SESSION 17D: SHILUKAR’S SECRETS

March 9th, 2008
The 7th Day of Kadal in the 790th Year of the Seyrunian Dynasty

Once they were satisfied that they had explored the entire complex, the group turned its attention to a more thorough search in the hope of turning up the antidote for Lord Abbercombe.

Unfortunately, the antidote was not to be found. But scattered throughout the laboratory, the warren of the spider-things, and Shilukar’s bedchamber they found a large number of notes and other papers. Many of these were written in strange characters resembling those they had found upon the obsidian statues within Ghul’s Labyrinth, and these required Ranthir’s arcane arts to decipher.

In addition to the works described in full below, they also discovered The Book of Lesser Chaos, which described in detail a technomantic art known as “chaositech”.

(more…)

Go to Part 1

Moving beyond the major villains, the Grand Game also features the participation of any number of other factions (including the PCs).

GRALHUNDS

The Gralhunds are a minor faction (at least compared to the four main villains) involved in the Grand Game. They simply hope to obtain the Vault for themselves, and use its riches to elevate their position in Waterdeep’s high society. (As described on p. 213, the Gralhunds believe that Lady Yalah should have been elevated to the Masked Lords years ago following the events in the novel Death Masks.)

Many dismiss the Gralhunds as petty schemers, but the truth is that they have had to be clever and conniving in order to punch above their weight-class in Waterdeep’s labyrinthine politics. Even now, as they play the Grand Game, they are struggling to compete with organizations that are far larger and have far more resources.

Thinking outside of the box, they embedded agents in Renaer Neverember’s household months ago. Because Renaer was estranged from his father, they knew it was a long-shot, but it paid off: The agents spotted Dalakhar’s surveillance of Renaer and identified him as an agent of Lord Neverember. When Dalakhar was abruptly pulled off of that assignment, the agents followed a hunch, followed up, and discovered he had ended up in Xanathar’s organization (presumably still on orders from Lord Neverember). The Gralhunds didn’t know that Xanathar held the Stone of Golorr, but when it was stolen they were among the first to suspect (and then know) that Dalakhar was responsible.

THE NIMBLEWRIGHT: Two days after Dalakhar stole the Stone, the Gralhunds located him and dispatched their newly acquired nimblewright to find him. In Trollskull Alley, the nimblewright uses a fireball spell to kill Dalakhar and the Zhentarim agents trailing him. The nimblewright then grabs the Stone of Golorr from Dalakhar’s corpse and flees the scene, returning to the Gralhund Villa with his prize (see Part 2).

DESIGN NOTE

The key decision here was to simplify the Gralhund back story. This quickly eliminates a whole slew of continuity errors from the campaign and simplifies a rather convoluted intrigue that the players are unlikely to ever fully fathom. But we’ve also simultaneously increased the scope of the Grand Game (by establishing that there are numerous minor factions all wrapped up in the intrigue) and given ourselves the opportunity to dynamically increase the number of factions involved in the Gralhund Villa sequence (see Part 2).

OTHER MINOR FACTIONS

OPEN LORD: The Open Lord of Waterdeep isn’t exactly a “minor” faction, but Laeral Silverhand is considerably behind the curve in the current Grand Game. She knows that Lord Neverember embezzled 500,000 dragons from the city, but as Dragon Heist begins she is under the belief that he already has the money in Neverwinter. She has agents working to recover it there, but little hope of succeeding (as she believes it has likely already been laundered into Neverember’s expansive plans for rebuilding and expanding Neverwinter). She has heard rumors of Neverember’s Enigma, but has yet to connect that with the missing dragons, and is also unaware of the Stone of Golorr (although she knows that a powerful artifact was stolen from the palace during the confused time period when Neverember was being ousted from power).

The most likely avenue for that to change — and potentially change rapidly — is through information blabbed to the City Watch. This could happen as early as Scenario 1 (depending on exactly what Renaer and/or the PCs report to the watch), but it’s quite possible for the Open Lord to never fully twig to what’s happening.

THE UNSEEN: James Introcaso, one of the original designers for Dragon Heist, wrote a supplement for the campaign called Unseen Waterdeep. It includes a new villain for the campaign — a half-doppelganger, half-illithid hybrid running a small gang of shapechangers who wants the gold in order to fund bribes to discover the identities of the Masked Lords (who he intends to assassinate and replace with his shapechangers).

If you want to crank up the byzantine complexities of the Grand Game by adding in more villainous factions, the Unseen are a great plug-and-play option for that. I’m not going to discuss them at great length, but:

• Consider introducing the Unseen by having them send a doppelganger disguised as a friend or ally of the PCs to politely pump them for information. (They may also be targeting other factions with the same tactic. Their goal is to quickly play catch-up in the Grand Game.)
• I would avoid adding the Unseen to the Gralhund Villa sequence (see Part 2). Partly to keep that complexity of the sequence under control, but mostly because adding them a little later will create the feeling that the Grand Game is attracting more attention and the stakes are ratcheting up.
• However, if the PCs have staged a successful heist on Jarlaxle’s ship without tipping him off about Neverember’s Enigma, then the Unseen can very easily slip in and fill that vacuum in any sequence where I discuss Bregan D’Aerthe’s involvement.

