Sample file CREDITS

Author: Brian Hamilton Maps and Map Objects: 2-Minute Tabletop, Caeora, Cze and Peku, and Inkarnate Template: Simple Microsoft Word Template by Laura Hirsbrunner

Disclaimer:Sample The designer of this template did not come up with a clever disclaimer, but felt obligated to format this template with it nonetheless.file DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, , , , , the dragon ampersand, and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. pp This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

All other original material in this work is copyright 2020 by Brian Hamilton and published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.

1 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Credits ...... 1 Table of Contents...... 2 Preface ...... 3 Introduction ...... 4 Story Overview ...... 4 Running the Adventure ...... 4 Adventure Summary ...... 4 Starting the Adventure ...... 5 Samesaj Gate ...... 5 The Dark Bazaar ...... 5 The Grey Callers ...... 5 Trading Secrets ...... 6 Attendants ...... 6 The Muzad ...... 6 Sholeh Sabban ...... 6 Temple of Old Night Altar ...... 7 The Sewers ...... 9 The Lost Sewers ...... 10 Uncharted Regions ...... 12 Lake of Steam ...... 13 Travel Distances ...... 13 Other Parties ...... 13 Church of Bane ...... 13 Yakfolk ...... 15 Ithal Pass ...... 15 Omlarandin Mountains ...... 15 Random Encounters ...... 15 Omlar Mine ...... 15 Kzelter ...... 17 The Villagers ...... 17 The Duskeyes ...... 17 Rock Maelstrom ...... 18 Wooden Palisades ...... 18 Random Encounters ...... 18 1. Town Gate ...... 18 2. Greenfield Farm ...... 19 3. The Tyrant’s Hope ...... 19 4. Black Lord’s Keep ...... 20 5. Dao Caverns ...... 22 Conclusion ...... 25 We’ll Have No Part in This ...... 25 Return of the Black Gauntlet ...... 25 Rise of the Yikaria ...... 25 We Can’t Just Leave ...... 25 More Adventures...... 25 Side Quests ...... 26 The Rat’s Nest ...... 26 The Xorn Cage ...... 26 The Clawtooths ...... 26 Run for it ...... 26 Appendix ...... 28 New Monsters ...... 28 Baneguard ...... 29 Banelar Naga ...... 29 EarthSample Elemental Myrmidon ...... 30 file Marut ...... 33 Mercane ...... 34 Skeletal Tomb Guardian ...... 35 Skum ...... 35 Yakfolk (Yikaria) ...... 37 Handouts ...... 38

2 PREFACE

In writing this adventure series, I have relied heavily on the history presented by previous authors for the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting. The writings of Steven E. Schend, Dale Donovan, Richard Baker, Ed Bonny, Travis Stout, Darrin Drader, Jason Carl, , Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan, Skip Williams, William W. Connors, Rob Heinsoo, Monte Cook, Eric L. Boyd, Sean K. Reynolds, and of course have all been instrumental in helping me get a feel for the lands bordering the Shining Sea and the Lake of Steam as well as the elemental planes from which the genie lords originated. The depth of information available has inspired so much of my writing it’s hard to put in words how grateful I am for their influence. This adventure was inspired by a sentence from Lost Empires of Faerun. In -7717 DR, “The reigning ataman of the Great Dismal Delve (a dao lord) [established] a portal between his holdings on the Elemental Plane of Earth and a cavern complex beneath what is now the occupied town of Kzelter.” I was intrigued. Quickly, I began poring over the lore of the region. Who are the inhabitants of Kzelter? Why were the dao interested in this area? What role did the ‘dao lord’ play in establishing the early Calim Empire? The book goes on to mention a small resistance force What was his name? What happened to him and the as well as vague rumors of buried Tethyrian armories other dao at the end of the First Era of Skyfire? To my filled with magical weapons and armor. However, the surprise, this line appears to be the only official lore shops, taverns, guilds, and places of worship normally about the dao in this early part of Calishite history. included in any town described in the world of Toril were What was even more surprising was how little all destroyed. information there was on Kzelter. According to Empires There is very little mention of Kzelter elsewhere. of the Shining Sea, “Much of Kzelter burned in the battle Dungeon #69 mentions that the Banites struggled to against the invading Banites. The original buildings that find the lost Tethyrian armory and the 3.5 Forgotten remain are of timber, with thatch or slate roofs. Most of Realms Campaign Setting mentions the town in passing. the town of Kzelter is the tent city that holds the Banite However, it was not mentioned at all in the Forgotten troops and mercenaries.” Realms Campaign Guide or, to my knowledge, any publication since. So, what did happen to Kzelter? Did the Banites ever find the Tethyrian armory they were searching for? Did they rebuild the town? How big a presence do they maintain there now? To my knowledge, no official answers to these questions exist. It is thus, with trepidation, that I have had to imagine much of Kzelter’s history over the last century for this adventure. I have tried to consider how a tyrannical, militaristic culture might have responded to the events of the Spellplague and the Second Sundering and how they might have rebuilt the town in their image. In addition, I have tried to fill in the gaps regarding the dao’s history. I have chosen to largely ignore the canon of the dao no longer serving the Yikaria, since it was little more than a throwaway line at the end of Storm King’s Thunder and is one of the few details, I feel, gives the dao some depth and complexity. Now it is possible that there is some book, article, or other publication that TSR or Wizards of the Coast has produced that contains all the information I seek. As Sampleanyone who is familiar with thefile Forgotten Realms knows, there is a lot of information about the world of Toril. While this provides players a world with history, characters, organizations, deities, and locations that we can use to inspire our adventures, it is remarkably easy to overlook certain details, even ones that, to others, might seem obvious and important. If I have done this in my writing, I sincerely apologize. I hope that my readers can forgive the oversight.

