A sickness festers in the heart of the Deep Well of Paradise, a place of legend and seemingly one of the most verdant oases in Katapesh. This corruption lies rooted in open malice, blasphemies against the goddess of redemption, and a curse that knows no age. Within this desert garden hide flowers that breathe a noxious poison and deadly thorns seeking to claim all who would dare come near. Now, what was once known as the Deep Well of Paradise has become a place the people of the deserts call the Hell of Eternal Thirst.
Whether sent on a holy errand or lured by rumors of ancient treasure to investigate the mythical Deep Well of Paradise—which legends place several days ride east from Kelmarane—generations of heroes, thieves, and arcanists have all vanished within the seemingly pristine garden without a trace. Those who brave the winding way into the nameless wastes must face a host of horrors; the most formidable, perhaps, the holy guardian called Assad Ashraf-Asim, an angelic creature of unearthly ferocity and power. Within the shadowed gardens, watched over by the Lion of Five Heavens, dwells a blasphemous host of undead, victims to a most terrible series of curses.
“Hell of Eternal Thirst” is a wilderness adventure for four 8th-level characters. In addition to working as a standalone adventure, this Set Piece can easily supplement this month’s Adventure Path installment, “The Jackal’s Price,” or any other desert adventure.
GMs seeking to incorporate this Set Piece into the month’s adventure, “The Jackal’s Price,” should have little trouble doing so, as Part Two: Long Road to Katapesh makes a natural place for its inclusion. Tales of missing caravans, hints of a rumored “secret route” to the country’s capital, or the pleas of Sarenrae’s faithful all might serve to draw the PCs’ curiosity. If devotees of the Dawnflower request that the party investigate the Deep Well of Paradise and return the holy sword lost within, they offer goods or gold worth approximately 3,400 gold pieces and a simple description of the location and how to find it.
Those who seek to learn more about the oasis known in legends as the Deep Well of Paradise can turn up some or all of the following information by making a Knowledge (history), Knowledge (local), or Gather Information check among the people of Kelmarane or the desert’s nomadic people. Each result notes which check might reveal the related information.
Level 3 Holy Waters: Centuries ago, a hospice and healing temple dedicated to Sarenrae the Dawnflower was erected within an oasis set along the western branch of a now-defunct trade route crossing the wastelands between Katapesh and Ipeq. Fed by a dozen cold springs, the Deep Well of Paradise was a dear boon to those innocents who suffered in the unrelenting heat. (Any check.)
Level 4 Fatal Fall: The sanctuary at the Deep Well of Paradise aided all who came to its door seeking succor for many years. Eventually, though, a foulness not even the Dawnflower’s minions could purge crept into the temple, leaving many priests dead and leading the oasis to be abandoned. (Any check.)
Level 5 Crusader’s Cause: Some decades ago, a youthful paladin of Sarenrae journeyed forth into the haunted oasis to end the mysterious curse of that place and re-open the temple within the Deep Well of Paradise. To that end, she borrowed a potent holy blade from her church. She never returned. (Any check.)
Level 6 Holy Guardian: A great lammasu calling himself the Lion of Five Heavens has recently taken up guardianship of the oasis. A devotee of the fierce Empyreal Lord Ragathiel, this potent creature called Assad Ashraf-Asim allows no mortal entrance to the Deep Well of Paradise. (Gather Information or Knowledge [local].)
Level 7 Beast of the Wastes: For a time, the Deep Well of Paradise was the demesne of a clever and monstrous two-headed giant called Kasim-Qahar. The awful, hulking thing dwelled within the oasis by night; by day, the ettin wandered far and wide devouring all he laid eyes upon, and brought a swift end to any further travel along the dust-choked road. (Knowledge [history]).
Held and maintained by four wise and generous imams of Sarenrae’s faith, the sanctuary of the Deep Well of Paradise was once a testament to the goddess’s mercy. In time, the location of this cool, emerald place was discovered by the vampire Rotaimvei of Geb, a devotee of Urgathoa and servant to the Cinerarium, a necromancer of evil power and darkest cruelty.
