A treatise on the Middle Kingdoms

 If you were raised in the Still Pond Monastery from a young age, you were taught that the Middle Kingdoms and the “petty squabbles therein” were cosmically unimportant, and that you were to avoid interfering with such “ephemera”. Those who have lived in the Kingdoms know that this is very far from the truth. The Middle Kingdoms are defined by a sweeping conflict between a newly-risen imperialist Dynasty and the old nations, kingdoms, and tribes of the land that threatens to plunge the entire world into total war.

THE DYNASTY

The largest empire of the Middle Kingdoms, hungrily expanding from its capital Da Wan Zo in the greying Eastern Valley. Its expansion is fueled by STRENGTH, rare and strange magic that enhances power and stamina so greatly that even mere mortals under its influence are capable of herculean force. The secret means of manifesting STRENGTH, and thus control of the Dynasty, are held by the Half-Celestial Empress Sai Lan, a battle-hardened general and bearer of the Blade of Heaven. The zodiac-emblazoned blade, said to have been forged from dragon’s blood in the fires of the Jade Emperor’s star-forges, is so heavy that only a STRENGTHENED Half-Celestial could hope to lift it. Empress Lan claims that her unique capability to wield this blade gives her Dynasty divine mandate. Though the Dynasty’s brute military power is near absolute, its understanding and knowledge of magic is limited, and so rebellions often turn to strange (and occasionally blasphemous) sorceries to create an advantage. No magic comes without a price...

TRAVELING IN THE MIDDLE KINGDOMS

While travelling, choose the number of days the travel will take. (Travelling between two opposite Pillars takes 4 tendays.) If you’re exploring a part of the Middle Kingdoms whose contents have not yet been decided, roll every d8 days of travel therein to find out what’s happening politically in that area.

1 Dynasty land, securely held

2 Dynasty land in conflict of some sort

1-2 Rebellion

3 The Dynasty is yet seizing this land, roll for Empire

4 This is a military outpost

3 Roll for Empire

4 Roll for Empire, but there’s a Half-Celestial around here somewhere

OTHER EMPIRES

1 Hua Din. The people here wear flexible stained-glass mail to denote their status; a farmer has a line of shards along their clavicle, while the rulers wear full-on multichromatic plate armor.

2 Mau. The ruler is a cat of no particular sentience. The locals believe in her oracular power.

3 Ko’rak. In this swampy region, crocodiles are worshipped as the progeny of the gods. Some of the more intelligent varieties hold government positions.

4 Zyn Shou. If you are in need of botanical assistance, this jungle conclave is the place to be. They can pull the souls out of plants and weave them into silken drugs.

5 Tian Tian Tian. Atop the plateau, their greatest city lies dominated by a tower that simulates the motion of the heavenly bodies. Their zodiac-reading and astronomy are legendary.

6 Gou Huang. This massive monastery and canoneer’s workshop is the home of gun-fu. The headmaster will personally teach you, if you can figure out how to make waterproof gunpowder.

7 Monastery. This area is simply a large monastery that teaches a very specific style.

8 Inkblot Atheneum. This academy teaches calligraphy and doubles as a major library. A living crystal computer lives in the center.

9 Turvy. This hub of criminal activity rests in the hulk of a graffiti’d-up, Empire-destroyed city.

10 Feng Yi. Marsh-barges carry floating yurts across stagnant waters and shallow sands.

11 Xyrx. Everyone here is part of a hive mind of Venusian Skinjackers cloaked in human flesh. Why are all the villages so symmetrical and clean? And why are there no children or elderly?

12 Sou Liang Da. Some of the most talented chefs can combine spices and ingredients in a way that sings to the cosmos itself, crafting wholesome and delectable culinary magics.

13 The Tan. These people haven’t forgotten the tongues of beasts taught to them by the first of the Half-Celestials, and Beastspeakers lead their nomadic tribes in their explorations.

14 The Stoneheart Unity. These people worship large rune-scorned cairns they claim come from the stars. Apparently, the veins of the earth twist out from below those radiant stones.

15 Khar. Mummies and wights rule from mausoleum-palaces perched atop massive cemeteries. The few living gather in the deepest catacombs to plan a resistance against the tyrants.

16 Oxen Mines. Tunnels riddle the cliff face from which earth spirits are plucked and put into living bronze weapons. The ruler here is Threeface Dan, a miner fused with two such spirits.

17 Ren Shi Highlands. An indigenous group guards diamonds cast down by a meteor. The diamonds grant near-divine physical strength and willpower when ground and snorted.

18 Moonrake. An archway of antediluvian stone opens to a random place in the cosmos, which shifts every full moon. Around is a shanty-town of accidental wanderers from the other sides.

19 Lands of the Yellow Palace. Te Wang The King With One Eye has a written record of the formation of the cosmos with him in a scroll case made of liquid lapis. Or so they say.

