The Fall of Blackbottom

Adventure Background

Ajax the Invincible, also known as the Iron Saint, is the human leader of Vasloria—and a vainglorious conqueror who intends to subjugate the world and gain true sainthood. With the help of his lieutenant, a powerful mage named Mortum, he has waged war across Orden from a floating fortress known as the Crysopolis, conquering the world piece by piece.

Two groups rose up in an attempt to stop him: the Lady of Brass and the Iron Tower of Dis. Both those factions’ own flying fortresses were readily struck from the heavens, with the Lady of Brass crashing in the barony of Oll and the Iron Tower of Dis’s flying pyramid smashing into the endless marsh of the Grey Wastes. On the heels of victory, Ajax waged a years-long war against Khemhara, the Infinite Desert to the East of Vasloria—until a conspiracy drew his attention to Blackbottom, Vasloria’s largest city.

The mercenary company known as the Chain of Acheron shaped a plan to assassinate Mortum in Blackbottom. When Ajax learned of this plot, he teleported the Crysopolis there and used the Jade Hand to summon the demon lord Relg. After slaying Red, the commander of the Chain, Relg now leads the fiendish invasion of Blackbottom. Ajax’s Hawklords, elite human enforcers mounted atop giant hawks, bomb sites across the city while a horde of demons tears through Blackbottom and its people.

This demonic invasion cannot be defeated. It cannot be stopped. It cannot be delayed. Ajax’s wrath is inevitable, and the fall of Blackbottom with it. But a small group of heroes might be a ripple in a raging tide, saving as many innocent civilians as they can while fleeing Blackbottom with their lives.

Adventure Synopsis

The Fall of Blackbottom begins on a calm morning at the Drunken Fool, a three-story inn renowned for its baths and jaunty atmosphere. When Ajax’s siege plunges the city into chaos, the heroes are instructed by a member of the Chain of Acheron to lead civilians to a safehouse where the Chain will regroup and help the helpless flee the city. When the heroes arrive at the safehouse, however, it becomes clear that no one is coming to help. What’s more, one or more of them are wanted by Ajax, known to the Overlord by name. Their lives—and the lives of everyone they’ve saved—now rest solely on their shoulders.

This adventure is broken into three chapters:

• Chapter 1: Caught in Ajax’s initial siege of Blackbottom, the heroes must escape from a burning tavern, save anyone they can find in the wake of this immediate crisis, and reach a safehouse where they can take shelter and plot their next move.

• Chapter 2: After Ajax’s initial attack, the occupation begins. The heroes must search for safe passage out of the city, but they’ll have plenty of chances to disrupt Ajax’s occupation in the process. Their actions in this section directly impact their standing in Chapter 3.

• Chapter 3: The heroes mount their escape through one of four routes they could have discovered in the previous chapter. A final confrontation with Ajax’s forces stands between them (and their refugees) and freedom.

Welcome to Blackbottom!

The major deepwater port city of western Vasloria, the Free City of Blackbottom has been a city of trade outside the feudal structure of Vasloria since even before the coming of the Caelian Empire three thousand years ago. The city is situated in western Aendrim between the baronies of Tor and Bedegar, and no duke, baron, or count of Aendrim rules or has any sway over the city. Instead, a small coalition of local nobles and merchant leaders make up the city council, the head of which is the lord mayor. The lord marshal of Blackbottom is the city’s ranking law enforcement official, known locally as the chief thieftaker.

Blackbottom gets its name from the massive black flagstones that tile the entire floor of the city’s harbor estuary. No one knows who laid these stones, never mind how or why, but many fantastical candidates can be found in local folklore—none of them human.

Before Ajax’s assault on the city (as detailed in this adventure), Blackbottom was known as the City of Smugglers. This was not a wholly pejorative term, however—everyone, from thieves and merchants to the barons and dukes, benefits from having one place where everyone can do business without fear of taxation or regulation. Getting things out of the city into Aendrim and beyond involves paying tariffs at the toll bridges along the roads leading to Tor and Bedegar. But there are always ways for an intrepid merchant to avoid the tariffs— especially if they don’t fear the law or the threat of prison.

Blackbottom’s closest trading neighbor has always been the legendary city of Capital. However, the people of Vasloria don’t have or spend as much money as folk of the more advanced regions of Khemhara and Higara, and so most technological innovations come to Vasloria slowly, if ever. The people of Blackbottom know all about clocks and timepieces. They just can’t afford them.

Notable NPCs

Many of the NPCs the heroes might save can play a large role in shaping the events of this adventure. They can provide advice or information, though they will almost certainly contradict each other at times. Familiarize yourself with these NPCs (listed in order of appearance) before running the adventure.

Captain Oriole

Oriole (human civilian; she/her) is a human smuggler who captains a ship known as the Revelation. She runs her crew with a great deal of mutual trust, although that trust is tested in the wake of Ajax’s siege. She’s forceful, daring, and level-headed.

Artistoxilath

An ex-foot soldier in King Omund’s Dragon Phalanx, the dragon knight Artistoxilath (Art-i-STOCKS-i-lath; dragon knight civilian; they/them) has spent these last fifteen years looking for odd jobs and avoiding the trouble that comes with being a dragon knight in Vasloria. They’re quiet, imposing, and attentive.

Colm

Colm (human civilian; he/him) is a bureaucrat who has served in Ajax’s regime for the last ten years. When he got word of Ajax’s surprise attack on Blackbottom, he attempted to warn his family and friends in the city. As a reward for his valor, Ajax’s priests arrested him and used him as a human sacrifice in the ritual to bring demons to Blackbottom. He’s repentant, logical, and weak-willed.

Hunt

Hunt (human; he/him) is a human high-ranking official of the Chain of Acheron. When the heroes meet him, he pledges to help get them to safety. A no-nonsense heroic figure, Hunt feels responsibility for the people of Blackbottom, because he knows this siege is a retaliation against the Chain. He has vowed to do what it takes to get people to safety, even at the cost of his own life. Hunt entrusts the heroes with a mission during the section To Safety: get the civilians to his safehouse in the city center.

Endangered Civilians

There are other minor named characters who are part of the contingent of civilians the heroes protect throughout the adventure. They are as follows (listed in approximate order of appearance):

Dwinn (human; he/him): The owner of the Drunken Fool. Quiet, observant, and resolute.

Lorelei (human; she/her): A woman on her honeymoon with Waves of Moonlight on a Shore of Glass. Impulsive, boisterous, and bold.

Waves of Moonlight on a Shore of Glass (high elf; she/her): A woman on her honeymoon with Lorelei. Goes by “Moonlight.” Reserved, shrewd, and loyal.

Percival (human; he/him): A noble on vacation. Foppish, self-important, and demanding.

Dinah (human; she/her): A waitress at the Drunken Fool. Sarcastic, witty, and resourceful.

Vonder (wode elf; he/him): A member of the Road, a thieves’ guild, found in the alleyways. Shifty, suspicious, and standoffish.

Bora (human; she/her): A merchant found on the rooftops who deals in exotic animals. Sentimental, oblivious, and nurturing.

Tch’dorit (radenwight; he/him): The aging leader of a group of mercenaries called the Blackenblues who are using the safehouse. His love of pyrotechnics is dwarfed by the responsibility he feels towards his family. Protective, wise, inquisitive.

The Chain of Acheron

This adventure presents the events covered in “Red Sky at Morning,” the first episode of Matt Colville’s 2019 weekly web series The Chain. The players take on the role of heroes present in Blackbottom, the largest city in Vasloria, when the Hawklords bomb it as part of Ajax the Invincible’s siege of the city. (See Adventure Background for more details.)

Backstory Prep

If players are building their own heroes, feel free to share parts of the Adventure Background and Welcome to Blackbottom! sections for them to consider. While these sections are primarily here to ground you, the Director, in the story and location, you can distill down the important points as they might relate to the heroes, then communicate them as part of the setup.

For the stakes of this adventure to really land, at least one of the heroes must be a known enemy of Ajax in some way: someone who has resisted his military’s activity and earned the attention of the Iron Saint himself. You can choose this at random or use elements of the heroes’ backstories or character sheet to decide this. Examples include:

• A dragon knight hero who once served King Omund or who keeps being mistaken for an old member of the Dragon Phalanx

• A member of the Chain of Acheron, implicated in the attempted assassination of Mortum merely by association

• A character with the Chosen One complication, whose prophesied appearance is known to Mortum and spells doom for Ajax

• A character with the Famous Relative complication, whom Ajax believes will be a good bargaining chip in his battle against the famous relative

This complication doesn’t need to be something the entire party knows about, or even something that the hero (or their player) is aware of. That’s up to you as the Director! The information can be delivered in Wanted by Ajax in Chapter 2.

Core Rulebooks

This adventure references rules from the Draw Steel core rulebooks, Heroes and Monsters. You need those books to play. When a creature appears in a combat encounter, its stat block is in Monsters unless the adventure states otherwise. The stat blocks you need for creatures not found in Monsters are at the end of this adventure in Appendix: Monsters.

For the First Session

For the first session, make sure you’ve read Running the Inn Fight beforehand. If you’re playing in a digital format, you can also set up the Drunken Fool Third Floor map with its combatants and civilians beforehand. Have your players build their heroes or choose one of the pregenerated heroes that come with this adventure.

When you’re ready to play, start with hero introductions in Every Good Adventure…

Handouts

Titles the heroes can earn, treasures they can find and craft, followers they can recruit, and important information they might need to remember can be found in the Handouts book.

Maps

Maps have been included for combat encounters, which should be played out using tokens and miniatures on a grid. Some maps are used for multiple encounters, and each encounter includes a reference picture that shows the heroes’ and monsters’ starting positions on the map. You can adjust these starting positions to match the actions of the heroes as needed.

Read-Aloud Text

• “Bulleted text that appears with quotation marks around it like this is meant to be read aloud or paraphrased to the players when the heroes enter a new area or a scene begins or changes.”

• “Each bullet is a new detail that’s important for the heroes to know.”

• “Feel free to adjust the text in these bullet points as makes sense for your adventure.”

Secret

Secret: Information presented with this subheading is something that the heroes don’t initially notice when they enter a new area or scene but can discover by investigating the environment, such as a secret door, hidden trap, or a camouflaged foe.

Setup

It’s recommended that you read each chapter of The Fall of Blackbottom in full before running it. Each chapter has player choices that pay off later in the adventure, so make sure you have something handy to help you track these decisions.

Every Good Adventure…

… starts in a tavern. The heroes arrive at the Drunken Fool as night begins and the first-floor tavern comes to life. Read or paraphrase the following:

• “It’s a chilly evening in the port city of Blackbottom, the largest city in Vasloria. This ocean port is a free city where different factions, national diplomats, and more can meet in peace and break bread together.”

• “You have found rooms in the Drunken Fool, known for its luxurious wooden bathtubs. Though the salt-scented air outside is brisk, the inn is a warm refuge from the chill.”

• “The first floor is a tavern, with a full kitchen and ales from across the world on tap. Many customers, both overnight guests and tavern regulars, rush in from the cold and contribute to a lively, jovial atmosphere.”

The heroes are here at this famous inn and spa to celebrate a job well done before moving on to the next big thing. In this scene, the players have a chance to establish their characters before the action starts. Ask the players to introduce their heroes. What do they look like? What do they order to eat and drink? How do they know each other? The following scenes can act as interludes to prompt further conversation and introduce important NPCs. You can run any number of them, but running at least two creates a solid foundation to begin the story on.

Tell Your Story: At least one of the heroes looks a little banged up from their last adventure. Dwinn, the proprietor, notices and asks the heroes to tell the tale. What heroic deed have the heroes just accomplished? How do the “other guys” look?

Sweating Smuggler: A nervous Captain Oriole sits by the fire, waiting for a potential buyer for what her crew has brought into Blackbottom. She negotiates with a few visitors over the course of the night, but none of them can pay what she’s asking. She intends to set up more meetings and try again tomorrow. Before she gives up for the night, she mistakes one of the heroes for a potential buyer, approaching them and speaking in vague terms only someone familiar with the black market would understand.

High-Profile Guest: All dragon knights attract unwanted attention. Scorned by those they failed to protect from Ajax and wanted by the Iron Saint himself, a dragon knight commands the attention of any room they walk into. When Artistoxilath enters the Drunken Fool, everything stops for a good thirty seconds. Then the whispers begin. Wanting to avoid trouble, Artistoxilath nurses a drink in a barren corner of the inn before moving to their room on the third floor for the night. (If one of the heroes is also a dragon knight, this happens twice—once when they walk in, and again when Artistoxilath enters!)

Drinking Contest: One guest challenges anyone who will listen to a drinking contest. Dwinn encourages this behavior—it makes him more money. Oriole, Artistoxilath, and Dwinn himself can be convinced to participate with a successful opposed Presence test. The NPCs don’t get bonuses to tests. Each participating character must make a Might or Agility test (character’s choice) opposed by the others. The character with the highest score wins. In the case of a tie, run a second round. The winner gets bragging rights and Dwinn’s admiration.

When the players have introduced their characters and gotten to know the NPCs, tell the heroes it’s time to retire to their rooms and end the scene.

Captain Oriole

Collapsing Inn

The action starts with the heroes on the third floor, which is already partially destroyed by the Hawklords’ bombardment.

At the end of the third combat round or when all the civilians on the third floor have been rescued (whichever comes first), the third floor collapses into the second floor. At the end of the sixth combat round or after all the civilians on the second floor have been rescued (whichever comes first), the second floor collapses into the first. If a floor collapses in the middle of the combat round, pick a number of demon groups on the floor below equal to the number of heroes who haven’t acted yet in the current round. Those demon groups get to act during the current combat round, but others must wait for the next round.

When a floor collapses, any demons or civilians on a collapsing floor die. Demons and civilians on the floor below are unharmed. Transport every hero on the collapsing floor to the floor below and have them make an Agility or Might test (their choice): ≤11 The hero takes 5 damage from falling and the crumbling debris and is prone. (This damage is less than normal falling damage because the collapsing debris slows their fall.) 12–16 The hero takes no damage but is prone. 17+ The hero takes no damage and isn’t prone unless they already were.

If a hero braces for the collapse in some way, you can grant them an edge, a double edge, or an automatic tier 3 outcome on the roll depending on how well you think the idea would work.

Each time a floor of the inn collapses, your Malice resets to 0 and any abyssal rifts you’ve opened (through activating demon Malice features) close. The heroes keep their Heroic Resources.

Endangered Civilians

The second and third floors of the inn contain noncombatants who have become imperiled by the bombardment. They might be frozen in panic, trapped under debris, searching for loved ones, cornered by a demon, or otherwise unable to flee. In general, once a civilian is helped, they flee and get to safety immediately. Individual area descriptions explain how to help the civilians in that area.

Let the players know they’ll be awarded a bonus Victory if they rescue most of the. Avoid giving them a firm number, since they don’t know about the second- and ground-floor combats to come. You can award the bonus Victory if at least half the civilians (eight out of the fifteen endangered civilians) get out of the inn alive. If you’re playing with three heroes, award the bonus Victory if the heroes save six out of the endangered eleven civilians.

The heroes can hear any civilian calling for help when they’re on the same floor as that civilian, unless the civilian is unconscious or the area description indicates otherwise.

In the confusion and panic of the moment, some civilians who are saved flee the inn and exit the story altogether. Others recognize the heroes are their best shot at survival and cling to them. All named civilians (Oriole, Artistoxilath, Moonlight, Lorelei, Percival, Dwinn, and Dinah) gather in the kitchens on the ground floor and wait for the heroes to clear the inn before emerging.

To Conceal or Not to Conceal The map of the Drunken Fool is large by design. This makes it difficult (though not impossible) for even the most skilled parties to save everyone on the map. However, the heroes might get discouraged after opening a few doors and finding nothing but rubble and hazards, turning an exciting and desperate rush for survival into a slog.

If you think your players would have more fun making hard but informed choices than they would rushing to open every door, don’t conceal the closed rooms with fog of war. Show them what’s happening in each room and let them assess whether it’s tactically sound to attempt to save the civilians scattered across the map.

Running the Inn Fight

This section explains how to deal with the obstacles the heroes will encounter across all three levels of the Drunken Fool. The action begins in Death in the Morning, but you should first read through this material to familiarize yourself with this encounter. The entire fight, from the third floor to the ground floor, is one encounter. Don’t stop the action in between floors; keep the pressure on!

On each floor of the inn, the heroes have several concerns aside from regular combat with fiends, including the collapsing inn and endangered civilians.

Collapsing Rooms

As noted in the area text, certain rooms in the inn are unstable because of the bombardment, so they collapse as soon as any creature enters them. Any creature can use a maneuver while within 1 square of a room to make an easy Intuition test, determining whether the room is at risk of collapse on a success.

When a room collapses, its floor remains intact and the creature who entered it must make an Agility test: ≤11 The creature takes 4 damage and 4 fire damage. 12–16 The creature takes 2 damage and 2 fire damage. 17+ The creature takes no damage.

Death in the Morning

After you finish running the scenes in Every Good Adventure…, the heroes head to bed. Read or paraphrase the following text to set the scene as they awake the next morning:

• “The smell of breakfast—smoked fish and herbs on crisp bread, sizzling eggs with lobster folded in—and the gentle scent of the baths stir the inn’s guests awake as they go about their morning routines.”

• “And then the world erupts into chaos. A deafening crash that is earthquake and thunder and lightning all at once explodes around and within the inn, white-hot and all-consuming.”

Demons

The demons summoned to Blackbottom don’t appear on any floor of the inn until at least two heroes are on that floor. The fiends don’t push the heroes through the gaping holes at the center of the inn floor, not wanting to risk another fiend devouring the soul of their prey.

When the heroes engage demons who are attacking civilians, the demons turn their attention to the heroes instead.

If all the demons on a particular floor are killed, continue to run combat in rounds until the heroes have saved any additional civilians or completed any other tasks they set out to do on that floor.

Fire

The second and third floors of the inn contain patches of fire. Any creature who enters a patch of fire for the first time in a round or starts their turn there takes 3 fire damage. Demons avoid moving through fire

Inn Height and Climbing

When combat begins, the roof is torn off the inn, leaving the third floor open to the sky. The first and second floors are each 3 squares high. As each floor collapses, the floor below it loses its ceiling.

On the ground floor and second floor, a hero can climb up through the hole in the center of the ceiling to the floor above. Doing so costs 2 squares of movement for every 1 square climbed (no test required).

