TSR 9571 - Plan Escape - Masters of Eternal Night

8/3/2019 TSR 9571 - Plan Escape - Masters of Eternal Night

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Adventure5ragons

Mom t r o


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ess o erna i tBy Bruce R. CordellIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Psionic or Arcane Mind Flayers? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Common Illithid Attributes ....................

Background and Adventure Summary . . . . . . . . . . . .Aleanor Pathsteaders Stats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Character Involvement Hooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Psionic Seal ................................FALLEN LIGHT

Journey to the Crater ...........................The Grip of Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Winter Encounter s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Life in a Northern Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Thralltakers in Pursuit . . . . . . . .

Clearing Away Collapsed Time . .1 reached Slave Hold . . . . . .

. . .

. . .

. 2. 2

..2. 3

. 3. 3. 3

. 5. 5. 5

. .8

Uncompromised ReliquaryAquifer . . . . . . .There Just Isnt Anything!Flayer Gallery . .

FINALEConclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Arcana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Brainmate, Assembled From Four Lobes . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Maulstick ........................................ 32Headmesh ....................................... 32Sword of the Flayer .............................. .32

CreditsDesign: Bruce R. Cordell Editor:Keith Francis Stroh m Creative Direction: Thomas M. ReidArt Director: DawnMurin Cover Art:Brom Interior Art:Glen Michael AngusCartography: Rob Lazzaretti Graphic Design: Matt Adelsperger Typesetting:Eric HaddockAcknowledgment:Steve Winter promulgated the use of a card mechanic in conjunction with an AD&D adventure.Searching he Crater is the fruit of that desire.Dedication:To the author of The Dao of Chaos, Katya Walter, whose writing introduced me to chaos theory, the Ho River Writing, andthe real relationship between circumference and diameter.

UNGEONS DRAGONS,MONSTRO~KANA, and the TSR logo are registered rademarks own ed by TSR, Inc. 1998 TSR, nc. All rights reserved. Made in the U.S.A.SR,hc. s tiof Wizards of the Coast,he. Al l TSR characters,character names, and the dist inctive ikenesses thereof are trademarks owne d by TSR.This s a work of fiction. ny semblance to any realliving or dead, is purely coincidental. Distributedto the book trade in the Un ited States by Random House,hc. nd in Canada by Random House of Canada Ltd. Distributed o thehobby, tcomic trade in the United States and Canada by regional distributors. Distributed worl dwid e by Wizards of the Coast,hc. nd reg ional distributors.This material is protected under the copyrigof the United Statesof America. Any reproductionor unauthorizeduse of the artwork or material herein isprohibited without the express written permission of TSR, hc.

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o light; no lge; no least stir of spider in the dust or woK.LeGuin, TheTombsof Atuancold earth. Rock, and dark, and time not passing."

modules.upplement

d that book to rune he additional mine Illithiad toadd even mThe encounters detaileda specific world orar within the text. If

e can s e d e s s ly slip Masters @ E tintoan ongoing sce

or Arcane llljt 5;MV 12,Sw 12;HD 4; HACO 11;#AT4Although The Illithiad focuses on the psionic abilities offlayers, some sources suggest that illithidsuse arcaneand powers. Arguments exGt concerning the forcesipulated by psiofiic devotions:Are psychicsynonymous with the energy tapped by arcaneWhatever the truth, psionic e f f e c t sare adualizedto a philosophy at odds with that usedby spell-e beasts. Of course, psionic abilitiesarenotfor every DMk campaign.

below); SAcephalophagy, psionics; SD1 0 % ~ t y t o ~ n o k c h & ; M R ~ %SZ M 6' tall); ML Champion (15); IntGenius(17-18);ALLxP4poo.NotesSA-An illithid inserts tshlacles ntoa stxnnedvidim'sskulland draws out thebrain a pmcm calledcephabphagy), illing the hapless individualin1round.Amind5 y e r canalsouse itstentaclesinclosemelee;each s u dtentacleattackidi& Zpointsofdamageandgrasps the taget'ss k un ( t h e h ~ e i s r e m o v ab l e w i t h as uc c g s fu l d b a r s / ~.Whenat least onetentacleholds thevictim,each

th e strugglingtargetto draw itsbminou

Summary: AT 1;MTHACO 10;MAC ;Lv100+250; Psionic Attacks ego whip0,d

hdicatesa psionic powe r detailed in The llithiad.


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unct m d Adventure.)

InA Darkness Gathering,the PCs uncovered a group ofa city.Through force of arms anddeduction, the heroes ended the threat by defeating thet laired in the sewers below the human settlement.doing so, the PCs discovered that the illithids plot ran muchr: The foul creatures planned to put out the sun! If theother stars in the firmament above is any indica-t h ~ ~efarious plot affects more than one world.This companion possesseda mysterious palm(a psionic seal resembling magical circuitry) given hera h a m .The shadowy dream messenger,a human namedd to her that she must heed the mental direc-within the psionic seal in order to prevent allm rom dying.nA Darkness Gathering,the DM was encouraged to use a realor NPC from her campaignas the individual chosen byThe module provided information on Aleanor, anNPCin case the D M had no one to fit the bill. Aleanors stabreference:

Hope is not lost, for the heroes rescueda friend from the lair

Aleanor Pathsteader,hf R7:AC 2 (studded leather +1 andDex bonus); MV 12; hp 55; THACO 14 (12 long sword +2 andshort sword +2; 8 gainst illithids); #AT 5/2; Dmgld8+2/ld6+2 (longsword +2 and short s m d +2); SA two-weapon fighting, Tracking (18),move silently (53%) andhide in shadows (65%) in natural surroundings,+4 to attacksagainst illithids (species enemy), animal influence, psionicseal;SZM ( 5 8 tall); ML Champion (15); AL CG;XP 975.Notes:Aleanors move-silently and h ideinshadows percentages

are halved n city or dungeonsettings.SA-She can shift the encounter reaction of a naturalanimal if thecreature failsa savevs. rods (witha -3 penalty); her psionic seal givesAleanor mentaldirections toward her required destination.

S 15,D18,C 14,113, W 16,CH 15.Special Possessions:Guardian (longsword +2), short sword +2,

studded leatheramm-+I.

In this adventure, characters follow the guide of the psionicprint, an artifact that provides mental directions to somech remains unclear at first, and besides dealing with threats

aow-covered crater at the behest of the palm print. Theis hindered when their exploits draw the attentiona crack team of illithid trackers, called Thralltakers.SkiUed PCs eventually uncover a strange artifact-a long-id craft. If they also unearth the four navigationala brainmate, separated into four lobes) necessaryutilize this craft, they have a chance of defeating the illithidsancient vessel transports them to a world that servedat of an illithid empire long ago.All indications eadoes to believe that only by traveling to this lost world

can they end the mind flayer threat. That final journey, its gand its repercussions are dealt with in the last installmentoillithid adventure trilogy, Dawn of the Overmind.In general, this adventure provides the PCs with a numbof open-ended choices-although the psionic palm printdrives the plot. This type of adventure allows the D M a pdeal of freedom and creativity in dealing with the PCsactioIt also requires the DM to become familiar with the variousencounter areas and overarching story, so that she can bestrespond to the direction the player characters take.

Chardcter Involvement HookDungeon Masters do not need to incorporate characters whave played throughA Darkness Gathering into this moduleafter the fact, as events from the first adventure lead directly

into this plot. However, DMs who wish to run his adventualone can use the following bulleted story hooks to introduplayer characters into Masters of Eternal Night.In an unrelated scenario, the player characters overcomean illithid, freeing its single captive: Aleanor Pathsteade(or an NPC from the DMs campaign). The freed captivepossesses knowledge of the illithids plan and has thepsionic palm print as described above.One of the characters has the same dream as Aleanor(see the section on Aleanor Pathsteader). When thatplayer character awakens, he or she is likewise gracedwith a strange palm tattoo inscribed with glowing linesthat imparts psionic insfn~ctionsor its bearer.In an earlier, m la te d , adventure, the heroes discover amap indicating the location of an ancient crater in aremote region. The crater contains a strange symbolsimilar to the palm print discussed below. When acharacter touches this symbol,a mental messageresonates throughouthishead:

Footprint ofa allen light,Seed of a tumbled empire;When hope dwindles in eternal night,Master thepast-reignite the re .

If the map and psionic symbol are insufficient topromote player interest in this site as the sunbegins odim, send a group of illithid Thralltakers (see stab in thesection marked Thralltakers on page 11)to steal the mapand slay the characters--thisshould boost the playersinterest.

The Psionic SedThe psionic seal inscribed upon Aleanors palm is thproduct of illithid psionic technology, as introduced inIllithiad. In essence, a psionic seal is a small bit of psioni


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orporated into an object or a livingthrough the use of a unique mind flayer psionic dis-the complexity of the seal in ques-n incorporate a variety of psionic effectsThe psionic seal (sometimes rrferredtoasthe palm print inadventure) contains prepmgrammed mental directives thatrrsponse to ap pq ria te stimuli.Thementalk-take he form of "strung feelings, unless notedinparticular instances.Initially,thepsionic seal urgently directs tsbeam owad thecrater detailed in theFootprint OfAFdh LightInaddition tothis mental tug, he seal imp& thefeel-theparty should bring excavating equipment.As the, new situations come to light, possiblymore mental diredivesas d e s a i i under t h ede-sections.The bearer of the seal isalso freeto query the seal withat any time. Possible questions are listedthepalm print's rrsponse, if any. Questionse in some form generally receive no mponse.answers are in the form of ideas or mental pictures,as noted.

