by J.C .

Connors

ABOUT THE ADVENTURE

Queen of the Red City is a GURPS Conan adventure, although The unnamed isle’s first recorded visit was ten years ago
it can easily be adapted to other savage fantasy worlds and when the pirate captain JAL Z’THNGORA landed upon its
game systems (Dungeon Crawl Classics and D&D 5E versions shores. Some say he heard the island’s location in a dream,
are also available on www.1shotadventures.com). The adven- others say he paid his left ear to a seer in Stygia so that she
ture sets the heroes ashore a primitive, tropical island far to would tell him the location of the greatest treasure of the
the south of the Black Kingdoms, where they are seeking for- Southern Isles. Either way, Jal Z’thngora discovered the isle
tune, fame, and a kidnapped relative. and settled on its beaches in the hopes of finding its treasures.

Queen of the Red City is suitable for four-to-six 150 point A year later, Jal’s brother HINO sailed to the island to bring
characters. The end of this adventure includes seven pregener- additional men and supplies. Though it was clear his brother
ated characters so you can get started right away. There’s also Jal had been to this island, there was no sign of the men. More
a bonus corsair character meant to replace a hero who dies ominously, Jal’s ship, the Firedancer, was found destroyed in
along the way... the island’s inlet. Lacking the courage of his brother, Hino
left the isle and told all that his brother had died at the hands
Characters introduced for the first time in the adventure are of savages there.
noted in ALL-CAPS. Skill rolls are in Small-Caps. Sections
marked with a map are side-quests and adventure hooks, Recently, while drunk and sharing a bed, Hino whispered
and not important to the overall plot of the adventure. Sec- the story and location of the island to Marala, the Corsair
tions marked with are opportunities for specific PCs, e.g., Queen of the Green Serpent. After hearing the story, she and
the pregenerated characters at the end of the adventure. her corsairs set out for the treacherous island.

Marala’s goals are twofold. First, she wishes to relieve her

ADVENTURE SUMMARY lover’s guilt by returning with the story of how Jal Z’thngora
met his end. Second, if there is any great treasure on the isle,
Queen of the Red City is an open-ended sandbox adventure set she plans to haul it back to the port in Zabhela.
on an unnamed island located a hundred miles southwest of
the Black Kingdoms. The PCs are all crew of the Green Ser- Some of her crew have other motives to visit the island. Jal
pent, a corsair ship that has sailed from Zabhela, the danger- Z’thngora sailed to the island with seven captive Stygian
ous and bustling free port in Kush. Their captain is the beau- women. One of the women, FARIDA, was the sister to one
tiful and dangerous MARALA, THE CORSAIR QUEEN, of the crew. The crew has rallied around the idea of helping
famed for being fair to her friends and murderous to her foes. their crew mate recover their sister from the savage island.
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All of these objectives can be completed on this faraway, jun- Otherwise, it is impossible to peer past the beach into the
gle isle... if the PCs can survive its savage dangers. The island dense, green jungle of the island.
is inhabited by monstrous creatures, primitive ape men, and
the ghosts of Z’thngora’s original crew. But at the center of the Z’thngora’s Half-Fort
island is the Red City, an ancient Zhemri citadel that holds Ten years ago, Captain Jal Z’thngora led an expedition to this
the legendary treasure many have sought. island. Rather than use their small ship as shelter during their
expedition, they constructed five small, one-story structures
near a waterfall that fed into island’s central inlet. An incom-
1 A BAY OF SUNDERED BONES plete stakewall half surrounds the abandoned settlement.

The adventure begins as the Green Serpent enters the Bay Captain Z’thngora and his crew was killed on the island, but
of Sundered Bones, so named by Hino Z’thngora because his shelters, along with the mostly submerged wreckage of
the eastern beach of the inlet is scattered with broken, sun- his ship, are visible on the island to any ship that sails into
bleached bones. He told Captain Marala that he believed the the inlet. Crews that have explored the island since the initial
bones were that of his brother’s crew, though did not have voyage have often made use of the shelters, and explorers will
the stomach to sort through them. As the PCs enter the inlet, find scattered tools, crates, and other supplies in the “fort”.
they see several additional points of interest: A Scrounging roll lets PCs find specific, ordinary supplies
they might be looking for here. The only weapons that can be
• On the western shore, several small wooden structures found are rusted shortswords, arrows, and spearheads, which
are visible, along with a stakewall that half-surrounds the can be fashioned into spears or javelins with an appropriate
settlement. There is no sign of life in this area. Armoury roll.
• Near the northern beach, a half-submerged sloop is vis-
ible. This is obviously the wreck of the Firedancer, Cap- A Carpentry roll discovers that the structures were built by
tain Z’thngora’s ship. professional carpenters, and that there’s evidence that one of
• Large birds circle above the jungle to the southeast of the the buildings has been maintained recently. GM’s Note: This
bay, likely indicating a kill of some kind. A Perception recent work was done by the hand of COLBA, one of Captain
(Vision)-4 roll observes that they are strange creatures, Z’thngora’s original crew, who still roams the island. He quietly
possessing the scaly bodies of lizards but the green feath- retreated into the jungle when he saw the PCs’ ship arrive.
ered wings of a bird.

FARIDA, THE GIRL WHO BECAME QUEEN

Farida was nineteen when she was captured in a raid Weeks after landing on the isle, during the chaos of
a few miles south of black-walled Khemi. The Sty- the first Ape Man attack, Farida and her friend VITH
gian woman had set out with six friends to buy rare escaped into the jungle. She stumbled upon the Red
cloth from the nomads who had set up a small bazaar City and the savage cleaver-men who lived there. After
on the southern beach to avoid taxes and oversight. killing their elder Zhemri shaman, KOIPUR, Farida
Although Farida and her friends paid two strong men declared herself queen and subjugated the men of the
to protect them during the short journey, the men city into her service. Lusty for revenge on Jal Z’thngora,
were easily chased off when they stumbled upon Jal she ordered the cleaver-men to destroy the crew. Un-
Z’thngora and his crew camped on the beach. fortunately, Z’thngora’s boat was destroyed in the at-
tack’s aftermath, and she was unable to return home
Jal Z’thngora intended to sail to Kush to sell the (see Z’thngora’s Fate, page 14).
women as slaves, but changed his mind when the
waters were rougher than expected. Instead, he de- To add additional motivation to the adventure, it’s
cided to sail directly to the unnamed isle, taking the suggested that the GM make Farida a long-lost sister,
women with him. Without the gold from their sale, cousin, or lover of one of the PCs. (In the pregenerated
Jal was unable to fully stock his ship. He notified PCs, she is the sister of Zacova the Panther.)
his brother Hino to follow him with fresh men and
supplies – a trip something that would take inexperi-
enced Hino a year to accomplish.

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If anyone in the party has Danger Sense, they’ll get a feeling
that the camp is generally unsafe. This is because it is still Night at the Half-Fort
haunted by the spirits of Z’thngora’s dead (see insert)! The shades of Z’thngora’s murdered crew emerge at
night. They fiercely hate any living beings that were
The Stakewall not once part of their crew. Shortly after midnight, the
The 10-foot high stakewall is obviously unfinished. It sur- shades materialize around the settlement (one or two
rounds only half the campsite. An investigation of the outside per PC) and converge on those that rest inside the fort’s
of the wall finds large, spear heads lodged into the wall. If the structures. If the PCs flee, the shades will not, however,
PCs think to enlarge the stakewall, it will be slow-going, tak- follow their prey outside the perimeter of the camp.
ing a skilled five-man team about a day to expand the wall by
one yard. They stalk into the buildings by phasing through walls,
then loom over their targets, taking the visage of a friend
The Beach of Bones or loved one, and then hideously transforming their face
This eastern beach is covered by hundreds of bones, most into something horrible. Once their prey is subdued, the
cracked and sun-bleached. A Naturalist roll identifies that shades materialize and try to rip their victim apart, all-
the bones are from large fish, apes, and boar. The bones are out attacking and going for necks and throats like wild
brought here in the fall by the man-apes of the eastern part of animals. While material, the shades can be attacked and
the island as offerings to their water god, Kelvor-Kaiman, and even killed, though their spirits will reform days later,
its children, the fleshripper crocodiles. as they are forever cursed to remain on this island while
their captain still lives.
A search of this area finds a partially obscured trail near this
beach. It leads to the east, towards ape territory.
Shades of the Dead
The Wreck of the Firedancer ST 12 HP: 12
The Firedancer was once Captain Z’thngora’s ship. The vessel DX 12 Will: 10
is now half-submerged fifty yards from the northern shore of IQ 8 Per: 10
the inlet. The water surrounding the vessel is fairly shallow, HT 12 FP: 12
only about 6 yards deep. Any kind of Perception (Vision)
roll, however, spots large tiger sharks in the area around the Basic Speed: 6.0 Claws: 1d-1 cut, reach C
vessel (see p.16 for shark statistics). Move: 6
Dodge: 9

Rowing out the inlet discovers that the vessel is missing half Traits: Dark Vision; Injury Tolerance (Unliving*); Spirit (Doesn’t
of its hull. It looks like the ship was snapped in half, with no Breathe; Doesn’t Eat or Drink; Doesn’t Sleep; Immunity to Metabolic
sign of its forward hull. Its masts are snapped off and gone, its Hazards; Insubstantiality (Affect Substantial, Usually On; 1 FP per
second); Unaging; Sharp Claws; Silence 2; Terror (Fright Check-3).
structure bleached and worn where the sun hits it, and gray
and rotting in the sections that are underneath the water. A Skills: Brawling-14; Stealth-14 (up to +4 with Silence!)
Seamanship roll finds the wreckage unusual and unsettling. It
looks like the ship’s hull was ripped apart by sharp rocks, but *The shades’ Injury Tolerance reduces impaling damage modifier to x1
the island’s calm inlet has no such dangers. and piercing damage modifier to x1/5.

Climbing atop the wreckage finds nothing especially help- Once divers finds their way through the wreckage, they’ll
ful unless the PCs are looking for common nautical supplies, emerge into the intact hold, its floor slanting towards the
such as belaying pins or some small lengths of rope. A Sea- water. Inside the dim hold are several small sea chests. One
manship roll observes that one of the Firedancer’s holds look still floats in the water and is filled with water-ruined clothes.
dry and intact, but gaining access requires swimming into the The second contains well-crafted carpentry supplies, includ-
underwater hull of the ship. ing a adze, a mallet, and a racing knife. A bag of 250 silver
coins is also buried in this chest. The third chest contains
A Swimming+3 roll allows someone to dive through the rotting ship logs and journals. Any time spent with this ma-
wreckage and into the intact hold, although the sharks will terial (at least an hour or two) discovers a description of the
certainly take an interest in anyone diving into their territory! fate of some of Z’thngora’s men (see Handout A).
A DX roll is required to navigate through the sharp and bro-
ken timbers of the wreckage (a critical failure might cause the Finally, hanging on the wall of the hold are two weapons,
diver to become stuck!). still in their scabbards. The first is a perfectly-balanced great-

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 MAP OF Z’THNGORA’S ISLE

8
6
9
5

2
1 7

3
4
8

1 hex = 1/4 mile

1 Z’thngora’s Half-fort 6 Pirate Camp

2 Colba’s Skulls 7 Vith’s Grave

3 The Raptor Skink Nest 8 Bask of Crocodiles

4 Yag-Dagoth’s Chain 9 The Red City

5 The Old Dwellings Ape Territory – see p.13.

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sword, the second a balanced shortsword with a ruby-studded Serpent has landed at Z’thngora’s fort. While he is cunning
pommel (balanced weapons add +1 to skill). Both are covered and knows the island well, he can be taken by surprise here if
in corrosion from the proximity to the seawater and do not the PCs are stealthy, or set up an ambush. Similarly, a Track-
get their bonus until restored to use with some time, equip- ing roll (vs. Colba’s Tracking-15) can find his trail and find
ment, and an appropriate Armoury roll. him in the jungle.