DESIGN NOTES

The Unseen also make a convenient exemplar for how other factions of your own design can be added to the campaign. Note that their method of introduction to the campaign is via a unique vector: The Zhentarim have kidnapped people. Cassalanters ask the PCs for help (perhaps in exchange for a percentage). The PCs have to ask Jarlaxle for help. The Gralhunds launched a violent assault. The Unseen’s introduction comes via social subterfuge and deceit. Similarly, the Unseen are also capable of deploying tactics that the other factions can’t. If you’re adding a new faction, try to make sure they’re bringing something new to the table, and not just rehashing what the current factions already provide.

BONNIE’S DOPPELGANGERS / THE BLACK VIPER: These aren’t really factions. They’re small, independent operators who almost certainly lack the resources to go up against the big players. (Of course, the same thing could be said of the PCs.)

Whatever the case may be, Bonnie’s Doppelgangers and the Black Viper are good examples of small-time players who can get swept up in the Grand Game.

• They might interfere with heists. (Either pursuing the same objective or just coincidentally breaking into the same establishment in pursuit of some other item of value.)
• They might be hired by NPCs to accomplish any number of ends. But, in particular, they might seek to steal the Stone and/or the Eyes from the PCs.
• They might also offer their services to the PCs (or be found by the PCs if they go looking for such services).

(Bonnie’s doppelgangers are described on p. 20 and are part of faction missions on p. 35 and 37. The Black Viper is described on p. 196 and is part of faction missions on p. 39 and 40. She also appears at the Cassalanter Estate, as described on p. 118.)

Go to Part 1C: Player Character Factions

Recently I reviewed Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, the most recent campaign supplement for Dungeons & Dragons from Wizards of the Coast. That review highlighted a number of places where, unfortunately, I felt that Dragon Heist came up a little short in terms of its design. Since writing that review, I’ve had several people ask — based in part, perhaps, on my previous experience remixing the Keep on the Shadowfell and Eternal Lies — if I would “fix” Dragon Heist for them.

Short answer: Yes.

Unlike Hoard of the Dragon Queen, for which I received similar requests, Dragon Heist has a lot of really great material in it. Material that’s worth bringing to your gaming table. The primary goal of this remix is, in fact, to make sure that you can bring even MORE of this material to your gaming table than the published campaign allows, and to re-structure the material in a way that will make it easy and rewarding for you to run the campaign.

With that being said: If you’re expecting something as expansive as my remix of Eternal Lies or as mechanically-oriented as my remix of Keep on the Shadowfell, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. My goal with Dragon Heist is more narrowly focused, although it will perhaps serve as an exemplar of how I often rework published material in order to create a richer, more dynamic, and (importantly) more robust scenario.

EDIT: In the course of writing and developing the Alexandrian Remix, the scope of the project expanded. This is discussed in more detail in Part 7: How the Remix Works, but the originally design-oriented discussion ambitiously grew into a much more prodigious project than I’d originally intended. These essays were not designed for use at the table, and became even less useful as such as time went by. If this is your first time visiting the remix, I recommend reading through this series to understand how and why it works. If you’re looking to actually run the remix, you’ll want to have run-time notes: A description of those can be found in Part 7.

This advice also holds if you’re ever feeling overwhelmed by the minutia of the Remix: Skip to Part 7 and read “How the Remix Works” followed by “A Simple Checklist.” It’s easier than you think!

COLLECTED EDITION

Patrons of the Alexandrian can download a collected edition of the Remix. This includes:

• The Complete Collection, a PDF with all 25 parts of the Remix plus the original review, addendums, and Running the Campaign essays in one convenient file.
• Justin’s Running Files, a Patron-exclusive collection of the documents I actually ran the campaign from (as described above and in Part 7 of the Remix). These are presented in Word format for easy editing and re-arranging to your heart’s content.

Review: Dragon Heist

Part 1: The Villains
Part 1B: Other Factions
Part 1C: Player Character Factions
Part 2: Gralhund Villa
Part 3: Faction Outposts
Part 3B: More Faction Outposts
Part 3C: Response Teams
Part 3D: Other Response Teams
Part 4: The Eyes of the Stone
Part 4B: Bregan D’Aerthe – Sea Maidens Faire
Part 4C: Cassalanter Villa
Part 4D: Xanathar’s Lair
Part 4E: Zhentarim – Kolat Towers
Part 5: Clues and Timelines
Part 5B: Finding Floon
Part 5C: The Nimblewright Investigation
Part 5D: Backtracking Dalakhar & Kalain
Part 5E: Outpost and Lair Revelation List
Part 6: Golorr Artifacts
Part 6B: The Brandath Crypts
Part 6C: The Vault
Part 6D: Faction Reports (Gralhund/Jarlaxle)
Part 6E: Faction Reports (Cassalanter)
Part 6F: Faction Reports (Xanathar/Zhentarim)
Part 7: How the Remix Works

ADDENDUMS
Addendum: First Impressions
Addendum: The Twin Parades
Addendum: Fancy Props
Addendum: Other Collaborators
Addendum: A Night in Trollskull Manor
Addendum: The Dragon of Dragon Heist
Addendum: Timelines & Starting the Campaign
Addendum: The Blinded Stone
Addendum: Tutors for the Orphans
Addendum: Dragon Heist – Accelerated!

From Waterdeep to Avernus

LORE
Forgotten Realms: A Textual History of the Yawning Portal

RUNNING THE CAMPAIGN
Running the Campaign: A Party at Shipwrights’ House
Running the Campaign: The Manshoon Heists
Running the Campaign: Creating the Characters
Dragon Heist: The Final Session

TRANSLATIONS
Chinese

DESIGN GOALS

In remixing Dragon Heist, I have three primary goals.

