Soul Stone of Kulthai - Barbarians of Lemuria - by Finn Cullen

The Soul Stone of Kulthai Synopsis The Warlocks of Kulthai, are a feared sect of sorcerers hated wherever they are known, and infamous for their acts of demon worship and necromancy. Rumours have reached the player characters of the location of a shrine sacred to the Kulthai, a repository of riches and a worthy foe to vanquish. The journey to the shrine involves a dangerous expedition into barely explored jungle depths and confrontation with the savage inhabitants and fierce creatures who dwell there. They will encounter the spirit of a recently slain barbarian warrior who entreats them to find his body, murdered by the Warlocks, and grant him a decent funeral pyre so that his spirit can find peace. When the shrine is reached however the heroes find the Warlocks of Kulthai are already slain, put cruelly to death by their latest and greatest experiment. The body of that barbarian champion, a deadly opponent to the cult, has been reanimated by a spirit more powerful than the Warlocks suspected. It had no intention of serving their wishes. Its intention is to conquer and to rule. There are riches in the shrine, indeed. And a worthy foe to vanquish, though not the one that was expected. But there is also an alien horror from beyond this known world, and all the swords and spells of the heroes may not be enough to prevail. Introduction The Soul Stone of Kulthai is an adventure for Barbarians of Lemuria (mythic edition by design but easily adapted for other versions of course) which pits a group of heroic adventurers against a foul necromantic cult... or more precisely against the terrible being that the cult has inadvertently unleased upon themselves to their own destruction.

While the core adventure itself is relatively brief and can be slotted in to an existing campaign anywhere the GM desires, I've included its original setting which can be pilfered for additional background material and expansion of the adventure as desired – in particular the loathsome little jungle trading post of Takkit's Bend which is such a hive of scum and villainy it makes Mos Eisley look like Xanadu. Using this adventure If you want to run a short adventure as part of your existing campaign then it is easy enough to pull out the key elements and slot them in where you please. In that case I'd suggest starting with the Ambush! Encounter and the meeting with the shade of Belmarik the Storm Slayer who will entreat with the heroes to save his soul by giving his body a decent warrior's pyre and taking vengeance on the dread Warlocks of Kulthai. If you'd rather extend this setting and storyline then you should begin with the player characters arriving in Takkit's Bend. They should already have heard of the dreaded Warlocks of Kulthai and be motivated to confront them either due to the malevolence of the Warlocks or the reputed glories of their treasures. In Takkit's Bend they can interact with the local characters and perhaps get embroiled in other schemes before moving off into the jungle following leads obtained in that scum-cauldron of a settlement. A trek through the jungle will bring its own hazards which will culminate with the Ambush! Encounter and then proceed as above with the meeting with Belmarik and the final stage of exploring the shrine of the Warlocks.

Default Setting This adventure was originally written for my home grown setting but can of course be transplanted anywhere. Change jungle to forest, or moors or mountains as you see fit. If you want to do this then just change references from their default to ones that make sense for your campaign. I'll try to add notes to make this easier for you. By default then the adventure takes place in the jungles of Hama which are located to the west and north of the main civilised areas of the campaign. The jungles are a rich environment of exotic creatures and rare plant-life, with rumours of lost cities and ancient treasures that draw the optimistic and foolish to brave the perils of the area. The only settlements that explorers are likely to encounter are trading posts set up by other once-explorers who have now put down roots, or the tribal grounds of native tribes who in true Sword & Sorcery fashion tend to

have their own quaint little customs and a very clear view about the perils of outsiders making free with their resources. If you are running the extended version of this adventure then it is likely to begin with the adventurers arriving by river-boat after having journeyed northward from the last decent town, Maghala some fifty or sixty miles to the south. Maghala is a cosmopolitan trading town built astride a river, and is part of the nation of Gahash a despotic overlordship that rose from the jungle far to the south of here and spread out avariciously building great stone cities and ziggurats as it went. The heroes will arrive at the trading post of Takkit's Bend which is described in some detail below. After this settlement the river, which has been running northward until that point, curves sharply to the west and away from the supposed destination that the heroes are seeking.

