , b ut t hese enh ancements and fu rther corruptions will take time. He ' s l e ft his ward en Ylles hk a, as we ll as several ot her capable minions, in c h arge o f these acts whi le he h imse lf retreats to his inner sanctum to wait out a se l f- impose d year of exile, hoping to endure t his time without fu rther exposure to h arm. He k nows Iome d ae 's a dherence to d ivine l aw will prevent her from acting d irect ly against h im, b ut a l so k nows s he ' ll sen d agents into the Ivory Labyrint h to do th is work fo r her. He suspects these agents will b e t he same heroes who h ave vexe d h im so far-and in a way, he hopes th is is the case, fo r t he d angers and guar d ians he 's pl ace d with in his Ine luctable Prison are d eadly in the extreme. Ind ee d , the primary reason he ' s or dere d the Herald to remain with in its wall s is to act as a lure, fo r once the PCs enter t he prison, they might never escape !

PaRt: 1: Audience wim me tnhe.RiU>R

At t he end o f t he previous adventure, Baphomet taunte d the PCs wit h a g loating message, b ragging th at he h ad capture d the Herald of Iome d ae. Demons are notorious l iars, o f course, and t he PCs might interpret t his cl aim as not h ing more t h an a bluff Yet in th is case, Baphomet speak s the truth . Even i f the PCs d on' t attempt to con fi rm

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th at the Herald o f lome d ae h as ind ee d b een abducte d via spe ll s l ik e commune, t hey s hou ld learn swi ftly enough o f the s hocking event a fter returning to Drezen or consulting wit h a ll ies l i ke Queen Galfrey. T he priest who calle d upon the herald to aid in an attac k on Ral iscrad h as tak en his own l i fe in s h ame over h is rol e in allowing t he herald to b e tak en, and t he blow h as d one terrible d amage to crusad er moral e-h ad not the actions o f the PCs b ol stere d the Fi fth Crusad e ' s hope to new high s, suc h a catastroph ic an d humi l iating d e feat might we ll h ave b roken the crusad e 's will to go on. For now, the war seems to b e at an uneasy stand still . T he crusaders are reb uilding their courage b ut at the same time resisting the urge to surge b ack into the Worldwound in an i ll -advise d attempt at revenge, wh i le the d emons seem unusually hesitant to go on. In fact, Baphomet 's failure h as cause d quite a b it of internal stri fe, and fo r the duration o f th is a dventure, Des k ari and h is agents are face d with the d i fficu lt b ut far from insurmountable tas k o f tak ing b ac k total control over the Worldwound-with Baphomet and his Templ ars no longer a part o f t he invasion. It is during t his lu ll th at t he PCs h ave a singul ar visitation from Iome d ae herse lf.

M EETING A GODD ESS T here ' s a signi ficant d i fference b etween speak ing to a d eity via a spe ll l i ke commune and speak ing to one in person. T h is a dventure b egins wit h no less myt h ic an event th an the visitation o f a go dd ess. T h is is the fi rst time a true, fully powere d d eity h as d irectly appeare d in an Adventure Path , and as GM, you s hou ld take every opportunity to stage t his scene fo r maximum impact. Deities exist b eyond anyth ing t he ru les say can or cannot h appen, b ut you s hou ld take care not to b e too arb itrary and overwhe l ming in running th is fi rst part o f t he adventure. Iome d ae can, o f course, d o anyt hing s he wants to the PCs, b ut s he d oesn' t-s he values t hem and wh at they mean to t he crusad e too muc h to d e l ib erate ly antagonize t hem, even i f s he were intereste d in d oing so (wh ic h s he is not) . I f t he PCs inc lu d e wors h ipers o f d eities oppose d to her, s he still und erstand s th at as a group t hey are, perh aps, the Fi fth Crusad e ' s greatest and most power ful weapon. Consider using props to enh ance Iome d ae ' s appearance. You can use add itional l ighting to i lluminate your game area when th is encounter appears to give the pl ay area an increase d sense o f i llumination, or use triumph ant c horal music in the b ack ground to he lp set t he moo d . A lthough Iome d ae k nows the PCs are power ful , s he wants them to d emonstrate their righteousness and valor b e fo re her. S he nee d s to k now t hey can stand b e fo re a true d eity and not quail or b e re duce d to grove l ing, fo r i f t hey can with stand her presence and impress her, then sure ly

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the taint o f a d emon lor d' s rea l m will h ave a d i fficu lt time corrupting or d estroying them. One o f her fears is th at by sen d ing t he PCs into the proverb ial l ion' s d en too soon, s he wou ld b e giving the enemy tool s to spawn new l ions. T he loss o f the heroes o f t he Fi fth Crusad e to the Abyss at th is juncture wou ld b e synonymous wit h t he loss o f the war, and so s he wants to b e sure o fthe PCs b e fo re s he sen d s them on their most d angerous quest yet-and even t h at quest is, at heart, a means o f fu rther training and testing them in preparation fo r t heir u ltimate mission. T he timing o f wh en Iome d ae call s t he PCs to an au d ience with her is l e ft to you, b ut when it occurs, t his a dventure tru ly b egins. Give the PCs time to recover fully from " T he Mid night Is l es, " and perh aps time to engage in some d owntime activities, personal quests, or ot her acts th at may nee d their attention. I f t he PCs start to appear rest less or b egin see k ing out new quests and missions to continue their fi ght, you' ll k now th ey 're ready to b egin (and so will Iome d ae) . T he fi rst ind ication th at somet h ing unusual is ab out to h appen is t he su dden increase o f amb ient l ight. T h is b rightening is visible only to the PCs and th eir c lose companions (at your discretion) , and increases swiftly to the intensity of the noond ay sun, and then b eyond . Yet th is b rightness does not cause pain or d iscom fo rt. Instead , it fill s eac h PC with a fe e l ing of pride and hope. Just as the l ight grows to wh at wou ld normally b e bl ind ing leve l , the PCs su ddenly fi nd t hemse lves in wh at appears to b e a vast cathe d ral . T he PCs h ave b een transporte d into Iome d ae ' s real m in Heaven, an d wh i le t heir time here fee l s no d i fferent th an e l sewhere, t heir entire meeting wit h the In heritor tak es only a fe w moments. When it ' s over, i f they wis h to return to Gol arion to tie up loose end s, l ess th an a second of time h as passe d . O f course, Iome d ae hopes t h at the PCs are eager to take up the mission s he proposes ! T he cathe d ral in whic h the PCs fi nd t hemse lves is tru ly enormous. T he cei l ing rises out o f sight ab ove, and the wall s b ear staine d -gl ass wind ows th at move and c h ange to d epict the fa me d acts o f Iome d ae. So ft l ight fill s the vast space, and c hoirs of ange l s and arc hons sing fr om unseen reaches of the cat he d ral . Iome d ae herse lf takes on a somewh at humble fo rm, stand ing no taller th an s he d i d in her mortal l i fe, yet none who look upon h er can mistake her fo r anyt hing ot her th an a go ddess. Her c l oak is bloo d re d , ind icating her mind is on the b att les to come, b ut her sword is s heat he d and her s h ie ld is lowere d . As s he appears, s he no d s to the PCs, eac h ind ividual perceiving her fo cus as b eing on h im, then speak s. "Welcome h e roes. I a m l o m edae. Yo u a re those w h o have p roven most worthy to stri ke back a g a i nst the Abyss's latest i nj u stice: the k i d n a p p i n g of my own h e ra l d . Answer my q u estions truthfu l l y and be fo u n d worthy of the g reat task I

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assumptions are built into them-but she has b een watching the party 's progress and knows each of her followers by name (the followers of other go d s are sl ightly less known T his is not intende d to b e a comb at encounter, yet some to her) . Answering these questions correctly and with prou d , stubb orn, or even evil PCs might see k to attac k or conviction requires eit her a k i ller b it of rolepl aying or an moc k the go ddess. Hope fully, PCs who h arb or suc h amazing b it of lore or k nowle d ge. Pl ayers who can d esigns keep them in c hec k , and ind ee d , suc h answer the questions truthfully (and wit hout ' k h h l ld b b PCs capa i ity to o ac t eir urges is � consu lting notes or the Internet ! ) impress her greatly, yet i f the pl ayers themse lves h k d an unspo en secon ary test. Yet PCs w o h l d fi d o not know the answers, s k ill chec k DCs cannot resist n t emse ves against /, l l bl dd d for their ch aracters to k now the answers d b impossi e o s, as etai e e ow. k are provid e d . S he d oes not require Seeing the Goddess: Loo ing at l l l b d d d ffi Iome ae irect y is i cu t, ut unti eac h PC to answer-one answer from k h h h a PC moc s or moves against er, s e t e entire group is all s he see k s, for s he k ll h h nows th at it is as a group that the heroes a ows it. As soon as t is is not t e case, a h ll PC must attempt a DC 40 Wi save, wit must face the trial s to come. fai lure meaning the PC must avert Note: T he s k i ll ch eck DCs fo r h h is gaze from Iome d ae. t ese questions are not intend e d Trumpet Blasts: As soon as a to b e particu l arly d i fficu lt fo r l h k d f t he PCs, provide d they h ave the PC open y moc s er, a ea ening h h h h bl trumpet ast ec oes t roug t e appropriate s k i ll s in question. h k l h h d d cat e ra . T ose w o o not moc Nonethe l ess, you s hould give h her hear the bl ast b ut are unh arme d , t e pl ayers a few moments to try h h bl h h l d w i e t ose w o triggere t e ast are to answer eac h question wit h t heir h h l d d fe own k nowle d ge b e fo re as k ing t hem to permanent y ea ne . Furt ermore, t ese h ll d c aracters must succee at a DC 40 Wi roll s k ill c heck s. You' ll nee d to ju d ge t he k fo b 1omedae save to resist eing struc rever muteanswers to t he following questions fo r h h d d onesty and intention, not entire ly b y t he t is con ition is permanent an cannot k ll h l b e remove d save by a deity 's will . Iome d ae removes th e f resu ts o s i c ec k s-Iome d ae isn't as muc h intereste d h h h d f l fi ft lf f, in t he facts of t he answers as muc h as s he is in how t he con ition erse i a er t is rst part passes, s e ee s h h h h h h l b d t at t e c aracter wis es to apo ogize, ut s e oes not eroes react to these questions . k h d d d give secon c ances. A secon moc ery is interprete as an attac k . Fi rst Question Blazing Light: S hould a c h aracter moc k Iome d ae twice or d are an attac k against her, s he sigh s in d isappointment "You a re bold to look on me and I favo r bold ness. When facing demonic foes, one m ust be bold, as I was when I faced one as s he raises her s h ie ld . A searing bl ast o f d ivine l ight fill s of my most dangerous enemies. Tel l me, then, which u n d ead the cathe d ral . T h is bl ast is visible b ut h arm less to those who h ave not attac ke d her. Attac kers must succee d at a DC lord di d I slay w h i l e leading my knig hts of O z em i nto the Three Sorrows, a n d why do I think you might be worthy to carry the 40 Fortitu d e save to resist b eing re duce d to - 1 h it points (suc h victims are automatically stab il ize d) and then b e legacy of that knig hthood i nto the depths of the Abyss?" returne d to Gol arion. On a success ful save, targets are T his question re fers to events that un folde d during the mere ly returne d to Gol arion, b ut in b oth cases they are h h bl bl l b d d d d permanent y in e -t is in ness can e remove S ining Crusad e, when Iome d ae d e feate d Erum-He l , th e ' ll l d b Lord of Mohrgs, at the Battle of T hree Sorrows. T he de fe at on y y a eity s wi . k h h h k l d Moc ing Iome ae is a c aotic act, w i e attac ing er o f t he myt hical moh rg overlor d prove d to b e a turning l h h d l d ff point in the S h ining Crusad e, and is recalle d to d ay by t he is a c aotic an evi act. Eit er action imme iate y a ects ' h l l l l d f fait hful as the Fi fth Act o f lome d ae. A PC who succee d s at a creature s a ignment, an certain y resu ts in t e oss o ll ll h l l d f d b a DC 35 Knowle d ge ( h istory) c hec k or a DC 25 Knowle d ge a c ass a i ities an spe casting i a c aracter is a ivine ll h h d ( re l igion) c hec k recall s t he tal e o f Erum-He l' s de feat. spe caster w o wors ips Iome ae. ' k l h h h bl l d Iome d ae wants to k now t h at t he PCs und erstand t he Once s e s ea t wit any potentia trou ema ers, s e h h h h h full f turns er attentions to t e rest o t e party- ope y istory o f her ongoing war against evi l in a ll its fo rms. ! h h h d ff dd f d T he second part of her question is d e l ib erate ly open­ none o t e PCs are seize wit t e urge to o en a go ess l h h h h d fo en de d and designe d b ot h to make a devotee of l aw and S e as t ree questions r t e PCs to answer-an severa wou l d set before yo u . R e m a i n s i l ent, a n d be known as cowards i n the face of evi l."

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goo d squirm an d to give them room to b rag o f t heir goo d d ee d s . Iome d ae is look ing fo r b ot h se lf- con fidence and humility in this answer, and as long as one pl ayer rolepl ays an answer in t his manner, s he is please d . Failure: I f th e question is not answere d correctly an d at l east one PC d oesn't present h imse lf as humble or con fid ent, Iome d ae fr owns and s h a kes her head . S he no d s to t he unseen c hoir, saying " We must wak e t hem up, these s leeping c hi ld ren. Where are my b old heroes of the Fi fth Crusad e? " A moment l ater, t he sound of the c hoir bl asts out fr om all d irections, causing eac h PC to s hu dder and s h a ke in d ivine ly inspire d awe, an d d eal ing 5 d 6 points of sonic d amage to eac h PC ( Fortitu d e DC 25 h alf) . Iome d ae d oes, however, a llow th e PCs to use heal ing magic to recover from th is d amage b e fo re the next question. Success: Iome d ae no d s and smiles as a b ejewe le d ch alice appears in her h and . As s he hold s t he c h a l ice out fo r the PCs to c l aim, s he says, " Take then th is cup to hold the fo u l bloo d of t he Father of Worms, fo r it is said his bloo d can me lt any loc k-t his may b e your key to the Baphomet ' s prison. " T he ch alice is an arti fact calle d the Chalice of Ozem (see page 62) . Its powers imme d iate ly b ecome apparent to any c h aracter who touc hes it. Story Award: Grant the PCs 38,400 XP fo r success fully answering th is question.

Second Question "Yo u have a hero's bravery. You have proven that you can su rvive the horrors of the Abyss, and this ma rks yo u r courageousness as surely as a ny feat. But also you have learned that not a l l those in the Abyss a re your enemies. Some a re creatu res whose nature can be used as a tool to d efeat g reater evi l s . So tell m e, when evi l assumes a fa i r form, a n d when weak villains beg for their l ives, a re they d u e m ercy? O r a re the wages of their v i l l a iny a l ways death a n d obl ivion?" T here is no one true answer to this question, for it is a h p ilosophical conundrum th at has vexe d many warriors of law and goo d . T he teachings of Sarenrae are explicit in th at an enemy s hould b e grante d a ch ance at re demption, and th at those who ignore this c hance s hould b e put down swi ftly and merci fully, yet the teachings of other go d s of goo d , inclu ding Iome d ae, are not so clear. Certainly the execution of evildoers prevents them from perpetrating more evil in the future, yet doesn't this al so just send the sinner 's soul to fue l the evil -al igne d pl anes? Is it not b etter to re deem the evildoer, thus removing a piece from the enemy 's b oard and adding it to your own, in this l i fe and the next? Iome d ae is not look ing for a specific answer to this question; rather s he 's see king hesitancy and conflict. Blindly adhering to any rule may b e l awful , but is not always

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goo d-a truly l awful goo d person will temper rules with judgment. A paladin should never b e so b ound to his pursuit of the l aw th at he loses sight of wh at it is to b e goo d . As long as at least one character seems conflicte d ab out answering this question, yet in the end answers either yes or no with conviction, Iome d ae is please d . I f the ch aracters fall into a long, b ickering argument (and thus fail to work as a team) or i fthey all imme diately answer "yes " or "no " without seeming to think through the repercussions ofthe answer, they fail . Failure: Iome d ae frowns and command s her c hoir to " awaken the heroes " again, only th is time the d amage increases to 10 d 6 points o f sonic d amage ( Fortitu de DC 25 h a lf) . As b e fo re, s he allows the PCs the c h ance to heal th is d amage b e fo re going on to the next question. Success: T he go dd ess smil es. " Your word s b ring me great re l ie f, fo r you und erstand t he centra l con flict b e fo re us a ll . True heroism is neither the sword th at strik es nor the blessing o f re d emption, b ut the ab i l ity to k now wh ic h is the proper ju d gment. Even in t he dept h s of evil , some un l i ke ly sou l s may yet b e save d fr om t heir own l ives of mal ice, as some vi ll ains may come to b e fo rgiven. Do not fo rget t his, even in t he most unl i ke ly pl aces. " To he lp the PCs in their quest to re deem fo es or repair d amage to a creature ' s moral ity, Iome d ae grants eac h of t hem the ab i lity to cast atonement as a spe ll -like ab il ity (CL 20) -this is a one-time b oon, and once use d it d oes not rec h arge. Wit h t his s h e says, " Use t h is gi ft fo r yourse lves s hou ld you fall to temptation, b ut resist i f you can so t h at the gi ft may b e given to those who may nee d it more th an you. " Story Award: Grant the PCs 38,400 XP fo r success fully answering t h is question.

Th ird Questio n " H o n o r is my soul and l ife, justice is the passion t h a t stirs me to war, and yet the caus e of the true a n d the righteous is beset on all sides by evi l . Te l l me, h ow does one outwit and d efeat a demon lord i n h i s own d o m a i n? For let us not p retend, this is what I ask you to d o." More th an any ot her question, th is one h as no right answer. Possible responses cou ld involve e lements o f " Stealt h , then strike with fu ry ! " or " We ' ll fi nd your herald and save h im to humi l iate Baphomet, " or even somet hing l i ke "A d emon l ord ' s d omain is its seat o fpower, b ut a l so its greatest weakness. " As with previous questions, it is not t he answer so muc h as the metho d o f answering th at Iome d ae is intereste d in. Here, s he hopes to see conviction and b ravery-evid ence t h at even in l ight o f suc h a d angerous tas k these true heroes do not s hirk . As l ong as at least one PC seems con fident ab out t he quest, presenting an air o f resolve th at it ' s b etter to d ie attempting suc h a tas k t h an to avoid it out of fe ar, Iome d ae is pl ease d .

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Failure: Iome d ae frowns and command s her c hoir to " awaken the heroes " one more time, on ly t his time t he bl ast o f sound d eal s 2o d 6 points o f sonic d amage ( Fortitu de DC 25 h alf) . Success: T he go dd ess no d s in approva l . " Stri k e evi l in h t e name o f t he goo d and right, and re d eem t hose you can fr om folly. Wit h t h e blessing o f Iome d ae, you s h a ll vanquis h evi l , an d your names s h a ll ring wit h gl ory, fo r even i f you fa i l in t h is rig hteous tas k , your just rewar d s wi ll await you in t h e Great Beyond! Ta k e t h en t h is, my fi na l gi ft to you ! Wit h it, you s h a ll a lways b e b ut a step away fr om home, yet k now th at t h e pat h it opens to sa fe ty wi ll save you b ut once b e fo re it returns to me-save suc h fl ight fo r a l ast resort. " Iome d ae t h en removes a t h rea d fr om her c l oak , wh ic h trans fo rms as s h e h an d s it to t h e party. T h is is t h e Stole of the Inheritor (see page 63 ) . Its powers imme d iate ly b ecome apparent to any c h aracter wh o touc h es it. Story Award: Grant the PCs 38,400 XP fo r success fully answering t h is question.

l o medae's C a l l to G l o ry Her th ir d question answere d , Iome d ae waves her h and and all d amage the PCs might h ave tak en fr om incorrect answers is imme d iate ly heal e d-PCs who peris he d are restore d to l i fe as i fby true resurrection with no loss o fleve l . Iome d ae ' s questions constitute t he fi rst o f many myth ic tria l s t h e PCs fa ce in t h is a dventure. T h e PCs nee d not answer any o f t h ese questions correct ly to compl ete t h is tria l , fo r fa i l ing to pl ease a go dd ess an d l iving to te ll t h e ta l e is in an d o f itse lf a myt h ic d ee d o f a sort ! Eac h question t h e PCs fa i l to answer, h owever, l essens t h e signi fi cant awar d s Iome d ae grants, fo r s he is increasing ly concerne d t h at even suc h b oons wi ll not ai d t h e group. At your d iscretion, s h e may set t h e PCs to a pre l iminary tas k (a si d e a dventure fo r t h e GM to d etermine, suc h as s l aying a tarn l innorm in t h e Worldwoun d) , an d sen d s t h em to t h e Ab yss on ly once t h ey succee d at t h is tas k . Suc h an a dd itiona l tas k is a l so a goo d option i f t h e PCs are l agging b e h in d in experience points an d aren' t yet i5t h l eve l . In any event, once s he d eems t he PCs are ready, s he no d s again and speak s.

peri l that lies ahead. Deskari a l ways watches, a n d the time s h a l l s o o n c o m e when the Worldwo u n d must be closed forever l e s t it consu m e your world." With th at, t he cathe d ral fl as hes wh ite once again, and an instant l ater the PCs h ave returne d to where they le ft the Material Pl ane. Yet in each o f their h and s is a simple token: a b ronze holy symb ol o f Iome d ae. Eac h PC k nows th at he nee d b ut hold the symb ol in a fi st and concentrate to b e transporte d into t he Ivory Labyrinth , one fi nal "gi ft " from Iome d ae to spee d them on their way. Beyond th is, s he cannot aid them in t he trial s to come.

Pa.RC 2:

�NOWLEDGE CPLANEO: lVORY LABYRINTH DC

Result

25

The Ivory Labyrinth is a layer of the Abyss r u l e d by B a p h o m et, a s p raw l i n g maze w o r l d the true size of w h i c h n o n e have ever been a b l e to d eterm i n e, for it seems to f o l d b a c k i n o n i t s e l f, s h i f t i n g a n d g row i ng ra n d o m ly. Navigation of the Ivory Labyrinth is d ifficult but not i m possi ble. One experienced i n tra i l b lazing a n d navigation (Su rvival) and p l a n a r geography (Knowledge [planes]) can navigate the l a byrinth to known locatio ns, p rovided the traveler does so with i n t h e rules o f t h e maze and d oesn't atte m pt t o cheat via flying over the l a byri nth's walls. Teleportation offers the easiest method of travel, p rovided the telepo rter knows the location he wishes to visit. Entire mountain ranges, vast fo rests, s praw l i n g u nderground t a n g l es, swam ps, p l a i ns of bon es, and m o re te r r i b l e expanses exist w i t h i n the Ivory L a byrinth, i n c l u d i n g two s p raw l i n g cities­ B l a c k b u rg h and Ech osta l . Of those two, Blackburgh is the rea l m 's capital, a n d at the city's heart rises B a p h o m et's Tower. Blackburgh can be t h o u g h t of as the "center" of the Ivory Labyrinth, and it is h e re that o n e is most l i kely to learn of c u rrent events i n the rea l m .

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35 "You a re worthy to champion m e a g a i nst Baphomet, for mandate pro h i bits the i nteraction of the divine in even such matters as person a l as the loss of a hera l d . I charge you as worthy souls to go into the darkness of the Abyss, into the Ivory Labyrinth of my enemy, and seek out my h e ra l d . If he be dead or wo rse, I trust you s h a l l fi nish things as befits those of yo u r boldness. Heed the advice I have g iven you. Go forth on a road of honor, swiftly and wi t h g reat justice, to d efeat Bapho met a n d return or avenge m y hera l d . I n so do in g m a y yo u fi nd the strength to f a ce the true

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Now t h at t he PCs h ave their tokens from Iome d ae, when they b egin t heir a dventure is l e ft to t hem. Wise PCs might d o a b it o f researc h on the Ivory Labyrinth or Baphomet b e fo re head ing into the Abyss. Knowle d ge ( pl anes) c hec k s can reveal muc h ab out the Ivory Labyrinth , as detai le d b e low. A lternative ly, the PCs can learn some or a ll o f the following in formation by consulting with NPC all ies or by casting spe ll s l i ke commune and contact other plane. T h ese l atter met ho d s can certain ly con fi rm t h at Baph omet was indee d s l ain by Nocticu l a and th at t he d emon lor d h as wit hd rawn to h is pal ace, mak ing t his perh aps t he most opportune time to invad e h is real m possible.

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The Ivory Labyrinth was o r i g i n a l l y designed by Asmodeus as a prison to conta i n Baphomet, but when Baphomet esca ped it, h e took it with h i m i nto the Abyss t o m a ke it h i s h o m e . A fraction o f t h a t o r i g i n a l prison is s a i d t o be h i d d e n d e e p with i n the m a z e rea l m of the B reathless Fountains. T h i s so-ca l l e d " I n eluctable Prison" i s where Baphomet keeps his favorite prisoners. This prison is shielded from magical o bservation from beyond its walls­ even from the sight of the gods themselves.

TH E IVORY LABYR INTH Baphomet ' s real m, t he Ivory Labyrint h , b egan as h is prison. T h is world -size d maze was originally conceive d by Asmo d eus as a prison fo r Baphomet a fter he capture d the

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Lord o f t he Minotaurs, a l abyrinth the Prince o f Dark ness b oldly c l aime d none-not even the fi rst minotaur-could solve. It took Baphomet on ly a d ecade to prove Asmo d eus wrong, and when t he Lor d o f the Minotaurs escape d , h e took the Ivory Labyrint h wit h him b ac k to the Ab yss and mad e it his real m. As a maze the size o f the world , such a real m would b e d i fficu lt to map at b est, b ut t he world c h anges constant ly, generating new terrain and shi fting tunne l s and pathways so t h at no one answer to its navigation remains correct twice. With in th is madd ening maze, speci fic locations remain stable and immutable, yet the routes b etween them d o not. As a result, no map of t h is real m is provid e d , fo r its very nature rend ers such a convenience an impossib i l ity. Pl anar trave l into the Ivory Labyrinth is always s hunte d into one of many specialize d "entrances " that even Baphomet himse lf cannot pre d ict. A knowle dgeable denizen of the real m can then navigate the maze to wh atever locations he wishes of course, b ut those who arrive ill prepare d can spend a li fetime wandering mazes of countless types and styles without ever reaching their destination. Te l eportation is t he most re l iable met ho d o f trave l in h t e Ivory Labyrinth , although the scale of the maze real ms makes regul ar teleport spe ll s use l ess fo r moving b etween maze real ms most o f t he time. I f someone attempts to teleport to anot her real m, t here ' s on ly a i% c h ance t h at th e target real m h appens to b e in range of the spe ll at t h at time, a fter wh ic h normal success c h ances apply. Failure a lways s h i ft s the te leporter into the Ivory Maze (see page i4). Greater teleport is a much more re l iable met ho d . Once a ch aracter h as visite d a specific realm or location in a real m, this spe ll allows for instantaneous and safe trave l­ th is is the met ho d the real m' s d emons use to move ab out. T he Ivory Labyrinth is a pl ace where the straight and narrow d oesn't exist. T he mazes t h at make t he real m are o f a ll k ind s, includ ing he d gerow forests, tangle d alleys, twisting mountain passes, cavern l abyrinth s, and even con found ing pl ains where tall grasses and s hi fting rivers make trave l b ewildering. All of these maze-regions are decorate d with the b ones of demons and other horrors, either paving the ground , emb e dde d in the wall s, or decorating the realm as grim, freestanding sculptures. T he pl ane 's great city-mazes are all small by Abyssal stand ard s, b ut navigating them is as di fficult as trave ling through any tangle d warren. Once a location is k nown, te leportation allows travel to specific sites with relative accuracy. Physical trave l through the realm's h all s is the only other real option. T h is a dventure assumes t h at the PCs use magic or k nowle d ge, comb ine d wit h te leportation, to reac h most o f their d estinations, b ut they may c hoose (or b e fo rce d) to trave l via more trad itional metho d s. Foo d and potable water are rare in t he Ivory Labyrinth-Survival c hec k s to sub sist in t he wild take a -3 0 penalty when mad e in

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the Ivory Labyrinth . Encounters with d emons an d other d angers s hou ld b e c hec ke d fo r d aily-roll on the Ivory Labyrint h encounter c h art on page 83 eac h d ay t he PCs continue to explore. You can use the sampl e maze map ab ove fo r any encounters the PCs may h ave , or create a maze o f your own d esign to serve. O f specia l note is how t he Ivory Lab yrint h reacts to attempts to use fl ig ht to d e feat its mazes. Many o f t h e maze terrains are open to the air, and the sk ies ab ove seem to h old a sun, c l ou d s, stars, a moon, and a ll t he fa mi l iar sights one might expect to fi n d on any Material Pl ane world . But as soon as any attempt is ma d e to c l imb , l evitate, fly, or ot h erwise rise ab ove t h e upper e d ges o f t he l ab yrint h wall s or ot herwise d eviate fr om a mountain pass, t he rea l m rapi dly constricts d own to encase t he trave l er in a c l assic un d ergroun d maze wit h floors, wall s , an d cei l ings ma d e o f so l i d masses o fb ones. Sc h ol ars h ave l ong t heorize d t h at t h is un d erlying compl ex, k nown as t he Ivory Maze, represents t he true un d erlying nature o f t he rea l m, and t h at t he mountain an d city an d swamp mazes are b ut hyperreal istic i llusions. A success ful DC 15 Re fl ex save enabl es a flying c h aracter to swoop b ac k d own to t he original maze rea l m and avoid b eing s hunte d into t h e Ivory Maze, b ut ot h erwise t h is e ffect

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can easi ly spl it up a party. Fortunate ly, attempts to fly out o f a maze a lways re l ocate t h e c heater into t he same part o f t h is b one-walle d maze, as i f every l ocation in t he rea l m were l in k e d to a correspon d ing coor d inate in t h is un d erlying maze. Whenever a trave ler sets out to expl ore th is real m, roll d% and consu lt t he table on pages 1 4-15 to see wh at sort o f maze-real m s he and her companions are face d wit h . Eac h o f t hese real ms h as a Navigation DC l iste d al ong wit h a perio d o f time. In ord er to pass t h rough a maze real m into anot her one, a c h aracter must mak e a Survival c hec k against the current real m' s Navigation DC a fter the ind icate d amount of trave l time h as passe d (allies can use aid anot her to b ol ster th is c hec k) . Time spent s l eeping or ot herwise remaining motionless d oes not count against the require d trave l time. I f the c h aracters fa i l the survival c heck , they must wander the real m fo r anot her increment of time b e fore b eing able to attempt a new Survival check to escape. On a success ful c hec k , roll d% again to d etermine wh at new maze real m t he trave lers enter. I f the trave lers h ave a speci fic real m in mind t h at they wis h to trave l to, t hey must a l so attempt a Knowle d ge ( pl anes) c hec k against t he Navigation DC-b oth the Knowle d ge ( pl anes) an d Survival ch eck s must succee d in

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or d er to b ring the trave lers to t he d esire d real m, and even then, th is met ho d work s only i f t he trave lers h ave al ready visite d t he target region or h ave l earne d ab out t he region th rough stu dy or ot her means. Note t h at succee d ing at the Knowle d ge ( pl anes) c hec k to i denti fy a location a l so ind icates the pl ayer k nows enough ab out t he l ocation to use .!Jreater teleport to trave l to the region. Finally, note t h at the creatures o f the Ivory Labyrinth are a l itt le more d oom-ridd en an d fatal istic th an most d emons. T hey b e l ieve t h at all creatures th at d ie in the Ivory Labyrint h b ecome a part o f it, and the ph rase " May your b ones j oin t hose o f a mi ll ion ot hers " is a common one

The maze l i ke streets average at 20 feet i n width, with some narrow a l l eys and frequent plazas. Many m i n e entrances open i nto the cl iffs-the twisting m i n e tunnels themselves a re considered to be a part of Echosta l 's overa l l maze rea l m . Eerie screa ms and moans d rift a l o n g the mine tunnels and a l l eys, rem na nts of the strange h a u nts a n d fl ittering souls whose wa i l ings g ive the town its name. 2 6-30

of a ta n g l e of t h i n, s p i n d l e - l i ke towers that stretch i n a l l d i rections. The g r o u n d is far bel ow, s h ro u d e d i n mist, w h i l e the towers a re themselves connected by t a n g l e s of bridges and stone buttresses. A fa l l from t h e tower s h o u l d be treated as a fa l l from a l e d g e i n the Breath l ess M o u n t a i n s . No a ccess to the g ro u n d below exists in these towers, and the i nteriors a re w i l d l y d ivergent. These towers a re often used as g u est acco m modations for i m portant visitors to the rea l m, but just as often a re prisons o r i nfested r u i n s .

here. As t he GM, you may c hoose to h ave these b e the l ast word s t h at every single d emon on th is l ayer o f the Ab yss speak s to th e PCs, either as parting or dying wor d s . Over time, the repetition s hou ld b ecome part o f t he creepy, nasty vib e o f t he real m.

