With the PCs safely ensconced in the old monastery, they now have a relatively safe headquarters from which to launch forays and attacks on the conquered village of Kelmarane. Almah and the rest of her party remain in the monastery awaiting the PCs’ reports. Clearing the village means neutralizing the threats in Kelmarane’s battle market and ruined church of Sarenrae (Parts Four and Five, respectively), but those are not the only threats in the region the PCs must deal with before their deed is done. This part details additional perils and opportunities for adventure the PCs might find elsewhere in Kelmarane, in the surrounding environs, or even “back home” at the abandoned monastery itself.
Use the details presented here as you wish to liven up the adventure and to provide additional experience for the PCs as needed—they should be 4th level before attempting Part Four and 5th level before attempting Part Five.
This section presents a day-by-day overview of events at the monastery and in Kelmarane over the first 6 days after Almah’s party moves in. These are meant to spice up play between forays into the village as well as to suggest a larger world outside the confines of the adventure’s dungeon locations.
Every evening around midnight the PCs hear an almost impossibly loud, yelping howl that seems to come from the roof of the largest structure in Kelmarane, the huge round citadel known as the battle market. A minute or two later, a faint, similar call can be heard from the distant Pale Mountain, a call-and-response that must be some form of longdistance communication between gnoll tribes. Dashki identifies the call as the infamous Howl of the Carrion King, a nightly message from the ruler of the Kulldis tribe in Kelmarane to agents of the gnoll monarch in an unknown hidden base on Pale Mountain.
Almah convenes her entire party in the monastery chapel and sets out her plan. After everyone has settled into their new accommodations, the PCs are to make a scouting mission into the outskirts of the village in an attempt to gauge the forces defending Kelmarane. She warns them not to attempt to fight their way to the battle market, where she presumes the gnoll tribe has set up shop, as preliminary intelligence suggests that the forces there are sufficient to overwhelm the PCs in the case of an all-out attack. Rather, Almah encourages guerilla strikes into the town, taking out its defenders a few at a time and exploring the ruined buildings on Kelmarane’s lower slopes. She is open to alternative plans from the PCs, but refuses any that involve the members of the Pactmaster Guard and doesn’t intend to waste her mercenaries lightly. They are, after all, her only hope should the PCs fail. She places a rotating shift of guards (and PCs if they’re interested) at area A3d to keep a constant watch on Kelmarane. As the PCs set out for their first scouting mission, they pass the guards, who have piled the soiled mattresses from area 15 in the nave and set the odious things on fire.
Characters on watch over Kelmarane may make a Level 5 (15) Perception check to notice the distant, flickering flames of the Three Jaws tribe, which currently inhabits an old fort in the hills north of Kelmarane.
A lone pugwampi survivor returns to the monastery. The pugwampi poses little danger to Almah’s party, but its appearance raises hackles and the PCs will need to scour the monastery for the menace.
Dashki sneaks away from the monastery to report to his Three Jaws gnoll allies camped out at the ruined fort in the foothills of the Brazen Peaks north of Kelmarane. He narrowly escapes the dustdigger that dwells beneath the poppy fields between both locations, and in the commotion the tiny pugwampi corpse and its makeshift noose come loose from his staff. Allow PCs interacting with Dashki on the following days to make a Level 4 (12) Perception check to notice the absence of the battle trophy, which Dashki attempts to Bluff away, saying that he threw it into a fire after he got sick of looking at its ugly face.
After night 2, a PC walking through the pesh fields can attempt a Level 4 (12) Perception check. Those who succeed find something most unusual near the periphery of the cleared section at the center of the fields—Dashki’s hanged pugwampi. If confronted about this and shown the desiccated little gremlin corpse, the gnoll expert admits to nocturnal wandering, but does not give up his cohorts in the northern hills.
