Queen Scorpions and Lady Nymphs
A Tunnels and Trolls Solo Adventure by Tori Bergquist
A Tunnels and Trolls Solo Adventure by Tori Bergquist
This solo adventure originally appeared as
"Nymphomania," in an early issue of The Sorcerer's Scrolls, around
1987. It was a real hit back then, and demand for a sequel came from the
handful of fans who appreciated it. I have renamed it, and changed some
of the text as appropriate. Have fun!
The following Tunnels & Trolls solitaire adventure is designed for use with all characters, of levels 2-9. It is suggested that the characters have between 35 and 80 adds for the most challenge. Spell casting is allowed in the text, or as appropriate in combat. If you need to look up a monster stat, go to the end of the solo adventure, to the appendix, where key monsters have been provided stats on. To begin the adventure, read the introduction and go to paragraph one.
Introduction: The Hyrkanian Kingdoms are a bleak, ancient land wracked with countless millennia of warfare and strife. Even in its greatest moment of glory, the ancient empire was united for less than a century before internal strife and religious zealotry once again shattered it in to many divided regions. In the distant south dwell the rugged Sendralites, citizens on the periphery of the empire who seek their own council over that of the Emperor. In the coastlands along the Inner Sea can be found the varied city-states of the Southern Hyrkanian Unity, a collection of hostile provinces who would strike the emperor down if they had the force to do it. In the midlands of the empire is the vast Hyrkanian Desert to the west, through which the great and old Kings' Road forges along, and in the east are the thick, wooded mountain lands of the Niras Forests, with a pagan folk suspicious of true Hyrkanians. In the northern coasts are the true provinces of the Empire, stretching from fabled Hyrkan'ien itself, the capitol of the Emerald Palace, to ghost-haunted Kymir, touched by the forces of chaos long ago. You are a traveler to this land, moving northward from the Inner Sea, and are about to experience some of the more deadly -and sultry- denizens of that desolate domain.....
1. It is a hot day along the King's Road as you trudge along under the watchful glare of the sun god Naril, lighting the sky above. You had been traveling along the King's Road for some time now, in an attempt to get from the sea port Malas to the fabled City of A Thousand Pits, Hyrmyskos. Now, after four or five days of hiking along, you begin to see a glimmering castle in the distance, off to the east side of the road for about a mile. If you would like to head for the castle, the Go to 2, or you may continue onwards, the castle to the east, the Hyrkanian Desert to the right, along the King's Road to the capitol itself (3).
2. You continue along the road until you reach the turn off toward the castle. As you head towards it, you begin to notice he absence of workers in the fields, and how the crops in the area seem long dead. You soon reach the castle's base, and walking through the surrounding village you find no living thing. The town looks ransacked and many buildings have been burned down. Several stray skeletons lie about on the streets and in buildings, and nothing of value seems to remain. You soon approach the castle gates, and find them battered in and splintered to pieces. At the base of the shattered gates are several more skeletons, both of humans and of what looks like massive insects. If you wish to enter the castle, go to 4, otherwise you may return to the road and resume your journey (3).
3. You continue along the King's Road for several more miles. Towards sunset, you see a billowing cloud of smoke in the distance in coming from the west, in the Hyrkanian Desert. If you would like to run for cover and hide, then do so now (5), or you may wait for the makers of the dust to show up (6) Alternatively, if you are a wizard, you may cast a spell (7).
4. You cautiously enter the castle, and you are greeted by a great scene of death and destruction. Skeletons of the insectoids and humans lie everywhere, and like the town outside the area is completely ransacked. You enter the castle building itself and explore the various hallways, noting the great quantities of destruction, and eventually you come to a room where you find the lord of the castle himself. His skeletal body lies face down with a scimitar through it on a desk. You notice that part of the room seems to have been charred black by a fire and that the only remains of the Lord's killer is a kind of dried up pile of slime on the floor. If you wish to search this room, which seems to have not been looted as much as the others, then go to 8 (if you have already searched here, choose another option). If you would like to leave the castle, then go to 9. If you would like to go up to the roof of the castle and scan the area about you, then go to 10.
5. You search frantically for a suitable place to hide, and the best you can muster is in a nearby dry river bed. If you would like to crouch down here and wait for the makers of the dust to pass, then go to 11. If you wish to go and wait instead, then go to 6.
6. You wait, and soon the party arrives. You look and see that the creatures approaching you look like men riding giant insects, and as they get closer, you realize that they are half men, half insects, with the body of a human waist up, and the body of a scorpion waste down. Still closer they crawl, until you can see that their tails are dripping green venom and their scimitars and bows are drawn and ready. If you still wish to wait, then go to 12. If you wish to attack them when they arrive, then go to 13. If you want to start running, then go to 14.
7. If you cast a hidey hole or other means of hiding yourself magically, then go to 22. Otherwise they arrive; go to 6.
8. You thoroughly search the room. If you make a LI SR LK successfully, then go to 15. If you failed, then go to 16
9. You leave the castle interior, but as you walk out into the now dead castle gardens, you find yourself staring at six half men, half scorpions. You recognize them as being the Kattachi, a race of scorpion men that live in the Hyrkanian Desert, which has its boundaries about a mile to the east. If you want to attack them, then go to 17. If you want to run back into the castle interior and hope that you can lose them in there, then go to 18.
10. You eventually reach the watch tower of the castle, and as you look about you, you see six scorpion- men (torso and up they are men, torso down they arc scorpions). You recognize them as Kattachi, and remember that these guys are supposed to be some of the deadliest fighters around. If you would like to try and get out of the castle without being detected, then go to 18. If you would like to look along the castle walls and find a way to climb down, then go to 20. If you would like to use a spell, then go to 21.
11. You crouch down in the river bank. Make a L2 SR LK. If you make it, then go to 22. If you fail, then go to 23.
12. The Kattachi surround you, and one of them keeps his arrow carefully aimed at you should any escape be made. The others spend their time vehemently arguing about what to do with you in a strange language, and finally one of them seems to convince the others on the best course of action. He then turns, and throws a bola at you. You try to dodge, but the area is to cramped and it strikes you in the head. You fall to the ground, out like a light. go to 24.
13. My, my, my! Either your character has an IQ rating not unlike that of an eggplant's, or you did a no no and brought a mega character into this adventure. Anyway, you draw your sword and prepare to take the onslaught. If you can cast magic, then you have enough time to cast one weapon improvement spell or to get a TTYF or some other combat spell ready before they arrive, When they do show, they will attack at the rate of two each, one running on either side of you, trying to get in a sufficient blow. You must choose which one to strike at, and then make a L2 SR DEX to avoid the other's blow. The one you attack you settle combat normally with, and the other does no damage unless you fail the roll in which you take the full blow, If you are hit and survive the initial strike, make a LI SR LK. If you fail, then they also used their tail, and you must from now on make a L2 SR CON every paragraph of the adventurer keel over dead, and all adds are reduced by half. A second tail hit makes it a LA SR and further halves your halved adds and so on. The two will then turn, and the next two will come in and attack in the same manner. There are six Kattachi, so there will be three waves, and then it starts over again. Each Kattachi has stats as follows: MR: 25+3d6 each, armed with scimitars (4 dice) and poisonous tails (each has one saved up dose of tail poison).
If you win, then you may investigate the bodies (25), or continue on your journey (26). If you lose, then that's life.
14. As you turn and run, the Kattachi scorpion men arrive. Make three L2 SR DEX as you run. If you make fail the first, an arrow hits you, causing 3d6 damage. If you failed the second, then another arrow hits for 3d6 damage, and if you failed the third, a whistling bolo hits you in the head and knocks you out cold. If either arrow hit you, then you fall to the ground and the scorpion men knock you out. If you made all three saving rolls or took only one arrow, then you keep running, but two of the scorpion men catch up and throw a net over you, then hit you on the head with a club. Go to 24.
15. You search the room and come across what at first looked like a part of !he broken furniture lying about, but is in actuality a wizard's staff. If you are a magician of some kind, then go to 27. If you aren't, then go to 16.
16. You find a dead crow skeleton, to which a small metal tube is attached at the bony leg. On opening the vial, you find a piece of burned paper with a hasty message: "Get Help! The Kattachi seek to kill the men and steal our women!- Lord Velparcheth III" followed by a bloodstain, then black burned paper. Now return to paragraph 4.
17. The Kattachi are MR: 25+3d6 each, are armed with 4 dice scimitars, and have one shot of venom in their tails each. Every time they hit you, you must make a L1 SR LK. Success means they used their swords, and failure means they hit you with their tails. If their tails hit, then from now on through the rest of this solo you must make a L2 SR CON and reduce your personal adds by half. Failure to make the CON SR means death. The effects of multiple tail strikes are cumulative. If, during the fight, you would like to take refuge in the castle interior, you must make a L2 SR DEX. Failure means you get the full strike of one of the scorpion men, and success means your retreat into the castle worked, and you go to 18. If you stay and lose, then that's life. If you stay and win, then you may proceed with your journey (3).
