City of Charron

If the party seems determined to journey to the Negative Energy Plane, Graz'zt will again communicate with Gabrielle:

Your dreams are interrupted once more.  "So you have learned the truth about me.  No matter.  Your quest and mine are still the same: defeat Orcus and keep the portal closed.  To that end, I am willing to aid you in your attempt to free the girl's soul."  You are now standing on a road.  In the distance, you see the sun setting behind the city of Charron.  Next to you, on the side of the road, is a dead, gnarled tree.  There is a knot in the tree.  Something compels you to reach in.

Inside the knot you find a small velvety case, and within that, an ornate ruby ring.  "This ring shall open a gate for you and your companions, and take you precisely where you need to go.  Merely twist it around your finger and invoke my name.  Do the same when you wish to return home.  When your quest is completed, twist it a third time and invoke my name again, so that the ring might be returned to me.  Godspeed, my lovely!"

Should the party choose to reject Graz'zt's offer, they will be able to special-order divine scrolls of plane shift from the Langevist Black Market at triple the DMG price.

East Imperial Highway

The ring in Gabrielle's dream is precisely where Graz'zt indicated it would be:  about eighteen miles east of Charron, in the knot of an old gnarled tree.  The area will be under surveillance by a quasit, who will be lurking invisibly a few yards away.  The quasit is there to try to ensure that the ring is picked up only by its intended target.

The ruby in the ring is very large, and appears to have a flaw at its center: a wavy black line.  Close examination with a magnifying glass (or a true seeing spell) will reveal the wavy line to be a miniature curved sword.  The ring radiates strong transmutation magic, and an identify spell will indicate that its purpose involves transportation.

The ring does not actually create a gate; Graz'zt will arrange that himself when he hears Gabrielle speak his name aloud.  However, if the ring is twisted and Graz'zt's name is invoked three times, the wearer will be transported instantly to the Argent Palace.  Graz'zt intends Gabrielle to be his bride as the price for his aid in defeating Orcus.

Quasit: hp 12.

Negative Energy Plane

If the party invokes and uses the gate proffered by Graz'zt, they will materialize in the Negative Energy Plane approximately 200 yards from the Skeleton Court.  Although the Plane suffocates light and energy, the party will be able to see the glowing eyes and nose of the Skull from their location, albeit merely as faint gray blurs.  As they approach, the glow will turn red.

If the party has purchased their own means of dimensional travel, they will arrive some distance from the Skeleton Court, as indicated by the plane shift spell description.  Unless they somehow choose the correct direction towards the Skeleton Court, they will travel for 6d8+10 hours before encountering a pair of xeg-yi, swimming through the plane on some unknown purpose.  The xeg-yi will seem interested in the party, and will pause on their journey.  After a few moments, they will resume, but in a different direction.  Should the party follow, the xeg-yi will lead them after 4d6 hours to the floating den of a roving mercane who can provide the necessary directions for a steep price.  The mercane will be accompanied by four zenythri bodyguards and an axiomatic ape.

Xeg-yi (2): hp 30, 27.
Mercane: hp 62.

Bodyguards (4): male zenythri Ftr5; CR 6; Medium-size Outsiders; HD 5d10+10; hp 32 each; Init +6 (+2 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative); Spd 20 ft.; AC 21 (touch 11, flat-footed 20); Atk +11 melee (1d10+6, masterwork bastard sword) or +8 ranged (1d8+3, mighty masterwork composite longbow); SA true strike; SQ electricity, fire, and sonic resistance 5, outsider traits; AL LN; SV Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +4; Str 18, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8.
    Skills and Feats: Balance -4, Climb +4, Intuit Direction +4, Jump +4; Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword), Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (bastard sword), Weapon Specialization (bastard sword).
    Possessions: full plate, large steel shield, masterwork bastard sword, mighty masterwork composite longbow (+3 Str bonus), 20 arrows, potion of cure moderate wounds, potion of endurance, cloak of resistance +1.

Axiomatic ape; CR 3; Large Magical Beast; HD 4d8+8; hp 35; Init +2 (Dex); Spd 30 ft., climb 30 ft.; AC 14 (touch 11, flat-footed 12); Atk +7 melee (1d6+5, 2 claws) and +2 melee (1d6+2, bite); SA smite chaos; SQ cold, electricity, fire and sonic resistance 10, darkvision 60 ft., linked minds, scent, SR 8; AL LN; SV Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +2; Str 21, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 3, Wis 12, Cha 7.
    Skills and Feats: Climb +18, Listen +6, Spot +6.

