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Immortality

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Director of Business Development William Shick • Director of Operations Jason Martin • Director of Publications Michael G. Ryan

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First printing: March 2016. Printed in the U.S.

Immortality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ISBN: 978-1-939480-99-6. . . . . PIP 424

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 immortality
Table of Contents
Prologue: Spirit in Steel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 5
Interlude One: Dead in the Water. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 15
Part One: Undeath Metal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 22
Part Two: Act of Murder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 32
Interlude Two: Making Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 47
Part Three: Mercilessly Alive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 52
Part Four: Many Deaths, One Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 67
Interlude Three: Wracking Havoc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 79
Part Five: Stone Cold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 82
Part Six: The Death and Life of Vladislav Abrosim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p. 98

Introduction
Back in last days of 2013, the then-new Editor-in-Chief of No Quarter magazine Michael G. Ryan approached me with an idea. He
wanted to write a serialized adventure that would span six issues of the magazine, playing out over the course of an entire year. I fondly
remember his question to me: “How hard could it be?”

Over the following year, he and I would learn exactly how hard it could be. The magazine needed to be written on a tight schedule, which
meant the two of us would need to have even tighter control over each adventure’s production. Mike threw himself into writing the
adventure himself, cranking out 500 word blocks of text each day, every day, that I would then mark up and return to him for revision.
And so Immortality unfolded, 500 words at a time. It was like running a marathon but running a sprint at the same time. We couldn’t
afford to fall behind our schedule, but the finish line was way, way off in the distance. Sometimes it felt like it took forever. Sometimes it
felt like it was over in a flash.

Yet it came together. The story of Immortality wrapped up on time in issue #59, never having skipped a beat. Unfortunately, neither one
of us is the sort to leave well enough alone.

A little while after the final installment went into circulation, I approached Mike with an idea. “How great would it be,” I asked, “to
compile the whole adventure into a single volume, adding some bridge material between each of the story’s major acts?” Mike was
wisely cautious, but he quickly came around to the idea. I think it was my last comment that really won him over:

“How hard could it be?”

—Matt Goetz, RPG Producer

Pretty damned hard, it turns out.

—Michael G. Ryan, Director of Publications

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 Immortality

4
 Prologue
Spirit in steel
Spirit in Steel takes place in the Cygnaran countryside between
Mercir and Highgate and serves as a prelude to the Immortality
campaign. It is not necessary to play through Spirit in Steel or
Interlude 1: Dead in the Water; for groups of a Khadoran origin,
the Game Master can skip directly to Part 1: Undeath Metal. The
prologue and interlude work well to introduce characters with ®
Cygnaran or other origins to the story, however.

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 Spirit in Steel
Scenario Synopsis
In Spirit in Steel, the PCs investigate a savage attack on a
coastal fishing village between Highgate and Mercir. Information
discovered at the village sets the heroes on the trail of the attackers,
and they soon uncover a nefarious plot to use innocent souls in
hellish necromantic experiments at an abandoned farmstead. All
is not as it seems, however, and the true villain in this scenario
watches the heroes’ actions from the shadows while they battle
his pawns.
For the Game Master
Bowden Haightly is a young and gifted Cygnaran arcanist with
a sordid past. A year ago, shortly after he joined the Fraternal
Order of Wizardry, Bowden spent some time secretly pursuing
an unrealistic dream. Although he was a skilled arcanist, he
longed to harness the power commanded by Cygnar’s warcasters.
Bowden began researching ways that he might empower himself
with this ability. Failure after failure in the more accessible arcane
arts eventually turned him to a dark path.
Bowden’s initial research was predicated on the misguided theory
that a warcaster transfers part of his soul into a warjack in order to
command it. This belief forced him to explore dark lore. The arcanist
finally reached a point where theory and simple experimentation
would no longer suffice; he needed souls in order to continue.
Staring over the precipice of true madness and evil, Bowden could
not bring himself to take the plunge. Feeling his own soul in mortal
danger, he abandoned his research and vowed never to return to
it. He focused instead on his work at the Fraternal Order Lodge in
Mercir, assisting more senior arcanists with their research.
Unfortunately, Bowden’s activities had not gone unnoticed.
Shortly after giving up on his research, he was contacted by men
in the employ of a powerful man named Vladislav Abrosim, an
exiled member of the Greylords Covenant. The men brought him
an ultimatum: Bowden would continue his work on granting
warcaster talents, or his illicit research would be exposed to the
Fraternal Order and the Order of Illumination. Knowing the Order
of Illumination—a Morrowan order tasked with rooting out
dark magic—would likely sentence him to death for practicing
necromancy, Bowden reluctantly agreed.
Abrosim set the arcanist up in a laboratory on an abandoned
farmstead in the countryside between Mercir and Highgate,
complete with guards and a Talon warjack. Bowden abruptly left
the lodge and the city, hoping to return after finishing his work
for Abrosim. The note he left his superiors said only that he must
attend to a personal emergency.
The arcanist quickly found himself at a dead end in his research.
He did not possess the knowledge of necromancy and infernalism
necessary to proceed—but he knew where he might find it. Ulther
Vara, the most senior member at the Fraternal Order Lodge in
Mercir, had received special dispensation to translate a fragment of
the dreaded Librum Mekanecrus into Cygnaran. Bowden had been
a favored apprentice to Ulther, who had foolishly confided in him.
Bowden knew the fragmentary copy of the book was safely locked
within the Lodge’s vault but that Ulther kept his own work in his
chambers. Bowden returned to Mercir and, using a combination of
obfuscating magic and simple stealth, entered Ulther’s chambers
6
in the dead of night and absconded with the arcanist’s notes and
translation of the Librum. Ulther reported the theft to the Order of
Illumination immediately, and soon Bowden became a suspect.
The man’s desperation had made him incautious: he had been
seen on the premises despite his supposed leave, and numerous
people had witnessed him entering and leaving Mercir on the
night the book was stolen. The Order of Illumination set a group
of Illuminated Ones on his trail.
The
Librum Mekanecrus
The Librum Mekanecrus is an ancient and much-reviled
tome that purportedly details the melding of mechanika
with ancient Orgoth rites. Its pages are said to contain
designs for all manner of terrible necromechanikal
constructs; according to legend, the helljacks of Cryx
are based on such schematics. Organizations such as the
Fraternal Order of Wizardry and the Order of Illumination
work to keep the few known copies of the Librum from
falling into the hands of those who would use them for
nefarious purposes.
Vladislav Abrosim
Greylords Covenant, serving Khador and his order for
nearly twenty years. Behind a façade of extreme patriotism
and advocacy for progressive arcane research, however,
Abrosim hid a terrible secret: in private, he pursued the vilest
necromancy and studied forbidden tomes and scrolls.
In public, Abrosim espoused a policy of repealing
safeguards put in place to protect the nation from magic
and lore deemed too dangerous and corrupting for use.
He argued that men strong of will and pure of heart could
control such magic despite its intrinsic evil and could use
it for the betterment of the nation.
Abrosim’s words swayed many, but they also aroused
suspicion from the Greylords Covenant, who launched
a clandestine investigation into his activities. What
was uncovered was nothing short of horrific. Abrosim
had established secret laboratories across Khador
designed to glean power and information from Orgoth
tomes, captured Cryxian technology, and other items
of dark magic. Far worse were the subterranean cells
he maintained to hold future research subjects. These
lightless prisons were packed with captured enemy
soldiers, Abrosim’s political enemies, and even simple
beggars plucked from the streets. Shockingly, the former
Greylord was claiming as many as three victims per day.

Vladislav Abrosim
Continued
Abrosim was arrested and sentenced to death by beheading.
On the morning of his execution, he calmly knelt before the
block. The headsman swung the axe, but the blade would not
bite into Abrosim’s flesh. As the assembled crowd watched
in terror, Abrosim rose, ripped the axe from the headsman’s
fingers, and cut him down. At that moment, men loyal to
Abrosim stormed the prison to free their master. They faced
fierce resistance, and Abrosim was shot numerous times
during the escape attempt before disappearing into the
wilds. No trace of his corpse was ever found.
In truth, Abrosim had warded his flesh with an obscure
Orgoth ritual before the execution. He had many such
contingencies in place should his nefarious deeds be
discovered. With Khador grown too dangerous for him, the
powerful fugitive escaped south to Cygnar, where he could
continue his research unknown.
Abrosim immediately began building hidden laboratories in
Ceryl, Caspia, and Highgate. In addition, he established a
vast network of spies and hired thugs to serve him. These
pawns were overseen by loyal lieutenants, men he’d brought
from Khador who shared his lust for black sorcerous power.
Today, Abrosim casts a wide net in search of particular items
and tomes of necromantic lore. His narrow escape from
Khador has made him fear the frailties of his own flesh, and
he seeks magic that can prolong life beyond the grave. To
this end, he scours Orgoth ruins; abducts, interrogates, and
then murders Thamarite priests; and keeps a watchful eye
on those dabbling in necromancy and infernalism.
Once Bowden had examined the purloined text, he realized to
his dismay that there was no way to continue the experiments
without the blood and souls of the innocent. With little choice,
Bowden tasked Abrosim’s men with gathering what he needed,
and they soon brought him the required materials—bound,
gagged, and terrified.
Getting the Players
Involved
The adventure begins in a tiny fishing village five miles south
of Southshield, a watchtower on the western coast of Cygnar
manned by a small garrison. The men sent by Abrosim to guard
Bowden Haightly and oversee his research attacked the thorp
two days ago, killing nearly all of the dozen men and women
who lived there. They took two hostages, needing live victims to
power Bowden’s foul experiments.
The simplest way to get the PCs involved is to let them stumble
upon the massacre. Travelling between Mercir and Highgate,
the PCs see smoke and circling carrion birds in the distance,
denoting a battle of some kind. When the heroes investigate
they find the grim leavings of Vladislav’s merciless lackeys. See
Scene 1: The Massacre.
Scene 1:
The Massacre
ROLEPLAYING/INVESTIGATIVE
The adventure begins when the PCs reach the massacred fishing
village. Whether they are investigating banditry in the area or
simply happened upon the slaughter in their travels, the scene
unfolds the same way.
When the PCs arrive at the fishing village, read or paraphrase
the following:
Ahead, a small collection of smoldering buildings, burnt down to stone
foundations, projects from the gray beach like black, rotting teeth. A lone
figure moves between the ruins, dragging something along the ground.
When the PCs move closer, they will discover the sole survivor
of the village, a young woman named Haden Connolly, digging
graves in the sand for the charred remains of the villagers. She is
covered in soot, her clothing torn and bloody, and she is in a very
obvious state of shock.
When Haden sees the PCs, read or paraphrase the following:
The young woman squats before a row of blackened corpses, the smoke
from their charred flesh still rising in wisps around her head. As you
approach, she looks up, her face scoured by pain and horror. She stares
at you for a moment and then says, “I need to get them in the ground.
The dogs have been at Mama and the Anderson boy. I need to get them in
the ground so they’ll be quiet.” She then plunges her hands back into the
sand and begins digging again.
It should be obvious to the heroes they need to get Haden away
from this grisly scene; the physical and emotional toll on her is
unfathomable. They can try to remove her by force, but she fights
Mercs for Hire
If you and your players want a more traditional (and
mercenary) beginning to the adventure, the PCs can
be following up on bandit activity in the area, having
accepted a mercenary contract in Highgate or Mercir. Their
point of contact in the area will be Captain Evlin Finnean
at the Southshield garrison. Once the heroes report the
terrible events at the village, Captain Finnean expands
their contracts to find the men responsible. The fee is a flat
500 gc, and the PCs are granted salvage rights to any and
all equipment and possessions carried by the marauders.
Because of the nature of the attack and the remote
location, the PCs are empowered to use any means
necessary to bring those responsible for the murders to
heel. Although the Cygnaran military would like to avoid
unnecessary bloodshed and try the attackers for their
crimes, it is made clear that simply killing the marauders
is an acceptable way to complete their contract.
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 Spirit in Steel
and screams horribly if they do. The PCs can also try and question
Haden, but she answers each question the same way: “I need to
get them in the ground. Get them in the ground so they’ll be quiet.”
If the heroes can calm her, however, she can describe a little of
what she remembers. The PCs can accomplish this and lead her
away from the scene with a successful Interrogation, Medicine,
or Negotiation skill roll, depending on their technique, against a
target number of 12. Haden has the following information:
• “I was in the root cellar, but I heard the men kick in the door.”
• “They killed Papa when he tried to fight them. And then Mama, they,
they . . .”
• “I heard Kyle and Kara crying. They’re only thirteen! I heard them
crying even after the killing stopped, but I couldn’t find them.”
The PCs can learn much more about the men who attacked the fishing
village by examining the bodies and the ruins.
The Bodies
When the PCs examine the bodies, read or paraphrase the
following:
Nearly a dozen corpses of men, women, and children lay in a row in the town
center. Each is burnt beyond recognition, their bodies withered and blackened,
charred hands curled into claws, faces pulled taut in rictus screams.
Closer examination of the bodies can tell the PCs a bit more about
how they died and possibly something about their attackers. A
character can use Forensic Science or Medicine to determine the
cause of death for each villager. Since Forensic Science is better
suited to the task, the target numbers for this skill are lower.
• Forensic Science No roll/ INT + Medicine 12: Although the
villagers are severely burned, the fire didn’t kill them. They all
bear wounds indicating a violent death. Most of the villagers
were killed with heavy chopping weapons (axes and heavy
swords). There are only two gunshot wounds, both back shots,
as if the victims were running from their attackers.
• INT + Forensic Science 12/ INT + Medicine 14: The bodies
are not hacked or mangled, and most were dispatched with
a single precise blow to the head or torso. This denotes both
skill with weapons and a calm and professional demeanor.
The Village
PCs can investigate the village and the area around it to gather
information about the attack and the attackers. Each piece
of information can be determined with the application of an
assortment of skills. The skills and their target numbers are
described below.
• INT + Forensic Science 12/PER + Detection 12: It appears
most of the villagers were killed in their homes and the fire
was set afterward. Valuables were left behind; you found
gold and silver melted into slag in more than one house.
• INT + Forensic Science 12/ INT + Command 14: The attack
was carried out with precision and speed by a group of men
who knew their business. This is not the work of simple
bandits or marauders. There was an objective. The fire was
likely a cover.
8
• INT + Forensic Science 14/PER + Tracking 12: The tracks
left by the attackers indicate a group of five or six armored
men. Three of the tracks are deeper than the rest, meaning
these men may have been carrying something heavy.
After the PCs have gathered all the information they can, their
course is obvious: follow the tracks heading east. The trail is fairly
easy to follow. A successful PER + Tracking roll against a target
number of 12 is all that is required to get the PCs to the next scene.
If they fail this roll, the characters can make another attempt after
wasting thirty minutes and making their way back to the start of
the trail.
The PCs obviously cannot take Haden with them, and they have a
few options. The easiest solution is to take the girl to Southshield,
the Cygnaran outpost five miles north of the village. If the PCs
do not think of it, Haden can mention it. The commander of
Southshield, Captain Evlin Finnean, will gladly take Haden in.
Captain Finnean doesn’t have the resources available to track
the murderers herself and gives the PCs a writ giving them the
authorization to track them.
The Eyes of
Vladislav Abrosim
Vladislav Abrosim has much invested in Bowden
Haightly and his research and is keen to stay informed
about everything transpiring in and around the area of
Bowden’s laboratory. Abrosim has animated a flock of
undead crows that are sympathetically linked to him, and
he can see through their eyes.
The crows are present in every scene in this adventure,
and the PCs should be given a chance to spot them and
possibly learn the party is being watched. At the end of
each scene, have each player make a PER + Detection
roll. Don’t tell the players why, and don’t reveal the
target number. If a player rolls a 16 or higher, tell him
that his character spots a strange black bird on a corpse,
in a tree, or somewhere else nearby. Have that player
immediately make a second PER + Detection roll at a
target number of 14. If he succeeds at the second roll,
tell him the bird, a crow, appears sick or diseased, with
patches of feathers missing and other signs of decay
or decrepitude. Whether or not the PC succeeds at the
second Detection roll, the crow flies off before it can be
studied in any more detail.
The PCs should spot the crows enough times to get the
feeling they are being watched. If the PCs spot the birds
three or more times, you might allow a PC with the Lore
(undead) skill to make an INT + Lore roll against a target
number of 14. On a success, this player rightly divines
that the birds are necromantic creatures.
SCENE 2: Dying of
the light
INVESTIGATIVE/ROLEPLAYING
From the fishing village, the PCs can follow the attackers’ tracks
east toward the abandoned farmstead. Before arriving there, the
PCs encounter Olver Marsden, an investigator for the Order of
Illumination (called an Illuminated One) and part of the group
sent to track down Bowden Haightly.
The Illuminated Ones hadn’t expected Bowden to be so well
defended and were handily defeated by his guards. Two of the
three were slain, and Olver was mortally wounded, although
he did manage to escape. He fled west in hopes of reaching
Southshield, but his wounds were too great, and he collapsed in a
clearing some two miles from the farmstead.
When the PCs enter the clearing, read or paraphrase the following:
Ahead, the rugged forest gives way to a small clearing. A man in a heavy
armored coat sits propped against a moss-covered log, one hand clamped
to his side and the other gripping a large pistol. He looks toward you as
you enter the clearing, his eyes wide and fearful. He shakily tries to lift
his weapon but passes out before he can take aim.
If the PCs examine Olver, they discover he is alive but
unconscious and gravely wounded. A cursory examination
reveals a gunshot in his right shoulder and one in his stomach
above the navel. A successful INT + Medicine roll against a
target number of 12 reveals the shoulder wound is superficial
but the gut shot is mortal and well beyond the party’s abilities
to treat. The PCs can patch Olver up to some degree, however,
and a successful INT + Medicine roll against a target number of
13 brings him around long enough to question him. If no one
in the party has the Medicine skill, the PCs can attempt the roll
untrained. If the PCs fail the Medicine roll, Olver wakens on his
own in 20 minutes.
The Order of Illumination does not share sensitive information
with strangers, and even in his desperation Olver is willing to tell
them only the most essential information.
• The Order of Illumination is seeking Bowden Haightly, a
member of the Fraternal Order of Wizardry, for interrogation.
He is suspected of necromancy.
• Bowden is a suspect in the theft of an illicit necromantic
tome. Olver refuses to name the tome at first, but a successful
Negotiation check against a target number of 12 convinces
him to reveal it is a translation of the Librum Mekanecrus.
• The necromancer has set up a laboratory in a nearby abandoned
farmstead to the east. He is heavily guarded by men skilled
enough to defeat a party of veteran witch hunters.
The information Olver provides should make it clear that Bowden
poses a terrible threat, but this may not be enough to convince the
PCs to risk their lives. Use one of the hooks below (or a combination
of all of them) to persuade the PCs to take up Olver’s cause.
• If the PCs let Olver know they are investigating the attack
on the fishing village, he tells them he has no doubt Bowden
and his thugs are responsible. If the heroes wish to avenge
the deaths of the villagers, they must bring down Bowden.
• Olver flatly tells the PCs that as followers of Menoth or
Morrow, it is their duty to protect the realm from the evil
Bowden represents. If one of the PCs is an obvious follower
of either god—or better yet, a priest—Olver directs his
declaration at that character.
• If the PCs are not exactly the hero types and know a bit about
the Librum Mekanecrus, they will know how valuable it is and
that certain buyers would pay a king’s ransom to own it.
Olver dies shortly after making these statements. Based on his
information, the PCs can easily find Bowden’s laboratory, or
they can simply follow Olver’s trail back to the farmstead with a
successful PER + Tracking roll against a target number of 12.
SCENE 3: On the
Farm
COMBAT
When the PCs arrive at the farmstead, read or paraphrase the
following:
The forest gives way to a cleared space of land that was once a small
farmstead. It was obviously abandoned some time ago, as the area is
overgrown with weeds and scrub. At the heart of the farmstead sits a
large barn surrounded by a crumbling low stone wall. Also within the
wall are a small shed, an animal pen, and a moldering stack of hay bales.
Both buildings are quite dilapidated, and there is a large hole in the
eastern wall of the barn that looks fairly recent.
The scene is dominated by the commotion of a fierce battle. A group of
armed men fight a towering warjack. The warjack holds what appears
to be the body of a man in gray robes in one hand and is fending off the
guards with lashing blows from a great spear. Two corpses lie to the side,
each clothed similarly to the mortally wounded Illuminated One you
encountered on the road. You hear the unmistakable sound of human
screams coming from inside the barn.
The PCs might be inclined to simply let the battle play out and
see who emerges the victor. If this is the case, give them some
incentive to get directly involved.
One of the men fighting the warjack is struck soundly with the haft of its
spear and knocked back against the barn door, causing it to swing wide.
You get a clear view of the barn’s interior, showing low tables strewn
with alchemical equipment. Manacled to the west wall are two figures, a
boy and girl in sooty, tattered clothes. They scream in terror as the battle
surges back toward the barn.
If the PCs get involved at this point, a few things happen in
rapid succession. First, the warjack suddenly breaks off combat
and charges off to the east, disappearing into the tree line. Next,
Bowden’s guards turn on the PCs, believing them to be either
members of the Order of Illumination or representatives of the
local authority.
9
 Spirit in Steel

Abandoned Farmstead

G
G G G

I I
G

G: Bowden’s Guards V: Captive Villagers I: Order of Illumination Corpses

Bowden’s Guards’ Tactics The fifth guard is intent on murdering—and thus silencing—the
two young captives. Once combat begins, the PCs have exactly
Bowden’s men fight as an organized unit with simple but effective
three rounds to get to the barn and stop the guard from slaying
tactics. When combat begins, four of the men engage the heroes
the boy and girl. This is no easy task, as the remaining guards
in combat, while the fifth draws a wicked-looking dagger from
will do everything in their power to hold the PCs at bay with
his belt and charges into the barn. The remaining guards then
ranged attacks.
attack with their military rifles at range, using Sentry and Fast
Reload to get an extra shot off every round. They immediately If three of the guards are slain, the remaining two will attempt to
move and spend a quick action to take cover behind the wall, the escape to the east. They are loyal to Abrosim to a point, but they
water trough, or any solid object. The guards focus their ranged are unwilling to die for him.
attacks on PCs who demonstrate either magic ability or the ability
to attack effectively at range. If the PCs try to push into melee
with the guards, three of the guards charge forward with an axe
or sword, while the fourth hangs back and attempts to snipe
unengaged PCs with his rifle.

10
Terrain
The battlefield for this encounter is shown below with the
Bowden’s Guards
starting position of Bowden’s guards. It also has the following Abilities:
PHYSIQUE PHY 6
terrain features: Fast Reload: The character gains
SPEED SPD 5
one extra quick action each turn
Hay Bales: This stack of moldering hay is ten feet high and STRENGTH STR 6 that can be used only to reload a
can be climbed without a skill roll. It is very unstable, and any AGILITY AGL 4 ranged weapon.
violent action performed atop it forces an AGL roll against a PROWESS PRW 4 Sentry: Once per round when an
target number of 12. Failure means the bales collapse and the PC POISE POI 4 enemy is placed in or moves into
the line of sight of this character,
falls to the ground and suffers a POW 8 damage roll. INTELLECT INT 3 this character can immediately
ARCANE ARC — make one attack, targeting that
Shed: The doors to the shed are unlocked and the interior is enemy.
unlit. There are no windows. A barrel next to the shed makes it PERCEPTION PER 4
possible for a PC or enemy to get on the roof with a successful Military Rifle
PHY + Jumping roll against a target number of 14 followed by rat Rng AOE POW
a successful AGL + Climbing roll against a target number of 12. 6 10 — 10

Axe or Sword
Wall: The wall is six feet high and wide enough for a man to
MAT POW P+S
stand atop. Climbing the wall requires an AGL + Climbing 6 3 9
successful skill roll against a target number of 12.
INITIATIVE INIT 14
Aftermath DEFENSE DEF 12
If the PCs emerge victorious from the battle, they can examine ARMOR ARM 13
the bodies (including those of the Illuminated Ones). A successful WILLPOWER WILL 9
PER + Detection roll against a target number of 12 tells the PCs Vitality: 7
the men all have similar gear and weapons, although they do Command Range: 3
not wear uniforms. In addition, they all appear to be of northern
Base Size: small
descent and wear their hair and beards in a Khadoran fashion.
Encounter Points: 7
If the PCs managed to take one or more of the guards alive, they Equipment:
can attempt an interrogation (the guards have a combined PHY +
Axe or sword, military rifle, infantry armor,
INT of 9). A successful Interrogation roll allows the PCs to learn blasting poweder and bullets for 10 sots,
the following: 1d6 gc each.

• The men were ordered to guard the arcanist Bowden

Haightly while he conducted his research. Skills:
Name Stat + Rank total
• They attacked the fishing village in order to obtain subjects
Detection PER 2 6
for Bowden’s research.
Hand Weapon PRW 2 6
• They were attacked by three Illuminated Ones earlier in the Rifle POI 2 6
day. They killed two and drove off the third.

• Bowden retreated to his laboratory after the battle. About an There was a bright flash of greenish light, and he collapsed to
hour later, the Talon warjack inside burst through the barn the ground. Shortly thereafter, the warjack’s furnace and boiler
wall and attacked them. ignited, and it began smashing apart the laboratory. It then picked
up Bowden, crashed through the wall, and began fighting with
If the PCs dig deeper to find out who the men are really working the men outside.
for, they run into incredibly fierce resistance, suffering a –3
penalty to Interrogation rolls seeking this information. Even if the The PCs should be starting to get a picture of what’s happening
PCs succeed here, they get only the name Vladislav. now, although the final pieces of the puzzle lay within the barn
and Bowden’s laboratory.
If the PCs managed to save the villagers, who turn out to be the
twins Haden mentioned in the Scene 1: The Massacre, they can
question them (the manacle keys can be found on Bowden, or the
manacles can be opened with a successful AGL + Lock Picking roll
against a target number of 12). Both are terrified and can tell the
PCs only bits and pieces. They relate that shortly after the battle
with the Illuminated Ones, the robed man (Bowden) returned to
the lab and began working on the warjack. After an hour or so,
he began reading something from a book in a strange language.

11
 Spirit in Steel
Scene 4:
Barnstorming
COMBAT
With the guards defeated, the PCs can investigate the area. There’s
not much of interest other than the laboratory in the barn, but
allow the PCs some time to look around if they’re so inclined.
When the PCs enter the barn, read or paraphrase the following:
The interior of barn is lit by a gas lamp hanging from the rafters on a
stout chain and sunlight streaming through a gaping hole in the west
wall. A collection of low tables strewn with broken arcane and alchemical
equipment dominates the eastern half of the room, while the western half
is taken up by equipment more commonly seen in a warjack repair depot.
Searching the laboratory turns up three important items: the
partial translation of the Librum Mekanecrus, Bowden’s research
notes, and his journal. Together, the three items can fill in many
of the missing pieces of the story. A combination of research and
deduction can tell the PCs more about Bowden’s experiments and
what he may have been trying to accomplish. His journal can tell
the heroes more about why he was doing the work in the first
place. More importantly, it can give them some information on
Vladislav Abrosim.
The PCs don’t have enough time to properly research the material
here, but a cursory read-through can provide some compelling
pieces of information. After ten minutes of page turning, allow
a character to make an INT + Research roll to determine what
Overeager Heroes
If your PCs have no interest in exploring the barn and
simply want to chase after the warjack once they defeat
Bowden’s guards, let them, and move directly on to
Scene 5: Man in the Machine. Although they will not
have all the information they might need to negotiate with
Bowden, the encounter does not have to end in bloody
combat. If you play up the possessed warjack’s reluctance
to fight the heroes and especially note its desire to protect
Bowden’s body, it may be enough to push the PCs toward a
peaceful resolution. Don’t forget that if the PCs don’t make
arrangements for the rescued twins to wait somewhere
safe, they will impede any later efforts!
If the PCs thoughtlessly destroy Bowden and then return
to the barn and gain the information above, the tragedy of
the arcanist’s plight is increased tenfold. The heroes had a
chance to right a grave injustice and failed to do so.
12
can be gleaned from the book. This roll can be made unskilled.
The amount of information learned will be determined by the
character’s total.
10 or less: Bowden has dabbled in necromancy and soul magic
before but abandoned his research when it became clear he would
have to compromise his morality to continue.
11 to 13: Bowden’s research centered on the manipulation of the
soul to grant individuals the ability to command warjacks. He
was using the translation of the Librum Mekanecrus to further his
research.
14+: Bowden has continued his research against his will at the
behest of a mysterious individual named Vladislav Abrosim. The
laboratory as well as the guards the PCs battled were supplied by
this man.
The last piece of important information comes from Bowden’s
journal—the very last entry, written only hours before. Let the
PCs find this without a Research roll.
I need only to sink completely into madness and horror to be done
with Vladislav and this hellish research. It would be easy to slay these
children, to use their blood and souls to be done with this work. But I
cannot. I fear my soul is irreparably tarnished even now; if I take their
lives I am no better than Vladislav’s thugs. No. The work will be finished
shortly, and I will bear the burden of its cost upon my own flesh, my
own soul. Perhaps this evil will be the key to my salvation, its power
sufficient to free me from Vladislav’s grasp. That some good may come of
this wretched predicament…
The PCs should be able to piece together what happened to
Bowden and conclude that his soul and consciousness now
reside within the Talon warjack.
SCENE 5: Man in
the Machine
COMBAT/ROLEPLAYING
The final scene in the adventure forces the PCs to deal with
Bowden Haightly, whose soul and consciousness now reside in
the cortex of the Talon. They now realize that Bowden performed
this necromantic research against his will and that he chose to
imperil his own life and soul rather than those of the captured
villagers.
Bowden’s plight should engender some sympathy, compelling
the PCs to chase after him. If not, or if they haven’t figured out
that the warjack is Bowden, the PCs should be concerned about
leaving a rogue warjack roaming the countryside.
Tracking Bowden is fairly simple, as he has left a trail of destruction
through the forest. No roll is required to follow the warjack.
When the PCs come upon Bowden a mile or two into the woods,
read or paraphrase the following:
The warjack stands protectively over the body of the gray-robed man. Its
single eye glows a malevolent green, and as you draw closer, it looses a
hiss of steam and raises its spear.
Bowden is desperate and terrified, and he believes the PCs have
come to destroy him. They have two options in dealing with the
possessed warjack: fighting it or attempting to appeal to the arcanist
Possessed Talon
trapped within it. If the PCs decide to meet Bowden in combat and
attempt to destroy his warjack body, they will find it no easy task.
Warjack
He controls the huge machine just as he would his own body and Possessed Talon Warjack
still commands the abilities of a formidable arcanist. If the heroes SPD STR MAT RAT DEF ARM
choose this route, go to Bowden’s Combat Tactics (p. 14). 6 8 6 5 12 16
WILLPOWER Initiative DETECT SNEAK
Assuming the PCs have pieced together the information from 11 14 5 2
Bowden’s journal and other documents, they should sympathize
with the blackmailed arcanist and attempt to reason with him. Spear
This is an uphill battle, but if they approach the situation carefully,
POW P+S
8 12
they can reach a peaceful resolution. If the PCs try this, continue
The spear has Reach.
to Negotiating with Bowden.
A character in the front arc of a steamjack armed with a spear suffers –2 on charge,
Negotiating with Bowden slam power attack, and impact attacks against the steamjack.

Fist
If the PCs decide they want to try and help Bowden, they can do
POW P+S
so, but they must calm him down first. He is terrified and hostile 1 9
and believes the PCs are here to capture or kill him. As such, he
is primed for a fight and in no mood to talk. In order to calm Arcane: 5
him down, the PCs will first need to get his attention, which can Will Weaver
be accomplished with a successful Negotiation check (using an ABILITIES
attribute chosen by the Game Master) against a target number of
Fast Caster – The character gains one extra quick action each activation that can be
15. On a success, Bowden does not attack, giving the PCs a chance used only to cast a spell.
to speak with him. Although Bowden cannot speak himself, he
Feat Points – This character starts each encounter with 1 feat point. He is allocated
can still understand the PCs, and even communicate with them in 1 feat point at the start of each of his turns. He can only have up to 1 feat point at
a limited fashion with body language and simple sign. a time.
Great Power – This character can upkeep one spell each turn without spending a
Once they have Bowden’s attention, the PCs can attempt to calm
focus point or gaining a fatigue point.
him down by succeeding on three successive Negotiation checks
at target numbers 15, 14, and 13, in that order. The PCs need to BASE SIZE: Medium
convince Bowden of two things: (1) they mean him no harm and Spells COST RNG AOE POW UP OFF
are not part of the Order of Illumination or connected to Vladislav; Arcane Bolt 2 12 — 11 No No
Magical bolts of energy streak toward the target.
(2) they understand what has happened to him and wish to help
him return to his body. Characters with knowledge or skills Aura of Protection 2 Self Ctrl — yes No
While in the spellcaster’s control area, friendly characters gain +2 ARM.
appropriate to Bowden’s plight can strengthen these arguments.
For example, you may wish to give the PCs a bonus of +1 or +2 to Wind Blast 2 CTrl 5 — No No
the Negotiation skill rolls if they have an Arcane Mechanik with Place a 5˝ AOE anywhere completely in the spellcaster’s control area. Cloud effects
them or one of their number has considerable knowledge about overlapping the AOE expire. Characters suffer –3 RAT while within the AOE. The AOE
remains in play for one round.
mechanika, arcane lore, or even undead. If the players have other
DAMAGE GRID
skills or knowledge that might be appropriate, allow them to use
these abilities if they can make a convincing argument for their 1 2 3 4 5 6
inclusion.

If the PCs succeed at all three Negotiation rolls, they convince
Bowden of their good intentions and he will cooperate with them.
If they fail any of the Negotiation checks, including the first one,
Bowden attacks. If combat ensues, however, feel free to allow L R
well-meaning players a second chance to parlay with Bowden by
breaking off combat and making a Negotiation check at a target L L M C R R
number of 17 to get his attention again. Then, the negotiation can M M C C
proceed as above. If the PCs fail a second time, Bowden is beyond
reason, and they will be forced to fight for their lives.

13
 Spirit in Steel
Forest Clearing
T Conclusion
B
B: Bowden’s Body T: Talon Warjack
Bowden’s Combat Tactics
Bowden is a formidable opponent in his warjack body. Although
enraged and terrified, he retains enough of his mental faculties to
use his spells intelligently and effectively. He will have already
cast Aura of Protection and will upkeep it each round with Great
Power. If faced with devastating ranged attacks, he will cast Wind
Blast each round to keep them at bay.
With his spells in place, Bowden attacks in melee, targeting PCs
that represent the most immediate threat (obvious arcane ability,
damaged him last round, etc.). He will attack such an individual
with his spear and then use a quick action to target another PC
with Arcane Bolt. Bowden will typically use his feat point to use
Heroic Dodge or to safely reposition himself on the battlefield
with Parry.
Aftermath
If the PCs destroy Bowden’s warjack body, his consciousness and
soul are destroyed along with it. This is a terrible fate, and one the
PCs should be made aware of.
Read or paraphrase the following when the heroes strike the
final blow against the warjack:
The warjack stumbles to its knees, leaking fluids. Sparks burst from the
deep gouges in its hull, and the greenish glow of its single eye flickers
and then fades. It topples forward, unleashing a chilling metallic
shriek you hope is simply the sound of its hull buckling beneath the
weight of its body.
If the PCs managed to calm Bowden, they have taken on a
considerable task. If they wish to help him return to his body,
they must maintain the warjack’s cortex where Bowden’s soul
and consciousness reside, keep him supplied with coal so that
he remains mobile, and somehow hide a creature that will be
viewed as nothing less than a rampaging monster by the Order of
Illumination. More information on where the PCs go from here can
be found in the conclusion section of this adventure.
14
Although defeating Bowden or successfully negotiating with him
ends this particular adventure, the PCs have come to the attention
of a very powerful enemy. Vladislav Abrosim has been watching
them through his undead crows.
Depending on how the PCs deal with Bowden, the adventure
leaves them with a number of interesting choices and the potential
for further adventure. Below are the reactions of the various
organizations involved in the adventure and how they might
react to the PCs’ actions.
Captain Finnean/Southshield Garrison
The Southshield garrison, while not nearly as influential as the
other agencies involved in the adventure, can be a solid ally for
the heroes and serve as a means to further adventure.
If the PCs return the villagers to Southshield unharmed, they will
receive the gratitude of Captain Finnean and a small reward.
Captain Finnean knows that the results of Bowden’s experiment
cannot be allowed to fall into the wrong hands and will insist that
the heroes protect the Librum Mekanecrus and the warjack in order
to see that it doesn’t “fall into the wrong hands.” He advises the
PCs seek out the Order of Illumination in this matter.
The Order of Illumination
The Order of Illumination is a powerful and ruthless organization
the PCs will want to avoid angering. Depending on the heroes’
actions and how they deal with Bowden, they can make valuable
allies or dangerous enemies out of the Order.
It should be clear to the PCs that the translation of the Librum
Mekanecrus is exceedingly dangerous and should be returned
to the Order of Illumination. If they accepted a writ from Olver,
they will theoretically be handsomely rewarded for returning the
Librum and will earn the organization’s gratitude.
If the PCs were able to reason with Bowden after his
transformation, they have an interesting dilemma. They can try
to aid the possessed warjack, but doing so will be difficult. The
PCs can try to speak with the Order of Illumination on Bowden’s
behalf, gaining some latitude with the order if they return the
Librum Mekanecrus and the bodies of the slain Illuminated Ones.
They face an uphill battle even so, as the Order of Illumination
very likely sees Bowden as a terrible threat. At best, the Order will
almost certainly not allow him to remain free and will want him
in their custody for his own protection.
Vladislav Abrosim, Rogue Greylord
The Greylord Vladislav Abrosim will be quite displeased at the
heroes meddling with his plans. He has been spying on them via
his undead crows and is well aware of their activities. Abrosim
is a powerful foe and cannot abide the PCs meddling with his
affairs. With what they learned from Bowden’s journal, the PCs
should have a very good idea they have angered a powerful and
incredibly malevolent individual who will certainly seek revenge.
INTERLUDE 1:
Dead in the Water
Interlude Synopsis
In Dead in the Water, the PCs escort an Illuminated One with
Bowden Haightly, the Cygnaran arcanist whose soul and
consciousness ended up in a cortex inside a Talon warjack, to
Corvis University, where a researcher on staff there—another
member of the Order of Illumination—will take possession of it.
Additionally, the PCs may have the Librum Mekanecrus translation
that the Order also very much wants to have under their control,
and if they do not deliver it to Corvis, the Order will assume the
PCs have deliberately withheld it for their own uses.
Unbeknownst to the PCs, Vladislav Abrosim, the former
Greylord who commissioned Bowden Haightly’s research,
has an undercover agent aboard the steamboat they are taking
north to Corvis. That agent is tasked with recovering the cortex
and disposing of anyone who knows its history. The agent is
also looking for the Librum Mekanecrus, and if the PCs lose it
to the agent, the loss of it will have repercussions for them in
Interlude 2 (p. 47).
The agent ramps up attacks against the PCs in stages that generate
multiple suspects as to his or her identity; however, the PCs’ actions
can either eliminate certain suspects or allow the agent to remain
hidden among the passengers, free to continue targeting the PCs.
In the end, the PCs either root out and foil their attacker or have
the cortex and the Librum Mekanecrus stolen from them, possibly
at the cost of their lives.
Getting the Players Involved
The adventure begins once the characters are out on the open
water aboard the Sundown. If they require incentive to accompany
the Illuminated One and the warjack, the Game Master can choose
to have the Illuminated One offer to pay them for their services (a
small amount to divide equally among the PCs) or, if the Game
Master deems it fitting, have the Illuminated One suggest there
could be serious repercussions for all of them if he is endangered
because the PCs abandoned him. If the PCs elect not to accompany
the Illuminated One at all, the GM should move them on to the
next part of the adventure after establishing that they frequently
spot Abrosim’s necromantic crows following them (see The Eyes
of Valdislav Abrosim on page 8 for details).
15
 Interlude: Dead in the Water
Game Master Note
Dead in the Water fills the gap between Spirit in Steel
and Undeath Metal, moving the PCs from the coastal
village of the former to the Khadoran village of the latter.
The adventure takes place entirely aboard the steamboat
Sundown and can cover as many days as the Game
Master deems necessary to maintain a tense story while
moving the PCs to the inn and woods in the next part of
the adventure.
The PCs serve as bodyguards for an Illuminated One who
is taking the cortex from the Talon warjack that housed
Bowden Haightly. Depending on how they ended Spirit in
Steel, they are on this trip based on a recommendation
from any one of numerous sources: Captain Finnean of
Southshield Garrison, a lesser agent of Abrosim (who is
not powerful enough to take the cortex from them by
force but who has an inside track with the Order), or the
Order itself.
16
SCENE 1: The First
Murders
INVESTIGATIVE
The adventure begins once the Sundown has left the docks where
the PCs boarded with the Illuminated One, Galen Reach, an
elderly man bordering on paranoia with regards to the safety
of the Talon warjack containing the cortex of Bowden Haightly.
Once the warjack was secured in the steamboat’s hold, Reach
hired two burly men, Molan and Tack, straight off the dock to
take the journey and stand guard over the ’jack. He dismisses any
complaints from the PCs should they protest that they were hired
to protect the warjack—Reach will counter that the PCs were
hired to protect him.
As soon as night falls, the PCs are roused to action by the ship’s
captain, Hargrave, who comes banging on their cabin doors,
approaching their dining table, or otherwise locating them to tell
them of an attack in the hold. When the captain summons the
PCs, he is already accompanied by Galen Reach, the Illuminated
One, who is clearly distressed about the state of their collective
safety…and that of the cortex. Even if the PCs respond quickly,
Galen Reach mutters over and over, “You’re wasting time we do
not have.” The captain tells the PCs that one of his men found the
two guards in the hold murdered.
As the PCs enter the hold, read or paraphrase the following:
The hold is dimly lit by a single lantern, but the particular hold has been
reserved exclusively for Reach’s warjack, so there’s not much to see—
except the two bodies on the floor. They have both suffered shots to the
head, Molan from the back and Tack from the front. Their bodies lie at
opposite ends of the hold, both facing the same direction. At one end of
the hold is a tray of spilled food—fruit, meat strips, and two shattered
ale mugs.
The Talon housing the spirit of Bowden Haightly appears to be
undisturbed—it is chained to the deck and remains covered by a tarp tied
down on all but one side.
The Sundown
The steamboat Sundown serves as a transportation vessel
for both passengers and cargo all along the Black River. It
has already taken on a dozen other travelers by the time the
PCs climb aboard with the Illuminated One, Galen Reach,
and the Talon warjack he’s been tasked with delivering.
The layout of the vessel is only as relevant to the journey
as the Game Master needs it to be. Key rooms consist of
staterooms for passengers, a dining hall, the cargo hold
for the warjack, the wheelhouse, and a handful of other
locations. Unless otherwise specified, the Game Master
can choose from among these locations for scenes within
the adventure.
The PCs can investigate the bodies and the warjack itself to
determine what might have happened in this location. Each
piece of information can be determined with the application of
an assortment of skills. The skills and their target numbers are
described below:
• Forensic Science/12: While one man was shot from the front
and the other from the back, the man shot from behind was
killed at close range, based on his wound and the blood spatter.
• Forensic Science/14: The bullets imbedded in the skulls
of the two men can be extracted sufficiently to reveal they
are rune inscribed. A Gun Mage or character with the Rune
Reader benefit recognizes the runes as those that would
silence the noise of the gunshots.
• Tracking/12: Barely discernible footprint patterns in the
first man’s blood suggest he was facing the cargo door,
away from the warjack, when he was attacked and that his
attacker then turned back to face the second man on the
other side of the hold.
• Tracking/14: In the very slight dust beneath the tarp,
handprints indicate someone was hiding beneath the tarp
before the attack on the guards.
Once the PCs have a chance to search the hold, Captain Hargrave
introduces them to Kelsen, the sailor who discovered the bodies.
Kelsen had come to offer the two guards food from the kitchens;
he immediately fled to find the captain and report the murders.
When speaking to the PCs, Kelsen is nervous and uncomfortable,
repeatedly expressing his devotion to being “just a shipwright.”
Captain Hargrave explains that Kelsen is very solitary and has
a hard time interacting with other people—thus, his attempt
to be courteous to the guards by bringing them food. Once the
PCs are finished speaking to Kelsen, the captain mentions that
the shipwright has a temper—it’s why he always stays aboard
the Sundown instead of going ashore when they dock. His social
awkwardness tends to get him into quite a few fights.
Game Master Note:
The Killer
In order to create a greater air of mystery, the introduction
of every Non-Player Character should be underscored
by suspicion. The PCs may quickly eliminate certain
characters as suspects, but at first glance, it should seem
possible that any of them could be the killer. By giving
these characters certain qualities (overly innocent,
uncooperative, too eager to help, aggressive, etc.),
you can increase the likelihood of the PCs becoming as
paranoid as Galen Reach when it comes to protecting the
cortex housing Bowden Haightly.
Galen Reach himself, however, is the murderer. While he
was once an Illuminated One, he is also a Gun Mage in
the employ of Vladislav Abrosim. He tracked down and
murdered the Illuminated One assigned by the Order
to accompany the warjack and would have stolen the
cortex on the spot had the PCs not arrived to fulfill their
assignment to accompany the Illuminated One. Now, he
feigns being frail and paranoid until he can steal the cortex
himself.
Reach killed the guards, Molan and Tack, when they entered
the cargo hold to take up their guard duties, but he was
underneath the tarp to remove the cortext from the warjack
at the time. After he shot the first and turned his gun on
the second, he was forced to flee when Kelsen arrived,
discovered the corpses, and rushed off to alert the captain.
17
 Interlude: Dead in the Water

Against the
Current
The following scenes are options for the Game Master to
incorporate to control the pacing of the interlude on board
the Sundown. Not every scene needs to be included during
the interlude, but Game Masters can use each to represent
complications on each day of the journey upriver. If necessary,
however, the Game Master can skip directly to Final Scene: Man
Overboard to wrap up this stage of the adventure.
DAY ONE: Fire in the Hole
(Roleplaying)
During an unexpected thunderstorm, fire breaks out in the engine
room, filling the aft section of the lower deck with smoke and
flames and sending smoke through the engine ventilation shaft
to spread to the PCs’ staterooms. Klaxons sound, and Captain
Hargrave calls for all available hands to join in a bucket brigade to
extinguish the fire—the line stretches from the upper deck down
the stairs to be thrown on the flames in the engine room.
If the PCs join the brigade, the group quickly extinguishes the
fire with no additional damage done to the ship. Once the blaze
is out, Hargrave confronts the entire line of participants—sailors
and passengers alike—with his belief that the fire was deliberately
set, perhaps to sink the Sundown. He vows to them that he’ll root
out the arsonist, and he firmly reminds them that if his ship goes
down, they and all their cargo goes down with it. In the crowd
of men, Solomon, a Gun Mage traveling aboard as a passenger,
makes a derisive comment (“Some of us can swim, you know”),
ensuring the PCs should notice him.
cargo hold to attempt to extract the cortex from the warjack for a
second time. If the PCs accept his story as-is, he feigns weakness
and returns to his stateroom. If they seem uncertain or outright
disbelieving, he expands his explanation: the figure was a man,
left-handed (Solomon, the Gun Mage, is left-handed), and seemed
to be waiting in ambush for someone to enter the cargo hold. If
they seem to be confronting him, he becomes indignant, falling
back on his tagline: “You’re wasting time we do not have.”
DAY TWO: Avian Assassins
(Combat/Investigative)
Flustered and apparently terrified, Galen Reach summons the PCs
to his stateroom. There, he shows them what he discovered when
he opened his closet: two dozen dead ravens, some on the floor of
the closet, some on the two low shelves in the closet. He keeps his
distance from them, saying that he noticed the occasional wings
fluttering or a green eye staring at him. He doesn’t know what
they are, he says, but he’s certain they were left there as some kind
of warning.
The PCs are only there for a few moments when the birds attack
as a group, suddenly alive and aggressive, their eyes glowing
a necromantic green. They burst into the air, attacking the PCs.
Even if the PCs quickly dispense with them, Reach still suffers
an attack to his head. (To any PC with the Medicine skill, it is
apparent this wound is superficial.)
Of course, it was Reach’s intentions that his birds kill the PCs, but
by hedging his bets regarding their survival, he can still pretend
to be a victim, the target of the attack.

If the PCs refuse to participate in the firefighting effort, the

engines are damaged, and the ship moves more slowly against the
current. Repairing the engines will require the appropriate tools,
an hour of labor, and a successful Mechanikal Engineering roll
against a target number of 13.
Meanwhile, Hargrave rails against the PCs for their refusal to
assist to the point of becoming suspicious. It may seem to the PCs
that he was overly eager to have them distracted by the fire, but
the truth is that the captain feels his only worldly possession is in
danger, and its loss would spell the end of his career, his home,
and essentially his life.
Raven Swarm
The undead ravens attack as a group, damaging any
character in the room. A character that enters or ends his
activation in the room suffers d3+1 damage points from
the attacking ravens. To disperse the ravens the characters
must cause the swarm to suffer 15 damage points. The
swarm is DEF 7 and ARM 10. Non-AOE, non-spray attacks
roll 1 fewer damage dice against the swarm.

If the PCs rush to guard the Talon warjack in the cargo hold
instead of fighting the fire or if they go to check on the warjack
after the fire is out, they encounter Galen Reach alone in the hold.
He waves a pistol at them, but once he sees who they are (and
that he is outnumbered), he lowers the gun with shaky hands,
claiming to have arrived just in time to encounter a figure in the
shadows. It aimed a gun at him, but when the weapon failed to
discharge, Reach charged the figure, grabbing its gun. The figure
released the weapon and fled.

