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Charging buffalo. Rampaging hill giants. Infuriated greater dragons. These are unpleasant, short-tempered creatures best avoided under even the most congenial of circumstances. None of them hold a candle, however, to an imprisoned ifrit, a mischievous creature of magic linked to Elemental forces, but are not so much playful as destructive, cruel and vindictive. They are known to cause disease, drought, floods, and all manner of trouble for all mortal creatures, whom these beings consider their playthings.
While not exactly the most pleasant of beings to begin with, these notoriously ill-tempered, demon-like elemental entities really come into their own when confined. A captured ifrit instantly applies every furious fiber in its powerful being to the task of getting free. In fact, it will use its gifted mind to focus the immense magical abilities at its disposal so narrowly upon the project of regaining its liberty that reality itself has been known to warp around places where these monsters are incarcerated.
Darmondrat is a powerful ifrit who normally makes his home in the elemental plane of Fire. For millennia he whiled away his days, amusing himself by bullying lesser entities or eating the occasional wizard who carelessly strayed into his domain. Then one fateful day a maelstrom of spiraling energy opened in the ether above his head. Before he could flee, Darmondrat was compelled by a powerful voice to travel through the vortex. Unable to resist, he entered, only to find himself confined in a magnificently jeweled bottle on the material plane. He then heard a loud human voice exclaim “I always wondered if I could do that!” before the bottle was dropped into a large chest with a resounding, final thump. A lid slammed shut. This was in turn followed by the sound of a key being firmly locked into place. That was centuries ago.
Unbeknownst to the ifrit he had become a victim of the legendary conjurer Vashtori. The seemingly effortless summoning, binding, and imprisonment of Darmondrat were one of Vashtori’s greatest (as well as most secret) magical accomplishments, ones which have seldom been rivaled in the recorded history of spellcraft. Unfortunately for the hapless ifrit it was also a bit of a whim; the great conjurer simply wanted to see if capturing an ifrit were possible. He immediately lost interest in the experiment when it proved successful, hiding the bottle away in a chest buried deep in the depths of his mansion’s cellar.
But of course nothing that valuable is meant to stay hidden away forever. Vashtori died centuries ago, and his possessions passed to his heirs — most of them former apprentices — and they in turn disposed of them as they saw fit. For whatever reason, no one who owned Darmondrat’s Palace ever figured out what the strange-looking bottle really was (or if anyone did, he didn’t reveal that fact). The bottle has since been lost, and could turn up just about anywhere.
This fantastic circular chamber can appear to be anywhere from seven to seventy hexes in radius depending upon Darmondrat’s whims. The PCs always appear on a solid ruby hex directly in front of the wall separating area #9 (the Theater of Humiliation) from area #2 (the Harem) facing inwards toward the center of the room. Above them the Great Throne Room’s blue glass ceiling spirals upward for what appear to be miles until it finally puckers into a funnel-like opening stoppered by glowing ruby plug seemingly the size of the moon; it even produces a small amount of light, as though someone had to use the enormous gemstone to block off the outside. It pulses like a heartbeat when the PCs enter the room. Here and there precious stones the size of castles punctuate this unbelievable skyline like the faces of saints peering down from stained glass windows in some sort of monstrous cathedral. Massive fire-spitting dragons glide upon invisible updrafts far above, occasionally stopping to alight upon the surface of one of the gargantuan gems like a fly landing upon the back of a camel. The enormity of space above is so great that any PC looking at it for more that a few moments (executing a deliberate PER Roll, for example) must succeed with a PRE Roll; if he fails, he collapses to the floor holding his hands over his eyes and can do nothing for a full Phase.Despite its colossal size this chamber is also extremely hot. Any PC wearing armor (or extremely heavy clothing, such as fur robes) must make a successful CON Roll every Post-Segment 12 (or every two minutes out of combat) or suffer 2d6 NND heat damage (the defense is Life Support [Safe Environment: Intense Heat]). Characters not wearing armor, or who take off their armor, don’t suffer this problem; they just perspire heavily.Beneath their feel lays a pavement with gold dust and saffron, from which emanates an odor so subtle and delicious that it almost overpowers the senses, to which is superadded the fumes that coil into the air from immense censers of pierced bronze and wrought silver filigree which contain glowing coals upon which lumps of ambergris and the shavings of the wood of aloes are burning. A ten-foot high shelf-like structure made of white marble circumscribes this chamber. It’s divided into eight distinctive areas by the placement of gilded marble columns that end in fanciful minarets of ivory hewn one might guess from the tusks of Leviathan. Each area seems to contain a room of some sort that’s cut off from view by a different colored curtain. A unique, fancifully-curved script is carved into the marble above each of these rooms. Should the PCs be able to read the language of ifrits (perhaps through a spell of comprehension), they can read the script, which names each room. These curtains are actually dimensional barriers, as are the marble walls around them. They are immovable, indestructible, and impenetrable to virtually all Senses (only Clairsentience with the Dimensional modifier, or the like, can perceive through them), unless Darmondrat allows the PCs to go through them (see below).