THE MAZE llEALMX dO/o 01-05

Realm The Breathless Mountains (Navigation DC 40, attempted once every 6d6 days): This maze

31-45

consists of winding mountain ledges, passes, bridges, and narrow tunnels that crisscross the slopes of a range of snow-choked mountains ra nging between 25,000 and 45,000 feet h i g h . No walls constrai n t h i s maze. The passageways and l e d g e s average 15 feet wide. A cha racter who fa l l s f r o m a ledge takes 20d6 points of fa l l i n g damage, a n d upon l a n d i n g (o r upon recovering from the fa l l via flying) shifts i nto the Ivory Maze. This entire maze rea l m is constantly e n g u lfed by extreme co l d . I n add ition, the air here is very th i n a n d consta ntly f u n ctions as h i g h pea k e l evation (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 430). 06-1 5

Blackburgh (Navigation DC 30, attem pted once every day): Blackburg h is a tangled, densely

packed city of wooden a n d stone b u i l d i ngs, their facades d rooping a n d caked with soot a n d grime. The b u i l d i n g s themselves make u p the 20-foot­ h i g h walls of the maze, leaving a l l eys that a re genera l l y 5 to 1 0 feet wide a n d a sky a bove thick with smoke a n d fog. Primarily a town for demonic ritual a n d veneration of Baphom et, though it also conta ins demonic hatcheries, b ree d i n g g rounds for beasts a n d m onsters, a n d warehouses for various materials coveted by demons (u rns of b l ood, certa i n gemstones, la rvae, a n d more). The g r o u n d here is a l ways somewhat damp with blood a n d ichor and the air reeks of smoke a n d d ecay. 1 6-25

Echosta l (Navigation DC 25, attem pted once every day): This m i n i n g town consists of crude stone

b u i l d i n g s i nterspersed with looming scul ptu res a n d stone cl iff walls ra n g i n g f r o m 20 t o 50 feet h i g h .

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E n d less Towers (Navigation DC 3 0, attem pted once every 1d3 days): This u n us u a l maze consists

Ivory Maze (Navigation DC 20, attem pted once every 2d4 days): This is a classic maze, a dungeon ­

l i ke tangle of room s and tunnels with wal ls, floor, a n d cei l i n g paved in countl ess bones. The tunnels range from 5 to 10 feet wide, with n u m erous rooms and j u nctions and other cham bers often set off by doors (both secret and obvious). The Ivory Maze is lit by a soft, s l i g htly u nsettl ing l i g ht that has no obvious sou rce. Demons a n d m i nota u rs a re the most common den izens of this maze rea l m, which many believe to be the underlying rea l ity upon which a l l t h e other maze rea l m s b u i l d . Visitors t o t h e rea l m a l ways a p p e a r i n the Ivory Maze fi rst, as d o those who atte m pt to "cheat" other mazes with f l i g ht. 46-50

The Lightless Maze (Navigation DC 35, attem pted once every 4d6 days): The d a m p, e n d l ess tunnels

of the Lig htl ess Maze exist i n the meta phorical "underg ro u n d " of Baphomet's rea l m . These twisting caverns a re rarely less than 20 feet i n d i a m eter. Often, these i m mense caverns open i nto even g reater cham bers and underg round rifts-here, the restrictions on f l i g ht a re l a rgely a bsent. Many of the caverns a re d otted with egg cl usters o r s q u i rm i ng, fresh l y hatched horrors. The maze has no natural sources of l i g ht, and all sou rces of l i g ht (magical o r m u nda ne) bro u g ht i nto the maze have their i l l u m i nation l evel reduced by one step. 51-60

Meandering River (Navigation DC 20, attem pted once every 1 d 1 0 days): This maze fol l ows the banks

of a n e n d l ess river that never q u ite reaches a l a ke o r s e a . The maze consists of bridges, p a t h s on shores, and the river itself, which averages a mere 30 feet

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deep a n d 1 0 0 feet wide. The river b a n ks consist of cl iff faces, i m penetra b l e u n d e rg rowth, or looming b u i l d i n g s that rise 1 0 0 feet i nto the sky. This river spl its around isla nds, a n d has backwater channels a n d oxbows g a l o re. 61-70

Plain of Bones (Navigation DC 3 0, attem pted once every 3d6 days): F i l l ed with w h ite soil, p a l e

g rasses, a n d w i n d s that constantly kick u p grit a n d clattering bon es, these plains a re u n p l easant to wa l k o n . Th e sky a b ove bea rs n o sta rs, moo ns, o r s u n, and is i nstead a p a l e, featurel ess ivory expanse. The "wa l l s " of this maze a re 20 -foot- h i g h h e a p s of b o n e s i n s o m e p l a ces, a n d e q u a l l y h i g h t a n g l e s of ivory g rass i n others. 71-75

The River of Spores (Navigation DC 25, attem pted once every 2d6 days): Like the Meandering River,

this river twists a n d turns eternally, yet u n l i ke that river, the River of Spores is located enti rely u ndergro u n d . Its banks a re riddled with secondary cave mazes. The river averages at a mere 15 feet deep with 20 to 3 0 feet of clearance a bove. Beyond the t u rg id waters, foul fungus g rows i n profusion here, a n d the a i r is thick with spores. Many of these spores a re deadly, a n d even when they aren't, breathing creatu res a re a utomatica l l y sickened i n t h i s maze (this is a poison effect). T h e river water itself is corrosive, and deals 1 d 1 2 poi nts of acid damage per ro u n d to flesh. 76-85

Starflower Hedges (Navigation DC 30, attem pted once every 3d6 days): The walls of this maze

are of a classic hedge style, often d ecorated with d istu rbingly shaped topiaries. The hedge maze varies from 5 to 10 feet wide, with walls a u n iform 15 feet i n h e ig ht. I n many places, the verdant wa l l s of this maze are a n i mate a n d h u n g ry f o r b l o o d . This maze rea l m o n l y rarely has a nything a p p roxi mating open a reas o r plazas. 86-90

Sucking M i re (Navigation DC 35, attem pted once every 6d6 days): The vile swarms, d e m o n i c f l i es,

vrocks, hezrous, fiendish d i re croco d i l es, a n d a l l m a n n e r of other swa m p - dwel l i n g crea tu res t h a t f i l l t h e sucking m i re m a ke it o n e o f t h e least p l easant of the maze rea l m s . This maze consists of a w i n d i n g m a s s of swa mpy p a t h s co n n ecti n g m u d d y h i l l ocks, a l l sepa rated by swaths of still, d a r k water. Most of these pools a re effectively botto m l ess, but some turn i nto e n d less m o rasses of cold m u d after 3 0 to 40 feet. The m i re i s d e n s e l y forested with m a n g rove trees and the l i ke; t h e i r thickly overh a n g i n g branches form a s o l i d canopy 20 to 30 f e e t a bove. Atte m pts to c l i m b th r o u g h o r otherwise penetrate this canopy send the "cheater" to the Ivory Maze.

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91-1 00 Wrig g l i n g Forest (Navigation DC 3 5 , attem pted once every 4d6 days): This maze comprises

co u n t l ess wrig g l i ng, twitc h i n g , moaning trees, each of w h i c h is infused with Abyssal m a l i g n a n cy. Navigating the forest is an u n nerving experience, fo l l owing paths that range from 5 to 30 feet across but that a re w a l l e d i n by thick tree t r u n ks a n d d e n s e u n d e rg rowth . The c a n o p y a b ove functions l i ke that i n t h e S u c k i n g M i re, but averages S O feet i n hei ght. The constant m o a n i n g of the trees i m poses a -4 pena lty on Perception checks, a n d each day, creatures i n the forest m ust su cceed at DC 1 5 W i l l save o r be s h a ken b y the m o a n s f o r 24 h o u rs (th i s i s a m i n d -affecting s o n i c fea r effect t h a t the forest's natives a re i m m u n e to).

A. Arriva l in the Ivory Labyrinth (CR 1 8) Regar dl ess o f t h e met h o d use d (save fo r t h e case o f t he rare porta l t h at l ea d s d irect ly to a fi xe d l ocation) , trave l ers to t h e Ivory Lab yrint h a lways appear in t h e Ivory Maze. Wh i l e t h e exact starting point can vary, fo r t he purposes o f t h is a dventure, t he PCs ' fi rst visit to t he rea l m s hou ld d eposit t hem in a l arge p l aza-one o f severa l spread t h roug hout t h e Ivory Maze t h at serve as d esignate d arrival points fo r p l anar visitors . This l a rg e chamber measures about fifty feet across, a n d has a va ulted cei l i n g that rises to a s i m i l a r height. A sphere of bright l i g ht s h i nes above, a l most l i ke a m i n iature s un, casting b ri l l iant i l l u m i nation d own i nto the room below. Patches of thick g reen ivy cling to the walls, while a pool of water fla n ked by two curving ivory benches sits i n the center of the roo m . N u m erous archways and doors i n the walls provide access to tunnels and cham bers beyo n d . But it is the wal ls, floor, and cei l i n g that demand the most attention, for all of these a re formed by thousands of bones-sku l l s, femu rs, ri bs, a n d more-ha rvested from a l l manner of humanoids and beasts, packed together i n a dense osseous patchwork. T he ivy is harmless, sustaine d by the magic of the realm, and th e fo untain contains potable d rink ing water. T h is pl aza, l i ke all t hose o f its k ind , is we ll guar de d . Minions o f Baphomet lurk in these areas to greet visitors and d etermine whether t hey s hou ld b e capture d , s l ain, or a llowe d to pass into the mazes. When t he PCs fi rst arrive in the pl aza, whet her it ' s via plane shift, Iome d ae ' s to kens, or anot her means, they a ll appear with in io fe et o f t he central fo untain. Creatures: T he keeper of t h is particu l ar pl aza is a particu l arly reptil ian- look ing maril it h name d O deen k a. One of Baphomet 's countless general s, s he maintains small groups ofloyal d emonic minions in several arrival pl azas. In th is case, the pl aza is guar d e d b y a trio of sycoph antic,

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fly- head e d coloxus d emons. When they notice t he PCs, two of the coloxuses step fo rwar d to greet the PCs wh i le the th ird imme d iate ly te leports away to O deen k a' s l air in the Endless Towers. He and h is mistress return in on ly i d3 round s-until then the remaining coloxuses kill time by speak ing pleasantly to t he PCs, as k ing t heir names and pol ite ly inquiring as to the nature of their visit. When O d een k a arrives, s h e h isses in d e l ight, greeting h t e PCs in Abyssa l wit h a muc h l ess pl easant air. " Look , my fr iend s, l ook at wh at h as fall en into our l aps ! Are t hey not the most d e l ight fully rid icu lous creatures ? We l come to t he Lab yrint h! " Assuming t h e PCs d on ' t imme d iate ly attac k (or t h at t hey aren' t a l ready fi g hting col oxuses) , s h e goes on. " Swear your

un dying l ove fo r Lor d Baphomet an d I s h a ll grant you access to t he Lab yrint h . But, oh pl ease, te ll me you are not fr iend s o f t h e Horne d Lor d . I 'm a lways l ook ing fo r fr es h s l aves , an d you ree k o f mortal fo ol is h ness. " As s h e waits fo r an answer, h er d emons stir rest l ess ly. Note t h at wh i l e t he PCs h ave b ui lt up quite t h e reputation as h eroes b ac k in t h e Worldwoun d , an d even on t h e Mid nig ht Is l es t h ey h ave some measure o f notoriety, wor d o f t h eir accomp l is h ments h as yet to sprea d as fa r as t h e Ivory Lab yrint h . As suc h , O d een k a d oesn' t recognize t he PCs. Eac h PC who pro fe sses l oyalty and l ove fo r Baph omet must eac h attempt a DC 35 Dipl omacy c h ec k or a B lu ff c hec k oppose d b y a ll o f t h e d emons ' Sense Motive c hec k s. O d een k a seems d isappointe d i f any o f t hese c h ec k s are success ful-she really wante d to attac k the PCs, a ft er a ll . S he s h rugs, t hen warns t h e PCs to b e a l ert fo r b etraya l s and intru d ers, remark ing o ff- h an d e dly t h at Baph omet h as b een grievous ly woun d e d an d t h at a ll h is h c i ld ren must b e particu l arly vigi l ant against t he enemy. Wh i l e t h is is true, it ' s a l so a pl oy to pique t he PCs ' interest-i f t h e PCs seem too excite d ab out t h is news, h t ey must eac h attempt an a dd itiona l B lu ff h c ec k against t h e d emons. I f any o f t hese c h ec k s fa i l , O d een k a sneers an d attac k s , saying, " T h an k you fo r s howing your true col ors, l iars ! May your b ones j oin h t ose o f a mi ll ion ot h ers ! " Li k ewise, i f any PC carries an ob vious goo d h oly symb ol or ot h er trophy t h at wou ld mark h im as an enemy o f Baphomet ' s fa it h , O d een k a attac k s. I f t he PCs manage to pu ll offt heir d eception s he ' s still suspicious-s he contacts t he s hi ft iest- look ing PC te l epat h ica lly and o ffers th at PC a great reward ( pic k somet h ing you th in k th at PC wou ld enj oy-t h is can b e anyt hing, since O d een k a h as no intentions o f h onoring t h e promise) i f t h at PC te ll s h er t h e trut h ab out why t hey are h ere. h T is requires one fi nal Blu ff c hec k fr om t h at PC on ly. On ly i f t h at PC succee d s d oes s he gru d ging ly l et t he PCs pass into t he Ivory Lab yrint h-an d even t h en, s he perio d ica lly follows up on t he PCs. At some point l ater in t he a dventure, fe e l fr ee to h ave h er h ear t he trut h an d come to attac k t h e PCs (in suc h an event, s h e attac k s a l one, wit hout her col oxus minions) . I f s h e attac k s , s he sen d s her col oxuses into me l ee wit h t he PCs an d uses blade barriers against t h e enemy, not caring i f s h e catc hes one o f h er col oxuses in one o f t hem. S h e fi g hts unti l re duce d to 5 0 or fe wer h it points, at wh ic h point s h e te l eports away to her l air

an d cou ld we ll b ecome a recurring vi ll ain t h roug h out t h is a dventure. O D E E N KA XP 1 02,400

CR 1 7

Marilith demon (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 63) hp 264 COLOXUSES (3) XP 1 9,200 each hp 1 68 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 72)

CR 1 2

Treasure: T he coloxus demons love s h iny gemstones, and they use many small gems carve d into the s h apes o f tiny d emonic s ku ll s as markers in t heir gambling and b ragging. Among them are 24 b aubles wort h i , o o o gp eac h-t hese d emon s ku ll stones resemble bl ac k opal s or star sapph ires, b ut rather th an a star or sparkles wit hin, they eac h h ave a wh ite s ku ll inset in t he heart o f th e gem. Development: I f t he PCs l eave the Ivory Labyrinth and return, fe e l free to h ave them encounter d i fferent guar d ians, or make minor cosmetic c h anges to the s h ape o f t he initial pl aza.

SEEKING TH E H ERALD Once t he PCs h ave arrive d in t he Ivory Labyrint h and d ealt wit h O d een k a, th ey can b egin t heir tas k . T h eir fi rst goal s hou ld b e l ocating t he abducte d hera ld . News o f h is abduction is s lowly spread ing t h rough t he Ab yssal rea l m. T h e b est pl ace to go to l earn more is th e capita l city o f Bl ac kb urgh , as a success ful DC 30 Knowle d ge ( pl anes) c h ec k con fi rms. Since th e h erald is current ly k ept in th e Ine luctable Prison, attempts to pinpoint h is l ocation via spe ll s l i k e discern location automatica lly fa i l . Using spe ll s l i k e commune or divination to instead see k out pl aces wh ere a k ey prisoner cou ld b e kept, on th e ot h er h and , can point towar d th e Ine luctable Prison as th e most l i k e ly site. A c h aracter who succee d s at a DC 40 Knowl e d ge ( pl anes) c h ec k h as h ear d o f t h is prison, and t h at it ' s easiest to use 11reater teleport to trave l to t he site. I f the PCs e lect to trave l to the prison, continue with Part 3 of th is a dventure-b ut note th at PCs who jump the gun and see k out t he prison imme d iate ly might fi nd the l ocation too d i fficult to d eal with . Spend ing some time investigating the prison and current events in the Ivory Labyrinth not only can rewar d the PCs wit h extra experience and some a dd itional myt hic trial s, b ut can a l so grant t hem signi ficant b oons and tool s th at make the d aring prison in filtration of Part 3 easier fo r them. I f you wis h , you can h ave some of t he NPCs the c h aracters meet in t he Ine luctable Prison suggest they see k out more in fo rmation e l sewhere in the Ivory Labyrinth , particu l arly the city o f Bl ac kb urgh , b e fo re tac kling t he prison.

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BLAC KB U R G H T he capital city o f the Ivory Labyrint h i s the b est pl ace to go to gat her in fo rmation ab out t he herald and the Ine luctable Prison. I f the PCs d on' t hit upon t h is on their own as a result o f d ivination spe ll s or Knowle d ge ( pl anes) c hec k s, t hey can learn as muc h by interrogating creatures and d emons they encounter wh i le exploring the Ivory Labyrint h . O f course, most o f t he real m' s d enizens won't cooperate when questione d b y mortal s, so a certain amount o f intimid ation, b rib ery, tric kery, or magical min d - control is l i ke ly nee d e d . Don't dwe ll on th is part o f the a dventure too long, though , un less your pl ayers seem to enj oy simply exploring t he Ab yssal real m. Like a ll o f t he maze real ms, Bl ac kb urgh is a tangle o f b uild ings, streets, pl azas, and a lleys. F l ight is proh ib ite d ab ove t he city roo ftops by the pl ane itse l f, b ut in wider avenues and pl azas the sight of Baphomet ' s Dread Tower serves as a constant remind er o ft he d emon l ord ' s presence. T h is tower looms on the horizon, yet is not approac he d as part o f th is adventure-the real m itse lf re flexive ly a djusts Bl ac kb urg h to keep the tower constant ly out o f reac h . I f the PCs persist in attempting to reac h t he mile- h igh tower, though , fee l free to let them. Attempts to in filtrate it s hou ld b e met with l arge groups o fl abyrinth minotaurs (see page 90) and power ful d emons, possibly cu l minating in an encounter wit h Baphomet h imse l f, accompanie d by numerous power ful a ll ies. Bl ac kb urgh d oes not h ave th e open pol icy regard ing visitors th at the capital o f the Mid night Is les does, and i f the PCs wand er the streets open ly, t here ' s a 25% c h ance per hour th at a group of d emons simply attac k s t hem-t h is c h ance increases to 100% i fthe PCs are openly d ispl ay their a llegiance. T he city ' s primary in h ab itants are l ab yrint h minotaurs, vrock s, gl ab rezus, b ab aus, k al avak uses, and k ith angians (Patlifinder Campai11n Settin11: The Worldwound 47) , b ut really, an encounter wit h anyth ing on t he Ivory Labyrint h Encounters table on page 83 is possible. T hese encounters on t he streets of Bl ac kb urgh s hou ld h ave an average CR o f i5 . As a sid e e ffect of a t hrow- d own fi ght

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in the streets, t he PCs gain l d 6 hours o f unconteste d exploration b e fo re the city ' s d enizens grow b old enough to once again start accosting th em. S hops, taverns, pl aces to rest and re l ax, and the l i ke are un k nown in the city. Bl ac kb urgh' s point is not to serve as a center of trade; it mere ly houses Baphomet ' s d emonic minions. Investigating most o f t he b ui ld ings revea l s t h at the vast maj ority o fthem are not b uild ings at a ll b ut rather mere ly facad es wit h noth ing wit h in-outsiders nee d not d rink or eat or s leep, a fter all . A character can attempt Diplomacy checks in Blackburgh to gat her in fo rmation, using t he table on pages 11-12 fo r results instead o f Knowle d ge ( pl anes) c hec k s i f the c h aracter is mere ly see k ing general in fo rmation ab out the real m. A success ful DC 25 Diplomacy c hec k is all th at ' s nee d e d to hear rumors t h at t he Herald of Iome d ae h as b een capture d-inquiries as to where th e herald is b eing h e ld are generally met with con fu se d guesses or outright l ies. T he one th ing everyone agrees on is t h at the herald is not here in Bl ac kb urgh or Baphomet ' s Tower-none in Bl ac kb urg h h ave actually seen the herald . As t he PCs exp l ore and gat h er in fo rmation, two particu l ar events s h ou ld occur to give t h em d irection. T hese two sources o f in fo rmation are d esigne d to provid e d i fferent pieces o f t he puzz l e . I f you wis h , you can fu rt h er spl it or comb ine t h ese two sources as nee d e d so t h at t h e PCs nee d to work more or l ess to l earn ab out t he Ine luctable Prison. Verbovezzor: Eac h hour the PCs spen d in Bl ac kb urg h , h t ere 's a cumu l ative 10% c h ance t h at they are notice d b y a particu l arly unusual sympat h izer. T his c h ance increases imme d iate ly to 100% i f t he PCs per fo rm any obvious act o f l aw or goo d in a publ ic pl ace, suc h as openly call ing a prayer out to a l awful or goo d d eity. A few minutes l ater, the PCs are approac he d by a sing le strange creature: a fi st-size d b uzzing, fl apping t h ing t h at ' s mostly mout h . T he PCs may recognize it as a single vescavor-a creature normally encountere d in l arge swarms in t he Worldwound . T he vescavor d oes not attac k . Instead , it speak s in a h igh ­ pitc he d voice: " You are the ones t he Horne d Lor d fe ars, yes ? I f so, my master would h ave wor d s wit h you ! Follow me, b e fo re enemies fi nd you ! " Orengofta: One o f B l ac kb urg h' s most notorious citizens is a myt hic nalfe s h nee name d Orengoft a. Many of the city ' s d enizens fe ar Orengo ft a as muc h as Baphomet, d espite t he nalfe s h nee ' s l esser power, fo r Orengo ft a d oes not serve Baph omet and so h e ' s not impresse d b y c l aims o f servitu d e to t he Horne d Lor d . Instea d , Orengo ft a sees h imse lf as t he protector o f t h e city ' s fu n d amenta l Ab yssal nature. Eac h time t h e PCs get in a fi g ht in t he city, t h ere ' s a cumu l ative 25% c h ance t h at a pair o f coloxus d emons name d Xizec k an d Yggrec k te l eport in to invite t he PCs to accompany t h em to spea k to t heir master, Orengo ft a.

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Li k ewise, i f t he PCs press h ar d enough when questioning a l oca l , t h e name Orengo ft a s hou ld come up as someone wh o k nows more ab out current events in t h e Ivory Lab yrint h .