If the beam is in dangerof dying, the seal mentallyinformshat it canbe ransfend to anotherbeingthroughmerrif the beamwills it tohappen.Sure enough, if the seal'souches theprint to thepalm of another and concen-seal adhem toa new owner.However, it stil l rrtainsof the characteristics prrviously attributed toit.dim, anic mounts. T i e s of thee, and the character possessing a psionic palm printa mental directive to act swiftly or face the loss of light

Winter refuses to release the land from its icy grip, and as


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es the initial direction for theer. The D M may wish to refertimes as the first half of thIn particular, the section dealinga fluid situation a threattravel across frozen

wishl must le

ESthinkdig spells-this and similar magienturers later.DM is encouraged to locate boe crater)wi7 to 27 days travel

led lands dotted with just a fe wGrim Steppe, a rocky, inhospiclans of nomadic herders (seeIn good weather, a tny horseback; the trip

ounters, and dangers the pkyer characters mustas they head toward their gdal.o w he player characters to make personal prepara-ing Stormport (or a campaign-appropriate. However, failing crops and large numbers f live-hs have inflated prices to ridiculous levels (multi-found in the Playersa factor of 10would not be too extreme). Inor every day the characters tarry, the urgency ofseal ncreases. This urgency may help to defusethe hemes to gather a larger p u p o dealthe dimming un. In any case, city officials, oncernedn other adventurersaw too busy dealingthe consequences of a never-ending winter to spendl of time assisting the party.se the following text to the players aters begin the quest:

Any time the player characters are out of doors, impressupon them the unnatural state of affairs: Ice and snow, coldwinds, f r o m ivestock, and frost-killed crops dominatewhat should be a lush spring landscape. Additionally, theris a 20% chance (the DM hould check every four hours)that PCs who travel the winter-gripped lands orsearch/excavate the crater encounter something. The D Mshould roll on the Winter EncounterTablebelow to deter-mine encounter specifics.


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many of the remaining structures are only ashen frameworA thorough search of the town unearths some valuables(whose worth does not exceed 100 gp)-though most everthing was bumed or stripped by survivors who fled theWinter Encounter Table

03-04 Frozen Village'0 5 4 6 Refugees town e e m g warmer climes to t07-08 Beast(s)09-10 White Out11-12 Bluzard13-14 Thin Ice/Snow Crust15-16 Dark Out17-18 Condittoned Village'

3d6 Encounter

*Indicatedencounters occur only while heroes are on the move;roll for another encounter if player characters are campingorexcavating. The DMcan key these encounters at an appropriatepoint if random die rolls prove too weighted.

crozen village: I ~ I Smau w a g e ies utterly aoanaonea,i it is clear as to why: The unnatural cold has frozen theps in the field and the cattle on the range.Ma,, v w lor srarvanon ana exposure, if the mass gravei 1 snow it- er of tow

7 indicati le folk of I destroyny of the 'od.HOWas 1rsome or tnose nres oumea out or control, as

Refugees: The PCs ~ I L C U L U L L ~ I d 51uup of people s h u g -gm g to survive a gamt tne rierce, unnatural winter. Halfthe time, the party discovers ldlO 0-level reiugees ravageby exposure; these refugees gratefully accept any concrettass istancefood, warm clothing, or magical aid, for examthat the I'Ls can gw e them. TheDM can give out ancArcL-ienceaward ranging between 100to 1000XP perplayer, depending upon the type of assistdl~ct.endered.The other 50% of the time, the PLS enhumans (or any humanoid race) who haVY ~ C Y U L ~11 other travelers and refugeEach bandit has a smau norae of stolen ranons, and 1 n 4 na small coal pot contair

I oanait!n to survI hey me

coal cracoanairs, n m nf F3 (11):AC 7 (learner artd shield,;-

Notes: 5A-lhe bandits are a lughly desperate lot, and their


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vel mercenarv and bandit leader. Tain onlycaresabout tak-f& d and magic the P C s pos&ss (though thetion prov ided by hisMurlynds spoon is sufficient, hefinds t appetizing). The bandit leader is a c r a f t yapproaches the heroes as a friend, suggesting thatall throw in together. Unfortunately, he only suggestsn order to lull the adventurers into complacency. Hehisband will betray the party at the earliest opportunity.Tain Fendown, hm F13 AC 0 (chainmail, shield, andDex); MV 12; hp 90; THACO 8 (4 with specialization, Str,and long sword +I); #AT 5/2; Dmg ld8+7 (specialization,Str, long sword +Z); SZ M (6 2 tall); ML Champion (15);AL NE; XF 5,000.

S 18/80, D 18,C 12,112, W 7, CH 8.Personalzfy:Overly friendly,devious.Sp e c r a l Equipment: ong sword +I, Mur lynd s spoon, pouch with

330 g p worth of stolengems and coins.Beast(& A variety of predators stillhunt the hillsand val-this area. However, the fimweather has broughtcreatures to the brink of starvation.As such, they nofeel eticent about attackmg humans.Thesepda to rsbeastsand some few monsters thatsearch for food and warmth One-half of the time, thisa naturalbeast or native monster), as q r e -by the bear and wolf entries below. The DM canalso

vatwes from theMONSTROUSANUAL*ome (theand smal lmammalentries provide many appropn-

Bear, Cave (2): A C 6; MV 12;HD6+6;I-a47,35;THACO 15; #AT 3; D m g d8/ld8/ld12 (claw/claw/bite);SA hug; SW hibernation; SZ H (12 tall); M L Average (8);Int Semi (4); AL N; XP 550.Notes: This mated pa^^ of cavebears s on a desperate search for

food. owever, the extreme, ullseasonable cold has triggered theirhibernation nstinct.

SA-If a cave bears paw hits an opponent on an attackrollgreaterthan18,the c r e a m draws itsopponent in for a hug thatinflicts2d8 points of damage.SW-The cave bears suffer a -1 penalty to their attack andinitiativerolls due to their early hibernation. In addition, they donot fight on after reducedto 0hit points hke normal cavebears.

Wolves (2d4): AC 7; Mv 18; HD 3; THACO 18; #AT 1;D m g d4+1 (bite); SD +1to save vs. charm;SZ S (34);ML Average (10); Int Low (7); L N; XP 120.The other 50% of the time, this result indicates an oppor-matu re originally from alpine mountains that hasved into the area to take advantage of the spread of itstrollsand winter wo lf stats

w as examples of such creatures. Throw only

(9 tau); ML Steaay (11); Int Average (10); AL CE;-%P 1,400Notes: S M r e a t e r ce trolls are immune to all cold-basedspeland attacks, and they require magicalweapons of +1or greaterenchantment to hit them. Inaddition, these creatures regenerate2hp per round if exposed to water, ice, or snow. Severed limbsregenerate normally if exposed to water, ice, and snow, and theselimbs crawl up to 30 feet in searchof suchelements.

SW-Fm causes double damage to these creatures. In addition,they cannot rrgenerate damage from fire and acid. Greater ice trolllimbs sever on a natural attack roll of 20-8 the attacking weapon itype S or P.

Wolves, Winter (2d4): AC 5; MV 18;HD 6; THACO 15#AT 1;D m g d4 (bite); SA frost breath; SD immunity; SWfire;SZ L (7-12 long); M L Elite (13); Int Average (9); ALNE;xp 975.

Notes: SA-Wmter wolves canunleash a stream of frost from~ their lungs once every 10rounds for 6d4 points of damage (save vs

SD-These creatures are immune toall cold and cold-basedW-Fire causes 1additional point of damage per die.

breath weapon forhalf damage).attacks, including magical ones.

White Out: The lowering white clouds blend perfectlywith the plain of snow, and it is impossible to distinguishthe earth from the sky! White-out conditions last for thenext ld4+3 hours. For every turna party attempts to pressonward, it stands a 20% chance to wander onto Thin ce(see below). Additionally, for every turn a party moves inthe white out, one of its members must make a DirectionSense proficiency check with a4 penalty or else the partymoves in a random direction. If no one possesses theproficiency, choose one player character to make a Wisdomcheck with a -8 penalty every turn.Once a party becomeslost, it is conceivable that it could take several days forthem to discover the error.

Blizzard: Heavy snow falls as the wind picks up.PCs notwearing appropriate winter clothing take ld 4 points ofdamage per turnof exposure (and they must make savingthrows vs. paralyzation or suffer the effects of exposuredetailed on page 5). The blizzard lasts for 3d10 hours beforepassing, though the snow remains on the ground. If accu-mulations reach higher than3 feet (the snow piles up at arate of ld4+2 inches per hour), P C s may find it difficult tomove around and fight. Reduce allmovement rates by onethird. PCs whose movement rates fall to 4 or lower suffer a-2 penalty to all attack rolls, saving throws, and physicalAbility Checks while they struggle through the driftingsnow.Thispenalty is cumulative with any other penaltieslev ied for exposure to the winter elements.Thin cdSnow Crust:The snow fall covers everythmg,

and it sometimes conceals the existence of f r o m pools or


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or otherM ~ U K ~othole in the landscape. on the face of the sun. The temperature plungeswithin minThis result indicates & at the PCs have traveled overce hidden by snow (50%) or a brittle snow crustThe ice/snow opens up below a random PC, creat-g a hole some 10 feet in diameter (any PCs within thisso affected). Those a ffected must make success-throws vs. paralyzation or fall through the hole.If victims fall through thii ce, they suffer ld4 points ofage every round they remain in the water. There isa 15%chance that a current pulls the victim(s) undere for eve ry round they remain in the water. Only bya successful saving throw vs. paralyza tion (with apenalty) can the victim pull himself out of the slipperyto stable ice. If the current sweeps the PC away, theust hold his breath (for a maximum time equal tothe PCs Constitution score) and try to break.through the

aking an attack roll (note that this counts as stren-activity, reducing the PCs ability to hold his breathA successful attack causing more than 6damage splits the ice. The PCcan then try tothe water in the same manner detailed before.Comrades offering aid to the floundering victim(s) arer served by throwing a rope; those rescuers who stando close to the ice edge can also fall in if they fa il theirFinally, a character must make a system shock ro ll everyhis third in the water. Failure indicates that thehypothermia, a condition that kills thee PC within 1 turn-unless some sort of healing

ic or cure disease isperformed upon the victim.Those player characters who fall through snow crusttumble 10 to 60 ( ld6 X 10) feet into the chasmaled below, suffering the appropriate damage. Thirtysuch falls wedge the victim(s) in theasm; wed ged ind ividuals require aid in order to escape

Utes, inflicting d4 points of damage p k tt& to all of thosPCs not magically protected from cold or insulated by ashelter orfh.he darkness slowly recedes and the lightreturns to its previous level after ld 4 turns.

