THE ORACLE’S DECREE

a Desert Adventure Location by Michael Prescott and Michael Atlin

someone who can slay Nirsiesel.
The bandits fear him and will not
approach.
tongue, eating the first thing it sees before it.
If it is a book or scroll, the toad immediately
pronounces the words in the listener’s
language. It speaks quickly, does not repeat
Heelan Bandits itself or pause until the book is done.
The Situation standstone, carved into undulating shapes
Stooped, bipedal reptiles, sandy beige
by windblown grit. From time to time, the toad intones a
Centuries ago, a prosperous region was with bright blue stripes. They carry crude random phrase from one of the many works
claimed by desert sands. The cliff-side fort Sand Domes bronze knives, staves, and favor filigreed it has consumed, which the Heelans take for
of Pelaago was the gateway to the heartland, Round, sandy hills are actually thin, gold cuffs and piercings as jewellery. They prophecies and inscribe carefully. All of the
but it is lost within a searing wasteland. brittle crusts over pits of move in groups of d3 individuals; feces in the area contain fragments of scrolls
if outnumbered they will offer in a variety of dead languages.
Rumors for Nearby Places their services as
• In lost Pelaago, there is an oracle who guides. Water Shades
knows all secrets. Pony-sized creatures with four-fingered
• Beyond the sands there is a fortress, ‘hands’ and a tendril-like tongue. Shades
last bastion against the scaled and patrol the desert looking for travellers’
treacherous Heelan. tracks, which they follow unerringly.
• There is a fortress out in the desert, used They lick travellers’ footprints, which
as a base by strange, lizard-like bandits. magically steals the life out of those who left
• In the desert, always carry holy water to them—fresh is best, but an hour old will do.
sprinkle on your footsteps. Anyone pursued by a shade must consume
twice the normal amount of food and water
or collapse from exhaustion; each shade can
Impressions of the Desert affect d2 people.
Far from a uniform waste, the desert If spotted and chased, shades will keep
terrain varies considerably. their distance. They move as swiftly as dogs,
Chunks rock protrude from the sand, but tire if forced to run for an extended
topped by hardy, succulent shrubs. period.
The wind raises brown, gritty plumes off They travel singly, but it’s possible to
steep-sided dunes. collect more than one if adventurers tarry
Shifting sand absorbs the energy of every brackish near Pelaago.
step you make, never letting you hit your water. The Heelan are less affected by
stride. Some shade-leeching than foreigners. Heelan
Hard, cracked sedimentary rock flakes up of the large ones shademasters have learned how to lead
in layers. contain biting, frilled them to rocky places and snare them.
The wind howls through a forest of red fish that take flight when
exposed to sunlight.
d10 Roll a Find every 12 miles
Anyone bitten by one contracts the
1 A field of Sand Domes sinking curse: for d3 days, the sand no longer They try to lead
supports them. Unless supported, victims their charges along ‘short cuts’ far away
2 Rag-Rock Hermit *
will gradually sink in and suffocate. from water sources in order to exhaust them,
3-4 d3 Heelan Bandits for Heelan can safely go without for a week.
5 The Buried Oracle *
Rag-Rock Hermit With well armed parties, they will first try to
A dirty hermit seated upon a spire of rock link up with other Heelan groups ‘for safety’.
6 Heelan Hunting Party * offers visitors the secret of drinking dust if
7 The Starsleigh * they beat him at gambling. The Buried Oracle
This is difficult, as he is both a master A giant toad slumbers under the sand,
8 Water Shade cheater and wears a platinum medallion of surrounded by a field of dried dung and Heelan Hunting Party
9 Sand Sprites Vinteralf make that brings him good fortune. scraps of book leather. 50% chance Heelan Gyo-ritt, Heelan proudskull, leads a small
His secret is that he has befriended the petitioners are pouring flasks of water onto band of hunters. Decorative silver bullets
10 Pelaago * it to awaken it; they revere it as an oracle.
thirst spirits, and dances with them instead
*If re-rolled, substitute d2 Water Shades of drinking. In return, he is looking out for If awakened, the toad will lash out with its

