In The Bluelight

This is the full text of In The Bluelight, provided free of charge in plain text format.

You can find the map for level one here and the GM map for the maze here.

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Enjoy In The Bluelight!

Credits

Editing by Steven Thurston.
Everything else by Chris Bissette.

With thanks to: Yubi, Matt, Tom, Nick, Mol, Zach, Ace, Nate, Mikey, Micah, Jared, Fiona, Vi, Dai, Batts, Sean, and Will.

The Labyrinth Move was created by Jason Cordova.

In The Bluelight is an independent production by Loot The Room and is not affiliated with Ockult Örtmästare Games or Stockholm Kartell. It is published under the MÖRK BORG Third Party License.

MÖRK BORG is copyright Ockult Örtmästare Games and Stockholm Kartell.

Contents

• Introduction
  • Running The Adventure
  • The Situation
  • Rumours
  • Random Encounters
  • The Arkhian Theurgy
• The Ice Vaults Of Kergüs - First Floor
  • Dungeon Features
    • Frozen Treasures
  • Random Encounters
  • 1: Entrance
  • 2: Felban’s Workshop
  • 3: The Bloody Grotto
  • 4: Ruined Campsite
  • 5: Statue Room
  • 6: Hall Of Petrified Adventurers
  • 7: The Font
  • 8: Risten’s Rest
  • 9: Funnel Room
  • 10: The Gallery
  • 11: Jotna’s Hideaway
  • 12: Arkhian Library
  • 13: Collapsed Corridor
  • 14: The Fountain
  • 15: Preparation Room
  • 16: Stairs
  • 17: Lecture Hall
  • 18: Dissection Room
• The Ice Vaults of Kergüs - Lower Floor
  • Maze Features
  • Running The Maze
    • Running Without The Map
  • 19: Maze Entrance
  • A: False Choice
  • B: The Feeding Ground
  • C: Shortcut
  • D: Ectobasilisk Lavatory
  • E: Barricade
  • F: Candlehead
  • G: Collapse
  • H: The Centre
• THEIR CRYPT
• Appendix: Ectobasilisk Stats
• Maps

Introduction

The days are fleeting out on the ice. The days are fleeting everywhere, now, but out on the barrens of Kergüs they are even further lessened. Time is thin here. It stretches, twists, freezes. Shatters.

Miseries grip the world, inevitable and unending. The Doomsayers scream that they can’t be stopped, that the end is nigh, that the seventh Misery will come and the world will burn. Verhu’s word has never yet been wrong.

And yet.

Yet.

Maybe there is hope, out where time rolls like sludge. Where the end is, perhaps, not quite so inevitable.

Running This Adventure

This dungeon is designed to be explored over a period of days or weeks. There is treasure to be extracted from the walls of the Vaults, places where ice must be carved and tunnels dug. The artefact they are here to recover will not be easy to remove or transport. Encourage the players to set up a basecamp and make multiple delves.

There is every likelihood that incautious characters will meet their death in the Vaults. You may wish to encourage them to take on hirelings before venturing here. These NPCs can then step up to become full members of the party in the event of character death. Alternatively, some of the wandering explorers in the Vaults may be convinced to join up with the player characters.

The other characters within the Vaults are intelligent. They will react to the things the characters do. The dungeon may change in between delves. Use your best judgement.

There are no procedures here for dealing with the cold. You know your game and your players and what they enjoy. If you think they will have fun being made to stave off hypothermia while crossing Kergüs and exploring the ice vaults then make your best ruling about how to deal with that mechanically. Otherwise, just remind them how cold it is from time to time. I trust you.

The Situation

Approached by a veiled priestess of Arkh who claims to have spoken to the elusive second head of SHE, you venture west as bidden. The basilisk has whispered word of an artefact buried beneath the ice, one Verhu knows nothing of. Something that could roll back the clock on the Miseries HE spake into being.

Return it to the priestess and maybe the world need not die yet. But hurry: the thaw comes fast but the freeze comes faster, and if you’re too slow you’ll be sealed forever inside The Ice Vaults of Kergüs.

d12 Things the Priestess Might Know

She talks in a hurried whisper, spilling secrets she swears came from the basilisk HERSELF.

1. Anthelia knows you are coming and will try to seize the artefact for herself. (Potentially true)
2. A mirror of ice will steal your likeness. Do not gaze upon it. (True)
3. The halls of the Vault are stalked by an undead ice drake. (False)
4. The artefact has a mind of its own. It will not easily leave its resting place. (True)
5. An ancient man lives in a ruined room. Fear and avoid him. (True)
6. The artefact can be used to prevent a undo a Misery, or it can be used to bring on a new one. (False)
7. Anthelia has created hundreds of refugees who swarm over the ice. Some have taken up residence in the Vaults, and they won’t welcome visitors. (True)
8. The ice is alive and will talk to you, if you know how to listen. (False)
9. Time can’t be trusted within the Vaults. Track it carefully. (False)
10. The Vaults are a shifting labyrinth of ice and stone. You may find your exit disappears once you’re inside. (Potentially true, generally false)
11. Removing the artefact from the Vaults requires a price paid in blood. (False)
12. A family of polar bears lives in the Vaults. They can be placated with meat and song. (False)

d66 Encounters on the Ice

The journey to The Ice Vaults takes exactly as long as it needs to. Use these encounters, if need be.