Reach will provide as much detail as necessary to convince the

PCs that he had nothing to do with the fire and was not in the

18
Once the birds are dispersed,
PCs can investigate Reach’s
stateroom to determine
Galen Reach
how the birds were planted. Abilities: PHYSIQUE PHY 6
Each piece of information Ammo Bandolier – A character with an ammo bandolier can draw and reload a SPEED SPD 6
can be determined with the round into a firearm as part of the same quick action.
STRENGTH STR 4
application of an assortment Battle Plan: Shadow – The character can spend 1 feat point to use Battle Plan: AGILITY AGL 4
of skills. The skills and Shadow. Using a battle plan is a quick action. When a character uses this battle
plan, each friendly character who follows the character’s orders gains Prowl for PROWESS PRW 4
their target numbers are
one round. POISE POI 4
described below.
Cover Identity – The character has an established cover identity with its own history, INTELLECT INT 3
• Forensic Science/ contacts, and criminal record (or lack thereof). The character’s Disguise rolls while
ARCANE ARC 4
using his cover identity are automatically boosted.
Lore (undead) 10: The PERCEPTION PER 4
Fast Reload – The character gains one extra quick action each turn that can be used
birds were not living
only to reload a ranged weapon. Magelock Pistol
creatures, so they could rat Rng AOE POW
Feat Point – This character starts each encounter with 1 feat point. He is
have been in the closet allocated 1 feat point at the start of each of his turns. He can have only 1 feat 6 10 — 10
for a prolonged period point at a time.
Abilities: While in a gun mage’s hands this
of time, even prior to the Will Weaver – This character is a will weaver and can cast spells. weapon is a magical weapon.
PCs’ boarding.
Skills: mace
MAT POW P+S
• Detection/Forensic Name Stat + Rank total
5 4 9
Science 12: The latch on Command SOC 1 *
the stateroom’s window Deception SOC 1 *
INITIATIVE INIT 14
is unlocked. Disguise INT 1 4
Intimidation SOC 1 * DEFENSE DEF 13
(Armored Greatcoat -1)
• Detection 15: Beneath Pistol POI 2 6
Reach’s bunk is an empty Sneak AGL 1 5 ARMOR ARM 11
Lore (Cyriss) INT 2 6 (Armored Greatcoat +5)
piece of luggage and
Mechanikal Engineering INT 2 6 WILLPOWER WILL 9
inside are black feathers.
Reach readily admits
that the luggage belongs Spells COST RNG AOE POW UP OFF

to him but contained Rune Shot: Accuracy 1 SELF — — NO NO 1 2 AGILITY

only clothing. He even The spellcaster’s next rune shot ranged attack roll this turn is boosted.

reminds the PCs that Rune Shot: Brutal 1 SELF — — NO NO PHYS 3

they saw him with it as The spellcaster’s next rune shot ranged attack gains a boosted ranged attack damage
4
roll against the target directly hit.
they all came aboard.
IQ

ECT
E
U

If possible, he turns the Rune Shot: Silencer 1 SELF — — NO NO

The spellcaster’s next rune shot ranged attack is completely silent and gives no sign of
6

LL
discussion not to the being fired. Neither the firing of the weapon, nor the impact of its ammunition causes
TE
luggage’s contents but a sound. Any immediate sound from a target that is hit, such as a scream, shout, or the 5 NI
to the veracity of his fall of a body, is silenced.

ownership, hoping to
distract the PCs with the Command Range: 4
topic. Base Size: small
Encounter Points: 9
Equipment:
Ammo bandolier, armored great coat,
forged identity papers, magelock pistol,
sword, powder and bullets for 20 shots,
50 gc

19
 Interlude: Dead in the Water
DAY THREE: Turning Tides
(Combat)
As Galen Reach walks across the upper deck, the Gun Mage
Solomon opens fire on him from the raised observation deck
above. Though Reach moves to protect himself, he doesn’t
counterattack, instead encouraging the PCs to defend him. In
the midst of the battle, a sizable raven with glowing green eyes
appears near Solomon but does not attack him, implying his
allegiance with Abrosim. When the battle finally turns against
him, Solomon throws himself from the ship to swim ashore—but
never surfaces again.
In truth, the raven was summoned by Reach to deal with Solomon,
driving him into the water to die.
When Reach came aboard the boat, Solomon recognized him as
a villain among Gun Mages. He intended to take Reach out for a
bounty on Reach’s head but was hoping to isolate him from his
traveling companions before striking. If the PCs recover his body,
they find his magelock pistol and rune-inscribed bullets (if they
previously found the bullets in the bodies of the two guards killed in
Scene 1, these appear to be of a completely different casting kit from
those). If the PCs search Solomon’s stateroom, they find a detailed
log of collected scraps of information. A thorough reading reveals his
intent to find and kill Galen Reach, though no reasons are specified
beyond a “sizable” bounty. His notes also indicate Reach is a Gun
Mage and makes no mention of him being an Illuminated One.
FINAL SCENE:
Man Overboard
COMBAT
On the last night of the adventure, the captain sends a cabin boy
to the PCs to ask that they join him for a private conversation on
the uppermost observation deck, away from prying eyes, within
the hour. The cabin boy thinks hard to recite a specific message
he’s been told to deliver: “And don’t waste time you do not have.”
En route to meet him, the PCs encounter the dead body of the cabin
boy, black feathers scattered around his corpse, a bullet hole in
the back of his head. If the PCs spend more than a few minutes
investigating the scene of the crime, they will not see the shadow
at the railing, as detailed below. Instead, they will find the captain
gone, and when they ultimately check up on the Talon warjack, they
will find its cortex has been removed and Galen Reach no longer on
board the Sundown. The rest of the trip will be uneventful until they
go ashore with nothing to deliver to the Order of Illumination.
If the PCs reach the observation deck without investigating the
scene of the cabin boy’s murder, read or paraphrase:
You reach the observation deck quickly, and the moonlight is bright
enough to reveal not just the observation deck but most of the upper
deck as well. Captain Hargrave is nowhere to be seen on the observation
deck—but when you look down the length of the ship along the starboard
side, you can see a shadow at the railing, a shadow in the midst of
throwing a body over the side of the ship.
20
Captain Hargrave had clearly learned Galen Reach’s secrets—
some or all of them, no one will ever know—but more important,
Reach figured out that the captain knew. So, to cover his own
tracks, Reach murdered the captain and is disposing his body
when the PCs arrive.
If the PCs in any way alert Reach to their presence on the
observation deck, he lets the captain’s corpse fall to the deck and
turns with his magelock pistol in hand to open fire on them. If
they instead choose to sneak up on him or descend to his level
to do combat, the delay causes him to throw the captain’s body
overboard…and moments after it hits the water, it goes into
the starboard sidewheel, jamming the wheel from turning and
causing the entire ship to suddenly turn to starboard and continue
turning in a circle in the middle of the river.
In either case, Reach knows he has been found out, and now he
fights to the death, saving the last runeshot in his gun for himself
if it’s clear the PCs are about to defeat and possibly capture him.
At the moment before his death—whether at the hands of the PCs
or by his own weapon—he cries out to the sky, “I’ve no time left to
waste!” He is answered by the distant cawing of crows.
If the PCs search his corpse, they will find, among his other
possessions, a note: “Bring what you get to Satsiyanar, outside
Volkovar.”
Galen Reach, Illuminated One
An imposter of sorts, the former Illuminated One is quick to
change his story and feign weakness, illness, or age to convince
those around him that he is as passive as they need him to be
in order to trust him or think him innocent. Now a Gun Mage
working for Abrosim, he believes creating paranoia and suspicion
of others serves him best as he tries to retrieve the cortex and
the Librum Mekanecrus per his master’s instructions. He is very
difficult to rattle, as catching him in a lie only makes him fall back
on his “confused old man” routine to evade further inquiries.
Solomon, Gun Mage
Solomon is a traditional loner, preferring to keep to his own
business though not outright dismissive of temporary company.
He’s notably single-minded when it comes to business—he takes
his work very seriously, and he generally doesn’t look for trouble.
If possible, he won’t involve others in his business at all to avoid
collateral damage to innocent bystanders.
Hargrave, Captain of the Sundown
A dour Thurian man in his early fifties, Captain Hargrave is
the owner and operator of the Sundown. A former member of
Cygnar’s Southern Fleet, Hargrave uses military jargon and
carries himself with the bearing of his martial past. As captain,
the Sundown is his personal possession and his responsibility,
and he is protective of the ship and his own personal reputation.
Once things begin to sour on the trip north, Hargrave becomes
more sullen and quicker to anger. His reasons are motivated by
fear for the fate of his ship, and if a PC talks to him, he expresses
a desire to have never taken on his unusual cargo. After the
murders on the first day, Hargrave spends most of his time in
the wheelhouse of the ship, delivering messages via the cabin
boy. While in the wheelhouse,
Hargrave drinks to steady his
nerves, but it only serves to
Solomon
fuel his anger at the situation Abilities: PHYSIQUE PHY 6
he’s found himself in. Fast Reload – The character gains one extra quick action each turn that can be used SPEED SPD 6
only to reload a ranged weapon. STRENGTH STR 5
Molan Find Cover – At the start of combat before initiative is rolled, this character can AGILITY AGL 4
immediately advance up to twelve feet (2˝) and perform a quick action to take cover
Molan is a man without a PROWESS PRW 4
or go prone.
country, and for each freelance POISE POI 5
Sentry – Once per round when an enemy is placed in or moves into the line of sight of
assignment he takes like this INTELLECT INT 3
this character, this character can immediately make one attack, targeting that enemy.
one to guard the Talon warjack,
ARCANE ARC 3
he feels the need to reiterate at Skills:
PERCEPTION PER 3
great length how long it’s been Name Stat + Rank total
since he’s had a place to call Detection PER 2 5 Magelock Pistol
home. He’s easily distracted Hand Weapon PRW 1 5 rat Rng AOE POW
by talk of travel, and he’s very Medicine INT 1 4 7 10 — 7
Pistol POI 2 7
social except when he feels the Abilities: While in a gun mage’s hands, this
need to withdraw into prayer to weapon is a magical weapon.
Morrow, saying, “Morrow is the Spells COST RNG AOE POW UP OFF mace
keeper of my home these days.” Rune Shot: Accuracy 1 SELF — — NO NO MAT POW P+S
The spellcaster’s next rune shot ranged attack roll this turn is boosted. 5 3 8
Tack
Rune Shot: Brutal 1 SELF — — NO NO INITIATIVE INIT 13
A reckless gambler, Tack is The spellcaster’s next rune shot ranged attack gains a boosted ranged attack damage
DEFENSE DEF 11
constantly on the make for roll against the target directly hit.
(Custom Battle Armor -1)
additional ways to bring in any
Rune Shot: Thunderbolt 1 SELF — — NO NO ARMOR ARM 12
amount of income. He will bet If the spellcaster directly hits a target with his next rune shot ranged attack this turn, (Custom Battle Armor +6)
on most anything—which way the target is pushed d3˝ directly away from this character. On a critical hit, the target
WILLPOWER WILL 9
the wind will blow in an hour, is knocked down after being pushed.
whether or not a stranger is left-
or right-handed, how many
times he can ask someone to borrow a coin before he’ll be rejected. 1 2 AGILITY
Anything is worthy of a wager, and Tack is a good loser when he
owes…but he often has to ask for additional time to repay, as he PHYS 3
tends not to have coin on him for long. 4
IQ

ECT
Brogan Diggs E
U

LL
Brogan is the teenaged cabin boy of the Sundown. Tanned with

TE
unkempt blond hair, he wears a somewhat disheveled uniform 5 NI
and smokes a wooden pipe. His responsibilities include running
errands for the captain, delivering messages on the captain’s behalf,
and seeing to minor maintenance and cleaning aboard the ship. Command Range: 3
Base Size: small
Brogan is an enthusiastic young man who is eager to hear stories
Encounter Points: 10
of the wider world. He will forget his responsibilities if engaged
in conversation with one of the PCs and goads them to share Equipment:
some of their more exciting exploits. He is particularly interested Custom battle armor, magelock pistol,
in the warjack stowed in the ship’s hold and pesters characters for sword, powder and bullets for 10 shots, 5 gc

details about it.

Brogan is a bit sticky-fingered, and in the past, he has stolen

items from passengers aboard the Sundown. Over the course of
the journey, Brogan may attempt to pocket unattended items left
in the passenger’s cabins. He will not steal weapons, choosing
instead items like pocket watches, loose coins, spyglasses, and
other such odds and ends. If Brogan steals an item from the PCs,
that character’s cabin will smell of the cabin boy’s pipe smoke,
and there will be ashes from his pipe on the floor. Brogan’s
quarters contains 15 gc worth of stolen items, plus anything he
takes over the course of the adventure.

21
 Undeath Metal
Part 1:
Undeath Metal
Undeath Metal is designed for 3–5 Hero-level characters between
0 and 6 XP each. It takes place on the road and in a wooded area
outside a small Khadoran town.
Scenario Synopsis
In Undeath Metal, the PCs thwart a seemingly simple robbery,
only to find themselves at the center of an insidious plot to steal
select human souls and use them to fuel research into achieving
immortality. To escape—and to free innocent townspeople who
are also targets of the plot’s designer—the PCs must destroy a
machine milking their souls for life-giving energy and confront
the machine’s villainous guardians.
For the Game Master
Makar Iokav—a charismatic researcher secretly serving as a
lieutenant for Vladislav Abrosim who has turned to evil acts of
necromancy—has used his charm and influence to wrest control
of a small cell of fringe Cyriss worshippers spurned by the core
Convergence faith. Iokav has cast out the cell’s chief optifex,
Kasparovik, and used fell engineering to make the cell’s stolen
and makeshift Convergence technology functional, draining
and containing souls. The cell had been actively pursuing
transfiguration, the placing of a soul in a waiting vessel, and Iokav
22
has made this possible for them. The purpose of capturing and
storing those stolen souls, however, remains a mystery to them.
To date, Iokav has targeted local townspeople who have shown
either physical or mental strength, believing such souls are more
valuable to his master’s work.
Iokav works for Vladislav Abrosim regardless of the cost to
himself or others. Iokav operates under the belief—perhaps ill
advisedly so—that Abrosim will elevate his many lieutenants
with him once the Greylord achieves his nefarious goal.
In general, Iokav has been blinded by his devotion to Abrosim, by
the former Greylord’s overwhelming charisma and intellect, and
by the strong allure of the promise of immortality. Iokav’s own
charm and aggressive nature made him an ideal candidate for
Abrosim’s machinations. Further, Iokav’s magnetism made him
a perfect match for a vulnerable temple of Cyriss worshippers
Abrosim had discovered.
The fringe cult cell, the Temple of the Essence, has already been
rejected by the core of the Convergence and possesses only
scattered knowledge of the Convergence’s inner workings.
Remote and technologically far removed from where it had
once hoped to be, the temple was not privileged with the
Convergence’s transfiguration secrets, making it susceptible to
Iokav’s misdirection. Abrosim provided his lieutenant with the
right verbiage—specifically, promises to address their missing
knowledge of soul transference with necromantic procedures—
eventually influencing the cell into following along with his
master’s plan.
The soul siphon is of Abrosim’s design, built by the fringe cell
using what little knowledge they acquired from their brief
association with the Convergence of Cyriss. Iokav oversaw its
construction, and he is both proud of its success and dismissive
of the immorality of its function. He sees it as a necessary evil, a
means to an end, and he assumes it will ultimately be used for
his own benefit as well. Its destruction would not distress Iokav
much, however, provided that he is able to first extract the souls
he has collected for Abrosim.
The Soul Siphon
The machine the fringe cult cell built to house energy
from souls for Abrosim is a combination of the limited
Convergence designs the cell could obtain and elements
drawn from Bowden Haightly’s work with the Librum
Mekanecrus. It is both unique and horrific. It uses parasitic
converters—thin metallic silver collars that are virtually
unbreakable and can only be removed by an exceptionally
talented arcane mechanik—to drain a host’s life essence
and transmit it via geomantic flow from the point of origin
directly to the machine. Once the life essence is fully drained,
the subject’s soul is captured. Further, the containment
chamber within the soul siphon is easily removed for
transportation, replacement, or drainage. The soul siphon
itself is impossible to shut down without utterly destroying it.
Getting the Players
Involved
The adventure begins outside a small Khadoran village called
Volkovar, far enough away that the PCs won’t be able to rely
on locals for assistance and, when coming upon the Satsiyanar
Inn, which is a coaching inn that serves as a minor trading post,
they won’t be able to reach the village until extremely late. Game
Masters can choose to have the PCs en route to Volkovar after
hearing about an unexplained rash of disappearances that might
include an NPC ally of the PCs. Alternatively, they may have been
summoned to the village by someone with family among those
who have vanished.
If players have completed the earlier adventure, Spirit in Steel,
they may already be on Abrosim’s trail—they may be pursuing
him after attempts on their lives or at the direction of the Order
of Illumination. If the PCs are already aware of Abrosim’s plots,
the revelation that Iakov works for him should have additional
significance.
The simplest way to get the PCs involved is to have them arrive
at the inn during the course of their normal travels, without
any foreknowledge of the disappearances. Regardless of how
they reach the inn, they arrive just in time to thwart an apparent
robbery. See Scene 1: Inn Trouble.
SCENE 1: Inn
Trouble
COMBAT/ROLEPLAYING
The adventure begins when the PCs approach the Satsiyanar Inn
as the sun is setting. Whether they are deliberately bound for the
local village or come upon the inn by chance during their travels,
the scene unfolds the same way.
As the PCs approach the inn, read or paraphrase the following:
Ahead, a small coaching inn and stables stand by the side of the road in
the long twilight shadows of the neighboring woods. A weathered sign
identifies it as the Satsiyanar Inn. As you approach, you hear the crack of
a gunshot. A thin older man bursts from the inn’s main door, pursued by
a long-haired, bearded thug armed with a pistol. The older man sees you
and cries out for help, running in your direction. “I’m being robbed!”
he cries.
The robber sees you, and before you can act, opens fire. Drawn by the
gunshot, seven other men come barreling out of the inn behind him. All
are scruffy and armed with firearms and edged weapons.
The initial shot misses no matter what, as this “robbery” is staged
for the benefit of the arriving PCs and Andrei, a mercenary who
just checked into the inn. The older man—Dominik, the owner
of the inn—is a member of the Cyrissist cell Makar Iokav took
over, and he is always on the lookout for likely candidates for
the soul siphon. A traveler’s response to the “robbery” gives
him information about that traveler’s character and strength, as
Iokav seeks only those brave and strong of will. The old man has
performed this ruse numerous times over recent months and has
become proficient at deception. In order to determine something
is amiss, a character can make a Detection skill roll against a target
number of 14. If the roll succeeds, he feels something is not quite
right about the robbery but cannot put his finger on exactly what.
As the fight begins, another man bursts from the inn. Unlike the
thugs, he is partially dressed, naked from the waist up, barefoot,
hair and beard wet as if fresh from a bath, but armed for battle
with a distinctive mechanikal pistol. He immediately attacks the
thugs from behind, joining the fray. This is Andrei, a mercenary
soldier who took a room at the inn a few hours ago. Like the PCs,
Andrei believes he is helping to thwart a robbery.
Terrain
The encounter has the following terrain features:
• Stream: A portion of the road to the Satsiyanar Inn is
washed out by the Volkovar Stream overflowing its banks.
The stream is shallow water with a depth of two feet.
• Ruins: The ruins are all that remains of the ill-fated Leskov
Trading Post. The ruins are rough terrain. The walls of the
ruins provide solid cover.
23
 Undeath Metal

robbers
The robbers are all male, mostly middle-aged, armed with
Once half of the robbers have been killed or incapacitated, the
survivors abandon the fight and attempt to flee into the nearby
woods. (The Game Master can adjust the number of robbers to
similar weapons, and are ruthless in their aggression toward account for the number and strength of the PCs.) The desired
their enemies, though once engaged in battle, they lose nearly all outcome is for the robbers to flee the scene, escaping into the
interest in the weaker target, the old man. Their intent in combat nearby woods.
seems to be more to incapacitate than to kill.
Aftermath
PHYSIQUE PHY 7 Abilities:
If the PCs take one or more of the robbers prisoner, the innkeeper
SPEED SPD 6 Gang – When making a melee
Dominik attempts to either free the prisoners or poison them,
attack that targets an enemy in
STRENGTH STR 4
melee range of another friendly whichever can be accomplished without drawing attention to
AGILITY AGL 4 character, this character gains +1 himself. The robbers attempt to resist interrogation, imposing a
PROWESS PRW 4 to melee attack and melee damage –3 penalty to any Interrogation attempts. They know very little
rolls. When making a melee attack
POISE POI 4 about the reasons for the disappearances—they were hired via
that targets an enemy in melee
INTELLECT INT 3 range of another friendly character messengers to kidnap predetermined people, and they were
ARCANE ARC — who also has this ability, these sent this morning to the Satsiyanar Inn to “attack at dusk.” They
PERCEPTION PER 3
bonuses increase to +2. assume they were sent to kidnap Dominik himself.
Defensive Line – While this
pistol character is B2B with one or more When the battle is resolved and the robbers have escaped, died,
rat Rng AOE POW friendly characters, he gains +1 or been driven off, read the following:
5 10 — 10 ARM. While the character is B2B
- with one or more friendly characters The old man, trembling with relief, shakes hands with each of you in
axe or sword who also have this ability, the bonus turn, including the half-dressed man who joined the battle late. “You are
MAT POW P+S increases to +2.
my saviors,” he gushes, introducing himself as Dominik, owner of the
- 6 3 7 Satsiyanar Inn. “Your rooms, your food, your wine—please, it is all free.
You’ve paid with your bravery. It would be an honor to serve you dinner.”
INITIATIVE INIT 13
DEFENSE DEF 12 The half-dressed man grins, looking down at himself as he twirls his
(Armor -1) mechanikal pistol and holsters it smoothly. “I’m not dressed for the occasion,
ARMOR ARM 13 but I can always afford free.” He introduces himself as Andrei and hesitates
(Armor +6) for a moment before lowering his voice and asking, “You’re headed for
WILLPOWER WILL 10 Volkovar, I assume. There’s nowhere else to go out here. My niece disappeared
Vitality: 7
from there, a week ago tomorrow. Who are you looking for?”

Command Range: 3 If the PCs were not originally aware of the disappearances
Base Size: small (either before the adventure began or as a result of capturing and
Encounter Points: 6
interrogating a prisoner), Andrei is eager to recruit them to help
him find his niece. He promises to fill them in over dinner, and he
Equipment:
then excuses himself to dress.
Ammo bandolier, axe or sword, custom
battle armor, pistol, ammunition for ten If the PCs still believe the attackers were robbers, an observant PC
shots, d6+3 gc. may note that the robbers did not manage to steal anything from
Satsiyanar Inn. A thorough search of the inn itself, which Dominik
fully supports (as he knows what there is to find), reveals supplies
Skills:
seemingly left behind. Dominik indicates they belonged to the
Name Stat + Rank total
robbers. Characters who search the gear will find, among an
Detection PER 2 5
Gambling PER 1 4
assortment of common traveling gear, a vial of clear fluid they can
Hand Weapon PRW 2 6 identify as an Alchemical Restorative without a skill roll.
Intimidation SOC 2 * Whether the PCs search the inn or not, Dominik warns them of
Pistol POI 1 5
the dangers of the road ahead—including the possibility that the
robbers are waiting for them or might return to the inn to take
revenge on Dominik for bringing in help. Further, he has no other
Robbers’ Tactics means to pay them than with his hospitality. He hurries to get
After the first shot, all seven robbers move quickly to engage the them a room and arrange dinner for them in his dining room.
PCs before they can intervene on behalf of the old man. Three of
the robbers take cover behind trees near the inn or at the corners
of its walls, while the remainder gang up on the PCs in melee. The
robbers try to take advantage of their Defensive Line and Gang
bonuses whenever possible.

24
Table Talk
When the PCs enter the dining room of the inn, read or
paraphrase the following:

The dining room is small with old curtains on one window, candles, Alchemical Restorative
and faded paintings on the walls. The innkeeper Dominik has pushed Promotes rapid blood clotting and regeneration. It
some smaller tables together to account for your party and for Andrei, contains two doses.
who is seated and dressed in casual attire. He bears no indication of his
loyalties, but he carries his mechanikal pistol and a Khadoran sword, Special Rules: A grievously injured character who drinks
both of which he has handy in case the inn is attacked again. He greets or is fed a dose of this substance is immediately stabilized
you, and Dominik begins to pour wine even before you’re seated. (Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy Roleplaying Game Core
Rules, p. 293).
Andrei is open and social with the PCs, whom he sees as comrades
in arms. He explains that “in a past life,” he was a mercenary with
little commitment to anyone or anything. As Dominik brings meat,
potatoes, and wine to the table, Andrei explains his presence and
earlier comment about his missing niece.

Read or paraphrase the following:

Robbery at the Satsiyanar Inn
Andrei takes a long drink of wine before speaking. “My
niece. I got word from my brother in Volkovar that Evelina
disappeared from the field where she was working. Sixteen
years old, beautiful dark hair, blue eyes. Outspoken and
not at all shy about defending herself, let me tell you. Just
disappeared without a trace. And it’s not the first time,
I found out. A half-dozen so far, all from Volkovar or the
outlying farms.”

He takes another drink. “I’m coming to find her. And kill

R whoever took her.”

If the PCs did not previously obtain the idea by

R
capturing a “robber,” Andrei wonders if they were
R trying to take the innkeeper. Dominik worries about
R
this, fretting about the missing locals.

Both Dominik and Andrei attempt to recruit the PCs

R
to help find the missing locals, Andrei by stressing
R R he could use help—he’s one against many, in all
likelihood—and could afford to pay a little for that
D help, and Dominik by underscoring the PCs’ heroics in
fighting the robbers and emphasizing Volkovar’s need
for comparable heroics.

If the PCs agree now, Andrei suggests that tomorrow

morning after breakfast they travel together to the
village to speak to law enforcement officials. Dominik
says he can close the inn long enough to join them. Both
PC START men retire to their own rooms.

If the PCs elect to move on from the inn instead of

staying the night, they realize just a short way down
the road a sedative was slipped into their meals or
wine. If they don’t return to the inn quickly, they black
out on the dark road to Volkovar, now certain they’ve
been tricked.
1 in. : 30 ft.

0 15 30 ft.

D: Dominik R: Robber

25
 Undeath Metal
SCENE 2: Tagged
INVESTIGATIVE/COMBAT/
ROLEPLAYING
Whether the PCs retire on their own or black out on the road to
Volkovar, they wake up in the morning in a room in the Satsiyanar
Inn, each with a silver collar locked around his or her throat. If
sentries were posted when the PCs went to their room, they too
black out due to the influence of the elixir that was put into their
food and wine.
The collars seem to have no latches, locks, or other means of removing
them. Experimenting with them reveals that, if a PC attempts to
remove one by force, sharp electrical charges from the collar stun the
wearer for one round, rendering him Stationary for the duration.
A PC with the Mechanikal Engineering skill can roll to
discover the following:
Target Number 13: The collars are the work of extremely
advanced mechanikal engineering. (Note: Only a talented
mechanikal engineer familiar with Convergence technology
can remove the collars.)
Target Number 15: The collars are drawing energy from the PCs
but the energy doesn’t seem to remain contained in the devices; in
some manner, it is being siphoned away.
A character with Connections (Convergence) can recognize the
collars as the product of altered Convergence engineering by
making an INT or Mechanikal Engineering roll against a target
number of 12.
If the PCs search the inn, they find Dominik’s room empty. Blood
is on the sheets, the window forced open, and its lock is broken.
The PCs can discover the following by making a Forensic Science
skill roll against a target number of 13:
• The blood is human. On a roll of 16 or higher, it proves to
be more than 24 hours old, too old to have been spilled in
the night.
• There are no footprints outside the window. On a roll of 16
or higher, the character discovers the lock was
actually broken from the inside.
Battle with the Servitors
In fact, Dominik has returned to the temple facility
where Makar Iokav took over. His task of luring
candidates to have their souls stolen has been
accomplished for the moment, and he has constructed
the scene to avoid inculpating himself in the PCs’ eyes.
The mercenary Andrei is gone as well. The door to his
room is ajar, a blood trail leading from the hallway
outside his room out of the inn. His bed is unmade
and his equipment is gone. The distinctive smell of
gunfire lingers in the air—a sound the PCs clearly
slept through, though whether it was someone else or
Andrei himself who fired, they can’t tell.
Andrei woke not long after Dominik placed the
K: Kasparovik ES: Elimination Servitor
collar around his throat, and he fired at Dominik as
26
the innkeeper fled with a pair of the returning thieves, injuring
Dominik. Andrei then gave chase into the predawn darkness. If
the PCs refuse to follow Kasparovik (see below), they can follow
this blood trail back to the Temple of the Essence by making a
Tracking skill roll against a target number of 12.
When the PCs have discovered both Dominik and Andrei are
gone, read or paraphrase the following:
From the woods beyond the inn you hear a crashing sound, as someone
barrels through the underbrush. A figure bursts forth—a middle-aged
man, his hair and eyes wild, his limbs thin, his skin sickeningly pale. He
is dressed in ripped golden robes and is barefoot. He staggers toward the
inn and then collapses in a heap. You can see a silver collar that matches
your own around his throat.
As the PCs approach, the man will begin to weakly gesture a
warning toward the woods, holding a bloody wound in his side.
He degenerates into an uncontrollable coughing fit.
When the PCs reach the man, read or paraphrase the following:
Ominous shadows emerge along the man’s trail from the woods. Four
floating metallic machines appear, each as large as a man’s head, each
with three bars of light on its hull and a mechanical appendage armed
with a set of savage-looking spikes. They pivot to scan the area, and upon
detecting the fleeing man, move to attack.
Elimination Servitors’ Tactics
The attackers are elimination servitors, weapons developed by
the Convergence of Cyriss. These particular servitors are dented
and look to have been haphazardly repaired, but their spike
ejectors are armed and ready to launch. Their primary target is the
middle-aged man, but if the PCs do not step aside, the servitors
target them as well. Because he is severely wounded, the man is
unable to assist the PCs in the battle.
The servitors attempt to target the injured man, but they will
attack any PC between them and their target. The servitors
attempt to stay out of charge range if possible, constantly
shifting in an attempt to get an angle of attack on their target.
The servitors’ target is knocked down, and thus has DEF 5
against ranged attacks.
ES
ES
K
PC START
ES
ES
1 in. : 30 ft.
0 15 30 ft.
If they successfully attack the injured man, he is immediately
incapacitated and automatically suffers the Spitting Blood result
on the Injury table. Unless stabilized with a successful Medicine
elimination
skill roll against a target number of 14 within 6 rounds, he will die. servitor
Once their target is eliminated or they have fired all of their Equipped with advanced computational engines, the elimination
ammunition, the elimination servitors immediately move to flee servitor’s primary directive is to hunt down and eliminate any
the area. They head directly back toward the Temple of the Essence. it does not recognize as an ally. Sophisticated visual sensors and
response algorithms allow the elimination servitor to quickly
Once the PCs defeat the servitor, Kasparovik outlines for them his assess the battlefield and select targets amid the chaos.
former role in the cult cell and Makar Iokav’s coup, Iokav’s machine,
his banishment from the temple, the purpose and dangers of the PHYSIQUE PHY 6 Abilities:
collars called parasitic converters (which he does not know how to Close Shot (Spike Ejector) – A
SPEED SPD 6
remove; they are recent inventions of Iokav), and his attempt to warn servitor does not suffer the –4
STRENGTH STR 3
the people of Volkovar that precipitated the arrival of the elimination penalty on ranged attack rolls with
AGILITY AGL 3 the Spike Ejector while engaged.
servitors. He is aware of the “disappearances” in Volkovar—and
knows that Andrei’s niece, Evelina, was one of those taken. PROWESS PRW 3 Construct – This character is not a
POISE POI 3 living character and never flees.
Kasparovik is straightforward with the PCs: the parasitic INTELLECT INT 1 Pathfinder – The character can
converters will ultimately kill them as their life essence and move over rough terrain without
ARCANE ARC —
finally their souls are drained away into Iokav’s machine. He penalty.
PERCEPTION PER 3
tells them how his own flesh has grown weaker since he was Return Fire – Once per round
spike ejector when this character is missed by an
rat Rng AOE POW enemy’s ranged attack, immediately
5 9 — — after the attack is resolved the
- character can make one normal
A character hit by this weapon automatically attack against the attacking enemy.
suffers 1 damage point.
Optifex Kasparovik INITIATIVE INIT 12
Steady – This character cannot be
knocked down.
Kasparovik was formerly the optifex—a low-ranking
DEFENSE DEF 12
priest—overseeing a small disenfranchised cell of Cyrissists
(Armor -1)
from Volkovar. Recently, however, control of the cell was
wrested from him by a charismatic new member, Makar ARMOR ARM 13
(Armored Hull +7)
Iokav, who swayed them to heretical untruths with his
promises to help them make use of the small amounts of WILLPOWER WILL 7
transfiguration knowledge they possess. Iokav proved this Vitality: 6
by helping transfer the soul of the temple’s second optifex, Command Range: 1
Valeria Karpov, into a steelsoul protector the cell had Base Size: small
“acquired” from the Convergence. She is now fiercely loyal
Encounter Points: 3
to Iokav. Iokav then had a collar placed around Kasparovik’s
throat—a parasitic converter, he calls it—and drove
Kasparovik out when he tried to resist Iokav’s influence. Skills:
Each converter is draining the soul essence of the former
Name Stat + Rank total
optifex and the PCs, sending it through lines of geomantic
Detection PER 2 5
flow back to what he calls “the machine”; in time, he tells Sneak AGL 1 4
them it will kill them and siphon their souls to fill a massive
soul cage that incorporates elements of foul necromantic
designs with the pure engineering of the Convergence. collared. The only way to stop it is to destroy the machine in the
Kasparovik believes others have already been taken this cult’s hidden underground temple, but Kasparovik is too weak
way, and when he tried to warn the people of Volkovar, Iokav to do so alone. If they work together, however, they can stop
sent the servitors to kill him. The innkeeper Dominik was an Iokav and save themselves.
ally of the temple, so Kasparovik was seeking refuge here. Kasparovik proposes to lead them to the temple to save Andrei,
When he learns of the innkeeper and the soldier Andrei,
the innkeeper Dominik, the people of Volkovar, and themselves.
Kasparovik believes they are now victims as well.
The machine’s destruction is the only way to survive—it will
Kasparovik is well spoken, educated, calm, and heavily kill them via the collars if they don’t destroy it. And he doesn’t
indoctrinated in Convergence beliefs. He refrains from know how long they have; he feels weaker by the hour. Even
discussing its dictates, however, in lieu of focusing on as he speaks, the PCs collectively suffer a wave of coughing,
recovering his temple from Iokav. nausea, and weakness that, when it ends, leaves them each with a
noticeably ashen pallor.

27
 Undeath Metal

SCENE 3:
Soul Survivors Flailing About
COMBAT Each of the temple guards wields a mechanoflail
rather than an axe or sword:
Kasparovik leads the PCs to the temple, first along the road to
Volkovar, and then deep into the surrounding woods off the Mechanoflail
road. En route, Kasparovik suffers another bout of coughing
Skill: Hand Weapon
and nausea, one that leaves him briefly unable to move. The
PCs should have a strong sense of urgency to reach the temple Attack Modifier: –1
as soon as possible: while Kasparovik is unconscious, they are
POW: 5
helpless to proceed, as they have no idea where they are going
without his guidance. Description: The mechanoflail is an ingenious clockwork
weapon designed to spin its flail heads at high speeds to
The temple’s hidden entrance is little more than a pair of metal
greatly increase striking damage. The weapon must be
doors in the ground; Kasparovik leads them to it and gives them
rewound after prolonged use.
the code they need to gain access. Once the doors are open, they
reveal a flight of metal stairs that disappear down into a metal Special Rules: Attacks from mechanoflails ignore ARM
corridor lit by dim white lights. bonuses from bucklers and shields.

When the PCs descend the stairs into the temple, read or
paraphrase the following:
The empty corridor you stand in is polished metal, dimly lit, and shows
signs on both sides of recent construction—as if new walls have been
erected. Kasparovik shudders. “They are closing off the engineers’
quarters. And where are the guards? Iokav is killing my followers.
My temple.”
Once during his activation, a character can spend 1 feat
point to make an additional attack with a mechanoflail
against a target he has previously hit that turn with
this weapon.
After making ten attacks with a mechanoflail, a character
must spend five minutes rewinding it before it can be
used again.

He directs you ahead, past dead-end corridors, past walled-off chambers,

past empty recesses that he identifies as abandoned guard stations. All
the while, a low thrumming sound begins to grow from somewhere
below. The corridor twists and turns as it slopes downward, but there’s
no sign of any life…until you at last see brighter lights coming from
a corner ahead and the sound of desperate, pleading voices reach you.
Kasparovik cautions you as you approach: “I think we will soon find the
missing guards.” Andrei’s Pistol
Ammo: 1 (light round)
The PCs need to approach carefully so as not to be spotted by
Convergence guards positioned in the temple’s large central Effective Range: 60 feet (10˝)
chamber. A PC can attempt a Sneak skill roll against a target Extreme Range: 300 feet
number of 14 to approach the chamber undetected. If the roll
succeeds, he can enter without being noticed, gaining surprise on Skill: Pistol
the guards. Otherwise, the guards notice his approach and are Attack Modifier: 0
ready for battle.
POW: 10
The central chamber has two entrances, the second directly across AOE: —
from where the PCs enter. At each entrance are four guards, their
faces covered by metal helmets, who are focused on the activities Description: Andrei’s pistol is worn but well maintained.
in the chamber’s center. The cell’s new optifex works his fell It has small silver inlays in the grip delicately engraved
machine: Makar Iokav stands at a control station where bright with flames. It is powered by a clockwork capacitor set
blue flashes throw shadows all across the chamber. Near him in the grip.
stands a lithe steelsoul protector, Valeria Karpov, her long iron Rune Points: 3
glaive held at attention.
Special Rules: While the weapon has power, it causes
Makar Iokav is tall and thin, seemingly unarmed, dressed as if fire damage, and on a critical hit the target suffers the Fire
for travel. He is clean-shaven with a hawk-like face and slick continuous effect. The character wielding it can attack
blond hair. Once he observes the arrival of the PCs, he takes no with the weapon normally or can give the weapon AOE 3.
chances to let them interfere with his work—he begins working
the controls while keeping one eye on the unfolding battle.

28

Confronting Makar Iokav
G
G G
G
P
P SP
P MI
P
P P
G Terrain
D
G The encounter has the following terrain features.
G
ES
1 in. : 24 ft.
0 12 24 ft.
D: Dominik ES: Elimination Servitor G: Guard
MI: Makar Iokav SP: Steelsoul Protector
Around the circumference of the chamber’s central circle are
lightweight metallic cages, locked to the floor. Of the dozen cages,
six currently hold prisoners—people from the village of Volkovar
and the prefect of the temple, Edik, who refused to follow Makar
Iokav. Among them is a dark-haired, blue-eyed teenage girl the
PCs recognize as Evelina, Andrei’s missing niece.
Each of the prisoners has a parasitic converter collar around his
or her throat, and each has a skin tone similar to Kasparovik’s—
deathly white.
If the PCs are discovered, the nearest guards immediately attack.
If the PCs do not retreat in short order, the steelsoul protector in
the chamber moves across the small bridge joining the outer rim
to the central machine to attack as Makar Iokav extracts a slender,
silver device from the soul machine—a vessel containing the
collected souls of all the victims to date.
If the PCs are able to observe the room undetected, they recognize
one of the far guards carries a distinctive mechanikal pistol—the
one that belonged to Andrei.
Whether the PCs are discovered and attacked or remain
unnoticed long enough to begin planning their own attack,
Kasparovik suddenly collapses in a coughing fit, either betraying
their presence or eliminating himself from the fight if it is already
joined. He falls to the floor, shuddering, and when his coughing
fit comes to an end, his pallor turns ashen grey and he seems to
shrink before the PCs eyes, his skin tighter on his bones. His eyes
remain open, filled with horror, and his hands curl into fists
at his chest as if to contain himself. Kasparovik dies at the
feet of the PCs. And when he does, the machine makes a loud
hissing sound as it receives his soul.
As the PCs face Makar Iokav’s followers, read or
paraphrase the following:
Makar Iokav makes no move to join your battle. Instead, he begins
to gather bits of equipment from his control station and hastily
pocket them. He keeps a watchful eye on the skirmish, however, as
he prepares to flee.
“You were chosen!” he shouts. “Heroes! Souls that you should have
been honored to sacrifice so they could live forever in Vladislav
Abrosim! Now he will live forever—and you will die.”
The guard bearing Andrei’s pistol tears off his helmet to reveal his
face—Dominik, the innkeeper. His eyes are crazed, his features
dripping sweat. He levels the pistol at the PCs.
“Thanks for saving me, heroes,” he hisses as he opens fire.
ES
Pit: The center of the temple chamber is an 18-foot (3˝) pit, its
bottom filled with a complex network of interlocking gears.
A character pushed, slammed, thrown, or placed in the pit
suffers falling damage (IKRPG Core Rules, p. 205). During
each of his turns, a character in the pit must make an AGL
roll against a target number of 12 to avoid being caught in
the gears. If the roll fails, he suffers a POW 14 damage roll.
Guards’ Tactics
Use the Robber stats from Scene 1: Inn Trouble (p. 23) for the
temple guards and Dominik. Increase their ARM by 1.
Dominik has +1 MAT and RAT and the following ability:
Feat Points – This character starts each encounter with 1 feat
point. He is allocated 1 feat point at the start of each of his turns.
He can only have up to 1 feat point at a time.
The temple guards move to intercept the PCs before they can
reach Iokav. Dominik holds back, attempting to shoot unengaged
PCs with Andrei’s pistol. He primarily spends his feat point to
Walk It Off, Parry, Heroic Dodge, or purchase additional attacks
with his mechanoflail.
Steelsoul Protector’s Tactics
The Steelsoul Protector contains the essence of Valeria Karpov, the
second optifex of the cell. Extremely devoted to Iokav—he did for
her what the Convergence would not—she will fight to the bitter
end to defend him from attack.
When the PCs defeat the guards, the steelsoul protector Karpov
moves to defend Iokav’s retreat as he flees the chamber with the
soul vessel, which now includes Kasparovik’s and Andrei’s souls.
In his wake comes a pair of elimination servitors (p. 27). The
steelsoul and servitors engage the PCs when the temple guards
are defeated, assuring Iokav’s escape.
29
 Undeath Metal

Valeria Karpov Aftermath

Once the guards, the steelsoul protector, and the elimination servitors
(Steelsoul Protector) have been defeated, the PCs need to destroy the machine in order
The lithe and powerful clockwork vessels of the steelsoul protectors to free themselves from the parasitic converters. This can be done
allow them to act as bodyguards for the priests of the Convergence in a variety of ways—repeated blows to the panel at Iokav’s control
of Cyriss, a role that one of the former optifexes of the Temple of the station, magical attacks or explosives, or using a mechanik’s toolkit
Essence, Valeria Karpov, has taken on with fierce commitment. Her to literally dismantle the device. Once the machine is disabled, the
devotion to Iokav for giving her the body of a steelsoul protector collars emit a faint click and fall open from around the PCs throats.
is unflagging. The shell of her vessel is light enough to allow her If Dominik survives the battle—either wounded or taken
to move swiftly while remaining tremendously durable. Her entire prisoner—he is eager to cooperate with the PCs. He divulges
body is a shield against the harm intended for the priests of the what little he knows about Iokav: that he works for a man named
Maiden of Gears—in this case, Iokav. Abrosim; that he gathered both stolen souls and stolen secrets of
the Convergence for his master; that he was tasked with joining
PHYSIQUE PHY 8 Abilities: another of Abrosim’s lieutenants, who is currently gathering
SPEED SPD 5 Clockwork Vessel – A clockwork information in Volkovar nearby; and that Iokav will likely go to
STRENGTH STR 8 vessel is a construct (see IKRPG Core the man now to deliver the vessel he took from the machine—
Rules p. 219) that provides a soul
AGILITY AGL 4 containing the souls of Kasparovik, Andrei, and five others from
token when destroyed. Despite being
PROWESS PRW 4 a construct, a character inhabiting the village.
POISE POI 3 a clockwork vessel does not
automatically pass Willpower rolls.
INTELLECT INT 4
Defensive Strike – Once per
ARCANE ARC — turn, when an enemy advances
PERCEPTION PER 5 into and ends its movement in
the character’s melee range, this
iron glaive character can immediately make
MAT POW P+S one normal melee attack against it.
6 4 12
Feat Points – The character starts
This weapon requires two hands and has each encounter with 1 feat point. It
reach. is allocated 1 feat point at the start
of each of its turns. The character
INITIATIVE INIT 12 can have only 1 feat point at a time.
DEFENSE DEF 12 Shield Guard – Once per turn,
(Clockwork Vessel -2) when a friendly character is
ARMOR ARM 17 directly hit by an attack while
within 2˝ of this character, this
WILLPOWER WILL 12 character can choose to be
vitality: 21 directly hit instead. This character
cannot use Shield Guard if it
Command Range: 4
is incorporeal, knocked down,
Base Size: medium prone, or stationary.
Encounter Points: 14
Equipment:
Iron glaive

Skills:
Name Stat + Rank total
Great Weapon PRW 2 6
Detection PER 2 7
Lore (Cyriss) INT 2 6
Mechanikal Engineering INT 2 6

30
CONCLUSION
With the destruction of the machine and Iokav’s escape,
everyone’s skin begins to return to a normal hue, and the PCs
are able to free the prisoners from their cages. The cages are
easily unlatched from the outside once the machine no longer
functions.
Edik is extremely grateful to the PCs for driving off Iokav, and
he encourages the PCs to pursue him to recover the stolen souls,
saying he may be able to restore Kasparovik by placing him in
a clockwork vessel. If they bring back Iokav alive, he notes, the
odds of this succeeding are much higher if they can force him
to help. If Dominik was killed, Edik can give the PCs a general
amount of the information about Iokav and Abrosim, overheard
in conversations between Iokav and Karpov.
Evelina, Andrei’s niece, displays leadership qualities among
the villagers who were prisoners, gathering them to return to
Volkovar, but she separates herself long enough to talk to the PCs
about helping them find her uncle. Andrei’s soul, she says, is now
in Iokav’s possession—she witnessed his capture—and she offers
the PCs room and board in her mother’s home in Volkovar if they
will allow her to help track Iokav.
She tells them that while she was a prisoner, she overheard Iokav
talk of an alchemist he had been investigating—apparently at
his master Abrosim’s command. She heard the words “Crucible
Guard” whispered. She knows only that they are “west” of here,
but close enough that Iokav seemed to feel he could get to them
with relative ease. Why he was interested in the alchemist, she has
no idea, but it is likely to be Iokav’s next destination.
The rest of the survivors are eager to return to Volkovar, and
the prefect Edik is eager to escort them out of the temple via
the entrance in the woods where the PCs came in. Once they
are outside, elimination servitors appear behind Edik as a silent
warning to the villagers to be on their way.
Outside the temple in the woods, as the PCs either prepare to
escort the villagers back to Volkovar or as they prepare to go
their own way, they see a sizable black raven in the trees above.
Its eyes glow with an unnatural green light. It calls once with an
ugly croak before launching itself into the sky, shedding mangy
feathers and swooping north over the trees.
Clockwork Vessel
Internal Damage Table
When a character’s clockwork vessel suffers 5 or more
points of damage as a result of a single damage roll, a
roll must be made on the Clockwork Vessel Internal
Damage Table to determine if any internal systems are
also damaged. If the vessel suffers the same effect on
a subsequent roll before the previous effect has been
repaired, it suffers no additional internal damage.
D6 RESULT
No internal systems are damaged – No
1–2 additional penalty.
Arm Damaged – One of the vessel’s arms
is crippled as a result of the damage
suffered. Randomize which arm is
3 damaged. Until the damage is repaired,
the character suffers –3 to attack rolls
made with the damaged arm.
Loss of Power – The vessel’s internal
power flow has been compromised,
4 resulting in a severe loss of power to
the clockwork vessel. Until repaired, the
character suffers –3 STR.
Movement Damaged – The vessel’s
movement systems have been damaged.
5 Until repaired, the character suffers
–1 SPD and DEF and cannot run or charge.
Essence Chamber Damage – The vessel’s
essence chamber has been damaged,
6 resulting in reduced control over the
vessel. Until the vessel is repaired, the
character suffers –1 INT and PER.

Pursuing Iokav
The PCs may choose to pursue the unnatural raven, return to
Volkovar with Evelina and the other villagers, or even return to
the Satsiyanar Inn in search of additional clues. For the moment,
all of these lead to dead ends—Iokav seems to have disappeared
with the souls of innocent people, but no matter where they go
next, the PCs see dozens of ravens circling in the distance.

They are being watched by their newfound enemies, who are

biding their time before making the next move against the PCs.

31
 Act of Murder

Part 2: Act of
Murder
Act of Murder takes place in the city of Gorogrey in southern
Khador, near the Ordic border, although the city can easily change
to suit the Game Master’s campaign. The specifics of the city itself
are limited to a few key locations during the adventure, allowing
the Game Master to adapt it to fit the needs of his game.
Scenario Synopsis
In Act of Murder, the PCs investigate the seemingly random
torture and murder of a playwright, following clues and trails to
a final confrontation with the killer—a villain in the service of a
madman even more twisted and violent than himself.
For the Game Master
Makar Iokav is a lieutenant for the former Greylord Abrosim who
has turned to evil acts of necromancy. He is en route to rejoin his
master and deliver the souls of seven innocent people he recently
collected to further the Greylord’s pursuit of immortality. In the city
of Gorogrey, Iokav expected to find a secret encoded message from
another of the Greylord’s lieutenants, an alchemist, telling Iokav
where to meet Abrosim, but Iokav killed the messenger without
obtaining the message. Now, Iokav is searching for the messenger’s
wife, whom he believes has the message, while throwing obstacles
in the way of those who might be pursuing him.
Iokav’s charm and aggressive nature made him an ideal
candidate for Abrosim’s machinations. Thus, Iokav uses his
magnetism both to further his hunt for the messenger’s wife and
to convince the city watch that the PCs on his trail are, in fact,
the messenger’s killers.
Abrosim watches all of his lieutenants through the undead
ravens he controls, and Iokav is in disfavor due to his inability to
maintain secrecy and discretion. Now, the death of the messenger
and the escape of the messenger’s wife have convinced Abrosim
that Iokav is a loose cannon and a threat to his secrecy. The
investigations by the PCs are simply the last nail in Iokav’s coffin.
Abrosim is prepared to sacrifice the souls Iokav gathered for him
if it deters the PCs or anyone else from getting too close to the
Greylord himself.
Getting the Players Involved
The adventure begins within the limits of the border city Gorogrey,
where the PCs have pursued Iokav after completing the earlier
adventure, Undeath Metal.
If a character is being introduced to the adventure for the first
time, he can arrive in Gorogrey to see his associate Osip Levin
after receiving a communiqué from him, suggesting both Levin
and his wife are worried they have inadvertently fallen in with
the wrong people and are in need of the PCs’ protection. He offers
to host them in exchange for their help. The Game Master should
phrase the communiqué to be as compelling as possible for the
party.
Characters who have completed the earlier adventure Undeath
Metal are pursuing Iokav following a tip from Evelina, whom
they rescued from Iokav. After two weeks of no information as
to Iokav’s whereabouts, Evelina lets the PCs know she has pieced
together an important clue from the stories of the other freed
prisoners. Iokav had apparently spoken of a man in Gorogrey,
Osip Levin, who would lead Iokav to his nearest superior—an
alchemist also in Abrosim’s employ. He spoke so disparagingly of
Osip, she tells them, that Osip is clearly an unwilling agent whose
own life may well be at risk.