C . Vo ice of the Swarm ( C R 1 6) T he a dventure assumes the PCs come to meet the myt hic vescavor swarm Verb ovezzor a fter b eing invite d by one o f the swarm' s ind ividual mouthpieces, in whic h case the single vescavor l ead s t hem on a twiste d , tangle d route th rough Bl ac kb urgh' s alleyways fo r several minutes b e fo re arriving at a l arge sinkhol e in a crumbl ing open area. I f the PCs ignore or k i ll th e vescavor, Verb ovezzor continues to send single c h attering vescavors out to invite t hem to come meet wit h it as l ong as t hey remain in Bl ac kburgh . At your discretion, the PCs may even stumble into Verb ovezzor 's den accid entally, or they cou ld trac k d own the site by as k ing ot her creatures where it is. Regar dless o f how t hey arrive, read or paraph rase th e following. The city's n a r row a l l eyways e n d h e re in an open a rea not q u ite fifty feet across. The reason for the o p e n i n g is a p p a rent e n o u g h, for what w o u l d have been a n e m pty lot is instead nearly consumed by a c r u m b l i n g s i n kh o l e . The sides d ro p away steepl y i nto a t a n g l e d m o u n d of r u b b l e, fi lth, and bones some 3 0 feet bel ow. Creatures: T he sole d enizen of t h is sin khole is a strange creature t h at ca ll s itse lf Verb ovezzor. T h is d angerous creature is in fa ct a myt h ic vescavor swarm t h at, wh en d ormant, c hurns an d crawl s an d seet h es amid t h e rubble b e l ow. Wh en rouse d to action, t h e swarm fl ies up into t he air, organizing its t h ousand s o f fl apping ind ividua l Ab yssa l entities into a 10 - fo ot-wi d e s h ape t h at c lose ly approximates t h e fo rm o f a singl e vescavor. Verb ovezzor would normally simply surge fo rwar d to consume visitors l i k e t he PCs, b ut it h as h ear d muc h fr om t h ose it h as fed upon over t h e past severa l d ays or wee k s, an d it h as b ecome quite intrigue d b y t he fa ct t h at t he PCs h ave apparent ly actually manage d to fr ig hten Bap homet. Verb ovezzor is not wh at one wou ld call a " cozy conversationalist. " Pl ay it as an insectoid lord of d arkness, issuing d emand s and th reats in a b uzzy voice of d oom. It is h appy to utter rants a long the l ines o f " I k now your pl ans, I see a ll your mewl ing, worthless amb itions " and so on as l ong as anyone lets it-the PCs must al most a lways interrupt to get a word in e d gewise at these times. Certainly its fi rst word s to t he PCs do not end ear it. "Listen, meat thi ngs, and hear the voice of ages. If you be not fools, then leave this place. Do not return, for to wander i nto the Labyrinth is to die. Do not seek the prison. Do not a p proach the mountains. Wors h i p the H o rned Lord. Embrace the g reater

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powers that surround you . For to do otherwise means o n ly that you r bones will join those of a m i l l io n others. And yet... Lord Baphomet cowers i n his tower and you openly walk his streets. Very i nteresting. Very i nteresti ng ind eed." Verb ovezzor h as no love fo r any d emon lor d , muc h less Baph omet, an d t h e i d ea t h at morta l s may h ave d e feate d , woun d e d , or humi l iate d h im is intriguing. T h e myt h ic swarm wants to k now wh at t h e PCs d i d , an d questions t h em on wh at occurre d at t h e en d o f t h e previous a dventure. In or d er to sweeten t h e d ea l , Verb ovezzor promises to h e lp t h e PCs, c l aiming to k now muc h o f t h is rea l m since t h ose it fe e d s upon o ften in fe ct it wit h t h eir dying t h oug hts. As l ong as t h e PCs stic k to t h e trut h , Verb ovezzor is pl ease d-l earning t h at Nocticu l a an d not t h e PCs fo rce d Bap h omet ' s retreat c l ears up a l ot o f questions, yet it d oesn' t c h ange Verb ovezzor ' s opinion o f t h e PCs as d angerous fo es wort hy o f praise. I f instea d a PCs spins a ta l e , s h e ' ll nee d to mak e a success ful B lu ff c h ec k against Verb ovezzor; ot h erwise, t h e swarm grows angry an d attac k s, hoping to suc k some o f t h e PCs ' memories fr om t h eir dying b o d ies. I f the PCs please the swarm, it agrees to answer questions pose d it. T he swarm k nows th at Baphomet uses h is Ine luctable Prison to house those he captures, b ut al so knows that none who enter the e d i fice ever emerge, with the only exceptions b eing of Baphomet and the prison's warden. Even entering the prison is said to b e nearly impossible. T he swarm does know th at an important new prisoner was recently taken there, and i f the PCs mention the Herald of Iome d ae, the swarm chortles as it notes how much sense that makes, given other whispers it 's heard . T he swarm al so knows h t e prison is l ocate d in the Breathless Mountains, and can warn the PCs of th at region's d angers. It can a l so give a tips on navigating t he mountains-this information grants a +S b onus on all Survival and Knowle dge ( pl anes) check s to navigate th at region. Finally, t he

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swarm h as h ear d rumors t h at a s h ortcut o f sorts exists un d er t h e Breat hl ess Mountains , b ut t h at using it necessitates a j ourney t h roug h t h e Lig ht l ess Maze. Worse, t h is s h ortcut is guar d e d b y one o f t h at rea l m ' s most d angerous d enizens: a monstrous creature k nown as t h e Fat h er o f Worms. I f t he PCs mention the Fat her of Worms or Baphomet ' s prison ( ph rases t h ey may h ave h ear d fr om Iome d ae) , t h e swarm c huc kl es again. It con fi rms t h at t h e entrance to t h e Ine luctabl e Prison is very we ll guar d e d , an d t h en con fi rms t h at i f anyt h ing can me lt t h roug h t h e l oc k s on t h at d oor, it wou ld b e t h e bl oo d o f t h e Fat h er o f Worms. " Goo d luc k fi n d ing somet h ing t h at can carry h is bl oo d , t h oug h , " it a dd s wit h a snic k er. VERBOVEZZOR XP 76,800

CR 1 6/MR 6

Myth ic vescavor swa rm (Pathfinder RPG Mythic Adventures 226) CE D i m i n utive outsider (chaotic, evil, mythic, swarm)

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lnit +1 5M; Senses da rkvision 60 ft.; Perception +2 1 Aura g i bber ( 1 5 ft., DC 22) DEFENSE

AC 29, touch 2 1 , flat-footed 22 (+5 Dex, +2 dodge, +8 natural,

+4 size) hp 238 (1 7d 1 0 +1 45) Fort +1 6, Ref +1 7, Will +8 Defensive Abil ities evasion, reju venation, swarm traits; D R 1 0/epi c; I m m u n e m i n d -affecti n g effects, poison, wea pon damage; Resist el ectricity 1 0, fire 1 0; SR 33 OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (good) Melee swarm (8d6 plus distraction a n d 1d4 Cha risma d ra i n) Space 1 O ft.; Reach O ft. Special Attacks Charisma d ra i n, d istra ction, myth ic power

An attended magic item gets a DC 15 Reflex save to negate this effect. Rejuvenation (Su) I f even one of the i n d ivid u a l vescavors that m a kes up Verbovezzor su rvives the swa rm's destruction (th i s is a l l but g u a ra nteed, as t h e swa rm a l ways keeps a few d ozen hidden i n the s u r ro u n d i n g a rea), Verbovezzor can reb u i l d i t s e l f t h r o u g h a f i t o f reprod uction over the course of 24 h o u rs . Permanently slaying Verbovezzor req u i res powerful m a g i c o r d i l i g ence. A miracle o r wish used to e n s u re its death after its d efeat co u l d certa i n l y d o the trick. Trau matizing (Su) Any creature that spends more than 3 rounds with i n the swarm m ust succeed at a DC 19 Will save o r become affl icted w i t h a r a n d o m i nsan ity (GomeMostery Guide 250). The save DC is Charisma-based.

(6/day, s u rge +1 d 8), ravenous, tra u matizing

D . Orengofta's Thro n e Room ( C R 1 8)

TACTICS

During Combat Verbovezzor m oves to e n g u l f as m a ny foes

a s it can each round, b u t it particularly e njoys devo u r i n g a n i m a l compa n i o ns, fa m i l i a rs, a n d o t h e r "tid b its," s i n c e e m o t i o n a l connections of t h e s e creatures to the masters se rve a s l ovely a p p etizers. Morale If reduced to fewer than 50 hit poi nts, Verbovezzor attempts to su rrender, promising to reveal many i m portant secrets to the PCs i n reward for its l ife. STATISTICS

Str 7, Dex 20, Con 1 8, Int 1 0, Wis 1 3, Cha 1 2 Base Atk +1 7; CMB -; CMD Feats B l i n d - F i g ht, Dodg eM, G reat Fortitu d e, I m p roved

l n itiativeM, I m p roved I ro n W i l l , I ro n W i l l, L i g h t n i n g Reflexes, M o b i l i tyM, To u g h n ess Skills Fly +35, I n t i m i date +2 1 , Knowledge ( l o c a l ) +1 7, Percept i o n +2 1 , Sense Motive +2 1 , Stea lth +37 Languages Abyssal SQ dual initiative SPECIAL ABILITIES

Charisma Drain (Su) Verbovezzor d r a i n s fra g m e nts of

persona l ity a n d memories from those it feeds u p o n, d ea l i n g 1 d4 poi nts of Cha risma d r a i n w h e n ever it d e a l s swa rm d a m a g e . A s u ccessfu l DC 2 2 F o r t i t u d e s a v e red u ces the Charisma drain to 1 point of C h a risma d a m a g e . The save DC is Constitution-based. G i b b e r (Su) Any c reatu re with in 15 feet of Verbovezzor m ust succeed at a DC 22 W i l l save or be confused for 1 rou n d . This is a m i nd-affecting co m p u lsion i nsan ity effect. A creature that saves su ccessfu l l y can not be affected by Verbovezzor's g i bber a g a i n for 24 h o u rs. The save DC is Constitution-based. Ravenous (Ex) Verbovezzor i g no res h a rd ness of less than 20 when it attacks a n o bject. Each rou n d a creature is i n the same space as the swarm, Verbovezzor begins devouring one object o n the creature. The o bject takes a n amount of damage e q u a l to h a l f its maxi m u m h i t points a n d becomes broken; a b roken o bject damaged i n this way is destroyed.

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I f t he PCs meet t he col oxus d emons Xize k and Yggrec k and agree to follow t hem, the heroes are l e d to a l arge d oor in a particu l arly d ense part o f Bl ac kburg. Wit hin t h is d ense tangle of b ui ld ings is a smaller maze, one set off from Bl ac kburg and ru le d by t he nalfes h nee Orengoft a. T he coloxuses l ead th e PCs to Orengo ft a' s th rone room, te lepath ically a lerting their demonic master as t hey approach . With out the d emons as guid es, the PCs can fi nd their way here on t heir own i f you wis h , b ut t hey ' s more l i ke ly to end up here as prisoners. I ft he PCs are d e fe ate d in an encounter in Bl ac kburgh , rat her th an h ave t hem s l ain, you s h ould instead h ave them capture d and de l ivere d here fo r ju d gment and , convenient ly, imprisonment in the Ine luctable Prison. The ce i l i n g of t h i s w h ite m a r b l e throne room rises sixty feet a b ove, and is s u p ported by n u m e rous t h i c k ivory p i l l a rs . Doors a re set i n the w a l l s here a n d there, a n d at the fa r e n d rises a pair of b a l con ies. O n e of these hosts two l a rg e statues of a g oat-headed d e m on, w h i l e the other s u p p o rts a n i m mense ivory throne. Creatures: Orengoft a does not serve Baphomet instead ; h t e myth ic nalfes h nee sees h imse lf as one o f the k eepers and tend ers to t h is particu l ar corner o f the Abyss-a groun d s k eeper, o f sorts. Wh en Baphomet abducte d the Herald o f lome d ae, he tro d d angerous ly c lose to b reak ing several d ivine mand ates, fo r the id ea o f angering a deity enough th at s he might l aunc h a crusade against th e Abyss is a scenario t h at Orengoft a h as long anticipate d and fe are d . He wants the herald out of t he Abyss, and h as b een keeping an eye out fo r Iome d ae ' s response. I f he learns ab out the PCs (see page i8) , he send s two of t he four coloxus d emons he keeps as th rone room servants to gat her them, th en te leports into the t h rone room to await the PCs ' arrival .

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T he immense d emon wie ld s a gold en sword in one enormous paw, and speak s gru ffly around h is tus k s as t he PCs arrive. "Ah h . . . so you a re the I n h eritor's lapdogs. You seem a l ittle out of place i n this town. Normal ly, I would n't bother with the l i kes of you, but the reason you're here d isturbs me. I do not condone any act that endangers Mother Abyss, a n d the a b d uction of a goddess's favo rite pet does just this. You a re here to correct this situation, a n d I would see you d o it, for the a lternative is not something I wish to conte m pl ate. I d o not condone Baphomet's actio ns, but neither d o I wish to work d i rectly agai nst them. For me, the faster you fi nish this q uest, the better. I take it the same wou I d be true for you, yes?" During t he conversation, Orengo ft a's fo ur sycoph antic l co oxuses c h irr in agreement wit h everyt h ing he says, and b uzz angri ly i f the PCs interrupt or d on' t pay proper respect. Orengoft a can con fi rm th at Baphomet h as pl ace d t he herald in the Ine luctable Prison, and at your d iscretion may in fo rm t he PCs o f more b its of in fo rmation, a k in to th ose they cou ld learn from Verb ovezzor. T he myth ic nalfes h nee ' s pl an is b old and d aring­ he proposes to send th e PCs to the Ine luctable Prison as prisoners so t hey can invad e the pl ace from wit h in. " Sure ly heroes as great as you can' t b e he ld long b y mere prison b ars ? " T he pl an sound s risk y, and d oes so fo r goo d reason­ Orengo ft a ' s actua l pl an is to capture the PCs, sen d t h em to t h e prison, and t hen try to convince Baph omet to re lease t he hera ld in return fo r keeping t he PCs. O f course, i f t h e PCs are as d angerous an d ful resource as he h suspects t ey are, t hey may h ave a goo d c h ance o f accompl is h ing t heir mission even i f t hey 're fo rce d into t he

must give up t heir gear-he grud gingly allows them to store their gear off- plane rather t h an h and it over to h im, as long as they strip d own to t he b are essential s. A fter th is, he uses a scroll ofgreater te!eport wit h Use Magic Device to trave l to area F o f the Ine luctable Prison, h and ing the PCs over fo r incarceration. I f the PCs b alk at his plan, the demon quickly grows frustrate d , grind ing his tusk s. Any attempt to leave or further re fu se the plan eventually d rives the mythic nalfeshnee to attack-he tosses aside his ceremonial sword and does his b est to capture the PCs by force to put his pl an to work without their consent. ORENGO FTA XP 1 02,400

CR 1 7

Male mythic na lfeshnee (Pathfinder RPG Mythic Adventures 1 83) hp 287

prison as prisoners. To Orengo ft a, eit h er outcome is a win. T he demon tries to h id e h is actual intent wit h Blu ff c heck s. I f t he PCs agree, he te ll s t hem they

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COLOXUSES (4) XP 1 9,200 each hp 1 68 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 72)

CR 1 2

Treasure: Orengo ft a ' s gold an d b ej ewe l e d swor d is wort h a staggering 50,000 gp, b ut it ' s l itt l e more t h an a b a d ge o f o ffice-it h as no rea l use as a weapon. T h e d emon k eeps ot h er treasures e l sewh ere (t h is is mere ly h is t h rone room; h is dwe ll ing is fa r fr om h ere) , b ut carries a pair o f scrolls ofnreater teleport wit h h im at t h is time so h e can transport prisoners as nee d e d . Development: I fh e ' s re duce d to 60 h it points or fewer an d prevente d fr om te l eporting to sa fety, Orengo fta proposes a truce-a tra d e o f services in return fo r mercy. He proposes to d escrib e t h e entrance to t h e Ine luctabl e Prison in great d etai l so t h at t h e P C s can te l eport t h ere, fully arme d , to continue t h eir quest. He even agree s to t h row in h is scro ll s to sweeten t h e d ea l . In return, t h e P C s must promise to never return to B l ac kb urg h . In any event, Orengo fta promises not to h o ld a gru d ge-an d in t h is promise, t h e treac h erous d emon is fi na lly b eing h onest. He h as no interest in a rematc h against anyone t h is power ful!

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TH E L I G HTLESS MAZE Trac k ing d own t h e Fat h er o f Worms is an optiona l encounter, b ut one t h at wi ll h e lp t h e PCs enter t h e prison an d may we ll give t h em t h e myt h ic tria l t h ey nee d to b ecome 8t h -tier myt h ic h eroes b e fo re tac kl ing t h e prison itse l f. T h ey mig ht fi rst h ear o f t h e Fat h er o f Worms fr om Iome d ae, an d t h en again fr om ot h ers t h ey spea k to in B l ac kb urg h . A success ful D C 35 Knowl e d ge ( p l anes) c h ec k revea l s t h at suc h a creature d oes in d ee d exist, dwe ll ing at t h e h eart o f t h e Lig ht l ess Maze. Wit h a success ful DC 35 Knowl e d ge (re l igion) c h ec k , a c h aracter reca ll s ta l es o f a power ful nig htcrawl er k nown as t h e Fat h er o f Worms, sai d to h ave risen fr om t h e corpse o f a l ong- fo rgotten d emon l or d wh o once ru l e d t h e rea l m t h at was eventua lly c l aime d , trans fo rme d , an d rep l ace d b y Bap h omet. T h is c h ec k a l so con fi rms t h at t h e bl oo d o f t h e Fat h er o f Worm is incre d ibly caustic, an d l egen d ary fo r b eing capabl e o fme lting open even t h e most d i fficu lt l oc k s . I f t h e PCs e l ect to avoi d t h is optiona l encounter, you ' ll nee d to t h row in a rep l acement myt h ic tria l fo r t h em to accomp l is h l ater in t h e a dventure- d e fe ating one o f t h e prison ' s more power ful in h ab itants, suc h as Igrama l as h , s h ou ld work fi ne.

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Even i f th e PCs d on' t see k out the Father of Worms to h arvest its bloo d , its d en provides a s hortcut to approac h the prison, allowing the PCs to avoid the Breat hless Mountains entire ly. In ord er to fi nd t he Father o f Worms ' cavern l air, the PCs nee d to navigate to t he Lig ht less Maze, then spend 2 d 4 d ays trave ling the maze b e fore attempting a DC 35 Survival c hec k to approac h t he den. A lternative ly, i f the PCs h ave access to ,greater teleport, t hey may b e able to secure a detai le d d escription o f the cavern fr om a creature l ik e Verb ovezzor or Orengoft a. I f t he PCs trave l to the d en via trad itional metho d s, t hey s hou ld h ave at least one or two encounters wit h nig htcrawlers a long the way to prepare them mentally fo r wh at l ies ahead .

o f its bloo d , they must use t he Chalice of Ozem (or a simil ar arti fact-leve l container) to hold the dose. Catc h ing a d ose o f bloo d is a move action th at must b e d one as the worm is wound e d ; t he c h aracter catc h ing the bloo d must b e a djacent to t he worm and th e source of the d amage. I f the c h aracter is attempting to h arvest th e bloo d on his own, he must deal d amage using a stand ar d action on h is turn as he tries to catc h th e bloo d . Ot herwise, t he c h aracter must prepare an action to catc h bloo d . O f course, simply k ill ing the Fat her o f Worms and collecting its bloo d is, in the en d , perh aps a less d angerous metho d . T he monster ' s bloo d remains caustic fo r up to i hour a fter its d eath , un less th e PCs pl ace its bloo d with in th e c h a l ice- doing so preserves its properties in de fi nite ly.

E. The Father of Worms ( C R 20) A vast cavern yawns h e re, its cei l i n g lost i n the da rkness a bove. Mounds of rubble a n d sta l a g m ites lie heaped to two sid es, b e l ow a pair of ledges from which twenty-foot-wide tunnels e m erge. A t h i rd tunnel exte n d s i nto the darkness to the southwest, while to the northeast a twenty-foot- d i a m eter shaft descends i nto yet m o re i n ky b l a ckness. A bove, t h o u g h, t h i s shaft a l lows the ba rest g l i m m e r of l i g h t to s h i n e down i nto the cavern.

FATHER OF WORMS XP 307,200

CR 20/MR 4

Myth i c nig htcrawler (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2 200, Pathfinder RPG Mythic A dventures 226) CE Gargantuan u ndead (extra p l a n a r, myth i c, nig htshade) lnit +8M; Senses da rkvision 1 2 0 ft., low- l i g ht vision, tre m o rsense 120 ft., d a r ksense, detect m a g i c; Perception + 33 Aura desecrating a u ra (30 ft.) DEFENSE

T he map d epicting the Father o f Worms ' l air inc lu d es portions o f some of t he tunne l s th at lead to and from the l ocation-i f the PCs are approac h ing on fo ot, fe e l free to h ave t hem enter t he area via any o f t hese tunne l s. T h e s h a ft in t he nort h eastern corner o f t h e cave d rops d own fo r d ozens o f mi l es, eventually connecting to t he Ab yssa l rea l m k nown as th e Spira l Pat h . Yet it is upwar d th at t he PCs s hou ld go, fo r on ly 5 0 0 fe et ab ove, t he tunne l opens on t h e sid e o f a mountain overl ook ing t he Ine luctable Prison. C l imb ing t he wa ll s o f t h e s h a ft is re l ative ly easy-b ecause o f t h e numerous h an dh old s , t h e ascent on ly requires a success ful DC 10 C l imb c h ec k-b ut a fall into t h e Spira l Pat h b e l ow will tak e some time to fi nis h , possibly giving PCs time to save t h emse lves . Creature: T he Father of Worms spend s its time coiling d an roiling in the central cave-its existence is made a never-end ing torment by the feeble light leak ing in from ab ove, and this agony h as b een b roken only by the few times explorers h ave stumble d into the c h amb er. T he mythic nightcrawler greatly enjoys these visits, for they are among the few moments th at d istract it from its su ffering. T he Father of Worms is not uninte ll igent, b ut its pain d rives it to attac k swi ftly. Note th at whi le t he Father of Worms is d i fficult to k i ll , t he PCs d on't necessarily nee d to d e feat t he myt h ic nightcrawler in or der to progress. I f they 're simply using the s hortcut, they can race th rough the room and ignore the monster to move up the s h a ft to the prison ab ove. I ft he PCs are attempting to ob tain a d ose

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AC 37, to uch 6, flat-footed 37 (+31 natural, -4 size) hp 4 1 9 (25d8+307) Fort +1 9, Ref +1 0, Will +23 Defensive Abil ities corrosive bl ood; DR 1 5/g ood a n d si lver, DR 1 0/epic; I m m u ne acid, cold, u n d ead traits; SR 3 1 Wea knesses l i g ht aversion OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., bu rrow 60 ft. Melee bite +32 (4d 1 0+1 8/1 9-20/x3 plus 4d6 cold a n d g ra b),

sti ng +32 (4d 6 +1 8/1 9-20 plus 4d6 cold a n d poison) Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft. Special Attacks breath wea pon, c h a n n e l negative energy (9d6, D C 37, 9/day), e n e rgy d r a i n (1 d 4 l evels, D C 3 1 ), fast

swa l l ow, myth ic power (4/day, s u rg e +1 d 8), swa l l ow w h o l e (4d 1 0 +1 8 b l u d g e o n i n g p l u s 4 d 1 0 cold a n d e n e rgy d ra i n, AC 2 5, 41 h p) Spell-Like Abil ities (C L 1 8th; concentration +27) C onstant-air walk, detect magic, magic fang At w i l l-contagion ( D C 23), deeper darkness, greater dispel magic, in visibility, unholy blight ( D C 23) 3/day-q u i ckened cane of cold ( D C 24), confusion ( D C 23), haste, hold monster ( D C 24) 1/day -finger of death ( D C 26), mass hold monster ( D C 28), plane shift ( D C 26), s u m m o n ( l evel 8, 6 g reater s h a d ows 1 0 0 %) TACTICS

During Combat The Father of Worms starts a fi ght by

s u m m o n i n g its six g reater shadows, using q u i ckened canes

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of cold on the first 3 rounds of combat to s u p p l ement its other ranged magical attacks. It casts haste o n itself and any

in a vessel capable of storing it, i n which case it retains its corrosive properties until poured out.

surviving shadows before entering melee. Morale The Father of Worms fig hts to the death. STATISTICS

Str 41, Dex 1 0, Con -, Int 20, Wis 2 1 , Cha 2 9 Base Atk +1 8; CMB +37; CMD 47 ( ca n't be tripped ) Feats Combat Expertise, Co m m a n d U n d ead, Critica l Focus,

G reater Vital Stri ke, I m p roved CriticalM ( bite) , I m p roved Critical (sting ) , I m p roved l n itiativeM, I m p roved Vital Stri ke, I ron W i l l, Power Attack, Quicken Spel l - L i ke Ability (cone of cold), Staggering Critical, Vital Strike Skills Intimidate +37, Knowledge (a rcana ) +33, Knowledge (d u ngeoneering ) +30, Knowledge ( p l a n es) +30, Knowledge ( rel i g i o n ) +33, Perception +33, Sense Motive +33, Spe ll craft +33, Stea lth +1 6 ( +24 in d i m l i g ht a n d da rkness) Languages Abyssal, Com m o n, I nfernal; telepathy 1 00 ft. SPECIAL ABILITIES

B reath Weapon (Su) O n ce every 1 d 4 rounds as a m ove

action, the Father of Worms can b reathe a 90 -foot cone of black e n e rgy. This deals 20d6 points of cold damage a n d i m p a rts 1d4 negative levels to a l l creatu res i n that a rea. A successf u l DC 3 1 Reflex save h a lves the cold d a m a g e a n d negates the negative levels. The save DC is Charisma-based. Corrosive Blood (Su) A creature that strikes the Father of Worms with a slashing or piercing melee attack must succeed at a DC 31 Reflex save or take 2d6 points of acid damage. This damage affects the wea pon used to damage the monster as wel l-the damage is not ha lved against objects and ignores hard ness. The acidic blood swiftly becomes inert un l ess captured

Treasure: In a dd ition to its extreme ly he lp ful bloo d , the Fath er o f Worms al so h as a sing le enormous d iamond wort h 2 5 , 0 0 0 gp emb e dde d in its b row. A mud -encruste d +4 animated heavy wooden shield an d a medallion of thou13hts a l so l ie among t he rubble in t he southeast portion o f the cave-gear le ft b e h ind by previous fai l e d adventurers th at some how manage d to avoid d estruction. Story Award: I f t he PCs h arvest the bloo d of the Father f o Worms b ut d o not s l ay it, you s hould awar d them full XP fo r the fi ght nonethe less-b ut i fyou do so and the PCs l ater return to success fully s l ay the worm, they s hou ld not gain more XP fo r fi nis hing the j ob! Harvesting its bloo d and s l aying it b oth count as t he same myt h ic trial .

Pa.Rt 3: The Inelucrable PRi.son

T he remaind er o f th is a dventure fo cuses on one of t he deadliest locations in the Ivory Labyrinth-the Ine luctable Prison. Somewhere deep inside th is dungeon awaits the Herald of Iome d ae, yet as t he PCs will soon l earn, the herald may b e past rescue. Simply reaching the herald should b e a di fficult task , for the prison's caretakers are numerous, and include a powerful conjoine d maril ith twin, a truly ancient lic h , masses of d emo d and s, an d ot h er h orrors. T h e prison itse lf is an ob stac l e t h at can an d s h ou ld b e overcome b y th e powers o f a party o f t h is l eve l , b ut not wit hout d i fficu lty and not wit h out some goo d tactical and rolepl aying d ecisions. T h e prison is, a fter a ll , stoc ke d wit h some o f Baphomet ' s great enemies wh o are sure ly eager to get t heir revenge. T he first view th at the PCs get ofthe Ineluctable Prison, whether it 's as they emerge from the den of the Father of Worms, crest a nearly airless mountain maze pass, or simply te leport in a fter securing information ab out the location, should b e b reathtaking indee d . T he prison is a massive sphere of countless b ones, all fu se d as i f made partially molten and then smashe d together. ��-;;,. Huge b onespurs lance _: ll directions !Ill•-- out in a from the central _

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sphere, which measures over 3,000 feet in width . T he entire thing is he ld aloft over a churning caldera ofblack water by immense ch ains that connect the prison to the ring of the surrounding mountains. A single 20- foot-wide rope bridge connects one of the mountain le dges near the pit to the prison-this b ridge measures well over a mile in length and despite its rickety appearance is solid and secure. Cascades of bl ack water churn from the surrounding mountains to plummet into the l ake some 2 miles b e low. T his l ake is nearly a mile deep, b ut despite how much water pours in from ab ove, the water leve l never rises.

APPROAC H ING THE INELU CTABLE P R I SON At a c loser view, t he detai l s o f the prison grow more d isturb ing. A single entrance is visible, a massive pair o f doors flanke d by multiple statues of Baphomet. T he spikes a d orning t he prison seem to s hi ft and adjust on t heir own, and upon many of t hem are impale d t he long- d ead b o d ies o f mortal s and d evil s a l i ke. Although the rope b ridge leading to the prison might look unsafe, particul arly considering its length , it is in

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fact the only safe approac h other th an merely teleporting across the span to the entrance at area F. C h aracters can approach the prison via flight-the Ivory Labyrinth doesn't shunt flying creatures into the Ivory Maze here unless they fly ab ove the surrounding mountain peak s-but doing so causes the spines th at cover the prison to flex and twitc h . As soon as any flying creature approaches within 300 feet, these spines b egin firing like enormous arrows. Each flying creature is targete d four times per round by a +20 attack roll ; on a hit, a spine deal s 6 d 6 points ofpiercing d amage. T hese spines h ave a x3 critical multiplier, threaten a critical hit on a i9-20, and overcome magic and epic d amage re duction. T he spines do not fire upon creatures with the demon sub type or h al f- fiend s like the guardians of the gates, but they target others visually with the b ene fits of true seein!J. F. The G roaning Gates { C R 1 7)

The ivory w all of the prison rises h i g h a bove a l a rg e l a n d i n g at the end of the bridge. Two pools of reflective water sit to either side of a pair of i m m e nse, red, twenty-foot-t a l l doors-the on ly

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a ppa rent entrance into the stra n g e structure. An i m mense lock of stra n g e, twitc h i n g metal holds the doors tightly shut. T he d oors to the prison are a fo rmid able c h allenge, yet b e fo re the PCs can even turn their attention to t hese massive portal s, they ' ll nee d to deal with the two guardians th at stand watc h here: h a lf- fi end great cyc lopes. T hese spend most of their time in a fo rm o f stasis wit hin the two pool s. As soon as any creature approaches the l anding, the monsters rise fr om t he waters and step fo rt h to b ar entry. Only a small numb er o f creatures are recognize d b y these guard s as h aving legitimate b usiness-t he myth ic

nalfeshnee Orengofta is one of them, and i f he ' s escorting PC prisoners, the cyclopes step asid e and a llow t hem to procee d . T he cyc lopes imme d iate ly attac k any visitors they d on' t recognize. HALF- F I E N D G REAT CYCLOPES (2) XP 51,200 each H a l f-fiend g reat cyclops (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 1 71 , Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2 61 )

CR 1 5

CE H u g e outsider ( native) lnit +2; Senses da rkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +26 DEFENSE

AC 32, touch 1 0, flat-footed 30 (+8 armor, +2 Dex, +1 4 natural,

-2 size) hp 229 each ( 1 7d 8+1 53 ) Fort +1 4, Ref +7, Will +1 5 DR 1 0/magic; I m m u n e poison; Resist acid 1 0, cold 1 0, el ectricity 1 0, fire 1 0; SR 26 OFFENSE

Speed 35 ft., fly 1 0 0 ft. ( good ) Melee +1 wounding glaive +26/+2 1 /+1 6 ( 3d8+22 / 1 9-20/ x3 ) ,

bite +1 9 ( 2d6+7 ) , gore +1 9 ( 1 d8+7 ) Space 1 5 ft.; Reach 1 5 ft. Special Attacks powerful charg e ( go re, 4d8+22 ) , rock throwi n g ( 1 2 0 ft. ) , sm ite good ( 1 /day) Spell-Like Abil ities (CL 1 7th; concentration +1 8) 3/day-darkness, poison ( DC 1 5 ) , unholy aura ( DC 1 9 ) 1/d ay-blasphemy ( DC 1 8) , contagion ( DC 1 5 ) , desecrate, horrid wilting ( DC 1 9 ) , summon monster IX (fiends only) , unhallo w, unholy blight ( DC 1 5 ) TACTICS

During Combat The h a l f-fi end g reat cyc l o pes p refer to fi g h t i n

m e l ee, a n d a re c a p a b l e of inflicting p u n i s h i n g b l ows s i n ce they p refer to attack with the a i d of Power Attack. They use t h e i r s p e l l s a g a i nst those who try to fig h t at ra n g e, b ut a ren't afraid to take to the a i r to attack as well since t h e prison's spines w o n ' t fi re on t h e m . Mora l e Eve r loyal, t h e two h a lf-fi e n d g reat cyc l o p e s fi g h t to t h e d e a t h . STATISTICS

