After lifting the Vizier’s curse over Bayt al-Bazan, the PCs are free to leave the City of Brass and return to the Material Plane. In all likelihood, they will be eager to find out what’s been happening back home since their long period of imprisonment and exile amid the planes—certainly, if they’ve learned that Jhavhul has escaped and is likely to have moved against the village of Kelmarane, the PCs should be fueled by a need to come to the rescue of their old stomping grounds.
The method of their return to the Material Plane is left to the PCs themselves to supply, but the most likely route is via the use of a plane shift spell—either one they cast themselves or one cast by a genie ally they secured in the previous adventure. This adventure assumes that the PCs rescue the marid princess Shazathared from imprisonment and that she is the one who plane shifts the PCs back to Katapesh. Since plane shift is inaccurate, even if the PCs are attempting to return directly to Kelmarane, you should control the final result so that they do not actually appear in the city. Shazathared has little interest in confronting Jhavhul (he imprisoned her once before, after all, and she’s not ready to give him another chance so soon), but she certainly will use any of her spells or magical abilities to aid the PCs as they wish before she plane shifts herself back to the Plane of Water. Before she leaves, she invites the PCs to come visit her there once they have defeated Jhavhul, for once she has reclaimed her proper place on the Plane of Water, she hopes to reward the PCs more for their kindness.
Regardless of how and where they arrive upon returning to the Material Plane, the PCs will most likely want to return to their previous base of operations in Kelmarane, if for no other reason than to find out what Jhavhul has been up to in their absence. If they decide to head somewhere else instead, such as the city of Katapesh, they should soon hear reports of the fall of Kelmarane and its occupation by genies. Organized retaliations against the genies have yet to manifest, and should the PCs dig a bit deeper, they hear rumors that the Pactmasters have decided to wash their hands of the distant village. After having expended a fair amount of effort in reclaiming the distant village already (in the form of Almah Roveshki and the PCs), to have it fall again so soon is disquieting, and the Pactmasters supposedly now consider the remote location not to be worth the expense and the trouble. If the PCs confront the Pactmasters or their agents, they only have the problem turned back on themselves—after all, they were key in rescuing Kelmarane before. They should have remained in the village to ensure its safety if it’s that important to them. Furthermore, if the PCs press too hard, the Pactmasters and their agents are swift to point out that it was due to the PCs’ actions that Jhavhul escaped from Kakishon in the first place, and that in a way, dealing with him is their responsibility. The Pactmasters aren’t entirely without grace, though, and imply that if Kelmarane can be freed once again and the genie menace put to an end, there might be further rewards for the PCs.
This adventure assumes that the PCs motivate themselves to rescue Kelmarane, though, and thus such heavy-handed and frustrating interactions with the Pactmasters may not come into play. Certainly, if the PCs take care of the problem without first contacting the Pactmasters, their rewards for being so self-motivated will be greater. In any event, should the PCs resist seeking out Kelmarane themselves, you can always have Nefeshti contact them via a sending spell, and have her ask the PCs to meet with her at the old monastery, where she secretly set up a base of operations to prepare an assault on their old enemy.
The PCs might still be traveling with allies from previous adventures, like Rayhan, Dilix, or Iavesk—in these cases, the status of their alliances will certainly vary from group to group. When the PCs contact the Templars of the Five Winds, Nefeshti offers the PCs allies to aid them in the coming battle. If the PCs already have a significant number of wizards, genies, and other allies traveling with them from previous adventures, you should certainly reduce the aid that Nefeshti offers in order to keep the PCs at a level of aid with which you’re comfortable.
The last time the PCs were in the town of Kelmarane, it had been restored and repaired after many years of ruin and control under gnoll command. Today, much of Kelmarane remains the same, yet emotionally it is in more ruins than ever before. Physically, the only significant change is the towering brass structure that stands amid the ruins of the village battle market. The huge edifice rises from the center of the market, as if its explosive growth from within had shattered the surrounding structure into rubble.