Perhaps the priests attending the Deep Well of Paradise had somehow offended the Blood Lords of Geb, perhaps the Gebbite sought some mystical artifact within the walls of that place, or perhaps he snuffed out their lives purely for the love of spite. None can say. What is known is this: the four imams of the Deep Well of Paradise dwell there still, their slavering forms dragging forth each night from unhallowed, sunken sarcophagi, tattered vestments slicked and stuck to their pale forms, aching with the unholy thirst for fresh blood. Those who travel the legendary winding road to Ipeq meet only death.
In recent years, the paladin of Sarenrae, Fadiyah Al’Qirym, journeyed to the oasis in hopes of reconcecrating the holy place in the name of the Dawnflower. The paladin failed in her task, though, and her panicked flight from the Four Unholy Imams brought her into the clutches of the cruel ettin Kasim-Qahar, whom she slew before finally succumbing to her wounds. The soul of beautiful Fadiyah al’Qirym now haunts that place as a restless spectre—fortunately, her touch has yet to slay any travelers who seek to escape the four imams or the twisted surroundings by hiding within Sarenrae’s defiled temple.
In the intervening years, the lammasu Assad Ashraf-Asim took up the cause of redeeming the oasis, but now finds himself overmatched. He has fought against the four spawn on multiple occasions, yet although he can best the beasts in combat, he cannot retrieve their tombs from the cold, black well that holds them 40 feet below.
He allows no others to enter the oasis, for they might die and rise as undead themselves.
As the PCs travel through the Katapeshi wilderness they might spy a great winged creature gliding along the horizon with a DC 15 Spot check. While this check reveals that the flying creature is of exceptional size, much larger than any vulture or hawk, a result of 20 or higher is enough to confirm that the faraway beast is a quadruped, shaped like a hunting cat—perhaps a griffon, sphinx, or other winged predator. Any PC who makes a Spot check of 25 or higher is able to distinguish Assad Ashraf-Asim’s bearded, humanlike face, and a subsequent DC 17 Knowledge (arcana) check identifies the creature is a lammasu, a virtuous creature often in the service of the divine.
Assad Ashraf-Asim, the Lion of Five Heavens, makes his presence as obvious as possible to incoming travelers as he patrols the routes that pass near the Deep Well of Paradise, hoping to scare away the faint of heart. By this time, the Deep Well of Paradise is not yet visible, still a half day’s travel away.
Ashraf-Asim often rests upon a huge cairn outside of the oasis (area 1) from which he vigilantly monitors the path passing closest to the Deep Well of Paradise. With his keen eyesight, swift wings, divination spells, and powers of greater invisibility and dimension door, he is capable of intercepting nearly any approaching party.
From the desert wastes springs a seemingly impossible paradise, a miniature jungle of lush leaves, flowering fruits, and rustling brush surrounding a pool of crystalline water. A rise of ancient rock lifts what looks to be the remains of a gleaming marble mosque above this verdant sanctuary, the remains of a small brass dome glinting amid the cool shadows cast by the gently swaying palms.
From a distance, nothing appears out of the ordinary amid the Deep Well of Paradise. Those who come by the oasis at night, however, might make a Level 4 Perception check to hear strange, evil-sounding cavorting coming from within—the raucous, nightly debauches of the Four Unholy Imams and the spectral remains of the ghostly paladin Fadiyah al’Qirym.
Creatures: The lush vegetation of the Deep Well of Paradise is visible in the distance when Assad Ashraf-Asim confronts the PCs. When the PCs come within 300 feet of the oasis, the Lion of Five Heavens approaches by air (if attacked, he uses his greater invisibility spell-like ability before landing), lands within 40 feet of them, and attempts to address the party. He moves to block their passage, and will watch closely to be certain that none of them makes a sudden run for the oasis.
