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Post by Ghul on Sept 14, 2012 13:18:57 GMT -6
Sure thing, James. Would love to take you up on that: Jeff Talanian c/o North Wind Adventures PO Box 697 E. Hampstead, NH 03826 Much appreciated.  Cool! I'll mail either Tues or Wed next week. Books received, James! I love the Molly Hatchet cover!  |
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jasmith
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Posts: 316
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Post by jasmith on Sept 14, 2012 14:45:42 GMT -6
Cool! I'll mail either Tues or Wed next week. Books received, James! I love the Molly Hatchet cover! Groovy! |
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Post by jasonzavoda on Sept 17, 2012 3:34:34 GMT -6
 5b) NOTE: I have added a crude map for this post and the previous post and it can be seen on my blog (not sure how to post images here) Tsathoggua "...we forthwith started to explore a left-hand avenue, which, though it had been laid out with mathematical directness, vanished at no great distance among the fronded trees. Here, somewhat apart from the other buildings, in a sort of square that the jungle had not yet wholly usurped, we found a small temple of antique architecture which gave the impression of being far older even than the adjoining edifices. It also differed from these in its material, for it was builded of a dark basaltic stone heavily encrusted with lichens that seemed of a coeval antiquity. It was square in form, and had no domes nor spires, no facade of pillars, and only a few narrow windows high above the ground. Such temples are rare in Hyperborea nowadays; but we knew it for a shrine of Tsathoggua, one of the elder gods, who receives no longer any worship from men, but before whose ashen altars, people say, the furtive and ferocious beasts of the jungle, the ape, the giant sloth and the long-toothed tiger, have sometimes been seen to make obeisance and have been heard to howl or whine their inarticulate prayers." "...the black interior of the temple yawned before us, and from it there surged an odor of long-imprisoned mustiness combined with a queer and unfamiliar fetidity." "...the place was paven with immense quinquangular flags of the same material from which its walls were built. It was quite bare, except for the image of the god enthroned at the further end, the two-tiered altar of obscenely figured metal before the image, and a large and curious-looking basin of bronze supported on three legs, which occupied the middle of the floor." "I had never seen an image of Tsathoggua before, but I recognized him without difficulty from the descriptions I had heard. He was very squat and pot-bellied, his head was more like that of a monstrous toad than a deity, and his whole body was covered with an intimation of short fur, giving somehow a vague suggestion of both the bat and the sloth. His sleepy lids were half-lowered over his globular eyes; and the tip of a queer tongue issued from his fat mouth. In truth, he was not a comely or personable sort of god, and I did not wonder at the cessation of his worship, which could only to have appealed to very brutal and aboriginal men at any time." "What unimaginable horror of protoplastic life, what loathly spawn of the primordial slime had come forth to confront us, we did not pause to consider or conjecture." ADVENTURE IDEAS (Continued from 5a) As the drums begin to beat scores of ape-men rush from the surrounding ruins. A group of eight with an alpha male leading run toward the stairs. It will take them no more than to melee rounds to cross the stones paves of the square and reach the bottom of the stairs, and only another melee round to rush up them and engage anyone at the doors at top. NOTE: After the first group has begun their charge other small groups of 1d6+6 ape-men (with a 25% chance of an alpha male leading them) begin to make their way behind them or pull themselves up the walls on all side. As an example, for the first 11 melee rounds ape-men will rush up the stairs or make their way around the sides of the ziggurat ever other melee round, 5th round, 7th round, etc... and on the 9th melee round since the ape-men first charged the stairs, a group of six and an alpha male will climb to the top of the ziggurat above the doors and be able to jump down on the next melee round. NOTE: These ape-men need make no morale cheeks and are immune to any charm spells. The are already under the complete swat of Xathoggua. If anyone makes it inside the top floor, after opening or smashing down the doors, they will find that the ape-men will not enter. If the entire party is inside the top-floor room the ape-men will disappear from view, moving down the stairs, around the corners of the walls, or peer down from the roof above. Anyone steeping beyond the doors or sticking their head out will be pelted with 30+ thrown stones each melee round for three rounds and then attacked by a rush of ape-men. In no case will an ape-man step within the temple and any that do will go wild, frothing at the mouth, and then collapse in a shuddering semi-conscious heap. Such ape-men will only awaken if they are brought outside the temple or at the sound of a gong being beaten somewhere below (this will be dealt with in a future post). Top Floor The interior of the top floor is dank and slimed with a glowing greenish substance that has the smell of rotting vegetation and a slightly acidic quality that will burns the skin and stains and disfigures cloth and hide. It does add enough light to see within the chamber if there is no other illumination. 