Page 178 - Serpent Kingdoms

ADVENTURES

yuan-ti venom, herbs, and roots supplied by the yuan-ti of Oeble efforts have revealed a few living sarrukh, deep in hibernation,
for creating tainted ones. which the khaastas have immediately slain. In most cases, how-
If the PCs are searching for an NPC and you want to end ever, the ruins are simply empty.
the adventure here, this latter broodguard is that missing NPC. Though the khaastas normally try not to interfere with na-
Otherwise, assume the person they seek was sent on to Oeble as tives of Faerûn, they tend to be overzealous about defending
a slave. sarrukh ruins that have not yet been fully explored. Recently, a
Broodguards (16): hp 26, 26, 25, 25, 24, 24, 23, 23, 22, 22, small expeditionary force of khaastas unearthed this location,
22, 20, 20, 19, 19, 19; see Monsters of Faerûn, page 96. and its members are presently working to unravel the secrets
Treasure: Several dark relics used in dark rituals sit atop the that it holds.
altar. They include a snakeskin bag containing religious scripture Once a sarrukh outpost, this settlement has long since been
affi xed to a leather cord (a phylactery of faithfulness) and an abandoned. Within its ruins, however, are items that are worth
ebony dagger with a serrated edge (a +1 dagger). a fortune if salvaged. Furthermore, an immense, four-sided,
gray obelisk at the center of the settlement is a two-way, keyed
2F. COLLAPSED TUNNEL portal to any plane specifi ed by the creature that activates it.
This tunnel once continued on to the east, but it has since col- The sarrukh once used this portal as a means of exploring the
lapsed. If you want to expand the adventure, this tunnel could multiverse. Such a device could prove invaluable to the khaastas,
lead to heretofore undiscovered vaults which might contain making them less reliant upon the charity of their demonic
additional treasures of the cult, undead remains of the long- allies for planar transport.
vanished cultists, or even the mummifi ed remains of one or
more sarrukh. Adventure Synopsis

3. Oeble The khaastas assume that any creatures in this area, including
Scaleless Ones, are working with the sarrukh and have valu-
Oeble-town is located near the center of the Border Kingdoms, able knowledge about their whereabouts. Thus, they attempt to
straddling the River Scelptar west of the Qurth Forest. Home capture the PCs as soon as they notice the intrusion and torture
to all manner of rogues, outlaws, and folk unwelcome elsewhere, information out of them. Should the PCs prove diffi cult to cap-
the city’s multiracial populace includes a Yuan-ti ssrath (lesser ture, the khaastas have no qualms about killing them instead.
tribe, see Chapter 1) of House Eselema. The serpentfolk dwell in The party can interact with the khaastas in a number of
the Underways of Oeble—an ever-growing labyrinth of passage- ways. They could simply drive the creatures away, acquire the
ways beneath Oeble-town that is home to most of the “monsters relics they have unearthed from the sarrukh settlement, and
that reside in the city. then deal with the obelisk, or they could enter the ruins by
Members of the ssrath traffi c in slaves, shipping them south stealth, disable the obelisk, and return without engaging the
to the Eselemas tribal lands in the southern Black Jungles via khaastas in combat.
Lushpool. They also deal in mordayn powder, shipping it to agents Though the PCs may not realize it, the most important ele-
across Faerûn to further the schemes of House Eselemas. ment of this adventure is keeping the khaastas from gaining
One source of slaves is the two-way portal linking Essem- access to the power of the obelisk. Thus far, the reach of these
bra (specifi cally the catacombs of Adderposts) with Oeble. The aggressive and militant creatures has been largely limited by
southern terminus of this portal opens in a deserted cul-de-sac their inability to access other planes easily. A portal such as this
of the Underways near the subterranean tavern known as the one that provides access to nearly any plane in the multiverse
Talondance. The yuan-ti keep a close eye on the portal so that would transform them into a major threat. The khaastas realize
they can quickly round up any slaves from Essembra. the probable function of this device, so more will be sent if this
Inspiration regarding Oeble and its resident Yuan-ti ssrath force is slain or driven off. Destroying the obelisk provides a
may be found in The Black Bouquet, by Richard Lee Byers. much safer way to contain the threat.
Sarrukh Ruin Beginning the Adventure

Sarrukh Ruin is a short adventure designed for 7th-level char- From the surface, the ruins appear as nothing more than a
acters that can be placed anywhere within Faerûn. The season, rather large, foliage-covered hill. Originally, this underground
time of year, and the weather are irrelevant, since the majority settlement could be reached only via a tunnel leading from a
of the adventure is subterranean. system of caves that begins a mile away. But a long-ago earth-
quake collapsed a vital tunnel connection, cutting off that access
Background route. Now only a deep hole recently dug into the top of the
hill by the khaastas provides access to the entrance cavern. The
In their search for living sarrukh, the khaastas have unearthed adventure begins when the PCs discover this hole.
dozens of ancient ruins from the old empire. Occasionally, such

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