Anyone watching Kelmarane from area A3d notices some unusual activity at noon. A group of six gnolls leads a human prisoner from the battle market to the open square west of the battle market. There, they stake the man to the ground and pull out his intestines and inner organs with red-hot iron tongs. The screams of the man echo as far as the old monastery, and 30 minutes later, after the man finally dies, the gnolls leave the body for the vultures. This man was Andrus, a 3rd-level human fighter who formerly led an adventuring party called the Lions of Senara (a gold lion’s head cloak clasp worth 15 gp can be found among his tattered belongings). The Lions came to Kelmarane about a week ago following tales of treasure in the ruined church of Sarenrae, but they soon fell victim to Kardswann’s gnolls. They’ve been cajoled and tortured every say since, and only a few members remain. One badly wounded survivor, an old bard called Felliped, is hiding out in a ruined bulding in Kelmarane (see page 35).
Tonight the gnolls decide to have some fun with another captured member of the Lions of Senara. This time it’s likely the PCs will have an opportunity to upset their festivities, as instead of torturing the poor lout right next to the battle market, they instead lead him all the way through Kelmarane and into the pesh cactus fields not far from the old monastery. The gnolls lead their bound prisoner to a large cleared area in the middle of the pesh cactus fields, where they force him to his knees. Thereafter, the gnolls each use an oversized staff to beat the ground, hoping to summon the creature that dwells beneath the fields.
If the PCs leave the monastery at once, they should be able to reach the gnolls and their victim at about the point the dust digger finally wakens and approaches as well. The PCs have 4 rounds to rescue the prisoner before the large starfish-shaped creature emerges from below the field to swallow the man whole.
The captive member of the Lions of Senara is Oxvard, a cleric of Abadar. The man has only 2 health and no spells remaining, and quickly befriends his rescuers. He tells his saviors that he came to Kelmarane with five other members of his party, explorers from the distant nation of Cheliax seeking treasure in the far-off deserts of Katapesh. He’s already seen several of his companions murdered by the foul gnolls, but believes that his friend Felliped may yet live. Felliped escaped the gnolls recently, but Oxvard suspects his friend hasn’t been able to escape the village entirely and has been forced to hide out in one of the ruined buildings. The Lions of Senara were imprisoned on the first of three floors in the battle market, and Oxvard knows relatively little of the place’s interior layout.
Dust Digger CR 4
N Large Aberration (Tome of Horrors Revised 176)
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 60 ft.; Listen +5, Spot +5
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 9, flat-footed 16 (+7 natural, –1 size)
hp 34 (4d8+16)
Fort +5, Ref +1, Will +4
OFFENSE
Spd 10 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Melee 5 tentacles +5 (1d6+3)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks improved grab, sinkhole, swallow whole
TACTICS
During Combat The dust digger attempts to use its sinkhole ability at the start of combat, then uses its tentacles to fight off anyone who attempts to rob it of its meal.
Morale If reduced to 15 hit points or less, the dust digger vomits up anyone it’s swallowed and attempts to flee into the field to hide and heal.
STATISTICS
Str 16, Dex 10, Con 18, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 10
Base Atk +3; Grp +10
Feats Alertness, Skill Focus (Hide)
Skills Hide +0 (+8 in sandy terrain), Listen +5, Spot +5
SQ earth glide
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Earth Glide (Su) A dust digger can glide through sand, loose soil, or other loosely packed earth as easily as a fish swims through water. Its burrowing leaves behind no tunnel or hole, nor does it create any ripple or signs of its presence. A move earth spell cast on an area containing a burrowing dust digger flings the creature back 30 feet, stunning it for 1 round unless it succeeds on a Fortitude save.
Improved Grab (Ex) To use this ability, the dust digger must hit with a tentacle attack or use its sinkhole ability. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it establishes a hold, it can try to swallow the victim on the following round.
Sinkhole (Ex) A buried dust digger can deflate its body as a standard action, causing the sand above it to slide toward its maw. A creature standing on a space occupied by a buried dust digger when it deflates is immediately subjected to the dust digger’s improved grab.
Swallow Whole (Ex) A dust digger can try to swallow a grabbed opponent up to one size smaller than itself by making a successful grapple check. Once inside a dust digger, a creature takes 1d6+3 points of bludgeoning damage plus 1d8 points of acid damage per round. A swallowed creature can climb out of the dust digger with a successful grapple check, after which it must make a second grapple check to get free. Alternatively, a swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 10 points of damage to the dust digger’s interior (AC 13). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out.