11-15: The wind howls endlessly, cold and mournful.
16: The wind howls in pain, a rising cry rending soul from skin. Test Presence DR 16 or fall down and weep for d3 hours.

21-25: The sky shimmers and ripples green and purple, a silent aurora storm bringing a glimmer of colour to the dying world.
26: The sky shimmers and cracks, forked tongues of purple and black rending the air and breaking the earth. Test Agility DR 16 while in the open or be struck for d66 damage. The storm subsides in d6 hours.

31-35: A gentle snow falling, soft and quiet. For a brief moment the world feels at peace.
36: A raging snow storm whites out your vision and kills all sound. Test Presence DR 16 or become separated from your companions.

41-45: A family of polar bears crosses the ice in the distance. They aren’t interested in you, they’re just looking for food.
46: A pair of bears erupts from the snow, jaws snapping and eyes rolling in their heads. They have thick spiked collars trailing long lengths of chain. One has a human hand and forearm frozen to the end, severed at the shoulder and chilled hard.
(Bears: HP 13 Morale - Thick fur -d2
Bite/claws d8 (DR14 to hit))
Touch the hand: It carries the goblin curse.

51-55: A flock of gulls flying south, a perfect black V against the cold steel sky.
56: A shadow falls over you, and then chaos. A gull the size of a horse drops from the sky, starving and fearless.
(Gull: HP 19 Morale 7
Beak/Hot shit: d4/special
Special: Shits onto its enemy from a great height. Its hot and burns and it smells vile. d2 damage and Test Toughness DR 14 or spend a turn doing nothing but vomiting.)

61-65: An abandoned camp, scattered coals and food too cold to rot. The scraps of a backpack flap in the wind.
66: A warband of desperate men, exiles from Anthelia’s court. There are d12 of them, and you look like easy pickings.
Stats as Berserker.

The Arkhian Theurgy

The world trembles and the ice groans in sympathy. As reality twists, so do the vaults.

Once the Vaults are open and the PCs have entered, when you check for Miseries each dawn use a d12 in place of the die you would usually use. A result of 1 activates an event from the Arkhian Theurgy in place of a normal Misery.

For a faster decline, check for events every 3 Turns.

The GM then rolls d66 as normal to determine which Event occurs inside the Vaults. The seventh event will always be 7:7, and the Vaults will seal themselves again for another millennium or until the world burns, whichever occurs first.

The Arkhian Theurgy - An Almanac of the Thaw

Psalm I

1:1 The ice shall groan and crack with the sound of a thousand drums. Those wrapped in its cold embrace shall hear no more.
1:2 And the air itself shall freeze. And when it shatters it shall rend flesh and steel.
1:3 Iron and steel shall become brittle and weak. And when they crack they shall break into pieces too small to mend.
1:4 From the depths of the ice shall slither monstrosities who fear no cold. They have starved, and so they shall feast.
1:5 The breath of the hateful shall hang still in the air. Where it touches flesh it shall burn and boil.
1:6 And blood shall freeze before it strikes the ground.

Psalm II

2:1 Flesh shall be as iron and iron as flesh.
2:2 And blood will boil in the air until only ash remains.
2:3 The ground will be slick with the pus of a thousand open wounds.
2:4 And the tongues of liars shall be as lead in their mouths.
2:5 The fangs of the eaters of flesh will grow and twist, turning on their host-flesh to rip and rend.
2:6 And the air shall turn to lead.

Psalm III

3:1 From the Hall of Liars shall crawl forth a great wurm.
3:2 And the skin of men shall turn membranous and weak, bubbling and blistering where salt strikes it.
3:3 And a great thirst shall settle on all who walk the halls.
3:4 And to your dreams shall come a monstrous slug-beast, who whispers promises of wealth and power to those who pledge their fealty. And those who do not shall awake to a tide of a thousand slugs pulled forth from their guts.
3:5 The Glacial Throne trembles, and all those who lay eyes upon it shall be turned to salt.
3:6 And the only words you shall speak will be words of truth for evermore.

Psalm IV

4:1 And blood shall ooze from the pores and scorch the skin.
4:2 And while the sun hangs in the sky scrolls shall warp and twist, their words oozing off the page before they can be read.
4:3 From the deep places in the ice shall come a rolling slime that dissolves all it touches.
4:4 And wounds shall rot and fester before they can heal.
4:5 And your maps shall shift and change, rendering all your routes false.
4:6 And your words shall die on your tongue, cursing you to silence while you walk under the shadow of the ice.

Psalm V

5:1 Bleed.
5:2 Bleed.
5:3 Bleed.
5:4 Bleed.
5:5 Bleed.
5:6 Bleed.