Str 38, Dex 1 5, Con 29, Int 1 1, Wis 1 6, Cha 1 2 Base Atk +12; C M B +28 (+32 b u l l rush ) ; CMD 40 (42

vs. bull rush) Feats Awesome B low, Com bat Reflexes, G reater B u l l Rush,

I m p roved Bull Rush, I m p roved Critica l ( g l a ive) , I ron W i l l, Power Attack, Ski l l Focus ( Perception), Wea pon Focus ( glaive) Skills Acrobatics +1 6, Fly +1 9, Intim idate +1 8, Perception +26, Sense Motive +20, Stea lth +8 Languages Co m mon, Cycl o ps, G i a nt SQ flash of brutal ity Gear +2 breastplate, + 1 wounding glaive

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Entering the Prison ( C R 20} Normally, Baphomet h imse lf wou ld b e more fo cuse d on aid ing in the prison' s d e fense, b ut given h is current psyc hol ogical wound s and situation, the Lor d of the Minotaurs is content to mere ly watch . At the very least, the PCs ' actions cou ld serve as an extend e d security test fo r h is prison, and i f t he PCs do manage to b reak into it, Baphomet will k now how he nee d s to improve the prison' s d e fenses in the future. A l so in the PCs ' favor is the fact th at t he b u lk o f t he prison' s guar d ians dwe ll insid e the structure, so once the PCs d e feat the h a lf- fiend great cycl opes, they h ave some time to fi gure out how to get inside. At your d iscretion, i f t hey take too long, you can h ave a group o f power ful demons te leport in to attac k , b ut fo r th e most part the real c h a llenges await them wit h in. T he entrance to t h e prison itse lf consists o f a pair o f immense d oubl e d oors t h at are 20 feet h igh an d ma d e o f wh at l ook s a l most l i k e fr ozen bl oo d . Tormente d fa ces, seemingly carve d into t h e sur fa ce, s l owly s h i ft an d move, issuing so ft groans an d cries o f pain. Band s o f s h immering re d meta l fr ame t h e d oors, crossing over in t h e middle to fo rm an immense an d ornate l oc k in t h e s h ape o f Baph omet ' s pentagram. Eac h point o f t he pentagram is a k eyh ol e-eac h must b e un l oc k e d in sequence in or d er fo r t h e d oor to open, b ut ot h er meth o d s o f opening t h e gates exist (see b e l ow) . T h e interior o f t h e Ine luctabl e Prison is not tec h nica lly a part o f t h e Ivory Lab yrint h-it is its own d emip l ane o f t h e Ab yss, an d as suc h te l eportation into t h e prison d oes not fu nction fr om outsi d e. Plane shift work s in t h eory, save t h at Asmo d eus ' s origina l creation o f t h e prison ensures t h at its p l anar resonance constant ly s h i ft s suc h t h at t h e fo rk e d meta l ro d nee d e d as a fo cus fo r t h e spe ll constant ly c h anges, ma k ing t h is option e ffective ly impossibl e wit h out a specia lly prepare d item-l i k e t h at carrie d b y t h e d row Sven d ac k (see area L) . Fina lly, Bap h omet prevents a ll _gates fr om opening into t h e Ine luctabl e Prison, ren d ering t h at option o f entrance moot as we ll . An d o f course, since t h e interior is on anot h er p l ane, p hysica lly tunne l ing into t h e prison fr om anywh ere ot h er t h an its entrance d oes not work . Opening t he gates requires one of t he following l so utions, a lt hough at your d iscretion, other met ho d s might work as we ll , provid e d they are equally d i fficu lt. Brute Force: T h e d oors an d l oc k are b ot h ma d e o f a unique sub stance fo rge d fr om a mixture o f Ab yssa l quintessence and crysta ll ize d sou l s. Treat t he d oors an d l oc k as one object i f th e PCs wis h to smas h t hem open. T h e d oors h ave h ar d ness 30 an d i , o o o h it points; a success ful DC 90 Strengt h c h ec k is nee d e d to b rea k t h em d own. Damage ta k en b y t h e d oors se lf-repairs at a rate o f 20 h it points per roun d as l ong as t h e d oors h ave at

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l east i h it point remaining. A l so, eac h time t he d oors tak e d amage, t h e trap is triggere d (see page 28) . Keys: T he only creatures who carry t he five keys to the l oc k are Baphomet and the prison war d ens. Baphomet owns copies o f all five keys, b ut t he ot her five are he ld b y th ree d i fferent c h aracters th roughout t he prison-when they wis h to open the door, t hey must a ll gat her together to d o so. One key is he ld b y Plorig- Stagul (area I), and a second is h e ld b y Svend ac k (area L) . T h e fi nal th ree are carrie d b y Ylles hk a (area N). Magic: A simple knock spe ll (or equivalent e ffect, as o f h t at pro duce d by a chime of openin_g) is not enough to open th is legend ary portal , b ut a myth ic knock spe ll can work , provide d t he myt h ic knock spe ll is augmente d to 7t h leve l to simu ltaneous ly target a ll five l oc k s (th is is a special use o f the myt h ic knock spe ll-a c h aracter capable of casting mythic k noc k can realize this appl ication with a success ful DC 35 Spe llcra ft c hec k) . D ispel ma_gic can temporarily negate the magic trap on t he d oor b ut won' t a ffect t he d oor itse lf Passwall, phase door, and t he l i ke won't su ffice since the d oor is no mere wall b ut rath er a static portal b etween pl anes. Magic can b e use d to d amage the d oor (see Brute Force, ab ove) , b ut t he door automatically re flects all rays th at strike it b ack upon their source. An attempt to d amage the d oor triggers t he trap as we ll , even i f the d oor is struc k by a ray and re flects it. Lockpicking: T h e l oc k is animate d an d active ly work s against attempts to b e pic k e d , yet t h e tas k is not exact ly impossibl e . In or d er to pic k t h e l oc k , a c h aracter must succee d at fi ve succe ssive Disabl e D evice c h ec k s in 5 consecutive roun d s . You can ta k e 10 on t h is c h ec k , b ut not 20 , since ta k ing 20 in t h is case ta k es 2 minutes per attempt-more t h an enoug h time fo r t h e l oc k to s h i ft an d c h ange to inva l i d ate t h e c h ec k . T h e fi rst o f t h ese five Disabl e Device c h ec k s h as a DC o f 3 2 , an d t h e animate d nature o f t h e l oc k causes t h e DC o f eac h c h ec k t h at foll ows to increase b y 2 , so t h at t h e fifth c h ec k h as a D C o f 40. Any fa i l e d Disabl e D evice c h ec k triggers t h e gate ' s trap. Worm's Blood: Bl oo d h arveste d fr om t h e Fat her o f Worms is particu l arly potent against t he d oor ' s l oc k . I f a c h a l ice full of worm' s bloo d is poure d d irectly onto th e l oc k , t h e corrosive bl oo d eats t h rough t h e l oc k in i round , causing it to s l ough o ff t h e fa ce o f t h e d oor. A ft er t h is, t he d oors can b e opene d wit h ease-t h e l oc k must b e repl ace d b y Baph omet over t h e course o f many mont h s o f work . T h is met ho d d oes not trigger t he trap. Bypassing t he trap wit h t h is met ho d sti ll counts as d isarming it, an d sti ll resu lts in t h e l arge XP awar d . Trap: I f t he d oors are d amage d or a l oc k pic k ing attempt fa i l s, the hund re d s o f groaning faces on the d oor su dd en ly seet he into motion an d un l eas h a d ea dly wail of the banshee.

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G ROAN I N G GATE XP 307,200 Type magic; Perception DC 34; Disable Device DC 3 4

CR 20

EFFECTS

Trigger touch; Reset a utomatic Effect spell effect (wail of the banshee, CL 20th, 200 poi nts of

damage i n a 40 -foot- ra d iu s spread, Fortitude DC 2 3 negates) Story Award: Opening the doors to the Ine luctable Prison is a myth ic trial .

INELU CTABLE P R I SON FEATU RES As one wou ld expect, t he interior of the Ine luctable Prison is a tangle d maze. T h e vast b u lk o f th is maze consists o f seemingly endless wind ing h allways perio d ically interrupte d by ce llbloc k s containing eight to 12 prison ce ll s, b ut here an d t here in t he maze, more special ize d c h amb ers exist. T he h allways insid e the Ine luctable Prison are generally 10 fe et wide and 15 fe et tall . T he wall s are mad e o f masses o f b ones th at appear to b e partially me lte d and t hen fo rme d into sol i d s heets of ivory, yet t his material is as h ar d as ad amantine. T he d oors are made o f the same material , and are generally loc ke d (Disable Device DC 35, h ar d ness 20, hp 240, b reak DC 34) b ut unloc k automatically at the touc h o f any d emo d and or one o f the prison' s numerous ward ens. Wail s o f pain, maniacal l aughter, d emonic roars, desperate b egging, fo rlorn sobb ing, an d more constantly echo al ong t he h a llways o f the prison, fad ing away only in t he special ize d c h amb ers set apart from t he ce ll s. T he primary keepers o f th e prison are not d emons b ut d emo d and s. T hese fi end s normally d on' t get al ong we ll at a ll wit h d emons, b ut Baph omet manage d to capture and compe l a numb er of t heir k ind into serving as guard s and in some cases sub -war d ens. Certain ly their s ki ll at s l avery and imprisonment comb ine d wit h their anti- d ivine nature mad e t hem a great asset in h e lping to capture and secure a d ivine herald! Demo d and s are common a ll over the prison, and they are reasonably alert to the presence of unwante d visitors.

NAVIGATI NG TH E PRISON As with the maze-realms b eyond the prison' s wall s, th is structure 's maze l i ke interior is subject to s h i ft s and c h anges. No route b etween two locations ever remains exact ly t he same in the Ine luctable Prison, and without fo re k nowle d ge of locations to a llow greater te l eportation, one must explore t he prison' s tunne l s in or d er to even b egin to b e able to pre d ict its l ayout. Rat her t h an attempting the impossible tas k o f mapping out a prison wh ose maze l i k e interior s h i ft s an d c h anges, an d rat her th an fo rcing pl ayer c h aracters to en dure rolep l aying every single twist and turn in t he maze itse l f,

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transitions b etween encounter areas in t he Ine luctable Prison are h andl e d in an ab stract manner simi l ar to h ow exp l oration o f t he Ivory Lab yrint h itse lfwork s . Wh enever t he PCs l eave an encounter area, consu lt t h e en d o f t h e area fo r its Connections entry. T h is entry l ists ot h er encounter areas t h at are l in k e d to t h e area t h e PCs are l eaving. I f t he PCs h ave no speci fi c d estination in min d , roll d% to d etermine wh ic h o f t h e connecting areas t h ey eventua lly reac h a ft er spen d ing l d 4 hours wan d ering t h e maze. I f t h e PCs d o h ave a speci fi c d estination in min d , t hey can trave l to t h at d estination i f it ' s one o f t h e fo ur connecting encounters an d i f a c h aracter succee d s at a DC 30 Surviva l c h ec k to navigate t h e correct pat h . I f t he PCs attempt to trave l to an area not connecte d to t h e previous encounter area, t hen roll to d etermine where t hey en d up instead . Certain spe ll s can aid in navigating to k nown encounter areas. Know direction grants a +2 circumstance b onus on t he Surviva l c h ec k , wh i l e spe ll s l i k e locate creature or locate object (i f use d on creatures or obj ects k nown to b e in t h e targete d area) grant a +10 circumstance b onus. Find the path a lways s h ows t h e correct route to a connecte d encounter, negating t h e nee d fo r a Survival c h ec k , b ut h as no ab i l ity to fi nd a pat hway to an area more t h an one connection away. T h e ai d o f a d e mo d an d (most l i k e ly gaine d via min d contro l) grants a +20 circumstance b onus on t h e Survival c hec k . Te leportation is easi ly the swi ftest metho d o f trave l . Greater teleport a llows a group to move to any previous ly visite d l ocation unerringly. Teleport can serve as we ll , b ut b ecause of the s h i fting nature o f t he maze, no location can ever b e more t h an seen casually fo r t he purposes o f d etermining accuracy. Any o ff target teleport resu lt pl aces the c h aracter in a randomly d etermine d connecting area, wh i le a resu lt o f simi l ar area instead s hunts the targets out of t he prison entire ly and b ac k into the Ivory Maze. D imension door h as a range th at ' s too s hort to allow movement b etween encounter areas. Note t h at soon a fter the PCs move b eyond area G into h t e prison's interior, th ey ' ll b e contacte d by one o f th e prison' s more d esperate victims-see area H1 on page 32 fo r more d etail s.

PRISON GUARDS CCR 17) Regu l ar patro l s o f d emo d an d s move a l ong t h e h a ll s o f t h e Ine luctabl e Prison. T h ese patro l s are on t h e constant l oo k out fo r escape d prisoners or in filtrators, an d t h ey imme d iate ly attac k anyone t h ey encounter. T h e PCs cou ld , in t h eory, d isguise t h e entire party as d emo d an d s , in wh ic h case a numb er o f B lu ff an d Disguise c h ec k s wi ll b e require d in or d er to avoi d a fi g ht. Fortunate ly, t h e size o f t h e prison work s fo r t h e PCs, an d regar dl ess o f h ow many fi g hts t h ey get in wit h

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prison guar d s , t h ey genera lly won' t h ave to worry ab out esca l ations an d rein fo rcements. A typical encounter with prison guar d s is a CR 17 encounter with two tarry d emo d and s le d by a stringy d emo d and . T here ' s a 10% c h ance o f encountering suc h a patrol eac h time t he PCs move from one area to anot her­ i f an encounter occurs, you can use t he map fo r area H b ut omit a ll o f t he ce ll s, or simply th row toget her a maze o f 5- to 10- fo ot-wide tunne l s fo r t he fi ght to take pl ace in. T he PCs s hou ld encounter at least one patrol during th is a dventure, regar dless of your c hec k s. Consid er h aving them automatically encounter a patrol the fi rst time they enter t he prison maze proper. At your d iscretion, as t h e a dventure procee d s , t h ese encounters mig ht grow more d i fficu lt as t he d emo d an d s b ecome more an d more watc hful and concerne d , with one or two s l imy d emo d an d s j oining eac h patro l . T here are 90 tarry d emo d and guard s on patrol in the prison, and 30 stringy d emo d and s avail able as we ll . I ft he PCs encounter an d d e fe at enough o f t hese fo rces, it wi ll b e several wee k s b e fo re t he war d ens can arrange fo r new d emo d an d s to repl ace t h ese guar d s. T hese guar d s d o not count against t he d emo d an d numb ers encountere d as part o f t h e set encounter areas. T he PCs may want to question or intimid ate d emo d and s h t ey capture. T hey 're we lcome to try, b ut actually getting any use ful in fo rmation out o f a d emo d and requires either s k i llful rol epl aying or a tru ly impressive Blu ff, Diplomacy, or Intimid ate c hec k . Mind -controll ing magic is a muc h more re liable met ho d , b ut apart from using a d emo d and to aid in navigation, the prison' s tarry and stringy d emo d and s are re l ative ly unin fo rme d ab out th ings in the prison. T hey d o k now th at t he most important prisoner is h e ld in t he most secure of t he prison' s ch amb ers, yet no tarry or stringy d emo d and h as ever b een to th is c h amb er. TARRY DEMODANDS (2) XP 25,600 each hp 171 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 7 1 )

CR 1 3

STRINGY DEMODAND XP 51,200 hp 210 (see page 84)

CR 15

MI NOR 1 NHAB1TANTS AND QUIRKS Despite b eing a l egen d ary dungeon, t h e Ine luctable Prison remains a pro duct o f c h aos, an d it ' s h ar dly an or d erly pl ace d espite t h e b est e fforts o f t h e war d ers. T he prison contains minor pests an d d enizens, strange mani festations o f c h aotic pl anar energy, and ot h er pecul iarities. Liste d b e low are eight example encounters or mani fe stations t he PCs can experience wh i le exp l oring t h e prison-fee l fr ee to h ave t h ese occur as

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you wis h to l iven t h ings up, or use t h em as inspiration fo r t h e creation o f a dd itiona l minor encounters. Some o f these encounters can result in comb ats, b ut suc h comb ats s hou ld never b e signi fi cant c h a llenges . Bile Pools. A cascad e of acid ic, re dd ish b ile su ddenly vents into t he h a llway, strik ing one rand om PC. T he PC must succee d at a DC 15 Re flex saving th row or take 2 d 6 points of acid d amage. Blood Rain: Bloo d rains fr om t he cei l ing fo r 1 d 6 hours, imposing a -4 penalty on Perception c heck s. T he bloo d makes pu ddles on t he floor, b ut no matter how long it rains, it never pool s deeper th an th at. PCs without s he lter are d rench e d in a sauce t h at d emons fi nd de l icious. Dancing Human Bones: A human s ke leton d ances in h t e h allway. T hese are t he animate d remains o f a prior prisoner, and i f humans approac h wit h in 30 feet, a ma9ic mouth says, " I trespasse d in the Ine luctable Prison, and the servants o f Baphomet a dde d my b ones to those of a mi ll ion others. See your death b e fo re you. " T he s k e leton does not fi ght b ac k i f attac ke d . Lost Quasit: A single quasit name d Qua ffler comes fl apping down t he corrid or. T he creature h as b een lost in the maze fo r centuries, and it imme d iate ly b ond s with a rand om PC, regard ing her as its master. I f attac ke d , it s h rie k s in anger and tries to fly away-i f it escapes, it may fi nd a d emo d and and lead it b ac k to t he PCs to get revenge. Accepting the quasit as a minion is a minor c h aotic and evi l act th at s hou ld u ltimate ly lead to trage dy when th e quasit b etrays its master. Wandering Minotaur: T h is myt h ic minotaur is a legitimate visitor to the prison who either just came from de l ivering a message to one o f t he sub -ward ens of the prison or is on her way to d o so. Unusually, s he is not wi ll ing to fig ht i f outnumb ere d , b ut instead retreats an d b e llows fo r the guard s. I f capture d and convince d to he lp, s he cou ld lead t he PCs to an und iscovere d location.

RETREATI NG FROM TH E PRISON Expl oring t h e entire prison in one s h ot is l i k e ly an impossibl e tactic-eventua lly t he PCs wi ll nee d to rest an d recover fr om t h eir encounters. I f t h e PCs e l ect to camp in t he h a ll s or in a ce llbloc k , t h e c h ance o f t h eir rest b eing d isrupte d b y a patrol o f d emo d an d s is 30% per 4 h our perio d . I f t h e PCs instea d camp in an encounter area t h at t hey 've a l rea dy c l eare d out, t h is c h ance d rops to 10% per 8 h our perio d . Obvious ly, the sa fest option is to retreat fr om t he prison entire ly, and perh aps even from t he Abyss, to rest. T he PCs may al so nee d to retreat home to recover fr om particu l arly d evastating comb ats or to resupply. Un less the PCs destroy the Groaning Gate, t hey l a ways return to t he prison to fi nd these d oors cl ose d once again (a lt hough the trap, i f previous ly d isable d ,

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remains d isable d) . Asi d e fr om t h is not-insigni fi cant d eve l opment, t h oug h , t he interior o f t h e prison d oes not c h ange muc h , provid e d t h e PCs d on' t ta k e too long in returning. I f t he PCs l et wee k s pass b etween visits to t he prison, fee l fr ee to repopu l ate previous ly d e feate d encounter areas or restoc k monsters as you see fit.

SIGNS OF BAPHOMET Two recurring fe atures l in ke d to Baphomet appear th roughout the prison-statues o f t he d emon lor d and pentagrams on the floor t h at b ear the image o fh is face. Pentagram: T he pentagrams fu nction as permanent teleportation circles, a llowing swi ft trave l b etween them fo r d emons, demo d and s, and wors h ipers o f Baphomet. Suc h a creature nee d on ly step onto a pentagram and mentally picture t he target pentagram to te l eport. Ot her creatures who attempt to use t hese teleportation circles must succee d at a DC 25 Will save or b e te leporte d into a rand om loc ke d ce ll somewhere in t he dungeon. On a success ful save, the teleportation circle simply fa i l s to fu nction at all . A success ful DC 30 Use Magic Device a llows someone who is not a d emon, demo d and , or wors h iper o f Baphomet to use t he circle normally, b ut t he trave l er must sti ll mentally picture an appropriate d estination to activate the circ le.

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Statue: Eac h statue o f Baphomet is ma d e o f bl ac k , stone- l i ke Abyssa l quintessence ( h ar d ness i6, hp i8o, b reak DC 45) , save th at t he pentagram symb ol on t he b row o f eac h statue is raw an d re d and seeping wisps o f re d mist. T h ese statues are 6 feet tall an d rad iate conjuration ( h ea l ing) , necromancy, an d evi l . As a stan d ar d action, any d emon, d emo d and , or wors hiper o f Baphomet can offer a prayer to one of these statues and then touc h the smok ing star on t he b row- d oing so imme d iate ly targets t h e creature wit h a heal spe ll ( CL 20t h) . Any ot her creature t h at touc h es t h e star is targete d b y a harm spe ll (CL 20t h , DC i9) . A statue ' s star stops smo k ing fo r 24 hours a ft er it is activate d in eit her way, during wh ic h time touc h ing it h as no e ffect.

G. Priso ner's Bridge (CR 1 7) T he Groaning Gate, once opene d , revea l s a 20 - fo ot-wid e straight passageway th at runs directly into the prison. T his h a llway procee d s fo r 300 fe et b e fo re end ing at a smaller d ouble door. T h is d oor is a typical one fo r t he prison, and a lways opens into t he same encounter area: t he Prisoner 's Brid ge. Likewise, l eaving the Prisoner ' s Brid ge via the eastern passageway always lead s b ac k to th e Groaning Gate. On ly i f the PCs leave t he b rid ge via the western exit

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d o you nee d to consult the Connections section at t he end o f t his encounter area. The sti n k of carrion and some sha rp, acrid gas fi l l s this large cham ber. The room itself seems to be a n i m mense stone silo that rises out of sig ht, a n d d rops forty feet down i nto a churning l a ke of stea m i ng, pale b l u e fl u i d . This g a p is spanned by a ten­ foot-wide bridge. To the no rth, d own near the fl u i d l evel, a na rrow p latform beckons, w h i l e to the south, two i ron cages hang suspended i n the air 20 feet a bove the bridge. Each cage conta ins what a ppears to be a long -dead fiend of some sort. A success ful DC 30 Knowle d ge ( pl anes) c hec k id enti fies h t e d ea d d evi l s in t h e cages as pit fi en d s-a d isturb ing pair o f troph ies t h at s h ou ld d rive h ome t he magnitu d e o f t he prison' s scope. T h e flui d b e l ow is in fa ct a pungent, 40 - fo ot- d eep l a k e o f acid-a c h aracter t h at fall s into t h e acid ta k es appropriate fall ing d amage plus 10 d 6 points o f aci d d amage per roun d o f immersion. T h e poisonous vapors fr om t h e aci d fill t he b ottom 20 fe et o f t h is c h amb er. T h e stone wa ll s o f t he si lo d o not exten d und er t he sur fa ce o f t h e aci d , an d in d ee d t h e l a k e exten d s a b it b eyon d t he wa ll s as s h own. Ab ove, t h e si lo rises up fo r 500 feet b e fo re en d ing at a d ome d ecorate d wit h a massive pentagram o f Baph omet. Creatures: A pair o f tarry d emo d an d s are a lways statione d in the guar d room at t he west end o f t he b rid ge, b ut t he primary guar d ian o f t h is c h amb er dwe ll s in t he l a k e b e low. Large ly un d etectable unti l it surges into motion, t h is creature is a massive myt h ic crysta l ooze re fe rre d to b y t h e prison ' s guar d s as t he Pool o f Ultimate End ing. Wh i le t he enormous ooze cannot c l imb , its reac h is more t h an enough to stri ke at fo es crossing t h e b rid ge ab ove. Once t hey h ear t he ooze attac k , t h e two d emo d and s in t h e guar d room j oin t h e fr ay, fi ghting to t h e d eat h . POOL OF U LTIMATE E N D I N G XP 51,200

CR 1 5/MR 6

Colossal mythic crystal ooze (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 1 66, Pathfinder RPG Mythic A dventures 226 ) N Colossal ooze (a q u atic, mythic) l n it +O; Senses b l indsight 60 ft.; Perception -5 Aura unholy aura ( DC 1 3 ) DEFENSE

AC 26, to uch 6, flat-footed 26 ( +4 deflection, +20 natural, -8 size) hp 376 ( 1 6d 8+304 ) ; regeneration 1 5 ( good spell or wea pon ) Fort +2 5, Ref +9, Will +4 D R 1 0/epic; Immune acid, cold, fi re, ooze tra its; S R 26 OFFENSE

Speed 10 ft., swim 3 0 ft. Melee 2 slams +23 (4d 8+28 p l u s para lysis) Space 30 ft.; Reach 60 ft.

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Special Attacks acid, myth i c power ( 6 /day, s u rg e +1 d 8 ) ,

potent p a ra lysis Spell-Like Abil ities ( CL 1 6th; concentration +1 1 ) Constant-unholy aura ( DC 1 3 ) TACTICS

During Combat The ooze, despite b e i n g u n i nte l l i g ent, can

sense the d ifference between chaotic evi l outsiders and other creatures. It does not attack chaotic evil outsiders, but furiously assaults a l l other intruders i nto t h i s c h a m b e r w i t h its i m m ense a c i d i c p s e u d o p o d s as l o n g as t h e y rema i n w i t h i n 60 feet of t h e a c i d s u rface b e l ow. Morale The vast ooze fig hts to the death. STATISTICS

Str 48, Dex 1 0, Con 42, Int -, Wis 1, Cha 1 Base Atk +12; CMB +39; CMO 53 Skills Swim +27 SPECIAL ABILITIES

Potent Paralysis (Ex) A creature d a m a g e d by t h e ooze's

s l a m attack must a l s o succeed at a DC 3 4 F o r t i t u d e save o r be p a r a l yzed for 3d6 r o u n d s . This p a r a l ys i s effect can even affect those u n d e r the prote c t i o n of freedom of m o vement, o r w h o a re n o r m a l l y i m m u n e to p a ra lysis effects, a l t h o u g h mythic creatures w h o have i m m u n i ty to p a ra lysis g a i n a +1 0 b o n u s o n t h e i r saving th rows to resist. W h e n used to p a ra lyze a crea t u re n o r m a l l y i m m u n e t o t h e effect, t h i s is a s u p e r n a t u ra l a b i l ity. T h e save D C is Constituti o n - ba s e d . TARRY OEMOOANOS (2) XP 25,600 each hp 171 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 71 )

CR 1 3

Connections: Area H (01-80) or area I (81-100) .

H . C e l l blocks ( C R 1 6) Cellbloc k s are the most numerous locations found wit hin the Ine luctable Prison-the map on page 30 s hows an example ce llbloc k l ayout, b ut you s hould fe e l free to vary the exact orientation o f th e passageways or numb er and size of prison ce ll s eac h time t he PCs encounter one o f these locations. Prison ce ll s sometimes appear on their own in the mazes th at connect areas as we ll , b ut most o f these ce ll s are groupe d together in block s l i ke t his one, fo rming groups o f ab out 10 ce ll s or so. T he prison cell s vary in size-some are small and b are ly h ave enough room fo r a human to lie d own, wh i le others are re l ative ly l arge-and t hey 're irregu l arly s h ape d , wit h polis he d smooth wall s, floors, and cei l ings. Ce ll s sustain those imprisone d wit h in via an e ffect id entical to t h at grante d b y a rin_g ofsustenance, so prisoners h ave no nee d fo r fo o d , water, or waste d isposa l-th is h as t he a dde d b ene fit o f d enying prisoners any sort of utensi l s or fu rniture at a ll , resu lting in horribly uncom fo rtable quarters. Air is

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constant ly re fr es he d wit h in eac h ce ll so th at su ffocation is never a worry, a lthough t he air in the ce ll s tend s to b e rank and c lose. Not all ce ll s are occupie d . T here is, in fact, on ly a 20% c h ance o f any one ce ll b eing occupie d , fo r as prisoners expire, their remains are remove d and destroye d . When a ce ll is occupie d , the entrance is seale d wit h a wall of force. T hese wall s can b e d estroye d or remove d as normal fo r suc h , b ut they can al so b e activate d or deactivate d b y the touc h of any demo d and other th an a tarry demo d and , even i f t he previous wall of force was destroye d . T he interior o f eac h ce ll is a l so war d e d b y a permanent dimensional lock e ffect (CL 20t h) . T here are numerous ce llbloc k s scattere d th roughout h t e prison-wh et her or not t he PCs run across one they 've al ready encountere d (t hus mak ing it potentially unguar d e d) is l e ft to you. Creatures: Each cellblock features a central guard station watc he d over b y th ree tarry d emo d and s th at imme d iate ly attac k intru d ers. T h is guar d station fe atures a statue o f Baphomet (see page 30) b ut no ot her fu rnis hings. The occupants of occupie d cell s should vary wildly, but as a general ru le, none of the prisoners kept in the ce llbloc k s s hou ld b e a signi ficant he lp or th reat to t he PCs. Many of the prisoners are middling to power ful d evil s ( Baphomet particu l arly d espises these outsid ers, a fter all , and when he captures one of note he o ften send s it to t he prison to eventually d ie o f ab use) , b ut some capture d humanoid s and even some d emons who d isplease d Baphomet can b e found here as we ll . Free d d emons and d evil s generally attac k t heir " saviors " on sight, as eager fo r a c h ance to vent their fr ustrations as t hey are fo r t he bliss o f d eath . Ot her c h aracters s hou ld b e in various stages o f d isab i l ity, mad ness, or the li k e, and may require signi ficant PC aid in or d er to survive escape. T he PCs should encounter four unique prisoners (as d etaile d as areas H1-H4) at some point in the a dventure. T he or der in wh ich t he PCs encounter the prisoners d oesn't matter as muc h as the fact t h at a ll fo ur provid e c lues th at advance t he a dventure ' s plot. T he PCs can either encounter these prisoners as t hey explore ce llbloc k s, or they cou ld encounter th em in one o f the ce ll s ab utting area I or area M. TARRY DEMODANDS (3) XP 25,600 each hp 171 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 71)

CR 1 3

Story Award: I fyour PCs misse d a myt h ic tria l , consider ll a owing them to make up fo r it b y rescuing at least a d ozen signi ficant prisoners from these ce ll s-returning them to t he Material Pl ane sa fe and sound can constitute a myth ic trial .