32
A simple way to get new PCs involved is to have a landlady,
neighbor, or even street beggar assume the PCs are city watch and
approach them on the street after seeing someone drop off the
balcony of an upper-story dwelling, as if robbing the place. See
Scene 1: The Stage Is Set.
SCENE 1:
The Stage Is Set
INVESTIGATIVE
The adventure begins when the PCs reach the second-story
residence of Osip Levin. Regardless of whether they came here
in pursuit of Iokav, at Osip’s invitation, or as a result of being
approached in the street for help, they encounter the same scene.
As the PCs approach Osip’s door, read or paraphrase the following:
The door to the dwelling stands ajar, and the coppery smell of blood fills
the shadowy corridor. As you approach, you see red splashes on the walls
within and a blood puddle pooling in the doorway.
Inside is a scene of mayhem and murder. A dead man, tied to a chair in
the middle of the main room, lies on his back with his throat slit. The cuts
and bruises marking his face and the bloody slashes across his sleeves
and shirt tell a tale of torture. The room itself has been looted. Clothing
and paper are scattered everywhere. A writing desk in one corner seems
to have been aggressively ransacked. Adjoining the main chamber is a
bedroom, which has also been searched. A window leading to a balcony
stands open in the bedroom. Its glass is cracked, and there’s a bloody
handprint smeared on both the latch and the pane itself.
If the PCs choose to search the dwelling, several clues can be
found in a variety of different places. Each clue can only be found
once, though different characters can search the same location
to provide assistance to skill rolls or to find clues overlooked by
another PC. If a roll matches the target number of a previously
rolled result, the PC discovers the next highest result. The
information they might uncover includes:
Corpse
If the PCs investigate the body, read or paraphrase:
The dead man did not die quickly—he was cut, sliced, and beaten in
numerous places before finally being left to bleed to death with a slit
throat. He was middle-aged with dark hair that greyed at his temples.
His face, even in death, conveys friendliness, and his features were
youthful; if he were alive, he might even appear naïve.
The body is Osip Levin. PCs can investigate the body to gather
information about the murder. Each piece of information can be
determined with the application of an assortment of skills. The
skills and their target numbers are described below:
• Forensic Science/12: The man has not been dead long—
bruising suggests he died no more than two hour ago.
• Forensic Science/14: Indentations around his bloody finger
indicate a wedding band was taken from him.
• Forensic Science/16: Bruising on his tongue and in the back
of his throat suggest something was forced into the dead
man’s mouth that choked him. A closer inspection reveals
a small fold of paper he was forced to swallow with blurry
text written on it in code.
• Interrogation/12: The savagery of the throat wound strongly
suggests the interrogators were not skilled torturers and
either ineptly killed the victim during interrogation or
brutally terminated their torture.
• Cryptography/16: The message in the dead man’s throat
reads, “Message was lost. Seeking to recover but no
guarantee. Need to know how to reach Abrosim. Find
me.” It is signed “Iokav.” This can be deciphered with a
Cryptography skill roll against a target number of 10 if the
PCs use the segmented metal cylinder device located in the
desk (see below).
Desk
If the PCs investigate the desk, read or paraphrase:
The centerpiece of the main room is an elaborate desk with chairs on
either side to accommodate two users. It has been searched at length;
damage has also been done to the desktop with an edged weapon of some
sort. The drawers are opened and empty, its inkwells spilled, its small
shelf of books and scripts swept clean. Upon closer inspection, all of
the dozen or so scripts are by “Osip & Alicia Levin.” Scattered about
are a comparable number of contracts between the pair and the Vellik
Cellar Theater.
Detection
A character searching the desk can make a Detection skill roll to
discover the following:
Roll Information Discovered
A contract for a “new three-act play, tentatively
entitled After Death, by Osip” signed by Osip and
12 countersigned by Vellik, who is credited as the
producer and director of the Vellik Cellar Theater.
A page of script with a note attached: “What is
this language here? Seems out of place in scene. Is
this some kind of code? Come see me about this.”
Signed by Vellik. The scene seems to be about a
13 man cursing the gods for his mortality, broken up
with a line of garbled letters. The jumble of letters
on the page can be deciphered by making a
Cryptography skill roll against a target number of
14 to read, “Place message here in final draft.”
One of the books on the shelf stands out farther
than the others. Behind it is a small metal box
secured with a high-quality lock. A Mechanikal
Engineering or Lock Picking skill roll against a
target number of 14 opens the box, revealing a
15 segmented metal cylinder within. It is covered in
letters used to create codes by turning its segments.
A Cryptography skill roll against a target number
of 12 can confirm it is set for encoding the message
in the page of script and can use it to decode both
the script entry and the swallowed message.
33
 Act of Murder
Bedroom
If the PCs investigate the bedroom, read or paraphrase:
The bedroom has been searched. Women’s clothing is among the
garments strewn across the floor and the unmade bed. The drawers of
a single dresser have all been torn open and searched. The wardrobe has
also been tossed. A small spatter of blood on the floor indicates someone
was injured in the room. The droplets lead to the window.
Detection
A character searching the room can make a Detection skill roll to
discover the following:
Roll Information Discovered
A box knocked from a shelf in the wardrobe with
a skull over the image of a bird. An attached note:
12 “This ought to kill off those birds bothering you.”
It is signed by a man named Rostov.
Among the scattered clothing in the room
are several new, quality garments. Most are
13 women’s clothes and look far more expensive
than the other clothing in the room.
A balled-up receipt, dropped by the bed. It
is a tab for a tavern, the Point of Departure,
in the name of Rostov Genki. Stamped over
the numbers of a sizable debt is a thick black
stamp that reads: “PAID IN FULL.” Below this is
15 a handwritten note: “Osip, the barkeep gave
me this. Why did you pay my tab? Where is
this money coming from? I’ve heard Kabalis
mercenaries in the bar talking about you, saying
they’re coming for you when your new play is
done. We need to talk.” It is signed by Rostov.
Bedroom Window, Balcony, and Alley
Below
If the PCs investigate the window, read or paraphrase:
The bedroom’s only window is open and has a spider-web crack in it,
spreading out from a bloody handprint. Beyond is a dark stone and metal
balcony with blood spattered on the railing. Below, the empty alleyway is
scattered with trash. Bloody boot tracks trail away from the doorway and
down a back staircase to the street below.
PCs can investigate the window, balcony, and alley to determine
what happened in this location. Each piece of information can be
determined with the application of an assortment of skills. The
skills and their target numbers are described below:
• Forensic Science/12: The bloody handprint on the window
is small and narrow, likely a woman’s hand.
• Detection/12, Animal Handling/12: Putrid smelling black
feathers are scattered across the balcony. A successful
Animal Handling roll identifies them as raven feathers from
a dead bird. There are several piles of untouched bait mixed
with poison pellets scattered across the balcony.
34
• Tracking/12: Blood on the railing suggests the person who
came this way fell or dropped from the balcony railing, and
a diminishing trail of blood appears in the alleyway below.
A small pool indicates the bleeding person paused near a
garbage pile at the end of the alley. The blood trail dissipates
completely a few dozen feet down the main street.
• Detection/14: In the pile of garbage are the remnants of a
script entitled After Death by Osip Levin, missing Alicia’s
name. Pages are torn from it, and there is blood on the
cover. If the PCs used the Tracking skill to follow the blood
trail to the garbage pile, the target number to find the script
is reduced to 10.
Once the PCs have searched the dwelling thoroughly, Daiga, a
next-door neighbor (who may have been the concerned person
who summoned the PCs, if that was how they arrived on the
scene) comes to see what’s going on in Osip’s apartment.
Daiga is horrified to see the chaos, muttering how she just saw
Osip last night as he returned from the Point of Departure. The
PCs can get additional information from Daiga using various
social skills. Aggressively interacting with her, such as using the
Intimidation or Interrogation skills, results in her stammering and
having difficulty recalling information, imposing a –2 penalty to
the roll. She responds best to gentle treatment, such as through
the Bribery or Negotiation skills. A successful skill roll reveals the
following:
Roll Information Discovered
Osip and his wife Alicia Levin are playwrights.
10 They’ve been arguing a bit lately.
Osip has been spending much of his free time at
12 the Point of Departure, a local tavern, with his
“drunkard” friend Rostov.
She saw a man she now believes might have
been the killer: a tall, thin man with sharp
features and short, blond hair. He was carrying
14 a strange looking metal device matching the
description of the vessel containing the stolen
souls from “Undeath Metal.”
If she is left alone, or once she’s revealed what she knows, Daiga
nervously withdraws, saying she’s going to the town watch for
help. Just before leaving, she nervously asks if Osip’s wife is also
dead. If the PCs tell Daiga they haven’t found her body, the old
woman seems mildly comforted and expresses hope that Alicia
is safe.
Aftermath
From here, the PCs may elect to pursue a number of different
avenues: they may approach the mercenaries of House Kabalis
who are bandying about the dead Osip’s name; they may seek
out Rostov in the Point of Departure; or they may seek out the
producer/director Vellik from the Vellik Cellar Theater. Each
location has its own unique clues about the murder of Osip, the
whereabouts of his wife Alicia, and the plans of the villain Iokav.
SCENE 2: Enter
Stage Left
ROLEPLAYING/INVESTIGATIVE
This scene is a three-part investigation spread across the town of
Gorogrey. Following clues obtained in Osip’s dwelling, the PCs
can visit one, two, or all of the following locations in any order,
picking up additional information in each place.
The combination of clues from all three locations point the PCs
toward the Mertivy Cemetery, where Osip’s wife Alicia is hiding
in the mausoleum Osip recently purchased.
House Kabalis Mercenary
Company
When the PCs visit House Kabalis, read or paraphrase:
The mercenary company is housed in a simple two-story building that
would be completely inconspicuous if not for the bars on the shuttered
windows, the reinforced metal entry door, and the spyholes in those
windows and door. It exudes an air of hiding in plain sight.
House Kabalis is a mercenary fraternity, a two-story building with
no external indicators of what’s housed within. Despite this, it is
not difficult to locate—their leader, Stevan Igoris, has made it easy
to hear about his operation by spreading the word in some of the
seedier locales around Gorogrey.
Anyone attempting to enter the building is immediately
confronted in an entryway by armed guards who won’t allow
passage through the entryway’s only interior door. It is necessary
to convince the guards in order to meet with Stevan Igoris, the
leader of the Kabalis mercenaries, though money will expedite
the negotiations. The PCs can bribe their way in with at least five
crowns and a successful Bribery roll against a target number of
11. If the PCs’ backgrounds are applicable, such as the Mercenary
Charter adventuring company, they may also convince the guards
to escort them to Igoris as possible mercenary employees with a
successful Negotiation skill roll against a target number of 10. The
Game Master should consider other skill options like Deception,
Seduction, and Intimidation as additional means for the PCs to
gain access to Igoris. Additionally, the PCs may elect to wait for
Igoris to leave the mercenary house on his own, follow him, and
conduct an exchange with him when he is more vulnerable. Igoris
is always accompanied by at least two House Kabalis Guards.
Stevan Igoris
Igoris meets with prospective clients in a small interior room
with a single door and no windows. As the PCs approach Igoris’
office, they can faintly hear him chuckling with companions
within, jeering:
“… and the woman wanted to pay me thirty koltina to guard an
empty grave!”
His laughter cuts short the moment his door opens. Four guards
accompany him, though Igoris hardly looks like he needs
protection—he’s a hulk of a man, with an unshaven face, wild
hair, and a red drinker’s nose.
Igoris is friendly if the discussion focuses on the PCs hiring him
and his men, the PCs coming on board to work for Kabalis, or if
the talk turns to bribery. He is very defensive about his mercenary
operation—he recognizes that his business is not as well known
as larger groups like the Steelheads or the Devil Dogs, but he
considers his success to be proof enough that his independent
enterprise is just as good. Any criticisms directed at the mercenary
company impose a –2 penalty on Negotiation or Streetwise rolls
made to interact with Igoris. A successful social skill roll reveals
the following:
Roll Information Discovered
Igoris was approached four days ago by a skinny
blond man who called himself Iokav and who
was looking for personal protection while in
10 the city of Gorogrey. He paid for a group of
mercenaries to accompany him, specifically
asking for mercenaries skilled in interrogation.
Igoris assigned a few of the rougher mercenaries,
including one trained in interrogation techniques,
12 to accompany the blond man while “meeting an
associate” in the city, a man named Levin.
A blonde woman who met briefly with Igoris fled
from House Kabalis after seeing one of Iokav’s
13 mercenary guards enter the building. She wanted
to hire someone to guard an empty tomb in the
Mertivy Cemetery.
The contract with the blond man is to expire
14 tomorrow morning, by which time the mercenaries’
employer will supposedly have left town.
If Igoris feels he’s being accused or confronted, he demands
the PCs leave, and if he feels threatened, he won’t hesitate
to take up arms against them. If combat ensues, Kabalis
mercenaries outside the room hear the commotion and join the
fight. Depending on the PCs’ XP, add between 4–10 additional
mercenaries after the first round of the encounter. (See p. 43 for
the Kabalis mercenaries stats.)
If the PCs defeat Igoris and his mercenaries, they will find, among
the documents on Igoris’ desk, a contract between House Kabalis
and Iokav that has him employing a team of bodyguards until
tomorrow morning at dawn, at which time the contract is fulfilled
and expires. They will also find notes about his meeting with a
blonde woman who wanted him to guard an empty tomb in the
Mertivy Cemetery.
35
 Act of Murder

stevan igoris Point of Departure

When the PCs visit Point of Departure, read or paraphrase:
PHYSIQUE PHY 7 Abilities: The tavern Point of Departure is in a neighborhood that mixes personal
Leader – Friendly characters
SPEED SPD 6 residences with upscale businesses. The tavern has its own doorman,
within this character’s command
STRENGTH STR 5 range gain a +1 bonus to attack who appears to be a combination of guard and greeter. Its windows are
AGILITY AGL 3 and damage rolls. frosted, and live music drifts from behind the curtain that covers its
PROWESS PRW 4 Battlefield Coordination – While entrance.
in this character’s command
POISE POI 4 Point of Departure, or POD, is a middle-of-the-road tavern that
range, friendly characters do not
INTELLECT INT 3 suffer the firing into melee penalty defies expectations—it’s brightly lit with a small house band
ARCANE ARC — for ranged attacks and spells and that plays in the round, and the tables, chairs, and bar itself
do not have a chance to hit friendly
PERCEPTION PER 4 characters when they miss with
are all cleanly polished wood. The bartender, Leyna, is social
ranged or magic attacks while and outgoing. She knows Osip, though not his wife, and she is
hand cannon firing into melee. horrified if told of his death. She describes him as a gentle man
rat Rng AOE POW
5 12 — 12 Natural Leader – A character who was pleasant and smart. She can confirm Osip paying off
with Natural Leader increases his both his and Rostov’s bar tabs, something he’d never done before,
command range by 2˝.
mace as Osip always seemed on the verge of being broke. Beyond this,
MAT POW P+S Parry – While armed with a hand she knows little about him. If asked, she knows some members of
5 4 9 weapon, the character cannot be
House Kabalis patronize POD, but she considers them harmless.
targeted by free strikes.
Abilities: On a critical hit, a living character She also knows Rostov Genki, and she points him out at a table
Riposte – Once per round when
hit has a chance to be knocked out by the
this character is missed by an
close to the band.
attack. If the target suffers damage from
the attack, he must make a Willpower roll enemy’s melee attack, immediately
against a target number of 14. If the target after the attack is resolved, he can Rostov Genki
succeeds, he stays conscious. If he fails, he make one normal attack against the
attacking enemy. Rostov is a former battle mechanik who elected for early
is knocked out.
retirement after saving a great deal of his money just so he
INITIATIVE INIT 14 could walk away from war. He now makes a living periodically
DEFENSE DEF 11 teaching other mechaniks the tricks of the trade, but for the most
(Infantry Armor -2) part, he sees himself as independently wealthy and free to do little
ARMOR ARM 14 or nothing. He drinks with regularity—POD is his home away
(Infantry Armor +7) from home, and it was here that he met Osip. He is friendly, if a
WILLPOWER WILL 10 bit gruff, and if told of Osip’s murder, he is stunned and notes,
“It’s a good thing he bought a tomb for himself, I guess.” He then
becomes withdrawn, reluctant to talk for fear that he’s risking
his own well-being by discussing the murder. Before he will talk,
1 2 AGILITY the PCs need to calm him with a successful Negotiation roll to
convince him of their intent to find the murderers. A successful
3 Negotiation roll reveals the following:
PHYS

4 Roll Information Discovered

IQ

ECT

E
U

He noticed Osip has been throwing money

around very casually for the last week or so,
LL

6
buying people drinks, and recently picking up
TE

5 Rostov’s sizable tab at POD despite Rostov’s own

IN

wealth. Osip refused to discuss his new writing

Command Range: 6 8 gig, which Rostov believes was the source of his
Base Size: small newfound wealth, but Osip made it clear that his
wife Alicia was not working with him this time.
Encounter Points: 12 He also knows that Osip spent some of his money
Equipment: on a tomb in Mertivy Cemetery, though Osip
doesn’t know why.
Hand Cannon, infantry armor, mace, 75 gc
Osip complained of being “spied on” by big ugly
blackbirds on his balcony. Rostov tried to calm
Skills: him by sending around poison to deal with the
10 birds. He took the statement as paranoia and a
Name Stat + Rank total
sign that Osip’s latest work was wearing on the
Command SOC 1 *
writer’s mind.
Hand Weapon PRW 2 6
Intimidation SOC 1 * He overheard mercenaries from House Kabalis
Negotiation SOC 2 * speaking about Osip three days ago. They
Pistol POI 1 5
12 seemed to be planning to “see” him, but it was
Streetwise PER 2 6 unclear where or when.

36
Vellik Cellar Theater
When the PCs visit Vellik Cellar Theater, read or paraphrase:
Vellik Cellar Theater is easily missed—it seems to be little more than a
small one-room chamber tucked in among larger businesses. But just
inside is a metal spiral staircase that leads down to the theater proper.
• Vellik recalls Osip saying, “Nobody ever bothers you when
you’re dead.” Vellik inferred from that statement that Osip
was either depressed or scared, but in the absence of the
casket, Vellik leaps to a different conclusion: “I think Osip
knew he was going to die. The food and water was likely for
Alicia—the casket, however, was meant for him.”

The Vellik Cellar Theater is an underground playhouse, its stage
nearly in the round with two balcony levels of seats encircling
it and a stone floor for standing room only. The hallways and
staircases leading to the balcony seating are narrow and dark,
though the stage itself is brilliantly lit, even during off hours. At
the back of the stage are thick red curtains that conceal a large
open warehouse space for props, set dressings, wardrobes, and
carpentry materials. Beyond this area and on both sides are small
dressing rooms, one of which belonged to Osip and Alicia Levin.
There is also a crude office here where the PCs can find Poul
Vellik, owner and manager of the theater.
There are always workers around—stagehands, extras, and the
occasional actor. Vellik always likes an audience, so he prefers to
discuss even the most private matters on the stage or among the
theater workers.
Poul Vellik
Vellik is an elderly man, moody and prone to overacting his own
emotional distress, a rapid speaker who often repeats himself. He
is world-weary and eternally put upon, with very little sense of
humor and a morbid belief that all things are meant to culminate
in disaster. It is not necessary for the PCs to use any skills to learn
most of what Vellik knows, though he slips by mentioning “how
much time Osip was locked away in that office of his in back” and
will resist allowing them to investigate Osip and Alicia’s writing
room unless they make a successful Negotiation skill roll against a
target number of 15. Vellik appreciates the art of good speechcraft,
however, so a character may attempt an Oratory roll in place of
the Negotiation skill so long as it is sufficiently dramatic.
Writing Room
If the PCs convince Vellik to let them into Osip and Alicia’s
writing room, read or paraphrase:
Vellik leads you down a narrow corridor and stops to unlock a small
wooden door. Despite being locked, Osip and Alicia’s small writing room
has clearly been searched. Papers are scattered on the floor, the drawers
from the two desks have been removed and emptied, and furniture has
been moved around. It is difficult to tell if anything is missing.
Detection
A character searching the writing room can make a Detection skill
roll to discover the following:
Roll Information Discovered
A purchase receipt for a mausoleum in the
12 Mertivy Cemetery under the name Osip Levin. It’s
located in division 89, plot #4.
A checklist of “survival needs” that includes
the food Vellik obtained for Osip, plus candles,
13 blankets, toiletries, and weaponry (specifically,
two pistols).
Aftermath
From here, the PCs may have visited one, two, or all three
locations in Scene 2 in order to deduce that Osip’s wife Alicia
is hiding out in the mausoleum Osip recently acquired, leading
them to Mertivy Cemetery.

Vellik willingly offers the following information:

• Osip came to Vellik and proposed a new play—After Death,

a tale of immortality. Vellik agreed to the concept, but Osip
only shared his first draft with him, which contained an
odd bit of text that seemed to be deliberately garbled. Osip
never responded to Vellik’s queries about this text. Vellik
was under the impression that Osip was working on it with
someone other than his wife, someone who was dictating
the plot from afar.

• Just two days ago, Osip pressed Vellik to buy large quantities
of storable food and jugs of water for him and to store it
in a prop casket the theater had in storage. If asked, Vellik
will lead the PCs to where the casket was stored and is
surprised to see it missing. A character can make a Tracking
roll against a target number of 10 to recognize scratches in
the wooden theater floor where the casket was dragged.
The drag marks lead to a pair of loading doors in the alley
behind the theater.

37
 Act of Murder

SCENE 3: The Plot

Thickens
ROLEPLAYING
Mertivy Cemetery is surrounded by a tall, thick, ivy-covered
wall with a single gated entrance. The gate is rusted open, and
the cemetery beyond is gloomy and seems abandoned, though
it shows signs of being well cared for. It is large and complex;
however, the map at the entrance will provide the quickest and
most efficient way to find a specific gravesite.

When the PCs reach Mertivy Cemetery, read or paraphrase:

A map etched in stone just inside the entrance indicates that the
tomb for Levin, Osip and Levin, Alicia is located in division 89, plot
#4. The tomb seems to be a recent addition to the cemetery, based
on the freshness of the entry on the map. The cemetery itself is vast,
hemmed in on all sides by mausoleums, statues, and headstones. Some
headstones are simple, faded, and little more than rocks in the earth.
Others are ornate with carven statues of soldiers or great beasts. Some
tombs are crowned with small shrines while others have dark, yawning
open doorways revealing shelf upon shelf of stone caskets within. The
stillness of the cemetery belies the hundreds buried here; it is almost as
if lifeless eyes are upon you, as if you are being watched as you enter
the resting place of the dead.

The tomb itself is a simple aboveground mausoleum, with

shelves on either side where caskets are placed inside large
drawers. When the PCs arrive, they discover the tomb’s door
ajar to let in fresh air. As they open the door, a woman cringes
into the shadows.

In one of the drawers is an open casket stocked with jugs of water

and tinned meat, jars of nuts, and other non-perishables. On the
floor are a bedroll, blankets, and a pillow. A few candles and some
toiletries make up the rest of the tomb’s contents.

The woman in the shadows is far from helpless, though she has
a bandaged and bloody wound on her shoulder, as if she has
been shot or stabbed. If the PCs fail to identify themselves before
entering the tomb, she threatens to open fire with a pair of pistols.
She begs them to leave her in peace, saying she doesn’t want any
trouble, until they tell her who they are.

Once Alicia is made aware of the PCs’ intentions, she withdraws

to the back of the tomb, apologizing for threatening them. She
remains suspicious, though, requiring a full explanation of how
they found her, who sent them, and what they want.

Alicia Levin is in shock due to her husband’s murder, and she

is unresponsive to most questions. The information she does
provide she offers without hesitation:

• Her husband, Osip, was writing a play at the behest of a

stranger who sent messengers—and money—from afar
to fund the work. Osip would not allow her to work on it:
“To write this may be to write one’s own obituary,” he told
her. They argued about his secrecy often of late. He tried to
placate her with gifts of expensive clothing, but this only
increased her fears.

38
 • He bought the tomb so they would both have someplace
to hide if things with his patron went sour; he had lately
become certain that once the play was done, he would be
in danger. She pressed him for information, but learned
nothing more. Recently both of them began to see large
crows with evil, lifeless eyes on their balcony and at their
windows.
• She saw Osip working on a coded message he was clearly
inserting into the script. She never had an opportunity to
translate it because he hid the device to decode it from her
when he wasn’t working. She tried to decipher the message
in the script once, but the words were gibberish to her.
She becomes hesitant to tell more, clearly slipping into shock as
she speaks about the events surrounding Osip’s death. A PC can
make a Medicine skill roll (or comparable skill roll or spell) to calm
her down enough to then try to obtain additional information. Any
deliberate words or acts intended to force or trick Alicia into telling
what she knows impose a –2 penalty on Intimidation or Seduction
rolls made to interact with her. If the PCs choose to approach her
by explaining the event leading up to their discovery of her hiding
place, they gain a +2 bonus on Negotiation rolls.
Roll Information Discovered
She was hiding in the bedroom when a tall
man with blond hair burst in with his thugs and
attacked Osip. The script was on the bed. She
10 frantically tried to read the message so she could
tell them what Osip would not, but she couldn’t
decipher it. Then they found her.
She was attacked, injured, and fled out the balcony
window with the script. Before they could come
12 after her, she ripped the pages with the coded
message from the script, and then threw it away so
they might be delayed from pursuing her further.
She tried to hire mercenaries from House Kabalis
to guard the tomb she’s hiding in, but while she
14 was there, she saw one of the blond man’s thugs
come through the entryway. She fled without
giving the leader her name.
Regardless of how much additional information the PCs gain from
Alicia, if they make it clear they are not working with Iakov, she
offers to show them the pages she tore from the script. The pages
are hidden in the tomb behind a loose stone, which the PCs can
find with a Detection skill roll of 12 if she is unable or unwilling
to cooperate with them.
The pages Alicia tore from the script come from a scene in which the
main character, Boris, curses Morrow for his mortality. Throughout
the scene, however, are chunks of garbled text marked with strike-
throughs of ink, the secret code. If the PCs have the decoder from
the box hidden in Osip’s room, they can decode the message quickly
without any effort. If they do not, they must make a Cryptography
skill roll of 14 to decode the message.
The coded message reads:
“Abrosim’s cargo train will await you on platform 4, Gorogrey Rail
Depot. It departs at dawn the day after your arrival. Do not disappoint
again. His warning, not mine.”
The PCs can ask Alicia about the town’s rail depot. It’s on
the south side of Gorogrey, a loading and unloading station
for Ordic goods coming in from the south and for Khadoran
exports headed into Ord. Cargo trains and inspectors from both
countries junction at this border depot, and Alicia knows it has
a reputation for being corrupt because smugglers have cut deals
to gain access to the trains.
Alicia is eager to escape the tomb now that she knows she can be
found so easily, and she will ask the PCs if they know someplace
else she might hide. Even if they have no ideas (and she will not
accompany them if they suggest she would be safest with their
party), she will remain certain she needs to move on before her
husband’s killers find her.
When either Alicia or the PCs emerge from the tomb, read or
paraphrase:
As you exit the tomb, you discover the quiet resting place of the dead
is now the domain of hundreds of hideous, malformed, moldering
ravens. Their eyes glow green in the cemetery’s darkness. They move
like a single living thing, circling just above the ivy-covered tombs,
mausoleums, and gravestones as they begin to land all around you.
Their heads tilt as if curious, and their eyes narrow. Their caws to one
another sound like a mockery of life, and one by one, they settle into
silent staring, watching, waiting.
The presence of the hundreds of green-eyed ravens watching
from tree limbs and atop gravestones and other tombs drives
Alicia to open fire on the birds with her pistols, and then sends her
back inside, shrieking that she’s been found. The birds are easily
dispersed, but they regroup as if by command, and injuring or
killing them has no impact on those that remain. The ravens do
not counter-attack; they seem to exist solely to watch. Once she
encounters the ravens, Alicia only leaves the tomb if she is taken
by force, unconscious, or dead.
As the PCs depart the Mertivy Cemetery, they find the only gate
in or out of the cemetery is blocked by a contingent of Gorogrey’s
town watch, six watchmen led by Lieutenant Yana Poparov,
who have been pursuing the PC party. After discovering the
murdered Osip Levin in his home, Lt. Poparov and her guard
have interviewed neighbors and others, learning of the PCs’
presence and subsequent disappearance from the scene. They
were then approached by a concerned citizen, Stevan Igoris of
House Kabalis, who informed the city guard of the PCs’ activities,
suggesting they were looking for Osip’s missing wife, who had
also made an appearance at House Kabalis. (Note that if Igoris
was defeated by the PCs in combat, the message was delivered by
one of his surviving men.)
While searching for Osip’s missing wife, the city guard learned
of Osip’s purchase of a tomb from Rostov. This led them to the
cemetery, where they hoped to find Osip’s wife alive and to stop
the PCs from harming her, as Igoris implied was likely. If the
PCs do well dealing with the city guard, Poparov will concede
that Igoris (or his replacement messenger from House Kabalis)
seemed to be speaking to her as if from a script, and she suspects
he had been encouraged by someone else to implicate the PCs.
(Igoris and his men are in fact working for Makar Iokav, who paid
the mercenary captain to implicate anyone asking about him.)
39
 Act of Murder
Poparov is calm and rational, and she can be reasoned with if
the PCs are prepared to convince her they are innocent of any
wrongdoing. If they are violent or uncooperative, however,
she will not hesitate to have her men take them into custody. If
the PCs have an unconscious Alicia with them, the lieutenant
and her men will have their weapons out and demand to know
what’s going on.
The PCs can convince Lt. Poparov they are being set up and can
avoid a violent confrontation with the city guard by remaining
calm and providing convincing information to the lieutenant. If
they holster, sheath, or otherwise remove the threat of weapons,
the PCs gain +1 to social skill rolls to convince Poparov of their
innocence; if they are hostile or defiant, the PCs suffer –1 to social
skill rolls. Game Masters should adjust the target numbers based
on specific player roleplaying actions prior to rolls.
Roll Poparov’s reaction
9 Poparov remains unconvinced. She asks the PCs
or less for any evidence of their claims.
Though she seems skeptical, Poparov is prepared to
let the PCs go their own way with a stern warning
12 to steer clear of the Osip Levin murder investigation.
Next time, she assures them, they’ll be arrested.
Convinced that she and her city guard have
been used to blockade the PCs, Poparov tells
the PCs they are free to go while she pursues
the real murderers of Osip Levin. If the PCs offer
14 information to her about the rail depot and Iokav’s
likely presence there, she will promise to check
out their story at her first opportunity, offering no
precise timeframe for when she expects to get to it.
After the first failed Negotiation skill roll, the PCs suffer a –2
penalty to subsequent social skill rolls. Following the second
failed roll, Poparov loses patience with their antics and orders
them to drop their weapons before commanding her guards
to arrest them. At this point the PCs will need to either fight
or flee.
If the PCs choose to fight Poparov for any reason, use the Human
Watchman stats in IKRPG Core Rules, p. 345. Poparov’s stats are
the same as those of her six watchmen.
SCENE 4:
Curtain Call
COMBAT
When the PCs reach platform 4 of the Gorogrey Rail Depot, read
or paraphrase:
The warm pre-dawn air is filled with road dust and the pungent smell
of oil as you approach the Gorogrey Rail Depot. The interior of the
massive structure is dominated by parallel sets of train tracks with
loading docks on either side of them and in the middle of the depot.
Inside, crane operators use their machinery to unload flatbeds onto
the platforms, where laborjacks then move the arriving crates and
pallets out into the yard behind the depot or onto outbound boxcars.
40
The overhead lights inside the warehouse leave long shadows, but
you can spot armed guards within the darkness. The steam and metal
cacophony of rail engines, laborjacks, and hydraulic cranes masks the
sound of your approach.
This will prove to be Iokav’s last stand, whether he lives or dies.
The rail depot is bustling with activity (cranes and laborjacks
moving crates every which way) as Iokav and his mercenaries
arrive to see Iokav off on the freight train that will take him from
Gorogrey, and the arrival of the PCs only heightens that frenzy.
At the first sign of the PCs (who can make a Sneak roll against
a target number of 16 to get the drop on the guards, despite
their alert state), Iokav’s men command them to leave, and if the
PCs don’t immediately do so, Iokav orders them to open fire,
scattering the crane operators and laborjack supervisors from the
scene. Iokav flees from location 1 to 2A, then leads the PCs on
a gunfight that winds through the depot before culminating in
a final showdown at the waiting train at location 5 (platform 4).
If the PCs succeeded in convincing Lieutenant Poparov of Iokav’s
plans (14 or better roll), she will arrive with two watchmen shortly
after the battle begins and will join the PCs in attempting to
capture Iokav.
1. Iokav, recognizing that his pursuers and possibly the city
guard have caught up to him, retreats deeper into the
building, drawing his gun as his men scatter for cover. As
the PCs pursue him, he leaps atop a crate that’s being moved
by a crane. Its movements are erratic and random because
the crane’s operator has fled. Iokav will lie flat on top of the
crate and fire down at the PCs as the crate is lifted over their
heads and swung toward 2A. To trap the PCs, one of the men
fires at the control lever for the metal door that seals the door
the PCs entered through, bringing it crashing down with a
thunderous boom.
2. Whether the PCs pursue Iokav directly to one side of the depot
warehouse (2A) or try to get around him by going to the other
(2B), the events in each location proceed as noted.
A. Two of Iokav’s men descend into the locomotive inspection
and repair pit, an oblong concrete trench beneath the rails.
As Iokav swings by overhead, they open fire on anyone
pursuing Iokav. Characters in the pit have solid cover.
Meanwhile, Iokav dismounts from the crate onto an
overhead catwalk, drawing a sword and slashing at the
ropes securing the crate to the crane. Without an operator,
the crane now swings in random directions. When Iokav
severs the rope, the crate falls in a random direction, bursting
open and spilling its contents onto the depot floor. Volatile
alchemical compounds within mix and burst into flame,
setting the floor ablaze. Place a wall template anywhere in
the 2A section of the map. A character that enters or ends
his turn in the wall area suffers an unboostable POW 12 fire
damage roll and the Fire continuous effect.
The erratic steam-operated crane is vulnerable to damage
from gunshots and will blast steam out of any punctures
to endanger everyone in range. The steam crane is ARM
16 and can withstand 25 points of damage before being
 completely destroyed. If an attack on the crane deals
damage, place a SP 6 template with the narrow end directly
touching the crane and the wide end pointed toward the
attacking character. Characters in the template suffer a
POW 10 fire damage roll.
A second crane swings uncontrollably between 2A and 2B,
hoisting a sizable crate marked “STEAMJACK PARTS.”
Besides being dangerous in and of itself, if the crate is
dropped, it will crush anyone standing beneath it and scatter
metal parts in all directions, creating a dangerous obstacle
course on the depot’s floor. If the cargo is dropped, place a
3˝ AOE where it falls and roll d3˝ for deviation. Characters
in the AOE suffer a POW 15 damage roll and are knocked
down. The AOE remains in play and is rough terrain.
If Iokav is still under direct fire from the PCs or is being
pursued up the crates by PCs as the depot explodes below
him, he leaps to catch the hanging ropes that once held the
crate and allows himself to be swung from the catwalk in
2A to a different catwalk in 2B. If the PCs either allow him a
head start or have proceeded to 2B to try to cut him off, he
races down the length of the catwalk to 3.
B. While a laborjack stomps down the length of the crates
stored here, Iokav’s men take up positions to fire across
the length of the warehouse at the PCs. Along this side of
the depot are the controls for metal shutters that seal the
windows on both sides of the depot, which one of Iokav’s
men triggers to throw the depot into shadows. The sun is
not yet up outside, and other than the area surrounding the
fire in 2A, the depot is dimly lit (IKRPG Core Rules, p. 225).
The laborjack is a dangerous moving obstacle, as it has
no controller to warn it away from the battle. It continues
its assigned task of moving boxes from 2B to 3, doing its
best to avoid running into the combatants or inadvertently
dropping its crates on those in its path. It can also serve as
mobile cover for characters moving from 2B to 3.
Another of Iokav’s men takes cover behind barrels marked
“BLASTING POWDER,” one of which he sends rolling
toward the PCs, opening fire on it as it goes. His shots miss,
and the barrel shatters open to spill a half-dozen skiggs
(essentially grenades with legs), bloated on black powder,
scurrying for cover (see Iron Kingdoms Urban Adventure, p.
63). Alternatively, the barrels simply explode when shot,
detonating as an AOE 4. Characters in the AOE suffer POW
12 blast damage. Characters damaged by the blast are
knocked down.
The second crane from 2A drops its crate of steamjack parts
in 2B as it swings uncontrolled between the two areas when
the PCs enter the area.
If Iokav comes from 2A to 2B while being chased, he
disconnects the catwalk from the ceiling with a short series
of gunshots as he leaps clear, sending it—and anyone still
on it—crashing to the floor. He then scrambles over the
crates, firing behind himself at enemies as he leaps into
section 3.
Iokav and his men hold their positions in 2A and 2B until at least
5 of their number are dead before retreating to area 3, where the
fires eventually drives the PCs as well.
3. Amid the mayhem of fire, darkness, gunshots, skiggs,
exploding barrels, cranes, laborjacks, and general chaos, Iokav
and his surviving men move closer to the only escape route
from the burning depot. Here, laborjacks sort crates coming in
and going out, and posted warning signs indicate to beware
their work paths due to their speed and lack of deviation from
their assignments. As the operators fled at the first gunshots,
the laborjacks have continued to perform the last tasks they
were instructed to do, moving boxes between the loading dock
and the interior of the depot and between the two sides of the
depot itself. It is a dangerous obstacle course that Iokav and
his men back through, holding the PCs at bay as they use the
moving laborjacks as shields and barriers. Those who weave
amid the laborjacks scramble up, behind, and atop stacked
crates in the exterior loading yard. Iokav goes for height in
4B, leaving his men to guard his back so he can reach the train
on the far side before it rolls out of Gorogrey from platform 4.
Overhead, just before the loading dock bay door that opens
out onto platform 4, are a series of skylights encased with vent
fans to pull smoke from the laborjacks in the depot. As they
escape the depot for the platform, Iokav and his men shoot
out those skylights to drop shards of glass on anyone pursuing
them or taking cover behind crates near the bay door. If the
skylights and fans are shot out, place a 3˝ AOE where they fall
and roll d3˝ for deviation. Characters in the AOE suffer a POW
8 damage roll.
4. Platform 4. As Iokav and his men reach this area, the engine
of the waiting train begins to smoke in preparation for
departure. The loading yard itself is open to the sky, and as the
PCs chase Iokav and his men into it, the first few green-eyed
ravens appear and land on the crates, circle above the burning
depot, and cry out their hideous caws from over the battle.
Iokav notes them with some distress, though he doesn’t allow
himself to be distracted for long. As the battle progresses, they
begin to accumulate in disturbing numbers, landing on the
waiting train, on the tracks, and growing into a dark, moving
cloud in the sky overhead.
A. Iokav’s surviving men reunite here to form a firing squad
to both take down pursuers and draw fire from 4B so
Iokav can make it onto the train under cover. They use
the crates here for shelter, though at least one of their
number goes for height to keep an eye on Iokav as he
attempts to escape.
B. Iokav climbs atop the crates here, firing back at the PCs as
he prepares to leap to the train in 5. He clutches a metallic
cylinder at his belt, which he reaches for numerous times
as he makes his escape, reassuring himself of its presence.
5. The train. A single freight car with a single engine awaits
Iokav, its steam engine in full preparation for the impending
journey. On its door is a deep purple emblem—a snake in a
circle devouring its own tail. The train’s sliding door on the
platform side of the car is cracked open a foot or two, though
41
 Act of Murder

42
 nothing inside is visible. By the time Iokav reaches the top of
the crates in 4A, the train has begun to slowly move forward,
necessitating his leap to the ladder at the front of the freight car.
House Kabalis
If at any point Iokav is incapacitated, made stationary, or anything Mercenary
else giving the PCs a chance to overtake him, his hired guards
Skills:
abandon him for dead. If he falls from any height, the glass soul
Name Stat + Rank total
cage he carries with him shatters in the fall, freeing those souls
Detection PER 1 4
trapped within, which disappear as quickly as wisps of smoke. If Hand Weapon PRW 1 5
Iokav is taken down while on the floor or a level surface, he will Intimidation SOC 1 *
shatter the soul cage himself to release the souls before trying to Pistol POI 1 5
convince the PCs to let him go.

If the PCs mortally wound Iokav and prevent him from PHYSIQUE PHY 7 Abilities:
escaping, read or paraphrase: SPEED SPD 6 Two-Weapon Fighting – While
On the tracks just beyond the loading dock, the train that was to bear STRENGTH STR 5 fighting with a one-handed weapon
or pistol in each hand, the character
Iokav pulls out, leaving him to his fate. As you approach the mortally AGILITY AGL 4
gains an additional attack for the
wounded man, you can see the shattered bits of his glass treasure PROWESS PRW 4 second weapon. He suffers –2 on
scattered beneath and around his body. His gun and sword are out of POISE POI 4 attack rolls with the second weapon
his reach, and his bloody wounds tell you it wouldn’t matter even if while doing so.
INTELLECT INT 3
he could take his weapons up again. He stares at you with hateful eyes ARCANE ARC —
as you reach him. “I should have guessed it would end like this,” he
PERCEPTION PER 3
breathes his last. “The alchemist promised to help me by killing you,
but she is too much like Abrosim. Secret codes and undead birds. Traps pistol
and tricks. All melodrama. Still, I hope Morado burns you alive for rat Rng AOE POW
5 8 — 10
what you have denied me. You owe me immortality.”
sword
Iokav dies before he can be interrogated. Upon his moment of
MAT POW P+S
death, the green-eyed birds burst as one into the sky from all 5 3 8
the places they’ve been watching and listening, an explosion of
mad cawing and beating wings. They circle once as if to confirm INITIATIVE INIT 13
his death, then fly down the track after the departing train and DEFENSE DEF 12
freight car. (Leather Armor -1)
ARMOR ARM 12
If the PCs are not able to prevent Iokav from escaping atop the
(Leather Armor +5)
train car, read or paraphrase:
WILLPOWER WILL 10
As the train rolls out of the Gorogrey depot, Iokav kneels atop the car and Vitality: 7
stares back at you, grinning maniacally, his gun in one hand, his blade Command Range: 3
in the other. He waves as if he expects to see you again, and then moves
Base Size: small
toward the ladder to let himself into the train car. But as you watch, a
black mass begins to emerge from the loading door that was ajar. At first, Encounter Points: 3
you aren’t sure what you’re seeing, but as the dark cloud takes a more Equipment:
distinct shape, you recognize hundreds of black birds. Their caws cannot Leather armor, pistol, sword, blasting
drown out Iokav’s fury. powder and bullets for 15 shots, d6+3 gc

“Abrosim, you backstabbing bastard! I did as you commanded!” he

bellows at them. Yet they fall upon him just the same.

As they set upon Iokav, attacking him, his shrieks mingle with their
furious cries. His gun fires once, and feathers scatter. But in moments,
Iokav becomes a red, writhing mass, twisting across the top of the freight
car, his sword flying from his grip and onto the tracks. Birds begin to
take to the sky with torn shreds of flesh, and great chunks of Iokav’s
corpse fall from the top of the train and down the hills on either side of
the track. Well before the train has reached the first curve in the tracks,
Iokav is no more.

43
 Act of Murder

House Kabalis House Kabalis

rifleman Guard
Skills: Skills:
Name Stat + Rank total Name Stat + Rank total
Climbing AGL 1 5 Detection PER 1 4
Detection PER 2 6 Great Weapon PRW 2 6
Rifle POI 2 6 Intimidation SOC 2 *

PHYSIQUE PHY 5 Abilities: PHYSIQUE PHY 7 Abilities:

SPEED SPD 6 Crackshot – When making a SPEED SPD 5 Shield Guard – Once per turn,
ranged or magic attack against a when a friendly character is directly
STRENGTH STR 4 STRENGTH STR 5
target that has concealment, cover, hit by an attack while within 2˝ of
AGILITY AGL 4 or elevation, this character gains AGILITY AGL 4 this character, this character can
PROWESS PRW 4 +2 on the attack roll. PROWESS PRW 4 choose to be directly hit instead.
This character cannot use Shield
POISE POI 4 Find Cover – At the start of POISE POI 4 Guard if he is incorporeal, knocked
combat before initiative is rolled,
INTELLECT INT 3 INTELLECT INT 3 down, prone, or stationary.
this character can immediately
ARCANE ARC — advance up to twelve feet (2˝) ARCANE ARC — Cleave – When this character
PERCEPTION PER 4 and perform a quick action to take PERCEPTION PER 3 incapacitates one or more enemies
cover or go prone. with a melee attack made with a
Military Rifle great sword great weapon during his turn, the
rat Rng AOE POW MAT POW P+S character can make one additional
6 6 11 melee attack immediately after
6 10 — 11
the attack is resolved. A character
Abilities: This weapon reqires two hands. This weapon must be used two-handed. can gain only one additional attack
This weapon has Reach. from Cleave each turn.
INITIATIVE INIT 14
INITIATIVE INIT 13
DEFENSE DEF 13
(Leather Armor -1) DEFENSE DEF 10
(Full Plate -3)
ARMOR ARM 10
(Leather Armor +5) ARMOR ARM 15
(Full Plate +8)
WILLPOWER WILL 8
WILLPOWER WILL 10
Vitality: 7
Vitality: 10
Command Range: 3
Command Range: 3
Base Size: small
Base Size: small
Encounter Points: 3
Encounter Points: 3
Equipment:
Equipment:
Goggles, leather armor, military rifle,
blasting powder and bullets for 10 shots, Full plate, great sword, 2d6+3 gc
d6+3 gc

44
House Kabalis Makar Iokav
Commander Skills:
Name Stat + Rank total
Skills: Command SOC 2 *
Deception SOC 2 *
Name Stat + Rank total
Detection PER 1 5
Command SOC 2 5
Disguise INT 1 5
Detection PER 1 4
Hand Weapon PRW 1 5
Great Weapon PRW 2 6
Interrogation INT 1 5
Shield PRW 1 5
Intimidation SOC 1 *
Jumping AGL 1 5
PHYSIQUE PHY 7 Abilities: Pistol POI 2 7
Sneak AGL 2 6
SPEED SPD 5 Cleave – When this character
incapacitates one or more enemies
STRENGTH STR 6
with a melee attack made with a
AGILITY AGL 4 great weapon during his turn, the PHYSIQUE PHY 5 Abilities:
PROWESS PRW 4 character can make one additional SPEED SPD 7 Acrobatics – The character can
melee attack immediately after advance through other characters
POISE POI 4 the attack is resolved. A character
STRENGTH STR 5
if he has enough movement to
INTELLECT INT 3 can gain only one additional attack AGILITY AGL 4 move completely past their bases.
ARCANE ARC — from Cleave each turn. PROWESS PRW 4 The character also gains +3 on his
Jumping skill rolls.
PERCEPTION PER 3 Leader – Friendly characters POISE POI 5
within 5˝ of this character gain +1 Feat Points – The character starts
INTELLECT INT 4
halberd on attack and damage rolls. each encounter with 3 feat points.
MAT POW P+S ARCANE ARC — He is allocated 1 feat point at the
Shield Guard – Once per turn,
5 4 10 PERCEPTION PER 4 start of each of his turns. He can
when a friendly character is
have only 3 feat points at a time.
directly hit by an attack while
This weapon has Reach. repeating pistol
within 2˝ of this character, this Feat: Swashbuckler – Once
character can choose to be rat Rng AOE POW during each of his turns, this
shield
MAT POW P+S directly hit instead. This character 7 8 — 10 character can spend 1 feat point to
cannot use Shield Guard if he use Swashbuckler. The next time
6 0 6
is incorporeal, knocked down, sword this character makes an attack with
A character armed with a shield gains +1 prone, or stationary. MAT POW P+S a hand weapon after using this
ARM for each level of the shield skill he has 5 3 8 benefit, his front arc extends to
against attacks originating in his front arc. 360°, and he can make one melee
INITIATIVE INIT 15 attack against each enemy in his
INITIATIVE INIT 13 line of sight in his melee range.
DEFENSE DEF 10 DEFENSE DEF 15
Skilled – The character gains
(Full Plate -3) ARMOR ARM 12 an additional attack during his
(Mechanika Tailored Plate +7) activation phase if he chooses to
ARMOR ARM 15
(Full Plate +8) WILLPOWER WILL 9 attack that turn.

WILLPOWER WILL 10 Parry – While armed with a hand

weapon, the character cannot be
targeted by free strikes.
1 2 AGILITY
Prowl – The character gains stealth
1 2 AGILITY while within terrain that provides
3 concealment, the AOE of a spell that
PHYS

3 provides concealment, or the AOE

4
PHYS

of a cloud effect.
4
IQ

ECT

E Riposte – Once per round when

U
IQ

this character is missed by an

ECT

E
6
LL
U

enemy’s melee attack, immediately

TE

6
LL

5 I
after the attack is resolved, he can
N

make one normal attack against

TE

5 I the attacking enemy.

N

Command Range: 6 To make a ranged attack, the

Command Range: 5 character’s ranged weapon must
Base Size: small
be loaded.
Base Size: small Encounter Points: 18
Encounter Points: 5 Equipment:
Equipment: Mechanika tailored plate (clockwork capacitor,
compensator and heightened strength runes),
Halberd, full plate, shield, 20 gc
repeating pistol, sword, soul cylinder, blasting
powder and bullets for 20 shots, 50 gc

45
 Act of Murder

CONCLUSION
With Iokav’s death—whether killed by the PCs in the heat of
battle or torn to shreds by Abrosim’s vengeful crows—the PCs are
left with only a few clues to continue the hunt for Abrosim, the
mastermind behind the ongoing plot to achieve immortality.
• Searching Iokav’s body or the scattered pieces of it that
fell from the freight car uncovers a dispatch written in
Khadoran: “Iokav: Let those simpletons come no closer to
me than Gorogrey. There will be consequences if I am forced
to handle them myself.” It is unsigned.
• The manifests in the train depot indicate that the single freight
car is bound for the terminal at Erofeev, the last stop of a rail
line branch headed nearly to the border with Ord. An escort
from Tombafyr, an isolated tower just across the Ord border, is
expected to meet the train. That escort is someone named Gallo
of Clan Morado.
EXPERIENCE
With the death of Iokav, the PCs have reached the first major
milestone in Immortality: they have established an enmity with
Vladislav Abrosim that will endure through the remainder of the
campaign. The XP below is based primarily on the PCs’ actions in
reaching this point in the adventure.
• Play Award: Each character gains 1 XP for participating in the
adventure.
• Conditional Awards: If the PCs avoided a battle with
Lieutenant Yana Poparov and the city guard in the cemetery,
each character gains 1 XP. If the PCs killed Iokav themselves
(as opposed to his death via the attack of the crows), each
character gains 2 XP.
• Milestone Bonus: If the PCs played through Undeath Metal,
each character gains 1 XP for reaching this stage in the
adventure.

• A PC can make a Lore (history or alchemy) skill roll against a

target number of 14 to identify the symbol of the snake eating
its own tail as a symbol of eternity or immortality.

• While no one the PCs have previously encountered in

Gorogrey will readily recognize the name Morado, a PC can
make a Research skill roll against a target number of 12 to find
her name in the local records of Gorogrey—Olivia Morado
of Tombafyr in Ord—in border crossing records as someone
who has traveled into Khador from Ord for the purposes of
purchasing alchemical ingredients at local markets.

• If the PCs ask about alchemists around the markets and

taverns of Gorogrey, a PC can make a Streetwise skill roll
against a target number of 12 to hear rumors about an Ordic
alchemist who occasionally comes to Gorogrey with a few
guards to purchase ingredients. On a roll of 14, the PC learns
those guards are alleged to be former members of the Crucible
Guard, and on a roll of 15 or higher, that the woman is a thane
answering to no castellan in Ord.

Any of these may lead the PCs to follow the train tracks to
Erofeev. This will inevitably lead them to Tombafyr, the tower of
the alchemist who holds evil secrets about Vladislav Abrosim—
he who had Makar Iokav slaughtered by his undead birds rather
than grant Iokav his own immortality.