20 Roll twice, they’re in conflict.

A world, in 13 items.

1. Your mother's katana
2. A life raft that won't inflate
3. Notebook labelled "Blasphemies Yet to Pass"
4. A digital Hello Kitty watch with a shattered screen
5. A mugshot with a pentagram drawn on it
6. A lock of hair from a CEO
7. Some off-the-street experimental amphetamine
8. A "Mutant-Be-Gone" (TM) mosquito net
9. A painting of a moss-choked, half-sunken skyscraper dated 5 days from now
10. 100 dollars of unmarked cash
11. A pendant of a mutant, nine-tailed fox
12. A news clipping from before the Melt
13. The Trillionare's missing Necronomicon

now you do it

BLACK MYTH for ICRPG

With help of Ezzerharden’s primer and a lot of delicious art from Black Myth: Wukong.

BIO FORM: Everyone is at least half Celestial. That means that they are more tangible and powerful than most creatures in the world, the spar of Heaven powering their souls.

• You start with 7 STAT points and 5 EFFORT points: you are a force to be reckoned with.

• You have an animal form of your choice you can occupy once a day.

• You operate on a different power scale: mortal creatures, like people and animals, never have HEARTS, only mystical entities can challenge your might in this way.

MARTIAL EFFORT: GUNS and KUNG FU both use a d8 EFFORT dice. However, in order to be “proficient” in these advanced weapons, you have to have at least 1 point in normal WEAPON EFFORT to represent your general training.

STARTING ARCHETYPE: Choose one of the options below, which gives you an extra piece of equipment and a starting ABILITY.

MONK You have honed your body with martial arts, meditation, and intense discipline. You get Focus Wraps (+2 MARTIAL EFFORT) and Mobile Mastery (You have ADVANTAGE on attacks when you move in the same ROUND).

ALCHEMIST Having mastered the traditional arts of healing, you’ve moved onto the greater pursuit- creating the False Gold of Immortality. You get an Herbal Kit (3 uses, heal ULTIMATE EFFORT) and the Midas Touch (once a day, touch something inanimate and turn it to gold).

NOBLE You are insanely rich and powerful, the scion of one of the Emperors of the Middle Kingdoms. You get a Badge of Imperial Authority (“I’m with the Emperor.”) and Commanding Word (Once a day, point to someone and command them, with a CHA roll if they’re inhuman, they must do what you ask).

GENERAL You have mastered the art of war, your skill in combat and leadership absolutely legendary. You get a Victor's Whetstone (Use this on a weapon to get ADVANTAGE on your next d4 attack rolls) and Command (On your turn, you can command an ally to attack for free).

MYSTIC You tap into the latent energies that suffuse the cosmos, known as Qi (“chee”). You get Prayer Beads (+2 MAGIC EFFORT) and Qi Manipulation (Take damage in order to automatically damage someone FAR from you for the same amount).

EIDOLON You are practically a specter, and shadows are like a cloak you wear on your shoulders. You get a Spider’s Mantle (As long as you are in darkness, you can climb on walls) and a Umbral Touch (Once a day, extinguish all light sources FAR from you and regain 1 HP per light extinguished).

INVOKER You summon idols and spirits from the strange realms beyond. You have a pet (1 HEART, +1 to all rolls and EFFORT) and a Spirit Step (Teleport anywhere you can see with a WIS roll, if you fail, you get shunted somewhere random in the cosmos).

STARTING LOOT: In addition to 4 pieces of ALFHEIM starting LOOT, start off with 2 Glyphs of any form. Each Glyph manifests itself differently depending on the form it takes. It can be used as a SPELL, a TATTOO, INSCRIBED on any item, or carved specifially into a WEAPON. (For example, Sun Wukong’s staff would be a quarterstaff with a STEEL INSCRIPTION and a WOOD WEAPON inscription, and that one item would be his magical starting LOOT.) Each one has a different effect:

