To capture the essence of Clark Ashton Smith’s Zothique, we must lean into the "Dying Earth" aesthetic: a world where the sun is a dim, crimson ember, science has been forgotten in favor of necromancy, and the air is thick with the scent of lotus and decay.
In Castles & Crusades, this means emphasizing High Sorcery and Horror, while making resources like light and sanity feel precious.
Adventure Title: The Gilded Ossuary of Prince Khorvas
Character Level: 4–6
Setting: The salt-crusted wastes of the Cynosure Desert, Zothique.
The Hook
The party is hired by a trembling merchant-prince in the city of Zylac. He possesses a map to the lost tomb of Prince Khorvas, a sorcerer-king who allegedly discovered a way to brew the Elixir of the Last Noon—a potion said to grant the drinker the vitality of a young sun. In a world dying of lethargy and cold, this is the ultimate prize.
The Atmosphere (For the Castle Keeper)
The Sky: A bruised purple, dominated by a bloated, dark-red sun that provides "dim light" even at midday.
The Tone: Melancholic, decadent, and macabre. NPCs should be cynical, weary, or obsessively hedonistic.
The Threat: Undead in Zothique are not mindless zombies; they are often talkative, vengeful, or tragically beautiful.
The Journey: The Bleached Expanse
Before reaching the tomb, the party must survive the Wastes of Cynosure.
| Result (d6) | Encounter | C&C Mechanic |
| 1-2 | The Lithified Caravan | A group of travelers turned to salt. A CL 4 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals one is still alive, paralyzed. |
| 3-4 | Winged Devourers | 1d4 Vultshulks (Harpy stats, but necrotic). They sing songs of the world's end to lure prey. |
| 5 | The Mirage of Zama | A psychic illusion of a lush garden. CL 6 Intelligence (Arcane) to see through; otherwise, exhaustion sets in. |
| 6 | A Necromantic Hermit | An ancient wizard who offers shelter in exchange for a "memory of warmth." |
The Dungeon: The Gilded Ossuary
The tomb is not underground, but a spire of bone-white marble thrusting out of the salt flats.
1. The Hall of Sighing Silks
The entrance is draped in rotting tapestries.
Hazard: The dust is a hallucinogen. CL 5 Constitution save or the character believes their companions are ancient mummies coming to life.
The Guardian: A Bone Golem (C&C Monsters & Treasure) decorated with peacock feathers and pearls.
2. The Laboratory of Transmutation
Vats of iridescent liquids bubble despite the lack of heat.
The Puzzle: To open the inner sanctum, a vessel must be filled with "the tears of a dying god." A CL 4 Lore (Religion) check suggests that salt-water infused with a drop of the blood of a willing sacrifice will suffice.
3. The Chamber of Khorvas
Prince Khorvas is not dead; he is a Lich (or a high-level Necromancer if you want a fairer fight) who has spent centuries listening to the slow heartbeat of the dying earth.
The Twist: The "Elixir" isn't a potion of life—it’s a potion of stasis. He wants to freeze the world in its final moment so it never truly dies.
Combat: Khorvas uses spells like Cloudkill (appearing as purple vapor) and Animate Dead.
Unique Magic Item: The Censer of Xylac
Type: Wondrous Item
Effect: When lit with rare resins, it casts a 20ft radius of "Ancient Sunlight." Within this light, all undead take a -2 penalty to AC and To-Hit rolls, and living creatures are immune to fear. However, it consumes 50gp of incense per turn.
In the dying world of Zothique, where the sun is a weary, blood-red ember, Prince Khorvas exists as a figure of tragic decadence and dark sorcery.
Based on the Zothique mythos and the mechanics of Castles & Crusades, here are the details for Prince Khorvas.
Prince Khorvas: The Last Alchemist of Cynosure
Khorvas is a Necromancer who has transcended his mortal span not through typical lichdom, but through the refinement of rare, alchemical vapors. He appears as a tall, spindly man with skin the color of parched parchment, draped in heavy, moth-eaten silks of saffron and violet. He wears a mask of beaten gold that depicts a weeping sun.
