Clark Ashton Smith - Some Ideas and Descriptions from his Stories 2

Clark Ashton Smith - Some Ideas and Descriptions from his Stories 2

SPOILER WARNING!

If you have not read this story TURN BACK NOW! or risk losing forever the unspoiled appreciation of Clark Ashton Smith's prose.

Originally I was working on converting CAS stories to the Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerors of Hyperboria setting but Ive refocused on Greyhawk.

2). SADASTOR

Charnadis (Demon) - [MON]

Lyspial (Siren) - [MON]

Sadastor (Planet) - [PLC]

Charnadis

Sadastor

"...I found a vast and winding valley that plunged even deeplier into the abysses of this dreadful world. It was walled with perpendicular cliffs and buttresses and pinnacles of rusty-red stone, that were fretted into a million bizarrely sinister forms by the sinking of the olden seas. I flew slowly among these cliffs as the wound ever downward in tortuous spirals for mile on mile of utter and irredeemable desolation, and the light grew dimmer above me as ledge on ledge and battlement on battlement of that strange red stone upreared themselves between my wings and the heavens. Here, when I rounded a sudden turn of the precipice, in the profoundest depth where the rays of the sun fell only for a brief while at noon, and the rocks were purple with everlasting shadow, I found a pool of dark-green water - the last remnant of the former ocean, ebbing still amid steep, insuperable walls. And from this pool there cried a voice, in accents that were subtly sweet as the mortal wine of the mandragora, and faint as the murmuring of shells."

Lyspial

"...I am a siren, and my name is Lyspial. Of the seas wherein I swam and sported at leisure many centuries ago, and whose gallant mariners I drew to an enchanted death on the shores of my disastrous isle, there remains only this fallen pool. Alas! For the pool dwindles daily, and when it wholly gone I too must perish."

ADVENTURE IDEA

The Treasure of Sadastor

In a deeths of the Underoerth the demon Charnadis hides his treasure hoard on an isle at the center of a red lake. At the proper conergeance of the stars (around once per month) the demon sacrifices a beautiful maiden so that he may remain on this plane of existence. Prevent the sacrifice and Charnadis will be dispelled and his treasure will be for the taking.

If only it were that simple.

At the center of a small lake of accursed water in the cavern of Sadastor lies the isle of Lyspial, a drow vampiress-siren. She is bound to her lake and isle and must feed from the blood-red waters. It is she who sacrifices any that can be brought or lured to her isle. At its center is a small manor house and behind the manor a tall enchanted ash-tree that flourishes in the radiant magic of the Underoerth. From this tree she hangs her victims by their heels while their blood and life essence flow from their slashed throats. A channel runs from the tree down to the waters of her lake.

Charnadis is the willing paramour and servant of Lyspial. The great winged demon has servants of his own, both human and demonic. The humans, members of a cult which worship Charnadis, spread rumors of the treasure of Charnadis and gather slaves to be sacrificed to Lyspial. But Lyspial hungers for men and women of strength and power as well as the blood of slaves, so that the rumors that bring treasure hunters and adventurers are as desired as a steady flow of life and blood of lesser men and women. Charnadis also steals a few succulent maidens for his own desires and for Lyspial to sacrifice.

The cavern of Sadastor is home to a tribe of troglodytes who worship Lyspial. They live in a series of caves that honeycomb the cavern They are armed with poisoned blow-pipes and arrows, nets, jars of enchanted smoke that make men sleep, etc... to aid in the capture of anyone entering the cavern. They do not attack the drow cultists and the slave caravans which they recognize by certain signs and emblems that the cultists use and wear within the cavern.

Charnadis has at his command lesser demons and his drow cultists.

Lyspial has at her command Charnadis, his servants, the tribe of troglodytes and all within the cavern. Within the lake there are many lacedon ghouls, the tree and the top of the manor is home to several harpys, and Lyspial has charmed several adventurers (future sacrifices) who attend her within her small manor-house and will fight for her.

The manor has many small luxuries and treasures but in a chamber beneath her bedroom is a treasure vault containing a respectable amount of gold and jewels and a number of magic items, weapons and armor gathered from slain adventurers. A greater gorgon guards this treasure.

Inspiring Illustrations - Fantasy - 27) UnderOerth map location C-19 - South-West Tunnel

27) Underoerth map location C-19 - South-West Tunnel

Heading west the tunnel branches into three before entering this location.  

The south-west tunnel is of double the normal width and heads downward. Signs of recent travel as well as maintenance are visible.

A dwarf might recognize the work of supporting columns as well as the drainage and ventilation shafts being of dwarvish work. A successful search for secret doors 10 yards down the south-west passage will reveal a locked hidden doorway. The lock is also of fine workmanship and is at -10% to pick for non-dwarves.  The room inside is 20feet from the door to the back wall and 40feet long following the south-west tunnel. The wall separating the room from the tunnel is an even foot-and-a-half thick.

Inside the room, whose ceiling is only 6feet, are a half-a-dozen bunks of dwarven size showing recent occupation. Chests at the foot of each bunk contain only blankets for the bunks, but each has a false bottom. Inside each hidden compartment are 1d6 healing potions, a week's worth of iron rations, a one gallon water canteen, a +2 dagger that is of dwarven workmanship but like drowic weaponry will disenchant and crumble if exposed to sunlight or taken to the upper world for more than a month.

A cloak and weapon rack is against one wall, but everything is sized for dwarves. Two of the half dozen picks in the weapon rack are enchanted and allow the wielder to tunnel through 20feet of rock as if it were stone once a day if the rune of activation, engraved on pock-head, is touched and the activation word, "spelunker", and "gravy" is spoken in the dialect of 'Deep Dwarven'.  There are also various shovels, hammer, chisels, coils of rope and masonry tools contained in the rack. There are 3 cloaks, dwarven sized, that give +2 armor class if the wearer is beneath the earth and near stone.  

The door can be secured on the inside with an iron crossbar and there are two hidden holes at dwarven eye-level for looking out into the passage.