First, I want to make it a HEIST. Or, more accurately, multiple heists.

Second, I want to eliminate the original “pick a villain” gimmick and instead restructure the campaign to feature ALL OF THE VILLAINS. The goal is to get all of the factions interested in the Vault competing with each other, and then thrust the PCs into the middle of that situation, bouncing around and causing all kinds of chaos.

Third, we’ll be doing a general FIX-UP JOB. This will include an attempt to clean up the broken continuity in the published campaign and also an effort to make the campaign’s scenario structure more robust (by applying the Three Clue Rule, for example).

Because I don’t want to get too consumed with minutia, however, this final point will not take the form of attempting to track down every single continuity error in the scenario. Instead, I’ll be looking to perform a broader reorganization of Dragon Heist’s back story that will hopefully rearrange its diverse parts into a coherent whole, and then trust the DM to resolve the local continuity appropriately using these broad reference documents as their touchstone.

Even if you don’t own Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, I hope you’ll find some points of interest in my design notes and other discussion. But it probably goes without saying that in order to actually use this remix, you’ll need to own a copy of the book.

We’ll begin with the villains.

THE GRAND GAMES

Periodically throughout Waterdeep’s history the byzantine factions of the city — or some significant subset thereof — will become collectively fixated upon some objective. Thus will begin a Grand Game.

Sometimes the goal of a Grand Game will be arcane. Often it is clandestine, although quite public struggles are not unknown. (On no less than three occasions the Grand Game has revolved around the appointment of the Open Lord.) Whatever the case, the intense rivalries of the Grand Game give birth to all forms of subterfuge, covert activities, deception, and intrigue.

This is very much the case with the current quest for Dagult Neverember’s vault. Obliquely referred to by many players of the Grand Game as Neverember’s Enigma, the truth of the vault was sought even before the players realized it was a vault. At first, it was merely known that the disgraced and ousted Neverember was keeping some momentous secret, and those involved in the Game yearned to discover what the former Open Lord of Waterdeep was hiding.

When the vast scope of his embezzlement — a half million gold dragons! — came to light, however, many intuited the truth behind Neverember’s Enigma and its pursuit became even more frenzied.

In terms of the Dragon Heist campaign, we will focus on five factions participating in the Grand Game:

• Xanathar, a beholder crime boss
• the Zhentarim, a network of assassins and mercenaries
• the Cassalanters, a devil-worshipping noble family
• Jarlaxle Baenre, a drow swashbuckler who is the secret lord of a city, leader of the dark elf mercenary group Bregan D’Aerthe, and has surreptitiously come to Waterdeep as the captain of a traveling circus
• the Gralhunds, a minor noble family who is way out of their league

For each of these factions, we will want to know:

• What they’re planning to do with the gold (which is largely, with the exception of our revised version of the Gralhunds, dealt with in the original book)
• How they became involved with Neverember’s Enigma and what their current strategy for pursuing the Grand Game is
• How the PCs first interact with them and become aware of their involvement in the Grand Game

DESIGN NOTES

The concept of the “Grand Game” was created to give a convenient label to the proceedings. As the PCs are exposed to this label, it will help them conceptualize what they have become a part of. It also elevates the hunt for the vault, tying it into the long history of the city and the rivalry of its factions. As the PCs make the choice to join the Grand Game, it will be clear to them that they have crossed a threshold and become part of something larger than anything they have taken part in before. (And thus they themselves have become more important.)

The terminology of “Neverember’s Enigma” is deliberately cryptic. It allows the participants of the Grand Game to speak in code while wrapping their words in elliptical euphemisms, creating a sense of mystery which will invite the PCs to drive forward and discover the truth of what’s happening.

XANATHAR

When Xanathar had the Stone of Golorr stolen from the Palace of Waterdeep, he only knew that he was stealing an object of great importance to Lord Neverember (i.e., Neverember’s Enigma). When he later learned about the missing dragons, he believed that he was now in possession of the whole key to Neverember’s Vault. And he was perfectly happy with that. You don’t need to actually hold the gold if you’re the one who controls its location.

What he didn’t know was that the Stone of Golorr had been blinded by Lord Neverember, who removed its three Eyes. (More on this in Part 4 of the remix.)

Then the Zhentarim came to him with one of the Eyes and said, “We have two different parts of this puzzle. We’d like to make a deal.” Xanathar was enraged at both their presumption and his own folly, slew the Zhentarim envoys, and took the Eye they had brought to him.

Thus began the gang war between the Zhentarim and Xanathar. Xanathar was convinced that the Zhentarim had the other Eyes. (They didn’t. Although that changes shortly after Dragon Heist begins; see below.) The Zhentarim, for their part, wanted both vengeance AND their Eye back (and the Stone of Golorr itself for good measure).

The gang war, in turn, became the point at which everyone who knows what’s really going on in Waterdeep (or likes to think they do) became aware that a Grand Game was in progress. In the process, Dagult Neverember became aware that it was Xanathar who had stolen the Stone of Golorr and he reassigns Dalakhar to infiltrate Xanathar’s organization and steal the Stone back.

ZHENTARIM

The Zhentarim were originally founded as a mercenary force by the wizard Manshoon, but they’ve been a fractured organization ever since the Manshoon Wars, when multiple clones of Manshoon warred for supremacy.