Character Stats (C&C Style)
Class/Level: 9th-Level Necromancer (Wizard variant)
Armor Class: 16 (Bracers of Defense and Mage Armor equivalent)
Hit Points: 42
Prime Attributes: Intelligence, Wisdom
Special Abilities:
Necromantic Command: As an action, Khorvas can attempt to control any undead within 30ft. The undead must make a CL 9 Wisdom save or follow his telepathic commands.
The Vapors of Cynosure: Khorvas is immune to poisons and gases. Twice per day, he can exhale a cloud of purple mist (Cloudkill effect, but deals 1d10 necrotic damage instead of poison).
Spell List (Focusing on the Macabre)
To fit the Clark Ashton Smith style, his spells are described as elaborate rituals or sensory horrors:
Level 1: Charm Person (Languid Seduction), Sleep (Lotus Dreams), Detect Undead.
Level 2: Mirror Image (Shattered Visions), Scare, Darkness.
Level 3: Animate Dead (Bone-Witching), Haste (Nervous Tremors), Dispel Magic.
Level 4: Fear, Enervation (The Withering Touch).
Level 5: Magic Jar (Soul Transference).
The Motivation: The Stasis of Noon
Unlike many villains who seek to destroy the world, Khorvas is motivated by an obsessive preservation.
The Philosophy: He believes the world's end is inevitable and beautiful. He seeks to use his Elixir of the Last Noon to freeze his entire palace—and eventually the desert—in a single, perfect moment of sunset.
The Conflict: To fuel this spell, he requires the "vitality of the living," which means the players are essentially "batteries" for his eternal museum of the dead.
Tactual Behavior
In combat, Khorvas is passive and arrogant. He rarely strikes directly, preferring to speak in poetic, nihilistic verses while his Bone Golem or resurrected servants engage the party. He views the adventurers as "rare specimens" to be preserved rather than enemies to be destroyed.
"Why struggle against the coming night? In my halls, you shall be as golden statues, witnessing the final sunset forever, spared from the cold rot of the void."
In the world of Zothique, a golem is rarely a mere pile of animated material. It is a work of dark art—a macabre sculpture intended to evoke the grandeur of a forgotten era.
Prince Khorvas’s guardian, known as The Gilded Seneschal, is a bone golem crafted from the skeletons of twelve high priests, fused together with melted gold and adorned with the iridescent feathers of the extinct Zylac peacock.
The Gilded Seneschal (Bone Golem)
Size: Large (9 feet tall)
Hit Dice: 12d10 (66 HP)
Armor Class: 22 (Enchanted bone and gold plating)
Move: 20 ft.
Attacks: 2 Slams (2d8+5 damage)
Special Abilities
The Rattling Dirge: As the golem moves, the bones and golden charms hanging from its ribs create a discordant, haunting chime. Anyone within 30 feet must succeed on a CL 6 Wisdom Save or be affected by Fear for 1d4 rounds.
Damage Reduction: Takes half damage from piercing and slashing weapons; immune to cold, poison, and mind-affecting spells.
The Sun-Blind Flash: Once every 3 rounds, the golem can shift its posture to catch the dim light of the red sun on its polished gold surfaces. This creates a blinding flash. All creatures in a 15-foot cone must make a CL 8 Dexterity Save or be blinded for 1d4 rounds.
Bone-Shards: When the golem loses more than 15 HP from a single crushing blow, it sprays splinters of jagged, gold-flecked bone. Nearby attackers take 1d6 piercing damage (Dex save for half).
Behavior and Tactics
The Seneschal does not roar or growl; it operates with a terrifying, fluid grace. It stands perfectly still in the Hall of Sighing Silks, appearing as a gruesome statue until the party crosses the threshold or touches a tapestry.
Initial Round: It begins with the Sun-Blind Flash to disorient the front line.
Engagement: It prioritizes "unrefined" characters (Fighters/Barbarians), attempting to break their weapons against its gold-plated ribs.
The Dirge: It constantly moves, forcing repeated Wisdom saves against its Rattling Dirge to thin the herd of attackers.