46
Interlude 2:
Making Tracks
Interlude Synopsis
In Making Tracks, the PCs follow the rail line from Gorogrey
to Erofeev in search of Vladislav Abrosim, the former Greylord
whose plans they have interfered with often enough to merit his
wrath. Erofeev was the apparent destination of Abrosim’s servant
Makar Iokav, who was killed while attempting to reach the small,
distant village.
But as the PCs cross the wide expanse of desolate land outside
of Erofeev, they encounter some of its residents fleeing for their
lives, two sisters and a young girl, following the train tracks in
the opposite direction of their homes. In desperation, they rush
to the PCs for protection from their pursuers, Fenton Fain, and
his gang, the Four. In describing Fenton’s recent return from
exploring the forbidden Torre Tombafyr, the abandoned tower
just across the Ordic border from the village, the sisters may
describe him and his gang as having gone from “quiet young
men” to sadistic bullies.
Fenton Fain and his friends are only fourteen years old.
The five boys were captured by the residents of the tower and
were subjected to Olivia Morado’s experiments. They managed to
escape, but by that time, they were already twisted by Morado’s
alchemy. (If the PCs failed to retain the Librum Mekanecrus
Game Master Note
Making Tracks fills the gap between Act of Murder
and Mercilessly Alive, taking the PCs from the city of
Gorogrey to the distant, isolated village of Erofeev on the
border with Ord. The adventure takes place along the long
stretch of train tracks that connect the two locations.
Having overcome Vladislav Abrosim’s lieutenant,
Makar Iokav, the PCs are now en route to Iokav’s own
destination at the end of the line, Erofeev. But the
village and its residents have served as test subjects
for another of Abrosim’s servants, Olivia Morado, who
has had her soldiers routinely kidnapping residents and
bringing them to her tower for devastating experiments
in the pursuit of immortality. Now, the surviving
locals have chosen to flee their home rather than risk
whatever tortures Abrosim and his lieutenants may have
planned for them. Making Tracks is intended to provide
foreshadowing of the dangers ahead and to underscore
the malevolence of Olivia Morado and her forces.
47
 Interlude: Making Tracks
translation while on board the steamboat Sundown in Interlude
1: Dead in the Water, then each member of the Four also has the
Mighty ability as the result of that loss.)
Ultimately, the PCs are faced with a difficult challenge: allow the
children to continue terrorizing the fleeing villagers, fight the
children outright, or somehow undo what has been done to them
by the servants of Abrosim.
Getting the Players Involved
The adventure begins as the characters follow the train tracks
headed into Erofeev. They can see the fleeing sisters from the
village well before they arrive, though Fenton Fain and the Four
are initially nowhere in sight. Before the PCs can choose to avoid
the sisters, the women see them and begin to wave and call out
for help, stumbling down the tracks with their possessions in tow
to meet the PCs.
Game Master Note:
NO HELP HERE
If the PCs choose to avoid, ignore, or otherwise dismiss
the approaching women and the danger they’re in, the
Game Master can elect to continue the adventure with
the PCs’ arrival in Erofeev (as outlined in Mercilessly
Alive, p. 52). In that case, however, the Game Master may
also prefer to detail for the PCs the outcome resulting
from their decision. The discovery of other victims of
Fenton Fain and the Four—some of whom have survived
and overheard their attackers discussing how the
approaching PCs failed to protect the fleeing sisters—
may suffice. Additionally, while the PCs are in the village,
they may encounter Foble, the dog belonging to the
fleeing villagers, now missing one of its legs and clearly
abandoned—the survivor of whatever Fenton Fain’s gang
did to those sisters and the girl. Finally, the Game Master
may also choose to have rumors in Erofeev suggesting
Fenton Fain found something in the tower Torre Tombafyr,
a book he refused to show to anyone and that he took with
him when he and his gang chased the fleeing villagers.
48
SCENE 1:
The Pursued
ROLEPLAYING
The interlude begins when, ahead on the tracks a trio of
villagers—two women and a girl—appear. They are headed in the
PCs’ direction. They have a single horse that pulls a wagon filled
with possessions behind them and a dog that begins to bark the
moment it sees the PCs.
As the PCs see the villagers for the first time, read or paraphrase
the following:
Ahead, a dog begins to bark, drawing your attention to three people
beside the tracks, coming toward you. Two women—one of whom is
armed with a rifle—walk on either side of a small wagon that’s weighed
down with furniture, boxes, crates, barrels, and other goods. A single
horse draws the wagon along the tracks. A girl, perhaps as young as ten,
sits atop the wagon, scanning the horizon behind them with a spyglass.
A black-and-white mutt sits with its ears perked up next to the girl, and
its barking causes the women and the girl to see you. They all begin to
wave and shout to you. Amidst their cries, you hear one word repeated
multiple times: “Help.”
The women are the sisters Taniss Casra and Neesa Benzo; the girl is
Taniss’ eleven-year-old daughter, Cecilia. The three of them have
packed everything they own, gathered their horse and dog, and
fled Erofeev to escape the “dark times” that have fallen over the
village. They left behind Taniss’ husband, Jerrol, who held their
pursuers at bay: Fenton Fain and the Four, a gang of “young men”
who have been chasing them since they left Erofeev. All the while
the PCs interact with the trio, the dog Foble barks frequently; he
only stops barking if he senses the approach of Fenton and his
gang.
If the PCs stop to talk with Taniss and Neesa, they have the
opportunity to discover what the women are fleeing from. If they
instead choose to continue traveling, a short while later, they
encounter Fenton Fain and the Four. Fenton demands to know
if the PCs saw the women. If he suspects the PCs are deceiving
him, he instructs his gang to “beat the truth out of them.” (See
The Pursuers.)
Taniss and Neesa
The sisters are friendly but exceedingly frightened; they are
very reluctant to discuss what’s happening in Erofeev for fear
that, somehow, the PCs might be involved with the mysterious
disappearances. Instead, they will attempt to focus the PCs’
attention on protecting them from Fenton. Unless the PCs press,
they will not disclose much about Fenton and his gang other than
the fact that they are chasing the sisters.
So long as the sisters are addressed as a pair, they remain evasive
about the recent activities in and around Erofeev. If separated (but
not threatened in the process), Neesa will divulge even less, as
she nervous to be apart from her older sister. (If the PCs use the
Intimidation skill to question either woman, they only reveal that
Fenton is after them “to get Cecilia.”)
Taniss, however, is willing to say more if separated from Neesa
and promised protection. Aggressive or hostile questions impose
a –2 penalty on Interrogation or Negotiation rolls made to interact
with her. A successful social skill roll reveals the following:
Roll Information Discovered
Fenton Fain is only fourteen years old, but he
was obsessed at one time with “marrying” Taniss’
twelve-year-old daughter, Cecilia. For a long
time, he kept his distance because of Taniss’
10 disapproval, but just recently, he has changed
and become aggressive about courting her. This
was enough to finally convince the sisters it was
time to flee.
Fenton disappeared for many days while he and
his gang were exploring a supposedly abandoned
tower across the border in Ord. No one in the village
would approach the tower—many believe it is an
12 evil place, bringing dark times to Erofeev. When he
and his friends reappeared, they were different—
meaner, more dangerous, and in possession of armor
no one had ever seen before.
After numerous disappearances of various locals,
many are now fleeing Erofeev, and it has become
13 impossible to know who has left of their own
volition and who has left because of whatever
curse has fallen upon the village.
Cecilia
Taniss’ daughter is shy and somewhat withdrawn, but a fire
burns in her eyes if the PCs question her about Fenton and
the conversation he had with her. She doesn’t know anything
substantive about the tower or the reasons why other villagers
have fled, but she will share what she knows about Fenton if
any PC makes a successful Negotiation skill roll against a target
number of 12.
When Fenton spoke to her in private, he told Cecilia he was going
to leave Erofeev and be “a powerful alchemist” after he finished
his “training,” though she’d never heard this from him before. He
was far angrier than usual, though he did pause to brag about the
new armor more than once, and when she expressed her fear of
him, he seemed to thrive on it. He also told her he would “protect”
her from “what they want to do” to her, provided she would
marry him. He didn’t specify who precisely he would protect her
from or what “they” wanted to do to her, but he implied that it
was horrifying.
When she told her mother, Taniss, about Fenton’s actions, they
immediately began to pack, leaving Erofeev within the day. They
had to leave behind Jerrol, Taniss’ husband and Cecilia’s father,
and the girl is exceedingly distressed that he won’t meet them in
Gorogrey as he promised.
The women are eager to get on the move if the PCs do not intend
to protect them; if the PCs pledge their assistance, the women will
either continue on or remain with the PCs, depending on what the
PCs encourage them to do. If they remain, they do not contribute
to the fight but will attempt to recover incapacitated PCs and
bring them to the wagon. Taniss only uses her rifle as a last resort,
as she is relatively unskilled in its use (MAT 5).
SCENE 2:
The Pursuers
ROLEPLAYING/COMBAT
Whether the PCs choose to make a stand and defend the sisters
and the girl from Fenton Fain and the Four or they choose to
avoid or deny the three, Fenton and his gang inevitably come
along the railway tracks in search of the women. They wear
armor that’s too big for them, and they have the obnoxious habit
of thumping the chest plates as if to indicate their pride in it. If
the PCs are defending the villagers, Fenton and the others come
in eager for battle. If the PCs encounter the gang under any other
circumstances, Fenton turns on his boyish charm in hope the PCs
will provide information regarding the women’s whereabouts.
If the PCs come face-to-face with Fenton Fain and the Four, read
or paraphrase:
The five before you are quite a ways from being men—they are barely
even teenagers. But they have a hardness in their eyes that suggests
either arrogance or madness, and their leader, a dark-haired boy with a
charming smile but angry eyes, doesn’t seem even remotely concerned
that your group is clearly stronger than his. He approaches with the
swagger of a soldier—or a monster.
Fenton Fain
Fenton is tall for his age, clearly of a farm stock, and a slow
speaker. He is very cordial and deferential as long as he’s treated
like an equal. If, however, he feels he’s being condescended to
or if he feels his pursuit of Cecilia is being thwarted, he quickly
becomes moody and confrontational.
Fenton was a prisoner in the tower of the alchemist Olivia Morado
(though he never saw her directly; he and his gang were captured
by guards there) and was injected with an alchemical compound
that brought him under her control. He and the other boys have
injection marks in clear view on their throats, exposed arms, and
even in their foreheads. They were then sent back to the village
to kidnap others in the community and bring them to the tower.
Now, Fenton has decided it’s time to collect the object of his
obsession, Cecilia.
He and his gang will fight anyone who tries to stop them, and
their alchemically induced brute strength is enough to overcome
the deficits in their combat skills, and their armor is enough to
protect them for a short while. His companions (Derek, Borlan,
Fick, and Tuttle) are simply followers; they know next to nothing
about what happened to them and are only doing what Fenton
commands them to do.
Fenton can be taken prisoner and will surrender if it seems likely
he and the others are about to be defeated, whether that is killed
or simply overwhelmed. If two of his companions are killed or
captured, Fenton automatically surrenders.
49
 Interlude: Making Tracks

If questioned after being captured, Fenton attempts to resist

giving up much information, but his resistance is actually quite
weak. A successful Interrogation roll reveals the following:
Roll Information Discovered
He and his friends thought the tower south
of their village was abandoned; instead, they
encountered guards there who were quick to
10 take them prisoner. They were held for days
before they were taken into a room with medical
tables and injected by men in white gowns.
If the PCs failed to retain the Librum Mekanecrus
translation while on board the steamboat Sundown
in “Interlude 1: Dead in the Water”: Fenton
describes a strange book he saw in the room where
they were injected: one of the men in white gowns
referred to it often while preparing whatever was
injected into all the boys. Whatever was used on
11 them clearly came from these pages.
If the PCs retained the Librum Mekanecrus
translation: Fenton had no intention of returning
Cecilia to the tower. Instead, he intended to take
her and flee the area. He didn’t have more of a plan
than that.
Fenton and his gang didn’t escape the tower—they
were set free, and they were told that if they
12 didn’t receive follow-up injections in the next two
days, the fluids they had been injected with would
turn poisonous and kill them.
He claims they did no bodily harm to Cecilia’s
13 father, Jerrol, leaving him behind when they
came in pursuit of the sisters.
CONCLUSION
The sisters Taniss and Neesa have no desire to return to Erofeev,
preferring to take their chances further down the line in Gorogrey
where they expect to be met by Jerrol, so if the PCs protect them,
they will give their thanks and immediately move on. Before they
depart, the girl Cecilia will give the PCs something Fenton tried
to court her with—a ring with a greenish glow similar to the glow
in the eyes of the crows the PCs have encountered previously. She
doesn’t like it, and she’s happy to let it go. The ring was given
to Fenton to protect him from the Unkillables (p. 73). It emits an
alchemical pheromone that the creatures find repellent. While
wearing the ring, a character gains +1 DEF against attacks made
by Unkillables.
If the PCs capture Fenton and his gang (as opposed to letting them
go free or killing them), all five of them begin to show symptoms
of their lethal injections before the PCs can get them to Erofeev.
Their deaths are sudden and unavoidable. If, however, the PCs
provide any comfort to Fenton or the others in their final hours,
Fenton will volunteer a final piece of information that could not
otherwise be extracted from him: “Armand was there.” He does
not elaborate on this statement that refers to an individual the
PCs will encounter upon reaching Erofeev in the next chapter,
Mercilessly Alive.
Nowhere along the way to Erofeev do the PCs encounter Jerrol,
who either escaped the village or died helping his wife, child, and
sister escape.

The last bit of information is accurate: Fenton and the other boys are
living on borrowed time, and if they survive any encounter with
the PCs, they are still doomed to die because of the lack of receiving
a stabilizing injection.

50
Fenton Fain The Four:
Skills: Derek, Borlan, Fick & Tuttle
Name Stat + Rank total
Hand Weapon PRW 1 4 Skills:
Intimidation SOC 1 * Name Stat + Rank total
Unarmed Combat PRW 2 5 Unarmed Combat PRW 2 5

PHYSIQUE PHY 5 Abilities: PHYSIQUE PHY 4 Abilities:

SPEED SPD 6 Mighty – This character gains an SPEED SPD 6 Dodger – When this character is
additional die on melee damage rolls. missed by an enemy attack, he can
STRENGTH STR 7 STRENGTH STR 7
immediately advance up to 2˝ after
AGILITY AGL 5 Tough – When this character is AGILITY AGL 5 the attack is resolved unless he was
disabled, roll a d6. On a 5 or 6, missed while advancing. He cannot
PROWESS PRW 3 PROWESS PRW 3
the character heals 1 vitality be targeted by free strikes during
POISE POI 3 point, is no longer disabled, and POISE POI 3 this movement.
is knocked down. INTELLECT INT 3
INTELLECT INT 3 Mighty – This character gains an
ARCANE ARC — ARCANE ARC — additional die on melee damage rolls.
PERCEPTION PER 4 PERCEPTION PER 3

Pistol Fist
rat Rng AOE POW MAT POW P+S
4 10 — 10 5 0 7

Club INITIATIVE INIT 13

MAT POW P+S
DEFENSE DEF 13
4 2 9
Fist (Crucible Infantry Armor –1)
MAT POW P+S
5 0 7 ARMOR ARM 10
(Crucible Infantry Armor +6)
INITIATIVE INIT 14 Vitality:
WILLPOWER 4 WILL 7
DEFENSE DEF 14 Command Range: 3
Base Size: small
(Crucible Infantry Armor –1)
Encounter Points: 2
ARMOR ARM 11
(Crucible Infantry Armor +6) Equipment:
Crucible armor, d3 gc
WILLPOWER
Vitality: 5 WILL 8
Command Range: 3
Base Size: small
Encounter Points: 3
Equipment:
Club, crucible armor, pistol, blasting
powder and bullets for 10 shots, 2 gc

51
 Mercilessly Alive
Part 3:
Mercilessly Alive
Mercilessly Alive is designed for 3–5 Hero-level characters
between 6 and 14 XP each. It takes place in the ghost town of
Erofeev in southern Khador, near the Ordic border, and ultimately
will take the PCs across the border into Ord. The specifics of the
town itself are limited to a few key locations during the adventure,
allowing the Game Master to adapt it to fit the needs of his game.
Scenario Synopsis
In Mercilessly Alive, the PCs discover the last vestiges of a
Khadoran village, Erofeev, where nearly everyone has either
mysteriously disappeared or fled for their lives. Those who
remain both suspect and fear Tombafyr, a supposedly abandoned
tower in the mountains across the border—they whisper among
themselves that their town has become haunted and that evil has
chosen them for death.
For the Game Master
Olivia Morado, an alchemist serving as a lieutenant for the former
Greylord Abrosim, has spent the last eight months ensconced in
Tombafyr, the tower of her ancestors, where she has applied her
skills to finding an elixir that will extend Abrosim’s lifespan—
52
perhaps eternally. Lacking proper test subjects, however, she has
commanded her servants to bring villagers from nearby Erofeev
to act as living experiments to receive the alchemical compounds
she develops. Those who show positive responses, she retains as
prisoners for observation; those who degenerate, she casts out
to drown in the polluted lake below her tower or wander the
mountains until the wilderness kills them. But a few suffering
souls have found their way home again, fueling the fear of those
who remain behind.
Morado keeps a watchful eye on the town, wary of Khadoran
officials learning of and disrupting her activities before she can
achieve Abrosim’s goal. No one in the town has even seen her—
she is a vaguely defined shadow over Erofeev. She has previously
murdered the alchemist who trained her and contributed to the
downfall (and ultimately the murder) of another of Abrosim’s
lieutenants who allowed others to get too close to the former
Greylord. She will not hesitate to use circumstances to her utmost
advantage again, regardless of who those intruders might be.
Morado is served by her brother, Gallo, who is the only member of
the Morado Family to appear in public, albeit anonymously. His
presence in Erofeev is a source of communal terror, as he comes to
town to meet the arrival of a supply train once every few weeks
before disappearing into the mountains again. The state of his
sister, both her physical and mental condition, are known only to
him, but the people of Erofeev fear the evil they know more than
the evil they don’t—they call Gallo the Crimson Man because of
his attire, a dark red cloak with a hood that obscures his face, and
they believe the Crimson Man knows about the disappearances of
their kin, though they are too terrified to confront him.
For his part, Abrosim watches all of his lieutenants via undead
ravens he controls, and Olivia Morado welcomes his scrutiny,
communicating with his ravens as if they were Abrosim himself.
She first accepted his personal attention when he recruited her
to murder her late teacher Victor di Cavour and bring him the
research di Cavour had accumulated from the ancient book the
Crucibilus Synthetatus, which Morado did with enthusiasm, as she
felt di Cavour’s refusal to experiment on human subjects restrained
her pursuits. Thus, Abrosim funds and watches Morado, and her
obsession has now become finding a way to alchemically extend
life, regardless of its cost to her or anyone else.
Getting the Players Involved
The adventure begins within the limits of Erofeev, a small
Khadoran town that is mostly abandoned, where the PCs have
come either of their own volition or while trying to determine the
ultimate destination of the villain Iokav, killed in the previous
adventure, Act of Murder.
If the players are being introduced to the adventure for the first
time, they can be arriving in Erofeev to investigate rumors of
strange disappearances and a mass exodus from the town. They
may have heard tales of hauntings from fleeing townsfolk who
swear they’ll never return. The PCs also may have heard Erofeev
is a rendezvous point for smuggling of some sort, as a stretch of
train tracks off the main line ends in the town and delivers goods
to figures who disappear across the border into Ord with their
deliveries.
If the PCs have completed the earlier adventure Act of Murder,
they may be investigating the villain Iokav’s intended route. Iokav
was dead before he could escape the city of Gorogrey, but his
destination is easy to determine by following a branch of railroad
tracks off the main line that dead-ends in Erofeev, not far from the
Ordic border. They may already be aware that they are looking for
an alchemist named Olivia Morado. Few in the town have heard
of her, though everyone knows the name of a nearby tower in the
mountains across the border in Ord—Tombafyr. Tombafyr is a
long-deserted tower the townspeople avoid; rumors of dark rites
performed there keep them at a distance.
With many of the businesses boarded up and abandoned, a
simple way to get the PCs involved once they arrive is to have
a townsperson direct them to the sole boarding house with
sufficient hesitation that the PCs get a sense of danger in Erofeev.
It’s likely the first Erofeevans the PCs encounter will be on the
road outside of town, carrying only what possessions they could
load onto a wagon, declaring that they’re leaving the town behind
and cautioning the PCs of the danger that await them there.
Whether the PCs are en route to the boarding house or simply
exploring Erofeev in general, they are confronted with a hostile
warning from the local law enforcement once they arrive. See
Scene 1: Signs of Life.
SCENE 1:
Signs of Life
INVESTIGATIVE
The adventure begins in the unpaved, desolate streets of Erofeev
when the PCs find themselves confronted by the town’s sheriff,
Sergio Albano, and his deputy, Fillip Miguel, both of whom seem
anxious about the presence of strangers.
As the sheriff and his deputy approach the PCs, read or
paraphrase the following:
Erofeev, with its shuttered windows and boarded doorways, is a dying
town. The few people you see are pale and avoid your gaze as they hurry
about their business. Smoke rises from only one in a dozen chimneys, and
the silence has substance. The mountains to the south are blanketed in a
low-hanging fog through which juts a dark, cold spear of a tower.
A heavyset man with thick mustache sees you and crosses the road to
intercept you. He is accompanied by a tall, thin man who follows behind
him. Both men have pistols and truncheons on their hips and an air of
authority. You recognize the mannerisms of local law enforcement,
though these are clearly mixed with nervousness.
Sheriff Sergio Albano starts off by introducing himself and his
deputy Fillip Miguel before discouraging the PCs from staying in
town, warning them that Erofeev has nothing to offer wandering
travelers. It’s a dying town, he tells them, if it’s not already dead.
He is evasive if asked about Olivia Morado or the Tombafyr tower,
clearly indicating that he knows more than he wishes to share.
If asked what has happened to Erofeev, he shrugs it off as the
economies of a border town. While he speaks with the PCs, his
deputy looks around nervously as if watching their backs.
If the PCs do not commit to leaving town, Sheriff Albano turns to
his deputy to speak and catches sight of someone watching the
conversation: a tall man seeming to inspect the harness and buckle
of his horses and wagon, though he looks up often. When the PCs
catch sight of the teamster, he smiles and waves to them.
The sheriff abruptly ends the conversation after spotting the
teamster, once again encouraging the PCs to leave Erofeev. As the
two men turn to leave, the deputy, Fillip, dips his head toward a
boarded-up building—an old inn called the Skyskar—and makes
a quick, subtle gesture with his hand. Astute PCs can interpret the
gestures by making a Streetwise skill roll against a target number
of 12. If they succeed, they recognize that Fillip indicated the
number and letter “2B” with his gesture. If the PCs do not respond
to his gesture or seem unable to recognize what he’s attempting
to convey, Fillip first checks to ensure the sheriff doesn’t see him,
and then he drops a key in the dirt road, quickly kicking dust over
it to hide it from the sheriff’s notice. This is the deputy’s copy
of a key to a room in the Skyskar Inn where the sheriff has been
keeping a terrible secret; Fillip has been the sheriff’s only support,
and he’s desperate for outside help. The number and letter “2B” is
scratched into the key. Fillip does not respond if the PCs ask him
for more information and feigns ignorance if they approach him.
53
 Mercilessly Alive
Game Master Note
If the PCs choose to bypass Erofeev and go directly to the
tower Tombafyr, they first encounter thrullgs as they pass
the lake near the tower (see p. 62), and then get as far
as the tower’s empty, weed-infested outer courtyard (see
p. 64). There they encounter the sole guard, an affable
man who acts as the caretaker for the grounds, who tells
them that the Morado Family has left the area for Corvis,
where Olivia Morado once lived. He says the place is utterly
deserted, but if the PCs wish to investigate any deeper
into the tower, he needs permission from the Morados in
Corvis, which he will offer to send for. He stalls the PCs
wherever possible, but if they try to force their way past
him, he sounds the alarm for guards in the tower’s inner
courtyard to attack the intruders, which brings guards and
two Talon warjacks through a tunnel connecting the two
courtyards. (See p. 57 for guard statistics and IKRPG Core
Rules, p. 302, for Talon statistics; the PCs are confronted
by two times their party’s number.) If the PCs retreat, the
tower’s defenders will not pursue them but will be on high
alert afterward. In that case, increase the number of guards
in any encounters within the tower by the number of PCs.
Exploring the Vanishing Town of
Erofeev
If the PCs choose to investigate Erofeev, they can explore any or all
of the following to gain additional information about the terrible
things that have been happening in the town. As the sheriff and
his deputy walk away, the PCs notice an expressionless teenage
girl staring at them from the porch of a nearby abandoned
building. She appears terrified of them, and though she clearly
wants to flee, she still calls out to them, “Are you here to kill the
rest of us, too?”
The girl, Favia, is clearly numb with fear, and when the PCs
speak to her, even if it’s reassuringly, she trembles constantly. In a
distant voice, she tells them how everyone in town is destined to
die at the hands of evil spirits, or so she hears whispered among
the few who remain. She is somewhat incoherent, mentioning
the “Marconis are all dead, the whole family” and “you can hear the
screams from the inn where they kill them” and “Maton is the only
one who isn’t afraid of the monsters…so he’ll die too. Can you help
him?” She doesn’t respond to specific questions, and she closes
by saying, “Adalia told me not to talk to anyone unless we were at her
boarding house. It’s the only safe place left in Erofeev.” She will point
them in the direction of the boarding house, telling them that “if
you are not here to kill us, then you must be the ones we’ve all been
waiting for. The ones Fillip told me about. The ones who will stop the
Crimson Man,” and then she turns to hide in the shadows of an
abandoned building.
If the PCs confront the teamster Armand, Favia remains in the
shadows until the man leaves before talking to them.
54
Armand
The teamster who was watching the sheriff is, in fact, Abrosim
himself, who is monitoring the activity in the town, particularly
when it comes to outsiders who may have caused him grief in the
past. Abrosim has been watching them with suspicion for some
time and wants to throw them off his trail. He is not afraid of the
PCs discovering his identity—so far, they have not discovered any
real information about him, and he is confident that his arcane
abilities will protect him if the PCs decide to attack. He is currently
warded in the same manner as he used to escape execution (see p.
7) and is unafraid of suffering physical harm.
Under the guise of Armand, he presents himself as a man cautious
with his words, so the PCs need to “convince” him to talk with
a Negotiation or Interrogation skill roll. A successful skill roll
reveals the following:
Negotiation or Interrogation
Roll Information Discovered
The town of Erofeev has been infected by a
disease that is killing off its people. Because he
believes the sheriff knows what’s happening,
8 Armand has been watching him closely. He
can’t prove anything, he admits, but he’s very
suspicious of the sheriff’s indifference to the
matter from the beginning.
The tower across the border, named Tombafyr,
is deserted except for a watchman, and has been
so for many months now. Armand knows this, he
says, because he lives in a cabin near there, and he
10 has never seen any activity in the tower. In fact,
Armand is certain the tower has little or nothing to
do with the plague taking the town and that the
sheriff is using it to redirect suspicion.
Armand knows the Morado Family used to own
the tower. Led by Olivia Morado the alchemist,
12 most of the family has gone to Corvis, where Olivia
apparently works for a more senior alchemist.
Regardless of what he shares, Armand warns the PCs that Erofeev
is a dangerous place to be, and he might be willing to hire them
to protect him and his valuables if they escort him to safety—
Gorogrey in Khador or anywhere else he might find refuge from
Erofeev. If they agree to be hired, he says he can be ready to leave
as soon as tomorrow—he only needs to gather his things from his
cabin first.
With a sidelong glance to ensure he’s not being observed,
Armand mouths the words “the sheriff is listening” and gestures
behind him with one hand. The sheriff and his deputy are, in fact,
nearby. When he raises his hand, the PCs can see that the skin
on his palm and fingertips is unusually faded, as if it’s lost all
coloration. If asked about it, Armand will at first say he was born
with it but then hesitate before admitting it happened when he
dipped his hand in a stream of water in the woods south of the
nearby mountain lake, which lies across the border near the old,
abandoned tower.
Armand tells the PCs that he hopes to hear from them, and he
climbs aboard his cart, saying his goodbyes. If the PCs choose to
restrain him or attack instead of allowing him to leave, he cries for
help, and the PCs are confronted immediately by Sheriff Albano
and his deputy, both of whom discourage the PCs from troubling
Armand any further. The sheriff vouches for Armand’s honesty
but seems to have an intense dislike for the man. Sergio pointedly
suggests Armand be on his way. If the PCs restrain or attack all
three of them, townspeople come running to protect their law
enforcement, creating a mob scene that allows Armand to escape.
When Armand leaves, he heads south across the border,
presumably to his cabin, where, if the PCs follow him, he
ultimately disappears in the wooded areas around the lake, within
sight of the tower, Tombafyr, on the very edge of the Ordic border.
The people in Erofeev are divided into two classes—the
townspeople, who live in Erofeev itelf, and farmers, who live
outside the town but come to Erofeev for supplies, to socialize,
or for other business transactions. The farmers can be identified
by their attire—working clothes—and they tend to congregate
in groups of twos and threes outside the general store, on the
benches in front of the boarded and shuttered municipal building,
or working with their horses and wagons outside the stable. They
watch the PCs as if they are hoping the PCs are a solution to what
ails Erofeev. The townspeople are found primarily in the boarding
house, though like the farmers, they can be encountered in the
streets. The PCs may choose to ask questions at the boarding
house or of people on the street before seeking out answers to
the deputy’s “2B” reference or before heading for the tower itself.
Various people can be encouraged to tell what they know with a
successful Negotiation or Interrogation skill roll.
Note that the townspeople who live in Erofeev have different
information from the farmers who live in the outlying area.
Townspeople
The following information is possessed by the following
townspeople: Leo the stablemaster; Adalia, keeper of Adalia’s
Rooms, the boarding house; and Old Olsonik, the former owner
of the Skyskar Inn and now the local drunk. If asked about the
boarded and shuttered inn, Olsonik can provide the PCs with
a key. He warns them that since shutting it down, he’s come
to believe evil spirits have taken it over—he claims to hear a
tormented horrifying voice crying out from the inn at night.
Negotiation or Interrogation
Roll Information Discovered
Those who could have already fled Erofeev; all who
10 remain are too poor, frail, or scared to escape.
People began vanishing a few months ago, though
no one was sure at that point what was happening.
11 A rumor of disease spread throughout the town, but
no one ever seemed sick. They just disappeared.
Some say the town is haunted—and they worry
12 that the Torre Tombafyr tower is the source of
the evil spirits.
Neighbors have begun to fear one another after
misshapen creatures—who looked like sick men
and smelled strangely of rot and rust—attacked
13 some farmers on their way into Erofeev. In the
altercation, one of the things was shot in the
chest, but it survived to flee into the night.
To those who have seen him, the Crimson Man—
an outsider dressed in a red cloak and hood who
comes to town to meet the train sometimes—
14 seems the embodiment of whatever haunts the
town. Ill fortune befalls any who confront or
interfere with the Crimson Man.
Farmers
Among the farmers are Dylan, a short, squat vegetable farmer
who speaks curtly; Jacoby, a chicken farmer who plans to move
on from town as soon as he can; and Esterella, whose husband
disappeared recently—she found one of his shoes and a pool of
blood in their cornfields.
If the PCs ask about Maton, whom Favia asked the PCs to help,
all of the farmers know about the young man and are aware of
his intention to solve the mystery behind the disappearances.
They describe him as angry, foolish, or naïve, and they encourage
the PCs to caution him about the dangers inherent in the world
beyond Erofeev if he doesn’t get control of himself.
Negotiation or Interrogation
Roll Information Discovered
The tarn—a small mountain lake—by the tower
10 in the hills has changed color over the last few
months, turning black-green.
Things have been seen in the woods around the
11 tarn, things that don’t look natural.
The trouble really started when everyone on
the Marconi homestead vanished overnight—a
family of blond-haired, blue-eyed farmers,
13 including three children. The neighbors who
came calling found signs of violence, suggesting
a kidnapping, and now neighbors report
hearing mad screams in the night.
No one will approach the Marconi homestead
14 now—livestock has begun to go missing around the
homestead, and Sheriff Albano won’t investigate.
Once the PCs have spoken to at least one member from each of the
two groups, they are approached by a teenage boy, Maton, who
has been observing them from a distance to find out who they are.
Both of his parents have vanished, and Maton is conducting his
own investigation, out of fear and desperation.
If the PCs don’t approach at least two other townspeople besides
Favia, Maton follows them, distrustful of their motives, trying to
discern if they are in town to help or to wreak further havoc on
Erofeev. If the PCs approach him, he asks a similar question to the
one Favia asks: “Am I next? Are you here to take me?”
55
 Mercilessly Alive

Maton
Maton is an angry young man seeking help in finding out what
happened to his parents, farmers who disappeared en route to
town a month ago. He shares some information automatically—
he knows everything the townspeople and farmers know and
shares information the PCs have not yet learned, if anything—but
he is clearly withholding additional knowledge, all of which is
accurate. He can be made to talk with a successful Interrogation
skill roll.
Interrogation
at the Marconi homestead (p. 59) or to bring them to the tower
to act as subjects for Olivia Morado’s experiments. For larger or
more experienced groups, consider replacing one or more Tower
Ambushers with Tower Guards.
Since the attack is predicated on when the PCs interact with
Maton, the location of the ambush is variable. It takes place on
one of Erofeev’s cloistered streets, at a location based on the PCs’
actions. No matter what the location, the ambushers try to use
cover and concealment as much as possible to hide themselves
prior to the attack.

Roll Information Discovered

The tower is supposedly abandoned, but trains
come to Erofeev every few weeks, and an escort
always meets them to accept deliveries—a tall Game Master Note
man called the Crimson Man for the crimson The tower ambushers can use a variety of different
10 hooded cloak he wears—and Maton has seen alchemical cocktails in their injection pistols, as well as
him traveling on the road back to the tower. The
a number of different alchemical grenades. The options
Crimson Man’s face is mostly hidden, but many
townspeople describe him as death incarnate.
presented here are suggested equipment only.

The sheriff, Sergio Albano, tried to investigate Using more powerful items like somnolence
the Marconi homestead, but his son vanished elixir, cinder bombs, or acid bombs could present
shortly thereafter, and he withdrew, becoming smaller groups of PCs and lower XP groups with an
distant and even hostile toward solving the insurmountable challenge. Game Masters who plan
12 mysterious disappearances. Shortly after his to modify the items carried by the ambushers should
son vanished, Albano started sneaking into the consider the abilities of the PCs before doing so.
Skyskar Inn at night when he thought no one
was watching.
An official from the Khadoran government
came to town after hearing rumors abroad,
presumably from those who fled Erofeev, about
14 the town disappearing day by day. The official,
an assessor named Denikin, vanished in the
night less than a week ago after making queries
about the family who lived in the tower.

Once the PCs talk with Maton, the teenager says “I have something
that proves those bastards in the tower are killing us.” He offers to
meet them at the boarding house in a few hours to show them the
evidence he has, and he arranges the rendezvous for a few hours
from now.

As Maton turns to leave the PCs, gunfire erupts from nearby empty
buildings—the PCs are ambushed by a dozen gunmen, armed
with strangle gas grenades and weapons that fire specialized
alchemical ammunition. Whether the PCs fight or flee, the first
volley of gunfire mortally wounds Maton. He lies dying in the
street as the battle rages on, coughing up blood and holding the
wound in his chest. He is incapacitated and suffering the spitting
blood Injury Table result and will die in 5 rounds from the start
of the encounter unless treated with a Medicine skill roll against
a target number of 15.

Combat Encounter: Gunned Down

The attackers pour out of hiding places in the abandoned buildings
lining the streets or in cover near the farms, trying to put down the
PCs as quickly as possible. Some hang back, throwing grenades
at clusters of PCs and shooting any who become isolated. Their
objective is to subdue the PCs and dispose of them out of town

56
 TOWER AMBUSHER (6) TOWER GUARD (1)
Skills: Skills:
Name Stat + Rank total Name Stat + Rank total
Hand Weapon PRW 1 5 Command SOC 2 *
Thrown Weapon PRW 2 6 Rifle POI 1 6
Pistol POI 2 6 Hand Weapon PRW 2 7
Sneak AGL 2 7 Sneak AGL 2 6
Deception SOC 2 *
Disguise INT 2 6
PHYSIQUE PHY 5 Abilities:
SPEED SPD 6 Alchemist’s Leather – This
character gains an additional +3 PHYSIQUE PHY 6 Abilities:
STRENGTH STR 4
ARM against blast, cold, corrosion, SPEED SPD 6 Crucible Armor – This character
AGILITY AGL 5 and fire damage. has Immunity: Corrosion.
STRENGTH STR 5
PROWESS PRW 4 Ambush – During the first round of
AGILITY AGL 4 Crucible Round – Select one of the
POISE POI 5 an encounter, this character gains following:
boosted attack and damage rolls PROWESS PRW 5
INTELLECT INT 3 • Standard Round – No special
against enemies that have not yet
POISE POI 5 effects.
ARCANE ARC — activated that encounter.
INTELLECT INT 4 • Blazers – A character hit by this
PERCEPTION PER 4 Fire in the Hole! – The character
ARCANE ARC — round suffers 1 additional point
can make a grenade attack at the
Grenades of fire damage.
start of the Action Phase of his turn PERCEPTION PER 4
rat Rng AOE POW before moving or making his normal • Explosive – An explosive round is
6 8 3 * attacks. A character making a Fire crucible arms model 603 AOE 3, POW 10.
in the Hole! attack must use his rat Rng AOE POW Defensive Line – While this
Abilities: When a character uses this
movement that turn to run or make 6 10 — 11 character is B2B with one or more
weapon, choose one of the following:
a full advance. friendly characters, he gains +1
Explosive Grenade: POW 12 Abilities: When a character fires this ARM. While the character is B2B
Gas Mask – This character is weapon, choose a Crucible round (see
Strangle Gas: No damage. The weapon’s with one or more friendly characters
immune to gas effects. Abilities).
AOE is a cloud effect, gas effect that who also have this ability, the bonus
remains in play one round. While in the sword increases to +2.
AOE, living characters suffer –2 DEF and –2 MAT POW P+S Gas Mask – This character is
on attack rolls.
7 3 8 immune to gas effects.
injection pistol Sentry – Once per round when an
rat Rng AOE POW INITIATIVE INIT 15 enemy is placed in or moves into
5 4 — 8 DEFENSE DEF 11 the line of sight of this character,
Abilities: This weapon causes no damage. (Crucible Leather -3) this character can immediately make
A damage roll in excess of the target’s ARM one attack, targeting that enemy.
ARMOR ARM 14
delivers the toxin within. A living target (Crucible Leather +8)
must make a PHY roll against a target
number of 18 or suffer –2 STR and DEF for WILLPOWER WILL 10
one round.
sword
MAT POW P+S
1 2 AGILITY
5 3 7

INITIATIVE INIT 15
3
PHYS

DEFENSE DEF 14 4
(Alchemist’s Leather -1)
IQ

ECT

E
U

ARMOR ARM 10
6
LL

(Alchemist’s Leather +5)

TE

WILLPOWER WILL 8 5 I
N

VITALITY: 8
Command Range: 3 Command Range: 6
Base Size: small Base Size: small
Encounter Points: 4 Encounter Points: 7
Equipment: Equipment:
Alchemist’s leather, ammo bandolier or Ammo bandolier, Crucible Arms Model 603
grenade bandolier, field alchemy kit, gas (Kings, Nations, and Gods, p. 309) Crucible
mask, injection pistol or any 3 alchemical guard armor (Kings, Nations, and Gods, p.
grenades, sword, d6+6 gc 307), gas mask, sword, blasting powder and
bullets for 15 shots, d6+6 gc

57
 Mercilessly Alive
Aftermath
The attackers retreat if five of them are incapacitated. If the
PCs capture any of them, their captives claim they are Crucible
Guards and that the Order of the Golden Crucible will not tolerate
their interference in Erofeev. Such responses are stilted and
unconvincing, and the men are clearly lying.
If the PCs make a successful Intimidation skill roll against a
target number of 14, read the following:
Your prisoner flinches in fear. “I meant to say I no longer serve the Golden
Crucible,” he says, shuddering. “I take my orders from Gallo Morado
now. He wants you gone. He’s always watching. He sees everything. The
sheriff was a fool for not sending you on your way before you even opened
your mouths.” He winces. “Now his boy will die.” He looks skyward as if
watching for some threat overhead. “Just like the rest of us.”
If a captured gunman is not already fatally wounded, or if the
PCs attempt to stabilize him in order to gain further information,
the other gunmen shoot him as they flee to return to the tower,
finishing him off. If no other gunmen remain, the captured
gunman bites down hard on an alchemical substance in his tooth
that poisons him, his skin tightening horrifically as he dies.
The dead man’s body contains clues as to his employer’s
activities. He shows signs of having been experimented on—there
are injection marks next to his eyes and, should the PCs search
him, all along his arms and legs. Each piece of information can be
determined with the application of an assortment of skills. The
skills and their target numbers are described below:
• Forensic Science/10: The marks next to the man’s eyes and
on the backs of his hands are consistent with those caused
by a clockwork injector.
• Forensic Science/11: In addition to the visible needle marks,
the man has numerous injection marks on his arms and legs.
• Medicine/13: Whatever the man was injected with wasn’t
a natural compound—the flesh around the wounds shows
signs of both rejuvenation and rapid aging.
• Alchemy/14: The compounds injected into the man left
traces in the veins and flesh around the wounds—an
alchemical mix of preservatives and other toxic ingredients.
In isolation, any of these injected into a man’s bloodstream
without benefit of balance and alteration would kill him
instantly.
If the PCs managed to stabilize Maton before he dies, Adalia will
approach and offer to keep him safe in the boarding house. The
young man is too injured to offer the PCs any aid or information,
but will make a full recovery.
The Skyskar Inn
The inn has been shut down, its windows boarded up, but the
back door can be forced with a STR roll against a target number
of 15. Additionally, if Old Olsonik, the town drunk, is asked
about the inn, he can provide a key to the main entrance, or a PC
can open it with a Lock Picking skill roll against a target number
of 10. From the outside, the building looks abandoned, but if the
58
PCs examine it, they see dim lamplight from a single second-
story shuttered window.
If the PCs enter the Skyskar Inn, read or paraphrase the
following:
The inn smells of death. The front counter is scarred, with a crack
down its center. The wallpaper is faded where paintings once hung,
and what little furniture remains is covered in sheets. The carpets
have been torn up in places, exposing stripped hardwood floors and
scattered tacks. The floorboards creak, and your footfalls echo as if
you’ve entered a forgotten vault.
From upstairs comes a sound of something being dragged across the
floor. You hear voices, low, indistinct, and angry, and then a young
man’s nightmarish wail that drowns out the voices when it turns
guttural and monstrous.
The inn is empty of anything valuable—the rooms on the first
floor contain a few beds or dressers, but everything that was still
functional and useful has been removed. The entire first floor of
the establishment is dark.
On the second floor, however, a faint light comes from room 2B,
and flickering shadows pass back and forth in front of the light
coming from beneath the door as someone within moves in front
of a lantern. A PC can make a Detection skill roll against a target
number of 10 to recognize the muffled voice coming through the
door. It is Sheriff Albano begging someone to calm down.
Inside is a scene of horror. Sheriff Sergio Albano attempts to feed
a twisted creature tied to the bed—once a young man, now one of
his arms is shriveled as if ancient, the other elongated with two
additional elbow joints, his hair white, his legs so warped and
stiff they cannot bend. His milk-white eyes roll wildly and are
filled with agony, and he spits out his soup, revealing irregular
overgrown teeth. The boy’s skin is covered with circular wounds
the breadth of a hand span. His voice fluctuates between guttural
and high-pitching howling. The sheriff is focused on caring for
the young man and does not notice the PCs approaching unless
they announce themselves. If they wait and observe him, they see
Sergio quietly wiping the boy’s sweaty hair out of his face and
encouraging him to eat.
The sheriff rages against anyone who enters the room, furious
that his secret has been discovered—that his son, Marcus, is
dying of some horrible affliction—but his anger fades quickly.
He’s exhausted and unable to cope with what has happened to
Marcus, an affliction he believes everyone who has disappeared
from Erofeev shares.
The sheriff can be persuaded to reveal what he knows with a
successful Negotiation skill roll. With a successful Medicine skill
roll against a target number of 12, the PCs can ease Marcus’ pain,
though curing his condition is beyond medical understanding. A
PC examining the boy’s wounds can make a Lore (Extraordinary
zoology) skill roll against a target number of 14 to recognize them
as sucker wounds, the kind produced by the tentacles of a squid
or thrullg. On a roll of 16 or higher, a PC identifies an injection
mark, concealed by one of the wounds.
If the PCs treat Marcus, Sheriff Albano volunteers the same
information without a skill roll.
Negotiation
Roll Information Discovered
An alchemist named Olivia Morado lives in the
tower still. She returned to Torre Tombafyr after
ending her work with an alchemist in Corvis
10 named Victor di Cavour. Hearing of her return
to the tower, the sheriff sent inquiries to Corvis
and learned that di Cavour was murdered just
prior to Olivia leaving the city.
Sergio’s son, Marcus, was among the first
victims—he was fishing at the mountain lake
when he fell into the water and underwent the
11 horrible physical effects he currently suffers
from. Sergio believes he might have been
pushed and thus poisoned as a result of the
sheriff’s queries about Olivia Morado.
Olivia’s brother Gallo Morado, who is called the
Crimson Man around town, warned Sergio that
to continue asking questions or telling anyone
about Olivia Morado’s activities was to essentially
12 kill his son. Gallo claims she holds a cure for the
young man’s affliction, and she will only deliver
it to Albano if she is allowed to continue her work
undisturbed. The sheriff doesn’t truly believe that,
but he has no other choice.
A Khadoran assessor named Denikin arrived
in Erofeev to investigate the reasons for the
disappearing townspeople. Sergio directed
him to Torre Tombafyr, hoping Denikin would
14 either uncover the secrets of the Morado Family
without implicating the sheriff, or Denikin would
vanish without stirring up any trouble. Denikin
has not yet returned from the tower.
If the PCs have been ambushed and bring it up to Albano, the
sheriff says the Crimson Man’s soldiers often lurk in Erofeev,
particularly when a train arrives. If the PCs describe the size of
the attacking force, Albano says there are many more who are in
the tower Tombafyr.
When the PCs have learned all they can from the sheriff (even
if that’s nothing), read or paraphrase the following:
Sheriff Albano looks at his son, who writhes in pain on the bed to which
he’s bound, and then he turns away to face your group. “You know I
can’t help you,” he states flatly. “If I take up arms with you and threaten
the Morado Family, my boy is dead. But you, you can do whatever you
want to do. You should know, though, that if you go to the tower, it must
be stacked with the dead…and those who wish they were.” He gestures
at this son. “Evil alchemy is at work here. We’re all going to die.”
SCENE 2: Brushes
with Death
Once the PCs have explored the town of Erofeev to their
satisfaction, they have choices for how to proceed, depending
on what they’ve learned. They may choose to investigate the
Marconi homestead where everyone vanished overnight; they
may choose to explore the mountain lake near Tombafyr to learn
what happened to the sheriff’s son and the polluted waters of the
lake; or they may proceed directly to the front gate of the tower
itself to confront the evil alchemist who allegedly lives there. But
before they can reach any of these destinations, they first find a
warning in the road outside town.
As the PCs depart Erofeev, read or paraphrase the following:
On the road just outside of town, you see a shape covered by a dozen
cawing crows: a corpse with its hands bound behind its back that has been
carelessly tossed in your path. The deputy Fillip is difficult to recognize at
first—the murder of crows pecking at his flesh and his eyes disfigured him,
their own eyes glowing a hideous, unnatural green. They take to the skies
as you approach, allowing you to see a massive wound in the deputy’s flesh:
burned by acid across his face, in large letters, is the word “BEGONE.”
THE MARCONI HOMESTEAD
As the PCs approach the Marconi homestead, read or
paraphrase the following:
The Marconi homestead sits on horizon, a dark two-story farmhouse
with a pair of upstairs windows that make the house look like the head
of a giant with its eyes watching you as it glares over the top of the hill.
The outbuildings are small and nondescript except for the old barn—it
leans with age, weathered like a tombstone, seemingly abandoned but
unwilling to be forgotten.
The homestead is surrounded by an old split-rail fence that does
nothing to guard it from trespassers. A dirt road that approaches it
is the most direct way to reach the homestead, but if the PCs come
this way, the occupants of the house see them approach and hide
from them. They remain hidden on the upper level if the PCs go
to the house first.
The PCs may elect instead to come across the fields around the
homestead to avoid being noticed. If they do, they gain a +2 bonus
on Sneak rolls as they approach. En route, they stumble upon the
rotting carcass of a dead cow, much of its meat torn from it instead
of being cut away.
The PCs may choose to approach the barn or the farmhouse. In
either location are escaped victims of the alchemist—those in the
barn are dead, and those in the house are broken creatures driven
mad by the agony of the experiments performed on them.
As the PCs approach the barn, read or paraphrase the following:
The barn doors have been chained shut, but the old building is missing
slats, so the chain is only a perfunctory means of keeping the barn locked.
The entire building creaks with age in the wind as you approach, and
there are no signs of life. You can make out the mingled smell of musty
age and freshly spilled blood coming from within.
If the PCs attempt to peer through the slats, the barn is shadowy
enough that they cannot make anything out. The chain on the
door is corroded and can be broken and removed without a roll.
As the PCs enter the barn, read or paraphrase the following:
In the dim light within, you see two shapes that might have once been
human. One lies on its back, still and seemingly dead; the other is
hanging by a rope from the rafters, a chair kicked over beneath its feet.
59
 Mercilessly Alive
In the barn, the PCs find the two farmhands who escaped with
the Marconis from the tower Tombafyr, Alfonso and his son,
Alvaro. Both men have been twisted to the point of being barely
recognizable as living humans. Alvaro lies in the scattered straw,
his entire body bloated, even the flesh on his scalp, and all of his
skin is alarmingly smooth and youthful, without any wrinkles at
all. Alfonso, who clearly committed suicide by hanging himself in
the shadows, has so much loose flesh hanging from his bones that
he almost seems to be melting. A pool of dark, unnatural liquid
has formed beneath him, sweating out of his pores like tar.
Both men have been dead for less than a day, allowing the PCs
the opportunity to examine their corpses with an Alchemy or
Forensic Science skill roll.
Alchemy or Forensic Science
Roll Information Discovered
A brownish-orange rust on both men’s hands is
in a pattern and consistent with gripping rusted
10 metal bars, likely underwater, given the moisture
present.
The man on the floor died from a blow to the
back of the head, though both men’s bodies are
11 riddled with needle marks that bear traces of
alchemical substances and look as if they were
done by a clockwork injector.
Both men have numerous suck wounds on their
bodies—circular, red, blistered marks that clearly
came from a large creature. (A PC can make a
13 Lore [Extraordinary zoology] skill roll against a
target number of 14 to identify the wounds as
having been inflicted by a thrullg’s tentacles.)
The viscous fluid sweating out of the corpse is not
natural and contains several different alchemical
15 ingredients. It is saturated with a combination of
arcane minerals and mutagenic extract.
If the PCs examine the bodies, Vivica Marconi and her son Tomas
silently approach from the house, hovering nearby as silent
witnesses if the PCs don’t threaten them. Once they are noticed,
Vivica asks the PCs what they have learned that might save her
and her son, and if the PCs answer, she invites them back to the
house to tell them what she knows.
As the PCs approach the farmhouse, read or paraphrase the
following:
The Marconi house is two stories tall, built of grey-green stones with
a long wooden porch across the front. But the stones are blackened and
the porch’s wood grey; ivy covers its walls, and the house looks like
something evil that has died. The windows on both floors, some of them
with loose shutters, have been darkened from within by heavy curtains,
and the front door has a thick red X painted across it. There’s not a sound
to be heard as you approach except the wind infrequently banging the
shutters against the farmhouse’s frame.
If the PCs do not accompany the surviving Marconis as a result
of meeting them in the barn, read or paraphrase the following:
But when you reach the porch, one black curtain on the ground floor
flutters and a face appears and disappears again. As you ascend the porch
steps, the front door slowly opens for you.
60
Inside the house are Vivica Marconi, the mother, and nineteen-
year-old Tomas Marconi, the middle child. Both are hideously
deformed, huddling in the homestead’s shadows. If the PCs open
the door, the mother clings to her boy, even as he snaps or bites
at her. The mother’s limbs are lengthened and bent such that they
resemble horse legs; she is forced to hobble around on gangly,
ungainly limbs. The teenager is blind—the skin has grown over his
eyes. His belly has swollen. Both have stretched rows of horrible
teeth, their blonde hair is filthy and dark, and when confronted,
they both snarl with barely restrained rage. They are surrounded
by their own filth and the bones of animals.
The woman speaks in a garbled manner, allowing the PCs to enter
without challenging them. (If she led them to the house from
the barn, she precedes them into the room, her son rushing past
her into the shadows.) If the PCs threaten them, the two attack
with unusual savagery, biting and scratching. They do not relent,
requiring the PCs to either kill or subdue them.
If the PCs make a Medicine or Negotiation skill roll against a target
number if 12, Vivica Marconi is calmed, capable of answering
questions in short bursts of lucidity. Tomas remains hostile,
withdrawn, little more than a blind monstrosity, and shows no
signs of humanity.
She relays the following in broken sentences:
• The entire Marconi household—she, her husband, and their
three children, plus three servants—was taken prisoner in
the middle of the night by armored guards under the charge
of a man in crimson.
• They were taken to the tower and split up, her husband and
their farmhands Alfonso and Alvaro taken one way, and
she, the children, and their maid taken another. She never
saw her husband again.
• In the tower, she witnessed the death of her maid. They
were locked in a dark cell and injected with something that
immediately put the children to sleep. Vivica herself began
to fade in and out, but she saw the children’s skin become
flat and colorless, and then her maid began to scream. The
maid’s skin washed out completely, leaving her looking sun-
bleached, and she fell to the floor clawing frantically at her
flesh, tearing her clothing, and dying in a pool of her own
blood. The children never awoke, and Vivica could not stay
awake long enough to see who came. When she awoke, the
body of her maid was gone.
• She has scattered memories of other things that happened in
the tower. Voices, sometimes Ordic, sometimes Khadoran.
Misshapen hands stretching pleadingly from holes in
the walls of the halls. Restraints, being carried on boards,
needles and more needles every day, and bloodletting.
• Vivica heard whispers about the alchemist in the tower, but
she never saw the woman. Only what the alchemist did.
And it was hideous.
When Vivica begins to talk about the alchemist’s specific acts,
she breaks down, unable to proceed. She tells the PCs there were
horrors and a man who walked with the air of death. The PCs
Tower of Tombafyr

the tarn

61
 Mercilessly Alive
can calm her again with a successful Medicine skill roll against a
target number of 13; otherwise, she feverishly begs them to save
her children who remain in the tower, Tara and Tobin.
If the PCs calm Vivica, she tells them the following:
• She witnessed a woman being dragged from the alchemist’s
lab by the one they call the Crimson Man, who snarled
so savagely Vivica thought he was a beast. The woman
worked in the tower and had previously brought Vivica
food. The woman’s flesh was bubbling—later, Vivica heard
the woman died and was thrown away as a failure—and
she moaned over and over, “Please don’t do this to me,
Master Abrosim. Please Master Abrosim. Let me live! Let me
live!” Vivica babbles this plea over and over unless one of
the PCs attempts to comfort her.
• She only heard the voice of the alchemist—it was shrill, filled
with fury, and difficult to understand—and never saw her,
but Vivica heard the alchemist call to the man Abrosim as he
passed before the cells and, when Vivica peered through the
small hole in the door, she caught a glimpse of him walking
away. He seemed larger than life, as if he were a giant filling
the entire corridor, and he seemed unreal, as if he weren’t
even a living being. But when she looked, the man froze and
cocked his head, as if sensing her, so she quickly retreated.
The man did not return.
• Her chance to escape with her son and the farmhands
Alfonso and Alvaro came when they were each injected
with a new alchemical compound that drove them all mad
in greater or lesser degrees. They were discarded as failures
into a horrible pit of the dead and dying. She saw the twisted
face of the Crimson Man above her as she was dropped into
the pit. But the farmhands still had some mental control, and
when they were washed out of the tower and into the depths
of the mountain lake, they led Vivica and her son down a
connecting waste channel that brought them instead to the
surface where the water was shallow.
• As they fled the lake, they were attacked by monstrous beasts
that rose from the water and rushed ashore, lashing out with
long tentacles on their faces. The group managed to escape,
though both Alfonso and Alvaro were injured. Alfonso killed
Alvaro yesterday and then hanged himself, telling Vivica
beforehand that she would be wise to do the same.
Vivica assumes that the PCs plan to go to the tower to investigate
what’s happening. She begs them to save her children who are
still prisoners there: twenty-two-year-old Tara and sixteen-year-
old Tobin, both blond with bright blue eyes. She can give them
rough directions to the mountain lake where she escaped, and
from there, she says, the tower is visible on the foothill above it.
The drainage outlet, she says, is at the base of the foothill. Neither
she nor any of the others on the homestead will accompany the
PCs as a guide, and even suggesting it causes them to fall into a
fit of panic.
62
THE TARN
If the PCs examine the mountain lake, read or paraphrase the
following:
No trails lead to the mountain lake—instead, the tarn is surrounded by
tall weeds, thick scrub grass, dark trees, and pockets of shallow water
that slow your approach. The lake feels dense and small, but it’s difficult
to see details—a thick fog with a distinctive sulfurous odor hangs over
the water. From its edge, you can see the vague shape of a hill on the far
shore, misshapen by thick brambles and a scattered tree line. The sounds
of water pouring into the lake rise from the base of the hill. The water
looks slimy with a veneer of foulness on its surface.
The lake is approximately 200 feet across, and to reach the
cavernous drainage outlet from which the waste from the tower
spills out, the PCs need to wade into the thigh-deep water along
the lake’s edge and approach the outlet’s opening from the lake
instead of from the shore. Near the opening are unidentifiable
remains—mounds of bones, tattered clothing, and shredded
flesh that has detached and floated away from the corpses
dumped here.
The area around the lake is difficult terrain to move through and
is impossible to move through silently. As the PCs move along
the lake’s shores, they are observed by creatures in the water:
a trio of thrullgs that live on the arcane and alchemical waste
coming from the tower. All three will attack as soon as they are
aware of the PCs.
Combat Encounter: Tentacle of the
Tarn
The thrullgs attack when any of the PCs comes within twenty-
four feet (4˝) of the water’s edge, if the PCs approach the drainage
outlet, or if they otherwise disturb the lake’s water. All three
thrullgs emerge from the water simultaneously and charge
the nearest targets without hesitation, though they focus their
attention on any steamjacks, gifted characters, or characters
carrying mechanika.
The thrullgs are utterly without fear and only break off combat
if they are clearly outmatched. If the thrullgs break from combat,
they return to the water, waiting for an opportunity to strike
again—perhaps following the PCs at a distance if they choose to
enter the tower drainage outlet.
Game Master Note
If the thrullgs follow the PCs into the outflow, the floor of
the tunnel is shallow water. A character who is knocked
down the outlet suffers d3 damage from swallowing water
or getting it in his eyes, ears, or nose. Characters with the
Poison Resistance ability only suffer 1 damage point.
Terrain Features
The encounter includes the following terrain features:
tarn thrullgs
Fallen Logs: The logs are linear obstacles. The logs are slick with
Skills:
a thick layer of mold and alchemical waste. A character crossing Name Stat + Rank total
Climbing AGL 2 6
one of the logs must make an AGL roll against a target number of
Detection PER 2 8
10. If the roll fails, his movement ends and he is knocked down
Sneak AGL 2 6
within 1˝ of the log. Swimming STR 2 11
Noxious Fog: A thick fog of stinging chemicals lies over the
lake and surrounding mountain. It is not powerful enough to be Alchemical Accelerant – While in
PHYSIQUE PHY 9
harmful but obscures vision beyond a few dozen feet. A character the polluted water of the tarn, this
SPEED SPD 6
treats characters in the fog as if they were in dim light. character gains +1 to attack and
damage rolls. STRENGTH STR 9
Reeds: Reeds growing on the side of the lake provide concealment Arcane Consumption – When AGILITY AGL 4
to small-based characters. a character casts a spell or uses
PROWESS PRW 5
an animus while in the creature’s
Tainted Water: The lake is heavily polluted with alchemical runoff command range, after the spell is POISE POI 1
from the tower. A character other than a tarn thrullg that ends his cast, the casting character suffers INTELLECT INT 3
d3 damage and the creature
turn in the water suffers 1 point of corrosion damage. regains d3 vitality. ARCANE ARC —
PERCEPTION PER 3
Trees: The dense swamp foliage to the west of the lake is a forest. Arcane Interference – When the
creature hits another character with
tentacles
an attack, upkeep spells and animi
MAT POW P+S
on the character hit expire and the
character loses the focus points on it.
h 7 4 13
When the creature hits a steamjack This weapon has Reach.
with an attack, that steamjack suffers
Disruption. (A steamjack suffering claw
Disruption loses its focus points and MAT POW P+S
cannot be allocated focus or channel l 7 3 12
spells for one round.)
Blackout Pulse – The creature claw
can use a quick action to use MAT POW P+S
Blackout Pulse. Mechanika devices r 7 3 12
in the creature’s command range
immediately deactivate. Mechanika INITIATIVE INIT 14
devices cannot be activated in the DEFENSE DEF 13
creature’s command range. Blackout
Pulse has no effect on steamjacks ARMOR ARM 16
or mechanika armor. Blackout Pulse (Natural Armor +7)
lasts for one round. WILLPOWER WILL 12
Deep Lung – A thrullg can remain
submerged in water for twice its PHY
1
score in turns. While submerged a 2
thrullg gains concealment. ILITY
AG
Fearless – The creature is immune
to the effects of Terror.