Third Floor

The heroes have left the partially destroyed guest quarters and entered the third-floor central hall. The heroes have been staying in any of the empty rooms that are now ready to collapse—areas T4 and T9 on this floor.

Use the Drunken Fool Third Floor map at the start of this encounter. Place the heroes on the map in the starting area, along with the fiends and noncombatants immediately visible in areas T1, T2, and T3. The stat blocks and tactics for each creature can be found in Drunken Fool Third Floor.

The innkeeper’s quarters and most of the guest quarters on this floor have been destroyed. Fires are burning in several areas, and the inn’s structural supports are clearly damaged. When you’re ready to begin the encounter, read or paraphrase the following:

• “Through the shattered outside walls of the inn, the scent of alchemical explosives fills the air.”

• “Whole rooms in the inn are destroyed beyond recognition, flames eating at snapped wooden supports and destroyed furniture.”

• “A massive hole has been torn in the center of the floor, a burning maw that further complicates egress from the inn.”

• “Frenzied fiends with wicked claws, barbed tongues, and foul saliva prowl toward you, underscored by cries of pain and screams for help.”

• “The groaning of the building’s timbers tells you that the inn can’t be protected from its imminent collapse, but the civilians inside can be saved—if you act quickly.”

Drunken Fool Third Floor Groups

Reinforcements

At the start of the second combat round, another ruinant teleports in (from the Iron Orb on the ground floor that the heroes will soon discover), appearing adjacent to the hero with the highest Stamina remaining.

Encounter Adjustments

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For six heroes, add four pitlings to group 3 and four frenzieds to group 4.

• For four heroes, remove one ruinant from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove two ruinants from the start of the encounter. Additionally, remove the civilians from area T6.

Tactics

The ruinants in area T1 immediately move to engage the heroes. They attack the two nearest characters, hoping to injure them quickly so they can use their Salt Wounds maneuver. The remasch assesses the heroes, then teleports in to attack a spellcasting hero. They then spend Malice to bring that target with them when they teleport away to the opposite side of the area, isolating them from their allies.

All other demons continue to harry the civilians they’re closest to until a hero approaches or otherwise draws their attention.

Civilians Overview

The following civilians are on the third floor at the start of the encounter:

• One civilian in area T2 is cornered by four pitlings.

• Two civilians in area T3 are trapped by debris.

• Two civilians are crying out for help on the balcony in T6.

• One civilian in area T8 is unconscious on the floor.

• Two civilians in area T11 are cornered by four frenzied.

Moving On

At the end of the third combat round on this floor, or when all the civilians on this floor have been rescued (whichever comes first), the third floor collapses into the second floor.

Move to Drunken Fool Second Floor to continue this encounter.

Second Floor

Flames engulf the second floor of the inn, and only sparse structural supports remain.

Place the heroes on the Drunken Fool Second Floor map near the south stairs if they descend from the third floor, or at the location where they fall if the third floor collapses (or if they fall by other means). The stat blocks and tactics for each creature can be found in Drunken Fool Second Floor.

When the heroes arrive on this floor, read or paraphrase the following:

• “The building groans, sagging into itself as detritus rains down, meteoric and foreboding.”

• “Distant screams are barely heard over the frantic shrieks of a group of humans fleeing for the stairs, a pack of fiends hot on their heels.”

• “Between humans and demons stands Artistoxilath, right arm slack at their side, brandishing a blazing wooden support beam in their other hand.”

Drunken Fool Second Floor Groups

Reinforcements

At the start of the second combat round, one remasch appears adjacent to the hero with the highest remaining Stamina.

Encounter Adjustments

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For six heroes, add four frenzieds to group 1 and four pitlings to group 2 at the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, move the remasch and civilian in area S10 into the northeast corner of area S1 at the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove the two civilians in S9. Additionally, move the remasch and civilian in area S10 into the northeast corner of area S1 at the start of the encounter.

Tactics

The monsters in group 1 harry Artistoxilath.

In the northwest corner, group 2 searches for victims in each of the rooms. The pack starts by busting down the door to S11 and continues counterclockwise until it finds civilians to devour or the heroes defeat it.

Moving On

At the end of the sixth overall combat round in this encounter, or when all the civilians on this floor have been rescued (whichever comes first), the second floor collapses into the ground floor.

Move to Ground Floor to continue this encounter.

Civilians Overview

The following civilians are on the third floor at the start of the encounter:

• Two civilians run as Artistoxilath holds off demons in area S1.

• One civilian is barricaded in area S4.

• One civilian is trapped in the corner of the room in area S6.

• Two civilians are hiding on the balcony in area S9.

• One civilian cowers from an approaching remasch in area S10.

Ground Floor

The ground floor of the inn is dominated by an open common room surrounded by a number of side chambers. Most of this area is now in ruins. When the heroes arrive on this floor, read or paraphrase the following:

• “The bodies of guests and staff alike litter the ground floor, their corpses either charred or rendered to bloody heaps of shredded flesh.”

• “Several packs of fiends are clustered around a black-iron ball hovering in midair, set with deep ridges and burning with a wicked flame not of this world.”

• “Worse still is the sight of Blackbottom through the windows and rubble beyond. Hundreds of these iron balls have cratered sections of the city and are disgorging fiends faster than people can flee from them.”

Drunken Fool Ground Floor Groups

Encounter Adjustments

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For six heroes, add one ruinant and four ensnarers as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove one torlas and four frenzieds from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove one torlas, four frenzieds, one ruinant, and four ensnarers from the start of the encounter.

Tactics

The ruinants and ensnarers take the front lines, locking down enemies. The remasch and pitlings teleport around the inn, attacking and isolating vulnerable targets. The torlases harass enemies from a distance using their Floor to Flesh ability to control the battlefield and shift the heroes into fires and each other.

Iron Orb

The Iron Orb is a magical black-iron ball dropped by the Hawklords that acts as a gateway to the Abyssal Wasteland. The orbs scattered across the city are the doorways through which countless fiends are invading Blackbottom on Ajax’s orders.

The orb affects combat with its Abyssal Aura ability. The heroes don’t need to destroy the Iron Orb, but any hero who succeeds on an easy Reason test or who has knowledge of the Abyssal Wasteland knows that it can be destroyed. Alternatively, you can convey this in narration by having the orb take damage from a hero or fiend’s area ability, crack slightly each time it summons another fiend, or take damage from falling debris.

Into the Iron Orb

When the demons are defeated, the last captain to fall drops a small plate of black iron. The plate feels uncomfortable to hold and appears to be made of the same iron as the orb. If the plate is touched to the orb, the orb opens a slit just wide enough for the plate to be pressed into. Doing so causes the orb to shimmer, then transform into a portal into the Abyssal Wasteland.

On the other side of the portal, priests of Ajax torture a human man named Colm. The ritual attracts demons, who are then sent through to Orden. Read or paraphrase the following when the heroes enter the portal:

• “A stone platform opens up over a roiling field of entropic energy, a single human chained to an altar at its far end. His body bears the marks of endless and unimaginable torture.”

• “Around him, priests dressed in Ajax’s colors chant, that chanting combining with the victim’s agony to draw demons into this realm. Just as the demons appear, they vanish, drawn across planar boundaries into Blackbottom.”

Iron Orb Groups

Reinforcements

At the start of the third combat round if Colm is still being tortured on the altar, a group of eight pitlings attracted by his pain appear in unoccupied spaces of your choice.

Encounter Adjustments

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For six heroes, add two remasches to group 5 at the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove one torlas and four frenzieds from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove one torlas, four frenzieds, and two remasches from the start of the encounter.

Abyssal Field

The heroes and their enemies can be pushed off the edge of the platform and into the abyssal energy field around it. Any creature who has M<1 and enters the abyssal field for the first time in a combat round or starts their turn there is weakened (EoT).

The abyssal energy field becomes solid 3 squares below the platform and is tangible enough that a creature can climb back up to the platform. Doing so costs 2 squares of movement for every 1 square climbed (no test required).

If the heroes push demons into the abyssal energy field, spend Malice to open an Abyssal Rift and allow the demons to walk back onto the map.

Abyssal Howl

At the start of each combat round, abyssal energy wracks all non-demonic creatures. Each hero must make a Might test as the area shivers with a profane energy that harms their souls: ≤11 The creature takes 5 corruption damage and is slowed (EoT). 12–16 The creature takes 2 corruption damage. 17+ The creature takes no damage.

Freeing Colm

Colm is not in danger of being killed by the cultists or demons. They need him alive to continue the ritual. However, he’s still being tormented while he remains on the altar.

Any hero adjacent to Colm can free him from his restraints as a main action. If this happens while there are still enemies to fight, the foes focus on the heroes—for the ritual to continue, they must leave the specially prepared victim alive.

Tactics

The death cultists and their acolytes stay back, using their ranged signature abilities to weaken powerful-looking foes. The death acolytes remain close to the death cultists so they can heal their captain using the effect of their Necrotic Bolt ability.

The torlases use their Floor to Flesh ability on the map’s major points of egress to slow the heroes’ travel up the map and push them off the edge. The frenzieds charge toward these choke points to attack the closest hero.

Ending the Encounter

The encounter ends when all the heroes and Colm have made it back through the portal and into the Drunken Fool. If the heroes flee this fight with Colm before defeating all their foes, the remaining enemies can follow them through the portal to the ground floor of the inn—but if the heroes all made it out, it’s probably more fun and cinematic to narrate the orb’s destruction and end the encounter then and there. Each hero earns 2 Victories.

Colm’s Story

Colm is barely conscious when rescued and can’t talk much at first. He gives his name, thanks the heroes for saving him, and urges them to get to safety before talking. Even before the heroes bring him back to Blackbottom, Colm is aware of what’s happening in the city, saying, “The Crysopolis has arrived … there’s truly no escape from his iron will.”

Colm was an administrator aboard the Crysopolis, Ajax’s floating fortress, until just recently. He enjoyed a comfortable life managing the procurement of materials and labor to build the massive weapons the fortress now drops on Blackbottom. Colm still has family in the city, so when instruction came from on high to prepare the Iron Orbs and other weaponry for the siege on Blackbottom, he refused. In retaliation, Ajax condemned him to be the subject of the demon-summoning ritual in the Abyssal Wastes.

Colm shares this information freely once the heroes get to the safehouse (see Unsafe House later in this chapter), but a character who’s familiar with Ajax’s army and has the Culture, Society, or Strategy skill can recognize he still wears his Crysopolis uniform (which he was arrested in).

Into the Orb

Running the Escape

This section presents information to help you run the rest of this chapter smoothly.

Civilians

During the escape, civilians are still noncombatants, and the heroes must continue to keep them safe through the threats and challenges of the siege. Civilians appear on the map during combat and can be negatively impacted by montage test failures.

Monsters attack a civilian only if they’re the closest target or the advice suggests it as part of a Tactics section. Each time a civilian takes damage (from a monster’s attack, an environmental effect, or something else), it counts as one hit against the civilians. When the civilians collectively take three hits, one of them dies. Usually, the last one to get hit is the one who dies, but if a civilian dies due to getting hit from a montage test, the Director decides which one the hit affects.

When a civilian within 1 square of any hero is about to take damage or otherwise be affected by a monster’s ability, that hero can choose to take the damage and effects for them as a free triggered action. Any hero can, as a maneuver, move any number of civilians up to 5 squares.

Civilians are considered the heroes’ allies and are therefore able to benefit from any heroic ability that affects allies. Outside of combat, any hero can use one of their recoveries to reset the number of hits the civilian group has sustained to zero. This doesn’t bring back civilians who have already died.

Abstracting the Extraction While Draw Steel has a noncombatant stat block, there’s a large chance there will be a lot of civilians to keep track of during this section. The hit system should lighten that cognitive load for both the Director and the players. This keeps combat moving and helps the players make informed choices about whether to save civilians or press the attack. But watch out! There are places in the escape where a failure results in the instant death of a civilian.

Environments

As they flee Blackbottom, the heroes encounter different scenarios in three environments: the alleyways, rooftops, and sewers. They must choose to move through either the alleyways or the rooftops at the end of Farewell to Hunt to get to the sewers where the safehouse can be accessed.

Both the alleyways and rooftops have unique encounters with different civilians to save. Though the heroes can only take one path now, there’s a chance later in the adventure they might need to clear the route they didn’t originally take.

To Safety

After the heroes defeat the final demon (or exit from the orb), read or paraphrase the following text:

• “What remains of the inn’s walls fall, revealing that what was once Blackbottom has become a hellscape!”

• “Looming over all the mayhem, casting a shadow that turns day into hellish, burning night, is the Crysopolis—the giant, floating headquarters of Ajax the Invincible.”

• “Giant iron orbs fall from the sky, dropped by Hawklords flying to and from the gigantic airship.”

• “Buildings burn and collapse as patchwork humanoids with heavy collars gleefully roam the streets hurling alchemical flasks to hasten the flames.”

• “Demons emerge from orbs, sniffing around for their next meal and finding it in the form of fresh corpses—though they’d prefer something wriggling.”

• “A group of civilians, huddled together nearby, calls out for your help. You recognize them as patrons of the inn you just saved.”

Tell your players which civilians are outside the inn calling for their help. So long as they were saved, these characters include Oriole, Dwinn, Dinah, Artistoxilath, Percival, Moonlight, Lorelei, and Colm. At once they begin arguing over what to do next: Do they find shelter in Blackbottom? Make a break for the city limits? Allow the heroes to participate in this conversation, but before they take decisive action, interrupt with the following:

• “From an alley, a hulking demon with gnarled claws and fangs dripping with blood surges toward the group. The people around you recoil.”

• “An axe buries itself into the demon’s head, and as the demon’s cleaved sides fall to the ground, a human man in leather armor steps forward through the viscera.”

• “The warrior’s insignia identifies him as a senior officer of the Chain of Acheron. He glances your way and furrows his brow.”

• “‘What are you doing standing around?’ he barks. ‘Come with me. We’ll get these people to safety.’”

This no-nonsense man is Hunt, a high-ranking member of the Chain of Acheron. Hunt recognizes that the heroes are people he can delegate to, not defenseless civilians. As he leads everyone through the streets, he explains that he has an underground safehouse with enough supplies to last a few weeks. His plan is to lie low until the bombing stops, then find a way to get everyone out of the city. He also tells the heroes how to find the safehouse, in case they get separated: get to the sewers, then follow the Chain of Acheron coat of arms.

Why Not Just Leave? The players might suggest leaving Blackbottom altogether, instead of searching for a safehouse below the city. The NPCs might argue against that plan with the following:

• Hunt says that the safehouse is closer than any exit from the city.

• Oriole says the closest escape path would be the docks to the west, but she’s sure that any crew with a brain would have already left (although she wonders if her crew has left without her).

• Colm says that since the army’s goal is destruction and death, they’ll have placed troops at the city’s exits to pick off those trying to escape.

Clear a Path

Hunt leads the group of heroes and civilians down a street with access to the sewers. Unfortunately, both the ground and aerial assaults rage on through the streets of Blackbottom, so the heroes must clear a path through the mayhem for their charges. Read or paraphrase to set the scene:

• “As you make your way through what’s left of Blackbottom, the giant iron orbs continue to fall and demons stalk the streets.”

• “The fires burn bright and hot, dropping debris that blocks off streets.”

• “The people traveling with you shrink from the scene, overwhelmed by the chaos and bloodshed around them.”

• “Finding a safe path through the chaos won’t be easy.”

To move forward, the heroes must clear the rubble before fiends swarm the group. Run this as a montage test. Once per round, Hunt assists one hero’s action, granting them an edge on their test.

The Clear a Path Test Difficulty table shows this montage test’s success and failure limit based on the number of heroes participating in the test.

Clear a Path Test Difficulty

Montage Test Challenges

The following challenges are suitable for this montage test:

Avoid Bombardment: Hawklords drop iron balls and explosives from the sky onto a broken city. Suggested Characteristics: Agility, Intuition. Suggested Skills: Alertness, Gymnastics.

Avoid Demons: Demons search for their next meal, but they can be distracted or snuck past. Suggested Characteristics: Agility, Presence. Suggested Skills: Lie, Perform, Sneak.

Avoid Fire: Fire spreads quickly, blocking paths forward that were once safe. Heroes can smother it or avoid it altogether. Suggested Charac- teristics: Might, Agility. Suggested Skills: Endurance, Gymnastics, Lift.

Calm Civilians: Everyone’s in crisis mode, affecting their ability to think. Suggested Characteristics: Presence. Suggested Skills: Lead, Navigate.

Clear Rubble: The rubble on the ground makes for a harder way forward. Suggested Characteristics: Might, Presence. Suggested Skills: Endurance, Lead, Lift.

Scout Ahead: The heroes can scout ahead to find the safest path through the chaos, protecting the civilians from surprises. Suggested Characteristics: Agility, Intuition. Suggested Skills: Alertness, Climb, Search.

Montage Test Outcomes

The montage test can have the following outcomes:

Total Success

If the heroes earn a total success, they clear a path quickly and efficiently. The heroes earn 1 Victory each, and they bypass the first combat encounter in either the Alleys or the Rooftops.

Partial Success

If the heroes earn a partial success, they clear a path but don’t avoid future encounters.

Total Failure

If the heroes suffer total failure, they clear a path after a great deal of effort and strife. The civilians take five hits, which leads to at least one civilian’s death.

Farewell to Hunt

With the civilians safely escorted to the end of the street, Hunt and the heroes can breathe easier, but just for a second. Read or paraphrase the following:

• “There’s just one more block to go until the closest sewer grate. But that’s when explosions erupt behind you, and gleeful screeches ring through the air.”

• “A freakish humanoid shaped from stitched-together limbs and wearing mangled armor swoops down from the sky toward a civilian.”

• “Hunt pushes the civilian out of the way, leaving himself in the monster’s clutches.”

• “As the horror drags Hunt into the air, he screams at you to ‘Go! Get to the safehouse!’”

• “When the monster reaches the apex of their flight, they drop Hunt, letting his body crash onto the cobbled streets with a bone-crunching, fatal crack. Alerted by the noise, a gruesome horde of stitched-together soldiers turns its attention to you—war dogs, Ajax’s patchwork strike force.”

The heroes can’t save Hunt, so make it clear he’s beyond help. Their mission is to take charge of the situation in his stead and get the civilians to the safehouse.