Conditioned Village : The PCs have stumbled upon avillage where the illithids have gained total control of thpopulace. See Life In a Northern Town for a keyedexample. Once the PCs complete this encounter, cross itoff the encounter table. If necessary, the DM an recyclethis encounter by changing names, locations, and otherparticulars.

Life in ii northern TownThis small city (2,000 residents before the conditioningnow about 100 survivors total) was called Fairmyr, a livelplace once sustained by trade on the nearby river, huntinand animal husbandry. Now , its called Thrall ProcessingNode #512, and it stands as an example of what wou ldhave occurred inStormport (the city featured in A DarkneGathering) if the PCs hadnt discovered and stopped theillithids conditioning program.Unfortunately, no one came to this citys rescue. Hiddeillithid agents conditioned a large block of Fairmyrs population through mass psionic suggestion. These enthrallepeople, calling themselves the New Believers (similar tothe Elect in the city of Stormport from the previous adventure), killed those citizens resistant to mental brainwash-ing; wive s turned on husbands, apprentices on masters,and the masses turned upon the constabulary. The illith idgathered survivors into the stockade for processing.Fairmyr was no more.village described in the Winter Encounters section-although Fairmyr is much larger and does not appear tohave suffered much fire damage. Anyone stopping to lis-ten while at Fairmyrs borders can hear faint sounds coming from the citys center. Most interesting, the closer theplayer characters move toward the center of the city, thewarmer it becomes! (See Vent below fo r more details.)The streets are completely empty of any passersby, andthe buildings, businesses, warehouses, and residencesappear quite deserted. Unfortunately, human bodies l iefrozen in the citys streets, their bloated skin blue-blackwith frost. Anyone w ho searches the frozen corpses dis-covers that most of them have gaping holes in their skulland no brains!PCs interested in looting the bod ies and houses ofFairmyrs dead can likely find some items-though theillithids and their thralls have generally taken anything oreal value. Although the buildings in the citys center dostill see use, the illithids have converted these structuresinto areas useful for their dark purposes. The map on the

From its edges, the small city looks similar to the frozen

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r of this module only keys the city center (see character can cast 1 uggestion spell per turn, a rolI of 20 enrag. - A i l L - - J - - . L . . . 1.. I .\

s of the looted and abandoned buildings on the cityry is not really all that important. The D M shouldevelop this area in a way consistent with her

ery turn the heroes spend investigating the outerthe town, they stand a 10% cumulative chance toaining free thinkers in the city-Leth-and her band of survivors. Lethbron and herthe city when the illithids took it over.her, they hid from their former friends and family, andthey wage a desperate war against the illithids andditioned thralls. These freedom fighters never staye abandoned building long, as the illithids are aware ofl withs goal is to slay as many of the conditionedle. In fact, she often remarks: Better deada mind flayer thrall. She and her band arec and fully expect their own deaths to comethis cause.

verify that the PCs are not thralls of the illithids (theber who possesses the psionic seal may haveg to do if the rebel leader spots it). Onceed of the partys loyalty, Lethbron asks the PCs forIf the heroes agree, and they prove victorious overid residents of Fairmyr, grant each of them a bonus1,000 XP.

en encountered, Lethbron acts very cautious until she

Town Rebels, hm and hf F l ( 7 ) :AC 7 (leather andld); M V 12; hp 6 (each); THACO 20; #AT 1;Dm g70%), ld6+1 (short sword, 30%); SASZ M ( 5 4 tall); M L Champion (15); Int Aver-(9); A L NE; XP 35.

Notes: SA-Because of their desperation, the rebels receive+1 oof their damage rolls, as indicated in their combat summary.Lethbron Brosial, hf B7: AC 2 (chain mail, shield, andM V 12; hp 35; THACO 17;#AT 1;Dmg Id8 (long

); SA bard abilities; SD bard abilities; SZ M (5 2l); ML Champion (15); AL CG; XP 1,400.Notes: SA-Lethbrom can attempt to influence the reaction of

s; NPCs must make successful saving throws vs. paralyzationallies a +1 to their

rolls and saving throws, and a +2 to their morale if she3 rounds before a combat singing or reciting poetry. She also

chance to identify the generh purpose and history of a/SD-Lethbrorn can counter the effects of songs and poetry (such

of a harpie) used as magical attacks if shesuccessful savevs. spell.

S 14,D 16, C 12,113, W 7, CH 15.Pwsonality: Fatalistic.Special Equipmen t: Empathy, harp ofcharming (player

i i l lyUI l r WIlU l l rd I3 ) .Spellbook (3/2/1): l s t - ch ar m person, hold portal, sleep; 2nd -ThiefAbilities:PP 55,DN 50, CW 75, RL 10.invisibil ity, hypno tic pattern; 3rd-fireball.

VentThis area once contained an ornate fountain. Now , agaping hole leads deep into the earth; moist heat, redolenwith brine and a hint of garlic, emanates from the darkmaw. When Fairmyr fell, the mind flayers in charge of thconditioning project contacted their comrades beneath thsurface, and through a specialized application of psionicenergy, the illithid forces jointly opened a passage into thearth. The vent connects the closest natural underdark pasage with the surface and offers a convenient way to sennew thralls down to the illithids subterranean city. As anadded bonus, the warmth of the earth escapes up througthe vent, raising the overall temperature of the city to adegree more suitable to the mind flayers tastes.Exploration of the vent soon brings spelunkers to a cofusing nexus of tunnels, many of which lead to illithid ouposts, colonies, and communities-though exploring PCscan find passages leading to the dwellings of other undedark races. Of course, the illithids have their own plans oconquest in motion against these other races. If the DMwishes, she can extend the adventure to include encoun-ters with other races. The PCs may wander around theunderground passages fighting battles against drow, grimlocks, quaggoth, beholders and a host of other hostile cretures. Alternatively, the PCs could encounter traditionallev il races and forge alliances against the growing power the mind flayers. The exact details are left up to the DM.the Dungeon Master does not wish to include such a sideplot, she can have the psionic palm print mentally urgeheroes away from extended exploration of the vent.the vent and sound an alarm in the event of any trouble.Two enforcers (see below ) a lways patrol the area aroun

EnforcersThis building, once a stylish shop selling stone sculp-ture, now houses several humans who have completelyaccepted the illithids as their new masters. These TrueBelievers were deemed of sufficient mettle to serve asguardians for the mind flayers. They respond fiercely inthe event of any general alarm and carry out illithid commands without hesitation. In order to break the Believerconditioning, the PCs must use enchantment/charm-related spells-such as charm person and suggestion. Inaddition, the party could attempt to use psionic disci-plines and items to accomplish this purpose; however,enforcers receive a +2 bonus on all die rolls related toresisting such reconditioning.counting the 2 on sentry duty near the Vent). Use the TowRebels stat block for the enforcers-though these thralls

There are 15 enforcers housed in the building (not


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building If an illithid runs its tentacles across the stria-~ . . 1 . 1 . ^ * .+1damage bonus for desperation. If thethe enforcers too easily, the UM should make3 fighters and give them a 5th-level

This building has a sign hanging out front that reads. Its doors are locked from the outside

inous violet ichor stains the wood. The structurefor 60 adult citizens and 10 surviving chil-re captured during the Believer uprising. Thethis stockade are squalid; fear and hope-

the air. Enforcers come to this prisonnd remove a few inmates; those chosen never

d the remaining prisoners fear the worst. Unfor-y, they have a right to be afraid. The enforcers takefor Processing (described below); any slave whomeet the illithids expectations becomes a minds next meal.

All the people housed in the stockade are 0 level. Fordventurers release to freedom, theyXP. Note that the PCs cannot simply unlockhustle the prisoners out, and then leave them. Tothe XP award, the party must escort the prisoners

e the city. If the PCs do this, there is a 55%enforcers within the city notice the escape

This quaint building once functioned as a Jewelersough the illithids have now emptied the inven-transferred it below the ground via the vent. The

area to inspect new thralls. Thosewho meet the illithids expectations are sent under-to serve in a variety of illithid communities. The

Khamthek is the mind flayer processor assigned to thisis mind flayer spends 8 out of every 24 hourssually during the darkest hours of night. The pro-rt of the front room and pos-f the equipment necessary to conduct

shackles, a cephalometer (cruel look-of neurotransmitters, and a host of

(denoting whether the subject is fit for thralldommeal).Khamtheks combat summary appears in the next section.

/Unlike the rest of the buildings in the city, this struc-

a thick layer of resinous ichor that resemblesso much as exposed ganglia. Illithid qualith, fourf striations, appears on both doors of the

tions, it can read the mind flayers name Tor this area:Command Node. Other creatures must employ magicalmethods to read the script.structure. In addition, Khamthek spends his downtimefrom the Processing Center here. Resinous walls dividethe building into two main areas. One section is devotedto sleep and comfort; it contains a psionically warmedpool and soft, mossy pallets. The mind flayers havesecreted a locked iron chest within a small hollow on onewall. In the chest, the illithids have gathered some choicetrophies-including a saddlebag that contains 567 gp, apouch with 5 emeralds (each worth 10 0 gp), and 4 potionsofex tra healing.

The other section of the building contains a series ofthree head-stocks, which the illithids refer to as their buffet. The stocks are rarely empty, as Khamthek carefullychooses at least three potential thralls suitable for illithidconsumption during every examination period. The 3slaves in the stocks are alive 50% of the time; otherwise,they hang lifeless, terrible fluids dripping from their emptied skull cavities.tiously. They prefer to attack indirectly, bolstering enforcerwith their psionic skills; however, they will personally deawith any intrusion or guerilla attack that threatens theNode. Although formidable, the 3 illithids posted to Fairmyrare notfully mature mindflayers and have yet to develop theirmind bZast powers. DMs interested in more information onillithid life cycles should refer to The Illithiad.