	SPELL	TATTOO	INSCRIPTION	WEAPON
WATER	HEAL. Heal for MAGIC EFFORT.	FLOW. Your speed is doubled, and your body becomes amorphous, fitting through anywhere water can.	PLENTIFUL. The object goes above and beyond what it is supposed to do- a bag might have extradimensional volume, or produce 3 gold coins every time you open it...	EVER-FLOWING. If you get a 15+ on an attack roll, you can attack again.
STEEL	FABRICATE. Mold something metal into something else of equal volume for d4 ROUNDS.	IRON SKIN. +3 DEFENSE.	INVULNERABLE. This item cannot be destroyed or FUMBLED.	MAGIC-BUSTER. If you deal a HEART of EFFORT, you destroy enchantments on the target.
WOOD	OVERGROWTH. Touch a plant to have it explode in size instantly.	EVERGREEN. When you’re conscious, you regenerate 1 HP per ROUND so long as you haven’t taken fire or poison damage in the last ROUND.	SENTIENT. This weapon has a mind of its own, and communicates to you in some way.	RESIZING. The weapon can resize to any (reasonable) size.
FIRE	FLAME RAY. Create conflagration in a line FAR from you, it deals MAGIC EFFORT.	HOT SKIN. Deal BASIC EFFORT to anyone who hits you with a melee attack.	CONSUMABLE. When you destroy, consume, or break this item, something epic happens!	CONFLAGRATION. The weapon lights what it hits on fire, dealing BASIC EFFORT each ROUND until put out.
AIR	WEATHER CONTROL. Do a HEART of MAGIC EFFORT to control the weather for d4 ROUNDS.	WIND WALKER. You can fly half your speed.	POWERFUL. Like the gale and typhoon, the forces of nature give this item ULTIMATE EFFORT.	DANCING. Let go of your weapon and it will attack for you. It has a +0 to hit and uses your EFFORT bonus.

THE PREMISE: You all are graduates of the Still Pond Monastery, one of the Eight Pillars. Having graduated long ago, you all receive rather sheepish-sounding letters from the Oni in charge of the monastery, Master Fao. Despite appearing to be a hard, stone-faced demagogue during your time in his training, in your adulthood you realize that he was actually relatively ditzy and reckless, especially because of his penchant for “collecting” magic artifacts. He explains that the Monastery is in some trouble due to his recent escapades, and that he needs your help to set it right...

THE WORLD: The Middle Kingdoms, land of the mortal Emperors locked in eternal war for territory, lies in between the Eight Pillars, structures that bridge the mystical world with the corporeal. Beyond their perimeter, the magical realms of the Kunlun Mountains, Scarlet River, Flowing Sands, and Pure Lands are home to mighty Celestials and terrible beasts, like the Vermilion Phoenix and the Onyx Tortoise...

THE COSMOS: The Eight Pillars each also act as gateways to Heaven (Tian, home of the Jade Emperor and the Celestial Court) and Hell (Diyu, home of Lord Yama and his infernal servants). In addition, each planet is aligned with a specific element: Mercury (WATER), Venus (METAL), Mars (FIRE), Jupiter (WOOD), Saturn (AIR).

Vayra Asks...

What class knows the most martial arts? Are they real martial arts like kung fu, or made up ones like krav maga? There are no classes, but the most common form of marital arts is the made-up bullshit of windstepping. On the upside, it involves surgically increasing lung capacity in order to literally blow oneself up into the air or knock enemies over with a sigh, so it's not boring as shit.

Can I start out having already made a deal with the devil or do I have to do that in game? Depends, but usually that happens in game, in your hour of greatest need. Do you want me to write an 8-page backstory? Can I write an 8-page backstory, if I want to? If I write something down in it like I'm the timelost princess of the brass city and the daughter of the sun and I commanded legions in the Hell War but was betrayed by my father's vizier but I don't know that, or that I'm elf conan and cooler than everyone else, will that be true? No, yes, and if you do all that I will comb through it and talk with you about every aspect so we can comb out what you think is coolest while making sure you don't force yourself into the spotlight and also fit into the world (but resent you for making me do that). All you need is a character with some sort of goal. If I eat someone's heart, will I gain their powers? What about their brain? Heart, not unless you're under the influence of a specific drug, brain succeeds more often than you would initially think, especially for those used to living underground. Apparently an unlit brain is one with easily-transferable knowledge. These classes are boring, can I be one from somewhere else? What about from a different system entirely? Once again, no classes, but we can certainly talk. If I make a sword, which one of us gets to name it? If it happened randomly, you. If it happened because I put it there, me. Am I allowed to kill the other player characters? What would I have to do to be allowed to? Do I win if I kill them all? Actually, how do I win in general? You can't kill another PC unless everyone at the table agrees that not only you can, but you should. You win by forcing me to end the session early because whatever you've just done requires more than a bathroom break to process and bounce back from, like using a nuke on an archangel or ripping a hole in reality. What language stands in for 'Common'? Or what are we all talking to each other in? Like the party, mostly, but also everyone else? You're just speaking English, because otherwise wordplay couldn't be diegetic. Plus, English is basically the Common of our world, and that statement (as well as the fact that this fantastical post-apocalypse worls speaks our language) has spicy implications.

How do I learn how to talk to rocks? No not once a day just, like, normally? Study under an earth elemental or mountain, huff a lot of chalk dust, and/or some people just know how to do it. Which kinds of wizards get to serve kings and live in towers and shit and which ones are run out of town or stoned to death in the streets? Can I be both? At the same time? The wizards who serve royalty are the equivalents of the people who graduate just to immediately start teaching, they have no practical experience and most of their advice is just made-up bullshit. If a wizard is covered in runes, shivering in an alley, injecting vibrant purple fluid into their feet, fear them, for they have plumbed the cosmos for all it has to offer.