From here, the heroes must make it to the closest sewer entrance. They can choose one of two paths forward. Use the following setups to let the players decide their course:

Alleys: Choose one hero at random to notice the neighboring alleys are clear of immediate threats and easy to slip through. They’re also full of places to hide.

Rooftops: Choose one hero at random to notice the chimney of a nearby building has fallen into an adjacent building, creating a rough but easy-to-climb ramp up to the roof. The rooftops in Blackbottom are close together and often connected by ladders and makeshift bridges, creating a path above the chaos of the streets.

Have the players choose between the alleys or the rooftops, then proceed to that section.

Alleys

With tusker demons and war-ready monsters parading down the main streets, the alleyways provide much-needed cover from the chaos. Unfortunately, the violence trickles into even the smallest of spaces. Use the Alleys map to run the alley encounters.

Demon Assault

If the heroes chose the alleys after Farewell to Hunt and earned a total success during the Clear a Path montage test, skip this encounter. Read or paraphrase the following to set the scene:

• “The twisting, turning alleyways of Blackbottom are quieter than the main streets, but only just.”

• “The people under your escort keep their heads low as they follow you.”

• “As you enter the space between a cluster of buildings, you notice two bands of demons fighting over a pile of fallen bodies.”

One hero can lead the group to sneak around these demons undetected with a hard Agility test: ≤11 The demons spot the heroes and attack. The heroes are surprised at the start of combat. 12–16 The demons spot the heroes and attack. 17+ The heroes and their charges successfully navigate the alleys without alerting the demons.

If combat breaks out, the details of that encounter follow.

Demon Assault Groups

Encounter Adjustments

If the heroes competed the Iron Orb encounter, remove four pitlings from group 1 and four ensnarers from group 3.

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For six heroes, add one ruinant and four ensnarers as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove one ruinant from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove one ruinant and two remasches from the start of the encounter.

Competitive Demons

At the start of the second or third combat round (your choice), the competition between the demon bands reaches a breaking point. Choose one demon minion from each band. Those fiends can immediately take a free turn, during which each fiend has immunity to all damage and a double edge on power rolls.

When both free turns are done, the demon minion who was more effective during their free turn kills the other demon instantly, gaining their consumed souls and transforming using the Abyssal Evolution Malice feature without spending Malice.

Terrain: Alleys

The buildings in this alley are 5 squares high. The well in the northern part of the map is 4 squares deep and has less than 1 square of water in it.

Tactics

The two bands of demons are highly competitive. If a hero reduces a demon to low Stamina without killing them, the fiends from the other group try to prove their superiority by finishing the wounded demon off.

In the first band, the remasches keep themselves and their allies moving with their Grasping Shadow and Abyssal Strike abilities, letting the pitlings overwhelm their foes.

In the second band, the ruinants focus on killing heroes who can heal first, directing their ensnarers to pull those heroes right into the fray.

Ending the Encounter

The demons fight until all non-minion enemies are defeated and the remaining fiends are outnumbered two to one. The remaining demons flee, which ends the encounter. Each hero earns 1 Victory

Alleys: Demon Assault

Abduction

As the heroes continue through the alley, they hear ecstatic whooping over the thundering sounds of boot on stone. Read or paraphrase the following:

• “In a small courtyard within a tight cluster of buildings, three men in dark, nondescript clothing run from a contingent of seven collared war dogs.”

• “It’s too cramped for the men to break into a full sprint, so one of them jams his last dagger through a war dog’s gut, killing them. The collar on the monster’s neck flashes and beeps—then the beast explodes.”

• “The men jump away just in time. Seeing your group has no collars, the one who stabbed the war dog calls out, ‘A little help would even the odds, you know!’”

This man is Vonder, a high-ranking member of the Road, a thieves’ guild in Blackbottom. The two men next to him are supposedly members of the Road as well, but they’re actually war dog hypokrites in disguise, and this chase is a ruse. The hypokrites were hoping to follow Vonder back to the Road’s hideout, where they would massacre the guild, but they never expected Vonder to stand and fight.

The heroes can help Vonder or proceed to the sewer grate.

If Vonder survives, he realizes he now trusts the heroes more than he can his own men. How many of the Road are war dogs in disguise, he wonders. He asks the heroes if he can join their crew of refugees.

If the heroes battle the war dogs, the details of the encounters follow.

Abduction Groups

Encounter Adjustments

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For six heroes, add one war dog amalgamite as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove one war dog amalgamite from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove one war dog lesser hypokrite from the start of the encounter.

Vonder

Vonder, having no weapons left and no more tricks up his sleeve, is a noncombatant who can withstand three hits before dying. As long as any hero is adjacent to Vonder, he takes no damage from enemies. In this encounter, he is counted separately from the group of civilians. After this encounter, he joins the group and shares their hit count pool.

Terrain: Alleys

The buildings in this alley are 5 squares high. The well in the northern part of the map is 4 squares deep and has less than 1 square of water in it.

Tactics

The war dogs revel in violence. Though they’ve been tasked with chasing down Vonder, they jump at the chance to challenge the heroes. The amalgamites charge the heroes looking for a fight to the death.

The lesser hypokrites reveal themselves on their first turn, keeping Vonder from running off. The sharpshooters target anyone they perceive as a threat with their Bolt Launcher ability.

If the war dogs realize they’re about to go down, they want to take as many people with them as they can. When they become winded, they focus on positioning themselves so that they can deal as much damage with their Loyalty Collar ability as possible.

Ending the Encounter

Once the heroes clear the alleyways, they earn 1 Victory each, or 2 Victories if they saved Vonder.

They can then make their way into the sewers to reach the safehouse.

Alleys: Abduction

Rooftops

Though the rooftops of Blackbottom are closer to the Crysopolis and the Hawklords’ aerial assault, it’s much faster to move above the crowds and wreckage than through them.

Use the Rooftops map to run the rooftop encounters. Each of the buildings is 6 squares tall.

War Dog Showdown

If the heroes chose the rooftops after Farewell to Hunt and earned a total success during the Clear a Path montage test, skip this encounter. Read or paraphrase the following to set the scene:

• “From this high vantage point, the extent of Blackbottom’s destruction is plain to see.”

• “The way forward is clear: you’ll move between rooftops along ladders and rickety planks of wood, keeping the civilians behind you and above the chaos.”

• “A pair of winged soldiers flank the rooftops ahead, above two packs of hulking, misshapen soldiers.”

War Dog Showdown Groups

Encounter Adjustments

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For six heroes, add two war dog teletalites as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove two war dog eviscerites from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove two war dog eviscerites and two war dog teletalites from the start of the encounter.

Boom!

At the start of the second combat round, the war dogs blow up the building with the most heroes on it.

Each creature on the heroes’ side who’s on that building must make an Agility test: ≤11 The creature takes 8 damage and falls prone. 12–16 The creature takes 5 damage. 17+ The creature takes no damage.

Terrain: Rooftops

Each of the buildings is 6 squares tall.

Tactics

The winged neuronites immediately take to the air and attack the heroes with their Synlirii Grafts ability, hoping to force them off the rooftops and then follow up from above.

The eviscerites use their Chainsaw Whip ability to pull and grab foes, locking down any threats. The commandos strike from range while they can, while the teletalites teleport across the rooftops, hoping to help their allies overwhelm their foes.

Ending the Encounter

The war dogs fight to the death. This encounter ends when they’re all dead. Each hero earns 1 Victory.

Disturbed Griffons

Standing on the rooftops, exposed to the violence raining from the heavens, is a human merchant named Bora who deals in exotic animals. Two of the griffons she’d brought to Blackbottom to sell are a few feet away from her, startled and shrieking as the carnage blooms around them. Any hero can make a medium Intuition test (using the Handle Animals skill if they have it) to calm the creatures: ≤11 The hero succeeds only in angering the two griffons, who knock one of the civilians off the roof, killing them instantly. 12–16 The hero manages to calm the creatures, but doesn’t come out unscathed. They take 6 damage from the griffons’ talons. 17+ The hero calms the griffons without injuring themselves or the beasts. One of the griffons takes a shine to the hero and offers them a token of their affection—a felt toy Fetching Mouse (see Cinematic Assistance in Chapter 3).

If the heroes calm the griffons, Bora thanks them. While she must get her griffons to safety, she asks the heroes where they’re headed and plans to check in on them when things have calmed down.

Transition

The heroes each earn 1 Victory for clearing the way through the rooftops. They can then make their way into the sewers to reach the safehouse.

Rooftops: War Dog Showdown

Sewer Collapse

The path through the sewers leads directly to the safehouse, but before the heroes make it there, a massive explosion topside causes tremors underground. Read or paraphrase the following:

• “An ear-splitting explosion erupts on the streets above, quaking the sewers. For a few seconds, only trickles of sand and rock fall from the ceiling. Then large chunks of stone plummet, crashing down and sinking into the sludge below.”

• “With this much structural damage to the sewer walls, the flow of sewage has turned from a steady stream into a raging river as water surges down the corridors.”

• “The path forward, in your grasp just moments ago, is now flooded and buried under rocks and debris, unscalable by the weak and injured in your party.”

• “The sewers continue to shake, plunging more debris into the deep sewage. Excited shouts and lupine yips echo in the distance behind you. Friend or foe, you cannot know, but it’s a bad idea to stick around and find out.”

To move forward, the heroes must get the civilians through to the other side in time to avoid whoever’s running in from behind them. Run this as a montage test.

The Sewer Collapse Test Difficulty table shows this montage test’s success and failure limit based on the number of heroes participating in the test.

Sewer Collapse Test Difficulty

Montage Test Challenges

The following challenges are suitable for this montage test:

Avoid Goblins: Goblins in the sewers look for their next mark, and they’re hot on the heroes’ heels, but they can be slowed by distracting or sabotaging their worg mounts. Suggested Characteris- tics: Agility, Presence. Suggested Skills: Handle Animals, Lie, Sabotage.

Cross Sewage River: Deep water and sewage make it hard for the civilians to traverse through parts of the sewer. Suggested Character- istics: Agility, Might. Suggested Skills: Endurance, Swim.

Deal With Falling Ceiling: Heroes can hold up the ceiling to prevent more wreckage from falling or clear away the debris faster than it can fall. Suggested Characteristics: Might. Suggested Skills: Endurance, Lift. Special: This challenge can be overcome twice during this montage.

Delegate Tasks: Many hands make light work. The heroes can motivate the civilians who are still capable of carrying and moving debris. Suggested Characteristics: Intuition, Presence. Suggested Skills: Empathy, Lead.

Uncover Structural Secrets: Heroes can take advantage of the sewer’s faltering structural integrity to create opportunities, such as a new opening. Suggested Characteristics: Reason, Intuition. Suggested Skills: Architecture, Search.

Montage Test Outcomes

The montage test can have the following outcomes:

Total Success

If the heroes earn a total success, they clear out the passageway and proceed to the safehouse. They even have time to use the debris to hide the path from those who come looking. One of the civilians suggests doing this if the heroes don’t. Each hero earns 2 Victories.

Partial Success

If the heroes earn a partial success, they clear the rubble and can proceed, but each hero takes 5 damage from falling debris. Each hero earns 1 Victory.

Total Failure

If the heroes suffer total failure, they’re discovered by a group of opportunistic goblins looking to rob the desperate people fleeing the violence above.

Goblin Attack

The heroes are ambushed by goblins in the sewers. Use the Sewer map to run this encounter.

Goblin Attack Groups

Encounter Adjustments

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For six heroes, add two goblin cursespitters as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove one goblin stinker and one worg from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove one war spider from the start of the encounter.

Terrain: Sewer

There’s sewage flowing through the middle of the largest passageways. These spaces are difficult terrain. At the start of the combat encounter, the goblins throw vials of an irradiant green acid into the sewers; the sewage spaces become a corrosive pool (marked on the map).

The sewer passageways have a height of 4 squares.

Tactics

The goblins surround the heroes, trying to pin them down.

The stinkers flood the area using their Swamp Gas maneuver while their worgs attack, then use Toxic Winds to keep enemies hindered within the green haze.

The two cursespitters shoot from the side-passageways. If the heroes get too close, they flee from one passageway and try to get to the other.

Ending the Encounter

The goblins flee when there are two or fewer remaining. When the encounter ends, each hero gains 2 Victories.

Sewers

Once the heroes reach the sewers, they’re nearly to Hunt’s safehouse. However, the sewers beneath Blackbottom are host to all manner of outcasts, scavengers, and toxic hazards.

Read or paraphrase the following to set the scene:

• “The damp, dark tunnels of the storm sewer system beneath the city muffle the sounds of destruction from above, though the screams of the dying still echo faintly like lingering ghosts.”

• “Your movement and the shuffling footsteps of the civilians following you add to the eerie chorus of noise.”

Sewer Folk Complication If a hero has the Sewer Folk complication, they automatically succeed on the Navigating the Sewer test. They also gain an edge on power rolls during the Sewer Collapse montage test.

Navigating the Sewer

The heroes have to find the entrance to the safehouse. Hunt asked them to search for the Chain’s coat of arms. The symbol, an X with a sword through it, is carved into places that are difficult to spot at certain intersections of the sewers. Any hero can search for the entrance to the safehouse with a medium Reason test: ≤11 The hero leads everyone to a dead end; everyone takes 3 poison damage. The civilians take one hit. 12–16 The hero finds the path to the safehouse, but they wade through sewage and take 3 poison damage. 17+ The hero finds a clear path to the safehouse.

Unsafe House

The heroes follow the sewer passage to a ladder, which leads up to the basement of a carpentry shop. When the heroes arrive, read or paraphrase the following:

• “The trapdoor above you opens into a dark room with stale air that smells of sawdust and pine.”

• “A match is struck, and a lantern illuminates a large basement room—with an old woodworking bench in the corner, tools hung on the walls, and crates of materials spread throughout.”

• “Holding the lamp is an aging radenwight dressed in expensive clothing. He wrinkles his nose and glares. As a troop of radenwights behind him scatters to the back wall, he says, ‘You’re not Hunt.’”

The elderly radenwight is Tch’dorit, who has led the mercenary group known as the Radenwight Blackenblues for decades. The group was performing an underground delivery mission for Hunt, who instructed them to wait at the safehouse for further instructions. Tch’dorit doesn’t know who he was delivering to or what he was delivering, and he refuses to elaborate on the basis of professional confidentiality.

Tch’dorit doesn’t trust the heroes—he doesn’t know them, and the world is ending just above him. He prioritizes his crew’s safety and doesn’t want to jeopardize it by sharing this space with strangers, but the heroes can negotiate with him.

Negotiation with Tch’dorit

Tch’dorit Negotiation Stats

Interest: 2 Patience: 2 Impression: 1

Native Language: Szetch

Motivations

Higher Authority: Tch’dorit respected Hunt as a client and a friend. Invoking the heroes’ connection to Hunt and intention to follow in his footsteps as a protector can help sway Tch’dorit.

Protection: Tch’dorit wants the Blackenblues to get out of this alive. Arguments that claim allying with the heroes is the best way to accomplish leaving the city unharmed appeal to this motivation.

Pitfall

Greed: Tch’dorit doesn’t need material goods and is disgusted and offended by the very insinuation that he or his comrades can be bought.

This negotiation can have the following outcomes:

Interest 5: The Blackenblues share the space and their resources with the heroes and their charges. In addition, Tch’dorit offers the heroes a gift: a Blutapiece (see Treasures in Handouts).

Interest 4: The Blackenblues share the space but not their resources, which has an effect on the Countdown in Chapter 2.

Interest 3: The Blackenblues are willing to clear out, but they need the heroes to help clear a path to another sewer for them. Run either the alley or rooftop encounters (whichever the heroes didn’t complete) so the heroes can escort the Blackenblues through.

Interest 2: The Blackenblues won’t give up the safehouse, but they do provide resources for the heroes to help them on their way. Each hero can regain Stamina equal to up to twice their recovery value without spending a Recovery.

Interest 1: The Blackenblues refuse to let the heroes use the space or their resources.

Interest 0: Frustrated and suspicious, Tch’dorit orders the Blackenblues to draw their swords (see below).

Even if the heroes fail the negotiation, the Blackenblues won’t fight— drawing their swords is only a bluff to scare the heroes. However, the heroes can use force to get the radenwights to flee the safehouse. If the heroes draw their own weapons or threaten violence, the Blackenblues scatter, detonating explosives throughout the warehouse to cover their escape. The explosives deal 6 damage to each hero and kill 1d3 civilians.

If the heroes don’t secure the safehouse, they can recuperate in the sewers. When a hero finishes a respite in the sewers, they don’t regain all their Recoveries. Instead, they regain Recoveries up to 2 fewer than their maximum.

Victories

If the heroes end the negotiation with Tch’dorit’s interest at 3 or higher, they earn 1 Victory.

Interlude: What Now?

After the negotiation with Tch’dorit concludes, read or paraphrase the following:

• “The hours slip by underground. Day turns to dusk, then dusk to dead of night. Eventually, the thunderous sounds of war die down.”

• “The silence that remains is somehow even louder than the explosions and screams.”

Ask your players this question: How are you going to get all these people out of Blackbottom safely?

The heroes can take a respite here—in fact, it’s strongly recommended! But while they lay low for a day or two, the city above them changes dramatically.

Tch’dorit

Running This Chapter

The heroes’ primary goal is to find a lead to escape the city and pursue it. There are four leads in total, so if the heroes don’t like one option (or hit a wall attempting to secure it), they can always try another.

In addition to the four leads, this chapter has a number of complicating encounters you can run in between the main story encounters (see Complicating Encounters). These encounters are opportunities for the heroes to disrupt Ajax’s forces, save more people, and earn more Victories. But the heroes must be careful, for their enemy also makes progress as time advances.

Time Passes

In this chapter, time passes after each encounter. The heroes can choose how much time they spend completing encounters, but the longer they linger, the harder it becomes to leave Blackbottom.

Countdown

With every move they make, the heroes increase their notoriety across the city. It’s only a matter of time before they become too famous (or infamous) to avoid attention. Additionally, the safehouse only has enough resources for so many days. All of these factors—resources, notoriety, and enemy progress—are represented by the countdown.

The countdown starts at 15, but certain actions the heroes have already taken might modify this number:

Respite: Subtract 2 if the heroes took a respite at the end of Chapter 1.