Takkit's Bend

The settlement is called Takkit’s Bend and it grew up from a single trading post in the bend of a slow moving and stinking river that curls through the jungle valley floor like a languid constrictor. Takkit was, according to rumour, an explorer and opportunist who saw in this jungle vastness an endless potential for advancement and the garnering of wealth. He died of fever within a year of founding the settlement he’s known uncharitably as Takkit the Fool among those once-optimistic adventurers who have followed his lead. Now the settlement slumps on the rise of land at the bend of the river, surrounded by a halfrotting palisade of wooden stakes and supplied by wharves jutting out into the thick and noisome water that receive the barges of the traders. The local economy is based on the twin resources of ivory trading and preying on opportunists who come here seeking a fortune and end up in need of food and drink, shelter and tools and with nowhere

to obtain those things save from the avaricious human vultures of Takkit’s Bend. Those who succeed move on without regret. Those who fail spectacularly either flee forever back to the safety of civilisation or die anonymously in the jungle. Those without even enough spirit to do that end up in Takkit’s Bend and remain there, putting down rotten roots and beginning to moulder like everything else here. Set foot inside Takkit’s Bend for the first time and you will never want to end up stuck here. The streets are littered with the squatting and slumbering hopeless cases who once felt the same way. Strong drink provided by Phyros the Snake dulls their wits and dissolves their coin and leaves them thirsty for more. With nothing to go back to and no will to press on they drink to numb the realisation that they have arrived at the place their destiny marked out as their place of final torment.

Movers and Snakers of Takkit's Bend Among the muddle and scrabble of petty traders and chancers that you could run into in Takkit’s Bend you will almost certainly encounter the two driving forces of the settlement. The first is Kariin, an ivory trader from the land of Gahash. He has built a sturdy compound just outside the settlement, a little way upriver to the west. He pays good money for hunters to venture out into the wilds and cart back the grisly trophies of their trade. He earns better money of course by trading with the men of his home nation far far down river. Kariin is a ruthless man whose god is wealth and whose devotions centre around amassing more. His home is well defended by a palisade of his own, by crocodiles in the pools surrounding it, and by warrior bodyguards who are well paid for their loyalty, and see frequent examples of what will befall them should they slack off in their duties. Kariin is arrogant and ruthless and values people only so far as they are useful to him for increasing his wealth.

The second figure of note in Takkit’s Bend is Phyros whose local nickname is The Snake, a cruel mockery of his disability perhaps, and certainly of his nature. His skin is tanned dark but it’s clear he was originally from the far north, one of the pale skinned men from strange and distant lands, perhaps fallen Ain itself. If so then he has fallen more than most of the denizens of that once great culture.

Plot Ideas for Kariin If Kariin sees the player characters as interesting and possibly profitable he may well invite them into his compound where he will feast them (not lavishly but well enough) and ply them with decent drink and good food. He will try to learn of their plans and more importantly their potential to make money for him. He may decide to offer jobs to one or more of them – working as his bodyguards, or as hunters for ivory or explorers to seek out new hunting grounds for him. If some seem willing to take up those offers but are held back by others... well he may decide to remove those others. He can also warn about the fierce Ba-Khal tribesmen of the jungles, hostile enemies of all other humans and the bane of his operation.

He does not speak of his past, he curls his lip in contempt and bitterness at the mention of it. To Phyros there is only the painful now, and the past is something he will not countenance discussing. At some time, long before he arrived in Takkit’s Bend, he was crippled in some accident, his spine crushed. His legs are now useless appendages, limp and unfeeling. He has developed immense strength in his upper body to compensate and drags himself across the floor with surprising speed and dexterity, pulling himself up into the various seats and perches throughout his trading post. His head is shaved, his expression ugly. He has nothing but contempt for humanity, and probably for himself. He has mingled with the worst of men and seen their worse natures, and he has learned that only by outdoing them can someone thrive, particularly in a place like Takkit’s Bend.

Phyros runs a combination trading post and tavern, selling at extortionate prices the necessities of life for those foolish individuals hoping to seek their fortune in the jungles. He knows he has a captive market and exploits that to the full. He also distils a potent drink that he sells in his tavern. It’s powerful, bitter and intoxicating, and he charges enough to empty the pockets as well as the character of those who get hooked on it. In addition to this Phyros has a reputation as a magician. He seems to know the innermost thoughts of the people around him and has a devil’s instinct for taking advantage of guilty consciences and secret vices. In fact there is no magic involved, he’s just an excellent observer of people, and pays well for rumours and whispers. Picking up drunken gossip is childs’ play to him. When playing Phyros let the chronic pain show in your face and words. He doesn’t want pity for the life he leads, but the bitterness of it informs everything he does and says. He assumes the worst about people and looks on the virtuous with weary disdain – he knows they’ll fall sooner or later, everything does. He’ll assist if he can in the ruination of what is good for it reinforces his worldview.