3 Should any of the genies succeed in freeing their lords INTRODUCTION from their prisons, it is certain that the lands of Calimshan will fall to their will. It is up to the In the year -7800 DR, the mighty genie lord Calim adventurers to prevent this from happening. arrived in the lands of Faerun and founded the city of Calim on the site of present-day Calimport. For 1,000 RUNNING THE ADVENTURE years, Calim ruled the land with a mighty fist. He To run this adventure, you will need the Dungeons & defeated the dwarves and elves who occupied the area Dragons fifth edition core rulebooks (Player’s Handbook, and crushed the uprising led by marid genie lord Ahjuu ’s Guide, and ). during the Steam Wars, sinking the marid city of To get started, print out this adventure and read Ahjuutal into the sea. through it at least once to familiarize yourself with the Then, in -6800, the efreeti Memnon arrived in Faerun plot, threats, locations, and major NPCs (particularly and established the bordering country of Memnonnar. their motivations). Text that appears in italics is player For 400 years, Memnon and his people built their information that you can read aloud or paraphrase to the country, laying low in the northern forests. When war players. When a creature’s name appears in bold, that is finally broke out between Memnonnar and the Calim a visual cue to look up its stat block in the Monster Empire, it resulted in a 400-year long war. Manual. The adventure’s text will indicate if a creature’s Known as the Era of Skyfire, the war involved 22 stat block appears in the appendix battles that devastated the lands and laid waste to the kingdom of Memnonnar. Concerned about the destruction the two genie lords were wreaking upon the ADVENTURE SUMMARY land, the elven high mage Pharos trapped the two lords If you are running this adventure as part of the Rise of and their allies in an artifact known as the Calimemnon the Genie Lords adventure series, the characters spent the Crystal. first two adventures recovering the Ritual of Return, a For thousands of years, the two genie lords remained pair of tomes capable of freeing the genie lords, Calim trapped in the crystal. Though disembodied, the two and Memnon, from their prisons in the elemental genie lords continued their war against one another, planes. thus creating the Calim Desert. Then, in 1385, during the When the characters return to Memnon, they receive a time of the Spellplague, the Calimemnon Crystal cracked, message via animal messenger from the Janessar or one releasing the genies. For the next 65 years, the genies of their other contacts asking them to return to renewed their hostilities towards one another during Calimport immediately. If you are not planning to run what is now known as the Second Era of Skyfire. Then, in the previous adventures, the characters start in 1450 DR, the genie lords mysteriously vanished, sent Calimport and learn the information from one of their back to their home planes, thus ending their second era contacts in the city. of warfare and destruction. When the characters arrive in Calimport, they learn that the earth genasi have staged an uprising against the Banites of Kzelter, taking control of the town. STORY OVERVIEW The uprising was led by Qurushta, a dao genie from Nearly half a century after the end of the Second Era of the city of Zazesspur. Since taking over the town, Skyfire, four genies – Qurushta, Ereshka, Al Quezar, and Qurushta has ordered attacks on mining operations in Ozhan – have received visions from their ancient lords the Omlarandin Mountains and been using galeb duhr that the time has come for their kind to recover the slaves and the slaves from Kzelter to conduct operations. throne of Calimshan and usher in the Third Era of Qurushta has also ordered excavations within the Skyfire. town of Kzelter. Although it is not entirely clear what he Returning to sites that were once the seats of power is searching for in the town, there are rumors that a for their lords, each of the genies is attempting to release portal to the Great Dismal Delve, home of the dao genie their ancient masters. Ereshka has traveled to the Calim lord the Grand Khan, lies beneath the village. The Desert to the ruins of Dashadjen where it is rumored that characters are asked to investigate the situation and the genie lord, Calim, sealed away a tome containing eliminate any potential threats to the region. part of The Ritual of Return, a powerful conjuration spell When the characters arrive in Kzelter, they discover capable of freeing him from his home plane. Ereshka they are not the only ones interested in the town. The then plans to travel to Calimport, where a portal to the Banites retreated to Ithal Pass to regroup and are Plane of Air exists beneath the port city. planning to retake the settlement. Meanwhile, a race of Al Quezar has already procured a tome containing the creatures, known as the yakfolk, are gathering to second half of this ritual and has traveled to Memnonnar sabotage Qurushta’s mining operations and prevent him to find the Great Brass Gate, the original portal that from recovering the magical contract that binds the allowed Memnon to travel to the Material Plane. Once he Grand Khan and the entire dao race to their service and finds the portal, he is hoping to steal the other half of the the service of their Forgotten God. ritual from Ereshka in order to summon his ancient master, Memnon. QurushtaSample has journeyed to the city of Kzelter to find file the magical contract that binds his lord, the Grand Khan, to the Forgotten God of the yakfolk. Should he succeed in finding and destroying this contract, it will free the Grand Khan and all dao from their pledge to serve the Forgotten God and his followers. Finally, Ozhan is searching the coasts of Calimshan for the sunken marid city of Ajhuutal. It is there that Ozhan believes the genie lord, Ajhuu is trapped amid the ruins.