On the fourth day after the PCs liberate the old monastery, one of its original inhabitants returns to its lair. This is the geier who dwells in the open courtyard in area A8. The creature attacks anyone in its nest, and if it finds any of its eggs missing or destroyed, it goes on a wild rampage that will not end until it has been slain.
As evening dawns, Almah seeks out a mystically inclined character and asks them if they can perform some sort of divination for her about the future. If the PC takes her request seriously, such as by making a Profession (astrologer) check, casting augury, or the like, Almah’s attitude toward that PC shifts one category toward helpful. She also raises the party’s overall reward for completing their mission by 300 gp.
Around midday, the peryton lairing in area B6 passes by on a circuit of the nearby lands and spies some members of Almah’s party. It circles three times above the monastery, some 30 feet in the air, before returning to the roof of the battle market, where it passes on its intelligence to Kardswann. If the PCs attack the peryton, it does not linger—it flies directly to the Battle Market to report to Kardswann.
Any characters on watch near the monastery around midnight see a line of five torches slowly making their way toward the monastery from the direction of Kelmarane. As the group approaches, it becomes clear that the torches are held by gnolls! The creatures appear to be heavily armed with curved swords and bows, but they keep their weapons sheathed at their sides and backs. Though the PCs probably don’t know it, the gnolls are not from the tribe inhabiting Kelmarane, but rather are rivals from the Three Jaws tribe, and Dashki has been expecting them.
In case the PCs ready an attack, Dashki appears seemingly out of nowhere, rushing between the two groups and yelling frantically at the PCs: “Do not attack! These are not the gnolls of Kelmarane! They come with a proposal of peace!”
One of the gnolls, a scruffy and ragged creature larger than the others and evidently their leader, steps forward from his peers, his hands held up in a sign of nonviolence.
In feral Common, he barks out a greeting: “Hold your weapons! I am Hargk, and I bring word from Narg, chieftain of the Three Jaw pack! Our brother Dashki says you mean to kill the gnolls of Kelmarane. We are here to help.”
A Level 4 (12) Sense Motive check reveals that the gnoll is disgusted by the words it has apparently been ordered to deliver, but that the very fact it has said them suggests that the gnolls can probably be trusted—for now. Hargk offers the services of himself and his four companions to help the PCs destroy the hated Kulldis tribe. “We have fought them for many years,” says Hargk.
“And now they let themselves be ruled by one who is not a gnoll. Their ways disgust us, and we wish to see them swept from the town. We will slay their leaders and eat their young together!” (Hargk and his gnolls are all typical members of their species; see MM page 130 for details.)
What happens next is really up to the PCs. If the group consults Almah, she grudgingly agrees to trust Dashki, claiming that the scout has never betrayed her before. She stipulates, however, that the Three Jaws gnolls may not stay anywhere near the old monastery, and that any cooperation must occur within the confines of Kelmarane, not here. She takes a favorite PC aside and offers this warning: “I may trust Dashki, but I do not trust these gnolls. When your job in Kelmarane has ended, I want you to kill them. If this means that Dashki must also fall to the sword, so be it.”
If the PCs decide to team up with the gnolls, they receive a potent ally that will help them in the final fights against Kardswann and his forces in the village. Feel free to provide the players with the gnolls’ statistics and let them take charge of their actions during the siege of Kelmarane. The gnolls will not allow themselves to be sacrificed foolishly, but their savagery means they easily fall into violent fights that could very well spell their end. They never flee from a fight once it has been engaged.
After the genie and his gnolls have been defeated, the Three Jaws gnolls look for a way to betray the party, even calling in chief Narg and the reserves still stationed at the old shrine northwest of Kelmarane if necessary. They are, at best, disturbing allies, prone to devouring their defeated foes and attacking anyone in the battle market, whether foe or potential friend. They seem to have a violent sort of camaraderie with Dashki, whom they treat roughly, like the adopted low-breed that he is. The gnoll expert seems used to this rough treatment, even basking in it, and any fight against the Three Jaws gnolls is also a fight against Dashki.