Plot Ideas for Phyros Despite the fact he’s a bitter and twisted son of a bitch Phyros can be a useful contact to make. Even a cursory encounter with him will give the player characters the impression that this is a man with his ear to the ground (sometimes literally… too soon, too soon, sorry) and who knows what’s going on. If they can find something he wants – which could range from some rare item he can use for barter, to information about the world beyond this stinking jungle hell-hole, to promises to give him a cut of any treasure they find, or simply to share any knowledge they pick up – he will be willing to share some information with them. For instance he has heard of the Warlocks of Kulthai and knows that there are four of them within a shrine in the mountains to the north-west. One Master and three Apprentices. He believes they have armed guards at their shrine. He knows they are dangerous and that nobody who has sought them has ever come back. The last such adventurous fool was a barbarian from somewhere far far distant who had big ideas to go with his big axe. “He was a hero,” Phyros will say with a curl of his lip, “and no doubt met a hero’s death, alone and uselessly with nobody to mark his passing.” The barbarian passed through just a week or so before the heroes arrived.

Other Characters within Takkit's Bend include: Myja the Wise Woman – a usually drunk healer and fortune teller who lives in a foul hut at the edge of the settlement. Use her to add a touch of the eerie to this section of the adventure and maybe drop in a cryptic vision she can vouchsafe to the heroes (“He fell so long ago, and is dark, utterly dark at the core” – referring to Phyros as much as the blasphemous thing in the Kulthai shrine)

Tarik – the chief bodyguard in Kariin's employ. He's tall and well muscled and has the bearing of a trained soldier. He does not drink or carouse with low types and considers himself on duty practically all the time. Phyros knows his secret of course... Tarik is in love with one of the local women, Kiruja, despite having a wife back in Gahash. Phyros has let Tarik know that he knows this dreadful secret and can count on Tarik's support if he needs it.

The Jungle Journey The player characters should be able to obtain information from Takkit’s Bend one way or another to set them on the route to find the Warlocks of Kulthai. They can pick up directions from one of the characters there along with typically dire warnings about the ferocious tribes of the area such as the BaKhal, and the improbability of returning alive from the Kulthai shrine. “Head for the White Mountain” is the best direction they can get, “That’s where rumour places them.” The White Mountain is about two week’s journey through the jungle. Run the journey in as much detail as suits you and your group. Personally I tend to skip over travel except for any adventurous highlights but your mileage (long, endless, weary mileage) may vary. The jungle here is increasingly dense the further north the heroes travel, and it is backbreaking work to chop a path through it. The wildlife is unpleasant, typified by stinging insects, venomous snakes and unpleasant chubby caterpilars that secrete a numbing oil from their mouth parts and then burrow into the skin of sleepers. The hard lumps that form will need to be cut out unless the victim wants to die the colourful “butterfly” death a couple of weeks later, after several nights of vivid and probably prophetic visions. You could throw in quicksand (the dangerous cinematic variety) and a rope bridge over a gorge, maintained by a semi-intelligent gigantic spider who knows that prey will use the bridge to cross the gap and only makes the central third a trapping web so that it can rush out along the underside of the bridge and attack a captive victim or two. Whatever works for you all. At some point however, assuming they keep heading toward the White Mountain (a pale bare peak visible from wherever the player characters can gain a vantage point) they will sooner or later enter Ba-Khal Territory and fall into the Ambush! Encounter.