4 STARTING THE SAMESAJ GATE As described in Part One of this series, the Samesaj ADVENTURE Gate is an ancient portal that lies beneath the streets of Calimport. Originally linking to the eastern garrison of The adventure begins when the characters connect Akkabel, known today as Ithal Pass, the garrison has with their contact in Calimport. This contact might be a long since crumbled to dust. Only a grassy hillock marks merchant, a personal benefactor, a scholarly sage, or a the location where it once resided. member of one of the characters’ factions. If you are While the Samesaj Gate lies somewhere in the Muzad running this adventure as part of the Rise of the Genie beneath Vahlen Sabban in the Grand Ward, its exact Lords adventure series, the characters meet up with location is a closely guarded secret. Even the characters’ Jumaana, an elven ranger and member of the Janessar. contact is unsure of its exact location. That said, the The contact tells the characters about the earth genasi contact is aware of when the next Dark Bazaar is. uprising in Kzelter, the attacks on the mining operations in the Omlarandin Mountains, and the excavations in the village. If the characters agree to assist in this matter, THE DARK BAZAAR As descripted in Part One of this series, the Dark the contact recommends that they use the Samesaj Gate to reach the village. Bazaars are wandering bazaars that occur once every tenday. Nobody knows who runs the bazaars nor does anyone know where the next one will be. Unlike other bazaars in the city, the Dark Bazaars trades in secrets. Such secrets might include embarrassing information about a member of the upper class, the location of a lost relic, a bit of lost magical Samplelore, or even a personal secret.file THE GREY CALLERS On the day of the bazaar, ghostly figures, known as the Grey Callers, appear randomly all over the city of Calimport. If approached with hostility, the Grey Callers simply fade away. If approached peacefully, the Grey Callers lead those who approach them to the Dark Bazaar.