18. You flee into the castle. The Kattachi follow, but are slower due to their large mass. If you successfully make a LI SR LK for each scorpion man there is, then that means you successfully eluded each scorpion man. If you fail to elude one of them, then you must fight that scorpion man (stats and fighting styles can be found in para. 17 and in the appendix). If you elude them all, then you manage to sneak out of the castle and get to the main road (3). If you have to fight them, then make a LI SR LK. If you make it, then the scorpion man will just knock you out instead of killing you in combat should you be hit (any damage taken constitutes a KO). If you fail, then the scorpion man will try to kill you. If you lose any fights, then Death comes a'knockin and sweeps you free of your mortal coils. If you are knocked out, then go to 24.
19. It is a deluxe Magical staff with all level 1-5 spells and 100 STR! Go to 16, well armed if you are a mage, and add 50 points to your ego. Avoid pins.
20. You find a place where the wall looks climbable, provided you have a rope. If you do, then make a L1 SR DEX twice to make it to the bottom and to return to the road; go to 3. If you fail, then you fall and take 4d6 damage and are knocked out if you survive and the scorpion men find you; go to 24.
21. You may use a fly me spell to get to the base of the castle and flee to the main road (3). If you don't have
that, then ready your combat spells and go to paragraph 17 to read about the Kattachi fighting tactics and stats, then return here. If you win, then leave the castle and return to the road (3). If you lose, then life sure is tough, isn't it?
22. Six Kattachi scorpion men pass by going east. If you would like to follow them, then go to 28. If you want to continue your journey, then go to 40.
23. As the scorpion men go by, one of them sees you and knocks you out. Go to 24.
24. You eventually wake up, and find yourself unarmed and tied up on the back of one of the Kattachi. You see the scorpion man's tail hovering dangerously close to your face, should you try to escape. For hours the Kattachi ride through the dry hills of southern Hyrkania, until, eventually, they begin to approach forested area. They ride through the night, never stopping until it is to dark to see anything. They settle down, give you water and food, and begin sleeping, save for a lone guard. You could try to escape (29), or you could stay and see what happens (30).
25. You find nothing save for their scimitars. If you would like to, you may attempt to extract the poison from their tails. If you make a L2 SR 10, then you succeed in gathering up enough poison to serve as three doses of blade covering. The effects of the poison are to require the victim to make a L2 SR CON for 1d6 days lest he die and to reduce all personal adds by half. Now continue with your journey (40).
26. You are brutalized by your new masters, a trio of foul Ashtarth dark elves, two women and one warrior male who serves them as you now do...in chains and leather! BWAH HA HA HA....er, you don't even know their language, and find communication nearly impossible. They beat you mercilessly for no reason, and you are given little time to yourself. Life is horrible for 1d6 months, until one day (night? you cannot tell in the eternal darkness you have been enslaved in), you hear the tunnels echo with a horrific roar, and the sounds of such screaming and dying within the ashtarth outpost they have kept you. Around the corner comes a dragon, twice the size of a horse, followed by two more....! You feel the tell-tale trickle of warm liquid run down your leg as the first great red beast brings itself up short to study you closely. Make a L2 SR CHA. If you make it, go to 61.
If you fail, then you are armed only with chains and your fists (1 dice +3), and an angry, young red dragon belches fire at you as it's first attack! Make a L2 SR DEX to avoid the attack. If you make it, you can deal your full dice of damage to the beast (MR 92). It will do this every other round (1st, 3rd 5th, etc), with normal combat in between. You can always attempt a killing blow yourself (divide your adds in to it's adds of 46; the result is the level of SR in DX you must make to deliver the killing blow of a full roll's damage, but if you miss, it does full damage to you!). If you win this combat, you find your manacles have been melted from their chain posts, and you can escape in to the darkness a free man (take 500 xp for the experience, and an additional 100 xp if you had to do a killing blow maneuver to defeat the beast). If you fail, you are a tasty meat snack. You may also write down "dark elf" as one of the languages you have learned, from a careful ear listening to your captors. You are finished! Go to 62 to escape the underworld.
27. You recognize this as a deluxe staff, and detect magic spells show that it practically emanates with magical energy. Make a L1 IQ SR to overcome the wards wrapped around this arcane item. If you make it, go to 19. If you fail, then you have unleashed the warding spell, and are hit with a searing blast of eldritch prismatic force. Make a L2 SR CON. If you make it, then you take only 1d6 hits of damage, but you can now use the staff (go to 19). If you fail, then it sucks 1d6 points of CON from you permanently, and the staff clatters to the ground, unusable by you. Now return to paragraph 3.
28. You follow them, or the rest of the day and part of the night. By the time they settle down, the party had traveled well away from the desert of Hyrkania into much more forested lands. The next morning the group breaks camp and continues on. You follow them as usual, and be late afternoon they reach their destination at the edge of the Amech Jungle, a very wild tropical rain forest. Still you follow, living off of the land as you go, and when the Kattachi finally stop, they are several miles into the rain forest. You watch them, as they begin circling in a wide area around a open area of the forest where a spring resides, and as you close in just behind the scorpion men, you soon get a full glimpse of the area they are circling in on just before they raid starts. Looking out, you see about twenty beautiful, naked women swimming in the fresh spring, dancing, singing, and generally having fun. They all strike you as more beautiful than any other woman you have ever seen, and indeed, these are not mere women, but nymphs. Suddenly the Kattachi attack, riding into the midst of the Nymphs, armed with bolos and nets. They grab the nymphs wherever they can and attempt to catch the nymphs with their bolos or in the nets. If you would like to help the nymphs, then go to 31. If you would like to continue following them, then go to 32.
29. Make a L2 SR STR to see if you can break your bonds. If you don't, then go to 30. If you do, then make a L2 SR DEX to avoid being noticed by the guard as you take off at a run. Soon, you are far away, but you suddenly remember that all you equipment is back there! You decide to follow them for a chance to get your equipment back (go to 28).
30. The next day the Kattachi pack up and continue on their journey. They soon reach the edge of the Amech rain forest, and travel into it for a few miles. They then begin circling around an open area in the forest which you got a glimpse of when they spied it out, when they suddenly charge in, armed with nets and bolos. They, as it turns out, are attempting to catch a band of naked, beautiful, nymphs which were camping at the glade. Soon they capture the whole bunch of twenty, and you find your self stuffed, and not uncomfortably, between two other gorgeous women. As the Kattachi begin heading back to the desert, you find out from your captured companions that their names are Ardelt and Celeste, and that they and the rest of their party were natives of The rain forest who have had little contact with other people other than the occasional traveler which they would lead into the forest to have some fun with. Right now they don't know why the Kattachi captured them, but they do know that they want to get away at all costs. You agree to do everything you can to help them, and soon, after another two day trip, the scorpion men are galloping back into the dry Hyrkanian Desert. After another day of galloping the Kattachi locate a massive rock. Two of them push it away, revealing a large downward winding hole which they enter. Go to 33.
31. You charge out into the field in an attempt to stay the scorpion men. The six scorpion men are MR: 25+3d6 each and will fight with their scimitars (4 dice) only since they are encumbered by the captured nymphs on their backs and won't use their tail. If you defeat them, then go to 34. If you lose, then boy, you sure screwed up!
32. After rounding up the nymphs, the scorpion men begin the trip back. After two days they once again are at the road along the desert, and after another day they reach a large monolithic rock among the dry rugged desert. In following them, you must insure that you gathered food and water before you went into the desert. If you had food and water with you, then everything is okay, otherwise you must suffer 1d6 CON points of damage from exposure and lack of water. When the scorpion men arrive at the rock, two of them roll it over and then all enter the hole beneath it. From inside they grab chains attached to the rock's side and pull it back in place. Once you are sure they are gone, you approach the rock. You may try to move it yourself (35), or you may sit down and wait (36).
33. The dark passage way winds down indefinitely, until eventually an end is reached. Further walking in the dimly lit corridors bring you to a long series of chambers where you and the nymphs are thrown. The Kattachi then depart. You took around your darkened cell, and find that you have no way of talking to the nymphs in the other cells, so you just sit and wait. Sooner or later a guard brings you water and food, and eventually two more guards come and remove you from your cell. They take you to a room where an aged and wrinkled Kattachi elder sits.
If you are a male, then read on, and if you are female, then go to 37. He approaches you, and begins a strange chant. In a minute he turns to one of the guards and tells him something in their native tongue, and then turns to you, and says in the middle tongue, "You, my human, have been chosen by the gods to be the mate of our queen, Kythrandyl. We, you see, must perform complex mating rituals to maintain the health of our species. For one year, all mating must be done with giant scorpions that dwell within the dark caverns of Mitra's Forest and the deepest stretches of the Underworld. This strengthens our scorpion heritage. The next year we must mate with humans to preserve our human heritage. Were we to mate together, the offspring would very likely be human or scorpion, but never both. So, this year we must mate with humans, and you have been chosen to mate with our queen. The guards will take you to her now." And with that the guards remove you from the room and take you to the entrance to the queen's royal chamber. Go to 38.
