Kakishon is a closed demiplane, cut off from the rest of existence via the powerful reality-reshaping powers of a small army of enslaved proteans. While Kakishon follows many of the implied rules of the Material Plane (gravity works the same, for example), there are three things in this realm that function differently—entropy, planar connections, and time.
Mildly Chaotic: Kakishon is falling apart. Eventually, the entire demiplane will discorporate into a swirling maelstrom of matter and energy in which very little but the captured proteans can survive for long. For now, even though the demiplane is still mostly stable, the growing entropy makes Kakishon mildly chaotic:
GM intrusions are triggered on a roll between 1 - 3.
Planar Connections: Although Kakishon is cut off from all other planes, it does have its own “version” of an Astral Plane—this realm is known as Andakami, or the “Isles of Not,” the unused possibility of the unformed left over from when the proteans created Kakishon so long ago. Planar travel into or out of Kakishon is close to impossible while Andakami exists, and only the destruction of Kakishon can destroy Andakami. Each cannot exist without the other.
Thus, while spells that allow travel between the planes or rely upon connections with most other planes do not work in Kakishon, those that utilize the Astral Plane and the Shadow Plane themselves still function after a fashion, although they draw upon Andakami and not the typical plane. Spells that rely on connections to the Ethereal Plane do not function at all in Kakishon. Creatures that exist partially on the Ethereal plane, such as ghosts, cannot manifest in Kakishon. Note that incorporeality itself does not require a connection to the Ethereal, and thus most incorporeal creatures other than ghosts function normally in Kakishon. This lack of planar connection also prevents all communications from other planes. The various planar binding and planar ally spells do not work here unless they target a creature that can be found in Kakishon. Plane shift doesn’t work at all, but Tier 6 gate spell is powerful enough to create a portal between the worlds (unfortunately, no creatures in Kakishon can cast this powerful spell). Spells that banish creatures to their own planes do not function properly at all—a creature that would normally be banished is instead stunned for 1 round. Summoning spells function normally, as they tap into the raw potential of Andakami and can summon objects and creatures from there, but such spells last only half as long and requires a level of effort to work.
Use these guidelines to adjudicate the effects of other spells beyond the core rules to which the PCs might have access. As a general rule, spells should work unless they require access to the Ethereal Plane, and should not allow escape from Kakishon.
Time: While those within Kakishon perceive time to flow normally, it is somewhat detached from the time flow of the rest of the multiverse. Over extended periods, the passage of time in Kakishon is, on average, identical to the passage of time in the rest of the multiverse, but during shorter stays the timeflow is more erratic. Some visitors to Kakishon might find that during their week-long stay, only a single day has passed when they emerge from Kakishon, while others might find that several weeks have passed. This should have relatively little impact on the PCs, though—the uneven flow of time is merely a plot device to give Jhavhul enough time to conquer Kelmarane and get a head start on rebuilding his lair under Pale Mountain, but at the same time to prevent him from having enough time to achieve his goal. Put simply: no matter how long the PCs spend in “End of Eternity,” the events in the final adventure of Legacy of Fire progress unchanged.
Prohibited Magic: The following spells do not function at all when cast within Kakishon: astral projection, blink, ethereal jaunt, etherealness, phase door, secret chest.
Hampered Magic: The following spells have their durations halved when cast in Kakishon, and a level of effort to cast at all:
any summon instrument,
all summon monster spells,
all summon nature’s ally spells,
summon swarm, and
trap the soul.
dimension door,
greater shadow conjuration,
greater teleport,
project image,
shades,
shadow conjuration,
shadow evocation,
shadow walk,
teleport, and
teleportation circle.
Altered Magic: Dismissal, banishment, and other effects that attempt to force non-natives of Kakishon back to their home planes do not function properly. Instead of banishing a target, the effect (if successful) merely stuns the creature for a round.