The lammasu initiates this encounter; if the PCs are somehow hidden from him, this encounter does not occur immediately. If the party manages to slip past him, Ashraf-Asim seeks out the interlopers within the oasis itself, hoping to warn them away.
With a flicker of gold and wind, a great beast lands, dust and sand swirling around his mighty paws as powerful wings bring him safely to the barren earth. His form is that of a massive lion, a hunting hawk, and a burning angel all in one, and his regal countenance, at once stern and awesome, gazes out across the sands. True and ancient power radiates from his dark and fathomless eyes, and his voice is like a peal of thunder on distant mountains, a low roar made into speech.
“Foolhardy travelers, turn thee back and depart at once. The Lion of Five Heavens is guardian over this place. Swiftly, make thy departure—only death can be found here.”
Once the lammasu encounters the PCs, he demands that they leave. If the PCs hesitate, claim to be lost, or ask for a moment to confer privately among themselves, Assad Ashraf-Asim will allow them to remain where they are as long as they come no closer to the oasis. He retreats to a discreet distance and allows them to stay. The lammasu immediately begins casting clairaudience/clairvoyance, so as to listen in on their conversation—in his experience, travelers who speak privately for more than 5 minutes are invariably up to something sneaky. Should the party contain a priest or paladin of a lawful good deity (or other obvious servant of such a god) Ashraf-Asim respects their privacy. Regardless of the contents of the PCs’ discussion, or whether or not the lammasu is listening in, Ashraf-Asim interrupts after 10 minutes, insisting more fiercely that they cease their loitering and get on their way.
The lammasu begins as unfriendly, and will not allow the PCs to pass into the oasis under any circumstances. In his view, their force is too small, and they will all most likely die and become undead. He willing converses with the PCs and, should he be made helpful, he might be convinced to allow them to enter the oasis against his better judgment—especially if they seek to reclaim the shrine of the Dawnflower. Worshipers of Ragathiel or Sarenrae gain a +2 bonus to any Diplomacy check made when dealing with Ashraf-Asim.
If he is convinced to aid the PCs, charmed, or otherwise placated, Assad Ashraf-Asim shares a great deal of information as to the layout of the oasis, but only so that the PCs may pass the information onto others and leave this place unmolested. If forced, he will engage in combat.
An honorable combatant the equal of any paladin, Assad Ashraf-Asim asks his opponents to surrender, drop their weapons, or flee each round, leaving surrendering, unarmed, or fleeing opponents unmolested for the duration of the encounter. Assad Ashraf-Asim considers the violation of this surrender an evil act. PCs who return to combat after surrendering are assaulted with his full fury.
LG Medium lammasu
Health: 25
Damage Inflicted: 6 points
Armor: 2
Movement: Short; long when flying
Modifications: Perceptions and attacks as level 7
Combat: Before Combat Assad Ashraf-Asim prepares for a fight by using his greater invisibility spell-like ability, then castigating his foes while taking flight and casting other spells upon himself. He attacks while invisible. If given the opportunity to cast several rounds of spells, Assad Ashraf-Asim combines divine power, his continuous magic circle against evil, bear’s endurance, and aid.
During Combat Assad Ashraf-Asim uses blindness/deafness on obvious spellcasters and hold person on other combatants. If he believes he faces evil-aligned foes, Assad Ashraf-Asim does not hesitate to cast holy smite.
Morale If brought below 10 hit points, the lammasu uses his greater invisibility spell-like ability to retreat and heal.
Development: If honorably defeated but not slain, Assad Ashraf-Asim is suitably impressed with the PCs and will share with them the layout of the oasis, including the locations of the dilapidated sanctuary (area 3), the Rain of Hateful Thirst (area 2), and the Ruined Temple of the Dawnflower (area 5). If, after besting the Lion of Five Heavens, a good-aligned PC shows respect to the lammasu or heals his wounds, Assad Ashraf-Asim will give the party his blessing and his treasure.