The Dais And The Sanctum
The center of the great throne room contains a raised stone dais made of the blackest onyx. Nine gigantic statues of naked demonic woman clutching bowls of dark roaring flame over their heads are positioned equidistantly around its edge. Each of them seems to have been carved from a different gemstone the size of a redwood tree.
A massive row of steps cut directly into the dais’s shiny surface faces the direction of the PCs, almost inviting them to walk upwards into the smoky gloom. Should they circumambulate the dais (a process which may take some time depending on how large Darmondrat wants his throne room to be at this time) or fly over it, their vision remains obscured by the smoke. Only the casting of a spell such as Wizard’s Eye (see The Fantasy Hero Grimoire, page 235) will allow a PC to see through this murk.
If the PCs ascend the stairs, they pass through a noticeable (but not especially unpleasant) scented veil of smoke before entering into the circular inner sanctum where Darmondrat spends most of his time. He sits upon a mighty throne made of solid platinum and engraved with abstract spiraling patterns in gold, silver, and copper. Three feet in front of him an iron pedestal holds a large, crude bowl cut from a single piece of agate and filled with what appears to be liquid fire. He uses this bowl to cast the ifrit version of Benthara’s Spell Of Revelation (The Fantasy Hero Grimoire, page 33) with which he views the outside world. Two incredibly beautiful dancing girls with exquisite ornaments in their hair gyrate slowly around him as he peers into the dish. Evil, inhuman-looking musicians play an unfathomable Middle Eastern rhythm to which the alluring women sway their daunting hips. When the PCs enter Darmondrat looks up as if startled (he isn’t) before clapping his hands twice. The music stops, the musicians vanish, and the women walk into the veil of smoke after making suggestive glances toward the adventurers with their exotic eyes. Uttering pleasant words of welcome, he motions for them to sit upon the luxurious-looking cushions which lay scattered around him in a half-circle. The musicians, the throne, and the pillows are all phantasms created by Darmondrat, but the bowl and the two dancing girls are quite real. These women are actually succubi (see page 53 of The HERO System Bestiary).
After the PCs seat themselves (or choose to remain standing), Darmondrat explains the facts as he knows them to the PCs in a calm, reasonable, and friendly manner. He asks for their help, telling them of his unfair imprisonment, his desire to be free, and the process which will free him. He promises them wealth, magical items, and power in the form of Grant Wish spells (see The Fantasy Hero Grimoire, page 241) if they agree to help him. He also points out correctly (but misleadingly) that the only way for them to return to the place from which they came is to help him escape. He will not mention the portals to elsewhere that briefly open each time a “lever” is thrown, but he does explain the “lever” concept. Darmondrat doesn’t know the name or motivations of the Vessel’s creator. If the characters accept this quest, Darmondrat unseals the eight magical curtains to make the areas behind them accessible, changes the ifrit script over each doorway to a language they can read, and then impatiently gestures back toward the steps. Should the PCs refuse he sighs resignedly,
Inhabitants of the Bottle
Inhabitants of the Bottle
The most important inhabitant of the jeweled bottle is, of course, Darmondrat the Ifrit. Within its confines he is — for lack of a better word — a god, able to manipulate space and matter as he sees fit within certain parameters. Fortunately for all concerned, he isn’t too terrible a fellow as far as members of his race go. Though Darmondrat is cruel, vain, murderous, domineering, and completely self-serving, he desperately wants to get free from his magical prison. Since all of his motivations are centered around this goal, purely recreational evil isn’t a big priority for him at the moment.
