The Drow War Book Two. The Dying Of - RoseRed

whose soul was lost. We’re only telling you this because
you have a right to know. We need you to understand
what the stakes really are.’
With that, the elves step back from the table. The wands
are there for you to take.
Once the Player Characters have taken the wands and
said anything they need to say, the Conclave transports
them to the fields outside Crom Calamar, where the
armies are assembling.
Day of the Battle
Crom Calamar has changed since the Player Characters
were there last. Crucified bodies hang on the walls.
Every road into the place is guarded, with bands of
drow (and possibly Ironclads) patrolling the wilderness
beyond. Even the sky is not safe, as Scallandriax circles
above the city on the lookout for flying invaders.
The Guards
The Games Master should refer to De Profundis, page
3, for statistics for the drow soldiery. A typical guard
patrol consists of 14 to 20 soldiers, led by a captain,
a lieutenant and a war-mage. If any of the Ironclads
survived, these patrol the city in pairs.
Event: Reaching the Tenebrium
The most likely option is for the Player Characters to
enter the city by stealth and make a surprise assault on
the tenebrium. Two forces stand between them and
their goal: the dragon and a vast army of drow.
Fortunately for the Player Characters, the drow soldiers
are all now much lower level than the Player Characters
are. The only adversary who can present a serious
challenge in his own right is Rannirak, who is far below
at the Abyssal Altar. Nonetheless, detection will bring
all the drow in the city down upon them, and even a 19 th
level character cannot withstand an entire army. Their
chances of being detected depend upon the techniques
they use. The drow war-mages have see invisibility
running, so they detect invisible characters easily.
Assume that every single street is patrolled every 15
minutes. Otherwise the Player Characters are not likely
to be detected unless they do something stupid.
The dragon is another matter. If the Player Characters
try to fly into the city (a likely choice for 19 th level
characters), Scallandriax may detect them. If he hears
them approaching, the dragon casts true seeing and
hunts them down. He keeps to his post at the top of the
spire specifically to defend the tenebrium, so he will be
hard to sneak past. One possible strategy might be to
call upon Aristeele to draw Scallandriax away from the
Darkspear.
The Darkspear: The Darkspear is 200 feet high. The
tenebrium is a single mass 20 feet across. The openings
in the side of the Darkspear that allow the darkness to
flood out grant the tenebrium a good deal of cover, and
the darkness it emanates grants it total concealment
(miss chance 50%). From outside, to hit the tenebrium
with a ray attack from the wand requires a ranged touch
attack against an Armour Class of 14.
A character can guarantee a hit by attacking from inside
the Darkspear, but to do this he must enter through the
open front hatch without being detected and climb or
fly up the inside.
Plot Event: The Long Night Ends
When a Player Character first attempts to fire a starwand
into the tenebrium, the following occurs. The
dazzling brilliance of the beam gives his position
away to all enemies in the area, who are immediately
alerted to what is happening. Moreover, even if he hits
the tenebrium first time, the dark mass merely begins
to groan and vibrate, with tiny pieces pinging off.
Evidently the Conclave’s tests on smaller pieces have
led to a miscalculation. One blast is not enough.
At this point all hell breaks loose. The character who
fired the wand is now the target of every drow in the
area, as well as of Scallandriax if he is present. The
advantage of surprise and stealth is gone. A second
successful hit is needed to destroy the tenebrium.
When that happens, the Games Master should read the
following:
For a second the beam of light stands out against the
darkness. The vibrations become a howl and then a
shriek. The next moment every single brick and tile in
the city seems to explode with shattering force. The
sound is like the end of the world. Silence floods back
in, only to be followed by a sound like a thousand
voices screaming in pain. You realise, as you blink
in the sudden daylight, that this is exactly what you
are hearing. Blinded drow are running through the
streets, crowding into the shadows, covering their eyes
and screaming like tortured cats. The top half of the
Darkspear is completely gone. Only a twisted wreck
of metal casing, looking absurdly like a half-peeled
banana, is left.
And now a new sound begins. The sound is a cheer, and
it comes from the windows of the houses in the city, the
rooftops and the balconies. It is the sound of people
who can see the sun again.
Ibon Presno Gonzalez (order #73006) 8
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