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Note: This adventure comes from “Fortress of the Yuan-ti”, by Ari Marmell, as published by Wizards of the Coast.

Area P4) Reliquary

The party interrupts what appears to be a woman performing a ritual sacrifice. Six additional potential sacrifices are manacled to the far wall. Once the sacrificer is defeated, the party's hopes to interrogate her are dashed when the woman who was to be sacrificed lunges forward and delivers a killing blow with the ceremonial dagger.

At this point, Ash notices two things: the “victim” radiates a strong aura of evil and the ceremonial dagger was made in the same style as Allie's sword, Merthúvial. He asks for her to hand the dagger over – even going so far as to offer her a replacement weapon. Before she can act, though, Líkami tackles her and a brief, one-sided fight ensues.

In the end, she is dead and the party recovers six ragged prisoners (who did not know the woman to be sacrificed, though they learned her name was “Arzanezra”) and a suit of magical rhino hide armor from Shiuahn, the sacrificer.

Note: While the “king's dagger” radiates a faint magic aura, its condition has deteriorated over the centuries and it offers no noticeable benefit over a regular dagger.

The party escorts the six surviving prisoners outside (and earns two action points in the process).

Area P5) Portal Chamber

At the lowest level of this tower, the party fights four Baboon Wights (which inflict terrible level loss on Yosi) and discover an active (though not open) portal.

The party decides this room is defensible enough to rest for the night. However, after no more than an hour, a Yuan-ti Abomination and two Yuan-ti Halfbloods descend the stairs. After a prolonged battle that brings them all the way back up the tower and into the Gate Room in the main fortress, the party decides that they need to move to a better position.

They choose the locked (and unused) guest quarters on the third level and are rewarded with an uneventful night.

They return to the Gate Room to explore the only remaining active portal. Like before, they ask Thoburk, the Orc, to go through and report his findings. He gladly agrees, but sadly never returns.

Area D1) Entry Chamber

The rest of the party prepares for battle and steps through the portal, where they find (and eventually) kill a Scale Golem. They find themselves at the top level of what they assume is the third (and final) tower.

At the bottom of a 20' pit, Ketamine discovers an illusory floor and manages to remain hidden while she scouts the next level down. In this room, she sees a Mind Flayer and his bodyguard, a Yuan-ti barbarian.

Area D2) Arcane Supplies

While the party prepares for the coming fight, they quickly explore the doors on the top level. While Yosi inadvertently triggers a magical chain lightning trap, the party as a whole finds a number of interesting items:

• The components of an alchemist's lab (500 gp)
• Three full sets of standard spell components (5 gp each)
• Five pearls (100 gp each)
• A pouch of diamond dust (250 gp)
• Enough special inks for a wizard to scribe five pages of a spellbook (500 gp).
• A large pouch of foul-smelling purple powder (which Ketamine determines will ignite and create noxious fumes if mixed with blood).

Because of this importance of the powder to the Vanguard, the party earns one action point by taking it.

Area D3) Arcanists' Living Quarters

In one of these rooms, the party finds a helm of comprehend languages and read magic (which Freyrik opts to wear)

Area D4) Tolvul's Living Quarters

This room holds a variety of skulls – apparently cleaned out by the Mind Flayer. One of the skulls wears a circlet of persuasion (which Ketamine puts on).

Area D5) The Laboratory

Using a combination of jumping, levitate potions, and climbing, the party descends into the laboratory to confront the Mind Flayer, whose name they later learn is Tolvul. While they manage to get in with a modicum of surprise, the Mind Flayer is able to blast the party with his mental powers, leaving Yosi and Ash incapacitated.

As the battle progresses, Heilli manages to use his soul blade to disrupt several of the Flayer's mental powers while the rest of the party deals with “Lump”, the Yuan-ti Barbarian. In the course of the fight, Lump pushes the stunned Yosi into the pit shaft – where he falls to the next level down. Ketamine (in bird form) drops down to make sure he's OK.

Just before Lump falls, Tolvul directs a telepathic threat at Heilli and plane shifts away.

On a nearby table, Allie finds the king's crown (which she recognizes from the statue she saw in the "Barrow of the Forgotten King". They also find the makings of a full alchemist's lab (500 gp) and a large pearl (250 gp).

Note: The the king's crown is magic and functions as headband of intellect +2.

Area D7) The Library

After a short time keeping watch over Yosi, Ketamine notices a massive Yuan-ti Abomination on a balcony overlooking this library. To her surprise, though, he merely says, “I have wondered if you would show up here. Once your friends arrive, I believe we should talk.