While the other buildings remain intact, the citizens cower inside, forbidden from emerging and rationed on meager allocations of food and water while gnoll and jann soldiers patrol the streets. Garbage and sewage litter the streets, and the stench of filth, rot, and death is everywhere. A pall of smoke from burnt buildings and innumerable charcoal cooking fires hangs over the Lower Town. Every week, efreet from the House of the Beast come to town to cavort and enjoy themselves in the Brazen Tower, and each time they leave, they take with them more citizens—prisoners who are never seen again.
All authority now rests in the hands of the former Templar of the Five Winds, Davashuum. Known now as the Amir of Kelmarane and general of Jhavhul’s army, Davashuum rarely leaves his magical brazen fortress.
Almah Roveshki, the former mayor of Kelmarane, was among the first taken in chains to Pale Mountain, and most of the town’s other important personages have either been captured or executed. Those who have not are wisely keeping a low profile, praying that their heroes might return to save them once again. If the PCs left behind lovers, mentors, students, friends, or other allies in Kelmarane, you should take the time to decide what their fates might be. In the case of close friends, Jhavhul has doubtless learned of these relationships and keeps such valuable prisoners close, likely imprisoned alongside Almah in area D15. These NPCs can be used as reasons to spur the PCs into the adventure, and if there are many, you can sprinkle them liberally throughout the adventure for the PCs to rescue.
What few people may be seen on the streets during the day disappear when night falls. A strict curfew after dark keeps the streets empty of all but the bravest of souls. The only sign of life after dusk is the light spilling from taverns and brothels catering to the janni soldiers who revel noisily well into the night.
At the end of “Howl of the Carrion King,” the PCs had a chance to take a year off and concentrate their efforts on a task set in or around Kelmarane. If a PC took advantage of this downtime, he’ll gain a specific advantage or subquest to attempt during Parts 2 and 3 of this adventure, as detailed below.
Administration: The PC’s work with Kelmarane’s administration has gained him the personal notice of the Pactmasters of Katapesh, and they have been watching and waiting for the PC’s return. Shortly after the PC arrives on the Material Plane, he is contacted via sending by one of the Pactmasters, who informs him that Kelmarane needs to be rescued once again, and offers that PC support in the amount of 6,000 gp worth of items. If the PC travels to the city of Katapesh, he can cash in on this offer by selecting magic items up to this total to aid him in his quest.
Business: If the PC checks up on his entrepreneurial concerns in places other than Kelmarane, he quickly discovers that his business is in dire trouble—all contact with Kelmarane has been lost, and any agents or employees the PCs had in the village are missing. One of these languishes in area D15 of Xotani’s Grave, and the others are still holed up in the place of business in the village. These employees have managed to hide 10 potions of cure serious wounds and two doses of stone salve, and if the PC returns to the building in Kelmarane where his business is based, the frightened employees quickly give over the cache of magic to aid their boss.
Church of Sarenrae: This edifice is now despoiled and ruled by a gnoll priest of Rovagug named Narrgok. The most powerful NPC ally of the PC who remained in the church has been taken to area D15 of Xotani’s Grave, and all others are now imprisoned in area A8 of the church itself. If Narrgok is defeated and the church is cleansed, a PC who received the rank of Abbot-Protector back during their year in Kelmarane receives a boon from Sarenrae in the form of a +2 sacred bonus on all saving throws or to AC (player’s choice) for the remainder of this adventure.
Crime: Whomever the PC befriended, be it smugglers, the harpy Undrella, or another agent, survived and now hides in the region. This ally could contact the PC soon after he returns to Kelmarane, possibly at a key moment when the PCs need aid in a fight, or require a safe place to hide out in the village. This ally is assumed to be Undrella unless the PC made another ally—in any event, the PC automatically secures her aid as detailed later on page 31.
Explore Personal Mystery: Since the exact nature of this will vary from PC to PC, you should customize a reward along the lines of the others listed here that ties in with the PC’s personal mystery. If that mystery hasn’t yet been solved, this event should give the PC final resolution in some way.