Psalm VI

6:1 You shall know the freeze approaches by the malignant twist in the light.
6:2 You shall know the freeze approaches by the growing cracks in the stone.
6:3 You shall know the freeze approaches by the uncontrollable shaking of your limbs.
6:4 You shall know the freeze approaches by the deep-set torpor in your bones.
6:5 You shall know the freeze approaches by the sticking of your tongue to your teeth.
6:6 You shall know the freeze approaches by the tearing of your skin.

Psalm VII

7:7 The thaw must end as all things must end. The ice will keep its secrets until the sun blackens and dies.

First Floor

Dungeon Features

The rooms of the Vaults are carved directly into the glacier. The walls aren’t masonry but are instead solid ice. They’re semi-translucent, and it’s possible to see vague shapes and the presence of light sources in adjoining rooms.

All doors are swollen with damp and stuck shut unless otherwise noted. Test Strength DR12 to force open.

All pools of water shown on the map are completely frozen. Test Agility DR10 to traverse without falling, DR14 if moving quickly or without caution. Where they cross doors, the doors are also frozen in place. Test Strength DR16 to force open. This is very loud.

Exploring a room, forcing a door, or traversing a corridor takes one Turn.

d12 Things Frozen In The Walls

1. A thousand fat white maggots, eerily still.
2. Half a black stallion, torn apart violently at the hip. The lower half is nowhere to be seen.
3. A hulking mammoth, matted fur and jagged tusks.
4. The severed arm of a goblin. If you listen closely you can hear the ice creaking around it as it tries to flex its fingers.
5. A gilded throne studded with rubies.
6. A scroll case carved from a human femur. A rolled scroll pokes out of the end.
7. A heavy iron door, hinged and standing in a frame.
8. A broken wooden spear, half rotted. The tip is the long white tusk of some large creature, lashed to the shaft of the spear with thick leather.
9. A golden statue of a woman sitting cross-legged. The features of her face have been chiselled away.
10. A twisted black staff, twelve feet long and veined with red and purple that seems to writhe in the corners of your vision.
11. A Wickhead, hunched and malnourished, flame fully extinguished.
12. Fine tapestries showing scenes of fur-wrapped figures hunting yeti and mammoths on the ice fields.

First Floor Random Encounters

Roll 1d6 in corridors between rooms, when the party lingers for too long, or when they make excess noise (e.g. by forcing a door open). Encounters occur on a 1. If not made obvious by the fiction, roll for encounter distance (below) and reactions (Mörk Borg, inside back cover).

1. D6 ruffians, sent by Anthelia to seize the artefact. (HP 8 Morale 8 Leather -d2 Filthy shortsword d4+1)
2. A deep rumble and creak resonates through the Vaults. The roof showers you with tiny chunks of ice and a spray of freezing water.
3. d3 tundra goats, their fur matted and grimy. (HP 6, Morale 7, Fur -d2, Horns d6)
4. Vagal, an adventurer (HP 7 Morale 9 Scale -d4 Flail d8 Special Has two random Sacred Scrolls), leading a Wickhead (HP 12 Morale 7 No armour Knife d4) on a chain. They have been in Jotna’s room and forged an uneasy coalition with her.
5. The sound of thick, wet flesh scraping against icy walls, echoing through the tunnels.
6. A tundra fox, lost and wandering. It’s incredibly hungry. (HP 5 Morale 4 No armour Bite d4-1)
7. Water dripping from the roof, cold and clear.
8. Something massive shuffles beneath the floor, long and fat, flesh scraping against the ice beneath your feet. It’s impossible to tell exactly what it is, occluded as it is by the ice.
9. 2D6 goblins. They are (D6): 1-2 Hostile; 3 Hungry; 4 Cautious, nervous; 5 Hunting; 6 Mourning a companion.
10. An echoing crack and a rumble of ice, the only warning before the roof collapses where you stand. Test Agility DR14 to avoid. D6 damage on failure: 1-3 means you’re separated from those who avoided the cave-in; 4-6 means you’re buried. D2 damage every minute you spend under the ice.

Encounter Distance

Roll 2d6 to check for encounter distance if it isn’t clear from the fiction.

1 Entrance

Chill wind flowing down the stairs.

• Two humans standing frozen in the ice, completely naked.
• Thirteen straight lines scratched into the ice on the west wall, tallying something.
• SOUTH: Frozen wooden door leading to corridor. Frozen hinges have been shattered and the door stands unsupported in the frame. Corridor runs west to Felban’s workshop and east to the statue room.

Touch the handle: Test Toughness DR 12 or your palm freezes to the cold metal. d2 damage to tear it loose.

2 Workshop

Warm and bright. Coffee smell.

• Small wooden desk with chairs around it. Covered with glassware: bottles, vials, tubes.
• A bearded man sits at the far end of the table. Skin pale and flaking, eyes bright blue, naked flesh covered in goosebumps. He is engaged in some kind of experiment with the glassware.
• Frozen pool flooding the west side of the room.
• Faint blue light filtering through the south wall (only if orb is still present in the bloody grotto).
• WEST: open door to corridor and the bloody grotto.
• EAST: opening to corridor. It passes the entrance and ends at the statue room.

