Henrik Refsnes

I am Yara the Scribe and you are here by no accident. But do not blame this deception on Val, for it was I who sent her. You have your gold and, for the moment, I have your ear.

Long ago, an evil artifact fell from the sky. Its wielder was granted the promise of ultimate power, but also the curse of eventual destruction. The Scepter of the Clawed Demon has changed hands many times through the ages, and is currently in the possession of Nergal Kahn. Its malevolent force can only be defeated by the Shield of the Heart. Not an ordinary shield, but a gemstone. The amber gem you now carry.

Timurkand lies in ruins, Hamapur has fallen, and soon all of the Seltuk will suffer the same fate. Val will lead what’s left of the resistance in a frontal assault, while I ask of you to infiltrate the citadel from below. Whatever treasures you wrest from the hands of his horde are yours—but take the Shield of the Heart, confront Kahn, and end his reign of terror. You are our only hope.

NOTES

Some orcs carry crossbows, noted by the arrow on their icon. They make ranged attacks rolling 3 dice.

X. The heroes start here, emerging from a secret entrance beneath the tomb of a once important person, at the lowest level of the citadel. The beautifully carved relief on the tomb shows a man with an unusually large helmet and a reasonably sized sword.

A. When Kahn’s horde took over the citadel they made quick use of its dungeons, and it didn’t take long for the overly excited ogre in this room to take over as resident torturer. The heroes can find the previous torturer strapped to the rack—in two halves. The ogre was so happy about his new job he accidentally leaned a bit too hard on the crank. It was his first day on the job.

	MOVE	ATTACK	DEFEND	BODY	MIND
Ogre Torturer	4	6	4	5	2

B. The chest in this room contain the belongings of previous guests at the citadel dungeon, before the orcs took over. Which is to say nothing much, really. They were all destitute and innocent. The heroes can find a few shiny baubles worth around 27 gold and a stuffed teddy. Note that the secret door can only be opened from the passage on the other side.

C. One of the orcs in this room has a fancy headdress. He is an orc boss. Everyone knows a big hat makes you important—but he’s not a named monster, he’s not that important.

	MOVE	ATTACK	DEFEND	BODY	MIND
Big Hat Orc	8	4	3	2	3

D. Following the debacle at the Sword and Sorcery, Tusk-Amun took refuge here, where there is virtually no chance of wandering heroes. He did lose all his gold in that unmitigated disaster, but it’s important not to become bitter and vengeful. In fact, Tusk-Amun has already, through sheer ingenuity (and black magic accounting skills), recouped 127 gold—and this time he has trapped the chest. Anyone foolish enough to open it without first disarming the trap will lose 1 body point to a poison dart. Now, if only the orcs in the other room could stop screaming like they were dying and let him plot his glorious rise to power in peace… but it’s impossible to get reliable henchmen these days.

	MOVE	ATTACK	DEFEND	BODY	MIND
Tusk-Amun	8	3	4	3	5

Tusk-Amun has access to the dread spell Escape, which he will cast at first sight of the heroes. He will teleport to the corridor marked K and then use the secret door to sneak his way out the stairs. The heroes can hear a distant wail of furious despair from somewhere beyond the wall. On the workbench Tusk-Amun left behind a Potion of Battle and his Spell Ring. See the matching artifact card for its description.

If the heroes killed Tusk-Amun in their previous encounter, the big hat monster in this room is just another (large headdress aside) rather forgettable orc boss, and there is no Spell Ring on the bench.

E. There’s another orc boss in this room, with a three-spiked helmet. Another mini-boss is a good sign the heroes are headed in the right direction.

F. The chest in this room contains a Potion of Healing and the bookcase holds a Spell Scroll: Courage. Apart from it being the only way they can go, the obligatory room full of consumables is a clear sign there is a proper boss fight up ahead.

G. And here it is. Wait, no, that’s just another orc in a silly helmet. This one has three even larger spikes, making him the most important boss yet. That said, this big hat orc defends with 1 less die on the account of his historically inaccurate helmet design (that is more likely to break his neck in a fight than shield him from harm).

H. When the heroes step out into the hallway the orcs in the armory (I) will not notice them. An attack from inside the citadel is not expected, and the orcs are focused on the battle at the inner gate. If a hero steps onto (or beyond) the square marked with the H, however, they will be noticed. Once a fight breaks out in this corridor, at the start of the following turn (and every turn thereafter), roll a combat die. If a skull is rolled, the monsters in the throne room (L) activate, open the door, and join the fray.