If the PCs forge an alliance with these gnolls, award them 2 XP.
Almah urges an all-out attack on the gnolls in Kelmarane unless the PCs seem to already be making good progress toward liberating the village.
The remaining members of the Kulldis tribe, led by the dominated genie Kardswann, attack the old monastery in force. If the battle is incredibly lopsided, use Almah’s guards to slow down the villains, cutting down a few before dying themselves in order to make the battle more survivable by the PCs. Almah immediately rushes to the laboratory and the protection of Father Zastoran, fleeing with him to the monastery undercrypt, where they make their final stand.
In addition to the Sultan’s Claw and old monastery, several of the locations on the Kelmarane Environs map deserve further discussion.
Ruined Fort (EL 6): A broken, heavily eroded statue of Sarenrae stands some 30 feet above a small clearing, her eyes cast in the direction of the old monastery. Nearby are the ruins of an old fort. Dashki’s allies in the Three Jaws tribe currently camp here, awaiting a time to strike the village once the PCs have sufficiently weakened its defenses. Narg, chieftain of the tribe, rules a small detachment of warriors here—Narg is a creature known as a flind (a smarter subrace of gnoll). The first group approaches the PCs at the monastery on Night 5, and is detailed above. Another detachment, led by Narg himself, remains stationed here.
Narg CR 3
Male flind fighter 2
hp 40 (use stats for Ugruk on page 46)
Gnolls (4) CR 1
hp 11 each (MM 130)
Pesh Cactus Fields (EL 4): Once one of Kelmarane’s major resources, the pesh cacti that grew in the fields south and east of the village have withered away, leaving dusty fields of grit and sand in its wake. For many years, these fields have been the hunting ground of a large creature called a dust digger, a starfish-like monster that burrows into the sand and lies in wait for unsuspecting prey to walk over it, at which point it bursts up from the sand to grab at its food-to-be. The gnolls know about the dust digger and take great delight in forcing unruly slaves out into the fields with the promise that if they can reach the far side, they can go free. To date, no slave has made it. If the PCs attempt to cross the pesh fields at any time, they’ll swiftly attract the dust digger’s attention as well.
Old Shrine: Sarenrae is not the only deity whose followers have dwelt in this region—before even the old monastery was built, a small shrine to Nethys stood on the hills overlooking the area. This centuries-old structure is in much worse shape than the old monastery, and has been abandoned for much longer. It’s served recently as the lair of a somewhat deranged hermit named Haidar, a notquite-human the Kulldis have learned to leave alone. This ruined fort and its denizen are detailed in this volume’s set piece adventure on page 62.
So long as the PCs remain outside the confines of Kelmarane, they can learn much by simply observing the village and watching the comings and goings. You may wish to show the players a copy of the village map as you outline the results of their reconnaissance. The following pieces of intelligence can be learned with a single day of observation from a vantage point (such as the one provided in area A3d).
• Every few hours, a patrol of four gnolls wanders through the ruins, but these patrols do not follow any schedule.
• A ruined structure at the foot of the hill seems to contain a large beast. It’s impossible to make out details, but a squad of about a half-dozen gnolls armed with swords and crossbows brings large hunks of meat to this location three times per day.
• Once every other day at noon, a group of four gnolls bearing a fat goat walks down the road from the battle market to the ruined mill. They emerge a few minutes later without the goat. The gnolls are delivering a daily treat to the peryton that lives in the old mill to ensure its continued alliance.
Aside from the battle market and ruined church of Sarenrae, most of the structures in Kelmarane are abandoned ruins. Assume that unkeyed areas on the village map are completely empty. Most lack roofs or sturdy walls, as shown on the map, but others are solid enough to provide temporary hiding places for the PCs to rest and regroup. Despite their relative worthlessness, the ruined buildings pose a risk to the Kulldis tribe in that they give cover to those who might attack Kelmarane.
