Sword of the Gods: Spinner of Lies

by Bruce R Cordell

  For many years the colony thrived, thanks to the magical expertise of Khaela and her children. It was not to last: As Khaela’s long life threatened to fail, she fell into madness and began to fear divine magic. Her anxiety drove her to seek the aid of outlaw clerics and other divine casters to keep the gods from learning of her secret stronghold.

  With her health and mental stability eroding, Khaela resorted to necromancy. After drinking from a dark cup called the Bleak Grail, she entered undeath. Unfortunately for the rest of Khalusk, because Khaela’s magic was inextricably tied to the city and its populace, the effects were felt by all. Within a single hour, every living creature in Khalusk died. Three days later, they rose again, undead.

  That was two thousand years ago.

  THE VAULT

  The necropolis of Khalusk has a simple layout: A great gulf of dark water surrounds the lone island on which the city rests.

  A damp, cool breeze, smelling of earth, swirls around the perimeter of the immense chamber. Along the vault’s edge, small caves and fissures above the waterline provide vantage points overlooking Khalusk. The island is made dimly visible by the luminescent fungi and faded magical runes lining the wide catacomb mouths along its edge. The fallen remains of the necropolis’s ancient majesty loom over its entrances like a crown of broken spires.

  Near the overlooks, a bank of pocked black rocks provides access down to the water’s edge. There, a collection of watercraft of varying design and complexity lies pulled up on the shore.

  The boats are kept in passable repair by a golem named Tharbas, Khalusk’s ferryman and guard. Constructed mostly of goliath parts, the golem is authorized to grant or prohibit visitors the use of a boat.

  DEMASCUS AND THE NECROPOLIS

  The deva Demascus keeps his modified mausoleum in a lost colony of Illusk beneath Faerûn. An earlier incarnation of Demascus bargained with the undead lords of the necropolis for a secret place of rest. If Demascus’s incarnations are slain, they re-form inside the sarcophagus there.

  Demascus’s connection to his mausoleum in Khalusk has apparently been disrupted, because his present incarnation re-formed in Akanûl, a nation far to the southeast.

  SEA OF KHALUSK

  Ice-cold water surrounds the island, filling the cavern to unknown depths. Wavelets ripple across its surface, driven by the ceaseless wind circling the vast chamber.

  A population of undead fish and other aquatic creatures swim the chill sea (nothing escaped the necromantic effects of the Bleak Grail). However, the real threat to visitors is the murder of undead crows that occasionally flies from one of the island’s cave mouths to fill the air above the water.

  Crossing the water in a boat with oars requires seven rounds of hard rowing. To progress, one character per boat must succeed on a DC 25 Athletics check or a DC 25 Endurance check each round. Alternatively, two characters can succeed on DC 17 Athletics checks or DC 17 Endurance checks each round (both checks must use the same skill, however).

  USING THARBAS

  Tharbas takes his duties seriously, and he will deny boat access to any creature or group that he doesn’t like or that he judges to be a danger to Khalusk. On the other hand, enough coin will convince the dour golem to show visitors to a serviceable boat. He will not ferry the party members and, depending on his mood and attitude toward them, he might neglect to mention the water’s dangers, such as the undead crows that sometimes patrol the air above the dark waves.

  The crows appear on a d20 roll of 1-10, or if summoned by Tharbas, and attack any living creature on the water. The flock cannot be destroyed, but it can be driven off briefly if the characters deal enough damage to its members. The only way to escape the crows’ harassment, however, is to cross to either shore.

  Murder of Crows Level 9 Hazard

  Terrain XP 400

  Detect Perception DC 5

  Immune necrotic, poison, psychic Initiative +7

  Resist half damage from ranged and melee attacks;

  Vulnerable 5 radiant, 10 against close and area attacks

  STANDARD ACTION

  † Deathless Talons (necrotic) ♦ At-Will

  Attack: Melee special (creatures on the sea); +12 vs. Reflex

  Hit: 2d6 + 10 necrotic damage.

  Special: On its initiative count, the murder of crows makes the above attack against each living creature on the Sea of Khalusk.

