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AllWizards characters and the distinctivelikenesses the reof areproperty of Wizards of the Coast LLC.Thismaterialisprotectedunder the copyright laws of the UnitedStates of America. Anyreproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork containedherein isprohibited without the express writte npermission of Wizards of theCoast LLC.This product isawork of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events included here inispurely coincidental, Printedinthe U.S .A.Z009 Wizards of the Coast LLC 30024Z09000-00ZEN 9876543Z1 FirstPrinting: October Z009 ISBN:978-0 -7869 5247Z Visit our website at www.wizards.com/ dnd ,_.-_._._-_.-.-.-._.lNTRODUCT10N.J Orcus intends tousurp thepowers andprivileges of the RavenQueen, the god of death, fat e, and winter. Ifhe accomplishes his aims, no soulshall rest easy again. To avert this theft of divine portfolio and purpose, epic adven turers must dive down tothe bottommost pit of existence, where the Heart of the Abyss festers. Prince of UndeathisaDUNGEONS&DRAGONS@ adven ture forcharacters of 27th to30th level. Youneed the Playe r's Handbook@. the Monster Manual. and the Dun8eon Mast er's Guide to play. D&DTM Dun8eon Tiles and D&D Miniatures can enhance your play experience. BACKGROUND Orcus, Demon Prince of the Undead, wants tousurp control over the spirits of the dead fromthe Raven Queen, the godof Death and Fate. ThePrince of Undeath has slowly drawn his plans against her fromthe heart of his Abys salrealm, the citadel calledEverlost. Everlost straddles a yawning chasm whose sheer slopes holdhundreds of tombs and burial sites, creating a tiered necropolis. Just as with his citadel, Orcus's plans against the Raven Queen are tiered, one plot hiding beneath another. Each past undertaking has movedOrcus a step closer toachieving his goal, even whil e concealing an evenmore devious plan beneath it.Orcus has salted the natural worldand its echo planes with death cults tooppose the Raven Queen, has fosteredpowerful servitors tosap worship away from her. has diverted souls fromher judgment to weaken her. has lootedthebanned armory of the Dawn War tofight her, and even launched araid against Fate's Temple of Temples todirectly threaten her. But allof these efforts pale before OrcllS's ultimate aspiration. In order toachieve it.the Prince of Undeath acquired an ancient primordial, a creature called Timesus the Black Star. Fewprimordials were fearedasmuch by the original gods as Timesus. Through the efforts ofvarious servitors, fromthe cultistKalarel , tothe dragon Urishtar andElder Arantham, tothe Ghoul KingDoresain. Orcus's grandpl ans have progressed totheir endpoint. Now theDemon Prince has gained Timesus the Black Star, a primordi al whose power was once so incontestable that an entire divine armada went down in defeat before it. The primordial , trapped in stasis, was unearthed from itsprison and broken into chunks o[blackstar rock. The chunks were transportedin crates [rom the Shadowfell to Sigil , andthentothe White Kingdom, deep within the Abyss. Orcus plans toreconstitute the pieces of the primordial. returning Timeslls toits original state. The Demon Princehas one improvement tomake upon the primordial , however. Orcus wants toturn Timesus into an undead creature-so that it willbetter serve the Demon Prince of Undeath. ADVENTURESYNOPSIS In Prince of Undeath,the epic heroes confront Orcus's plans head'on, following leadsintroducedinE2: Kin8domof the Ghouls or using the adventure hooks described on page 4. Chaos Ship: The adventurers step through aportal onto a chaos ship designedtoride the roiling waves of theEle mentalChaos. The ship, named Shevaithan,iscontrolled by servants loyaltoOrcus. Severalportals aboardthe ship allow instant teleportation todistant locations. Only two of theseportals are currently active: one fromwherever the adventurers were before boarding the vessel,and one that leads toOrcus's citadel onEverlost (speCifically, a portion of the citadel calledthe RedHold). The adventurers must gain control of the vessel, defeating the captain and crew. Afterward, it becomes amovable base capable of seeing them through most of the rest of the adventure. The Red Hold: Tocommandeer Shevaithan,the adventurers need torelease itfromitsmoorings - amystic binding that takes place as soon asthey killthe ship's captain. In addition, they learn that thebest waytouse the ship toreach the depths of the Abysswhere Orcus's plans unfoldistomake themselves appear to be more demonic. The solutiontoboth of these dilemmas can be foundonly in Orcus's citadel of Everlost-andspecifi cally inthePrince ofUndeath's inner