Four Types of Old Magick

    Those who call to the stars above and look to the bones of the damned do not deal with runes. No, their magic cuts closer to the lifeblood of reality itself. These are the forces they invoke, and the magicks they wield. It is wild and strange and powerful, so pursue with caution. Each description is accompanied by 3 limited-use blessings. How they are granted, and the ramifications of their effects, are entirely up to you, but be warned, they may change your games and worlds forever.

Raven: They are the cries in the woods, mimicking the beasts and children. Icy black wings flutter as they soar in the warm night, flying as one. Their magic is of the beast, and of the night, and of darkness.

    Wings of Murder. Blades of the night sprout from your back. You can fly, and become invisible in darkness. In addition, your wings are sharp, and anyone killed by them will never come back by any means. However, you have attracted the ire of the winged folk, who will always cry out upon sensing your presence, and attack you if they feel good about their chances, which is rare.

    Forest Eyes. The beasts and plants bend to your will. You can command them to do whatever you so please, and can see out of their eyes at will, but every time you do this, your lifespan grows shorter and shorter.

    Crow´s Eye. You can see five seconds into the future. If you act on what you see, the timeline can change. Be warned, some events are fixed in time, and reality will lash out against attempts to interfere.

Ash: The lightning, the thunder, the forest fire, the storm, the flood. All of nature's primal fury. It all will begin in dust, and end in dust. This is the way it has been, and the way it will be.

    Holocaust. You can touch a spot and specify a time up to a year in the future. At that time, a bolt of divine fury will strike, and a wall of fire will burn outwards until it is stopped naturally or until it consumes a creature with a pure heart. This power has been rumored to consume worlds if not carefully contained.

    From Dust. Once, touch the remains of a creature. They will return immediately at full strength, against any odds or conditions, even the will of gods. Once you do so, your strength is sapped as long as they remain alive.

    Storm´s Avatar. Your blood is the wind, and your tears are the rain. You control the weather anywhere in the world at any time. In addition, if you die from unnatural means, the world is plunged into an eternal storm until your body is ritually consecrated.

Moon: The rays of darkened light from the Observer shine on the whispers in shadows. The Observer's grace is only rivaled by her cold majesty. Those who wear her crown are her penumbra, and walk the line between day and night, life and death.

    Lunar Crown. The Observer blesses you with a headpiece of polished moon rocks. It is unconsciously recognized as a symbol of great authority by all who behold it, even if they may not know what it is. Over time, it calcifies over more of your body, making you more majestic and better armored. Eventually, however, you will be trapped in a shell of calcified moon rock.

    Meteor. Once, you can call down a meteor. Its destruction is total, and it will carry with it vestiges of the stars above. When you do so, you ascend to the stars as an act of celestial balance, lost forever wandering the constellations and planets above.

    Hard Light. You can project this nimbus of astral light. Anyone entering the light´s path must choose to either retreat or be burned by this luminous halo. You can choose to negate this effect. Alternatively, there is an alternate version of this incantation that projects an aura that bolsters willpower and vitality within the nimbus.

Glass: Fractals carved in crystal, frozen doorways to other places and other times. A shimmering liquid light, colors pouring out like fish from a transparent stream. Their magic is is the mirror and the window and the door and the blade and the hourglass.

    Turn the Clock. Once, you can travel to any point in time. Anyone near you comes with you. You get approximately to where you need to go, and your travelling companions get approximately close to where you land. More precision may be possible with much planning and ritualistic study.

    Occulus. Your eyes are replaced with multifaceted crystals that can pierce illusions, lies, and facades. Eventually, you will go blind as you being to see through even what is real.

    Door to the Desert. You can open a shimmering gateway in the air to a vast desert, littered with portals. The portals lead anywhere and anywhen, but never go to exactly where you need or want them to. Once you step into the desert, the portal closes forever.

--

Here are some strange factions to introduce these magics into your world. Not much is known about them, and all reports and documentation of them are tinged by rumormongering and xenophobia. What mysteries of their mystic lore will be plumbed, and what revelations about the universe do they quietly safeguard?

The Heretics of the Wood dwell in the endless Vipernoss, its golden leaves cloaking their rituals and prayers. They venerate the creatures of the sky, looking upwards for their wisdom. They read omens in the clouds and the stars and the flights of the birds, and their idols are twisted and mutated animals stitched from the hides of the hunted.

The Blasphemers of the Sacrosanct Peak occupy a great mountain on the Xorshed Alps. They dwell the caverns and caves that riddle the slopes of the mountain they call the Progenitor. They delve into the earth below for their blessings, and eat the gems from their mines as a form of worship. They believe that if they delve deep enough, they will find the Sun Below, and it will grant them all their heart´s desires.