The Aesthetic (For the Castle Keeper)
The creature is a towering lattice of ivory and gold. Its head is a composite of four skulls facing cardinal directions, crowned with a halo of peacock feathers that shiver in a wind you cannot feel. As it steps forward, the sound is not a clatter, but a rhythmic, metallic sobbing.
Potential Treasure
If the party defeats the Seneschal, they can harvest the gold used in its construction.
Value: 1,200 gp in raw gold leaf and melted coins.
The Heart of the Seneschal: A fist-sized Topaz worth 500 gp. If used as a component for a Reanimate or Animate Dead spell, the resulting undead gains +2 HP per hit die.
In the tales of Clark Ashton Smith, demons are not the sulfurous, red-skinned brutes of standard high fantasy. In Zothique, they are ultra-dimensional horrors—alien, beautiful, and profoundly nihilistic. They often manifest as a result of a sorcerer’s ego or the thinning of the veil as the world decays.
Here are three demons tailored for a Castles & Crusades campaign, designed to evoke that specific sense of "weird fiction" horror.
1. The Galgalim (The Wheel-Wraith)
These entities hail from the "outer voids" beyond the dying sun. They appear as a concentric series of spinning rings made of dark, translucent jelly, embedded with hundreds of unblinking, human-like eyes.
HD: 7d8 (32 HP)
AC: 18 (Amorphous and shifting)
Attacks: 2 Lashings (1d10 damage)
Special: Vertigo Gaze. Instead of attacking, the Galgalim can spin its rings. All who look upon it must make a CL 7 Wisdom save. Failure results in the character becoming "unanchored from gravity," floating 5 feet off the ground and becoming Stunned for 1d6 rounds.
Special: Dimensional Slip. It can move through solid objects as if they were water.
2. The Lustrous Abomination (The Succubus of Zothique)
Unlike the common succubus, this demon is a shimmering, multi-limbed entity made of iridescent, oil-slick light. It assumes the form of a beautiful youth, but its skin feels like cold, wet glass.
HD: 5d8 (25 HP)
AC: 15
Attacks: 4 Claws (1d4 damage + Touch of Weariness)
Special: Touch of Weariness. Anyone hit by the demon must make a CL 5 Constitution save. Failure results in a loss of 1d4 points of Strength as the demon siphons the victim's "vital heat."
Special: Memory Eater. If the demon kills a target, it absorbs their memories. It can then mimic the dead person perfectly to lure the rest of the party into an ambush.
3. The Ossified Devourer (The Tharmog)
This is a "demon of the earth," a hulking mass of calcified organs and jagged obsidian teeth. It smells of ancient dust and funeral spices. Sorcerers like Prince Khorvas often summon them to act as living trash disposals for failed experiments.
HD: 9d10 (55 HP)
AC: 20 (Rock-hard carapace)
Attacks: Bite (2d12 damage)
Special: Swallow Whole. On a natural attack roll of 19 or 20, the Tharmog swallows a medium or smaller creature. The interior is a vacuum; the victim takes 2d6 crushing damage per round and begins to suffocate.
Special: Magic Resistance. It has a Spell Resistance of 12 due to its ancient, non-terrestrial origin.
Demon Summoning in Zothique
In a Zothique-themed C&C game, summoning these creatures is never safe.
Optional Rule: The Price of the Void
When a Wizard casts a summoning spell, they must make a CL [Spell Level] Intelligence save. On a failure, the demon is not bound to the caster's will. It will still attack the caster's enemies, but it will also demand a "toll"—usually a permanent sacrifice of a sense (sight, taste, or touch) or a vial of the caster’s blood (1d4 permanent HP loss).
Encounter Table: Demonic Omens
Before these demons appear, the environment often reacts to their presence:
| d4 | The Omen |
| 1 | All shadows in the room begin to point toward the center, regardless of light sources. |
| 2 | The air suddenly tastes of copper and stale wine. |
| 3 | Nearby plants or organic materials instantly wither and turn to fine, grey ash. |
| 4 | Sounds of distant, discordant harps play from the walls themselves. |
In the decaying world of Zothique, wealth is measured in curiosities and mementos of better ages. These trinkets can be found in the silk pouches of sorcerers, within the gullets of demons, or scattered among the salt-bleached ruins.