To this end, Kardswann called upon the aid of one of the Carrion King’s priests from the House of the Beast to use a lesser planar ally spell to summon a disgusting guardian demon from the Abyss to wander the streets, attacking anyone who does not belong to the tribe.
For every 10 minutes the PCs spend exploring the ruined town, roll 1d10. On a result of a 1, they have an encounter with a patrol. Most of these patrols are groups of four gnolls, but if the PCs are at least 3rd level, the first patrol they encounter is with the demonic guardian of Kelmarane.
This creature is a schir, a 7-foot-tall humanoid fiend with the head and twisted horns of a goat, and it attacks without mercy, howling into the sky to give warning to its companions that interlopers have invaded the town. Most inhabitants of the battle market are used to the creature screaming about every desert rat or nightbird that alights in the town, so they pay its howls little attention. The guards in area B9 step up their vigil of the road leading up the hill, however, so the alarm does not completely fall upon deaf ears.
Kezurkian CR 5
Schir (Book of Fiends 67)
CE Medium outsider (chaotic, demon, evil, extraplanar)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., see invisibility; Listen +7, Spot +15
DEFENSE
AC 19, touch 12, flat-footed 17
(+2 Dex, +7 natural)
hp 39 (6d8+12)
Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +3
DR 5/cold iron or good; Immune disease, electricity, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10; SR 14
OFFENSE
Spd 60 ft.
Melee +1 halberd +11/+6 (1d10+5/×3 plus disease) and gore +4 (1d6+4)
Special Attacks charge 3d6+3, summon demons
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th)
At will—arcane lock, expeditious retreat, jump, protection from good, see invisibility, tongues
TACTICS
Before Combat Kezurkian maintains expeditious retreat, jump, protection from good, see invisibility, and tongues at all times.
During Combat Kezurkian opens an attack with a charge, then focuses its attacks on any particularly religious-looking foes. He uses his great speed and high Jump check to leap over ruined buildings if necessary to confront foes who try to use the terrain to their advantage. Kezurkian is hesitant to fall back on calling on aid with his summon demons ability, and attempts to so only if reduced to fewer than 8 hit points.
Morale Kezurkian is bound by magic to defend Kelmarane, and fights to the death as a result.
Base Statistics Spd 30 ft.; Skills Jump +12
STATISTICS
Str 17, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 6, Cha 6
Base Atk +6; Grp +9
Feats Power Attack, Run, Weapon Focus (halberd)
Skills Balance +11, Climb +12, Intimidate +7, Jump +44, Listen +7, Spot +15, Survival +7
Languages Abyssal; telepathy 100 ft., tongues
Gear +1 halberd
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Charge (Ex) A schir that makes a charge attack with its gore deals 3d6+3 points of damage if it hits. A schir may move up to three times its speed as part of a charge.
Disease (Su) Schir are very filthy and disease ridden. Using this to their advantage, schirim continually lick the blades of their halberds, coating their weapons with disease-ridden spittle. A creature struck by a schir’s halberd must make a DC 18 Fortitude save to avoid contracting demon fever (incubation period 1 day, damage 1d6 Con; when damaged, the victim must make a second Fortitude save or 1 point of the Con damage is Con drain instead).
Summon Demons (Sp) Once per day a schir can attempt to summon 1d3 schirim with a 20% chance of success. This ability is the equivalent of a 2nd-level spell.
B1. Ruined Slave Market (EL 3): Fire claimed much of this building ages ago, leaving behind only a partially collapsed shell. An old ruined sign bearing the legend “—AVE MARKET” hangs above the gaping entrance on the north side of the building. The ashy, ruined slave market is now home to a single enormous snake—a deadly venomous giant mamba that the gnolls have learned to give a wide berth.