I. This is the citadel armory. The door is already open and orcs are pouring out to reinforce the gates. Once the battle is over the heroes will find nothing of value in here. The orcs cleaned it out.

J. Val (now fully recovered) and her men-at-arms have reached as far as the inner gate, but their path is blocked by a large portcullis. It can be opened with the lever at the top of the stairs, should the heroes fight their way to it (or ask a friendly genie to pull it from afar). The orcs in the armory are on their way to repel the invaders and hold the gates. If the heroes open the gate, Val will lead her men to assist in the final battle against Nergal Kahn.

	MOVE	ATTACK	DEFEND	BODY	MIND
Val	8	3	4	7	3
Man-at-Arms	6	3	3	2	2
Crossbowman	6	3	3	2	2

Val has the knight skills Shield Block and Stalwart, and may attack diagonally. The crossbowman makes ranged attacks using 3 Attack dice.

K. This secret passage can only be reached from the throne room, by sliding the throne to the side (and the secret door to the room marked B can only be opened from inside the corridor). Nergal Kahn will not run away, however—his overconfidence is his weakness. He also spent way too much time and effort installing new floor tiles in the shape of a skull. 

L. The heroes interrupt Nergal Kahn mid villain monologue (he forced his minions to listen because heroes never do) and the awkward pause that follows is palpable. While it may grant the heroes the initiative, Kahn did not get to where he is by luck. He is a shrewd tactician and should be played as such. Don’t go easy on the heroes. Kahn is also more powerful than last time they encountered him (because that’s how phased boss fights work, duh).

	MOVE	ATTACK	DEFEND	BODY	MIND
Nergal Kahn	8	6	6	5	4

His clawed scepter allows him to attack diagonally and he has access to the dread spells Command, Summon Orcs and Cloud of Dread. Whomever carries the amber gem may not be the target of Command and the Cloud of Dread does not affect them.

The heroes and orcs are not the only ones that battle. Like the ebb and flow of the tide, the warm glow of the amber gem is locked in a struggle with the icy darkness of the scepter. Any hero (or ally) who find themselves closer to Nergal Kahn than the bearer of the gem reduces their Attack and Defend by 1 die respectively. The reverse is not true for the orcs (what would be the fun in that?) The hero who has the gem is immune to this effect, and should the bearer ever be in close contact with Kahn, the effect cancels itself out for everyone.

Be descriptive, but don’t tell the heroes the exact rules. Let them figure it out. The bearer of the gem can give it to another hero by standing next to them and spending an action (because that makes it a tactical decision). Same goes for picking it up from a fallen hero. And lastly, once the amber gem is revealed, Kahn will direct his minions to focus attacks on the bearer (this is a raid boss after all, the heroes better have their shit together).

If the heroes fall to the wrath of Kahn, the quest ends, but all is not lost. It’s just a game. Give the heroes a well-deserved epic send-off (and hear their lamentations of Kaahhhhnnnnn). Read or paraphrase from below.

You fall to the ground, pierced by many wounds. The amber gem rolls out of your grasp onto the stone floor and takes with it the warmth of life. In that moment, Val appears and grabs the gem. In desperation she hurls it at Kahn, hitting him right in the forehead. The last thing you hear is a fiery explosion and the anguished screams of orcs. The last thing you see, before you close your eyes, is a pile of ash where Kahn once stood. You take your final rest knowing Nergal Kahn is defeated and the lands of the Seltuk are once again safe. You died a hero’s death. A good death. And next time evil rears its ugly head, a new set of heroes will surely rise to meet the challenge. How about next Thursday?

If the heroes conquer the battle and defeat Kahn, there are no rewards to show for the achievement. When Kahn is reduced to 0 body points, the quest ends and all loot is lost (in flames). As the adventure concludes, there is nothing left for the heroes to do but yell Kaahhhhnnnnn. Read or paraphrase from below.

Once again, Kahn falls to your blades. Once again, he refuses to die, and once again, he raises the clawed scepter. Not again. You have waded through literal shit to get here. You’ve lost coin, allies, and very nearly your lives. Not. Again. You shove the amber stone into his face, and beat it down his throat. The opposing forces of the scepter and gem clash one final time, then it all burns to cinders before your eyes. There is nothing left of Nergal Kahn or the artifacts, but a pile of ash on the floor. Today you stand victorious. Today the lands of the Seltuk are free from oppression… well, that of Kahn anyway. Tomorrow is another day and the politicians are already hard at work. Same time next week work for everyone?

Wandering Monster in this Quest: Big Hat Orc

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