The Skeleton Court

The Skeleton Court is pair of structures in a doldrum in the Negative Energy Plane.  The larger of the two structures is the Skull, a massive (300 feet wide) human-like cranium with brightly glowing red eyes.  The Skull is not fashioned of bone, but rather obsidian.  There is stonework at the crown of the Skull, creating a sort of courtyard space.

The Keep is tethered to the Skull by means of an enormous chain.  It is a four-story structure, composed mostly of basalt, but with the bones and skulls of thousands of creatures of various sorts embedded within the rock.  The Keep is dark and deadly quiet, and the whole place has a palpable malevolence.

The mind flayer Eui-Sik constructed the Skeleton Court several thousand years ago, both as a fortress and as a means of preserving himself.  With the aid of mighty, borrowed magics, Eui-Sik fashioned the entire Court as a sort of lich's phylactery, enabling him to persist in undead form for millennia.  The phylactery is "powered" by thousands of souls trapped within the Skull.  They are brought there by minor death-spirits, who, among other tasks, answer the summons of the Skull card from the Deck of Many Things.  One of these minor deaths serves Eui-Sik on a permanent basis.  The illithilich himself meditates in his vault, with no purpose other than his own preservation and the misery of others.

The Skeleton Court is airless, and has the minor negative-dominant trait throughout.  The interior of the Keep has objective directional gravity.  The nearly impenetrable darkness of the Negative Plane is somewhat mitigated within the keep walls: light sources illuminate a 15 ft. radius with some clarity.

Map locations refer to Seven Strongholds, p. 56.

The Keep

Random encounters in the keep are as follows (1 on d10, checked every eight hours):

1. 2d6 baneguards
2. 1d2+1 vampire spawn
3. 1d4+1 wights
4. 1d3 wraiths

1.  Doorway
The doorway to the Keep is a set of huge wooden doors with tarnished brass hinges and tentacled brains inscribed upon their faces.  The doors are barred from the inside (break DC 40).

3.  Hall
Standing guard in this hallway are four baneguards and a wight.  The baneguards will fight until destroyed; if the battle turns against the wight, he will flee to the "north" and attempt to alert the alhoon and minor death to the presence of the intruders.  They have no treasure.

Baneguards (4): hp 34 each.
Wight: hp 35.

4.  Cat's Claw
The area just past the hall, where the walls narrow to a tight bottleneck, is protected by a Cat's Claw trap (TT2, pp. 33-34).  The free-willed inhabitants of the Skeleton Court are trained to avoid the pressure plate; the others simply never leave their posts.

5.  Main Chamber
The grand hall of the Keep is littered with debris, much of it in the form of remains: bones, teeth, and desiccated corpses, both humanoid and otherwise.  Arms and armor are scattered about: a few battered helms, some snapped and/or blunted longswords, greaves, gauntlets, mace heads, and the like.  Mixed in among them (Search DC 15) is a mithral large shield in good condition.

6.  Dripping Blood
The walls, floor and ceiling in this corner slowly seep blood, an aftereffect of some powerful dweomer once invoked here.  It drips audibly from the ceiling, and forms shallow puddles and pools on the floor.  The blood looks, feels, and smells real, but it is not, and it disappears soon after it appears (so that there is a relatively constant amount of blood pooled on the floor).  The blood has no effect, but the entire area radiates strong magic and evil.

8.  Debris
There is more debris here, scrap metal and wood, as well as some broken jars and shattered glass.  Mixed in among these items is a rubbery, oval-shaped mat, about three feet long.  The mat can be used to defeat the electrical shock at (22).

9.  Cracked Mirror
There is more debris in this room, as well as a large, cracked mirror on the "west" wall.  Only a few shards of the mirror have fallen to the ground; the rest are still in the frame.  There is also a shelf in the "southwest" corner, atop which is a miniature ceramic cage.

Characters who examine the mirror closely (Search DC 15) will notice a faint glowing object depicted in the glass, although there is nothing in the room that could be casting this reflection.  Indeed, the mirror does not reflect anything in the room.  The object seems to undulate and wave slightly, as if alive.  The mirror radiates moderate divination magic, while the ceramic cage radiates strong abjuration magic.

If the mirror is somehow repaired (as with a make whole spell), the image will become clear and obvious: there is a xeg-yi, floating in the middle of a room matching the description of area (10).  The xeg-yi appears to be imprisoned in an energy-cage of some sort.  It is tumbling slowly in place, as if unable to control its actions.

10.  Trapped Xeg-Yi
The wooden door to this chamber is locked (Open Lock DC 25, break DC 18).  A pulsing or throbbing can be felt emanating from the room beyond.