1a-1g are pedestals with what appear to be iron statues (or broken fragments of iron statues) of humanoid appearance. Each is of a warrior though their shape is slightly disturbing, legs appear too long, the chest narrow and sunken, the arms oddly jointed and the fingers numbering more or less than a humans. Such faces as can be seen are a strange combination of toad, bat and giant sloth. Each statue is exactly detailed and the work masterful, though slightly horrific and bizarre. It can easily be seen that each of these statues have received severe damage, and several have been almost completely destroyed, and one appears to be missing. A closer look shows that they are covered with slowly moving fragments of metal as if they were swarmed by some infestation. A few moments will reveal that these fragments are minding the fragments, rebuilding the missing pieces and reconstructing each damaged statue. These statues are a new creature for my campaign. The Iron Men of Xathoggua No. Encountered: 1 Alignment: Neutral Size: M Movement: 20 Dexterity: 5 Armor Class: 4 Hit Dice: 8 No. Attacks 1 (Plus Special) Damage: 3d8 Saving Throw: 11 Morale: - Experience Points: 4,000 Treasure Class: - Constructed by Hyperborean sorcerers in the distant past, the Iron Men of Xathoggua are similar to automaton's of iron. Each is dedicated to Xathoggua and can be commanded by the deity at will (overriding any other commands). Each Iron Man is constructed by a single priest of Xathoggua and controlled by a scroll of a silver-like metal. Only a single controlling scroll can ever be possessed and such a scroll allows command of only a single specific individual. Anyone trying to possess and use more than one scroll will cause those iron men to attack the user. An iron man must be within sight of someone using a silver scroll and their voice must be able to be heard (an Iron Man has average hearing). The art of building the Iron Men is now lost, but they are well nigh indestructable. Built from a magnetic black iron which fell to Hyperborea from the dark void of space, the priests of Xathoggua enchanted the alien metal, turning it into a viscous liquid and through their dark arts imbuing each with the life essences of ten powerful warriors and ten colonies of foul green slime, and a quantity of their own blood. An Iron Man can be shattered with normal weapons, but the metal, even smashed to fragments, is drawn to each other with a force strong enough to pull free from the grip of a strong man. These pieces will find each other even across great distances. It would require great magic or the heat of a mighty forge to destroy this metal. Allowed to reassemble itself an iron man will 'heal' at a rate of 3hp/turn. When it has reached half its hit points it will be able to function once more though only able to move at half speed and deal half damage, (it will still be able to carry out its special attack). Special: Immune to charm, sleep, hold and other mind-affecting sorceries. Electrical attacks slow the Iron Man for 3 rounds Fire attacks due 1/2 damage or no damage if saved. Acid attacks do no damage Every 5 melee rounds the Iron Man can vomit a green acidic substance up to 10feet striking a 5foot diameter sphere of space. This attack will cause 3d6 damage. Each Iron Man is constructed with an flanged mace gripped in one hand with its other hand free. Top Floor (continued) 1a) This Iron Man is utterly destroyed. The fragments are slowly shifting together but have only reformed the feet. 1b) This is an empty predestal 1c) This Iron Man is partially reformed and able to function. It's armor is chipped and cracked. The top of its head is missing and the glowing green liquid sloshes out over its face as it moves. It cannot use its special vomit attack. NOTE: All surviving iron men will attack if anyone approaches within 10feet. If any of the iron men are activated then all are activated and will go on the attack (this includes only the iron men at locations 1c, 1e & 1f). 1d) This Iron man is only half complete. Its body has been rebuilt up to its lower chest. Inside its bowl-like interior is a pool of acidic slime. This glowing green slime may be collected in glass or metal containers. A jar's worth, if used as a missile or poured onto someone, will do 1d10 damage. There is 5 jars worth of slime that can be recovered. 1e). This iron man is at three-quarters hit points and functional. Its body is cracked and missing small pieces, through which leak the green acidic slime, but it is still able to perform its vomit attack. See 1C for the NOTE regarding the functional iron men. At the feet of this Iron Man is the body of a half-Pict sorcerer. The body has received grievous wounds and its right hand is missing. There is a +2 Dagger of Venom concealed in his left boot (5 doses of poison remaining) and 5 100gp gems sewn into each cuff of his pants (10 gems total). His belt has been cut and pockets turned out, but there is a large silver serpent-shaped buckle on his belt worth 50gp with a hidden compartment containing 3 doses of poison for his dagger. In a half-destroyed pack that still hangs over one mutilated shoulder, there is an acid-eaten spellbook which still contains 2 1st level spells and 1 2nd level spell (to be determined by the DM). 1f) This iron man is at half hit points and its special vomit attack functions normally. See the NOTE at 1c concerning this monster. If activated this iron man will step forward, perhaps off its pedestal and reveal the squashed hand of the Pictish sorcerer whose body is at 1e. There are 2 rings on the broken fingers of this hand. One is in the form of a snake with emeralds for its eyes. It is of ancient craftmanship and worth 250gp to the right buyer. The other is a Ring of Shooting Stars. NOTE: This ring is made of an opposing metal to that of the iron men and the wearer of such a ring will be the focus of any attacks. 1g) This iron man is completely shattered. All it appears to be is a squirming pile of metal fragments oozing a glowing green liquid slime. 2) The stairs leading down to the 2nd floor. (To Be Continued) |
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Post by Ghul on Sept 18, 2012 10:22:57 GMT -6
I would run this adventure. Strangely, I can't help but also be reminded of REH's Devil in Iron. Great work as always, Jason.
