BLOOD AND SOULS FOR MY LORD ARIOCH : ELRIC OF MELNIBONE

WAYNE'S WORLD

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White Plume Mountain

Where magical weapons of great power are stolen by an arch mage whose history and deeds are written down in the journals of antiquity, where heroes are sought to recover the said weapons from the volcano stronghold of the arch mage, where strange traps and beasts are puzzled over and battled to retrieve the lost weapons, where the real goal of the mage luring adventurers to his domain is revealed, where the party bond themselves to performs a dangerous task for the arch mage.

Spring 2,306 Meldigian Reckoning

During training rumours will sweep Dresden city of the theft of three highly valued magical weapons with the cryptic names of Wave, Whelm and Blackrazor. Rewards have been posted, servants hanged and even the sanctity of the thief's guild was violated in the search for the priceless arms. The party responded to advertisements seeking adventurers to recover the weapons for the prior owners. Owing to their reputation the party was able to obtain the commission with the promise of a 50,000gp reward for each of the weapons plus the promise of curing and raising if all three weapons were retrieved.

It was learnt that all three weapons were stolen the same night from the treasure vaults of their respective owners – vaults that were reported to be protected against physical and magical invasion by the strongest of measures. In each vault was found the same cryptic note :

Or send him to the fire.

The note was signed with a symbolic "K" which it was determined by the investigations performed by the prior owners to be the symbol of the long forgotten wizard Keraptis. The prior owners had learnt the following about Keraptis :

That was almost thirteen hundred years before the present day. Now, seemingly, the hand of Keraptis is once again interfering in human affairs. If it is in truth the ancient wizard at work here, can he be thwarted before his power grows once more? What is his purpose in this bizarre challenge to the world’s heroes? There is only one way to find out."

It was also determined by the prior owners that the "feathered mound" mentioned in the cryptic rhyme was the legendary White Plume Mountain, an active volcano situated in the Kingdom of Meldigia at the northern end of the Unquenchable Rift. The are surrounded this mountain had a poor reputation as the haunt of many fearsome beasts that cause the surrounding countryside to be sparsely inhabited.

Before heading off to White Plume Mountain the party decided to do some investigation of the prior owners of the weapons. The consulted the trusted Willard the Sage who they found out the following from in exchange for information the party provided about their escapades on the Astral Plane.

The (Prior) Owners

Whelm : The reclusive retired merchant Thamel Roebungle. Thamel lives in a dour building within the heart of the merchant quarters of Dresden. A dealer in metals and sometimes gems he is known to have traded extensively in his quest for wealth. He has personally financed many exploration missions in search of rich ore veins and owns several highly profitable mines. In his younger days he did much of this work himself and had a reputation as been as tough as the goods in which he traded. Rumour has it that he made his fortune when reopening an abandoned Dwarven mine high in the Starlit Mountains. Some time after that mine opened he was very much the man about town flaunting his obvious wealth. After a later visit to his mine he is rumoured to have brought back a very precious cargo however what he returned with is unknown. What is generally acknowledged however is that soon after that he stopped been so flamboyant with his money and though he had not become a recluse he limited his entertaining and socialising to his own shuttered halls.

Wave : The retired sea captain and riverboat master Quarden Griffen. Quarden once was a mariner and is believed to have found this weapon after the merchant ship he was serving upon, the "Foam Dancer" was wrecked on a rocky isle somewhere upon the Broadwater Ocean. After the disappearance of the Foam Dancer (the wreck of which has never been located) Quarden was found in one of the sea side taverns of Stonewall City. Over many tankards of cheap ale he would tell any interested in listening that he was the loan survivor and claims to have been brought to the safety of the coast after a fantastic underwater ride on the backs of dolphins. He claimed his good fortune was a gift from the God of the Seas and was known to conduct taproom sermons on this subject. Usually the sailor folk frequenting these establishments would allow him to continue as they are a superstitious lot and didn’t want to ire the sea gods in any way. Few sea faring folk would however take him to task and when this did happen Quarden would go into fits of rage which would have proved bloody except for the fact that he was usually too inebriated to do any real damage, save to his diminishing reputation. Quarden after some years of heavy drinking and not been able to get a commission aboard any sea going vessel owing to his like of strong drink finally got his chance to go to sea again. This voyage ended in disaster with the ship sunk but Quarden again survived and with riches as well. From that point on he was shunned in Stonewall City and he finally left but not without cursing the folk before he departed. His curse came to have a bight for less than one moon after his passing a great tempest rose up and destroyed the bulk of the fleet at anchor in the bay with a number of ships also lost at sea. It was said that this was the retribution of the god of the sea for not listening to the preachings of Quarden. Quarden himself quit the sea but bought into a riverboat that he ran along the Asro River. Though now of a more sober character Quarden was marked as a man of a most violent temperament and continues his preaching about the god of the sea. He is now wealthy and lives in a riverside mansion where he acts as a priest to the god of the sea.