34. All right! The nymphs are gratified for your saving them, and explain that while they cannot offer a monetary reward, they do have other assets... If you take them up on their offer, then spend the rest of the night in wild, lustful, abandon with them However, each nymph wants to get the favor of the hero, so you must make a LI SR CON each for each of the twenty nymphs. If you fail one of them, then you have, essentially, been pooped to the goop, but you do get 10 X. P. per nymph for the experience. the experience for each foe defeated and 50 X.P. per saving roll you made. As a bonus, get 200 X.P. for everything else. Congratulations! Now you can tell your partners in adventure about the time you won the favor of twenty nymphs, and got repaid all in one night!
35. Make a L6 SR STR. If you actually make it, then you manage to move the rock; enter the hole at 39. If you failed, then sit back and wait with a terrible back ache (36).
36. You wait behind another rock, and after three hours of baking in the sun, the rock suddenly rolls to the side as a lone scorpion man with a scroll in his hand appears. If you wish to attack him, then do so now. If you make a L1 SR LK then you get the jump on the Kattachi; he is MR: 40. If you make the roll, attack, but don't kill him or just plain old don't get the jump on him, then battle it out in normal fashion. The messenger Kattachi will attack with his tail, and if it his the poison will force you to make a L2 SR CON for the rest of this adventure every para. or die, and all personal adds are reduced to one half. after the poison is inject his tail will do damage normally. If you kill him, then you may read the message he had (42) or enter the hole (43).
37. The Old Kattachi comes up to you, and says, "You have been chosen by the gods to serve as the concubines to our men, who must mate with other species to maintain the purity of our race. Since we are part human, part scorpion, we must one year mate with giant scorpions, the next humans, to preserve our species. Inter mating results in pure humans or pure scorpions, but not both. For this reason, we have captured you and the other females. If you will please explain to them the situation, the guards will then show you to your new husbands for the year." The guards take you away, and you explain the situation. Surprisingly the nymphs seem pleased at this, considering the harnessing of a half man to be quite a challenge. The nymphs and you are then taken to different rooms, and in yours you see a large, golden skinned, scorpion man. He looks almost as apprehensive as you do. Do you want to get on with it (44), attack him (46), try to escape (47), or will you talk to him first (45)?
38. The guards push you into the queen's chamber, and lock the door. Before you is the queen. She is huge, and if you took only at her human features, she is beautiful. Her copper skin, copper-highlighted black hair, voluptuous Frazetta-like breasts, and exquisite torso bring out the man in you, However, her long (10 foot) coppery, chitinous six legged body with a massive, venom packed tail take that "man" and violently shove it back in its box with a sledge hammer. "Good man," she explains, " if you do not mate with me, that I will have no choice but to see to it that you are injected with deadly venom, for this is a sacred act you are offered a chance to partake in." If you would like to take her on, hard to hand, then go to 49. If you comply with her wishes, and take her on, hand in hand, then go to 49.
39. Go to 43,
40. You head off into the sunset towards Capitol Hyrkania. Get 50 X.P. for each scorpion man you killed and SR you made, plus 75 bonus points for completing the adventure. Also, get 10 points per paragraph you went through.
41. The entrance to the Kattachi lair is guarded by a lone Kattachi. To slip by him, make a L2 SR DEX. If you succeed then you are in a long dimly lit corridor, As you travel through the halls, make a Ll SR LK to see if you run into any Kattachi, If you miss it, then you run into one with an MR: 30 and a full load of venom (if hit, make a L2 SR CON every paragraphs or die, plus halve all adds, for 3 paragraphs or three turns). If the fight lasts more then three turns, then 1d6 more Kattachi will arrive. If you don't run into any Kattachi, then you soon arrive at the Nymph's cells. you free them and lead them back to the entrance (again, make another encounter SR) this time you must fight the guard, who is MR: 40 and fights with a scimitar (4 dice). Defeat him in three turns or less and flee into the tunnels; go to 52.
42. The message is gibberish to you. Go to 43 and enter the hole.
43. You wind your way down the hole, for almost a mile it seems. As you do so, it occurs to you that this passage must lead to the Underworld of Lingusia, where the ancient and horrific subterranean races dwell, such as the Ashtarth Dark Elves, Thyzakkoni beast men, and Setitie Serpent Men. There are few ways to get down into these cavernous mazes, and apparently one of these is used on a regular basis by the Kattachi. It also occurs to you that they needed no guard at the hole because most trespassers would likely succumb to some deadly beast below long before finding the Kattachi hideout. Make a L2 SR LK. If you make it, then you have not run into any danger- yet. Now make another SR. If you made it, then you found the Kattachi lair (41). If you failed the first roll, go to 50, and if you failed the second roll, go to 51.
44. To say the least it was quite kinky, though not so horrific as you expected, since he drinks a potion of transmutation, to assume human properties, as the insectoid half of his body was functionally incompatible with yours. In due time you become the wife and child bearer of the scorpion man Chect'oron . He, as it turns out, has never had a wife before, and treats you very kindly, considering the creature's barbaric nature. Eventually, you and her are on good enough terms (after about three months) so that he lets you retain your weapons and personals. At this point you can flee (52) or stay and run the full course of this marriage (53).
45. You talk to him and find out that his name is Chect'oron, he came of age this year, and you are his first wife to be. He seems like a very nice fellow. Now return to para. 37 for another choice.
46. He is MR: 30, but will not use his stinger. If he gets in a strike, then he will instead, subdue you; the guards will then take you away to your cell; go to 54. In combat, use your personal adds and 1d6 for basic combat dice. If you win, then you search the room, find a 4 dice scimitar, and a bag of 30 gold pieces. In order to escape, you must pie the lock to the room. On a L1 SR DEX you succeed (go to 55). If you fail, then the guards soon come to see how things are going, and attack you once they see the corpse. Each is MR: 40, has a 4 dice scimitar, and a full dose of tail venom (used first; if successful, you must make a L2 SR CON every paragraph or die, plus halve all personal adds). If you win, then go to 55.
47. You try to escape, and the guards come and take you away to your cell; go to 54.
48. The queen is MR: 100, has three doses of tail venom (if hit, make a L2 SR CON per para. to keep from dropping dead, plus all personal adds are halved). She draws a sax (2+5) for combat. "By Kathack's Divine Blood, I'll make you pay for this indiscretion, human!" She is pissed. "We shall carve your traitorous tombstone on the 'morrow!"
If you somehow win, then the guards burst in and try to kill you; you must now take on four scorpion men at a time, with a total of 30 scorpion men and women. Each is MR: 25+3d6 and has one dose of venom. If you still survive, then you flee in desperation from the Queen's chamber. Make a L2 Sr IQ. If you succeed, then you flee in to the Underworld and seek escape at all costs (go to 62). If you fail, then you must fight another 1d6 Kattachi guards. You may then make another IQ save, repeating as above until you succeed.
49. The queen reveals the secret to the process, puling out a potion of transmutation which she quaffs. She turns in to a beautiful human woman, naked but for her crown. "Does this please thee more, oh adventurer and concubine?" You suddenly think you'll pull through this. After some time later determined by your Constitution, the two of you lounge abut in a great bed of silk and furs. Her potion is wearing off, and chitinous plates begin to cover her lower body. "A fine lover, indeed," she says. "Will you to stay and be my royal lover for a few months more?" If you agree, then go to 55. If you don't, then go to 56.
50. You wander into the lair of the devonin fiend lord Kalkazathar the ravenous. He is MR: 150 and squirts giant globs of acid as per missile weapons, and has a DEX of 40 when using them (he needs to roll a L3 DX SR to hit you). If they hit, take 20+3d6 damage. You may make a L2 SR SPD each round to flee. If you are killed, then Kalkazathar will write up a beautiful eulogy which he forwards via an Imp mailman to your home clan, with a complimentary chocolate mint. And if you survive, and made the second saving roll from paragraph 43, then go to 41. If you failed the second roll, then go to 51.
51. You are lost, and after a week or three of wandering without food through the dark tunnels save for algae and small springs, a group of thyzzakoni beast men come upon you. You are soon manacled and taken away to the slave pits where you are sold for 10 gold pieces. Eventually you learn that it is very easy to be a slave. Well, you can't win them all. Make a L1 SR LK. If you make it, go to 60. If you fail, go to 26.
52. Make two L2 SR LK. If you make the first, then you don't run into any danger. If you make the second, then you manage to locate an entrance out into the starry night of the desert (go to 57). If you fail the first, then go to 50, and if you fail the second, go to 51.
53. After a year you have the child. The experience of giving birth to a monstrosity such as this can fray all but the most delicate psyche. Roll a L2 SR IQ to retain some wits about yourself through the process. If you fail, then note that you develop a permanent phobia of insects and birth. You must also make a L3 SR CON, and if you fail this, you take the difference you failed by in hits of damage. If you are still alive, you have survived the child birth (which took 1d6x12 hours). The child is a boy, a robust Kattachi, and one of the Kattachi women takes over the care of him (which is good if you developed a phobia). The parting with your half human husband is sad, but you are an adventurer. The Kattachi thank you for your services, give you a bag of gold (500 gold pieces), and an Amulet of the Scorpion which will grant you immunity to all poisons derived from insects, and ads +10 to any attribute you must make a saving roll on against polymorphing. Your husband and an escort take you to the King's Road which you started on so long ago. They explain that any time you are in need, they will help, since you have aided in the progression of their species. You may call upon them once per adventure with the amulet you have been given, which will summon 1d6 MR 38 Kattachi warriors to your aid for the length of two combats. Get 600 X.P. for the adventure in general, plus the experience value of any foes defeated. Congratulations!