Giant Mamba CR 3
Huge viper (MM 280)
hp 33
B2. Warthog Lair (EL 4): This building must have once been a gatehouse at the base of the hill, but it no longer provides any barrier to travel up the road—all that remains of its gate being a crumbling stone arch. An immense and quite foul-tempered warthog named Old Bonegrinder, the mascot of the Kulldis tribe, lairs in the northern section of this ruined gatehouse. Because the entire western wall has fallen away, the creature is able to keep a constant vigil on the road leading up the village’s central hill. At the sign of any trespassers who are not accompanied by members of the Kulldis tribe, the Old Bonegrinder leaps out of hiding and savages the interlopers. It is this beast that the PCs may have observed the gnolls throwing meat to during their observation of Kelmarane.
Old Bonegrinder CR 4
Dire boar
hp 52 (MM 63)
B3. Common House: This largely intact building once served as an inn for visitors to Kelmarane who were unable to afford the plush accommodations of the upgrade hostels next to the battle market. Despite its sturdy walls and generally sound construction, none of Kelmarane’s current inhabitants have chosen to live within the inn, making it an ideal resting place for invaders unable (or unwilling) to flee the village.
B4. Stables: These intact stables are connected via a short hallway to the Common House at area B3. The stables currently serve as the hideout for one of the Lions of Senara. He managed to make it this far on his escape from the Battle Market, but the combined presence of the schir, the harpy in area B7, and the peryton in B6 have left him paralyzed with fear, and as a result he’s spent the last few days hiding out here. This wounded adventurer, Felliped (CG male human bard 3), reacts to the PCs with an almost embarrassing relief as he begs them to escort him to safety. In return, he can relate the sorry tale of his group’s failures.
In his escape, he was forced to abandon all of his gear, but managed to scavange an old helmet, a leather breastplate, and a rusty spear to defend himself—poor weapons and armor against the denizens of the village. If the PCs can outfit him, he’ll agree to accompany the PCs on their forays into Kelmarane, especially if he thinks they might be able to rescue his captured friends (all but one of whom has already been killed). Alternatively, the wounded adventurer in the ruined fort is an ideal organic way to introduce a replacement player character for a PC who has been killed or a way to introduce a new player character into the campaign.
Felliped is a member of the Pathfinder Society, a loosely organized group of archeologists and explorers who travel the world looking for secrets and valuable artifacts. He explains that his organization believes that fabulous treasure has been hidden behind the magically sealed vaults of Kelmarane’s ruined church of Sarenrae, and tries to engage the PCs in his mission to locate that treasure and send a catalog of their finds back to his masters in the society.
Should you wish to involve the Pathfinders in your Legacy of Fire campaign, Felliped makes an ideal contact who will serve the PCs well throughout their careers, providing information and help when they need it most. He remains forever grateful of their timely rescue, and does what he can to remain a helpful ally for the rest of his days.
B5. Wharfmaster Manor: This handsome, threestory mansion has a splendid view of Kelmarane’s dock and the tannery and mill across the river. Anyone hiding out here and spying on the latter locations can easily track the movements of the harpy and peryton living in those two buildings. After the village has been cleared of gnolls, Almah grants the Warfmaster Manor to the PCs as part of their reward.
B6. Mill (EL 4): The wheel of this roofless mill still turns with the flow of the river, but it has not been used for its intended purpose in decades. It is currently the lair of a peryton that the gnolls have befriended. If encountered here, the creature defends its lair ferociously—it has grown accustomed to this den now that the gnolls feed it regularly.
Buried in the debris that comprises the peryton’s nest is a +1 longsword and a ring of jumping, although the ring is so mudcaked, a Level 5 (25) Search check is required to locate it.
Peryton CR 4
hp 42 (see page 86)
B7. Tannery (EL 4): The harpy Undrella, Kardswann’s sometimes consort, spends most of her days and nights slaving over a half-dozen cauldrons previously employed by Kelmarane’s tanner. She treats this place as her personal alchemy workshop, mixing together foul unguents composed of loose body parts, narcotic oils, blood, and less savory substances. Her time in Kelmarane predates that of the Kulldis tribe by some 3 years, and her arrangement with Kardswann is one of convenience rather than of passion.
If the PCs encounter her in her lair, she attempts to parlay with them, offering them an edge over the gnolls if they prove their worth by bringing her the head of the giant mamba from area B1. “Bring me the snake’s head for my stew,” she says with a crooked-toothed grin, “and I’ll betray my lover for you!”