Moldspeaker: If the moldspeaker remains with the party, he can sense that Jhavhul has returned and placed Kelmarane in peril. This PC is beset with powerful urges to travel to Kelmarane to save the village and defeat Jhavhul, and if he follows his desires, they lead him first to the abandoned monastery to contact the templars. For the duration of this adventure, Vardishal’s presence in the moldspeaker PC remains strong and helps hone his reflexes in reacting to danger—the PC gains a +4 bonus on initiative checks for the duration of the adventure. But if the PC still carries the weapon Tempest, Vardishal’s presence instead becomes focused in the already powerful weapon—instead of granting a +4 bonus on initiative checks, the spirit instead transforms Tempest into an intelligent weapon for the duration of the adventure. See the sidebar on the next page for details.
Patrol Kelmarane Hinterlands/Rebuild: The PC’s familiarity with the Kelmarane hinterlands or the village itself allows him to use his knowledge of the region to the party’s advantage. This grants the PC in question a +2 circumstance bonus on all Wisdom-based skill checks made during the adventure, and also grants 1 Liberation Point to the party as a whole (see page 17).
Personal Romance: If a PC’s romantic interest remained behind on the Material Plane, he or she has been captured by Jhavhul, who holds the NPC captive with Almah in area D15 of Xotani’s Grave. The PC should learn of this development soon, perhaps even from the templars when the PCs arrive and speak to them. At this point, the PC’s anger and fear combine to grant him a +2 morale bonus on all attack rolls and weapon damage rolls for the duration of the adventure.
Research: The PC has learned a lot about Jhavhul, his genie armies, and his personality over the course of the campaign. When this adventure begins, he gains a +2 circumstance bonus on all Intelligence-based skill checks made during the adventure, and also grants 1 Liberation Point to the party as a whole (see page 17).
Travel: The PC’s worldly travels have left him a popular figure among Kelmarane’s citizens, and his return to the region bolsters morale and hope. When this adventure begins, he gains a +2 circumstance bonus on all Charismabased skill checks made during the adventure, and also grants 1 Liberation Point to the party as a whole (see page 17).
Contacting the Templars Once the PCs realize that Kelmarane is under occupation, they are likely to try to contact some of their allies in the region. Unfortunately, most of these allies have been captured by Jhavhul and are being held in Xotani’s Grave, are cowering in Kelmarane, or have been executed—you should take a moment to determine the fate of any NPC who was important to the PCs that isn’t spelled out in this adventure. If the PCs don’t think to travel to the old monastery or to contact the Templars of the Five Winds (advice that Shazathared, in her great wisdom, might give to the PCs, or a tactic that the moldspeaker might intuitively know is the best place to start), Nefeshti contacts them soon enough. She knows of their skill and association with Kelmarane, and has been watching and waiting for the PCs to return so that she can contact them and ask for their aid. She has managed to recruit a small force of jann, and now these two-dozen remnants of the templars hide out in the old monastery of Sarenrae outside of Kelmarane, where they can keep abreast of the situation in the town and at Pale Mountain.
If she contacts the PCs, her sending reads as follows:
“Come quickly to the Dawnflower’s old monastery. We have much to talk about. The Five Winds stand ready to free Kelmarane with your aid. Nefeshti.”
When the PCs arrive at the monastery, four veiled and impassive jann greet them. They eye the PCs distrustfully before escorting them through the monastery grounds.
Along the way, the PCs can see a large number of jann encamped in and around the monastery, in obvious preparation for war. The jann refuse to answer any questions the PCs might have, silently conducting them to the monastery’s secret garden where Nefeshti awaits them.
She asks them to first relate to her what they know about Jhavhul’s plans, and asks for the tale of their adventures in both Kakishon and the City of Brass.
When the PCs are through with the tales, Nefeshti speaks to them. Read or paraphrase the following.
“As you are no doubt aware, Kelmarane is no longer a free city. Jhavhul has captured it, and his armies now occupy the town. My spies report that Jhavhul himself has returned to his hidden chambers below the House of the Beast under Pale Mountain, but he left someone behind to rule Kelmarane in his place. One of my own templars turned against me—Davashuum. In recent years, Davashuum felt that the templars should be a more active force in the region. I disagreed, and as they were mine to command, he was forced to comply. Yet recently, when Jhavhul escaped back into this world, Davashuum turned against me for the false promises of power offered by Jhavhul. He murdered my one remaining templar, poor Pazhvann, and fled into the mountains while I raged in frustration and despair. I have since recovered my wits, only to find that treacherous Davashuum has named himself Amir of Kelmarane and is now general of Jhavhul’s powerful janni army.