54. The Kattachi place you in your cell, several days later, a band of Thyzakkoni beast men slavers, wide barreled, red-haired humanoids with crocodilian snouts, buy you from the Kattachi to take you off to unknown lands. You are soon manacled and taken away to the slave pits of a hideous underworld city called Gethab where you are sold for 10 gold pieces. Eventually you learn that it is very easy to be a slave. Well, you can't win them all. Make a L1 SR LK. If you make it, go to 60. If you fail, go to 26.
55. For a few more months before the pregnancy sets in, you spend a great deal of time playing the Queen's Bitch, literally. During this time, even some Kattachi nobles become jealous, and one night you find a dagger crafted in the shape of a stinger impaled in the pillow by your head. Though the queen is angry, she reluctantly agrees you have over welcomed your stay, at least among her charges. "Go, at last, fair human, and remember me not as a beast, but a woman...." You shrug, as memory is so fleeting anyway. Besides, wandering in the darkness of these caverns was getting to you and when you talked to that one Kattachi soldier who informed you that the queen was expected to have not one child, but a litter of a hundred or more, you started to get a little itchy. (go to 56).
56. The Kattachi thank you for your services, give you 500 gold pieces, explain that any time you are in need of aid or a home, they will serve you gladly. You should feel proud for being the father of a litter of Kattachi-kits! An elder priest of Kathack grants you the Amulet of the Scorpion, which will grant you immunity to all poisons derived from insects, and adds +10 to any attribute you must make a saving roll on against polymorphing. An escort takes you to the King's Road which you started on so long ago. They explain that any time you are in need, they will help, since you have aided in the progression of their species. You may call upon them once per adventure with the amulet you have been given, which will summon 1d6 MR 38 Kattachi warriors to your aid for the length of two combats. Get 600 X.P. for the adventure in general, plus the experience value of any foes defeated. Congratulations!
57. If the nymphs are with you, go to 58. Otherwise go to 59.
58. After two days, You take the nymphs back to their spring. "Oh, good, sir, we cannot thank you enough for this deed you have granted us. How may we....ah, pay you for your fine services?" She gives you a coy, fetching glance. "We are sorry that we can't offer you valuables, but we can offer .... other .... things. If you're in to that, that is." They are all clustering around you now, bunching up against you in a big feminine pillow. If you take them up on their offer, then you get have some time with each of the twenty nymphs, over a period of (presumably) many days. Roll 1d6 for the number of weeks pass before you finally get away. In any case, get 600 X.P. for the adventure, plus the experience value for foes defeated. Also, get 100 X.P. for the experience you had with the nymphs. Congratulations! You made it!
59. You reach the road and continue on your journey. Get 500 X.P.. in general, plus the MR values in experience for each foe defeated. Congratulations!
60. The Thyzakkoni slavers sell you to A pair of Avernan Nomad traders, truly brave men who brave the deepness of the Underworld. Rikus, the elder, says later as you are on your way back to the outer world, "A fair bit of luck we came across you, wanderer. You would surely have been killed or eaten by other masters. If you will serve me and my son for a few weeks as a laborer, we will release you when we get our destination." If you agree, and go with them, then go to 63. If you decide to play along and escape when they are not watching you, go to 64.
61. The dragon, a young beast, feels pity for you. "I am of a clan of Reds which hate the shtarth, for they seek out the eggs of my hatchlings and enslave them, to use as beasts of burden. They lobotomize my kin, to make them idiotic, and easy beasts to control. For some reason, I pity you, and shall let you free. Go, now!" He melts your chains with a hot breath, and sends you scurrying. You have time to loot the bodies of the slain ashtarth about you, and the dragons leave you alone. You may roll 3d6 X20 for the number of GPs worth of equipment you loot (buy from the rule book, and the difference is kept as coin). You may receive 100 xp for befriending the Reds, and go to 62 to escape the underworld!
62. You make roll a L2 SR IQ to see how many days it takes for you to find an escape route out of the Underworld. If you make the roll, then it takes you 10 days minus the difference you made the roll by to escape. If you fail the roll, then the difference you failed by is the number of weeks it takes to escape. For each day you are trying to escape, you must roll 2d6, and if you roll a 2,3, or 4, you must check the wandering monster encounter chart. When you escape, you may take the full xp value of the monsters defeated, plus 100 xp for the experience. Congratulations!
2-3 1d6 undead skeletons armed with short swords and bucklers attack (MR 18 each) You may loot the bodies; roll on the treasure generator once for every three skeletons.
4-5 2d6 giant rats swarm en masse at you, with blood in their eyes! Each is MR 9.
6-7 A war party of 1d6+1 Thyzakkoni beast men, bristling with gear, are approaching. Make a L2 SR SPD to escape if you are fearful. If you fail, or choose to fight, each is MR 16+2d6, and armed with scimitars, leather armor, and 3d6 gold pieces each.
8-9 You come across a Darendur (dark dwarf) city, called Asmolebad, which welcomes you, although the folk look suspiciously at your pale, frightened nature. If you have managed to arm yourself and defeat at least one prior encounter, then merchants in the main drag reluctantly offer you their wares (make any purchases you wish). Make a L3 SR LK. If you succeed, then one precious item you owned and lost is found amongst the wares of the dark dwarves, and is worth twice its normal listing. You may try to steal it by making a L2 SR LK. If you fail this saving roll, then four guards converge to teach you the error of your ways (each MR 28, armed with chain mail and axes). Thereafter, you are banned from the walls of Asmolebad and must pass by if you roll this entry again. If all remains peaceful, you may come back as often as you roll this encounter.
10-11 A trio of Ashtarth dark elves stumble across you and try to wrangle you in. Each is MR 32, and once each round one will cast invisibility on themselves (meaning you must halve your hits against that one, if fighting individually). Win, and you find that they have bastard swords, chain mail enchanted with +5 hits of protection, and a scroll containing one spell you've really, really wanted to learn of no higher than 9th level.
12 You meet with a Hyshkorrid monk, who travels in silence. He pulls his cloak back to reveal his hideous, cthulhoid head, and speaks in to your mind. You may make a L1 SR IQ. If you make it, you shrug off his mental attack, and may strike at him. He is MR 44, and attacks each round with a TTYF (he is IQ 24, and has STR 30 for spell casting purposes), and avoids physical attack until out of spell magic. If you failed the IQ save, then you fall willfully in to his mind control, and he lead s you off to his subterranean abbey where he trepan's you and drains your vitreous fluids in to a cup, then drinks heartily. Your mindless body is put to work assembling charnel, incomprehensible works of art....the end!
63. You are at last free from the Underworld, and after several weeks of hard labor, you are also granted freedom by the nomads. You are released at the gates of Hyrmyskos, The City of a Thousand Pits, with a handful of coins (3d6 gold) and a dagger of your choice for protection. Your journey continues, although not in this adventure.....take 100 xp for the adventure, plus all experience for monsters defeated. Congratulations!
64. You may attempt a L2 SR DX in the middle of the night to sneak away in to the desert. You may also make a L1 SR IQ. If you make it, you think o grab some food, water, and a short sword from the stock of the nomads before making good your escape. If you fail the DEX roll, then you awaken the son and father, who are angry, but cut your bonds and shoo you in to the night. You may choose to attack them (they are MR 26 each; their total wealth is equal to 3d6 x20 gold pieces if you sell it all off in the next town) or you may bow sheepishly and flee in to the desert.
If you escape in to the desert, and you grabbed food and water, then you must make a L1 SR CON to make it to the nearest community, where your adventure here ends, and you may take 75 xp for a final award. If you did not grab food and water, you must make a L3 SR CON, instead. If you fail whichever CON roll you made, then you take the difference you failed by in hits against your CON. If you hit zero, you have died of thirst and heat. If you survive the damage, you crawl in to a desert town off the Kings' Road, and a kind peasant family helps you to recuperate in time for your next adventure (take 75 xp). Congratulations, I think....!
The following Tunnels & Trolls solitaire adventure is designed for use with all characters, of levels 2-9. It is suggested that the characters have between 35 and 80 adds for the most challenge. Spell casting is allowed in the text, or as appropriate in combat. If you need to look up a monster stat, go to the end of the solo adventure, to the appendix, where key monsters have been provided stats on. To begin the adventure, read the introduction and go to paragraph one.