Undrella believes herself to be a stunning beauty, and is shocked that someone might find her unattractive. If the PCs show any signs of being open to her alliance, she approaches them brazenly, favoring discussion with the most attractive male. As she explains that the current Kulldis chieftain, a genie named Kardswann, slew the old chief about 2 months ago, she traces the cheek of her favorite PC with a talon-like fingernail, getting close to seductively smell his scent. She further explains that the genie “walked through the magic-sealed door” leading to the ruined church crypt, after which he was clearly under the control of some evil entity.
“He is cruel to me,” she says, batting her crusty eyelids.
“I want you to kill him.”
If the PCs return with her desired ingredient and promise to let her live in the tannery after they have driven out the gnolls, Undrella gives them a two keys—one that opens the battle market’s north door at area B9, and another that opens the locked hallway and cells at area B6. She further tells them that the smugglers currently visiting the battle market have only a tenuous allegiance to Kardswann, and that they might be convinced to sit out any battle with a sufficient gift and a promise to let them live. If the PCs wish, Undrella is willing to show her good faith by warning these smugglers and keeping them out of the final fight.
In addition to the two keys, which Undrella keeps hidden at the bottom of a particularly murky cauldron, the harpy has a golden necklace worth 130 gp and a ring of the ram (37 charges). She also carries a battle market key (see page 39). She does not hesitate to use the latter in combat, taking to the air and pounding her enemies with force. If the PCs wound Undrella to below 5 hit points, she flees the battle market and warns Kardswann of their approach. Almah grudgingly allows the creature to live in the tannery if the PCs ally with her, but the merchant princess asks them to keep a close watch on “the monster.” If the PCs ally with Undrella, award them XP as if they had defeated her.
Undrella CR 4
Female harpy
hp 31 (MM 151)
B8. Trade Alliance Guildhall: This stately building once served as the office of Katapesh’s Trade Alliance, a guild of merchants organized to corner trade on certain commodities and set prices on others. A few weeks after the PCs liberate Kelmarane the first representatives of the guild arrive from the capital city and begin to restore the building to its original function.
B9. Watch Gatehouse (EL 5): A gnoll ranger accompanied by a pack of hyenas dwells within this intact gatehouse, which includes a sturdy bridge overlooking the road up the hill toward the battle market and ruined church. At the first sign of trouble, the gnoll releases the hyenas, expecting his pets to do his dirty work. If this is unsuccessful, he blows a warning through a tube connected to the trumpeting statue of Sarenrae on a huge pillar that abuts the guardhouse. The resulting sound alerts everyone in Kelmarane that an attack is in progress, preparing them for what is to come. Thereafter, he rushes out of the gatehouse to attack the PCs.
Gnolls (2) CR 1
hp 11 each (MM 130)
Hyenas (4) CR 1
hp 13 each (MM 274)
B10. Palace: Like most battle market towns on the western border of Katapesh, the merchant princes of Kelmarane were expected to maintain a posh palace ready for instant inhabitation should a Pactmaster come calling on business. Though the 20 years since the revolt of the cult of Sarenrae have not been kind to the palace, it remains one of the most intact structures in the village. Kardswann himself holds the key to its immense double-doors, awaiting a time when the new market has attracted enough brigands that he will be able to move from his quarters in the battle market to his rightful throne in the palace.
The Pactmaster Guard secured all of the palace’s valuables decades ago, so despite the fact that it looks like it might house a great deal of treasure, it is largely abandoned. The lock on the front doors requires a Level 8 (24) Open Locks check to bypass.
B11. Battle Market: This structure is presented in detail in Part Four.
B12. Haunted Church: Most of the walls of this forlorn ruin still stand, but the interior walls have been demolished and gutted. Several skeletons litter the structure’s interior, including about a dozen garbed in the red-chitin livery of the Pactmaster Guard. The rest appear to have been clerics of Sarenrae or even common citizens, though the past 20 years have rotted away most of the skin and clothes worn by the corpses. Ash and fire stains the interior walls and ceiling throughout most of the structure, and signs of violent battle are everywhere.