Two illithids, Marsth and Flense, usually reside in this

In the event of an alarm, all 3 illithids investigate cau-

Flense, Khamthek, and Marsth, Illithids (3):AC 5;MV 12,Sw 12;HD 5+3; hp 22,26,28; THACO 14;#AT 4;Dmg 2 (see note below); SA cephalophagy, psionics; SDinfravision;SW -10% penalty to hear noise checks; MR54%; SZM (6 tall); ML Champion (15); Int Genius (18);AL LE; XP 4,000.victims skull and draws out the brain (a process calledcephalophagy), killing the hapless individual in one round. Amind flayer can also use its tentacles in close melee; eachsuccessful tentacle attack inflicts 2 points of damage and graspsthe targets skull (the tentacle is removable with a successfulbend bars/lift gates roll). When at least one tentacle holds thevictim, each succeeding tentacle attack by the illithid gains acumulative +1bonus (to a maximum of +3 for the last tentacleattack). Once all four tentacles have attached to the victim, theillithid has sufficiently immobilized the struggling target todraw its brain out in the next round.

Notes: SA-An illithid inserts its tentacles into a stunned

Psionics Summary: #AT 1;MTHACO 15; MAC 8; Lv7; PSPs ld100; Psionic Attacks ego whip (EW);PsionicDefenses intellect fortress (IF); Psionic Disciplines awebody equilibrium, control body, ESP, levitation, post-hypnotic suggestiomaste link.


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of the subterranean communitv of heroes. In addition, thev wish to ferret out the true iden-are concerned. The mind flay& ofious are responsible for assimilating a certainof cities-in step with illith id communitiesthe many worlds and planes-and Stormportone of the more important on this list. The illithids ofious, in consultation with their elder brain, believet the Adversary, an ancient and almost mythical enemyrace, may have had a hand in theStormport. In response, the mind flayers haven elite group of Thralltakers to investigate.tracking unit consists of 3 mind flayers named, Vour, and Skwusch. These illithids have broughtg their personal thralls, Elissa, Jon, and Zebulon (eachas once a powerfu l adventurer wha now

ly the goals of h is or her illithid master). In addi-the mind flayers have enlisted the aida specially trained intellect devourer, called Bluntfell.ure possesseses the unique ab ility to find anda psychic scent.If the PCshave p layed throughA Darkness Gathering,in Stormport to catch thent of whatever force destroyed the illithid conditioning, and they have spent their time tracking theIf Shuluth survived the PCs attack, the ulitharidon the events surrounding its contact with thejoins the Thralltakers on their questow n the threat to the mind flayer plan (see Shu-ts on page 28 of A Darkness Gathering).

ids detected suspicious psionic activityunding the player characters-namely, fhe palmd by Strom. This device left a psychic signa-e during its creation, and the illithids have been track-this signature for some time now.Regardless of how they began their endeavor, theakers follow the heroes as they head north, ledrably by the peculiar talents of Bluntfell. The intel-ddled in protective furs and kept on ash of bone links that resemble spinal disks. N o matter

If the PCs have not played through the first adventure

tity of the heroes patro;l--the Adversary. To this end, thThralltakers may attempt a variety of different actions anoted below, triggered by a specific event or time. Therefore, the nature of the PCs interaction with the Thralltakers depends upon how much time has passed, as well asthe actions of the PCs themselves. Of course, the Thrall-takers meet any all-out attack by the party with approprate ferocity.The illithids wear items known as dampsuits (construtions that keep illithid skin moist and give them a + 1 totheir AC ) and glaregoggles (items that allow illithids tosee in daylight). In addition, each mind flayer possesseshearthstone (see Arcana section at the end of this module) to keep them warm. Normally, the illithids spend alof their time in a large, covered sled pulled by four horsdriven by their thralls. To a casual observer, the sle igh anits drivers do not seem out of the ordinary; the illithidsusg this disguise to their advantage whenever possible.At some point during the adventure, the Thralltakersshould catch up w ith the PCs. he details of thisencounter are left to the DM.The bulleted list below provides suggested guidelines for these encounters, some owhich follow logically from previous ones. In addition,the DM can use the first bulleted poin t more than once.No te that the illithids special psychoportive powers mait likely that the Thralltakers can instantly retreat if a paticular encounter goes poorly, a llow ing them to returnseveral times to harry the party.

The party traverses a wide snow-covered valley. As thheroes ascend to the opposite side, they can see indis-tinct figuresand an animal-driven sled entering the valey, a days travel behind.Of course, the illith ids alsonote the party and henceforth are more discreet; theyonly travel at night.While the party faces some other threat from the WintEncountersTable on page 6, the three thralls appear otheir sleigh (with the illithids hiding within) to aid theheroes in an attempt to gain their trust. If successful, ththralls attempt to kidnap the player character or NPCpossession of the palm print for purposes of interroga-tion. The rest of the party may have to track down thesled and their supposed allies in this case. When the Pcatch the sleigh, they must deal with the thralls fightinprowess and the illithids psionic abilities. The mindflayers remain within the sleigh at first, but emerge frotheir interrogation to enter the melee, if necessary.If any thralls and illithids yet live, they engage the parin runningskirmishes and night ambushes during theheroes excavatiuntil the heroes &e descended into one of the manyho llow fragments found w ithin the crater and attempt

of the crater. They w ill often wait

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cover and bring the strangecraft (seeTheCrater for moredetails) to the surface.The stats for Bluntfell and the three illithid thralls appearConsult the Common IllithidAttributes section forfull statson the three illithid ThralltakersAbbreviated Combat Summary (Illithids): Noth, Vour,d Skwuschhave an AC of 4 due to their dampsuits, and

e 60,66, and 68 hit points respectively.Bluntfell, Intellect Devourer: AC 4;MV 15;HD 6+6;hp 42; THACO 13;#AT 4; D m g d4(x4) (clawX4); SA

psionic abilities, psychic tracking; SDpsionic field; SZM(6 long); ML Fanatic (17); Int Very (11);AL CE; XP 6,000.Notes: SA-The intellect devoumx can attack physically andpsionically in the same round. In addition, Bluntfell can fin dand track psychic scents.SD-The creature constantly emanates a psionic field (at noPSP ost) that renders it immune to normal and magical fire;this field also reduces its damage from electriaty to 1 oint perdie of damage rolled.In addition, it is immune to weapons oflessthan 3 enchantment. Weapons of greater enchantmentonly inflict 1point of damage per successful strike.Finally,death spell isonly 25YO ikely to succeed, but a p m e r wor d: killremains effedive.at bay; bright lights and firesdri ve these ma tures away.SW-A protectionfrom m lspell keeps the intellect devourer

Psionics Summary:#AT 1,MTHACO 12;MAC 7; Lv 8;PSPs 200; PsionicAt tab ego whip (EW), id insinuation(E);Psionic Defenses intellect fbrtress (IF), mentalbar-rier (MB), ind blank (MBk), thought shield (TS);Psionic Disciplines astral projection, aversion, bodyequilibrium, chameleon power, domination, ectoplasmicform, expansion, mindlink, reduction, and telempathicprojection.

Elissa, hfF/:AC 4 (chajn mail and shield);MV 12;hp70; THACO 14 (9 with specialization, psionic seal, andlong sword +2); #AT 2; D m g d8+4 (long sword +2, special-ization, and Str);SA psionic seal; SZM (59 tall);MLChampion (15);AL NE; X P 975.

Notes:SA--Elissa possesses a psionic sealon her forearm thatenhances her mind/body coordination,granhg her a +2 on a l lattack rolls.S 16, D 13,C 16,19, W 11,C 15.

Personality;Elissa isreserved and haughty, abso lutelySpenal Equipment:Sword of theFlayer (See kana ectiononconvinced in the superiority of her illith id masters.

p. 32 for n w ~etails), ring$regenmath, heavy urs,and boots.Jon, hfF 6 AC 3 ( c h i nmiZ+l and shield);MV 12;hp

5 4 ;THACO 15 (13with psionic seal);#AT 1;D m g d8

(long sword), ld8 (sheaf arrows); SA psionic seal; SZ(63 tall);ML Champion (15);AL NE; XP 975.Notes: SA-Jon possesses a psionic sealon hisneck thatenhanceshismind/body coordination,granlinghim +2 on aattack rolls.

S 15,D 14,C 17,113, W 10,C 8.Personality: Jon s a helpfu l and well-mannered individu

but he won t hesitate to kill at the behest of his llithid masSpecial Equ ipment: chainmail +1,potion ofheroism, potion oinvisibility, ring ofwarmth, long bow, heavy furs, and boots.

Zebulon, hf F8:AC 2 (chain maiZ+Z, ring of protectio+Z, and shield);MV 12;hp 76; THACO 13 (9 with speization, Str, and broadsword +2); #AT 2; D m g 2d4+5 (scialization, Str, and broadsword +2); SApsionic seal; S(6 8 tall);ML Champion (15);AL NE; XP 975.Notes: SA-Zebulon possessesa psionic sealon his face thaallowshim to use an illithid mind blast once per tum.

S 17,D 10,C 17,Ill,W 8, C 16.Personality: Zebulon is q y i e t individual whose

psychopathic tendenaes are kept in check by his illithidconditioning.fire breathing, heavy furs, and boots.

