Back to Surveyor’s Headquarters

The Red Company of Surveyors, along with the Fleet of Iron Sails, are, in many ways, the public face of a secret organization known as the Brotherhood of Yrkyth. While their ships charted the Whitewind Sea, the Brotherhood coordinated the gathering of arcane knowledge. They were also involved in the creation of Yrkyth’s “Engima Engine” (the plans for which are still held here within their inner sanctum).

Following Yrkyth’s disappearance in 651 IA, the Brotherhood withdrew even deeper within its cloak of secrecy. Although deeply tied to a variety of Vladaam activities, the Brotherhood is notable because none of the current Vladaam family are members. It’s a secret within a secret. However, the Brotherhood does arrange for certain arcane information gathered by the Brotherhood to be transmitted to the family for its benefit. (For example, the Brotherhood was responsible for forging the family’s connection with the dark dwarves in Catar, which resulted in the family gaining the services of the dark dwarf alchemy masters. See Part 7: Alchemical Labs.)

The sign of the brotherhood are four quills laid over each other to form the pattern of a diamond.

AREA 1 – GRAND ENTRANCE OF THE BROTHERHOOD

The walls, floor, and ceiling of this chamber are polished obsidian.

THE TABLE OF THE BROTHERHOOD: When a command phrase is spoken (“let us hold and send forth the eye of all knowledge”), a table and chairs rise from the living stone of the floor. The table has a long hollow running down its center, which can be filled with liquid for the Toasts of the Brotherhood.

HIDDEN CACHES – DC 20 Wisdom (Investigation): Two hidden caches, each in the center of the long walls, facing each other.

• Cache 1: Holds the Rites of the Brotherhood and Spells from the Wisdom of Arkath. (See handouts.)
• Cache 2: Holds 12 doses of Thoth’s Incense. There is a courier slip inside with a point of origin from an address on Brewer’s Close
• GM’s Background: This is the address of Alchemical Lab 1 – Bodyworks.

STAIRS: Lead to Area 7 of the Surveyor’s Headquarters, above.

AREA 2 – THE STELLAR LUMINOUS TABLET

Upon a three-tiered dais of blue diamond crystal stands a rectangular table upon which stands a strange apparatus next to a crystalline slab which glows with a blue-hued radiation. The light is strange – shadows seem darker here and inexplicable patterns dance in the corners of one’s eyes.

THE TABLET: The crystalline slab is a tablet formed from a white mineral that is always cold to the touch. It bears two columns of angular sigils, one column beneath a crescent glyph and the other beneath a circular glyph.

• Sigils: The sigils resist all magical efforts at translation.

BLUE RADIANCE OF ERYSH: The Stellar Luminous Tablet emits a blue-hued radiation that induces an awareness of the higher order of dimensions. The radiance overpowers all other illumination and resembles ultraviolet “black light” illumination. Within the radiance, as noted above, shadows seem somehow darker than they should be and odd patterns seem to dance.

• DC 16 Intelligence (Arcana): Recognizes the light as the Blue Radiance of Erysh.
• DC 20 Intelligence (Arcana): To be familiar with the properties of the Blue Radiance.
• Divinations: The Blue Radiance of Erysh is an extremely potent tool for the purposes of meditation, divination, and sorcerous research. Divination spells cast within the radiance are treated as if they had been cast with a spell slot one level higher.
• Crafting Magic Items: Magic items crafted within the Blue Radiance of Erysh gain extra potency at the GM’s discretion. (Spells cast through such an item might be treated as being cast with a higher spell slot, but other – and stranger – effects are also encouraged.)
• Madness: Those who make frequent use of the Blue Radiance of Erysh are often subject to obsession and madness. With intense, frequent exposure users become canker ridden and anemic. Anyone casting a divination spell within the Blue Radiance of Erysh must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or suffer a short-term madness. Anyone spending more than 1 hour within the Blue Radiance of Erysh must make a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw (repeated once per day they remain within the radiance) or suffer a long-term madness.

APPARATUS OF LENSES & CRYSTALS: On the dais next to the Tablet. It can be rotated into position over the Tablet.

• DC 12 Intelligence (Arcana): To intuit that the apparatus is divinatory is nature. If the properties of the Blue Radiance are known (per the checks above), the full function of the device can be intuited (as described below).
• DC 20 Intelligence (Arcana): By correctly aligning the lenses and crystals around the Stellar Luminous Tablet and then casting divination spells through it, the efficacy of the Blue Radiance is doubled. (Treat the resulting spell as being cast with a spell slot two levels higher.)

GM Background: Recovered from one of the ecrupoli located throughout the Serpents Teeth in the Whitewind Sea. (The ecrupoli are the ruins left behind from the cities and settlements of Galchutt worshipers.)