Near the center of the church stands a forlorn stairwell that leads down to a heavily barred door. A strange metal plate with a glowing series of irregularly etched lines mars the surface of the door, casting the stairs in a dull red illumination. This is the interdict seal placed on the door by the Pactmaster Guard to keep the daemon Xulthos imprisoned in the crypt below. This seal functions similarly to an arcane lock, save that it cannot be removed via a knock spell or by dispel magic. More powerful magical effects (such as break enchantment or a rod of cancellation) could remove the seal, but the only likely way the PCs can get into the chambers beyond is by using the interdict key possessed by Almah.
Once the battle market has been cleared, the merchant princess gives the PCs the key and asks them to destroy the menace haunting Kelmarane once and for all.
The ruined church undercrypt is described in detail in Part Five.
B13. Church Cemetery (EL 4): The cliffside behind the ruined church overlooks the fields west of Kelmarane through a ruined series of pillared arches. Across a short yard stands a column about 10 feet tall, upon which stands a splendid statue of Sarenrae with both arms upraised to the heavens. In the shadow of this statue are five graves marked with the lifesized statues of holy warriors. Remarkably, what appears to be a human man garbed in the fine robes of Sarenrae kneels before these graves, muttering a quiet series of prayers. This creature is Halruun, the old high priest of Sarenrae who first fell victim to the ministrations of Xulthos decades ago. The tainted cleric turned his congregation to hatred and murderous evil, and as a result he was one of the first villains slain by the Pactmaster Guard in the final assault on the village.
Death was not to be his final punishment, however, for as a formerly goodly cleric who fell to evil, his soul was cursed to return to the world as an undead creature known as a huecuva. During the day, Halruun hides his true form with disguise self. The gnolls have learned to avoid this part of town and its eerie caretaker. As the PCs approach, the cleric stands and turns toward them, a friendly smile marking his dark-skinned, handsome face. “Welcome…” he says with a grin. Then his features seem to melt away, leaving a hideous skeletal face garbed in a grubby, fire-stained robe. “…to my church,” he finishes. “Your souls will feed the greatest heroes of Kelmarane!”
Halruun has no obvious treasure. However, any character who helped to restore the monastery altar of Sarenrae gets a feeling during the battle that the goddess herself watches over him or her. Any such character brought to negative hit points in the fight is automatically stabilized, and such characters also automatically save against the huecuva’s disease. If such characters later pray to the statue of Sarenrae overlooking the cemetery, they receive a +1 inherent bonus to Wisdom. This effect only occurs once per character, and only to characters who pray before the statue and who also helped to reconsecrate the monastery altar. All other characters praying to the statue receive a one-time bless effect that lasts 4 hours.
Halruun CR 4
Male advanced elite huecuva (Tome of Horrors Revised 238)
CE Medium undead
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +4, Spot +4
DEFENSE
AC 19, touch 14, flat-footed 15 (+4 Dex, +5 natural)
hp 39 (6d12)
Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +7
Defensive Abilities +2 turn resistance; DR 5/magic and silver; Immune undead traits
OFFENSE
Spd 30 ft.
Melee claws +8 (1d4+6 plus disease)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th)
3/day—disguise self
TACTICS
During Combat The huecuva retains only a few shreds of its previous intellect—basically enough to give its short speech to the PCs before it attacks, and to recall its hatred of the servitors of Sarenrae. Anyone who openly wears Sarenrae’s symbol or colors (orange and yellow) finds themselves to be the favored target of the undead priest.
Morale Halruun fights to the death.
STATISTICS
Str 18, Dex 18, Con —, Int 4, Wis 14, Cha 15
Base Atk +3; Grp +7
Feats Alertness, Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (claws)
Skills Disguise +2 (+12 with disguise self ), Hide +13, Listen +4,
Spot +4
Languages Common
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Disease (Ex) Filth Fever—claws, DC 15 Fortitude save, incubation period 1d3 days, damage 1d3 Dex and 1d3 Con. The save DC is Charisma-based.