The Driftwood Papacy is a shadowy organization, dwelling entirely on the Arabus Ocean. No explorer has made it to their (rumored) fortress of floating flotsam and explored the greatest temple of their waterlogged faith, but it is said that a demigod lies slumbering in the lowest chamber, their waterlogged tomb lying at the convergence of many leylines.

Thanks for reading, and happy gaming.

The Ocean of Oil, and a new edition of MARROW

 

THE OCEAN OF OIL

The heroes accidentally dig too deep and break into a massive cavern, plummeting down onto a fungus-choked island in the path of a massive warship. Trapped on the subterranean Ocean of Oil, they are the only thing that could stop a ruthless warlord from taking over the surface world. Can the heroes stop Xokrodir and the crew of the Berg, or are they doomed to perish in the lightless depths?

MAKING A CHARACTER

The heroes begin as indebted, drug-hyped miners, and as such, start with the following equipment instead of the standard package.

• 2 SUPPLY

• Either a 1 WOUND weapon or 1 Armor

• 3 doses of Amphetamines (a Drug; one dose heals either a STRESS or a WOUND, or grants ADVANTAGE on a roll, but DISADVANTAGE on the immediate next roll made)

• A random item

INITIAL ENCOUNTER: The Myconic Isle

• The heroes plummet from the ceiling of the massive cavern, landing on a mushroom-laden mass of rock bobbing in the oil.

• The island is home to myconids, who are baffled by the arrival of the heroes- they will attack first, ask questions later.

• There are 4 myconid priests and 4 myconid warriors in total on the island.

• They all know about the Berg’s conquest, its destination, and its captain, and will dispense this information if inquired

• In d4 ROUNDS, the Berg will slam into the side of the island, and in another d4 ROUNDS, it will tip over into the oil (the incline of the island impeding movement).

• Luckily, a doorway on the side of the Berg is about island level- with a STR roll to clear the gap, perhaps a hero could make the jump!

• What room does the doorway lead to? Roll a d4 to find out!

1 Room I, the Engine Room

2 Room IV, the Gelatinous Generator

3 Room VI, Fungal Hydroponics

4 Room IX, the Deck

• Perhaps the heroes could save a myconid as they clear the gap, earning its trust and companionship as a Hireling!

MYCONID PRIEST N 2 H 4 A Telepathy Spore (emit to speak freely in the minds of all FAR), Holy Fire (roll WIS or take 2 STRESS), Myconic I To survive

MYCONID WARRIOR N 2 H 6 A Telepathy Spore (emit to speak freely in the minds of all FAR), Flintstalk Spear (2 WOUNDS), Myconic I To survive

WHAT IS THE BERG?

• The Berg is a massive warship created by hollowing out one of the stone motes floating on the Ocean of Oil.

• The Berg is sailing to an defunct Dwarvish cargo elevator known as the Core Isopach

• The Berg will use the electrified hooks in rooms VII and VIII to reignite the Isopach’s motors, pulling itself upwards through the elevator and onto the surface world.

• Then, the conquest begins!

• The Berg is 15 TURNS (2 and a half hours) away from the Core Isopach upon it colliding with the Myconic Isle.

• The heros have to stop the Berg from getting to the surface before time runs out!

ENEMIES ON THE BERG

• These are the most significant threats on the Berg.

• Play them intelligently, and without mercy...

• They will retreat, parlay, interpose minions, summon reserves, and do anything it takes to stay alive

• XOKRODIR

• Xokrodir is an undead Mind Flayer with a warped, burned face

• He is the Captain of the Berg, and can bring all its traps and tricks to bear

• He uses Brain Worms to control his underlings, converting them into Ghouls, strange hybrid Mind Flayer spawn

• His greatest weakness is his ego

• If he is flattered and appeased, he will be made suggestible.

• If he is disrespected, he will grow distracted and erratic.

XOKRODIR N 4 H 10 A Mind Crush (roll INT or take 3 STRESS, or all NEAR roll against 2 STRESS), Telekinesis (Xokrodir can lift and manipulate things at FAR range), Brain Worms (whoever deals killing blow must roll DEX or get a Brain Worm), Brain Eating (spend a TURN eating a fresh brain to get to full health), Egotistic (a display of disrespect grants ADVANTAGE on attack rolls), Undead, Hideous I To conquer and pillage

• DR-II-KOR

• Dr-ii-kor is a warped myconid, snivelling and subservient to Xokrodir.

• He will try and avoid direct confrontation at all costs.

• His modus operandi when conflict starts is to retreat and leave his scions to do the stabbing for him.

• However, his fatal flaw is flattery.

• He feels that he could one day supplant Xokrodir, and if the heroes lean into that strength, he could become a powerful ally.