(Thanks to Planet Algol for the Blue Radiance of Erysh.)

AREA 3 – SHRINE OF TERROR

The floor at the far end of this chamber is sunken down into a pit containing a cyclopean statue. The statue is positioned so that its head rises just above the edge of the pit, its multi-eyed gaze immediately fixating upon any entering through the door.

STATUE: The statue is broken and badly worn, leaving only the upper body of the figure (which is nevertheless 40 ft. tall). One arm lies on the floor of the pit, curved around the base of the remaining statue.

GM Background: The statue depicts a shaadom (Ptolus, p. 595). It was taken from an ecrupoli in the Serpents Teeth.

EFFECT OF THE STATUE:

• Terror: Creatures gazing upon the statue must make a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. While frightened by this spell, a creature must take the Dash action and move away from the statue by the safest available route on each of its turns, unless there is nowhere to move. If the creatures ends its turn in a location where it doesn’t have direct line of sight to the statue, the creature can make a new DC 14 Wisdom saving throw. On a successful save, the effect ends for that creature.
• Fascination: Creatures who succeed on the first saving throw must make an additional DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or become disturbingly drawn to the statue (moving 10 ft. towards it each turn). The spell lasts until the victim touches the statue or is forcibly removed from the room.
• Lingering Whispers: If a victim touches the statue while under the effects of fascination, the statue will enter their dreams. Each night they will be visited by a progressively disturbing vision of the statue (starting with its eyes, torso, and eventually revealing the writhing tentacles of its lower body). This is accompanied by sibilant whispers and the like. The victim will awake each morning having suffered 1d2 levels of exhaustion.

The lingering whispers of the statue can be removed by casting remove curse with a 5^th level spell slot within an area affected by a hallow spell.

AREA 4 – THE SAGA OF YRKYTH

The walls of this outer chamber are inscribed with the Saga of Yrkyth (see handouts).

AREA 5 – SHRINE OF YRKYTH

A bronze statue depicts a one-armed man with a handsome, bearded face. One foot is raised to stand upon a thrust promontory of black rock. The figure’s gaze seems fixed upon some distant horizon. The name YRKYTH is emblazoned across the base of the statue.

DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation): To find a compartment hidden in the promontory of black rock which contains the Enigma Engine Lore (see handouts).

AREA 6 – GUILD INITIATION CHAMBERS

These chambers are used as a processional of initiation into the Brotherhood of Yrkyth.

AREA 6A – CHAMBER OF WANDS

Six wands are laid out on a table of mahogany in the center of the room.

• wand of magic missiles
• wand of invisibility
• wand of darkness
• wand of magic missiles
• wand of false life
• wand of enlarge person

GM Background – Initiation Ritual: The initiate must take one of the wands and break it, representing their dominion over arcane lore and their contempt for the trappings of power (when the true power lies within them).

AREA 6B – CHAMBER OF EGGS

The southern end of this chamber (beyond the pillars) is shrouded in magical darkness.

EGGS: Upon marble plinth sitting within the darkness are three eggs – two blue eggs and one red egg.

GM Background – Initiation Ritual: An initiate must break the two blue eggs without harming the red egg.

AREA 6C – CHAMBER OF THE SIGIL

A small writing station with various inks and tattooing instruments faces the far wall of the chamber. One sits at the station cross-legged upon a padded cushion.

ARCANE SIGIL: An invisible arcane mark is written upon the wall, directly in front of the writing station. Anyone capable of seeing it will find that it glows with an almost blinding intensity (DC 10 Constitution saving throw or blinded for 1d10 minutes). The sigil has a different color for each person who views it – sometimes the difference is subtle in hue; often it is radically different. Many report undertones to the hue of an unearthly or indescribable character.

GM Background – Initiation Ritual: An initiate must copy the sigil onto their own body. This is extremely difficult (requiring an appropriate skill check at DC 24), although using a prestidigitation spell makes it easier (requiring a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check).

AREA 6D – CHAMBER OF THE OATH

The entrance to this chamber is blocked by a wall of fire. Anyone bearing the sigil from Area 6C can pass through this wall of fire freely.

THE BLACK REVELER: Upon the wall is what appears to be the mounted body of some feathered monstrosity, but is, in fact, just a cleverly constructed fake.

THE SIGN OF THE BROTHERHOOD: The four-quilled diamond-feather guild badge appears in bas relief upon the floor.

GM Background – Initiation Ritual: An initiate must kneel upon the Sign of the Brotherhood before the Black Reveler (which depicts one of the incarnations of Bhor Kei) and swear the Oath of the Brotherhood of Yrkyth (see handouts).

Go to Part 14C: Crypts of the Brotherhood