Special Equipmen t: broadsword +2, brooch of shielding, potio


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L l l l d l l L y L m u t s L l l a l "LUusILL U V Y Y l l U L C l l U l L . y'U'Lu'f millennia past! Coated in age- and impact-ng quintessence, a silvery psionic secretion of col-

The Illithiad, he planetismalh many crystal spheres and across vast tractsf interstellar space before crashing to this planetThe descent and impact dissolved much ofing the habitat, such that most of the objectabout smaller fragments only parballyfailing quintessence.This crater hides thosef the shattered planetismal that survived throughtion of a residual coating of quintessence (see "Clear-ed Time" for more details on this sub-me fragments have since lost their coating, givingp their contents to the flow of time, while other fragments

the time stream, their contents protectedagments holds the object tolm print is keyed. a craft capable of travelingUnfortunately, the scriber of the psionic palm printcouldn't discover the exact location of the craft

research. Thus, the seal cannot reveal the exactof the object-though it does give the PCs a generala blanket search andf the crater one section at a time! Furthermore,e main object of the search is an illithid craft, theracters must also recover at least four other itemsimaged as small "lobes" by the seal) from thet site. These lobes are essential if the PCs wish to acti-

J ' '_ -___-.- .U I ~ . I . L U I . , I " L" ""bb'"' .A&- l l .LLl."Iy Icomb the snow and the ground beneath for the possibility ohidden items or areas.Each discrete area requires a total of 2-200 (2d100) man-hours to search. Thus, the DM should count the efforts ofmultiple player characters toward the total. For example, 3PCs who work at a 6-man-hour job can finish it in 2 hours.Depending on the method used by each searcher, the actua

time an explorer contributes toward the man-hour total mabe less than the actual time spent searching, as mdicated onthe table of possible search methods. The Time Modifieralso indicates that some methods contribute a specifiednumber of hours toward the total, while other actions con-tribute multipliers (every hour spent using the specifiedmethod counts x imes as much toward the total man-hoursrequired). The DM should adjudicate the PCs' use of othersearch methods using this table as a guide.


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Search Method TimeProbing with shovels, poles, or picks X 1x 2Border Ethereal sifting X 6Locate object spell, per useDig spell, per useX-ray vision, per useDivlnation magc , per use

Dousing with the psionic sealSpade of colossal excavation x415 hours20 hours25 hours30 hours

Example:A party of four searchesan area roughly 100feetby 100feet The DMfirst rollstodetermine the totalman-hours requred to search the n a , m ttuscase, it WLU take 100(percenhle dice rolls of 16and 8 4 added together)hours tod e t e m e f there E anyttung to find The fighter spends5hours probmg the snow with an m n pole, knoc hg 5 hoursoff the 100-hour goal (for a modhed total of 95 hours) Mean-whde, the mage casts locateoblecf,subtracbngan addihonall5hours from the goal (only 80hours remam) by n h g ut largetracts Dunng t tus same penod, the ttuef spends 5 hoursdousmg a portion of the area with the psiomc seal,subtract-mg 10hours (5hours mulhphed by 2because of the TmeMocbfier) from the goal (70 hours remam) Fmally, the clenccastsan augury (dmnabon magc) and kn& another 30hoursoff the total (40hours reman) If the party does as welldunng their next search penod, theyll have excavated anentire area

Remember to check for randomwinterencounters (using thetableon page 6) while the adventurerssearch. n addition, theillithid Thralltakers continue to harass the searchers at the mostinopportune times-if the party members have not yet dealtwiththem.When thePCs omplete the necessary amountof work toexcavate an area, flip the card rrpresenting that area face up andmatch the symbol on the card with the keyed entries below.Dependingon the particular fragment of planetismal discov-ered, the player characters may have to undertake additionaldigging, or they may need totakesome other actionas indicatedin the specific encounter. In most cases, the symbol on theexposed card is also keyed to a map with the same symbol onthe interior cover.

TimeAs the player characters unearth fragments of the plan-etismal that created the crater, they come upon variousareassealed with a silvery material referred to as collapsed time, orquintessence.As described in The llithiad, illithids with a spe-cial psionic power can aystallize time froma continuum, form-ing a dollop of thick, gooey material. Usually the illithids createonly small amounts of thismaterial, just enough to encapsulatea ring, a token, a key or some other small item; items so coatedenter into a state of timelessness.Only out of desperation do illithids create larger portions ofquintessence n one area, as masses larger than square feetprevent the usage of psionic abilities within a 20-foot radius of


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the mass. Additionally, quintessence blocks all access to theAstral and Ethereal Planes, and magical teleportation and scry-ing cannot penetrate any area held out of time by quintessence.Of course, the fleeing illithids were desperate to escape thebloodthirsty thralls who turned against them in the revolt,sothey coated portions of the planetismal in massive amounts ofquintessence to serve as an ablative (a protective layer that canbe scoured away) for their headlong flight.Player characters interested in unsealing areas covered incollapsed time merely need to scrub away its silvery surface.However, quintessencekills organic matter with prolongeddirectexposure, so PCsmust be very careful. Quintessencenumbs any flesh that briefly touches it; thisnumbness slowly

~ . , .. _ _ . * . . . .. . . . , I~fades atter me contact is tlroKen. Limg nssue m contact wltnquintessence or more than1turnsuffers ld10+5 points ofdamage. The affected tissue is now in stasisand cut off from therest of the timenormal body; such frozen tissue dies after 2d4turns f temporal inactivity. However, masses of.collapsed timelarge enough to encapsulatea living being or a structure withliving beings inside do not kill the subjec+thus illithids andtheir equipment released back into the timestream areunharmed.PCs can manually scrape quintessence away from a pro-tected object or surface, ending that objects stasis. If a largemass of quintessence shields a room or rocky fragment, there isa 75% chance that a breach of one section of the time-stoppingbarrier causes the entire mass to dissipate back into the contin-uum. Otherwise, it draws together into a 1-inchdiameterbead-regardless of its original size. Confident adventurersmay find uses for quintessence, if they are brave or inquisitiveenough to gather leftover bits.

Keyed AreasThe fo llowing entries detail the possible encounter areaswithin the crater. The D M should keep a careful watch over thepartys inventory. If the PCs have gathered a number of usefulitems, but do not know exactly what to do with them,use hepsionic sealas a source of hintsand information.

NBre~ched lme HoldThe search of this 100-foot-by-100-footarea finally uncoversthe upper portion of a buried planetismal fragment; one addi-tional man-hour of d i gpg s required to clear a space for entry.The passage revealed is 10feet wide, like the opening to awell, although the sides are strangely powdered and smooth.Scraping away the powder reveals the black, meteoric rock ofthe planetismal. The passage drops down 30 feet into area 1.There is no light inside this fragment other than what theplayer characters prov ideu nles s specifically noted.This entire planetismal was protected for some time by quin-tessence, but the coating decayed many thousands of years ago,and the residents of the hollow fragment re-entered the timestreamonly to find themselves entombed beneath the earth.

This subterranean chamber suggests nothing somuch as a massive, desiccated womb. A pow deryresidue covers the rock; part of the resin has sloughedaway, revealing bare meteoric rock beneath. Dirt hasfallen in from above, forming a falrly thick layer ofearth and mud on the floor at least 3 feet in depth.Strangely enough, the temperature here is comfort-able, and earthworms and small beetles move about inthe mud. Various circular openings and passages leadaway from the chamber.

Even a cursory search of the layer of loose earth uncoversseveral humanoid skeletons mostly destroyed by time.A suc-cessful search for secret doors unearths a skeleton almost completely decayed into dust.This f i p s the m a in s of anillithid; it possesses only three fingers and a thumb, its braincais strangelyenlarged, its mouth is lamprey-like, and its feetappear strangely bifurcated. The barest remnants of clothingcling to this form, and a rotted belt pouch contains 23 crystalcoins (each worth 3 gp o a jeweler).Small stone daggers and glass shards lie near at hand, suggeing that thefiguresdied in a scuffle; PCs can determine this ifthey make successful Wisdom checks. Furthermore, a successIntelligence check allows PCs to determine thatseveralof theuncovered skeletonsare not quite human. Anyone in the partwho has experience with either githzerai or githyanki notes aresemblance to both races, as if the skeletons somehow represa fusion of the tworaces.

In truth, the humanoid skeletons are the remains of the racthat eventually splintered into the githz.erai and githymki(called the forerunners hereafter). These forerunners were thraonce kenneled in area 2andarea 3. With the impact and breakup of the planetismal, and the subsequent decay of this frag-ments protective coating, the slaves broke from their confine-ment and slew one of their hated illithid masters, only to findthemselves trapped within the earth. Squabbling among theslaves for the limited supply of food qulckly escalated mto abloodbath, the remnants of which are represented by the bodi2. Slave Kennel

Rusted m nbars lie broken on the earth. Within theroom, rusted and shattered chains hang from the powderedwalls. One or two of these chains still contains skeletalarmfragments; beneath them lay more splintered skeletons.

A few of the forerunner slaves in this chamber were unableescape when their compatriots burst their bonds.3. Haunted Slave Kenneltwo skeletons hanging in the rusted bonds are fully intactWhen these slaves perished, their terror unfairly bound

This chamber appears exactly like area 2, except that th

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a -5 penalty) reveals their unnatural presence. If planetismal.The many vessels herr oncecontained pecialisturb the s p e k r e s in any way, the undeid crea-attack, wailing senselessly in a language dead andotten for uncounted centuries. However, the spectres doe of this chamber.Spectres (2):AC 2;MV 15,F130 (B); HD 7+3; HP 31,48;THACO 13;#AT 1;Dmg ld8+ spectral touch; SA spec-tral touch; SDimmunity;SWholy water; SZ M (6 tall);ML Champion (15); Int High (14); AL LE; XP 3,000.Notes:SA-A spectres touch drains2 energy levels from its

victim; SD-A spectre is immune to all sleep, charm, h o l d , and cold-based spells, aswell aspoison and paralyz ation attacks; SW-Holywater inflicts 2d4 hp of damage pe r strike, and m i s e dead destroysthe spectre if it fails ts save vs. spell.Slave Food Storage

A search through the chamber reveals the dust piles asast remains of many dead forerunners. The few skullin the chamber all show the same terribleThe illithids stored the bodies of dead slaves hered dined, as the remaining slaves had to eat, too.A small stone drawer beneath the slab holds various cut-implements made of iron, long-since rusted to useless-s- sa ve for one unblemished knife. Although its grip isy made fo r a three-fingered humanoid, thisstill functions as a hgger +2 in melee.Unbreached Slave Kenne lThis chamber obviously served as another slave penilar to area Z)-though the iron bars retain theirere. Beyond the bars, the mostly disintegrated

at least 12 orerunners are visible.Nourisher Workroom

medicines, water, bugpowder, brands, and other i& necessary for thecare and feeding of humanoid slaves. Now, allbuone of the vessels are decayed past usefulness.PCs aneasily break through theresin that caps the smgleremaining vessel. The vessel contains a spedalmedicine usedfor sickthralls;he liquid smells of herbs and pine. Though itnot magical, the medicine stillretains its potenq. It acts as anelixir ofyouth if downed by a member of a humanoid speciesthough only four draughtsremain. ue to the degradations otime, each draughthasa 50% chance to actlikea poison, forc-ing the mbiber to make a successful saving throw vs.poisonor SU% 20points of damage; unfortunately, the victim stillsuffers 5 points of damage even if he saves.A bubble of quintessence seals off the chamber to thesoutheast.