The other inhabitants of the jeweled bottle fall into two distinct categories. The first and largest group is comprised phantasmal shades, illusionary constructs brought into existence when the bottle’s magic combines with that of its captive. Built out of shadow substance by Sorcery, they are more like automatons than real beings, though some of the older ones can demonstrate a remarkable amount of free will. If you need generic statistics for the human-like phantasm, consult the Human Adversaries section of Monsters, Minions, And Marauders. The second group consists of various summoned creatures Darmondrat has drawn into his prison to share his fate. Some of them would very much like to get free, while others now consider their dungeon to be their home and are correspondingly reluctant to leave.
THE FANTASTIC VESSEL OF VASHTORI
THE FANTASTIC VESSEL OF VASHTORI
Vashtori didn’t summon such a powerful being just to stick him in an old wine bottle. From the outside the Vessel appears to be an exquisitely crafted (but not necessarily magical) blue glass bottle whose surface is studded with dozens of valuable gems. Darmondrat’s prison is a sophisticated, one-of-a-kind artifact designed specifically to contain a creature with his level of power.
To work its magic, the Vessel channels the vast majority of its captive’s raw magical might into the construction of a “pocket plane” that can be manipulated in various ways to make its prisoner’s presumably lengthy stay more comfortable. In Darmondrat’s case this has meant the creation of a palace which reminds him of his old home on the plane of Fire. Over the years as he has tried everything within the realm of his considerable powers to escape, Darmondrat has unlocked some of the secrets of the Vessel. This has enabled him to draw other beings into captivity through various temporary portals opened using magic contained in the Vessel’s gemstones. Unfortunately, because of his meddling with the Vessel’s basic magic he can no longer simply leave when the stopper is removed from its top. Someone who wants to free him must open a series of nine gates by activating the enchanted power within each type of gemstone embedded in the bottle’s surface: aquamarine, topaz, quartz, jasper, opal, jade, alabaster, diamond, and ruby. To further complicate matters, a willing third party, not the ifrit himself or someone he compels, must perform these openings.
Darmondrat has created nine separate areas within his “palace,” each containing a “lever” of some sort which will open its respective gate. This “lever” isn’t always a physical switch. Sometimes a small task has to be performed, a foe defeated, or some other action undertaken to unlock the gem’s secrets. Darmondrat doesn’t know exactly what the PCs will encounter in each area, since the magic of the Vessel changes and warps his creations even as he dreams them into existence. Additionally, when each “lever” has been “thrown” there’s a single Segment in which a gate opens, and people such as the PCs can use that gate to leave the Vessel. A circular pool of tepid light 2” in radius materializes somewhere in the area, glows with a faint luminescence the color of the gem which has just been activated, then vanishes. Persons in that area of the Vessel can find one of these gates on a successful PER Roll at -4. However, a gate should never take a person back where he was when his adventure began. The GM should choose a different plane of existence, a geographically distant location, or another reality to move him to.
Each area within the Vessel is as big as Darmondrat’s imagination can make it — which really isn’t all that big, since the ifrit isn’t the most creative creature in the world. He tends to take short cuts, relying on tricks such as “reality loops” or placing the adventurers indoors a great deal of the time. For example, if the PCs venture into The Fields of Pleasure, they’ll think they’ve stepped into a vast forest.... until they pass the exact same tree every forty hexes. The obvious defining barriers (such as walls) in each area are impenetrable, since they define the limits of what exists there.
Getting Into The Vessel
It’s remarkably easy to get trapped inside the Fantastic Vessel Of Vashtori. Darmondrat has changed the bottle’s magic aura so that it’s identical to that of the infinitely more common djinn’s lamp (see Monsters, Minions, And Marauders, page 27). Wizards using their Magesight (Fantasy Hero, page 106), a Detect Magic-type spell, or making a KS: Occult and Arcane Lore roll to try to learn more about the Vessel before opening it must make their rolls at a -6 to see through the deception — but even if they make their rolls, all they know is that something’s amiss. They will not know exactly what the Vessel is, what type of creature it contains, or that its magic has been subtly warped from within.
If the Vessel’s large ruby stopper is removed, all living beings within a three hex radius around it are immediately whisked inside with a terrific sucking noise (after which the stopper re-inserts itself into the bottle’s mouth). This action can be repeated an infinite number of times with exactly the same result. The unlucky abductees always find themselves standing together at the edge of the Great Throne Room.
