H4 The Throne of Bloodstone.pdf - Free

additional slaves to supplement the
thousands he has toiling below
ground, ever excavating his realm to
greater depths.
Some of the Less Fashionable Suburbs
The cities shown on the map fade
into the distance beyond the fortress.
Though there is no real compelling
reason for the PCs to investigate
them, who knows what the players
will decide to do? Then again, you
may wish to use these locations as settings
for further adventures. (Perhaps
a mission to find out why those characters
in that H4 module never came
back?)
Again, you will have to flesh out
the details of these cities. Each is
ruled by a demon lord of great
power—although Glyphimhor is perhaps
the most powerful.
14. City of Straight Curves
The appearance of this city is tremendously
deceptive. Where avenues
and buildings seem to be straight,
everything actually twists around.
Travel in a line will nearly always
bring the character back to his point
of origin. In addition, the distortion
changes constantly, so a path that
works one way will not return to the
starting point if travel is reversed.
This city is ruled by a powerful lich
with a bodyguard of death knights.
15. The Bucking City
The ground beneath this city is
constantly in motion, bucking up and
down or twisting from side to side.
The streets flow along, and the buildings
seem to ride them, often disappearing
into the ground while other
buildings rise up in other parts of the
city.
This city is ruled by a succubus of
great power—reputed to be queen of
all succubi.
16. Strobe City
This city resembles Orcusgate in
many respects. However, its sky flashes
alternately with white light and
pitch darkness, changing once per
segment. The effect is visible from far
away.
The city is ruled by a council of
nabassu, all of whom are quite mad.
17 & 18. Cities of Fire and Ice
These parallel cities are ruled by
Type VI demons who are dedicated
rivals of each other. The architecture
of the cities is virtually identical, but
in one, the buildings, walls, and
ground are constantly aflame, while
the streets are made of flowing lava.
In the other, glaciers form the avenues,
and all other surfaces are covered
with coats of ice.
19. The Fourth Maze
Use the procedure detailed under
area 2, the First Maze, to determine
what the PCs encounter here.
20. The Fifth Maze
See area 19.
21. The Kitchens of Orcus
The vast chambers are used to prepare
the meals for the Prince of the
Undead—gluttony being one of
Orcus’s most highly developed vices.
The rooms around the periphery of
the area are used for growing and storing
many foodstuffs, while the central
area is used to prepare the food
for serving.
Orcus has his agents gather food
from all of the planes that offer anything
even remotely tempting to the
prince’s rather indiscriminating palate.
Thus there will be a wide assortment
of foods and beverages familiar
75
to the PCs —after all, the Prime plane
has the most varied and highest quality
food in the multiverse.
All of these rooms are tended by
manes and dretch—the true dregs of
demonic society. These hapless creatures
function as mindless slaves to
grow and prepare the food for their
prince.
If the PCs intrude into these areas,
the slaves will ignore them, certain
that they are simply additional tormentors,
spies, or informants sent by
their hated master. If the characters
attack, the slaves will panic and flee,
creating a fuss that will draw the
Princely Guard from area 22.
The following areas surround the
central kitchens:
Fruits—this area includes small
groves of fruit trees and gardens of
rich loam, as well as vinyards. Every
variety of fruit grown in the Forgotten
Realms can be found here, and those
are only a small percentage of the
total number of varieties.
Stockyards—these huge pens store
every variety of animal ever to tempt a
carnivorous tooth. Orcus keeps a
dozen demons busy at all times traveling
throughout the planes to bring
back huge amounts of grain and other
fodder for these creatures.
Grainyards—huge fields of grain
stretch into the distance in this area.
Wheat, barley, and corn are a few of
the most obvious varieties. A pleasant,
sunny warmth seems to radiate
from the high, domed ceiling.
Breweries—the smell is the first
clue to the function of these chambers.
Huge vats, in warm and cool
rooms, store beer, ales, and meads of
a hundred varieties. Smaller sections
of this area contain distilleries.
The kitchens contain ovens, fireplaces,
fryers, boilers, iceboxes, and
every other accoutrement of culinary
accomplishment. In the center of the
whole place is a vast dumbwaiter.