Ambush The Ba-Khal are a dreadful tribe who live in the remote areas of this jungle in small clannish villages. They believe, according to the tenets of their religion, that they are the true humanity and that all other human seeming beings are mockeries of mankind made by devils to deceive them. In truebeliever fashion they know that the best way to deal with devil-spawned mockeries of divine work is to kill them bloodily and preferably with torture so that the devils get the message that the Ba-Khal are not to be trifled with. The Ba-Khal are tall, wiry people with dull greyish-black skin and coarse hair that tends toward very dark-red. Their faces and upper bodies are marked with redblack tattoos in abstract liner patterns. They are experts at stealth in their own environment and fight with shortbows and short jabbing spears. If you lose a fight to the Ba-Khal try to make sure they kill you in the process. Their idea of after care includes death by torture, their preferred method being the good old Blood Eagle wherein the rib cage is pierced and threaded with thick thongs before the whole front of it is ripped off with one powerful pull by a trio of laughing and jeering tribespeople. These bloody cages of bone adorn the village gateposts of many of the Ba-Khal settlements. As for our heroes they pass through Ba-Khal territory en route to the White Mountain. The jungle here is not so dense as before but the grasses grow waist height and there are many trailing vines between the trees and across the paths. Allow a Difficult Mind roll modified by any careers that deal with outdoor survival or detecting danger to allow individual characters to react as a hunting party of Ba-Khal spring their ambush – starting with arrow fire from pop-up and drop-down places within the tall grass. The Ba-Khal ambush is largely for colour and a moment of action before the main part of the adventure. Allow 3 or 4 Ba-Khal Rabble for every character. They will fall pretty easily when the heroes get into their stride, but

make the most of the ranged attacks and the Ba-Khal familiarity with the area. During the battle the PCs will realise they have an unexpected ally. A tall and burly man with bronzed skin and a mane of dark hair is wading into the fight against the Ba-Khal. He fights with a great two-bladed axe and is seemingly fearless. He cuts down the Ba-Khal he engages with as much alacrity as (hopefully) the player characters are doing. Please note he isn’t here to outclass the heroes or to save the day for them. He’s here to be an addition to their side, to soak up any excess Ba-Khal and to be a lead in to the rest of the adventure. If you’re tempted even for a moment to give the impression that this fellow is the hero of this story then write out the name “Elminster” ten thousand times and have a stern word with yourself. Hopefully the heroes will prevail, and their new companion is seen watching them, weighing them up. At this point they will notice that the man is partially transparent, and that he appears almost insubstantial (think of a desaturated image but don’t use that term unless your players are likely to appreciate the reference). Any superstitious barbarian types may react badly to this but Ba-Khal Tribesmen Strength 1 Agility 1 Mind 0 Appeal 0

Belmarik (as he is) is now immune to any nonverbal expressions of superstition, eg being struck with a two handed sword. His name, he will confide in them, is Belmarik the Storm Slayer. He is one of the free folk of the Fire Wastes beyond the Mountains of the Border Lords (or the Mountains of the Burrowing Dogs as he will call them, not being a fan of his ancestral enemies even though he’s dead. Prejudice is a terrible and persistent thing). He came to the jungle to seek his fortune and earn a name. Soon he heard of the dreadful depredations of the Warlocks of Kulthai and sought them out. But he was taken captive. “And they slew me. Burned me with black stone and killed me.” He won’t enter a long question and answer session, his time is limited. He will plead with them, hero to hero. “My spirit will not rest while my body lies within their halls. Find my corpse and burn it beneath the open sky so my spirit will rejoin my ancestors. Give me a warrior’s funeral.” He will turn and point to the now near White Mountain and then he will fade away.

Initiative – As Rabble Lifeblood 3 Melee 0 Armour None Ranged 1 Attack 1d3 or 1d6L as a horde Defence 1 in long grass or jungle cover Okay they’re slightly tougher than normal Rabble but they can still be taken out en-masse by the appropriate high level successes

Career – Stealthy Jungle Tribesman 1 Special: Horde (p157 of BOL Mythic rulebook)

THE WHITE MOUNTAIN As the heroes approach their destination they will gain a good view of the White Mountain. It’s actually an ash-grey mountain, but that makes it paler than the surrounding vegetation so the name is forgiveable. It’s also steep sloped on three sides with a shallower aspect to the south. No vegetation grows on the slopes of the mountain and the ground is gravelly and dry-soiled as though the life was long ago leeched from it. That is in fact the case. When the Soul-Stone (See later) fell to earth and tore through the surface, burying itself deep underground its presence poisoned the whole area, slowly making it a place of decay and inimical to normal life. Perfect in fact for a group of aspiring Necromancers to fine tune their art. The location of the shrine is not hard to find once the mountain is reached. A path of what appears to be pale branches woven together leads upward from between two crudely fashioned pillars at the edge of the jungle between similar pillars about a fifth of the way up and to a black gaping mouth-like entrance between two other pillars about halfway up the mountain. The path is the easiest way to climb the sliding gravelly slopes and it will be quickly discovered that far from being pale branches, the visitors are walking on human bones fastened together into a grim pathway. The survivor About halfway up the path the heroes will encounter Josk the Adept. Josk was one of the necromancers of the Warlocks of Kulthai. Now he is insane, deranged, a babbling panic stricken mess. He is a lean man with a shaved head (as all the Warlocks have) and wears loose light robes of dark grey and black, and a pendant of bronze depicting a three eyed skull. He won’t attack the heroes, he’s more likely to announce his presence by shrieking at them. He’s incoherent (unless calmed down by magic) but his shrieks may give some clues as to what the heroes may face inside the shrine.