1. THE GREAT THRONE ROOM (AQUAMARINE)
2. HAREM (TOPAZ)
Pulling aside the pinkish-red silk curtain dividing this area from the Great Throne Room reveals a fog of an identical color which obscures every form of vision (even dimensional Clairsentience or the like). Once all of the PCs have entered this haze and released the curtain behind them, the mist dissipates, revealing the cramped interior of a luxuriously-furnished tent made of the same material as the curtain. A brass lantern decorated with unicorns, satyrs, and nymphs casts a festive light upon a scene of orgiastic merriment taking place below. Scantily clad succubi and incubi equal in number to (and appropriate for) the PCs are lounging upon either divans or engaged in erotic yet controlled dances which take them in tight circles around the center of the tent. They invite the PCs to join them, using their Seduction Skills and Seductive Form powers to overwhelm the adventurers if they can.
If all of the PCs are ensnared by these tempting demons’ sinister ways, their adventures have tragically (yet not unhappily) ended in this very room. If even one of them rejects the succubi’s enticing powers, however, all the demons suddenly become angry. They grow long claws from their fingers and attack the PCs. As soon as the tide of battle turns against the demons they retreat back out of the curtain, never to be seen again. The “lever” in the room is the lantern. When it’s blown out a pinkish-red gate opens on one wall for an instant, then is gone. The PCs find themselves standing back in the Great Throne Room staring at a blank marble wall where the silk curtain once hung.
3. THE PONDS OF PARADISE (QUARTZ)
Moving aside the pearl-white satin curtain dividing this area from the Great Throne Room reveals a fog of an identical color which obscures every form of vision (even dimensional Clairsentience or the like). Once all of the PCs have entered it and released the curtain behind them, this mist dissipates, revealing a small tropical lagoon fed by a cascading series of small shallow pools which end in a tiny picturesque waterfall. From their very feet a golden beach slopes downward toward the shore. It is many hundred feet wide and extends on either side far beyond the limits of vision. This beach catches and radiates the light until it glitters and glimmers like the dust of diamonds and other precious stones. The waves, as they come and go in ceaseless motion, catches up this sparkling sand and carries it on their crests. And the sea spreads out before them in a radiance like the white glory that shines through the windows of a temple. Beneath this shining glory is the blue tint of the waters of that sea which has no limit to its depths or bounds. The visitors are standing on a warm, tropical island complete with sandy beaches, palm trees swaying in the warm breeze. A jungle filled with mangos, coconut trees, and date palms fills the other side.
A perfectly shaped ball of quartz the size of a mace’s head glints at the PCs from the bottom of the lagoon. It’s the “lever” for this area, and when grasped it briefly opens a pearl-white gate on the sandy bottom of the basin next to it. Unfortunately for our adventurers it is guarded by a remarkably determined naiad named Alia (see Monsters, Minions, And Marauders, page 73).
Although originally tricked into the Vessel by Darmondrat through an underwater portal, she has grown extremely fond of her pocket-dimension home and has decided to fight to the death to keep it. She will do everything within her considerable power to keep the PCs from acquiring the quartz sphere at the bottom of her lagoon.
If they defeat Alia and grasp the quartz, the PCs find themselves suddenly back in the Great Throne Room staring at a solid wall where the satin curtain once hung. The quartz sphere remains in the possession of the adventurer who first grasped it. It’s lovely, though not especially valuable.
8. THE GARDEN OF DELIGHTS (DIAMOND)
When the PCs thrust aside the milky-translucent gauze curtain dividing this area from the Great Throne Room, it reveals a fog of identical color which obscures every form of vision (even dimensional Clairsentience or the like). Once all of the PCs have entered into this mist and released the curtain behind them, the mist dissipates.
1. Foyer: What is revealed is a well presented conservatory that has a cool pleasant air. To the right of the entrance is a yellow pipe that pours water onto the ground, creating a stream that flows out and away from the greenhouse. Inside there is a brass plaque that reads:
The Green House: Players opening this door are struck by a wave of warm, humid air. Hazy sunlight streams in through foggy glass panes overhead. A tangle of overgrown plant life spills out onto the multiple pathways that lead into what appears to be a large decrepit greenhouse, 30 feet (9.1 m) wide and 60 feet (18.3 m) long. , revealing a large yet decrepit greenhouse filled with overgrown, untended plant life.
Many of the glass panel sections in the roof above are cracked, broken, or missing, allowing lovely tropical songbirds to swoop in and out of the arboretum at will. Half of the PCs find themselves standing on the north side of this rectangular structure, while the other half find themselves on the south side. Three rows of plants run along the area’s length, leaving narrow crowded walkways between them.