Tch’dorit’s Spite: Subtract 2 if the heroes did not secure the safehouse in Unsafe House.

Tch’dorit’s Supplies: Add 2 if the heroes ended the negotiation in Negotiation With Tch’dorit with Tch’dorit’s interest at 5.

Each encounter in this chapter has a time cost associated with it, which the Director subtracts from the countdown at the end of the encounter. When the countdown hits 0, Chapter 3 begins, whether the heroes are ready or not.

The heroes can choose to move to the escape in Chapter 3 any time after they’ve secured an escape route. Leaving before the countdown hits 0 puts the heroes in a more advantageous position.

Changes in the City

As time passes and resources run short, the heroes’ situation changes. Whenever you decrement the countdown, check this section to see its effect on Blackbottom. If your countdown starts later than when a milestone would happen (for example, you start at 13), the milestone still happens, and you should run the associated encounter and enact any changes. If the countdown increments and goes past a milestone that’s already happened (for example, you increment from 9 to 11), the effects of that milestone don’t go away. Lasting effects, such as Searchlights and Curfew, remain until the end of this chapter.

Countdown 15—Wanted: The army hangs wanted posters across the city. Run Wanted by Ajax.

Countdown 13—Checkpoints: The army places security checkpoints at important locations throughout the city. Run Security Check.

Countdown 9—Searchlights: The army installs searchlights throughout Blackbottom (see Searchlights below).

Countdown 7—Curfew: The army enacts a curfew, which begins at sundown and ends at sunup. More soldiers are stationed to enforce this. Run combat encounters and montage tests as though the party has one additional hero.

Countdown 4—Terrified Civilians: Some of the civilians wonder if all hope is lost. Run A Threat to Morale.

Countdown 0—Discovered: Ajax’s forces have tracked down the heroes. Proceed immediately to Chapter 3.

Searchlights

When the countdown hits 9, Ajax’s army drops in massive wooden watchtowers with giant high-beam searchlights all over the city. They search for anyone participating in illicit activity and shoot them down with explosive projectiles.

From this point on, employ one searchlight as a dynamic terrain object in combat encounters that take place outside.

Additionally, employ searchlights as a challenge to overcome during montage tests:

Overcome Searchlights: They can be avoided or disabled. Suggested Characteristics: Agility, Intuition. Suggested Skills: Gymnastics, Mechanics, Sabotage.

You can also add this read-aloud text to any montage test to remind players of the obstacle:

• “Searchlights from the newly installed towers roam across the scene, searching for their next target.”

Beginning This Chapter

This chapter is driven by the heroes pursuing leads to escape the city, so ensure they’re properly motivated by making two things clear: why they need to escape as soon as possible, and what leads are already available to them.

Begin this chapter with Wanted by Ajax below, which establishes that the heroes can’t remain in Blackbottom. If the heroes don’t think to look outside, have one of the civilians encourage them to do so.

Wanted by Ajax

The first time the heroes step outside, read or paraphrase the following:

• If exiting the safehouse: “Another trapdoor, this one in the safehouse’s ceiling, leads to the nearly decimated show floor of a furniture shop. Though most of it is crushed, the furniture looks poorly made, and there’s no money in the till. The wall facing the street is completely caved in.”

• “You’re finally exposed to the chill of the outdoors. It’s quiet outside. Clouds darken the sky and threaten rain, but no one else is around to notice.”

• “Across the street, a line of posters has been hung along a stretch of brick buildings. Each features the words ‘WANTED FOR CRIMES AGAINST THE CROWN’ in thick black letters, a sketch of someone’s face, and a reward figure large enough to make Capital’s finest salivate.”

• “There’s one face you recognize.”

Describe the face of the hero you chose to be known by Ajax in Backstory Prep. Ask your players these questions: What does this mean for the group? Does this change their plans at all?

If the heroes don’t react, have one of the civilians warn them to be careful (use one of the following examples, or another civilian of your choice):

• Oriole: “The life of a stranger for enough money to protect your family would seem an acceptable deal to some.”

• Artistoxilath: “This is Ajax’s M.O. Push the people toward desperation, then drive them to turn on each other.”

• Vonder: “Cards on the table, if you hadn’t saved my life, I’d be shaking hands with a Hawklord right now. Just being honest.”

If the wanted hero shows their face to someone looking for a payout, it endangers everybody in the safehouse. The heroes need to get everyone out as quickly as possible. At this point, the civilians put their heads together to try and generate as many leads out of the city as they can (see below).

Player Headquarters

Between encounters, the heroes might want to return to the safehouse (or their spot in the sewers) to rest and reconnect with the civilians that they’re protecting. The civilians remain in this space unless instructed otherwise or an encounter specifies their presence.

Some civilians have information that can help heroes in specific encounters. For example, before the heroes try to put a stop to the Road’s activities in Toll Road, they might want to swing by their headquarters and pick up Vonder, while Oriole might wish to go with the heroes in The Revelation to learn the fate of her crew.

Taking a Respite

Taking a respite decrements the countdown by 3. The heroes will likely wish to take one, especially if they earn enough Victories to achieve 2nd level. As long as they have 3 counts left on the countdown, they can safely take a respite. If they take a respite with 2 or fewer counts, they regain 2 fewer Recoveries than they would if they’d taken a full respite, and Chapter 3 begins immediately after.

Any respite during this chapter should feel like a luxury the heroes can’t afford. During this time, heroes can perform their usual respite activities, but they also have the opportunity to converse with the civilians in the safe house. Consider running one or more of these interlude scenes if your players aren’t sure what their heroes would do with this precious time.

Like the interlude scenes during Chapter 1, these don’t have any mechanical consequence on the adventure. They’re here to help the heroes deepen their relationships with the civilians and each other.

An Oath Remembered: Artistoxilath feels as though every second they aren’t outside defending the citizens of Blackbottom is another betrayal of their oath. But to go outside and act puts themself at risk of being injured again, not to mention exposing the group hidden in the safehouse. What do you say to calm their restlessness?

A Lively Game: Oriole teaches some of the more nervous refugees a dice game she learned at sea. Even though there’s no material stakes, she’s obviously cheating. But it’s the first time you’ve seen her smile since you met her. Which of you participate in her game? Do you expose her ruse or play along?

To Whom It May Concern: Colm is praying … or trying to. He used to pray to Ajax, but he feels that’s no longer appropriate. In a time and place like this, he wonders who is even listening. Who offers Colm solace? Is it a different saint or god, or something more tangible?

Who to Trust: Vonder still can’t believe the members of his gang were imposters. He wonders if there are war dogs in the ranks of the safehouse even now and suspiciously asks civilians and heroes alike questions he thinks only a human would be able to answer. (“What’s your favorite food? If it’s flesh, I know you’re a fake.”) Who calms him down? Who thinks he might have a point?

Grief Surrogate: A kitten found its way into the safehouse, and Bora’s been feeding and tending to it over the last few days. It’s taken her mind off the griffons, whom she had to let go—they can’t hide in a place like this. She asks you for help naming the kitten. What do you choose?

Artistoxilath’s Broken Arm

Many of the civilians have minor wounds, but nothing preventing them from surviving capably—except for Artistoxilath, whose sword arm is broken. Any hero can instantly heal Artistoxilath’s arm using a Healing Potion or an item or class ability that has the Magic keyword, such as the Conduit’s Healing Grace. Artistoxilath insists on remaining at the safehouse to protect the civilians while the heroes are out scouting. When the heroes begin Chapter 3, they become a retainer (see Treasures in Handouts).

The Split-Up Proposal If your heroes have secured an escape route and still have plenty of time left on the countdown, you might want to explore more of the encounters in this act. One way you can do that is by having an NPC suggest that the group split up. Since one of the heroes is wanted by Ajax, maybe having two groups trying to escape at the same time would be safer? Perhaps the heroes could take one route and the NPCs can go another. For this to work, they’ll need to secure two escape routes, which means more encounters. If you’d really like to challenge your players, or help them get enough Victories to level up, this is a good way to get them back out into Blackbottom.

Available Leads

The heroes have four leads available to them. They can learn about each of these leads at the start of this chapter depending on who they saved in Chapter 1. The leads are:

• Hawk Transport: If the heroes saved Bora’s griffons, she mentions that a group of citizens have captured a Hawklord who might be able to help them escape by air.

• The Revelation: If Captain Oriole survived, she suggests checking to see if her ship, the Revelation, and its crew are still at the docks and available to take the heroes out by sea.

• Sewer Escape: If the heroes negotiated well with Tch’dorit (interest 3–5), he shares a rumor of a lost route out of the city via the sewers.

• Merchant’s Carriage: If the heroes rescued Vonder, he remembers a merchant who owns an armored caravan and owes him a lot of money.

Ask the heroes which lead they’d like to pursue, then follow that encounter chain. If the heroes don’t like the options they have, they can Investigate New Leads with the montage test below.

Investigate New Leads

If the heroes don’t have any leads or don’t like their options, they can search for alternate routes out of the city with this montage test. The Investigate Leads Difficulty table shows this montage test’s success and failure limit based on the number of heroes participating in the test.

Investigate Leads Difficulty

Montage Test Challenges

To establish the obstacles for this montage test, read or paraphrase the following:

• “Blackbottom is nigh unrecognizable. Whole blocks have been razed, and the cobblestones are stained with blood.”

• “The once bustling streets are deserted except for patrols of demons and humans that circle the blocks, stepping over corpses and debris.”

• “The structures that still stand are barricaded up, and the occasional nervous eye peers through a crack, wondering when it will be safe to leave the house again.”

• “Opportunists from Blackbottom’s worst corners roam the alleyways, searching for innocents to exploit and corpses to loot.”

The following challenges are suitable for this montage test:

Appease Citizens: Nervous and suspicious citizens are reluctant to share what they know with strangers. Suggested Characteristics: Intuition, Presence. Suggested Skills: Empathize, Persuade. Special: This challenge can be overcome twice during the montage test.

Avoid Enemy Patrols: Devil soldiers stalk the streets, looking to apprehend anyone suspicious. Suggested Characteristics: Agility, Intuition. Suggested Skills: Awareness, Disguise, Sneak.

Eavesdrop on Enemies: The soldiers patrolling might know a way to leave the city. Suggested Characteristics: Agility, Intuition. Suggested Skills: Eavesdrop, Sneak.

Engage Opportunists: Criminal organizations run unchecked throughout the city, cornering lone travelers with large numbers. Suggested Characteristics: Reason, Presence. Suggested Skills: Criminal Underworld, Interrogate, Intimidate.

Traverse Destruction: The wounds of the siege are still fresh. The destruction makes Blackbottom dangerous to travel. Suggested Characteristics: Might, Agility. Suggested Skills: Endurance, Gymnastics, Search.

Montage Test Outcomes

The montage test can have the following outcomes:

Total Success

If the heroes earn a total success, they learn about any leads they don’t have. This endeavor decrements the countdown by 1. Each hero earns 1 Victory.

Partial Success

If the heroes earn a partial success, they learn about two available leads chosen at random. This endeavor decrements the countdown by 2.

Total Failure

If the heroes suffer total failure, they learn about one lead chosen at random. This endeavor decrements the countdown by 2.

A Tied-Up Loose End

Herialt (he/him) is a human Hawklord who has been tied up since the night of the siege. Pursuing this lead brings the heroes to a nearby commercial district, where they meet with a butcher named Rovan (human, he/him). Rovan converses with the heroes a bit to see if they’re trustworthy, then leads them to his home a few blocks away, where Herialt is tied up in the closet. Rovan shares the following information:

• “‘These two teenagers were just trying to find some food. That’s when the Hawklords showed up. Three of ’em, for two kids. Said they were disturbing the peace. What peace? We ain’t had peace in days.’”

• “‘So a bunch of us grabbed what we could find—shovels, timber, maybe my meat cleaver—and charged. You’re not takin’ our kids. Two of ’em got spooked and flew away on their hawks.’”

• “‘Guess they didn’t care very much about their third … He looked kinda mad when they flew away. That’s when somebody knocked him out, and now he’s in my closet. I … guess I panicked. Didn’t know what else to do! You can figure it out, right?’”

When the heroes arrive at Rovan’s home, they find the scene exactly as described: a muscular man bound and gagged, sitting in a cleared-out closet. Stripped of his armor, Herialt tries very hard to look like he isn’t afraid—but he is.

The heroes can persuade Herialt to give up the current location of the Hawklords’ headquarters—and perhaps even to assist them in securing the transport.

Herialt

Negotiation With Herialt

Herialt Negotiation Stats

Interest: 2 Patience: 4 Impression: 1

Native Language: Vaslorian

Motivations

Peace: If Herialt is going to betray his order, he wants some guarantee that the civilians won’t betray him or he won’t be caught by Ajax’s forces and executed for treason. Assurances that the heroes can protect him from either the citizens or Ajax appeals to this motivation.

Vengeance: Herialt’s fellow Hawklords left him to rot. He’s furious about this. Exploiting this development is an appeal to this motivation.

Pitfall

Protection: Herialt doesn’t care about protecting anything except his own skin. Trying to threaten or offer protection for a third party invokes this pitfall.

Legacy: Herialt believes the only ones history will remember from this event are Ajax and Relg. He has no interest in sacrificing everything for a lost cause, and suggesting so invokes this pitfall.

This negotiation can have the following outcomes:

Interest 5: Herialt agrees to pilot the hawk transport and provides its location. He also helps the heroes obtain it from the Hawklord HQ. Additionally, he procures two more hawks for the escape (see Climax: Hawk Transport).

Interest 4: Herialt agrees to pilot the hawk transport and provides its location. He also helps the heroes obtain it from the Hawklord HQ.

Interest 3: Herialt agrees to pilot the transport, but he won’t go with the heroes to secure it.

Interest 2: Herialt refuses to pilot the transport, but he does share its location.

Interest 1: Herialt refuses to pilot or share the location of the transport.

Interest 0: Herialt screams for help. Rovan knocks Herialt out and begs the heroes to leave. He doesn’t want any trouble. The commotion decrements the countdown by an additional 1.

Victories

If the heroes end the negotiation with Herialt’s interest at 4 or higher, they earn 1 Victory. Regardless of the outcome, this negotiation decrements the countdown by 1.

Hawk Transport

The heroes learn through either Bora or their investigation that a group of concerned citizens has captured a Hawklord. The captors don’t know what to do with the Hawklord now that they have him. If they kill him, they’re murderers. If they let him go, there’s a chance he betrays them to Ajax’s army.

Any character, hero or civilian, who has experience with Ajax’s army knows about the Hawklords’ massive transports, which harness six giant hawks and can comfortably carry up to fifteen people through the air across long distances. If they follow this lead, the heroes can try to leverage this captive Hawklord to gain access to one.

Hawklord HQ: Secure Transport

According to Herialt, the Hawklords have posted up in the shell of the Cathedral of Saint Clement the Journeyman. Though the siege destroyed one of the cathedral’s sturdy stone walls, it’s still structurally sound enough to house the Hawklords and their equipment while they attend to their duties in Blackbottom. Also, the hawks love roosting in the high rafters.

The Secure the Transport Difficulty table shows this montage test’s success and failure limit based on the number of heroes participating in the test.

Secure the Transport Difficulty

Hawklord HQ: Cathedral Combat

The heroes must get the hawk transport out of the cathedral while fighting off Hawklords. Use the Cathedral map to run this encounter.

Cathedral Combat Groups

Reinforcements

At the start of the second combat round and every round after, one human brawler appears at the front of the cathedral.

Encounter Adjustments

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For seven heroes, add one human brawler and four human guards as their own group and one human trickshot to group 3 at the start of the encounter.

• For six heroes, add one human brawler and four human guards as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove two human trickshots from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove two human trickshots and one giant hawk from the start of the encounter.

Terrain: Cathedral

The cathedral has a height of 7 squares.

Tactics

The mounted combatants make use of their hawks’ flight to dart in and out of the fight. The blackguard marks the character pulling the transport with their You! maneuver, signaling the other Hawklords to attack them.

Though there’s plenty of cover in the cathedral, the trickshots ignore cover when using their Trick Crossbow ability.

Rolling the Transport

The heroes must roll the massive transport across the map to win the encounter. The hawk transport (folded) can be treated as a dynamic terrain object.

Ending the Encounter

The encounter ends when the heroes escort the hawk transport to the point indicated on the map and more than half the enemies have been defeated. At this point, the Hawklords cut their losses and the heroes can escape. This decrements the countdown by 2, and each hero earns 2 Victories.

Cathedral Combat

Seeds of Mutiny

Lamprey (he/him) is a human sailor who uses blackguard statistics. He’s seaworn, muscular, and savvy, although current circumstances have prevented him from shaving or attending to the finer points of personal hygiene. When the heroes approach the boat, he’s busy leading the crew to shove off, for the Revelation leaves first thing in the morning.

If Oriole is alive, she can give the heroes insight into one of Lamprey’s motivations:

• “‘I should’ve ran to them as soon as that iron ball dropped.’”

• “‘Crew over everything else. I forgot that, but I’m sure Lamprey hasn’t.’”

Though they love Oriole, Lamprey and the crew currently see her as a deserter, wondering where she’s been the last few days. They aren’t in a hurry to reinstate her. With zero attachment to the heroes, Lamprey must be convinced to help them and the civilians. If the heroes use force to persuade him, they’ll face Lamprey and his crew (see Aboard the Revelation). The new captain is also open to negotiation.

Negotiation With Lamprey

Lamprey Negotiation Stats

Interest: 2 Patience: 3 Impression: 1

Native Language: Khoursirian

Motivations

Protection: The Revelation’s crew is Lamprey’s family. Arguments that offer protection for the crew appeal to this motivation.

Greed: As a newly minted small business owner, Lamprey is looking for lucrative income streams. Any opportunity the heroes can present to make money appeals to this motivation.

Pitfall

Benevolence: Lamprey isn’t from Blackbottom. He has no love for this city and doesn’t care whether it or its people burn. Pleas for him to care for others beyond his circle invoke this pitfall.

This negotiation can have the following outcomes:

Interest 5: The crew fully cooperates with the heroes. If Oriole is alive, Lamprey cedes the title of captain back to her. Lamprey also pledges his own service in the final battle, becoming a retainer in Chapter 3 (see Treasures in Handouts).