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Post by jasonzavoda on Sept 18, 2012 16:20:11 GMT -6
I would run this adventure. Strangely, I can't help but also be reminded of REH's Devil in Iron. Great work as always, Jason. Thanks very much Jeff. This one has gotten a bit away from me. I have ideas for six dungeon levels already. Hopefully, as I keep digesting more of the rulebook and the ideas of several pulp era writers, I will be getting these ideas more inline with the rules and my Hyperborea home campaign. |
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Post by Ghul on Sept 21, 2012 6:12:39 GMT -6
I would run this adventure. Strangely, I can't help but also be reminded of REH's Devil in Iron. Great work as always, Jason. Thanks very much Jeff. This one has gotten a bit away from me. I have ideas for six dungeon levels already. Hopefully, as I keep digesting more of the rulebook and the ideas of several pulp era writers, I will be getting these ideas more inline with the rules and my Hyperborea home campaign. I think you are going about it in a very organic way -- reviewing the contents of the game while absorbing the inspirational material. There is always room for creative growth when developing campaign material, I think. For example, I can't wait to read Wagner's Kane yarns to see what might inspire material for my own Hyperborea campaign. |
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Post by jasonzavoda on Sept 21, 2012 15:21:24 GMT -6
Thanks very much Jeff. This one has gotten a bit away from me. I have ideas for six dungeon levels already. Hopefully, as I keep digesting more of the rulebook and the ideas of several pulp era writers, I will be getting these ideas more inline with the rules and my Hyperborea home campaign. I think you are going about it in a very organic way -- reviewing the contents of the game while absorbing the inspirational material. There is always room for creative growth when developing campaign material, I think. For example, I can't wait to read Wagner's Kane yarns to see what might inspire material for my own Hyperborea campaign. I've always felt that Wagner's Kane is a combination of a grimmer Conan, though lacking the barbarian upbringing and the setting a combination of CAS's Hyperborea (to a degree) and Howard's Conan setting with a few dashes of Lovecraft and Moorcock thrown in. I much prefer the Kane novels to the short stories. |
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Post by jasonzavoda on Sept 25, 2012 0:10:02 GMT -6
 2nd Floor 1). The smell of burnt flesh is pervasive through this area. The ceiling is nearly fifteen feet high. 1a). Stairs going up to the Top Floor. Only a dull greenish light illuminates the top of the stairs. 1b&c). Stairs going down to the First Floor. This stairwells are unlit and are dark as a tomb. 1d). This area is lit by a burning flame held in the palm of a huge statue of a demonic bat-like creature which stands at the center 10 foot section of the south wall. Around the floor are scattered remnants of a hasty camp. A roll of bedding with blood stains, some scattered food (enough for 1 days rations if gathered up and the consumer is none to particular in what they eat) and a broken bone amulet of Pictish design (once this allowed control of the flesh automaton's on this level of the dungeon and the one outside the temple at the top of the stairs. It has been destroyed by acid and physical damage). The statue stands 10 feet tall with sweeping wings sculpted up to the 15 foot ceiling. The face of the statue displays an evil grin and one large red gem (1,500gp value) the size of a fist. The left eye-socket of the statue is empty and weeps a dark viscous (and flammable) goo that has run down the face and body of the statue (and hardened to the body like a stream of wax down a candle but of a consistency more like clay). The right eye holds the gem. At the clawed feet of statue us a charred corpse, its arm outstretched ending in a fingerless palm. If the body is searched, a fairly disgusting process, a set of thieves lock-picks will be discovered hidden cunningly inside the belt. If the gem is pried from the statues eye-socket a loud click will be heard and a stream of burning goo will be projected in a stream 10ft long from both eyes, while at the same time, a cloud of flammable gas will exhale from the statue's mouth and fill a 10ft diameter sphere directly in front of the statue. The cloud of burning gas will inflict 2d12 damage (1/2 dmg if saved against) to anyone within the area, while the burning goo will inflict three rounds of burning damage (again, 1/2 damage if saved against) to anyone caught buy the discharge. 1d12 the first combat round, 1d8 the second and 1d4 the 3rd. Only the first rounds damage can be saved against and items may, at the DMs discretion, on the burning victim, may also need to a saving throw or be destroyed or damaged. The goo dripping from the eye or eyes can be collected. About enough to coat 3 arrowheads can be collected in an hour or 6 in an hour if both eyes are now leaking the goo. If exposed to air for more than an hour the goo dries, though this clay-like substance will also burn and about a 1lb of it can be scraped from the body of the statue. 2). This hall is composed of 10ft alcoves sealed off with a greenish crystal. Each crystal wall is strong enough to withstand 10,000hp damage before shattering. within each alcove can be seen the unmoving body of an Elder Thing. Upon opening the door from area 1 the players are presented with a scene of horrific carnage. The bodies of two Elder Things have been torn limb from limb (though some body parts are missing). A thick, dark red blood is spattered across walls and floor. From area 2b comes a steady pounding noise. 2a). This shattered alcove is empty except for a covering of crystal shards. These shards are a natural bane to all shoggoth and shoggoth-like creatures. They can be used as sling stones and will act as magic +2 to hit/damage sling stones if used against such creatures, though they will do no or little damage to normal creatures. In addition, the possession of 5 or more of these fragments will act as a +1 item of protection against shoggoths and related creatures. 2b). From this location comes the steady pounding of 2 flesh automatons as they relentlessly assault the wall of greenish crystal. They have already caused over 9,000hp damage against this wall and it will shatter in 1d10+10 minutes. Upon shattering it will release an Elder Thing and both flesh automatons will immediately attack the creature. If interrupted in either attacking the wall or the Elder Thing, both flesh automatons will turn and attack whoever interrupted their actions (ignoring the useless attacks of the Elder Thing), and continue attacking anyone on this level, before turning back to their assault on the wall or the Elder Thing. The Elder Thing will attack anyone within reach and will attack and pursue them till it is destroyed or prevented by some other means. 2c). As per 2a except that among the crystal shards within the alcove may be found a hand-sized five-pointed object of dark green soapstone. This object acts as a +3 item of protection against shoggoths and shoggoth-like creatures. 2d). This alcove appears empty but behind the crystal wall is a portal that leads to a hidden vault deep within the Spiral Mountain Array. (The vault is merely a 100ft by 100ft space until the key to its exit can be found, which is not yet available in this adventure). If the wall is shattered a stream of Elder Things will pour out, one every combat round, if they can force themselves out of the alcove. 20 of these monsters will come pouring forth, the last will bear a malfunction crystal-tipped iridium rod of the Great Race. After 1d6 uses the rod will emit a crackle of blue electric light for 3 combat rounds then explode, disintegrating everything in a 20ft diameter sphere. 2e). This is a massive gelatinous cube that fills the hall and stretches some 70ft end to end. It still attacks as a 4hd monster but has 10 times the hit points of a normal cube (not really a cube then is it?). It usually circles the corridor endlessly and is fed by sacrifices by the ape-men. It has 3 times the normal treasure (the ape-men are not very thorough when looting their sacrifices). Currently the monster is cowering in this corner of the hall after having about 30% of its mass destroyed by magical attacks and suffering a violent bout of indigestion (see 2f). 2f). At the center of this gelatinous cube is suspended the body of a flesh automaton. It was swallowed before orders could be given and it is a sort-of standby mode. If freed from the cube it will attack anyone within sight, nearest first, and pursue them anywhere within or without the temple until destroyed. (To be continued) |