Roll 1d100 or choose a flavor that fits the current gloom.
| d100 | Trinket Description |
| 01-02 | A crystal vial containing the last breath of a king from a sunken continent. |
| 03-04 | A dried lotus flower that turns jet black when poison is nearby. |
| 05-06 | A small, clockwork beetle that whispers forgotten names in a dead language. |
| 07-08 | A silver coin minted in a city that was swallowed by the sea ten thousand years ago. |
| 09-10 | A ring made of fossilized bone; it feels warm to the touch near a fresh grave. |
| 11-12 | A fragment of a star that fell when the sun was still yellow. |
| 13-14 | A deck of cards where the faces are painted with the portraits of the PCs' ancestors. |
| 15-16 | A hollowed-out emerald containing a single, preserved human eye. |
| 17-18 | A leaden key that opens no physical door, but rattles when a secret is told. |
| 19-20 | A vial of "Liquid Night" that, when poured, creates a 5ft patch of magical darkness. |
| 21-22 | A map drawn on human skin that shows the location of a city that hasn't been built yet. |
| 23-24 | A fossilized dragon scale that still hums with a faint, tectonic vibration. |
| 25-26 | A perfume bottle that smells like the user’s happiest memory (highly addictive). |
| 27-28 | A pair of spectacles that allow the wearer to see 10 seconds into the past. |
| 29-30 | A metal glove with six fingers, designed for a non-human hand. |
| 31-32 | A jar of pickled tentacles from an ultra-dimensional entity. |
| 33-34 | A scroll containing a single joke so dark it deals 1 point of psychic damage when read. |
| 35-36 | A compass that points toward the nearest source of tragedy rather than North. |
| 37-38 | A small jade idol of a tentacled god that feels oily, no matter how much it's cleaned. |
| 39-40 | A mirror that reflects the viewer as they will look on the day of their death. |
| 41-42 | A pouch of sand from the "Desert of Dreams" (causes vivid hallucinations if inhaled). |
| 43-44 | A silver whistle that can only be heard by the dead. |
| 45-46 | A candle made of black wax that casts shadows of things not present in the room. |
| 47-48 | A gold needle that can sew shadows onto objects. |
| 49-50 | A necklace of shrunken ears from different species. |
| 51-52 | A locket containing a lock of hair from a goddess. |
| 53-54 | A small, singing stone that mimics the voice of the last person who held it. |
| 55-56 | A ceramic mask that forced the wearer to speak only in rhyme. |
| 57-58 | A dried toad that, when licked, grants a +1 to Save vs. Poison for one hour. |
| 59-60 | A heavy iron book with all the pages fused together into a single block. |
| 61-62 | A monocle that reveals the "true form" of any food or drink (often revealing rot). |
| 63-64 | A sphere of obsidian that absorbs all light within a 1-inch radius. |
| 65-66 | A tiny, mummified hand that points toward the nearest gold coin. |
| 67-68 | A vial of ink made from the blood of a shadow demon. |
| 69-70 | A comb made from the teeth of a giant serpent. |
| 71-72 | A box of matches that burn with a cold, blue flame. |
| 73-74 | A pipe that breathes out smoke in the shape of miniature battles. |
| 75-76 | A tooth from a lich; it still aches when the moon is full. |
| 77-78 | A set of ivory dice that always roll the number of people in the room. |
| 79-80 | A piece of parchment that is always slightly damp with seawater. |
| 81-82 | A bronze bell with no clapper that rings when a lie is spoken. |
| 83-84 | A telescope that shows the sky as it looked a million years ago. |
| 85-86 | A braided cord made from the silk of a giant lunar spider. |
| 87-88 | A jar of ashes that, when scattered, take the shape of a person for 5 seconds. |
| 89-90 | A ring that makes the wearer’s footsteps completely silent, but their voice twice as loud. |
| 91-92 | A skull carved from a single ruby. |
| 93-94 | A flute made from a human femur that plays only funeral dirges. |
| 95-96 | A cloak clasp that looks like a biting moth (it occasionally pinches the wearer). |
| 97-98 | A small lead box containing a sound—opening it releases a scream. |
| 99-00 | A tiny, perfect model of the Gilded Ossuary (or the current dungeon). |
How to use these in Castles & Crusades
While mostly flavor-text, a clever player might use a CL [Attribute] check to find a mechanical use for these. For example:
The Silver Whistle (43-44): Might be used to distract a ghost or signal a phantom.
