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(<- [[Norwood's Dryad]]) ([[adventures|Back to Adventures Index]]) ([[Storm Tower in Larinday]] ->)

This adventure was written for [[Karelia]], but never run.  The idea was
abandoned (except for [[Norwood]], who was introduced in [[Norwood's Dryad]]).

==== The Curse of the Ruby Rod ====

Centuries ago, a neutral demi-god named Uit, the taker, vied
for a position of power over the then-high-priest of [[Resh]]: Dyce
of [[Hawkwood]].  The resulting battles pitted Dyce against
revolutionary armies in what was to be an eighteen year civil
war.  In the end, Dyce won out and the kingdom again returned to
normalcy.  The success of the priest-king, though, rested
entirely in the hands of Ishtar, goddess of love and war.  It was
in her hands that Uit was defeated.

There are no tales of Uit's demise, because it occurred on
the island of [[Lendore]] far away from the bulk of the civilized
world of that day.  Uit was cast into another world and barred
from returning.  However, Ishtar's own love of all creation came
through and subconsciously, she gave Uit a way to escape.  Now,
Uit desperately waits for the right moment and the right person
to free him from his bond.

Uit uses his powers to summon and control weak-minded
creatures to the overgrown temple where he was imprisoned.  His
intellect is great and he has limited precognitive powers which
enable him to set up his temple just right to lure in great
adventurers.  In the past, he has lured in people and cursed them
with his
limited (although formidable) powers to force them into questing
for the famed Ruby Rod of Ishtar.  None have ever succeeded.
Uit's curse is to gradually lower a character's highest statistic
(excluding Comeliness) until the person dies.  The rate at which
it lowers slows as time passes.  The first point will be lost
immediately, but the second and following take longer amounts
of time to be lost:

^  Point lost  ^  Elapsed time  ^
|  1   |       0              |
|  2   |     1 day            |
|  3   |     2 days           |
|  4   |     4 days           |
|  5   |  1 week, 1 day       |
|  6   |  2 weeks, 2 days     |
|  7   |  4 weeks, 4 days     |
|  8   |  9 weeks, 1 day      |
|  9   |  18 weeks, 2 days    |
|  10  |  36 weeks, 4 days    |
|  11  |  73 weeks, 1 day     |
|  12  |  146 weeks, 2 days   |
|  13  |  252 weeks, 4 days   |
|  14  |  505 weeks, 1 day    |
|  15  |  1010 weeks, 2 days  |
|  etc...  ||

The Ruby Rod of Ishtar is the only thing which can free
Uit, and it is nowhere to be found!

==== Uit's Prison ====

In an Oak tree on [[Lendore]] island, up the river from the
lake north of [[Restenford]], lives a DRYAD (hp10).  Four years
ago, an athletic young man of lord status happened upon this
particular wood nymph and through her charms, fell madly in
love with her.  Now, time has passed, and the Dryad had grown
weary of her captive lover.  She let him go back to his world,
none the wiser for his stay.  Only when he returned to civilization
did he realize what had happened.  Now, [[norwood|Lord Norwood]] has returned
to the Dryad's Oak tree and seeks vengeance for the four years
she robbed from him.

[[norwood|Lord Norwood]] wears +2 Chainmail and carries a two-handed
sword.  The dryad, being no match for him in combat, has fled
into her tree seeing that her charms have done no good.  [[Norwood]],
not only robbed of four years, but now robbed of his chance
for revenge, is now madly hacking away at the tree to get at
the "wench" inside.  But, the local Druid...

[[NORWOOD]] (S18/85 I9 W14 D11 C17 Ch17 Co19) is a 10th level
Fighter weapon specialized in Two-Handed Sword.  His combat
statistics are: AC3,MV12",#AT2,Dam d10+6(+3 to hit),hp88.  He
is LG and has a dark, neatly trimmed beard and mustache.

[[Norwood]] and the Dryad are but the precursor in Uit's plan
to capture a healthy adventurer for his own purposes.  The dryad
has been led to believe all her life that the overgrown temple
(which is just beyond her 360 yard limit), is a magicked palace
still filled with the wealth of a lord.  Being unable to go
there herself, she has never retrieved the riches that she knows
must be there.  Her various consorts through the decades have
been sent, but some never returned, so she has been reluctant
to send others.

Area descriptions: [ //Note: No map found// ]

1)  The perimeter of this walled temple is made of a 10' stone
wall approximately 5' thick.  Their is a walkway inside of the
wall all the way around the temple, but at the shaded regions it
is too crowded for a normal person to cross.  In the secret
passageways will be found a GRUE, ELEMENTAL : CHAGGRIN (hp27)
with no treasure.

2)  Just inside this building are eight prison cells (6 of which
have the skeletal remains of prisoners).  Beyond these is a large
room glowing from a magical fire that burns up from great cracks
in the floor.  The skeletons in the cells will be animated if
anybody enters into area (3).  They are hp 8,4,8,1,6,1.

3)  This room has hot, fiery flames leaping from 5' wide cracks
in the floor.  To cross any of these by jumping will cause 2d6 of
fire damage.  To remain within the fire will cause d6 damage per
segment.  Across the cracks, are two large pillars of marble.
Above a dais between them is a message carved in the wall in
common.  It says "Honor the justice of Ishtar and leave this
prison now.  Below you is the taker, leave now and you will
remain as you are."  After reading this message, the pillars
will begin to frost over and within 1 round will send forth
a cone of cold.  Damage is only 3d6 if one cone hits, but 6d6
if both hit (Saving throw applies).  This will continue every
other round until the pillars are torn down or the room is left.

4) & 5)  These rooms were once, long ago, storage rooms.  Now
they have nothing of value.

6)  These are more prison cells and many of them contain skeletons.
However, these skeletons are not animated and pose no threat.

Cavern Level Descriptions:

7)  A pair of GRUE, ELEMENTALS : HARGINN (hp 18,22) reside in
this fiery cavern.  Oddly enough, the fires are not as fierce
here, and damage is only 1 point per segment.  If killed, the
fires in the cracks will stop suddenly.

8) [ //adventure description never finished// ]

\\ (<- [[Norwood's Dryad]]) ([[adventures|Back to Adventures Index]]) ([[Storm Tower in Larinday]] ->)