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Post by Ghul on Sept 25, 2012 14:30:22 GMT -6
Oh, good, thanks for adding the maps. I saw them on your blog and was wondering if you could post them here, too. Looking forward to the next installment. I need to paste them all in one document and then print. Keep 'em coming! |
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Post by jasonzavoda on Sept 25, 2012 15:50:16 GMT -6
Oh, good, thanks for adding the maps. I saw them on your blog and was wondering if you could post them here, too. Looking forward to the next installment. I need to paste them all in one document and then print. Keep 'em coming! I was having trouble with posting the maps but I saw a thread on DF that helped. Not sure why they are so big. I have the map done for the next level but need to write out the encounters. These are very rough ideas so far and delving into the setting is still a learning process for me. I have a few players rounded up (and my table max for a game is about 4 players). What I need to do is work on the introductory adventure and get the basics of it done. Should start running it in Oct. What I could use are extra copies of the ASSH players handbook. |
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Post by jasonzavoda on Sept 28, 2012 0:11:41 GMT -6
6a). The Epiphany of Death
(Written January 25, 1930)
Ptolemides, Catacombs of [PLC]
Ptolemides, City of [TWN]
Tomeron [NPC]
"Somehow, Tomeron seemed never to belong to the present; but one could readily have imagined him as living in some bygone age. About him, there was nothing whatever of the lineaments of our own period; and he even went so far as to affect in his costume an approximation to the garments worn several centuries ago. His complexion was extremely pale and cadaverous, and he stooped heavily from poring over ancient tomes and no less ancient maps. He moved always with the slow, meditative pace of one who dwells among far off reveries and memories; and he spoke often of people and events and ideas that have long since been forgotten."
"I cab readily recall, however, the studies to which Timeron had devoted himself, the lost demonian volumes from Hyperborea and Mu and Atlantis with which his library shelves were heaped to the ceiling and the queer charts, not of any land that lies above the surface of the earth, on which he pored by perpetual candlelight."
"He maintained that life and death were not the fixed conditions that people commonly believed them to be; that the two realms were often intermingled in ways not readily discerned, and had penumbral borderlands; that the dead were not always the dead, nor the living the living, as such terms are habitually understood."
"Carrying torches, we left the mansion of Tomeron and sought the ancient catacombs of Ptolemides, which lie beyond the walls and have long been disused, for there is now a fine necropolis in the very heart of the city. The moon had gone down beyond the desert that encroaches toward the catacombs; and we were forced to light our torches long before we came to the subterranean adits; for the rays of Mars and Jupiter in a sodden and funereal sky were not enough to illumine the perilous path we followed among mounds and fallen obelisks and broken graves. At length we discovered the dark and weed-choked entrance of the charnels; and here Tomeron led the way with a swiftness and surety of footing that bespoke long familiarity with the place."
"Entering, we found ourselves in a crumbling passage where the bones of dilapidated skeletons were scattered amid the rubble that had fallen from the sides and roof. A choking stench of stagnant air and of age-old corruption made me pause for a moment but Tomeron scarcely appeared to perceive it, for he strode onward, lifting his torch and beckoning me to follow. We traversed many vaults in which mouldy bones and verdigris-eaten sarcophagi were piled about the walls or strewn where desecrating thieves had left them in bygone years. The air was increasingly dank, chill and miasmal; and mephitic shadows crouched or swayed before our torches in every niche and corner. Also, as we went onward, the walls became more ruinous and the bones we saw on every hand were greener with the mould of time."
ADVENTURE IDEAS
The Catacombs of Ptolemides
The city of Ptolemides was once a proud Hellenic City-State, but after the advent of the Green Death it shrank to less than half its previous population. Of that half only the ruling elite and the King's guards are pure Hellens. The rest of the city is a mix of various races, the bulk of whom are common men of a hodge-podge heritage. The only recognized temple is of Apollo, though its following is small, but all the gods have their worshipers, their shrines and their hidden temples.
Within the city only the sections near the outer gates and the central citadel are occupied, while entire quarters are abandoned and walled off, for Ptolemides is also a city of the dead.
When the Green Death came it swallowed the city whole and only those within the citadel survived. These survivors were overwhelmed by the number of the dead, and in houses, manors, tenements and even the streets, the bodies were left unhallowed to putrefy and rot. But these unshriven spirits soon began to walk, to haunt the dead quarters of the city, and to prey upon the living.
Gates were shirt, all entrances to these dead quarters walled off, closed and guarded. The priests of Apollo joined the city guard in a desperate attempt to drive back the dead. Then, more welcome than they have ever been, came the necromancers, and the greatest of these was Tomeron.
When Ptolemides was first settled, when the foundations stones were first set, these early Hellens found the catacombs, and what they believed, perhaps rightly, was the entrance to the underworld, the land of the dead. These passages were old and endless, already filled with tombs and ancient bones and passages that went deep into the earth. For generations the bodies of the dead were placed reverently within vaults and mausoleums and niches cut into the walls. Over time the nearest of the passages were filled, and the tunnels were followed further and further while a slow sense of evil and darkness crept nearer, and the dead were no longer left undisturbed.
A great necropolis was built at a small distance from the city and the catacombs of Ptolemides were sealed. The Green Death came, and the dead walked, and then came the necromancers, and with them Tomeron.
Tomeron has unsealed the catacombs and from the abandoned manor where he now lives, in a dead quarter of the city, he directs others; magicians, thieves, priests, fighters, adventurers, fools, to do his bidding and search the catacombs. Of what is brought back to the surface Tomeron has his tithe, but always he seems disappointed, as if what he is truly looking for is never found.