7.Sealed Nourisher Domicilem e way from the entrance:Read or paraphrase the following if the PCs saub thequin-

By clearing away the quintessence, the PCs have freedGrkthan entombed illithid! The last thing Grkth me mbe rs is thedesperate launch of the p lane tisd after the thrallsviolentlyoverthrew their masters. Though thousandsof years haveslipped by for the rest of the multiverse, only seconds haveelapsed for Grkth. The freed illithid au tomat idy assumesthat his light for freedom failed if the PCs nter the chamber.Because of this, Grkth fights to the death ratherthansubmit ta humiliating execution by inferior thralls.

Abbreviated Combat Summary (Grkth, Illithid): AC 0(because of its psionic bone ring); hp 5 8 .See the s t a b under the Common Illithid Attributes section

for the detailed illithid combat summaryHardened slime covers the walls of this chamber; thematerial is curved and shaped like ganglia to make theillithid feel more at home-although such decoration oftendisturbs humanoids. A search through the chamber doesnot reveal anytlung identifiable. However, searching theillithid tumsup 126 crystal coins (each worth 3 gp o a jeweler), a psionic bone ring on one of Grkths fingers, and agold key strung on a fine chain of bone linksworn aroundGrkths neck.The bone ring is a psionic item that provides illithids withan AC of 0. If worn by members of another species, the ringgrants a +1 AC bonus. Creatures can wear only one bonering at a time.

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The gold key is crafted to resemble a tentacle and is charge);SA discharge; SZT (2 diameter);ML Champio(15), Int Unratable; AL N; XP 650.lightly warm (PCs with infravision can make out its shapein :he dark); the key opens various chambers and conta&ersdenied to the thralls. Other crater fragments require similarkeys to access their areas.

Garden PodThe search of this 100-foot-by-100-foot area finally uncov-

ers the upper portion of a buried planetismal fragment.Note that this area requires two additional man-hours ofdigging to clear a space for entry.slightly as it descends to form a 30-foot-long slide that leadsinto area 8. The sides and interior are strangely smooth andpowdered. Scraping away the powder reveals the black,meteoric rock of the planetismal. A dim radiance pervadesthis area, a remnant of past lighting now almost completelyburned out.This fragment once served as the Garden Pod. Some of theplants grown within proved useful for thrall nutrition,others were merely decorative, while a few were kept ascuriosities.8. Gone to Seed

The passage revealed is 15 feet in diameter, curving

The dim radiance throws a pallor over the layer ofdetritus that forms the floor of this spherical chamber.The half-petnhed stalks of some long-dead treelikeplants pungent with mildew and rot rise in lonelyclumps from the earth. A riot of fungus now flourishesin this subterranean chamber, so successful that vegeta-tion lines the curving side walls and fungal cords hangfrom the domed ceiling above. Eight sets of corrodediron chains hang down from the curve of the ceiling invarious places, each affixed to an empty iron loop.Besides two additional rounded passages that leadaway from the chamber, a convex bulge of mirror-brightsilver is affixed to the southernmost curve of the wall.

Amidst the fungal overgrowth live phycomids, trulydangerous fungi. Algae-like phycomids are fibrous blobs ofdecomposing, milk-colored matter with capped fungi grow-ing out of them; the creatures smell slightly of lye. There are8 phycomids growing within this chamber, each lying~ I Istate of dormancy from their last meal-forerunner thrallswho escaped collars, illithid masters, and time stasis, onlyto fall prey to the phycomids spores.Any character who comes within 12feet of a phycomidactivates the creatures defense mechanism-a tube that dis-charges a small glob of alkaline that inflicts ld4+2 points ofdamage.

Phycomids (8):AC 5;MV 3; HD 5; hp 20 (average);THACO 15; #AT 2; Dmg ld4+2/ld4+2 (discharge/dis-

Notes SA-A phycomid discharges an alkaline substance thacauses ld4+2 pomts of damage Anyone struck by the substancemust save vs poison; failure mdicates that the victun sproutsmushroomlAegrowthsm d4+4 rounds, these growths mflict anadditional ld4+4 I t omts The growths spread throughout thebody m ld4t4 turns, illmg the wchm and transformmghm ltophyconud A cure diseuse spell ends the lnfechon before a fatality occur, but neutralize polson does not affect the funguss spread

9. Preserved Gardenquintessence away from the entrance:Read or paraphrase the following if the PCs scrub the

With a pop, warm and moist air rushes from therevealed chamber Bright light streams from the open-ing, revealing a domed room filled with luxuriantgrowths of green plants and esoteric flowers. A gaunthumanoid wearrng a silken tumc and breeches movesamong the plants with clippers and a waterrng can.Along metallic cham hangs down from the curved ceil-ing; it is attached to an iron collar affixed around thegardeners neck

A forerunner thrall goes about his duties, tending speciablossoms grown in this chamber. The thrall, named Bomwby his fellows (who have all long since died), is obliviousthe passage of time and the fall of the illithid empire.Bomwe speaks a dead language (unless the PCs havereleased other forerunner thralls into the timestream). Hoever, anyone familiar with the language of the githzerai ogithyanki can communicate basic facts to the not-quite-extinct forerunner.

Regardless of whether or not the party establishes com-munication, Bomwes limited worldview does not allowhim to believe in a universe not dominated by the illithidrace. If the PCs try and talk withhim, e will ignore themthinking them a fiendish test set up by his cruel masters.Ifact, Bomwe climbs up into the branches of a large growthin this chamber and begins to whimper if the PCs press hifor information. If the party frees Bomwe, he accompaniesthem, but he never takes any action unless forced to do sohe ever encounters a living illithid, Bomwe instantly betrathe party from the rear, happily returning to his oldallegiance. Bomwes stats are identical to the forerunnerrebelson page 27 .The illithids treasure the growths in this chamber, asthey act as a very pleasing spice. If a thrall eats the blos-soms in this chamber, he or she gains pleasant visions, nounlike a daydream, for 1d6 turns (the affected individualsuffers a -2 penalty to all die rolls while under the influ-ence). If an illithid consumes a brain affected by the blos-soms, it enjoys an unsurpassed culinary experience, as thgrowths produce a subtle flavoring that the mind flayersconsider gourmet.


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iarden Suppliesy the quintessence from the entrance to thisa chamber sheathed in organic resin. Thoughsence has sealed the chamber from time, nothingious value beyond normal gardening toolswithin the room. If the PCs search the supply room,a special canister carved of bone. This objecta potent herbicide from its nozzle if someonehe button on its side. There are 14applications ofe remaining in the canister, and each discharges up to 20 feet in normal gravity, inflicting 3d6 points

essful saving throws vs. poison to reducef). The herbicide is not particularlyanimal organisms, unless ingested. Anyonea saving throw vs. poi-Failure indicates that the victim dies, while success

10 points of damage.

search of this 100-foot-by-100-footarea finallya twisted lump of metal and rock; two additionalurs of digging frees the object from the earth. PCsmake Intelligence checks with a4 penalty to identifya player character to recognize itgiant-sized suit of armor now crumpled, smashed,he mass of armor was once a psionically

ered exoskeleton worn by an illithid of the Tamerthe psionic exoskeleton did not saveid wearer when the planetismal smashed into thisThe quintessence that protected the Tamer Creedson of the planetismal was stripped away, and theized the area within seconds. The relicovered by the adventurers is all that remains of theseflayers. The illithid body once contained withinleton dried up long ago, and the psionic cir-the artifact has faded. At present, thea mere curiosity. However, present-day illithidsdemonstrate extreme interest in the object, as theye lost the secret of making such massive metallic

Recolonized Frq m en ta buried planetismal fragment; it requiresadditional man-hours of d igging to clear a space for

passage into this fragment is 10 feet in diameter;, it is broken and cracked and shows signs ofthis, the passage provides anhich to scale into the darkness below, afeet. The sides and interior of this tunnel doence of resinous coating.

Whatever purpose this fragment served has long passewith its loss of protective quintessence. However, tunnelinpredators known as bulette have since discovered it andnow use the area as a lair. Through the course of genera-tions, these predators have eaten, buried, or otherwisedestroyed all of the bodies, accoutrements, and equipmenof the past inhabitants.The small bulette family unit that currently lairs hereuses this warren only for the birthing of young and forhibemation during winter months. Unfortunately, theunseasonable winter has forced the bulettes within toremain. Unless they take great pains to remain quiet, the PCsstand a 50% chance to awaken the half-hibernating bulette in boareas marked 12.11.Droppings and Assorted Messes

This rough, cracked chamber of meteoric rock con-tains a thick layer of loam, intermixed with a glaze ofwhitish powder. Disturbingly large husks of hair andbones, as well as half-melted iron implements (includ-ing helms, mail, and weaponry), are visible.