Treasure: The Lion of Five Heavens possesses a ring of sustenance and three potions of cure moderate wounds, which he keeps within his cairn.
A sickly, oily hue swirls beneath the deep blue surface of the oasis’s broad pool. From these waters drifts a stench unlike any other; rot, sulfur, and bile seem to compose the majority of it, but another, more toxic stench hangs in the air, offensive and sickeningly sweet. The teeming desert plants recoil from the waters, circling the pool with a sandy beach. A foaming waterfall cascades into the pool from a steep nearby rise, and two small rocky islands float at its center, the sparkle of metal obvious upon their slick stones.
This broad pool once offered life to all the various plants and beasts of the Deep Well of Paradise. Now, though, its waters are tainted by a hidden corruption. Although legends say it once produced a shower of pure holy water whose curative powers could soothe even the most potent of ailments, the magic of this spring has been tainted to infect all who taste of it with a vile strain of supernatural ghoul fever. Any creature who drinks of the pool must make a Level 4 Might Defense save or contract ghoul fever, eventually becoming a lacedon. This curse can be undone by swimming to the bottom of the pool and destroying the large mosaic of rocks forming the symbol of the foul goddess Urgathoa there. The pool is, on average, 16-feet deep.
This place houses the majority of treasure taken from those who have visited the accursed oasis in the past decades. Most of it is piled in plain view upon the islands in the center of the water. Although it glitters like gold, a Level 5 Perception check reveals—even from a significant distance—that the bulk of the treasure heap is copper, silver, and brass.
Creatures: A coven of 7 lacedons lair within the oasis’s depths. Clever predators, a small number of lacedons hide along the wet rocks next to the waterfall and within the thick overgrowth surrounding the pool, carefully pulled far enough back into the foliage that their awful stench won’t give away their locations. Any who spot a living humanoid hisses a warning to any fellow lacedons nearby before stalking forward to ambush their prey. Once combat is joined, these creatures emerge, attempt to paralyze weak-looking characters, and then drag them (or throw them) into the water.
More than one coven of lacedons might occupy the Deep Well of Paradise. If the PCs make easy work of one group, consider adding a second or even third group that attacks at a later time. This encounter can also be incredibly deadly because of the combination of paralysis and water, so great care should be taken in such an instance.
Health: 12
Damage Inflicted: 5 points
Movement: Short; long when in water
Modifications: Religion and local knowledge as level 5; swimming as level 6.
Combat: During Combat Aware that their stench and their swim speed are their deadliest physical skills, the lacedons try to swarm their foes, bringing as many of their kind as possible within 10 feet of multiple opponents at once. The lacedons attempt to drag paralyzed foes into the water to drown them.
Lacedons saliva contains a paralytic agent. Lacedon bites (and weapons used by ghouls) inflict damage and, on a failed Might defense roll, render the target paralyzed for one minute. A paralyzed target can attempt a Might-based task each round to regain mobility, but for the next minute, attacks, defenses, and movement tasks are hindered.
Lacedons can see in the dark and underwater. They’re blind in full daylight.
Morale These creatures have nothing to lose, and fight with the panicked ferocity of the starving dead.
Treasure: Glittering mounds of silver and copper coins are set casually upon the two islands in the center of the oasis, and a Level 3 Perception check notices a silver, ruby-set crown resting on a rock beside the waterfall—they are bait used by the ghouls to attract the unwary. All told, these coins and art objects are worth 3,600 gp.
Ad Hoc Experience Award: If the PCs erase the symbol of Urgathoa hidden at the bottom of the pool, grant them experience for an EL 7 encounter.
A pile of rubble and burnt timbers lies upon the northern shore of the oasis, its wreckage long overgrown with brittle grasses and hairy vines. Nearby lie numerous shattered gravestones, each bearing the symbol of a sunburst that has been violently scratched out. A heap of wet rocks also marks the half-collapsed remains of a well, its mouth yawning into the darkness below.