Interest 4: Lamprey agrees to let the heroes’ group on the boat, but in exchange he wants them to acquire a semaphore lantern, a device that glows bright blue and signals that a ship is loyal to Ajax (see Get the Lantern). This will ensure that the ship can leave port, but it’ll also make Lamprey’s smuggling enterprise more lucrative.

Interest 3: Lamprey allows the heroes on the boat, but he still plans to leave Blackbottom tomorrow morning. If the heroes and the refugees want to take this lead, they must be on the ship before sunrise. This means the heroes can’t pursue any more leads, and they can’t take a respite before the start of Chapter 3. He also needs them to acquire the semaphore lantern.

Interest 2: Lamprey and the crew refuse to help, but he promises to pretend the heroes were never there.

Interest 1: Lamprey and the crew refuse to help. When the heroes leave, Lamprey immediately reports the incident to Ajax’s army. This decrements the countdown by an additional 2.

Interest 0: An agitated Lamprey threatens the heroes—leave now, or taste his blade. See Aboard the *Revelation**.*

Victories

If the heroes end this negotiation with Lamprey’s interest at 4 or higher, they earn 1 Victory. Regardless of the outcome, this negotiation decrements the countdown by 1.

Aboard the Revelation

The heroes face Lamprey and the crew of the Revelation for control of the ship. Use the Docked Ship map to run this encounter.

Revelation Combat Groups

Encounter Adjustments

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For seven heroes, add four human guards to both group 3 and group 4 at the start of the encounter.

• For six heroes, add two human knaves as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove one human knave from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove one human knave, one human brawler, and four human guards from the start of the encounter.

Boat Height and Climbing

The deck of the Revelation is 2 squares above the water’s surface, meaning a creature takes no damage when they fall into the water.

Any character can climb back up to the deck of the ship. Doing so costs 2 squares of movement for every 1 square climbed (no test required).

Tactics

Lamprey and the crew are mostly concerned with defending their ship, so they prioritize pushing heroes off the Revelation, especially those with abilities that could jeopardize the ship’s integrity.

The brawlers rush forward to grab heroes and throw them overboard. Meanwhile, Lamprey uses his You! maneuver to mark the hero doing the most damage, and at least one of the knaves taunts that same hero to keep them locked down.

Special Malice Feature

The crew of the Revelation can use the following additional Malice feature during this battle:

Special Malice Feature

For the Revelation! 3 Malice Up to three humans shift up to 2 squares and perform the Knockback maneuver without expending their maneuver.

Ending the Encounter

If Lamprey is defeated, the rest of the crew surrenders and the heroes earn 1 Victory each.

The Revelation

The Revelation is the ship Captain Oriole uses to smuggle goods between continents. If Oriole survived, she offers to bring the heroes to the ship herself, but the heroes might also know about the ship through their investigation into escape routes. But when the heroes arrive at the docks, they find that the crew of the Revelation presumed Oriole dead and have named a new captain— Lamprey, the former first mate who kept them alive during the siege. If the heroes want to use the Revelation, they have to convince Lamprey to help them.

Get the Lantern

The semaphore lantern that Lamprey needs is granted only to ships with crews loyal to Ajax. The heroes can’t just file for one. Luckily, Lamprey knows that the Allegiance—a ship a few docks down—has one they can steal. Run this encounter as a montage test.

The Get the Lantern Difficulty table shows this montage test’s success and failure limit based on the number of heroes participating in the test.

Get the Lantern Difficulty

Montage Test Challenges

To establish the obstacles for this montage test, read or paraphrase the following:

• “Though the night is quiet, it’s deceptively so. Guards sit still as statues, watching for any disturbance. The most they find is the odd sailor, drunkenly stumbling back to their ship to sleep off their stupor.”

• “The caravel sits at the dock with its gangplank tucked up and away from the docks, gently rocked by the waves beneath it. But the docks themselves are behind an iron gate that’s locked up for the night.”

• “Rows of gulls perched atop the masts sleep peacefully. There among them, high in the crow’s nest, sits the lantern, pulsing a dull blue.”

The following challenges are suitable for this montage test:

Avoid Dock’s Watch: Security is tight around the ships that have found favor with Ajax. Suggested Characteristics: Agility, Presence. Suggested Skills: Disguise, Forgery, Lie. Special: This challenge can be overcome twice during the montage test.

Handle the Drunken Sailor: A member of the crew is sobering up on the deck. Suggested Characteristics: Might, Presence. Suggested Skills: Empathize, Sneak.

Pick the Dock Lock: The dock is locked up, but jumping the gate would draw too much attention. Suggested Characteristics: Might, Agility. Suggested Skills: Pick Lock, Sabotage.

Release the Gangplank: At night, the crew removes the gangplank so no one can just walk onto the ship. Suggested Characteristics: Might, Agility. Suggested Skills: Jump, Lift.

Scale the Crow’s Nest: The lantern sits in the crow’s nest, the ship’s tallest point. Suggested Characteristics: Might, Agility. Suggested Skills: Climb, Endurance.

Still the Gulls: A flock of easily startled gulls sleep perched on the masts of the ship. Heroes can sneak past them or somehow bribe them. Suggested Characteristics: Agility, Intuition. Suggested Skills: Cooking, Handle Animals, Sneak.

Montage Test Outcomes

The montage test can have the following outcomes:

Total Success

If the heroes earn a total success, they get the lantern without anyone noticing. This decrements the countdown by 1. Each hero earns 2 Victories.

Partial Success

If the heroes earn a partial success, they get the lantern, but they’re spotted by someone who alerts the guards. Though they escape, they were still seen. This decrements the countdown by 2. Each hero earns 1 Victory.

Total Failure

If the heroes suffer total failure, they’re spotted and can’t get away. Guards and smugglers alike surround them, and they have to fight the enemies off to get to the lantern. To run this encounter, see Pursuing the Lantern below.

Lamprey

Docked Ship: Aboard the Revelation

Pursuing the Lantern

The heroes face smugglers and guards loyal to Ajax in an attempt to grab the lantern. The objective of this encounter is to seize the lantern from the ship’s crow’s nest and get it off the boat. Use the Docked Ship map to run this encounter.

Pursuing the Lantern Groups

Encounter Adjustments

If the heroes successfully dealt with the drunken sailor during the montage test in Get the Lantern, remove one human knave.

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For seven heroes, add one human knave to group 2 at the start of the encounter.

• For six heroes, add one human brawler and four human raiders as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove one human brawler and four human raiders from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove one human brawler, four human raiders, one human trickshot, and four human archers from the start of the encounter.

Boat Height and Climbing

The deck of the ship is 2 squares above the water’s surface, meaning a creature takes no damage when they fall into the water.

A character can climb back up to the deck of the ship. Doing so costs 2 squares of movement for every 1 square climbed (no test required).

The Lantern

The lantern sits in the crow’s nest, which is 5 squares above the deck. There’s a ladder, which a character can climb at their regular movement speed (no test required).

Once the lantern is in a hero’s possession, all enemies target that hero in an attempt to stop them from absconding with it.

Tactics

The trickshot and archers, members of the city guard loyal to Ajax, stand on the docks and shoot at the heroes from relative safety.

Meanwhile, the smugglers on the ship charge at the intruders. If they know what the heroes are here for, they crowd around the ladder to the crow’s nest—using the bandit chief’s Form Up! villain action, if possible—hoping to hold them off. If a hero is mid-climb, the bandit chief uses their Whip and Magic Longsword ability to attempt to pull the hero back down.

Ending the Encounter

The encounter ends when the heroes secure the lantern and get it off the boat. From there, they can safely flee into the night. If they successfully secure the lantern, each hero earns 2 Victories, and the countdown decrements by 3.

Docked Ship: Pursuing the Lantern

Search the Sewers

Run the search for the hidden sewer passage as a montage test.

The Search the Sewers Difficulty table shows this montage test’s success and failure limit based on the number of heroes participating in the test.

Search the Sewers Difficulty

Montage Test Challenges

To establish the obstacles for this montage test, read or paraphrase the following:

• “Sewage drips down into the deepest parts of the passageways beneath Blackbottom, mingling with mold and rot both mundane and magical. In some places, the fetid waste is several feet deep.”

• “Slime trails, corroded ancient stone, and rattling bones portend more sentient hazards: oozes, living skeletons, and perhaps even something more dangerous.”

• “The labyrinthine path ahead is a mix of architecture from different periods of Blackbottom’s history.”

• “Is that a whisper reverberating through this ancient, dilapidated corridor, or just a trick of the nerves?”

The following challenges are suitable for this montage test:

Avoid Ooze Waste: Some passageways are full of sticky, goopy residue, signaling ooze activity. Suggested Characteristics: Reason, Presence. Suggested Skills: Monsters, Navigate.

Handle Rattling Skeletons: The bones of those who previously failed to find the fabled passage keep reassembling, reanimating, and swinging at passersby. Suggested Characteristics: Agility, Intuition. Suggested Skills: Alertness, Gymnastics, Magic.

Listen for Strange Whispers: Malevolent, almost cursed, whispering in a dead language reverberates through this passageway, suggesting something sinister lurks beneath the heroes’ feet. Suggested Characteristics: Reason, Intuition. Suggested Skills: Awareness, Eavesdrop, History.

Navigate the Labyrinth: Any hero can scout ahead, use their knowledge of sewer systems, or just brute force a search to find a clue about how to proceed. Suggested Characteristics: Reason, Intuition. Suggested Skills: Architecture, Awareness, Search. Special: This challenge can be overcome twice during the montage test.

Study Ancient Architecture: Some passageways are built differently than others, implying they’re much older. These differences point to a lead: an old and long-forgotten passageway. Suggested Characteris- tics: Reason, Intuition. Suggested Skills: Architecture, History.

Traverse Tainted Sewage: The sewage here isn’t just tainted by your average waste. There’s something magically corrupting it, which can be endured or magically treated. Suggested Characteristics: Might, Agility, Reason. Suggested Skills: Alchemy, Endurance, Magic, Swim, Jump.

Montage Test Outcomes

The montage test can have the following outcomes:

Total Success

If the heroes earn a total success, they find a hole in the ground that leads into the passageway below, which they can climb down easily (proceed to The Lost Passageway).

If any hero succeeded on a Reason test as part of the montage test, part of this success includes that hero identifying what’s causing the strange occurrences here: a fossil cryptic.

When combat begins in The Lost Passageway, the fossil cryptic is surprised. Additionally, each hero earns 2 Victories, and the countdown decrements by 1.

Partial Success

If the heroes earn a partial success, they find a hole in the ground that leads to the passageway below (proceed to The Lost Passageway). Each hero earns 1 Victory, and the countdown decrements by 2.

Total Failure

If the heroes earn a total failure, they are discovered by undead monsters. Use Bone Brawl to run this encounter.

When the fight ends, the floor below them gives out under their weight, and they fall into the passageway below (proceed to The Lost Passageway). When combat begins with the fossil cryptic, the heroes are surprised. The heroes take no damage from the fall, but land prone.

Sewer Escape

Rumor has it that the sewer system beneath Blackbottom includes an old passageway that leads out of the city. The heroes learn about this fabled route from either the radenwights they negotiated with in Chapter 1 or through the Investigate New Leads montage test at the beginning of this act.

The rumor gives the heroes a general starting point for their underground search, as well as a warning: the passageway is cursed. All those who search for it have disappeared, never to return.

Bone Brawl

The heroes face undead and oozes in the sewers beneath Blackbottom. What the heroes don’t know is that these “zombies” and “skeletons” are limbs of the fossil cryptic that lurks just beneath their feet! Use the Sewers map to run this encounter.

Bone Brawl Groups

Encounter Adjustments

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For seven heroes, add four false skeletons as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For six heroes, add two false skeletons as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove one false skeleton and one false zombie from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove two false skeletons and two false zombies from the start of the encounter.

Terrain: Sewer

There’s sewage flowing through the middle of the largest passageways. These spaces are difficult terrain. Any creature who enters a sewage square for the first time in a combat round or starts their turn there takes 1 acid damage.

The sewer passageways have a height of 4 squares.

Tactics

All undead and oozes attack the heroes closest to them. The zombies attempt to grab heroes with their Clobber and Clutch ability and drag them into the sewage for more damage.

The undead here are not actually undead; they’re “limbs” of the fossil cryptic below. As such, their stat blocks have been modified to reflect this. They have the Elemental keyword instead of the Undead keyword, they no longer have their corruption and poison immunities, and the zombies’ Clobber and Clutch ability no longer causes a hero to develop a taste for human flesh.

Ending the Encounter

The encounter ends when all the undead and oozes have been defeated. Each hero earns 1 Victory, and the countdown decrements by 2.

Sewers: Bone Brawl

The Lost Passageway

After the heroes enter the passageway, read or paraphrase the following:

• “Faded paint on the walls depicts scenes of a civilization long gone. The books lining crumbling shelves have rotted away, now just dust held by decrepit covers.”

• “A number of skeletons surround a large, rectangular table. An equal number of pewter goblets are scattered around them.”

• “Six stone columns stand on the edges of the room, but a seventh stands lopsided in the center of the room.”

• If the fossil cryptic is not surprised: “In the blink of an eye, the seventh column retracts into the ground, then erupts through the floor much closer to you than before.”

The fossil cryptic has been watching over this abandoned workshop for years, ever since a brutal and mutual betrayal ensured the deaths of those who preserved it. The fossil cryptic protects their home fiercely, killing trespassers and bringing their bodies into the fold. Any hero with the Monsters skill knows about the creature’s Churning Trunk and Seismic Step abilities. They also know that if the fossil cryptic isn’t dealt with here and now, the elemental rot and death in this space will expand until this area eventually becomes the domain of an omen dragon.

Use the Workshop map to run this encounter.

Hard Boss Alert! The fossil cryptic is a difficult encounter. Even if the heroes play well, this encounter could kill them. If you don’t think the heroes can handle this fight at their current power level, convey how difficult it is and encourage them to run—they can always come back after they earn more Victories.

Encounter Adjustments

If this encounter has three or four heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For four heroes, reduce the fossil cryptic’s Stamina to 150 and decrease the damage dealt by their abilities by 3 (to a minimum of 1 damage).

• For three heroes, reduce the fossil cryptic’s Stamina to 100 and decrease the damage dealt by their abilities by 4 (to a minimum of 1 damage).

Tactics

The fossil cryptic uses their terrain abilities, such as First Warning Quake, to drastically transform the room and control the heroes’ movement. They slide heroes into the pillars and walls with their Stoneshift maneuver, and finally slam into the nearest heroes with their Sand Slam ability.

The fossil cryptic cares only about protecting the workshop. If the heroes retreat, they don’t pursue.

Ending the Encounter

The encounter ends when the fossil cryptic is defeated. Each hero earns 2 Victories, and the countdown decrements by 2.

Searching the Chamber

With the fossil cryptic defeated, the heroes can search the chamber for exits. There is one tunnel that leads out of the room, but it’s caved in due to the fossil cryptic’s meddling, and requires a hero to clear it out.

Might Test: Clear the Tunnel ≤11 The hero clears the tunnel, but it takes a lot of time. Decrement the countdown by 2. 12–16 The hero clears the tunnel in a good amount of time. Decrement the countdown by 1. 17+ The hero clears the tunnel and makes great time.

The tunnel leads to a drain that empties into the water north of the city. It’s about two miles away from the city walls. Once the heroes have cleared this tunnel out, they secure this exit.

Secret: The shelves contain three vials of Ooze Juice (see Treasures in Handouts) as well as a stone tablet inscribed by the librarian who caused the incident centuries ago. Written in Khamish, it reads: “For our unrelenting hubris I have poisoned everyone in this room, including mys” (presumably they died before they finished).

Workshop: The Lost Passageway

Fighting the Flip

When the heroes reach Sika’s wagon yard, they find her surrounded by a threatening group. Read or paraphrase the following:

• “At the wagon yard, a small crowd of ruffians surrounds a single armored carriage. A human woman stands in front of it, her arms outstretched.”

• “‘Please,’ she begs, ‘I can’t give this to you. Can’t we work something else out?’”

• “The leader of the ruffian group spits as the crowd inches closer to the woman and the carriage. ‘People behind on payments don’t get to make demands.’”

Any hero with the Criminal Underworld skill, or Vonder if he’s present, knows this group is the Flip, another thieves’ guild. They’re so named because they’re nasty and unpredictable, but also because they make their money in real estate turnaround and moneylending with high interest rates. The Flip ruffians claim Sika also owes them money, and they’re not amenable to a deal. Even attempting to negotiate with them provokes the group, beginning combat immediately.

Use the City Square map to run this encounter.

Flipping Out Groups

Merchant’s Carriage

If the heroes saved Vonder, he tells them about a merchant named Sika who owes the Road a ton of money. Sika (human, she/her) has a large armored wagon that would make an excellent getaway vehicle for the heroes and refugees—especially as rumors abound of kobold ambushers waiting to pick off travelers coming out of the north gate. If they didn’t hear about this lead from Vonder, they can learn about Sika’s armored wagon from the Investigate New Leads montage test.

The Ticking Clock

Since the air raid, the Clock has split up into smaller groups across the city and abandoned their headquarters to avoid persecution by the army. Sika tells the characters that the contingent collecting from her is led by a woman named Bets and has taken up residence in a speakeasy on the eastern side of town. She knows the following:

• “‘The speakeasy’s apparently under the Front and Back. I imagine that place’s been bombed to hell and back.’”

• “‘If you can find a trapdoor under the rubble, give two short knocks, two long, then three short. That’s what Bets told me to do.’”

• “‘She’s not a very nice woman. I asked her if we couldn’t figure out some kind of payment pause, given … everything? She laughed and asked me why I thought I deserved more of her … charity.’”

The speakeasy is beneath a now-decimated tavern called the Front and Back. The code to get into the speakeasy is a series of knocks on the trapdoor: two short knocks, two long, then three short.

When the heroes knock on the door, read or paraphrase the following:

• “The trapdoor opens outward, and a human man pops out. He looks around with a sneer, then motions for you to follow him downward.”

• “The wooden ladder leads to a tunnel below, faintly lit by torches on the walls. A messy red carpet runs down the length of the tunnel.”

• “After half a minute of walking, the tunnel opens up into a room with plush couches, several tables and chairs, a fully stocked bar, and even a musical trio.”

• “No food is being served, however, and the dozens of people here train their eyes on you when you enter the room.”

• “Sitting at the bar with her head held high is a polder woman in her thirties in all black, with long brown hair and a scar running down her left cheek.”