Colba hasn’t seen men in years. He has seen horrible things

ENTERING THE JUNGLE and suffered from many bouts of jungle fever. One of his
arms is shredded (bitten off by a fleshripper crocodile), and
Searching the beaches finds a trail off the eastern side of the infected, emitting a putrid smell. While he was content to
beach. A similar path can be found near the stakewall, but watch the PCs from afar, he will be hesitantly friendly if par-
this trail is recently maintained. It was made by Colba, one leyed with.
of the surviving members of Z’thngora’s crew. Tracking Colba
himself requires winning a quick contest vs. his Tracking-15. On a Neutral reaction roll or better, Colba tells the story
of Z’thngora’s fate (p.14), although he believes Captain
The PCs should make a Survival (Jungle) roll for each full Z’thngora died in the attack. He admits he has seen his old
day they spend in the jungle. On a failure, they suffer 2d-4 captain in his dreams, “...reeking rot and restless for ven-
damage from twisted ankles, heat stroke, bug bites, and other geance against the queen who slew him.”
tropical maladies. Additionally, each day, the PCs can forage
as they travel with a successful Survival or Naturalist roll. He also does not know that it was Farida who became Queen
Anyone with Bow skill can make a roll to bag an edible bird. of the Red City. He simply describes the final attack by the
cleaver-men as led by a “shapely, black-haired queen in an
Sleeping in the jungle is difficult for those not used to it. Any- Atlantean helm.”
one without Survival (Jungle) skill loses 1 FP each night for
the first three nights. If prompted, Colba will also fearfully describe the destruc-
tion of the Firedancer, saying that a “restless harbinger of the
deep gods – something born of ancient violence and blood-
2 COLBA’S SKULLS shed – whose only desire was the thundering demise of our
ship.” Though he does not know its name, he speaks of the
In a clearing in the jungle is a large, dead acacia tree. Hanging great serpent Yag Dagotha, who he saw attack and destroy
from its branches tree are six, man-sized crocodile skulls, each his ship.
with a distinct, knobby overbite. The skulls are bone white
and hang from the tree with a primitive fiber rope. Colba will respond well to any treatment of his maladies. On
a Good reaction or better:
A Naturalist-3 or appropriate Biology roll identifies them
as the skulls of “fleshrippers,” crocodilian monstrosities that • Colba will sketch out what he knows of the island (see
can reach up to 40 feet in length and weigh ten tons. An Handout B). Colba will agree to guide the PCs to some
Occultism or appropriate Theology roll recalls stories that locations, but will not go near the Red City or Ape Ter-
these reptiles are the children of Kelvor-Kaiman, a minor god ritory, which he describes as “occupied by wild tribes of
of the Black Coast. man-apes, who hate, lust, and make mockery of civilized
men.”
If the PCs search near the tree, they’ll find some recently-cut • Colba will agree to return with the PCs on the Green
branches – suitable for spears – as well as razor sharp, obsidian Serpent. He will not, however, go anywhere near the ship
rocks made to knap spear tips. A couple hours and an Ar- until they have departed the inlet. He still dreads the
moury (Melee) roll can fashion a few obsidian-tipped spears. creature that destroyed the Firedancer and believes that it
Treat these as brittle, cheap spears doing +1 damage. is inevitable that it will destroy the Green Serpent.
• If asked about the pirates on the northwest tip of the
The skulls are the trophies of Colba, the last survivor of the island, he knows nothing of them.
Firedancer. Colba mistakenly believes these rare creatures – a
few of which still roam the island – were the young of the hor-
rible god-thing that he saw devour the Firedancer.
Colba uses this location as a camp when he sees that the Green

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 3 THE RAPTOR SKINK NEST
Nest Mother A trail twists through tall banyan trees in this part of the
ST 13 HP: 9 jungle. Wild howls and screeches are louder here than any-
DX 12 Will: 11 where else on the island.
IQ 2 Per: 12
HT 11 FP: 11 A Perception (Vision) roll spots something shiny in the
brush just off the path. A closer look discovers a weathered
Basic Speed: 5.75 SM: +5 pot helm (DR 3, 1.6 lbs.), seemingly undamaged but from
Move: 2 / 10 Bite: 1d-3 pi++, Reach 2 the elements. Nearby, a curved rigging knife can be found...
Dodge: 8 Claw: 1d cut, Reach 1
along with the mostly-rotted remnants of a leather boot.
Traits: Acute Vision +2; DR 1; Flight (Winged; Air Move 10);
No Fine Manipulators; Lifting ST+6; Sharp Beak; Sharp Claws; High above this spot is the massive nest of a flock of raptor
Weak Bite; Wild Animal. skinks, venomous birds with red feathered wings and bright
blue-green scaled bodies. While most raptor skinks are only
Skills: Brawling-13; Flight-15; Tracking-14.
the size of hawks, the massive nest mother has a wingspan of
A nest mother may try to drag a foe to its nest. Treat this as a leg 50 feet, and can awkwardly carry humans and ape-men up to
grapple; it rolls DX+3 to “hit.” On subsequent turns, it attempts its nest so that it can tear them to pieces for its young.
to lift the subject into the air; the subject may make a ST roll each
turn (ST +3 if he has a hand free) to resist. On the victim’s turn,
Climbing up to the nest requires a Climbing+3 roll; the nest
he may try to break free from the grapple by winning a Quick
Contest of ST versus ST 19.) If the nest mother wins the contest, is 90 feet above the ground. Falling from such a height would
it flies away with its prey at Move 4. The victim may continue to do 2d cr damage (lessened due to the branches, brush, and
try breaking free once lifted, but he can only roll once every 10 soft mud of the jungle floor). The real danger is the raptor
seconds, and must win a Quick Contest of ST versus the bird’s skinks themselves. Anything that comes within 15 feet of
ST 25 due to the lack of leverage! Injury to the nest mother causes
the usual shock or stun penalties, which can help.
their nest draws the attention of the flock. At least five young
raptors will swoop down and attack the intruders. If the dis-
turbance lasts more than a few moments, the nest mother
Raptor Skink RAPTOR ADULTO
emerges to defend her nest (although she prefers to wait until
ST 5 HP: 4 SM +1 her youngs’ venom takes effect, then swooping down to pick
Bite* 1d-2 imp
DX 13 Will: 11 Claw* 1d-2 cut up any paralyzed bodies to return as food for her young).
IQ 2 Per: 12 HP 7
HT 10 FP: 10 If the PCs make it up to the giant nest, which is 25 feet in
diameter, they find the old remains of at least eight men –
Basic Speed: 5.75 SM: -3 (10 lbs.) though it will take some effort to figure out the exact num-
Move: 2 / 10 Bite: 1d-5 imp*, Reach C ber. All that is left of the men are old bones and bits of metal
Dodge: 9 and cloth that did not rot away in the humidity. Scrounging
Traits: Acute Vision +2; Bloodlust; Combat Reflexes; Fangs;
through the nest finds some items of value:
Flight (Winged; Air Move 10); No Fine Manipulators; Sharp
Claws; Wild Animal. • A gold snake medallion worth at least $500. A Heraldry
roll identifies the three-headed snake symbol as that of a
Skills: Flight-15; Tracking-14.
noble house from the city of Khemi in Stygia. GM’s Note:
* The smaller raptor skinks are venomous. The venom has a ten This medallion was owned by MAHTA, one of the Stygian
minute delay with a HT-4 roll to resist, repeated at 30 minute women captured by Z’thngora, and a servant of the Khemi
intervals for four cycles. It causes 2d toxic damage regardless of the house. It was taken from her and worn by one of his pirates
roll, but any failure indicates paralysis (p. B429), while a critical when he was killed by the raptor skinks.
failure indicates choking (p. B428) which may lead to death by
suffocation. The man-apes know of an antivenom, which requires
• Three more bronze pothelms (DR 3, 1.6 lbs., worth
chopping up a freshly-killed skink with a blue flower found in the $200), alongside a rotted leather cap.
southern jungle. This gives +4 to the HT rolls to resist the poison. • A fine Aquilonian shortsword, still preserved in its well-
A Naturalist-3 or Poisons-4 roll can improvise a similarly ef- oiled leather scabbard.
fective antivenom.
• A rusted and cheap cutlass.
• A boarding axe. Until its rotted wood handle is replaced,
treat it as cheap.

6
• Scattered silver coins worth $200. Z’THNGORA’S VENGEANCE
• Hardened leather bracers (DR 2, 4 l lbs., worth $30). His consciousness possessed and warped by the sha-
• A woman’s silver chain necklace, worth $200. A Jew- man Koipur, Z’thngora’s motivations are those of two
eller or Merchant roll reveals it as Stygian-made. Any- vile men. Koipur drives him to kill the Red Queen and
one who knew Farida would recognize this as hers, given re-ascend as leader of the Red City. Z’thngora himself
to her by her father when she turned thirteen. wishes to escape the island. None of those goals were
possible until the Green Serpent arrived.
4 YAG DAGOTHA’S CHAIN As the PCs venture near the island’s hills, Z’thngora
takes notice of them. He will skulk and observe them
A heavy, rusted iron chain is fallen in the jungle through this for a few days (using his Stealth and his Body of Air
area. Each link is the size of a horse head. Following the chain ability) and assess their motivations and abilities. If
to the northwest finds that it is broken a hundred yards from he thinks the PCs mean to kill the Red Queen, he
the water. A few scattered, shattered links can be found buried lets that play out. If not, he tries to converse with the
in the sand not too far from the beach. PCs, convincing them that he is indeed the long-lost
captain, driven mad from the jungle’s fevers for ten
Following the chain to the east finds it attached to a huge, years. He will play up the evil of the Red Queen, say-
two-story anchor stone that juts from the jungle floor. The ing that she is a sorceress who can charm men and
massive rock is made from polished agate, swirling in grays conjure demon serpents from the deep, like the one
and blacks. The chain is fastened around the stone and ham- that destroyed his ship. Similarly, he casts her cleaver-
mered into place by ornate, iron pitons. men guardians as sadistic brutes.

An examination of the anchor stone finds an inscription writ- Z’thngora will not try to talk with the PCs if Colba is
ten on it. A Linguistics or History roll identifies the lan- with them, who he fears will contradict his story, or
guage as Zhemri, a long-dead version of Zamoran. Anyone recognize him as not himself. He may even try to lure
who knows Zamoran can make a Linguistics roll or IQ-5 Colba away to kill him before he approaches the PCs!
roll to identify a few basic words from the inscription:
He fears the Red City and will not enter it. However,
Yag Dagotha if Farida leaves the Red City, Z’thngora will absolutely
Immortal... Devil-Serpent... Cruel and Fitful attempt a desperate assassination of the Queen.

GM’s Note: This mighty chain once held Yag Dagotha, the great
demon serpent that was a bane to the nearby shipping lanes. Mil-
lennia ago, it was chained to this island by the Atlanteans and the Captain Z’thngora makes his home here. The man, how-
ancient Zhemri, and freed by the shaman of the Red City Koiper ever, is now possessed by the insidious and vengeful spirit
upon his death at the hands of Farida, Queen of the Red City. of a dead shaman – KOIPUR. (Koipur once led the Red
City, but was slain by Farida when she declared herself
A Occultism roll recalls vague, old stories of a great serpent queen... see p.14 for her story). The spirit possessed cap-
chained to rocks by the ancient cultures of Atlantis and Zhem- tain is too wily to be caught unawares here. If he detects
ri. A roll made by 3 or more recalls its name as Yag Dagotha. anyone approaching, he will slip into the jungle and use
his magic to spy upon them.

5 THE OLD DWELLINGS Most of the deserted structures are empty, their valuables
lost over a millennia ago when the Zhemri people came
Against the sharp cliffs and steep hills of the central island are here to build the chain that would hold the demon ser-
a dozen primitive, mud buildings built up the side of scree pent, Yag Dogotha. A few valuables and interesting find-
slope. The structures are blackened with soot and old earth, ings remain amidst the old dwellings:
and a few have dead vines that ominously envelop them. • A handful of iron ingots can be found in the scree
around the buildings. These are difficult to find with-
An Architecture or appropriate History roll identifies the out a thorough search, and require a Perception
abodes as those of ancient Zhemri, the ancestors of modern (Vision)-4 or Search roll to find. A Metallurgy or
Zamora, and as old as the remnants of Atlantis. appropriate Smith roll identifies this iron as the same
iron from the great chain of Yag Dagotha.