DR-II-KOR N 3 H 8 A Spore Cloud (A cloud appears NEAR Dr-ii-kor and lasts for d4 ROUNDS, roll CHA or be at Dr-ii-kor’s command until you succeed on the roll), Telepathy Spore (emit to speak freely in the minds of all FAR), Rotting Fist (2 WOUNDS), Myconic I To control

ROOMS OF THE BERG

I THE ENGINE ROOM

• This large room is choked with thick black soot.

• Every TURN you spend in this room, roll CON or get a Disease called Blacklung (-1 to all rolls per slot occupied, roll CON every day or have it occupy another slot).

• 8 spore-addled laborers toil at the massive rusty machines that help propel the Berg.

• Perhaps the engines can be sabotaged?

• If he isn't anywhere else in the Berg, Dr-ii-kor is here overseeing the laborers.

• Passages lead away to rooms II and IV.

SPORE LABORERS (8) N 1 H 1 A Myconic Cough (Roll CHA or be infected and at Dr-ii-kor’s command until you succeed on the roll), Rusted Tool (2 WOUNDS), Infected (if Dr-ii-kor is killed or the spores removed, the laborers become lucid and helpful) I To work the machines

II DR-II-KOR'S OFFICE

• A battered desk is propped against the stone wall by adhesive mushroom clusters.

• On the desk are scraps of notes and an unmarked, sealed clay jar.

• The scraps include a map of the Berg.

• The scraps also have some of Dr-ii-kor’s notes concerning “the Captain”.

• Always remain deferential.

• Refer to him as Your Eminence.

• Don’t talk about the burns.

• If these precepts are broken around Xokrodir, he immediately flies into a range and attacks, but the offending party will have ADVANTAGE on their next attack against him.

• The jar is full of Hookwing Pheromones, capable of luring or controlling Hookwings with careful application.

• In the corner lies a sleeping Spore Hound, if it awakens, it will attack, summoning Dr-ii-kor in d4 ROUNDS.

• Passages in the room continue to rooms I and III.

SPORE HOUND. N 2 H 7 A Tentacles (can attack for 2 WOUNDS NEAR), Mushroom Maw (those wrapped in tentacles take 3 WOUNDS from attacks and must roll CHA or be infected and at Dr-ii-kor’s command until you succeed on the roll) I To serve Dr-ii-kor

III CARGO HOLD

• Crates and boxes line the walls of this cramped room.

• They all have a small, glowing rune of repelling carved on them, and are locked with rusty padlocks.

• If something touches a crate with the rune on it, it must roll STR or be blown back to NEAR range.

• In the crates are…

• 150 feet of rope

• 3 points of SUPPLY

• 2 random pieces of MARTIAL LOOT

• If the crates are disturbed, d4 Dynamite Spiders pour out of a small clockwork box hidden among the crates.

• As long as the box is intact, another Dynamite Spider will spawn every ROUND.

• The box can be found with a WIS roll.

• In d4 ROUNDS, if not indisposed, Dr-ii-kor will enter the room to check on the disturbance.

• Halls lead away to rooms II, VI and IV.

DYNAMITE SPIDER N X H 4 A Swarm (N is equal to the number of Dynamite Spiders in FAR range), Mandibles (1 WOUND), Detonate (At any point or upon being destroyed, roll DEX or have all CLOSE take 2 WOUNDS) I To protect the crates

IV THE GELATINOUS GENERATOR

• A massive machine called a Gelatinous Generator dominates the room.

• It churns out Gelatinous Cubes every d4 ROUNDS.

• There’s a 50% chance it has just spit one out as the heroes enter the room.

• A Ghoul Technician stands overseeing the machine, making sure it keeps functioning.

• The ghoul has a Scepter of Assertion.

• The Scepter is a piece of HERETICAL LOOT that allows you to take control of any creature for a ROUND once a day.

• The ghoul will not hesitate to use it on the heroes.

• Any newly generated Gelatinous Cubes will simply begin to devour the nearest source of fresh meat, hero or ghoul alike.

• Corridors lead away to rooms III and IV.

GHOUL TECHNICIAN N 3 H 8 A Wrench (2 WOUNDS, fix any damage to the Gelatinous Generator), Brain Worm (whoever deals killing blow must roll DEX or get a Brain Worm) I To keep the machine running

GELATINOUS CUBE N 2 H 10 A Envelop (1 WOUND +1 per turn of successful attack, after the first DEFENSE rolls have DISADVANTAGE), Acid (Every ROUND, destroy a random item from each enveloped, heal 1 for every item destroyed), Weak to Temperature I To grow

V LAMP GOLEM'S LAIR

• Winding stairs lead up to this balcony atop the Berg.

• A Lamp Golem strange mechanical creature shines light into the darkness, aiding in the Berg’s navigation.

• Its beam is powered by a Bright Crystal, a piece of DIVINE LOOT that allows the wielder to use the Golem’s Flashbomb Ability once a day.

• If the Golem is destroyed, it waylays the Berg, slowing its arrival to the Core Isopach by 3 TURNS.