• “Regarding you, she says, ‘Sika teach you that knock? So you could deliver my carriage, I hope.’”

Elizabeth “Bets” Bramblebrook (polder, she/her) is a high-ranking official of the Clock. Her post grants her domain over debt collection. It is she who has demanded Sika’s armored carriage in exchange for services rendered. Which services, she’ll never tell—thief-client confidentiality is everything to a reputable guild.

Bets is resourceful and experienced and entirely unflappable while in her element beneath the Front and Back. She offers the heroes drinks—it’s useless to charge people for those now—and happily engages in negotiation.

The Clock plans to wait out Relg’s occupation, at which point they’ll fill the power void that the city’s destruction has created. To do so, they’re consolidating their power and resources now, protecting their own, and making deals that will increase their influence over Blackbottom in the future.

Bets knows that beyond Blackbottom’s northern gate, bands of kobolds lie in wait to ambush travelers. With Blackbottom in disarray, the problem will likely get worse before it gets better. This armored carriage can keep the Clock safe while they maintain their trade relations with villages to the north. She also knows it’s just what the heroes need and is willing to negotiate.

Bets Negotiation Stats

Interest: 2 Patience: 4 Impression: 2

Native Language: Khoursirian

Motivations

Power: Bets is looking for ways to expand the Clock’s influence. If the heroes can leverage the power and influence of some of the citizens they’re protecting (such as Percival the noble or Artistoxilath the dragon knight), they appeal to this motivation.

Peace: Both the Road and the Flip have a claim on this carriage. If the heroes argue this thing is more trouble than it’s worth, they appeal to this motivation.

Pitfall

Benevolence: Everyone in Blackbottom is suffering right now. Bets takes an appeal to benevolence as an implication that the heroes are somehow more deserving than the Clock, which invokes this pitfall.

This negotiation can have the following outcomes:

Interest 5: Bets releases Sika from her debt and allows the heroes to take the carriage. As a sign of goodwill, she offers to help bolster the carriage’s defenses (see Carriage Defenses below).

Interest 4: Bets releases Sika from her debt and allows the heroes to take the carriage. The countdown decrements by an additional 1.

Interest 3: Bets lets the heroes take the carriage, but only if they do something for her first. She asks the heroes to either undermine the Road (see Toll Road) or the army (see A Lumbering Threat).

Interest 2: Bets doesn’t surrender the carriage, but she offers some supplies to the heroes, which increments the countdown by 3.

Interest 1: Bets won’t surrender the carriage. When the heroes leave, she immediately contacts Ajax’s army and reports the heroes, decrementing the countdown by an additional 2.

Interest 0: Bets thinks she can capture the heroes herself and turn them into Ajax for a bonus. She initiates combat.

If it comes to blows, everyone in the speakeasy gets up to fight with her. Run the Clocking In encounter below. Regardless of the outcome, this negotiation decrements the countdown by 1.

Bets

Clocking In

The heroes face Bets and the Clock for control over the carriage. Use the Speakeasy map to run this encounter.

Clocking In Groups

Encounter Adjustments

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For seven heroes, add two human brawlers as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For six heroes, add one human brawler as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove one human brawler and four human rogues from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove one human brawler, one human scoundrel, and four human rogues from the start of the encounter.

Don’t Stop the Music

At the start of her first turn, Bets looks at the three-piece band playing in the north of the map and barks, “What are you doing? Don’t stop!” The band keeps playing, granting an edge on power rolls made by both heroes and enemies during this combat.

Any hero can attempt to shut up the band with a hard Presence test:

Presence Test: Shut the Band Up ≤11 The hero can’t get the band to shut up. The band heckles the hero with percussive stings and other sound effects throughout the rest of the fight, giving them a bane on power rolls instead of an edge. 12–16 The hero can’t get the band to shut up. 17+ The band shuts up, and the effect ends.

Tactics

The Clock is focused on protecting two things—Bets and the booze. If heroes get too close to the bar, Bets spends Malice to use her Gust of Wind ability and slide them back.

Other than that, the Clock doesn’t worry about breaking anything else. The rogues hide behind the bar and under tables to achieve concealment before popping out and hurting the heroes. The brawlers grab and throw heroes around the bar, smashing them into tables.

Ending the Encounter

The encounter ends when Bets has been defeated, at which point the rest of the Clock surrenders control of the carriage in exchange for their lives. The heroes each gain 2 Victories, and the countdown decrements by 2.

Victories

If the heroes end the negotiation with Bets’s interest at 4 or higher, they each earn 1 Victory.

Carriage Defenses

The carriage has 60 Stamina to start with, but the earlier fight with the Flip in Fighting the Flip might have left it in need of repair. Heroes can take time and resources to repair any damage the carriage incurred during that combat, which decrements the countdown by 2.

If the heroes ended the negotiation with Bets’ interest at 5, the Clock repairs the carriage instead. This also increases the carriage’s Stamina maximum by 20, to a total of 80. The Clock’s repairs don’t decrement the countdown.

Complicating Encounters

The encounters in this section are meant to be slotted between the main encounters of this chapter. For example, if the heroes pursue The Revelation, you might run A Lumbering Threat between Seeds of Mutiny and Get the Lantern, then run A Dreamer Deferred afterward.

Some of these encounters (such as Toll Road) are unavoidable. The heroes must deal with an obstacle in their path. For other encounters, the heroes should have the choice to walk away, because each action they take ticks down the countdown, and there’s a chance they may run out of time!

The Complicating Encounters table lists the encounters in this section, the recommended or required prerequisites for each encounter, and whether the heroes can avoid an encounter.

Complicating Encounters

Speakeasy: Clocking In

A Dreamer Deferred

In this encounter, the heroes run into a time raider who’s lost his only way home. Read or paraphrase the following:

• “From the alleyway echoes a hissing whisper, a ‘psspsspss,’ like someone’s trying to get a cat’s attention.”

• “Standing in the darkness of the alleyway is a humanoid with orange-tinted skin, four arms, and otherworldly clothing. He grins and motions for you to draw near.”

This humanoid is Radical Dreamer (he/him), a time raider who got separated from his squad. What’s worse, he dropped the gear he needs to get beamed back up onto his ship. He saw “a couple of robed guys” pick it up. He asks the heroes to head down the alleyway where the thieves went to retrieve the gear for him.

When the heroes approach the alley, read or paraphrase the following:

• “At the end of this alleyway, two robed men converse. One of them holds the object described by the time raider in his hands.”

• “As they try to figure out how to operate it, they call for help within a neighboring building. Several more robed men exit the building to offer assistance.”

The “robed guys” are priests of Ajax, who don’t know what the otherworldly tech does, but do know it’s alien enough to confiscate and turn into Ajax for a huge reward. The priests have a small base of operations in the buildings in this alleyway, where they provide support to the demon army and investigate confiscated magic and technology. Any hero can attempt to stealthily take the gear off the priest with a hard Agility test:

Agility Test: Steal Back the Gear ≤11 The hero can’t get the gear and alerts the priests to their presence in the process. Combat begins. See Radical Combat below. 12–16 The hero can’t get the gear, and more priests arrive to solve the puzzle of this contraption. A different hero can attempt this test, but on the second attempt, combat begins on a tier 2 or lower outcome (with a harder encounter). 17+ The hero snatches the gear, and the priests are none the wiser.

Radical Combat

The heroes face priests of Ajax who stole a time raider’s contraption. Use the Alleys map to run this encounter.

Radical Combat Groups

Encounter Adjustments

If the heroes attempted to steal the gear before combat and obtained a tier 2 outcome, they face a harder encounter. Add a fourth group containing one human death cultist commanding four human guards to the start of the encounter.

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For seven heroes, add two groups to the start of the encounter, each containing one muceron and four pitlings.

• For six heroes, add two mucerons as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove one muceron and four human death acolytes from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove one muceron, one human death cultist, and four human death acolytes from the start of the encounter.

Terrain: Alleys

The buildings in this alley are 5 squares high. The well in the northern part of the map is 4 squares deep and has less than 1 square of water in it.

Tactics

The mucerons fight at the front, protecting the humans from melee attacks. The acolytes use the additional effect of their Necrotic Bolt ability to heal the mucerons as they tank the hits. When at least half of the minions have been defeated, one of the death cultists uses their Rise, My Minions maneuver to revive as many minions as you have Malice to spend.

Ending the Encounter

One death cultist of your choice holds Radical Dreamer’s gear, which the heroes can grab off their body when they defeat them. If they do so, the remaining humans flee, but the demons fight to the death. If the heroes faced the regular encounter, they each earn 1 Victory, and the countdown decrements by 1. If they faced the harder encounter (see Encounter Adjustments above), they each earn 2 Victories, and the countdown decrements by 2.

Rewards

Radical Dreamer’s contraption is a metallic box with a round protrusion. It beeps and flashes when the protrusion is pushed in, but only a time raider knows how to use it. If the heroes return the gear to him, he thanks them by giving them a contraption of their own, similar to his with its big button. He tells them:

“You only get one shot, so listen up: Press this when the tyrants are breathing down your necks and the time is right. You’ll know. Stay alive.”

With a press of his gear’s button, Radical Dreamer disappears in a flash of light, and the heroes are left with the Radical Contraption (see Cinematic Assistance in Chapter 3).

Alleys: Radical Combat

A Lumbering Threat

It’s recommended to introduce this encounter when the heroes have 6 or more Victories.

Relg’s army has brought in a lumbering egress, a flesh-and-biledrenched demonic portal that leads to the Abyssal Wasteland. Neither fully creature nor contraption, this vile creation can summon demons at will—no worldly suffering of men like Colm required. But first the army needs to figure out how to use it.

The heroes witness a test run of the lumbering egress while traveling at night. Read or paraphrase the following:

• “Faint, muffled screams echo in the distance, followed by the wet sound of flesh slapping against stone. These noises originate from beyond a wooden fence, where demons surround a large, rectangular object covered with a tarp.”

• “The demons’ chants echo through the night. Dancing around the rectangle, they pull off the tarp to reveal a door made of warped flesh and teeth.”

• “Now activated, the fleshy portal’s eyes shoot open, and their mouth flashes a sickly blue. They belch a wretched knot of nerves and muscle tissue the size of a human fist onto the ground. Disappointed, one demon squashes the mass beneath their foot, then signals for the group to start again.”

The lumbering egress might be too strong to engage in direct combat, but they can be disrupted through a series of covert and tactical strikes. Let the heroes decide if they’d like to attempt sabotaging the egress, or run away. If they decide to act, run this encounter as a montage test. Read or paraphrase the following:

• “As the demons set up for their next test run, a small group of war dogs stand watch.”

• “The demons wheel crates from nearby tents and pull out substances by the bucketful: sulfur, oil, and brimstone. They smear the ground with the stuff, creating a ritual circle around the portal.”

• “While they work, the dozens of eyes that adorn the flesh of the lumbering egress are closed—for now.”

The Lumbering Threat Difficulty table shows this montage test’s success and failure limit based on the number of heroes participating in the test.

Lumbering Threat Difficulty

Montage Test Challenges

The following challenges are suitable for this montage test:

Avoid Soldiers: A small patrol of war dogs are stationed at this site to scare off curious onlookers. Suggested Characteristics: Agility, Presence. Suggested Skills: Disguise, Lie, Sneak.

Climb Barricades: Access to this site is prohibited by makeshift wooden fences. Suggested Characteristics: Might, Agility. Suggested Skills: Climb, Endurance, Gymnastics.

Destroy Tents: The tents in the camp are full of weapons and supplies for Relg’s army, which the soldiers on site can use to subdue the heroes. Suggested Characteristics: Might, Agility. Suggested Skills: Endurance, Sabotage.

Disrupt Ritual Circle: The magic circle constructed from blood and explosive substances can be destroyed, setting back the summoning progress. Suggested Characteristics: Reason, Intuition. Suggested Skills: Alertness, Magic, Timescape, Sabotage.

Make Use of Explosives: Many of the items used to summon and power the lumbering egress (sulfur, brimstone, oil, and so forth) are explosive. These materials are packed in crates and barrels around the site. Suggested Characteristics: Agility, Reason. Suggested Skills: Alchemy, Sabotage, Sneak. Special: This challenge can be overcome twice during the montage test.

Neutralize Demon Technicians: Lesser demons are currently “operating” the egress (which mainly involves feeding it and pleading with it). Suggested Characteristics: Might, Presence. Suggested Skills: Intimidate, Lie.

Neutralize the Egress: The lumbering egress is asleep, or recharging, or something between the two. The heroes can throw something in their mouth to make them sick or cover them with a tarp to push them further toward sleep. Suggested Characteristics: Agility, Reason. Suggested Skills: Conceal Object, Lift, Monsters, Sneak.

Montage Test Outcomes

The montage test can have the following outcomes:

Total Success

If the heroes earn a total success, the lumbering egress is destroyed. Chaos abounds at the site, but the heroes slip away unnoticed. Each hero earns 2 Victories, and the countdown decrements by 1.

Partial Success

If the heroes earn a partial success, the lumbering egress is destroyed, but the demons at the site got a few swipes in and caught a good look at the heroes’ faces. Each hero loses 5 Stamina and earns 1 Victory. The countdown decrements by 2.

Total Failure

If the heroes suffer total failure, demons detect and surround them before they can destroy the lumbering egress. An extremely difficult combat encounter begins (see Egress Fight below). Warn your players that perhaps the heroes should run and live to fight another day.

Egress Fight

The heroes are surrounded by demons after a botched attempt to stop the lumbering egress. Use the Army Camp map to run this encounter.

Egress Fight Groups

Encounter Adjustments

Subtract 20 Stamina from the lumbering egress for every success the heroes achieved during the A Lumbering Threat montage test. For example, if they achieved 4 successes, subtract 80 Stamina for a total of 100 Stamina.

If this encounter has fewer than six heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For five heroes, reduce the lumbering egress’s Stamina by another 20 (to a minimum of 40).

• For four heroes, reduce the lumbering egress’s Stamina by another 40 (to a minimum of 40) and remove two bendraks from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, reduce the lumbering egress’s Stamina by another 60 (to a minimum of 40) and remove two bendraks and one war dog subcommander from the encounter.

Maw of the Egress

On the map, note which direction the lumbering egress faces. If a creature is pushed into the lumbering egress’s space against their front-facing side, that creature is transported to the Abyssal Wasteland.

If all heroes are transported to the Abyssal Wasteland through the egress, stop this encounter and run the next encounter in this book (Wasteland Ingress). All enemies aside from the lumbering egress follow them in, so don’t worry about preserving the state of this map.

When the heroes finish Wasteland Ingress, they can catch their breath before returning to this fight. The only monster left on this map is the lumbering egress.

Tactics

The enemies fight to kill, and they aren’t keen on letting the heroes get away. The subcommanders are focused on subduing the heroes. They also position themselves to keep their allies from being pushed into the maw of the egress with their The Iron Saint Does Not Recognize Retreat trait.

The bendraks protect the lumbering egress. They use their Warp Perceptions ability on creatures attacking the egress, hoping to take some of the damage off the egress and spread it to the heroes.

The lumbering egress is still warming up and can’t access its full power. It can’t use any of its villain actions until the third combat round.

Ending the Encounter

There are three possible ways this encounter can end. Tell your players up front what these objectives are, even if you don’t usually do so, and ask them which they’d like to pursue:

Escape: The heroes push past the demons surrounding them and escape. The heroes win when all allies flee the walls. Each hero earns 2 Victories for achieving this outcome.

Destroy the Egress: The heroes must destroy the lumbering egress to win combat, then escape the map while the demons pursue them. If they choose this option before combat begins, award them 1 hero token. Each hero earns 3 Victories for achieving this outcome.

Total Victory: Demons don’t surrender. The heroes must defeat all the demons to win. Each hero earns 3 Victories for achieving this outcome. In the aftermath, they can pick apart the camp and find a red Color Cloak (see Treasures in Handouts).

No matter which outcome, this combat decrements the countdown by 3.

Army Camp: Egress Fight

Wasteland Ingress

The heroes are sent through the maw of the lumbering egress and wind up in the Abyssal Wasteland. Use the Iron Orb map to run this encounter.

At the start of this encounter, move all remaining enemies from the previous encounter (Egress Fight) onto this map.

Reinforcements

At the start of the second combat round, two bendraks arrive at the top of the map and join the fray.

Abyssal Field

The heroes and their enemies can be pushed off the edge of the platform and into the abyssal energy field around it. Any creature who has M<1 and enters the abyssal field for the first time in a combat round or starts their turn there is weakened (EoT).

The abyssal energy field becomes solid 3 squares below the platform and is tangible enough that a creature can climb back up to the platform. Doing so costs 2 squares of movement for every 1 square climbed (no test required).

If the heroes push demons into the abyssal energy field, spend Malice to open an Abyssal Rift and allow the demons to walk back onto the map.

Abyssal Howl

At the start of each combat round, abyssal energy wracks all non-demonic creatures. Each hero must make a Might test as the area shivers with a profane energy that harms them: ≤11 The creature takes 5 corruption damage and is slowed (EoT). 12–16 The creature takes 2 corruption damage. 17+ The creature takes no damage.

Tactics

The enemy uses the same tactics as they did in the Egress Fight. Now that the map has changed, they try to push heroes into the abyssal field.

Ending the Encounter

When all the enemies are dead, the heroes can jump through the portal and out of the maw of the lumbering egress into Blackbottom to resume combat with the monster. They return to Egress Fight, which the heroes must complete to earn rewards.

A Threat to Morale

Run this encounter the next time the heroes return to the safehouse, or where the civilians are staying, after the countdown reaches 4.

The heroes return to find tensions running high between the refugees as they squabble over scarce resources. To set the scene, read or paraphrase the following (if any civilian wasn’t rescued, ignore their dialogue or replace them with another civilian):

• “In the basement, you find frustration and unease. People are arguing, pointing fingers in each other’s faces and gesturing at the single unopened crate of supplies left.”

• Dinah: “I can stretch a little into a lot, but we’re going to have to tighten our belts.”

• Percival: “You don’t understand. I’m nobility. I’m used to eating more than the rest of you!”

• Oriole: “Everybody eats, or nobody eats. If you don’t like it, leave.”

• Bora: “Could we not fight? They’ll hear us.”

• Tch’dorit: “These supplies were set aside for the Blackenblues initially—you’re the ones who should be going without.”

