Evakius' Retreat
The Chaos Crier #1 · p.15
Open source p.15Evakius'Retreat
Evakius is an alchemist who, unlike most of his colleagues, is not interested
in turning stuff into gold, but prefers experimenting with ways that alche-
mical compounds can transform living creatures. After being banished by his
neighbours for some failed experiments on cattle, he found refuge in the long-
abandoned salt mines in the forest near the farming village of Gerstedorf.
In his new home, hidden from judging eyes, Evakius began conducting his
experiments on different creatures, giving them strange powers and abilities.
Things got out of hand when an ancient demon, Old Botis, released from his salty
prison by the mining operations decades ago, reached out to Evakius and
offered him a pact, granting him vivimantic powers and allowing him to
transform, mix, and mutate creatures. Unbeknownst to Evakius, Old Botis' plan
is to let him bring to life ever stronger monstrosities that will eventually kill their
creator and be released into the world, spreading chaos.
adventure
By Andrea Gino
15
HOOKS
1. A number of abnormal creatures have been
reported in the woods near the small farming
community of Gesterdorf. The city authorities
have decided the problem isn't worth their time,
but that someone should be hired to investigate it.
A pact with old botis
If Evakius is killed, Old Botis may offer a
pact to the character with the most gifts
from Chaos. He doesn't reveal himself to
Law- or Balance-aligned characters, unless
directly summoned.
The pact grants the following power: two
creatures of lower levels than the character
merge into a monstrous beast. Its level is
equal to the higher of the two, plus 1. The
newborn monster retains one feature from
each (e.g. poisonous, flying…). The cha-
racter rolls their Doom die: 1. It attacks the
character immediately, 2-4. it attacks the
nearest creature, then calms down, 5+. the
creature obeys orders.
Old Botis does not care about mortals who
refuse a pact. Should the characters show
hostility or disrespect, he teaches them a
bloody lesson (LVL 5 incorporeal demon,
BSH, p.50).
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Maps (1)
Rooms (10)
Entrance shaft p.16
1. Entrance shaft: A sizeable wooden building covers the entrance to
the cave. A wooden crane with no rope hangs over a 20m deep well. A
ladder climbs down its walls. Some parts of the crane are rotting: breaks
when used, can be fixed by replacing the parts. The mangled corpses of 3
hunters and the remains of their camp lay scattered on the floor inside.
Entrance hall p.16
2. Entrance hall: At the bottom of the well is a dark room with
wooden boxes half filled with salt.The walls are smooth and shiny with
humidity. On one end, a wooden door leads to a long, dark corridor;
opening it will crush a vial placed on the opposite side and release a
cloud of hallucinogenic gas (disadvantage on all tests for an hour).
Forgotten shrine p.16
3. Forgotten shrine: At the end of the corridor, a wooden door is sealed
shut by salt crystals. Inside is a shrine to St. Ingulf, protector of brewers and
mining operations. The walls are decorated with a mosaic telling the saint's
history. On an altar are a few silver and gold items and a prayer book. Behind
it a well preserved, stone statue of the saint is placed in an alcove.
The hall of lights p.16
4. The hall of lights: On the side of the corridor, a stair leads down to a large conical room. It is
accessed from its top, via a creaking wooden passageway hanging on the walls, spiralling downwards.
Thousands of tiny green lights flutter at the bottom of the room; they are psychic fireflies that feed on
the mental energy of anyone in the bottom half of the room (WIS, U damage). Half of the floor is
flooded, hiding a secret passage. On the dry side, a wooden door opens into a torch-
lit corridor.
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2. An entrepreneurial young noble has bought the
deed to a salt mine that has lain abandoned for de-
cades. She needs some muscle to help her set up the
mining operations. The locals say the mine is cursed,
but they are just ignorant peasants…
Evakius [LVL3]
H Poisoned blade (DEX or STR):
3 + U ongoing damage
H Monstrous ally: Issue a
command to one of the scor-
pion-tailed mongrels
Evakius's hat: a pointy hat with
earflaps, inlaid with a metallic
foil. Grants advantage to WIS
tests.
Scorpion-tailed Mongrel
[LVL2]
H Bite (DEX or STR): 5
H Paralysing stinger: 3 + para-
lysed for U turns
3. A hunting party has gone
missing, and their families are
offering a reward to whoever
can bring them news of their
loved ones.
Cells p.17
5. Cells: The corridor opens into a dimly lit room reeking of rot and
Wyrmantis [LVL5]
wild beasts. A family of gnomes is trapped here in a locked cell. They
The scaly body of a giant
have been forced to distil alcohol for Evakius' experiments; they are
serpent, with the head and
invisible at first but they might reveal themselves to the characters to
claws of an equally giant
ask for their help. Cages with various living wild animals are stacked
praying mantis
on one side of the room. (There is a 10% chance Evakius is here,
Mantis vision: the wyrm-
unless alerted or encountered before.) Past the cells is a seemingly
antis has 360° vision
H Grab: Attacks against
new, heavy iron door barred on the outside. It has a an inspection slit,
the grabbed character are
revealing only darkness.
The pit p.17
6. The pit: The inside of the door is covered in claw marks.
automatically a success.
The conical room is silent and dark; a spiral stairway similar to the
Roll a STR or DEX success to
one in the hall of lights is barely visible from here. A wyrmantis
free yourself.
H Poisonous bite: 6+U
looms in the shadows.
The growing room p.17
7. The growing room: Before the cell room, a steep staircase leads to a closed door. Inside is a
torch-lit room where a dozen large glass vats are filled with a gelatinous fluid; various types of
impossible creatures (BSH,p.102) are growing in them. If the glass is broken, roll a .
1-2: the creature is dead or dying, 3-5: the creature (LVL 1 to 2) is alive but confused for one turn,
6: the creature (LVL3 to 4) is alive, well, and angry! (There is a 10% chance Evakius is here, unless
alerted or encountered before.)
The research lab p.17
8. The research lab: Beyond the growing room, a short corridor leads to a well-lit room, with
working tables covered in alembics, alchemic implements, and jars containing parts of creatures in
the same gelatinous fluid. On one of the tables are two vials, containing an anesthetic and a stimu-
lant (BSH, p.28). A weird -ooking shrine has been
built in one corner of the room with black candles,
scribbled arcane symbols, and evocation runes.
(There is a 40% chance Evakius is here, unless
alerted or encountered before.)
Evakius' chambers p.17
9. Evakius' chambers: Another short corridor
leads from the research lab to the bottom of ano-
ther conical room. It is a library filled with books
of alchemical formulae and bestiaries. A small
bed is on one side, and next to it a chest contai-
ning gold and gems worth x 100 coins. On a
lectern is a notebook describing Evakius' initial
experiments, his encounter with the demon, the
signing of the pact, and the current progress of
his work. The writing becomes gradually more
incoherent and ends vith the word: WYRMAN-
TIS. A wooden walkway spirals upwards and
leads to a hidden passage (10). (There is a 40%
chance Evakius is here, unless alerted or en-
countered before.)