7
• An unusual rock, similar to the agate that held Yag Dago-
tha’s chain, is half-buried just outside one of the abodes.
Looking carefully at the rock identifies it as a gravestone, K’Gari Tibur
and indeed, faint Atlantean markings can barely be see ST 14 HP: 14
etched on to its surface. If the grave is dug up, the PCs DX 12 Will: 13
find the sarcophagus of a mighty Atlantean warrior. In- IQ 12 Per: 12
side the sarcophagus are the skeletal remains of the war- HT 12 FP: 12
rior, buried with an impressive mallet, crafted from an
unusual and unidentifiable metal, along with his weapon, Basic Speed: 6.0 SM: 0
a very fine, Atlantean greatsword. A great saw-toothed Move: 6 Broadsword: 2d+1 cut, Reach 1, Parry 11
fang can also be found embedded in the man’s ribs, easily Dodge: 10 Punch: 1d-1 cr
the size of a shortsword.
Traits: Acute Vision +2; Appearance (Unattractive); Bloodlust;
• One of the buildings is trapped, heavy rubble set over Combat Reflexes; Delusion (the gods owe him a ship); Fit; Jealou-
the door frame ready to crush whoever walks across the sy; Greed; High Pain Threshold; Social Stigma (Criminal Record).
threshold. A Per-based Traps-5 roll identifies the simple
tripwire mechanism. A failure does 8d cr damage to the Skills: Brawling-15; Broadsword-15; Climbing-13; Fast-Draw-13;
Interrogation-13; Intimidation-14; Knife-14; Leadership-12;
hapless victim, and anyone within one yard of the door.
Navigation-12; Scrounging-12; Seamanship-13; Shiphan-
Damage can be avoided with a Dodge at -2, but +3 for dling-10; Survival-13; Swimming-12; Tracking-11.
diving for cover.
• Inside the trapped building are some of Captain Jal Gear: Broadsword w/ broken tip (2d+1 cut, $400); crested At-
Z’thngora’s trappings, stored inside baskets stolen from lantean helm (DR 4 on the skull, DR 3 on the face, gives wearer
Hard of Hearing and No Peripheral Vision, 4 lbs., $4,000); small
the man-apes. One basket has dried meat, another has knife (1d-1 imp, reach 0, Parry 10, $30).
three skulls of the large-headed, cleaver-men, the third
has a hundred or so Stygian coins and a fine dagger with
his name etched on its blade. Mutinous Pirates
ST 11 HP: 11
DX 11 Will: 10
6 THE PIRATE CAMP IQ 10 Per: 10
HT 10 FP: 10
Over a dozen pirates were stranded on this island after a failed
mutiny aboard their ship, the Swift Talon. The men were Basic Speed: 5.25 SM: 0
dumped into the sea, but miraculously swept on to the beach- Move: 5 Shortsword: 1d+1 cut, Reach 1, Parry 9
Dodge: 8 Punch: 1d-1 cr
es of Z’thngora’s island. Led by a ruthless cutthroat named
K’GARI TIBUR, the pirates have established a makeshift Traits: Fit; various other traits. Most look sickly.
camp on the northwestern point of the island. They have not
explored the interior of the island much, and have survived Skills: Boating-10; Bow-11; Brawling-13; Carousing-10; Carpen-
try-10; Climbing-12; Knife-12; Knot-Tying-12; Scrounging-10;
for a few weeks on fish and wild boar. They believe themselves
Seamanship-12; Shortsword-12; Survival-10; Swimming-10.
to be the only inhabitants of this island (although K’Gari
found a valuable Atlantean helm in the jungle, which leads Gear: Some combination of shortsword (1d+1 cut or 1d imp,
him to believe there is more treasure to be found here). $400); short bow (1d-1 imp, Acc 1, Range 110/165, RoF 1, Shots
1(2), Bulk -6); small knife (1d-2 imp, Reach 0, Parry 8, $30).
The PCs may stumble upon their camp, or, as they get closer
to it, one of the pirate hunting parties.
K’gari Tibur has no desire to swear allegiance to another cap-
The pirates will be overjoyed to find out that the Green Ser-
tain. Ambitious and bloodthirsty, he’ll look for any oppor-
pent can help them escape the island. Many of the men will
tunity to seize control of the Green Serpent. The GM can be
happily swear allegiance to a new captain, though they will
flexible in how the PCs relationship with the pirates evolves.
keep the fact that they nearly murdered their previous captain
Some suggestions include:
as secret as possible. Instead, they will describe themselves as
victims of a cruel captain, who threw them overboard rather
• K’gari Tibur may order his men to try to capture or kill
than give them a share of their gold.
the PCs, hoping to track them back to their ship and
conquer it.

8
• If K’gari feels outmatched, he’ll pretend to swear alle- The base of the statue simply reads “Vith” in the Stygian
giance to the PCs, but plots to assassinate Marala, captain script.
of the Green Serpent, and declare the ship as his own.
• If K’gari is dealt with swiftly, good social skills and role- This place is protected by Ibis, the weak but omniscient Sty-
playing can authentically convince the men of the Swift gian god of knowledge, who took notice of Vith’s sacrifice.
Talon to join up with the crew of the Green Serpent. The man-apes fear the place as unnatural and Jal Z’thngora
• If the PCs loiter too long with the pirates, the encounter suffers painful headaches when he is within sight of the grave.
will catch the attention of Z’thngora. Realizing that the
pirates can be allies in his quest for revenge on Farida, Anyone sleeping in this vicinity will receive either receive
the Queen of the Red City, he’ll use his sorcery and wits strange, prophetic dreams (if they are unwounded), or terri-
to recruit K’gari and his men to his cause. He will strike fying images from the past, such as Vith’s murder, the attack
with his men when he believes the time is right. on the Firedancer by Yag Dagotha, or even the cruel pirate
K’gari Tibur gasping for breath under the ocean’s waves be-
The Jungle Pox fore being washed ashore. Those receiving an unsettling vi-
If the PCs earn the trust of the pirates, one of the men, an old sion awake with a Fright Check-2!
sailor named KLAY confides that two of their number caught
a jungle pox that made blue boils appear on their bodies. The
infected men died three days later, vomiting up worm-ridden. 8 BASK OF CROCODILES
Klay believes that it is a curse sent on them by their ship’s
captain, who was thought to dabble in dark sorcery. It is up to Two points in the island mark the territory of the sarcosu-
the GM whether this is a tropical infection or a curse sent to chus “fleshripper” crocodiles – horrifying predators that are
kill the traitorous pirates. at twice the size of normal crocodiles.

If the malady is indeed a contagious infection, anyone with The ape-men of the island believe that these creatures are the
open wounds near the pirates has a chance of catching the children of the god Kelvor-Kaiman. As such, they leave the
pox. 1d days after exposure, make a HT roll. On a failure, creatures alone, though leave red meat to the creatures in the
blue boils appear on the victim’s skin. They suffer the equiva- fall when the fleshrippers travel to the Bay of Sundered Bones
lent of Low Pain Threshold and loss of 4 FP. Each day there- for mating season.
after, the victim must make a HT-3 roll or suffer a severe fever
which causes 1d-2 damage. This continues until the HT roll is Typically, a bask of fleshrippers has only one or two creatures
made and the victim recovers, or the victim perishes. sunning themselves in the sand by the water. The creatures

7 VITH’S GRAVE Fleshrippers

ST 32 HP: 32
Vith was the best friend of Farida, captured and kidnapped at
the same time in Stygia she was by the Z’thngora’s pirates. She
DX 12 Will: 10
managed to escape with Farida and made it to the Red City. IQ 3 Per: 10
It was Vith that overheard that the shaman Koipur was plan- HT 12 FP: 12
ning to sacrifice them to the Cleaver-men’s god. Vith warned
Farida, but was struck down by one of Koipur’s spells before Basic Speed: 6.0 SM: +4 (30’ long)
Move: 4 / 7 (water) Bite: 4d+4 cr, Reach 1
Farida slew the shaman. Dodge: 8 Tail: 3d+4 cr, Reach 3

Sorrowful for her friend’s death, Farida’s first act as Queen of Traits: Amphibious; Born Biter 3; Breath Holding 3; Combat Reflexes;
the Red City was to order the cleaver-man to take her body to Discriminatory Smell; DR 5 (10 on its armored top!); Hard to Kill
2; Hard to Subdue 2; Night Vision 2; Peripheral Vision; Quadruped;
the cliffs overlooking the sunrise and to bury her there. Striker (tail; crushing; long +2; cannot parry; weak); Wild Animal.

The grave is marked by a large Stygian-style statue of Vith, Skills: Brawling-14; Stealth-14 (17 in water); Survival-12; Track-
her arms outstretched towards the sea and Stygia. Without ing-15.
skilled artisans on the island, the Cleaver-men did a poor job
Like most crocodilians, fleshrippers bite to grapple, then drag their
of capturing Vith’s likeness, but the 10-foot statue is majestic victims back to the water to rip them apart and drown them.
nonetheless. Two banners are set on poles next to the statue,
each made from the tattered red sails of the Firedancer.
9
are fierce, however, and will lurch towards any prey
they see or smell.

9 THE RED CITY

Eventually, the PCs’ journey will take them to the b
Red City. The Red City is a fortified settlement built
C
eons ago by the ancient Zhemri. Its walls are made
froma porous, blood-red volcanic rock, an unsual
material that the Zhemri pulled from deep under
the island’s soil.

Before Jal Z’thngora’s ship arrived to the island, the d

Red City was occupied by a single Zhemri shaman,
a man named Koipur. Seemingly unaging, Koipur
spent most of the last millenia deep in trance, only
awakening a few times a year to give orders to the a
cleaver-men, misshapen, mute servants of the of the
ancient Zhemri that originally built the city.

When Koipur was slain by Farida, the cleaver-men

became utterly loyal to her. They now guard her city,
keeping unwavering watch over the jungle for any
that want to do their queen harm.
A. The Zhemri Palace
The Red City holds about two dozen oddly-angled buildings.
The Zhemri palace is located to the south of the main city
Each building is made from soft, volcanic stone similar to the
square. A freshwater fountain in the square provides cool sus-
walls of city itself. The architecture of the city is exotic, with
tenance for any who enter the Red City. In fact, the cleaver-
tall, irregular doorways, conical pillars, and pyramidal roofs.
men will motion to the PCs to wash themselves well before
The red angles of the city are contrasted by smooth, weath-
being presented to the queen.
ered, gray statues that seem to depict the princes and laborers
of old. An Architecture+2 roll identifies the city as built by
Audience with the Red Queen
the ancient Zhemri, ancestors of the Zamorans.
The old Zhemri palace is lonely and abandoned. It lacks any
kind of comforting decor. Dull-eyed statues stare at the PCs
The Red City borders a jagged, crescent-shaped chasm that
as they enter, though a few wear worn cloaks obviously made
plummets deep into the volcanic rock foundations of the is-
from the red sails of Z’thngora’s old ship.
land. It is possible to sneak into the city via the cliffside, but
climbing across the sheer canyon walls and into the city would
Cold and beautiful Farida lounges on a bronze throne in
take about 10 minutes and require at least three Climbing-1
the largest hall of the palace. Two cleaver-men stand at her
rolls. Failure indicates a horrific plunge into the canyon.
side, ready to die in her service. A bowl of fresh, half-eaten
tropical fruit is at her side. She’ll wear her Atlantean helm to
Otherwise, entrance into the Red City requires entering
shield her appearance from visitors; her razor sharp khopesh
through one of its two gates. Both gates are eternally guarded
sword is on her lap.
by two cleaver-men, who do not seem to sleep or need much
sustenance.
Farida demands to know why the PCs have come to her
city. She suspects them to be pirates, perhaps even friends of
If the PCs approach the city in the open, they will be blocked
Z’thngora himself, so at first she shows them little respect or
entry by the cleaver-men, who mutely prevent the PCs from
patience. While Farida would love to return to civilization,
entering. Only if the PCs ask to speak to the Queen of the
she has grown comfortable here, and has zero desire to sub-
Red City, or ask by Farida by name, will the cleaver-men es-
ject herself to a pirate crew again.
cort the PCs into the city and towards the palace.