NOTE: Here begins my conversion of TSRs 'Legendary' boxed set, the Ruins of Undermountain. I will just be using the maps for the most part (because my cartographic skill is so poor) but I've always loved this particular dungeon crawl and it will be a pleasure to convert for my Astonishing Swordsmen campaign.
Tomeron, as I plan to use him, is a high level Necromancer. Ptolemides, a small human city, old, but not as ancient as Kor or Khromarium.
Reaching Tomeron's manor is best done in daylight. What was once the artisan's quarter of Ptolemides is now a walled and guarded ruin. Only one gate into the quarter is left open, though rumors say that the Guild of Thieves knows of a secret way.
A small fortress has been built before the gate to this quarter and a toll of 5gp per person is collected to let anyone inside. A toll of 20gp per person is collected to let anyone back out again, and a tax on any treasure of 1 coin, armor, weapon, or valuable, is levied by the king.
There are three gates and a wide circular tunnel that lead to this dead quarter. The outer gate within the fortress will first be opened and as the party approaches the 2nd gate, this outer gate will be closed. Then the 2nd gate will be opened and when the party reaches the gate to the dead quarter, that gate too will close. Finally this 3rd gate will open and the party will be allowed to enter what was once the Artisan's Quarter.
If anyone wants out there is a bell that can be struck near the gate and a basket will be lowered from the wall to collect the 20gp return fee. After dark the guards will ask for extra coin to allow escape from this quarter, and some will not respond at all, preferring to lock and bolt their doors rather than face what might be ringing the bell.
Once outside the small fortress a returning party will be lead to a counting house next door to the fort and there the tax will be levied.
Shops catering to adventurers have sprung up on the avenue leading to this gate and a large inn called 'The Dirge' sits on the far corner from the fortress. It is common for a last drink to be bought here before entering the gate and all manner or business is transacted within this tavern. Hirelings hired, rumors gathered, notices left and what-not.
The dead quarters of the city are very grim and dangerous places, and Tomeron's is no exception. Most buildings are in ruins and many are unpleasantly occupied. rats, bats, vermin and spiders infest these buildings, as well as all manner and kind of undead. The main street is kept warded, at least during the day, but at night the undead roam and there is little shelter to be found.
Several necromancers do live within this quarter and far down its streets can be found an almost-palace that is their guild hall, but these buildings are guarded and sturdy and do not welcome visitors.
Tomeron, on the other hand, welcomes adventurers at anytime. His manor is in a large walled compound three blocks from the gate. The doors to his house are always open and lead to a large entrance hall. Tomeron himself will come to greet all those wishing to journey to the catacombs.
Inside this hall is a large staircase leading to a dimly lit upper floor, but the players will not be invited to see it more clearly. On its balustrade sits a pair of gargoyles, perhaps mere statues, but their unmoving features are grinning and malevolent. A half-dozen uniformed footmen are nearby, pale men with the stench of carrion about them, and the black beneath the stairs seems filled with something more awful than darkness.
To the left of the entrance-way is a set of double-doors. These open to a long, wide passage that turns and turns as it leads down, and finally comes to a broad square room. A quick estimates shows a ceiling vaulting out of site, and a room at least eighty feet wide as it is eighty feet long. Some tables and chairs are at the north end, at its center is a large round pit covered by an iron plate. Massive chains lead from the plate to four crank mechanisms spaced evenly around its sides.
"I take one coin in five and such items, jewels, gems and such-like as take my fancy. No more than one in three. If you agree and are prepared, that is your way to the catacombs," Tomeron points to the pit and the iron plate which covers it.
If the party agrees and wants to proceed Tomeron will speak a sharp command and four tall and heavily scared men will approach the cranks and begin raising the iron plate. Suspended by chains beneath the plate is a platform. Once the iron plate has reached the ceiling the platform will be even with the edge of the pit and a panel will be extended to act as a bridge. Once the party is on the platform the panel will be removed and the platform lowered into the pit.
Tomeron will call down to the party, "From here your adventure begins. Beat upon the armor of the dead to signal your return."
And from here the players' adventure will begin.
(To be continued...)
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Post by Vile Traveller on Sept 28, 2012 0:18:00 GMT -6
I can't wait to finish CAS's collected fantasies so I can finally stop studiously avoiding this thread!