Introduction: The Hyrkanian Kingdoms are a bleak, ancient land wracked with countless millennia of warfare and strife. Even in its greatest moment of glory, the ancient empire was united for less than a century before internal strife and religious zealotry once again shattered it in to many divided regions. In the distant south dwell the rugged Sendralites, citizens on the periphery of the empire who seek their own council over that of the Emperor. In the coastlands along the Inner Sea can be found the varied city-states of the Southern Hyrkanian Unity, a collection of hostile provinces who would strike the emperor down if they had the force to do it. In the midlands of the empire is the vast Hyrkanian Desert to the west, through which the great and old Kings' Road forges along, and in the east are the thick, wooded mountain lands of the Niras Forests, with a pagan folk suspicious of true Hyrkanians. In the northern coasts are the true provinces of the Empire, stretching from fabled Hyrkan'ien itself, the capitol of the Emerald Palace, to ghost-haunted Kymir, touched by the forces of chaos long ago. You are a traveler to this land, moving northward from the Inner Sea, and are about to experience some of the more deadly -and sultry- denizens of that desolate domain.....
1. It is a hot day along the King's Road as you trudge along under the watchful glare of the sun god Naril, lighting the sky above. You had been traveling along the King's Road for some time now, in an attempt to get from the sea port Malas to the fabled City of A Thousand Pits, Hyrmyskos. Now, after four or five days of hiking along, you begin to see a glimmering castle in the distance, off to the east side of the road for about a mile. If you would like to head for the castle, the Go to 2, or you may continue onwards, the castle to the east, the Hyrkanian Desert to the right, along the King's Road to the capitol itself (3).
2. You continue along the road until you reach the turn off toward the castle. As you head towards it, you begin to notice he absence of workers in the fields, and how the crops in the area seem long dead. You soon reach the castle's base, and walking through the surrounding village you find no living thing. The town looks ransacked and many buildings have been burned down. Several stray skeletons lie about on the streets and in buildings, and nothing of value seems to remain. You soon approach the castle gates, and find them battered in and splintered to pieces. At the base of the shattered gates are several more skeletons, both of humans and of what looks like massive insects. If you wish to enter the castle, go to 4, otherwise you may return to the road and resume your journey (3).
3. You continue along the King's Road for several more miles. Towards sunset, you see a billowing cloud of smoke in the distance in coming from the west, in the Hyrkanian Desert. If you would like to run for cover and hide, then do so now (5), or you may wait for the makers of the dust to show up (6) Alternatively, if you are a wizard, you may cast a spell (7).
4. You cautiously enter the castle, and you are greeted by a great scene of death and destruction. Skeletons of the insectoids and humans lie everywhere, and like the town outside the area is completely ransacked. You enter the castle building itself and explore the various hallways, noting the great quantities of destruction, and eventually you come to a room where you find the lord of the castle himself. His skeletal body lies face down with a scimitar through it on a desk. You notice that part of the room seems to have been charred black by a fire and that the only remains of the Lord's killer is a kind of dried up pile of slime on the floor. If you wish to search this room, which seems to have not been looted as much as the others, then go to 8 (if you have already searched here, choose another option). If you would like to leave the castle, then go to 9. If you would like to go up to the roof of the castle and scan the area about you, then go to 10.
5. You search frantically for a suitable place to hide, and the best you can muster is in a nearby dry river bed. If you would like to crouch down here and wait for the makers of the dust to pass, then go to 11. If you wish to go and wait instead, then go to 6.
6. You wait, and soon the party arrives. You look and see that the creatures approaching you look like men riding giant insects, and as they get closer, you realize that they are half men, half insects, with the body of a human waist up, and the body of a scorpion waste down. Still closer they crawl, until you can see that their tails are dripping green venom and their scimitars and bows are drawn and ready. If you still wish to wait, then go to 12. If you wish to attack them when they arrive, then go to 13. If you want to start running, then go to 14.
7. If you cast a hidey hole or other means of hiding yourself magically, then go to 22. Otherwise they arrive; go to 6.
8. You thoroughly search the room. If you make a LI SR LK successfully, then go to 15. If you failed, then go to 16
9. You leave the castle interior, but as you walk out into the now dead castle gardens, you find yourself staring at six half men, half scorpions. You recognize them as being the Kattachi, a race of scorpion men that live in the Hyrkanian Desert, which has its boundaries about a mile to the east. If you want to attack them, then go to 17. If you want to run back into the castle interior and hope that you can lose them in there, then go to 18.
10. You eventually reach the watch tower of the castle, and as you look about you, you see six scorpion- men (torso and up they are men, torso down they arc scorpions). You recognize them as Kattachi, and remember that these guys are supposed to be some of the deadliest fighters around. If you would like to try and get out of the castle without being detected, then go to 18. If you would like to look along the castle walls and find a way to climb down, then go to 20. If you would like to use a spell, then go to 21.
11. You crouch down in the river bank. Make a L2 SR LK. If you make it, then go to 22. If you fail, then go to 23.
12. The Kattachi surround you, and one of them keeps his arrow carefully aimed at you should any escape be made. The others spend their time vehemently arguing about what to do with you in a strange language, and finally one of them seems to convince the others on the best course of action. He then turns, and throws a bola at you. You try to dodge, but the area is to cramped and it strikes you in the head. You fall to the ground, out like a light. go to 24.
13. My, my, my! Either your character has an IQ rating not unlike that of an eggplant's, or you did a no no and brought a mega character into this adventure. Anyway, you draw your sword and prepare to take the onslaught. If you can cast magic, then you have enough time to cast one weapon improvement spell or to get a TTYF or some other combat spell ready before they arrive, When they do show, they will attack at the rate of two each, one running on either side of you, trying to get in a sufficient blow. You must choose which one to strike at, and then make a L2 SR DEX to avoid the other's blow. The one you attack you settle combat normally with, and the other does no damage unless you fail the roll in which you take the full blow, If you are hit and survive the initial strike, make a LI SR LK. If you fail, then they also used their tail, and you must from now on make a L2 SR CON every paragraph of the adventurer keel over dead, and all adds are reduced by half. A second tail hit makes it a LA SR and further halves your halved adds and so on. The two will then turn, and the next two will come in and attack in the same manner. There are six Kattachi, so there will be three waves, and then it starts over again. Each Kattachi has stats as follows: MR: 25+3d6 each, armed with scimitars (4 dice) and poisonous tails (each has one saved up dose of tail poison).
If you win, then you may investigate the bodies (25), or continue on your journey (26). If you lose, then that's life.
14. As you turn and run, the Kattachi scorpion men arrive. Make three L2 SR DEX as you run. If you make fail the first, an arrow hits you, causing 3d6 damage. If you failed the second, then another arrow hits for 3d6 damage, and if you failed the third, a whistling bolo hits you in the head and knocks you out cold. If either arrow hit you, then you fall to the ground and the scorpion men knock you out. If you made all three saving rolls or took only one arrow, then you keep running, but two of the scorpion men catch up and throw a net over you, then hit you on the head with a club. Go to 24.
15. You search the room and come across what at first looked like a part of !he broken furniture lying about, but is in actuality a wizard's staff. If you are a magician of some kind, then go to 27. If you aren't, then go to 16.
16. You find a dead crow skeleton, to which a small metal tube is attached at the bony leg. On opening the vial, you find a piece of burned paper with a hasty message: "Get Help! The Kattachi seek to kill the men and steal our women!- Lord Velparcheth III" followed by a bloodstain, then black burned paper. Now return to paragraph 4.
17. The Kattachi are MR: 25+3d6 each, are armed with 4 dice scimitars, and have one shot of venom in their tails each. Every time they hit you, you must make a L1 SR LK. Success means they used their swords, and failure means they hit you with their tails. If their tails hit, then from now on through the rest of this solo you must make a L2 SR CON and reduce your personal adds by half. Failure to make the CON SR means death. The effects of multiple tail strikes are cumulative. If, during the fight, you would like to take refuge in the castle interior, you must make a L2 SR DEX. Failure means you get the full strike of one of the scorpion men, and success means your retreat into the castle worked, and you go to 18. If you stay and lose, then that's life. If you stay and win, then you may proceed with your journey (3).
18. You flee into the castle. The Kattachi follow, but are slower due to their large mass. If you successfully make a LI SR LK for each scorpion man there is, then that means you successfully eluded each scorpion man. If you fail to elude one of them, then you must fight that scorpion man (stats and fighting styles can be found in para. 17 and in the appendix). If you elude them all, then you manage to sneak out of the castle and get to the main road (3). If you have to fight them, then make a LI SR LK. If you make it, then the scorpion man will just knock you out instead of killing you in combat should you be hit (any damage taken constitutes a KO). If you fail, then the scorpion man will try to kill you. If you lose any fights, then Death comes a'knockin and sweeps you free of your mortal coils. If you are knocked out, then go to 24.
19. It is a deluxe Magical staff with all level 1-5 spells and 100 STR! Go to 16, well armed if you are a mage, and add 50 points to your ego. Avoid pins.
20. You find a place where the wall looks climbable, provided you have a rope. If you do, then make a L1 SR DEX twice to make it to the bottom and to return to the road; go to 3. If you fail, then you fall and take 4d6 damage and are knocked out if you survive and the scorpion men find you; go to 24.