10
Farida will only spare a few minutes with the PCs on a Good been unable to open either one in her ten years.
reaction roll or better, or if she somehow recognizes one of the • If asked about the man-apes, Farida simply explains that
PCs from her old life (e.g., her brother, Zacova the Panther they stay far away from her. “The man-apes fight and
from the pregenerated characters). bicker amongst themselves. They have no desire or rea-
son to irritate me.”
• If asked about how she came to be Queen of the Red • Farida tells what she knows about any of the island’s
City, Farida will tell her tale, spending extra time to point natural hazards, including the fleshripper crocodiles and
out that as awful as Z’thngora was as a captive, the sha- the raptor skinks.
man Koipur planned much worse things for her. “Foolish • On a Very Good reaction roll or better, Farida can be
Koipur never suspected a mere girl would slash his throat convinced to return with the PCs on the Green Serpent.
open with one of their great weapons,” she boasts, as she However, she will want to meet their captain herself, and
points to her cleaver-men bodyguards. demands that they dine together. While Farida prefers
• If asked about the massive cleaver-men guards, she shrugs. meeting Captain Marala in the Red City, she may agree
“They were here when I arrived. They seem ageless and to meet on the Green Serpent or elsewhere. Regardless,
emotionless, but they serve me with grace.” An Occult- this meeting may be an critical opportunity for Z’thngora
ism-2 or Thaumatology roll may provide the insight that to strike at Farida, or the pirate K’gari Tibur to try to as-
these men have been experimented on by ancient Zhemri sassinate Marala and take over the Green Serpent.
magic. Farida is hesitant to say how many cleaver-men
exist in the city, but on a Very Good reaction roll or better B. Barracks of the Cleaver-men
she will admit that there are about two dozen. This large, plain structure is where the cleaver-men rest and
• Farida does not know what happened to Z’thngora or his eat, something they do not do very often. There are simple
ship. Last she saw, Z’thngora was badly wounded by her accomodations for a hundred cleaver-men, although today
cleaver-men and disappeared into the jungle. She assumes in the Red City, only fifteen remain. At any given point, four
he died of fever. “Sick and weak things do not last long cleaver-men will be here; the others guard and serve Farida
here.” While she heard that the Firedancer was destroyed in the palace.
by a sea devil, she never saw it with her own eyes, but
admits it probably happened. “The walls of the Zhemri A small armoury in this building stores the weapons and ar-
are filled with depictions of old terror-gods, walking and mor of the long-fallen cleaver-men – falchions, collars, exotic
slithering both.” Zhemri flails, and heavy throwing spears.
• If asked about the Z’thngora’s treasure, Farida laughs and
says that there are two locked vaults in the city. She has C. The Red Vault
This locked chamber holds the treasure of the Red City. A
massive stone door, decorated with two-headed lions guards
the vault.
Cleaver-men
ST 16 HP: 16 The door can only be opened by speaking the Zhemri in-
DX 11 Will: 11 scription on the back of Koipur’s bronze, two-headed lion
IQ 9 Per: 10 medallion, which the possessed Z’thngora recovered when
HT 12 FP: 12 Farida unceremoniously tossed the shaman’s body into the
Red City’s chasm. Once the Zhemri phrase “Bagra Ghai” is
Basic Speed: 5.75 SM: +1 (8’ tall) spoken, the heavy doors open.
Move: 5 Falchion: 2d+4 cut, Reach 1, Parry 11U
Dodge: 8 Punch: 1d cr, Reach C, Parry 10
GM’s Note: While irrelevant to the adventure, a curious PC who
Traits: Combat Reflexes; Discipline of Faith (Ritualism); Doesn’t speaks Zamoran can make an IQ-3 or Linguistics roll to trans-
Sleep; DR 1; Fit; High Main Threshold; Low Empathy; Mute; Re- late the Zhemri phrase “Bagra Ghai” as simply “Push”.
duced Consumption 3; Slave Mentality; Weapon Bond (Falchions).
Inside the vault is a magnificent, gold statue of a winged,
Skills: Area Knowledge (Island)-12; Brawling-13; Broadsword-14
(includes Weapon Bond); Cooking-10; Gesture-10; Theology-9; two-headed lion. Its four eyes are made from yellow sap-
Thrown Weapon (Spear)-13; Two-handed Flail-13; Wrestling-12. phires, each worth $4,000. The heavy statue, easily the size
of a cow, weighs over a ton. It would be worth over $100,000
Gear: Bronze neck collar (DR 3, $50, 0.4 lbs); Straw torso armor – if it can be dragged back through the jungle and returned
(DR 2, 50, 20 lbs.); Cheap, large falchion (2d+4 cut, $300, 4.5 lbs).
Some rare cleaver-men wield two-handed flails (2d+6 cr, reach 1,2*,
to civilization. (A Carpentry or similar crafting roll would
Parry 10U, $100). allow the construction of a reasonable cart or wagon.)

11
While this treasure is meaningless to Farida and her cleav-
er-men, the Red Queen will not allow it dragged from her Yag DagothA Awakens
city unless she herself plans to leave, or some other bargain is Z’thngora’s ancient, shamanic Zhemri medallion holds
struck. For example, if she discovers that Z’thngora still lives, an ancient curse. When its wearer is slain, the dark mag-
she will demand his death in exchange; or, if she knows about ic of the island summons the serpent god Yag Dagotha
the pirate camp, she will ask the PCs remove them from the to wreak vengeance upon the enemies of the island. As
island. Z’thngora makes a desperate attempt to kill Farida and
her allies, it’s very likely Yag Dagotha will awaken once
D. The Vault of Prince Orynkus more. The creature rises up from the Bay of Sundered
This locked chamber was once the quarters of a Zhemri prince. Bones and immediately attacks any vessels there, along
It was locked and sealed upon his death in the quarries deep with her defenders.
below the city. The vault is nearly impossible to open and
would require a Lockpicking-10 roll to pull off. The key that YAG DAGOTHa
opens the vault hangs around the neck of the man-ape chief ST 35 HP: 35
Thoff, whose ancestors killed the Zhemri guard who held the
DX 14 Will: 14
key as he fled the island with his people eons ago.
IQ 9 Per: 12
Inside the vault is a chamber is both exotic and exquisite. The HT 15 FP: 15
walls of covered in depictions of Zhemri princes and kings,
Basic Speed: 7.25 SM: +5
their bright colors long-faded. A reed carpet covers the floor, Move: 6 Bite: 4d+2 cut, reach C, 1
now dry and brittle. Finally, a bed is the centerpiece of the Dodge: 10 Tail Crush: 4d+7 cr, Reach C-3*
room, and on the bed lies a dry skeleton, its skull missing * Or double for a knockback only wave
entirely. It is impossible to tell whether this skeleton is that
Traits: Amphibious; Bad Grip 2; Doesn’t Breathe (Gills); DR 5; Extra
of the prince who once lived here, or perhaps a consort of his
Attack (one bite and one tail crush each turn); High Pain Threshold;
who was ceremonially executed upon his death. Horizontal; Immunity to Disease; Nictitating Membrane 4; Night
Vision 9; Penetrating Voice; Peripheral Vision; Pressure Support;
The prince’s golden khopesh is set above the bed, hanging Sharp Teeth; Terror 3; Unfazeable; Wild Animal.
on wooden pegs. Treat this as a fine, balanced khopesh, giv-
Boiling Waters: The water around Yag Dagotha boils. Anyone who
ing +1 damage and +1 skill. Made from an unusual golden falls into the water within 3 yards of the creature suffers 1d-1 burning
metal, the weapon is especially dangerous to ghosts and other damage per second, treated as large-area injury (p. B400).
incorporeal creatures (treat as having the Ghost Weapon en-
hancement). GMs running more magic-rich campaigns can Skills: Brawling-16; Swimming-15.
add additional enchantments to the blade. Puissance, Dream
Sending, and Fear enchantments would be appropriate to a
Zhemri prince’s blade.) Loyalty (M136)

CONCLUSION
The adventure concludes with the PCs leaving the island.
With luck and skill, the PCs will depart with Farida and the
island’s treasures, having dispatched the possessed Z’thngora
– and even the great serpent god Yag Dagotha. Of course,
it’s also possible that the PCs will be stranded on the island,
their captain dead, their ship destroyed, and the man-apes
surrounding them...

For completing the adventure, surviving PCs should receive 2

character points. They should receive an additional character
points for good roleplaying, and another point or two for ex-
cellent performance (e.g., returning with Farida and some of
the island’s great treasures).

12
EXTENDING THE ADVENTURE twisted, skin-and-bones creatures in such tunnels. Another
carving shows a Zhemri prince, Orynkus, wielding a golden
falchion and holding a mysterious glowing silver skull, be-
coming overwhelmed by the terrors.
The Treachery of Vakk
While the man-apes of the island are currently at peace, old While the existence of tunnels under the Red City is outside
rivalries still burn. In particular, Vakk, the charismatic tribal the scope of this adventure, GMs can design a “dungeon”
leader who portrays himself as a weak and willing vassal of that leads the PCs to the treasure of the fallen prince and his
Thoff, is secretly planning an assassination. He has built a se- men.
cret fort on the island just off the west coast of the island,
and has hoarded Z’thngora’s old weapons and armor and has
trained a handful of his man-apes to wield them. With Aq-
uilonian swords and chain armor, Vakk believes he can over-
SPECIAL THANKS
throw Thoff, kill his dumb rival Kulk, and become the unop- Special thanks hafizaprilio on Fiverr.com for his drawing of
posed chief of the man-apes on the island. the Hyborian man-apes and Yag Dagotha. Thanks also to
thispersondoesnotexist.com for helping create illustrations of
Still, Vakk has hesitated because he knows he only has one the various human characters, www.myfreetextures.com for
chance to kill Thoff. However, when the PCs show up on the some textures used herein, and the fantastic watabou.itch.
island, he realizes that he might be able to get them to help. io/medieval-fantasy-city-generator for the generation of the
Red City.
If the PCs wander into ape territory, they will be first ap-
proached by Vakk and his minions. Vakk will use broken If you enjoyed this adventure, or ran it for a group, all the
Zamoran (learned years ago when Z’thngora’s men took him author asks is that you give a shout out and let me know how
captive) to tell the PCs that his tribe will help them. He is it went. Send a note to @SageThalcos on Twitter or post a
somewhat sincere. comment on 1shotadventures.com.
If Vakk can make peace with the PCs, he invites them to his The material presented here is an original creation, intended for use with the
private island, where he shows them his squad of armored GURPS system from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and
man-apes. He offers the PCs a reward of their choosing if they is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games. GURPS is a registered trademark of
Steve Jackson Games. All rights reserved by SJ Games. This material is used
agree to lead the man-apes to assassinate Thoff. This reward
here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy. If you’re not familiar with
could be a skilled guide on the island, supplies, or even the GURPS, a free lite version of the rules can be found here.
key around Thoff’s neck.

If the PCs pull off the attack on Thoff and his forces, Vakk
will follow through with his promised reward. However, he’ll The Green Serpent
soon grow threatened by the humans’ presence on his island.
ST/HP 150† Hnd/SR: -4/3
Within a few days, man-apes will attempt to drive them off,
first by raiding (which Vakk will blame on Thoff loyalists), HT 12C Move: 0.1 / 4 mph
then by cold-blooded assaults on any men still near the Bay
of Sundered Bones. Weight: 85 tons DR: 5
Load: 60 tons Crew: 20
Quarries of the Red City Draft: 13 feet
While the Red City is abandoned but for its queen and her
cleaver-men, she may mention that she knows of an under- A fine single-masted cog, the Green Serpent has carried Captain Marala
on many successful voyages. Only Captain Marala has quarters on this
ground section of the city that she ordered sealed. She explains ship, a small, cramped room under the deck. The others sleep on the
that shortly after Koipur’s death, unnatural terrors emerged to deck or in the cargo hold.
kill her and her men.
The pride of the Green Serpent is its single, 15-lb ballista, which was
stolen from an Aquilonian vessel early in Marala’s career (8d+1 cr,
Farida believes that the tunnels lead to the quarries where the
Acc 4, Range 295/370, 2,000 lbs., Rof 1, Shots 1 (42), requires 1
porous red rock of the city was taken from the earth. She also crew to fire).
believes that the tunnels under the city was where a historic
Zhemri prince was slain, a tragedy that may have led to the
Zhemri abandoning the site. She volunteers to show the PCs
a wall in the palace that shows the ancient Zhemri fighting
13
 THE FATE OF Z’THNGORA
Captain Jal Z’thngora, his Khitan lieutenant Colba, and Colba fled back to Z’thngora’s fort, only to witness the
forty crew from the Firedancer spent four months on the monstrous YAG-DAGOTH, awakened by the blood
isle. Three events led to their doom. spilled by the cleaver-men, coil itself around the Fire-
dancer and split its hull in two. The sight shredded Col-
First, a few weeks after their arrival, a band of savage man- ba’s sanity, and he fled into the island’s hills.
apes, led by a young warrior named KULK, attacked the
settlement. Ten men were lost, and three of the slave wom- Z’thngora wandered the jungle for a week, lost and
en, including Farida, escaped into the jungle. Z’thngora nursing a severed hand. While he escaped the wrath of
ordered his men to begin building the stakewall in antici- Farida, his anguish and weakened attracted the spirit of
pation of another attack. KOIPUR, the elder shaman of the Cleaver-men, who
was slain by Farida as she declared herself Queen of the
A month later, while exploring the jungle, Colba and a Red City. The spirit possessed Z’thngora, turning him
band of the pirates were attacked by a flock of young rap- into a ghastly shell of the man he once was. After recov-
tor skinks. While most of the men survived without seri- ering Koipur’s magical medallion, Z’thngora summoned
ous injury, the venom overcame and paralyzed them and the spirits of his dead crew to get revenge on Farida...
they collapsed in the jungle. The raptor skink nest mother but found them unable to move far from their graves
claimed their bodies and carried them to her nest, food for and wreak the vengeance he wished.
her young. Only Colba escaped back to the half-fort.
Now, Z’thngora wanders the island, the consciousness
At this point, Captain Z’thngora was giving serious of two men inside his skull, each overcome with rage
thought to fleeing the island. He decided to make one last and thoughts of revenge. His motivation is to kill Farida
expedition towards the center of the island, in the hopes to and escape the island, but until the PCs showed up at
finding the treasure of the Red City. By this time, Farida the island, he had no way to get close to Farida, and no
had become the city’s queen, and she led the cleaver-men way to escape the island. See p.7 for ways the GM can
of the city to ambush Z’thngora. Only Z’thngora and Col- use Z’thngora as a foil for the PCs.
ba survived the attack. Both men escaped separately into
the jungle.