sanctum, the Red Hold. The portal on the chaos ship sends the party tothe entrance ofOrcus's bastion. Though the demon lordisnot inresidence, the adventurers must fighttheir way through his servitors andthe RedHold's deadly defe nses. After successfully freeing the ship andmasking their presence in demonic essences foundinthe citadel, the adventur ers lea rn that two other chaos shipshave already launched and arc traveling downwardupon orders fromOrcus. The ships plan torendezvous ata place called the Forge of Four Worlds. The adventurers must usetheir commandeered ship tofollow. The Forge of Four Worlds: In the chaos ship Shevai than,the adventurers descend toan ancient islandmote hanging deep within the Abyssal void.Known asthe Forge of Four "'!orlds,itacts asa conduit forelemental and arcane energy-energy that Orcus pl anstouseto restore Timesus and convert the primordial into one of the undead. Asthe party arrives, the Forge has been seized by Orcus's demonic horde but isunder attack by a forceof raging devils. The adventurers bypass the brunt of this conflict byway of aportal dock, but asthey explore the Forge,they findthemselves caught up inthe threeway battle between demons, devils, andthe forgeborn-immor tal guardians createdtodefendthe site. The adventurers have the opportunity tomake a deal withthe devils as they fightthe fiend ishinvaders, during which they lea rnthat the demons havetransported Time sus to an area calledthe Soul fireFurnace. However. after fightingtheir way through tothe heart of the Forge, they facenot Timesus but two lesser fragments of the Black Star. The primordialhas already beenrestored andistrav eling tothe depths of the AbyssalNadir wheretheHeart of the Abysslies. Abyssal Nadir: The adventurers plunge tothe bottom of the universe inthe stolen chaos ship.Enroute, they oencounter monstrosities that hunt the Abyssal depths. a: Upon finallyreaching the bleeding edge of raw creation,~ Zthey findthe finalchaos ship- a gargantuan craft, rebuilt into something resembling a dwarven mining platform. Inside this temporary shelter, the Heart of the Abyss beats, stuck into reality's sidelike a tick burrowing in flesh. Andhere Timesus labors, breaking shards fromthe Heart of the Abyssat Orcus's command. The adventur ers might stop Timesus here,but a shardhas already been liberated and giventoOrcus. The Demon Prince of the Undead, armed with the shard, has marched on the Raven Queen's domain. Court of the Raven Queen: The adventurers can traveltoLatherna tolearn theRavenQueen's fate.Bypass ing Zvomarana, the adventurers fightthrough the demon hordes andundead army filling the outer chamber of the palace to reach Death's sanctum. They findOrcus on the Raven Queen's throne, with theRaven Queen on the Ooor beforehim, piercedby the deadly shard . Here, the adventurers can either defeat Orcus and return the RavenQueen toher throne, or decide to grant Orcus the domain ofOeath. US1NGTH1ADVENTURE Prince of UndeathIsdesignedto liIke aparty of fiyeplayer charalers (PCs) from27th tOthlevel. Youcanuse this adventureastheconclusiol1totheepistorylinethat began in1: Death's Reach or as a standalone adventure In your campaignEither way.it makes for a grand conclusion to 30 levels of adventuring. The rwobooklets includedinthis adventure areforth DungeonMaster(OM).Ifyou'replanningtoexprience Prince of Undeorhas aplayer.top reading now. ThePrinceofUndeathadventurecontainsthese components: 1.AdventureBookOne(thisbooklet)providesabackgroundandsynopsisof theadventure,hookstointerest the PCs, an overview of each of the main sections of Adven ture Book Two,illustrations to show players. nwmonsters, new artifacts, and new magic Items. 2.AdventureBookTwocontainsthemanypossibl encounters that constitute the adventure. The encounters takeplacethroughoufiveareas: ThChaos Ship,the Red Hold. the Forge of Four Worlds. the AbyssalNadir, and the Court of the RavenQueen. 3. ApostermapdepictingImportant encounte rareas. Including the chaos ship. 4.Afoldertoholdboththebookletsandtheposter map. Begin this adventure as either the logical consequence of previous play (such asthe events that occurred in E2:Kinadamof the Ghouls),or use one of the hooks providedhere to leadthe adventurers into the story. (If youprefer, feel free to fashiona hook that better suits your campaign.) Allthe hooks provide the PCs with opportunities to gain additional experience by completing associated quests. HOOK:THROUGHTHEPORTAL If the players successfully completed E2:Kinadom of the Ghouls,their characters likely defeatedDoresain and came into custody of Audaviator, the staff of portals. Audaviator is connectedto atleast one permanent teleportation circle, inscribed