  COUNTERMEASURES

  ♦ Drive Off: If the murder of crows takes 100 damage, it breaks off its attack for 2d10 rounds, after which the crows descend and resume attacking. There is no limit to the number of times the crows can attack or be driven off.

  ISLAND CLIFFS

  Anyone crossing the water to the island must choose between two routes to the necropolis: the gaping catacomb mouths or the steep cliff faces. Scrutinizing the rock walls (Perception DC 20) reveals a few sets of narrow, rambling stairs offering easier ascent to the island surface. Adventurers can also scale the walls by succeeding on a DC 20 Athletics check.

  ISLAND CAVE MOUTHS

  The wide cave mouths surrounding the island were created by Khaela as part of the city’s magical defenses. If Khalusk were ever attacked, the holes could expel great gouts of water that would strike with the force of battering rams. These fountains of fluid would scour the air of enemies, then rain down on the waters below, generating enough turbulence to repeatedly smash any creature or craft into the sea floor.

  BLENDING IN

  Quick-talking characters can convince an undead denizen to act as their guide, but it won’t be easy (Diplomacy DC 25). City dwellers that aren’t overcome by the desire to eat party members will nevertheless suspect that the characters are either phaerimm spies or thieves here to disturb the Mausoleum of the Sword (which the undead have agreed to guard). Finding a guide will help the characters blend in among the undead.

  Characters might try to disguise themselves as undead (Bluff DC 20). Coating themselves in rotting remains so that they don’t smell alive offers the best chance of success (+2 to the Bluff check) and of traveling through the city with the fewest difficulties.

  The Lords of Khalusk have lost the command phrase that triggers this effect, although each hopes to recover it to use against the others if circumstances ever warrant doing so. Following their abandonment as weapons, the caves have been claimed as roosts by the undead crows.

  THE NECROPOLIS

  Looking inward from the edge of the island, visitors see a jumble of smashed gravestones, tilted memorial spires, rusted plaques, and half-collapsed mausoleums. Here and there, larger structures—great walls, arches, and spires—reach toward the cavern’s vaulted ceiling. In the streets, corporeal undead shamble and stumble. Sharp-eyed observers might notice that a few move with a purpose and alacrity not shown by their simple-minded compatriots.

  Although many undead citizens are mindless, most retain some memory of their original lives, and quite a few remain as acute today as they were before being plunged into undeath. The smartest and most ambitious undead are the so-called lords of Khalusk (see below).

  COLUMBARIUM-GUARDED LANES

  Many of the necropolis’s cobbled streets are lined with crumbling columbarium walls. Within these rotting ramparts stand urns in dark niches. Other burial vases lie shattered and strewn across the way, ashes spilling from their mouths.

  Walking these lanes can be dangerous for living creatures, with or without a guide. Wraiths haunt the urns containing the remains of their former bodies. The luckless soul who disturbs these restless apparitions has two options: destroy them, or flee the island. The former choice, assuming it is possible, will draw additional unwanted attention from the Khalusk natives.

  LORDS OF KHALUSK

  Several “lords”—undead that have enough power and allies to claim the title—hold sway in the necropolis. No official charter defines rules for governing the city or resolving disputes; when the lords quarrel, the argument is decided using swords and spells of exorcism.

 
Characters who impress a lord or agree to do a job for that individual might receive a token that grants them, for a brief period, permission to travel the city unmolested by the dead. But because the lords of Khalusk are not big on cooperation, carrying the token of a particular lord granting safe passage does not guarantee one’s safety where the other lords are involved.

  Although the number of lords fluctuates, more than twenty typically vie for control. A few named lords and their interests are described below.

  GUARDED MAUSOLEUM

  Demascus’s arrangement with the Lords of Khalusk stipulates that the entire island city will guard his mausoleum’s location from intruders. Adventurers could slip into the mausoleum, however, despite the numerous undead patrolling the necropolis. Such sneaky visitors would find the mausoleum unguarded-but not free of perils.