Koipur’s Two-headed Lion Medallion: This amulet is is

Z’thngora (Possessed) enchanted to allow casting of Beast Rouser, Reptile Control,
and Body of Air. It can also summon ghosts, but Z’thngora
ST 15 HP: 15 has not mastered this ability; it is only known to the ancient
DX 12 Will: 14 Zhemri. A Zhemri inscription on the back of the medal-
IQ 12 Per: 12 lion, “Bagra Ghai,” will also open the Red Vault. The amulet
has two limitations. One, if it is removed from the island,
HT 12 FP: 12 the Body of Air enchantment ceases to function. Two, if
ER: 20 the wearer of the amulet is slain, the dark energy created
Basic Speed: 6.0 SM: 0 awakens the monstrous serpent Yag Dagotha, who slumbers
Move: 6 Axe: 2d+3 cr, Reach 1, Parry 11U deep under the Bay of Sundered Bones.
Dodge: 10 Punch: 1d cr, Reach C, Parry 10
While in his body of air, Z’thngora gains Doesn’t Breathe;
Traits: Combat Reflexes; Paranoia; Hard to Kill +2; Hard to Subdue Flight (Lighter Than Air); Immunity to Metabolic Hazards;
+2; High Pain Threshold; Injury Tolerance (No Blood); Obsession (Kill Injury Tolerance (Diffuse; impaling and piercing do 1 HP
the Red Queen; Escape the Island); Odious Personal Habit (Constantly damage, other non-area attacks do 2 HP damage); No Legs
talks to himself ); One Hand; Ritual Magery 2; Split Personality. (Aerial); No Manipulators; Vulnerability (Vacuum and
wind-based attacks x2).
Skills: Axe/Mace-15; Area Knowledge (Island)-15; Boating-12; Broad-
sword-13; Knife-13; Leadership-12; Occultism-14; Seamanship-13; Ritual Magic: In addition to his medallion, Z’thngora pos-
Shiphandling-14; Stealth-14; Survival-14; Theology-13. sesses some ritual magic abilities leftover from the shaman
Koipur’s knowledge. Treat him having the Path of Air-13
Gear: Axe (2d+3 cut, parry 11U); medium layered leather vest (DR and the Path of Water-13, and the following favorite spells:
3, $165, 20 lbs.); long knife (1d+1 imp; reach C,1, Parry 10); satchel Dehydrate-13; Geyser-11; Odor-12; Stench-12; Wind-12;
with dried meat and jungle fruits. Windstorm-12. He also has the death spell, Steal Breath-12.

14
 APE TERRITORY
About two hundred man-apes live in the southeastern part of in a primitive but large hut built from trees and washed-up
the island. They were originally brought to the island as slaves remains of the Firedancer.
for the ancient Zhemri, and helped build the Red City, but
the man-apes have long forgotten that part of their history. Thoff is capricious, strong, and bright (ST 16, IQ 10). He
wears thousands of coins worth of jewelry, which he loves
Now, three tribes compete for resources. The largest tribe is dearly. A Perception (Vision) roll also spots that he wears a
led by the man-ape THOFF, the strongest of the tribal lead- large, bronze key around his neck, clearly old from the blu-
ers. The other tribes are led by the man-apes VAKK, who is ish-green encrustation of verdigris covering it. This key is the
charismatic but obsequious, and KULK, who is strong, bad Key to the Red Vault, one of the locations in the Red City
tempered, and dumb. Both the tribes of Vakk and Kulk are – a place that his ancestors helped build, and something that
much smaller than Thoff’s tribe, numbering only a couple has been passed down from leader to leader for generations.
dozen man-apes. Thoff has no knowledge of the vault, and he and his people
fear the cleaver-men of the Red City, and its new queen.
Thoff beat the both smaller tribes in a great tribal war about
five years ago. Now, he peacefully tolerates the other tribes’ Thoff, likely unable to communicate with humans, will
freedom of movement in Ape Territory as long as they bring quickly become bored with any kind of audience and or-
him annual gifts of food and jewelry (usually looted from the der his man-apes to take the captives to the nearby bask of
remains of Z’thngora’s crew). See Extending the Adventure for fleshripper crocodiles. Thoff believes that their god, Kelvor-
ways the GM can make use of the man-ape rivalries. Kaiman, appreciates such offerings to his children.

The man-apes are nosy but distractible. If they detect men If the attempt basic communication (perhaps with the Ges-
coming into their territory, they quickly plan an ambush on ture skill), they may escape with their lives if they gift the
the intruders, attempting to capture them, strip of them their leader generously, or promise to lead him to great wealth
valuables, and drag them before Thoff (even if Vakk or Kulk’s somewhere else on the island. Thoff is not a fool, however,
tribe caught them). Thoff lives at the center of ape territory, and will not fall for an obvious ruse.

Man-apes
ST 14 HP: 14
DX 12 Will: 10
IQ 8 Per: 10
HT 12 FP: 12

Basic Speed: 6.0 SM: 0

Move: 6 (3 climb) Punch: 1d+1 cr, reach C
Dodge: 9 Bite: 1d-1 cut, reach C

Traits: Arm ST +3; Born Biter 1; Brachiator; Bully; Jealousy; Ham-

Fisted 2; Intolerance; Sharp Teeth. Cannot learn languages better
than Broken. Various other traits. Man-Apes are TL2.

Skills: Acrobatics-12; Area Knowledge (Island)-12; Brawling-13;

Broadsword-11; Climbing-15; Gesture-10; Stealth-12; Survival-12;
Tracking-10. Various others.

Gear: The man-apes equip themselves with primitive hide clothes,

but no more than loin cloths and ragged capes. They value jewelry
though, and the toughest among them will wear necklaces and
armbands pilfered from the men who perished on this island. Some
man-apes clumsily wield clubs (2d+4 cr, reach 1, parry 8).
15
 (AND ONE SHARK!)
NOTABLE NPCS

Queen Farida Captain Marala

ST 12 HP: 12 ST 12 HP: 12
DX 14 Will: 14 DX 12 Will: 12
IQ 13 Per: 13 IQ 12 Per: 12
HT 12 FP: 12 HT 12 FP: 12

Basic Speed: 6.0 SM: 0 Basic Speed: 6.0 SM: 0

Move: 6 Khopesh: 1d+4 cut, Reach 1, Parry 11 Move: 6 Longsword: 1d+4 cut, Reach 1, Parry 11
Dodge: 9 Punch: 1d-2 cr, Reach C, Parry 10 Dodge: 10 Punch: 1d-1 cr, Reach C, Parry 9

Traits: Appearance (Beautiful); Ally Group (Cleaver-men); Bloodlust; Traits: Appearance (Attractive); Combat Reflexes; Courtesy Rank
Courtesy Rank 5; Luck; Sense of Duty (Cleaver-men); Stubbornness. 3 (Pirate Captain); Curious; High Pain Threshold; Lecherousness;
Listens more than she speaks; carries herself like a queen. Speaks Social Stigma (Pirate/Criminal Record); Speaks Zingaran and Khitian.
Stygian. Zingaran, Zamoran (Semi-Literate only).
Skills: Area Knowledge (Black Coast)-14; Broadsword-14; Carous-
Skills: Area Knowledge (Island)-14; Broadsword-16; Intimidation-15; ing-13; Knife-13; Knot-Tying-14; Leadership-13; Merchant-13;
Naturalist-12; Observation-12; Occultism-12; Seamanship-13; Naturalist-11; Observation-12; Seamanship-13; Shiphandling-13;
Spear-14; Stealth-13; Survival (Jungle)-14; Traps-13; Tracking-12. Spear-14; Stealth-12; Survival (Island/Beach)-12; Swimming-12;
Traps-11; Thrown Weapon (Spear)-14; Two-handed Sword-14.
Gear: Fine khopesh (1d+4 cut, $2,200); Atlantean helm (DR 4 on
the skull, DR 3 on the face, gives the wearer Hard of Hearing and No Gear: Fine longsword with an emerald on the pommel (1d+4 cut,
Peripheral Vision, 4 lbs., $4,000). She will wear woven straw armor reach 1, or 1d+1 imp, $7,000); small jeweled knife (1d-2 imp, $150).
when prepared for battle (DR 2).
Notes: Captain Marala has been sailing the seas since she was a child.
She captured her first vessel as teenager, and won the fierce loyalty of
her crew when she faced off against a wind demon that was summoned
by the winds of a once-in-a-lifetime hurricane.
COLBA OF KHITAI
ST 13 HP: 13
DX 12 Will: 12
IQ 11 Per: 12 Tiger Shark
HT 12 FP: 12 ST 21 HP: 21
DX 12 Will: 10
Basic Speed: 6.0 SM: 0 IQ 3 Per: 12
Move: 4 Spear: 1d+3 imp, Reach 1, Parry 10
Dodge: 8 Shortsword: 2d-1 cut, Reach 1, Parry 9 HT 12 FP: 12

Traits: High Pain Threshold; Obsession (Hunting fleshrippers); One Basic Speed: 6.0 SM: 1 (4 yards) - 4 (10 yards)
Arm; Shyness (Mild); Social Stigma (Pirate/Criminal Record); Survivor Move: 10 Bite: 2d+4 cut (0.5), Reach 1
2; Wounded; Crocodile Hunter (+1 skill vs. crocs). Dodge: 11 Ram: 2d+1 cr, Reach 1

Skills: Area Knowledge (Island)-15; Armoury (Melee)-12; Armoury Traits: Acute Smell 3; Born Biter 2; Cold Blooded; Combat Reflexes;
(Armor)-10; Brawling-13; Knot-Tying-14; Merchant-10; Natural- Discriminatory Smell; Doesn’t Breathe (Gills); Enhanced Move 1/2
ist-11; Observation-12; Seamanship-13; Shortsword-13; Spear-14; (water; costs 1 fatigue per second); Hard to Kill 2; Hard to Subdue
Stealth-13; Survival (Jungle)-15; Traps-11; Thrown Weapon 2; High Pain Threshold; Night Vision 6; Peripheral Vision; Pressure
(Spear)-14; Tracking-15. Speaks Zingaran and Khitian. Support 1; Reduced Consumption 2 (Cast Iron Stomach); Sharp
Teeth; Vibration Sense (water); Wild Animal
Gear: Obsidian-tipped spear (1d+3 imp, $50); shortsword (2d-1 cut
or 1d imp, $400); hardened croc-leather armor (DR 4, 35 lbs., covers Skills: Brawling-14; Intimidation-10; Stealth-12; Tracking-15;
chest and one arm, $600). Wrestling-14.