on the deck of the chaos ship named Shevaithan. Audaviator's wielder can usetheportal toreach the ship. See Encounter S1: Boarding the Ship on page 4 of Adventure Book Two. From here. the adventurers are investedin discovering what has become of the primordial Timesus, andwill discover clues on the ship (and in the RedHold) that will see them through to the end of the adventure. Quest XP: 11,000 (minor quest) if the adventurers commandeer the chaos shipShevaithan and gain fullcontrolof thevessel. HOOK:SECLUSIONOF THEARCHMAGE Provide an archmage character in theparty (if any)with the follOWinginformation at some point during thetime the adventurers travelthrough the Forge of Four Worlds. Customize the text as necessary tomatch the archmage's specific situation. T1NY'SCONCLUS10N Astheplayercharactf'!rsmovetoward30thlevel,they (omecloserandmoreintoalignmentwiththeirepic destinies.ThiscouldIncludeforeshadowingdreamsvisions.Adventurersmight seeagreatfoundrybuiltona remoteislandaroundwhichaferociousconflictbetween demonsanddevilsrages.Theymighthaveavisionof a citadel straddling ayawning chasm with sheer slopes that holdhundreds of tombs andburial sites. creating atiered necropolis.Whentheyreachthe AbyssalNadir. animage of Orcus .triumphantly rising above the spires ofthe Raven Queen's palace mighthaunt their waking moments. Feelfreetosprinklesuchvisionsanddreamsintothe adventuretoaddtothegrowingsenseofdestinyfinally coming home to greet the epic adventurers. YouIWlleplied spells pawer UIlJpelfimned rituaL-. oj rare vin/a8e. YtlU've seenmuch l?(lire world.(J1lL1inth'1/si8ht. tile arcane 'llrellds that underlie all exisrel1ce IIL1I'ebeaun [0 hecome dear to you. Tiley danel' (11Ihe (Omer5 oJyour eyes.nM qui/I' J'CI inperrellresolution. Toadlie\'eelLlrily.y"uneedIilll/' ill seclusionina locatioll sili/eelfor deep contemplation andIhe manipulalioll of(lrCOIle elleTaies, '/'heForneoj ,ouI'""orlds is just tself toprtilion ,/1.('Rm'ertQ.UCCII10 relinquishIrer doim Ort your sOIlI,t/wt iI mia/I! onr del)'OS(l'l1dto Ho(l/Iomi. Youl,lillk Ilwa)' the slr as acquaintances. uml i!venmembers oJ),our awrrfamily. Sweat'vakeJ, yout'lIll'ral! fromrhel'lsiol l aft!!rfinally t]lillll'sinHtireI'ortex'bot/alii, when' IIblood redliflht bealS a relelltless cadence ofCIll.YouknowIhese visiolls spell au/ your ill /lire. oryour doorn. The eternal seeker has seen a vision of what might become his or her finaldestination, and can choose toembrace it, or work fervently toavoidit. Quest XP: 13,000 (minor quest) if the eternal seeker followthe visions and successfully plumbs the very depths of the Abyss. Awardthe XP before thefinalencounters with Orcus. HOOK:RISEOFORCUS i-J If your players haven't adventured through E2:KinndomofZ the Ghouls or earlier adventures leading up tothis adven fa: ture. usethis hook tobring them quickly up tospeed. < The epic adventurers have come tothe attention of f-IJl the pantheon of godsthat inhabit your campaign. The godshaverecently learned of a secret plot by Orcus to claim the domain of Death forhimself. Asistheir wont, the gods seek powerful mortal agents in the worldto set thingsright. In anash of golden light, a marut concordant (see MOllsterManual,page185) appears beforetheparty.In Supernal (alanguage that all characters hear in their nativetongue), the marut says: exploit'Ial'e murked J'01ltlStire({vllIlr :\8('. I(\'0 U would ensure your Il(Imt's shall/iv..Jorl'Ve1',nlllrk wdl rhr lcIskrlre nods osk I?fl'ou.Orcus. DemollPrince of Umlealh.frock oway{rom /ht' destrllCI/ve werB.I' The rOl'6 sct'm [(l be tunnletiin111'storm C?fcller.CJYrell/in/l t,bMe lite IIW!fUIICtiollh18s/rutld('rs ojdrslructive power spo radicallltrawl up rhe (ords-perhaps eventoward your ship. Since discovering thepower surge, thebeholder eyes of despair has been attempting tocontrol it. The creatures in this chamber are distracted, andthe adventurers gain sur prise if they attack at once. If they wait inthe hopethat the malfunctioning sphere will finishthese defenders off,they are noticedafter 1round. That 's when one of the behold ers andtherotharbingersmove intoattack. Arcana Check DC 28: If,he mo!functiolllnB sphm: isn', disnblnlOTiflhl! nI)'stiL bintl/II8s anuc/lec/to your ship tlTen'1 CUI.tlu:n the build lnllofel1er8J' (ould srl'ere/y ,/om081' or tlestroy tile chaos hipyou/ra\'c(ollllll(mdl.'t'red. Time isn't all your side illrllis ptHticular2Beholder Eyesof Oespair (B)Level27Elite Artillery lareaberrant ma .icalbeastXP1) .oon eac h Initiative +11Senses Perception +17: all-around vision, darkvision HP 388: Bloodied 194; see also ripple ofchaos AC39; Fortitude 39, Reflex39, Will 40 Saving Throws +1 Speed fly8 (hover) ActionPoints 1