The Liquid Night (19-20): Could provide a momentary distraction for a Rogue's hide check.
In the tales of Clark Ashton Smith, sorcery is not a clean "science" of fireballs and magic missiles. It is an art of necromancy, decadence, and cosmic alienation. In Zothique, magic is slow, atmospheric, and often carries a heavy price for the caster's psyche.
Here are four Zothique-style spells converted for use in Castles & Crusades.
1. The Potion of Purple Vapor
Level: 2 (Wizard/Illusionist)
Range: Touch
Duration: 1 hour/level
Save: None (Constitution to resist secondary effects)
The caster transfigures a small amount of wine or water into a swirling, iridescent purple liquid. When consumed or shattered on the floor, it releases a thick, floral-scented fog in a 20ft radius.
Effect: All creatures within the mist see the world as a vibrant, youthful paradise. Enemies appear as beautiful dancers and the dying sun appears golden and warm.
C&C Mechanic: Those within the mist must make a CL [Caster Level] Constitution save or be slowed as per the Slow spell, overwhelmed by a lethargic euphoria. However, they are immune to Fear and Pain-based effects while the vapor lasts.
2. The Litany of the Seven Sunsets
Level: 3 (Wizard/Necromancer)
Range: 60 ft.
Duration: Instantaneous
Save: Wisdom negates
The caster chants a rhythmic, melancholic poem describing the death of the seven great civilizations of Zothique. The words drain the "temporal momentum" from the target.
Effect: The target is struck by a localized aging effect. They do not age physically, but their mind experiences a century of boredom and isolation in a heartbeat.
C&C Mechanic: The target must make a CL [Caster Level] Wisdom save. On a failure, they are Stunned for 1d4 rounds and take 2d6 Psychic damage. If the target is a spellcaster, they lose one random prepared spell of the lowest level currently held.
3. Evocation of the Obsidian Shadow
Level: 4 (Wizard)
Range: 30 ft.
Duration: 1 round/level
Save: Dexterity half
The caster reaches into their own shadow and pulls it free, tossing it toward a foe. The shadow becomes a tangible, razor-sharp sheet of darkness that slices through reality.
Effect: The shadow functions as a Spiritual Weapon but deals 2d8 slashing damage.
Zothique Twist: While this spell is active, the caster casts no shadow. In Zothique, this is a mark of extreme social stigma; NPCs will react with horror or hostility (CL 4 Charisma check to interact normally), as only demons and the "soulless" lack shadows.
4. Transmigration of the Amaranthine Soul
Level: 6 (Necromancer)
Range: Touch
Duration: Permanent
Save: None
A ritual utilized by sorcerers like Prince Khorvas to avoid the "Cold Void" of death. It requires a vessel—usually a statue of precious metal or a specially prepared mummy.
Effect: Upon the caster's death, their consciousness is instantly transferred into the vessel.
C&C Mechanic: The caster "respawns" in the vessel with half their original Hit Points. However, their type changes to Undead. They lose 1 point of Charisma permanently as their personality becomes increasingly detached and alien. This spell can only be cast once per lifetime.