16
 Teeth
A toothy mouth lets you bite in close combat. Roll Twice the amount to cripple a hand removes a finger (see
against DX or Brawling to hit. You can either nip and let Missing Digit, p. B144). You can’t remove an entire
go or hold on and grapple your victim in addition to injur- extremity or limb.
ing him. Either is an attack that takes full hit location Your SM exceeds your victim’s by +1 or +2. You can tar-
penalties – not halved for grappling – and inflicts thrust-1 get any hit location susceptible to your bite’s damage type,
crushing damage. Brawling improves damage. The Teeth and can cripple or sever limbs. Treat grapples using your
advantage (p. B91) can change damage type. teeth as two-handed for the purpose of strangling, break-
Allowed hit locations for a bite and the effects of grap- ing free, Neck Snap, and Wrench Limb, but as one-
pling with teeth depend on relative Size Modifier. These handed for all other purposes. Otherwise, use the rules
rules draw heavily on concepts explained in New Hit above.
Locations (p. 137). Read that first! Your SM exceeds your victim’s by +3 or more. Your maw
can engulf his entire head or torso. This allows you to
Your SM is no greater than your victim’s. You can’t bite
attack, worry at, and cripple any body part. If you bite and
his skull, spine, veins/arteries, or vitals. You can bite his
grapple the torso, you can attempt a pin on a standing
face, neck, torso, or limbs, but you’ll merely nab a fold of
foe. Success means he’s trapped helplessly in your jaws!
flesh. This can only cripple a limb on critical hit results 7,
8, 13, or 14. You can target a tendon within a limb at an Born Biters: Some creatures have elongated jaws built
extra -3. Handle this like an attack on a joint – it can crip- for biting – a zero-cost racial feature. They get +1 to +3 to
ple. You can also target and cripple an ear, nose, or effective SM only to determine how they bite. Apply the
extremity (or, at another -3, the tendons inside an extrem- same bonus to rolls to hit their jaw or nose. A SM 0 rep-
ity). In all cases, a bite counts as a one-handed grapple for tile man with +3 SM for biting would bite as if he had SM
the purpose of strangling, breaking free, techniques, etc. +3, but enemies would target his jaw at only -3, his nose
On subsequent turns, you can worry. This counts as an at -4. Those with any level of this feature suffer a nose hit
attack but it always hits – simply roll biting damage each on a roll of 1-2 on 1d when struck in the face.
turn. Injury can’t exceed HP/4 to a nose, an ear, or the ten- Biting Techniques: Targeted Attacks with teeth take the
dons in an extremity, or HP/3 to an extremity or the ten- form “TA (Brawling Bite/Hit Location).” Neck Snap
dons in a limb. Keep rolling damage, though! Further (Teeth) and Wrench Limb (Teeth) are distinct from the
attacks inflict full shock. Should total injury reach twice standard versions, and must be learned separately.
that needed to cripple a nose or an ear, you bite it off.

Lo squalo grande ha SM +4 +2 di born biter, può afferrare essere umani come voule.

Lo squalo ha +4 ad essere colpito e se si attacca naso o mascelle si ha un ulteriore bonus di +2.

Lui attacca a -4.

Una volta colpito riamane in grapple e al turno successivo continua a fare danni (xxx) e tenta un pin.
Se vince lo ha afferrato tra le mascelle
Se è abbastanza grande può ingoiare la vittima, se ha Born Biter > SM vittima di 3 lo può anche ingoiare.

Lo squalo piccolo ha SM +1 +2 = +3, può ancora pinnare un umano ma non può ingoiarlo.

COMBAT 115
HANDOUTS

Handout A - Journal Entry Found in the Firedancer

17
HANDOUTS

Handout B - Colba’s Island Sketch

18
Player-safe Map

19
 Zacova the Panther 153
6’2” 190 0 27 -
Confident pirate and mercenary - always the first to challenge an enemy captain

16 60
16 0

13 60
10 0 6
10 0 10 0

12 20 12 0

51 lbs 1d+1 2d+2

6.25 0 6 0
+0
+0
51 -2
102 +1 from Compulsive Carousing (like-minded follk), or
153
306 10 12 - -1 (sober folk). +1 from Merchant (buying/selling)

510 (2H Sword)

Acute Vision +1 2
Combat Reflexes (+2 to Fright Checks, +6 to recover from mental stun) 15 Area Knowledge (Islands) 10 1
Fit (+1 to all HT rolls) 5 Axe/Mace 12 1
Brawling 14 2
Weapon Bond (+1 skill with grandfather’s greatsword) 1 Broadsword 12 1
Carousing 12 1
Carpentry 11 2
Language - Stygian (Native) 0 Climbing 13 2
Language - Zamoran (Accented / Illiterate) 2 Knife 13 1
Knot-Tying 13 1
Lifting 11 1
Merchant 9 1
Seamanship 11 2
Bloodlust -10 Search 10 1
Code of Honor (Professional) -5 Stealth 13 2
Compulsive Carousing (Very much so, resist on a 9 or less) -7 Survival (Island/Beach) 10 2
Curious (Very much so, resist on a 9 or less) -7 Swimming 12 1
Reputation -2 (Notorious pirate and mutineer) -10 Two-handed Axe/Mace 12 1
Two-handed Sword 15 8

Disrespects authority -1
Enjoys hunting sharks -1
Spends his coin freely -1
Always insists on being the one to handle shelter -1
Intolerant of lazy people -1
 Grandfather’s greatsword 2d+5 cut 1, 2 12* Skill 16 $900 7 lbs.
1d+3 imp 2
Small knife 1d imp C 9 Skill 13 $30 1/2 lb.
Brawling punch 1d cr C 11 Skill 14

Leather sandals Feet $5 1 lb.

Leather satchel $5 - lbs.
15’ hemp rope Bag $15 4 lbs..
Bone awl Bag $2 - lbs.
Sharktooth necklace Neck $5 - lbs.

$38

rt
Stygia n po
re w up in the great pp re n -
You g , you a
y o f K h em i. As a teen b ui ld in g the
ci t ca rpente rs
*Multiple parries in the same turn are only at a cumulative d er t h e o n
ticed un et. But so
statue of S ster
-2 with a greatsword (vs. other weapons’ -4) third great your fa mily - your si
g ed y b ef ell d e t h e ci ty
t ra pp ed outsi
a s k id n a ve
Fa rida w tes. You ga
off by pira ite
a nd borne the city’s el ive
ca rp en t ry to join n w o ul dg
up sitio
ping the po hough
soldiers, ho to f ind Fa ri d a . A lt
m ea n s ew
you t h e well, yo n u k
e g ua rd t ra ined you y o u. S o you
th ea n s to help
n o m on to he t
they had a nd signed
ili ta ry
quit t h e m w. Ten yea rs
a ir ship you sa
f ir st co rs putation as
ea rned a re
later, you’ve rs of the
e f ie rc est wa rrio o,
one o f t h months ag
ck C o a st . Just a few a ra la of
Bla pta in M
up with Ca
you joined
Serpent.
the Green

962 13
 Dacana the Golden 153
5’9” 150 0 23 -
Restless first officer of the Green Serpent

12 20
12 0

14 80
12 5 6
11 20 11 0

11 20 11 0

29 lbs 1d-1 1d+2

6.25 0 6 0
+1
-1 from Social Stigma (Second-Class Citizen)
29
58 +2 from Born Sailor (sailors)
87
174 9 10 - +1 from Merchant (buying/selling)
-1 from Stubbornness (when known)
290 (Sword)

Ally (15 loyal corsairs, 40 pts each, appears on a 9 or less) 8

Appearance (Attractive) 4 Area Knowledge (Islands) 12 2
Born Sailor 2 10 Boating (Rowboat+Sailboat) (incl. +2 from Born Sailor) 15 2
Fit (+1 to all HT rolls) 5 Broadsword 15 4
Courtesy Rank 3 (First officer of the Green Serpent) 3 Carousing 11 1
Climbing 13 1
Fast-Draw (Sword) 14 1
Language - Zamoran (Native) 0 Interrogation 10 1
Language - Puntian (Broken / Illiterate) 1 Intimidation 12 2
Language - Argossean (Accented / Illiterate) 2 Knife 14 1
Knot-Tying (includes +2 from Born Sailor) 16 1
Leadership 12 4
Merchant 10 1
Chummy (when alone, you suffer -1 to IQ-based skills) -5 Navigation (Sea) (includes +2 from Born Sailor) 12 1
Enemy (The Serpent Men of Pteia, 6 or less) -15 Seamanship (includes +2 from Born Sailor) 13 1
Insomniac -10 Shiphandling (includes +2 from Born Sailor) 13 4
Social Stigma (Second-Class Citizen) -5 Survival (Beach/Island) 10 1
Stubbornness -5 Swimming 11 1
Thrown Weapon (Knife) 14 1

Believes it’s her destiny to captain the Green Serpent -1

Has high standards in just about everything -1
Won’t admit when she is in over her head -1
Delights in bold jewelry -1
Blames her insomnia on a witch’s curse -1
 Broadsword 1d+3 cut 1 10 Skill 15 $600 3 lbs.
1d imp 1
Fine small knife 1d-1 imp C 9 Skill 14 $150 1/2 lb.
Punch 1d-2 cr C 9 Skill 15

Fine small knife 1d-1 imp 0 6/12 1 T -1 Skill 14

Emerald earrings Ears $150 - lbs.

Leather satchel $5 - lbs.
Leather sandals Feet $10 1 lb..

$85

sa iling with
y o ur fo urth yea r ca pta in
T his is
o rs a ir Queen, a nd
Ma rala, th
e C you looked
S er pent. While
of the G re en il-may-ca re
HER LOYAL CORSAIRS a t f irst, her dev And
up to h er ted on you.
it ud e la tely has gra a nd the whole
ST 11 HP: 11 a tt
lmost got y
ou
ten
then she a re fused to lis
DX 11 Will: 10 k ill ed w h en sh e
e ca mping
crew
y o u sa id you wer
IQ 10 to you when n of life.
Per: 10 t st ill showed sig
HT in a ruin t h a sna ke men
10 FP: 10 st h a lf t h e crew when he night.
You lo dle of t
y o u in the mid e
att a ck ed s’ lungs wer
Basic Speed: 5.25 best friend
SM: 0 Two of your .
Move: 5 their venom
Punch: 1d-2 cr liquif ied by
Dodge: 8 pent
Cutlass: 1d+1 cut of the Ser
, the crew solved
After that y o u re
Traits: Fit; various other trai a lt y to you. But ore
ts. swore lo y cha nce bef
g iv e M a ra la one more
to n.
Skills: Boating-10; Carous on your ow
ing-10; Carpentry-10; setting out
Climbing-11; Knot-Tying-1
1; Scrounging-10; Sea-
manship-11; Shortsword-12
; Swimming-10.
Gear: Cutlass (1d+1 cut or 1d 915 5
imp, reach 1, Parry 8);
Small knife (1d-2 imp, reac
h 0, Parry 7).
 Yemga 152
5’8” 150 0 26 -
Serious ex-assassin, now the bodyguard to the officers of the Green Serpent

13 30
13 0

12 40
11 0 6
11 20 12 5

2
12 20 12 0 (leather)

34 lbs 1d 2d-1
6.0 0 6 0
+1
-1 from Social Stigma (Second-Class Citizen)
34 +2 from Born War-Leader (military)
68 +2 from Sense of Duty (crew, when in danger)
102
204 9 10 - -2 from No Sense of Humor
+1/-1 from Workaholic (depending on situation)
340 (Javelin)

Appearance (Attractive) 4
Born War-Leader 2 10 Area Knowledge (Islands) 11 1
High Pain Threshold (no penalties from pain) 10 Axe/Mace 12 2
Hard to Kill +1 (+1 to HT rolls to resist death) 2 Current Affairs (People) 11 1
Fast-Draw (Knife) 12 1
Sure-Footed (Naval Training) 1 First Aid 11 1
Freight Handling 10 1
Language - Zamoran (Native) 0 Gesture 12 2
Language - Kushite (Accented / Illiterate) 2 Intimidation 11 2
Knife 13 2
Knot-Tying 12 1
Leadership (includes +2 from Born War-Leader) 13 2
Navigation (Sea) 10 1
Code of Honor (Pirate’s; loyal to her captain, Marala) -5 Observation 11 1
Easy to Read -10 Occultism 11 2
No Sense of Humor -10 Seamanship 11 1
Sense of Duty (Friends and Crew) -5 Shadowing 11 2
Workaholic -5 Shortsword 12 2
Spear 14 8
• Feint 15 2
Stealth 13 4
Loves the thrill of combat -1 Survival (Desert) 12 2
Believes that assassins may be out to kill her -1 Swimming 12 1
Bad with names -1 Tactics (includes +2 from Born War-Leader) 12 2
Tries to keep innocents out of her business -1 Thrown Weapon (Spear) 14 4
Superstitious, believes in vengeful ghosts -1
 Javelin (x2) 1d+1 imp 1 10 Skill 14 $60 4 lbs.
Cutlass 2d cut 1 9 Skill 12 $500 2 lbs.
Fine small knife 1d imp C 8 Skill 13 $30 1/2 lb.
Punch 1d-1 cr C 9 Skill 12

Javelin (thrown) 1d+1 imp 3 20/32 1 T -4 Skill 14

Whetstone Bag $30 1/2 lb.