This structure once served as a simple shrine to Sarenrae set amid a small garden. Here the Dawnflower’s honored dead were laid to rest, their bodies committed to a place of endless beauty. With the destruction of Sarenrae’s mosque, the Unholy Imams destroyed this shrine and defaced the holy symbols upon the nearby gravestones. Now, their coffins taint the water of the ruined well here, hiding them from the light and all trespassers.
Any creature who descends into the well here discovers the resting places of the Four Unholy Imams, four stone sarcophagi etched with a variety of blasphemous runes.
Dredging the sarcophagi from the bottom of the 40-footdeep well proves a difficult task—each one weighing 2,000 pounds. A simpler solution might appear to be to cast a spell like stone shape on the lip of the well itself or otherwise seal the top of the shaft, thus locking the vampires below. This is a dangerous resolution, however, as the vampire spawn, once sealed in the well, will eventually escape one way or another.
Creatures: The terrible vampire spawn awaken at nightfall and emerge moments later from their sunken stone sarcophagi within the well. Crawling swiftly from the water, the fell things hunt down the PCs as soon as they learn that fresh, humanoid blood is available. They are able to go anywhere except for area 5 within the Deep Well of Paradise, and this encounter might occur wherever the PCs find themselves when night falls.
The four vampire spawn enjoy tormenting their prey, often singing mocking, off-key hymns, speaking casually about terrible atrocities, or even loudly and blasphemously debating scripture. Because they can approach the PCs from multiple angles (including from above, using spider climb and gaseous form), their tactics often include surprise assaults. They do not fear death or violence in any way, and as such take little in the way of precaution when attacking.
Vampire spawn (MM 253)
hp 29
Tactics
During Combat The Four Unholy Imams attack in waves, trusting in their energy-draining strikes to wear down even the most potent foes. They use pack-hunting tactics to bring down single opponents; all four will attempt to grapple a single foe, trusting that one of them will succeed.
Once grappling, the imams immediately begin draining the creature of blood.
Morale Resistant to non-silver weapons, able to heal swiftly from even the most grievous wound, and literally incapable of being permanently destroyed until their coffins are retrieved and unmade, these creatures only flee to regroup or re-coordinate attacks. If three are destroyed, the remaining imam flees back to the well to hide until his brothers heal.
A granite obelisk, easily more than 50 feet tall, stabs into the air here. While its upper reachs are featureless, its lower quarter bears all manner of crude scratches and perverse symbols. A small circle of crushed and blackened skulls caked in layers of melted red wax ring the base of the column, hinting at some manner of blasphemous rite performed here again and again.
When first discovered, this 80-foot-tall granite obelisk seems, from outer inspection, like some profane idol. In truth, though, the symbols of Urgathoa and other blasphemous inscriptions are but graffiti scrawled upon this holy monument by the Four Unholy Imams. Any character who makes a DC 20 Knowledge (religion) check recognizes this obelisk as a sun spire, a rare creation holy to the goddess of redemption. If cleaned and reconsecrated with holy water or bless (or a similar spell), this towering monument might please the Dawnflower once more and serve as a font of her blessings and divine power. Cleansing the spire restores the holy power of the magical Pillar of Dawn Ascendant, causing its entire surface to gleam with supernatural radiance as if eternally catching the flash of sunrise, and reveals the following properties:
Righteous Rest: Any creature that sleeps within 20 feet of the Pillar of Dawn Ascendant add 2 to their recovery roll.
Hope of the New Day: The Pillar of Dawn Ascendant grants all non-evil creatures within 20 feet an asset bonus on all saves to resist effects caused by evil creatures.