LAMP GOLEM N 3 H 8 A Flashbomb (All in a cone in front roll CON or be blinded until you succeed on the roll), Slam (3 WOUNDS, hot), Armored I To chart the course

VI FUNGAL HYDROPONICS

• Massive fungal clusters lie about this high-ceilinged room, letting off strange spores and oozes.

• Use your favorite fungi list to stock the room.

• Some fungi should provide dynamic challenges, others having beneficial effects to be discovered.

• This adventure has a number of fun fungi and is very well put-together.

• A Spore Hound lies concealed in the fungi.

• It uses hit and run tactics along with its natural camouflage (ADVANTAGE on rolls to hide) to dart in and out of the strange fungi.

• Passages lead off to rooms III and VII.

SPORE HOUND. N 2 H 7 A Tentacles (can attack for 2 WOUNDS NEAR), Mushroom Maw (those wrapped in tentacles take 3 WOUNDS from attacks and must roll CHA or be infected and at Dr-ii-kor’s command until you succeed on the roll) I To serve Dr-ii-kor

VII THE WRAITH'S DOOR

• This room has two rusted iron doors on either side.

• Whatever door is opposite the heroes’ entry is locked and has an ornate stone frame, in which are carved some words, as well as 4 small indentations

• “I VINDICATE YOUR SINS”, and smaller under it, the letters “NIEC”

• .The wall of this room is dominated by a large metal unit with a latch release on the side

• This is the second bay of electrified hooks that will be released to activate the Isoprach and pull the Berg up the elevator shaft.

• Against the opposite wall is a small iron plaque

• 4 gems sit in shallow indentations, all of which can be easily removed.

• A scarlet ruby

• A violet amethyst

• An indigo sapphire

• A yellow quartz

• The indentations on the door frame are perfectly gem-sized, and the proper order will make the door unlock.

• The correct order is sapphire, amethyst, quartz, ruby

• This is a letter puzzle. Taking the first letter of the word in the phrase next to the letter of “NIEC” gives the first two letters of the relevant color.

• IN for indigo, VI for violet, YE for yellow, and SC for scarlet.

• If the plaque is peeled back, behind it, in a shallow alcove, is a Replicator

• The Replicator is a piece of ODD LOOT that can make an exact copy of anything put in it once per TURN

• When the heroes touch something in the room, a Ghoul Wraith rises from the ground and begins to attack.

• Passages in the room lead out to rooms VI and IX.

GHOUL WRAITH N 3 H 6 A Spectral Throttle (2 STRESS), Brain Worm (whoever deals killing blow must roll DEX or get a Brain Worm), Incorporeal I To take revenge on the living

VIII DIVING HATCH

• The wall of this room is dominated by a large metal unit with a latch release on the side

• This is the second bay of electrified hooks that will be released to activate the Isoprach and pull the Berg up the elevator shaft.

• 3 Ghoul Technicians stand ready in dive suits.

• A hatch down to the Ocean of Oil lies in a corner of the room.

• It can be opened with an INT roll, ADVANTAGE with appropriate tools.

• A random piece of oil-soaked LOOT, the fruits of the most recent dive, lies in the corner.

• Corridors lead away to rooms V and IX.

GHOUL TECHNICIAN N 3 H 8 A Rotting Throttle (2 WOUNDS), Brain Worm (whoever deals killing blow must roll DEX or get a Brain Worm), Dive Suit I To keep the machine running

IX THE DECK

• This open-air deck looks out onto the Ocean, a visual reminder of just how close the Berg is to the Isoprach

• Xokrodir stands at the wheel, standing inside a circle of runes

• These are runes of invulnerability

• Anyone who stands on them cannot take WOUNDS or STRESS

• If Xokrodir is tricked or forced off the runes, he will retreat, locking the wheel

• Passages lead away to rooms VII and VIII.

XOKRODIR N 4 H 10 A Mind Crush (roll INT or take 3 STRESS, or all NEAR roll against 2 STRESS), Telekinesis (Xokrodir can lift and manipulate things at FAR range), Brain Worms (whoever deals killing blow must roll DEX or get a Brain Worm), Brain Eating (spend a TURN eating a fresh brain to get to full health), Egotistic (a display of disrespect grants ADVANTAGE on attack rolls), Undead, Hideous I To conquer and pillage

RANDOM ENCOUNTERS

As normal, a random encounter occurs every 6 TURNS, and can be negated by spending a point of SUPPLY. Roll a d6 to see what the heroes encounter.

1-3 d4 Hookwings

Hookwings are predatory creatures native to the Ocean of Oil, leathery-winged and crystal-eyed creatures with forearms ending in metal-rending claws. There is a massive nest of them lairing in the Isopach, and a small pack wanders out to investigate the Berg, ripping through the stone walls and attacking. Another Hookwing arrives every d4 ROUNDS until all the Hookwings are indisposed.