She quickly flies up, switches back to Gnome form, and reports on her encounter.

While the Levitate potions are still active, the party quickly assembles and drops down through the pit.

Area D8) Library Balcony

In the lowest level, the party find the Yuan-ti Abomination that Ketamine described. Though his eyes gleam with a fiendish light, he makes no offensive movements.

Zoldathra: I am Zoldathra, Master of the Word. I have been a member of the Vanguard of Sertrous for decades.

As we have what amounts to a religious difference, I understand if you are unwilling to accept this proposal. However, I offer it in complete sincerity.

Until recently, I thought that I was privy to the greatest secrets of my organization. I was wrong.

One day, Sertrous will rise and the Vanguard will rule in his name. You cannot stop that. But perhaps we can work together in the interim, to prevent the travesty envisioned by the Vanguard's current leaders.

Only recently have I learned that the creature they intend to bring forth with the Sacrament of the Risen Abyss is intended not to rule the world, but to help destroy it. I dare not move against my leaders directly, but perhaps with my assistance, you can accomplish what I cannot.

Heilli: Please, continue

Ash: (nods agreement)

Yosi: You lying piece of filth. Nobody can destroy the world. You just want us to do your dirty work for you. Sure, we will go and kill them. The only question is whether we kill you now or later. I vote now.

Heilli: Yosi, please… if only for a moment – listen.

Ash: Yosi, the King sent us for his bones. If this serpent does not have them, then we can just as well go around him. We must save our strength for Zoltana¹⁾.

Yosi: That's right, get the bones back. Not finding mushrooms, assassinating leaders, rescuing villagers, or killing snake-people (but I liked doing that last part a lot). Not even saving the world. If it even needs saving. Besides, didn't the dead king say that the followers of Sertrous were bad?

Zoldathra: Yes, Elf! Use your rage. Your hatred. It will make you powerful!

But be wary that it is targeted at the proper enemy.

The one you must stop is Sulvaugren. His madness devised the Sacrament of the Risen Abyss. He lied to our people and squandered our considerable resources to gather the pieces to his dangerous puzzle. He, even now, has reduced the might of Castle Serastis to that of a human village.

As for the reality of his danger, have you forgotten your history, Elf? The end of Immenri was brought about by ONE being. And when Sertrous rises, his power will be even greater than the orc-father.

I offer the following deal. I will provide information to assist you in stopping the Sacrament. I will delay and divert the returning patrols so that they will not continue to bother you. I will instruct you on the use of the portals in the Tower of the Way.

With my information, you will intercept the Vanguard patrols that are, as we speak, retrieving the remaining items that Sulvaugren needs for his ritual. You will then proceed to the Tower of the Worlds and stop Sulvaugren. If you survive, you may take the king's bones and his items and will be granted free passage out of Serastis.

Ketamine: You offer a deal? Extend the nefarious word of the serpent? Mistrust of your type merits regard, fell wyrm. Seek what you will; we will not be trifles of your whim. We shall not bed your petty crusade. We care not for your concerns, nor trust your appeal they match our own. Deliver us to the Bones. We will achieve them. Thus accomplished, we shall retire whence we came, suffering no parlay. Mark our regard! You are a blight to this world, and will be given grace befitting your value. Your harrowed carrion shall grimly attest to our disposition!

Heilli: Waitwaitwait…it doesn't hurt any of us to just listen, now does it? The proposal has merit. Our goal is not the eradication of all Yuan-Ti life, just to protect our existence, and the existence of those we care about. To stop the Vanguard at this point is certainly sufficient to keep them at bay for our lifetimes. We know we stand eye-to-eye with an enemy, but this is not The Enemy…distrust and hatred will only make us weaker. And…should this creature offer treachery…we know how that has always, and will always, end.

Ash: So you have figured out how to operate the portals, then? Excellent work, Ketamine. As we are, apparently, at the final rooms of the castle, once we finish up here we can waste no time activating the portals and advancing toward our goal. You HAVE decoded the portals, haven't you? Because without the code, we are at a dead end.

Ketamine: I speak my mind for my own will, paladin. If your wisdom dictates you show this creature your back, I wish you the most fortuitous outcome, compelled by the providence you bear, if not the sagacity of your resolution. We have enjoyed a beneficent fellowship, but I will not abide the blandishments of a foe over the disquiet of a friend. What foul employment would turn you from such righteous virtue? Look to your will, noble warrior, lest it falters to vile seduction.

Heilli: Pick your path; I choose to listen.