PCs may use their own resources to travel from island to island, but each major island also features a Waypoint—a stone pier and small domed building crafted of polished yellow marble and alabaster. When Kakishon was functioning properly, these Waypoints were the points of arrival and departure for visitors. Once, a person could walk out upon a Waypoint’s short pier and simply will himself back to the real world by concentrating on the Scroll of Kakishon, but Andrathi’s tampering with the scroll destroyed this quality, effectively turning Kakishon into the prison he’d hoped it would be for Jhavhul and his genies. As a result, the end of each Waypoint pier is crumbling, blackened, and ruined, as if the last several feet of the pier had been burned away by an impossibly hot fire.
Each Waypoint is furnished with magical basins that produce food, water, and plush bedding upon command, though any items created dissolve into nothing if removed from the hostel. In addition, anyone with a special charm can call for a magical ship to ferry him from island to island. These ships are a magical wonder—self-propelled galleys, each staffed by a single ram-headed helmsman of enchanted brass. When a boat is called for, it arrives in 2d6 × 10 minutes, then waits at the pier for an hour. A character with a galley charm can then select her destination by naming the Waypoint to which she wishes to travel—otherwise, the galley sails to Kakishon’s Waypoint.
Galley charms come in many shapes. The first one the PCs are likely to find is in the shape of a horn taken from the head of the magical beast known as the Golden Ram. By blowing the horn aloud from the end of a Waypoint pier, a Nexian galley can be summoned. If the PCs elect not to take part in the hunt in Part Two, they can eventually discover other charms (although in this event, they’ll likely need to engineer their own method of travel from island to island for a few journeys). If they secure the aid of the shaitan Dilix Mahad in Part Three, she’ll grant the PCs a charm in the shape of a genie lamp that calls forth a galley when the lamp is rubbed while the user stands at a pier.
In addition, numerous single-use galley charms exist as well. These charms were given by Nex to visitors so they could travel from island to island, but since they were single use, Nex could control how often visitors used his magical ships. These charms appear as small bejeweled flying animals (usually bats, birds, or winged snakes) attached to an iron ring via a length of chain. To be used, a charm need only be dipped into the water from the end of a pier, whereupon the charm melts, leaving behind a valueless iron ring and summoning a Nexian galley in the process. Each of these single-use charms are worth 100 gp unused, and they sometimes appear in treasure stashes in Kakishon. In addition, the first time the PCs visit a Waypoint (with the exception of the Sarygamysh Waypoint), there’s 50% chance of finding 1d3 single-use charms hanging on a peg on the wall inside the Waypoint’s hostel.
Colossal animated object
Movement: Long (cannot go underwater)
Large animated object
Movement: Short
Kakishon holds a bewildering array of islands, each with specialized environments originally designed for the entertainment of Nex and his guests or the punishment of his prisoners. Not all of these islands are visited in the course of “The End of Eternity,” but this section provides enough information about them so that if the PCs do wish to go exploring, you’ll have a good idea of what to present them when they get there.
The islands of Kakishon are not particularly large, yet their environments and ecology are magically sustained as something of a living museum, pleasure park, and hunting preserve. The environments for each island extend to approximately a quarter-mile (1,320 feet) from the isle’s shore. Weather patterns and temperature effects swiftly return to Kakishon’s natural balmy conditions beyond this range—the open seas of Kakishon are always gentle and comfortably warm.
Perhaps the most marvelous of Kakishon’s islands is Aliskiren, a perpetual winterland bedecked with icicles and snow in the midst of a tropic sea. Mephits flit about in the cold winds and snow flurries of Aliskiren, herding and taunting the cryohydras and remorhazes that hunt the ice-rifts, and keeping them clear of frolicking guests.
Sometimes referred to as the “Isles of Not” or “The End of Eternity,” Andakami is the shadowy realm that exists beyond the edge of the map. The placid, sun-drenched tropic seas of the Kakishon archipelago extend to the horizon, but the farther one travels from the islands the more pale and wan the sun appears, like a fading sunset that drifts into misty twilight. Eventually, the cataract of world’s end can be heard in the distance, and sea and sky merge into nebulous haze. The formless void that exists beyond the edge is the realm to which Nex banished his protean army. It is said the Isles of Not cannot be found save by those who already know where they are, for they are not tied to any one place but float wherever in the voidspace the proteans need them to be, and that one who sails beyond the map’s edge without such a guide could be lost forever.