Search the desk D4:

1. D3 bundles of incense
2. Two random unclean scrolls
3. Glass jar filled with thick translucent ointment (D5 doses remaining, keeps you warm when smeared on skin)
4. Scrimshaw basilisk tooth

Bearded Man

The bearded man is a sorcerer named Felban who has come to seek the bones of the Basilisk. If the party seem competent he may entreat them to help him and offer a great reward, but will ultimately betray them. He knows about the the secret door from the gallery. What he won’t reveal is that he caused the collapsed corridor fleeing the ectobasilisk on the lower floor. Does not know that Jotna can no longer control it.

HP 11 Morale - Mage armour -d4 Staff d4 + Special
Special Has 2 Omens.
Uses a Power every second round (automatically succeeds).
d4 | Power 1 | Nine Violet Signs Unknot The Storm: Produce d2 lightning bolts dealing d6 damage each. 2 | Harry The Unclean (unique Power): d2 creatures test Presence DR 14 or flee from Felban for d4 rounds. 3 | Boil The Blood (unique Power): One creature’s blood bursts from their eyes and nose for d6 rounds. They lose d2 HP per round. 4 | Mirror Image (unique Power): Create clones of d2 creatures so convincing nobody can tell them apart. They fall apart after d6 rounds.

Bearded Man Reactions

3 Bloody Grotto

Cold and bright, flooded with blue light. Smell of petrichor.

• Completely frozen, every surface crusted with ice.
• Jagged icicles, a maze of ice stalactites and stalagmites, spears of ice protruding from the walls and floors. All tinged red with frozen blood.
• Glowing blue orb floating in the air in the middle of the room.
• WEST: Frozen door leads to passage to Felban’s Workshop.
• EAST: Frozen door. It’s nailed shut from inside the Campsite. Strength DR18 to open, or three successful Strength DR14 Tests.
• SOUTH: Passage to hall of petrified adventurers.

Navigating the room: Test Agility DR14 to move through the spikes to avoid being pierced for d6 damage.

The Orb: Emits pale blue light that penetrates containers and can be seen from adjacent chambers and down corridors. While you carry it other creatures in the Vaults know where you are. Causes nearby treasure to glow bright blue.

4 Campsite

Lingering smell of smoke. Iron tang of blood in the air.

• Door nailed shut with metal pitons.
• Ruined campsite, belongings scattered everywhere. A backpack on the floor beside a fire that still retains some heat.
• Two sleeping bags contain bodies, frozen to death.
• Faint blue light filtering through the west wall (only if orb is still present in the bloody grotto).
• WEST: Door to the bloody grotto.

Loot the room (d6, roll twice):
1. Glass vial filled with water that fizzes gently. Heals d6. Test Toughness DR10 or lie down and sleep for d6+2 hours. 2. A partial map of the lower floor of the Vaults, marked with a dotted route and the words “massive worm thing”. 3. Obsidian dagger from Anthelia’s court. 2d4 damage. 4. Leather pouch with Presence + d4 gemstones, each worth 100S. 5. Flatbow (d10) with Presence + 2 bolts. The wire has snapped and needs to be replaced before use. 6. A wrap of wax paper containing Toughness + 2 days worth of jerky.

5 Statue Room

Salty smell.

• Powers can’t be used in this room.
• Large statue in the corner, a winged woman with a bear skull for a head.
• Wooden chest frozen in the ice.
• Dull flickering light through the wall to the south east. (Not present if group has the Orb from the bloody grotto.
• SOUTH: Door to corridor. Immediately to the east is the secret door to Jotna’s hideaway. To the west it passes the font and ends at the hall of petrified adventurers.
• WEST: Opening to corridor. It passes the entrance and leads to Felban’s workshop

The chest: Encased in ice a foot thick. Chiselling it out will take 1d12+4 hours. It’s trapped (poison dart, D2 damage, test Toughness DR14 or die). Contains a miniature replica of the statue carved from bone.

The statues: When out of sight of the statue the replica glows with eerie blue light. Test Presence DR12 to activate. Large statue is a jail for a lich (Mörk Borg pp. 63) and the replica is the key. Activating it releases the lich. It swaps places with whoever activated the replica. You’re trapped in stasis in the statue until the next person activates the replica.

6 Hall Of Petrified Adventurers

Weird acidic tang to the air. Faint sound of tinkling glass drifting from the east corridor.

• Seven stone statues, six heavily-armed humans and one small but vicious-looking dog. Some have been toppled and broken into pieces.
• A frozen woman behind the door, hands pressed against the wood as though trying to close it.
• Faint blue light filtering through the north wall (only if orb is still present in the bloody grotto).
• Flickering red light through the wall to the south east.
• NORTH: Passage to the bloody grotto and the campsite.
• EAST: A frozen door, partially open, leads to a long corridor. It passes the font to the south and the statue room to the north before terminating at the secret door to Jotna’s hideaway.