“The time of the Templars of the Five Winds has passed. This is clear to me now. Yet I will not let its legacy live on in mockery and corruption. If my time is to pass, so must Davashuum. He must fall, and his master must be defeated before I can let my legacy go. I have gathered a few dozen jann to my side, and they are loyal to me, but Davashuum’s troops still greatly outnumber us. I need an advantage, something to turn the tide of battle in our favor and make up for our lack of numbers. Your arrival is a fortuitous answer to my prayers, for you have as much reason, if not more, to avenge yourselves against Jhavhul. If you would free Kelmarane and defeat Jhavhul, I would help. Do you accept my aid?”
Assuming the PCs agree, Nefeshti thanks the PCs graciously, then with a wave of her hand uses persistent image to create a detailed model of the village of Kelmarane and the environs on the table between herself and the PCs.
“This is Kelmarane as it stands today, as accurate as our spies in the town can make it. While it’s not walled, the town’s position on the bluffs makes it a difficult target. I want to keep civilian casualties at a minimum, so I cannot simply strike with my full force against the occupiers without fear they will retaliate against their hostages. Instead, the Lower Town must be secured and its inhabitants protected before we turn to the stronghold in the Upper Town. It is vital to seize and secure certain strategic locations to anchor our forces. We also need to strike swiftly, so that Jhavhul won’t have a chance to send reinforcements from the House of the Beast. What we need is a small but powerful band to infiltrate the town and carry out these missions, so our army can confront Jhavhul’s on equal terms and without a lengthy siege. I shall lead my jann into battle, but not until you have hit the enemy hard and distracted and wounded them. By striking such decisive blows against key points in the village, we should be all but assured of success.”
Nefeshti would like to attack at once, but listens to the PCs if they have other notions or plans. Allow the PCs to ask any additional questions they might have. Nefeshti can give them any of the information in the Adventure Background, but knows few details about Davashuum’s army, only that it is made up primarily of jann, gnolls, and some extraplanar allies, and that they outnumber her own forces. In any event, you should let the PCs plan the attack on Kelmarane; the templars defer to them out of respect for their power and their knowledge of the region.
Although it is in Nefeshti’s power to grant wishes to mortals, she prefers not to use this ability at all if it can be avoided. If the PCs ask her for a wish, she reminds them that wish-granting is what started all of this trouble in the first place. Genies who have the power to grant wishes are attuned to the reworkings of reality that the powerful magic generates, and for now, she’s confident that Jhavhul isn’t aware that the templars are mounting an attack. Were she to use her wishcraft, he would likely be alerted. Once the PCs have finished this part of the adventure, her worry about wishcraft abates somewhat. She promises to reward the PCs with wishes at that point, as detailed in Part Three.
Nefeshti is a beautiful djinni and a creature of deep and abiding faith. A worshiper of Gozreh, she has little patience or interest in the organized aspects of her religion and church. She views Gozreh as a feminine power of the wind and storms, and sees her power in the wind’s mastery over the other elements, in its driving of water to form waves and snuff out fires, and its power to erode even the mightiest of mountains over the course of time.