21. You may use a fly me spell to get to the base of the castle and flee to the main road (3). If you don't have
that, then ready your combat spells and go to paragraph 17 to read about the Kattachi fighting tactics and stats, then return here. If you win, then leave the castle and return to the road (3). If you lose, then life sure is tough, isn't it?
22. Six Kattachi scorpion men pass by going east. If you would like to follow them, then go to 28. If you want to continue your journey, then go to 40.
23. As the scorpion men go by, one of them sees you and knocks you out. Go to 24.
24. You eventually wake up, and find yourself unarmed and tied up on the back of one of the Kattachi. You see the scorpion man's tail hovering dangerously close to your face, should you try to escape. For hours the Kattachi ride through the dry hills of southern Hyrkania, until, eventually, they begin to approach forested area. They ride through the night, never stopping until it is to dark to see anything. They settle down, give you water and food, and begin sleeping, save for a lone guard. You could try to escape (29), or you could stay and see what happens (30).
25. You find nothing save for their scimitars. If you would like to, you may attempt to extract the poison from their tails. If you make a L2 SR 10, then you succeed in gathering up enough poison to serve as three doses of blade covering. The effects of the poison are to require the victim to make a L2 SR CON for 1d6 days lest he die and to reduce all personal adds by half. Now continue with your journey (40).
26. You are brutalized by your new masters, a trio of foul Ashtarth dark elves, two women and one warrior male who serves them as you now do...in chains and leather! BWAH HA HA HA....er, you don't even know their language, and find communication nearly impossible. They beat you mercilessly for no reason, and you are given little time to yourself. Life is horrible for 1d6 months, until one day (night? you cannot tell in the eternal darkness you have been enslaved in), you hear the tunnels echo with a horrific roar, and the sounds of such screaming and dying within the ashtarth outpost they have kept you. Around the corner comes a dragon, twice the size of a horse, followed by two more....! You feel the tell-tale trickle of warm liquid run down your leg as the first great red beast brings itself up short to study you closely. Make a L2 SR CHA. If you make it, go to 61.
If you fail, then you are armed only with chains and your fists (1 dice +3), and an angry, young red dragon belches fire at you as it's first attack! Make a L2 SR DEX to avoid the attack. If you make it, you can deal your full dice of damage to the beast (MR 92). It will do this every other round (1st, 3rd 5th, etc), with normal combat in between. You can always attempt a killing blow yourself (divide your adds in to it's adds of 46; the result is the level of SR in DX you must make to deliver the killing blow of a full roll's damage, but if you miss, it does full damage to you!). If you win this combat, you find your manacles have been melted from their chain posts, and you can escape in to the darkness a free man (take 500 xp for the experience, and an additional 100 xp if you had to do a killing blow maneuver to defeat the beast). If you fail, you are a tasty meat snack. You may also write down "dark elf" as one of the languages you have learned, from a careful ear listening to your captors. You are finished! Go to 62 to escape the underworld.
27. You recognize this as a deluxe staff, and detect magic spells show that it practically emanates with magical energy. Make a L1 IQ SR to overcome the wards wrapped around this arcane item. If you make it, go to 19. If you fail, then you have unleashed the warding spell, and are hit with a searing blast of eldritch prismatic force. Make a L2 SR CON. If you make it, then you take only 1d6 hits of damage, but you can now use the staff (go to 19). If you fail, then it sucks 1d6 points of CON from you permanently, and the staff clatters to the ground, unusable by you. Now return to paragraph 3.
28. You follow them, or the rest of the day and part of the night. By the time they settle down, the party had traveled well away from the desert of Hyrkania into much more forested lands. The next morning the group breaks camp and continues on. You follow them as usual, and be late afternoon they reach their destination at the edge of the Amech Jungle, a very wild tropical rain forest. Still you follow, living off of the land as you go, and when the Kattachi finally stop, they are several miles into the rain forest. You watch them, as they begin circling in a wide area around a open area of the forest where a spring resides, and as you close in just behind the scorpion men, you soon get a full glimpse of the area they are circling in on just before they raid starts. Looking out, you see about twenty beautiful, naked women swimming in the fresh spring, dancing, singing, and generally having fun. They all strike you as more beautiful than any other woman you have ever seen, and indeed, these are not mere women, but nymphs. Suddenly the Kattachi attack, riding into the midst of the Nymphs, armed with bolos and nets. They grab the nymphs wherever they can and attempt to catch the nymphs with their bolos or in the nets. If you would like to help the nymphs, then go to 31. If you would like to continue following them, then go to 32.
29. Make a L2 SR STR to see if you can break your bonds. If you don't, then go to 30. If you do, then make a L2 SR DEX to avoid being noticed by the guard as you take off at a run. Soon, you are far away, but you suddenly remember that all you equipment is back there! You decide to follow them for a chance to get your equipment back (go to 28).
30. The next day the Kattachi pack up and continue on their journey. They soon reach the edge of the Amech rain forest, and travel into it for a few miles. They then begin circling around an open area in the forest which you got a glimpse of when they spied it out, when they suddenly charge in, armed with nets and bolos. They, as it turns out, are attempting to catch a band of naked, beautiful, nymphs which were camping at the glade. Soon they capture the whole bunch of twenty, and you find your self stuffed, and not uncomfortably, between two other gorgeous women. As the Kattachi begin heading back to the desert, you find out from your captured companions that their names are Ardelt and Celeste, and that they and the rest of their party were natives of The rain forest who have had little contact with other people other than the occasional traveler which they would lead into the forest to have some fun with. Right now they don't know why the Kattachi captured them, but they do know that they want to get away at all costs. You agree to do everything you can to help them, and soon, after another two day trip, the scorpion men are galloping back into the dry Hyrkanian Desert. After another day of galloping the Kattachi locate a massive rock. Two of them push it away, revealing a large downward winding hole which they enter. Go to 33.
31. You charge out into the field in an attempt to stay the scorpion men. The six scorpion men are MR: 25+3d6 each and will fight with their scimitars (4 dice) only since they are encumbered by the captured nymphs on their backs and won't use their tail. If you defeat them, then go to 34. If you lose, then boy, you sure screwed up!
32. After rounding up the nymphs, the scorpion men begin the trip back. After two days they once again are at the road along the desert, and after another day they reach a large monolithic rock among the dry rugged desert. In following them, you must insure that you gathered food and water before you went into the desert. If you had food and water with you, then everything is okay, otherwise you must suffer 1d6 CON points of damage from exposure and lack of water. When the scorpion men arrive at the rock, two of them roll it over and then all enter the hole beneath it. From inside they grab chains attached to the rock's side and pull it back in place. Once you are sure they are gone, you approach the rock. You may try to move it yourself (35), or you may sit down and wait (36).
33. The dark passage way winds down indefinitely, until eventually an end is reached. Further walking in the dimly lit corridors bring you to a long series of chambers where you and the nymphs are thrown. The Kattachi then depart. You took around your darkened cell, and find that you have no way of talking to the nymphs in the other cells, so you just sit and wait. Sooner or later a guard brings you water and food, and eventually two more guards come and remove you from your cell. They take you to a room where an aged and wrinkled Kattachi elder sits.
If you are a male, then read on, and if you are female, then go to 37. He approaches you, and begins a strange chant. In a minute he turns to one of the guards and tells him something in their native tongue, and then turns to you, and says in the middle tongue, "You, my human, have been chosen by the gods to be the mate of our queen, Kythrandyl. We, you see, must perform complex mating rituals to maintain the health of our species. For one year, all mating must be done with giant scorpions that dwell within the dark caverns of Mitra's Forest and the deepest stretches of the Underworld. This strengthens our scorpion heritage. The next year we must mate with humans to preserve our human heritage. Were we to mate together, the offspring would very likely be human or scorpion, but never both. So, this year we must mate with humans, and you have been chosen to mate with our queen. The guards will take you to her now." And with that the guards remove you from the room and take you to the entrance to the queen's royal chamber. Go to 38.
34. All right! The nymphs are gratified for your saving them, and explain that while they cannot offer a monetary reward, they do have other assets... If you take them up on their offer, then spend the rest of the night in wild, lustful, abandon with them However, each nymph wants to get the favor of the hero, so you must make a LI SR CON each for each of the twenty nymphs. If you fail one of them, then you have, essentially, been pooped to the goop, but you do get 10 X. P. per nymph for the experience. the experience for each foe defeated and 50 X.P. per saving roll you made. As a bonus, get 200 X.P. for everything else. Congratulations! Now you can tell your partners in adventure about the time you won the favor of twenty nymphs, and got repaid all in one night!
35. Make a L6 SR STR. If you actually make it, then you manage to move the rock; enter the hole at 39. If you failed, then sit back and wait with a terrible back ache (36).
36. You wait behind another rock, and after three hours of baking in the sun, the rock suddenly rolls to the side as a lone scorpion man with a scroll in his hand appears. If you wish to attack him, then do so now. If you make a L1 SR LK then you get the jump on the Kattachi; he is MR: 40. If you make the roll, attack, but don't kill him or just plain old don't get the jump on him, then battle it out in normal fashion. The messenger Kattachi will attack with his tail, and if it his the poison will force you to make a L2 SR CON for the rest of this adventure every para. or die, and all personal adds are reduced to one half. after the poison is inject his tail will do damage normally. If you kill him, then you may read the message he had (42) or enter the hole (43).