“He broke his bonds! He broke the unseen bonds!” – this refers to the corpse of Belmarik, reanimated, shaking free easily of the Necromancers’ control. “My brothers… my brothers in Kulthai. They could not prevail against him. He broke them, and broke them again, and denied them Kulthai’s Sleep.” – Belmarik captured the other adepts and mutilated them, wrenching their bones apart and remoulding them into the dreadful Invunche, guardians of the cave. They did not pass out or die during this agonising process. “Kulthai has stirred from his rest. Praise him…. Save me from him…” - Fairly self explanatory. He fled before he could see more. He will be too terrified to voluntarily enter the shrine. “Soon he will venture forth, and the land will take on new colours… and be purged of the contagion of life.” – Quite true. If the heroes don’t deal with things here they’ll have a tougher foe to face later, emerging from the jungles with an army of undead Ba-Khal as his minions.

The shrine

The descriptions of the Shrine are here to give pointers toward atmosphere. This isn’t a protracted dungeon crawl and should be played out as a tense horror-story end game. In general the upper part of the shrine (areas 1-8) are made of nicely worked stone, with regular squared off passageways and cult carvings forming a border along all the walls. The general motif of the carvings involves a lot of skeletons, skulls, living men with skulls, dismembered bodies. These guys were necromancers and didn’t get out much. They had their winning formula and stuck to it. The place is dark though, really dark.

While there are niches here and there in the walls in which ceramic oil lamps are set, they are all extinguished. Many are broken and the oil (a thin vegetable oil, not something that can be set alight easily) makes the walls slippery in places. The heroes will have to bring their own light sources. Play up the darkness and the shadows. A burning torch isn’t as good at lighting an area as people think, particularly when there are lots of twists and turns. Flames make the shadows dance, and smoke will start to fill up the area from the ceiling down. This is a claustrophobic place where, as we shall see, sudden death hides in the darkness.

The lower areas are uneven, hewn out of the rock of the White Mountain. In most places the passages are still tall enough for a grown man to walk unstooped but the walls are rough, the ceiling and floors uneven. Where there are staircases carved into the rock the stairs are irregular, sloped and easy to stumble on especially when moving at speed. Area Descriptions 1 – The Entrance Way to the shrine is accessed from a flight of wide, smooth regular steps leading upward from the mouth like opening in the outside of the mountain. The wall carvings start in this area but this is the last place they can be seen with natural light. The skulls smile welcomingly at the visitors and carvings on the uprights of each stair spell out the encouraging message (the same on each stair) “Each step the grave is a step closer”. All very true but not exactly uplifting. At the top of the stairs a corridor leads inward, but on the right a door that could easily have been overlooked stands slightly ajar with dark sticky blood pooling at the opening. This leads into area 3 where the guards that should be confronting the intruders lie dead. Perhaps now, if not before, our heroes will realise that something here is not as it should be. 2 – The Approach. This complex maze like area was designed to be a walking meditation for the Warlocks of Kulthai. They would enter into a meditative state and pace complex routes from the sanctum and back to the sanctum. Coincidentally it also forms an ideal place for the heroes to be attacked by the Invunche that now guard the shrine. There are lots of short stretches of corridor with reduced visibility and plenty of chances to be flanked or attacked from the rear. The Invunche know the place intimately and will use it to their advantage. GMs, if you can, terrify the life out of your players as they make their way through this area. So far as mazes go, it’s