Most of Manshoon’s clones were destroyed during the Manshoon Wars, but yet another has recently returned to Waterdeep (claiming, as they all do, to be the one true Manshoon). When he peeled off a large hunk of the local Zhentarim network that had been established by the Doom Raiders (see p. 198 of Dragon Heist), he became aware that Lord Neverember had used the local Zhentarim’s resources to embezzle hundreds of thousands of gold dragons from the government.

Manshoon wanted to know where that money has gone. He knew that Neverember didn’t actually have it in his possession, so he sent agents to infiltrate Neverember’s household in Neverwinter to find out. Those agents weren’t able to fully ascertain where the gold was, but they did identify the Eye as the key to getting it. They stole the Eye from the Protector’s Enclave and brought it to Manshoon, who through a combination of divinations and other espionage efforts eventually connected it to the Stone of Golorr which Xanathar had stolen.

CHAPTER 1 – A FRIEND IN NEED: After he lost his Eye to Xanathar, Manshoon needed to get back in the game. His agents eventually concluded that Neverember’s son, Renaer, might have another of the Eyes. They were right, although Renaer didn’t know it: His father had given him an elaborate, ivory mourning locket in honor of his mother. The Eye was hidden inside it.

The full dynamic in the first chapter, therefore, is this:

• Zhentarim agents snatch Renaer Neverember and his friend Floon Blagmaar.
• While questioning Renaer in Area Z5, they realize that the Eye is in the mourning locket and take the locket from Renaer.
• Renaer is hauled back down to Area Z2 and tied up next to Floon. Upstairs, the Zhentarim break open the locket (it can still be found in Area Z5), remove the Eye, and give it to a courier to carry to Manshoon.
• Floon is then hauled upstairs for questioning (the Zhentarim want to see if he might be worth a ransom).
• Xanathar’s agents storm the warehouse. They immediately find “the prisoner” (i.e., Floon), assume he’s Renaer, and several of their agents hustle him out to their sewer hideout. Meanwhile, Renaer takes advantage of the confusion downstairs to slip his bonds and hide in Area Z2.
• Xanathar’s agents do a perfunctory sweep of the warehouse and then take off, leaving the kenku behind to kill any Zhents who show up.

Renaer will be able to tell the PCs that he was questioned by the Zhents about the half million dragons his father stole from the city; then they ripped off a locket that was very precious to him. If they find the locket and see the (now empty) secret compartment inside it, Renaer can also tell them that he had no idea that the compartment existed or what was stored inside it.

DESIGN NOTES

The opening scenario thus introduces the PCs to both the Zhentarim and Xanathar. It should also become clear that they’re both interested in the money Dagult Neverember stole, but the exact nature of what’s being fought over (i.e., the Stone of Golorr) should remain a mystery at this juncture.

The other thing we’re doing here is cleaning up one of the scenario’s major continuity errors: Why was Renaer kidnapped? At this point in the timeline, the Zhentarim already know that Xanathar has the Stone of Golorr and that the Stone is the only way of finding the vault. Questioning him “about the whereabouts of the Stone of Golorr”, as the adventure suggests, makes no sense.

JARLAXLE BAENRE

As Dragon Heist begins, Jarlaxle is unaware of the Stone of Golorr or the Grand Game which is being played. His current agenda, as described in the campaign, is to convince the leaders of Waterdeep to support Luskan’s bid to join the Lords’ Alliance. Freshly arrived in his cover identity as Captain Zord of the Sea Maiden’s Faire, Jarlaxle is coordinating and ramping up his local intelligence operations.

NIMBLEWRIGHTS: One of Jarlaxle’s main objectives right now is the sale of nimblewrights. Built by the technomancers of Luskan, he’s brought several dozen of these constructs with him and is selling them at surprisingly compelling prices.

Why? Because he’s actually harvesting data from them. In Jarlaxle’s stateroom onboard the Scarlet Marpenoth (Area U4, see p. 143) there is a specialized crystal ball that allows him to look out through the eyes of any nimblewright and even review what they’ve seen. (We might think of this as a “recording”, but Jarlaxle refers to it as a record of witness.)

After the PCs identify that a nimblewright is responsible for the fireball in Trollskull Alley, they’ll be able to trace the local nimblewrights back to “Captain Zord”. If they speak with Jarlaxle about the nimblewright they’re seeking, he’ll first want to know why they’re looking for it. Following up on whatever the PCs tell him, his agents will discover the hunt for the Stone of Golorr (or he’ll simply review the record of witness for the appropriate nimblewright and discover the Gralhunds’ schemes).

Alternatively, the PCs might decide not to talk to him and instead sneak in and steal his records of sale (or access the records of witness in the crystal ball for themselves). Which is great because, bang, you’ve got a heist pointed at Jarlaxle’s ship.

DESIGN NOTES

If the PCs perform a heist on the nimblewright proprietor instead of speaking with Jarlaxle, it’s very possible that Jarlaxle won’t become aware of the Grand Game and his agents will not become involved in later stages of the scenario. That’s fine, though, because we’ve already gotten maximum bang for our buck from the player-initiated heist, right?

Full details on how the nimblewright-focused investigation is structured will be found in Part 5 of the remix.

CASSALANTERS

The Cassalanters were actually interested in Neverember’s Enigma even before they knew that 500,000 dragons were on the line: Lord Neverember was not the first person to hide secrets within the Stone of Golorr, and through their fiendish researches the Cassalanters have identified a number of other lucrative and powerful lines of inquiry they would like to pursue (see Part 6 of the remix).