Sorcerous Complications (Optional Rule)
Magic in a dying world is unstable. When a caster rolls a natural 1 on a spell attack or a target rolls a natural 20 on a save against a Zothique spell, roll on this table:
| d6 | Complication |
| 1 | Bleeding Light: The caster's eyes glow a sickly crimson for 1d6 hours, giving them -2 to Stealth. |
| 2 | Echo of the Void: All sound within 30ft is silenced for 1 round. |
| 3 | Ancestral Whispers: The caster can hear the ghosts of the area; +1 to Lore checks, but -2 to Initiative due to distraction. |
| 4 | The Shivers: The caster feels the "Cold of the End"; -1 to Dexterity for the remainder of the day. |
| 5 | Floral Decay: Any food or water carried by the caster instantly turns to dust. |
| 6 | Unintended Summoning: A minor demon (1 HD) appears 10ft away, hostile to everyone. |
In the crumbling decadence of Zothique, most strive to survive. The Lotus-Eater has simply chosen to enjoy the end of the world. By consuming the rare, psychoactive blossoms of the black and purple lotus, they bridge the gap between reality and the dream-realms of the Outer Gods.
In Castles & Crusades, the Lotus-Eater is a sub-class of the Illusionist or Druid, blending sensory manipulation with a strange, detached resilience.
The Lotus-Eater
Prime Attribute: Wisdom
Hit Dice: d6
Alignment: Any Neutral or Chaotic
Armor: Leather, padded, or unarmored only.
Weapons: Club, dagger, dart, staff, shortsword, blowgun.
Class Abilities
1. Lucid Dreaming (Wisdom)
The Lotus-Eater exists in a state of permanent semi-consciousness. They can "daydream" solutions to problems. Once per day per level, they may add a +2 bonus to any attribute check or saving throw by claiming they "saw this outcome in a dream."
2. Resistance to Horror
Having witnessed the alien vistas of the void through lotus-induced trances, mundane horrors do not move them. They gain a +4 bonus to all saving throws against Fear and Insanity.
3. The Lotus Breath (Charisma)
At 3rd level, the Lotus-Eater’s very breath becomes sweet and intoxicating. Once per day, they can exhale a cloud of invisible spores in a 10ft radius. All NPCs within the cloud must make a Wisdom save (CL = Lotus-Eater Level) or become docile and indifferent for 1d6 turns, as if under a Calm Emotions spell.
4. Chemically Sustained
At 5th level, the Lotus-Eater’s metabolism has shifted. They require only half the normal amount of food and water, provided they have access to their lotus resins. They become immune to all non-magical poisons.
5. Astral Projection
At 9th level, the Lotus-Eater can enter a deep trance to project their spirit from their body. This functions as the spell Astral Projection, but their physical body is completely helpless and smells strongly of funeral flowers during the process.
Spellcasting
The Lotus-Eater casts spells as an Illusionist, but their "spellbook" is a collection of dried petals, tinctures, and incense burners. Their magic is always sensory:
Verbal components are usually drowsy humming or rhythmic poetry.
Somatic components are slow, liquid gestures.
Recommended Spell List (C&C PHB)
Level 1: Color Spray, Dancing Lights, Hypnotism, Sleep.
Level 2: Blindness/Deafness, Fog Cloud, Mirror Image, Hypnotic Pattern.
Level 3: Confusion, Hallucinatory Terrain, Invisibility Sphere.
The Burden of the Bloom (Class Flaw)
A Lotus-Eater is physically frail and mentally distant.
Lethargy: They suffer a -2 penalty to all Initiative rolls.
The Craving: If the Lotus-Eater goes more than three days without consuming lotus wine or resin (costing roughly 10gp per day), they suffer a -1 penalty to all Prime Attribute checks due to the "Gray Reality" setting in.
Level Progression
| Level | HD | BTH |
| 1 | d6 | +0 |
| 2 | 2d6 | +1 |
| 3 | 3d6 | +1 |
| 4 | 4d6 | +2 |
| 5 | 5d6 | +2 |
Sample Character Intro
"You see a man leaning against a salt-pitted column, wearing robes of tattered silk that were once a brilliant peacock blue. His eyes are dilated, reflecting the bruised purple of the Zothique sky. He ignores the approaching demons, calmly lighting a pipe that exhales a thick, sickly-sweet vapor. He smiles, for he is currently walking through a garden that died a thousand years before you were born."
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