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Post by jasonzavoda on Sept 28, 2012 2:06:43 GMT -6
I can't wait to finish CAS's collected fantasies so I can finally stop studiously avoiding this thread! These are all from volume 1 of the nightshade books collection. No need to zip through them (I'm only on volume 3 myself). |
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Post by Vile Traveller on Sept 28, 2012 2:46:04 GMT -6
Oh, good! I'm past volume 1. Right, off to page 1! |
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ckenp
Level 1 Medium
Posts: 18
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Post by ckenp on Oct 23, 2012 13:22:11 GMT -6
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Post by Ghul on Oct 23, 2012 14:22:05 GMT -6
Well, that's exactly what I've been tinkering with the last two or three years: at the very center of the Hyperborea RPG setting rises a three-cone extinct volcano known as Mt. Vhuurmithadon. Here dwell gods and monsters, and it is the locale of my personal mega-dungeon. I'll take a look at the link you posted -- thanks! Cheers, Jeff T. |
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joemac
Level 1 Medium
Posts: 13
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Post by joemac on Oct 23, 2012 18:12:32 GMT -6
Well, that's exactly what I've been tinkering with the last two or three years: at the very center of the Hyperborea RPG setting rises a three-cone extinct volcano known as Mt. Vhuurmithadon. Here dwell gods and monsters, and it is the locale of my personal mega-dungeon. Oh..? I'm a little burned out on mega-dungeons, but I'd pony up hard cash to see this one published! Care to share it with the class? ;D |
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Post by Ghul on Oct 23, 2012 19:51:11 GMT -6
Well, that's exactly what I've been tinkering with the last two or three years: at the very center of the Hyperborea RPG setting rises a three-cone extinct volcano known as Mt. Vhuurmithadon. Here dwell gods and monsters, and it is the locale of my personal mega-dungeon. Oh..? I'm a little burned out on mega-dungeons, but I'd pony up hard cash to see this one published! Care to share it with the class? ;D It is a mega-dungeon I've been taking notes on for a few years, but I have yet to spring it on my players. That day will come soon enough. Then it will be various other guinea pigs at cons near and far! (I say guinea pigs most lovingly, as my children have them as pets, which means I have them as pets, because of course they do not hold their end of the bargain and clean the darn cage!). Ahem, where were we? So, it is an adventure quite inspired by a variety of authors, but at the heart of it, it is CAS's Seven Geases that most inspires it. So much of it remains in early brainstorming phases -- all I can say is that it's different. It is unlike anything I've seen, and it very much works in hand with the Hyperborea setting. I realize I sound vague, and vague (to me) sounds pretentious, so I humbly ask that you give me a bit of time to get deeper into it before I say much more. Oh, and welcome aboard, Joe! |
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ckenp
Level 1 Medium
Posts: 18
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Post by ckenp on Oct 25, 2012 9:07:49 GMT -6
One running theme in multiple of Smith's Hyperborean Cycle stories is "ice as monster". Is this something that's found in AS&SH?
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Post by Ghul on Oct 25, 2012 12:12:27 GMT -6
One running theme in multiple of Smith's Hyperborean Cycle stories is "ice as monster". Is this something that's found in AS&SH? Yes. Yikkorth, the "Ashen Worm" who once mantled the realm in ice, is reputed to unleash demonic forces from the ice. |
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Post by jasonzavoda on Nov 1, 2012 21:22:10 GMT -6
7). The Planet of the Dead
Altanoman [NPC]
Antarion [NPC]
Chamalos [PLC]
Haspa [NPC]
Phandium [PLC]
Saddoth [TWN]
Thameera [NPC] female
Urbyzaun [TWN]
He was standing on a road paven with cyclopean blocks of grey stone - a road that ran interminably before him into the vague, tremendous vistas of an inconceivable world. There were low, funereal, drooping trees along the road, with sad-colored foliage and fruits of a deathly violet; and beyond the trees were range on range of monumental obelisks, of terraces and domes, of colossal multiform piles, that reached away in endless, countless perspectives toward an indistinct horizon. Over all, from an ebon-purple zenith, there fell in rich, unlustrous rays the illumination of a blood-red sun. The forms and proportions of the labyrinthine mass of buildings were unlike anything that has been designed in terrestrial architecture; and for an instant, Melchior was overwhelmed by their number and magnitude, by their monstrosity and bizarrerie...
He, Antarion, a renowned poet of the land of Charmalos, in the elder world that was known to its living peoples by the name of Phandiom, had gone on a brief journey to a neighboring realm...
...and glad that he was now approaching his native city of Saddoth, where dwelt her dark and splendid palace of past aeons the beautiful Thameera, whom he loved.
...the world where in he walked as Antarion was incomputably old, and the ages of its history were too many for remembrance; and the towering obelisks and piles along the paven road were the high tombs, the proud monuments of its immemorial dead, who had come to outnumber infinitely the living. In more than the pomp of earthly kings, the dead were housed in Phandiom; and their cities loomed insuperably vast, with never-ending streets and prodigious spires, above those lesser abodes wherein the living dwelt. And throughout Phandiom the bygone years were a tangible presence, an air that enveloped all; and the people were steeped in the crepuscular gloom of antiquity; and were wise with all manner of accumulated lore; and were subtle in the practice of strange refinements, of erudite perversities, of all that can shroud with artful opulence and grace and variety the bare uncouth cadaver of life, or hide from mortal vision the leering skull of death. And here, in Saddoth, beyond the domes and terraces and columns of the huge necropolis, like a necromatic flower wherein forgotten lilies live again, there bloomed the superb and sorrowful loveliness of Thameera.
He and she were the last representatives of noble ancient families, whose untabulated lineage was lost in the crowded cycles of Phandiom. Like all others of their race, they were embued with the heritage of a complex and decadent culture; and upon their souls the never-lifting shadow of the necropolis had fallen from birth.
Thameera was even more sensitive, more visionary by nature; and hers was the ultimate refinement that is close to an autumnal decay. The influences of the past, which were a source of poetic fruition to Antarion were turned by her delicate nerves to pain and languor, to horror and oppression. The palace wherein she lived, and the very streets of Saddoth were filled for her with emanations that welled from the sepulchral reservoirs or death; and the weariness of the innumerable dead was everywhere; and evil or opiate presences came forth from mausolean vaults, to crush and stifle her with the formless brooding of their wings. Only in the arms of Antarion could she escape them; and only in his kisses could she forget.
Antarion was once more admitted to the presences of Thameera by slaves who were invariably discreet, being tongueless. In the oblique light of beryl and topaz windows, in the mauve and crimson gloom of heavy-folded tapestries, on a floor of marvelous mosaic wrought in ancient cycles, she came forward languidly to greet him. She was fairer than his memories, and paler than a blossom of the catacombs. She was exquisitely frail, voluptuously proud, with hair of a lunar gold and eyes of nocturnal brown that were pierced by fluctuating stars and circled by the dark pearl of sleepless nights. Beauty and love and sadness exhaled from her like manifold perfume.