Burnt Sacrifice: After setting a small, ritualistic fire at the base of the obelisk and intoning a brief prayer, a goodaligned creature can request divine aid. The supplicant must burn to ash an amount of treasure or a magical item of value equal to or exceeding 1,000 gp. Doing so grants the supplicant and any allies within 20 feet the benefits of the spell protection from evil for 24 hours.
The Pillar of Dawn Ascendant is a powerful magical item similar to a minor artifact, and cannot be destroyed or moved from its location without rendering it inert.
Atop this overgrown bluff stands a bubbling pool of pristine water and the ominous shell of an abandoned mosque. Crumbling and scarred by the soot of some ancient fire, the interior is thoroughly burnt out, reducing the once gleaming edifice to nothing more than a forlorn husk. Nearby lie the broken bones of numerous humanoids, ravaged as if some great beast made a meal of these unfortunates long ago.
A steep slope rises to the ruins of what was once a beauteous desert mosque. Although the path to the holy place collapsed long ago, any creature who makes a DC 15 Climb check can make the 30-foot ascent to the bluff’s top with little trouble.
This small mosque was once the holiest of holy sites within the oasis and generally closed to those travelers who did not venerate Sarenrae. It has fallen far from its past splendor, though, having been badly damaged by violence and by the passage of time. Terribly defiled by the vampire Rotaimvei, it now carries a unique curse: anything that dies within the mosque—an unholy site now dedicated to Urgathoa, the goddess of disease and undeath—rises as an unliving monstrosity, and any undead created slain within 30 feet of the mosque will rejuvenate (as per a ghost) in 2d4 days. The mosque radiates both a strong evil and a strong necromantic aura.
This broken holy place, a ruinous reflection of its former glory, sits here as the final violation struck down upon Sarenrae’s gift: a mass of scratched stones and shattered glass, painted with blasphemies to the goddess of disease. The floors of the minaret that once rose from the mosque have all burnt or fallen away, making it little more than an massive, empty stone cylinder.
Once a large, shining brass symbol of Sarenrae adorned the mosque’s façade, but it has been stripped away by Rotaimvei and his minions and sunk to the bottom of the nearby spring.
Once the temple was sacked and desecrated by Rotaimvei and his servants, he declared himself sole owner of the building’s grounds and revoked the open invitation extended to all who worshiped Sarenrae and who truly desired succor. As such, the four imams cannot enter the building, a fact long ago employed to the advantage of the ettin Kasim-Qahar. If the PCs destroy the ettin skeleton and the spectre lairing here, they might use the location as a safe refuge from which to escape the imams.
As the two undead creatures lurk within the temple unless an intruder compels them to leave, any PC who succeeds at a DC 20 Spot check detects of the presence of the ettin, standing—eerily quiet—within.
Creatures: Here lairs the insane remnants of the paladin Fadiyah al’Qirym. The building is guarded over now by both the paladin’s spectre and the reanimated skeleton of the ettin whom she slew before passing. Neither she nor the skeleton go far from the mosque for any reason, refusing to leave the bluff. Fadiyah al’Qirym is trapped here. When she dies, though, her spirit does not dissipate, rather it is dragged screaming to the stain in the floor where her holy sword lies, hinting at the torment the spectre is too crazed to reveal.
Health: 12
Damage Inflicted: 5 points
Movement: Short
Modifications: Stealth as level 7; tasks related to frightening others as level 6
GM intrusion: The character must succeed on an Intellect defense roll or be possessed by the ghost until they succeed on an Intellect-based task to push it out. While possessed, the character acts just like the ghost did when it was alive.
Combat: Before Combat Antagonistic to all life, the paladin’s spectre sinks into the floor near her fallen shield when she becomes aware of intruders. She emerges and attacks when she hears footfalls come near her, or when PCs are engaged in combat with the ettin skeleton.
During Combat Fadiyah focuses her attacks on divine casters, hoping to slay them with her freezing touch and create more spectres to share in her eternal misery. She is a frighteningly intelligent combatant, and will remain within the floor—using it as cover and striking using lifesensing.