Touch the woman: She exhales a shuddering breath and rises as a zombie, immediately hostile.
HP 7 Morale - Mail -d4 Claw/bite d2 + special
Special: Anyone bitten test Toughness DR8 or die within two days before rising as a zombie. (See Mörk Borg, pp. 65)

7 The Font

Fresh smell. Cold air flowing down the stairs.

• Paintings frozen in the walls: a great two-headed basilisk.
• Bronze plaque engraved with the word THEY.
• Stone basin containing frozen water.
• Flickering red light through the north east wall. (Not present if group has the Orb from the bloody grotto.
• NORTH: Opening to passageway. To the west is the hall of petrified adventurers. To the east, a door leading to the font and the secret door to Jotna’s hideaway.
• EAST: Icy stairs leading up to the lecture hall.
• SOUTH: Opening to corridor. To the west passes the collapsed corridor in the south wall and the frozen opening to the Arkhian Library in the north wall before terminating at Risten’s rest. To the east, a door to the funnel room.

Thaw and drink the water: A chill settles over you. The ectobasilisk ignores you for 1d6 hours. Enough water in the basin for 3 doses.

8 Risten And The Bear

• Door is frozen over and locked (Strength DR18 to force open). Signs that somebody tried to force it open from the corridor.
• Frail, robed man and an armoured bear lying on the floor. Both are dead and frozen.
• Flickering red light through the wall to the north east.
• EAST: Frozen door to corridor. It passes the Arkhian Library, collapsed corridor, and the font before ending at the door to the funnel room.

Examine the body: After Felban turned on him, Risten sealed himself in this chamber and waited to die. His ghost still haunts this room. Sad, regretful, and deeply lonely.

Search them: Man has two random sacred scrolls and a journal with notes about his attempts to extract the artefact with Felban. Final few entries talk about a growing suspicion that Felban intends to kill him.

9 Funnel Room

Rancid smell. Wet, slithering sound from below.

• Deep, sloping pit in the ground. Sides carved with obscure runes and sigils. Old blood coats the sides and bottom.
• Hinged triangles of metal at the bottom of the pit look like they open to a lower level.
• Another circle of metal dissected into triangles in the roof directly above the pit. If opened, leads to the lecture hall.
• Tiled floor and walls unlike the rest of the vaults.
• Dull flickering light through the wall to the north west. (Not present if group has the Orb from the bloody grotto.
• SOUTH: Wooden door to the gallery.
• WEST: Wooden door to corridor. It passes the font to the north, the collapsed corridor to the south, and the frozen opening to the Arkhian Library to the north before ending at the barricaded door to Risten’s rest.

Into the pit: Base opens under pressure and drops you to the feeding ground. Hinged metal springs back into place, resealing the base.

10 The Gallery

A slight warmth in the air. Cold draught from the south.

• Tapestries on the walls show a two headed basilisk in battle with an ice-breathing drake.
• Huge silver-framed mirror on the south wall. The glass is foggy and clouded with condensation.
• Thick semicircular rug at the base of the mirror.
• NORTH: Heavy door to the funnel room.

Clear the glass and look into the mirror: Your reflection comes alive, stepping out of the glass and facing you. It’s indistinguishable from you. Observers must test Presence DR16 to tell you apart. It knows everything you know, and is convinced you’re the reflection.

Remove the mirror: A thin spot in the ice lined with cracks. Can easily be smashed through to grant passage to the stairs but it’s loud. 1-in-6 chance it attracts attention of an ectobasilisk(#ectobasilisk) who appears in d10 turns.

Smash the mirror: Opens a hole in reality leading to a flooded room in a sunken chapel deep beneath Galgenbeck. You can step through it as though stepping through a door, emerging from a mirror on the other side. The glass of that mirror is unbroken and there is no way back here from that end.

11 Jotna In Hiding

Smell of lavender. Sound of tinkling glass.

• Thousands of glass charms suspended from the ceiling.
• Broken glass covering the floor. Agility DR 12 to cross safely, or suffer d2 damage.
• Makeshift bed in a clear spot in the north-east corner.
• Jotna lives here.
• WEST: Secret section of wall slides sideways to allow exit to corridor running west. It passes the statue room to the north, the font to the south, and terminates at the hall of petrified adventurers. If Jotna is in here and the group doesn’t have the orb from the bloody grotto her light can be seen through the wall from outside.

Jotna

She seeks the artefact but was waylaid by Felban. She used the magic of her charms to set the ectobaslisk on him but now her control over it has waned. She’s trying to recreate the charm she had to control the ectobasilisk so that she can delve deeper into the dungeon, but so far all of her attempts have failed.

HP 8 Morale 6 No armour
Unarmed attack d4

12 Arkhian Library

Smell of burning paper. Thick smoke in the air.

• Frozen passagebetween this room and the corridor. Takes a full day of effort to tunnel through.
• Bookcases line the walls.
• Brazier in the middle of the room burns with an eternal flame. Books and scrolls curl and blacken inside it.
• SOUTH: Frozen passage to corridor running west to east. To the west is the barricaded door to Risten’s rest. To the east it passes the collapsed corridor and the font before ending at the funnel room.