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Connections: Area G (01-50) , area I ( 51-75) , area J (76-85) , area L (86-90) , area M (91-94) , area N (95-97) , or area 0 (98-100) .

H l . A S i m p l e Fri e n d ( C R 7) Waxb erry ' s ce ll is one of t he smaller ones i n the ce llbloc k in wh ic h s he is locate d . Creature: Waxb erry h a d t h e un fo rtunate luc k to b e in c lose proximity to t he Hera ld o f Iome d ae during t he b att l e fo r Ra l iscra d wh en Ylles hk a mani feste d an d abducte d t h e power ful outsi d er. S h e b rave ly attempte d to intervene, k nowing t h at d oing so was l i k e ly a d eat h sentence. In a way, her fate was worse t h an d eat h , fo r upon arriva l in t h e Ine luctable Prison s h e was fo rce d to watc h as Baph omet tormente d t h e h era ld and , in t h e end , tore out h is heart and fi na l ize d h is corruption. Since t hen, s h e ' s b een l e ft h ere in a re l ative ly sma ll ce ll wit h l itt l e h ope fo r anyt h ing ot her t h an dying o f old age in a fo rsa k en corner o f t h e Ab yss. T h rough it a ll , Waxb erry never l ost h er fa it h , an d Iome d ae h as notice d . A ft er Waxb erry was l e ft to rot in t h is ce ll , Iome d ae grante d her a vision o f t he PCs as her rescuers. Wh en t h e vision passe d , Waxb erry fo und a holy symb ol in h er h an d s-t h is was her sa lvation, fo r it l ets her prepare and cast spe ll s . Most important ly, it l ets her cast helpin!J hand. T h e spe ll l asts fo r on ly 5 h ours eac h d ay, b ut as fate wou ld h ave it, wh en t h e PCs fi rst enter t he prison, s h e ' s just cast t h e spe ll . T h e h an d see k s out one o f t h e PCs (wh oever appears to b e t h e most d evote d foll ower o f Iome d ae or anot her goo d d eity) , and s hou ld fi n d t he PCs not l ong a ft er t h ey h ea d into t h e maze a ft er d ea l ing wit h t he Prisoner ' s Brid ge (area G). I f t he PCs foll ow t h e g h ost ly h and , it l ea d s t h em b ac k to Waxb erry ' s ce ll automatically, a lt h ough t h ey ' ll nee d to d ea l wit h t he ce llbl oc k ' s d emo d an d guar d s b e fo re t h ey can talk to h er. Waxb erry is d resse d in a tattere d blue-and -gray d ress and c lutc hes her on ly possession, her holy symb ol , tightly to her c hest. T he d emo d an d s l arge ly ignore her, b ut s he ' s sti ll quick to h id e t he symb ol i f s he notices anyone approac hing. When s he sees the PCs, s he erupts in tears o f j oy, b egging t hem to rescue her so t h at s he can he lp them save Iome d ae ' s herald . Waxb erry k nows th e PCs may b e suspicious o f h er, and d oes her b est to convince t hem s he ' s an innocent victim and a fr iend . S he wants to b e he lp ful , to escape and rescue the herald fr om h is vi le fate, b ut whether t he PCs agree to save her or not is up to t hem. I f t he PCs b e l ieve her an d rescue her, s h e b rave ly recounts wh at l itt l e s h e k nows o f t h e situation. S he can d escrib e how a 12-arme d , two - h ead e d , d emonic snak e ­ woman appeare d on t h e fi e ld o f b att l e in Ra l iscra d not l ong a ft er t h e crusad ers ' command er conjure d t h e Herald o f Iome d ae to aid in t h e fi g ht. Waxb erry was near t h e

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hera ld at t h e time, an d s h e was swept up wit h h im b y t h e d emon. T h e next t h ing s he k new, s h e was hu ddl e d in a great cavern o fb ones, watc h ing fr om a le d ge overlook ing a l a k e o fb oi l ing tar. T he h erald was stand ing on a circu l ar d isc floating in t h e tar, an d fo r wh at felt l i k e years, Waxb erry was powerless to d o anyt h ing b ut watc h as t he herald was torture d by someth ing s h e could n' t quite b ear to look d irect ly upon. S h e d escrib es t h e s h ape as h aving carrion b ir d wings, h oo fe d feet, a crown o f fi re, an d a bl ee d ing pentagram on its b row-a success ful DC 25 Knowle d ge (re l igion) c hec k reveal s t h is was Baph omet i f t he PCs d on' t rea l ize it on t heir own, con fi rming fe ars t h at Waxb erry h as b een unabl e to a d mit. In t he en d , t h e s h ape tore out t he herald' s heart and gave it over to the prison' s 12-arme d ward en-and here, Waxb erry b reak s d own fo r a b it. T h rough sob s, s h e exp l ains how t h e hera ld fi na lly sub mitte d , pl e d ge d its l oyalty to t he d ark ness, and b ecame corrupte d . S h e k nows t h at h e is now t h e Hera ld o f t h e Ivory Lab yrint h , b ut remains convince d it ' s not too l ate . T h at ' s why s he ' s sti ll a l ive an d why Iome d ae sent t h e PCs to h er, s h e b e l ieves: so s he can te ll t h em wh at h appene d and t h at it ' s not too l ate to save t he h erald fr om h is fate. Waxb erry h as a few more h ints to a dd . h S e suspects t h at t h e hera ld ' s h eart is t h e k ey-t h at returning it to h im may h e lp to restore h is b o dy, an d t hus provi d e a c h ance to restore h is spiritua l ity. But s h e a l so k nows t h at h e ' ll nee d power ful magic to recover as we ll . S he hopes t h at atonement spe ll s mig ht h e lp h ere, b ut sa dly notes t h at suc h magic is b eyon d h er s k i ll . I f t he PCs expl ain to her t h at Iome d ae grante d t h em th e spe ll , s h e b rig htens; t h is con fi rms h er b e l ie f t h at t he spe ll may b e t h e k ey to re d eeming t he hera ld , fo r why e l se wou ld Iome d ae grant it to t he h eroes ? Sure ly t h ey wou ld n ' t nee d to use suc h spe ll s fo r t h emse lves ! S he suspects th at t he 12-arme d d emonic war d en, whose name s he h as since learne d is Ylles hk a, h as pl ace d the h erald 's heart in t he prison' s vau lt, b ut s he d oesn't k now where t h at vault is locate d . Finally, Waxb erry h as al so hear d the name "Ald erpas h" mentione d b y the prison' s minions, and h as piece d together that th is person is a fe llow prisoner, yet one whom the guar d s fear-perh aps t he on ly prisoner the guar d s regard in suc h a manner. Perh aps see k ing out Ald erpas h could b e a wise pl an, fo r certain ly i f a fellow prisoner frightens d emons and d emo d and s, he or s he must b e a strong a lly to h ave in a pl ace l i ke t h is ?

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WAXBERRY XP 3,200

CR 7

Female halfling cleric of lomedae 5/ rog ue 3 LG S m a l l h u m a n o i d (halfling) l n it +7; Senses Perception +1 6 DEFENSE

AC 1 4, touch 1 4, flat-footed 1 1 (+3 Dex, +1 size) hp 44 (8 H D; 5d8+ 3d 8+5) Fort +6, Ref +8, Will +1 1 ; +2 vs. fea r, +1 vs. traps Defensive Abil ities evasion OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft. Melee u n a rmed strike +7 (1d2+1) Special Attacks channel positive energy 5/

day (DC 1 4 [1 6 to d a m a g e u ndead], 3 d 6 [ + 5 v s . u n d ead]), s n e a k attack +2d 6 Domain Spel l-Like Abil ities ( C L 5th; concentration +8) 6/day-touch of glory (+2) Rog ue Spell- Like Abilities (CL 3 rd, concentration +2) 3/day-moge hand Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 5th; concentration +8) 3 rd-create food and water, helping hand, searing light0 2 n d-bless weopon°, calm emotions (DC 1 5), lesser restoration, resist energy 1 st-comprehend languages, detect evil, endure elements0, pro tection from evil, sanctuary (DC 1 4) O (at w i l l ) -creote water, detect poison, mending, purify food and drink D d o m a i n spell; Domains G l o ry, S u n TACTICS

Before Combat Waxberry doesn't trust the priso n's sustenance, and casts create food and water a n d endure elements dai ly. S he hasn't been sleeping either because of her n i g htmares, and uses lesser restoration each morning to

combat her fatigue. During Combat Waxberry kn ows s he's outmatched, so if

sh e's rescu e d by the PCs, s he focuses p r i m a r i l y on fi l l i n g a s u pport role, h a n g i n g b a c k a n d prov i d i n g h ea l i n g w h i l e d o i n g h e r best to stay out of the w a y of d i rect combat. Morale Waxberry fig hts to the death as long as she's with the PCs, knowing that her best cha nces at s u rviving this situation is to stay by their side until the end. STATISTICS

Str 1 2, Dex 1 6, Con 1 0, Int 8, Wis 1 6, Cha 1 4 Base Atk +S; CMB +S; CMD 1 8 Feats Combat Casting, I m p roved I n itiative, I ron W i l l ,

Selective Channeling Skills Acrobatics +S, Clim b +3, Disable Device +1 0, Knowledge

(planes) +4, Knowledge (religion) +1 0, Perception +1 6, Stealth +14

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Languages Common, Halfling

SQ rog u e tal ents (m i n o r magic), sun's b l essing, trap sense +1, trapfi n d i n g +1 G e a r holy sym bol Story Award: T he PCs earn 51,200 XP i f t hey rescue Waxb erry and return her to the Material Pl ane.

H2. The H a u nted C e l l As t h e P C s approac h t h is ce ll , any pa l a d ins o r d evout wors h ipers o f Sarenrae in t h e party su dd en ly fee l a c h i ll , as i f a cold win d h a d bl own past t hem. No ot h er c h aracters fe e l t h is, b ut pa l a d ins an d Sarenites can easi ly foll ow t h e c h i ll b reeze to its source: a ce ll t h at appears to b e empty b ut sti ll , unusua lly, h as its wall of force up an d active. T h e ce ll wit h in is empty save fo r a few scraps o f c l ot h an d a spl as h o f d rie d bloo d on t h e fl oor. Wit h out a pa l a d in, a passing party can notice t he unusua l fa ct t h at wh at appears to b e an empty ce ll is sti ll l oc k e d tight wit h a success ful DC 20 Perception c h ec k . I f the wall of force is remove d , a gust o f cold wind blows out of the cell , this time a ffecting the entire party. T his ce ll is h aunte d . Wh i le there is no b o dy here, t he unquiet spirit o f a d esperate pal a d in remains b ound to the ce ll a fter her suicide long ago. Her b o dy was d ispose d of, b ut her spirit l ingers, still in t he torment th at s he attempte d to escape b y tak ing her own l i fe . T h is spirit is simil ar to a h aunt, save th at it h as no real ab i l ity to h arm or ot herwise d irectly in fluence t he l iving real m, b ut the PCs can communicate wit h it as long as t hey stand in the room. When t he spirit communicates, it mani fe sts as a faintly h s immering spectral image of a b eauti ful woman c l ad in rags an d blee d ing fr om a ragge d , se lf-in fl icte d gas h to t he t h roat. Her voice gurgl es as s h e speak s. In l i fe, t h is pal a d in was La dy Cessi ly Mantie l , a d evout pa l a d in o f Sarenrae wh o, a l ong wit h her husb an d Kestoglyr, went on a d aring rai d into t he Ivory Labyrint h long ago. Wh en Kestog lyr succumb e d to Baph omet and b etraye d t h eir team, Cessi ly trie d to reason wit h h im, on ly to b e turne d over to Baph omet b y her husb an d . S h e was imprisone d here, and in time her d espair d rove h er to suici d e. A lt hough t he k nowl e d ge t h at h er husb and b etraye d her hurts, t h e t h ing t h at d rove her over t h e e d ge was t he k nowl e d ge t h at t he potent weapon s h e h a d b een entruste d b y t he c hurc h to d e fe nd was ta k en fr om h er and corrupte d . T h is weapon was Dawnflower's Kiss, a " scimitar ma d e fr om one o f t h e d awn' s fi rst rays. " S he as k s t he PCs to b ring it to h er, fo r s he fe e l s t h at her l ingering spirit can scorc h out t h e corruption an d restore t h e weapon­ an act o f re d emption b e fo re s he can fi nally rest in peace. S h e k nows t h e weapon was ta k en b y one o f Baph omet ' s h ig h priestesses, a vi l e woman who dwe ll s in a s h rine e l sewh ere in t h is prison. T h is is t he d row Sven d ac k (see

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area L), b ut t h e woman' s name is un k nown to Cessi ly, and s he a l so is unaware o f t h e fa ct t h at Sven d ac k h as pl ace d D awnflower's Kiss in t he vau lt (area K). Wh at s h e can d o is he lp t h e PCs fi n d t he s h rine b y sen d ing a cold win d a l ong t he passageways fo r t h e PCs to foll ow. I f t h ey d o t h is, t hey automatica lly arrive at area L a ft er leaving t h is ce llbloc k . At t he en d o f t h e d iscussion, Cessi ly fad es way, b ut as s h e d oes, s h e blesses t he PCs b y saying, " May your b ones never j oin t h ose o f t h e Ivory Lab yrint h . " T h is bl essing protects t h e PCs wit h a death ward ( CL 15t h) fo r t he remain d er o f t h is a dventure (or unti l t h e e ffect is d ispe lle d , o f course) . Development: T h e PCs l i ke ly a l ready met Cessi ly ' s husb an d on t h e Mi d night Is l es; i f so, s h e is re l ieve d to hear h is existence as a grave k night is en d e d . I f t he PCs sti ll h ave h er staff of healing an d compl ete h er mission, s h e grate fully in fu ses it wit h h er sou l , imme d iate ly rec h arging it and upgrad ing it to a staff of life. S h e can per fo rm t h is b oon on ly once. Story Award: Putting Cessily ' s spirit to rest by allowing her to puri fy her corrupte d Dawnflower's Kiss earns the PCs 51,200 XP.

H J . The Angel 's C o rpse T h is prison ce ll ' s wall of force is active, even t h ough its occupant seems to b e d ead . T he nature o f t h at occupant, t houg h , s h ou ld give t h e PCs pause, fo r wit h in t h e ce ll is t he muti l ate d corpse o f an ange l . Huge gold en fe at h ers l ie scattere d around t h e a pair o f bl oo d ie d wings, torn fr om t h e b o dy o f a d ark-s k inne d man. T h is was, unti l recent ly, an astra l d eva name d Ma l ai k a. He storme d t h e Ab yss in a fo olh ar dy attempt to rescue t h e h era ld of h is go dd ess, acting wit h out h er l eave, and fo r h is troubles was capture d , torture d , and muti l ate d to d eat h . In time, t he d emo d and s will d ispose o f h is b o dy, b ut seeing no rus h , t h ey 've l e ft t h e remains here fo r now. Ma l ai k a is quite d ead , b ut i f t he PCs can b ring h im b ac k to l i fe via miracle, w ish, or true resurrection, t he astra l d eva comes b ac k wit h a new sense o f humi l ity tempere d b y an even stronger d esire to honor h is go dd ess. He pl e d ges h is service to t h e PCs, promising to aid t hem in t heir quest an d he lp t h em rescue t he h era ld , b ut he wi ll not tak e t h e l ead in comb at-h e fo cuses now on aid ing ot h ers rat her t h an see k ing g l ory fo r h imse l f, an d in b att l es h e supports t he PCs wit h h ea l ing an d t h e l i k e , s h i ft ing over to o ffensive spe ll s on ly in roun d s wh en no PC nee d s h is ai d . Mal ai k a' s +2 disrupting warhammer h as b een ta k en-h e k nows it was t h rown into a cesspit, wh ere it was a dd e d to t h e h oar d o f an immense tarn l innorm name d Uffran d ir. He k nows t h is l innorm is one o f Baph omet ' s pets, an d wh i l e h e won' t suggest retrieving it as a course o f action, he can lea d t h e PCs to t h e c h amb er (area J) wit h re l ative ease.

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Mal aik a manage d to learn a few t hings o f interest ab out h t e Ine luctable Prison and its inh ab itants, and is eager to s h are th is k nowle d ge. It would b e wise to d e feat t he prison' s more power ful ward ens and sub -war d ens b e fo re attempting to save t he herald , to prevent a situation where a ll of t he prison' s •

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power ful d e fen ders come to protect t heir greatest prisoner at once. Mal ai k a k nows t h at the war d en Ylles hk a, the prison' s high priestess Svend ack , and the tarn l innorm Uffr and ir are signi ficant fo rces in the prison-there may b e more. Baph omet k nows a ll t h at goes on in h is prison, b ut he seems to b e content to l et t he prison d e fen d itse l£ T he d emon lord may eventually send some favore d minions to b ol ster the de fenders ' strength , however-particul arly i f the linnorm Uffrandir is s l ain, as Baphomet is particu l arly fo nd o f t h is b east). Mal aik a a l so k nows t h at t here are other prisoners in the ce ll s who might b e able to he lp-he can lead the PCs to Waxb erry 's ce ll , and may b e able to lead them to ot hers at your d iscretion. CR 1 4

MALAIKA X P 38,400

Astral deva (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 1 0) hp 1 72

Story Award: Resurrecting Mal aik a and learning wh at he k nows earns t he PCs 38,400 XP.

H4. A D evilish Ally ( C R 1 9) Areas H1-H3 a ll contain fellow c h ampions of goo d (or wh at ' s le ft o f them), b ut Baphomet does not l imit h is enemies to t he armies o f Heaven. Devil s hold a specia l pl ace in h is heart as we ll , and many of the ce ll s t he PCs pass in the prison hold seet h ing devil s of various types. T h is ce ll , t hough , s hould catc h the party ' s eyes, fo r its occupant is stand ing entire ly motionless, as i f in a trance. Creature: T h is fi gure is Suurl a hetas, an immol ation devil and a well-b rie fed amb assador from Dis who sought to hire a legion of l abyrint h minotaurs and a lly b rie fly wit h Baphomet against a mutual fo e. T h is a lliance was l ogical and we ll pl anne d , and might h ave resulte d in the a critical blow against b oth the Knights of Ozem and t he Pat hfind er Lo d ge of Katapes h h a d Suurl a hetas manage d to convince Baphomet o f the wis d om o f the pl an. A l as, the

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immol ation devil overestimate d h is own d iplomatic prowess and und erestimate d the power of Baphomet ' s h atre d o f d evi l s, and h as b een imprisone d here ever since. Baphomet knows Suurl ahetas is an important creature and hopes to ransom him b ac k to Dispater-or more l i ke ly, to one of Dispater 's rival s. As the PCs pass b y, Suurl a hetas ' s eyes fl it d own to watc h . He then makes te lepath ic contact with one o f the PCs-whoever l ook s the see d iest or otherwise most l ike ly to l isten to what he h as to say. Suurl ahetas e loquently requests t h at the PCs re lease h im. In return, he promises to he lp them by te lling them secrets o f th is prison t hey are ob vious ly here to in flict mayhem with in. Despite h is nature, Suurl a hetas is honest and trut hful , and is wi ll ing to make suc h promises and even sign a contract i f t h at ' s wh at it takes to convince the PCs he won't b etray him. Suurl a h etas k nows a great deal ab out the prison, and you can use h im to in fo rm t he PCs o f pieces f o in fo rmation t hey may h ave misse d from areas Hz or H3. He can al so tell them how the pentagram-s h ape d teleportation circles work and wh at use the Baphomet statues serve, b ut perh aps the most important b it o f in fo rmation he can impart is t h at stepping h f onto one o t ose teleportation circles wit h at least t hree o f the five k eys nee d e d to un lock t he Groaning Gate a llows transportation to the prison' s most secure ce ll . He k nows th at th ree of the five keys are he ld by the prison's war d en, b ut isn' t sure where t he other two are. Finally, he k nows the location ofthe prison vau lt (area K). PCs who follow h is d irections can arrive at th is l ocation automatically when leaving an area th at connects to t he vau lt. Once he d e l ivers on h is side o f the b argain, Suurlahetas wis hes the PCs luc k and d eparts, see k ing the exit so he can pass th rough to t he Ivory Labyrint h and b e on h is way home. I f the PCs offer to send h im b ac k to He ll , he won' t d ecl ine t he offer. At your d iscretion, the d evi l may l inger in the prison and could even come to the PCs ' aid at a l ater point-this is truly a case where the enemy of one 's enemy can b e a fr iend , b ut tak e care not to mak e Suurl ahetas too amiable. He remains a d evil , a fter a ll! S U U RLAH ETAS XP 204,800

CR 1 9

I m m o lation devil (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 2 87) hp 3 1 5

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Story Award: Re leasing th e devil and learning wh at he k nows earns t he PCs 38,400 XP.

1. TORTURE CHAMBER CCR 18 TO 20) This l a rge chamber is d ecorated in p a i n . A g ut-wrenching assortment of torture i m p l ements g r im l y d ecorates the room­ i ro n maidens, barbed cages, racks, vivisectio n tables, and more. Blood and decay infuse the air and sta i n the floors, and the sense of misery is a l most p a l p a b l e .

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T he Ine luctable Prison is not where Baphomet hold s captives who have information he nee d s-he is more th an capable of extracting answers from h is victims on his own. T h is we ll -stoc k e d and we ll -use d torture c h amb er is, as a resu lt, the on ly one o f its k ind in t he prison, and is more o f a sort of lounge and recreation room fo r t he prison' s guar d s t h an anyt h ing e l se. T he main torture c h amb er is area h . Area Iz contains a single statue of Baphomet (see page 30) , wh ile area 13 is a small recor d s room where the lead er of t he prison's d emo d and s k eeps notes on in fo rmation extracte d fr om prisoners. Area 14 contains th ree more statues of Baphomet and a teleportation circle. None o f the d oors in th is area are k ept loc ke d . T he two prison ce ll s just outsid e the torture c h amb er are use d as staging ce ll s for prisoners ab out to b e torture d or awaiting transport b ac k to t heir ce ll s a fter b eing torture d . Creatures: T he prison' s tarry and stringy d emo d and s are generally not allowe d to enj oy the facil ities of th is c h amb er, l eaving it instead fo r th e more power ful d emo d and s. When the PCs fi rst visit t h is site, a pair o f s l imy d emo d and s are b usy h ere, occupie d with a s h rie k ing upasund a asura they 've l as he d to one o f the vivisection tables wit h c h ains. Norma lly, an asura' s association wit h bl asphemy wou ld intrigue and de l ight a d emo d and , b ut t hese torturers are more intereste d in torment th an ph il osoph ical d iscussions. T h e asura' s normally tangl e d and twiste d l imb s h ave b een stretc he d taut to t he sid es o f the table, and the d emo d and s h ave b een amusing themse lves fo r d ays now b y cutting away at her b o dy, letting her regenerate t he d amage, and t hen repeating th e viol ence. Now and t hen the gibb ering demo d and s moc k the asura, call ing her a " fal se d evil" and " in fe rnal vagab ond " and other insults th at imply her k ind h as no real role in He ll or the Great Beyond . T he d emo d and s are so involve d in th eir grisly pl ay th at t hey tak e a -4 penalty on Perception c hec k s to notice t he PCs, b ut once t hey do they imme d iate ly cease their tortures an d move to attac k , fi ghting to the death . T he leader o f the d emo d and s, and sub ­ d war en o f t he prison, is current ly rearranging t he extensive notes in area 13 . T h is hu lk ing monstrosity is a s h aggy d emo d and name d Plorig- Stagul , and it h s ould n' t take long fo r her to real ize t h at t he screams d an curses coming up from the main room of the c hamb er h ave c h ange d in tenor. It takes her i d 4+i round s to j oin a b att le once it b egins in t he torture c h amb er, b ut s he isn' t quite as intereste d in fi ghting to t he d eat h as her sub ord inates . I f re duce d to fe wer t h an 100 h it points, s he retreats to area 14 and uses the teleportation circle to flee to area L and recruit Svend ack 's aid in preparing a retributive attac k against t he PCs.

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T he asura is mad with pain and rage; i f free d , she attack s h t e PCs and d emo d and s a l i ke, fi ghting to the d eat h . PLORIG -STAG U L XP 1 53,600

CR 1 8

Female shaggy demodand (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 69) hp 262 Melee +4 wounding adamantine warhammer +38/+33/+28/+2 3 (1 d8+1 3/x3), bite +32 (2d6+4), claw +32 (1 d6+4) SLIMY OEMOOANOS (2) X P 76,800 each hp 241 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 70) U PAS U N OA XP 6,400 hp 1 1 4 (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 27)

CR 1 6

CR 9

Treasure: Two o f t h e upasun d a' s wrists are b ound b e h in d h er h ead b y a pair o f dimensional shackles­ bl oo d staine d an d we ll -use d , t h ese s h ac kles are o ft en use d to b ind prisoners capabl e o f te l eporting.

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A stout iron c h est sits on a s h e lf on t h e sout h wa ll o f area h. It is unloc ke d , and contains a plethora of treasures pluc k e d fr om t h e b o d ies o f torture victims t h at wi ll eventua lly b e sent on to Bap homet ' s treasury. T h e c hest contains 25 gems worth 1,000 gp eac h , plus five d iamond s wort h 5, 0 0 0 gp apiece. T he c h est a l so contains a potion of haste, a scroll of baleful polymorph, a scroll of dismissal, a +3 hand crossbow, an d a pair o f bracers of armor +4 embl azone d wit h holy symb o l s o f Net hys. Perh aps the most important treasure is t he key ring l P orig- Stagul carries with her at a ll times. Many o f the k eys are simply use d to open various d oors in t he prison, b ut one is part of the set o f five keys fo r the Groaning Gate. T h is key h as the unpleasant fee l of san dpaper and it seems to lic k t he pa l m o f t he user ' s h and whenever it is carrie d . Connections: Area G (01-20) , area H (21-60) , area J (61-77) , area K (78-80) , area L (81-85) , area M (86-90) , area N (91-95) , or area 0 (96-100) .

J . Uffra n d i r's La i r ( C R 20) The ten -foot-wide, bone-paved tunnel comes to a sudden end at a jagged ledge overlooking a vast cavern. Ahead, portions

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of the tunnel conti n u e in the form of parti a l l y co l l a psed bridges sup ported by col u m ns of fused bone, rising from a acrid l a ke of b u b b l i ng, phosphorescent b l u e fl u i d twenty feet below. A beach of powdered bones lies below as well, with a calcified a l cove heaped with g l ittering treasures. The a i r is thick a n d foul, and long, t h i n st ri n g s of d a n g l i n g sta lactites-formed f r o m ages of se pt i c dri ppage-hang f r o m the cei l i n g eig hty feet a bove. T he air in t h is room is s l ight ly caustic fr om t h e fu mes f o t h e immense aci d l a k e. A ll c h aracters in t h is c h amb er are expose d eac h roun d to t h is in h a l e d poison, an d eac h roun d t h ey b reat he , t h ey must succee d at a DC 17 Fortitu d e save or ta k e 1 point o f Constitution d amage. T he acid l a ke h as s heer sid es und er the sur face th at d rop to a d ept h o f 50 fe et; full immersion d eal s 10 d 6 points o f aci d d amage per round . T h is acid cannot eat t h rough b one, stone, g l ass, or meta l . Creature: T h is fo u l pit of acid is the l air o f one o f Baphomet ' s favore d " hound s, " a tarn l innorm name d Uffrand ir th at was pluc k e d from a remote mountain l ak e on some sulfu rous a l ien world . Baphomet keeps many o f these d eadly creatures t h roughout t he Ivory Labyrint h , using them to hunt for sport or simply as entertainment­ watc h ing capture d prisoners fi g ht and d ie against t hese massive b easts is particul arly pl easing to t he Horne d Lord . As a l innorm, Uffrand ir is immune to th e acid and poison of the c hamb er, b ut it enjoys spending its time s lumb ering wh i le partially b eac he d , its coil s s l id ing re flexive ly in and out o f t he acid . T he creature is a l ight s leeper, t hough , and d oes not tak e a penalty on Perception c heck s wh i le as leep. Furt her, it h as dwe lle d here long enough th at it is now treate d as a native to the Ab yss fo r t he purposes of spe ll s l ik e banishment. Uffrand ir roars wit h b ot h h ea d s an d imme d iate ly surges fo rt h to attac k any intru d ers it notices entering its cavern l air. T h e l innorm cannot pursue fo es outsid e o f t h is room ( Baph omet uses te l eportation to b ring h is pet out fo r hunts as nee d e d) , b ut uses its b reat h weapon an d reac h to continue attac k ing fo es who see k to retreat d own a h a llway. As it attac k s, Uffran d ir b oasts t h at it is " Baph omet ' s h oun d " and t h at t h ose wh o c h a ll enge it b ecome b ones t h at grace Baphomet ' s d omain. T h e l innorm fi g hts to t h e d eat h . U FFRAN D I R XP 307,200

CR 20

Ta rn l i nnorm (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 1 92)

o f acid -pitte d mund ane weapons and armor, the out fit o f a dwarven k ing (worth 3,500 gp) , a gem-stu dde d unicorn horn (wort h 6,ooo gp) , a pic kle d quasit in ajar, a +4 mithral buckler, a +J anarchic 13reataxe, a da1313er of venom, a rapier of puncturin13, a +2 disruptinlJ warhammer (this weapon b e longe d to t he d eva Mal aik a-see area H3), a rinlJ of protection +4, a wand of stoneskin (20 c h arges) , a robe of scintillatin13 colors, a rod of security, a set of bracers of mi13 htM\ a noose of terminal embrace (see page 63) , an d a tore of the heavensMA. Development: I f the PCs s l ay Uffr and ir, Baphomet ' s Keeper o f t he Hound s takes great offense and moves to punis h t he PCs as detai le d in Repercussion: T he Ivory Hunter, b e l ow. Connections: Area H (01-40) , area I (41-77) , area K (78-80) , area L (81-90) , area N (91-97) , or area 0 (98-100) .