Yosi: I'm just trying to figure things out. I've got all these questions. Which are the bad guys we are supposed to kill and which are the bad guys we are supposed to be nice to because they will help us kill the bad guys we are supposed to kill? And if we are nice to them, does that mean we don't come back later and kill them, after we kill the bad guys that we are supposed to kill?

And what about the bad guys that are supposed to be bad guys, but are really good guys? In that tavern in the giant underground cave there was an undead guy, but he was a good guy. And his friend the cleric healed us, but she was a drow. And our friendly orc friend who died (and I really feel bad about that) was nice. But orcs, drow, and undead are supposed to be bad guys.

And that gal we saved yesterday, who should have been nice to us because we saved her life, but instead she gets all stabby on us and I had to hurt her. Until she was dead. What was up with her?

And I'm not angry. Just confused. Besides, I can't be angry again until tomorrow.

Ash: Yosi, Ketamine, Evil is a very palpable thing to me. I can smell its stench, and like you I feel compelled to destroy it. But the trip to the Drow city taught me that blindly fighting all evil does not make the world more good, it only creates chaos. Every combat we have endured and, through the grace of the gods, prevailed in, has in some way brought us closer to the King's bones. We must show the discipline to focus our energies - my divine might, your righteous rage - toward our goal. Heilli has led us well in this regard. I trust him to guide us here.

Yosi: So you don't know what to do either. That's fair. I don't mind relying on Heilli as my Moral Compress.

Líkami: For the moment, we both have the same goal: stop Sulvaugren. We know from there our paths diverge, and we will likely oppose each other later. Understand this: we may not be able to stop Sulvaugren without your help, but we can certainly turn you into snake chow all on our own. If we agree to collaborate, but find at any moment you've deceived us, you will not survive.

We need not relax our guard to take this creature to our counsel, nor trust it to be slave to its word. We need its knowledge, and if it leads us to an ill end, the dirge will be Zoldathra's.

Freyrik: So Zoldathra, How do we activate the portals? For what purpose do they need the Kings bones? Can they succeed without the Kings items and/or his bones?

Zoldathra: Does this mean you accept my terms?

Heilli: I agree to your terms. Anyone who does not may leave, now.

Ketamine: What an unfortunate turn! Heilli, Ash, I wish you well. Perhaps, if you return to Stillsquall, we can renew our previous comradery. For know, however, I have had my fill of the presumption of our companionship. As for the rest, it has been a pleasure. You company will always be welcome and appreciated, in the future as it has been in the past (Gives a minor nod/bow to Yosi, turns, and leaves the room.)

Ash: Ketamine, we have had our differences, but never to this degree. I fear that the circlet you wear bears a curse like the one I suffered from the armor. I beg you, remove the circlet so that we may all know that you speak of your own mind.

Ketamine: (pauses, removes circlet without turning, and drops it to the ground) My mind is as clear is my words. (exits down an unexplored stairway)

Allie: We should make a deal with Zoldathra because retrieving the king's bones is the greater quest. Now I am going to see what Ketamine is up to. (she heads downstairs after Ketamine)

Freyrik: Heilli, your presumption that you have more authority than you command is astounding. I will decide if I agree or not agree to his terms! I will decide whether I leave or not leave! I will decide as to whether I destroy evil or not!

(Freyrik turns to face Zoldathra with his back to Heilli. Takes a deep breath. The glow from his hands disappears and the glow from his eyes fade but lingers ever so slightly.)

Zoldathra, Master of the Word, (Nods in respect for his title) I agree to your terms.

(Turns to face Ash. Takes off the Helm.) Do you have any questions of me? (Puts the Helm back on.)

Yosi: Wait, Ketamine! (Turns toward the group) Did you have to piss her off? I'll try to talk to her.

(Yosi runs off after Ketamine) Wait up Ketamine, let's talk about this!

Heilli: Freyrik, there was never an assumption. We had reached an impasse, and I was solving it in the most expedient way possible. I would be happy for you to be by my side, or Ash's side, or Allie's side. Please don't think that I have ever spoken for you; I respect whatever decision you make, or Ketamine makes…or anyone makes. Even if it only I and Likami (who appears to agree with me) I will listen, and accept these terms. I apologize if you ever though I tried to speak for you. Free will is the foremost of my Beliefs. Stay or go…it is, and has always, been up to you.

This is not “Leadership”…this is Momentum. I welcome you at my side. I always have, despite our occasional differences.

Freyrik: Apology accepted. Ash what is your will. Do you accept or not accept?

Heilli: Hardly an apolgy, but an acceptance of your Free Will, which I have always accepted and appreciated. Never an assumption to speak for you. Hell, barely an assumption to speak for Likami, who is, fundamentally, my other Half.