Blackrazor : The retired mercenary captain General Treshvarn. Known as the leader of the fierce Blood Hawks Company his reputation as a cunning and ruthless campaigner saw his company rise to fame and become one of the most sought after and well paid mercenary companies in the land. His services were vied for by competing powers as his company’s reputation was such that the rumour that they would take to the field could end a war before it started. Tiring of serving petty princelings the Blood Hawks were disbanded and Treshvarn took to adventuring. After some years away he reappeared again in a time of some troubles and reformed the Blood Hawks. The Blood Hawks reputation was soon remembered however it was soon to take on a sinister bent. Though always known as ruthless fighters the Bloodhawks now earnt a reputation for foul deeds beyond those required in warfare. Soon they were known as butchers with many saying Treshvarn was insane. Treshvarn himself, always a warrior of great skill, was rumoured to have gone into frenzies of slaying both on the battlefield and off it – he is said to have a need for slaying and when the killing mood took him both friend and foe were best beware of him. His company disbanded after the bout of warfare that heralded its reforming ended as Treshvarn turned on his own men when no foes existed to fight using the excuse of real or imagined slights against him as reasons to draw steel. Treshvarn built a fortified manor house in the far eastern reaches of Dresdan province were it is said his hired servants and men at arms live in fear of his terrorism but only stay on for his generous wages paid in gold. Treshvarn himself often leaves his manor on adventuring trips lasting from days to many months. It is said that on these trips he always takes up arms and fights as a freelance mercenary such is his insatiable appetite for warfare.

The Adventure

The party set out for WPM and arrived without any adverse encounters. No entrance into the mountain was visible other than the main crater that was continuously venting a stream of scalding steam, a small cave which vented stream jets every few minutes and numerous lava holes over the surface of the mountain. Swiftword investigated the cave to find it to be only 40’ deep with a mud-covered floor and a narrow aperture at the rear from which the steam vented. This aperture was investigated and entered through use both a wizards eye and with ropes and fire protection spells to see if a secret entrance existed beyond. This search proved unsuccessful and the hazards of further exploration deemed too dangerous. Finally the muck-covered floor was searched between steam ventings and a trapdoor s discovered. This led to a 20’ wide square shaft in which was a rusted steel spiral staircase leading down. At the base of this stairway was a slime-covered corridor that was water filled to a depth of 2 feet. Not wishing to wade through the muck and in fear of hidden traps the water was removed through the use of a lower water spell. The party then advanced down the slippery corridor and after turning a corner encountered a female winged human headed lion creature which was looking somewhat bedraggled as it was standing in a couple of feet of water behind some magical barricade – presumably a wall of force. The creature stated it would allow the party to pass if they could solve a riddle. Before answering the riddle the party attempted to gain some useful information from the creature but it seemed to be very vague. The party solved the riddle and the wall of force disappeared as did the creature allowing the party to continue forward. (After much self-congratulatory carry on for the solving of a very simple riddle)

The corridor now branched three ways. The party decided to split up to investigate. To the left went Swiftsword and Thoros who unbeknownst to them walked through a large patch of green slime which was hidden under the water filled corridor. This foul slime ate through their boots and started to consume their flesh. There cries of pain and dismay brought the rest of the party back who luckily did not travel through the slime infested corridor. The slime was killed by Chutikik casting a cure disease spell before it could consume the flesh of the hapless adventurers.

The party now decided to straight ahead and came upon a water covered pit in a side alcove to the main corridor. In the bottom of this pit was found an iron wheel. This was turned resulting in the opening of a valve that caused the water filling the corridors to drain away. Once the water was gone Caldo destroyed the remaining green slime with a burning hands spell.

The party then moved forward and came upon a water filled room. Strange seaweed creatures called Kelpie used their siren songs to lure the party into the water however innate elven resistance to such enchantment’s plus the strong will of other party members enables enough of the party to shrug off the charm and save those who had dived into the water to embrace a watery death. The Kelpie were destroyed with underwater lightning bolts and colds steel.

From this room continued a corridor at the end of which was a steel door. To the right was another door. This was opened to reveal a corridor comprised of a spinning tube painted in a hypnotic spiral pattern. This proved to be a trap as the tube was oil filled and a flaming arrow from a hidden arrow slit at the end of the passage ignited the oil with members of the party having to scramble to safely whilst their clothing was on fire. A battle was entered into with the unknown assailant who was a sturdy fighter and his wizardly consort.