They discovered that Neverember had hidden one of the Eyes in the crypt of Lady Alethea Brandath, Renaer’s mother. They went to the crypt and extracted the Eye from the magical wards Dagult Neverember had placed around it. (Ironically, they were literally standing on top of the Vault itself and didn’t know it.)

When the Cassalanters learned about the embezzled gold, however, their priorities quickly shifted: They saw an opportunity to save their children from the pact they had made with Asmodeus.

A PLEA FOR HELP: After the explosion, during the time that they’re investigating the nimblewrights, the PCs are contacted by the Cassalanters, who request an audience. The Cassalanters’ own agents were in Trollskull Alley that day because they, too, were tracking the Stone, so they know that Dalakhar was trying to bring the Stone to the PCs.

When the PCs arrive at the Cassalanter estate:

• They are given an opportunity to “accidentally” meet the Cassalanters’ children, who come running into the Entrance Hall (C1) while the PCs are waiting.
• Lady Cassalanter comes out personally to gather the PCs from the Entrance Hall and shoos the children away. She leads the PCs to the Reading Room (Area C4), where they can look out over the Butterfly Garden (Area C25). The children have scampered through the mudroom and are playing out there now. (Make sure to mention the black dragon head mounted on the wall of the room.)
• Lady Cassalanter introduces her husband and they tell the PCs a modified version of their plight: The twins were cursed at their birth by Asmodean cultists to lose their souls on their ninth birthday. The Cassalanters have discovered a ritual which can save them, but it requires them to sacrifice “one shy of a million gold coins”. They are quite rich, but even in leveraging everything they own they still can’t raise that monstrous sum. If they could get their hands on Neverember’s ill-gotten gains, though… Will the PCs please help them?
• And then, of course, Lady Cassalanter turns to gaze wistfully at her children frolicking with the butterflies.

Obviously they don’t tell the PCs that the ritual also involves killing 99 people. (Unless they have some reason to think that the PCs would think that to be a great idea.) They don’t technically need all the money, and are willing to cut the PCs in on 10% of it or agree to return the surplus funds to the city.

THE FEAST: If the PCs agree to help and succeed in delivering the gold to the Cassalanters, they receive invitations to the feast where Ammalia poisons 99 guests in the garden pavilion and the final ritual is performed.

You may be tempted to have the Cassalanters betray the PCs by having them be among the 99, but I actually recommend the opposite: If the PCs have delivered as promised, the Cassalanters are more than pleased with their work and are looking forward to a long and prosperous friendship with them. They’re invited to feast in the Banquet Hall (Area C15) where all the non-sacrificial guests are celebrating.

If the PCs haven’t discovered the Cassalanters’ true motives, it will be far more effective for them to be horrified by their implication in the mass murder.

DESIGN NOTES

As far as I can tell, Renaer’s mother has never been given a first name, so I’ve provided one. If I’m in error on this (I haven’t, for example, read the novels the Neverembers appear in) please let me know.

Note that everything the Cassalanters tell the PCs is true… from a certain point of view.

Go to Part 1B: Other Factions

Go to Dream Pacts (Part 1)

CATAR, THE ILL WIND

Catar appears in the Dreaming as a whirlwind carved into the form of a human man. His voice is the howl of a tornado hushed to a roaring whisper. He is the ill wind of sour fortune and a manifestation of bad luck. He bears about him the hot, dry despair of the desert.

Those shielded by Catar’s presence, however, can twist fortune to their own ends. He makes a poor companion, but a worthy ally.

Spirit Circle: 5^th

Pact Check DC: 25

Physical Sign: Hair constantly tossles as if caught in a strong wind.

Influence:

• Critique any plan with worst case scenarios.
• Cannot gamble or play games of chance.

Granted Powers:

• Broken Luck: At will as an immediate action, reroll one attack roll, saving throw, or skill that you have just made. You must accept the result of the reroll, even if it is worse than the original.
• Catar’s Grace: At all times when bound to Catar, gain a +2 insight bonus to Reflex saves and Armor Class.
• Luck’s Favor: At will as an immediate action, any luck bonuses you gain from any source are increased by +1 for 1 round.

CHARABIM, GUARDIAN OF THE BLESSED CHILDREN

Blessed children are the spirits of those who have yet to be born into the world. The raw future-potential of their spirits feed a vast realm within the Dreaming which is difficult or impossible for those who have been born into the world to return to again. This realm is guarded by Charabim, a powerful Spirit Lord whose blessing is often sought at moments of birth and rebirth.

Charabim usually manifests as a winged man with flaming hair. He is often stern and unforgiving, but never without compassion.

Spirit Circle: 5^th

Pact Check DC: 25

Physical Sign: Eyes glow with a bright, white light. White-feathered wings on the back (insufficient for flight) which also glow softly with a white light.

Influence:

• Protect the young and helpless.
• Must attack undead.

Granted Powers:

• Detect Undead: At will, as per the spell.
• Hide from Undead: Activate at will as a standard action, as per the spell except the DC for intelligent undead to ignore the effect is DC 10 + ½ your effective binding level + your Charisma modifier.
• Paralysis of the Lost Soul: As a standard action, you can make a touch attack to paralyze a living soul by temporarily returning their soul to the misty borderlands surrounding the realms of the Blessed Children within the Dreaming. The touched creature must succeed on a Will save or be paralyzed for a number of rounds equal to ½ your effective binding level. Each round on its turn, the paralyzed creature can attempt a new saving throw as a full-round action, with success returning their soul to their body and ending the effect immediately.
• Speak with Dead: At will as a standard action, as per the spell.
• Summon the Blessed Child: You can summon a blessed child as per a summon monster spell. You can summon no more than a single a blessed child at a time, and if the blessed child is destroyed or lost you cannot summon another for 1 hour.