Amid the tangle of harmless other overgrown plant life, there are four types of vegetation that may prove deadly to any sightseers. Scattered throughout the greenhouse are Blood Thorn bushes and Nightmare Blossoms, and in the center (to which all paths lead) is a willow tree, hanging from its fronds is the corpse of the witch who built this greenhouse. She has the keys to the doors and a potion cookbook in her satchel. The tree uses her body like a puppet. If the Puppet Tree is destroyed, all the plants will wither. It is too powerful to defeat in a straight fight unless weakened by the effects of the other rooms. Intertwined around the willow tree’s base is the carnivorous Venus Man Trap which will protect the Puppet tree. As soon as the PCs come within range of its tendrils they attack.
Should the Puppet Tree be defeated, it will wither away, revealing an eight-foot statue of a comely nymph holding a water pitcher standing in the center of the nursery, water pouring from the pitcher into a small pool below it.
There are four other doors leading out of the greenhouse to adjacent rooms
The Pinning Room: This stuffy room is filled with thousands of beetles and butterflies, each pinned through the thorax to cork walls and display cabinets. Below each cabinet is a plaque reading: DO NOT TOUCH. All of the pinned beetles are Ravager Beetles.
If a beetle is freed it will unpin other beetles until they are a swarm then devour all vegetation including wooden items. If a butterfly is freed it will glow brightly and flutter away. They make good lanterns if caught.
The Laboratory: This room is dominated by a brass contraption with blue pipes circling a great steaming cauldron. If the water to this room is on, players may use the cauldron to make as many potions as they like. If the water is not on, each potion after the first has a 50/50 chance of exploding!
Irrigatorium: A great vat filled with an infinite water source sits in this room, with three pipes leading from it, none of which are labeled.
• The red pipe leads to the greenhouse proper, shutting it off weakens the plantlife.
• The blue pipe is the cooling system for the laboratory.
• The yellow pipe leads to a tiny portal, piping in fresh water from another pocket dimension.
Sundial Room: This room is an orrerry which can be turned manually. It is jammed at noon by vines that do not want to let go. If the sun is moved to a night time position the shutters above will close, pitching the whole greenhouse into utter darkness, weakening the plants.
Tool Shed: The tool-shed is locked with a mundane but sturdy lock. Most of the tools inside are treated as normal weapons that do extra damage against plants, but there are also some curious items:
• White leather suit, designed to keep beetles at bay.
• Sickle of preservation that when it takes a cutting, it keeps the cutting alive, be it a rose or a body part.
• A broom that can be used to fly short distances.
• A leather bird mask that protects from toxins.
• A wheelbarrow with arms instead of a wheel.
Assuming the heroes triumph, the “lever” for this area is a single lovely (and quite valuable) diamond inside the statue’s pitcher. As soon as a PC grasps it, a translucent gate shimmers into existence on the surface of the water in the small pool for a Segment, then vanishes. The PCs find themselves standing back in the Great Throne Room staring at a blank stone wall where the gauze curtain once stood. The diamond, however, remains in the hand of the PC who grasped it.
9. THE THEATER OF HUMILIATION (RUBY)
When the PCs step through the blood-red leather curtain dividing this area from the Great Throne Room, they see an equally blood-red fog that obscures every sort of vision. Once all of the PCs have entered this mist and released the curtain behind them, the mist dissipates, revealing a high-ceilinged wooden theater. They find themselves standing on an “apron” stage surrounded on three sides by expectant-looking spectators in Middle Eastern-looking clothing. The PCs quickly realize they’re weaponless and dressed in outrageous floppy outfits. One holds a skull in his hand, another a dagger.
Down below them in an orchestra pit the inhuman musicians from the Great Throne Room frown up at them, instruments in hand. The purpose of the Theater Of Humiliation is to make the PCs act out some scene from a play for a few moments. Whatever prop their characters might need to do this is available offstage — they need only whisper to have it immediately brought out by a stage hand. The illusionary audience around them should reflect your opinion of how good a job the players do “roleplaying” their scene, either by throwing rotten vegetables at the PCs or cheering them wildly on. Once they have sufficiently amused you, a blood red pool of light opens in the stage floor for a single Segment. If the PCs don’t use it, they find themselves back at in the Great Throne Room staring at a blank wall.
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