5 There is no other way to find HADBAAA YR RAHEEMA EL HOSSEINI YI one of the dark bazaars. Even CALIMPORT those who discover its Hadbaaa is an aloof archmage who lives in the Najja location without the aid of a Sabban of the Wizard Ward. A member of the Guild Grey Caller find only mists, Arcane, Hadbaaa is always in search of lore that might shadows, and aid her in her arcane studies. Her explorations of the unintelligible Lost Sewers in search of such knowledge have revealed whispering voices. the location of the Samesaj Gate. The Dark Bazaar exists around and MAZIANDIUS THE WANDERER beside them, but Maziandius is a mercane (see Appendix) who wanders only to those the the planes searching for information he can trade. He is Grey Callers have a frequent attendant at the Dark Bazaars and is brought there. particularly interested in information related to hidden To find a Grey or lost locales. In fact, it was during a previous trip to the Caller, the Dark Bazaars that he was able to discover the location of characters will the Samesaj Gate. need to search the sabbans of the city. MORP There are 53 This skittish kobold resides in the Upper Muzad of sabbans. Each sabban takes 1d4 hours to search. At the Calimport. He comes to the Dark Bazaar seeking end of each search, the characters can make a DC 15 information about trapmaking and secrets he can use as Wisdom (Perception) check. If they succeed, they spot blackmail against other denizens of the dark to ensure one of the Grey Callers. Characters who succeed on a DC his own survival. He discovered the Samesaj Gate while 15 Charisma (Persuasion) while asking around to see if searching for a home in the Lost Sewers beneath the city. anyone knows the location of a Grey Caller has advantage on this check. TORNUS Tornus is a marut (see Appendix) from the Clockwork TRADING SECRETS Nirvana of Mechanus. He has come to the Dark Bazaar in search of information about creatures who have cheated There is one cardinal rule for the Dark Bazaars: Ask or death. He is single-minded in this pursuit and will speak wisely, but only spare a secret or knowledge equal accept only information on such creatures. He has to that which you seek. Once a secret is in hand, or an frequently relied on the magic of the Samesaj Gate to attendant resorts to violence, the attendant appears back pursue his targets. where it first encountered the Grey Callers. For this reason, attendants are cautious about what secrets they will accept as payment. THE MUZAD Attendants are unlikely to part with their information The Muzad –known also as Calimport Below, Dark unless they can be convinced that the information is Calimport, the Undercity and the Muzhahajaarnadah – worth their time. Characters can use their skills or is a network of passages beneath the city proper. More personal knowledge to recall information that might be than a simple collection of crudely dug tunnels and of value to the other attendants at the bazaar. sewers, the Muzad includes whole streets, buildings, Ultimately, it is up to the DM to decide whether one of courtyards, and great halls built for the express purpose the attendants will accept it. of allowing slaves and lower-class citizens access to areas of the city like the Palace Ward, Grand Ward, and ATTENDANTS Jewel Ward out of sight of the nobility and upper classes. It also includes the remains of ancient ruins that were There are only a few attendants at the Dark Bazaar buried and built over in centuries past. who have information about the location of Samesaj If the characters succeed in getting the information Gate (see Handout 1). These attendants are as follows. they need at the Dark Bazaar to find the Samesaj Gate (see Handout 1), the directions lead them through the AZEEZA YR QAAIDA EL AKHTER YI Upper Muzad, through the Temple of Old Night, into the CALIMPORT upper sewers, and finally into the ancient ruins of the Azeeza is a noble cloth merchant who lives in the Lower Muzad, known as The Lost Sewers. Emerald Ward of Calimport. She is always on the lookout for information about fabrics and garments from HOLEH ABBAN faraway lands that she might be able to sell in the Axash S S Sabban. She occasionally uses the Samesaj Gate to send If the characters follow the directions they received in exports to settlements and cities the Lake of Steam the Dark Bazaar (see Handout), their first destination is region. a house located in the Sholeh Sabban of the Khanduq Ward. BOCHTASampleR This house is the ruined homefile of a former resident of This spined devil, who goes by the name of Bochtar, the Khanduq Ward. Its original owner stumbled into an who has served as a messenger between denizens of the abandoned area of the Upper Muzad when digging a root Nine Hells and evil denizens within the city of Calimport cellar. Shortly thereafter, the owner mysteriously for millennia and was there when the Samesaj Gate was vanished. first constructed. Bochtar is particularly interested in Today, the home is little more than a ramshackle ruin secrets about individuals he can use as leverage to coerce that the criminal guilds in the area use to access the them into signing a Faustian pact. Upper Muzad.