• Vonder: “I liked my chances with the war dogs better. I’m outta here.”

The civilians are scared—supplies are running out fast, and they don’t know how long they’ll have to remain here. Some are threatening to leave. The heroes can break up the argument and convince them to share what little they have left with a medium Presence test:

Presence Test: Break Up the Fight ≤11 A group of civilians leaves, and they take some supplies with them. Remove up to three civilians (Director’s choice). 12–16 The civilians remain, but they refuse to compromise. Supplies run out faster. The countdown decrements by 1. 17+ The civilians remain and promise to compromise, but they stress that the time to leave is coming soon.

The heroes are no longer responsible for the civilians who leave. This makes their job in Chapter 3 easier, but they also never find out whether those civilians survived.

Last Call for Respite If you’re being transparent with your players about the countdown, remind them after A Threat to Morale that this is probably a good time to take a respite. It’s their last opportunity to do so before the end of the adventure. If you prefer to let your players discover that time is running out more naturally, have one of the NPCs suggest that if the heroes have an escape route secured, they should make their final preparations and then head out.

Band of Medical Malpractice

It’s recommended to introduce this encounter when the heroes have 4 or more Victories.

The heroes’ travel through Blackbottom is interrupted by opportunistic gnolls collecting body parts from the living and dead. Read or paraphrase the following:

• “Thunderous footsteps shake the city square as civilians cower and flee. A massive, elephantine beast tramples whatever lies in its wake: refuse, discarded produce, and bodies alike.”

• “Dancing around its feet are gnolls, who yip and pick at the rubble for scraps. They eat the carrion that’s damaged beyond recognition, but they throw any body part deemed reusable into the saddlebags attached to their tusker demon.”

• “They’re not picky about the status of the limbs either—some of them are in perfect working order and still attached to their living body!”

These gnolls are collecting parts to send to the body banks, where limbs are reassembled into war dogs. The heroes can easily avoid the gnolls, but left to their own devices, the band wreaks havoc on this part of town, maiming and killing countless civilians.

Use the City Square map to run this encounter.

Medical Malpractice Groups

Encounter Adjustments

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For seven heroes, add three gnoll marauders as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For six heroes, add two gnoll marauders as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove one gnoll cackler and four abyssal hyenas from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove one gnoll cackler and eight abyssal hyenas from the start of the encounter.

Civilians

Four civilians in various states of health and injury stand around the square. When it’s their turn to move, they take cover as best they can.

Terrain: Alleys

The buildings in this square are 5 squares high.

Tactics

The gnolls know to steer clear of the tusker demon’s feet while the demon tramples everything in their wake. The bonesplitters and abyssal hyenas rush their targets, and when they’re all in position, the cackler uses their Cackler’s Cackletongue ability to rack up free strikes. Then they clear out of the way and let the tusker demon charge.

Ending the Encounter

The gnolls scatter once the tusker demon is defeated. Each hero earns 2 Victories, and the countdown decrements by 1.

Additionally, if at least one civilian survives, they give the heroes two Healing Potions (see Treasures in Handouts).

After the combat encounter, a hero who searches the tusker demon’s saddlebags finds a familiar axe—it belonged to Hunt (see Hunt’s Axe in Treasures in Handouts). To not spoil the surprise of Hunt’s appearance, don’t give your players the axe’s handout until he appears in Chapter 3.

Interlude: New Arrivals

Run this encounter before the countdown reaches 7.

The heroes are approached by a group of civilians seeking refuge. Read or paraphrase the following:

• “Tentative footsteps in the dark of night. Hushed whispers. With an imploring gaze, a figure bravely steps into the light.”

• “‘Please,’ the woman begs. ‘We heard you’re helping people. We’ll be quiet. We promise.’”

• “Behind her are four others—two children, an elderly man, and a wounded woman. They have nowhere else to go.”

Ask your players this question: Which face in the crowd reminds you of someone you once left behind?

In this encounter, the heroes have a decision to make. Escorting new arrivals to the safehouse decrements the countdown by 2, reflecting the drain on resources. However, when the heroes begin Chapter 3, they gain two hero tokens.

City Square: Band of Medical Malpractice

Security Check

Run this encounter as soon as the countdown reaches 13.

As the heroes are traveling within the city, they reach a security checkpoint stationed before a bridge over a large river. Read or paraphrase the following:

• “Large wooden barricades loom overhead. The only way forward is across the river. The army has set up a small kiosk and an armored guard at the bridge’s entrance.”

• “Several giant hawks roost in the buildings above, awaiting instruction from their masters down below.”

• “Desperate citizens plead with the guards in the kiosk for passage across the bridge. Some are granted it, while others are detained for reasons unknown.”

At this security checkpoint, the soldiers control movement between parts of the city. They search for fugitives, including those on the wanted posters, and shake down citizens for loose change and call it a toll. The only way through is over the bridge, but the heroes can get past the kiosk with a medium Presence test. If the hero who is wanted by Ajax is making this test, they have a double bane. If the hero making this test is from Blackbottom, they gain an edge.

Presence Test: Get Through the Checkpoint ≤11 The hero wanted by Ajax is discovered. Combat ensues. 12–16 The heroes pass through, but they seem suspicious to the guards at the kiosk, who remember their faces. This decrements the countdown by 1. 17+ The heroes pass without incident.

If a fight begins, the humans in the kiosk signal the hawks on the rooftops, who take off into the air to search for reinforcements. To run this encounter, see Checkpoint Fight below.

Checkpoint Fight

Use the Checkpoint map to run this encounter.

Barrit's Boys

Reinforcements

At the start of the second combat round and every round after, three human knaves appear near the checkpoint kiosk and join the fray.

Encounter Adjustments

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For seven heroes, add two human knaves as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For six heroes, add one human knave as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove four war dog conscripts and four war dog sharpshooters from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove four war dog conscripts, four war dog sharpshooters, and two human brawlers from the start of the encounter.

Terrain: Bridge

The bridge is 3 squares above the water, and the river is 5 squares of water deep.

If any hero or civilian is knocked into the water (or jumps), they can swim toward the side of the bridge that isn’t barricaded. It requires 3 squares of movement to climb up to the street level.

Tactics

The enemies know that they likely can’t stop the heroes on their own, so their goal is to try and restrict the heroes’ movement until reinforcements arrive. The brawlers and the eviscerite grab and pull the heroes to keep them from escaping. The war dogs don’t intentionally explode themselves until reinforcements arrive.

Ending the Encounter

The encounter ends once the heroes have made it to the other side of the bridge. Enemies continue to arrive each combat round, so make it clear to the heroes that they can’t rout the enemy. Each hero earns 1 Victory for completing this encounter, and the countdown decrements by 2.

Toll Road

While the heroes are traveling through Blackbottom, they’re accosted by ruffians from the Road who have taken over a street and are demanding a toll. It’s an exorbitant amount that the heroes likely can’t pay, but even if they could, these scoundrels are profiteering off disaster. The heroes can try to negotiate with them or use force to teach them a lesson (see Barrit’s Boys).

If they’d like to negotiate, they speak with Barrit (she/her), the leader of this operation. Barrit is a younger human, vulgar and rough around the edges. Every time she tells a joke or mouths off to the heroes, she looks around for the approval of her peers.

Vonder, the thief from the Road the heroes might have met in Chapter 1, has worked with Barrit before. He knows enough about her to give the heroes insight into one of her motivations or pitfalls (Director’s choice). If Vonder is with the heroes when they negotiate with Barrit, she starts with Impression 2—the heroes must be important if the Vonder is running with them now.

Checkpoint: Security Check

Negotiation With Barrit

Barrit Negotiation Stats

Interest: 3 Patience: 3 Impression: 1

Native Language: Vaslorian

Motivations

Revelry: Barrit thinks collecting tolls is actually kind of boring, but it’s the easiest money-making scheme she can come up with. Suggesting that she might have more fun searching for money rather than passively collecting it leverages this motivation.

Legacy: Barrit is a young member of the Road looking to become famous and adored. Suggesting that doing the right thing could help her achieve that faster is a great way to leverage this motivation.

Pitfalls

Justice: Barrit cares about looking cool and having fun. Trying to talk to her about “good guys” and “bad guys” invokes this pitfall.

Greed: Barrit’s not seeing any of this money; it all goes “higher up the Road.” Bribes and money-related arguments remind her of this fact and invoke this pitfall.

This negotiation can have the following outcomes:

Interest 5: Barrit realizes that sticking with actual heroes might improve her own status. She offers to collect supplies for the heroes’ safehouse instead of terrorizing civilians. This increments the countdown by 2.

Interest 4: Barrit realizes this scheme is more trouble than it’s worth. She and her boys pack up and find some other way to make money.

Interest 3: Barrit offers to stop the scheme, but she does need something to offer her higher-ups instead. The heroes can offer a piece of special loot they’ve found, or they can offer some of their supplies. Offering supplies decrements the countdown by 1.

Interest 2: Barrit can’t afford to stop this scheme, but she can share a cut with the heroes. If the heroes accept this offer, they can take a respite without decrementing the countdown (so long as the countdown isn’t at 0 when they use this gift).

Interest 1: Barrit won’t oblige. Who the hell do the heroes think they are?

Interest 0: Barrit cracks her knuckles and says, “Get ‘em, boys.” See Barrit’s Boys below.

Victories

If the heroes end the negotiation with Barrit’s interest at 5, they each gain 1 Victory. Additionally, the next time they go back to the safehouse, they find a special delivery in the form of the Clock’s Watch (see Cinematic Assistance in Chapter 3).

Barrit’s Boys

Use the Alleys map for this encounter.

Enemy Groups

Encounter Adjustments

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For seven heroes, add two human knaves as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For six heroes, add one human knave as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove four human rogues from group 1 at the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove four human rogues from group 1 at the start of the encounter.

Terrain: Alleys

The buildings in this alley are 5 squares high. The well in the northern part of the map is 4 squares deep and has less than 1 square of water in it.

Tactics

Barrit and her boys care mainly about hitting hard and fast. The brawlers flank a hero to maximize their chances of grabbing them with their Haymaker ability, then use them as a shield with their Shoot the Hostage trait.

Ending the Encounter

The encounter ends when Barrit goes down, at which point the rest of the enemies lay down their weapons and beg for mercy. Each hero earns 1 Victory, and the countdown decrements by 2.

Barrit

Alleys: Barrit's Boys

Dogs Sniffing About

If the heroes initiated this chapter before their countdown hit 0, this section is an interlude. If the heroes’ countdown hit 0, this encounter ends in combat. Whether the heroes are in the safehouse or the sewers beneath, they notice that war dogs have overtaken the sewer passageways closest to them, forcing them to make their exit aboveground. Read or paraphrase the following:

• “Something stirs in the sewers beyond. Boots thumping against stone, sloshing in sewage. Murmurs rise and are stifled.”

• “A quick peek reveals hulking figures in the shadows of the sewers, all patchwork limbs and standard-issue armor. They watch and wait.”

One of the civilians, most likely Artistoxilath or Oriole, suggests that the group travels up to the surface to avoid the war dogs camping beneath them.

Interlude

If you’re running this section as an interlude, the coast is clear on the surface. Ask your players these questions: What do you say to motivate your charges and each other to begin the escape? What do you do to stall the war dogs in the sewers?

Non-Interlude

If you’re running this section as a combat encounter, there are war dogs on the surface, although there are fewer here than in the sewers. Any hero can scout ahead on the surface to determine this information with an Agility test.

Agility Test: Scout Ahead ≤11 The war dogs in the alley see the hero before they see the war dogs. When combat begins, the heroes are surprised. 12–16 The hero sees the war dogs in the alley just before the war dogs see them. Combat begins immediately. 17+ The hero sees the war dogs without being seen. The heroes can get the jump on the enemy, and when combat begins, the war dogs are surprised.

Use the Alleys map to run this encounter.

Dogs at the Ready Groups

Encounter Adjustments

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For six heroes, add two war dog phosphorites as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove four war dog sharpshooters and four war dog conscripts from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove four war dog sharpshooters, four war dog conscripts, and two war dog phosphorites from the start of the encounter.

Terrain: Alleys

The buildings in this alley are 5 squares high. The well in the northern part of the map is 4 squares deep and has less than 1 square of water in it.

Tactics

The pestilites are quick to use their Plaguecaster ability to affect as many heroes as they can to inflict damage and frighten enemies. The captains know that their minions likely won’t last past the turn they act on, so they never miss an opportunity to use their Posthumous Promotion maneuver to send a minion to their explosive death.

Ending the Encounter

The encounter ends when all war dogs have been defeated. Each hero earns 1 Victory.

Leaving Safety

In this section, the heroes leave the safety of their headquarters, whether it’s the safehouse or elsewhere in the sewers.

The Betrayal

The moment the heroes are free of the war dogs, they’re betrayed by one of the civilians they’ve been protecting. Choose one of the NPCs. While the heroes were out securing a route in Chapter 2, this NPC left the safehouse and sold out the heroes to Ajax’s army. They might have done this for money, to protect a loved one, or to ensure their own safety. Here are some examples of traitors and their motivations:

Oriole: If heroes didn’t pursue the Revelation lead, Oriole desperately wants to know what happened to her crew. A Hawklord promised her and her crew safe passage if she sold out the heroes.

Colm: Though he’s thankful the heroes saved him, Colm was promised his old job back if he gave them up.

Vonder: Vonder was caught by Hawklords and threatened. He folded immediately and promised to sell out the heroes.

Dwinn: The proprietor of the Drunken Fool can rebuild his establishment—and therefore his life—with the reward money offered.

Percival: The noble truly believes he got caught up in all this by mistake. There’s no reason those in power would harm good people, so the heroes must be bad. He sells them out to prove he’s on the “right” side of the law.

Blackenblues: While Tch’dorit himself wouldn’t sell out the heroes, one of the Blackenblue scouts might have done so to protect the rest of the mercenary company.

Artistoxilath is the only NPC who can’t be the traitor. Selling anyone out to Ajax goes against their oath.

When the heroes are about to lead the way to the escape route, read or paraphrase the following:

• “Clouds cover the Blackbottom sky. The air outside is tense. A few civilians peek out around the alleyway corners. They look left, right, and left again. The coast is clear.”

• “Suddenly, a small blast goes off next to you. A magical flare zooms upward and explodes.”

• “You look up and meet the sorrowful gaze of someone you’ve come to know over these tortured days in Blackbottom.”

• “Rumbling reverberates from all around. A cacophony fills the alleyway—bootsteps and demon feet, beating wings, shrieks and laughter. Down the road you can see it: an army. They know you’re here, and they’re coming.”

• “The one who betrayed you grips the used-up flare wand tightly as realization washes over them and they whisper, ‘Run.’”

If the heroes don’t bring the traitor with them for the next encounter, the traitor is killed by the advancing army. Whatever promises were made to them to ensure their compliance aren’t kept.

Is Everyone an Asshole? In this adventure, every character has the capacity for great good or great evil. To make this scene cinematic, at least one NPC must demonstrate the latter. This doesn’t mean that all the NPCs were ready to sell the heroes out at any time. It means that the conditions were right in your game to make one NPC feel as though they had no other choice. When selecting the traitor, choose a character the heroes know but didn’t interact with as much as the others. Leave them wondering, “If we had talked to that person more, would they have sold us out … ?”

Alleys: Dogs at the Ready

Cinematic Assistance

Many of the items and favors the heroes accrued during Chapters 1 and 2, such as the Radical Contraption, can be used to turn the tide of this battle. They’re one-time-use items that call on the help of allies the heroes have made over the course of the adventure. They only work during the encounters in this chapter, because using them requires the allies to be relatively close and available to help.

Before beginning this chapter, remind your players they have these items and reveal their purpose so they can choose the right moment to use them to great tactical and cinematic effect. A complete list of these items and their effects can be found in the Cinematic Assistance section of the Handouts book.

Civilians

The group of civilians works the same way it did in Chapter 1. The heroes can have up to fourteen civilians to look after: Oriole, Artistoxilath (if they aren’t a retainer), Moonlight, Lorelei, Percival, Dwinn, Dinah, Vonder, Bora, and the five who may have joined in Interlude: New Arrivals.

Tch’dorit and the Blackenblues won’t leave Blackbottom, so if they’ve remained with the heroes through Chapter 2, Tch’dorit offers to provide a distraction when the heroes need it most. The heroes can call on them with the Blackenblue Backup Cinematic Assistance item (see below).

Running the Flight

In each of these encounters, make it clear that the goal isn’t to destroy everything on the board, but to get to the other side. The army can’t be stopped. It can only be outrun. Each encounter ends when all heroes are in the marked space on the map and decide to move on. Any civilians who haven’t made it to the goal by the end of the encounter are left behind to die.

Although each part is a separate encounter, the heroes don’t get the opportunity to do anything between them.

Part 1: Alleys

To begin this encounter, read or paraphrase the following:

• “The army rapidly advances from behind. However, several groups of demons slink out from the dark corners of the alleyways, attracted by the flare.”

• “They lick their lips and gnash their teeth, eager to get a taste of flesh before the army arrives.”

Use the Alleys map to run this encounter.

Escape Part 1 Groups

Encounter Adjustments

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For six heroes, add one muceron and four ensnarers as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove four frenzieds and four ensnarers from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove one muceron, four frenzieds, and four ensnarers from the start of the encounter.

Terrain: Alleys

The buildings in this alley are 5 squares high. The well in the northern part of the map is 4 squares deep and has less than 1 square of water in it.

Tactics

The demons focus on holding their enemies back for as long as possible to give the encroaching horde time to catch up. The ensnarers use their Barbed Tongue ability to hold onto whomever they can reach and pull them back, while the remasches use Abyssal Strike to teleport heroes closer to the encroaching horde whenever you have Malice available.

Ending the Encounter

The encounter ends when all heroes are in the marked space on the map and decide to move on. Any noncombatants who have not escaped the map are lost and don’t appear on the next map. Each hero earns 1 Victory.

Alleys: Escape Part 1

Part 2: City Square

To transition to this part of the encounter, read or paraphrase the following:

• “The alley leads into a larger square crowded by overturned wagons and fallen debris.”

• “A pack of war dogs wait as though they knew you’d be coming this way. When they see you, glee breaks over their faces.”

• “A wormlike demon slithers among the pack, their mouths upon mouths salivating at your approach.”

Use the City Square map to run this encounter.