Repercussion: The Ivory H u nter ( C R 20) Creature: At some point a ft er U ffran d ir ' s d eat h (t h e exact timing is l e ft to you) , t h e PCs fa ce a d ea dly repercussion fo r t h e mur d er o f Baph omet ' s h oun d . T h e k eeper o f t h ese l innorm h oun d s is a myt h ic minotaur antipal a d in name d Inger-Maggor, an d h e ta k es great prid e in h is work wit h t h e l innorms . He a l so k nows t h at t h eir d eat h s are not pl easing to h is master, Baph omet, so wh en one o f t h e h oun d s is s l ain, h e d ons t h e mant l e o f t h e Ivory Hunter an d see k s out t h e mur d erers to avenge t h e l innorm ' s d eat h . Inger-Maggor trave l s to the Ivory Lab yrinth with Baphomet ' s blessing, arriving in area J via a portal opene d by the Lor d o f t he Minotaurs. T he myth ic minotaur then b egins to see k out the PCs, intent on con fronting them, sl aying them, and returning to Baphomet with their head s on h is b e lt. Inger-Maggor treats all o f t he Ivory Lab yrint h as his personal l air, and can thus use h is maze mastery ab i l ity with in the prison. Comb ine d with his ab i l ity to trac k t hose who h ave su ffere d a l innorm' s d eat h curse, h e s hou ld h ave l itt le problem trac k ing the PCs. When h e fi n d s t he PCs, h e con fr onts t h em wit h a roaring c h a llenge: "An d t h ere you are, s l ayers o f th e Master ' s favore d hound! Soon my Lor d Baph omet wi ll crac k your b ones, an d fo r my services h e s h a ll l et me fe ast on your marrow, an d wh at remains s h a ll j oin t h e b ones o f a mi ll ion ot h ers ! " Inger-Maggor is attend e d b y two hu lk ing minotaur- l i k e monsters-l ab yrint h minotaurs t h at fu nction as b ot h b o dyguar d s an d assistants. A ll t h ree h ave l itt l e interest in d iscussion, fo r in t h eir min d s, t he PCs are a l ready as goo d as d ead fo r t h eir crimes.

hp 385

Treasure: T he l innorm' s hoar d sprawl s on the sout hwestern portion o f th e b eac h o f powd ere d b one, on full d ispl ay. T he mound of treasure inc lu des 830,000 cp, 124,000 sp, 39,400 gp, 2 ,150 pp, hund re d s of pound s

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I N G ER-MAGGOR XP 1 53,600

CR 1 8/MR 2

Male myth i c m i nota u r a ntipa l a d i n of Baphomet 12 (Pathfinder RPG Mythic A dventures 2 1 0, Pathfinder RPG A dvanced Player's Guide 1 1 8)

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CE Large mo nstrous h u m a n o i d (myth i c) l n it +1; Senses da rkvision 60 ft.; Perception +1 6 Aura cowa rdice (1 0 ft.), despa i r (1 0 ft.), vengeance (1 0 ft.)

Skills Intimidate +1 8, L i n g u istics -1 , Perception +1 6 Languages Abyssal, Giant SQ cruelties (cu rsed, fatigued, paralyzed, staggered), fi endish

DEFENSE

boon (wea pon +3, 2/day), maze mastery, touch of corruption (6d 6, 9/day), track the cursed Combat Gear death blade (4 doses); Other Gear +5 half-plate,

AC 32, touch 9, flat-footed 32 (+1 3 armor, +1 0 natural, -1 size) hp 307 (19d1 0+203) Fort +27, Ref +1 6, Will +1 9 Defensive Abil ities natural c u n n i ng; DR 5/epic; I m m u n e d isease; SR 29

+5 battleaxe, belt of mighty constitution +6, pauldrons of unflinching fortitude +3M' SPECIAL ABILITIES

Track the Cursed (Su) lnger-Maggor can sense the location

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft. Melee +5 speed battleaxe +3 0/+3 0/+2 5/+2 0/+1 5

(2d6+1 1/1 9-2 0/x3), g o re +24 (1 d 6 +9) Space 1 O ft.; Reach 1 O ft. Special Attacks c h a n n e l neg ative e n e rgy (DC 1 9, 6 d 6),

myt h i c power (2/day, s u rg e +1 d 6), o u b l i ette, powerful c h a rg e (gore, 2d6+9), sm ite good 4/day (+3 attack a n d AC, +1 2 d a m a g e) Antipaladin Spell-Like Abil ities (CL 1 2th; concentration +15) At w i l l-detect good Anti paladin Spells Prepa red (CL 9th; concentration + 1 2)

of any creature suffering from a l i n norm's death cu rse, and knows the most di rect, safest route to that creature as if using find the path. H e can continue to use this abi l ity for up to 1 week after such a cursed creature removes the linnorm's death cu rse, or against a creature that was targeted by the curse but successfully resisted it.

3 rd-dispel magic, vampiric touch 2 n d-blindness/deafness (DC 1 5), corruption resistanceAPG, hold person (DC 1 5)

1 st-command (DC 1 4), death knell (DC 1 4), pro tection from good TACTICS

Before Combat lnger-Maggor casts corruption resistance and protection from good on

himself before combat begins. During Combat l n g e r-Ma g g o r

i n itiates c o m b a t with a powerful c h a rg e, then fo l l ows t h i s with full attacks using Power Atta ck. H e expends a use of myt h i c power to m a ke f u l l use of h is myt h i c Power Attack feat when h e does so. H e saves blindness/deafness for a rca n e s p e l l ca sters, archers, or others who seek to use ra n ge a g a i nst h i m . If he d rops a foe, he attempts to use death knell on it u n l ess he's t h reate n e d by at least two other foes. Morale l n ger-Maggor fig hts to the death. STATISTICS

Str 23, Dex 1 2, Con 26, I nt 7, Wis 1 0, Cha 1 6 Base Atk +19; CMB +26 (+3 0 b u l l rush); CMD 3 7 (39 vs. b u l l rush) Feats Craft M a g i c Arms a n d Armor, Critical Focus,

G reat Fortitude, G reater B u l l Rush, I m p roved B u l l Rush, I m p roved Critical (battl eaxe), Power AttackM, Sta g g e r i n g C r i t i c a l , Tou g h ness, Wea pon F o c u s (battl eaxe)

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LABYRINTH M I N OTAURS (2) X P 76,800 each hp 232 (see page 9 0)

CR 1 6

K. Prison Vault ( C R 1 5+) Two s hort flights o f stairs fl an ke d b y a pair o f tapestries d epicting Baphomet manipu l ating heroes in a maze (see page 73 fo r a depiction oft h is image) are t he on ly c lues th at there ' s anyt h ing o finterest in th is area. T he primary t hing hi d ing th e vau lt is t he d i ffi culty o f d iscovering it-wh i le it connects to several locations, the c h ance of stumbl ing across t his area is s l im i f t he trave ler isn' t speci fically l ooking fo r it. A g l ance b e h in d eit h er tapestry revea l s a h i dd en passageway an d fl ight o f stairs t h at l ea d s d own, t h en b ac k up to connect to t h e secon d tapestry. T h e west wa ll o f t h is si d e passageway is in fa ct an illusory wall (CL 20t h , DC 23 ) h eig htene d to a 9t h - l eve l spe ll . Any c h aracter wh o passes t h rough t h is illusory wall is subj ecte d to t h e maze tapestry trap (see Traps, b e l ow) . Beyon d t h e wall , anot h er staircase l ead s d own to t h e Ine luctabl e Prison' s treasure vau lt. Rea d or paraph rase t he following upon entering t he vau lt. This octagonal room is brig htly l it by u nseen l i g ht sources. The wa l l s a n d floor a re of highly polished ivo ry, a n d the domed cei l i n g above rises to a c i rcu l a r disc bearing a pentagram i nscribed with a leering goat's face. Four ten-foot-sq u are a l coves open off the room, access i b l e via a few short steps. A golden g l ow suffuses each a l cove, a n d in each a s i n g l e object floats about five feet off the ground-a b u r n i n g scimitar, a red-bladed g l a ive, a ba l l of twi ne, a n d a raw, red heart soaking i n golden blood. An i ron statue of a wing ed, goat-headed demon sta nds i n the m i d d l e of the room, s u r r o u n d e d by four five-foot- h i g h ivory pedesta ls with a bowl-shaped indention atop each. A sha l l ow a l cove sits to the south; i n it floats a six- i n c h - d i a m eter golden orb. To the north, three doors (one red, one g o l d, a n d one black), each with a symbol ca rved o nto its face, l i n e the wa l l . To the west hangs a single long tapestry decorated with a n i m possibly complex maze. T he contents o f t h is complex room are eac h detail e d b e low in t heir own sections. Many o f t he sections o f th is c h amb er inc lu d e t heir own traps and guard ians­ triggering mu ltiple e ffects at once can quic kly turn t h is c h amb er into a d eathtrap ! T h is entire room is war d e d by a forbiddance e ffect (CL 27th , DC 28) keye d to c h aotic evi l , pl ace d here ages ago by one o f Baphomet ' s miracles. The Four Alcoves: Eac h o f these fo ur a lcoves contains one of fo ur great treasures value d by Baphomet, b ut eac h is al so ward e d by the room' s trap. Any c h aracter who attempts to enter an a lcove or manipul ate one o f the items

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found wit h in is wh is ke d away into the maze tapestry. See the Trap and Treasure entries on page 4 i . The Four Pedestals: Eac h of the s h a llow b owl s atop h t ese pe d estal s h as a filmy residue in it. An examination o fth is fil m, followe d b y a success ful DC 20 Cra ft (al c hemy) or DC 25 Knowl e d ge (re l igion) c hec k , con fi rms th at th e fil m was l e ft by un holy water. Eac h b owl can b e fille d b y a single d ose o f unholy water. Doing so causes t he statue o f Baphomet to remain motion less unless it is attac k e d , a llowing the contents of t he room to b e examine d or even taken wit hout activating the deadly gol em. A d ose o f un holy water seeps into t he pe d estal a fter i hour. I f the golden orb is he ld over one of these b owl s a fter the b owl is fille d wit h unholy water, t he water ripples s l ightly and th e orb hovers just ab ove the pe d estal , causing the golden g low on the al cove in the opposite wall to fad e and deactivating th at alcove 's trigger (for example, pl acing the orb in t he northwest pe d estal deactivates the southeast a lcove trigger) . Pl acing the orb in an empty pe d estal resu lts in t he orb te leporting b ac k to t he sout hern a lcove, wh i le the person who attempte d th is triggers t he maze trap. Golden Orb: T he gold en orb floats in the air as i f weight less, b ut is in fact a sphere o f sol i d gold t h at weigh s 80 pound s i f pulle d out of t he a lcove. A lthough th e orb is valuable in and o f itse l f, its true value is as a key to d eactivate the traps th at guar d t he fo ur al coves. The Maze Tapestry: T h is tapestry is l in ke d to the maze trap in this room-victims ofthe maze trap are transporte d into the tapestry. Wit h a success ful DC 40 Perception c hec k , someone who examines the maze tapestry can actually see a tiny representation o f a trappe d creature attempting to navigate it, as i f it were a flea crawl ing among the weave. Once a creature is locate d in t his way, an ob server can s hout a dvice to the trappe d victim-t h is grants the victim a +2 b onus on its Inte ll igence c hec k to escape the maze. Freedom or a success ful casting o f dispel ma_gic on the maze tapestry causes a ll trappe d creatures in the maze to reappear in th is room-note t h at t his inc lu d es any of the l abyrint h minotaurs still l iving insid e the maze! Destroying t he tapestry al so causes a ll those with in to appear in the room. T he maze tapestry fu nctions at CL 20th , h as h ar d ness 20 an d 300 h it points, and se lf-repairs d amage it tak es at t he rate of 10 h it points per round . Statue of Baphomet: T his statue is twice as big as most h ot ers found in the Labyrinth , and it does not function like the others. Standing at a height of 15 feet, this is a powerful iron golem that doesn't activate until someone d amages it or attempts to interact with the golden orb , the three doors, or the maze tapestry. At this point, the golem imme diately animates. Its first actions in any comb at are to step north to open the re d door and the black door (it does not touch the gold door) , which can further complicate the b attle as detaile d under the section for these doors.

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BAPHOMET GOLEM XP 51,200

CR 1 5/MR 1

Adva nced agile iron golem (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 1 62, 2 94, Pathfinder RPG Mythic A dventures 224) hp 1 75

The Three Doors: T he re d d oor is d ecorate d with the image o f a goat ' s h ead seen face on. T he gold d oor is d ecorate d wit h an image o f a maze l i ke rune. T he bl ac k d oor is decorate d wit h an image of Baphomet ' s d emonic rune (see page 88) . With a success ful DC 25 Knowl e d ge (re l igion) c hec k , a c h aracter notes t h at these t hree symb ol s represent Baphomet ' s th ree areas of concern-b easts (t he goat ' s head) , l abyrint h s (the maze) , and minotaurs (Baphomet ' s rune) . Two o f t hese d oors are tric k s meant to punis h the curious, whi le the th ir d is a h idd en route to a d eeper c h amb er in the prison. Opening t he re d door reveal s a bl an k wall on wh ic h h as b een carve d a detaile d b as-re lie f carving of Baphomet. T his carving is inhab ite d by a vil steth demon th at imme diate ly uses its id ol atry power. T h e demon steps out o ft he carving and attac k s the party i f the carving is d amage d , or i f none fall prey to its i dol atry attac k . Opening the gold d oor reveal s a glowing gold en wall f o mist. A c h aracter who steps into the mist gains a b rie f, a l most overwhe lming vision o f the exact current l ayout o f th e Ine luctable Prison, and k nows the b asic purpose o f a ll o f its maj or encounter areas. Suc h a c h aracter must imme d iate ly attempt a DC 25 Will save. On a success, the c h aracter rememb ers these locations and can now trave l to any of them from any connecting encounter area. On a fai lure, t he c h aracter fo rgets t he in fo rmation and instead tak es l d 6 points of Wis d om d rain. Opening the bl ac k d oor reveal s a s h immering bl ac k hole h t at imme d iate ly d isgorges a l abyrint h minotaur from the maze tapestry-i f all fo ur o f t he l ab yrinth minotaurs in the maze h ave b een s l ain, then not h ing occurs wh en the bl ack door is opene d . I f the door is c lose d and opene d again, anot her l abyrinth minotaur steps out, until none remain wit h in t he maze tapestry. A fter 1 hour, any o fthese l abyrinth minotaurs still out in t he world are returne d to the maze tapestry. VI LSTETH X P 76.800 hp 2 2 5 (see page 86)

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MAZE TAPESTRY X P 9,600 Type magic; Perception DC 33; Disable Device DC 33

CR 1 0

EFFECTS

Trigger m u l t i p l e ( passing through illusory wall, entering a

treasure a l cove or m a n i p u lating a treasure with i n the a l cove; Reset a utomatic; Bypass golden orb placement Effect spe l l effect (maze p l u s l a byrinth m i nota u r) LABYRINTH M I N OTAURS (4) X P 76,800 each hp 232 (see page 9 0)

CR 1 6

Treasure: T he fo ur items in t he a lcoves represent items f o signi ficant value to Baphomet, and possession o f any o f them might give the PCs a sl ight advantage over the demon lord should they face him at the end ofthe adventure. T hese items inclu d e t he sacre d scimitar Dawnflower's Kiss (see page 62) , a Large +4 unholy speed EJlaive (Baphomet 's original weapon o f c hoice, now repl ace d by the g l aive Aizern haul), a simple and nonmagical b a ll of twine (the true nostal gic and sentimental value o f t h is mund ane obj ect is k nown only to Baphomet, b ut he values th is item more th an any ot her store d here) , and t he Heart of the Herald (see page 62) . T he gold en orb is nonmagical , b ut still worth 4,000 gp. Connections: Area I (01-20) , area J (21-40) , area L (41-60) , area M (6i-8o) , or area N (81-90) .

L. Shrine to Baphomet ( C R 2 1 ) The w al l s of this l a rge shrine shine with g o l d, a n d the floor is covered i n rich, maze l i ke mosaics of red and yel l ow bone. Statues of a goat- h eaded demon sta nd on platforms to the south and i n a l coves to the no rth, a n d at the room's center a n altar sits atop a platform fla n ked by pools of c h u r n i n g blood.

CR 1 6

Trap: T he tapestry h anging on t he west wall o f th is area is l in ke d to a trap in th is room-whenever a creature triggers t he trap, it is a ffecte d by a maze spe ll t h at pl aces it insid e t he maze d epicte d on the tapestry. In add ition to b eing trappe d in the maze, a victim of th is trap must contend wit h the l abyrinth minotaurs who patrol the

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maze. Whi le there are fo ur o f t hese monsters in the maze in a ll , eac h victim only h as to d eal with one o f them per instance o fb eing trappe d . When a creature is fi rst trappe d , it tak es the c losest l abyrinth minotaur arrives only l d 4 roun d s l ater to reac h the PC and attac k s. When a c h aracter exits t his maze, he appears in a square adjacent to the maze tapestry (or as c lose to the tapestry as possible) .

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T h is is the prison' s one and only s h rine to Baphomet. h T e s hrine is war d e d b y forbiddance k eye d to c h aotic evil , as we ll as an unhallow spe ll l ink e d to dispel manic t h at imme d iate ly targets any non-wors h iper o f Baphomet who enters the c h amb er-all of t hese spe ll s fu nction at CL 17th . T he pool s o f bloo d are just t h at; eac h is 10 fe et d eep and kept magically warm and fres h . Creature: The honor of tending and guarding this prison h c ape l has ch ange d over the eons, but its current tender

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is one of Baphomet 's deadliest mortal priestesses: a drow cleric name d Svend ack . S he al so rules her own family as a cruel matron on a world far distant from Gol arion, b ut ever since Baphomet 's recent con frontation with Nocticul a, he has d emande d s he remain here, ready to aid in the de fe nse of the prison and its most important "guest. " Svend ack is loyal , yet every d ay th at passes, s he knows her family b ac k home moves to further entrench its power against her in her ab sence, and so she hopes th at the heroes Baphomet fears are coming to the prison will arrive soon. S he does not s leep here, fighting off fatigue with regul ar castings of lesser restoration, fe e d ing herse lf wit h heroes' feast, and passing the long hours alternate ly in prayer to Baphomet or performing long, crue l sacrifices of prisoners the demo dand s regularly supply her with . Four tarry demo d and s remain in this shrine at all times, ready to serve her nee d s as require d . Normally, Svendack comes and goes from t he prison using plane shift spe ll s, and as such s he keeps no personal quarters here. Her possession of perh aps the on ly pl anar tuning fo rk in existence th at is attune d to t he Ine luctable Prison a llows th is, an d i f the PCs de fe at her and cl aim the key, it will take Baphomet month s to adjust th e prison so t he k ey no longer fu nctions. T h is can give the PCs an exce llent way to come and go from th e prison i f t hey h aven' t d estroye d the Groaning Gate. SVEN DACK XP 307,200

CR 20

Female d row noble cleric of Baphomet 1 7/ h i erophant 6 ( Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 1 1 5, Pathfinder RPG Mythic A dventures 32) CE Med i u m h u m a n o i d (elf) l n it +20M; Senses da rkvision 120 ft., detect magic; Perception +1 8 DEFENSE

AC 34, to uch 20, flat-footed 28 (+1 0 armor,

+4 d eflection, +4 Dex, +2 dodge, +4 natural) hp 288 (1 7d8+208)

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Fort +2 1 , Ref +13, Will +24; +2 vs. encha ntment, +4 vs. fea r

and poison Defensive Abil ities h a rd to kill, mythic savi ng th rows; D R 1 0/ adamantine (1 50 h p); I m m u n e sleep; SR 28 Wea knesses l i g ht b l i n d ness OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft. Melee +4 dancing glaive +20/+1 5/+1 0 (1 d 1 0 +8/x3) Special Attacks c h a n n e l negative energy 7/day (DC 22,

9 d6), faith's reach, fury of the Abyss (+8 to melee attacks, d a m a g e, a n d C M B; 1 2/day), i n s p i red spell, m i g h t of t h e gods (+1 7, 1 7 ro u n d s/day), myt h i c p o w e r (1 5/day, s u rg e +1 d 8), myt h i c s p e l l casting, poison u s e , s c y t h e of evil (3/day) D row Noble S p e ll-Like Abil ities (CL 1 7th; concentrati on +2 1 ) Constant-detect magic At w i l l- dancing lights, deeper darkness, faerie fire, feather fall, levitate 1 /day-divine favor, dispel magic, suggestion (DC 1 7) Domain Spell-Like Abilities

(CL 1 7th; concentration +26) 1 2/day-strength s u rg e (+8) Cleric Spells Prepared (CL 1 7th; concentration +26) 9 t h - crushing hand0, q u ickened flame strikeM, miracle (DC 2 8) 8th-fire storm (DC 27), greater spell immunity, unholy aura0 (DC 27), q u i ckened unholy blightM 7th-blasphemy0, destruction (DC 26), quickened dispel magicM, greater scrying (DC 26), repulsion

(DC 26) 6th-blade barrierM (DC 25), harm (DC 25), healM, heroes' feast, stoneskin°, word of recall 5th-q u ickened cure light wounds (2), dispel good0 (DC 24), flame strikeM (DC 24), plane shift (2, DC 24), slay living (DC 24) 4th-air walk, cure critical wounds, dismissal (DC 23), freedom of mo vement, greater magic weapon, poison (DC 23), unholy blight°M (DC 23) 3 rd-blindness/deafness (DC 22), cure serious wounds (3), dispel magicM (2), magic vestment0 2 n d-align weapon° (evil onl y), cure moderate wounds (2), hold person (DC 2 1 ), lesser restoration, sound burst (DC 2 1 ), spiritual weaponM 1 st-command (DC 20), cure light wounds (5), enlarge person° (DC 20), sanctuary (DC 20)

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TACTICS

Connections: Area H (01-40) , area I (41-50) , area J ( 51-70) , area K (71-73) , area M (74-85) , area N (86-95) , or area 0 (96-100) .

Before Combat Svendack casts lesser restoration, heroes' feast, greater magic weapon, and magic vestment daily.

M. D e e p Isolation C e l l ( C R 1 9)

O (at will)-bleed (DC 1 9), detect magic, mending, read magic D d o m a i n spell; Domains Demon, Strength; M myth ic spell

Baphomet has g iven h e r descriptions of the PCs, a n d she may cast greater scrying now a n d then to observe them at you r d i scretion. Before combat, she casts air walk, freedom of movement, stoneskin, a n d unholy aura. During Combat Sve n d a c k is d e l i g hted to fi n a l l y have a c h a n ce to d efeat the PCs a n d retu r n h o m e, a n d cackles g l eefu l l y as sh e b e g i n s the fig ht, l a m enting that "oth e r responsi b i l ities p revent m e from giving you the l i ngering, p a i n f u l deaths you dese rve." S h e l ets h e r tarry demodand m i n i o n s e n g a g e t h e P C s i n m e l e e at first w h i l e s h e u s e s air walk to stay at ra n g e a n d fi g h t with h e r spel ls, sta rting with h e r most powerful ranged spells a n d a u g menting them with q u ickened magic a s s h e gets the c h a nce. Remember, sh e can use faith's rea c h to use touch s p e l l s at ra nge. S h e p refers savi n g h e r myt h i c p o w e r to f u e l myth i c spel l s rather t h a n to su rge, a n d p refers to avo i d using enlarge person u n l ess s he's o n l y facing o n e e n emy. Morale Svendack is among Baphomet's most l oya l fo l l owers, but she also rea l i zes that if she d i es, she can no longer serve h i m . If reduced to fewer than 40 hit poi nts, she uses plane shift to esca pe to her home, takes the time to recover, then returns to the I n e l ucta b l e Prison a n d m a kes her way to the hera l d 's prison (a rea P), where she m a kes her last sta nd a ga i nst the PCs, fighting at the hera l d 's side. STATISTICS

Str 1 6, Dex 1 8, Con 24, Int 1 0, Wis 28, Cha 1 8 Base Atk +12; CMB +15; CMD 35 Feats Combat Casting, Craft Construct, Craft Magic Arms and

Armor, Craft Won d rous Item, DodgeM, I m p roved l n itiativeM, Quicken Spell, To u g h nessM Skills Knowledge (planes) +7, Knowledge (re l i g i o n) +1 0, Linguistics +6, Perception +1 8, Spell craft +1 6 Languages Abyssal, Common, Elven, Gia nt, Underco m m on SQ amazing i n i tiative, m i g ht of the g ods, enduring b l essing, enha nced a b i l ity (+2 Cha, +2 Con, +2 Wis), recuperation, strength s u rg e Combat G e a r scrolls of heal (2); Other G e a r e l v e n c h a i n c h a i n m a i l, + 7 dancing glaive, belt of physical perfection +4, headband of inspired wisdom +6, mythic amulet of the Abyss (see page 63), ring of in visibility, d i a m o n d dust worth 500 g p (fo r stoneskin), planar tuning fork attuned to I n e l ucta b l e Prison worth 5,000 g p, rel i q u a r y worth 1 , 0 0 0 gp (focus for unholy aura), u n h o l y sym b o l of B a p h o met worth 500 g p, 92 gp TARRY DEMODANDS (4) XP 25,600 each hp 171 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 7 1 )

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This l a rge chamber consists of two domes merged i nto one l a rger roo m . The l a rgest of the domes has a sixty-foot-h i g h cei l i n g supported b y n u m e rous p i l l a rs, w h i l e the s m a l l e r one is o n ly forty feet h i g h . u n d e r the s m a l l e r dome s h i m m ers a twenty-foot-diam eter magical circle, its complex runes a n d l i n es threaded with si lver l i g ht. A five-foot-diam eter pool of what a p pears to be water sits i n the center of the l a rger portion of the roo m . T he pool o f water is on ly a fo ot d eep, b ut constant ly fill re s wit h un ho ly water. T h e ma.9ic circle to t h e east is an ancient trap, one o f t he prison' s th ree secure ce ll s , wh ic h h as l ong he ld a singu l ar monstrosity fr om t h e d awn o f civil ization: an inverte d giant name d Igrama l as h-t h e fi rst o f h is k ind-who b rid ges t h e gap b etween morta l an d ql ippot h . Creatures: Wh i l e Igrama l as h is we ll imprisone d , h t is room is sti ll guar d e d b y a b and o f fo ur stringy d emo d and s . T h e h i d eous fi en d s stan d sentry at eac h o f t he fo ur d oors an d imme d iate ly attac k any intru d ers, fi g hting to t h e d eat h . STRINGY DEMODANDS (4) XP 51,200 each hp 2 1 0 each (see page 84)

CR 1 5

Trap: T h e ma.9ic circle is protecte d b y a d ea dly magica l trap t h at activates as soon as anyone approac h es wit h in 10 fe et o f t h e circ l e. Wh en t h e trap is activate d , six b eams o f magica l energy s h oot out o f t h e center o f t h e cei l ing ab ove t h e circ le. T h ese six b eams a ll fi re at t h e same target, an d new b eams fi re at eac h a dd itiona l target t h at triggers t h e trap. MAG I CAL RAY FUSI LLADE XP 1 02,400 Type magic; Perception DC 35; Disable Device DC 35

CR 17

EFFECTS

Trigger proxim ity; Reset a utomatic Effect 6 magical rays per target (+1 0 ranged touch; ray of enfeeblement [DC 1 3]; scorching rays [3, 4d6 fire each]; enervation [1 d4 negative l evels]; polar ray [20d6 co ld]); a l l

s p e l l effects function at CL 20th; m u ltiple targets (a l l with in 20 feet of magic circle's edge).

CR 1 3

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Connections: Area H (01-10) , area I (n-50) , area J ( 51-70) , area L ( 71-85) , or area N (86-100) .