They saw below them the ruinous and forgotten roofs of Urbyzaun, which had lain unpeopled for more than a thousand years; and beyond the roofs, the black unlustrous lake surrounded by hills of bare and eave-corroded rock, that had once been the inlet of a great sea.
...the crumbling palace of the emperor Altanoman, whose high, tumultuous glories were now a failing legend...
Beneath the black midnight that hung above them like an imminence of, unremoving wings, the streets of Saddoth were aflare with a million lights of yellow and cinnabar and cobalt and purple. Along the vast avenues, the gorge-deep alleys, and in and out of the stupendous olden palaces, temples, and mansions, there poured the antic revelry, the tumultuous merriment of a night-long masquerade, everyone was abroad, from Haspa the king and his sleek, sybaritic courtiers, to the lowliest mendicants and pariahs; and a rout of extravagant, unheard of costumes, a melange of fantasies more various than those of an opium dream, seethed and eddied everywhere.
Late in the evening, Antarion left by a postern door the tall and gloomy mansion of his forefathers, and wended his way through the hysteric whirling of the throng toward Thameera's palace. He was garbed in apparel of an antique style, such as had not been worn for a score of centuries in Phandiom; and his whole head and face were enveloped in a peculiar physiognomy of a people now extinct. No one could have recognized him, nor could he on his part, have recognized many of the revellers he met, no matter how well-known to him, for most of them were disguised in apparel no less outre, and wore masks that were whimsical or absurd or loathsome or laughable beyond conception. There were devils and empresses and deities, there were kings and necromancers from all the far, unfathomed ages of Phandiom, there were monsters of medieval or prehistoric types, there were things that had never been born or beheld except in the minds of insane decadent artists, seeking to surpass the abnormalities of nature. Even the tomb had been drawn upon for inspiration, and shrouded mummies, worm-gnawed cadavers, promenaded among the living. All these masks were the screen of an orgiastic license without precedent or parallel.
ADVENTURE IDEAS
I have plundered 'The Planet of the Dead' for ideas concerning the isle of Ix, the city-state of Yithorium and a festival for the Zangeriosans.
Ix
Unspeakable Ix is a land of dark dreams and brooding evil. The isle at the rim of the world reaches far beyond any geographic boundaries and the great cyclopean roads that cross the isle run interminably into a 'vague, tremendous vista of an inconceivable world'. It is as if all the dead cities, necropoli, forgotten and abandoned temples, monuments and mausoleums of not only this world but also of untold alien worlds, bizarre and monstrous, can be found stretching endlessly into a distant horizon. That Ix sits not only on the rim of this world, but countless worlds and times, Wandering into these lands it easy to become lost and few who venture forth are ever heard from again.
But it is the living cities of Ix that those from Hyperborea first encounter; Great Saddoth, the capitol of Altanoman's small empire, the city-states of Charamol and Phandiom, and Urbyzaun, ruinous and crumbling, which lies on the outer edge of the kingdom, where the undead servants of necromancer's outnumber the living. Evil dwells in this land whether in the cities of the living or the dead.
Yithoriam
Thameera, witch-queen of Yithorium, was once a princess of Saddoth. Her father, Altanoman necromancer-king of Saddoth, conqueror and ruler of Phandiom, Chamalor, and Urbyzaun, the last city-states of the living upon the isle of Ix, had dark sacrificial plans for his beloved daughter. With the help of her lover, the poet Antarion, she escaped and fled the isle, but Altanoman cursed them both. His power over the dead and death itself was boundless and so he cursed his daughter and her lover with eternal life. Thameera is immortal but each day is a torment, only with Antarion does she truly feel and though his curse is a kind of immortality he lives for only a month inhabiting the body of a man of his lineage before fading again to exist in a nightmare realm of the necromancer-king's devising.
Thameera's immortality has 'turned her delicate nerves to pain and languour, to horror and oppression' and without Antarion such is her rulership of Yithorium. Constantly she looks for ways to break Antarion's curse, though she has come to welcome the endless youth of her own immortality.
Yithorium is now a rich city, but it is tightly controlled by the witch-queen and her soldiers. There are parts of her city that are still no more than the ruins which Thameera and her band of mercenaries found long ago, but slowly she is rebuilding Yithorium, house by house and street by street.
There is a constant need for workers, both in the city, clearing and rebuilding, and in the mines where Thameera gathers her wealth. Adventurers of all types are sent to explore the ruins and all such are welcome, but the laws of the city are strict and the punishment for breaking those laws can be months or years working in the mines. Any male entering the city who bears a resemblance to Antarion will find himself invited to a private interview with the witch-queen, but eventually any relationship that develops will end badly.
Thameera is always eager for news regarding Ix or her father, the necromancer-king.
Zangerios
In Port Zangerios and the Zangerios Islands they celebrate the first night the Green Death came upon them in an orgiastic, night-long masquerade that flows through every town and especially the streets of the City of Masks.
This festival is called 'The Night of Death', but while the people of Zangerios honor the dead upon this day, the night is a celebration of life at its most primal. Children born nine or so months from this day are considered blessed with life but no one examines their parentage too closely.
From the most lowly beggar to Governor Haspa himself, all can be found in masked costumes ranging from rags to the most elaborate, unheard of, and extravagant. From the last rays of the sun through the deep of the night till the first glimmer of dawn, the celebration illuminates the streets in a river of multi-colored lights like a flood of jewels spilled from the coffers of a dragon's hoard.
The revellers rule the streets on this night and the laws are few. Murder and robbery are frowned upon, but appearing without mask or costume can quickly become a sentence of death if the fickle, cruel, drugged and drunken mob has its way. Those who do not wish to participate in the celebrations bolt their doors, shutter their windows and pray for dawn.
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Post by mabon5127 on Nov 2, 2012 15:01:49 GMT -6
Very interesting! I particularly like the description of Ix, both the cosmic and living portions.