simple, short and easily “solved.” But it’s not meant as a puzzle. It’s a hunting ground. If people run or charge, just put them somewhere else in the maze at random because they’re not keeping track (unless they have an appropriate career) and launch hit and run attacks by the Invunche. With any luck they won’t realise there are two of the bastards until they’re already spooked… at that point you can enjoy the revelation. 3- The guard room. If this place hadn’t been taken over by the Avatar of Kulthai this is where some fierce temple guardians would be hanging out ready to leap onto any intruders sneaking into the shrine and destroy them for the glory of Kulthai. As it is the fierce temple guardians have all been brutally massacred by the Invunche. The room is a combination barracks and ready room, with a half dozen cot beds, and other home comforts including tables, food stores in barrels etc. It’s also, now, a charnel house. Six dead bodies lie all around the room. Those last four words aren’t metaphor. The guards, strong and sturdy men all, have been ripped apart. Limbs pulled from their sockets and wrenched from their bodies entirely. Heads torn loose. Spinal columns exposed and hanging free from the torso. Emphasise the horror in as much detail as your players can bear. Whatever did this to these men… may still be around. 4 – The Sanctum of the Shrine. This is where worship happened and it has a prevailing magical aura that anyone with suitably trained magical senses may notice. If they refine their “scan” a little it’s clearly Necromantic magic but frankly they should be able to figure that out. Behind the massive stone slab that forms the blooded altar, in which thick leather straps are set, a tall and ghoulish idol rears up on thick greenish-stone haunches. It’s part ape, part human skeleton, and in its leering open devil’s mouth is a large round black stone. The stone is in fact nothing magical but represents the Soul Stone

that the Warlocks had seen in visions long before they uncovered the real thing beneath the mountain. If it can be prised loose it has no intrinsic monetary value but can certainly count as a special ingredient for magic (with particular potency for Necromantic rituals). This is the place where Belmarik was sacrificed and the shard of Soul Stone driven into his forehead as he lay tied to the altar. He was supposed to rise as an obedient and invincible servant of the Warlocks. Instead he rose and slew them. Well, one escaped – the heroes met Josk earlier. The two other Adepts were brutally mangled and transformed into Invunche. And the master of the Warlocks. Well he was impaled. His body is still there impaled vertically on an iron stake in front of the idol of Kulthai, the spike emerging from his mouth, black and foul. The Warlock’s limbs have all been broken and his blood pools beneath him having oozed down the penetrating iron and coagulated on the floor around him. Once the heroes are close enough to be startled by it you can reveal that he’s still alive. A gurgling gagged attempt at a shriek couple with insane rolling of the eyes… Unluckily for the Warlock, Kulthai has withheld the gift of death from him. He is in agony without surcease but will never die or lose consciousness unless and until the Soul Stone is buried once more beneath the rocks of the mountain. Chop him into pieces and he will still live. Burn him to ash… well the mind can drift on the wind. And bear in mind that this is what Kulthai did to a man who was doing his best to serve him. These elder gods are utter bastards at times. Don’t expect to get any sense out of the Warlock though, he’s not capable of speech or rational thought any more (and he wouldn’t thank you for using magic to restore him to either…) 5 and 6 were the chambers for the adepts, two beds in one, a single bed in the other. Add in some domestic colour if you like, perhaps a scroll of devotional meditations (“Oh moon that dies each month in slow

decline, I pray that such a fate be mine” or some other gloomy pall). 7 is the Master’s Chamber, where the chief warlock had his bed and his own area for meditation. Here can be found his devotional books (worth a small amount to the right market), his journal (he records with meticulous delight the methods of torture and execution that most delight Kulthai, and latterly the keen excitement he and his brothers felt as the excavation beneath the shrine drew them closer ever closer to the Soul Stone of Kulthai himself). There is also a small fortune in gems hidden within an ebony casket beneath the Master’s bed, donations brought here by the faithful pilgrims who came to worship here – most of whom ended up making the path for the next pilgrims. 8- At this point there is a doorway (with no door) that leads to a steep and uneven stairway descending away from the worked area of the shrine and into more natural cavernous areas. The walls between here and “9” are still partially worked and bear some rudimentary symbols of the cult but they did not have time to elaborate on them. 9 – From this point onward the heroes will be in the unworked caverns as described above. Watch your feet and heads. 10 – From this point onward the presence of the Soul Stone of Kulthai will be apparent. Those of a magical persuasion will be aware of a strange inner whispering in a tongue they do not know (unless they have experience with dark gods of death – in which they hear the words as a demanding entreaty to “succumb, succumb to the light beyond all lights to the endless subjugation of the brief to the eternal”). Characters with no magical talent will not “hear” the whispering but will feel the very air become tainted around them and a sensation of revulsion as though they had inadvertently touched something rotten and decaying.

