The Barren Fane

Area 2-4 – The Barren Fane

The Arm of the Abbot is concealed within the pedestal; the door to the reliquary is cunningly carved and only discovered after a close inspection. The wooden begging bowl is of no significance.

The pedestal is secured with a simple tumbler (DC 10 Pick Lock check) that readily yields to a talented thief. Within the pedestal is a broken humerus encased in poured glass and then wrapped in tattered homespun cloth. Unwieldy and awkward to carry, the glass shatters with even a slight blow, destroying the relic.

Removing the relic from the pedestal causes a frigid wind to sweep through the hall, leaving scores of gaunt, blue beggar children in its wake. The ghost beggars turn to the PC as one, their hollow eyes wide with desperation. The ghostly forms are emaciated and gaunt, dressed in tattered rags.

Escape is as easy as destroying the relic. Shattering the glass sends a blast of icy air through the chamber; characters within the chamber must succeed on DC 15 Fort saves or suffer 1d10 damage as they are blasted with ice.

Escaping with the relic is far more challenging:

The crowd of ghost-beggars refuses to let the PC pass. They cry out for alms, specifically food. Coins or other items have no worth to the beggars – they need food. A day’s worth of rations satisfies enough beggar-ghosts to move the PC a few steps towards the exit; it requires 20 days’ worth to exit the chamber. Other PCs can enter the fane, passing the through the crowd without incident, but when they attempt to leave, each PC must buy his way free with food.

Judge’s Note: It is likely that the player’s character sheets have little or no record of their supplies. There is no shame in this: the PCs are reavers and heathen slayers, not accountants! If a character record sheet has no accurate tally of rations, roll 1d7 to determine the PC’s true number of food stores. Increase or decrease the die according to the PC’s Luck modifier, so that a PC with a +1 Luck would roll 1d8, and a PC with -2 Luck would roll 1d4.

If the PCs will not (or cannot) appease the beggars, they must fight their way free. The beggars swarm any PCs within the fane; any successful attack drains a PC of 1d3 points of Stamina, causing the PC to become more gaunt and emaciated with each blow. A character reduced to 0 Stamina falls into a deathless slumber and can only be roused by the destruction of the relic (or a suitable quest of the judge’s devising).

It takes five rounds for a PC to cut his way free of the fane. Any successful turn attempt, or appropriate mighty deeds, reduces this by one round. Up to 6 ghosts can attack a PC at a time, but multiple characters fighting back to back dramatically reduce this number.

If the PCs manage to escape with the relic, see area 2-6 for details on how the characters can turn its powers against the Abbot.

Spirit of Hunger (hundreds of ghost beggars): Init -2; Atk touch -2 melee (1d3 Sta damage); AC 10; HD 4d4; hp 5; MV 30’; Act 1d20; SV Fort +14, Ref +8, Will +6; AL C.