This small, crescent-shaped island is bedecked with a forest of crystal. The harmonic ringing that rises from wind blowing across this crystalscape gives the island its other name—the Singing Isle. This land is ruled by families of xorn, which tend to the crystals as both a form of art and a source of food.
Located between Kakishon and Khandelwal, this island was at one point of great import, as it was to be the location of the Mausoleum of Nex. Although Nex never completed the construction of his crypt, the isle remains a place of reflection and remembrance, of tears and of wisdom. Some say the spirits of Nex’s advisors endure in his tomb, bound to serve him in death but never joined by their master. The Isle of the Dead was the site of a terrific battle many decades ago, when Jhavhul confronted Andrathi here before brutally murdering him. Although his spirit has long since gone on to its final rest, Andrathi’s presence still lingers on the Isle in the form of his familiar, Spooky.
Whereas the rest of Kakishon has a regular day/night cycle, the four Isles of Night lie under the Arc of Night, an eternal shroud crafted by Nex that bathes the islands and the channels between in perpetual twilight. The subtlety of the enchantment still enables plants to grow and thrive despite the shroud, but the islands teem with dark-loving wildlife and vermin, from bats and giant owls soaring above to centipedes, ettercaps, and krenshars prowling below. The largest of the Isles of Night is Rukhsana, with its sister Rishindra lying to the south and west, just off the tip of Kakishon. The smaller isles of Farahani and Demirji trail in their wake toward the Serpent Isles, and are often visited by gnoll outriggers from those islands.
The namesake island of this pocket paradise, tropical Kakishon is flanked by numerous smaller islands—the Mermaid’s Necklace to the southwest and Arinze and Marwah to the east. Kakishon and its neighbors are richly forested, with a spine of low mountains running the main island’s length. Griffons roost in Kakishon’s heights, while monkeys, apes, tigers, and wild animals of all kinds dwell among the trees. The dominant feature of Kakishon is the grand Pleasure Palace of Nex.
Even in the midst of a verdant paradise, Nex knew some of his guests would miss the shifting desert sands, so he created Khandelwal, the Isle of Sand Rivers. Rimmed with a quarter-mile-wide ring of jungle, the interior of this island is a large and eternally shifting desert.
Also known as the Isle of Flint, this barren and rugged land was a place where any could test their skill and strength against animated war machines and shifting terrain. The island was also a trophy of sorts, for it was here that Nex impaled the mortal remains of the Eater of Magic, a mighty beast sent against him by Geb early in the war with his southern neighbor. Today, the isle is a graveyard of ruined weapons and destroyed constructs. An active volcano rises from the isle of Salenax just to the southeast, connected to Khosravi via the Phoenix Bridge.
This ring of 3 islands (Sarygamysh in the north, Sorror in the south, and the small island of Azzabes in the east) surrounds a large sea. Designed as a hunting ground, these isles teem with serpents and hydras of all sorts, as well as an enchanted golden ram that Nex devised to challenge the greatest hunters. A small clan of feral gnolls also survives here, descendants of deserters from Jhavhul’s army and survivors of the massacre of their kin by the proteans.
There are many tiny islands scattered around the archipelago. These islands typically share the environment of whatever island is nearest to them. At the GM’s discretion, PCs may be able to direct a Nexian galley to visit one of them, and each island may have its own Waypoint, if little else of consequence.
For the past several centuries the genie armies of Jhavhul have waged war on the proteans, yet the war was in large part a stalemate—a situation further complicated when the shaitans (earth genies) of Jhavhul’s army rebelled against their leader and relocated to the desert isle of Khandelwal.
With three factions all seeking the others’ destruction, no one faction felt safe enough to strike against another, for fear of the third group taking advantage of the situation.
When the PCs open Kakishon, Jhavhul rules the Pleasure Palace of Nex on the central isle. After centuries of being alert for any chance to escape, he’s ready to move the instant after the PCs open the portal. He brings with him his army of jann and efreet, leaving a only a few of his minions behind. The shaitans are slow to respond to this event, but the proteans are not; they swiftly take actions to contact the PCs and attempt to recruit them in the battle against the earth genies.