Study the books more closely, D6:

1. A pamphlet. Rotten and damp. Contains the full text of The Arkhian Theurgy, though much of it is illegible.
2. A book. Bound in pale leather. Contains profane scribblings in an uneven hand - a random unclean scroll. If taken the flame in the brazier flares, dealing d4 damage to anybody next to it.
3. A scroll. Appears to be a random sacred scroll, but attempting to use it triggers an event from the Arkhian Theurgy.
4. A book. Bound in faded red cloth. Pages have been hollowed. It holds a vial containing two doses of poison antidote.
5. A folio. Loose sheets bound with leather and twine. The Biology of Prophecy: Non-Linear Time and the Physiology of the Two-Headed Basilisk.
6. A book. Bound between heavy planks of wood. Contains a copy of The Nameless Scriptures and The Calendar of Nechrubel, heavily annotated.

Feed the flame: Trigger an event from the Arkhian Theurgy.

13 Collapsed Corridor

Sense of pressure in the air.

• Corridor is collapsed and fully blocked. With the right tools it will take 5 days to clear.
• Thick gelatinous goop coating the rocks.
• NORTH: Opens to a corridor running west to east. To the west it passes the frozen opening to the Arkhian Library before ending at the barricaded door to Risten’s rest. To the east it passes the font and ends at the funnel room.
• SOUTH: Opening to the fountain.

If Cleared: A hole in the ground leads to the collapsed portion of the maze. Once cleared, the ectobasilisks can use this opening to access the upper level. Without proper precautions there is a 2-in-6 chance each day that the cleared corridor collapses again.

14 The Fountain

Overwhelming smell of decay.

• Stone fountain: cascading water frozen in place.
• Thick layer of translucent slime coats the floor and walls. Agility DR14 to move quickly.
• NORTH: Collapsed corridor.
• EAST: Open passage leads to the preparation room.

Inside the fountain: d6 x 100s worth of coins frozen in the ice.

DON’T ROLL FOR ENCOUNTERS IN THE CORRIDOR BETWEEN THIS ROOM AND THE PREPARATION ROOM.

15 Preparation Room

Smell of decay. Taste of salt in the air.

• Heavy metal lockers along the east wall.
• Ruined door to the south.
• Trail of thick translucent slime between the door and the south west exit.
• SOUTH: Slime-covered passage leads to the stairs. Agility DR14 to move quickly.
• WEST: Slime-covered passage leads to the fountain. Agility DR14 to move quickly.

Search the lockers D4:

1. D3 huge metal helmets with thick iron over the eyes. A conglomeration of mirrors mounted on movable arms. Wearer can see in several directions at once.
2. A silver thurible hanging from a thick chain. Insides thick with ash; no burnable incense remains.
3. Emaciated skeleton in black robes clutching a crozier. 2-in-6 chance it reanimates and attacks. (HP 7 Morale - No armour Crozier d6 Bony knuckles d2 Special No flesh. DR14 to hit with bladed weapons. Strikes doing 5 or more damage destroy it completely)
4. A pair of rusted metal collars sized for a basilisk attached to 50 feet of chain, and a rusted iron key.

DON’T ROLL FOR ENCOUNTERS IN THE CORRIDOR BETWEEN THIS ROOM AND THE PREPARATION ROOM AND STAIRS

16 Stairs

Hot rotting smell from downstairs.

• Trail of thick slime leads down the stairs to the maze entrance.
• WEST: Open passage to the preparation room.
• DOWN: Entrance to the maze.

DON’T ROLL FOR ENCOUNTERS IN THE CORRIDOR BETWEEN THIS ROOM AND THE PREPARATION ROOM.

17 Lecture Hall

Smell of rust. Thin blue light.

• High stained glass windows on the north wall, covered in a rime of frost. Glass shows unsettling geometric patterns.
• Rows of long benches facing a chalk board.
• Bookcase on the south wall stuffed with books. Musty, wet smell emanating from it.
• Raised area to the south east. Metal disc in the floor engraved with circles and straight lines. Split into triangles and hinged to open downwards.
• Rusted iron table in the corner, heavily scratched coated in old blood.
• EAST: Heavy metal double doors that open both ways leads to dissection room.
• WEST: Icy stairs down to the font.

Search the bookcase: The books are coated in thick slime and fall apart at the slightest touch. A pulp ooze has taken over the bookcase and will immediately move towards anyone who disturbs it.

Pulp Ooze
Hungry, persistent. HP 10 Morale - Amorphous -D2
Acid spit D6 + Special
Special Whenever the Pulp Ooze damages a PC, the PC’s armour is reduced one tier.

Investigate the metal disc: It’s divided into triangles that are hinged to open down. Currently stuck, a switch behind the iron table opens the disc and drops anything on it into the pit in the funnel room. The impact deals D4 damage before the disc at the bottom of the funnel opens and drops the victim into the feeding ground.

18 Dissection Room

Smell of decay.

