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The Drow War Book Two. The Dying Of - RoseRed

The Drow War Book Two. The Dying Of - RoseRed

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+19, Move Silently +21, Search +16, Sense Motive +17,<br />

Spot +19, Survival +2 (+4 following tracks); Alertness,<br />

Cleave, Improved Grapple, Iron Will, Power Attack.<br />

Sunlamp: This extraordinary lantern consists of a<br />

blown glass sphere cradled in a bronze ring, which<br />

then hangs from three chains attached to a hook. When<br />

the sunlamp is activated, it establishes a spherical<br />

field beneath itself that functions as a tiny hut, with<br />

the notable difference that the walls of the hut are<br />

transparent. Within the sphere, the sunlamp sheds light<br />

as bright as full daylight. This light is the equivalent<br />

of actual sunlight for creatures who are damaged by<br />

daylight or intolerant to it.<br />

<strong>The</strong> sunlamp can be lit or extinguished with a command<br />

word. A third command word sets it to grow brighter<br />

and dimmer over time, emulating the cycle of day and<br />

night.<br />

7. <strong>The</strong> Hall of Bronderbok, the Jailer of<br />

the Worlds<br />

This ice sphere is filled with orange light shining<br />

through thick strands of webbing that gleam like spun<br />

sugar. Crouching at the top of the room is an eerily<br />

beautiful sculpture of a giant spider made from glass<br />

and steel, glowing from within with a light like embers.<br />

Here dwells Bastirak’s most powerful ally, who keeps the<br />

rogue planes sealed behind mighty barriers. Bronderbok<br />

is a planespider, serving the evil wizard in the interests<br />

of keeping the planar rift under control, Bastirak’s own<br />

planar voyaging has been severely curtailed. Bastirak<br />

grudgingly concedes that this arrangement is better<br />

than having a citadel full of uncontrolled extraplanar<br />

creatures.<br />

Bronderbok descends into the realm of planar gateways<br />

every day and weaves webbing barriers across them,<br />

temporarily preventing outsiders from crossing through<br />

into the mundane world. Bastirak is only permitted to<br />

enter one of these each day. At present he keeps his<br />

expeditions confined to the plane of Noctulos.<br />

Bronderbok investigates the Player Characters to<br />

ascertain whether they are ‘anomalies’ or not. So long<br />

as they do not use magic that accesses other planes<br />

or brings outsiders into the Prime Material (such as<br />

summoning spells or planar ally), it leaves them alone.<br />

It recognises the devils present in the citadel as being<br />

here by lawful contract. However, the devils are not<br />

permitted to summon other devils to their aid. If they<br />

forget this strict rule, Bronderbok will descend from<br />

its web, locate the ‘anomaly’ and disintegrate the<br />

summoned creatures.<br />

Bronderbok’s Mandala: <strong>The</strong> planespider has brought<br />

a mandala (a stylised meditation aid) from its home<br />

plane. It uses this as a meditative focus. <strong>The</strong> mandala<br />

is circular and made from a thin platinum disc two feet<br />

across, engraved with beautiful and complex designs<br />

that symbolise the various subdivisions of the Astral<br />

Plane, with tiny gems representing the intersections of<br />

the planes. In material terms, it is worth 9,500 gold<br />

pieces.<br />

Planespider: CR 15; Large outsider (extraplanar,<br />

lawful); HD 20d8+20; hp 110; Init +7; Spd 60 ft. (climb<br />

30ft.); AC 36, touch 16, flat-footed 29; Base Atk +20;<br />

Grp +35; Atk Claw +31 melee (2d6+11, 19–20); Full<br />

Atk 4 claws +31 melee (2d6+11, 19–20); SA anchor<br />

web, cocoon, disintegration ray, spell-like abilities,<br />

stitch rift; SQ Damage reduction 15/chaos, darkvision<br />

60 ft., telepathy 100 ft., planar sense, spell resistance<br />

31; AL LN; SV Fort +13, Ref +19, Will +15; Str 33,<br />

Dex 24, Con 13, Int 23, Wis 16, Cha 11.<br />

Skills & Feats: Concentration +24, Diplomacy +23,<br />

Hide +26, Move Silently +30, Knowledge (arcana)<br />

+29, Knowledge (the planes) +29, Listen +26, Sense<br />

Motive +26, Sleight of Hand +30, Spellcraft +29, Spot<br />

+26, Survival +26, Use Rope +30; Combat Expertise,<br />

Dodge, Improved Critical (claw), Improved Natural<br />

Attack (claw), Mobility, Power Attack, Weapon Focus<br />

(claw).<br />

<strong>The</strong>se highly intelligent arachnids originate from a<br />

lawful neutral plane called Coax, where they build<br />

magical thinking machines to perform stupendous<br />

calculations far beyond the powers of human minds<br />

to grasp. A small group of volunteers dwells on the<br />

Astral Plane, from whence they observe the behaviour<br />

of other planes and intervene to prevent the worlds from<br />

becoming muddled. Phase spiders are thought by some<br />

sages to be a degenerate offshoot of this race. Whether<br />

this is true or not, planespiders viciously attack phase<br />

spiders on sight, using their anchor web to keep them<br />

from shifting to the Ethereal Plane and back.<br />

A planespider’s greatest concern is to keep everything<br />

in its proper place. This means dispatching extraplanar<br />

creatures back to their own planes whenever possible.<br />

If a creature does not go willingly, the planespider<br />

attempts to erase it with its disintegrate ray. To the<br />

spider, all extraplanar creatures appear as anomalies<br />

– disruptions to the perfect order of the universe.<br />

Creatures who have survived encounters with<br />

planespiders report that lengthy, reasoned arguments<br />

can persuade a planespider to show mercy, while appeals<br />

to its (presumably nonexistent) better nature are likely<br />

to result in disintegration.<br />

Ibon Presno Gonzalez (order #73006) 8<br />

139

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