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Releasing lgra malash ( C R 2 1 ) T he immense ma13ic circle in area M contains one of the three most d angerous or important prisoners of the Ine luctable Prison. O f those three, this room's prisoner is certainly the l argest and most savage: the original inverte d giant, Igramal ash . T he rune lord s of T h assilon create d the inversion process as a metho d to punish their giant minions and enh ance certain savage qualities in their s l aves. It was, in fact, the original rune lord of Wrath who create d the first of these tragic, hideous creatures-the same rune lord now imprisone d in area 0 of the Ine luctable Prison. T he PCs may learn of a metho d to control Igramal ash or re lease h im re l atively safe ly i f they speak to Rune lord Alderpash first. Creature: Igramal as h was once one o f t he fi rst rune giants. When he fai l e d A lderpash , t he rune l ord calle d upon a name less entity from t he dept h s of the Ab yss-a power ful ql ippot h-transposing Igral amas h's fles h and inverting h im wh i le simu ltaneous ly in fu sing h im wit h Abyssal power. T he result was the fi rst inverte d giant, a h id eous creature who was a l most as muc h ql ippot h as giant. Further inverte d giants create d by ot her rune lor d s never quite matc he d A lderpas h' s d ark triumph with Igramal as h , and fo r many years, Igrama l as h serve d A lderpas h as a horri fi c and loyal minion until the giant

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b etraye d Ald erpash again. Rat her th an d estroy the giant, however, A lderpas h gave h im over to his d emonic patron, Baphomet, fo r eternal imprisonment. T he fact th at Alderpash himse lf would b ecome Baphomet ' s prisoner as we ll not l ong therea fter is an irony th at h as not b een l ost on t he rune l ord . Igramal as h is currently b ound into t he ma13ic circle on h t e floor of t h is c h amb er via a powerful bindin.13 th at h as trans fo rme d t he inverte d giant into gaseous fo rm, save fo r his h orrible inverte d mouth . In th is way, t he inverte d giant h as b een le ft in stasis, bl ind an d deaf to t he surround ing world fo r we ll over 1 0 , 0 0 0 years. I f anyone approac hes wit hin io feet of t he circ le (note the trap th at war d s th e circ le) , roi l ing bl ac k mist rises up fr om t he circ le as Igramal as h stirs in his s lumb er and b ecomes visible. His circu l ar, fange d mouth mani fe sts at the center of a s l owly swirl ing vortex of bl ack smoke, and the giant b e lc hes out a single word over and over: "ALDERPASH ! " Wit h a success ful DC 45 Knowle d ge (arcana or h istory) c hec k , a c h aracter recall s th at th is was t he name o f the fi rst T h assil onian Rune lor d o f Wrath . T he inverte d giant cannot b e communicate d with , as he cannot see or hear anyt h ing outside o f h is bl ac k eternity, b ut i f a creature touc h es h is mout h , he re fl exive ly snaps

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an d gnaws at t h e touc h er (treat t h is as a b ite attac k t h at ta k es a 50% miss c h ance). Wh i le imprisone d , Igrama l as h cannot b e h arme d , nor can t he ma9ic circle t h at b ind s h im b e d amage d . Antima9ic field or ma9e's disjunction can a ffect t he circ l e norma lly (CL 20t h), b ut dispel ma9ic cannot. Igramal as h can a l so b e re l ease d i f someone c h ants a l engt hy ritua l to invok e th e name l ess ql ippot h use d to create t h e inverte d giant an d s l owly wa lk s a spira l pat h fr om t h e center o ft h e circ le out to its e d ge (t h is ceremony ta k es io minutes to complete). Any o f t hese met ho d s imme d iate ly end t h e bindin9 an d cause Igrama l as h to imme d iate ly appear in t h e inverte d fles h . T h e giant is quite insane a ft er h is ages o f imprisonment and imme d iate ly attac k s a ll in the area, fi ghting to t he d eat h . T he giant cannot pursue fo es out o f t h is c h amb er un l ess he some h ow l earns ab out ot her c h amb ers in t h e prison, wh ic h wi ll a llow h im to te l eport to ot h er l ocations. Igrama l as h will eventually d ie o f t h irst i f l e ft to h is own d evices l ong enough , a lt h oug h t h e prison ' s war d ens are l i k e ly to intervene b e fo re t hen to k eep t he prisoner a l ive unti l Baph omet can d ecid e wh at to d o wit h h im. I f t h e PCs h ave mad e an a ll iance wit h A ld erpas h , t h ey may b e able to control Igramal as h-see area 0 fo r d etai l s. I G RAMALASH XP 409,600

Special Attacks claws, constrict (2d6+1 3), fast swa l low, mythic

power (7/day, surge +1 d 1 0), rock throwi ng (1 20 ft.), runes, sm ite good 1/day, swa llow whole (4d 8+1 9 bludgeoning damage, AC 23, 40 h p) Spell-Like Abil ities (CL 20th; concentration +27) Constant air walk At w i l l-chaos hammer (DC 1 7), desecrate, greater teleport (se l f p l u s SO l bs. of objects o n l y) 3 /day-dispel magic, q u i ckened greater teleport (se l f p l u s s o l b s . of o bjects o n l y), regenerate, telekinesis (DC 1 8) 1/day-black tentacles, energy -

drain, greater glyph of warding, implosion

(DC 22) TACTICS

During Combat

l g ra m a l a s h is o n l y s l i g htly below

CR 21/MR 7

Myth i c fiendish u n i q u e i nverted g i a nt (Pathfinder RPG Mythic A dventures 226, Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 249, Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Lost Kingdoms 60) CE Gargantuan h u m a n o i d (gia nt, mythic) lnit +1 4/-7M, Senses b l i n dsight 60 ft., da rkvision 60 ft.; Perception +27 Aura fea r (60 ft., DC 2 S), smoke b reath (1 0 ft.) DEFENSE

AC 37, touch 1 1 , flat-footed 32 (+3 Dex,

+2 dodge, +26 natural, -4 size) hp 404 (24d8+296); fast h ea l i n g 4 Fort +24, Ref +1 1 , Will +1 0 Defensive Abil ities rock catc h i ng; D R 1 S/good and epic; Resist cold 1 S, e l ectricity 1 0, fire 1 S; SR 26 OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft. Melee bite +27 (4d8+1 3/1 9-20), 2 c laws +27

(2d8+1 3/1 9-20 p l u s 1 d 6 e n e rgy), 4 tenta c l e s +22 (2d6+6 p l u s g r a b), to n g u e + 2 2 (1 d 8+ 6 p l u s g r a b) Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft.

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average h u m a n i nte l l ig e nce, yet h is l o n g i m prisonment has l eft h i m s o m ewhat i n s a n e a n d bew i l dered. H i s i n iti al t a c t i c is to a dva n c e i n melee a n d physica l l y a tta c k the closest foes. H e uses h i s myt h i c power to s u rg e w h enever h e m isses a n attack i n a n atte m pt to correct that fa i l i n g . O n l y i f n o foes a re ava i l a b l e f o r m e l e e d o e s h e resort t o h i s spe l l - l i ke a b i l ities. Morale lgramalash fig hts to the death. STATISTICS

Str 3 7, Dex 1 6, Con 3 0, Int 9, Wis 1 1 , Cha 1 6 Base Atk +1 8; CMB +35 (+37 b u l l rush); CMD 5 0 (52 vs. b u l l rush) Feats Awesome Blow, Blinding Critical, Critical Focus, DodgeM,

I m proved B u l l Rush, Im p roved Critical (bite), I m p roved Critical (claws), I m proved l n itiativeM, I ron W i l l, Power AttackM, Quicken Spell-Li ke Abil ity (g reater teleport), Vital Stri keM Skills Perception +27 Languages Abyssal, G i a nt, Thassi l o n i a n SQ divine sou rce, d u a l i n itiative SPECIAL ABILITIES

Claws (Ex) l g ramalash can channel energy into his claws

when he h its, dea l i n g 1 d 6 poi nts of energy damage (co ld, e l ectricity, o r fi re, chosen when h e attacks) i n addition to his normal claw damage. D i v i n e Sou rce (Su) A l t h o u g h n o n e wors h i p him today, l g ra m a l a s h was o n ce seen as a g o d by the i nverted g i a nts. H e g ra nted a ccess to t h e d o m a i n s of Chaos a n d Evil, a n d his sym bol was a spiral with a c i rcu l a r maw at t h e center. His a reas of concern were h u n g e r, o b e d i e n ce, a n d p a i n, a n d his favored wea pon was the bite. I f l g ra m a l a s h escapes f u l l y, he may event u a l l y seek to reesta b l i s h h i s dead c u l t a m o n g n e w wors h i pers. Runes (Ex) Whenever l g ramalash is affected by a spell o r spel l - l i ke a b i l ity, the r u n e s o n his arms f l a s h w i t h l i g ht-at this poi nt, any creatu re with i n 10 feet m ust succeed at a DC 2 5 Fortitude save or be b l in d e d for 1 rou n d . The save DC is Charisma-based. Smoke Breath (Su) l g ra m a l a s h exhales toxic smoke. Any creat u re with i n 10 feet of l g ra m a l a s h m ust succeed at a DC 32 Fortitude save or be poisoned by this smoke. Creatures that breathe i n this smoke take a -4 penalty on this savi n g th row. I n a reas of severe o r g reater wind, this a b i l ity is suppressed for as long a s the wind persists plus a n additional rou n d . This is a p o i s o n effect. The save DC is Constitutio n - based. Smoke Breath: Breath-contact; save Fort DC 32; frequency 1/ro u n d for 1 0 ro u nds; effect 1 d 4 Constitution drain plus staggered for 1 rou n d f r o m p a i n; cure 3 consecutive saves. Development: I f lgramalash is free d , the prison's warden k ta es note and te leports into t h is c h amb er to investigate only l d 4 round s l ater. T he inverte d giant imme d iate ly attac k s t he mari l it h when s he arrives. T he PCs wou ld b e we ll a dvise d to take advantage of Irgamal as h' s wild

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rage-perh aps even using h im as the b ait of a trap fo r the d eadly war den !

N. Wa rden's C h a m be rs ( C R 22) This i m mense chamber is accessed by a flight of sta irs that crosses a b u b b l i n g pool of lava. A huge throne is the foca l point of the room, its contours seem i n g l y formed for a creature more akin to a giant snake than one with legs. T he approach to the personal c h amb ers and th rone room of t he Ine luctable Prison's war d en are bloc k e d by a series o f fo ur ad amantine gratings ( h ar d ness 20, hp S o , b reak DC 36) th at cannot b e move d . T hose who see k to speak to t he war d en generally te leport or use ot her fo rms o f magic to enter t he c h amb er-a carving in Ab yssal on the wall outsid e t he grates read s, " Suppl icants ! Enter the Crimson Cage and await your War d en' s pleasure. " Anyone who te leports into t he central b arre d area (area N1) and then waits fo r 2 d 4 roun d s is grante d an au d ience wit h the ward en, who s l it hers out to take a seat on her t hrone and then add resses t he visitors. A c h aracter who uses a pentagram teleportation circle to trave l to t his area appears in area N1, not on t he pentagram locate d b e h ind th e d oors in t he nort hern part o f area N6. T he doors to the secret rooms (area N2) can b e discovere d wit h a success ful DC 40 Perception c hec k . Area N3 is the primary t h rone room. T he pool o fl ava to h t e east is 20 feet d eep an d k eeps t h e h a ll uncom fo rtably warm (treat as severe heat) fo r creatures wit h out any fo rm o f fi re resistance. Two b a l conies (area N4) overl ook t h e centra l t h rone room-eac h sits 15 fe et ab ove t he t h rone room fl oor. T he d oors in t he t h rone ' s western wall are b ot h k ept l oc k e d ; t he nort hern d oor l ead s to a recor d s room (area N 5) t h at contains d etai l s o f a ll t h e prisoners ever k ept in t h e prison. A c h aracter wh o can rea d Ab yssa l and succee d s at a DC 30 Linguistics c hec k can l ook up any l ocation in t h e prison (or b y extension t h e name o f any prisoner wh o is or ever h as b een imprisone d h ere) a ft er 3 d 6+10 minutes o f researc h . T h e in fo rmation learne d is enough to trave l to t h at l ocation via ,greater teleport, b ut a l so a ll ows fo r fo ot trave l b etween connecting l ocations wit h out t h e nee d to roll a new d estination rand om ly. T h e ot her c h amb er (area N6) is t he war d en' s personal c h amb er, a pl ace fo r her to engage in h er private d eb auc h es as t h e fa ncy ta k es her. T h e sma ll pool in t h e nort h east corner o f t h e room a llows t h e mari l it h to use project ima,ge to appear on t h e t h rone in area N 3 wit hout nee d ing l ine o f sight or e ffect to t h e t h rone. Creatures: T he ward en of t he Ine luctable Prison is a unique and d eadly creature, a mari l ith wit h 12 arms and two head s name Ylles hk a.

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I f t h e PCs ob ey t h e comman d s carve d into t h e wa ll to l te eport into t h e Crimson Cage an d wait t he 2 d 4 roun d s , Yll es hk a proj ects a n image onto her t h rone fr om h er persona l c h amb ers (area N6). Wh en s h e spots t h e PCs, her right h ead h isses in d e l ig ht, " O h , wh at s h ame is t h is ! Intru d ers und er our roo f! T h ey must b e swept out on a tid e o f bloo d , sister. " Her l e ft hea d answers: " Yes , t h ey must. T h ey must d ie in bloo d an d fi re, and t h eir b ones j oin t he mi ll ions b e fo re t h em. Un l ess ... perh aps t hey h ave come to apo l ogize ? " T he fi rst h ead no d s: " O h! T h is cou ld b e so. Or perh aps to o ffer t heir services ? Perh aps t h eir time in t h e prison h as opene d t heir eyes. Perh aps t h ey see k to serve Lor d Baph omet ! " At t h is, b ot h h ea d s turn to t he PCs an d spea k in unison: " Is it true ? Do you see k to serve Lor d Baph omet ? " T h is is, o f course, mere ly b anter. Yll es hk a wants to hear wh at t h e PCs may h ave to say, b ut regar dless o f any attempts at tric k ery, b ot h voices pronounce d eat h wh en t he PCs fi nis h : " I s h a ll ease you fr om your morta l b o d ies so t h at your sou l s may j oin Lor d Baphomet ' s l egions an d your b ones may join those of a million others ! " S he attack s at once, call ing upon t h e fo ur stringy d emon d an d s (two waiting in area N2, an d two in area N4), to j oin h er in mur d ering t he PCs. YLLES H KA XP 61 4,400 hp 396 (see page 60)

CR 22

STRINGY DEMODANDS (4) XP 51,200 each hp 2 1 0 each (see page 84)

CR 1 5

Connections: Area H (01-40) , area I (41-50) , area J ( 51-70) , area K (71-73) , area L ( 74-85) , area M (86-95) , or area 0 (96-100) .

0 . Alderpash's C e l l ( C R 2 1 ) This l uxurious cham ber combines the featu res of a vast l i bra ry, a wizard's laborato ry, a n d a throne room, yet it also carries a n a i r of e m ptiness. N o a p p rentices or s u p p l icants o r g u a rds occupy the chamber, a nd d ust lies in heaps in e m pty co rners and thickly b l a n kets many su rfaces, giving the grand chamber a look of partial abandon ment. To the west looms a n enormous bookshelf l i n ed with all manner of tomes. An enormous tapestry a l o n g a cu rved wall to the east depicts a vast city a n d i m mense stone bridge laid out i n the shadow of a mountain whose peak has been ca rved to rese m b l e the visage of a leering old m a n . T h is is the most luxurious c h amb er i n t he Ine luctable Prison, yet despite th at, it remains as much a ce ll as any in the compl ex. T he occupant of t his ce ll is perh aps the most

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infamous of all the Prison' s occupants: Alderpash , the first Rune lor d o f Wrath , now an ancient, power ful l ic h . T h is c h amb er is quite compl ex, as are th e met ho d s in h w ic h the PCs can interact with A lderpas h . As a resu lt, th is encounter area is b roken up into several smaller areas, eac h d etail e d b e l ow. T he encounter wit h Ald erpas h is detaile d on page 50; al so see his NPC entry on page 58make sure you're famil iar wit h a ll o f these b e fo re running th is encounter. Note t h at unl i ke with ot her ce ll s in t he prison, no particu l ar ward s proh ib it te leportation in or out of t h is area. A lderpash is proh ib ite d fr om l eaving th is area by a power ful bindin9 e ffect pl ace d by Baphomet h imse lf­ essentially, the ex-rune lor d h as full run of t his area, b ut can never leave. He is fr ee to carry on h is experiments and researc hes, t hough . T he l ac k o f restriction against conjuration is more o f a crue l jape at A lderpas h fr om Baphomet, who k nows full we ll th at t he ex-rune l or d 's c hosen special ization is a ll th at keeps h im fr om using conjuration spe ll s to call in creatures fr om across the pl anes to d o h is b idd ing. Connections: Area H (01-40) , area I (41-50) , area J ( 51-70) , area K ( 71-73) , area L (74-85) , area M (86-90) , or area N (91-100) .

0 1 . C e ntra l Laboratory T h is l arge, dusty c h amb er is wh ere A ld erpas h per fo rms t he b u lk o f h is experiments and researc h , a lt h ough centuries can pass b etween h is projects. T he l ic h' s greatest d i fficu lty t h ese d ays is in h old ing h imse lf toget her, and it is tru ly a testament to h is wi llpower t h at he h as resiste d d ecaying into a d emi l ic h . An examination o f t h e fo ur stone tabl es in t h e mi ddle o f t he room revea l h a lf-compl ete d researc h proj ects and experiments t h at t hose wh o succee d at a DC 30 Knowl e d ge (arcana) c h ec k i d enti fy as b eing fo cuse d on suc h d iverse topics as gol em creation, mind trans fer, remote viewing, t h e creation o f strange un d ea d , an d more, a lt h ough none o f t h e proj ects are remote ly c l ose to b eing comp l ete d . Treasure: Wit h a success ful DC 35 Knowl e d ge (h istory) h c ec k , a c h aracter recognizes t h at the tapestries a long the east wall as d epict the s kyl ine o f t he city o f Xin­ Bak rakh an, the capital city of the rune lor d s o f wrat h in T h assil on. T here are 10 immense tapestries in a ll ; eac h weigh s 25 pound s and is worth l , o o o gp. T he b ook s to the west cover a vast collection of topics ab out the h istory o f the Inner Sea region over the past 10,000 years-regu l ar d e l iveries b y b rib e d d emo d and s h ave he lpe d A lderpas h keep up to d ate on th e world . He took some measure o f d e l ig ht in learning of Earthfall and o f his escape fr om th at event, yet in t he centuries since then, th is de l ight h as fade d , and the ex-rune lor d now won ders whet her in fact he might h ave h a d the worse end o f th at deal by spend ing the

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l ast 10 millennia here in prison. In any event, a success ful DC 3 0 Perception c hec k enables a c h aracter to si ft out the b est and rarest b ook s, a collection th at weigh s 1 2 0 pound s b ut is wort h 9 , 0 0 0 gp in all .

02. G uardian Alcoves ( C R 20) Creatures: Wh i le at fi rst gl ance b ot h o f t hese a lcoves appear empty save fo r two small mound s o f dust, eac h actually contains two guar d ians-t he l atest in a lengt hy l ine of guar d ians create d b y A ld erpas h . T he wrat hful l ic h generally grows fr ustrate d with his minions a fter a few hund re d years and d estroys them, only to repl ace

them wit h new minions a few hund re d years l ater. T hese creatures are re l ative ly recent a dd itions to h is c h amb ers. Eac h of the two piles o f dust in t he two a lcoves is in fact a dormant und ead creature k nown as a b onepowd er ghou l . T hough not myt h ic himse l f, A lderpas h manage d to in fu se eac h o f t hese ghou l s wit h a signi ficant amount o f myth ic arcane power-yet anot her in a long l ine o f c lose b rus hes wit h the e lusive source o f power the l ic h h as luste d fo r over th e eons. T he b onepowd er ghoul s remain motion less in t heir dust fo rm as l ong as th e PCs don't attac k them, attac k A lderpas h , or attempt to d amage or l oot any of t he contents o f t he c h amb er. As soon as any of those events occur, however, they rise up and attack . I f Alderpash h asn't yet greete d the PCs when th is occurs, he steps out into the main room and command s h is b onepowder ghou l s to cease t heir attac k s fo r the moment so he can speak to t he PCs. Eac h b onepowd er g houl stand s on ly 3 fe et tall , yet they are unexpecte dly power ful and the PCs would do we ll not to und erestimate t hem. CR 1 6/MR 2 ARCAN E BON EPOWDER G H O U LS 4 XP 76,800 each Va riant a rcane bonepowd er g h o u l (Midgord Bestiary for Pathfinder RPG 5 1 , Pathfinder RPG Mythic Adventures 2 24)

NE S m a l l undead lnit +13; Senses see i n darkness; Perception +22 DEFENSE

AC 23, touch 23, flat-footed 13 (+2 deflection, +9 D ex,

+1 dodge, +1 size) hp 237 each (1 7d 8+1 61) Fort +13, Ref +1 4, Will +1 2 Defensive Abil ities amorpho us, channel resista nce +4; I m m u n e undead traits; SR 27 OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft. Melee bite +22 (1 d6 p l u s 1 d 3 Str and pa ralysis),

2 claws +22 (1d4 p l u s paralysis) Special Attacks coa lesce, g rave d u st, myth ic

m a g i c, simple a rcane spel lcasting, sneak attack +7d 6, whirlwind of bones Spell-Like Abil ities (CL 1 7th) At w i l l -chi// touch (DC 1 9), deeper darkness, dispel magic, ray of enfeeblement (DC 1 9) 3/day-blindness/deofness (DC 20), em powered enervation 1/day-energy drain Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 1 7th;

concentration +2 5) 9th-time stop 8th-horrid wilting (DC 28) 7th-finger of death (DC 27)

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4th-besto w curse (DC 24), greater in visibility 1 st-moge armor, shield

of Strength drain (Fortitude DC 28 negates). The save DC is Charisma-based.

TACTICS

During Combat A bone powd e r g h o u l 's first act in combat is to cast time stop. It then casts mage armor a n d shield. I f it has a d d i t i o n a l actio ns, it casts greater in visibility and then p l a ces a reas of deeper darkness. Once it can attack foes, it spends the first few ro u n d s u s i n g horrid wilting a n d finger of death, then uses energy drain o n PCs so it can coa l esce

and then move to fla n k with others to sneak attack a n d paralyze victims. Morale U n less commanded to cease attacking by Alderpash, the a rcane bonepowder g h o u l s fight to the death. STATISTICS

Str 1 0, Dex 28, Con -, I nt 1 9, Wis 1 5, Cha 27 Base Atk +12; CMB +1 1; CMD 33 Feats Arca ne Stri ke, Combat Casting, D o d g e, Eschew

Mate r i a l s•, G reater Spell Focus (necro m a n cy), I m p roved I n itiative, M o b i l ity, S p e l l Focus (necro m a ncy), To u g h n ess, Wea pon F i n esse Skills Bluff +2 5, Escape Artist +34, Intimidate +28, Knowledge (planes) +2 1 , Knowledge (re l i g ion) +24, Perception +22, Spell craft +24, Stea lth +37 Languages Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Undercommon SQ dusty form, h i d e i n plain sight SPECIAL ABILITIES

Coalesce (Su) Once a bonepowde r g h o u l has i nflicted l evel drain via enervation or energy drain, it can assume the form

of a S m a l l h u m a n oid as a free action. It can m a i nta i n this form for n o m o re than 10 m i n utes before it col l a pses back i nto d usty form. When coalesced, a bonepowder ghoul can m a n i p u late o bjects a n d m a ke physical attacks. Dusty Form (Su) A bonepowder g h o u l 's normal form is a p i l e of powdered b o n e . I n t h i s form, it can not m a ke b i t e o r claw atta cks, n o r can it m a n i p u late o bj ects, but it can cast spells a n d use spel l - l i ke a b i l ities a n d its other special attacks. The damage it takes from physica l attacks i s reduced by 50% while it's i n d u sty fo r m . G raved ust (Su) As a sta ndard action once every 3 rounds, a n a rcane bonepowder ghoul can project a 40-foot c o n e o f g rave dust. A l l creatu res in t h e a rea m u s t succeed at a DC 28 Fortitude save or take 1d6 points of Strength damage and become i nfected with ghoul fever (see page 1 46 of Pathfinder RPG Bestiary, except that this version of the d isease has a DC 28 save to resist it). The save DC is Charisma-based. Paralysis (Su) Those h i t by a bonepowde r g h o u l 's physical attacks must succeed at a DC 28 Fortitude save or become para lyzed for 1 d4+1 rounds. The save DC is Charisma-based. Whirlwind of Bones (Su) O n ce per day as a sta n d a rd action, a bonepowder g h o u l i n d u sty form can create a s m a l l cyclone of whirling teeth a n d bone fra g m e nts. A l l living creatu res with i n 20 feet of a bonepowder g h o u l 's w h i rlwind take 2 d 1 2 points of slashing damage (no save) a n d 1 d 6 poi nts

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03. Aban d o n e d Bedroom Wh i le he l ive d , Ald erpas h use d t h is room as a b e d room and stu dy, b ut since b ecoming a l ic h , he h asn't returne d here. T he fu rniture is covere d with dust, and crumbles from advance d age i f interacte d wit h .

04. Study T h is room' s wa ll s are l ine d wit h s h e lves. A singl e table an d c h air are use d b y A ld erpas h as a p l ace to stu dy. T h e l ic h' s spe llb ook s l ine many o f t he s h e lves h ere-t h ey contain a ll o f t he spe ll s in t h e Core Rulebook save fo r t hose o f t h e sc h ool s o f conjuration and abjuration. At your d iscretion, t h ese spe llb ook s can contain many ot h er spe ll s fr om b oo k s l i k e Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Ma9ic or Pathfinder Campai9n Settin9: Inner Sea Ma9ic as we ll . Many o f t h e ot h er tomes on t h e s h e lves concern t h e pl anes, b ut t hose stac k e d on t h e d es k are a ll concerne d in one way or anot h er wit h particu l arly remote an d ob scure pl anes. A ld erpas h h as b een researc h ing a particu l ar p l ane in t hese tomes, a l egen d ary rea l m k nown as Jand e l ay, yet h e h as b een fr ustrate d b y t he l ac k o fh ar d evid ence regar d ing t h is pl ane. Time an d time again h e l aments h is inab i l ity to un d erstan d conjuration magic in t h ese notes, wh i le in ot h er pl aces h e speak s o f a creature calle d t h e O l iph aunt o f Jand e l ay t h at guar d s t h is strange pl ane. Treasure: Despite fa i l ing to make progress on h is primary goal , A lderpas h h as manage d to d iscover a long­ fo rgotten magical spe ll in h is research . T h ree complete d scroll s o f rune of]andelay sit on the table-wh i l e the spe ll itse lfis o fl ittle use to A ld erpas h now, it may b e o f great use to t he PCs. A lderpas h' s notes go on to ob serve how curious it is t h at th is spe ll , a potent war d against c h aos, seems to b e associate d wit h a creature o f suc h power ful ch aos as the Oliph ant of Jande l ay, a seeming contradiction t h at h as le d to the l ic h' s t heory th at t he O l iph ant may not b e so muc h a guard ian of sacre d Jand e l ay as it is its prisoner. It was t his l ine o f thought th at intrigue d t he l ic h so, fo r i f he could d iscover t he trut h and learn more ab out how the Ol iph ant was kept with in Jan de l ay, perh aps some of t h at k nowle d ge wou ld aid h im in d etermining a weak ness o f the Ine luctable Prison.

0 5 . Phylactery Pool T h is sid e room is free o f dust-t he only part of th is area so grace d . T he on ly fe ature in the room is a 2 - fo ot- d eep pool o f si lvery l iquid . T h is l iquid is mercury, and rad iates strong necromancy. Any mercury taken fr om the pool imme d iate ly evaporates, and the pool itse lf replenis hes l ost mercury to remain full at all times. T his curious magical pool , as a success ful DC 35 Knowle d ge (arcana

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it very d i fficu lt to d estroy. Ma.!Je's di�unction can d estroy the phyl actery, b ut ot herwise th e pool must b e physically ruine d . T h is is easier said th an done, though , fo r th e pool is immune to physical weapon d amage, cold , e lectricity, and sonic d amage. Acid and fi re d eal h a lf d amage to it. Force e ffects d eal full d amage, as does disinte.!Jrate. T he phyl actery pool h as 100 h it points and repairs d amage to itse lf at the astound ing rate o f i d 100 h it points per round .