3
H 4
LLECT
P

YS
IQU
E

6
TE
IN

Command Range: 3
Base Size: medium
Encounter Points: 11

63
 Mercilessly Alive
Aftermath
Once the thrullgs are defeated, the PCs have no trouble finding
a drainage outlet that flows under the foothills where the tower
Tombafyr stands.
The PCs can work their way up the drainage outlet, a long tube
with cracks scattered throughout, approximately an eighteen-
foot-wide cylinder. The water is knee-deep and thick, more sludge
than water. A few corpses have been snagged in underwater
weeds growing in the narrow, dark, claustrophobic outlet—
bloated, twisted bodies that are nearly unrecognizable as having
been human. Every sound echoes in the drainage outlet, the
odor of the lake is nearly overwhelming, and the current makes
moving difficult.
THE TOWER
TOMBAFYR
Tombafyr sits in the foothills of the mountains, its primary
approach a dirt road to the north that ends at its sole entry
gate. Down the hill from the tower is a mountain lake, a tarn,
where sewage and other waste from Tombafyr is dumped via a
cylindrical drain that connects to its inner courtyard.
The tower itself has two courtyards, an inner and an outer, that jut
off of the tower’s base. Neither courtyard is covered, and both are
surrounded by tall walls lined with narrow covered walkways.
Beyond these courtyards, Tombafyr rises over a hundred feet
into the sky, each of its six floors indicated by shuttered or barred
windows. The topmost floor is encircled by a balcony that appears
inaccessible to the inside. The tower is carved of a rough grey
stone that matches the mountainous landscape behind it.
The PCs may choose to approach the main gate (see p. 100) or may
attempt to climb over the walls for the inner or outer courtyards.
If they climb, they will readily spot the two Talon warjacks in
the inner courtyard, both of which will notice the PCs and target
them as they reach the top of the wall. If the PCs choose instead to
attempt to climb the tower to reach a window or the balcony, the
warjacks once again open fire on them.
If the PCs attempt to approach the tower through the main gate,
see the Game Master notes (p. 100); if they enter via the drainage
outlet, they bypass the outer courtyard and the caretaker to reach
the inner courtyard unnoticed. If the guards inside the tower
notice the PCs snooping around near the tower, the caretaker
confronts them as if they had tried to enter the main gate.
If the PCs enter the tower via the drainage outlet, read or
paraphrase the following:
After climbing for hundreds of feet, the outlet finally emerges at one end
of a manmade pit, where dozens of tangled bodies lie in a foot of rancid
water. None of them appear to be alive; their limbs are unnaturally
distended and the rest of their bodies are mutated. On the other end is a
large sealed metal floodgate that opens by lifting it straight up out of the
pit on a chain. The pit’s walls are carved of rough stone, and overhead is
open sky, though by the glimpses of walls up above, it’s clear you have
emerged somewhere in the tower’s interior.
64
The Pit
The bodies in the pit are victims of Olivia Morado’s ongoing
alchemical experiments. None of them are blonde or otherwise
match the descriptions of any of the missing townsfolk from
Erofeev. Searching the bodies reveals nothing except the clear
indicators of shackles on their wrists and ankles and signs of
constant alchemical manipulation of their bodies.
The fitted-stone walls of the pit are covered with a glistening layer
of muck, but gaps between the stones provide ample hand- and
footholds for ascent. A PC can attempt to escape the pit by making
a Climbing skill roll against a target number of 14. If any one PC
climbs out and has rope, the rope can be anchored to concrete
stanchions meant to hold the floodgate open, so others can climb
up the rope without a roll.
The Inner Courtyard
The pit is in the inner courtyard of the tower and is open to the sky.
To the south is a tall covered passageway that connects to an outer
courtyard where the main tower entrance is. The southernmost end
of the passageway is sealed by a gate, cutting it off from the outer
courtyard, and near the passageway itself are four bored guards.
In the inner courtyard where the PCs emerge are a trio of tents, a
couple of fires, and two Talon warjacks (IKRPG Core Rules, p. 302)
outfitted with light guns and spears, one near the pit’s edge, the
other by the tents with a direct view of a large stone stairwell that
ascends into the tower. These are the only two means of leaving the
inner courtyard without climbing over the walls or attempting to
force open the window one flight up on the tower’s face.
The tower itself looms over the courtyard, encircling the
southwestern corner. Windows are offset from the walls one flight
up, though they are shuttered and dark. From the wall of the inner
courtyard, the windows would be within arm’s reach.
A sizable sled, clearly meant to be dragged by a warjack, sits near
the edge of the pit with a pair of unrecognizable corpses stacked on
it. It is large enough to shield three men and provides solid cover.
A large lever at the head of the pit opens the floodgate below and
floods the pit, washing the bodies down the drainage outlet.
A stables, smithy, and warjack workshop occupy one corner of the
courtyard. Equipment is stacked here. A PC can search one of the
buildings by spending a full action. Within the smithy, he finds
an undamaged suit of Crucible Armor (Kings, Nations and Gods,
p. 307). The workshop contains twenty metal-cased light artillery
rounds for the warjacks’ guns and 100 pounds of coal. The stables
house two draft horses and six riding horses, plus tack.
Most significant, the PCs recognize a wagon parked not far from
the large stone stairwell that climbs into the tower and the warjack
guarding it. The wagon belongs to the teamster Armand, whom
the PCs met in the town of Erofeev. The wagon’s horse is gone,
and there’s no sign of Armand.
The PCs can avoid detection by the guards by making a Sneak
skill roll against a target number of 14 and by the warjacks with a
second Sneak skill roll against a target number of 10. If the guards
or warjacks notice the PCs, they are startled but don’t hesitate to
attack. If the PCs avoid notice, they gain surprise if they choose
to initiate combat.
A battle with the passageway guards and/or the warjacks that gallo morado, the crimson man
lasts more than 5 rounds, or any sound of gunfire, explosions, or
similar noise, attracts the attention of five guards on the next floor Skills:
up, who join the battle 1 round later. (See p. 57 for Tower Guard Name Stat + Rank total
statistics and IKRPG Core Rules, p. 302, for Talon statistics.) Great Weapon PRW 2 7
Unarmed Combat PRW 2 7
If the PCs defeat the enemies in the courtyard or avoid battle
Pistol POI 1 5
to reach the stone stairwell ascending into the tower, read or
Intimidation SOC * *
paraphrase the following:

As you reach the stairs, a light flickers from higher up the stairwell and Abilities: PHYSIQUE PHY 8
a man appears, descending toward you. Most of his features are hidden
Body by Alchemy – This character SPEED SPD 6
by a crimson hood and cloak, but these cannot disguise his misshapen gains +2 PHY but suffers –1 INT
STRENGTH STR 8
form—he is massive and thick, and his arms and legs seem impossibly (included).
long. Overgrown teeth jut from the beneath the hood, and he growls in AGILITY AGL 3
Critical Slam – On a critical hit
fury as he sees you. In his arms, he carries a body: the girl Favia from with a melee weapon, the target is PROWESS PRW 5
Erofeev. She appears unharmed, though she is unconscious and her hair slammed d3˝ directly away from POISE POI 4
this character. The POW of the slam
INTELLECT INT 2
damage roll is equal to the STR
of the character plus the POW of ARCANE ARC —
the weapon. The POW of collateral PERCEPTION PER 3
damage is equal to this character’s
STR. quad-iron
Fearless – The character is utterly rat Rng AOE POW
fearless and automatically passes 4 10 — 10
Willpower rolls to resist Terror.
Abilities: See IKRPG Core Rules, p. 267.
Feast of Flesh – When this
character damages a living character bite
with a bite unarmed attack, this MAT POW P+S
character can spend 1 feat point 7 4 12
to immediately regain a number of Abilities: This attack can be performed
vitality points equal to his PHY score. only once per round.
Feat Points – This character starts
each encounter with 2 feat points.
heavy sword
MAT POW P+S
He is allocated 1 feat point at the
start of each of his turns. He can only 5 5 13
have up to 2 feat points at a time.
INITIATIVE INIT 14
Huge Stature – This character can
wield a weapon in one hand that DEFENSE DEF 11
usually requires two hands to wield, (Tailored Plate -1)
but he suffers –2 to attack rolls with ARMOR ARM 15
that weapon (included). (Tailored Plate +7)
Indomitable – This character cannot WILLPOWER WILL 10
be knocked down. The distance of
unintentional movement affecting
this character is halved.
Mighty – This character gains an 1 2 AGILITY
additional die on melee damage rolls.
Tough – When this character is 3
PHYS

disabled, roll a d6. On a 5 or 6 the

character heals 1 vitality point, is no 4
IQ

longer disabled, and is knocked down.

ECT

E
U

6
LL
TE

5 I
N

Command Range: 2
Base Size: medium
Encounter Points: 14
Equipment:
Crimson cloak, heavy sword, tailored plate,
quad-iron, 1 dose fortemorphic elixir, blasting
powder and bullets for 12 shots, 50 gc

65
 Mercilessly Alive
has gone completely white. One dirty foot hangs bare. The man hurls
the girl’s body down the stairs toward you and draws a sizable pistol
from its holster, opening fire as rushes to challenge you, bellowing.
Combat Encounter: Last of the Red
Death
Gallo Morado, the Crimson Man, is a good shot and is fast on
his feet for someone so large. If the PCs have slipped by the
guards and warjacks in the inner courtyard, the gunfire draws
their attention and they quickly engage the PCs in battle as well.
Otherwise, a pair of guards from the Needle Room above joins the
fight. Gallo uses his pistol and, as he closes, draws a double-edged
sword as well. If the PCs already defeated all the enemies in the
inner courtyard, Gallo is their only opponent, though he tries to
split the group by hurling strangle gas grenades at them before he
reaches them.
In battle, Gallo Morado is a force to be reckoned with. In addition
to his pistol and his sword, his long arms end in great claws, and
he is animalistic enough to attempt to bite his opponents. Gallo’s
features are bear-like yet his flesh is hairless, and his girth is
muscle, not fat. He fights to the death, howling and snarling.
If the PCs attempt to enter the tower via the shuttered window
above the courtyard, they immediately draw gunfire from within,
bullets flying through the shutters, as Gallo opens fire and a pair
of guards rush to stop them from entering. The guards retreat up
the stairs if the PCs press, giving Gallo a path to attack.
Terrain Features
Stairs: The fight with Morado begins on the curling stone stairs
of the tower’s first floor. Gallo fights from a higher level to gain
the advantage of elevation and tries to maintain his elevation
throughout the fight. A character pushed or slammed while on
the stairs moves an additional 1˝, and a character knocked down
on the stairs is pushed 1˝ toward the bottom of the stairs.
Aftermath
Favia is alive but bruised after being thrown down the stone
steps. She can be revived with a Medicine skill roll against a target
number of 12. She remembers very little of what happened to her
in the tower, only that “a man the alchemist called master” joined the
alchemist while Favia was held in the lab. She knew the man—he
approached her on the streets of Erofeev after she spoke to the
PCs to ask her what they wanted to know. She cannot remember
how the conversation progressed with the man in town, though
she remembers his hands looking strange as they reached for her,
before she blacked out. She drifts in and out of consciousness, and
ultimately she becomes incoherent.
If the PCs choose to take Favia back to Erofeev for treatment,
the tower entrances have been secured by the time they return,
necessitating a forced entry into the inner courtyard to reach the
stairwell up into the tower, and the guards are on high alert,
actively keeping watch for infiltrators.
66
The Needle Room
The room beyond the stairs is a horrifying chamber—attached to
tables are straps and drainage tubes and rows of needles, some
containing dark fluids that bubble or hiss if shaken. A young
woman’s shoe lies at the base of one table, a single drop of blood
on it—a sign that Favia recently occupied one of the tables. On a
table nearby is the badge of a Khadoran official. A stone stairwell
both rises and descends from the chamber on the north side of the
chamber.
The chamber reeks of the alchemical solutions in the needles and
in the beakers and storage jars on other tables scattered around
the room. A PC who examines the bottles and beakers sees each is
labeled with flowing script. Examples labels include:
• Batch 107, Mawg extract and distillate of tatzylwurm viper
venom. Applied hourly in low dose.
• Batch 191, Two measures ectoplasm, half a measure crypt
spider brain, gland of anura, full measure mutagenic extract.
High dose, single application.
• Batch 199, Acid and fortemorphic elixir in parity, half
measure organic oil. Apply for absorption through skin in
increments of 1/100th body weight.
A PC can make an Alchemy skill roll against a target number of
10 to identify that each of the admixtures would result in painful,
sometimes prolonged, suffering and death. Characters with
Connections (Golden Crucible) can make an INT roll against
a target number of 14 to recognize some of the combinations
as experimental formulae proposed by the alchemist Victor di
Cavour (from the “Full Metal Friday” 2:4, “Alchemical Imbalance”
adventure) prior to his death in Corvis some time ago.
As the PCs start up the stone stairwell ascending into the tower,
read or paraphrase the following:
The smells in the tower are horrific—rot mixed with a cloying yet
gagging medicinal stench. The stairs are wet with blood and other
undetermined fluids, and the alchemical lamps along the walls cast long,
strange, threatening shadows as you climb. It’s as if the tower is dead
but waiting, and the silence is so thick you can hear it. As you round
the curve in the stairwell, from somewhere up above comes a guttural
screech of something dying painfully…and then the alchemical lamps go
out, leaving you in utter blackness.
CONCLUSION
The PCs have breached Tombafyr with a handful of potential
objectives: rescue the people of Erofeev, the Marconi family
in particular; find and stop the alchemist Olivia Morado from
continuing her experiments in immortality; and potentially bring
down Abrosim himself.
At this point, the PCs may need an opportunity to recover from
their experiences beyond the tower or within the courtyard walls.
Whether they end this part of the adventure on the stairwell,
amidst the experiment tables inside the tower, or in the courtyard
after the battle, the PCs can pause long enough to rest without
impacting the pace of the adventure.
Part 4: Many
Deaths, One Life
Many Deaths, One Life is designed for 3–5 Hero-level characters
between 8 and 16 XP each. It takes place in Torre Tombafyr, the
tower of the Morado family in northern Ord near the Khadoran
border.
The PCs entered the courtyard and possibly the first floor of the
tower at the end of Part 3: Mercilessly Alive, overcoming Gallo
Morado, known as the Crimson Man, in the process. Now, in
order to stop the mad alchemist Olivia Morado from pursuing
her unethical experiments in alchemically induced immortality
and to rescue her victims, they must work their way higher into
the tower, overcoming obstacles and defeating Olivia’s coterie of
elite guards, including a young victim they learned about in the
neighboring town.
Scenario Synopsis
In Many Deaths, One Life, as the PCs make their way to the top
of the tower Torre Tombafyr, closing in on Olivia Morado, they
uncover the hideous results of her experiments in immortality
and do battle against the guards who protect her.
For the Game Master
With her brother Gallo dead or otherwise defeated, Olivia
Morado’s master Abrosim directly supervising her activities,
and the PCs breaching the walls of her tower, Olivia has found
her isolated world invaded. She has begun a plan of self-
destruction should they reach her. The guards inside the tower
are on high alert in the aftermath of the confrontation between
the PCs and Gallo, and Abrosim—whose scrutiny she initially
welcomed—is prepared to take flight and leave Olivia Morado
to her fate.
Getting the Players Involved
The adventure began when the PCs stormed the tower’s courtyard
and confronted Gallo Morado, the Crimson Man. Now they stand
on the threshold of climbing the tower where they can already
predict what they will find: the imprisoned people of Erofeev—in
particular, the members of the Marconi family. Unless they stop
Olivia Morado’s experiments, she will undoubtedly continue to
torture and kill innocent people in pursuit of Abrosim’s goal or
they may die at the hands of Abrosim himself, should he achieve
his goal.
The PCs may have chosen to rest and recover either before of after
investigating the Needle Room in Mercilessly Alive. If they did,
67
 Many Deaths, One Life
Olivia’s guards will spend that time reinforcing the entrances to
upper levels, either barricading the stairwell with debris to use as
cover, barring doors, or laying deadly traps within the rooms (p.
69). If the PCs attack immediately, however, the guards will still be
scrambling to respond to the sudden invasion.
Once the PCs have explored the Needle Room (p. 66) and are
ready to proceed up the stairs from the chamber, they hear moans
of pain from the room above.
SCENE 1:
The Assessment
Room
INVESTIGATIVE
The exploration of Torre Tombafyr begins in a prison chamber for
those who have been injected with alchemical concoctions. Many
have died while being indifferently observed for signs of recovery,
but a few yet remain to report what they’ve seen.
As the PCs move up the staircase from the Needle Room, read or
paraphrase the following:
The rancid odors reach you first: human waste, vomit, and rotting flesh,
all underscored by a faint, medicinal smell. The lighting beyond the
stairs is limited to a few sources that make shadows dance across the
ceiling of the room above as you climb the worn stone steps.
The room’s stone floor is slick with blood and other bodily fluids, and
alchemical compounds float atop them. In chains on the walls, three
victims hang by their wrists. They moan as you enter the room where the
tower’s mistress is keeping them for observation.
The Assessment Room is where test subjects from the Needle
Room below are brought for observation as they either excel from
what was done to them downstairs or die from it. Two windows
on the far wall have been bricked over, though the one that
overlooks the courtyard remains intact.
A PC who makes a successful Alchemy roll against a target number
of 12 can determine the alchemical compounds on the floor are
a byproduct of blood and fluids from test subjects mixing; the
floor is thus covered with an acidic mix that burns exposed flesh,
causing d3 damage points to a character who starts his turn with
his skin in contact with it.
The walls are lined with shackles where three victims of
experimentation hang, an older man and two women. Each is
misshapen and bleached of color. Each of them moans louder
when the PCs enter the chamber, their muscles taut, straining
against their shackles. The older man, Benicio, speaks for the trio
in begging for help.
Benicio is a farmer from Erofeev who was kidnapped from his
fields and brought to the tower less than a week ago. Yesterday he
was injected and then brought to the Assessment Room. Thus far,
his symptoms have consisted of feverish delusions and painful
distortions to his body.
68
He knows there are others held in cells on the next floor up, and
if asked, he can confirm that Belesar Marconi, the patriarch of the
Marconi family, is there now. More important, Benicio knows that
guards who were previously in this chamber and in the chamber
below raced upstairs when the battle broke out in the tower, and
he overheard one of them whisper the word “ambush.”
Benicio knows the other two victims. They are also from the
Erofeev, but they seem to have mentally suffered more.
If the PCs free the victims, one of the women begins to cry and
says she overhead Olivia Morado speak of her experiments: “She
says she can make her master live forever now. He’s here with her. If she
does it, he’ll kill everyone who knows about him.”
If freed, all three victims can find their way out of the tower
unaccompanied. If the PCs try to have any of the three accompany
them as they work their way higher into the tower, however, they
become hysterical with terror and attempt to flee—they cannot
be convinced to climb higher to what they believe is their doom.
If the PCs attempt to force the victims to accompany them, the
three become violent, attacking the PCs (see IKRPG Core Rules, p.
330, for “Simple NPCs” rules).
A heavy wooden table with two chairs on one side sits in the center
of the room where witnesses can observe the prisoners. A single
drawer in the table contains several sheets of paper: documentation
of the state of each victim’s physical and mental condition, with
notes about which alchemical compounds were tested on them and
specifics about how they died or were killed before being dumped
into the disposal trench in the courtyard below.
Any PC who chooses to read the documents for at least five
minutes finds references to an antidote meant to halt or even
reverse the effects of the alchemical compounds being tested on
the townspeople of Erofeev. The text further indicates that some
alterations and variants may be necessary before providing
the antidote to victims with certain symptoms. Finally, the text
indicates, “multiple vials of antidote should be kept on hand for
emergencies.” After identifying the components of the antidote,
a PC can make an Alchemy roll to figure out how to re-create the
compound, given access to the specific ingredients.
Alchemy
Roll Information Discovered
The antidote includes the same components as
one-half dosage of batch 191 (ectoplasm, crypt
12 spider brain, gland of anura, mutagenic extract),
which the PCs may have discovered earlier in
the Needle Room on the first floor of the tower.
The antidote, when completed, must be introduced
directly into the bloodstream for the maximum
13 effect; if consumed, the effect of the antidote will
take five minutes and requires a die roll. On a 1–3,
the antidote fails to have any effect.
The antidote is fatal if applied to anyone who has
14 not been the test subject of any of the more than
200 alchemical batches designed by Olivia Morado.

Game Master Note
The PCs may choose to skip this floor for any number
of reasons—no desire to deal with the victims, fear of
somehow contracting a disease or condition from the
people here, the absence of any clear opponents, or just a
desire to move to the top of the tower as quickly as possible.
Even if they do investigate this floor thoroughly, they may
not find or be able to recover the vials of antidote locked up
here. If this happens, move the vials to another higher floor
for the PCs to discover, as the antidote gives them greater
options in the conclusion of this scenario. When relocating
the vials, make them readily accessible to the PCs, and if
they return in search of the original vials on this floor, they
have already been taken by guards or escaped victims who
came through this floor after the PCs moved on.
A stone staircase ascends to a closed door on the next floor. Set
in the stairs beneath this is a locked metal door. A PC who makes
a successful Lock Picking roll against a target number of 12 can
unlock the door to reveal a weapons cache that includes a carbine
with 10 rounds, a pair of repeating crossbows with 10 bolts each,
and a repeating pistol with a single ammo wheel. (See “Ranged
Weapons” in IKRPG Core Rules, pp. 260–271.) There are several
empty spots that once held much larger weapons, taken by the
guards prior to moving out of the room.
In one corner is a long metal shelf, inset into the stone wall, with
locked sliding doors. A PC who makes a Lock Picking roll against
a target number of 14 can unlock the doors. Inside are six vials of a
clear fluid, unidentified except for the words “For Emergency Use,”
and two-dozen other bottles of alchemical ingredients. A PC who
makes a successful Alchemy roll against a target number of 12 can
identify the unlabeled vials as single doses of the antidote. (If the
same PC has not reviewed the documents from the table drawer,
the contents of these vials remain a mystery, regardless of the roll.
Once the PC has reviewed the document, he or she may attempt the
skill roll a second time to determine the content of the vials.)
Contained are:
• 2 units alchemist stone
• 1 burrow-mawg adrenal gland
• 1 unit mutagentic extract
• 2 units organic acid
• 4 units organic toxin
If a full dose of the antidote is given to one of the test subjects,
they require extended rest to recover, and the antidote knocks
them unconscious for the next six hours.
SCENE 2:
The Cell Floor
INVESTIGATIVE/COMBAT
As the PCs move up the staircase from the Assessment Room to
the Cell Floor, read or paraphrase the following:
The torches have been dimmed on the next floor up—so much so that you
can only discern the shadowy outlines of doors circling most of the floor.
The differences between them are still distinguishable: what appears to
be a closet door, a closed wooden door to a separate chamber, and a half-
dozen metallic cell doors, their windows lined with bars, four of the six
held fast with small padlocks. A heavy wooden table and chairs sit in the
middle of the chamber.
No sounds come from the closet or the wooden door, but from the
cells come low, suffering cries—the hopeless moans of surrender to an
inevitable doom.
Morado Guard
Preparations
The Morado guards react dynamically to the actions of the
PCs as the PCs move through Torre Tombafyr. The more time
the PCs spend on each floor, the better prepared the guards
will be to confront them on each subsequent floor. The Game
Master is free to use as many or as few of these preparations
as needed, though the amount he uses should be dictated by
how long the players take to reach a higher floor.
Barricades: Hastily built from furniture, barrels, and
anything else at hand, barricades are a simple method
of slowing down an opponent. Barricades are obstacles
represented by a wall template in play. A barricade is an
object with ARM 14 and 10 damage points. Each floor has
only enough material to fashion a single barricade.
Debilitating Gas: Morado guards equipped with gas masks
may choose to flood a floor with alchemical gas in order
to gain an advantage. Characters on a floor flooded
with gas are affected as if in the AOE of a stink gas field
alchemy effect and suffer –2 on attack rolls unless the gas
is dispersed by breaking a window, blowing a hole in the
tower wall, or some similar action.
Grenade Traps: Morado guards have access to a number of
different alchemical grenades produced by Olivia Morado’s
assistants, primarily concussion and explosive grenades.
The guards rig the grenades to detonate when doors
are opened. A character opening a door detects a rigged
grenade with a Detection roll against a target number of
13. If the grenade is detected, the character can disarm
the grenade by spending a quick action. If the roll fails,
treat the character as if he were directly hit by a grenade
of the chosen type.
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 Many Deaths, One Life
The stairs continue on up to the next floor, though a door at the
top of the stairs seals that floor from this one. The stairs pass by a
shuttered window that, if opened, overlooks the landscape beyond
the tower’s courtyard. A PC who makes a Climbing roll against a
target number of 10 can exit this window and reach a turret that
rises between the next two floors. If the PCs choose to skip this
floor and continue up to the next one, three heavily armed guards
(p. 57) in the bedchamber beyond the closed wooden door on this
floor ambush the PCs from behind. (See p. 71.)
The Cells
Four of the six cells are locked with padlocks a PC can open with a
successful Lock Picking roll against a target number of 13.
• Inside the first cell is a corpse—a young, deformed man who
hanged himself from the bars of the door’s window with a
shredded shirt. He scratched a message into the wooden cell
door behind him: “I stabbed her. She did not die. She barely
bled. By Menoth, she will make us like she did the boy. We
can only pray.”
• The second cell, which is unlocked, appears to be empty, but
a PC who makes a successful Detection roll against a target
number of 10 finds a loose stone in the floor, beneath which
is a hidden half-full vial of fluid. A PC who has identified
the antidote previously and who makes a successful Alchemy
roll against a target number of 10 can identify the vial as a
single dose of the antidote.
• Inside the third cell is a prisoner, an older man with white
hair. He identifies himself as Belesar Marconi, the patriarch of
the Marconi family. He is emaciated and clearly ill. A PC who
makes a successful Medicine roll against a target number of
10, can stabilize Marconi enough for him to provide additional
information if he is questioned. Otherwise, he only spouts
erratic sentences about his family being in danger, saying,
“Inspector Denikin will save us if you won’t,” but saying
nothing about his whereabouts, and generally babbling about
the “madwoman’s experiments.”
Once Marconi is stabilized, a PC can make a Negotiation or
Interrogation roll to learn the specifics of what he has been
incoherently explaining. If the PCs tell him about his surviving
family members prior to questioning him, add +2 to the die roll.
Negotiation/Interrogation
Roll Information Discovered
Marconi saw his sixteen-year-old son, Tobin,
alive but near death when he was taken up
10 higher into the tower. Now that he is being
or treated, Marconi recognizes the PCs as people
less who can help save his son, and he begs the PCs
to do so. He does not know what has become of
his daughter, Tara.
The Khadoran official in the empty cell, Denikin,
was nearly dead when he was taken from the
second cell for further experiments upstairs.
Denikin said he came to town to investigate
12 rumors of a rogue alchemist whom his superiors
had dismissed as insignificant. But Denikin told
Marconi, “It was much bigger than anyone could
have guessed. She is not the one I need to find.”
70
Though Marconi is too weak to accompany them, he whispers
information to help them rescue his son. He tells them that a trio
of armed guards is behind the closed wooden door.
• The fourth cell, which is unlocked, is empty. Deep gouges
in the stone walls, spaced like fingers, contain fine shavings
of bright metal. A PC who examines the cell easily finds a
loose stone without roll, which uncovers a shallow hole
containing half of a broken holy symbol of Cyriss, the
Maiden of Gears.
• Inside the fifth cell is a heavily drugged woman, Zia,
who is very close to death. Her physical disfigurements
are devastating, and the smell of her twisted flesh is
repulsive. (If a full dosage of antidote is given to her, she is
knocked unconscious for the next six hours.) In her current
state, she is able to convey in a very scattered, almost
incomprehensible manner that she is a former guard of
the tower who planned to escape with her lover, Marlow,
in the next cell. She was found out by Morado, who was
convinced that Zia and Marlow would tell the world of
her dark experiments. Thus were they imprisoned. She
managed to pass her map for escape to Marlow before she
was searched, and so she’s still optimistic about her chances
of getting out alive. If questioned, she can confirm that
the Autopsy room is on the next floor up, and somewhere
beyond that are the Unkillables, which she describes as “the
worst experiments.” The top of the tower, she knows, is
where “the mistress and her monster” live.
If told of Marlow’s death, she immediately becomes catatonic and
says nothing further.
• Inside the sixth cell is Marlow’s corpse. He clearly died of
whatever experimentations were done to him. He doesn’t
have any possessions on his person. A PC who makes a
successful Detection roll against a target number of 10
discovers a sheet of paper pasted to the wall above the sixth
cell door, deliberately dirtied to camouflage it. On the other
side of it is written a message in code. A Cryptography roll
against a target number of 13 reveals the message is an
escape plan that uses a hidden ladder from the floor below
it to the top floor of the tower where there is a balcony.
Anyone who reaches the balcony can attempt to climb down
the outside of the tower. A single practical note on the plan:
“The ladder has been poisoned. Wear gloves and shoes.”
The Closet
The closet contains shelves of food stores for the tower, mostly
dried meats, sealed canisters of vegetables, jugs of water, and
so forth. A PC who makes a successful Detection roll against a
target number of 14 finds injection sites in some of the cans
and jugs, though what was injected can’t be determined. A
successful Alchemy roll against a target number of 12 reveals
traces of antidote at these injection sites, suggesting the residents
of the tower take antidotes regularly, presumably to guard
against possible contamination arising from Olivia Morado’s
experiments.
Barracks
Beyond the locked wooden door is a small barracks. A Detection
roll against a target number of 15 reveals nervous breathing and
movement on the other side.
Inside wait three tower guards who awoke when they heard
the fighting in the courtyard and on the floors below. Now, they
listen carefully to the PCs’ movements among the cells, and if
the PCs attempt to pick the lock on the wooden door, the guards
immediately burst forth to attack. Otherwise, they wait until the
PCs take the stairs to the next floor before slipping out of their
barracks and ambushing the PCs from behind. If the guards attack
the PCs from behind, they gain surprise.
Guard Tactics
The guards’ objective is to ambush the PCs. If the barracks are not
entered, they sneak out and take cover before firing a volley at the
PCs’ backs with their rifles. If the PCs manage to break into the
barracks, the guards take whatever cover they can find and fight
desperately to hold them off.
Terrain
The Cell Floor has the following terrain features.
Heavy wooden table and chairs: The table and chairs are of made
of thick teak. The table can be overturned to create a barricade or
cover. Overturning the table requires a PC to spend a quick action
and make a STR roll against a target of 12. The table is ARM 16,
can withstand 10 damage points, and is solid cover.
Dim torches: The torches on this floor provide dim light. A
character can spend a quick action to remove a torch from a wall
sconce. Torches can be used as Hand Weapons with a –1 attack
modifier. A successful attack made with one of the torches causes
1 point of fire damage.
Cell and barracks doors (metal and wood): The cell and barracks
doors can be broken down if the PCs fail to pick the locks. The
barracks door is reinforced wood (ARM 16, 10 damage capacity),
and the cell doors are made of metal (ARM 20, 20 damage
capacity).
SCENE 3: The
Morgue
INVESTIGATIVE/COMBAT
The stairs from the Cell Floor end at a locked wooden door leading
to this floor, the Morgue. The door is barred from the inside—the
PCs can knock it down, either by damaging the door enough to
destroy it or by making a STR roll against a target of 14. The door
is ARM 14 and can withstand 10 damage points.
If the PCs do not handle the guards hiding in the barracks on
the Cell Floor, they are ambushed from behind as they reach the
door. In either case, the occupants of the Morgue are alerted to
the PCs’ assault.
This floor is divided into a number of different sections:
the Morgue itself and its cold storage facility; an additional
experiment chamber; and an office from which a ramp exits up
to the next floor.
As the PCs enter the Morgue, read or paraphrase the following:
The chamber has clearly been repurposed as a morgue—the mutilated
corpses on the autopsy slabs are indicative of that—and the bloody
chamber looks like a place for the dead. Buckets and tubs at the base of
each slab are stuffed with body parts, bodies that were clearly shot while
hanging in chains on the walls. Bloody footprints crisscross the floor, as
if no one could be troubled to mop up the pools and puddles spilled from
the remains. A pile of wooden crates is stacked on the far wall, and not far
from the staircase is a metal door sealed by a vault wheel.
As you enter, a pair of frightened-looking men in bloodied white coats
with face masks hanging below their chins scramble to empty beakers
of alchemical fluids into boiling vats and burn body parts from their
experiments with acid. Their actions fill the chamber with a low haze of
acrid smoke. Four armed guards watch over them, ready to open fire on
either the doctors or the intruders.
The Morgue
As the PCs enter, the guards in the morgue open fire. The guards
use the autopsy slabs as cover, though they are knowledgeable
enough to steer clear of the stacked wooden crates, which could
release hazardous alchemical clouds if ruptured.
Once the PCs break through the barred door to the chamber and
the battle with the guards ensues, the two doctors abandon their
efforts to destroy evidence. As one of them rushes past the guards
to escape, he shouts, “She’s lost her mind! She’ll kill us all before
she lets us go! Save us! Save yourselves!”
A guard shoots him in the back for his betrayal, killing him.
The second doctor, Grec, sensing his demise could follow,
ducks behind the table and arms himself with beakers of acidic
alchemical compounds he can throw. When he hits someone, the
acid causes damage per simple acid rules (IKRPG Core Rules, p.
296). He attacks anyone hostile to him. Grec attempts to slip out
past the battle down the stairs, but if he is confronted, he will fight.
For close quarters, Grec carries an injection pistol loaded with
Somnolence Elixir, intended to incapacitate experiments if they
break free. Grec is a battle NPC with the Anatomical Precision
ability and is trained in Alchemy and Medicine.
The papers the doctors were destroying contain alchemical
compound theories, injection rates and dosages, organ weights,
causes of death, and a host of other details related to the
experiments and autopsy results Olivia Morado has been using in
her quest for alchemical immortality.
A successful Research roll against a target number of 12 confirms
that, based on the advanced ages of the individuals used in the
experiments, none of the corpses in the vault are the two missing
Marconi family members, Tobin or Tara, both of whom are under
25 years old.
The papers also contain the unlock sequence for the vault wheel,
scrawled across the top of a page. A PC only needs to read the
papers to notice this information.
71
 Many Deaths, One Life
Game Master Note
Unkillables are experiments that have gone so completely
wrong that they have become uncontrollable yet are still
potentially viable as case studies. Their designation as
Unkillable springs from their ability to survive and recover
from wounds that would kill a normal human. Grec and all
of the guards encountered on the Morgue level know what
the term means.
If Grec is captured, he says proceeding up the ramp to the
Unkillables level is certain death. He also tells the PCs that all the
doctors in the tower had planned to escape as soon as Olivia “goes
to see the Master,” and they’ll kill to get out if they must. He also
says he has heard speculation that Olivia Morado has a plan to
destroy the entire tower rather than have her crimes revealed to
the world.
Guard Tactics
The four guards fight until they are killed or are taken prisoner.
If they are overcome by the PCs, an Intimidation roll against a
target number of 15 convinces them to reveal the information they
possess: the next floor up is home to the Unkillables, where only
certain guards are authorized to enter. (See p. 57 for guard stats.)
Terrain
The Morgue has the following terrain features:
Autopsy slabs: The autopsy slabs are obstacles that provide
solid cover.
Blood-covered floor: The blood on the floor is slick, making it
difficult to safely navigate. A character without Pathfinder who
moves over his base SPD while on the bloody floor must make
an AGL roll against a target number of 10. If the roll fails, the
character is knocked down after moving his base SPD.
Smoke: The haze of smoke in the room makes seeing difficult.
Unless the PCs somehow air out the room, all characters on this
level have concealment.
Wooden crates: The three crates contain stored chemical
compounds and are marked with warning signs: “Volatile. Do
not drop, crush, or shake.” Inside the crates, the chemicals are
contained in individual half-gallon bottles, each marked as to
their contents.
If a character fires at a target that is using the crates as cover and
the attack roll misses, roll a d6. On a roll of 3 or higher, nothing
happens; either the attack miraculously missed the crates or
impacted them without penetrating to cause a detonation. On a
roll of 1 or 2, an explosion occurs when the chemicals inside are
impacted by the shot. Roll deviation for one 3˝ AOE centered over
the crates. The AOE is a cloud effect that stays in play for one
round. Characters who start or end their turns in the AOE suffer a
POW 10 corrosion damage roll.
72
The Vault
The cold storage vault is closed with a large wheel locking
it. It turns to the left and right. A PC can open the vault with a
successful Lock Picking or INT roll against a target number of
16. The sequence is also written in the notes the doctors were
destroying when the PCs entered the chamber.
The cold storage vault contains six corpses wrapped in black
sheets. Three of them are tagged with shipment notes for delivery
to Abrosim’s headquarters for further examination. One is tagged
“return to Iokav’s temple, Khador”—inside is the vessel of a
clockwork priest, the essence chamber ripped from its frame. A
handwritten note is attached to the tag: “He was unimpressed
with your results, Makar, and he was unhappy about the loss of
the vessel’s soul. Nonetheless, I will speak on your behalf to the
master when I reach headquarters,” signed by Olivia.
The corpses are mutated in various ways and pockmarked with
injection holes. All of them are dressed in plain white robes, similar
to the doctors’ attire. They are all barefoot. These robes are easily
removed if the PCs choose to use them as an improvised disguise.
The Advanced Experiment Chamber
Beyond the interior door of the morgue is a chamber containing
two tables with straps to hold a victim in place and a table of
needles, glass bottles with needles and metal tubes for intravenous
use, scalpels, and amputation saws. The room itself is immaculate,
in sharp contrast to the rest of the Morgue.
On one of the two tables is an unconscious young woman with
blonde hair. She is strapped down and has a needle attached to her
arm running to an unlabeled bottle of an alchemical compound
hanging from a bolt on the wall. If the PCs wake her, she identifies
herself as Tara Marconi.
If the PCs attempt to press her, Tara mutters about seeing Armand
the teamster from Erofeev escorting her brother Tobin through
this chamber. She has no idea where they went.
Once Tara is conscious enough to convey this information, she
becomes violent, randomly attacking anyone within reach if she
has been freed from her bindings. If she is still strapped down,
she strains helplessly against the bonds. She can be subdued
with an injection of the antidote; otherwise, she must be knocked
unconscious or killed to quell her rage. (If she attacks, use “Simple
NPCs” IKRPG Core Rules, p. 330.)
The Office
The last chamber contains a ramp that ascends to the next floor,
where the Unkillables are kept. The chamber itself is an office
containing a rack of white surgical gowns, gloves, goggles, and
facemasks. In one corner is a shelf with built-in hooks and pegs
for restraints used to control those who survive experiments on
this level. Finally, a small desk and shelf contain logs about the
successes and failures of Olivia Morado’s experiments. They
include references to the “Marconi farm girl” and the violent
reaction she had to the final alchemical solution she was injected
with less than two days ago. The recommendation in the logs is to
destroy her. A PC who reads the logs for at least five minutes can
make a Research roll to find additional information.
research
Roll Information Discovered
References to Tara Marconi’s brother Tobin and
a nameless man referred to as “the Khadoran
10 troublemaker” say the former is considered
“reasonable for Mistress Morado’s personal
uses” and the latter is “a potential problem.”
One passage says Olivia Morado is “using her
alchemical compounds on herself, suggesting—
12 for good or ill—we are nearing the end of her
experiments.”
A buried notation near the back of the primary
log reads: “Iokav and Morado to go to Abrosim
HQ w/Pavor Rostisfenko to deliver respective
16 results; they meet at Grove of Wracks.” Below
this is the note, “Good riddance!” in very, very
small handwriting.
The ramp that exits this room proceeds up into utter darkness and
dead silence on the floor above.
SCENE 4: The
Unkillables
COMBAT
Once the PCs reach the top of the ramp, read or paraphrase the
following:
The ramp joins into a dark, sterile corridor curving away to the left and
the right. You can hear a faint sound in the deathly silence—a scratching
that comes from the inside wall of the empty corridor.
The corridor on this floor follows the outer-wall perimeter of the
tower—it encloses a large chamber in the center of the floor, but
it does not join to form a complete circuit of the tower. Instead,
it comes to a dead end in either direction. At each dead end is
a barred door on the inside corridor wall leading to the inner
chamber. In the gap between the two corridors is a hidden manual
elevator that ascends to the next level. The elevator is accessible
only via a door camouflaged to blend into the wall at the end of
the corridor west (left) of the entrance ramp.
Also to the west is an alcove created by a turret tower façade. In
the alcove is a life-size statue of a handsome young man with
a cloak made of a red marble. This is Gallo Morado before he
allowed himself to be a test subject for his sister’s experiments.
While she managed not to kill him with one failed attempt after
the next, he was irreversibly deformed. Even the antidote she
devised for later batches proved incapable of reversing the harm
done to Gallo’s body.
To the east (right) of the entrance ramp is a second alcove. In this
alcove is a life-size statue of Olivia Morado, an ordinary-looking
young woman, her fists behind her back, her head thrown back in
pride, her eyes almost lifelike.
Further down the corridor to the right is an area lined with floor-
to-ceiling windows that overlook the wall of the courtyard below.
On the floor is a dead guard; the back of his skull is caved in and
a bloody brick lies near the body. If he’s examined, the PCs see an
empty pistol holster on his hip. Above him, one of the windows
is bloody and cracked, as if smashed repeatedly by a fist. Bloody
fingerprints trail down the glass, and bloody footprints crisscross
one another around the corpse, boot prints and one pair of bare
feet. The blood trails up the corridor and toward the door just
beyond the windows. This is where the Khadoran official Denikin
made his last bid for freedom before being cast among the
Unkillables.
At the end of the corridor to the east (right) of the entrance ramp is
an unguarded door into the center chamber; the PCs can choose to
remove the bar on this door that keeps the horrors within at bay.
These are the Unkillables. If the PCs open the door, the Unkillables
inside retreat to the opposite end of the chamber, waiting behind
the ruined center wall for the PCs to enter (see below).
Just outside this door on a hook is a checklist detailing the
physical and mental conditions of those within who were deemed
“Unkillable.” They have been cast into this sealed chamber until
the “experiment outcome is achieved, and these failures are no
longer needed for research purposes.” One entry indicates a
Khadoran spy, injured trying to escape, is among the victims.
Thrall Guard
The guard to the west (left) stands outside the hidden elevator
shaft and the door to the central chamber—it is a malformed thrall
covered in runes. The runes are elaborate and specialized—a PC
who makes a Lore (undead) roll against a target number of 16 can
only identify that the runes empower the thrall with greater-than-
average capabilities.
The thrall’s first action upon seeing the PCs is to unbar the chamber
door and free the Unkillables. Unkillables attack at random.
Once the Unkillables are released, the thrall fights alongside
them, though it does not hesitate to attack the Unkillables if they
attack it. The PCs may be able to surprise the thrall, however, and
prevent it from releasing the Unkillables. (See IKRPG Core Rules,
“The Surprise Round,” p. 201.)
Once the PCs attack the thrall, a gunshot rings out from within the
Unkillables chamber. This is Denikin defending himself against
Unkillables with the pistol taken from the murdered guard. When
he hears the PCs battling the thrall, he opens fire to get their
attention so they might save him.
Elevator
At the end of the corridor to the west (left) of the entrance ramp
are the hidden elevator and a guarded, barred door into the center
chamber. If the thrall guard is eliminated, a PC who makes a
Detection roll against a target number of 12 locates a hidden panel
that unlatches the elevator door. Inside are the mechanical pulleys
and interlocking ratchet brake gears that bring the elevator back
down from the living quarters on the top floor. A ladder on the
inside wall of the elevator shaft provides an additional means
of reaching the next floor; it descends all the way down to the
bottom level of the tower, where the shaft opens to the outside
beyond the courtyard wall. The elevator does not descend beyond
the Unkillables floor. The shaft wall itself is old construction, built
of large slabs of fitted stone with plentiful hand- and footholds.
73
 Many Deaths, One Life

A wheel and crank inside the elevator operates a series of

mechanical pulleys that moves it between the two floors. But the
noise of using it—first bringing it down from the floor above—
thrall guard
Skills:
alerts Olivia Morado on the top floor that the PCs are near.
Name Stat + Rank total
The ladder is trapped. Assuming anyone trying to reach her Detection PER 1 3
secretly would use it instead of the elevator, Olivia has coated the
ladder with an alchemical substance that poisons anyone who
PHYSIQUE PHY 8 Abilities:
touches it with exposed skin. To avoid the necessity of reapplying
SPEED SPD 5 Cleave – When this creature
the poison with any regularity, however, Olivia has had the ladder
incapacitates one or more enemies
coated with a binding grease that is evident to the naked eye. A STRENGTH STR 6
with a melee attack made with a
PC who makes a Detection roll against a target number of 10 can AGILITY AGL 2 great weapon during his turn, the
see something amiss with the ladder. Normal gloves and shoes PROWESS PRW 5 creature can make one additional
melee attack immediately after the
provide adequate protection against this effect. POISE POI 1 attack is resolved. A creature can
INTELLECT INT 1 gain only one additional attack from
The poison on the rungs is absorbed through the skin. During an
Cleave each turn.
affected character’s Maintenance Phases (or every five minutes ARCANE ARC —
Rune Hardened – The creature
outside of combat), that character must make a PHY roll against a PERCEPTION PER 3
gains +1 PHY (included).
target number of 14. If the character succeeds, nothing happens. If great sword Spell Ward – This creature cannot
he fails, his PHY is reduced by 1. If the character’s PHY is reduced MAT POW P+S be targeted by spells.
to 0 as a result of the poison, he dies. If a character succeeds on 6 6 12
Terror – The creature has Terror [12].
three PHY rolls, the poison has run its course and no longer affects Abilities: This weapon has Reach
Undead – The creature is not a
the character. A character recovers PHY lost as a result of this
INITIATIVE INIT 12 living character and never flees.
poison at a rate of 1 point per hour of rest.
DEFENSE DEF 9
Alternatively, a PC who makes a Climbing roll against a target ARMOR ARM 16
number of 13 quietly scales the inner walls of the elevator shaft (Full Plate +8)
to reach the next floor without being detected or using the ladder. WILLPOWER WILL 8
An unsuccessful roll indicates a loud attempt, once again warning
VITALITY: 8
Olivia Morado of the PCs’ presence.
Command Range: 1
The Unkillables Chamber Base Size: small
Encounter Points: 7
The chamber is divided down the center by a wall that the
Unkillables have battered and broken in numerous places. No Equipment:
light permeates this room except for that which the PCs bring Full plate, great sword
with them.

The Unkillables are survivors of multiple waves of experiments

who are broken beyond Olivia Morado’s needs yet who she is
unwilling to destroy and end their suffering; their appearance is
akin to Gallo Morado’s, suggesting Olivia’s brother was subjected
to a similar experiment.

If the PCs unbar and open the unguarded door, the remaining
ten Unkillables inside retreat across the room to hide behind
the broken wall—they react instinctively because in the past,
when this door has been opened, bad things happened to them.
If the PCs enter through this door, Denikin rises and whispers
loudly in Khadoran from the other side of the wall to draw their
attention.

If the PCs approach the door that the thrall guards, the
Unkillables are prepared to rush the door in an attempt to
escape. The Unkillables are unable to distinguish the PCs from
Torre Tombafyr tower guards and immediately attack them.
Denikin staggers behind them, escaping the chamber, firing at
the nearest Unkillable as he joins the battle but collapses to the
floor. His ability to walk is extremely limited. At the end of each
round, Denikin makes a single RAT 7 pistol shot at one of the
Unkillables, selecting targets not engaged in melee whenever
possible.