Inside the throbbing is palpable, an indicator perhaps of some strong energy in the room.  The chamber is mostly empty.  There are four glowing black stones, set in the center of the wall in each of the cardinal directions, and a black circle in the center of the floor, about four feet in diameter.  The whole area radiates strong abjuration magic, as well as a curious mix of positive and negative energy.

A xeg-yi is trapped here, somewhat out of phase with the rest of the plane, and held in place via the magics embedded in the black stones.  Because it is out of phase, it will be invisible to the party.  A see invisibility spell will reveal its outlines in a hazy, indistinct way.  The xeg-yi can also be viewed by repairing the mirror in (9).

To free the xeg-yi, the party must simply smash the ceramic cage in (9).  If freed, the xeg-yi will assist the party in fighting the residents of the Skeleton Court to the best of its ability.

Xeg-yi: hp 33.

11.  Choking Dust
There are several beakers, tubes and flasks scattered on the floor here, all covered in a very thick layer of pale yellow dust.  If the beakers are disturbed, the dust will kick up and form a cloud 10 ft. by 10 ft. in size.  Any character in the cloud must make a Fortitude save (DC 15), or be wracked with violent coughing for 1d3 minutes.  During this time, an affected character is considered nauseated.  For 1d3 hours afterward, he suffers a temporary loss of 1d4 points of Constitution and Dexterity.

The beakers are ordinary, and contain nothing of interest.

12.  Pentagram
An old, faded pentagram is painted on the floor here.  It does nothing interesting.

13.  Shrine
This area is consecrated as a shrine to Ilsensine, the illithid deity.  A gold statuette (2000 gp value) near the "south" wall depicts a large, distended brain with tentacles emanating from it.  The pedestal on which the statuette sits has magical protections: any living creature who approaches within five feet suffers the effect of a mind blast (Will save DC 15 to avoid, victims stunned for 1d4 rounds).  Guarding this area is a spawn of Kyuss.

Spawn of Kyuss: hp 30.

14.  Library
A heavy wooden bookcase has been turned over onto a dusty rug, with a number of volumes trapped underneath.  This is a "One Rug, Slightly Used" trap (TT2, pp. 72-73).

The books are mostly written in Undercommon, but are also mostly uninteresting.  The titles would fetch 200 gp from rare book collectors.

15.  Crumbling Floor
The floor here is greatly weakened.  Observant characters may notice this on a successful Spot check (DC 15).  The first character(s) who step through this space will cause the floor to collapse.  They must make Reflex saves (DC 20) to avoid falling to the first floor below.

Crumbling Floor: CR 1; no attack roll required (1d6); Reflex save (DC 20) avoids; Spot (DC 15).

16.  Glowing Green Orb
Here in the "northwest" corner of the second floor, a green orb, approximately two feet in diameter, hovers off the floor and gives off a pale green glow.  It radiates moderate conjuration magic and positive energy.

With a successful Spellcraft check (DC 15), a character can successfully harness the positive energy to cure serious wounds, as the spell, twice per day.

18.  Coffins
There are eight coffins here.  Six are empty, but two contain vampire spawn, who will rise and attack when intruders approach.  The coffin of the first vampire spawn contains 3111 sp.  The second contains 508 gp, a silver inkpen (300 gp), and a divine scroll of make whole and searing light.

Vampire spawn (2): hp 29, 26.

19.  Blocked Stairway

20.  Guard Post
Twelve medium-size zombies (two rows of six each) guard this location against any living creatures that enter.

Zombies (12): hp 18 each.

21.  Diorama
Two dozen armed and armored humanoids of various sorts (mostly elven) are "posed" here, with weapons drawn, seemingly ready to attack.  Several others lie on the ground, apparently fallen in battle.

All are dead, and have been for many years.  They were would-be invaders of this keep, and all were defeated by Eui-Sik or his servants.  Many bear horrible scars, and all of them are a dull gray color.  The airless environment of the Negative Plane has preserved their bodies, and the lich keeps them here as a grisly piece of art.

Most of the useful items that these adventurers were carrying have been removed from them; however, one of the elves wears a suit of mithral chain mail, and another has two potions of cure moderate wounds.

22.  Switch
There is an invisible switch along the "east" wall here.  An observant character (Spot DC 20) may notice faint scorchmarks along the wall adjacent to it.   A Search check of the area (DC 10) will reveal the switch.  An additional Spot check (DC 20) will notice a faint oval outline on the floor, about three feet across.

If pulled, the switch will cause the disk at (23) to materialize inside the cube.  However, anyone flicking the switch is subject to an electric shock for 2d6 points of damage, emanating from the floor.  The mat at (8) will provide insulation to prevent this from occurring.