The shaitan genie was first detailed in Pathfinder Adventure Path volume #18. Several different shaitans appear in the current adventure, and their stats are reprinted in full below.
For more information about shaitan society, personality, beliefs, and additional notes, consult the bestiary in Pathfinder Adventure Path volume #18 and “Tales and Truths of Genies” in Pathfinder Adventure Path volume #21.
Health: 22
Damage Inflicted: 7 points
Armor: 4
Movement: Immediate; Long when walking, burrowing, or climbing earth or stone
Size: Large (Melee range up to immediate)
Languages Celestial, Common, Ignan, Terran
Modifications: Stone appraisal, crafting, knowledge, and Perception as level 8 while on land; Immune to electricity
Combat: If they have a chance to pick their battlegrounds, they prepare with soften earth and stone or transmute rock to mud. They are fond of bursting from stone to lie in wait to ambush foes as well.
During Combat Shaitans use wall of stone to partition the battlefield or trap enemies, using stone glide to bypass their own walls and move in to attack trapped foes. They also use transmute mud to rock to trap enemies mired in mud that they have previously created. Shaitans use glitterdust to reveal invisible creatures that they detect with their tremorsense.
Metalmorph: As an action, a shaitan may touch any single metal object of no more than 10 pounds and transform it into any other metal, including adamantine, mithril, cold iron, silver, or gold. Transformed metal remains transformed as long as the shaitan remains in contact with the metal, and for 1 day after the shaitan releases the object. A shaitan may use this ability to warp and deform any one metal object within immediate range. Armor or shields lose half their bonus to AC (enhancement bonuses are unaffected), and weapons are rendered useless save as improvised clubs. The transformation lasts 1 minute, after which the affected metal reverts to its normal state.
Plane Shift: Like all genies, shaitans can enter any of the elemental planes, the Astral Plane, or the Material Plane via plane shift, taking up to 8 additional creatures (caster level 13th).
Stone Curse: Instead of striking a target, a shaitan can push a target into stone. The target must make a speed defense check or be forced into the barrier as if the target had cast meld into stone to merge with the object. The victim cannot exit the stone voluntarily unless he takes a full-round action to make a successful Might save. Other creatures can use physical damage to the stone or magic spells to expel the trapped individual in the same way one can force someone out of meld into stone.
Stone Glide: Shaitans can move through stone, dirt, crystal, or metal as easily as a fish swims through water. This burrowing leaves behind no tunnel or hole or any other sign of passage. This ability does not grant the shaitan the ability to ignore damage from weapons made of stone, metal, or crystal, nor does it grant any protection against earth-based magic.
Morale Shaitans fight with a single-minded fury when pursuing a goal, but they are not particularly brave and use their stone glide ability to flee any combat in which they drop below 20 hit points, unless they’re bound by magic to fight to the death.
Loot: random magical item (cypher), Gems and precious stones worth 10d10 gp.
When the PCs are drawn into Kakishon, chances are excellent that Rayhan comes with them. Whether he does or doesn’t is, in the end, up to you—as is the fate of any other NPC allies the PCs may have nearby when they open the portal. If you think the PCs could use the extra help and you don’t mind running a few extra NPCs, send whomever you wish with the PCs, Rayhan included. Yet if you don’t want to bother with keeping track of those NPCs, feel free to have the portal only pull in the PCs—in this case, you can have Rayhan show up in the last Legacy of Fire adventure as a prisoner of Jhavhul for the PCs to rescue.
Your PCs will be faced with an unusual situation during the course of this adventure and the next—they’ll be cut off from civilization, and that means they’ll also be cut off from places to sell off magic items and buy new ones. If your group is accustomed to periodic side trips to the market to sell gear or buy magic items, you should consider letting them spend a few extra days in Katapesh before this adventure begins. If you have PCs who have item crafting feats, you can always allow them some time in Kakishon (or even in the next adventure in Jhavhul’s palace) to craft magic items—in this case, consider letting them utilize unwanted treasure as “components” for their crafting rather than forcing them to wait for a chance to reach civilization to spend the crafting costs for their projects.