74
unkillables Denikin
The missing Khadoran official Denikin was thrown among
Skills: the Unkillables as a prisoner once he was captured while
Name Stat + Rank total investigating the tower. He attempted to escape earlier, clubbing a
Unarmed Combat PRW 2 7 guard to death and then attempting to smash through a window
Detection PER 2 5 to the outside. He was caught, severely beaten, and taken to this
Sneak AGL 2 5 chamber to die at the hands of the Unkillables, but not before he
was able to secretly steal the dead guard’s pistol, which he has
used to protect himself in the hours since, as he suffered an injury
PHYSIQUE PHY 8 Abilities:
during his capture that has made walking, even standing, difficult
SPEED SPD 6 Blood Thirst – When it charges
a living character, this character
for him. He has shot two Unkillables to death, but each with
STRENGTH STR 8 multiple bullets. He has only a few bullets left, but now that he’s
gains +2˝ of movement.
AGILITY AGL 3
Berserk – When this character
killed a pair of Unkillables, the rest keep their distance, waiting
PROWESS PRW 5 incapacitates or destroys one or for him to fall asleep or otherwise become vulnerable.
POISE POI 3 more other characters with a melee
attack during its turn, immediately Denikin came in search of Olivia Morado of his own accord,
INTELLECT INT 1
after the attack is resolved, it must certain he had stumbled onto a larger plot to overthrow Empress
ARCANE ARC — make one additional melee attack Ayn Vanar from within, devised by a former Greylord who
PERCEPTION PER 3 against another character in its
melee range. escaped execution many years prior and was now experimenting
claw with alchemical means of extending his life. Though Denikin
Darksight – Characters in dim light
MAT POW P+S do not gain concealment from this attempted to convince his superiors and then the Ministry of the
7 2 10 character. Great Vizier itself of his theories, his messages were buried in the
Unkillable – During each bureaucracy. But Denikin was certain evidence of these illegal
INITIATIVE INIT 14 Maintenance Phase, this character alchemical experiments would rouse the Intelligence Kommand
DEFENSE DEF 12 regains d3+1 vitality. It cannot to action, and so he tracked the source behind the alchemical
regain vitality while incapacitated.
ARMOR ARM 15 experiments to the missing citizens of Erofeev and then to this
(Natural Armor +7) tower. He then confirmed her connection to the mad Greylord.
WILLPOWER WILL 10
Denikin cannot escape the tower on his own. If he survives the
VITALITY: 10
battle against the Unkillables, he encourages the PCs to bring
Command Range: 1
him evidence of Olivia Morado’s activities that he can present to
Base Size: small the ministry. He cannot accompany them higher into the tower,
Encounter Points: 9 though he can confirm that Olivia is on the next floor up. He also
knows that she has a prisoner with her, a boy from a local farm,
though he has no idea why she chose him.
In battle, the Unkillables are brutal, merciless, and thorough.
Their wounds heal quickly, making them harder to kill. If an
Unkillable is injected with antidote, the Unkillable is sent into a
frenzy, attacking the nearest target. The injected Unkillables gain
SCENE 5: The
boosted attack and damage rolls and then collapse concussed at
the end of the round.
Alchemist’s Lair
INVESTIGATIVE/COMBAT
The Unkillable Chamber
Once the PCs reach Olivia’s lair, read or paraphrase the following:
The chamber where the Unkillables are kept reeks of waste and
rot. The walls are smeared with blood. Gnawed body parts—both The top floor of Torre Tombafyr is a hodge-podge chamber of unkempt
those that have fallen off the Unkillables and those left over from personal quarters and chaotic private labs. You catch glimpses of
their grisly meals—are scattered all around. Three Unkillables portraits, austere furniture, balcony curtains, and floor-to-ceiling
stay behind when the others attack or escape—they are incapable windows on every wall. But as you enter the room, a horrifying creature,
of walking, though they are still aggressive if anyone steps within towering over a furious woman standing behind it, moves to intercept
their reach. you. The woman, standing at one of the tables with her gloved hands
working on the contents of a black metallic box, reaches for a beaker of
The noxious fumes given off by the dead and dying in this green fluid on the table beside her. The curtains blow in the breeze and
chamber force a PC entering the chamber to make a PHY roll part long enough for you to see a dark shape outside, moving quickly but
against a target number of 12 to avoid debilitating nausea that confidently toward the balcony railing.
imposes a –2 DEF for five minutes.
Olivia Morado’s quarters are both the bedroom she and her
brother shared and a private laboratory where she could work
without interference. A painting of a couple—a handsome young
man in a red cloak and a young woman in a matching dress that

75
 Many Deaths, One Life

look like the statues on the floor below—hangs above a small

curved couch covered with a drop cloth. Tables and shelves
overflow with laboratory glass and open trays of alchemical
tobin marconi
The bodyguard is a horror to behold—disproportionately tall,
compounds, some of which glow with unnatural light. A large
incredibly muscular, forced into ill-fitting armor too small for
wardrobe with clothing spilling out of it stands between a pair
its frame.
of military cots; the red cloaks and enormous mismatched boots
at the foot of one bed are reminders of the late Gallo Morado, the Skills:
Crimson Man, Olivia’s brother.
Name Stat + Rank total
The monstrous bodyguard standing between the PCs and the Detection PER 2 6
woman shudders and trembles with its heartbeat, which is so Hand Weapon PRW 2 7
loud the PCs can hear it as the bodyguard moves to engage Intimidation SOC 2 *
Jumping PHY 2 12
them. This is Tobin Marconi. One telltale sign the bodyguard
was once the boy is a ragged patch of blond hair at the back of
its misshapen skull. PHYSIQUE PHY 10 Abilities:
Olivia Morado is a short woman with dark but greying hair. Her SPEED SPD 4 Fearless – The character is utterly
fearless and automatically passes
face and eyes give away her madness, as her otherwise ordinary STRENGTH STR 8
Willpower rolls to resist Terror.
features twist into rage and murderous intent when the PCs AGILITY AGL 3
Tough – When this character is
enter her chamber. Instead of dealing with the PCs, however, she PROWESS PRW 5 disabled, roll a d6. On a 5 or 6 the
holds her beaker above the contents of the metallic box she has POISE POI 4 character heals 1 vitality point,
been preparing. INTELLECT INT 2
is no longer disabled, and is
knocked down.
ARCANE ARC —
The Boy Named Tobin Beat Back – When this character
PERCEPTION PER 4 hits a target with a melee attack,
The malformed bodyguard Tobin is so transformed that even he can immediately push his target
identifying him by name elicits no response. Only by injecting smith’s hammers 1˝ directly away. After the target is
MAT POW P+S
him with the antidote can the PCs prevent him from fighting to pushed, this character can advance
7 5 13 up to 1˝.
the death. Tobin attacks with pair of large smith’s hammers. He
Abilities: Chain Attack: Flatten – If Shield Guard – Once per turn,
stands between the PCs and Olivia Morado to buy her time to
this character hits the same target with when a friendly character is directly
finish a suicide attack—the detonation of an alchemical bomb that both its initial attacks with this weapon, hit by an attack while within 2˝ of
will destroy the entire floor and all her secret work with it. after resolving the attacks it can make this character, this character can
one additional melee attack against the choose to be directly hit instead.
Like the Unkillables, once Tobin has been injected, he attacks in target hit. If the attack hits the target This character cannot use Shield
frenzy, lashing out at any target within reach. He gains boosted does not suffer damage but is pushed Guard if he is incorporeal, knocked
d3˝ directly away from this character and down, prone, or stationary.
attack and damage rolls before he collapses like the Unkillables.
is knocked down.
Unyielding – While engaging an
INITIATIVE INIT 13 enemy, this character gains +2 ARM.

DEFENSE DEF 10 Mighty – This character rolls an

(Tailored Plate -1) additional die on melee damage rolls.

ARMOR ARM 17
Olivia Morado (Tailored Plate +7)

in Combat WILLPOWER WILL 12

Olivia Morado does not roll Initiative. She effectively

holds her action from the moment the PCs arrive in her
private laboratory, waiting to determine the outcome of 1 2 AGILITY
the confrontation with Tobin before she acts. If Tobin falls,
Olivia attempts to detonate her alchemical bomb, pouring 3
PHYS

the green liquid in the beaker into the black box, where it
4
interacts with a second alchemical compound.
IQ

ECT

E
U

Unless injected with the alchemical antidote, Olivia

6
LL

resists serious injury, but she can be rendered ineffective

TE

by a successful attack. Olivia is DEF 14 and ARM 14 5 I

N

and is disabled by any attack that deals damage.

Command Range: 2
Base Size: medium
Encounter Points: 15
Equipment:
Smith’s hammers (x2), tailored plate

76
Moments of Madness
From the moment the PCs first stormed the courtyard, Olivia has
been preparing the explosive contents of the black metallic box.
She does not believe Tobin can defeat the PCs, given how far they
have come, so she is prepared to protect Abrosim’s secrets by
destroying herself and all the research she has collected for him.
If the PCs bypass Tobin and Olivia to reach the balcony as
quickly as possible, they catch a glimpse of a shrouded man—
Abrosim—as he turns toward them and blasts a Deep Freeze
spell back into the chamber, heedless of Olivia or Tobin. If all
PCs are affected by the spell, Abrosim draws a hand cannon and
targets the closest PC. After doing so, or if at least one PC is not
damaged by Deep Freeze, Abrosim casts spell, creating a thick
wall of ice blocking the balcony door between himself and the
PCs and then climbs onto the railing. The ice is an obstacle with
ARM 20 with 20 damage capacity, but PCs can see through it.
“If you keep coming,” he calls out from the railing, his voice
muffled by the ice, “I will bury you—if Olivia doesn’t first.”
With that, Abrosim steps backward into thin air. As he disappears
over the edge, presumably to plummet to his death, a flock of
ravens bursts into the sky where he fell, preventing anyone from
immediately pursuing him as the birds swoop and dive at the
PCs approaching the balcony. By the time they can look below
for Abrosim’s body, he has vanished.
Olivia Morado is fearless once the battle is joined. She does not
attack the PCs, but rather holds back to see if Tobin can deal with
them. She stands ready to pour her beaker’s contents into the
black box. If Tobin falls to the PCs, Olivia attempts detonate the
alchemical materials inside the box.
If the green fluid in the beaker is poured into the box, it begins to
sizzle and bubble, releasing a vile-smelling odor as the volume
of its interaction grows louder and more ominous. The plumes
of smoke are breathable, but they continue to grow in size and
volume for one turn before the mix detonates in a massive
fireball, causing a POW 16 fire damage roll to everything on
the floor, setting fire to all wood, paper, leather, fabric, and
flesh. Metal is superheated, causing a POW 12 fire damage roll
to anyone in contact with it. Olivia successfully destroys all
evidence of her activities on Abrosim’s behalf. The explosion
is powerful enough to instantly “kill” Olivia and anyone else
adjacent to the bomb when it goes off; however, the formula
she has tested on herself will restore her to life in a day, albeit
weak and vulnerable. Once recovered, she must take another
injection or she will be mortal.
If the bomb is cast off the balcony or dropped down the elevator
shaft, it does no discernible damage to the tower or anyone inside.
If Olivia is prevented from setting off her bomb, either by being
successfully damaged by an attack or if the bomb is removed
from the encounter by throwing it off the balcony or dropping
it down the elevator staff, Olivia draws her pistol from her belt
and turns it on herself to prevent being taken prisoner and to
give the illusion of her own demise. While the shot seemingly
kills her, the alchemical compounds she has tested on herself
prevents her from dying, though the PCs may not be able to tell.
A PC can make an Alchemy or Forensic Science roll against a
target number of 10 to identify injection marks on Olivia’s body
and her body’s changes due to the compounds in her system. If
they abandon her body, she recovers in a day, requiring another
injection of the formula to regain the ability to survive another
lethal wound.
If the PCs take Olivia’s body with them, they begin to see signs
of her recovery within hours—if they kill her again once her
recovery begins, she dies. Otherwise, she recovers fully, weak but
alive, and the PCs need to determine what to do with her.
If Olivia is given the antidote after shooting herself or being
mortally wounded, the antidote restores her normal human
tolerances immediately, leading to her death from her wounds.
If Olivia is taken prisoner before she can either detonate her bomb
or shoot herself, she rages at the PCs for interfering with the work
she has done for Abrosim—and for the world. She hints that she
was close to success, and that with what he knows of her work,
Abrosim will be unstoppable. “And then,” she says, “he will come
for me. And you will all do something he cannot—you will die.”
If the chamber is not destroyed in an explosion, the PCs can
search Olivia’s rooms for additional clues about her work or
her plans. On one of the tables is an empty injector labeled
“FINAL COMPOUND.” A PC can make a Detection roll to locate
documents scattered around the chamber. If the PCs took Olivia
alive, she can be interrogated for the same information.
Detection/Interrogation
Roll Information Discovered
Written correspondence between Olivia Morado
and a man named Pavor Rostisfenko outlines
their plans to meet up at something called
10 the Grove of Wracks ten miles north in the
or Shadoweald to travel together to Abrosim’s
less headquarters in the mountains to the north of
the woods. There, the two will share the results
of their current experiments. They are to meet
in less than a month’s time.
In a journal full of alchemical notations, Olivia
notes that Abrosim has begun to prematurely use
12 some of her early research on himself, and she
worries about the long-term effects of this.
A handwritten note to Olivia: “I understand
your hesitancy, but I want to see this elixir of
yours in action just the same. Do not worry,
14 Olivia—I am aware your success is incomplete,
and I won’t stay long. I have greater matters to
attend to, so close to the end.”
Olivia’s journal has records of her tests, including
“FINAL COMPOUND FOR ABROSIM” as the last
entry. Given that this test was just a few hours
15 ago, Olivia does not know its effectiveness. The
bottom of the page, which contained the formula
for the compound, has been torn away.
77
 Many Deaths, One Life

In Gallo’s overstuffed wardrobe is a

small lockbox with a simple combination
lock on it. (If Olivia detonates her
alchemical bomb, the lockbox survives
the explosion.) A PC can make a Lock
Picking roll against a target number of
12 to open it, or break it open with a STR
roll against a target of 15. Inside are a
dozen gold coins, a small rolled portrait
of a family—parents with two children,
who are clearly Gallo and Olivia; in his
youth, Gallo was an attractive child
while Olivia was unremarkable—and
a stack of letters Olivia wrote to Gallo
while he was abroad in Khador. If a PC
spends 15 minutes scanning the letters,
the following note dated three months
earlier catches his attention.

I need you to come home as soon as possible.

I am anxious to give Abrosim what he
needs and then to put distance between our
family name and his plans before they come
to fruition. To that end, I have a series of
compounds to test—you are the only soul I
would trust with these injections—and after
I meet with him to pass on my discoveries, we
need to disappear for a time. He will succeed
in attaining immortality—and when he does,
thousands of deaths will follow as he builds
an army of soldiers that are impossible to kill.
Given time, no kingdom will be able to stand
long against him. No religion will be able to
stop him. He may spend years harnessing
his forces, but it is inevitable that he will
one day rule whatever nation or nations he
chooses. We want to be far away from here
long before his plans for domination begin
because those who know how he came to be
will be the first to die.

CONCLUSION
Whether the PCs were caught in the explosion that destroyed
the top floor of the Torre Tombafyr tower or were able to capture
or kill Olivia Morado, those who survive should be aware that
Abrosim’s plans are close to completion and that due to their
knowledge of his activities, they will eventually be targets of his
wrath, should they fail to stop him.
Once the PCs escape the tower—dealing with surviving victims or
remaining foes along the way—they have acquired the necessary
information to know where to go next: the Grove of Wracks in
the forest called Shadoweald, ten miles north of the tower, where
Olivia planned to meet up with another of Abrosim’s lieutenants
and journey to the former Greylord’s headquarters in the
mountains beyond.
After they have left the tower, they see green-eyed ravens on a
regular basis, stalking them no matter where they go next.
EXPERIENCE
With the defeat of Olivia Morado, the PCs have reached the second
major milestone in Immortality: they have thwarted her work for
Vladislav Abrosim and driven him back to his headquarters. The
XP below is based primarily on the PCs actions in reaching this
point in the adventure.
Play Award: Each character gains 1 XP for participating in each
session of the adventure.
Conditional Awards: If the PCs saved both Tara and Tobin
Marconi, each character gains 1 XP. If the PCs prevented Olivia’s
bomb from exploding, each character gains 2 XP.
Milestone Bonus: PCs who played through the previous parts of
Immortality each gain 2 XP for reaching this stage in the adventure.
If the PCs killed Gallo Morado in the previous installment of
Immortality, each character gains 1 XP; if they killed any thrullgs,
each character gains 1 XP.

78
INTERLUDE 3:
Wracking Havoc Game Master Note
Interlude Synopsis Wracking Havoc fills the gap between Many Deaths,
In Wracking Havoc, the PCs journey into the foothills in One Life and Stone Cold, taking the PCs from the
search of the Grove of Wracks higher in the mountains, only to wreckage at the tower Torre Tombafyr to the mountain
encounter a group of Khadoran Menites searching for the same pass where they will find the Grove of Wracks, where Olivia
site—a group none too eager to have anyone else get there before Morado planned to join forces with another of Abrosim’s
them. Or so it seems. lieutenants before going on to Abrosim’s headquarters in
the mountains beyond the pass.
Westin Tagge, a Paladin of the Order of the Wall, has been
searching for Abrosim ever since the former Greylord escaped his
The canyon where the wracks stand is not just an
abandoned religious site; it is a location where a small
own execution. During his escape, Abrosim tore the headsman’s
group of Khadoran Menites, headed by a Paladin of the
axe from the executioner’s hands and killed the man with it. That
Order of the Wall, believes they might find Abrosim,
executioner was Tagge’s brother, and Tagge has chased Abrosim
who was to be executed by the paladin’s brother
ever since, bringing with him a small group of Old Faith Menites
before the former Greylord escaped, killing his would-
who consider Abrosim’s quest for eternal life to be in direct be executioner. Now, the paladin has tracked Abrosim’s
violation of Menoth’s established order. activities to these mountains, and he will let no one get
Tagge knows his group is close to finding his prey—he has in the way of his revenge.
tracked one of Abrosim’s top men, Pavor Rostisfenko, to a secret
meeting in these mountains, but they lost Rostisfenko not long
after entering the foothills. Tagge is not willing to surrender his
claim to Abrosim, not without a fight at least—or so he wants
his men to believe. In reality, he is becoming weaker and weaker
and is ready to give up the hunt but hasn’t yet because he doesn’t
believe his men will continue without him.

79
 Interlude: Wracking Havoc

Westin Tagge
Game Master Note Abilities: PHYSIQUE
SPEED
PHY
SPD
7
5
Tagge is actually on his last legs, though the half-dozen Blind Spot – This character’s
failing vision leaves him with a STRENGTH STR 6
men who have joined him in pursuit of Abrosim have blind spot a character can exploit.
no idea. Tagge has become progressively weaker due AGILITY AGL 4
A character attempting to exploit
to a debilitating disease that he has come to believe is this blind spot must spend a feat PROWESS PRW 5
Menoth’s summons, even if he isn’t able to bring Abrosim point. After spending a feat point to POISE POI 4
exploit the blind spot, the attacker
to justice before he sees his god. To this end, Tagge is in INTELLECT INT 5
gains boosted attack rolls against
search of a way to give up the pursuit of Abrosim without this character for one round. ARCANE ARC —
revealing his illness or sacrificing the loyalty of his men.
Leader – While in this character’s PERCEPTION PER 4
He believes he may have found that way in the PCs. command range, a friendly
character listening to his orders Firebrand
also gains +1 on his attack and MAT POW P+S
damage rolls. 7 4 13
Shield Guard – Once per turn, Abilities: This weapon is a magical weapon.

SCENE 1: Tagged
when a friendly character is directly On a critical hit, the target hit suffers the Fire
hit by an attack while within 2˝ of continuous effect.
this character, this character can
choose to be directly hit instead. Shield
COMBAT This character cannot use Shield MAT POW P+S
Guard if he is incorporeal, knocked 7 0 7
The interlude begins when the PCs enter the foothills that precede down, prone, or stationary.
Abilities: This character gains +2 ARM
the mountains where the Grove of Wracks is hidden. Paths wind
Stone and Mortar Stance – against attacks originating in his front arc.
their way up and down throughout the foothills, and on occasion During his turn, this character can
the PCs find themselves in wooded ravines, canyons, and even forfeit his movement to use Stone- INITIATIVE INIT 14
chasms as they work their way up into mountains. and-Mortar Stance. The character
DEFENSE DEF 10
gains +3 ARM and cannot be
(Plate Mail –3)
As the PCs enter a ravine in the foothills, read or paraphrase the knocked down. Stone-and-Mortar
Stance lasts for one round. ARMOR ARM 15
following:
(Plate Mail +8)
Without warning, a band of armed Khadorans descends upon you from the WILLPOWER WILL 8
edge of the ravine. The leader wears the ornate plate mail of the Order of the
Wall and wields a sizable sword and shield, the rest are armed with clubs
and axes. The leader is far older than the others and moves with less grace 1 2 AGILITY
and certainty, but he certainly seems capable of killing with his sword…

Westin Tagge, the Paladin of the Order of the Wall, has instructed PHYS
3
his soldiers to take the intruders prisoner as opposed to killing 4
them. He lets the PCs know that he does not wish to hurt them and
IQ

ECT
E
instructs all six of his men fight to subdue or otherwise capture the
U

PCs. The paladin asks that the PCs come peacefully. If the PCs 6

LL
TE
choose to fight, once at least two of the PCs have been taken down, 5 NI
Tagge calls for the surrender of the rest, promising them no further
harm if they lay down their weapons. The Menites are devoted to
Command Range: 7
their cause and are unshakable in their actions.
Base Size: small
If the PCs do not surrender, Tagge’s group continues to fight them
Encounter Points: 14
until they are defeated, at which time Tagge will order them out
Equipment:
of the mountain range, informing them that they are treading on
hallowed ground. Firebrand, full plate, shield

If the PCs appear to be capable of besting Tagge and his men or

hold their ground for at least four rounds, Tagge’s men back off Skills:
at his command, and he calls for an honorable battle, soldier to Name Stat + Rank total
soldier, to determine who can remain on the mountain. Tagge will Great Weapon PRW 2 7
Shield PRW 2 7
concede the battle if he is reduced to 3 or fewer vitality points. If
Command SOC 2 *
the PCs accept Tagge’s challenge for an honorable battle, soldier
Lore (Menoth) INT 2 7
to soldier, he calls for the PCs to choose one among them who will
defend their honor. He also warns: if the PCs do not live up to
their end of the agreement should they lose, his men will descend
upon them with the fury of Menoth on their side.

80
If the PCs surrender or defeat Tagge in combat without killing Westin Tagge’s Soldiers
him, he explains his reason for being on the mountain, though he
keeps his illness to himself. Abilities:
Anatomical Precision – When this character hits a living target with a melee attack
Westin Tagge but the damage roll fails to exceed the target’s ARM, the target suffers d3 damage
points instead of the damage rolled.
Tagge’s older brother, Boris, was an executioner for the
Greylords Covenant when he was tasked with beheading the Skills:
renegade Vladislav Abrosim for his crimes against the Covenant, Name Stat + Rank total
specifically his horrifying use of magic in pursuit of forbidden Hand Weapon PRW 2 7
necromantic secrets. Detection PER 2 5

Boris’ death drove Tagge to despair, and he has spent years in If Tagge wins the battle, his
pursuit of the former Greylord. Along the way, he has picked up features betray only a hint of PHYSIQUE PHY 6
a small following of men who, upon hearing Tagge’s (somewhat his disappointment, but he SPEED SPD 6
embellished) stories of Abrosim’s violations against Menoth, have still demands the PCs leave STRENGTH STR 6
joined in the hunt. the mountains immediately AGILITY AGL 4
But since picking up the trail of Abrosim’s lieutenant Pavor or risk the wrath of his PROWESS PRW 5
Rostisfenko, Tagge has taken ill. It could be the culmination of men. If the PCs choose to POISE POI 5
his exposure to a host of different gases, toxins, and other traps ignore him—either on the INTELLECT INT 3
left behind by Abrosim over the years, or it could simply be old spot or possibly later on ARCANE ARC —
age and disease in general taking hold of him. In any case, Tagge by encountering Tagge and
PERCEPTION PER 4
is tired, and the hunt has gone on so long that he feels he is in his men again—Tagge’s
danger of losing his rank as a Paladin of the Order of the Wall; soldiers will battle the PCs Axe
once more while the paladin MAT POW P+S
his absences from the Order have become longer and longer, and
7 3 9
he has been considering a way to abandon the quest without instructs them, his voice
suffering a loss of honor before his men. betraying a hint of loss and Club
dissapointment. MAT POW P+S
7 2 8

SCENE 2: You’re It
If the PCs’ champion should
Abilities: On a critical hit with this weapon,
stand triumphant and does a living target has a chance to be knocked
so by taking advantage of out by the attack. A damaged target must
COMBAT Tagge’s hint about his left make a Willpower roll against a target
number of 15 or be knocked out.
side being is blind, he feigns
Tagge steps up to serve as the combatant for his men. Some of the
despair before standing INITIATIVE INIT 14
soldiers protest, not because they don’t believe Tagge will win but
tall to admit Menoth has DEFENSE DEF 13
because they feel such a battle is beneath him. But in the end, the
decided that others should (Custom Battle Armor –1)
honor falls entirely to their leader. For all appearances, Tagge is as
take up his quest now. Then, ARMOR ARM 12
fierce as any among his men.
he tells the PCs his reasons (Custom Battle Armor +6)
Tagge establishes rules with the PC who is to fight him—hand- for being on the mountain WILLPOWER WILL 7
to-hand combat only, no firearms, and only to submission, not to in search of the man who Vitality: 9
permanent injury or death. Before the entire group, he demands killed his older brother. Command Range: 3
the chosen PC not hold back, as he intends to drive the PCs from In conceding that he and
Base Size: small
the mountains. If given the opportunity to speak without being his men will surrender
overheard by his own men, however, he asks the chosen PC just the search for Abrosim, he Encounter Points: 8
how devoted the PCs are to finding and destroying Abrosim. If demands the PCs honor his Equipment:
he gets an encouraging response, he indicates his own left eye: “I quest by taking on the hunt Axe or club, custom battle armor, religious
don’t see as well here as I once did.” for Abrosim and finishing symbol, 15 gc
what he had begun. He tells
them about the Grove of
CONCLUSION Wracks and how he believes one of Abrosim’s lieutenants, Pavor
Rostisfenko, is headed there to meet with Abrosim.
ROLEPLAYING If the PCs tell him this is already their goal, he gives them a
Tagge is prepared to surrender the quest for Abrosim if the PC weapon—his late brother Boris’ axe, a great axe that causes
takes advantage of his hint and defeats him fairly in combat. A PC grevious wounds. Characters it hits lose Tough, cannot heal or be
who doesn’t exploit Tagge’s weakness leaves him defeated and healed, and cannot transfer damage for one round.
depressed; Tagge realizes that his age and infirmity have finally
He says simply: “If you can, kill him with this. It’s been delayed
overtaken him. If this is the case, he will lead his men back down
long enough.”
from the foothills without another word to the PCs.

81
 Stone Cold
Part 5:
Stone Cold
Stone Cold is designed for 3–5 Hero-level characters between 12
and 20 XP each. It takes place in the mountains northwest of the
Shadoweald forest and the Blackroot Wood in the Kulvorn Hills.
Scenario Synopsis
In Stone Cold, the PCs arrive at a gorge ascending from the
forest into the foothills to track the last of Abrosim’s lieutenants
at a predetermined rendezvous (as they learned in the end of
Part 4: Many Deaths, One Life), only to find him murdered by
the former Greylord’s own men. Pursued by those same killers,
the PCs wind their way up the mountain through dangerous
underground passages and along treacherous ledges to reach the
gates of Abrosim’s private fort.
For the Game Master
Abrosim has come close enough to achieving immortality
through the research and experiments of his lieutenants that he’s
now prepared to eliminate all those who know of his plans. His
82
personal band of killers, led by a warcaster named Garrow, has
been hunting down and executing Abrosim’s enemies, associates,
and even his highest-ranking aides to preserve Abrosim’s
secrets. He instructed them to kidnap his former mentor from
the Greylords Covenant, Koldun Lord Chenkov, and bring him
to Veknost, Abrosim’s fort. There, Abrosim showed the Koldun
lord all he had achieved, and he forced Chenkov to apologize for
his role in having Abrosim arrested and nearly executed by the
Greylords. Thanks to his own rather formidable occult abilities,
Chenkov escaped, and Abrosim’s band of killers hunted him
down and entombed him.
In the first scene, the PCs witness the death of one of Abrosim’s
last lieutenants. The murder of Pavor Rostisfenko in the Grove
of Wracks is just the latest of Abrosim’s killings. This follows
Abrosim’s sacrifice of another lieutenant, Olivia Morado, to a
group of adventurers who have been steadily raising his ire as
they expose his bid for immortality and the lengths he has gone
to achieve it.
Further, Abrosim has been keeping a baleful eye on those
adventurers via his flock of undead ravens, and as they have
closed in on his inner sanctum, he has finally directed Garrow
and his assassins to eliminate them.
The Grove of Wracks
The Grove of Wracks is a rocky canyon, the walls of which are lined
with cave openings. Sparse plants grow between the boulders
and other rocks scattered around gulley. At its center are ancient
Menite wracks, long unused and pitted by years of exposure to the
elements. The grove is remote and abandoned, with no signs of life.
The Grove of Wracks was used by devout Khadoran Menites to
execute heretics generations ago. The numerous violent wrackings
that occurred here have given the Grove a black reputation among
nearby communities, who keep their distance from the site. Abrosim
and his lieutenants do not share such sentiments and have used it
as a secure meeting place in the past, away from prying eyes.
Fort Veknost
Abrosim’s fortress appears, at first glance, to be abandoned—
its front is a façade to discourage investigation—but it actually
serves as his central headquarters. He has hidden cannons armed
to guard the main entrance from intruders, and the perimeter
is patrolled by soldiers and Mule warjacks commanded by
a mercenary warcaster loyal to Abrosim. Abrosim has been
expecting interference from the Greylords Covenant or other
elements of the Khadoran Army, so he has been building up his
defenses in preparation for an attack.
Inclement Weather
The weather conditions shift rapidly as the PCs work their
way up the mountain to Abrosim’s fort. This serves to
convey both the distance traveled and the steady rise in
elevation as the PCs progress.
The weather conditions below assume the PCs move
through the adventure at a reasonable clip. If they choose
to hole up at any point during the adventure, the weather
gradually progresses to whiteout conditions. Once it
begins, the blizzard will not abate for several days, so
waiting out the storm is not a reasonable option.
• Scene 1 – Thunderstorms: With lightning and thunder,
thunderstorms include heavy rain, strong wind gusts, and
occasionally hail.
• Scene 2 – Freezing Rain (where applicable): Rain that freezes
on impact, coating the trees, rocks, and ground in a glaze of
ice, creating slippery, unstable conditions.
• Scene 3 – Snow Showers: Intense, fast-falling snow with
rapid accumulation, reduced visibility, and moderate winds.
• Scene 4 – Blizzard (Whiteout Conditions): Sustained high
winds (33 mph or more) with major blowing and drifting,
extremely cold temperatures, and greatly reduced visibility.
Whiteout conditions reduce visibility to mere feet.
Getting the Players Involved
The PCs have followed Abrosim’s trail to the Grove of Wracks and
the mountain passes beyond it in search of the former Greylord.
They have heard many hints about what’s at stake should they
not stop him from achieving his goal, and now they become both
the hunted and the hunters as they close in on Abrosim’s lair.
Stone Cold begins as the PCs emerge from the dense wilderness
to where the Blackroot Wood becomes sparse and rockier, giving
way to rugged terrain that climbs into the hills. They are drenched
in a heavy thunderstorm as the sound of distant gunshots echo
through the rain. The shots come from the canyon ahead of them.
SCENE 1:
The Grove of
Wracks
COMBAT
The PCs reach the entrance to a canyon extending into the foothills
of the mountains to the north—the first place the canyon expands
marks the Grove of Wracks where two of Abrosim’s lieutenants,
Pavor Rostisfenko and the late Olivia Morado, were to meet
before journeying on to Abrosim’s headquarters. But Rostisfenko
is about to meet an unpleasant fate instead.
As the PCs reach the Grove of Wracks, read or paraphrase the
following:
The pounding rain is hard and merciless as you leave the forest behind
and travel into the misty, boulder-strewn canyons beyond, closing in
on the Grove of Wracks, where you expect to find Abrosim’s lieutenant
Pavor Rostisfenko.
A single gunshot rings out from somewhere in front of you. It echoes
through the canyon to finally be smothered by the dark thunderstorm
overhead.
The canyon of the Grove of Wracks is lined with cave openings,
and boulders scattered around it provide potential cover and
hiding places. A boulder blocks one of the caves, sealing it, and an
investigation reveals the boulder has been moved there recently.
A series of primitive wracks are clustered together near the
canyon’s center. They are made of old metal and show other
signs of having been abandoned long ago. They are marked with
ancient Menofixes.
On one of them a young man is chained. He wears nondescript
clothes, a dark cloak for protection against the rain, and his hat lies
in a puddle of red water at the foot of his wrack. Blood runs down
from a bubbling hole in his chest, mixing with the rainwater, and
he wheezes as he strains weakly against the chains. A note stabbed
into his shoulder with a needle reads, in Khadoran, “MENOTH—
TAKE HIM OFF MY HANDS UNTIL I DEMAND HIS RETURN.”
83
 Stone Cold
Weather Effects
The thunderstorms impact combat in the Grove of Wracks
as follows:
Strong Winds – Characters gain +2 DEF against ranged
attacks if the point of origin of the attack is 8 or more
inches away.
Heavy Rain – The Fire continuous effect ends on a roll
of 1–3. Firearm ammunition that is not metal-cased that
is exposed to the rain is less effective. If a character’s
ammunition is exposed to the rain, each time he attacks
with a firearm, roll a d6. On a roll of 1 the ammunition
has been fouled by the rain and does not fire.Living
characters who spend more than a few minutes in heavy
rain not equipped with a cloak, great coat, or similar
clothing suffer a –1 penalty on PHY rolls until they spend
at least fifteen minutes in a warm, dry area.
Note: A Stormsmith character can make use of the
thunderstorm for the purpose of generating lightning
strikes.
Scattered nearby are packs and travel cases that have clearly been
dumped and searched. Clothes, bedding, and other standard
necessities for a journey have all been tossed. Broken medical
equipment lay among rain-soaked journals that have been cast aside.
He spots the PCs, whether they approach cautiously or enter
the Grove of Wracks directly, and shakes his head weakly at
them, motioning with his head toward a dark, narrowing chasm
that exits on the far side of the canyon and climbs up into the
mountain beyond. However they choose to enter the gulley, the
man watches them, his face growing paler the longer they take to
reach him. He calls out to them when they arrive: “If you don’t
stop him, no one will!” If they don’t approach him, he continues
to moan for their help.
Pavor Rostisfenko
Rostisfenko is the last surviving lieutenant working for Abrosim—
and he knows it. Until recently, Rostisfenko worked for Abrosim
researching archives detailing Cryxian necrotechnology used in
the creation of iron liches. He knows the former Greylord has been
murdering all of his other high-ranking researchers one by one.
So, Rostisfenko’s intention was to meet with and convince Olivia
Morado they should flee before Abrosim killed them, too, hoping
together they would be able to secure amnesty with the Order of
Illumination, Greylords Covenant, or another organization Abrosim
has made his enemy. He was unaware Abrosim was meeting with
Olivia at her tower, and unless the PCs tell him, believes Olivia is
still alive and has somehow escaped Abrosim’s clutches.
Unless the PCs give him reason to believe otherwise, Rostisfenko
thinks they are emissaries or an advance scouting party for Olivia;
he is eager to warn them of Abrosim’s betrayal and to tell them
what little he knows about Abrosim’s current actions.
84
It isn’t necessary for the PCs to aggressively question Rostisfenko
as long as he believes they are his allies. He knows he is dying, so
he will share everything he knows willingly. Before he can speak,
a PC must spend a full action and make a Medicine roll against a
target of 14 to stabilize Rostisfenko; otherwise, all he does is mutter
incoherently until he dies a few minutes later. If, however, the PCs
raise his suspicions—by threatening him, by telling him of Olivia
Morado’s death, or by taking any other hostile actions—he will
only share information if a PC makes a successful Interrogation or
Intimidation roll. A PC learns all the information up to the result
of the roll.
Interrogation/Intimidation
Roll Information LEARNEd
Rostisfenko knows Abrosim is now killing his
most loyal lieutenants, those who know about his
plan. He recently had three others murdered by
12 his assassination squad. The squad was waiting to
ambush Rostisfenko and Olivia Morado here at
the Grove of Wracks.
Abrosim, his lieutenants have collectively
concluded, is after immortality as a means of
13 achieving godhood. He speaks blasphemously
about Menoth as if the god were a rival.
The assassination squad killing Abrosim’s
lieutenants is led by a mercenary warcaster named
Garrow, who commands a Mule warjack. Garrow
14 told Rostisfenko as he shot him, “Don’t worry—
Abrosim will reclaim you from Urcaen.” Rostisfenko
believes the squad is hiding farther up the canyon
pass, waiting to see if Olivia Morado arrives.
Rostisfenko learned from Olivia Morado that one of
15 the caves contains a secret passage up to Abrosim’s
headquarters, but he doesn’t know which one.
Once he reveals any information, Rostisfenko’s eyes glaze
over and he stares into the distance with an expression of awe
and terror (see below). He is incapable of answering any more
questions. He has begun to perish and the wrack has provoked
some sort of divine vision or delirium. He dies shortly thereafter,
with the consequences described below.
Even if the PCs try to free him from the wrack, Rostisfenko
shudders and takes on an unnatural glow. The glow intensifies
quickly, and Rostisfenko’s eyes widen. After a few seconds,
a blast of heat emanates from him, turning the rain to steam,
and both he and the wrack explode in a hot, gory mess. The
entire canyon is momentarily bright, as if by a lightning
strike. Characters without eye protection who look directly at
Rostisfenko as he dies suffer a –2 penalty on ranged attack rolls
for one round. Any character within twelve feet (2˝) of the wrack
must make an AGL roll against a target of 14. If the roll fails, the
character suffers a POW 14 blast damage roll.
When Rostisfenko dies, read or paraphrase the following:
As the man on the wrack explodes, the Grove of Wracks flooding with
a bright, ethereal light and splattering his remains, the distinctive
rumble of moving metal fills the air. A group of five people appears on the
canyon’s rim, surrounding and following a heavy warjack that aims its
cannon down into the canyon. You can make out a woman near the back
of the party, a trollkin with axes, a man with a rifle aimed at you, and a
soldier in full plate armor. Another man, disheveled and laconic, leans
against the warjack while he grins down at you.
When Rostisfenko dies, Abrosim’s assassination squad ambushes
the PCs from the top edge of the canyon wall, concealed up to now
by its position above the canyon and by the inclement weather. At
its forefront, as the squad emerges from the greyness to reach the
edge of the wall, is a warjack that aims its steam-driven cannon
just beyond the PCs. Garrow calls down to the PCs tauntingly; “I
told Lord Abrosim you’d leave if we asked you real nice-like. But he had
a different notion.”
Regardless of how the PCs respond to Garrow’s taunt, the squad
opens fire on the PCs, with the warjack aiming its first shot past
them to destroy the walls near the canyon’s entrance. The ensuing
rockslide blocks the entrance entirely, leaving the narrowing
chasm at the other end as the only apparent means of escaping
the Grove of Wracks canyon (see Collapse).
Tactics
The assassins work together to quickly eliminate the PCs. If the
PCs choose to fight, they can use boulders and even the wracks
themselves for cover. Unless the PCs can somehow reach the top of
the canyon, Garrow and his squad are beyond the reach of hand-
to-hand combat, but if the PCs successfully injure each member of
the squad to at least half of their total vitality, the survivors retreat
to the frozen glen farther up the mountain to mount another
ambush (see Scene 4: The Ambush in the Ravine).
If the PCs try to escape, they can retreat into one of the caves
(see Scene 2A: The Caves) or flee the length of the canyon to the
chasm beyond, heading higher into the mountain along a slick,
winding trail (see Scene 2B: The Mountain Pass). Trying to climb
over the collapsed entrance to the Grove is slow going, and they
will be under attack by the assassins the whole way.
The PCs may choose to fight first and then attempt to escape. If
they do so, they suffer attacks as they retreat—Garrow and his
squad jockey for better positions above and continue to fire, trying
to flank the PCs and attack from behind where possible.
Terrain
The Grove of Wracks has the following terrain features:
Boulders: The boulders provide solid cover.
Collapse: When Vapor fires at the entrance to the Grove of Wracks,
the ensuing rockslide blocks it entirely, leaving the narrowing
chasm at the other end as the only apparent means of escaping the
Grove of Wracks canyon. Any PC within eighteen feet (3˝) of the
entrance when the Mule opens fire suffers a POW 14 damage roll
from the falling debris and shrapnel from the explosive projectile
and is knocked down.
Ancient Wracks: The old wracks are solidly built but have
withstood centuries of harsh elements. A single character can take
cover behind a wrack to gain solid cover. If an attack misses a
character behind a wrack, roll a d6. On a 6, the attack fractures
the wrack, causing it to topple over, at which point it is useless
as cover.
Aftermath
Whether the PCs retreat into one of the caves or escape the Grove
of Wracks via the chasm that leads higher into the mountains,
Garrow’s assassins believe they have escaped and abandon the
canyon to ambush the PCs again later on. Garrow is familiar with
the cave with the secret passage, and once the PCs enter the cave,
he assumes they will learn of it as well.
At this point, the PCs have two means of continuing on toward
Abrosim’s fort Veknost: they can explore the caves, one of which
takes them as far as the bridge in Scene 3, or they can proceed up
the pass en route to the same place.
85
 Stone Cold

Garrow
(Warcaster)
Lackadaisical when it comes to taking care of his ’jacks, his guns, and even his own hygiene, Garrow seems overly laconic and even
indifferent, but in fact he’s exceptionally talented in the role of a warcaster. He is equally skilled in physical and psychological battles.
Garrow is bonded to a Mule warjack named Vapor. Garrow wears weathered armor and a scruffy hat that offers shade for the upper-half
of his face. He is unshaven and unkempt.

PHYSIQUE PHY 6 Skills:

SPEED SPD 7 Name Stat + Rank total
STRENGTH STR 4 Hand Weapon PRW 2 6
AGILITY AGL 4 Command SOC 1 *
Detection PER 1 5
PROWESS PRW 4
POISE POI 4 Spells COST RNG AOE POW UP OFF
INTELLECT INT 3 Boundless Charge 2 6 – – No No
During his turn, target character can charge without spending focus or being forced
ARCANE ARC 3
and gains +2˝ movement and Pathfinder when it charges. Boundless Charge lasts
PERCEPTION PER 4 for one round.

throat cutter Convection 2 10 – 12 NO YES

MAT POW P+S When convection destroys a living character, you can allocate 1 focus point to a
6 4 8 steamjack in the spellcaster’s battlegroup that is in his control area.

Abilities: Add +2 to back strike damage rolls. Abilities:

While the weapon has power, characters it Bond [3] – The character is bonded to Vapor, his warcaster armor, and
hits lose Tough, cannot heal or be healed, Throatcutter.
and cannot transfer damage for one round.
Power Field – While the character’s armor has power, it has six damage boxes
INITIATIVE INIT 15 (IKRPG Core Rules, p. 289).
DEFENSE DEF 14 Focuser – This character is a focuser.
(Medium Warcaster Armor -1)
ARMOR ARM 13
(Medium Warcaster Armor -1)
WILLPOWER WILL 9

1 2 AGILITY

3
PHYS

4
IQ

ECT

E
U

6
LL
TE

5 I
N

Command Range: 4
Base Size: small
Encounter Points: 14
Equipment:
Medium warcaster armor, Throatcutter (assassin’s
blade with Accuracy, Bond, and Grievous
Wounds runes powered by an arcanodynamic
accumulator), Mule warjack “Vapor” (“Nomad
Heavy Warjack Chassis,” IKRPG Core Rules, p.
302), 150 gc

86
Rina Zavor
(Bounty Hunter)
Rina is the pragmatic realist in the group, the one most likely to
negotiate with a target in exchange for a head start or a complete
abandonment of the hunt. Her enthusiasm is swayed by money,
but she has loyalty to those she works with, so if she negotiates
for herself, she negotiates for everyone. Rina is strangely
intimidating—she carries herself as if she is ready for a fight at any
moment, and her dark hair hides her eyes.
Antone Pytorevich
(Rifleman)
Bullying and amused by violence and pain, Antone is a braggart,
impressed by his own abilities with a rifle. He’s so sufficiently
vain that insults have a greater likelihood of antagonizing him
than do physical threats. He prefers not to kill with a single shot;
he enjoys the suffering of his targets, so he wants to make the
moment last. He is thin, rarely standing to his full height, and
moves with great stealth.

Skills: Skills:
Name Stat + Rank total Name Stat + Rank total
Detection PER 2 5 Rifle POI 2 7
Hand Weapon PRW 2 6 Detection PER 2 7
Sneak AGL 2 6 Sneak AGL 1 6
Tracking PER 2 5
Unarmed Combat PRW 2 6
PHYSIQUE PHY 6 Abilities:
SPEED SPD 6 Fast Reload – The character gains
PHYSIQUE PHY 6 Abilities: one extra quick action each turn
STRENGTH STR 4
SPEED SPD 7 Roll With It – When the character that can be used only to reload a
would be knocked down, she goes AGILITY AGL 4 ranged weapon.
STRENGTH STR 4
prone instead. PROWESS PRW 4 Gunfighter – The character does
AGILITY AGL 4
Feat Points – This character starts POISE POI 5 not suffer a –4 penalty on ranged
PROWESS PRW 4 each encounter with 2 feat points. attack rolls with pistols or carbines
INTELLECT INT 3
POISE POI 4 She is allocated 1 feat point at while engaged.
the start of each of her turns. She ARCANE ARC —
INTELLECT INT 4 Keen Eyed – The character can
can only have up to 2 feat points PERCEPTION PER 5 increase his effective range with
ARCANE ARC — at a time. a bow or rifle by twelve feet (2˝)
PERCEPTION PER 3 Feat: Untouchable – The character
radcliffe carbine and his extreme range by sixty
can spend 1 feat point during her rat Rng AOE POW feet (10˝).
trench sword turn to gain +3 DEF for one round. 7 13 — 11
MAT POW P+S
Two-Weapon Fighting – While Abilities: This weapon suffers –2 on attack
6 4 8
fighting with a one-handed weapon rolls when used one-handed.
Abilities: On a critical hit with the weapon, or pistol in each hand, the character Bipod – When the character forfeits his
the target is knocked down. If the character gains an additional attack for the movement to aim during his turn, he gains
makes a knockout strike that damages a second weapon. She suffers –2 +2 to his first ranged attack with a rifle
target, add +2 to the target number to on attacks rolls with the second that turn. It requires a quick action to set
avoid knockout. weapon while doing so. up or take down a bipod.
INITIATIVE INIT 14 Waylay – When an attack made INITIATIVE INIT 15
DEFENSE DEF 13 by this character has the chance
to knock out a target, increase the DEFENSE DEF 14
(Tailored Plate -1) (Armored Great Coat -1)
target number for the Willpower roll
ARMOR ARM 13 to resist the knockout by 2. ARMOR ARM 11
(Tailored Plate +7) (Armored Great Coat +5)
Specialization (trench sword) –
WILLPOWER WILL 10 The character does not suffer attack WILLPOWER WILL 9
Vitality: 14 roll penalties with the selected weapon.
Vitality: 10
Command Range: 4
Command Range: 3
Base Size: small
Base Size: small
Encounter Points: 10
Encounter Points: 12
Equipment:
Equipment:
Gas mask, great coat, manacles, mechanik’s
Armored great coat, Radcliffe carbine,
boots, tailored plate, trench swords (x2), 30 gc
four extra ammo wheels with 5 shots
each, 50 gc

87
 Stone Cold

Gerrok Scarmaker Davon Barlett

(Ranger)
Focused, calm, and distant from the rest of the squad, the trollkin
Gerrok has very little interest in killing or capturing what he
hunts—he favors the hunt itself, not the aftermath. He is quiet
and reserved, but he seems to snarl when he’s on the hunt. He
moves silently, often freezing for long periods of time to search
for tracks, trails, or other signs of his quarry.
(Man-at-Arms)
Tasked with protecting the group while being the first line of hand-
to-hand combat, Davon is quick on the trigger and suspicious of
everyone and everything. He expects they’ll ultimately turn on
Abrosim when all of the former Greylord’s enemies are dead. He
is every bit a soldier—he stands at attention much of the time,
weapons in hand. Rarely does Davon seem relaxed.

Skills: Skills:
Name Stat + Rank total Name Stat + Rank total
Detection PER 1 4 Detection PER 2 5
Hand Weapon PRW 2 6 Hand Weapon PRW 2 7
Sneak AGL 2 7 Intimidation SOC 2 *
Rifle POI 1 5
Shield PRW 2 7
PHYSIQUE PHY 8 Abilities:
SPEED SPD 5 Camouflage – The character
gains an additional +2 DEF when PHYSIQUE PHY 7 Abilities:
STRENGTH STR 5
benefitting from concealment SPEED SPD 6 Combat Shield – This character
AGILITY AGL 5 or cover. gains +2 ARM against attacks
STRENGTH STR 5
PROWESS PRW 4 originating in his front arc.
Feat: Revitalize – The character AGILITY AGL 3
POISE POI 2 can spend 1 feat point during Load Bearing – The character is
his turn to regain a number of PROWESS PRW 5 well practiced at fighting while
INTELLECT INT 3
vitality points equal to his PHY POISE POI 4 wearing heavy armor. Reduce the
ARCANE ARC — stat immediately. If a character SPD and DEF penalties from the
INTELLECT INT 3
PERCEPTION PER 3 suffers damage during his turn, armor the character wears each
the damage must be resolved ARCANE ARC — by 1 (included above).
hand axe before a character can use this PERCEPTION PER 3 Shield Guard – Once per round,
MAT POW P+S feat. An incapacitated character
when a friendly character is
6 3 9 cannot use Revitalize. gun axe directly hit by an attack while
Pathfinder – The character can rat Rng AOE POW within 2˝ of this character, this
INITIATIVE INIT 12 move over rough terrain without 5 8 — 12 character can choose to be
DEFENSE DEF 12 penalty. Abilities: See “Gun Axe Blade,” below. directly hit instead. This character
(Leather Armor -1) cannot use Shield Guard if he
Tough – When this character is
disabled roll a d6. On a 5 or 6,
combat shield is incorporeal, knocked down,
ARMOR ARM 13 MAT POW P+S prone, or stationary.
the character is heals 1 vitality,
(Leather Armor +5) 6 3 8
is no longer disabled, and is
WILLPOWER WILL 11 knocked down.
gun axe blade
Vitality: 16 Two-Weapon Fighting – While MAT POW P+S
Command Range: 3 fighting with a one-handed
6 3 8
weapon or pistol in each hand,
Base Size: medium the character gains an additional
INITIATIVE INIT 14
Encounter Points: 12 attack for the second weapon. He
suffers –2 on attack rolls with the DEFENSE DEF 10
Equipment: second weapon while doing so. (Full Plate -2)
Hand axes, leather armor, 50 gc ARMOR ARM 13
(Full Plate +8)
WILLPOWER WILL 10
Vitality: 10
Command Range: 3
Base Size: small
Encounter Points: 10
Equipment:
Combat shield, full plate, gun axe,
blasting powder and bullets for 15
shots, 25 gc

88
SCENE 2A:
The Caves
EXPLORATION/COMBAT
The half-dozen caves in the canyon walls that are not blocked by
a boulder are primarily shallow openings, going back only far
enough for the PCs to retreat and hide from Garrow’s assassination
squad. If the PCs enter the cave with the secret passage (see map),
they make a Detection roll against a target number of 12. If the
roll succeeds, they discover the secret passage (see below). If the
roll fails, they can try again after another full minute of searching
and examination. If the PCs stop to search for the hidden passage,
Rina Zavor attempts to flush them out (see The Shallow Caves).
If the PCs enter any cave other than the boulder cave or the secret
passage cave, they enter one of the shallow caves that comes to a
dead end after a short distance.
The Shallow Caves
If the PCs enter a shallow cave, Garrow sends his bounty hunter,
Rina Zavor, to flush them out. She comes to the mouth of the cave
and fires random shots into the cave, even if she can’t see the PCs.
If the PCs return fire and Rina is injured in the fight for at least half
of her total vitality, she retreats, and the PCs can safely move to
another cave. If they move to another shallow cave, retreating from
that cave draws fire from Garrow’s assassins on the canyon wall.
The Boulder Cave
A PC can move the boulder blocking the cave entrance with a STR
roll against a target number of 16. Characters can provide assistance
to move the boulder out of the way. For each character providing
assistance, the primary character gains a +1 bonus to the roll.
The cave smells of sweat and blood. An aged, bearded man,
emaciated and weak, sits against the back wall of the cave, a
wavering axe pointed at the PCs as they enter, one hand over his
eyes to shield them against flashes of lightning coming in from
the canyon. His face is blackened and purpled as if from frostbite,
the damaged flesh in the shape of a hand with only an index
finger and a thumb. This is Koldun Lord Chenkov, Abrosim’s
former mentor from the Greylords Covenant. He has a number of
gunshot wounds, none of them singularly fatal, but he is clearly
in bad shape. He has in his possession a mechanikal collar that he
clutches in a death grip. PCs who played through Undeath Metal
recognize the collar as one of a similar design to those used by
Makar Iokav.
In the middle of the night, Chenkov was kidnapped from his
estate in Korsk by Garrow’s assassins. Chenkov proudly notes
that he killed two of their number in the battle, but his home
was too far from the order’s stronghold, the Strikoya, for help
to arrive in time. He was unconscious for most of the journey
to Abrosim’s headquarters, but when he was finally allowed to
regain his senses, he was chained at Abrosim’s feet. For hours,
Abrosim railed against the Covenant, his madness evident in
how he ricocheted between topics—his betrayal by the Greylords,
his extensive research into immortality, his plans for a devoted
army to help him conquer Immoren, his demand that Chenkov
Game Master Note
If the PCs choose to attack Chenkov to either kill him or
take him prisoner, he manages the strength to cast one
last Frostbite spell (ARC 6, SP 8, POW 12, with boosted
attack and damage rolls on up to two targets) before
dying from bleeding caused from strain reopening his
wounds. He is weak and incapable of even moving without
assistance. He does not share any of the information about
his kidnapping or escape if he suspects the PCs are hostile,
and he dies if the PCs attempt to violently interrogate him.
acknowledge Abrosim’s superiority and that Chenkov apologize
for his role in the Greylord’s failed attempt to execute Abrosim.
Chenkov cooperated as long as necessary, but when Abrosim
produced a mechanikal collar with a specially engraved rune
plate to bind the Koldun lord by suppressing his magic abilities,
Chenkov struck back. Between his occult skills and his extensive
battlefield experience, he was able to maim Abrosim, grabbing a
dagger from a nearby guard and severing three of the madman’s
fingers on one hand. Abrosim retaliated with a spell, pressing his
injured hand into Chenkov’s face, freezing and destroying the
flesh. Reeling, Chenkov barely escaped with his life, though he
retained enough sense to snatch the collar to bring with him.
Pursued by ravens wheeling in the dark sky all the way down the
mountain, Chenkov managed to evade Abrosim’s guard posts,
successfully cross a heavily guarded bridge spanning a gorge, and
reach the Grove of Wracks before Abrosim’s assassins caught him.
In the ensuing battle, the Koldun lord was shot multiple times and
forced to retreat into one of the caves. Rather than confront him
again, the assassins used their warjack to roll a boulder in front of
the cave, effectively trapping the Koldun lord within.
Chenkov is not physically capable of ascending the mountain to
confront Abrosim again, but if the PCs provide him with food,
bandages, medicine, or any other form of healing, he is capable
of escaping the Grove of Wracks on his own and is willing to give
them a rough outline of what lies ahead. It is his intention now
to inform the Greylords Covenant of Abrosim’s activities. He can
warn the PCs about the trio of guards stationed above the cliff
edge, he can tell them about the bridge spanning the river, and
how that bridge is maintained by guards who will only extend
it with a password (though during his escape, Chenkov himself
crossed the bridge using stealth tactics he doesn’t discuss), and
he can tell them how Abrosim has additional warjacks guarding
his headquarters. He speaks in generalities, and given his rapid
flight, is not able to provide a full account of what he saw.
Chenkov is reluctant to give up the collar—he explains how it is
empowered in such a way as to suppress the magic capabilities
of whoever it restrains while simultaneously giving the wearer
resistance to magic—because he feels the Greylords should see
what Abrosim is doing. If the PCs make it clear they do not serve
the former Greylord and tell Chenkov that they intend to destroy
Abrosim, he offers them the collar.
89
 Stone Cold

The Secret Passage Cave

There is a secret passage between the Grove of Wracks and the
bridge to Abrosim’s headquarters. It is a maze of caverns, many of
which have been dug out over time by a hive of dregg who lives
underground here. The PCs can negotiate the complex tunnel
system by making a successful Navigation roll against a target
number of 14 and following the passages that continue to ascend
gradually, which lead the PCs first to an encounter with a group
of crypt spiders and then finally to the exit.