11 – The Soul Stone. This cavern was excavated over the course of years. Heaps of gravel and small boulders litter the floor (most of the rest of course was taken outside and cast down the mountain). Even if the heroes have very inadequate light however they can all still “see” within the darkness to the further end of the cavern a vast form of even deeper darkness. If light is cast upon it the thing reflects nothing at all. It is like looking at a solid hole, utterly black and cold. Seven feet around and irregular in shape with jagged spines of the same material here and there. This is the source of the malevolence and the feeling of revulsion, this is the presence of Kulthai itself, now uncovered from the rocky bed that smothered it aeon ago. Now its thoughts are unconfined and it seeks to spread itself further afield. This area is where the heroes are likely to encounter Belmarik – the Avatar. They will recognise him from their encounter with his ghost out in the normal world, but he is not the same man at all. His bearing lacks all the noble poise of the honest warrior and he seems to leer forward with a foul hunger for the lives that have foolishly come here. His eyes are rolled back in his head and in the centre of his forehead appears to be a dark and jagged hole – on closer inspection this is the base of one of the spikes of Soul Stone, and it is the link that makes him the puppet of the dark god. He's not a monologuing villain, or a ranting tyrant. Kulthai (in Belmarik’s body) has no real interest in entering into dialogue with humans who are just one more form of abominable life. He may not take the first move though, he may see what the intruders will do. If they try to speak with him he will watch them curiously, patiently, and then seize one of them and try to rend them apart. Once battle is joined he will be fearless and ruthless.

A subtle foe may try to call on his Shade for assistance. Calling Belmarik’s name should give a momentary advantage… just the once… give the hero who attempts this a Mind check which can be modified for any magical, priestly OR Barbarian career (Kindred spirits and all that) at a normal difficulty. Even if the roll fails the Avatar will hesitate for one round. If the roll succeeds the Avatar will hesitate for one round and then take a penalty die on his next attack after that as a semi-visible ghost of Belmarik holds him back before being dissipating in the air. The statistics for Belmarik as Avatar are given below. Defeating Belmarik/Kulthai should not be easy given his ability to regenerate. But heroes are heroes after all. If the foe is cut down and the Soul Stone spike dug from his body he will die for real. The Soul Stone will be distressed at this for without an Avatar it is pretty much helpless against people who do not open their mind to it. If any magical chap decides to open his or her mind to it they deserve everything they get. Endless vistas of cosmic decay for a start. Do what thou wilt. More sensible and superstitious heroes will see the need to wreak bloody havoc. The Soul Stone can be smashed with a certain amount of work (there are hammers and picks in the little alcove halfway along the cavern by the way) but even the shards are damned malevolent holographic miniatures of the whole. The best course is probably to try to bury the damned thing again. Let them come up with something suitable… and probably succeed. Is anyone planning to take a shard or a Soul Stone stake as a souvenir? It would be worth a fortune to the right buyer… or a deadly weapon for an assassin… but those slain with it would not stay dead for long. Have fun with folly.

The Ranks of the Enemy Kulthai – the Eyeless Face – That Which Abides While Kulthai is the primary antagonist of this story it is not a creature to be faced or fought. It is a malevolent alien intelligence, embodied within a recently unearthed meteorite that fell from the sky and was buried deep beneath the land aeons ago. It has the power to touch the minds of those who are willing to open themselves to darkness and to teach and inspire them. Kulthai has long been the inspiration of the Warlocks but it is only recently that they have located its physical being and delved deep enough to uncover it. Now that Kulthai is exposed its power is more evident and its will to conquest is unrestrained. Kulthai cares nothing for humankind or any of the structures and societies of mankind. Wealth means nothing to it. It exists only to spread its rulership and its will until nothing exists that is not itself. Belmarik the Storm Slayer – Renowned hero and now Avatar of the Eyeless Face Belmarik is a legendary warrior, a lone adventurer whose renown has been sung of in many lands. By his courage and his cunning and the keen edge of his sword Heartbreaker he has won fortunes and toppled the thrones of tyrants and monsters, or so his legend says. It’s mostly true. Recently though he sought to confront the Warlocks of Kulthai in the very seat of their power and their sorcery overcame him. Now his body has been subjected to foul necromantic alterations and has risen from death possessed by the animating spirit of Kulthai. The Avatar of Kulthai lacks nothing of Belmarik’s strength and ferocity but now his great passion for life has been replaced with the seething eternal hatred that fills the Eyeless Face. Having slain those of the warlocks that he could find, the Avatar has taken control of their undead minions and is contemplating its next moves. Belmarik- The Storm Slayer – Avatar of Kulthai Strength 3 Initiative – As Villain Agility 3 Melee 3 Mind 1 Ranged 1 Appeal 0 Defence 0

