Winter of the Witch.pdf - Property Is Theft!

Winter of the WitchM2: MORTHALAT’SENDGAMEEncounter Level 26 (52,228 XP)SetupMorthalat, shadowsworn deathlord (M)3 shadowraven swarms (S)6 tomb guardian thralls (T)As the PCs enter the area, the forces of Orcus are onthe verge of victory. Even before they see what’s goingon here, they hear the strange whirling buzz of theEngine of Lum.When the full area comes into the PCs’ view,read the following:Down the stairs, some 80 feet below, is a collapsed sectionof the monastery. At the far end of it, covering a largesection of the floor, is a gargantuan seal made of stone andgold and etched with glowing purple Supernal runes. At thefar end of the room is a strange machine—a large blackishpurple crystal lying on its sides. Electric blue energy shootsfrom the crystal toward a series of four pylons positionedsymmetrically around the seal. Held up off the ground byornate legs of matte black metal, the crystal is studded hereand there with plates of the same matte black metal, whichis adorned with knobs, buttons, switches, gyroscopes, levers,and other whirling devices. A bizarre winged humanoid,looking something like a mix of demon and undead,anxiously inspects the strange control patterns on themachine.The arcane engine shoots out toward the tip of thecrystal and toward a pylon made up of the strange samemetal and a lesser crystal. From there, the energy swirlsaround the pylon before splitting into two streams, eachshooting to a similar pylon beyond. The energy from thosetwo meets again at a fourth pylon that sits opposite the firstin the group encircling the seal.After weeks of frustration, Morthalat is ecstaticthat he has finally found the right settings on theoutlandish and complicated Engine of Lum to breakthe tricky ward that stands between him and theSun’s Sliver. He becomes enraged when he finds that agroup of powerful PCs enters to threaten him.When Morthalat sees the PCs, read thefollowing:“Foolish and puny creatures of this world, do not interferewith the work of Orcus, or your bones will adorn the wallsof Everlost.”DevelopmentIf the PCs don’t disrupt the Engine of Lum, it opens theseal on its seventh turn in the encounter, and Remlielbursts out of the ward and joins the fray (see tacticalencounter “M3: Remliel,” below). If the PCs disruptthe Engine of Lum, they can open the seal by using theritual Sir Keegan gave them. These are the only twoways to open the seal.If defeated and captured, Morthalat’s bluster turnsto a craven need to survive at any costs. He tells thePCs all he knows, including the reason for the BloodLord’s desire to obtain the Sun’s Sliver.“In the southland there is a crater lake atop a still activevolcano, and on that lake, there is an island with a bubblingvolcanic spring. What few know is that an ancientprimordial is trapped under the lake. If that bubblingspring is ever completely frozen over by winter’s chill—coldspells, prayers, and invocations will not do—the primordialtrapped there will be freed. Orcus has made a deal with theWinter Witch—if he captures and corrupts the Sun’s Sliver,she’ll push winter farther southward toward Smoking Lake.While Orcus’s desire to free the primordial bound inthe Smoking Lake is beyond the scope of this adventure,it could provide an interesting adventure of yourown design!The Engine of LumThough an artifact in its own right, and one of themany creations of the legendary Lum the Mad, forthe purposes of this adventure the Engine of Lumis presented as a piece of active terrain, with thefollowing rules.Engine of LumInitiative +22On Its Turn most of the artifact’s power is focused onbreaking down the seal of Remliel’s defenses. After 7 turnsit completes its task.HP 299; Bloodied 148AC 39; Fortitude 37, Reflex 39, Will 36C Eldritch Feedback (free action, when the engine or thepylons are attacked, or an attempt to disable the devicewith a Thievery check fails by 5 or more)Close burst 3 center on a square adjacent to the triggeringcreature; +33 vs. Reflex; 4d6 +8 lightning damage, and thetarget is stunned until the end of its next turn.CountermeasuresThievery (standard action): A 4 success before 3 failureskill challenge shuts down the device or a pylon, disruptingthe Engine.Arcana (standard action): A 4 success before 3 failureskill challenge shuts down the machine by manipulatingits strange controls on the main engine.If you want, you can give out the Engine of Lum astreasure, but this strange and fickle artifact does notgive out its secrets easily (and it has many) and figuringout what it can do and how to work the machineshould be its own epic quest.January 2009 | DUNGEON 16247