• Flat metal table with gutters in the sides, caked with old blood.
• Blades of all descriptions lining the walls: Hooks, cleavers, knives, scalpels, rib spreaders, razors, saws.
• Jars filled with organs in cloudy fluid. Many aren’t human.
• Frozen red mist floats in the air above the table.
• WEST: Heavy double doors to lecture hall.

Investigate the mist: The blood coalesces into d3 hungry blood mists.

Blood Mist
Mindless, desperate for a body
HP 13 Morale - No armour
Touch* D2 + Special
Special** Their touch drains Strength and Toughness by 1 permanently. Test Toughness DR14 to resist. On success, only drain Strength or Toughness (player’s choice).

Lower Floor

The lower floor of the Ice Vaults is given over to a sprawling maze that contains two ectobasilisks, the spectral remains of the two-headed basilisk that lies in the ossuary beneath the complex. The walls of the maze are translucent ice much like the vaults above, and the ectobasilisks will seek out anybody moving in the maze. They haven’t been fed in a very long time.

Two versions of the map are provided: one showing the layout of the maze with no labels, and one with a hex grid overlaid on it for the GM’s reference.

Maze Features

• Translucent ice walls and ceiling.
• Narrow passages, usually only room to move single file.
• Roof no more than 7 feet high.
• Some walls have thin cracks (e.g. hex 6-1) that a character can squeeze through. This is slow and takes a full turn per character. Ectobasilisks can’t fit through these cracks.

Running The Maze

• When the characters first enter the maze, roll D66 for the starting positions of each of the ectobasilisks.
• Each turn the ectobasilisks move one hex towards the characters unless you determine that they are not aware of the intrusion into the maze. Treat each decision point as one turn.
• Every time the characters make noise the ectobasilisks move 3 hexes towards them.

Labelled hexes contain specific encounters and things for the characters to discover.

You will find stats for the ectobasilisks at the end of this adventure.

Running Without The Map

The corridors of the maze twist and turn, and they are not described exactly in this text. If you would prefer not to be bound by the map, you can instead use this variation on Jason Cordova’s Labyrinth Move for Dungeon World.

You will need to keep track of two new things: Hold for the players, and Hunt for the ectobasilisks.

When you attempt to navigate the maze, say how you do it and which ability you use. Make a DR12 Test with that Ability.

On a success, gain 1 Hold.
On a 10 or 11, you find one of the labelled hexes. The GM will decide which one.
On a 7-9. gain 1 Hold and the ectobasilisks gain 1 Hunt.
On a 1-6, lose all Hold and the ectobasilisks gain 2 Hunt.
To find one of the labyrinth’s treasures, spend 1 Hold and describe the room it is found in.
You may spend 3 hold at any time to find the entrance to the heart of the labyrinth (labelled hex H).
The ectobasilisks may spend 5 Hunt at any time to encounter the party.

19 Maze Entrance

Cold breeze from the north.

• Doorway in north wall is ruined and coated with slime.
• Thick slime coating the stairs. Test Agility DR12 or slip and fall for D2 damage.
• Huge tiled mosaic covers the walls. An enormous two-headed basilisk wearing a frozen crown. silhouetted against a dying sun.
• NORTH: Ruined doorway leads into the maze.
• WEST: Stairs ascending to the upper level.

A False Choice

• A fork in the path.
• Left fork coated in ooze.
• Right fork glitters with bright blue light.

To the left: Ground is slick and hard to traverse. Test Agility DR12 or fall prone and spend a turn picking yourself up.

To the right: Sigils carved in the ice glow with blue light. They strobe and flash as you pass them. Test Presence DR14 or be blinded for D66 minutes.

B The Feeding Ground

• Large metal disc in the ceiling opens into the base of the pit in the funnel room. Can’t be opened from below without extreme force (DR18 Strength).
• Ground and walls coated in old blood, scratched at and gouged with desperate fingers.
• A pile of slimy, translucent bones sitting against the wall of the passage.

Disturb the bones: They rise up as a skeletal ooze.

Skeletal ooze
Thoughtless, angry.
HP 4 Morale 7 Gelatinous -D2
Pseudofists D4

C Shortcut

• A thinner portion of wall, a heavily-armed skeleton frozen in place inside it.

Test Strength DR16 to smash through it. It’s loud and takes D4 turns but opens a shortcut through the maze.

Search the skeleton: Mail armour (-d4 damage, tier 2), Zweihähnder (d10 damage), bear trap, pouch of well-preserved chewing tobacco.

D Ectobasilisk Lavatory

• D66 stone statues, a wide variety of humans in various states of dress and undress, all visibly wounded and terrified.
• Everything coated in slime.
• Scattered items, old but mostly serviceable.