Lifeblood 13 Armour 1d6-2 Unarmed 1d3+3 Axe 1d6+3

Special (See below) Avatar of Kulthai

Avatar of Kulthai Within the Shrine, Belmarik is sustained by the presence of the Soul-Stone, Kulthai itself, in the caverns. If he is wounded he will regenerate 1 Lifeblood per round even while active. If he chooses to take no other action in a round he will regain 1d6 Lifeblood. When this happens the shard of black stone in his brow seems to flex and grow as the channel of energy between him and the stone warps spacetime around itself. If the Soul Stone itself is visible the same effect surrounds it, briefly distorting the area around itself. Wounds on Belmarik visibly close when this happens, and he will continue to regenerate even after he is “killed”. Digging out the shard of stone from his brow will break the connection but it’s not possible to do that while he’s still moving. It will take 1d6 rounds of pretty gory work and once the stone is out it will resemble a sharp stake of obsidian… and whoever is handling it will have to make a Difficult Mind check or try to ram it into their own forehead (1d6H damage) as Kulthai attempts to claim itself a new Avatar.

The Invunche of Kulthai Two of the Warlocks of Kulthai were captured by Belmarik after his ascension as Avatar. A third escaped and may be of use to the player characters (see the notes for Shulhai) but the two who were captured have been transformed grotesquely by the Avatar to act as guardians of his temple. Their necks have been broken and their spines cracked, their limbs dislocated and reset. Their spirits, now maddened with pain, are trapped inside these undying zig-zag cages of flesh and bone and their only will is to seek release through obedience to the dark will that has animated them. And his will is that the twisted creatures hunt and slay any intruders. They are grotesque deformed things now, with limbs and head and back all at angles painful to look upon, yet they move with ridiculous unnatural speed, appearing from nowhere and charging in a series of hit and run attacks to terrify and incapacitate intruders. The Invunche – Twisted Men – Temple Guardians Strength 2 Initiative - See Below Lifeblood 12 Agility 2 Melee 2 Armour 3 (natural) Mind 0 Ranged 0 Claw/Bite 1d3+2 Appeal -1 Defence 0 Slam (-2 to hit) 1d6+2

Special (See below) Inhuman Speed Inhuman Stealth

These foul creatures attack with ridiculous speed, whirling and snatching at their opponents, grasping them with their taloned hands, biting whenever their face comes near a foe or simply slamming a foe against a wall or floor with demonic strength. They do not fear death or pain, for they have tasted one and live endlessly with the other. In the order of battle they act before Heroes with normal initiative success – only those who gain a Mighty or Legendary reaction score act before these swift devils. They like to terrorise their victims. Generally they will attack by surprise if they can, appearing from the shadows without warning, charging and shrieking at their chosen foe (often the weakest looking of a group), inflicting as much pain and injury as they can in a round or two before fleeing into the darkness. They have the gift of stealth common to many creatures of darkness and if they pass from direct sight, especially when there is shadow or darkness to hide them, consider them gone until they choose to reappear once more. GMs may allow characters with suitable magic or careers that grant them particularly keen perception a chance to negate this advantage.

Afterword Make what use you can of the material here. Lift the bits you like, change the bits you don’t (curse you!) and shape everything to fit your players preferences and your own style. Inspiration came from a number of sources the first being a dream of a warrior pleading for a warrior’s funeral. Along the way the journey took in West of Zanzibar a silent classic, and the dreadful mangled monstrous Invunche of Bruce Chatwin’s In Patagonia. Artwork by me, maps by me using Profantasy Software’s “Campaign Cartographer” and the magnificent Barbarians of Lemuria by Simon Washbourne.