23.  Cube
In the center of this room, there is a three foot tall metal post, topped with a thick glass cube with one open face.  The cube is 2' x 2' x 2'.  There is nothing in or on it but a thick layer of dust.

If the switch at (22) is pulled, an disk will materialize in the center of the glass cube.  The disk has a death's head image inscribed on its face, and it is slightly convex.  It fits neatly into the depression of the steel curtain at (19).

24.  Maze
The fourth floor of the Keep is an elaborate maze filled with secret doors.  In all cases, the secret doors are simply sliding wall sections.  They are detectable with a Search check, DC 18.

The minor death who serves Eui-Sik haunts the maze when he is not out harvesting souls.  As soon as he detects intruders, he will make his way to the stairwell (above (19)) using the shortest route possible (i.e., through walls).  He will pursue intruders anywhere in the Court, and will fight until destroyed.

Minor death; CR 9; Medium-size Undead (Incorporeal); HD 7d12; hp 55; Init +7 (+3 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative); Spd 40 ft., fly 80 ft. (good); AC 15 (touch 15, flat-footed 12); Atk +6 melee (2d8, ghost touch scythe) or +6 melee (1d8, incorporeal touch plus energy drain); SA create spawn, energy drain, unerring strike; SQ incorporeal, plane shift, sunlight powerlessness, turning immunity, undead traits, unnatural aura; SV Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +7; Str -, Dex 16, Con -, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 15.
    Skills and Feats: Hide +13, Intimidate +12, Intuit Direction +10, Listen +13, Search +10, Spot +13; Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative.
    Possessions: ghost touch scythe.

Unerring Strike (Ex): The minor death always scores a successful hit when striking with its ghost touch scythe.

Turning Immunity (Ex): The minor death cannot be turned or rebuked by clerics or paladins.

Plane Shift (Sp): The minor death can plane shift at will, with perfect accuracy.

25-26.  Empty Rooms
These rooms serve to mislead intruders.  The doors are heavy (Str check DC 20 to open) and are marked with the brain-and-tentacles image of Ilsensine (the doors to all four rooms are regular doors, not secret doors).  The "north" and "southeast" doors are trapped.  The door to the north room is trapped with an inflict moderate wounds spell (5th level caster); a glyph just past the doorway in the southeast room triggers a Melf's acid arrow (5th level caster).  None of the rooms has anything of interest in them.

Inflict Moderate Wounds Trap: CR 3; no attack roll required (2d8+5); Will save (DC 13) for half damage; Search (DC 27); Disable Device (DC 27).

Melf's Acid Arrow Trap: CR 3; +5 ranged touch (2d4 for two rounds); Search (DC 27); Disable Device (DC 27).

27.  Vault of the Lich
Huge and heavy double doors mark the entrance to this chamber.  The doors are adorned with (nonmagical) sigils, and are locked (Open Lock DC 25, break DC 30).  Dim light trickles from the crack at the floor.

Eui-Sik the quasi-lich is ensconced here, meditating on a throne of bones.  Unlike a true lich, he has no magical powers, but he has all the other powers of an alhoon.  Eui-Sik is guarded at all times by four zombies, who will interpose themselves between intruders and the lich, and allow the latter to use his psionic abilities to their full effect. Eui-Sik will drink his potion of invisibility to avoid melee combat if possible.

Under his rotting, silken robes, Eui-Sik wears a glowing crystal skull-shaped amulet.  This amulet is the means by which he harnesses the souls of the Skeleton Court to preserve himself in undeath.  Any living creature who touches this amulet gains a negative level, and suffers 2d4 hp of damage.  If the amulet is destroyed, Eui-Sik is also destroyed, and the valve-wheel at (28) is unlocked.  Because the power of the amulet is tied directly to the Skeleton Court, Eui-Sik is essentially unable to use his plane shift ability to leave the Negative Energy Plane.  The amulet has a hardness of 10, and 15 hit points.

The room itself is unlike the rest of the Keep.  There are more bones embedded in the walls, ceiling and floor here, such that the entire chamber appears to be the interior of an enormous ribcage.  There is light here as well, albeit dim and shadowy.  Eui-Sik sits on a fine silk pillow, worth 400 gp.  Adjacent to the throne are two locked wooden coffers, each containing 1000 pp (Open Lock DC 25).  There are also four silver wall sconces worth 300 gp each.

Zombies (4): hp 20 each.