Leather armor (DR 2) Arms + Torso $150 22 lbs.
Leather sandals Feet $10 1 lb..
Canvas satchel $5

$55

f
aotic city o
w er e ra is ed in the ch irteen,
You e th
hen you wer d
Shadiza r. W ld you to a ma n calle
t h er so h e w as
your fa told your fa
ther
ld . H a zo ld es s, b ut
Hazo priest
in you as a
going to tra ju st a co ver for the
w a s
that st o ry for petty
o f a ss a ss ins he ra n
ga ng
nobles.
to
’s dema nd
y o u re fu sed Hazold a nt ,
When f a merch
new wife o r
drown the rust a spea
you. Yo h u t
he attacked a n d f le d t h e
zold’s belly
through Ha y , y o u do not k no
w if
. To t h is d a d to the
cit y ds. You f le
f h is w o un
he died o ou were
po rt ci ty, where y en
nea re st of the Gre
te d to jo in the crew b o d y -
invi rala’s
Ca pta in Ma
Serpent as
gua rd.

795 30
 Victepius, Son of Victepy 151
5’10” 155 0 24 -
Disowned son of a dead prince, now a clever and charismatic smuggler

11 10
11 0

12 40
12 -5 5
13 60 13 0

11 10 11 0

24 lbs 1d-1 1d+1

5.75 0 6 0

-1 from Social Stigma (Criminal Record)

24
48 +1 from Merchant (buying/selling)
72
144 8 9 - +2/-2 from Overconfidence (young folk vs. veterans)

240 (Cutlass)

Craftiness 2 10
Fit (+1 to all HT rolls) 5 Acting (includes +2 from Craftiness) 14 1
Flexibility 5 Brawling 13 2
Serendipity (good things just happen to you) 15 Carousing 11 1
Climbing (includes +3 from Flexibility) 14 1
• Rope Up 13 1
Connoisseur (Wine and Spirits) 12 1
Language - Argossian (Native) 0 Crossbow 13 1
Language - Zamoran (Accented / Illiterate) 2 Escape (includes +3 from Flexibility) 13 1
Fast-Draw (Sword) 12 1
Fast-Talk 14 4
Filch 11 1
Holdout (includes +2 from Craftiness) 14 1
Greed -15 Knife 13 2
Gregarious (-2 to IQ skills if alone; -1 if four or less folk) -10 Merchant 14 4
Overconfidence -5 Scrounging 14 2
Social Stigma (Criminal Record, tattooed on arm) -5 Seamanship 13 1
Search 13 2
Shortsword 13 4
Smuggling 13 2
Stealth (includes +2 from Craftiness) 14 2
Won’t drink cheap spirits -1 Streetwise 12 1
Fascinated by exotic goods - can’t help buying them -1 Survival (Jungle) 12 1
Brags about the three times he’s escaped prison -1 Swimming 11 1
Has a bad sense of direction -1 Thrown Weapon (Knife) 12 1
No stomach for spicy foods -1
 Fine Stygian cutlass 1d+2 cut 1 9 Skill 13 $2500 2 lbs.
1d+1 imp
Small knife 1d-2 imp C 8 Skill 13 $30 1/2 lb.
Punch 1d-2 cr C 9 Skill 13

Small knife 1d-2 imp 0 5/11 1 T -1 Skill 12

Fake ruby necklace Neck $3 -

Light leather gloves Hands $15 1/2 lbs.
Leather sandals Feet $10 1 lb..
Canvas satchel $5
Kushite oil (2 flasks)* Bag $20 2 lbs.

$5

steal the
t im es y ou tried to
T hre e from the
re a t A rc h itect Stone time you
g
w er in Argos. Each of
Citrine To hin a n inch
e ca ug ht , beaten wit e g re a t
*Kushite oil can be ignited and thrown. On any roll of 12+, it wer into th
o ur lif e, a nd thrown h e d un g eo ns,
malfunctions. It bursts against any hard surface (DR 3+) and y es sa ntia. T
n s o f M w it h
dungeo d f illed
does 3d burn damage, plus 1d burn per second, for 10d
er , w er e ill-made a n . It w as
howev e ra ts
seconds! n el s b ur ro wed by la rg
tun
to esca pe.
no matter
ped,
e you esca
w ev er , t h e third tim fa t h er ,
Ho your
isowned by izure
you were d d fr o m a se
ropped dea g Ar-
who then d ro ke a nd realiz in
es la te r. B t o ut to
min ut you se
its a ppeal, rby
gos had lost smugglers at the nea
w it h t h e co m ed
work were wel
there, you a ir
port. From re en S er pent, a cors
t h e G
onboa rd
e renown.
ship of som

2583 6
 Rastus 152
5’10” 165 0 57 -
Ruthless old explorer - has lost as many men in the jungle as he has led out

12 20
13 2

12 40
12 0 4
12 40 12 5

3
10 0 10 0 (Padded)

29 lbs 1d-1 1d+2

5.5 0 6 0

29
58 +3 from Explorer (fellow explorers)
87
174 7 9 - -1 from Callous (from those who know it)

290 (Sword)

Absolute Direction (always knows north) 5

Acute Vision +2 4 Area Knowledge (Zingaran Coast + Barachan Islands) 15 2
Destiny (Minor) (GM guarantees some success before death) 5 Broadsword 13 4
Explorer 3 15 Targeted Attack - Chop to the neck! (x2 damage) 10 3
Fearlessness +1 (bonus to Fright Checks) 2 Cartography (includes +3 from Explorer) 15 2
Luck (only in the wild - once per hour, roll twice more, take best) 12 Climbing 11 1
Current Affairs (Travels) 13 2
Courtesy Military Rank 1 Diplomacy 10 1
First Aid 12 1
Language - Argossian (Native) 0 Hiking 10 2
Language - Zamoran (Accented / Illiterate) 2 Leadership 11 1
Naturalist 11 2
Navigation (Land + Sea) (includes +6 from talents) 17 2
Callous -5 Occultism 11 1
Code of Honor (Gentleman’s) -10 Poisons 11 2
Curious -5 Riding (Equines) 11 1
Guilt Complex (when bad occurs to friends, useless for days) -5 Seamanship 12 1
Obsession (Find the lost City of the Phantom Dead) -10 Shiphandling 10 1
Spear 11 1
Survival (Jungle + Open Ocean) 12 4
Swimming 10 1
Jealous of wealthier folk -1 Tactics 11 2
Suspicious of royalty -1 Thrown Weapon (Spear) 12 1
Proud of his salted fish stew recipe (it’s terrible) -1 Tracking (add +2 if vision is a factor) 11 1
No patience for long stories -1 Traps 12 2
Will be reckless to prove he’s not old -1
 Longsword 1d+3 cut 1 9 Skill 13 $700 4 lbs.
1d+1 imp 1, 2
Small knife 1d-2 imp C 6 Skill 8 $30 1/2 lb.
Punch 1d-2 cr C 9 Skill 12

Spear 1d+2 imp 2 12/18 1 T -6 Skill 11 $40 4 lbs.

Morrion steel helmet (DR 7) Neck $500 5 lbs.

Padded vest (DR 3) Torso $275 20 lbs.
Soft leather boots Feet $100 2 lbs..
Canvas satchel $5 -

$5

e
ling with th
a re lu ck y to be trave la st t h ree
You M a ra la! Your
ue en , e
Corsa ir Q fa ilures. T h
e all dismal
voyages wer h your vessel sunk by
wit
f irst ended s. On the second, half
ow eaded by
f la ming a rr h orribly beh
a s
your cr ew w ast - some-
ff t he Black Co
ca nn ib a ls o rgive your-
in g t h a t y ou’ll never fo und great
th ge fo
e last voya e by
self for. T h a t t h e last minut
h ... pi lf er ed
wealt ena nt.
worthy lieut
a n untrust
is different
el Q ue en Ma rala s
But y o u fe lucky. It feel
ill ed , b ea utiful, a nd d e. Fu r-
- sk ur si
ongs at yo elp
as if she bel promised she would h
o re , sh e h a nt o m
therm f the P
f in d t h e lost City o o se t h is
you be cl
ich is sa id to !
Dead... wh t ra ve l to
you
isla nd cha in

1650 36
 Kêlit the Arbalester 152
5’8” 145 0 29 -
The Green Serpent’s clever and blunt shipwright, artillerist, and carpenter

13 30
12 -2

12 40
12 0 6
12 40 12 5

12 10 11 0

34 lbs 1d 2d-1
6.0 0 6 0

34 +2 (ship’s crew)
68 +2 from Artificer (anyone you do work for)
136
272 10 10 10
340 (w/ Shield) (Axe+Shield) (Shield)

Acute Hearing +1 2
Ambidexterity 5 Acrobatics 11 2
Fit (+1 to all HT rolls) 5 Armoury (Melee Weapons) (includes +2 from Artificer) 12 2
Reputation +2 (can fix anything, ship’s crew, all the time) 3 Armoury (Missile Weapons) (includes +2 from Artificer) 12 2
Artist (Woodworking) 12 2
Alchohol Tolerance 1 Axe/Mace 13 4
Boating (Sailboats) 11 1
Carpentry (includes +2 from Artificer) 14 4
Climbing 11 1
Language - Argossian (Native) 0 Crossbow 14 4
Language - Zamoran (Accented / Illiterate) 2 Diplomacy 12 4
Engineer (Artillery) (includes +2 from Artificer) 12 1
Gunner (Catapults and Ballistas) 14 4
Code of Honor (Professional - do the job right) -5 History (the Coast) 11 2
Debt (you owe $100 per month to your old crew) -10 Knife 13 2
Lecherousness -15 Scrounging 13 2
Post-Combat Shakes (12 or less, after combat) -5 Seamanship 12 1
Stubbornness -5 Sewing 12 1
Sex Appeal 11 2
Shield 12 1
Shortsword 11 1
Admires fine leather goods, especially boots and sheaths -1 Smith (Iron) (includes +2 from Artificer) 12 2
Always takes her lucky hammer with her -1 Thrown Weapon (Knife+Axe) 13 4
Soft spot for orphans and urchins -1
Never gambles -1
Skips small-talk, gets right to the point -1
 Axe 2d+1 cut 1 9U Skill 13 $50 4 lbs.

Fine small knife 1d imp C 9 Skill 12 $150 1/2 lb.

Punch 1d-1 cr C 9 Skill 12

Crossbow 2d imp 4 260/325 1 1 (4) -6 Skill 14 $150 6 lbs.

Small knife 1d-1 imp 0 6/13 1 T -6 Skill 13

Ship’s 15-lb ballista 8d+1 cr 4 295/370 1 1(42) -14 Skill 13 1 ton

w/small stones 4d cr 245/305 1x15

Small shield (DB +1, DR 2, 12 hp) Arm $30 3 lbs.

Light leather gloves Torso $15 1/2 lb.
Soft leather boots Feet $100 2 lb..s
Canvas satchel $5 -
Handful of nails Bag $3
Grappling hook, 15’ hemp rope* $35 6 lbs.
Lucky carpenter’s hammer Bag $10 1 lb.
Fine leather knife sheath Hip $3

$349

was blinded
la st ca rpenter rala
When h er Ca pta in Ma
y f la m in g Kushite oil, e jo b . T he
b ke over th
o u to ta
asked y ay. he had
* To hit with the grappling hook, roll DX-3 eless a nyw
ma n was us que a nd rema rka ble
ysi eless in
ncredible ph co mpletely us
ce ... b ut
endura n
l job.
his nautica
rt, you
a te ly , a t the last po
Unfortun ey bla med
y o ur o ld crew. T h k illing
ra n in to shing over,
u fo r t h ei r mast cra o u re a liz ed
yo h, y
. Sure enoug ista ke
a deck ha nd eh ea d ed m
de the bon mast.
you had ma n g n a ils on that
in g t h e w ro in t heir
of us st sp it
uld have ju as
While you co ed away, that crew w
a n d w a lk io n a l
faces profess
u, a nd your
dea r to yo u pr omised them
nged. Yo
pride was si ir the mast.
pa
money to re

428 17
 Gyasi Ur 152
4’4” 80 -1 34 -
Ex-smuggler, terrible assassin, and now the captain’s indentured cook

10 0
10 0

13 60
12 0 5
12 40 13 5

1
12 20 12 0
(Vest)

20 lbs 1d-1 1d+2

6.25 0 5 0

-1 from most others

20
40
60
120 9 10 -
200 (Sword)

Acute Vision +1 2
Craftiness 2 10 Acting (includes +2 from Craftiness) 14 2
Wealth (Comfortable) 10 Area Knowledge (Messantia+Stygia) 12 2
Strongbow (may use bows up to ST+2) 1 Boating (Sailboat) 12 1
Off-hand Weapon Training (Knife) 1 Bow 13 2
Carousing 12 1
Climbing 12 1
Cooking 12 2
Language - Stygian (Native) 0 Current Affairs (People) 12 1
Language - Zamoran (Accented / Literate) 4 Diplomacy 10 1
Language - Argossean (Accented / Illiterate) 4 Escape 13 4
Slip Handcuffs 9 2
Fast-Draw (Arrow + Knife) 13 2
Chummy (-1 to IQ skills when alone) -5 Holdout (includes +2 from Craftiness) 14 2
Dwarfism -15 Knife 14 2
Greed -15 Merchant 12 2
Social Stigma (Second-class Citizen) -10 Navigation (Sea) 11 1
Search 12 2
Shortsword 13 2
Singing 12 1
Smuggling 12 2
Nervous around wild animals -1 Stealth (includes +2 from Craftiness) 14 1
Says he killed a prince for his sword (not true) -1 Streetwise 11 1
Intolerant of Northmen -1 Swimming 12 1
Complains about his stiff knees -1 Thrown Weapon (Knife) 14 2
Collects dirty jokes -1
 Stygian Shortsword* 1d+1 cut 1 10 Skill 14 $3200 2 lbs.
1d imp
Dagger 1d-3 imp C 9 Skill 14 $20
Punch 1d-3 cr C 10 Skill 12

Throwing knife 1d-3 imp 1 8/15 1 T 0 Skill 14 $30 0.5 lbs.