  One of Demascus’s foes has set a magical sensor in the chamber. Inscribed among the countless symbols on the sarcophagus, it is nearly impossible to notice (Perception DC 30). If the lid is moved, a rakshasa assassin appears 1d4 rounds later and attempts to kill Demascus or any intruders it finds. It approaches its task subtly, using deceptive veil to assume the appearance of a humanoid in need of aid. Once the target’s guard is down, the assassin strikes.

  Turam the Cold: A layer of ice sheathes Turam’s skeletal body, except for his head, which burns with a chilling black flame. A court of freeze-dried ghouls serves the frigid noble. In exchange for the warmth of a living soul, Turam will grant one favor.

  The Arcanist: This ghostly female has no court and manifests infrequently. She wields impressive magical abilities, however, and some whisper that she is the shade of Khaela herself. The Arcanist aids those who reveal a secret to her—but if she judges the secret to be worthless, she claims a life instead.

  Lord Ralmarth: This bulky golem, composed of equal parts flesh and stone debris, insists on being addressed as “Lord.” Ralmarth patrols the city with his golem-hounds, which, like him, are rough assemblages of rubble and reanimated flesh. Deeply paranoid, he assumes that every visitor is a phaerimm spy.

  Doryx: A tinted glass jar, three feet in diameter and five feet tall, holds the pickled, animated remains of the alchemist Doryx. Foreseeing that Khaela’s sip from the Bleak Grail would end in disaster, he attempted to preserve himself, but was only partially successful: Doryx is not undead in the traditional sense, but the alchemical soup that keeps him active and thinking is certainly not natural, nor has it preserved his sanity. His court consists of homunculi and constructs, because he detests the undead. Doryx is a determined enemy of the Arcanist (whom he believes to be Khaela’s ghost), and he seeks the location of the Bleak Grail, which he hopes can reverse the city’s devastation.

  MAUSOLEUM OF THE SWORD

  The most direct way into Demascus’s secret redoubt lies in a plaza separated from the surrounding gravestones by black iron rails. Climbing through a hole in the cobbles at the plaza’s center drops visitors into the main chamber of the mausoleum.

  The tomb is tiled in black stone and magically lit by four iron candelabra, one in each corner. A shallow pool with fish skeletons scattered across its bottom dominates the floor. A tunnel exits the chamber at one end of the pool. On the opposite end lies an enormous sarcophagus.

  Layer upon layer of designs cover the sarcophagus, with newer symbols overlaying older carvings. Gauntlets, shields, leaves, orbs, eyes, stars, anvils, skulls, and moons stand out among the motifs—known symbols of the gods of Faerûn, both current and past. Other markings evoke no set meaning in Toril, for they are symbols of the gods of other worlds.

  These words are inscribed on the stone face of the sarcophagus: “Agent of Fate, Emissary of Divine Judgment, Cutter of Destiny’s Thread. You died as you lived, and you will live again, Demascus, Sword of the Gods.”

  The sarcophagus usually lies empty. Every so often, however, the regenerating body of Demascus appears in it as a not-quite corpse; rotting in reverse, it becomes more and more alive until, at last, the deva’s new incarnation steps forth.

  When Demascus appears, so do his implements: a great-sword called Exorcessum, bedecked with red runes down one side and white runes down the other; a collection of small charms; and a long, animated scarf known as the Veil of Wrath and Knowledge. A ring called the Whorl of Ioun, Demascus’s main continuity bridge between incarnations, also manifests.

  Demascus can channel incredible power from these implements. In the hands of another (such as someone who manages to pilfer them from the mausoleum before the deva’s latest incarnation opens his eyes), these magic items are potent, if less so. Treat them as noted below.

  Exorcessum: +3 luck blade

  Veil of Wrath and Knowledge: +3 amulet of protection

  Scroll-Shaped Charm: headband of perception (level 11, substitute Insight for Perception)

  Whorl of Ioun: premonition ring

  EXPLORE AIRSPUR

  BRIGHTEST OF THE

  FALLEN STARS

  By Matthew Sernett

  illustration by Adam Paquette, Empty Room Studio cartagraphy by Sean Macdonald

  None who have seen it can think of Airspur without envisioning its heights. Its sun-baked streets wind switchback paths down the bright cliffs, its steep stairs cut nearly vertical ascents between buildings, and its suspension bridges arc between earthmotes high overhead. Titanic pillars of stone rise from the sea to the level of the land above, and gleaming elemental spires hang with crystalline clarity all throughout Airspur.