6 1. LIVING AREA TEMPLE OF OLD NIGHT ALTAR When the characters first The Temple of Old Night is a massive religious arrive at the house, complex that occupies the Muzad of the six most eastern they encounter a wards of the city. Dedicated to Shar, the temple has a yuan-ti malison, series of shrines, altars, and prayer rooms dedicated to named Zahra. the Mistress of the Night. Zahra is an This altar, located on the western edges of the Temple agent of the of Old Night, contains a large pit that connects with the lamia noble, sewers in the Lower Muzad. Shar’s followers use this pit Voraya a to offer up sacrifices to the Dark Goddess, dumping the member of the bodies into the pit where they are then whisked away Twisted Rune. into the depths of the sewers. Zahra and two Shar is a goddess of secrets and mystery. The design other yuan-ti of her temples reflects that. Unless otherwise noted, all malisons are beating the doors located in this area blend into the stone walls up a local commoner, and turn on a pivot. Characters can make a DC 18 named Haafil. Four yuan-ti Wisdom (Perception) check to notice the doors. purebloods unload crates from a Characters who actively search a room with a DC 10 nearby cart and carry them to Area 2. Intelligence (Investigation) check notice scrapes on the If the characters come to Haafil’s aid, he urges them floor where the doors turn, revealing their location. All not to kill Zahra and her gang. The characters soon learn the rooms are dimly illuminated. that Haafil is a local merchant. The crates from the cart contain some of his merchandise worth approximately 1. VESTIBULE 50 gp in total. Zahra and her gang are attacking Haafil because he was unable to pay them the monthly protection money of 25 gp he owes them. It is up to the characters to decide what to do with this information. If the characters pay off Haafil’s debts, Zahra lets him go and returns his merchandise. If the A pair of flameskulls guard the doors in this area. The characters kill Zahra and her thugs, Haafil begs the doors provide a clue as to how to navigate the complex to characters to take him with them, offering his services reach the altar in Area 8 (see Handout 2). as a slave or hireling at least until the adventurers reach another city. 2. DRAGON SHRINE 2. BEDROOM Four yuan-ti purebloods carry the merchandise the thugs from Area 1 unload down the staircase to a cart they have waiting in the Upper Muzad. If they hear any combat in Area 1, they stop loading crates and move in to SampleA Shar priestess (see Appendix)file tends to the shrine in defend their companions. this room. The statue on the dais is a shadow dragon. 3. CELLAR STAIRWAY Characters can move the statue into one of the other four niches, each of which has the following effects. This stairway leads to a square cellar. A hole in one wall of the cellar leads to the Upper Muzad. • Niche 1. Deactivates the traps in Area 3. • Niche 2. Deactivates the traps in Area 4. • Niche 3. Deactivates the wards in Area 5. • Niche 4. Deactivates the wards in Area 6.

7 Get a high-resolution version of this map at https://www.patreon.com/czepeku.

To reach the altar in Area 8, characters must move 3. SPIKE WALL through Areas 3-7 in the following order, depending on The spike wall in this area operates on a piston. which side of the complex they start from. Characters who proceed through the last 10 feet of the room while the trap is active must make a DC 15 Starting from Area 3a Starting from Area 3b Dexterity saving throw to avoid the spiked wall and can access the door leading to Area 7 safely. Creatures who 3a, 7a, 4a, 2 3b, 7b, 4b, 2 fail the save take 4d10 piercing damage and are knocked 3b, 7b, 4b, 2 3a, 7a, 4a, 2 prone against the far wall. Characters can attempt to 5a, 7a, 6a, 2 5b, 7b, 6b, 2 disable the trap by breaking the piston arm. The piston arm has an AC 0f 19 and has 18 hit points. 6a, 7a, 8 6b, 7b, 8 4. CRUSHING PILLARS If the characters proceed through these areas in the The squares marked with an X on the map each have a correctSample order, all the traps in Areas 3-6 deactivate until stone pillar that rises into the ceilingfile and slams into the the shrine is reset. If the characters proceed through floor at regular intervals. Characters who move through these areas in the wrong order, all the traps in these one of these squares while the traps are active must areas activate and remain active until the characters make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d10 complete the gauntlet correctly or roll a successful DC 15 bludgeoning damage and are knocked prone. Characters Dexterity check using thieves’ tools at the shrine to who are prone in one of these squares have disadvantage reset the traps. on their next saving throw to avoid the pillar in that square. The pillars are not susceptible to countermeasures.

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