Copyright © 2015 Michael Prescott - v0.9a pg. 1/2

c b n a - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ - Find more adventure locations at http://blog.trilemma.com
have been drilled into his face and wrists. He sent messengers across the plateau with the
and his six escorts are mounted on water news and for futher orders, but none ever
shades; brilliant jade pennants flap from returned. It has been sixteen years since his
their spear points. F last contact with his homeland.
The water shades are broken and their A decade ago, in a fit of desperation he
tendrils removed. They can neither steal consulted the buried oracle­—it changed to
life nor run with their heavy riders, but they D utter a fragment of Heelan writings on duty.
track as well as hounds and can march in Nirsiesel resigned himself to his stay.
the intense heat for hours without rest. Isolation and long exposure to the
Gyo-ritt is looking for sport worthy charioteer’s helmet have made him quite
of his honor and reputation as a mad. On any given day he will be (roll d6):
hunter of champions, but is tired and 1. hurling fire bolts from the fort’s windows
willing to settle for lesser game. 2. torturing a wrongly accused Heelan
His spear is a relic of his homeland, and 3. locked in the bell chamber (D), sobbing
causes blood to catch fire as if it were oil. 4. on the plateau (F), hurling insults at his
B distant masters
Sand Sprites 5. speaking with the dead in the pit (E)
The whorls of dust that play across the 6. issuing lunatic orders
A
dunes were once undines—water spirits­ —
now exiled to the surface by Nirsiesel’s C
magic. This is what has made the land dry. The Traps of Pelaago
Dancing with them relieves thirst for Nirsiesel is deeply paranoid, and
an entire day. In exchange, they demand a has labored to fill every room of the
small service or token of gratitude, and if fort with traps, not all in good order.
this is not performed, they attack.
A
The Starsleigh A. The Lower Caves d6 Roll for each room’s trap
A crashed Vinteralf zephyr-chariot, now
There is a 35% chance that 3d6 E
a mass of twisted, silvery metal engraved 1 Exploding rune floor tile
Heelan bandits are sheltering here
astrological patterns. If touched, it whines 2 Hinged trapdoor, 8’ spiked pit
on rest; they will stay for d6 days before
loudly and tries to bury itself deeper in the Nirsiesel’s dessicating
resuming patrols. 3 Brass orb emits weakening rays
sand. If the wearer of the the charioteer’s ritual, a great spell that drove
helm approaches, it hums and rises into B. The Well Chamber the undines from the well and caused the 4 Chained block falls from ceiling
the air. It floats magically, carrying up to Now dry, this 90’ well is where the undines region to desertify.
5 d8 wind-up, knee-high, brass axe-
4 people in whatever direction the helm once dwelled. They can only approach this If struck outside the ritual, its baleful
golems leap from wall panels
points, except north - owing to the damage. site if carried in water. If placed here, they sound consumes d6 pints of blood-water
will gradually unravel the desertification from everyone present—most likely an 6 No trap
Pelaago, Vinteralf Ruin within thirty miles of Pelaago. incapacitating injury.
On the ledge are Nirsiesel’s personal
In its original form, the cliff tunnels of C. The Long Climb d6 Roll for each trap’s condition
effects, including dozens of scrolls of his
Pelaago was part of a Vinteralf Stellarium. Here the cavern opens into a tall, narrow 1 Triggers normally
mad ramblings, and the charioteer’s helm.
The ice has long gone, leaving only the caves. fissure between the eroding rocks. Handholds Donning this Vinteralf artifact causes the 2 Trap is not even armed
have been cut into the rock forming an 80’ wearer to hear the frozen song of the stars,
ladder that runs from the desert floor to the discordant and piercingly loud. To those few 3 Trap is armed, but doesn’t trigger
top of the plateau. who can tolerate it long enough to attune to 4 Fails to trigger­once, then works
It is one of the few ways up from the it, it is a great boon to both navigation and to
desert floor to the high plateau, a wind- 5 Triggers prematurely
magical research.
swept, waterless realm that is home to the 6 Misfires, components fly
Heelan. everywhere
Nirsiesel, Warlock of Pelaago
D. The Bell Chamber The Heelan warlock of Pelaago was sent Michael Prescott - Writing & Illustration
A dome of Heelan copper, ringed with a here decades ago to extend the desert, a Michael Atlin - Concept Development
stone ledge. Its iron bell is the centerpiece of task he completed soon after arriving. He

Copyright © 2015 Michael Prescott - v0.9a pg. 2/2

c b n a - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ - Find more adventure locations at http://blog.trilemma.com