If the PCs fail to make a successful Navigation roll, they enter one of
the many side passages. The following are options for where these
side passages lead the PCs. The Game Master is free to choose from
the list below or devise his own subterranean features.

• The PCs come to a dead end or cave-in and are forced to

backtrack.

• The PCs enter a side passage that ends in a drop-off to rough

rocks below and no other visible exit. If the PCs have no
light source, the leading PC must make an AGL + Jumping
roll against a target of 10 to avoid falling off the 30-foot drop
and suffering 3d6+10 damage. Climbing back up requires
the character to spend five minutes and make a Climbing
roll against a target number of 13.

• The PCs encounter a band of five dregg led by a raid master

in one of the side tunnels. The dregg are startled to encounter
the PCs and attack without provocation but retreat if they
are clearly outmatched. (See IKRPG Core Rules, pp. 341–342.)

• The PCs encounter a stagnant pool of deep water filling the path
ahead. If they wade through the water to the other side, one of
the PCs feels something rough and scaly slither along his leg.

To retrace their route back to the main path, the PCs must spend
fifteen minutes carefully backtracking. Once they return to the
main path the PCs may attempt another Navigation roll to reach
the juncture with the crypt spiders.

Crypt Spiders
At a fork in the caves—the left continuing to Abrosim’s
headquarters, the right leading to the catacombs of the dreggs—
two adult crypt spiders and nearly a hundred spiderlings have
formed a lair partway down the left cave. The walls and ceiling
are coated in webs, and the desiccated corpses of dreggs are
scattered across the floor in both caves, their bones cracked open
and the marrow devoured.

Game Master Note

The Game Master can add, subtract, or combine as many
of the optional side caves as he feels are needed to
maintain the pace of the adventure. Only the encounter
with the crypt spiders is necessary.

90
Notable among the corpses is that of a woman in metal armor,
apparently pinned by a rockslide in the first cave, clearly the
victim of the crypt spiders that took advantage of her helplessness
crypt spider
to finish her off and eat her bone marrow. A PC who searches her Skills:
body discovers 30 gc and a repeating pistol with only 2 bullets Name Stat + Rank total
left. She appears to have been dead only a few hours. Climbing AGL 2 7
Detection PER 1 4
The crypt spiders attack the PCs to drive them into the right cave,
Sneak AGL 2 7
away from their lair and toward the catacombs.
Creature Templates:
Spiderlings: The miniscule crypt spider young can cause havoc to Cagey, Juvenile, Large Specimen, Protector, Skittish
anyone they encounter. Despite not being full-grown, the swarm
of spiderlings are capable of producing minute amounts of acid
spit that will blister and burn on contact. PHYSIQUE PHY 5 Abilities:
SPEED SPD 7 This creature gains boosted
The spiderling swarm is represented in play by a 3˝ AOE. A Climbing rolls.
STRENGTH STR 4
character, other than a crypt spider, who ends his turn in the AOE
AGILITY AGL 5 Night Vision – This creature treats
suffers d3 points of corrosion damage from the spiderling’s acid darkness as dim light and dim light
spit. The AOE moves at the end of each turn; roll for deviation. PROWESS PRW 3 as bright light.
The swarm moves d3+1˝ in the determined direction. Any AOE or POISE POI 2 Recluse – This creature gains +2
spray attack automatically dissipates the spiderling swarm. INTELLECT INT 2 on Sneak skill rolls.
ARCANE ARC — Webs – This creature can travel
Creating Cryptospector PERCEPTION PER 3 across its own webs as fast as it
can move across flat ground. It
A PC can make an INT + Lore (Extraordinary zoology) roll against acid spit also can descend from above on
a target number of 15 to recall that a crypt spider’s brain can be rat Rng AOE POW strands of web.
distilled into a potion that briefly conveys the memories of the last 4 4 — 10
creature the spider consumed. Abilities: This weapon causes corrosion
damage, and a character hit by it suffers the
A PC who makes an Alchemy roll against a target number of 14 Corrosion continuous effect. This weapon
creates a dose of cryptospector potion, which allows anyone who can be used only once per hour.
drinks it to experience some of the memories of the dead woman bite
pinned by the rockslide. (For full rules on creating cryptospector, MAT POW P+S
see Monsternomicon, p. 23.) The dead woman’s memories provide 5 4 8
the following information:
INITIATIVE INIT 13
• Her name was Karminia, and she was a sentry at Fort DEFENSE DEF 15
Veknost, Abrosim’s headquarters. She was guarding a ARMOR ARM 11
prisoner—a Koldun lord who had been Abrosim’s mentor (Natural Armor +4)
among the Greylords—when the Koldun lord suddenly WILLPOWER WILL 7
lashed out, snatching her dagger and using it to wound VITALITY: 5
Abrosim, severing three of his fingers. Though Abrosim Command Range: 2
retaliated against his former mentor, the Koldun lord Base Size: medium
escaped with a mechanikal collar Abrosim had intended to
Encounter Points: 2
use to restrain him.

• She learned that Abrosim had sent Garrow and his assassins
to kill one of Abrosim’s lieutenants who was en route to the
fort. This is not the first time she’s heard of Abrosim killing
those who support him, and given her failure in allowing
the Koldun lord to escape, she elected to flee before Abrosim
decided to kill her.
• She had served as one of the handlers for a box that arrived
at the fort not long ago—it contained the corpse of one of
Abrosim’s lieutenants, Makar Iokav. Abrosim seemed
amused by Iokav’s death, and she remembers him saying,
“One life is a small price to pay to live forever.”

• She knew the secret passage from the fort to the Grove
of Wracks; the PCs can use this memory to maneuver the
rest of the route through the caves without making further
Navigation rolls.
• Karminia’s memories include an image of a bridge across a
snowy ravine with guard posts on either side. She knew the
pass phrase today to have the bridge lowered is “rebirth only
through death.”
Beyond the crypt spiders and the spiderlings, the caves continue to
climb and periodically fork. If the PCs use Karminia’s memories to
reach the surface again, they make no additional rolls. Otherwise,
they must make another Navigation roll against a target number
of 14 to reach the surface. They emerge at the beginning of Scene
3: The Bridge.

91
 Stone Cold
What’s in the Box?!
The conditions of Makar Iokav’s remains depend greatly
on how the PCs dealt with him in Act of Murder. Feel
free to adjust the contents (and size) of the box to suit the
needs of your story. Makar may have been disinterred and
returned to Abrosim whole, or just his bird-pecked skull
returned in a small container. All that matters is Abrosim
receives a piece of his former lieutenant.
SCENE 2B:
The Pass
COMBAT
Beyond the Grove of Wracks is a twisting, turning path that
begins to rapidly ascend into a darkening sky. The weather turns
colder, and the thunderstorms give way to freezing rain that
makes the rocky way slippery. The PCs see man-sized shapes of
hunched dregg following behind them, moving in the shadows
and among the boulders, but the shapes retreat before stepping
into the light.
The Path
The path is about 18 feet across, wide enough for a heavy steamjack
or two men to walk abreast, but as it climbs higher, it falls away to
a deep gorge on one side, and as the wind picks up, walking too
close to the edge may be fatal. If a character within six feet (1˝) of
the edge is knocked down, knocked out, or made stationary while
on the path, he may fall over the side unless a companion can
save him. Another character within 12 feet (2˝) may immediately
attempt a Prowess roll against a target number of 10 to grab the
character before he pitches over the side, falling hundreds of feet
to the rocks below. Characters who tie themselves together or
make use of climbing gear do not need to worry about falling; the
rope arrests their fall.
At length the PCs reach the base of a steep grade in the pass,
where the mountain forms a wall on one side and a deep fall-off
on the other.
As the PCs reach the base of the pass, read or paraphrase the
following:
The rain has begun to freeze, leaving everything around you covered in
a coat of thin ice. Progress is slow, and as the skies grow dark overhead,
shadows in the pass begin to take on a menacing presence.
The path has become steep as you travel north, with a rock wall rising
above you on your left side and plummeting into blackness on your right.
You cannot see very far up the cliff face or over its edge. At length, you
reach a place where the incline would be challenging under the best of
circumstances. With the freezing rain, it looks especially treacherous—
and there seems to be movement at the top of the slope.
92
Terrain
The pass has the following terrain features:
Treacherous Path: After Garrow and his other assassins move past
here, Davon Barlett remains behind to watch for the PCs. If they
begin to ascend the path, Barlett rolls a barrel of oil to the top of
the path and takes his gun axe to it, drenching the pass in oil. The
length of the oil-slick pass is 90 feet from where the incline begins
to where the path levels out once more. The freezing rain and oily
ground make for a treacherous surface, and the PCs must move
cautiously to avoid slipping or falling off the edge. At the top, the
path forks. To the left, it doubles back on itself to a secondary path
that switches back above the main pass. Three guards are posted
on this switchback, 60 feet directly overhead. The second fork, to
the right, continues on toward Abrosim’s headquarters.
From the base of the incline, the PCs can attempt to climb the face
of the cliff on the left in order to reach the guard’s post above.
Each PC who attempts this must make a Climbing roll against a
target number of 14. If the roll fails, the PC falls back to the pass
and is knocked down.
Weather Effects
The freezing rains impact combat on the mountain pass
as follows:
• Strong Winds – The strong winds continue unabated
(p. 84).
• Freezing Rain – Freezing rain turns surfaces slick with a
slushy sheet of water and ice. A character moving over his
base SPD must make an AGL roll against a target of 12. If
the roll fails, he stops moving at a distance equal to his
base SPD and is knocked down.
• Freezing rain imposes a PHY penalty like heavy rain, but
the penalty increases to –2.
Tactics
Davon Barlett and the guards are waiting for the PCs. The rest
of Garrow’s band have proceeded on to set up an ambush closer
to Fort Veknost (see Scene 4: The Ambush in the Ravine) in the
event the PCs succeed in continuing to approach.
If the PCs attempt to continue up the oil-slicked incline, the
guards stationed above open fire from the railing outside their
guardhouse not long after the PCs begin to come up the path. If
the PCs reach the halfway point of the incline, Barlett lights an
alchemical flare and goes to the fork at the top of the pass to set fire
to the oil. Barlett is clearly visible to the PCs, despite the weather,
due to the flare he brandishes. If the PCs do not successfully injure
him after two rounds, he sets fire to the oil that flows the length
of the incline. The fire spreads downhill rapidly over the ice, and
reaches the PCs in one round unless they retreat back down the
path. A PC who starts his turn in the fire suffers a POW 12 fire
damage roll. The oil burns out in three rounds. Smoke from the
burning oil causes a dark cloud that obscures vision, granting
concealment to characters on the path.
If the PCs successfully reach the top of the incline, the three guards,
armed with rifles and axes, come down to confront them on the
main pass. They do not surrender and they do not retreat. Davon
Barlett leaves the PCs to the guards, though he seems reluctant
to abandon the fight. Unless the PCs are able to attack him first,
Barlett retreats to the ravine where the ambush will take place.
Guards of
Fort Veknost
The guards of Abrosim’s headquarters are outfitted with armor
more commonly found on Khadoran Winter Guard, but the
soldiers in Abrosim’s employ wear armor adjusted to suite their
master’s preferences. They are brutal servants, though their
loyalty is, when they are under extreme duress, questionable.

Skills:
Name Stat + Rank total
Rifle POI 2 6
Guard Captains Hand Weapon PRW
Detection PER 4
1 5
6
Abrosim has a handful of trusted warriors in command of Survival PER 1 5
the groups of guards watching over the passage to Veknost. Sneak AGL 1 5
A single captain leads each group of guards. These guard
captains have the stats of a standard Guard of Fort Veknost,
with +1 PRW, +1 POI, and Command 2. If the guards are PHYSIQUE PHY 6 Abilities:
confronted with terrifying entities or intimidated by the PCs, SPEED SPD 6 Dual Shot – The character can
the captains attempt to steady the guard’s nerves (IKRPG forfeit his movement during his
STRENGTH STR 5
Core Rules, p. 176). turn to make one additional ranged
AGILITY AGL 4 attack with a pistol or rifle.
PROWESS PRW 4 Marksman – The character can use
POISE POI 4 quick actions and aim in the same
round, but still has to forfeit his
INTELLECT INT 3
movement to gain the aiming bonus.
Aftermath ARCANE ARC —
Winter Guard Armor – The
PERCEPTION PER 4 character gains +3 ARM against
If any of the three men are taken alive, they will not divulge cold damage.
information about Abrosim or his activities. The only useful military rifle
information they possess is that a sizable drawbridge lies ahead rat Rng AOE POW
6 10 — 11
on the path to the headquarters and that this bridge is guarded.
Abilities: This weapon requires two hands.
In order to have the bridge lowered, every guard must know the
password that changes daily, and today’s password is “rebirth.” axe
They also know that Garrow and his assassins passed this way not MAT POW P+S
long ago en route back to the headquarters. 5 3 8

INITIATIVE INIT 14
Guard Post
DEFENSE DEF 12
The guard post is a simple wooden structure with windows that (Infantry Armor -2)
overlook the pass on three sides. It has a fireplace against the ARMOR ARM 13
mountainside wall, a half-dozen chairs, a desk, and a gun rack Infantry Armor +7)
for rifles. WILLPOWER WILL 10
vitality: 10
If the PCs do not obtain the password from any of the guards, the
desk in the guard post contains a daily log with a record of the Command Range: 4
passwords: “eternal,” “reborn,” “undeath,” and “eternity,” along Base Size: small
with a host of similar words. The most current entry is for today: Encounter Points: 6
“rebirth.” The PCs find this log if they perform anything more Equipment:
than a cursory search of the post. The guard post also has a pair of
Axe, flares (x2), military rifle, winter guard
guard’s cloaks and two additional rifles with 6 bullets each, as well infantry armor, blasting powder and bullets
as miscellaneous personal items of the guards stationed here. for fifteen shots, 15 gc

The PCs can use the cloaks and helmets as disguises to approach
the bridge, especially if they possess the password to have the
bridge lowered for them. Using the clothing of a dead guard
may raise suspicion, depending on its condition. Bloodstained
clothing, or those perforated by bullets, provides no benefit to
Disguise rolls. Undamaged items provide the normal +2 bonus
to Disguise rolls.

93
 Stone Cold

SCENE 3: The be lowered independently of the other, though each side signals
the other via lanterns to have the entire bridge lowered at once.

Bridge
COMBAT
The paths from both the underground secret passage (Scene 2A)
and the mountain pass (Scene 2B) emerge onto a trail that cuts
across a wide rocky plain with mountains on all sides. Snow
showers obscure the details, but in the distance, a bridge with
towers on either side of a wide ravine is visible through the haze
of white.
Weather Effects
The snow showers impact combat at the bridge as follows:
Snowstorm – The falling snow obscures long-distance
vision. Characters and objects more than thirty feet (5˝)
away are treated as if they were in dim light. Characters
and objects more than sixty feet (10˝) away are treated
as if they were in complete darkness.
If the PCs approach the tower disguised as guards, each guard
makes a PER + Detection roll against the target number set when
the PCs donned the disguise. In the case of multiple disguised
PCs, roll against the lowest target number. If the guards see
through one of the PCs disguises, the entire party is exposed,
and the guards open fire. If the guards fail to spot the disguise,
a single guard approaches the PCs on the path to ask for the
password. If the PCs provide the correct password (“rebirth”),
the guard returns to the watchtower to have the drawbridge
lowered so the PCs can cross. If the PCs provide the incorrect
password or no password at all, the guard becomes clearly
suspicious and agrees to let them pass before retreating to the
watchtower to alert the other guards to the PCs’ deception, at
which point the guards attack.
Tactics
The guards on the near side of the bridge, when alerted to the
threat of the PCs, fight to protect the bridge controls. Taking
cover near the stairway to prevent PCs from reaching the upper
level, the guards shoot at any character who advances toward the
bridge or tower. The guards retreat up the stairs to the upper level
after the first round of combat, keeping watch over the stairs and
using the elevated position for a tactical advantage.

As the PCs cross the rocky plain, read or paraphrase the

following:

Snow showers swirl around you, making it difficult to see and travel
slow going as you cross a boulder-strewn valley. Yet in the distance you
can just make out a watchtower on the edge of a wide gorge, a large
lantern on its upper floor lit like a beacon. The gorge runs east and west
across your path with no clear indication of anywhere it can be crossed.
Beyond the tower you can barely see a second light source.

The snow camouflages the PCs’ approach to the drawbridge; once

they are within sixty feet of the watchtower, however, five guards
in and around it see them. If the PCs are not disguised in some
manner, the guards give them one chance to identify themselves
before opening fire. One guard is high in the watchtower on a
control floor, the other four are at its base.

Five guards occupy the watchtower on the other side of the river,
but the snow prevents them from observing most activity on this
side. They are able to see the signal lantern and hear gunfire.
Among them is Antone Pytorevich, Garrow’s rifleman.

The watchtower is comprised of a series of interlocking metal

crossbeams, making it possible to climb its sides. A single ladder
leads to the upper level. The mechanisms to raise and lower
the bridge are housed on the ground floor. The drawbridge is
fifteen feet wide and thirty feet long on each side of the river;
when each side is lowered, they rest between two steel railings
that extend halfway across the sixty-foot wide river (which is
roughly ninety feet below). Rising out of the middle of the river
is a braced steel support frame that provides the midpoint trestle
for the railings from both sides. One side of the drawbridge can

94
When alerted, the guards on the far side of the bridge use
straightforward tactics. They attempt to shoot any PCs they can
see while keeping to whatever cover is available. The guards
prioritize attacks on PCs attempting to cross the bridge, hoping to
drop them into the river below.
When only one of the guards is left, he falls back, firing as he
retreats, to warn Abrosim that the PCs are drawing near.
If the PCs successfully deceive the guards on the near side to lower
the bridge, the guards on the far side are also deceived, with the
exception of Pytorevich. Having just fought the PCs, he is on alert
and recognizes them despite disguises. As they cross the bridge
otherwise uncontested, he walks out alone to confront them.
Pytorevich is arrogant and cocky (see his character, p. 87) and
is prepared to engage in a gunfight with the PCs, one-on-one or
himself against them all. Confused by his tactics, the guards he
was waiting with do not react unless the rifleman is killed. If the
PCs kill Pytorevich, the guards can make a second Detection roll
to see through the PCs’ disguises. If the roll succeeds, the guards
attack. If the roll fails, however, the guards express disbelief at the
rifleman’s behavior. They claim all of Abrosim’s lieutenants have
been acting strangely, borderline insane, and they tell the PCs they
will dispose of (or recover) Pytorevich’s body saying, “Abrosim
won’t be done with him yet.”
Pytorevich does not retreat and does not surrender, and the PCs
can only get past him by killing him. He will not be taken prisoner,
going so far as to jump to his presumed death from the bridge
before allowing himself to fall to the PCs.
Terrain
Bridge: Each half of the bridge is lowered by a series of levers
and steam-activated pulleys operated by a guard on a floor thirty
feet above the bridge engine. The floor is accessible by a ladder
on the outside of the watchtower and is secured at the top; the
ladder can be disconnected and pushed away only from the
floor above. The steam engine itself is open and accessible on the
watchtower’s first floor. A chain across it and danger sign warn
of the risks in getting too close to the turning gears and periodic
blasts of expelled steam. When it is operating, it is so loud that the
guards in the watchtower on the far side can hear it run.
If the PCs have to lower the drawbridge themselves, it can only
be done from the watchtower’s upper floor. Lowering the bridge
is done with a series of levers, but they only lower the bridge
of this side of the river. In order for the PCs to have the second
half lowered, they need to use the lantern to signal the far side’s
guards to cooperate. Any gunfire on this side of the river deters
the far side’s guards from lowering their half of the bridge.
Gears: Massive exposed gears drive the action of the bridge,
presenting a hazard to anyone caught within them. A character
who falls or is pushed into the gears must make an AGL roll
against a target of 12 to avoid being caught in the gears. A
character caught in the gears suffers a POW 14 damage roll
each round until freed by a character not caught in the gears (a
character caught in the gears has no leverage to free himself).
Freeing someone caught in the machinery requires a full action
and a STR roll.
Icy River: If a PC falls from the bridge, the river below is ice-cold.
It’s deep enough for someone to plunge into it, but it is moving
fast enough down through the mountains to make drowning a
strong possibility. A PC who falls must make an AGL roll against
a target number of 13 to land safely in the water; otherwise, that
PC suffers a damage roll of 3d6 + 10 from the fall (normal falling
damage is reduced by impact with water). A PC who survives the
fall must make a Swimming roll of 9 or higher to reach the surface
again. Anyone falling in the water is carried downriver to a small
dock where four more guards are stationed. This brings the PC
back to the base of the trail that ascends to the blocked entrance to
the Grove of Wracks.
A PC killed by the fall or who drowns in the river is recovered by
the guards at the docks. His body is transported to Fort Veknost
and delivered to Abrosim, if possible.
Trestle Railings: A PC may attempt to cross the river by
walking across one of the railings that supports the lowered
drawbridge. A PC who attempts to walk across a railing must
make an Agility roll against a target number of 12 for each 6˝ of
railing he attempts to cross. If the roll succeeds, the character
can advance his SPD, up to 6˝. PCs crossing the railing are
unable to maneuver and vulnerable to attack. While on the
railing a character suffers –4 DEF.
Aftermath
If the PCs cross the bridge using the password, the guards on the
far side pay little attention to them until they engage Pytorevich.
If the PCs engage in any gun battles with the guards at the
watchtower on the near side, however, the guards on the far side
are alerted by the sound of combat. If the PCs manage to eliminate
the guards at the watchtower silently, the other guards are not
aware of any threat as the PCs lower the bridge and come across.
SCENE 4:
The Ambush
in the Ravine
COMBAT
Once across the bridge, the PCs can follow the path to Abrosim’s
headquarters. It is a wide path that climbs between two jutting
crags covered in a layer of snow. As the path rises, the weather
turns worse—the wind picks up and the snow becomes thicker.
By the time the PCs reach the ravine, the snow showers have
turned into a blizzard with whiteout conditions, restricting
vision so much that it becomes impossible to see the sides of
the ravine.
As the PCs enter the ravine, read or paraphrase the following:
As you leave the bridge behind and climb higher along the trail into the
mountains, closing in on Abrosim’s headquarters, the weather takes a
turn for the worse. The sky darkens, and the snow blows so hard you can
barely see more than a few feet in front of you. The crags on both sides
offer no protection as you move into a rocky ravine, where rockslides and
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 Stone Cold
boulders provide some relief from the howling wind. The icy footing is
treacherous; pitfalls are impossible to see, though the periodic green eyes
that flit by in the sky are easy enough to spot.
The ravine is littered with boulders and mounds of rocks that
have fallen from the crags on both sides. It is of similar dimensions
and layout to the Grove of Wracks. Along the north side of the
ravine (to the PCs’ left as they enter the area) is a nine-foot wide,
eighteen-foot deep crevasse hidden in the blizzard. It runs the
length of the ravine and presents a hazard to any character who
falls into it (2d6 + 10 damage).
At the eastern end of the ravine, the path to Abrosim’s
headquarters continues, turning sharply and climbing quickly
through the rocks. The whiteout conditions make the head to the
path impossible to see until a PC is within seventy-two feet (12˝)
of it. When the PCs enter the ravine, this exit is blocked by Vapor,
the warcaster Garrow’s Mule.
Overhead in the raging blizzard, Abrosim’s green-eyed undead
crows appear and disappear on the wind. They ominously swoop
over the ravine, surveying what unfolds below, but none of them
approaches the PCs as a threat. Abrosim simply wishes to see
what transpires between the ’jack and the PCs.
Now that it’s dark, dreggs from the caverns that riddle the hills and
mountains roam the countryside, looking for victims to eat. Five of
them led by a raid master have zeroed in on the ravine, attracted
by the presence of Garrow’s assassins, who have hunkered down
here to ambush the PCs should they attempt to approach Abrosim’s
fort. The dreggs have not found anyone yet, but the sounds of
combat—explosions, gunfire, or similar loud noises—will draw
their attention. If the dreggs become aware of a potential victim,
they arrive in d3+1 turns to join the battle. The dreggs will attack
both PCs and Garrow’s squad, particularly isolated individuals or
those who are injured or unable to get away.
Garrow, his warjack Vapor, the trollkin ranger Gerrok Scarmaker,
the bounty hunter Rina Zavor, and, if he successfully retreated,
the man-at-arms Davon Barlett are waiting here. While Vapor
blocks the ravine’s exit, Garrow commands the warjack to open
fire on the PCs when they have crossed about half of the ravine. At
the same time, the rest of his squad emerge from hiding and open
fire or, if necessary, charge and attack in hand-to-hand combat.
Scarmaker counter-charges any PC who approaches. Any PC
who fights him can sense a cavalier attitude about the fight (see
Scarmaker’s character, p. 88).
Tactics
Once the assassins spring their ambush, they move to eliminate the
PCs. They attempt to isolate individuals from their companions
and gang up on them, hoping to finish characters off as quickly
as possible. The warjack Vapor targets the most heavily armored
PC with ranged fire, not moving from its position to block egress
from the ravine. As soon as the combat begins, the bounty hunter
Rina Zavor escapes the ravine, fleeing past Vapor and up the
mountain toward Fort Veknost.
Any time Vapor fires its steam lobber, the explosion causes a
massive eruption of snow, leaving deep gouges in the battlefield.
The AOE from each steam lobber shot remains in place after
96
Weather Effects
The blizzard (with whiteout conditions) impacts combat in
the ravine as follows:
Biting Cold – A frigid wind blows through the ravine, which
causes damage to characters without the appropriate
attire. A character not wearing heavy clothing like furs,
a greatcoat, or winter guard armor suffers a POW 6 cold
damage roll at the end of each turn.
Strong Winds – The strong winds from Scene 1 continue.
Whiteout – All characters gain concealment, and characters
beyond sixty feet (10˝) are treated as if they have stealth.
resolving the shot’s effects. AOEs left on the battlefield are rough
terrain that provides concealment. If Vapor is engaged in melee,
it head-butts characters and follows up with attacks from its
battle mace, trying to keep any PC from traveling past it and
onto the path. Any PC who engages Vapor can make a Detection
roll against a target number of 14 to perceive that the warjack
has been set with alchemical explosives that make it a potential
walking bomb.
If both Garrow and Vapor are defeated, any surviving members
of the squad retreat down the mountain, away from Abrosim’s
headquarters and the fight with the PCs.
While the fight rages between Garrow’s squad, the PCs, and
possibly the dreggs, the PC furthest removed from the rest of
the battle or the most isolated PC encounters a shadow in the
blizzard: Vladislav Abrosim.
Abrosim is a hawk-faced man with sharp features. He has thin,
bloodless lips, a tightly shaven grey beard and mustache, dull
green eyes, and wears a black hood over his dark grey hair.
The backs of his hands are covered in tattoos, prison brands
from his time in Khadoran captivity. He is thin but muscular,
and he wears dark, fur-lined clothing similar to the attire of the
Greylords.
When Abrosim approaches the PC, read or paraphrase the
following:
You hear the flutter of wings in the wind, and are suddenly unable to
move—your body is numb as if frozen in place. Runes of power circle
around your wrists, ankles, and throat like fetters, constricting and
spreading cold through your flesh. Unable to cry out to your companions,
you see a shadow emerge from the storm. A thin but muscular man in a
billowing cloak, the wind whipping it to make him look like a black crow
in the white storm, smiles wickedly as he leans close to you. He whispers
but his voice is still powerful.
“I come to make you welcome,” he hisses. “Since you refuse to go away,
I want to give you a reason to keep coming.”

Game Master Note
Abrosim has taken temporary control of the PC’s body to
prevent the character from moving or calling out for help.
He is careful to avoid detection by any other character. If
the PC is currently wearing the collar Chenkov had, Abrosim
attempts to cast the spell and scowls when it does not work,
vanishing back into the blizzard without a trace.
If the PC has an opportunity to break free of Abrosim’s
control long enough, take a single action before Abrosim
retreats. Breaking free of Abrosim’s spell requires a
contested Willpower roll. Abrosim’s Willpower is 14, and
he has a boosted roll.
If Abrosim wins, the PC remains temporarily trapped by
Abrosim’s spell; proceed to the next read-aloud. If the
PC wins, that character overcomes Abrosim’s attempt to
control him and has time for a single action before the
Greylord vanishes: call for allies, attack Abrosim, etc. If
the PC is successful in breaking Abrosim’s grip, read the
second read-aloud.
If Abrosim wins the contested Willpower roll, read or
paraphrase the following:
Abrosim holds up his mutilated hand before your eyes—only the
forefinger and the thumb appear normal. The other three are stubby
growths, almost inhuman, scarred at their bases. They are fingers
growing back from where they were hacked off.
The man displays a long, narrow knife, but only for a moment—an
instant later, he lowers it and cuts your pinky finger from your body. It
doesn’t matter that you are frozen—you can feel the pain.
The man holds up your severed finger. “Come and get it back. I’ll be
waiting for you.”
If the PC is held by Abrosim’s spell, once Abrosim vanishes, the
spell is broken, dropping the PC to the ground. The loss of the
finger results in 1 point of damage to the PC, but it has no other
repercussions.
If the PC wins the contested Willpower roll OR after the above
read-aloud has been read, read or paraphrase the following:
The storm seems to gather strength as Abrosim quickly steps back into the
raging blizzard. In a moment he is gone, as if he had never been there at all.
Terrain
The encounter includes the following terrain features:
Boulders: The boulders and mounds of rocks provide solid cover.
Snowscape: The ground is covered in a blanket of snow just over
a foot thick. A character who goes prone gains an additional +1
DEF against ranged attacks. Characters wearing light-colored
clothing gain +2 to Sneak rolls.
Aftermath
If the PCs drive off or otherwise defeat Garrow and his
assassins, the storm continues to rage. PCs who search the area
where Garrow and his assassins were lying in wait can make a
Detection roll to discover items dropped by fallen members of
the assassination squad or left behind as they fled the battle. A
PC who searches the battlefield can find Garrow’s mechanikal
blade Throatcutter, Antone’s Radcliffe Carbine, and the more
common weapons and gear carried by any other assassins who
participated in the ambush.
The PCs may elect to take this opportunity to recover from the
combat or to wait out the weather. If they choose to wait out the
storm, the path beyond becomes visible as the blizzard turns to a
light snowfall—from the ravine, they can just make out the top of
a pair of gates farther up the mountains.
If they choose to move on immediately after the battle, traveling
along the path out of the ravine is slow-going due to the weather
and the darkness. If they wait, they can see farther up the pass with
the shift in the weather. Either way, the path twists in an S shape
to the next plateau a hundred yards farther up the mountain: the
gates to Abrosim’s fort. The PCs can’t see what lies beyond them
as they approach, but the word “VEKNOST” is carved across the
top of the two gates.
Chained by her wrists with her back to the gates is an a woman—
Rina Zavor, the bounty hunter from Garrow’s band of assassins.
While she still wears her armor, her weapons have been stripped
from her and cast aside nearby. When the PCs enter the barren
canyon, she begins to call to them.
“Help me,” she shouts, “and I’ll help you. I can get you to
Abrosim. But you have to hurry. I’ll be dead in moments, now
that you’ve arrived.”
As she shouts, the PCs can just make out green-eyed crows along
the top of the gateway and the stone walls around it. Then, with
a horrible grinding sound, a mechanism behind the gate comes to
life, slowly opening the two massive doors the bounty hunter is
chained across.
CONCLUSION
At this point, the PCs may need an opportunity to recover from
their experiences reaching Veknost. Until they reach the gates
and cross the bridge into Abrosim’s lair, no one approaches and
nothing drives them on. The snow falls steadily; time seems to
stop. If necessary, the PCs can pause here or just outside the gates
long enough to rest without impacting the pace of the adventure.
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 The Death and Life of Vladislav Abrosim

Part 6: The Death and Life

of Vladislav Abrosim
The Death and Life of Vladislav Abrosim is designed for 3–5
Hero-level characters between 16 and 20 XP each. It takes place in
Veknost, the mountain fortress of the former Greylord.
Scenario Synopsis
In The Death and Life of Vladislav Abrosim, the PCs work
their way through the former Greylord’s headquarters to a
final confrontation with him before he can achieve his goal of
immortality. But all is not as it might seem—though the PCs battle
his resurrected lieutenants along the way, Abrosim may, in fact,
need the PCs in order to fulfill his evil plan.
For the Game Master
Abrosim has spent a great deal of time building up to this moment;
his experiments have brought him to the brink of success. His
once-trusted lieutenants have served as test subjects for his
process, and though the act of rebirth has been twisted during the
resurrection of some of his lieutenants, he believes his own death
will result in a restoration that will make him virtually invincible.
He knows many of his own people have conspired against
him—some of whom even now roam the halls of his fortress—
so he can rely on none of them to deal the “death” blow that
will unlock his immortality. He suspects some of his followers
are even trying to stop the PCs from reaching him not to
protect him but to protect themselves from Abrosim should
he achieve his goal. So instead, he has baited the PCs into
doing what he requires: grant him temporary death…and
eternal life.
Getting the Players Involved
The PCs have reached the gates of Abrosim’s lair, where they
find one of his assassins, the bounty hunter Rina Zavor, bound
and awaiting death. If the PCs hesitate in approaching her or
otherwise pause from quickly entering the fort Veknost, she
urges them to action—she knows Abrosim is dangerously close
to achieving immortality, and she cries out to them about the
extremely limited time left to stop the mad former Greylord.

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SCENE 1: Reaching
Veknost
INVESTIGATIVE
The Canyon Entry Gates
The path from the ravine ends in a barren circular canyon. A pair
of tall stone gates is set in the natural rock wall; the gates are
closed tight. The PCs can’t see what lies beyond them, but the
word “VEKNOST” is carved across the top.
Chained by her wrists with her back to the gates is a woman—Rina
Zavor, the bounty hunter from Garrow’s band of assassins. Her
weapons have been stripped from her and cast aside nearby. When
the PCs enter the barren canyon, she begins to shout at them for help.
As the PCs enter the canyon, read or paraphrase the following:
The closed canyon you enter is little more than a circle of rock all around
you except for the pair of stone gates on the far side, rising nearly fifteen
feet to the top of the canyon wall. The name “Veknost” is inscribed into
the rock atop the gates. A woman is chained in the middle of these gates—
the woman from Abrosim’s squad of assassins. She clearly abandoned the
ambush in the ravine. She looks up as you arrive.
Tied around her throat is a cloth with a single word scrawled in red:
coward. The chains bind both of her wrists, securing her with her arms
outstretched across the seam between the gates. Her weapons have been
tossed at her feet.
“He’s waiting for you,” the woman calls to you, “just like he was waiting
for me. None of us were supposed to escape that ravine alive. Help me,
and I will help you.”
As the woman shouts, the gates begin to slowly open outward.
The gates open slowly, giving the PCs time to decide whether to
help the chained woman. Powered by a steam engine behind the
gate, the doors will slowly but inexorably rip her apart as they open.
If the PCs choose not to help Rina: If the PCs fail to rescue Rina,
she is mortally wounded when the gates open. One of her arms is
torn off and she is likely to die hanging by her remaining arm. (See
“Lost Limb” on the Injury Table, IKRPG Core Rules, p. 217.) Before her
death, she warns them of the urgency of reaching Abrosim before he
completes his work—which could be within the hour. She tells the
PCs about the well (see “The Well” in Scene 2) in the fort’s courtyard,
down which they can sneak into Fort Veknost. She gives them no
details beyond “there’s a hidden way in at the bottom of the well.”
The PCs can stabilize the gravely wounded Rina by making a
Medicine roll against a target of 14, but the trauma of her injury
leaves her incoherent and incapable of providing them with any
more information or assistance.
If the PCs choose to help Rina: If the PCs elect to rescue Rina,
they must free her from the chains within three turns. A PC who
makes a successful Lock Picking roll against a target number of 14
can free one of her wrists. The chains are ARM 14 with 10 damage
boxes; the chains can also be broken with a successful STR roll
against a target number of 16.
The PCs can also wait until the end of the second turn to slip
through the gates to reach the engine powering them. A PC can
shut off the engine at the last moment by making a successful
Mechanikal Engineering roll against a target number of 10. There
is only enough time to attempt this once.
Rina has a wealth of information about Abrosim. She and the
trollkin Scarmaker discovered the watery passage several days
ago while privately discussing their plans to flee from Veknost and
Abrosim. She planned to use it returning to Veknost to retrieve the
gold she’d been paid by Abrosim, with the intent to sneak in and
back out, but Abrosim’s guards were waiting for her. The guards
bound her to the gate as a warning to the rest of Garrow’s group
and to the PCs.
If the PCs allow Rina to accompany them, she is able to lead
them past guards and certain other obstacles within Veknost to
the temple antechamber’s balcony (see p. 104). She knows the
following information, which she reveals in bits as she comes to
trust the PCs:
• The clock is ticking. Abrosim expected to be ready for his
final act to achieve immortality by the time Garrow’s band
returned to Veknost. She believes the PCs have less than an
hour to stop him.
• The men protecting Abrosim are a group of fanatics
the Greylord convinced to follow him on his path to
immortality. He groomed them during his time in the
Covenant and summoned them after his failed execution.
Some still believe in Abrosim, but the faith of many is
beginning to falter. They have witnessed their master
methodically dismantle the upper echelon of his operation,
and some suspect they are next.
• Garrow the warcaster had a private meeting with Abrosim
before they went to the Grove of Wracks and was given a
specific directive to follow upon their return to Veknost. Rina
does not know the details of that directive. Garrow, however,
became obsessed with defeating the PCs and apparently
disobeyed his orders by lying in wait for them at the ravine
instead of returning to Veknost after their failure at the Grove
of Wracks.
• She and the others were hired to assassinate lieutenants
serving Abrosim, but the first leader of the group wasn’t
Garrow—Garrow was, in fact, the group’s first target.
They killed him. She saw him die. His reappearance and
assumption of leadership over the trollkin Scarmaker was
never explained, leaving them all both intimidated and
terrified. Garrow seemed wrong in some fundamental way.
• A Koldun lord named Chenkov, whom Garrow’s group
kidnapped from Korsk at Abrosim’s command, escaped from
Veknost. The assassins pursued him, but he was a formidable
opponent, so they settled for trapping him in a cave in the
Grove of Wracks. They waited there to be sure the Koldun
lord didn’t emerge and for one of Abrosim’s lieutenants,
Rostisfenko, to show up for a rendezvous.
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 The Death and Life of Vladislav Abrosim
• Abrosim had warned the assassins: “Rostisfenko will likely
not be the only one who shows up for this rendezvous. Olivia
Morado will not be in attendance, but her killers will be.”
• Based on what she has seen and done for Abrosim to date,
Rina thinks Abrosim is capable of certain acts of necromancy.
She believes Garrow’s erratic behavior and defiance might be
the result of whatever Abrosim did to him to bring him back
from the dead.
• Rina believes the objective was not to kill the PCs but rather
to antagonize them into coming to Veknost. She now suspects
that Abrosim actually wants a confrontation with them, but
she doesn’t know why.
Game Master Note
It is likely Rina Zavor will not survive beyond the temple
antechamber’s balcony, but her demise while leading
the PCs to that location is functional for the adventure’s
purposes. The information she has should be shared in bits
and pieces as the PCs move into Veknost as encouragement
to protect her until the balcony scene. If she dies prior to
sharing all this information, it will not impact the pace of
the adventure, but the PCs might lack certain details that
explain some of what is transpiring. If so, others the PCs
encounter in the fort (some of Abrosim’s guards or Olivia
Morado, for example) can possess undiscovered pieces of
information as appropriate.
The Bridge
Beyond the gates lies a short stone bridge approximately 60 feet
long and 18 feet wide, covered in snow, which ends at a secondary
gateway with a half-lowered portcullis. The bridge is lined by a
waist-high parapet on both sides with a pedestrian refuge—a
small section surrounded by parapet that juts off the side of the
bridge, wide enough for two men to stand next to each other—on
each side at the midpoint. These refuges can offer solid cover from
gunfire originating along the walls of the fort itself. A handful of
guards hidden behind the walls watch the bridge, waiting for an
opportunity to strike.
The bridge crosses a deep, rocky canyon. The boulder-strewn
gulley is 30 feet below, also blanketed in snow. A PC who falls off
the bridge suffers 3d6 + 10 damage and can attempt to climb out
of the gulley and onto the bridge again by spending 10 minutes
climbing and making a Climbing roll against a target number of
13. If the roll fails, the character can try again with another 10
minutes of effort.
Several sets of tracks across the bridge show in the snow, left by
Abrosim and his personal guards as he returned from the ambush
in the ravine and Rina at the gate. The gateway leads into a drab
stone tunnel that would look abandoned if not for the single
lantern beyond the portcullis.
100
PCs who examine the fort before crossing can spot cannons
hidden along the walls, but no one seems to man them. There are
also gun slots from which snipers could fire, but it isn’t possible to
see if anyone waits behind them. Undead crows, eyes smoldering
with green light, line the top of the gateway, silently watching the
PCs from a distance.
Bridge Attack
If the PCs try to cross the bridge, Abrosim’s soldiers wait for them
to make it about halfway across before opening fire.
As the PCs cross the bridge, read or paraphrase the following:
Other than the shrill wind blowing across the bridge and the occasional
echoing call of a crow, all is quiet as you approach the gate. Then, from
beyond the wall a voice cries out to open fire. Shadows move within the
fort, and a cannon roars.
Hidden guards emerge to attack the PCs. The men watching
the gate are broken into two groups: sharpshooters and cannon
crews. The PCs remain under fire as long as they are on the bridge,
though they can benefit from cover in the pedestrian refuges on
either side. They remain under fire until they reach the gate, at
which point the shooters no longer have LOS.
Sharpshooters: These guards aim and fire from the gun slots in
the wall. They target characters in the open, choosing those closest
to the gate first. On their turn, the sharpshooters make d3+1
attacks or reload their weapons. The superior cover afforded by
the firing slots grant the sharpshooters +4 DEF against ranged and
magic attacks.
Cannon Crews: There are two teams of two men each operating
a pair of the cannons near the top of the wall. (Cannons use the
deck gun stats provided in Kings, Nations, and Gods, p. 309.)
The cannons focus fire on steamjacks and heavily armored
characters first. The cannons are slow to adjust and aim, so
the guards suffer –4 to hit characters that moved more than
24 feet (4˝) within the last round. Each cannon can shoot once
every other round, and the crews alternate to keep up a steady
rhythm of fire.
The Main Gate
If the PCs make it to the main gate with its half-lowered
portcullis, the sharpshooters and the cannon crews both retreat
from their ambush points to lie in wait for the PCs deeper inside
the fort.
SCENE 2: Entering
Abrosim’s Lair
EXPLORATION/COMBAT
Beyond the main gate in a bleak courtyard open to the sky is a
three-walled shed—a small, roofed wooden structure built around
a crumbling well. It is about three feet across, and a bucket tied
to a rope that runs through a pulley attached to a wooden beam
overhead lies beside the hole. The shed is off to one side, on the
left as the PCs enter the courtyard.

Undercover Bluffer
If the PCs took disguises from Abrosim’s mountain guards
(Stone Cold, p. 82), the hidden sharpshooters in the
courtyard do not fire on them immediately. Instead, they
wait and observe the PCs. As long as the PCs don’t do
anything out of the ordinary, the sharpshooters hold their
fire. Unusual activity, such as attempting to use the well to
enter the fort or being witnessed with Rina Zavor, lets the
sharpshooters see through the PCs’ disguises.
The snow-covered courtyard itself is lifeless, though gun slots
line its walls. There are no footprints; the tracks leading across
the bridge seem to disappear before they pass through the main
gate. The sole double-door exit on the far side from the main
gate is cracked invitingly open. Beyond those doors lie shadows
and, somewhere, the guards who retreated as the PCs came
across the bridge.
If the PCs choose to proceed straight across the courtyard and
into the fort, they enter a series of deteriorating corridors and
dark chambers decorated with the cast-offs of Abrosim’s work;
these areas are stacked with old crates of broken Convergence
parts, dry skeletal remains of Cryxian mechanithralls dumped
in corners, alchemical laboratory equipment, and a host of other
used research materials the former Greylord has tossed aside.
The cloistered chambers of this area have been stripped of
everything else. This part of the fort appears to be used only for
this refuse.
Every five minutes the PCs spend in the halls of the fortress,
they draw fire from the sharpshooters who retreated earlier. The
sharpshooters move in pairs, and they step from doorways or at
the ends of corridors to open fire on the PCs. They do not retreat
Game Master Note
If Rina is present: The bounty hunter Rina Zavor tries to steer
the PCs toward the well, saying she learned from a defecting
guard of a broken wall below that provides an unguarded
way into Veknost. She explains that five or six feet below the
waterline, the well’s wall is broken open on one side, opening
into a waterlogged passage that will bring the PCs up in
another part of the fort, beyond the courtyard’s inner walls—
and beyond the men guarding them.
If they insist on moving through the fort, Rina leads them
on a direct route; the PCs do not need to make Navigation
rolls to find their way, though traveling through the halls
still requires 30 minutes.
or surrender, though it is possible for the PCs to negotiate passage
from them, if the PCs use information gained from Rina Zavor
to capitalize on the sharpshooters’ concerns about Abrosim’s
degrading mental state. A PC who makes a Negotiation roll
against a target number of 14 can convince a pair of sharpshooters
to let the PCs pass. Once the PCs return fire against attackers,
negotiation is no longer an option with those sharpshooters.
Once the PCs have killed or otherwise dealt with 6 pairs of
sharpshooters, no additional guards appear. The PCs encounter
no further resistance in this abandoned part of the fort until they
encounter Iokav (see The Pistol Wraith, p. 102).
The Well
The well is 20 feet deep to reach the waterline, and the water itself
is another 12 feet deep to the bottom. The well’s walls are icy and
pockmarked with age. A PC who makes a successful Climbing
roll against a target number of 13 can climb up or down the entire
length of the well above the waterline. It takes a PC two minutes
to climb up or down the well. A character can use the rope and
pulley to descend safely as a quick action with a Rope Use roll
against a target of 10. The well is only wide enough for one person
to descend at a time.
If Rina Zavor hasn’t provided the PCs with her information about
the broken wall but only that the way into the fort lies at the
bottom of the well, the only way to discover it is to swim below
the waterline and probe the walls in the darkness. The broken
passageway is a roughly 2-foot by 2-foot hole at the very bottom
of the well. Its edges are crumbling away; the hole is large enough
to permit a human-sized character to pass through it, but a larger
character cannot. A PC can widen the hole with a successful STR
roll against a target number of 14. Breaking through the wall
requires a great deal of exertion; failure necessitates the PC coming
back to the surface for air before another attempt. Each attempt to
discover the broken passageway by searching takes two minutes.
If the PCs have Rina to guide them, they find it automatically.
If the last of the PCs has not already descended into the well 12
minutes after the group enters the courtyard, sharpshooters take
up positions behind the gun slots in the wall above and beside the
double doors. (See Scene 1 for sharpshooter tactics.) They open
fire immediately. Their goal is to prevent the PCs from getting
beyond the gates of the inner courtyard. If the PCs fall back from
the courtyard, the guards do not pursue them.
Underwater Passage
The waterlogged passage on the other side of the wall requires
the PCs to make Swimming rolls in order to proceed 144 feet
underwater to a collapsed corridor that gives them entry to
Veknost. A PC can remain underwater for a number of rounds
equal to his PHY stat without suffering damage. At the end of this
time, he suffers d3 damage each round. A single air pocket at the
75-foot mark in the broken rocks overhead allows one PC at a time
to catch his breath before proceeding, but there is only enough air
for three PCs to do so. If a PC is disabled while underwater, he
loses consciousness and must be brought to the surface or to the
air pocket by another character. He suffers –1 PHY each round he
remains submerged. If his PHY falls to 0, he dies. The PC regains
1 point of lost PHY per minute if he has air.
101
 The Death and Life of Vladislav Abrosim

Wraith of Makar Iokav Abandoned Quarter

The waterlogged passage slopes up into a
The pistol wraith is barely recognizable as Iokav. Other than his clothes, which are mere long-abandoned corridor in heavy shadows.
threadbare echoes of what he wore in life, and the sickly strands of blond hair that cling The walls in this abandoned quarter of the
to his fleshless skull, there is little to mark the spectral form of the pistol wraith as Iokav. fort are crumbling, revealing mountain rock
behind them. In some places, the ceiling has
PHYSIQUE PHY 5 Skills: begun to collapse, allowing shafts of faint
SPEED SPD 6 Name Stat + Rank total light from outside to penetrate the gloom.
STRENGTH STR 4 Detection PER 3 7 The floor is unstable in places, cracked with
Pistol POI 2 7
AGILITY AGL 4 fissures that drop into darkness below. The
Sneak AGL 3 7
PROWESS PRW 3 corridor winds past a half-dozen empty
POISE POI 5 Abilities: and abandoned chambers with comparable
INTELLECT INT 2 Ambidextrous – This character does not suffer the second structural issues before it reaches a wide
weapon penalty while using Two-Weapon Fighting. staircase ascending to a pair of iron doors
ARCANE ARC —
Dodger – When this character is missed by an enemy attack, that lead into the fort above. The staircase is
PERCEPTION PER 4
it can immediately advance up to 2˝ after the attack is resolved barricaded at the bottom with wooden slats
Wraithlock pistol unless it was missed while advancing. It cannot be targeted by to keep the fort’s occupants from entering
free strikes during this movement.
rat Rng AOE POW the broken corridors. The floors and ceiling
7 10 — 12 Gunfighter – This character does not suffer the –4 penalty on are in as much disrepair as any of the other
ranged attack rolls with pistols while engaged.
Abilities: This weapon is a magical parts of the abandoned quarter.
weapon and never needs to be reloaded. Incorporeal – This character can move through rough
This weapon disappears if the character terrain and obstacles without penalty and can move Pulling down the barricade requires 3
wielding it is destroyed. through obstructions and other characters if he has enough cumulative STR rolls against a target of 13.
movement to move completely past them. Other characters,
Chain Attack: Death Chill – If this
including slammed, pushed, or thrown characters, can move The barricade can be destroyed if the PCs
character hits the same target with both
his initial pistol attacks, after resolving through this character without effect if they have enough attack it with the appropriate tools (ARM
the attacks he can immediately make movement to move completely past it. This character does 14, 10 damage boxes).
one additional ranged attack against that not count as intervening.
target. If the additional attack hits, it does Blessed weapons affect this character normally. Spells, animi, As the PCs are taking down the barricade,
not inflict damage, but the target hit must and magical weapons can damage this character but roll one a ghostly image approaches from the
forfeit either its movement or its action fewer die on damage rolls. No other weapons can damage this abandoned corridor and chambers behind
during its next activation. character. This character is immune to continuous effects and
them. If the PCs consider another plan—
cannot be moved by a slam.
INITIATIVE INIT 16 returning the way they came for a more
(Natural +3) Night Fighter – When making a ranged or magic attack
against a character with stealth or Prowl, this character
straightforward entrance, for example—a
DEFENSE DEF 14 automatically misses the target only if he is more than 8˝ away PC who makes a successful Detection roll
ARMOR ARM 12 (instead of more than 5˝ away). against a target number of 13 catches a
(Natural +7) Return Fire – Once per round when this character is missed glimpse of the ghostly image as it emerges
WILLPOWER WILL 7 by an enemy’s ranged attack, immediately after the attack through a wall to stalk the PCs.
is resolved it can make one normal attack against the
attacking enemy. If the PCs chose to proceed straight across
Soul Taker – When this character destroys a character with a the courtyard and into the fort instead of
1 2 AGILITY soul, he gains one soul token. This character can spend soul coming to these abandoned quarters via the
tokens to boost attack rolls or damage rolls, at one roll per
well, the ghostly image approaches them in
3 token spent.
an empty corridor of the main fort.
PHYS

Two-Weapon Fighting – While fighting with a one-handed

4 weapon or pistol in each hand, this character gains an
The Pistol Wraith
IQ

ECT

E additional attack for the second weapon.