Fadiyah makes a more direct assault if the PCs obtain her fallen shield, wielding Emerlin, or damage the roof, fearing the sunlight that will fill her gravesite if the ceiling is removed.
A ghost doesn’t take damage from mundane physical sources, but it takes half damage from spells and attacks that direct energy, and full damage from weapons designed to affect spirits, psychic attacks, and similar attacks.
A ghost’s touch inflicts freezing damage. Some ghosts can kill victims with fear. A ghost with this ability can attack all creatures within short range with a psychic display so horrible that targets who fail an Intellect defense roll take 4 points of Intellect damage (ignores Armor) and become terrified, freezing in place. In each subsequent round, a terrified victim can attempt an Intellect-based task to push away the fright. Each failed attempt moves the victim one step down the damage track. Not attempting to clear one’s mind of fear counts as a failed attempt. Those killed by fear are marked by expressions of horror and hair that has turned white.
A ghost can move through solid objects of up to level 7 at will, although it can choose to pick up and manipulate objects if it focuses on them. Ghosts can also go into a state of apparent non-existence for hours or days at a time.
Morale Because she secretly hopes only to be destroyed,
Fadiyah fights until reduced to 0 hit-points. The curse of the temple, however, returns her to existence after 2d4 days.
Ettin skeleton
Health: 25
Damage Inflicted: 6 points plus 3 points from necrotic energy
Armor: 3 (immune to necrotic and cold)
Movement: Short
Modifications: Speed defense as level 4 due to size; breaks and throws objects as level 7
Combat: Frighteningly quick for its size and power, the corpse of the two-headed giant attacks any creature it can, smashing anyone within immediate range with its morningstars. It pursues fleeing opponents, but will not leave the bluff under any circumstances.
The undead ettin are immune to necrotic and cold damage, but take additional damage from fire and holy damage (equal to the attack’s normal damage, up to a maximum of 5 additional points of fire damage).
Morale As a fearless and mindless undead being, the skeleton fights until destroyed.
Treasure: The broken shield of Fadiyah lies here, upon a stain of dried blood that represents the last physical remains of the Dawnflower’s servant, Fadiyah.
Ad Hoc Experience Award: Any PCs devoted to Sarenrae can make a Level 5 Knowledge (local) or Knowledge (religion) check to recognize Fadiyah al’Qirym and the tale of her disappearance. Those who witness her death might also make a Level 4 Knowledge (religion) check to note that her soul did not seem to depart, but rather became trapped within the bloodstained mosque. PCs who retrieve the paladin’s holy sword and cast a remove curse spell upon either it or the bloody floor release the spirit of Fadiyah al’Qirym. Parties that perform such an exorcism gain 2 XP. Likewise, the undead-rejuvenating quality of this shrine to Urgathoa can be undone with another remove curse and grants the same experience bonus.
Depending on the goals and motives of the PCs, they may conclude the adventure in a number of ways. If they seek only to confirm the existence of this mythic oasis, they may escape with any looted treasure at any time. If their cause is a holy or heroic one, though, they might not be satisfied until all of the undead haunting the Deep Well of Paradise have been slain, the icons of Urgathoa have been erased, the Four Unholy Imams laid to final rest, Dawn’s Swift Burning is retrieved, and the temple reconsecrated to Sarenrae.
Those who return Dawn’s Swift Burning to another temple of Sarenrae and relate their tale are handsomely rewarded, either with treasures valued at upwards of 7,000 gp, or with other boons. However, if the PCs did not realize that Fadiyah al’Qirym’s soul still has not reached its eternal rest, priests of Sarenrae might prove hesitant to believe the party—or not reward them until her spirit is exorcised. Clearing the oasis of threats greatly pleases the church of the Dawnflower and the lammasu Assad Ashraf-Asim, who promises to heal and protect the Deep Well of Paradise as a desert sanctuary for as long as he lives.