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ckenp
Level 1 Medium
Posts: 18
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Post by ckenp on Nov 3, 2012 10:05:31 GMT -6
Love to see Malygris coming to life! This thread of Clark Ashton Smith Material has become my favorite in all of RPG forumdom. Could a Clark Ashton Smith seperate forum (like the Howard and Hyboria one) perhaps be created? I don't mean to skirt attention from AS&SH, but rather bring more to CAS, and perhaps make some of the created material easier to sort/find?
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Post by jasonzavoda on Nov 3, 2012 11:39:42 GMT -6
Love to see Malygris coming to life! This thread of Clark Ashton Smith Material has become my favorite in all of RPG forumdom. Could a Clark Ashton Smith seperate forum (like the Howard and Hyboria one) perhaps be created? I don't mean to skirt attention from AS&SH, but rather bring more to CAS, and perhaps make some of the created material easier to sort/find? Thanks very much. There is a great view when you stand on the shoulders of a giant and CAS was one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. I'd enjoy a forum just about CAS but one of things that draws me to ASSH and the Hyperborea setting is the strong links that Jeff built around CAS' work. The more I read of both the more inspiration I find. CAS' work is deep though, much deeper than the cutting and pasting I've done with it so far. Someone with the Nighthshade Books series that I am going through will see the number of stories I've skipped (in favor of the more fantasy related and less 20th century tales). I think if a thread were started in the Fiction forum regarding CAS it would be a lively discussion, or a section for CAS as you suggest such as the one for Howard. Still, CAS and ASSH are so linked for me that I wouldn't be distracted from working on drawing material from one to enrich the other for my campaign even if we do start a thread or forum just about CAS. I also still have Lovecraft, Howard, Merritt and Wagner at the top of my list to sift through for descriptions and ideas, and many others as well, but so far these are the top 5 authors for me as sources for my Hyperborea campaign. |
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Post by jasonzavoda on Nov 3, 2012 11:45:54 GMT -6
Very interesting! I particularly like the description of Ix, both the cosmic and living portions. I have dark and deep plans for Ix. For me travelling through Ix is stepping into the Twilight Zone. It will be a link to other places, distant regions in time and dimensions, both alternate and alien. The cities of the necromancer-king should begin to seem as civilized bastions compared to what can be encountered the further the adventurers travel, but then what I see for the rest of Hyperborea will be no normal fantasy-medieval campaign. Bring on the Old Gods and the serpent men for a start. |
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Post by Ghul on Nov 5, 2012 11:11:28 GMT -6
Very interesting! I particularly like the description of Ix, both the cosmic and living portions. I have dark and deep plans for Ix. For me travelling through Ix is stepping into the Twilight Zone. It will be a link to other places, distant regions in time and dimensions, both alternate and alien. The cities of the necromancer-king should begin to seem as civilized bastions compared to what can be encountered the further the adventurers travel, but then what I see for the rest of Hyperborea will be no normal fantasy-medieval campaign. Bring on the Old Gods and the serpent men for a start. IX was very much inspired by CAS, particularly his Necromancy in Naat tale, which is part of the Zothique cycle. Yithorium was inspired in part by the REH tale, A Witch Shall be Born. Ian Baggley's picture of the summoning also inspired it (opposing page in AS&SH Referee's Manual) Zangerios was inspired by a Vance short story called The Moon Moth. I was also reading Michael Crichton's posthumous novel, Pirate Latitudes while developing that part of the realm, so I am sure there is some influence there, too. I really like the level of flavor you bring to the table, Jason. Fine work, mate. |
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Post by jasonzavoda on Jun 4, 2013 21:37:34 GMT -6
I just sent my 8th CAS story article in to Scalydemon for hopeful inclusion in his AFS zine. If it doesn't make it I will certainly post it on my blog
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Post by Ghul on Jun 5, 2013 5:03:39 GMT -6
I just sent my 8th CAS story article in to Scalydemon for hopeful inclusion in his AFS zine. If it doesn't make it I will certainly post it on my blog I look forward to reading it! I've been to your blog and I've seen some of your fiction, but I feel like I've maybe jumped in on something in the middle of the story. Can you provide us the links that would allow us to read them in the order you'd like to see them read? Welcome back, Jason! |
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Post by Eibon of Mhu-Thulan on Jun 8, 2013 23:00:25 GMT -6
Jason, I wanted to mention that I, too, have the 5 volume CAS collection by Nightshade, and I am still finding stories buried within that I had never read before. It is an absolute gem, this collection. I was lucky enough to get the one Geoffrey was selling. I'm on volume 3 so still a ways to go for me. It is available on kindle (and probably other e-readers) but there is also a 133 story Weird Tales set on kindle that I urge everyone to pick up if they don't have this 5 volume Nightshade collection. CAS is an incredible writer. I hope the bits and pieces of his prose that I am posting are tantalizing enough to encourage readers to go find the complete stories. I have to say that I find your Hyperborea setting perfect for running a CAS inspired campaign. Rather than the fantasy/medieval my home campaign will be the fantastic. I have already started toying with ways to have expeditions from Lovecrafts Miskatonic University make their way into it. Perhaps have the follow-up expedition from At The Mountains of Madness stumble through an otherworldly gate in a great obelisk on the Leng Plateau.How about a Yithian Time Cube in reverse? |
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mythos
Level 3 Conjurer
Posts: 96
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Post by mythos on Aug 16, 2013 20:10:17 GMT -6
Throwing this out there to fans of CAS. Seems that his Hyperborea is about to have some more tales added to it's history. Came across this when doing my weekly check on new weird tales and pulp related material. Deepest, Darkest EdenThought I would post it for those who might have an interest in revisiting the mist shrouded, shadow haunted realms first created by Clark Ashton Smith. |
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