37. The Old Kattachi comes up to you, and says, "You have been chosen by the gods to serve as the concubines to our men, who must mate with other species to maintain the purity of our race. Since we are part human, part scorpion, we must one year mate with giant scorpions, the next humans, to preserve our species. Inter mating results in pure humans or pure scorpions, but not both. For this reason, we have captured you and the other females. If you will please explain to them the situation, the guards will then show you to your new husbands for the year." The guards take you away, and you explain the situation. Surprisingly the nymphs seem pleased at this, considering the harnessing of a half man to be quite a challenge. The nymphs and you are then taken to different rooms, and in yours you see a large, golden skinned, scorpion man. He looks almost as apprehensive as you do. Do you want to get on with it (44), attack him (46), try to escape (47), or will you talk to him first (45)?
38. The guards push you into the queen's chamber, and lock the door. Before you is the queen. She is huge, and if you took only at her human features, she is beautiful. Her copper skin, copper-highlighted black hair, voluptuous Frazetta-like breasts, and exquisite torso bring out the man in you, However, her long (10 foot) coppery, chitinous six legged body with a massive, venom packed tail take that "man" and violently shove it back in its box with a sledge hammer. "Good man," she explains, " if you do not mate with me, that I will have no choice but to see to it that you are injected with deadly venom, for this is a sacred act you are offered a chance to partake in." If you would like to take her on, hard to hand, then go to 49. If you comply with her wishes, and take her on, hand in hand, then go to 49.
39. Go to 43,
40. You head off into the sunset towards Capitol Hyrkania. Get 50 X.P. for each scorpion man you killed and SR you made, plus 75 bonus points for completing the adventure. Also, get 10 points per paragraph you went through.
41. The entrance to the Kattachi lair is guarded by a lone Kattachi. To slip by him, make a L2 SR DEX. If you succeed then you are in a long dimly lit corridor, As you travel through the halls, make a Ll SR LK to see if you run into any Kattachi, If you miss it, then you run into one with an MR: 30 and a full load of venom (if hit, make a L2 SR CON every paragraphs or die, plus halve all adds, for 3 paragraphs or three turns). If the fight lasts more then three turns, then 1d6 more Kattachi will arrive. If you don't run into any Kattachi, then you soon arrive at the Nymph's cells. you free them and lead them back to the entrance (again, make another encounter SR) this time you must fight the guard, who is MR: 40 and fights with a scimitar (4 dice). Defeat him in three turns or less and flee into the tunnels; go to 52.
42. The message is gibberish to you. Go to 43 and enter the hole.
43. You wind your way down the hole, for almost a mile it seems. As you do so, it occurs to you that this passage must lead to the Underworld of Lingusia, where the ancient and horrific subterranean races dwell, such as the Ashtarth Dark Elves, Thyzakkoni beast men, and Setitie Serpent Men. There are few ways to get down into these cavernous mazes, and apparently one of these is used on a regular basis by the Kattachi. It also occurs to you that they needed no guard at the hole because most trespassers would likely succumb to some deadly beast below long before finding the Kattachi hideout. Make a L2 SR LK. If you make it, then you have not run into any danger- yet. Now make another SR. If you made it, then you found the Kattachi lair (41). If you failed the first roll, go to 50, and if you failed the second roll, go to 51.
44. To say the least it was quite kinky, though not so horrific as you expected, since he drinks a potion of transmutation, to assume human properties, as the insectoid half of his body was functionally incompatible with yours. In due time you become the wife and child bearer of the scorpion man Chect'oron . He, as it turns out, has never had a wife before, and treats you very kindly, considering the creature's barbaric nature. Eventually, you and her are on good enough terms (after about three months) so that he lets you retain your weapons and personals. At this point you can flee (52) or stay and run the full course of this marriage (53).
45. You talk to him and find out that his name is Chect'oron, he came of age this year, and you are his first wife to be. He seems like a very nice fellow. Now return to para. 37 for another choice.
46. He is MR: 30, but will not use his stinger. If he gets in a strike, then he will instead, subdue you; the guards will then take you away to your cell; go to 54. In combat, use your personal adds and 1d6 for basic combat dice. If you win, then you search the room, find a 4 dice scimitar, and a bag of 30 gold pieces. In order to escape, you must pie the lock to the room. On a L1 SR DEX you succeed (go to 55). If you fail, then the guards soon come to see how things are going, and attack you once they see the corpse. Each is MR: 40, has a 4 dice scimitar, and a full dose of tail venom (used first; if successful, you must make a L2 SR CON every paragraph or die, plus halve all personal adds). If you win, then go to 55.
47. You try to escape, and the guards come and take you away to your cell; go to 54.
48. The queen is MR: 100, has three doses of tail venom (if hit, make a L2 SR CON per para. to keep from dropping dead, plus all personal adds are halved). She draws a sax (2+5) for combat. "By Kathack's Divine Blood, I'll make you pay for this indiscretion, human!" She is pissed. "We shall carve your traitorous tombstone on the 'morrow!"
If you somehow win, then the guards burst in and try to kill you; you must now take on four scorpion men at a time, with a total of 30 scorpion men and women. Each is MR: 25+3d6 and has one dose of venom. If you still survive, then you flee in desperation from the Queen's chamber. Make a L2 Sr IQ. If you succeed, then you flee in to the Underworld and seek escape at all costs (go to 62). If you fail, then you must fight another 1d6 Kattachi guards. You may then make another IQ save, repeating as above until you succeed.
49. The queen reveals the secret to the process, puling out a potion of transmutation which she quaffs. She turns in to a beautiful human woman, naked but for her crown. "Does this please thee more, oh adventurer and concubine?" You suddenly think you'll pull through this. After some time later determined by your Constitution, the two of you lounge abut in a great bed of silk and furs. Her potion is wearing off, and chitinous plates begin to cover her lower body. "A fine lover, indeed," she says. "Will you to stay and be my royal lover for a few months more?" If you agree, then go to 55. If you don't, then go to 56.
50. You wander into the lair of the devonin fiend lord Kalkazathar the ravenous. He is MR: 150 and squirts giant globs of acid as per missile weapons, and has a DEX of 40 when using them (he needs to roll a L3 DX SR to hit you). If they hit, take 20+3d6 damage. You may make a L2 SR SPD each round to flee. If you are killed, then Kalkazathar will write up a beautiful eulogy which he forwards via an Imp mailman to your home clan, with a complimentary chocolate mint. And if you survive, and made the second saving roll from paragraph 43, then go to 41. If you failed the second roll, then go to 51.
51. You are lost, and after a week or three of wandering without food through the dark tunnels save for algae and small springs, a group of thyzzakoni beast men come upon you. You are soon manacled and taken away to the slave pits where you are sold for 10 gold pieces. Eventually you learn that it is very easy to be a slave. Well, you can't win them all. Make a L1 SR LK. If you make it, go to 60. If you fail, go to 26.
52. Make two L2 SR LK. If you make the first, then you don't run into any danger. If you make the second, then you manage to locate an entrance out into the starry night of the desert (go to 57). If you fail the first, then go to 50, and if you fail the second, go to 51.
53. After a year you have the child. The experience of giving birth to a monstrosity such as this can fray all but the most delicate psyche. Roll a L2 SR IQ to retain some wits about yourself through the process. If you fail, then note that you develop a permanent phobia of insects and birth. You must also make a L3 SR CON, and if you fail this, you take the difference you failed by in hits of damage. If you are still alive, you have survived the child birth (which took 1d6x12 hours). The child is a boy, a robust Kattachi, and one of the Kattachi women takes over the care of him (which is good if you developed a phobia). The parting with your half human husband is sad, but you are an adventurer. The Kattachi thank you for your services, give you a bag of gold (500 gold pieces), and an Amulet of the Scorpion which will grant you immunity to all poisons derived from insects, and ads +10 to any attribute you must make a saving roll on against polymorphing. Your husband and an escort take you to the King's Road which you started on so long ago. They explain that any time you are in need, they will help, since you have aided in the progression of their species. You may call upon them once per adventure with the amulet you have been given, which will summon 1d6 MR 38 Kattachi warriors to your aid for the length of two combats. Get 600 X.P. for the adventure in general, plus the experience value of any foes defeated. Congratulations!
54. The Kattachi place you in your cell, several days later, a band of Thyzakkoni beast men slavers, wide barreled, red-haired humanoids with crocodilian snouts, buy you from the Kattachi to take you off to unknown lands. You are soon manacled and taken away to the slave pits of a hideous underworld city called Gethab where you are sold for 10 gold pieces. Eventually you learn that it is very easy to be a slave. Well, you can't win them all. Make a L1 SR LK. If you make it, go to 60. If you fail, go to 26.