Escape Part 2 Groups

Encounter Adjustments

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For six heroes, add two war dog pestilites as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove one war dog eviscerite and four war dog tetherites from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove one war dog eviscerite and four war dog tetherites from the start of the encounter. Also, the lesser chorogaunt can’t take a villain action during the first combat round.

Terrain: Square

The buildings in this square are 5 squares high.

Tactics

The pestilites use their Plaguecaster ability to frighten as many enemies as they can. Since this prevents the heroes and their charges from moving forward, they’re sitting ducks for the encroaching horde.

The chorogaunt slows as many enemies as they can with their Agonizing Harmony ability, allowing the encroaching horde to catch up.

Ending the Encounter

The encounter ends when all heroes are in the marked space on the map and decide to move on. Any noncombatants who have not escaped the map are lost and don’t appear on the next map. Each hero earns 1 Victory.

City Square: Escape Part 2

Part 3: Security Checkpoint

To transition to this part of the encounter, read or paraphrase the following:

• “Barricades to the left and right, and the army at your back. There’s nowhere to go but forward—over the bridge.”

• “Standing on the bridge is a contingent of both war dogs and demons, ready and waiting.”

• “In the middle of the pack is a massive soldier with muscled legs and arms too large for the torso he stands on. The stitches look fresh, and the wounds brand new.”

• “His face is familiar, and when he sees you, you can tell there’s a hint of recognition in his eyes as well.”

• “It’s the voice that confirms it. ‘Look at the roaches who crawled out of my safehouse,’ jokes War Dog Ground Commander Hunt. Then he bellows to his men, ‘Kill all you can!’ and attacks.”

• “The armies behind and ahead of you roar and ready their weapons. But just over the bridge, you know your exit strategy is ready and waiting.”

The war dog ground commander in this encounter has the head, voice, and memories of Hunt, the Chain of Acheron member who helped the heroes in Chapter 1. But he isn’t the same man—he just has some of the same parts. War dog Hunt might taunt the heroes with things he remembers about them from helping them through the siege as he gleefully tries to run them through with his spear.

If one of the heroes is using Hunt’s Axe (see Treasures in Handouts), this commander triggers that weapon’s ability. Now is a good time to show your players that handout.

Use the Checkpoint map to run this encounter. Position the map so the barricade is on the left side and the open end is on the right side.

Escape Part 3 Groups

Encounter Adjustments

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For six heroes, add two war dog pestilites as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove four ensnarers and four war dog conscripts from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove eight ensnarers and eight war dog conscripts from the start of the encounter. Also, the war dog ground commander can’t take a villain action during the first combat round.

Terrain: Bridge

The bridge is 3 squares above the water, and the river is 5 squares of water deep.

If a hero or civilian is knocked into the water (or jumps), they can swim toward the side of the bridge that isn’t barricaded. It requires 3 squares of movement to climb up to the street level.

Tactics

If the demons are pushed off the bridge, spend Malice to create an Abyssal Rift that allows them to appear back on the bridge. If Hunt is pushed off the bridge, the muceron and ensnarers try to pull the heroes off the bridge and into the water where Hunt can get to them.

Ending the Encounter

The encounter ends when all heroes are in the marked space on the map and decide to move on. Any noncombatants who have not escaped the map are lost and don’t appear on the next map.

Each hero earns 2 Victories, or 3 Victories if more than half the civilians survived all three of the Escape encounters.

Checkpoint: Escape Part 3

The Encroaching Horde

For each of these encounters, Ajax’s army is hot on the heroes’ heels. This gleeful legion of demons and war dogs destroys everything and everyone in its path.

At the beginning of the second combat round on each map, the encroaching horde appears on the full leftmost column of squares. At the end of each turn, the horde advances one column of squares to the right. The horde is made up of all kinds of enemies—creatures who can fly, climb through buildings, knock down walls, and trample over difficult terrain. The horde can’t be slowed or stopped by the map’s terrain.

When any civilian or retainer enters an encroaching horde space, they immediately die. When any hero enters an encroaching horde space, their Stamina is immediately reduced to 0. Any dying hero who ends their turn in an encroaching horde’s space goes down fighting. They hold off the horde’s movement until the beginning of the next round, but doing so claims that hero’s life. If a hero makes this choice, ask the player to narrate their hero’s cinematic last stand.

To the Transport!

This section details the three-part encounter in which Ajax’s army chases the heroes and their charges through Blackbottom. In The Last Stand, the heroes face a different climactic encounter based on the escape route they pursued. If the heroes secured multiple escape routes, ask them which one they plan on taking now.

The Last Stand!

After getting through the checkpoint, the heroes can head to their escape route of choice:

• Hawk Transport: The heroes locate the hawk transport and take off. See To the Skies.

• The Revelation: The heroes traverse the docks and climb aboard the ship. See Anchors Aweigh.

• Sewer Escape: The heroes find a sewer grate that leads to the passageway the heroes secured. See Escape Below.

• Merchant’s Carriage: The heroes locate the armored carriage and set off. See Through the Gate.

In each one of these encounters, the chorogaunt from Escape Part 2: City Square makes their return, and the heroes must defeat them for good.

To the Skies

When the heroes reach the place where they’ve stashed the hawk transport, read or paraphrase the following:

• “The hawk transport is folded up where you left it, and the hawks are perched close by.”

• “The army is fast approaching, but the folded-up transport requires some attention before it’s flight-ready.”

If everyone works together, unfolding the hawk transport is trivial. The true difficulty is getting the hawks to cooperate, which requires any hero to make an Intuition test. If the heroes secured Herialt’s assistance in Chapter 2, they gain an edge on this test.

Intuition Test: Handle Hawks ≤11 The hero gets the hawks to cooperate after much difficulty, taking 1d6 damage. 12–16 The hero gets the hawks strapped in and ready for takeoff. 17+ The hero gets the hawks strapped in and ready for takeoff faster than expected, allowing fewer enemies to reach the transport before the next encounter begins.

To begin combat, read or paraphrase the following:

• “Unfolded, the hawk transport is a massive and sturdy hunk of metal with harnesses fitted for adult hawks on its four sides.”

• “Everyone clambers onto the platform, clutching the guardrails and each other for support. The pilot takes the reins and shouts for the hawks to take flight.”

• “The massive hawks beat their wings, kicking up dust and dirt. The transport lifts off the ground. It glides down a broad street, putting more and more distance between itself and the ground with each passing second.”

• “The whole transport shakes with a jolt. Then the chorogaunt, battered and bloodied, slithers up onto the platform. The civilians dash to take cover in the compartment below deck.”

• “As the hawk transport travels past Blackbottom’s rooftops and toward the sea, war dogs and demons leap from the heights and land on the deck of the transport with a clang.”

The civilians hide in the interior of the transport and aren’t a part of this encounter.

Use the Hawk Transport map to run this encounter.

To the Skies Groups

Encounter Adjustments

If the heroes defeated the chorogaunt in the previous encounter, the demon returns in this encounter with half their Stamina. Otherwise, they return at full Stamina.

If the heroes obtained a tier 3 outcome to handle the hawks just before this encounter, remove all pitlings from this combat, as well as one war dog neuronite if you have three heroes.

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For six heroes, add two war dog neuronites as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove group 5 from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove two mucerons and eight pitlings from the start of the encounter.

Falling and Recovery

During this fight, the hawk transport is about 20 squares above the water and climbing. Falling is lethal. If a creature can fly or teleport, they can avoid death but probably can’t catch up to the transport— unless they have a hawk.

If Herialt is with the heroes, he can send a hawk to rescue a falling creature (no test required). A hero can attempt to call a hawk to action with an Intuition test as a free triggered action in response to falling: ≤11 The hawk drops the hero on the square closest to where they fell at the start of the next combat round. 12–16 The hawk drops the hero on the square closest to where they fell immediately. 17+ The hawk drops the hero on a square of the hero’s choice immediately.

Only one of the four hawks can be called upon in this way per round—they’re still busy flying the transport! If the heroes ended the negotiation with Herialt with his interest at 5, he brought two extra hawks, meaning three can be on rescue duty at once.

Tactics

The subcommander positions themself where they can grant the highest number of allies the stability bonus from their The Iron Saint Does Not Recognize Retreat trait, and they stick to their tetherite minions for similar stability support.

Ending the Encounter

The encounter ends when all enemies have been defeated. Each hero gains 2 Victories.

Hawk Transport: To the Skies

Anchors Aweigh

When the heroes reach the docks, they can easily sprint to the ship and climb aboard. However, the chorogaunt has gained their second wind and is hot on the heroes’ heels, and there are traitors hiding within the Revelation’s crew. To begin combat, read or paraphrase the following:

• “The crew of the Revelation is ready and waiting at the docks. They help the civilians climb onto the ship, and everyone collapses on the deck in feeble relief.”

• “The captain barks orders to shove off, and the crew gets to work raising the anchor and hoisting the sails.”

• “When the army reaches the docks, they falter—the docks aren’t stable enough to hold all of them. Some jump in the water and swim out, while others throw weapons that can’t reach.”

• “The massive chorogaunt, however, slithers down the length of the dock, coils, then springs towards the ship now pulling away toward the sea. It lands on the deck with a thud.”

• “As the demon screeches, several members of the crew draw their weapons and point them at you. ‘Traitors!’ the captain roars furiously, then turns to you. ‘We’ll keep us going. You keep us alive.’”

The civilians rush below deck and aren’t a part of this encounter. Use the Ship at Sea map to run this encounter.

Anchors Aweigh Groups

Encounter Adjustments

If the heroes defeated the chorogaunt in the previous encounter, the demon returns in this encounter with half their Stamina. Otherwise, they return at full Stamina.

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For six heroes, add one human knave as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove four human rogues and four human archers from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove four human rogues, four human archers, and one human knave from the start of the encounter.

Boat Height and Climbing

The deck of the ship is 2 squares above the water level, meaning a creature takes no damage when they fall into the water.

A character can climb back up to the deck of the ship, but it’s much harder to do while the boat is moving. Doing so costs 3 squares of movement for every 1 square climbed (no test required).

Civilians

There are 5 crew members who function as civilians. In addition, all human rogues have not yet revealed themselves like the rest of the enemies. Disguised as loyal crew members, they wait until an enemy gets within 2 squares of them before giving up their position and attacking. If they attack while disguised, they deal the extra 3 damage granted to them by their Concealed Dagger ability.

Once on their turn, any hero can attempt to discern whether a civilian is really a traitor in disguise by making an Intuition test opposed by the rogue’s Presence test (+1).

Tactics

The brawler focuses on pushing heroes off the deck with their Haymaker and Throw abilities, at which point they instruct their archers to shoot at heroes who are climbing back up. The rogues stay disguised until the best moment to strike (see Civilians above).

Ending the Encounter

The encounter ends when all enemies have been defeated. Each hero gains 2 Victories.

Ship at Sea: Anchors Aweigh

Escape Below

The heroes lose the army and find a sewer grate to climb into. Unfortunately, the passageway they must traverse is crawling with ooze. Not only that, but the chorogaunt, which gained their second wind, has caught up to the heroes. To begin combat, read or paraphrase the following:

• “You and your charges climb down the ladder into the darkness of the sewers below. With every step, you near the passageway you located.”

• “Squelching echoes from just around the corner, trails of slime running up and down this final passageway. A pack of oozes has nearly conquered this part of the sewers.”

• “There is no time to tread lightly—you hear a furious choir of screaming mouths you recognize from the city square getting closer and closer with every step.”

The civilians must be escorted through the sewers. Use the Sewers map to run this encounter.

Escape Below Groups

Encounter Adjustments

If the heroes defeated the chorogaunt in the previous encounter, the demon returns in this encounter with half their Stamina. Otherwise, they return at full Stamina.

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For six heroes, add one gummy ball and one imit putty as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove four black ichors from both group 2 and group 3 from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove one gummy ball, eight black ichors, and one imit putty from the start of the encounter.

Terrain: Sewage

There’s sewage flowing through the middle of the largest passageways. These spaces are difficult terrain. Any creature who enters a sewage square for the first time in a combat round or starts their turn there takes 1 acid damage.

The sewer passageways have a height of 4 squares.

Gate

The gate in the bottom west-to-east passageway of the sewers is locked tight, and only creatures of size 1T or smaller and abilities that have both the Ranged and Magic keywords can pass through it. Any hero can use their maneuver to break the gate open with a Might test or pick the lock with an Agility test: ≤11 The hero can’t get the gate open. 12–16 The hero opens the gate but falls prone, and their turn ends. 17+ The hero opens the gate.

Tactics

At this point, you should have enough Malice to have at least one imit putty transform with their Uncanny Impression ability on the first combat round. Make a show of this and imply the others plan to transform on subsequent rounds, giving your heroes the choice between taking down the chorogaunt or stopping the transformations.

The gummy balls move up and down the north-to-south lengths of the sewers, pushing heroes in their wake into the walls or sewage.

Ending the Encounter

This encounter ends when all enemies are defeated, or all heroes and civilians are in the marked space on the map. Each hero earns 1 Victory, or 2 Victories if more than half of the civilians survive.

Sewers: Escape Below

Through the Gate

The heroes and their charges shake the army and get to where they’ve stashed the caravan, which has two horses harnessed and is ready to go. But as the carriage reaches the northern gate, the heroes find a heavy Blackbottom city guard presence. They don’t necessarily work for Ajax, so any hero can convince them to open the gate and let them through with a Presence test. If the hero making the test is from Blackbottom, or if the famous Blackbottom small business owner Dwinn is with them, they gain an edge on the test.

Presence Test: Convince the Guard ≤11 The guards don’t let the heroes through. 12–16 The guards let the heroes through, but it takes time to convince them. The Director starts the next combat encounter with 4 additional Malice. 17+ The guards let the heroes through.

If the hero fails the test, one NPC offers to create a distraction to give the carriage an opportunity to escape. This NPC (Director’s choice) remains behind and is likely seized by the army. If the heroes still have the Clock’s Watch or Blackenblue Backup items available, they can employ either one to create a distraction instead. Alternatively, any hero can sacrifice themself to cause the distraction.

When the carriage moves past the gate, they enter into a forest where kobolds lie in wait, ready to ambush what they believe are carriages full of food or other goods. The chorogaunt is also hot on the carriage’s heels, and the heroes must fend off both groups to escape. Read or paraphrase the following:

• “Galloping horses pull the carriage through the gate and onto the road that leads north.”

• “Eventually grass and dirt give way to trees and brush, and the carriage is shaded from aerial notice by a thick canopy.”

• “Just as those inside heave a sigh of relief, an arrow hits the side of the carriage with a shunk! Excited yips surround the carriage on all sides as a legion of small reptilian hunters emerges from the brush.”

• “From behind, the chorogaunt, battered and bloody, slithers into view, leaps, and lands on the roof of the carriage.”

• “‘Get them all!’ shouts a kobold. ‘We’re eating good tonight!’”

The civilians are inside the carriage and aren’t a part of this encounter (unless the carriage breaks).

Use the City Limits map to run this encounter.

Through the Gate Groups

Encounter Adjustments

If the heroes defeated the chorogaunt in the previous encounter, the demon returns in this encounter with half their Stamina. Otherwise, they return at full Stamina.

If this encounter has more or fewer than five heroes, make the following adjustments:

• For six heroes, add one kobold legionary as their own group to the start of the encounter.

• For four heroes, remove four kobold sagittarions from both group 2 and group 3 from the start of the encounter.

• For three heroes, remove one kobold adeptus and eight kobold sagittarions from the start of the encounter.

Dynamic Traps

Two of three dynamic terrain objects marked on the map are traps set by the kobolds: one angry beehive and one flammable oil (dynamic terrain objects found in Draw Steel: Monsters), which can be activated by a kobold artifex. If there’s Malice to spare, the adeptus use it on their Arcane Telum ability to deal damage to the carriage and the heroes.

The kobolds and the chorogaunt don’t see each other as allies. While they both target the heroes, they take damage from each other’s area abilities.

Moving Vehicle

The third dynamic terrain object is the armored carriage, which is constantly moving down the road. Don’t worry about simulating this from turn to turn; the kobolds, the chorogaunt, and everyone else are all keeping up. However, at the beginning of each combat round, move all traps and prone creatures 5 squares to the left to signify that they’re being left behind.

Two horses pull the carriage, but a creature adjacent to the carriage can guide the horses and use the carriage’s Run Over maneuver.

As a main action, an adjacent hero can attempt to secure the vehicle after it has taken damage with a Reason test: ≤11 The hero restores 5 Stamina to the carriage. 12–16 The hero restores 7 Stamina to the carriage. 17+ The hero restores 10 Stamina to the carriage and grants it a +1 bonus to speed until the end of the encounter.

If the carriage is reduced to 0 Stamina, it collapses, killing one civilian immediately and exposing the rest to enemy attacks.

Tactics

The kobolds hope to slow and stop the cart; they try to target the carriage as much as they can. The artifexes trigger traps once the cart gets close to them, then set new traps further in the distance using their Activate Trap ability if you have Malice.

Ending the Encounter

When at least three of the non-minion kobolds have been defeated, the rest of the kobolds flee. The chorogaunt fights to the death. Each hero earns 2 Victories.

Adventure Rewards

The heroes can earn the following rewards for completing this adventure.

Renown

If the heroes escaped Blackbottom with five or more civilians, those civilians spread the story of their deeds. Each hero gains 1 Renown.

Title: Percival’s Favorite

If the heroes saved Percival, the person who was the nicest to him gains this title (see Titles in Handouts).

Title: Thorough

If the heroes defeated the lesser chorogaunt or War Dog Ground Commander Hunt during Running the Flight, the hero who dealt the finishing blow to one of these enemies earn this title (see Titles in Handouts). If two different heroes dealt the finishing blow to the two monsters, both heroes earn this title.

Conclusion

Once the heroes fend off their attackers in the last stand, they’ve officially escaped Blackbottom and the eye of Ajax’s army. No one really knows where to go next. Some want to return home, while others might need to find a new one. If the heroes didn’t kill Ground Commander Hunt, he … well, he hunts them to the ends of Vasloria. Getting civilians home while evading this pursuer can be the backdrop for further adventures.

If all the heroes die, however, they die well. While the demons feast on their flesh and the war dogs gloat over their corpses, their charges escape to safety, largely unnoticed. Their legacy is not forgotten.