U

Undead – This character is not a living character and never flees. As the ghostly figure approaches the PCs,
6
LL

read or paraphrase the following:

TE

5 I
N

The figure that approaches from the darkness is

a ghastly sight: a half-skeletal face with strands
Command Range: 2
of blond hair still attached to the ragged flesh of
Base Size: small its skull, a wraithlock pistol clenched in each of
Encounter Points: 15 its bony fists. The sickly green glow emanating
Equipment: from it looks much like the eyes of Abrosim’s
Two wraithlock pistols
ravens. It closes quickly on you, its raspy voice
rising in fury, its words incoherent. As its
features become more distinguishable, it levels
its pistol.

“You,” it snarls. “Owe. Me. Immortality.”

102
Makar Iokav, Abrosim’s lieutenant killed outside of Gorogrey Depot, has
returned to the land of the living—as one of the dead.
Iokav has been driven to insanity by his transformation:
Abrosim gave him back “life” but not in the way Iokav wanted
or expected. Parts of his corpse, recently brought to Abrosim
at Veknost, allowed the former Greylord to force him back into
existence. What memories Iokav possesses of his past life are
only tatters serving to fill him with unquenchable hatred. Now
he furiously seeks revenge—against those who killed him in
Gorogrey and against Abrosim himself. Even if the PCs were not
directly involved in his death, in his madness, Iokav holds them
accountable for his murder.
Pistol Wraith Tactics
Iokav cannot be negotiated with—his former personality has
dissolved into a hateful desire for revenge—but he can be distracted.
If the PCs claim to know Abrosim’s whereabouts, they can direct the
pistol wraith to his creator’s location. A PC who makes a Deception
roll against a target number of 16 can convince Iokav to vent his
wrath on Abrosim. If convinced, Iokav disappears through the
walls, searching in vain for his traitorous former master. If the PCs
have difficulty fighting Abrosim in the final scene of the adventure,
the Game Master can choose to have Iokav arrive through the walls
and attack the Greylord. Such an attack only serves to distract
Abrosim before he destroys the pistol wraith, but it could provide a
window of opportunity for the PCs to exploit.
Terrain
This encounter includes the following terrain features.
If the PCs fight Iokav in the abandoned quarters before breaking
through the barricade to the fort’s main corridors, the floors
and walls are sufficiently unstable as to be dangerous when an
unexpected quake shakes the entire fort (see below).
Dim Light: There is little other light in this area. Barring PC light
sources, the entire area is considered dim light.
Quakes: Shockwaves, coming from below, rumble through Fort
Veknost intermittently, causing the floors to shake. At the start of
each round, the Game Master should roll a d6. On a 1 or 2, non-
incorporeal characters must make an AGL roll against a target
number of 10 or be knocked down.
At the Game Master’s discretion, when a quake occurs, large
stones fall loose from the walls or ceiling. D3 of these stones hit
randomly determined characters. Treat the falling stones as POW
8 ranged attacks with a RAT of 4. Characters do not gain cover,
concealment, or stealth against falling stones.
The pistol wraith is immune to any of these physical dangers.
Aftermath
If the pistol wraith is convinced that the PCs have revealed to him
the location of Abrosim, he disappears through the walls. If the
information he is given is correct, he never returns; Iokav attacks
his former master and is dispatched. If the information the PCs
provide is incorrect, he returns to attack them at an inopportune
moment of the Game Master’s choosing.
The Halls of Veknost
Once the PCs pass beyond the abandoned quarters, the halls
begin to show evidence of recent use. Lanterns become more
frequent, and the rooms are cleaner and more functional. The
rooms the PCs pass include pantries and kitchens, barracks with
military cots, warehouse chambers with crates of alchemical
supplies, mess halls, and recessed guard posts in the hallways.
It is clear that Abrosim’s loyal followers and lieutenants once
inhabited these rooms. Some function as ersatz laboratories and
workshops, where Abrosim tested many experiments based on
the information gathered by his subordinates.
PCs trained in Mechanikal Engineering recognize bizarre
components and prototypes among the debris scattered in the
workshops. A PC can spend five minutes examining one of the
prototypes and make a Mechanikal Engineering roll against
a target number of 13 to identify them as power converters
designed to bear incredible amounts of energy and convert them
into a different form. In one, a prisoner’s desiccated body is
connected to the device by arcane conduits interfaced directly
into its flesh. A sheaf of notes nearby record the status of the
body as power was directed through it. Near the bottom is a
comment by Abrosim himself:
Subject died due to physical stresses at half of the total output needed.
Mortal flesh cannot bear these stresses. Perhaps Morado’s work holds
the key.
The PCs can scavenge ammunition and basic alchemical
ingredients from these rooms to replenish their stores. Mundane
gear can be found in footlockers in the barracks or within the
warehouses at the Game Master’s discretion.
In none of these locations do the PCs encounter anyone from
Veknost, however; the fort seems to have been abandoned recently,
as if Abrosim’s forces have withdrawn. If the PCs take time to rest
and recuperate from their battles so far, they hear an increasing noise
from levels below, as if some giant machine is powering up. If the
PCs wait too long, the Game Master can encourage them to move
on by having a strong quake cause a partial collapse in the room or
otherwise let them know Abrosim’s machine is building power.
As they move through a corridor where long shadows fall, the PCs
catch a brief glimpse of a huge figure in the distance, a tattered red
Game Master Note
If Rina is present: Rina Zavor knows to bypass these
chambers en route to Abrosim’s so-called “Temple of
Eternal Life,” though she is surprised to encounter
little resistance as she leads the PCs to the temple’s
antechamber. If asked, she suspects Abrosim is closer to
success than she originally thought and that his guards are
either rallying to his side, fleeing, or dead.
103
 The Death and Life of Vladislav Abrosim
cloak trailing behind it. A PC who makes a Detection roll against
a target of 10 identifies an object like a soul cage hanging from a
chain clutched in one of the figure’s hands.
If the PCs attempt to pursue and confront this figure, it retreats
into the labyrinthine corridors of the fort, only to reappear
down another corridor when the PCs return to their original
objective. The second time the PCs spot the figure, it draws
a massive heavy sword but continues to stalk them from a
distance, dragging the tip of the blade on the cobbled floor and
against the stone walls. Even when they cannot see the figure,
they can hear the scraping of its blade echoing through the
corridors of the fort.
If the PCs realize the figure is the Crimson Man, Gallo Morado,
and call out to him or use his name, he retreats until the PCs are
more vulnerable at a later time.
Either following Rina Zavor’s directions or navigating the fort on
their own, the PCs eventually come to an open foyer with a door
at each end opening onto a balcony overlooking the antechamber
of the Temple of Eternal Life.
SCENE 3: The
Antechamber
COMBAT
The metal balcony the doors open onto runs most of the length
of the antechamber below, which extends roughly 70 feet long
and nearly 50 feet wide. At either end of the balcony are stairs
that descend to the antechamber’s floor. On the wall below and
directly across from where the PCs enter the balcony is a doorway
with darkness beyond.
As the PCs observe the antechamber below from the vantage of
the balcony, read or paraphrase the following:
A half-dozen guards and a warjack stand guard over a sizable stone
doorway at the head of the chamber below. The warjack turns toward you
as you enter. Based on the Nomad chassis, it is heavily converted and
inscribed with strange runes. Behind it, stairs descend from the doorway
down to the temple itself.
The antechamber pulses with a sickly, unnatural glow, casting its
contents—discarded equipment, towering rolls of cables and tubing,
Game Master Note
If Rina is present: The bounty hunter is aware of Garrow’s
theory about what Throat Cutter can do, though she is
skeptical as to its ability to kill Abrosim. Without being
able to counter Abrosim’s necromantic magic, she believes
the blade will do no more damage to him than any other
weapon.
104
crates of body parts both human and inhuman—in blackish-green
shadows. The greenish glow that envelopes the entire chamber comes
through cracks in the stone floor and prominently from the stairwell
behind the warjack. Directly across from the balcony is a second doorway
that opens into blackness.
For guard stats, see p. 93.
Guard and Warjack Tactics
Once the guards and the warjack notice the PCs (which only
happens when the PCs open fire, descend the stairs from the
balcony, or otherwise attract the guards’ attention), their goal is
to keep the PCs from entering the temple below until Abrosim
has undergone his first transformation and orders them to stand
down. They must keep the PCs from passing beyond the entrance
hall for 10 rounds.
Once the PCs either open fire on the warjack and guards from
above or begin to approach the stairs at either end of the
antechamber, they catch a glimpse of movement from the dark
doorway.
When the PCs see the movement in the doorway, read or
paraphrase the following:
A man steps out of the darkness of the open doorway across from the
balcony. He looks up, his eyes sunken and filled with madness. His face is
unshaven, his clothes unkempt, and his skin looks bloodless. It only takes
a moment to recognize him as the warcaster Garrow, who died outside
the fort’s gates.
“You have something that belongs to me,” he growls. “Don’t make me
cut your throats to get it.”
If the PCs didn’t kill Garrow during the ambush in the ravine
outside Veknost, Garrow’s appearance is still of a man recently
savaged. If the PCs failed to discover his mechanikal blade Throat
Cutter in the ambush in the ravine outside Veknost, Garrow
doesn’t know this. Like the pistol wraith Iokav, he has lost much
of his humanity in being resurrected by Abrosim, and like Iokav,
he has become single-mindedly obsessed with what was “taken”
from him. Garrow loathes Abrosim, and he believes Throat Cutter
is his means to escape Abrosim’s command before Abrosim
completes his quest for immortality. He no longer wishes to serve
as one of Abrosim’s experiments.
Garrow hints at his desire to escape Abrosim as he heads toward
the staircase furthest from the warjack guarding the stairwell
down to the temple. He calls out to the Nomad to keep them
from escaping, calling the warjack “Rostisfenko,” the name of
Abrosim’s lieutenant who died in the Grove of Wracks in Stone
Cold. He then calls out to the PCs, “You can’t make me keep on
livin’ when I’ve had enough. You are going to die with me, if you
don’t give it over.”
If the PCs do not surrender Throat Cutter to Garrow—either
because they do not possess the mechanikal blade or are unwilling
to do so—he is maddened with rage and launches a relentless
assault. Garrow has become a force to be reckoned with since his
resurrection. He is aggressive, showing no intent to take cover or
otherwise protect himself in battle. Garrow focuses his attacks on
whomever he believes has Throat Cutter during each attack.
 ANTECHAMBER

Temple

105
 The Death and Life of Vladislav Abrosim

Guard Tactics
Once the guards and the warjack notice
Garrow…
the PCs (which only happens when the
PCs open fire, descend the stairs from the
but Dead This Time
balcony, or otherwise attract the guards’ Garrow is even more frayed at the edges than he had been before death. His clothes
attention), their goal is to keep the PCs from are tattered and stained, and his skin has taken on the pale hue of death, though from
entering the temple below until Abrosim certain angles, the blood that settled at the back of his body makes his skin look nearly
has undergone his first transformation ebony. Ghastly, necromantic runes tattooed onto his flesh post-mortem have a bloodless,
and orders them to stand down. They open-wound appearance to them. His movement isn’t fluid; though he moves quickly,
must keep the PCs from passing beyond it is with a twitching, jerking motion as if fighting against atrophy.
the entrance hall for 10 rounds. (For guard
stats, see p. 93.) Skills: PHYSIQUE PHY 8
The warjack has been possessed by the Name Stat + Rank total SPEED SPD 5
spirit of Pavor Rostisfenko, as Abrosim’s Hand Weapon PRW 2 6
STRENGTH STR 8
Command SOC 1 *
lieutenant Bowden Haightly once did. It AGILITY AGL 4
Detection PER 1 5
aims its weaponry at the PCs’ location, PROWESS PRW 4
Unarmed Combat PRW 2 6
tracking the length of the balcony to POISE POI 4
the staircase closest to its position. The
Spells COST RNG AOE POW UP OFF INTELLECT INT 3
’jack does not open fire unless Garrow is
ARCANE ARC 3
defeated, the PCs attack the ’jack or the Bleed 2 8 – 10 NO YES
When Bleed destroys a living enemy character, this character PERCEPTION PER 4
guards, or the PCs head down the staircase
heals d3 damage points.
the warjack is guarding. pistol
Boundless rat Rng AOE POW
The warjack does not seem to be under 4 8 — 10
Charge 2 6 – – No No
the control of Garrow, the guards, or even During his turn, target character can charge without spending
Abrosim; if they address it as Rostisfenko, focus or being forced and gains +2˝ movement and Pathfinder
the PCs can convince it to step aside and when it charges. Boundless Charge lasts for one round. catching claws
MAT POW P+S
let them confront Abrosim. A PC can make
Abilities: 6 0 8
a Negotiation roll against a target number
Bound in Flesh – This character can spend focus points Abilities: This is an unarmed melee attack.
of 12 to persuade the warjack to stand to boost unarmed melee attacks or to purchase additional If this character hits a character with an
aside only after it has been addressed unarmed melee attacks. Non-magical weapons roll one fewer equal or smaller-sized base, it can spend
as Rostisfenko. If the roll succeeds, the damage dice on damage rolls made against this character. 1 feat point to immediately grapple the
warjack stands down and allows them to Feat Points – This character starts the encounter with 1 feat character hit.
pass. If the roll fails, the warjack targets that point. It gains 1 feat point at the start of each of its turns. The INITIATIVE INIT 13
character cannot have more than 1 feat point at a time.
PC specifically and cannot be negotiated DEFENSE DEF 12
with further. Focuser – This character is a focuser. (Rune Inscribed Tailored Plate -1)
Monomania – When this character incapacitates a target ARMOR ARM 15
Terrain with a melee attack, he searches the body for Throat Cutter, (Rune Inscribed Tailored Plate +7)
immediately ending this character’s activation.
This encounter includes the following WILLPOWER WILL 11
Undead – This character is not a living character and never flees.
terrain features.

Dim Light: Other than the sickly green

1 2 AGILITY
light coming through the cracks, there is
little other light in the chamber.( See “Dim
3
Light,” IKRPG Core Rules, p. 225.)
PHYS

Quakes: See p. 103.

4
IQ

ECT

E
U

After the third quake, four fissures open

6
LL

in the floor and in the walls, wide enough

TE

that PCs engaged in battle run the risk of 5 I

N

falling down 60 feet into the temple below

(see Scene 5: The Temple of Eternal Life).
Command Range: 4
Place four wall templates anywhere on the
Base Size: small
floor of the antechamber to represent the
fissures. A small-based character that ends Encounter Points: 14
its activation with any part of its base over Equipment:
a fissure must make an AGL roll against a Rune-inscribed armor
target number of 14. If the roll succeeds,

106
nothing happens. If the roll fails, the character falls. A PC who
falls into a fissure and remains conscious in the temple below
witnesses the scenario described at the beginning of Scene 5.
Aftermath
If the PCs choose to surrender Throat Cutter to him, Garrow
abandons the fight completely, thanking them before
unceremoniously slitting his own throat. He collapses in a
pool of foul-smelling blood tainted with alchemical liquid that
flows from the wound, Throat Cutter clattering to the floor at
his side.
Garrow has in his possession an unmarked vial half-full of
fluid—an antidote created by the alchemist Olivia Morado
to counteract certain effects of her experiments. Its use gave
Garrow the clarity of mind to realize he needed to be destroyed
to escape what Abrosim had done to him, and that his weapon
Throat Cutter was the key.
While the PCs interact with Garrow, if Rina is with them,
she disappears before the balcony collapses. If the PCs hand
over Throat Cutter and Garrow kills himself, she disappears
when the warjack attacks a short time later; otherwise, she
disappears when the fight with Garrow begins. A PC who
makes a Detection roll against a target number of 16 catches
a glimpse of her being dragged back the way they came by a
huge figure in a red cloak, but a massive section of wall and
ceiling crumbles, making pursuit impossible as they disappear
down a poorly lit corridor. Any PC who attempts to pursue
Rina and her kidnapper the Crimson Man is immediately
attacked by the warjack.
Any PC who wishes to leave the antechamber by the same
door they entered must make a Climbing roll against a target
of 13 to reach the door that opened onto the collapsed balcony.
Otherwise, the only way out of the antechamber is to proceed
down the stairwell to the Temple of Eternal Life below. The
stairwell pulses with the green glow, and from the top of the
stairs, the PCs can hear ravens cawing.
SCENE 4: The
Return of the
Crimson
COMBAT
As the PCs descend the twisting stairwell toward their final
confrontation with Abrosim, read or paraphrase the following:
You do not get far down the stairwell—a hulking figure in a tattered
red cloak stands on the stairs below, blocking your descent. His face
is a death’s head mask of insanity with a steel plate covering half
of it, the other half dominated by a distended skeletal grin. Strange
necromechanikal devices riddle his body, powered by a blackened
furnace sprouting from his back. He slowly drags the point of a heavy
sword across the stone steps, cocking his head as if he can’t hear the
metallic shriek.
Fully visible for the first time, Gallo Morado has been transformed
into a massive mechanithrall by Abrosim. His body still bears
evidence of his death (either wounds inflicted by the PCs or those
he suffered at the hands of Abrosim’s assassins). Gallo retains no
memory from his past life and attacks the PCs without hesitation.
After the first round of combat, another figure appears from the
shadows behind the giant Crimson Man.
From behind the monster, Rina Zavor steps forth, her eyes wide and
wild. A metallic canister, similar to a soul cage, dangles from around her
throat. One of Abrosim’s ravens sits on her shoulder, but its eyes appear
normal—untainted by the ubiquitous green glow.
“Consider carefully before you destroy us,” she says, her intonation
strangely familiar. “That woman is still in here with me. But you can
save her. My brother says you have the collar the old Greylord had. If
you give it to us, you can go your own way, and I will give this woman
back when I’m done. Just as Abrosim is done with all of us except you.”
Game Master Note
Like Iokav and Garrow before them, the Crimson Man Gallo
and his sister Olivia Morado—who now inhabits the body
of Rina Zavor—act out of rage and betrayal. Abrosim’s
promises of eternal life have only resulted in a thrall-like
state for Gallo and a caged existence for Olivia’s essence
while she looks for new bodies to occupy. While Olivia
was held in helpless captivity, Gallo followed orders from
Abrosim to do what Garrow and his assassins could not—
find Abrosim’s former mentor, the Greylord Chenkov, and
return him to the fort Veknost. Gallo did so, but in a rage,
Abrosim killed Chenkov. Gallo and Olivia ascertained that
Abrosim was in search of a collar he expected Chenkov to
possess, and now they want it for their own—a bargaining
chip to pressure Abrosim into bettering their situation.
107
 The Death and Life of Vladislav Abrosim

Pavor Rostisfenko Gallo Morado

Possessed Nomad Warjack
Pavor Rostisfenko’s spirit inhabits a specially prepared Nomad
warjack. Carved with necromantic runes, the warjack moves with an
unusual fluidity and seems to have a greater cunning and emotion
than other ’jacks. In one hand, it carries a massive battle blade, and
its other arm has been replaced with a scattershot cannon.
the Crimson Thrall
Gallo Morado’s elongated limbs end in mechanikal prostheses,
his distended face half-covered by a riveted metal sheet. From his
bony scapulae jut iron smokestacks surrounded by charred skin
and muscle. He is now a puppet animated by necromechanika
and the power of thrall runes tattooed into his waxy flesh.

PHYSIQUE PHY 11 WARJACK Skills:

SPEED SPD 5 This character is a warjack. Name Stat + Rank total
STRENGTH STR 11 Detection PER 1 3
special rules: Great Weapon PRW 2 7
AGILITY AGL 3
Feat Points – This character Sneak AGL 2 6
PROWESS PRW 5 starts each encounter with 1
POISE POI 4 feat point. He is allocated 1 feat
point at the start of each of his PHYSIQUE PHY 9 Abilities:
INTELLECT INT 4
turns. He can only have up to 1 Feat Points – This character
SPEED SPD 6
ARCANE ARC — feat point at a time. starts each encounter with 2
STRENGTH STR 9
PERCEPTION PER 4 Feats of Strength – This feat points.
character can spend feat points AGILITY AGL 4
He is allocated 1 feat point at
scattershot cannon to perform power attacks. PROWESS PRW 5 the start of each of his turns. He
rat Rng AOE POW
Self-Propelled – This character POISE POI 1 can only have up to 2 feat points
l 6 SP 8 — 12 at a time.
does not need to spend focus or INTELLECT INT 1
Abilities: This weapon can fire only once feat points for the following: Indomitable – This character
per round. run, perform charge attacks, or ARCANE ARC —
cannot be knocked down.
battle blade grapple an opponent. PERCEPTION PER 2 This distance of unintentional
MAT POW P+S Soul Vessel – This character movement affecting this
heavy sword character is halved.
R 7 6 17 counts as a living model for
MAT POW P+S
the purpose of generating soul Mighty – This character gains
Abilities: This weapon has Reach. 7 5 14
tokens. an additional die on melee
INITIATIVE INIT 12 Abilities: Critical Slam – On a critical hit damage rolls.
with this weapon, the target is slammed
DEFENSE DEF 10 d3˝ directly away from this character. The Run Hot – This character can
ARMOR ARM 18 POW of the slam damage roll is equal to suffer d3 damage points to gain
the STR of the character plus the POW of +2 STR for 1 round.
the weapon. The POW of collateral damage Tough – When this character
1 2 3 4 5 6 is equal to this character’s STR. is disabled roll a d6. On a 5 or
INITIATIVE INIT 13 6, the character heals 1 vitality
point, is no longer disabled, and
DEFENSE DEF 12 is knocked down.
ARMOR ARM 16 Undead – This character is not a
(Natural Armor +7) living character and never flees.
L R WILLPOWER WILL 10

L L M C R R
M M C C 1 2 AGILITY

Command Range: 4
3
PHYS

Base Size: large 4

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E
U

6
LL
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5 I
N

Command Range: 1
Base Size: medium
Encounter Points: 14
Equipment:
Heavy sword, tattered red cloak

108
Gallo and Olivia Morado Tactics
During the first round of combat, Gallo simply wades toward
the PCs with his heavy sword, hacking at the closest target and
trying to kill it. When Olivia arrives, Gallo alters his tactics,
acting to shield her from harm.
If the PCs surrender the collar, Gallo and Olivia take it and attempt
to pass the PCs to escape the fort before the tremors bring it down
entirely. Olivia will encourage them to do the same—Abrosim, she
knows now, is a megalomaniac who has no loyalty even to those
who served him loyally themselves, and the PCs are as much his
playthings as his lieutenants were.
If the PCs refuse to give Gallo and Olivia the collar, or if they do not
have it, Gallo resumes his attack. Olivia stays behind Gallo, who
protects her at all costs during the fight. She uses any weapons
and equipment Rina still possesses, but her unfamiliarity with
Rina’s body imposes a –1 penalty on her attack rolls.
As Gallo nears defeat, he tries to clear a path for Olivia to escape
up the stairs or, if that’s impossible, he protects her while she flees
back down them into Abrosim’s Temple of Eternal Life. There,
she attempts to escape the fort via a tunnel burrowed into the
wall, which she can only do if the PCs enter the temple to fight
Abrosim within 3 rounds; otherwise, Abrosim or his guards have
had sufficient time to kill Olivia before she can escape.
If Gallo falls in battle before Olivia can go up the stairs or back
into the temple, she rips the metallic canister from around her
throat. When she does, both the canister and the eyes of the
raven accompanying her turn the same ghastly green as the eyes
of the other ravens. Rina Zavor crumbles to the steps, dead, the
canister at her feet—Olivia has returned herself to the canister
while the bounty hunter’s soul is claimed by one of Abrosim’s
undead ravens. It immediately takes to the air and flies down the
stairs into the temple to bring Rina’s soul to the infernal machine
Abrosim is using to give himself eternal life.
The PCs can stop Olivia if they reach Rina to grapple her and pin
her arms before she can detach the canister or incapacitate her
before she removes the canister, within 1 round of Gallo’s death.
If they grapple Rina, the bird flies out of reach and is not able to
harvest her soul. Olivia is forced back into her prison and is unable
to possess another body. If the PCs were forced to incapacitate
Rina, they can stabilize her by making a Medicine roll against a
target of 14, but the trauma of her injury leaves her debilitated and
suffering from slow recovery.
Terrain
The fight between the Morados and the PCs takes place in
extremely tight conditions in a spiraling staircase 12 feet across.
There is little room to maneuver on the stairs, though the PCs
do have the advantage of elevation against their opponents. The
Game Master can use the stairs on the previous map as a basis
for the fight in the stairwell or sketch out his own map for the
encounter.
This encounter includes the following:
Stairs: See p. 66.
Dim Light: See p. 106.
Quakes: See p. 103.
Aftermath
Gallo has a small pouch containing three vials of Olivia Morado’s
antidote. If the PCs do not still possess any doses of antidote taken
from the alchemist’s tower (pp. 68-69) or did not take the antidote
vial from Garrow, this is their final opportunity to obtain it before
confronting Abrosim.
Once Gallo and Olivia have either fled or been defeated, the
PCs can descend into Abrosim’s temple. A green glow begins to
saturate the staircase as it curves its way down. As they reach
the bottom, the PCs can hear a voice rising above a disturbing
thrumming noise that makes the green glow pulsate. The sounds
of raven cries underscore the other sounds.
SCENE 5: The
Temple of
Eternal Life
COMBAT
As the PCs enter the temple, read or paraphrase:
At last, you enter the final sanctum of Vladislav Abrosim. The
subterranean chamber is a mocking echo of a temple, its long main
chamber cast in eerie shadows by an unnatural glow. The walls and
floor are cut through with cracks and deep fissures, and its stone pillars
supporting the ceiling above are at the very brink of collapse. From the
shadows on the far side of the room, you see shadows moving as the mad
Greylord’s loyal soldiers head for cover, ready to hold you back.
Entrance Hall
The stairs descend into the entrance hall of Abrosim’s Temple of
Eternal Life. The floor has been bisected by a sizable crevasse, the
result of the ongoing quakes. This split runs the width of the room
and into the wall, between 6 and 8 feet across. On the opposite
side of the crevasse are three sets of closed steel doors, one of
which is buried in rubble from a collapsed section of wall—these
open into the next chamber. A green glow filters out around the
edges of the doors.
Within the entrance hall are several men, handpicked by Abrosim
for their loyalty to him. Each is outfitted with the best weapons
and armor and has explicit instructions: do not allow the PCs to
pass before Abrosim is ready to receive them.
The temple itself is deteriorating rapidly as fissures spread out
across the floor from the inner sanctum beyond the entrance hall.
A sizable sinkhole expands on one side of the chamber; on the
other, the wall has begun to collapse. Of the six columns lining
109
 The Death and Life of Vladislav Abrosim

Loyalist Guards
Faceless behind their gas masks, the loyalist guards of Vladislav
Abrosim wear armor and equipment functionally similar to that of
Game Master Note the assault kommandos of Khador. In the past, teams of these loyalists
The final battle against Abrosim takes place in infiltrated high-value targets across the nation at Abrosim’s behest,
three stages: Abrosim first appears to the PCs as abducting and interrogating engineers and archivists, Thamarites and
an exceptionally powerful man, but still mortal and infernalists, all to feed the Greylord’s desire for forbidden knowledge.
normal. His guards protect him while he transforms to
a monstrous form, the second stage of the battle. It Skills:
is during this stage the PCs are first able to engage in Name Stat + Rank total
combat with him, which is his desire—he needs the PCs Shield PRW 2 6
to kill him in order to achieve his ultimate transformation Hand Weapon PRW 2 6
into a truly immortal form. In his final form, Abrosim has Rifle POI 2 6
become an immortal, and the PCs need to take specific Sneak AGL 2 6
measures to destroy him. Interrogation INT 2 5

PHYSIQUE PHY 6 Abilities:

SPEED SPD 6 Gas Mask – The character is
the route to the altar, two collapsed after coming in contact with STRENGTH STR 5
immune to gas effects.

the lines of power. As a result, the ceiling is especially weakened AGILITY AGL 4 Dual Shot – The character can
forfeit his movement during
in this chamber. PROWESS PRW 4 his turn to make one additional
Five guards—Abrosim’s personal retinue—stand before the altar POISE POI 4 ranged attack with a pistol or rifle.

in an honor guard formation. One of their number lays dead near INTELLECT INT 3 Defensive Line – While this
character is B2B with one or
the base of the altar, his body stretched across a ley line coming ARCANE ARC —
more friendly characters, he
through the wall. PERCEPTION PER 4 gains +2 ARM.

On the altar itself rests a grey metal casket held shut with a pair vislovski carbine
of locking clasps. If the PCs open it, they may recognize the rat Rng AOE POW
corpse of Abrosim’s former mentor, the Greylord Chenkov (if 6 10 — 10
they encountered him in Part 5 of Immortality). Abrosim had Gallo Abilities: This weapon has a launcher
loaded with a strangle gas grenade.
find Chenkov and return him to the fort, where Abrosim killed Strangle gas grenades cause no damage.
him, took his essence into the machine, and now plans to replicate The weapon’s AOE is a cloud effect, gas
effect that remains in play for 1 round.
what Olivia Morado did to Rina: inhabit the dead man’s body and While in the AOE, living characters suffer –2
return with it to the Greylords Covenant, allowing Abrosim to DEF and –2 to attack rolls.
infiltrate them and wreak vengeance on them. bayonet
MAT POW P+S
Guard Tactics 5 3 8
The men in the entrance hall fight to hold the PCs back, using shield
the cover of the fallen pillars and rubble to protect themselves. MAT POW P+S
Their goal is to keep the PCs from entering the temple’s inner 6 0 5
sanctum until Abrosim has undergone his first transformation Abilities: This weapon grants +2
(see Abrosim the Monster, p. 113) and orders them to stand down. ARM against attacks originating in the
They must keep the PCs from passing beyond the entrance hall character’s front arc.
for 10 rounds. These men fight until either the PCs kill them or INITIATIVE INIT 14
Abrosim orders them to stop. DEFENSE DEF 12
(Loyalist Armor -2)
Terrain ARMOR ARM 13
This encounter includes the following. (Loyalist Armor +7)
WILLPOWER WILL 9
Crevasse: The PCs will need to jump the crevasse or create a
Vitality: 10
makeshift bridge to cross it. If a PC attempts to cross a bridge
during a quake, the quake may cause a PC to fall into the crevasse Command Range: 3
18 feet down, resulting in a POW 10 damage roll. Base Size: small
Encounter Points: 9
Quakes: The shockwaves produced by Abrosim’s machine are
much stronger here than higher in the fort. At the start of each Equipment:
round, the Game Master should roll a 2d6. If either die rolls a 1 Ammo bandolier, gas mask, infantry
armor, shield, Vislovski carbine, 15 light
rounds, 3 strangle gas grenades, 10 gc

110
or 2, the quaking causes non-incorporeal characters to treat open
terrain as rough terrain. Non-incorporeal characters must make
an AGL roll against a target of 10 or be knocked down.
Aftermath
If any guards are still alive when Abrosim orders them to stand
down, they remain alert, ready to engage with the PCs again at
Abrosim’s command.
The Inner Sanctum
This is where Abrosim plans to make his transformation to
become an immortal. His strange mechanikal generator stands at
the back of the chamber, conduits attaching him to it and feeding
The Soul Siphon
This machine reflects the culmination of years of his
research, practice, and implementation. Built from
designs drawn from the Librum Mekanecrus, augmented
by technology stolen from the Cyrissist cult of Volkovar,
and perfected by Abrosim’s unique vision, it is a singularly
vile piece of machinery that facilitates the man’s
transformation into an immortal.
Soul Siphon: Abrosim is attached to the soul siphon
and cannot move farther than 12 feet (2˝) from it while
attached. Severing Abrosim’s connection to the siphon
requires cutting four of the cables fixed into him. A cable
is DEF 12, ARM 16, and has 8 damage boxes. If all four
cables are destroyed, Abrosim is no longer attached to the
siphon and cannot transform. If cut free, Abrosim attempts
to fight his way free of the PCs and escape Veknost with his
life, commanding his flock of ravens to cover his getaway.
While Abrosim is attached to the soul siphon, at the start
of each of his Maintenance Phases, Abrosim gains d3 soul
tokens. While attached to the soul siphon, Abrosim can
have up to 7 soul tokens at a time. When Abrosim has 7
soul tokens, he amasses enough power to force the first
stage of his transformation. At the end of a round in which
he has 7 soul tokens, Abrosim transforms. At that point,
remove all soul tokens from Abrosim.
PCs may also attempt to use the siphon as a weapon
against Abrosim. A PC can spend a full action modifying the
machine and make a Mechanikal Engineering roll against
a target number of 18 (if he examined the prototype in
the halls of Veknost, he gains a +2 bonus to this roll). If
the roll succeeds, Abrosim immediately suffers d3 damage
points and is staggered for 1 round (while staggered, a
character cannot make initial attacks). Abrosim does not
gain souls the round after a PC successfully tampers with
the soul siphon.
power into him, changing him as its green glow envelopes him.
As the PCs fight their way into this chamber, Abrosim begins to
speak. If any of his guards remain, his first words are, “Allow
them to enter.”
As the PCs enter Abrosim’s inner sanctum, read or paraphrase
the following:
A massive machine, the source of the sickly green glow, dominates the
chamber beyond the archways, and the figure before it is a sight to behold.
The chamber itself has no natural light—green ley lines, like cracks in the
dirt and stone floor, emanate from its edges, intersecting at a monstrous
machine against the far wall. Dozens of ravens circle madly overhead,
cawing before dropping to their deaths as the green light vanishes from
their eyes to momentarily flare in the core of the machine.
“Welcome to my Temple of Eternal Life. I believe you’ve wanted this
moment as much as I have.”
The voice that rises from the figure is gravelly but authoritative and
controlled. It is the voice of Vladislav Abrosim, the former Greylord
who escaped execution at the hands of the Covenant…the lunatic who
sent his servants out to tear the world apart to uncover the secrets of
immortality…the evil madman who stands before you.
He stands wired to his machine, his eyes bright green, his body little
more than a glowing shadow in the radiance of the mechanikal construct.
Conduits run from his body into this bizarre device.
Abrosim smiles at you. “I am the only one who will leave this chamber
alive. And I will live forever.”
If Olivia attempted to escape with Rina’s body through the temple
and the PCs came after her, she makes off down a darkened tunnel
not far from Abrosim’s machine while he confronts the PCs. If she
fled this way and the PCs didn’t follow her immediately, she lies
dead, face down at the bottom of the stairs into the temple.
If the PCs discovered one of the prototypes in the chambers
above, they recognize certain aspects of that device in Abrosim’s
new machine. It has clearly undergone numerous revisions,
however, and incorporates aspects of technology stolen from the
Convergence temple Iokav controlled and designs drawn from
the arcanist Bowden Haightly’s work with the Librum Mekanecrus.
Fracture lines of energy radiate from the machine beyond the walls
of the temple, creeping out of the fort entirely. Abrosim’s machine
taps into a confluence of ley lines running beneath the fort—his
reason for choosing the structure as his base of operations. The
machine siphons off ley line energy for Abrosim’s transformation,
but has caused instability. It is the source of the earthquakes.
Abrosim’s Tactics
During the course of battle, Abrosim transforms from a mortal—
albeit magically endowed—man to a deadly monster, and if the
PCs fail to stop him, ultimately to an aberration: an immortal.
Abrosim is at his most vulnerable while the machine feeds him the
life essences causing his metamorphosis. Still, he is powerful—he
can command his ravens to attack the PCs, and if the PCs get past
any remaining personal guards, he uses his magic to hold them at
bay for 3 rounds, at which time he transforms into his next stage.
111
 The Death and Life of Vladislav Abrosim

Abrosim the Man

Clad in dark robes lined with ancient runes, his body and the horrible machine he built woven together by a chain of power conduits,
Abrosim is like a spider at the heart of his web. His face has the expression of a man about to achieve his life’s work. His eyes flare with
a brilliant, unholy light.

Skills: PHYSIQUE PHY 6

Name Stat + Rank total SPEED SPD 6
Mech. Engineering INT 2 6 STRENGTH STR 5
Lore (necromancy) INT 3 7 AGILITY AGL 5
Lore (history) INT 3 7 PROWESS PRW 5
Research INT 2 6
POISE POI 4
Forensic Science INT 1 5
Command SOC 2 * INTELLECT INT 4
Intimidation SOC 2 * ARCANE ARC 4
Medicine INT 1 5 PERCEPTION PER 4
Hand Weapon PRW 2 7
greylords rune axe
Spells COST RNG AOE POW UP OFF MAT POW P+S
Frostbite 2 SP 8 — 12 No Yes 7 4 9
Frostbite causes cold damage. Abilities: This weapon is a magical weapon
that causes cold damage.
Hex Blast 3 10 3 13 No Yes
Upkeep spells and animi on the character directly hit by Hex Blast immediately expire. INITIATIVE INIT 15
Influence 1 10  — — No Yes DEFENSE DEF 14
The spellcaster makes a contested Willpower roll against target living enemy hit by this spell. If the spellcaster loses, nothing (Tailored Plate -1)
happens. If the spellcaster wins, his player takes control of the character hit. The character immediately makes one normal melee
attack, then Influence expires. ARMOR ARM 13
(Tailored Plate +7)
Iron Flesh 2 6 — — Yes No
Target friendly living character gains +3 DEF but suffers –1 SPD.
WILLPOWER WILL 10

Murder of Crows 3 CTRL 5 * Yes No

Place a 5˝ AOE anywhere completely within this character’s control area. A living enemy character that enters or ends its activation
in the AOE suffers an unboostable POW 8 damage roll. 1 2 AGILITY
Abilities:
3

PHYS
Combat Caster – When this character makes a magic attack roll, he gains an additional die. Discard the lowest die of each roll.
Feat Points – The character starts each encounter with 3 feat points. At the end of each turn, he gains 1 feat point. He can never 4
IQ

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have more than 3 feat points at a time. E
U
Ghost Shield – The character gains +1 ARM for each soul token he currently has.
6

LL
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Great Power – This character can upkeep one spell each turn without spending a focus point or gaining a fatigue point.
5 I

N
Immunity: Cold – This character is immune to cold damage.
Soul Taker – The character gains one soul token when a living character is destroyed in his command range. The character can have up
to three soul tokens at a time and can spend soul tokens like feat points. He can spend a soul token at any time to remove a fatigue point. Command Range: 6
Will Weaver – This character is a will weaver. Base Size: small
Unholy Fury – This character can spend a quick action and a soul token to boost attack or damage rolls or purchace additional Encounter Points: 20
attacks at the cost of 1 soul token per boost or additional attacks.
Equipment:
Greylords rune axe, tailored plate,
annotated copy of Librum Mekanecrus,
dark robes, flock of undead ravens,
necromancer’s kit

112
Abrosim the monster At the moment of his transformation, any
remaining ravens explode, his guards slump
to the ground as wispy green trails of their
Abrosim no longer looks human—he is misshapen and large, fleeting faces pressing
life essences are sucked into the machine, and
up against his flesh from within before disappearing again, his own face flowing
the temple shakes, plunging into darkness
like wax into forms that resemble other people—those whose essences he has now
for 2 rounds. At the start of each round, the
combined with his own. The green glow of the machine blends with blue lightning
Game Master should roll a d6. On a 1–3, non-
that arcs beneath his skin, aligning his coloration with the ley lines. His eyes shift
incorporeal characters must make an AGL
from green to black. roll against a target of 12 or be knocked down.

PHYSIQUE PHY 9 Skills: At the end of 2 rounds of darkness, the

Name Stat + Rank machine itself explodes, flooding the room
SPEED SPD 5
Total with a momentary green flash, and then
STRENGTH STR 11 Unarmed Combat PRW 3 8 leaving behind an eerie glow that comes
AGILITY AGL 3 Intimidation SOC 3 * from the smoldering wreckage.
PROWESS PRW 5 Detection PER 2 5
POISE POI 3 Spells COST RNG AOE POW UP OFF Abrosim the Monster
INTELLECT INT 1 Frostbite 2 SP 8 — 12 No Yes Abrosim rises transformed from the
ARCANE ARC 4 Frostbite causes cold damage. wreckage, a malformed version of his
PERCEPTION PER 4 Murder former self. He tears away the cords
fist
of Crows 3 CTRL 5 * Yes No connecting him to his machine and charges
Place a 5˝ AOE anywhere completely within this character’s
MAT POW P+S the PCs.
control area. A living enemy character that enters or ends its
8 3 14 activation in the AOE suffers an unboostable POW 8 damage roll.
As a monster, Abrosim no longer draws
Abilities: Open Fist
Abilities: upon his own willpower to use spells.
INITIATIVE INIT 13 Instead, he relies entirely on soul energy.
Flesh of Steel – While unarmored, double the character’s PHY
DEFENSE DEF 12 when determining his ARM (included above). In this form, Abrosim can also use souls to
ARMOR ARM 18 Fearless – The character is immune to the effects of fear.
purchase additional attacks or boost attack
WILLPOWER WILL 10 or damage rolls, at one soul per boost. He
Body Count – The character gains 1 soul token each time it
destroys a living character. It can have up to 3 soul tokens at
throws himself heedlessly into battle to
1 2 a time. During its turn, the character can spend soul tokens to entice the PCs to attack him. Abrosim’s
boost attack or damage rolls at one token per boost. objective at this stage is to die, plain
AGILITY
Residual Energy – The character gains d3 souls at the start of and simple. Only his death will fuel his
3
each Maintenance Phase. The character’s ARC stat is equal to the resurrection as a true immortal.
number rolled.
PHYS

Upon his death, regardless of the damage

4 Monstrous – The character can spend a soul token to perform
one of the following power attacks: headbutt, slam, throw, or inflicted upon him, a great flare of blinding
IQ

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E double-hand throw. energy fills the chamber as the ley lines

U

6 create walls of light, and when it fades,

LL

Abrosim’s body has reverted to his earlier

TE

5 I
N

shape and size. His appearance belies what

has occurred—his restoration to life in his
Command Range: 1 immortal stage.
Base Size: medium
Encounter Points: 22
Equipment:
Tattered robes

113
 The Death and Life of Vladislav Abrosim

Abrosim the Immortal Dim Light: See p. 106.

This is the stage Abrosim has been building toward all along. Too
many of his lieutenants knew of his plans for resurrection and
immortality, and he became insanely suspicious that, once he
transformed to his monstrous form, those among his inner circle
would simply restrain him instead of kill him, thus thwarting his
bid for immortality. Thus, he has left his death in the hands of
those who he believes have no idea how to truly stop him: the PCs.
Use the stats for Abrosim the Man, with the following exceptions:
Quakes: See p. 110.
Aftermath
Each of three results is possible: the PCs kill Abrosim, the PCs take
Abrosim prisoner, or Abrosim emerges victorious, either through
defeating the PCs or escaping.
If the PCs defeat Abrosim, read or paraphrase the following:

After fully transforming into his immortal form, non-magical
attacks roll one fewer damage dice against him. At the start of his
Activation Phase, Abrosim automatically regenerates d3+1 vitality.
This effect is caused by the residue of Olivia’s alchemical formula
in his system and can be counteracted by the antidote. If Abrosim is
incapacitated, he becomes knocked down instead. During his next
Maintenance Phase, Abrosim regains vitality points equal to his
PHY stat. This regeneration is considered a magical effect and can
be circumvented by the effects of the collar.
Abrosim can only be truly defeated one way: a combination of the
antidote, the collar, and the blade Throat Cutter. The combination
and order of their use determines the effect on Abrosim. Using only
one of the three has no effect on Abrosim at all—other than perhaps
causing the PC who attempted it to receive the full brunt of his
attention.
“This cannot happen,” Abrosim moans, his voice a mixture of disbelief,
fury, and barely disguised terror. For a moment he casts his eyes
skyward—as if he is actually contemplating praying to the gods he has
contested for so long—and then looks back at you.
“Urcaen won’t contain me,” he hisses. “I’ll come back for you.”
And as a mortal, he dies.
The blood that pours from Abrosim’s wounds is greenish-black
and acidic, burning the stone floor—and evaporating into a green
gas that dissipates into the air to bring more pieces of the ceiling
down. As he dies, Abrosim turns to green dust that whirls about
the temple. The earthquakes continue, rupturing the floor along
the ley lines, and the entire fort begins to crumble in earnest. The
tunnel is the sole means of escape from the fall of Veknost as the
souls of hundreds flee.

If the PCs spend more than 7 rounds fighting Abrosim after his
rebirth, his transformation is complete. None of the items they
have gathered along the way affect him. The man is gone, replaced
by a true immortal.
Terrain
This encounter includes the following:
Infernal Machine: The generator Abrosim is plugged into
produces a field of dangerous energy around him. While the
generator is intact, a character that ends its activation within 12
feet (2˝) of Abrosim suffers a POW 12 magic damage roll. See “The
Soul Siphon,” p. 111.
If the PCs take Abrosim prisoner, read or paraphrase the
following:
Abrosim snarls like a caged animal.
“You cannot contain me,” he spits at you. “The world is destined to be
mine—and you will be the first to die when I am freed again.”
He then closes his eyes, his lip curled in defiance, and your prisoner
speaks no more.
If the PCs take Abrosim prisoner, he cannot be held by non-
magical means. Even with the collar on, he has myriad windows
of opportunity to escape, though he avoids further combat now
that he senses the PCs know how to defeat him. If he is held in

Items Outcome
The antidote paralyzes Abrosim as it takes effect on the alchemical mix in his blood, giving the
PCs enough time to put the collar on him. A paralyzed character has a base DEF of 7 and cannot
Antidote + Collar run, charge, or make slam or trample power attacks. Paralysis lasts for 1 round.
+ Blade: In turn, the collar eliminates Abrosim’s ability to work magic, allowing the blade to kill him. But
because Abrosim built the collar, he also knows how to remove it. After 3 rounds, Abrosim takes
it off and is capable of battle once again
The antidote paralyzes Abrosim (see above) giving the PCs an opportunity to lock the collar on
him. Doing so requires a successful Unarmed attack. With the collar in place, Abrosim is weak and
Antidote + Collar: can be imprisoned. The PCs must chain him, lock him in the metal casket, or otherwise restrain
him before he recovers and removes the collar. If Abrosim recovers before being restrained, he
attempts to escape the ruins of his temple via the tunnel.
The antidote paralyzes Abrosim, allowing the PCs to escape if they wish. Attacking with the
Antidote + Blade: blade prevents him from regaining vitality for 1 round.
If the PCs are able to somehow get the collar on Abrosim, it suppresses his magical abilities,
making him incapable of fighting, thus allowing the blade to penetrate his magical defenses
Collar + Blade: and kill him. Without the collar in place first, the blade does normal damage to Abrosim,
and Abrosim continues to regenerate after the effects of the blade wear off, offsetting its
usefulness.

114
the metal casket intended for Chenkov, he is not capable of using
his magic or fighting his way out. The Game Master can use his
discretion for other means of keeping Abrosim subdued while the
PCs decide what to do with him.
If the PCs fail to defeat Abrosim, read or paraphrase the
following:
Abrosim turns his head up, eyes flashing with a blinding flare of green
energy. Around him, the corpses of his ravens stir, rising to their feet and
calling out to their master in a guttural choir. Slowly he turns his head,
regarding each of you in turn.
“Thank you. Without your efforts, this momentous day never would
have come. In time, you will be remembered as those who gave birth to
life everlasting.”
With that, his attendant ravens burst into the air and wheel around
him, filling the chamber with a cyclone of black wings and deafening
cries. Suddenly, they explode toward you in a torrent, flying up and
out of the temple. Where Abrosim once stood, there is only empty
ground.
If Abrosim emerges victorious and escapes, in his passing he hurls
a spell in the tunnel to bring it down behind him and seal the
PCs in. This leaves them to either dig their way through or retreat
back through Veknost to escape through the main gate. If Abrosim
escapes, the PCs find caged ravens, their eyes normal, one for each
of the PCs, left behind as a veiled threat. The birds are either at the
end of the tunnel or at the gates where they found Rina Zavor on
their way in.
115
 The Death and Life of Vladislav Abrosim

CONCLUSION
If the PCs kill Abrosim, they need to escape the crumbling fort
alive, but the Game Master should feel free to expedite that escape
to allow the players to celebrate their victory beyond Veknost. If
the PCs have taken Abrosim prisoner, they will need to determine
what to do with him once they escape—some options include
taking him back to the Greylords Covenant, hunting down the
blade Throat Cutter to execute him, or seeking a place to imprison
him permanently—perhaps one of the caves in the Grove of
Wracks, a cemetery tomb if they have him trapped in the metal
casket, the bottom of a river or lake, or somewhere else where
they think no one will ever find him.
Where to Go Next
Once Immortality is complete, the Game Master can use
elements of the scenario in future games. Not all of Vladislav
Abrosim’s many lieutenants were executed by his assassins.
Throughout western Immoren, otherwise normal-looking
men and women hide in the shadows. Eventually, word of
Abrosim’s death will reach them and with it, the identity
of the PCs. Are these agents grateful the PCs destroyed a
madman who may have wanted their blood, or are they
incensed at the death of their master?

If Abrosim escaped from them, however, the caged ravens the
PCs discover while leaving Veknost are only the beginning.
While Abrosim may disappear from sight for a time, the PCs
may well be plagued by harbingers of Abrosim’s mounting
power—the destruction of previous locations in this adventure,
the unexpected discovery of dead companions, the reappearance
of Abrosim’s lieutenants who escaped his wrath, telling tales of
his ruthless single-handed slaughter of temples, caravans, or
even entire villages. Everywhere he goes, Abrosim may begin to
leave calling cards for the PCs to suggest his awareness of their
presence: a single raven feather placed on their chest while they
sleep, for example.
Similarly, Abrosim made enemies of powerful groups.
The Greylords Covenant and Order of Illumination both
considered him a significant threat. They may pursue the
PCs, hoping to extract information about him. They may
even enlist the assistance of the PCs in rooting out the
last vestiges of Abrosim’s network of allies as insurance;
the madman funded all manner of occult studies and illicit
research, seeding the efforts of his agents with information
gleaned from forbidden tomes of dark knowledge.

If Abrosim escaped, he is not done with the PCs.

EXPERIENCE
With the final battle against Vladislav Abrosim, the PCs have
completed the Immortality adventure: they have (hopefully)
thwarted his plans for achieving eternal life and have escaped
the collapse of his hidden fort, Veknost. The XP below is based
primarily on the PCs’ actions in killing Abrosim or, at the very
least, escaping from him.

Play Award: Each character gains 1 XP for participating in each

session of this installment of the adventure.

Conditional Awards: If the PCs took Abrosim prisoner, each

character gains 1 XP. If the PCs killed him using the blade Throat
Cutter, each character gains 2 XP.

Milestone Bonus: PCs who played through the previous five

parts of Immortality each gain 3 XP for completing the adventure.

116
 ®

Immortality requires sacrifice, and a fallen

Greylord will pay any price, take any life, to live
forever. With a following of fanatical cultists,
the mad arcanist Vladislav Abrosim is on the
verge of achieving ultimate power…unless you
can stop him.

In Immortality, players must race against time

to stop the renegade Abrosim’s bloody path to
eternal life. From a hidden temple devoted to
Cyriss, the Clockwork Goddess, to a fortress
deep in the mountains of Khador, you and
your group of adventurers will find yourselves
confronted by cultists, warjacks, fanatical
servants, and Abrosim himself as you try to stop
the madman from becoming more powerful
than any mortal might imagine.

Immortality includes:

• The complete adventure as published in

No Quarter magazine

• Three additional scenarios to expand

the adventure

• The original prologue adventure, “Spirit

in Steel”

• Detailed maps for every key adventure!

ISBN: 978-1-939480-99-6
PIP 424 • $24.99
www.privateerpress.com
®