The bulettes (sometimes called landsharks) have calledthis cranny home for many millennia. This area serves as aplace for the creatures refuse. Thus, the w hi tewash ofdried, powdered droppings. Each round a party spendssearching through the half-buried husks of partiallydigested bone, hair, and armor, they stand a flat 25% chanto find one of the four items listed below (in any order).Unfortunately, each round of rustling through the drop-pings also has a flat 10% chance to wake the bulette in botrooms marked area 12.The items found in this chamber include a periapt ofwound closure, a spade ofcolossal excavation, a suit of elvenchain mail (fit for a human up to 6 feet tall), and one lobe ofthe brainmate needed to navigate the craft described on pag29. More information on the brainmate and its four scat-tered lobes appear under the Arcana section on page 3212.Whats For Breakfast?Unless party members are making an effort to be quiet,they stand a 75% chance to awaken the half-hibematingbulettes for each turn they spend here. PCs who gaze intoone of these chambers see only a rocky hollow containingseveral large clumps of earth embedded with stones (if thebulettes have not roused). A successful Intelligence check(made with a -3 penalty) indicates that the clumps are, infact, breathing. There are two bulettes in each of these hol-lows (for a total of four).ping turtle, a shark, and an earth elemental grown far toobig. These monsters are exceptionally territorial, but theywil l not follow heroes out of this fragment. If roused, theOld One (see area 13) will not stop until it has slain everyintruder.

A bulette appears as a cross between an armadillo, a sna


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ploughs a trench through the earth as the creature attemptsto rundown and slay fleeing victims.~._. _ _ _. . . * r . -- 1Bulette (4): AC -2 (4 beneath crest, 6 between eyes);M V 3, Br 18; HD 9; hp 65,70,54,49; TMC U 11;#A I 3;Dmg 4d12/3d6/3d6 (bite/claw/claw); SA jump; SZ L (9'tall, 12' long); ML Steady (11);Int Animal (1);AL N; XI'

4,000.Notes: SA-The bulette can jump up to 8 feet in the air with

blinding speed; while airborne, the creature ca n strike with eachof its four feet, inflicting 3d6 points of damagewith each attack.The Old One

Thankfully, these creatures slow as they a ge-centuries away in theirir, dozing and providing incidental shelter torations of bulette eggs. The Old One in this area rarelybut when it does so, its hunger also wakes.Adventurers who gaze into this chamber may at first

length of the Old One's body for a roundedf rock; however, a successful Intelligence check revealsThe Old One sleeps yet, but if the PCs disturb anye half dozen stony eggs (each the size of an ostrichit wakes with a hunger for vengeance. If necessary, thebulette pursues the player characters out of the lair,

the earth as if it were water. Its dorsal fin

Bulettes continue to grow for the entirety of their long

I here are six eggs m tnis area. If tne I'LS Keep tne eggswarm and care for them, they will hatch in ld 6 months, dis-gorging tiny (and hungry) bulettes. The eggs could fetchupwards of 900 gp each in the right market.

Old One, giant bulette (4): AC -2 (4 beneath crest, 6between eyes);MV 12, Br 38; HD 20; hp 120;THACO 3;#AT 3; Dmg 5d12/4d6/4d6 (bite/claw/claw); SA jump;SZG (20' tall, 40' long);ML Steady (11);nt Animal (1);AL N; XP 15,000.

Notes: SA-The Old One ca n jump up to 20 feet in the airwith blinding speed;while airborne, the creature can strike witheach of its four feet, inflicting4d6 points of damage with eachattack.

14.Tunnelshundreds of years of bulette traffic.This series of subter-ranean tunnels stretches for many miles below the earth.While many of them simply dead end, some tunnels pro-vide access to the surface at a distance of at least 20 milesfrom the crater. One or two others may connect to a largerunderdark ecosystem, at the DMs discretion.

This passage is smooth and round, and it shows signs of

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PCs who remain on or above the darkened trad of ashmarlung the deaths of the small animals are completely safehcompromjsed RdjqwwyThe search of this 100-foot-by-100-foot area reveals thea buried planetismal fragment; it requires fivers of digging to clear a space for entryThe revealed passage is 5 feet in diameter and proceedsa steep slope. The sides of the passage are worn andsmooth out after 25 feet of travel.This fragment contains one of the four lobes of the brain-hat provides navigational information when joined withPCs require this information to stop thes from darkening the sun (see the Finale section onge 31 for more details). Within the last decade, others havee the lobe from this fragment, scrubbing awayence in their search. Unfortunately, the pressurethe surrounding earth shattered portions of theent like an eggshell when the archaeologists destroyed

Labyrinth

he tunnelcondensahon. Hardened resinous layers on the walls,ceiling, and even the floor suggest oozing swells of graymatter, ganglionic tendrils, and tentacles. A four-linestriation runs along both side walls, redolent with secretmeaning to those creatures that crafted it.

The illithids viewed the approach to the reliquary pods asa fairly mazelike (at leastto the PCs)pathup to them. The striations along the wall are qualithhid touch-script). If the PCs have magical means by whichuch-script, they can decipher the followinged themes: What Is Not Illithid Is Thrall; Dominion Isarken The Light.Consequences of Failure

light embedded in the floor with geometric perfection.Looking closely, you can see that the pattern resemblesthe psionic seal that has guided your party to the crater.A blackened trail of ash and flash marks dot the floorIn addihon, small clumps of fur, obviously dead ani-mals of an mdeterminate species, litter the floor nearthe trail of flash marks. The number of dead animalsincreases as the trail leads to the chambers hub.A sphere of m irror-bright silver lies near the cham-bers heart, slightly off center. From some angles, thesilver sphere flashes briefly transparent, revealing aslim pedestal contained within. The pedestal is ornate,and a lamplike object sits upon it. A lobe of brainy tis-sue lays within the lamps glassy panels.

from the large psionic circuit diagram inscribed on the floor otlus chamber. Those player characters who wander off tlus tra(by stepping or flying over the psionic circuit diagram) sufferblast of stored psionic energy coursing through the unblem-ished portions of the floor. Victims suffer 4d6 points of electri-cal damage each round that they remain over the inscribedarea, completing the deadly circuit with their own bodies. Thepower of the energy bums away spells and psionic effects thanegate the damage (such as a protectionfvomlightning spell),leaving a 1-foot-radius patch of ash similar to the trail sur-rounding the dead bodies. In addition, a 1-foot-radius flashmark appears next to anyone slain by the electrical attack; thimark completely erases a part of the psionic seal.Investigation of the animal corpses reveals large rats; how-ever, these rats all possess the same strange deformation: Aportion of their brainy tissue pokes out through their skulls.These creatures are cranium rats, and there are 10corpses inall. A search of al l the dead rats uncovers a strange collarattached to one of the creatures.A psionic seal inscribes thecollars leather exterior.These cranium rats are not part of the collective thatsecretly serves Illsensine, the illithid deity. In fact, these crea-tures belong to an independent pack that refers to itself asUs. WheneverUs can, it seeks to pervert Ilsensines plansand those of the gods illithid children. Thus, Strom foundUs to be a useful ally in his bid to forestall the illithids darkagenda. Unfortunately, these particular agents failed to com-plete the same task given to the player characters. In fact, thepsionically imprinted collar is very similar to the one alreadyin the partys possession. If the PCs touch their version of theseal to the seal on the collar, the two merge to form a largercircuit. The recipient of this enlarged seal heals 2d6 hit pointsand receives a +2bonus on future saving throws against anillithids mind blast.17.ReliquaIy of Thoughtof collapsed time. The player characters may physicallyremove the quintessence, as usual. If this happens, the lighttracing the psionic circuit diagram in area 16 goes out and theglass panes of the reliquary blaze with purple light. The objecis now charged with the psionic energy that once coursedthrough the surrounding circuit.If the adventurers managedto erase more than 75% of the psionic circuit, they canapproach the reliquary and confiscate its contents. Otherwise,they must contend with its dread power.The energized reliquary is actually semi-sentient and impervious to all forms of ham-both physical and magical. PCswho approach within 10 eet of the reliquary suffer the effectsof afeeblmind spell for 3d6 turns. nyone who possesses somsort of mental shielding (for example, mind blank or similarspells, psionic powers, or magical and psionic items) receive asaving throw vs. spell to avoid this effect. The best way toaccess the reliquarys interior is to have an illithid mentallyengender the release of the lobe with a simple command. Fail

The ornate pedestal (described in area 16) lies behind a laye


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6 -ng this rather unliikelv event, the party can arhficidly target bered characters float to the top of the cavernthe reliquary (actually, the lobe within the reliquary) with-anysort of Enchantment/Charm magic-uch as cham person orsuggestion spells; these spells cause the lobe to deactivate itsdefenses.Of course, the caster should stand more than 10feet

away from the reliquary in order to avoid thefeeblemind effect.Once they have shut down the reliquary the player char-acters can remove the lobe without risk of future harm. Seethe Arcana section on p. 32 for details regarding theliberated lobe.a AquiferSearching this loO-foot-by-1OO-foot area uncovers a suspi-ciously wide fissure leading downward. The fissure isbetween3 and 5 feet w ide at its narrowest, and itzigzags down some 40feet to the surface of stagnant water. The fissure obviously con-

tinues down below the waterline, but there is no light, sound,or noise to provide a clue as to the tunnels ultimate destination.This entire complex once served as an aquifer for the plan-etismal. Following the impact and subsequent decay of itsquintessence coating, some of the areas water drained out-though most of the water remains trapped within. Of course,the organisms responsible for recycling the water and keepingit pure have not fared too well in the intervening centuries.PCs must swim to access most of the areas inthis ragment.Interested DMs should consult Ofships and the Sea for detailedrules on underwater adventuring. The fo llowing quick rulesappear here for ease of reference:

PCs can hold their breath for an amount of time equalto X their Constitution scores rounded up. DMs shouldhalve this number again (rounding up) if the PCs exertthemselves (encumberedPCs are always exerting them-selves).If a PC wishes to hold his breath past his normalallowance, he must make a successful Constitutioncheck.This check receives a cumulative -2 penalty foreach subsequent check after the first. Failure indicatesthat the PC must breathe; if stillunderwater, he drowns.PCs with the Swimming proficiency can move under-water at a rate equal to K their land movement rates @ ifencumbered). Nonproficient,unencumberedPCsmoveat M their land movement rate, and encumbered non-proficient (or unconscious) PCssink40 feet per round.