Female noble djinni ranger 3/cleric of Gozreh 7 (MM 115)
LN Large outsider (air, extraplanar)
Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +17, Spot +17
DEFENSE
AC 23, touch 14, flat-footed 18
(+6 armor, +5 Dex, +3 natural, –1 size)
hp 170 (20d8+80)
Fort +19, Ref +17, Will +16
Immune acid
OFFENSE
Spd 20 ft., fly 60 ft. (perfect)
Melee +1 fire outsider bane scimitar +24/+19/+14/+9 (1d8+8/15–20) and +1 fire outsider bane kukri +24/+19 (1d6+4/18–20)
Ranged +1 fire outsider bane composite longbow +23/+18/+13/+8 (2d6+9/×3)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks favored enemy (fire outsider +2), turn earth/rebuke air 7/day(+4; 2d6+11); turn undead 7/day (+6; 2d6+11), whirlwind
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th)
At will—invisibility (self only), plane shift (CL 13th)
3/day—wish (nongenies only)
1/day—create food and water, create wine, gaseous form (up to 1 hour), major creation, persistent image (DC 19), wind walk
Spells Prepared (CL 7th)
4th (2+1)—divine power, sending, sleet stormD
3rd (3+1)—call lightningD (DC 17), dispel magic, remove blindness/deafness, remove curse
2nd—Gozreh’s trident*, lesser restoration (2), resist energy, wind wallD
1st—command (DC 15), divine favor, entropic shield, obscuring mistD, sanctuary, shield of faith
0—detect magic, guidance (2), mending (2), resistance
D domain spell; Domains Air, Weather
*See Gods and Magic 19; if you don’t have this book, replace this spell with spiritual weapon.
TACTICS
During Combat Nefeshti relies on her spells to recover from combat or strike at foes that are particularly resistant to her weapons—she much prefers to fight in melee combat, using divine favor and divine power before entering combat if she has the chance.
Morale Nefeshti has little to spur her onward but a need for revenge and to finish a job she started so long ago—to defeat Jhavhul. She fights to the death in pursuit of this goal.
STATISTICS
Str 24, Dex 20, Con 18, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 18
Base Atk +18; Grp +29
Feats Dodge, Endurance, Improved Critical (scimitar), Improved Initiative, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Mobility, Spring Attack, Track, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Focus (kukri, scimitar)
Skills Appraise +15, Concentration +17, Craft (weaponsmith) +15, Diplomacy +18, Escape Artist +18, Knowledge (history) +15, Knowledge (religion) +16, Listen +17, Move Silently +18, Ride +17, Sense Motive +17, Spellcraft +15, Spot +17, Survival +16
Languages Auran, Celestial, Common, Ignan; telepathy 100 ft.
SQ air mastery, spontaneous casting (cure spells), wild empathy +7
Gear +1 mithral shirt, +1 fire outsider bane kukri, +1 fire outsider bane scimitar, +1 fire outsider bane composite longbow (+7 Str) with 20 arrows and 2 fire outsider slaying arrows, periapt of Wisdom +4
If the PCs inform Nefeshti that they spoke with Andrathi’s spirit in Kakishon, she initially doubts their words and accuses the PCs of needless cruelty for bringing up such old wounds. With a DC 30 Diplomacy check, a PC can convince Nefeshti of their honesty—alternatively, if Spooky, Andrathi’s familiar, is still with the PCs, the strange cat is all the proof Nefeshti needs. Spooky leaves his PC guardian to stay with Nefeshti, and the +1 luck bonus his presence granted spreads to all of the PCs, becoming a permanent bonus.
If the PCs return Spooky to Nefeshti or comfort her about Andrathi’s fate, she agrees to grant them wishes immediately if they so desire, rather than waiting for Part Three.
In order to secure the wishes he needs to prepare for his final transformation, Jhavhul grants the nongenies who make these wishes for him an additional wish of their own each day, leaving his other two wishes for his own uses. As a result, most of Jhavhul’s minions have strange powers, unusual access to magic items, or higher ability scores than normal. This abuse of wishcraft has resulted in a warping of magic in the Kelmarane and Pale Mountain regions. This warping is not permanent, but it does persist for the duration of this adventure. These regions, known as wishwarps, are detailed on page 59 of this volume. Wishwarps are static features of some areas in this adventure, but they can also spontaneously manifest whenever powerful magic occurs in an area. Each time a creature casts a spell of 7th level or higher in an area plagued by wishwarps, there’s a flat 5% chance (a roll of 1 on 1d20) that the spell triggers a small wishwarp centered on the source of the triggering spell.
This temporary wishwarp has a 60-foot radius and persists for 1d10 rounds.