Encountering Alderpash ( C R 20) A ld erpas h h as a re l ative ly lucrative re l ations h ip wit h several o f t he d emo d an d guar d s o f t h e prison. In return fo r t h em smuggl ing in b ook s , in fo rmation, an d ot h er items h e perio d ica lly nee d s fo r h is experiments an d researc h es, A ld erpas h suppl ies t h ese d emo d and s wit h magic items an d spe ll casting favors . Baph omet k nows o f t h is arrangement b ut d oesn ' t mind­ h e k nows A ld erpas h isn' t going

or re l igion) c hec k con fi rms, is actually an unusual l ic h phyl actery-Ald erpas h' s phyl actery. T he nature of the phyl actery mak es it impossible to transport (a d esign fl aw th at A lderpas h hopes to solve b e fo re he engineers h is escape from t he Ine luctable Prison) , b ut a l so mak es

anywhere b ecause o f t h e b indin.!J e ffect h e pl ace d on t he rune lor d . T h roug h t h ese arrangements wit h t h e d emo d an d s , A ld erpas h is l i k e ly to l earn ab out t h e PCs re l ative ly soon a fter t h ey enter t h e prison. He ' ll certain ly attempt to scry on one o f t h em, an d may even b rib e a guar d to try to stea l an obj ect owne d b y a PC to fa ci l itate a .!]Teater scry in.!J attempt. By t h e time t h e d fi PCs n t h eir way to t h is area, A ld erpas h s h ou ld l d a rea y k now o f t h em. In d ee d , i f t h e PCs ta k e too l ong in getting h ere, h e mig ht h ave a d emo d an d agent l ea d t h em to h is ce ll to fo rce t h e encounter. A ld erpas h k nows t h at th e PCs are here to rescue t he Herald o f Iome d ae, an d a l so k nows t h at th e h erald h as b een corrupte d . He is very fami l iar wit h t he prison itse l f, and t he nature o f the fo es the PCs will fa ce wit h in, a ll o f wh ic h mak es th e l ic h an incre d ibly use ful source o f in fo rmation. I f h e ' s able to establ is h a pal aver wit h th e PCs (even i f t h at means fo rcing t heir compl iance via magic or granting t hem mercy a ft er d e feating t hem in comb at) , t he l ic h ma kes an o ffer: he ' ll h e lp t h em as b est he can i f th ey agree to h e lp h im escape. T he l ic h h as consid ere d many escape pl ans over h t e years, b ut t he potent bindin.!J e ffect th at k eeps h im s h ac kle d to the prison, pl ace d by Baphomet h imse l f, ruins everyt hing. As long as this he dge d prison bindin.!J remains in pl ace, A ld erpas h can't leave h is ce ll . He k nows t h at two spe ll s can normally negate bindin.!J-antima.!Jic shell and ma.!Je's di�unction. Bot h o f these spe ll s are abjurations, and thus are not spe ll s A lderpas h can cast. He once trie d

to escape by using a wish to dupl icate an antimaEic field, b ut found muc h to h is frustration th at th is particu l ar bindinE, woven b y a d emigo d , resiste d even th at e ffect. He ' s re l ative ly certain th at a maEe's disjunction spe ll h as a small c h ance at success, b ut as he can' t cast t h is spe ll h imse lf and h asn' t yet manage d to lure someone who can cast it to h is prison, th is theory is unteste d . I f the PCs attempt to cast maEe's disjunction to d ispe l Baph omet ' s bindinE, the d emon l ord ' s spe ll fu nctions at caster l eve l 27th , mak ing it a d i fficu lt c hec k to succee d at. Barring a maEe's disjunction, however, A lderpas h h as one more theory he 'd li k e t he PCs to test. When Nocticu l a s lew Baphomet, there was a momentary fluctuation in the bindinE spe ll . A lderpas h suspects (correct ly, as it h appens) th at i f Baphomet were s l ain again b e fo re h is real m replenis he d its power to resurrect him, t he bindinE would fi nally end . A lderpas h would certainly pre fe r to h ave the PCs use maEe's di�unction to free h im, b ut b arring th at, he a l so accepts a promise to attempt to s l ay Baphomet. T he PCs must b e honest in th is promise (or at least success fully B lu ff the l ic h) b e fo re he agrees to he lp. He won't d emand the PCs imme d iate ly see k out Baphomet i fit comes to th at, only t h at t hey promise to attempt the l egend ary feat when they can. Ald erpas h fi gures he ' ll out l ive them anyway, so he 's content waiting a fe w more d ecad es fo r t he PCs to d e l iver on t heir promise. I f the l ic h can't fo rge an a ll iance wit h the PCs, he opts to attac k , hoping to fo rce th eir aid . In t his case, he won't volunteer any in fo rmation apart from wh at h e fee l s the PCs nee d to k now in ord er to lure Baphomet to the prison and attac k h im. I f t he PCs can come to an agreement wit h A ld erpas h , h e can s h are t he following a dvice. Rememb er to adjust the a dvice as nee d e d d epend ing on how th e PCs ' actions h ave c h ange d the assume d situation in t he prison. Pentagrams and Statues: Ald erpas h can describ e the fu nction o fb ot h of these recurring magical e ffects. Prison Locations: A lderpash k nows a ll o f the prison' s l ocations, and can d escrib e them a ll to the PCs so th at t he heroes can trave l to t hem via Ereater teleport or on fo ot from connecting locations. Seek Out Allies: Ald erpash k nows o f t he fo ur l ik e ly ll a ies in areas H1-H4, and can give t he PCs d irections to any they might not h ave encountere d . Herald of Iomedae: A ld erpas h k nows t he hera ld h as b een corrupte d an d trans fo rme d into t he Hera ld o f t h e Ivory Lab yrint h . He can d escrib e t he c h amb er in wh ic h t he h erald is current ly l ocate d so t h at t h e PCs can trave l t here via Ereater teleportation or one o f t he pentagrams . A ld erpas h suggests t h at s l aying t he Hera ld o f t he Ivory Lab yrint h is prob ably t he b est tactic, d rawing a para ll e l wit h wh at one must d o wit h a rab i d d og or d is l oyal s l ave.

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I f t h e PCs b a lk at t h is, h e a l so muses t h at, s hou ld t h e PCs manage to fi n d t he hera ld ' s h eart an d return it to t he gaping hole in h is c h est, t h ey may b e abl e to reverse t he corruption Bap homet h as in fl icte d on t h e h erald . T he h eart is here in t h e prison, A ld erpas h notes, b ut h e ' s not sure wh ere-eit h er in t he possession o f t h e prison war d en or in t h e prison vau lt, he guesses. Restoring t h e hera ld ' s h eart wi ll l i k e ly require at l east a few atonement spe ll s to h asten t h e process. Thin the Opposition: I f the PCs head straight to the herald 's ce ll , t hey ' ll b e s l aughtere d , warns t he l ic h , fo r no ot h er l ocation in t he prison is watc he d as c l ose ly. A ld erpas h k nows t h at provid e d th ey sti ll l ive, t h e d emo d and Pl orig- Stagu l (area I ) , t h e d row priestess Svend ac k (area L) , the Ivory Hunter Inger-Maggor (area J ) , and t he war d en Ylles hk a (area N) will a ll converge swi ftly on the herald ' s ce ll i ft he PCs attac k . T he l ich recommend s the PCs s l ay these four first b e fore confronting the herald . De fe ating Plorig- Stagul and the d row priestess will make fo r fairly straight fo rwar d fi ghts, A lderpas h says-simply con front t hem in t heir respective dens. Inger-Maggor is tric k ier, fo r th e antipal ad in d oesn't normally stay in the prison. A ld erpas h suspects th at i f t he PCs s lew one of h is hound s (t he l innorm Uffr and ir in area J ) , however, the minotaur wou ld come running fo r revenge. A lderpas h warns the PCs t h at Ylles hk a is fa r and ab ove the most d angerous o fthese fo es, and th at they s hou ld avoid a d irect con frontation wit h her. His advice is to trave l to the d eep isol ation ce ll (area M) and re lease Igramal as h . He can expl ain to t he PCs how to do so (see Re leasing Igramal as h on page 44) , and warns them t h at once t he monster is loose, it will attack t hem at once. Ylles hk a wi ll arrive swi ftly a fter the creature is fr ee d , however, at whic h point the PCs can use t he myt h ic inverte d giant against the war d en. Luring Baphomet: Baphomet, Ald erpash te ll s the PCs, l is ic k ing h is wound s a fter h is c l as h wit h Nocticu l a, and is un l i ke ly to come out o fh is tower fo r at least a year ' s time. T h at said , i f the PCs k i ll the Herald o f the Ivory Labyrinth (or worse, re deem h im) , the Horne d Lor d ' s rage wi ll l i ke ly b e enough to lure h im out o fh is tower and into th e prison to personally punis h the PCs. As a resu lt, it wou ld b e in the PCs ' b est interests to vacate the prison soon a fter finishing wit h th e herald , un less they wis h to face Baphomet h imse lf in b attle. Challenging Baphomet: I f th e PCs d o want to d irectly h c allenge Baphomet, Alderpas h recommend s they prepare fo r t he fi g ht. I ft hey retreat to t his c h amb er when t he fi g ht b egins, t he l ic h promises to d o wh at he can to aid t hem ( he knows th at in th is event, i f the PCs fai l , Baphomet wi ll punis h h im more t h an ever, b ut at t h is point he ' s willing to fi nally take th at ris k) . He k nows many o f Baphomet ' s powers and can warn t he PCs o f t hem so t h at t hey can prepare fo r t he fi ght as muc h as t hey can. His b est

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a dvice, however, is th at t hey s hou ld see k out t he two most signi ficant treasures t he d emon keeps here in the Prison Vault: Baphomet ' s original gl aive and a mund ane b a ll o f twine. T he d estruction o f t hese obj ects in Baphomet ' s presence is certain to d rive h im to a rec kless fu ry t h at may give t he PCs an a dvantage. ALDERPASH XP 307,200 hp 331 (see page 5 8)

CR 20

Development: I f A ld erpas h c l ashes wit h th e PCs and is d e fe ate d b ut a llowe d to rejuvenate, t he l ic h hold s a gru d ge fo rever. I f the PCs remain in the prison, t hey fi nd themse lves increasingly attack e d by d emo d and s l oyal to the l ic h , and as the campaign progresses, they may fi nd themse lves the target of other creatures wit h whom the l ic h h as mad e a ll iances.

P. The H e ra l d 's Prison (CR 20) The air i n this vast c h a m b e r stings the eyes and assa i l s t h e nose, ree k i n g of a f o u l m i x t u re of o i l a n d d ecay. T o t h e east, t h e c h a m b e r's b o n e - paved w a l l s a re s u p p o rted by n u m erous ivory p i l l a rs, w h i l e a s i n g l e statue of a goat- h e a d e d demon l e e rs in the centra l a l cove. A fi fteen -foot- l o n g ledge extends o u t over a l a ke of b o i l i n g ta r. Two s m a l l e r l e d g es, each i n s c r i b e d with penta g ra m s, protrude i nto t h e ta r l a ke to t h e l eft and right of this centra l l e d g e, w h i l e a s m a l l beach sits o n the far s i d e . A r i n g of p i l l a rs s u r r o u n d s a t h i rty-foot-wi d e d i s c of metal that floats ten feet a bove t h e s u rface of t h e t a r, s u s p e n d e d at t h e s a m e l e v e l as t h e fl o o r i n the e a s t e r n portion of the roo m . T h e su rface of t h i s m e t a l d isc is i n scribed with t h o u s a n d s o f g l ow i n g ru n e s a n d b l a s p h e m o u s c u rves. No physical entrance exists into t h is c h amb er; h c aracters must uti l ize the teleportation circles or their own greater te leport capab i l ities to reach th is room a fter t hey

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l earn o f its existence and secure a d etai le d d escription o f it (suc h as fr om t h e l ic h A ld erpas h or t h e d escription o f t he c h amb er fo und in area Ns). T he l a ke o f tar is 10 fe et b e low t h e fl oor l eve l and is 30 fe et d eep. Treat t h is tar as molten l ava an d quic k san d to any creature t h at b ecomes immerse d in it, save t h at it d oes on ly h a lf t h e d amage l ava d oes (1o d 6 points o f fi re d amage per roun d o f immersion) . Worse, t he tar is semi­ sentient, an d any non-c h aotic- evi l creature t h at is wit h in i5 feet o f t h e tar ' s sur fa ce at initiative count o is attac k e d b y a writ h ing pseu d opo d o f t h e b urning stu ff. T h e tar pseu d opo d mak es a +25 attac k roll and d ea l s 3 d 6+10 points o f d amage plus 2 d 6 points o f fi re d amage on a h it. In a dd ition, t h e pseu d opo d h as t h e grab specia l ab i l ity an d a CMB o f 33 (its CMD is 28) . I f it grab s a creature, t he pseu d opo d imme d iate ly retracts b ac k into t h e tar, immersing t h e victim in t h e muc k . T h e pseu d opo d s d o not attac k fo es immerse d in t h e tar. Creature: T here is on ly one inh ab itant of t h is special ll ce : the corrupte d Herald o f Iome d ae. A fter enduring the fi nal viol ation in wh ic h Baphomet took his heart, the herald trans fo rme d into a new creature, one more d emon th an ange l , and one wholly loya l to the Horne d Lord . As the Herald of the Ivory Lab yrinth , t he creature is muc h more power ful th an he was b e fo re, b ut h is purpose now is simple-he exists sole ly to lure the PCs into the Ine luctable Prison where many o f Baphomet ' s most power ful minions l ie in wait. T he Herald o f t he Ivory Lab yrinth cannot yet leave t h is c h amb er, despite his ab i l ity to te leport, fo r his corruption is not yet complete. I f he s l ays the PCs, h is a llegiance to Baphomet will b e fo rever, and he will b e free to trave l the pl anes to serve as Baphomet ' s powerful herald . For now, t hough , th e Herald of t he Ivory Labyrint h waits fo r t he PCs here. When the party fi rst arrives, they fi nd the herald d ouble d over atop t he silver d isc, c lutc h ing h is k nees in a fetal position. Two g l aives lie crosse d on the ground b e fo re him. At fi rst g l ance he may look unh arme d , b ut when the PCs approach , t he herald s lowly rises to h is full height, reveal ing rotte d fles h wriggling with worms, talone d h and s, a demonic visage, and a gaping hole where h is heart s hould b e, d ripping bl ac k fluid . T he Herald of the Ivory Labyrint h speak s in a grating voice. " My would -b e saviors, sent by the chi ld-go ddess: you h ave arrive d too l ate. I am the Herald of the Ivory Labyrinth and the ch ampion of Lord Baphomet now, and you are to b e the final step toward my ascension. Come. Be the mee k l amb s you were meant to b e and b ow b e fore your executioner ! " At th is (or sooner, i f the PCs are impatient and attac k) , h t e herald attac k s t he PCs as detai le d in his tactics b e low. T h is b att le is d angerous enough when t he PCs face h t e Herald of t he Ivory Lab yrint h and t he semi-sentient l ake of corrupte d tar b e low, b ut i f they h aven' t d e fe ate d

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the prison' s other signi ficant guar d ians, when the herald attac k s, a devastating amb us h occurs. Round i : On t he fi rst round ofb att le, Ylles hk a (area N) te leports into the room to j oin t he b att le. S he arrives on the " b eac h" a long the nort hwestern e d ge o f t he l a ke of tar, and uses project ima13e or ot her spe ll s as nee d e d to provid e range d support at fi rst b e fo re s he j oins the b att le in me lee. Round 2 : Plorig- Stagul (area I) and Svend ac k (area L) arrive at the start of t h is round , eac h appearing on one of the two pentagrams. As with Ylles hk a, these two h ang b ac k from me lee at fi rst to provid e support via spe llcasting. Round 3 : T he ivory hunter Inger-Maggor (see page 38) appears on t he th ir d round , sent here b y Baphomet h imse lf to aid t he ot hers in destroying t he PCs. He appears in the eastern portion o f t he room, where he ' ll h ave room to move around to c h arge fo es. I f a ll fo ur of t hese deadly fo es arrive, the result is nearly a CR 25 encounter-somet h ing th at even c h aracters as power ful as t h e PCs wi ll b e h ar d presse d to survive. Wise PCs wi ll put o ff t h e fi nal con fr ontation wit h t h e h erald unti l t hey 've t h inne d t h e ran k s o ft h e prison' s guar d ians ! H E RALD OF THE IVORY LABYRINTH XP 307,200

TACTICS

During Combat The H e r a l d of the Ivory Labyrinth b e g i n s co m bat by c a s t i n g blade barrier a n d a q u i ckened flame strike, then c a l l s h i s g l a ives to h i s h a n d s a n d proceeds

to attack i n melee i n the fo l l ow i n g ro u n d s . H e waits to use p o wer word stun on a foe o n ce he's wounded it, a n d p refers to save h i s u s e s of myt h i c power t o d rive i n s a n e t h o s e w h o succu m b to h i s maze g a z e . As h e fi g hts, h e i s s u e s cu rses a n d v i l e th reats to a ny o b v i o u s l o m e d a ea n s-

CR 20/MR 8

Male CE Large outsider (chaotic, demon, evil, mythic) (Pathfinder RPG Mythic Adventures 226) l n it +1 9M/-1; Senses da rkvision 60 ft., low- l i g h t vision; Perception +30 DEFENSE

AC 39, touch 1 0, flat-footed 38 (+1 4 armor, +1 Dex,

+1 5 natural, -1 size) hp 377 (1 8d10+278); regeneration 10 (good effects or weapons) Fort +2 1 , Ref + 1 3, Will +20 Defensive Abil ities i n fested, repulsion field; DR 1 5/col d i ron, good, a n d epic; Immune b leed, el ectricity, maze, poison; Resist acid 1 0, cold 1 0, fire 1 0; S R 31 Wea knesses hea rtl ess OFFENSE

Speed 35 ft., fly 1 0 0 ft. (avera g e) Melee Med i u m +5 unholy glaive +31/+26/+2 1 /+1 6 (1 d 1 0+1 8/19-20/x 4), Medium +5 axiomatic glaive +31

(1 d 1 0+1 8/1 9-20/x4) Space 1 O ft.; Reach 1 O ft. Special Attacks g l a ive mastery, maze g aze, myt h i c power

(8/day, s u rge +1 d 1 0), smite l o m edaean Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1 8th) At w i l l detect good, dispel magic, fear (DC 22), greater teleport, lesser restoration 3/day-q uickened flame strike (DC 2 3), power word stun, resist energy, see in visibility, slay living (DC 2 3), unholy blight (DC 22) 1/day blade barrier (DC 24), dispel good (DC 23), heal, -

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s u m m o n ( l eve l 8, 1 d 4 ivory m i nota u rs 75%)

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he p refers to ta rg et these foes ( p a l a d i n s a n d clerics i n parti c u l a r) over a l l others i f possi b l e . H e d o e s atte m pt to rem a i n w i t h i n 15 feet of the tar l a ke at a l l times i f poss i b l e so t h a t at the end of each ro u n d the l a ke can attack a nyone he's l u red close e n o u g h . Morale The H e r a l d of the Ivory Labyrinth fig hts t o the death. STATISTICS

Str 33, Dex 25, Con 30, Int 26, Wis 28, Cha 27 B a s e A t k +1 8; CMB +30; CMD 47 Feats Critical FocusM, Double S l i ce, I m p roved CriticalM ( g l a ive) , I m p roved l n itiativeM, Quicken S p e l l - Li ke Abil ity (flame strike),

Staggering Critical, Tou g h nessM, Two-Weapon F i g hting, Two­ Wea pon Rend Skills B l u ff +2 9, Fly +2 1 , I ntim idate +2 9, Knowledge (arcana ) +26, Knowledge ( d u n g e o n e e r i n g ) +26, Knowledge ( e n g i n e e r i n g ) +26, Knowledge ( g e o g r a p hy) +26, Knowledge ( p l a nes) +2 9, Knowl e d g e ( rel i g i o n ) +29, Perception +30, Sense Motive +30, S p e l l c raft +2 9, Stea l th +1 9, Use M a g i c Device +2 9 Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Giant SQ d u a l initiative Gear +5 full plate, +5 axiomatic glaive, +5 unholy glaive SPECIAL ABILITIES

Gla ive Mastery (Su) The Herald of the Ivory Labyrinth fig hts

with two Med i u m g l a ives, wielding each as i f it were a one­ handed wea pon with n o penalty for size. These wea pons d o n o t i ncrease his natural rea c h . H e can c a u s e any u nattended g l a ive with i n 30 feet to teleport into his h a n d as a free action and gains a +2 racial bonus o n all attack rolls a n d damage rol l s w i t h g l a ives. Heartless (Ex) The h e ra l d has n o hea rt, o n l y a g a p i n g h o l e t h a t d r i p s b l a c k i c h o r. P l a c i n g the Heart of the Herald in t h i s cavity causes g reat p a i n to t h e h e ra l d, b u t to acco m p l is h t h is, t h e h e ra l d m ust be w i l l i n g, h e l p l ess, o r b e i n g g r a p p l e d by t h e person atte m pt i n g t o p l a ce t h e H e a r t i n h i s chest. T o p l a ce the h e a rt w h i l e g r a p p l i n g , t h e ch a racter m ust s u cceed at a n a d d i t i o n a l g r a p p l e c h e c k as i f h e w e re atte m pt i n g to p i n t h e h e ra l d . O n ce t h e Heart of the Herald is placed in his c h est, the h e ra l d becomes sta g g ered. H e c a n r i p t h e h e a rt free from h i s chest as a sta n d a rd a ct i o n by m a k i n g a successful DC 35 Fortitude save. O n ce h e rem oves the hea rt, p r y i n g the h e a rt from h i s h a n d s to d ro p it i s a second sta n d a rd a c t i o n . While h e is i n possess i o n of t h e hea rt, the h e ra l d c a n not use h i s m az e g a ze, sm ite l o m e d a e a n, o r s pe l l - l i ke a b i l ities. F u r t h e r m o re, an atonement s p e l l that targets t h e h e r a l d w h i l e he is i n possessi o n of t h e h e a rt d e a l s 1 d 4 negative l evels to h i m ( o r 2d4+1 negative l evels i f t h e h e a rt is sti l l i n h i s chest ) . If t h e h e ra l d s u cceeds at a DC 35 W i l l save, t h e neg ative l evels g a i n e d a re reduced to t h e m i n i m u m poss i b l e n u m be r ( 1 o r 3, d e p e n d i n g o n the presence o r a b s e n ce o f h i s h e a rt ) . H e t a kes a - 5 p e n a l t y o n s a v i n g th rows a g a i nst atonement s p e l l s from wors h i pers of l o m ed a e . If a ny

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atonement s p e l l causes h i m to g a i n 1 8 or m o re n e gative

l evels, t h e co rruption i n h i m is i m m ediately b l a sted from h i s body and h e is restored as t h e Herald of l o m ed a e . I nfested (Ex) Anyo n e who g ra p p l es o r is g r a p p l e d b y the H e r a l d of the Ivory Labyrinth fi n d s a swarm of wri g g l i n g flesh-eating worms bu rrow i n g from t h e h e ra l d 's flesh i nto its own. This deals 3 d 6 poi nts of damage per ro u n d the g r a p p l e is m a i nta i n e d a n d for 1 d3 a d d i t i o n a l ro u n d s a f t e r the g r a p p l e ends . Remove disease o r a s i m i l a r s p e l l destroys these worms, but i m m u n ity t o d isease offers n o p rotectio n . Casti ng remo ve disease o r a s i m il ar s p e l l on the herald s u p p resses this a b i l ity for 1 m i n ute. Maze Gaze (Su) The H e r a l d of the Ivory Labyrinth can cast those w h o meet his gaze i n to a n extra d i m e n s i o n a l maze w ithin h i s m i n d . This gaze attack functions as a maze s p e l l t o a range of 30 feet, s a v e that a creature can resist the effects with a s uccessfu l DC 27 W i l l save. O n l y o n e creature may be trapped i n the hera l d 's maze at a time. As a swift action, the herald may expend a use of myth i c power to cause the wa l l s of t h i s maze to s h r i e k and run with b l ood, c a u s i n g a creature trapped within to atte m pt a DC 27 Fortitude save to resist taking 1 d4 poi nts of I nte l l i g ence drain from encroa c h i n g m a d ness. The savi n g th row is Charisma-based. Repulsion F i e l d (Su) The hera l d can turn ra nged attacks a n d r a n g e d s p e l l s b a c k a g a i nst their source. This a b i l ity works a g a i nst only the first 1d4 ranged attacks each rou n d . The attacker rolls or targets h i mself with the effect, and m ust m ake a n attack rol l o r save a g a i nst the effect as normal. S m ite lomedaean (Su) The first t i m e i n a ro u n d that t h e H e r a l d of the I v o r y Labyrinth d a m a g e s a wors h i p e r o f l o m e d a e with h i s g l a ive, the creature s t r u c k takes a n a d d i t i o n a l 1 0 poi nts of d a m a g e a n d m ust succeed at a DC 27 Fortitude save or be sta g g e red for 1 rou n d by a n overw h e l m i n g sense of d e s p a i r. P a l a d i n s of l o m e d a e take a -4 penalty o n thi s savi ng th row, a n d a re sta g g e red for 1 d4 ro u n d s if they fa i l the save. The herald a utomatica l l y confi rms a l l critical h i t s m a d e a g a i nst a wors h i p e r o f l o m e d a e . The save DC is Charisma-based. Development: I f the PCs d e feat t he herald without d re eeming h im, he gasps in h is fi nal b reat h in Ce lestial , " I h ave b etraye d th e righteous path . My heart, my heart is gone, and I d ie a traitor. " T he PCs h ave one fi nal c h ance to save the hera ld at th is point-i f h is heart is pl ace d in his c hest b e fo re t he end of the round in wh ic h t he d eath blow is struc k , he sti ll d ies, b ut h is vital essence returns to Heaven rat her th an b eing ab sorb e d by the Ab yss. A spe ll li k e breath of life can perh aps restore h im to l i fe long enough fo r enough atonement spe ll s to re d eem h im, b ut suc h a move is risky since once he 's b rought b ack from the b rink of death l ike this, his corruption regains control and he attempts to rip h is heart fr ee.

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I f t he PCs do manage to re d eem the h erald , he sob s in re l ie f as h e b ows b e fore t he party and speak s in a voice th ic k with emotion, " You h ave save d me from serving evi l fo rever. I can fe e l my mistress calling, b ut I k now my time as her Herald is at an end . One of you must tak e up the b anner of Iome d ae, and d e fe at the Worldwound . But we must go quic kly, fo r even now Baphomet d raws nigh! " Connections: None.

Baphomet Knocks ( C R 27) A fe w roun d s a ft er t he d eat h o r re d emption o f t h e Hera ld o f t h e Ivory Lab yrint h , t he Ine luctabl e Prison s h a k es wit h t he soun d o f t hun d er and a mu ffle d b e ll ow ec h oes t h roug h t h e structure. T h is is a sure sign t h at t h e PCs must prepare to fl ee or fi g ht, fo r it is t h e soun d o f Baph omet trave l ing to t he Ine luctable Prison fr om h is tower. I f ot h er occupants o f t he prison sti ll l ive, t h ey eagerly cut o ff comb at an d d rop d own in positions o f suppl ication, terri fi e d at wh at Baphomet wi ll d o to t h em wh en he arrives. Give t he PCs the c h ance t o flee. I f th ey instead wis h to stay and face t he demon lor d in b attl e, t hey h ave i d 4 roun d s to prepare. A fter th is time, Baphomet appears in a ll his ferocious and enrage d glory. "I am l o rd of this rea l m, a n d yet you d a re d efy me? You d o n o t have your strum pet p rotector w i t h y o u this ti m e, fools! I have crushed the bones of a thousand h eroes beneath my i ron hooves! And n ow, yo u r bones shall join them!" Baphomet imme d iate ly attac k s any surviving followers fi rst, mak ing it c lear th at they are b eing a dd resse d as muc h as the PCs are. On ly i f the PCs d are attac k h im d oes the d emon lord cease h is s l aughter-eac h of the still ­ l iving minions essentially gives the PCs i more roun d to flee or prepare fo r t he fi ght of their l ives. You can use the following round -b y-round tactics fo r Baphomet once he turns h is attention to the PCs. Round 1 : Baphomet casts time stop. On the fi rst 2 round s h t at follow, he summons a b a lor and a l ab yrinth minotaur. I fhe h as any a dd itional round s remaining a fter these, he summons more b alors-he can summon a total o f th ree o f these d emons. Round 2 : Baphomet casts imprisonment on the party 's most accompl is he d healer (or i f one exists, any spe llcaster capable of casting freedom), and quic kene d [Jreater dispel ma[Jic to remove t he most d angerous o f the PCs ' current spe ll s in e ffect. Following 3 Rounds: Baphomet uses maze on the next 3 round s (along with additional castings of quickene d weater dispel ma[Jic) to fu rt her scatter t he party. Remainder of Combat: Baph omet switc hes to me l ee attac k s once he ' s scattere d t h e party wit h maze an d

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imprisonment, perio d ically switc h ing to spe ll -l i ke ab i l ities

i f face d wit h fo es at range. Rememb er t h at d espite h is rage, Baph omet is no fo o l . He k nows t h at i f h e ' s s l ain t h is time , so soon a fter h is previous d eat h , h e ' ll b e d ea d fo rever. I fh e ' s ever re duce d to fe wer t h an 3 0 0 h it points or nearly incapacitate d or s l ain b y a c l ose ca ll , t h e d emon l or d roars in rage. " Enoug h! You h ave earne d a reprieve, b ut you s h a ll b e my victims one d ay ! " Wit h t h is, h e uses a miracle to return to h is tower an d d oes not emerge fo r a year. I f t h e PCs sti ll l ive at t h at time, t h ey wou ld d o we ll to watc h t h eir b ac k s ! BAPHOMET XP 3,2 76,800 hp 643 (see page 88)

CR 27

Development: It ' s un l i k e ly, b ut not impossible, t h at a PC might d eci d e upon a tru ly d esperate gamb it in t h is encounter an d ca ll on Nocticu l a fo r ai d . I f a PC d oes so, t he ca ll must b e sincere-tak ing t h is action imme d iate ly s h i ft s t h at c h aracter ' s a l ignment to c h aotic evi l (a lt h ough t he c h aracter can b e re d eeme d l ater via atonement at your d iscretion) . T h e c h ance t h at Nocticu l a h ears and respon d s is equa l to th e suppl icant c h aracter ' s C h arisma score as a percentage on a d% . I f t he c h aracter roll s l ower t h an h is C h arisma score, Nocticu l a mani fe sts in t h e room in i d 4 round s wit h an eager smi le an d j oins t h e fi g ht against Baph omet. I f t h e PC h as a menta l l in k to Nocticu l a, t he c h ance o f her coming to t he PCs ' ai d d oubl es. T h e arriva l o f t h e d emon l or d o f assassins is enough to panic Baph omet, wh o fl ees at t h e fi rst opportunity, a ft er wh ic h Nocticu l a tak es t he c h aracter wh o as k e d fo r aid away as we ll . Wh at fate awaits th is c h aracter is l e ft to you­ you s h ou ld tak e t h at pl ayer asi d e an d as k whet h er h e wis h es to continue pl aying h is c h aracter. I f h e d oes, you s h ou ld a llow it, b ut h is c h aracter s h ou ld return to th e party h aving l ost one o f h is myt h ic tiers as a sacri fi ce to Nocticu l a' s ravenous lusts. Nee dless to say, t h e c h aracter may nee d some re d emption h imse lf to recover fr om h is b rus h wit h t h e Ab yss. Story Award: I f t he PCs manage to de feat Baphomet, h t ey s hou ld earn no more XP t h an is nee de d to put th em within 40,000 XP of i9th level . In this way, you can use the b attle to b oost the PCs to a higher level i f they misse d some opportunities fo r experience points earl ier. De fe ating Baphomet certain ly counts as a myt h ic trial , though , and th is could we ll put the PCs one trial ahead o f sc he du le fo r the next adventure.

concludin