Scattered items (d6):

1. Oversized sword, much bigger than is practical. Test Strength DR16 when found to see if you can even lift the thing. If you can, attacks are made at DR10. Its sheer weight makes up for lack of technique or finesse.
2. Ever-burning torch, frost-rimed and shedding cold, blue, flickering light. Freezes to your hand when you pick it up. Removing it means also removing the hand.
3. Tear-shaped ice crystal the size of a fist. Emanates crushing despair as far as the wielder can see. Living creatures within the emanation Test Presence DR14 or lie down and cry until the tear is removed from sight.
4. Ivory figurine of a polar bear. Summons a bear for D6 hours once per day. Every time you summon it, Test Presence DR14. If you succeed the bear is friendly and will obey your commands. If you fail, the bear is aggressive towards you. If slain the bear returns to the figurine and can’t be summoned for D6 days.
   • Polar bear. HP 14 Morale 9 Thick fur -D2 Teeth/claws D8/D6+special Special If hit with claws twice in succession, Test Strength DR14 or the bear crushes you in a hug for D8 damage.
5. Gold basilisk mask with two faces. Splits your vision in two, showing you the present and the immediate future. Can reroll any attack or defence roll whenever you want, but it will always catch up with you. The GM makes a note of the roll you changed and can replace a future roll with that one whenever they want.
6. Twisted charcoal wand. Warm to the touch, it can melt through ice in minutes. Every time you use it Test Presence DR12 + the number of times you’ve used it that day. If you fail it explodes, destroying itself and dealing D6 damage to you.

Ectobasilisks are mindless but territorial. This is their space and they will defend it violently. They move 5 hexes each turn the characters linger here.

E Barricade

• High wooden walls, crudely constructed. Studded with spikes, nails, broken glass.
• Thick ooze coating the corridor leading up to them.

The barricades have been erected by Brint and Bürda, a pair of ‘adventurers’ who got trapped in the maze. The ectobasilisks occasionally try to break down the barricades but the pair have so far been able to hold them at bay.

Brint, warrior
Heavily muscled. Long flowing moustaches. Covered in tattoos and scars. Hard to tell which came first.

HP 18 Morale 12 Hide armour -D2
Very big axe D8 + bleeding (D2 damage every failed Test)

Bürda, magic user
Tall and lean. Different coloured eyes, one grey and one purple. Sigils carved into forehead. Black gemstones studded in their nails.

HP 10 Morale 12 Mage armour -D4
Staff D6
Crossbow D4
Uses a Power every other round (automatically succeeds). D6:
1-2. Magic Missile: D4 purple beads of energy dealing D4 damage each.
3. Eyelid Blinds the Mind: D4 creatures fall asleep for one hour unless they succeed a DR14 Presence test.
4. Wink With Two Eyes: Bürda and one other creature blink out of existence for D4 rounds.
5. Praise The Scvm: D2 creatures become friendly to Bürda and willing to do anything asked of them for D6 rounds unless they succeed a DR14 Presence test.
6. Profane Word: All creatures who can hear Bürda make a DR12 Presence test. On a failure, compare their result to the list: 1-2. Annihilate: Immediately die. 3-4. Blind: Lose all sight for D6 days. 5-6. Weaken: Lose D4 Strength. 7-8. Silence: Lose speech for D6 days. 9. Curse: Lose all Omens. You don’t regain them at the next dawn. 10. Rot: Become infected. 11. Pain: D8 damage.

F Candlehead

• A wickhead lying dead on the ground, flame extinguished.

Light the flame: He is grateful and will serve, for a time. Roll him a name and create his traits from page 70 of the Mörk Borg rulebook. He is your responsibility now.

G Collapse

• Roof collapsed entirely.
• Tunnel blocked with chunks of rock.
• Everything coated in gelatinous ooze.

The cave-in can be cleared with the right tools. This will take 5 days. The opening in the roof leads to the collapsed corridor on the upper level.

The ectobasilisks will pursue characters into the upper levels if this section is cleared.

H The Centre

• A wide pillar, a heavy iron gate set in its side.
• Stairs beyond the gate descending into the ice.

The gate: Locked. DR18 to pick or opens with the rusted key from the preparation room. Stairs descend to THEIR CRYPT.

THEIR CRYPT

The final chamber, a long void in the ice beneath the Vaults.

The room is dominated by the ancient bones of a two-headed basilisk. They are massive and heavy, sacred and blasphemous, and they are yours now.

Removing them will be a task. Transporting them home will be a bigger task. Doing that without attracting the notice of those who would stop you will be next to impossible.

It is said that these bones can wind back a Misery, or prevent a future one from occurring. That may be simple, or that may require rituals and magic beyond the knowledge of the characters.

What happens next is left to the players and the GM. Do as you will.

Monsters

Ectobasilisk

The ectoplasmic remains of the third basilisk. A long, slithering, translucent ooze-like creature, its circulatory system and digestive tract visible through its flesh.

HP 37
Morale 12 No armor Gaping maw d6 + Special Special Test Agility DR14 or be swallowed. Each round you begin inside the Ectobasilisk take d2 damage and test Toughness DR14 to avoid being paralyzed for one hour. If you die while inside the ectobasilisk you are turned to stone and excreted. You can be pulled free by someone outside the basilisk who successfully tests Strength DR14 to reach through the hide and pull you out, taking d4 damage in the process.