BALASAM (CR ½) – Good Medium Outsider (Extraplanar, Good)
DETECTION – darkvision 60 ft., Listen +8, Spot +7; Init +0
DEFENSES – AC 14 (+4 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 14; hp 15 (2d8+6); DR 5/magic;  Immune unborn child immunities (ability damage, critical hits, disease, energy drain, massive damage, mind-affecting, nonlethal damage, paralysis, poison, sleep, stunning); Resist turn +3; Weakness negative turning
ACTIONS – Spd fly 80 ft. (average); Melee longsword +3 (1d8+1); Ranged +2; Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.; Base Atk +2; Grapple +3
SQ +3 turn resistance, unborn spirit, darkvision 60 ft.
STR 12, DEX 10, CON 16, INT 6, WIS 12, CHA 15
FORT +6, REF +3, WILL +4
FEATS: Alertness
SKILLS: Diplomacy +4, Heal +6, Hide +5, Listen +8, Move Silently +5, Sense Motive +6, Spot +7

DAYAD (CR 4) – Good Medium Outsider (Extraplanar, Good)
DETECTION – darkvision 60 ft., Listen +13, Spot +13; hp 45 (6d8+18); Immune unborn child immunities (ability damage, critical hits, disease, energy drain, massive damage, mind-affecting, nonlethal damage, paralysis, poison, sleep, stunning); Resist turn +5; Weakness negative turning
ACTIONS – Spd fly 80 ft. (perfect); Melee longsword +9/+4 (2d6+4); Ranged +6; Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.; Base Atk +6; Grapple +9; Atk Options smite undead; Combat Feats Combat Reflexes
SQ +5 turn resistance, unborn spirit, darkvision 60 ft.
STR 16, DEX 10, CON 16, INT 10, WIS 14, CHA 15
FORT +8, REF +5, WILL +7
FEATS: Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative
SKILLS: Diplomacy +4, Heal +11, Hide +9, Listen +13, Knowledge (religion) +9, Move Silently +9, Seach +9, Sense Motive +11, Spot +13

FAELOM (CR 7) – Good Medium Outsider (Extraplanar, Good)
DETECTION – darkvision 60 ft., Listen +18, Spot +18; Init +5
DEFENSES – AC 17 (+1 Dex, +6 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 16; hp 85 (10d8+40); DR 10/magic; Immune unborn child immunities (ability damage, critical hits, disease, energy drain, massive damage, mind-affecting, nonlethal damage, paralysis, poison, sleep, stunning); Resist turn +5; Weakness negative turning
ACTIONS – Spd fly 80 ft. (perfect); Melee greatsword +14/+9 (2d6+6); Ranged +11; Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.; Base Atk +10; Grapple +14; Atk Options smite undead; Combat Feats Combat Reflexes
SQ +5 turn resistance, unborn spirit, darkvision 60 ft.
STR 18, DEX 12, CON 18, INT 10, WIS 16, CHA 18
FORT +11, REF +8, WILL +14
FEATS: Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Iron Will
SKILLS: Diplomacy +26, Heal +16, Hide +14, Knowledge (religion) +13, Listen +18, Move Silently +14, Search +13, Sense Motive +16, Spot +1

HAALAS (CR 10) – Good Medium Outsider (Extraplanar, Good)
DETECTION – darkvision 60 ft., Listen +26, Spot +26; Init +5
DEFENSES – AC 21 (+1 Dex, +10 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 20; hp 136 (16d8+64); DR 10/magic; Immune unborn child immunities (ability damage, critical hits, disease, energy drain, massive damage, mind-affecting, nonlethal damage, paralysis, poison, sleep, stunning); Resist turn +5; Weakness negative turning
ACTIONS – Spd fly 100 ft. (perfect); Melee +22/+17/+12 greatsword (2d6+9); Ranged +17; Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.; Base Atk +16; Grapple +22; Atk Options smite undead; Combat Feats Combat Reflexes
SQ +5 turn resistance, unborn spirit, darkvision 60 ft.
STR 22, DEX 12, CON 18, INT 12, WIS 20, CHA 20
FORT +14, REF +13, WILL +17
FEATS: Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes
SKILLS: Diplomacy +26, Heal +24, Hide +20, Knowledge (religion) +20, Listen +26, Move Silently +20, Search +20, Sense Motive +24, Spot +26

Negative Turning Weakness: Blessed children can be turned by evil clerics or rebuked by good clerics.

Smite Undead: +2 attack bonus and +1 damage per 2 HD vs. undead.

Unborn Spirit: Immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and disease. Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive damage.

Special: A good-aligned cleric can summon a blessed child using a summon monster spell. Summon monster II brings a balasam, summon monster IV brings a dayad, summon monster VI brings a faelom, an dsummon monster VIII brings a haalas.

FASSA, THE LADY OF THE STORMY SEAS

Fassa is the drowner of sailors and the wrecker of vessels. She is also the beauty of the ocean’s ravages and the swirling of the deeps. She has storm-tousled black hair, and sea-gray eyes. Her demeanor is surprisingly placid considering the wrath of her manifested rage.

Spirit Circle: 6^th

Pact Check DC: 26

Physical Sign: Anyone touched receives a small, harmless electrical shock.