Eui-Sik: male mind flayer quasi-lich; CR 10; Medium-size Undead; HD 8d12; hp 65; Init +6 (+2 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative); Spd 30 ft.; AC 17 (touch 12, flat-footed 15); Atk +8 melee (1d4+1, 4 tentacles) or +7 melee (1d8+5, touch); SA damaging touch, extract, improved grab, mind blast, psionics; SQ DR 15/+1, immunities, SR 25, telepathy, turn resistance +4, undead traits; AL NE; SV Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +10; Str 12, Dex 14, Con -, Int 21, Wis 19, Cha 19.
    Skills and Feats: Bluff +9, Concentration +15, Hide +16, Intimidate +11, Knowledge (arcana) +10, Knowledge (the planes) +10, Listen +19, Move Silently +15, Search +13, Sense Motive +12, Spot +19; Alertness, Combat Casting, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse (tentacle).
    Possessions: silk robes, 280 pp, 6 black pearls (500 gp each), potion of glibness, potion of invisibility, golembane scarab (any), crystal amulet.

The Skull

28.  Courtyard
Three walls of weathered and crumbling stones stand atop the Skull, creating an open court-like space.  There are spots of dried blood throughout the courtyard, as well as the occasional broken weapon or battered shield.  Along the back wall there is a small valve-wheel with a shaft running deep into the rock of the Skull.

The wheel is magically locked, and cannot be turned by any means unless Eui-Sik's crystal amulet has been destroyed.  Even after this has happened, a Strength check (DC 25) is still required.  The characters will feel a deep rumbling beneath their feet when they turn the wheel.

29.  Eyes
The eye sockets and nasal passages of the Skull are sealed off by thick slabs of magically-reinforced granite.  They glow a bright red, visible from a distance even in the darkness of the Negative Energy Plane.  Turning the valve-wheel at (28) will cause these slabs to slide away, opening the passages into the interior of the Skull.

Once these passages have been opened, hundreds of luminescent, formless spirits will come streaming out of the Skull through the eyes and nose.  They will shoot out into the void, and quickly disappear into the Ether before heading on to their final destinations.

City of Charron

After freeing her soul, the party can either resurrect Chantal themselves (with the assistance of Dietrich von Arx) or arrange somehow to first meet with Jeanne Rheaume.  If they choose the first option, and present Rheaume with her already-resurrected daughter, Rheaume will gasp in disbelief.  She will be suspicious, and will demand to know if this is a trick.  She will be overcome with joy, however, and will be very easy to persuade (Diplomacy DC 10).

The second option is a little more dangerous.  At the mention of her daughter's name, Jeanne will grow visibly agitated; the party will have to speak and bargain very carefully if they are to gain her trust (Diplomacy DC 20).  If they are successful, Jeanne will demand that the resurrection take place immediately, and she will offer to pay for it.  Jeanne has a lock of Chantal's hair taken at the time of her death, thus permitting the use of a resurrection rather than a true resurrection.  If they are unsuccessful, or if they have given Jeanne the impression that they are holding Chantal hostage, she will attack.

If and when Jeanne sees her daughter alive and well, she will scream with joy.  Chantal will run to her mother and cling to the vampire's leg.  After a few emotional moments, Chantal will ask her mother why she is so cold, and will suggest that they take a walk in the sun together to warm up.  Rheaume will be struck by this, naturally, and will begin to cry.

After a few moments, she will compose herself, and ask of the party one additional favor: she wishes to be alive again.  For this to occur, she will need to be staked or otherwise destroyed beforehand.  She will pay whatever expense is required, but she will insist that the party fulfill this request as soon as possible.

When resurrected, she will cough and sputter.  Color will return to her cheeks, and she will smile and cry.  She will take Chantal by the hand, and walk into the sunlight.  Before she leaves, she will produce a brilliant golden scepter, tipped with an enormous blue diamond, from the folds of her cloak.  With a few words and a gesture, a thin green ray will spring from her hand, disintegrating the scepter.  Rheaume will then hand the characters a parting gift: her Deck of Many Things.

With Rheaume gone, Katerina will emerge from her fog.  She will remember everything, but she will be uncertain as to the whys and wherefores of her return to Charron.  Dietrich von Arx will step in as quickly as possible to reassure her of her rightful place as Empress.  Unless the party intervenes in some fashion, Katerina will be crowned on the appointed date.  Three days thereafter, a herald bearing a red flag will arrive at the city gates.  He is conveying a message from General Sebastien Noël: Charron must surrender immediately, or else suffer complete destruction.

If necessary, Graz'zt will remind Gabrielle to return his ring.  If she completes the ritual, she will vanish instantly in a puff of red smoke.