We welcome you in our quest, and hope that all of our friends return unharmed.

But I wish to hear out this creature, should it be to our advantage.

Thank you for both your rationality, and your concern for our friends. I wholly and deeply appreciate both, for we need both to succeed.

And thank you for not raising this to the level of conflict, although I see that you could have.

Again, I ask for your help, not your obedience.

Zoldathra: Nice team you have, child. You think you can keep them together long enough to face Sulvaugren?

Heilli: Don't make our discussion look like weakness; marching lockstep makes you predictable, which makes you unable to change and learn, which makes you defeatable. I have no doubts of the abilities or the creativity of my team.

When faced by a creature such as you, with an offer given this way…well, I imagine were the roles reversed, you would hesitate to take my word as well.

We fragment, discuss, unify and defeat. That is what we do, and what we will always do. Against Sulvaugren or any other threat.

Líkami: Dude, if you ever try to mess with the minds of anyone in our little family here again, I will turn you into a pair of boots.

(downstairs) Ketamine: …stupid snake… sniff… can't trust 'em….everybody knows that… stupid meanies… probably get swallowed… sniff… stupid lock…

Zoldathra: While it amazes me that you have made it as far into Serastis as you have, you humans seem to be my only chance to stop Sulvaugren's insanity.

But first, an explanation… The Sacrament of the Risen Abyss is the central element to Sulvaugren's plan. Through a combination of blood sacrifice and dark rites, the sacrament forges a bond between the Abyss and the mortal world. Creating that bond requires the remains of a mortal creature with great mystical power. Steeped in prophecy, the bones of the forgotten king best served the Vanguard's plan. When complete, the sacrament will allow the Vanguard to channel a fragment of Sertrous's dream-self into a creature risen from the remains: a corrupt amalgamation of fiendish and undead essence.

This plan was championed by Sulvaugren, with help from Gazaron and others. It was sold to us as a way to stir Sertrous from his deep slumber and place a spark of his essence into the body of the risen king. With Sertrous able to grant our priests divine power once again and with the risen king's unholy power at our disposal, we would have first converted our own people to the worship of Sertrous, and then marched at the head of an army of the living and the undead, converting other nations by the sword. In the end, an empire of Sertrous would stretch across the continents and the Slumbering Serpent would be elevated to a true god.

However, the sacrament is a lie. It hides a darker truth. The “spark” implanted in the risen king will not be just an avatar of the slumbering serpent. It will be Sertrous himself! And once our lord is able to directly experience and influence the world again, his sole purpose will be to seek additional hosts so that he can repeat the Sacrament of the Risen Abyss. Eventually, enough of Sertrous's dream self will become active for the demon lord to truly awaken from his millennial slumber.

And here's the key point. I worship Sertrous. I have devoted myself to him and believe he will guide my life and afterlife to great heights of power.

But He must NOT be allowed to awaken!

Since Sertrous fell to the material realm before the gods created The Concordant, he would not be bound by its limits. With his strength returned, he would rise in this world as an unstoppable being of pure nihilistic hate and godlike power.

The ritual began a week ago, but the Vanguard continues to gather components for its use. Even now, patrols have been sent through the portals to distant lands to collect four remaining items:

• The phylactery of a lich who was one of the forgotten king's greatest enemies
• The king's scepter
• The blood of a fey whose family once blessed the king's line
• An object touched by Sertrous himself

To weaken the sacrament, you must either find these components before the Vanguard operatives or take them by force. There are five active portals in the Tower of the Way. Four of them will take you to these four items. But be warned. The portals have permanent “alarm” spells on them. The Vanguard will be alerted to your movements so you must make your trips as quickly and efficiently as possible.

I will use my influence to keep the Vanguard away from you as best as I can, but I can make no promises.

The fifth portal in the Tower of the Way (the one at the highest point on the stairs) will take you to the Tower of the Worlds. While the three main towers (Worship, Way, and Word) are visible from the outside, the Tower of the Worlds is built atop the cliff – but is out of phase with the rest of our world. The sacrament takes place there even as we speak. Be warned, though – enough of the sacrament's components are already assembled that it can no longer be stopped. Your only hope lies in thwarting the collection of the last relics necessary for the rites, and in harrying the so-called leaders of the Vanguard as they seek to complete their plans.

Finally, there are two other portals that will take you to the Tower of the Worlds. They are the lowest ones in this tower and in the Tower of the Worship. I have written the combinations for all of these portals on this scroll.

(he drops down a scroll tube)

Now that I have given you the information you need, you must uphold your end of the bargain – if you are capable.

to be continued…

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