The party then continued back up main corridor to steel door that was curiously designed to only open into the corridor beyond with a flange around the entire perimeter like a sea sill. Beyond this door the corridor continue to another steel door and another after that. Beyond the final door was found a short corridor that widened onto a stone ledge that projected into a great boiling water filled chamber. The stone ledge however was protected by some strange rubbery membrane that kept the scolding water at bay. Within this chamber was an enormous giant crab and behind this was a heavy chest from which very strong magic could be detected. Clearly if the membrane was breached the area would flood with boiling superheated water and indeed the three steel door left behind must have been installed to protect the rest of the complex from such an eventuality. The party realised that they had found "the beast in the burning bubble" and believed Wave to probably be in the chest guarded by the giant crab. Using great cunning the party retrieved the chest and Wave without entering into battle with the crab.

Thoros decides to handle Wave and soon discovers that Wave is an intelligent weapon that has strength of ego to dominate him. When he tries to dispose of the weapon Wave forces Thoros to stab his own foot. The weapon is however taken from him after Thoros is immobilised.

The party then retreated to the main junction and decided to explore the right branch where the green slime had been encountered. Another intersection was reached and the left fork was taken that led up a long corridor to a door. Beyond this was found a chamber containing five large constructs of men created from assembled body parts that had been stitched together – flesh golem. Each of these has a number upon its chest (5,7,9,11 & 13). Number five then spoke "One of us does not belong with the others. If you can pick it out it will serve you and the others will allow passage. If you pick the wrong one we will kill you. You have one minute to decide". The party picked the right number and a golem stepped forward to serve them.

The party then continued through the room to another exit which led to a corridor blocked by a steel turnstile which the golem promptly ripped out of the wall allowing the party to continue forward to the end of the corridor where a swollen wooded door stood.

This door opened onto a stone platform high in a large natural cavern. The ceiling arched some 50’ above and some 50’ below was a bubbling lake of mud. At the far side of the cavern was a similar platform and between them was a series of wooden platforms suspended from the ceiling with great chains. These platforms looked wet and had mud dripping from them as they swung about. From time to time great spouts of hot mud would erupt from the two geysers below saturating the disks and scolding anything that came in contact with the mud. The party thought that this might be "water spouts double" and if so Whelm may lie beyond.

Using the Broom of Flying and by carefully timing the geyser eruptions the party crossed the cavern and entered a narrow corridor leading from the platform on the other side of the cavern. This led to a curious hole perforated door. Behind the door was a room filled with magical darkness in which a vampire lurked. The vampire attacked however the party was lucky enough to avoid its baneful touch and deadly charm in time for Chutikik to repel it with his holy might. Within the vampires coffin was found Whelm.

Chutikik decides Whelm would be a great weapon for his personal use and soon discovers that Whelm has the strength of ego to dominate him. Though not concerned he later discovers that Whelm suffers from agoraphobia, as does by default his wielder.

The party backtracked to the branch before the golem room and followed the corridor to a large swollen iron bound oak door at the end of the passage. The door was opened and beyond was found a strange room with nine glass globes hanging from the ceiling. Some of these radiated magic, traps or both. When the room was entered the door slammed shut and could not be re-opened however a keyhole was apparent on the inside of the door. Some of the globes were shattered and various gems and magical devices were found including a ring as well as a key to escape from the room. The ring telepathically communicated with the party telling them of its array of powerful magical functions which included the ability to grant one wish however the ring also permanently drains one hit point per year. Unfortunately the ring must be slipped onto a finger before leaving this room or else it loses its power and also it loses its power if ever taken off. With this a furious debate erupts however the party in its wisdom correctly don’t trust the ring and believe it to be a machination of the evil Kereptis to sow disharmony amongst the adventurers.

The party now returned to the main juncture and headed up the unexplored left branch. This led to a bizarre corridor on the walls of which were mounted metal panels that caused metal objects to heat up as thy passed. Thoros advanced down the corridor to explore beyond and was attacked by a host of ghouls from a hidden room. The party assisted with missiles and spells and Ankara charged down the corridor kicking his heated weapons and helm in front of him to assist. The ghouls were destroyed and the party eventually managed to pass the corridor by hauling and kicking their weapons and armour through the corridor.

Beyond this area another magically altered corridor was encountered that was frictionless and contained a number of spike filled pit traps. The party overcame this obstacle and found a T intersection in the passage beyond. The passage to the right led to a chamber that contained a stream that instead of running in a trough was magically suspended in the air and that entered and exited the room through tunnel openings. In the room were a number of kayaks that could be used to travel this strange stream. The party headed into the stream tunnels but left the kayaks behind instead opting to waterwalk. An invisible scout led the way that discovered another chamber in which a group of armed men waited to ambush the party. The party then decided to explore the other tunnel and found it led to the same room as the stream was a loop. The warriors were still waiting in ambush at the other tunnel mouth so the party turned the tables and ambushed them instead. After destroying these fighters the party rested during which time they were assailed by numerous wandering monsters.