55. For a few more months before the pregnancy sets in, you spend a great deal of time playing the Queen's Bitch, literally. During this time, even some Kattachi nobles become jealous, and one night you find a dagger crafted in the shape of a stinger impaled in the pillow by your head. Though the queen is angry, she reluctantly agrees you have over welcomed your stay, at least among her charges. "Go, at last, fair human, and remember me not as a beast, but a woman...." You shrug, as memory is so fleeting anyway. Besides, wandering in the darkness of these caverns was getting to you and when you talked to that one Kattachi soldier who informed you that the queen was expected to have not one child, but a litter of a hundred or more, you started to get a little itchy. (go to 56).
56. The Kattachi thank you for your services, give you 500 gold pieces, explain that any time you are in need of aid or a home, they will serve you gladly. You should feel proud for being the father of a litter of Kattachi-kits! An elder priest of Kathack grants you the Amulet of the Scorpion, which will grant you immunity to all poisons derived from insects, and adds +10 to any attribute you must make a saving roll on against polymorphing. An escort takes you to the King's Road which you started on so long ago. They explain that any time you are in need, they will help, since you have aided in the progression of their species. You may call upon them once per adventure with the amulet you have been given, which will summon 1d6 MR 38 Kattachi warriors to your aid for the length of two combats. Get 600 X.P. for the adventure in general, plus the experience value of any foes defeated. Congratulations!
57. If the nymphs are with you, go to 58. Otherwise go to 59.
58. After two days, You take the nymphs back to their spring. "Oh, good, sir, we cannot thank you enough for this deed you have granted us. How may we....ah, pay you for your fine services?" She gives you a coy, fetching glance. "We are sorry that we can't offer you valuables, but we can offer .... other .... things. If you're in to that, that is." They are all clustering around you now, bunching up against you in a big feminine pillow. If you take them up on their offer, then you get have some time with each of the twenty nymphs, over a period of (presumably) many days. Roll 1d6 for the number of weeks pass before you finally get away. In any case, get 600 X.P. for the adventure, plus the experience value for foes defeated. Also, get 100 X.P. for the experience you had with the nymphs. Congratulations! You made it!
59. You reach the road and continue on your journey. Get 500 X.P.. in general, plus the MR values in experience for each foe defeated. Congratulations!
60. The Thyzakkoni slavers sell you to A pair of Avernan Nomad traders, truly brave men who brave the deepness of the Underworld. Rikus, the elder, says later as you are on your way back to the outer world, "A fair bit of luck we came across you, wanderer. You would surely have been killed or eaten by other masters. If you will serve me and my son for a few weeks as a laborer, we will release you when we get our destination." If you agree, and go with them, then go to 63. If you decide to play along and escape when they are not watching you, go to 64.
61. The dragon, a young beast, feels pity for you. "I am of a clan of Reds which hate the shtarth, for they seek out the eggs of my hatchlings and enslave them, to use as beasts of burden. They lobotomize my kin, to make them idiotic, and easy beasts to control. For some reason, I pity you, and shall let you free. Go, now!" He melts your chains with a hot breath, and sends you scurrying. You have time to loot the bodies of the slain ashtarth about you, and the dragons leave you alone. You may roll 3d6 X20 for the number of GPs worth of equipment you loot (buy from the rule book, and the difference is kept as coin). You may receive 100 xp for befriending the Reds, and go to 62 to escape the underworld!
62. You make roll a L2 SR IQ to see how many days it takes for you to find an escape route out of the Underworld. If you make the roll, then it takes you 10 days minus the difference you made the roll by to escape. If you fail the roll, then the difference you failed by is the number of weeks it takes to escape. For each day you are trying to escape, you must roll 2d6, and if you roll a 2,3, or 4, you must check the wandering monster encounter chart. When you escape, you may take the full xp value of the monsters defeated, plus 100 xp for the experience. Congratulations!
2-3 1d6 undead skeletons armed with short swords and bucklers attack (MR 18 each) You may loot the bodies; roll on the treasure generator once for every three skeletons.
4-5 2d6 giant rats swarm en masse at you, with blood in their eyes! Each is MR 9.
6-7 A war party of 1d6+1 Thyzakkoni beast men, bristling with gear, are approaching. Make a L2 SR SPD to escape if you are fearful. If you fail, or choose to fight, each is MR 16+2d6, and armed with scimitars, leather armor, and 3d6 gold pieces each.
8-9 You come across a Darendur (dark dwarf) city, called Asmolebad, which welcomes you, although the folk look suspiciously at your pale, frightened nature. If you have managed to arm yourself and defeat at least one prior encounter, then merchants in the main drag reluctantly offer you their wares (make any purchases you wish). Make a L3 SR LK. If you succeed, then one precious item you owned and lost is found amongst the wares of the dark dwarves, and is worth twice its normal listing. You may try to steal it by making a L2 SR LK. If you fail this saving roll, then four guards converge to teach you the error of your ways (each MR 28, armed with chain mail and axes). Thereafter, you are banned from the walls of Asmolebad and must pass by if you roll this entry again. If all remains peaceful, you may come back as often as you roll this encounter.
10-11 A trio of Ashtarth dark elves stumble across you and try to wrangle you in. Each is MR 32, and once each round one will cast invisibility on themselves (meaning you must halve your hits against that one, if fighting individually). Win, and you find that they have bastard swords, chain mail enchanted with +5 hits of protection, and a scroll containing one spell you've really, really wanted to learn of no higher than 9th level.
12 You meet with a Hyshkorrid monk, who travels in silence. He pulls his cloak back to reveal his hideous, cthulhoid head, and speaks in to your mind. You may make a L1 SR IQ. If you make it, you shrug off his mental attack, and may strike at him. He is MR 44, and attacks each round with a TTYF (he is IQ 24, and has STR 30 for spell casting purposes), and avoids physical attack until out of spell magic. If you failed the IQ save, then you fall willfully in to his mind control, and he lead s you off to his subterranean abbey where he trepan's you and drains your vitreous fluids in to a cup, then drinks heartily. Your mindless body is put to work assembling charnel, incomprehensible works of art....the end!
63. You are at last free from the Underworld, and after several weeks of hard labor, you are also granted freedom by the nomads. You are released at the gates of Hyrmyskos, The City of a Thousand Pits, with a handful of coins (3d6 gold) and a dagger of your choice for protection. Your journey continues, although not in this adventure.....take 100 xp for the adventure, plus all experience for monsters defeated. Congratulations!
64. You may attempt a L2 SR DX in the middle of the night to sneak away in to the desert. You may also make a L1 SR IQ. If you make it, you think o grab some food, water, and a short sword from the stock of the nomads before making good your escape. If you fail the DEX roll, then you awaken the son and father, who are angry, but cut your bonds and shoo you in to the night. You may choose to attack them (they are MR 26 each; their total wealth is equal to 3d6 x20 gold pieces if you sell it all off in the next town) or you may bow sheepishly and flee in to the desert.
If you escape in to the desert, and you grabbed food and water, then you must make a L1 SR CON to make it to the nearest community, where your adventure here ends, and you may take 75 xp for a final award. If you did not grab food and water, you must make a L3 SR CON, instead. If you fail whichever CON roll you made, then you take the difference you failed by in hits against your CON. If you hit zero, you have died of thirst and heat. If you survive the damage, you crawl in to a desert town off the Kings' Road, and a kind peasant family helps you to recuperate in time for your next adventure (take 75 xp). Congratulations, I think....!
Appendix:
Kattachi Scorpion Men in Tunnels & Trolls
STR X2, DEX X1, CON X1.5, IQ X1, LK X1, CHA X2/3
Weapons and Armor: Kattachi prefer pole weapons, scimitars, and shields. They usually wear lamellar. All Kattachi have natural chitinous armor for 6 hits of protection, and a character with familiarity in armor smithing and tanning could craft the chitin in to a non-metallic plate mail with 6 hits of protection.
Special: Each scorpion man has a venomous stinger, with one load of venom available for use per day. If you take damage, you must make a L2 SR CON or succumb to the poison, dying horribly. If you make the roll, you still must cut your personal adds in half, and make one more L2 SR CON for the next two rounds (or two paragraphs) until you die or recover.
Classes: Kattachi may be wizard priests of Kathack, rogues, or warriors.
MR: 28-43 (25+3d6) is average for their MR.
Kattachi Scorpion Men in Tunnels & Trolls
STR X2, DEX X1, CON X1.5, IQ X1, LK X1, CHA X2/3
Weapons and Armor: Kattachi prefer pole weapons, scimitars, and shields. They usually wear lamellar. All Kattachi have natural chitinous armor for 6 hits of protection, and a character with familiarity in armor smithing and tanning could craft the chitin in to a non-metallic plate mail with 6 hits of protection.
Special: Each scorpion man has a venomous stinger, with one load of venom available for use per day. If you take damage, you must make a L2 SR CON or succumb to the poison, dying horribly. If you make the roll, you still must cut your personal adds in half, and make one more L2 SR CON for the next two rounds (or two paragraphs) until you die or recover.
Classes: Kattachi may be wizard priests of Kathack, rogues, or warriors.
MR: 28-43 (25+3d6) is average for their MR.
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