HD3 The City of the Spider-God - Hyborian Age - Xoth

HD3: The City of the Spider-God
Part One: The Black Tower of Khesron
The city of Yezud is nestled into a corner of
the wooded valley of Khesron, which in
turn is surrounded by the tall mountain
peaks of Mount Graf, the western range of
the Kezankian Mountains. The player
characters will enter the valley from the
south; the steep jagged hillsides of Mount
Graf which surround the city on all other
sides are extremely dangerous to climb
even for the most experienced hillmen
(Climb DC 35).
Refer to the valley map for the numbered
locations.
2. THE BLACK TOWER
A full mile from the southern pass into the
valley, a mesa-like mound of rock rises to
dominate the landscape. This is rather like
a cork in the bottle neck of the entrance,
and the Yezudians maintain a strong
guard post at this point, a black stone
tower with walls 10 feet thick. This cylinder
rises 40 feet above the plateau, topped by
a notched battlement. It is 55 feet in
diameter, but due to the thickness of the
walls, the interior is 35 feet across. The
structure will be detailed a bit further on.
The road branches left and right at the
base of the mesa, with an obviously welltraveled
path in the middle going northwards
up a fair incline. All traffic allowed
into the valley is ordered to report to the
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tower. It is the customs house and checkpoint
for all foreigners entering the city. All
approaching are questioned briefly
regarding the purpose of their visit (trade,
worship, gambling, learning, or whatever)
and are then permitted to move freely to
and within the city to the north or even
wander about the valley anywhere south
of the great river — at their own risk, of
course.
The smooth and massive blocks of the
tower have no sharp corners (Climb DC
20), for the very ages have been at work.
Atop the fortress are eight city guards
armed with dagger, short sword, and
hand crossbow. These sentinels watch only
for unusual or suspicious behavior —
groups coming up to the tower are, after
all, expected. They each man an ballista
(damage 3d6, range increment 120 feet)
clipped to an iron ring which circles the
tower top so as to command a full view of
the surrounding area. It requires three full
rounds to wind one of these weapons
after it has been discharged. Near the
center of the roof are four cases which
hold 12 of the missiles to be fired.
Entry is near the northern battlement,
where a trapdoor gives access to a
staircase circling the walls. Here and there
in the tower small arrow slits pierce its
smooth exterior, but the only visible
entrance is a great arch with massive