From here the party headed back to the T intersection and took the left passage that led to a huge chamber that contained a number of tiers leading down to the bottom of the room. Each tiered level of this room was in effect a walled enclosure, some water filled, that contained monsters preventing access to the bottom of the chamber. The first tier contained giant crayfish, the second giant scorpions, the third sea lions and the bottom area a number of manticores. The manticores attacked the party with volleys of tail spikes however the party was able to destroy these and once that threat was removed the rest of the contained monsters were easy pickings. The party thought that this room must be the "inverted ziggurat" and thus Blackrazor would lie below.

The bottom of the room contained a door that led to another room. This plushly appointed room housed a halfling who claimed to be a prisoner of Kereptis however it was soon revealed that it was in fact a polymorphed ogre magi who battled the party. The ogre magi was slain and Blackrazor was found.

Upon the claiming of Blackrazor the entire mountain started to tremble. The party having won its goals decided to leave the complex however upon re-entering the inverted ziggurat three Efreeti appeared on the top tier and a disembodied voice said "Not thinking of leaving are you? You have been so very entertaining. I just couldn’t think of letting you go, especially with those little collectors’ items of mine. I think it is time we meet, please come along with Nix, Nox Box & Cox my fiery friends and we can discuss your future. I warn you now that there is no escape from here unless like my friends here you enjoy the feel of larva on your bear flesh."

Realising that the very mountain was falling down around their ears and that escape was unlikely the party agreed to go with the Efreeti. The party joined hands with the Efreeti and were all teleported to the audience room of Keraptis.

The audience chamber was a frightful sight indeed. The party stood in a hemi-spherical area that was defined by violet hued light that flickered like flames. Surrounding this was a slowly swirling mass of magma as if the chamber was located in the heart of the volcano. At the other end of this 50’ diameter hemisphere stood the wizard Keraptis. Between the wizard and the party was an oaken desk upon which is a sheet of vellum and ink pot and quill. Keraptis told the party that he had a mission for them that they could choose to undertake or refuse as they desired. The mission was to retrieve an object he desired from an ancient labyrinthine crypt. If they refused he would leave them immediately, if they accepted the mission they would be allowed to keep the weapons along with anything else they have collected in his complex above plus anything other than the object they find for him in this crypt.

To accept his pact they simply had to sign the document on the table. This document was written in magic and could only be read with the aid of read magic. It stated :

" The below signed agree that they will retrieve the Book of Eternity from the Tomb of the once Liche Acerak and deliver it to the arch mage Keraptis. The undertaking will be set upon immediately and without any delay otherwise they shall waste away and die – their souls lost forever. During this task and for 1 year and one day after delivering the Book of Eternity to the arch mage Keraptis they shall not in any way, be it with words, weapons or magic, attempt to cause harm or to stop any action of Keraptis. Keraptis will release the below signed from his bond upon completion of this mission."

With heavy hearts the party felt they had no choice, either be bonded to Keraptis and retrieve the Book of Eternity, or be incinerated in the magma core of White Plume Mountain. The party one by one, and with great hesitation by certain member, approach the table and sign their names to the pact with strange magical ink. Once their names are signed the ink glows brightly and the adventurers know that the pact is magically bound by a geas. With the signing of the pact by the last party member the arch mage allows himself a small smile of self-satisfaction before invoking a spell of teleportation which transports the party to a barren landscape far away…….

[ Introduction ] [ Halls of Tizen Thane ] [ Trouble at Embertrees ] [ The Chagmat Spiderfolk of LBM ] [ Attack of the Fishmen Assassins ] [ The Desert Light ] [ A Dark Rising at Irilian ] [ A Wander in the Forest ] [ The Retaking of Blue Hills Keep ] [ The Valley of the Earth Mother ] [ The Battle of Dungaelen ] [ The Forest of Doom ] [ The Dragon Hunt ] [ The Wandering Trees ] [ The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun ] [ The Quest of the Great Oak ] [ The Sacking of Little Boy Mountain ] [ The Hunt for Zolta the Black ] [ The Abduction of Pharin ] [ Assault on the Githyanki Fortress ] [ The Githyanki Offensive ] [ White Plume Mountain ] [ Tomb of Horrors ] [ Necklace of Brisingamen ]

Credit : This adventure was based on the TSR Module  S2 "White Plume Mountain" by Lawrence Schick 1980.