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Fortress of Trun

Heart of Life, a minor artifact of Galaedros’s church; he does not know it, but if the powers of the Green Heart of Life are combined with that of the Eye of Law and the Bone Source they may be the key to returning to the world of the living with life and memories intact.

Menhirs These large blocks of pale gray stone are over 10 feet tall and encrusted with moss. Each has four sides and a flat top, and narrow slightly from bottom to top. Each is graven with holy symbols of Eanius, Galaedros, and Soggelos and other runes of power. Any worshiper of one of the three nature deities who knows the proper command word can speak it and enter a menhir as if under the influence of a meld into stone spell and remain therein for up to 1 hour. Furthermore, as a full-round action the person may exit from any other menhir on the large island or the menhirs on the adjoining islands (leaving the same menhir the person entered does not count as an action but counts normally toward that person’s movement for the round).

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Damaged Menhir This menhir is similar to the others except it bears a large diagonal black fissure running from its top to about halfway toward the ground. Damaged in an attack by undead, the menhir no longer has any magical powers, nor can it be used as an exit point for any of the other menhirs.

Pool Most creatures on the island drink water from this pool rather than going to the greater shore. The pool is the center of a hallow spell maintained by the druids, and it is used as a scrying pool when they feel the need for such magic.

Fortress of Trun

This island is little more than bare earth and rock around an ugly-looking pile of burned stone rubble.

Once a haven in the name of Aluvan, its former lord was slain a hundred years ago, and his home was torn down. Now the lady of the place, a Bazareene noblewoman turned into a spectre long ago, gathers undead into her service and sends out occasional raids to the

Veil Island or other places in the True Afterlife.

Surrounding the rough stone fortress is a span of blasted soil inhabited by many kinds of undead, from wights to wraiths to spectres to shadows to stranger kinds only seen around Xaphan. These creatures lay low during the day, hiding among the crevices of the fort or burying themselves in the earth. The underside of this island is rough and rocky and has no caves, tunnels, or entrances. However, many undead cling to its surface here as well, so those looking for a secret entrance are in for a surprise. Most of the undead here have regained their bodies (with the normally incorporeal ones merely being healed by this rather than gaining an actual body), but some of the corporeal undead had only part of their bodies reach the True Afterlife and, therefore, are burdened by negative levels. Undead also pack the interior rooms of the fortress unless otherwise specified, the types determined by the Dungeon Master as appropriate.

The master of this island, Trun (LE female human spectre Sor19) is one of the Sherem-Lar and used to commanding respect from others. Among many powerful magic items she has acquired from slain victims, she has the Bone Source, a graven elf skull empowered with necromantic energy. She believes she can use this item to transport herself back to the world of the living, but she fears it will not prevent her from losing her memories of this place or the things she has learned since being dispatched to here, and so she waits. She does not know for sure, but she suspects that another artifact used in conjunction with this one may prevent the memory loss caused by the transition between the two worlds. Trun is always accompanied by four 8 HD undead martyrs. Because her resources are limited and she cannot create new items or undead, she is limited to gathering large forces of undead, which pack her island like rats in a slum.

1. Great Door This door is constructed of several large pieces of rubble fused together with great heat. It has no lock, but it is warded with a symbol of stunning triggered by a good creature approaching within 10 feet of the door. As undead are not subject to stunning, her undead followers have no fear of the door’s effects and if the island is attacked, they try to lure obviously good opponents (such as paladins) near the door.

2. Entryway Other than the ever-present undead, there is nothing unusual about this room.

3. Wraith Trap Trun keeps a gang of wraiths here, locked in with an arcane lock spell. She doesn’t care if they get let out, as their main purpose here is to swarm over intruders who inadvertently release them.

4. Mumia Generals This is where Trun’s mumia generals (LE male human mumia Mnk14) reside. All undead on the island obey them as willingly as they obey her.

5. Martyr Lair Most of the undead kept here are advanced undead martyrs, which scatter across the island if the place is ever attacked in order to absorb as much damage as possible. They often roam other parts of the fortress and follow other important undead creatures.

6. Storage Room Trun uses this area for storage, but she currently has no need to store things, so the undead living in the fortress just spill into this room from time to time. The door to this room is normally left open, but the door itself is protected with a symbol of stunning triggered by the touch of a living creature.

7. Mumia Lieutenants Trun’s lieutenants (NE male and female human mumia Clr9) reside here. They direct the less intelligent undead at her command.

8. Pure Shadow This room is filled with undead shadows and is normally filled with magical darkness cast by their leader (CE shadow Sor9). They come out only at night and perform long-range reconnaissance for Trun.

9. Spectral Steed This is where Trun keeps Grayhoof, her 8 HD spectral steed. If she is forced to flee her island, she mounts this creature and flies away, casting darkness on herself beforehand should it be daylight outside. Grayhoof is skittish and avoids other creatures, even other undead, and flees if attacked.

10. Trun’s Chamber This and all the other rooms below the surface of this island were hollowed out by Trun using disintegrate spells and shored up with wall of stone spells. This room in particular is protected by a symbol of death triggered by the entrance of a living creature anywhere within the room.

11. Trun’s Study This room has a long table, a few books, and alchemical tools. Trun has been experimenting with means to allow her to teleport despite being unable to reach the Ethereal Plane, but she has not succeeded.

12. Managin’s Room This is the room of Managin (LE male human bonesinger Brd16), Trun’s reluctant ally. Managin is from Xaphan and only works for Trun because she is the most powerful undead he has discovered so far in the True Afterlife. At the same time he resents her, because she has no interest in worshiping Orcus and pursues necromancy from a purely secular perspective.

13. Apprentices Trun calls these three spectres (LE female human spectres Sor11) her apprentices, which they resent, but they fear her power and appreciate the opportunity to acquire magic items in her service.

14. The Fang This room is the lair of an undead naga known only as The Fang (LE spirit naga mumia). She is quite mad but normally very placid. Trun placates her with baubles

Fortress of Trun Fortress of Trun

9 8 7

4

3 6 14

12

Spiral Stairs Spiral sSairs 11 Stairs Spiral Stairs 5

2 10 13 15

16 17

0 20 40 80

Scale in feet 23 20 21 21 22

19 18

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