Shortbow (ST11) 1d-1 imp (2) 1 150/200 1 1 (2) -6 Skill 13 $50 1.5 lbs.

Quiver w/ 12 bodkin arrows Shoulder $35 2 lbs.

Leather boots (DR 1) Feet $10 1 lb.
Padded cloth vest (DR 1) Torso $3 -

$0

t bad off
a sm ug g ling job wen n prince
After Stygia
of Stygia, a tire
the coast k ill y o u a nd your en
to e
threate n ed a favor. h T
ily un le ss you did him e C a pt a in
*Sadly, your sword has been “lent” to another crewman fa m ting on
a vo r” w a s assassina ca pt a in w ho
“f s mercha nt
a us el es re fu s-
Zoha r, hter by
ed t h e pr ince’s daug nt ia . T he
insult rt h er to Messa
sp o ... a nd t e h
ing to tra n w ent poorly
t io n ...
assassin a ere being
in g y o u k new you w ime
next t h ship. Each t
el h a ul ed under the ed w it ha
ke urn
der you ret t you
you went un er ribald jo ke t h a
ul a rl y cl ev pt a in
pa rtic , the ca
co lle ct ed . Eventually d m a d e
ha d im, a n
u a mused h ot
decided yo a n d co ok. You’re n
rv a nt ge-
you his se this a n rr a
ic ul a lr ly ha ppy with el l un t il you
pa rt se rve you w
it w ill
ment, but ship.
to a nother
ca n esca pe

3348 3
 The Harpooner 153
5’11” 195 0 49 -
Fierce scavenger, fisherman, and superstitious worshipper of sea demons

11 10
11 0

11 20
13 5 5
12 40 11 -5

12 20 12 0

24 lbs 1d-1 1d+1

5.75 0 5 0
-1

24 +2 from Survivor (survivalist types)

48
72
144 8 8 -
240 (Spear/Sword)

Hard to Subdue +1 (bonus to rolls to stay conscious) 2

Night Vision +2 2 Boating (Rowboats and Skiffs) 10 1
Ritual Magery 1 15 Brawling (includes -1 from One Eye) 12 4
Survivor 2 10 Broadsword (includes -1 from One Eye) 10 2
Climbing 10 1
Autotrance 1 Crossbow (-3 if you don’t aim, due to One Eye!) 11 1
Weapon Bond (+1 skill with “Dagon’s Harpoon”) 1 First Aid (includes +2 from Survivor; heals 1d-3 hp) 14 1
Fishing 12 2
Language - Argossian (Native) 0 Gambling 11 1
Language - Stygian (Broken / Illiterate) 1 Hidden Lore (Demon Lore) 12 2
Language - Zamoran (Accented / Illiterate) 2 Intimidation 13 2
Naturalist (includes +2 from Survivor) 13 2
Occultism 12 2
Appearance (Unattractive) -4 Poisons 12 4
Callous -5 Seamanship 12 1
Compulsive Vowing -5 Spear (includes -1 from One Eye) 10 2
One Eye -15 Survival (Island/Beach + Ocean) (incl. +2 from Survivor) 13 1
Unluckiness -10 Theology (Old Gods) 11 2
Thrown Weapon (Harpoon) (-3 if you don’t aim!) 13 4
Traps 12 2
Weather Sense 11 1
Distinctive tattoos of sea serpents on his arm -1
Uses the phrase “don’t ya vex me!” a lot -1
Won’t give anyone his real name -1 Ritual Magic (Sea Demons) (includes +1 from Magery) 12 4
Distrusts Stygians -1 Path of Air 12 4
Never turns down a dice game -1 Path of Healing 11 2
Path of Weather 12 4

This character uses magic - recommended for experienced players

 Large falchion 1d+3 cut 1 8U Skill 10 $625 4 lbs.

Brawling punch 1d-1 cr C 8 Skill 12

“Dagon’s harpoon”* 1d+4 imp 2 11/15 1 T -6 Skill 14 (11 if unaimed) $60 6 lbs.
Skill 11 if used in melee

Beaded satchel Arm $30 1 lb.

Chalk Bag $2 -
Shells with arcane symbols Bag $3 -
Flint Bag $5 -
Leather sandals Feet $10 1 lb.
Kite, with 60’ string Bag $35 2 lbs.

$230

s you along
a in M a ra la only invite don’t
Ca pt she
voyages, but . But when
on “special” a ct ly w h y
ou ex
ra rely tell y h H in o , y ou k new it
w it
The harpoon is tethered. Requires a Ready maneuver and you saw her the ma n’s brother,
d to d o w ith ra when he
a successful ST roll to pull out (if you fail, you may try h a
Yo u k n ew Z’thngo rd
Z’thngo ra . idiot basta
again next turn). Does half the damage coming out that
y o un g . A n a rroga nt, lli n g
was oney se
it did going in. ade more m ra
was he... m d id b ei n g a pirate o
h e
slaves t h a n e stori a es
B ut y o u hea rd th n
corsa ir . ra lost on a
a d e a g o , of Z’thngo t h er o n ly
dec is bro
See next page for his magic rituals la nd, a nd h least,
unna med is e b ea ch . A t
ones on th e’s
f indin’ his b u h ea rd . And if ther
t ’s w h a t y o e’ s n o
th a ther
beach, then g to ma ke
bones on a ir it s lo o k in
sp you
doubt a ngry hat’s the cold truth,
sc re a m . T
men
think.

428 14
RITUALS
Devitalize Air Minor Healing Odor
Skill 9 0 points Skill 10 3 points Skill 10 0 points
Regular Spell Duration: Instant Regular Spell Duration: Instant Area Spell Duration: 1 hour
FP to Cast: 2 FP to Cast: 1-3 FP to Cast: 1
Time to Cast: 2 sec Time to Cast: 1 sec Time to Cast: 1 sec

Removes the life-sustaining essence Restores up to 3 HP, can restore tempo- Produces any odor the caster is fa-
from the air within its area, render- rarily crippled limbs, but cannot elimi- miliar with, dissipating normally. Odors
ing it unbreathable. Until the “dead” nate disease or poison. This spell is at cannot cause harm.
air dissipates, any being who needs to -3 for the first repetition per day, -6
breathe begins to suffocate. for the second, etc (per subject).

Predict Weather Rain Shape Air

Skill 8 0 points Skill 8 2 points Skill 10 0 points
Info Spell Duration: Instant Area Spell Duration: 1 hour Regular Spell Duration: Instant
FP to Cast: 2/day FP to Cast: 1/10 (same) FP to Cast: 1-10
Time to Cast: 10 sec/day Time to Cast: 2 min Time to Cast: 1 sec

Forecasts the weather accurately for Creates (or prevents) 1 inch of rain in a Creates a blast of air one yard wide,
a given location over a given time. Dou- normal outdoor setting. for a distance in yards equal to 5 times
ble the cost for a location outside the the energy put into the spell. Each sec-
general area. ond, roll 1d knockback damage per full
two energy points in the spell.

Wall of Lightning Wall of Wind Waves

Skill 6 3 points Skill 9 0 points Skill 9 2 points
Area Spell Duration: 1 minute Area Spell Duration: 1 minute Area Spell Duration: 1 hour
FP to Cast: 2-6 (same) FP to Cast: 2 (half) FP to Cast: 1/60 (same)
Time to Cast: 2 sec Time to Cast: 2 sec Time to Cast: 2 min

Every turn, anyone crossing or touch- Low-tech missiles suffer a -10 penalty Each application of the spell can in-
ing the wall suffers burning damage to hit for every yard of wall they pass crease or decrease the wave height by
(1d-1 burning damage per 2 points put through. Beings standing in the wall are one point on the Beaufort scale. Can
into it). All Vision and Hearing rolls at -3 DX and suffer 2d of knockback in also be cast on a ship.
across it are at -1. a random direction every second.

Wind Windstorm Breathe Water

Skill 9 2 points Skill 10 2 points Skill 7 2 points
Area Spell Duration: 1 hour Area Spell Duration: 1 min Area Spell Duration: 1 min
FP to Cast: 1/50 (same) FP to Cast: 2 (half) FP to Cast: 4/2
Time to Cast: 2 min Time to Cast: 1 sec Time to Cast: 2 sec

Modifies the wind, shifting the direc- Creates a circular windstorm with an “eye” Allows the subject to breathe water as
tion by one notch (from W to WSW, for of calm inside. Moving in the storm is diffi- though it were air.
example), or changing the wind speed cult and at +1 movement cost. All DX-based
skills are at -5; missiles are at a -10 penalty.
by one level on the Beaufort Scale. Can
For double cost, Vision is at 10, standing is
also be cast on a ship. hard (DX-3), and heavy objects are hurled!
 “ ” The Corsair 101
5’10” 155 0 25 -
One of the more skilled and respected of the Green Serpent’s crew

12 20
12 0

12 40
10 0 6
10 0 11 5

12 20 12 0

29 lbs 1d-1 1d+2

6.0 0 6 0

29 +1 from Born Sailor (sailors)

58 -1 from Odious Personal Habit
87
174 9 9 -
290 (Sword)

Acute Vision +2 4
Born Sailor 1 5 Area Knowledge (Zingaran Coast + Barachan Islands) 10 2
Fit (+1 to all HT rolls) 5 Boating (Rowboats and Skiffs) (incl. +1 from Born Sailor) 13 2
Flexibility (ignore up to -3 in penalties for close quarters) 5 Brawling 14 4
Carousing 12 1
Carpentry 10 1
Climbing (includes +3 from Flexibility) 16 4
• Rope Up 15 1
Fast-Talk 10 2
Filch 12 2
Naturalist 8 1
Navigation (Sea) (includes +1 from Born Sailor) 10 1
Scrounging 10 1
Code of Honor (Pirate’s) -5 Seamanship (includes +1 from Born Sailor) 13 4
Duty (The Green Serpent, 12 or less) -10 Shortsword 13 4
Odious Personal Habit (Mild - invent one!) -5 Stealth 11 1
Wealth (Struggling) -10 Swimming 12 1

Quirk - -1
Quirk - -1
Quirk - -1
Quirk - -1
Quirk - -1

This character is meant as a replacement for anyone horribly killed....

Unremarkable cutlass 1d+2 cut 1 9 Skill 13 $400 2 lbs.
1d imp
Brawling punch 1d-1 cr C 10 Skill 14
Brawling kick 1d+1 cr C, 1 Skill 12

Leather pouch with dried fish $4 -

Leather sandals Feet $10 1 lb.
Green-dyed rope belt Waist $3 -

$83

en Serpent
se rv ed on the Gre rned
You’ ve a nd have ea
r o ve r a yea r now, d its m ost
fo ca pta in a n
o m t h e
trust fr
...
vetera n crew

428 3
 Zacova “The Panther”

Per 10

Dacana
First Officer of the Green Serpent

Per 11 - Enemy (6-)

 Yemga
The Corsair Queen’s Bodyguard

Per 12

VictepiusSon of Victepy

Per 13 - Serendipity
 The Harpooner
Unlucky Scavenger

Per 13 - Unluckiness

Rastus
Guilt-ridden Old Explorer

Per 13 - Serendipity
 Kêlit
Ship’s Carpenter

Per 12

Crew of the Green Serpent

Per 10