4 Collision

The Berg runs up against another island. The floor rocks and shakes for the duration of TURN, and 3 Myconid Warriors wander aboard the ship, fleeing the collapse of their home. Terrified, they’ll intercept the party next TURN.

5 Dr-ii-kor (if dead, 2d4 Ghoul Technicians)

6 Xokrodir (if dead, 2d4 Ghoul Technicians)

HOOKWING N X H 5 A Swarm (N is equal to the number of Hookwings in FAR range), Rending Claw (1 WOUND, destroy a random piece of equipment), Crystal Eye (if surgically removed, acts as NATURAL LOOT that allows you to look through any Hookwing’s eyes with a WIS roll) I To hunt

MYCONID WARRIOR N 2 H 6 A Telepathy Spore (emit to speak freely in the minds of all FAR), Flintstalk Spear (2 WOUNDS), Myconic I To survive

DR-II-KOR N 3 H 8 A Spore Cloud (A cloud appears NEAR Dr-ii-kor and lasts for d4 ROUNDS, roll CHA or be at Dr-ii-kor’s command until you succeed on the roll), Telepathy Spore (emit to speak freely in the minds of all FAR), Rotting Fist (2 WOUNDS), Myconic I To control

XOKRODIR N 4 H 10 A Mind Crush (roll INT or take 3 STRESS, or all NEAR roll against 2 STRESS), Telekinesis (Xokrodir can lift and manipulate things at FAR range), Brain Worms (whoever deals killing blow must roll DEX or get a Brain Worm), Brain Eating (spend a TURN eating a fresh brain to get to full health), Egotistic (a display of disrespect grants ADVANTAGE on attack rolls), Undead, Hideous I To conquer and pillage

GHOUL TECHNICIANS N 3 H 6 A Rotting Throttle (2 WOUNDS), Brain Worm (whoever deals killing blow must roll DEX or get a Brain Worm) I To keep the Berg running

THE CORE ISOPACH

Instead of covering every eventuality and plan the heroes could come up with (which would be impossible), this sequence of ROUNDS describes an ideal version of the ascent as Xokrodir planned it. Anything the heroes interfered with may delay plans by a ROUND, or cause extra complications to be exploited. This is it, the climax of the adventure- can the heroes stop the Berg from conquering their home?

ROUND 1:

• The set of electrified hooks from room VII deploy.

• Dr-ii-kor ingests the Hookwing pheromone from room II, and begins to emit hypnotic spores from either room V or IX

ROUND 2:

• The second set of hooks, from room VIII, deploy.

• The Hookwing colony laired in the Isopach are now under Dr-ii-kor’s control, he can spend an action summoning d4 Hookwings that do his bidding

ROUND 3:

• An electric current fills the chains, activating the ancient motors with a grinding hiss! The Isopach begins to pull the Berg out of the oil and into the air.

ROUND 4:

• The Berg is lifted out of the Ocean of Oil.

ROUND 6:

• The Berg is fully in the Isopach. It will take 3 more ROUNDS to reach the top of the Isopach, where the invasion begins on the 4th ROUND.

THE END?

Here are some ideas as to how the adventure might conclude itself, though every playthough is different, and you should use your discretion as to customizing the outcome for your playthrough.

• The Fall of the Berg. The players kill Xokrodir and stop the Berg from ascending the Isopach. Depending on if the Berg is intact or any outstanding allies and villains yet remain, this can be the great springboard for a campaign where the heroes explore the Ocean of Oil to find a way home!

• Xokrodir Fails. If the Berg is stopped from ascending the Isopach, but Xokrodir lives, he grows enraged. He lights a match and tosses it over the edge… it takes a ROUND for it to hit the Ocean, then it all goes up in smoke (see Fuel Holocaust).

• An Oily Rebirth. If the heroes are incapacitated over the course of the adventure, Xokrodir orders the Ghouls to toss them overboard. The surviving heroes are resuscitated by a Myconid mage and their apprentices and teleported back onto the Berg with a piece of ARCANE LOOT, 6 TURNS later or just as the Berg begins its ascent into the Isoprach (whichever comes first).

• The Berg Ascendant. If the Berg succeeds in scaling the Isopach, the heroes have a steep task ahead of them. The Isopach leads to the sewers under the heart of a Dwarvish metropolis (Erz, if in the Autumn Kingdoms). If Xokrodir is dead, Dr-ii-kor heads the conquest, which, without heroic interference, will be swift and brutal. From there, the Empire of the Berg will spread like fire on oil...

Fuel Holocaust. If, by some foul accident, the Ocean of Oil is lit on fire, it instantly not only destroys the Berg and the entire contents of the Ocean, but collapses the ground of the land above. The world is forever changed, as new passages to the underground ripped open by the explosion vomit forth eyeless, pale horrors...