  Those fortunate enough to have visited also remember Airspur as a city of colors and lights. The yellow cliffs tower above an astonishingly blue part of the Sea of Fallen Stars. Cobalt and golden roofs set off pale sandstone structures with gaily painted doors and shutters. Genasi of different hues—each tattooed with glowing lines—promenade in vivid fashions and glittering jewelry. Monolithic crystals, the elemental spires that drift in the air, refract the sun’s light during the hot and lazy days and shed colored glows over vibrant nights of wine and dance.

  It’s no wonder many consider Airspur the most beautiful city in all Faerûn, nor do they question how it earned its moniker as the Brightest of the Fallen Stars.

  AIRSPUR’S STORY

  Airspur existed as a city-state on the border of Chessenta and Chondath, sometimes allying itself with the other city-states of Chessenta and at other times siding with Chondath. While not initially threatened during the Year of Blue Fire, Airspur saw massive destruction in 1386 DR as the Toril’s sibling world of Abeir replaced much of the nearby landscape. A huge crevasse opened in the city and the sea moved. Those who did not die fled.

  Meanwhile, Abeir brought with it most of the genasi nation of Shyr. Long dominated by a primordial named Karshimis, the genasi were free to determine their own destiny. They founded the city of Brassune among the blended ruins of the Chondathan city of Rath and Shyr. An initial period of collaboration between the largest families led to nearly two decades of infighting. The Covenant of Monarchy finally resolved this conflict by causing the noble families to elect a line of royal succession.

  The first king of Akanûl was a savvy windsoul genasi named Zavon. His reign ended in the cataclysmic assault of Brassune by the Abolithic Sovereignty 50 years ago. This left his daughter, Queen Cyndra, with the duty of repelling the aboleth threat and reforming the shattered nation. This she did in the shelter of the ruins of ancient Airspur, displacing the orcs and half-orcs who had come down from the mountains to reclaim the place.

  Queen Cyndra then led her people through a renaissance of sorts. She gained the trust and support of the noble families by creating the Covenant of Stewardship and establishing the Court of Majesty. According to the Covenant of Stewardship, the king’s or queen’s power could be checked by the unanimous vote of four stewards, who would be elected by the nobles every 10 years. These positions of stewardship in turn carry governmental and administrative responsibilities. Queen Cyndra gained popular support and propelled her state’s economy by
rapid adoption of new industries suitable to their new lands and the city’s location.

  Much-loved by her people, Queen Cyndra died of illness, leaving her only daughter to take up the scepter and mantle of rulership as Queen Arathane. Due to her youth and lack of political experience, the first decade of Queen Arathane’s rule met with resistance from the stewards and other nobles. Yet in the last 10 years, Arathane has shown that she is an intelligent and magnetic leader, causing even her most determined opponents to give her respect. Airspur today is famed for its beauty, wealth, and the lifestyle of its genasi citizens.

  KEY PERSONALITIES AND GROUPS

  The beautiful capital of a young and robust nation, Airspur produces many influential individuals and organizations. Some of those important powers are presented here.

  AIRSPUR

  The vibrant capital of Akanûl, Airspur clings to the cliffs on the east side of a southern bay off the Sea of Fallen Stars

  Population: 30,500; another 7,000 live in the nearby countryside. Most citizens are genasi descendants of refugees from Abeir, the majority being windsouls and stormsouls. Small populations of other races live in the city, particularly half-orcs who lived near the ruins of old Airspur before the genasi rebuilt it. Few dragonborn stay in the city for long due to tensions between Akanûl and Tymanther.

  Government: Queen Arathane, a windsoul genasi, has ruled Airspur since the death of her long-lived mother. Four stewards control various aspects of the city, and together they can overrule the queen’s edicts. Genasi occupy all important roles of power in Airspur. This is due to the political structure, traditions from Shyr in Abeir, and even outright prejudice (particularly against dragonborn who might be from Tymanther).