Influence:

• A love of the water, but feel the need to disrupt any placid surface.

Granted Powers:

• Freedom of Movement: As a swift action, you benefit from freedom of movement, as per the spell.
• Immunity to Electricity: At all times while bound to Fassa, you gain immunity to electricity damage.
• Ocean’s Friend: At all times while bound to Fassa, you gain a swim speed equal to your land speed and can use the run action while swimming in a straight line. You also gain a +8 racial bonus to Swim checks and can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered.
• Storm’s Fury: As a swift action, you can charge a melee attack or melee touch attack with +1d6 electricity and +1d6 sonic damage. If the attack misses, the bonus damage is harmlessly discharged.

KARNAK, LORD OF THE DREAMSHREDDERS

The karnaxic are strange admixtures of boiling shadow and hard, sharp metal. They are often seen running in packs, using their long, scythe-like claws to rip apart the structures of the Dreaming itself, rendering it back into great ribbon-like clouds of primordial chaos. Some view of them as mindless destroyers, while others think them a natural (albeit violent) part of the Dreaming’s chaotic nature. They have been known to pose a danger to dreamers, but most often leave them alone. They are particularly plentiful along the borderlands of the Tainted Dreaming.

Bearing features similar to the karnaxic but standing upright like a man, Lord Karnax is often seen running with them as their pactleader. He is stern of countenance, but given to feral rages. He keeps the karnaxic in check.

Spirit Circle: 6^th

Pact Check DC: 26

Physical Sign: The fingers lengthen into sharp, curved points of cold iron, forming karnaxic claws.

Influence:

• A desire to take control of any situation.
• Easily enraged by insubordination or contradiction.

Granted Powers:

• Dream Strengthening: At all times while bound to Karnax, the saving throw DC (if any) of special abilities granted by other spirit lords you are currently bound to increase by 1 and your effective binding level is increased by 1 for the purpose of determining the effects of granted powers.
• Karnaxic Claws: The karnaxic claws grant you one claw attack per hand dealing 1d6 points of damage (for Medium-size creatures). Claw attacks are made at your full Base Attack Bonus and you add your full Strength bonus to the damage you deal. The claws are considered cold iron weapons. You cannot use this ability if you have suppressed Karnax’ physical sign.
• Planar Attunement: At all times while bound to Karnax, you are protected from the natural dangers of a specific plane (including dream realms). These dangers might include extreme temperatures, pervasive energy, poisonous air, and the like. This protection only extends to attributes of the plane itself (not to dangers which are merely contained within the plane). You can change the plane you’re attuned to as a standard action.
• Rend: If you hit with all karnaxic claw attacks, you latch on your target’s body and rend their flesh. The attack automatically deals twice the normal damage of your karnaxic claw attack (including your Strength modifier) in addition to the normal damage from the claw attacks. You cannot use this ability if you have suppressed Karnax’ physical sign.

MESSAMIS, THE EMPTY CITY

As I plunged among the shadowy mansions, along the streets from which visible twilight issued to envelop me, it seemed that I was going farther and farther away from my memories at every step. I had no idea how far I had gone, nor how long I had roamed among those houses that hardly seemed as if they could be peopled by any but the sleeping or the dead. And now I knew with a terrible certitude that this one event had broken away from the sequence of time and had found for itself a setting of appropriate gloom and solemnity; or perhaps had even built around itself the whole enormous maze of that spectral city. (Clark Ashton Smith, “A Night in Malneant”)

Within the Dreaming there lies a city in which every building is tenantless and every street lies empty. It is a dread and dreary thing. A conduit can be opened to that place, and the strength of its vast and hollow emptiness drawn into the natural world.

Spirit Circle: 6^th

Pact Check DC: 27

Physical Sign: When speaking, the voice seems to reverberate with the sound of a crowded room.

Influence:

• Must seek out the company of others. Cannot stand being alone.

Granted Powers:

• Doors of Messamis: Once per day as a standard action, you can step through one door or portal and emerge through another. In all other ways (determining range, etc.) treat this as a dimension door spell. At 10^th level you can use portal step twice per day and treat it as a teleport spell. At 15^th level you can use portal step three times per day and treat it as a plane shift spell.
• Ghosts of the Empty City: As a standard action you can animate objects, as per the spell.
• Guide to the City: At all times while bound to Messamis, you gain a +6 insight bonus to Gather Information and Knowledge (local) checks.
• Rage of Messamis: As a swift action, you can cause a 30-ft.-radius of stone or dirt to rumble shift. Each round on your turn, creatures within the area must make a Reflex save or Balance check or fall prone. Creatures within the area can only move at half speed, attacks made by creatures standing within the area suffer a -2 penalty, and spellcasting within the area requires a Concentration check (DC 15 + spell level). The effect lasts for 1 round per effective binding level.
• Streets of the Empty City: Even when standing on the bustling streets of a living city, a part of you dwells still on the empty streets of Messamis. At all times while bound to Messamis, you can move at your normal rate when moving through a crowd.
• Voice of Messamis: At all times while bound to Messamis, you can speak with any citizen of a city, as per the tongues spell.

NENTAI, THE THREE EYES

The Nentai are the three eyes of sight: Sight of the present, sight of the future, and sight of the past. They can appear floating in air; as a trio of trios in a flying eye tyrant; set as triangular gemstones upon a wall; as baubles passed between the hands of crones; and so forth.

Spirit Circle: 5^th

Pact Check DC: 25

Physical Sign: Three small eyes orbit your head.