18.BulbThe two areas marked with an 18are spherical chambersbounded by black meteoric rock. Each of the rooms is com-pletely filled with cold brackish water. PCswho enter thewater for more than 2turnsmust make successful savingthrows vs. paralyzation or become paralyzed as the heatleaches from their body. Ifthishappens, encumbered charac-ters, or PCs wearing metal armor sink to the bottom of the area(30 feet down) and drown once their air runsout. Unencum-

Neither of these two areas offers anything of much interesto potential explorers, and like the rest of the aquifer, theserooms are completely dark.19. Watery ExpanseWater does not completelyfill this sphericalarea, whichmeasures some 40 to 50 feet in diameter. Thus, swimmers canfind a breath of air when surfacing inthisarea. Unfortunatelthere is only enough air in this chamber to provide a Mediumsized organism with two hours of air. The more adventurerswho enter into this area, as well as area 21 and area 22, thefaster they use up the bmathable air. The DM should keepcareful track of the amount of time spent within these areas.For every round the PCs thrash around in this area, therea 5%cumulative chance that the water weird in area 20 invesgates the disturbance.20. Weird RisingThe entity responsible for clean water is not dead, as its el. mental nature allows it tonourish itself hrough a tenuouslito the Elemental Plane of Water. In the intervening years sincthe original explorers released this fragment back into time, tcreature has kept the water in the aquifer sparkling clean andclear. Unfortunately for the PCs, thisspecially created waterweird regards any and all swimmers as contaminantsof thefirst order, and it moves tocleanse its domain of the new tainThe weird immediately attacks anyone who enters intothis area, but it also moves throughout the entire fragmento eradicate contaminates as necessary. Explorers whoretreat at least 10 feet up into area 21 or area 22 are safefrom the water weirds attacks. However, anyone close tothe waters edge in these areas risks being pulled in by aserpentine column of water.The water weird receives a +4 bonus to its attack rollsagainst any creature already in the water. Any PC who canbreathe water throughmagical (or other) means is safe fromwater weirds drowning attack. PCs who rely on simply holding their breath while in the water must makea saving throwvs. paralyzation to avoid immediate drowning, as the creatuforces elemental water past the victims lips. Even moredeadly, the creature is nearly invisible to anyFc lready in thwater; thus, swimming PCs receive a -4 penalty toall attackrolls when fighting the weird.

Elder Water Weird AC 4;MV Sw 12;HD +3; hp 35;THACO 15; #AT 1;Dmg special; SA drowning, elementalcontrol; SDregeneration, resistance; SW cold, pun^ waterSZ L (10 long); ML Elite (13); Int Very (12); A L CE;XP1,400.Notes: SA-Any creaturestruck by an elder water weird mu

make a save vs. paralyzation.Failure indicates that the weird puthe creature into or under the water (those already under water acaught in the grip of the weird). Each round in the grip of a weirrequiresa victim to make another save to avoid drowning.Inaddition, the creaturehas a 50% chance to u s q ontrol of anywater elemental with which i t comes into contact.

SD-Elder water weirds takeonly1pointof damage from

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weapons of type P or S, and they suffer half damage from fire (nodamagewith a successful save vs breath weapon) If reduced to 0I-.L--.-C +h-..,-.+,! rl.rnrn+ar .,A r.,6,,rma rntn 6.11 cknnnth

surface AllPCs IXI 300-foot radius must first make a successful savmg throw vs. paralyzation or fall to the ground and sufer 1A 4 nmnts nf Anm nw p frnm the Pmlnsinn The must also

creature in 2 rounds.elder water weird instantly.SW-Intense cold acts as a slow spell and purify water kills an

Dry Bulbs \,Other than small bits of dried debris and some long-deadtwo chambers contain nothing of interest to

. Dry Bulb of InterestThis area is in all ways sirmlar to the twoareas keyed to 21,body lying within. Only bones andds of metal, and other debris lie near the body A small,at the corpses side.This object is a bugand within it lies an empty phial (once containing oila potiun ofhuma n control, and a potion ofdiminu -Finally, one skeletal hand containsa variation of a ring ofIn addition to making the wearer immune toESP, efect lie, and know uligrzmenfspells, the ring also

a MAC bonus of +5 (or a +5saving throwall illithid spell-like powers if the DMuses theane illithid option).

,RC There Just Isnt Anythinq!Only after the PCscomb every square inch of this 100-foot-ot area do they realize that the shrapnel and fragmenten throughout the crater. There is nothinginterest in this area.

The search of this area eventually unearths the distinctiveh bulge of a large object coated in collapsed time. In fact,re gallery filled with illithids is held outside of time in at. Unfortunately, the fragment is com-overturned. Read or paraphrase the following text ifcharacters scrub away enough quintessence to col-

Only seconds later, a tremendous noise, as of splinter-ing rock and snapping struts, erupts from the earth.Afissure of darkness breaks to the surface, disgorging arain of rock, twisted metallic struts, chunks of resin, anda plume of dust

The fragment was not up to the pressures exerted upon it bythe earth. Once the PCs remove the quintessence, theplodes and pushes largechunks f debris to the

_ _ _ ---~-I..I -_ ---.-.. . -,. .-..~make another saving throw vs. paralyzation to avoid a chunkof falling rock. Failure indicates that a chunk of mck hits the vtim for ld8 points of damage. Note that any PC who fails thefirst saving throw suffers a -3 penalty on he second one.When the earth stops heaving, the PCs can make out a fissure; steam rises out of the hole, as warmer interior air meetsthe chillsurface atmosphere. Mixed in with the mist is the odof brine and garlic.23.T O P S Y - ~ U ~ V ~This circular gallery, rising some 50 feet to a domed ceiing, once held several warm pools in which dozens ofillithids lounged in comfort, waiting out the future in atimeless instant. However, these mind flayers did not couon coming out of stasis upside down.When this chamber reentered the timestream upside dowthe briny water pool, the servitor thralls, and every illithid inthe gallery fell 50 feet. Most of the inhabitants of this fragmewere killed instantly, but some feebly hold onto life, gaspingin pain and surpriseat the sudden (from their perspective)change of orientation. The DMcan read or paraphrase the folowing text, noting that those player characters immune topsionic contact cannot hear the mental cries of pain:

ters, shreddmg skin, roken legs, and the loss of friends.However, the minds broadcasbng these images are notfriends, but are instead the brain-eating illithids Blood,brine, and the familiar tamt of death pollute the area.The chamber itself is shaped like a bowl filled withshallow water. The ceiling of the room contains manysmall concave depressions, all of which are damp. Bitsof broken rock and shattered resinous sculpture coverthe area, and large portions of the wall have split open.Several humanoid bodies lay inert and broken on thebasins sides, while four figures limply splash about inthe chambers central shallow pool. Each of the figureshas four tentacles sprouting from its purplish head.


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Although the chamber once held 24 illithids, the brokenow shelters only 4 living, but severelynded, illithids. Their recent trauma has completely1of the illithids, and it is madly struggling againstpeers-though none of the creatures are functioning at anThe player characters have 2d4 rounds to catch theIf the PCs make contact, the creaturest fearfully and assume (rightfully) that the heroes are

At that point, three of theithids-Shagath, Naip, and Conarfen-attempt toescapetheir psychoportive powers, while the maddened minder (Mulseth) attacks the player characters indiscrimi-y. If any of the illithids flee to the Astral Plane, they mayDMs option) to trouble the player charac-s at an inopportune time!On he other hand, they mayer return.Once the PCs deal with the wounded illithids, they canhe shattered chamber. For the most part, all of thebers psionic items, sculpture, and other items of valuered. However, the PCs can collect a total of 421(3 gp value each) at a rate of 20 per.turn. Ina search reveals a striator, a bone ring, and aThe bone ring grants the wearer the ability tos once per day as if using the spider climblevel of magic use. Finally, the bracelets the wearer to utilize the effects of a passwall spell (castthe 10th evel of magic use) three times per day.Abbreviated Combat Summary (Illithids): Shagath, Naip,an AC of 5and possess 4,10,8,17hit points respectively. Because the illithids are soDM should award only 3,500 XP or their defeat.

Refer to the Common Illithid Attributes section on page 2

The striator allows the user to write illithid touch-script

iled combat information.. Shattered TempleThe stone valves closing off this chamber wedged tight duents explosive reentry into the timestream. Theake successful open doors rolls to force access intoAt first glance, the three chambers within appear utterlyIn fact, so much rock, dust, and resinous fragmentsr that it is difficultto determine the original

thisarea. In actuality, this was a temple dedicatedMaanzecorian.A search through the debris does unearth two humanoidls that survived their fall from above. The skulls areheav-carved and decorated, and they look like the illithids usedtohold liquid. One of the skulls is empty, but the othera thick orange liquid psionically fortified such that itics the effects of oil ofimpact. The skull currently holds

. Negligent CaretakerAlthough it had a tendency toward laziness, the illithidas Crgent still managed to gain power and status ine governing body back on the mind flayer home world. (Inthis illithid is just one example of the decadence andid empire.) Before the planetismal fled,


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ds entrusted Crgent with the satety ot one of he tours lobe, when combined with its threea complete brainmate containing the navi-information necessary for the PCs to stop the itlithidsdarkening the sun. Crgent was supposed to place thea guarded reliquary like that described under thesymbol. Fortunately for the PCs, the illith id procrastinated.The fragments reentry nto normal time damaged Crgentser, but the illithid managed to escape serious injury due

a lucky fall onto a not-so-lucky thrall. In the time it takes thee the

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TSR 9571 - Plan Escape - Masters of Eternal Night