Influence:

• Must seek out and attempt to view historic events as they occur.
• Must defer to those older and seek to protect those younger.

Granted Powers:

• All-Around Vision: At all times while bound to the Nentai, the extra eyes of the Nentai allow you to look in any direction. You gain a +4 bonus on Spot and Search checks and opponents gain no benefit while flanking you. However, you cannot avert or close your eyes when facing a creature with a gaze attack. You cannot use this ability if you have suppressed the Nentai’s physical sign.
• True Seeing: At all times while bound to the Nentai, as per the spell.
• Vision of Divination: At will you can look through the eye of the Nentai to ordain the future. It requires 10 minutes to peer through the veils of time, but the result works like a divination spell except that the outcome of the goal, event, or activity must be visible from your current location. (For example, you could ask about the outcome of opening a door you could see, but not about the outcome of opening a door on the other side of town.) You cannot use this ability if you have suppressed the Nentai’s physical sign.
• Vision of History: At will you can look through the eye of the Nentai to discern the hidden secrets of the past. It requires 1d4 x 10 minutes to peer through the veils of time, but the result works like a legend lore spell except that it can only reveal a cryptic vision of events as they occurred within sight of your present location. You cannot use this ability if you have suppressed the Nentai’s physical sign.

NESSERIK, THE SERPENT OF THE GRAVE

When one goes seeking visions of the dead within the Dreaming, they may find the gray-scaled Lord Nesserik curled upon their grave. Nesserik can be thought of as sly and cruel, but respects and embodies the divide between the quick and the dead. His voice is sibilant and his words dark.

Spirit Circle: 6^th

Pact Check DC: 25

Physical Sign: Skin becomes gray-scaled and incisors grow to become Nesserik’s fangs.

Influence:

• Cannot receive magical healing unless at negative hit points.

Granted Powers:

• Aura of Despair: At all times while bound to Nesserik, creatures within 10 feet suffer a -2 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks, saving throws, and weapon damage rolls as a mind-affecting fear effect.
• Ethereal Sight: At will, you can see onto the Ethereal Plane. You remain simultaneously aware of the Material Plane, but are distracted by your dual vision and suffer a -2 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks, and saving throws.
• Ghost Touch: At all times while bound to Nesserik, your melee attacks can strike incorporeal creatures. Their normal 50% chance to avoid damage does not apply.
• Nesserik’s Fangs:  Nesserik’s fangs grant a natural bite attack that deals 1d4 points of damage and a poison that deals 1 point of Constitution damage (Fort negates). The attack can be made at will, but the poison can only by excreted once every 5 rounds. You cannot use this attack if you have suppressed Nesserik’s physical sign.
• Pounce: At all times while bound to Nesserik, when you charge a foe you can make a full attack, including your bite attack, at the end of the charge.
• Sense Life: At all times while bound to Nesserik, you notice and locate living creatures within 10 feet as per the blindsense ability. At will as a free action you can also sense how near living creatures within this range are to death, as per the deathwatch spell.

PORTHAS, THE ROCK OF AGES

A great face carved from stone. A boulder which rolls forever downhill. A cliff face with eyes which peer deep into the past. Porthas can take many forms, but always he has the endurance of granite and age unaccountable. He speaks with the voice of a canyon’s erosion. Though he has little patience for the quick tempers of youth, he is slow to anger.

Spirit Circle: 5^th

Pact Check DC: 25

Physical Sign: The eyes grow milky-white with age and the voice rumbles like tumbling boulders.

Influence:

• Impatience (may inflict a -2 penalty on Diplomacy checks at DM’s discretion).
• A thirst for knowledge (must take time to study any book or other source of esoteric knowledge that comes into their possession).

Granted Powers:

• Face of Eternity: As a move action, you reveal the face of Porthas as a gaze attack. Creatures looking up you are awed can become unable to attack you or target you with any hostile spell or effect for 1 round. The effect is broken if you take any hostile action.
• Knowledge of Porthas: At all times while bound to Porthas, you gain a +8 bonus on Knowledge checks.
• Read Thoughts: As a full action you can target a single creature within 5 feet per effective binding level as per a detect thoughts spell.
• Stone’s Embrace: As a standard action, you can meld with stone, as per the spell. When you choose to step out of the stone, however, you can emerge from any surface within 5 feet per effective binding level.

SAPHASTOS, THE DARK DREAMER

Saphastos is drawn to lucid dreamers and masters of the Dreaming Arts. Many consider him to be a manifestation of the dreamer’s own dark thoughts and fears, reflected back to them through the lensing of the Dreaming. Others think him to be a dark demiurge of the Dreaming itself.

Spirit Circle: 6^th

Pact Check DC: 25

Physical Sign: Although they can see normally, the binder’s eyes are shut.

Influence:

• Must treat illusions as if they were real, even if they have been disbelieved.

Granted Powers:

• Dream Gliding: At all times while bound to Saphastos, half of you remains within the Dreaming. You gain a partial incorporeality, allowing you ignore the effects of difficult terrain and pass through enemy spaces (although not through walls or other solid barriers). Attacks of opportunity targeting you have a 50% miss chance.
• Mind Blank: At all times while bound to Saphastos, as per the spell.
• Major Image: As a standard action, as per the spell.
• Phantasmal Killer: As a standard action, as per the spell, targeting any creature within 10 feet per effective binding level.

Go to Dream Pacts – Part 6: Spirit Lords of the 7th and 8th Circle