Mythos Memory Wrap Up Commentary For Adapting I5 Lost Tomb of Martek Adventure For The Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea Rpg System & Your Old School Campaigns

Your sleek cloudskate skims across the Skysea. It is midnight. All day long, the glass sea soaked up the scorching desert sunlight. Now, that heat lifts your ship a few inches off the glass and fills its sails. The only sound you hear is the soft swish of the diamond-edged rudder as it cuts a path across the Skysea.

One thousand years ago, the wizard Martek knew that you would come to find his Sphere of Power. Now, one of his glowing Star Gems shows you the way. The starlight, reflected in the glass beneath you, flickers peacefully.

Suddenly, the Skysea before you bursts up into a thousand shards of splintered glass, showering into the moonlight! A horrible creature is silhouetted against the moon. You strain against the rudder to keep your ship upright.
Too late! Your cloudskate tips onto one runner, and then tumbles over, skidding to a stop on the glass. As your companions struggle to right the ship, you turn and face the monster. You must hold the creature back to give them time. Without the ship, none of you can get off the glass before the sun rises in the morning.

Martek's prophecy spoke of heroes, tests, and dangers. Are you the heroes? What are the tests? What dangers and riches lie ahead.
Everything about this cover screams otherworldly pulpy old school adventure from the skate ship to the purple worm creature. This is I5 Lost Tomb of Martek by Tracy Hickman for characters 7 through 9 & boy do they mean it. This is both a wilderness crawl & dungeon session all with an underlying plot that moves the adventure backbone along. But my ex co dungeon master & friend took the plot to the cleaners with both Clark Ashton Smith & HP Lovecraft's name on I5. This was an adventure that caused me to reevaluate my life on more then a few levels.



Call me old fashioned but I'm not much of a joiner these days & going over my notes from Peter's old Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea rpg mash up campaign with I5 Lost Tomb of Martek I suddenly remembered why. Turn your wayback machine to 2011 when our hero PC's  were last killed by the Pit of Everfall. Only we woke up on board a skate ship bound for the tomb of the eons dead wizard Martek or so we thought. Nope, Peter had changed tactics & adventure storyline for I5. Instead we were skating through a reverse planar Diamond Desert dreamland on our way to meet with the ancient Egyptian pharaohs Khephren and Nitokris. Perhaps to be sacrificed to some nameless hippopotamus-sized, five-headed, tentacled beast servant of Nyarlathotep. Peter was especially fond of Nyarlathotep and loved to dovetail the Crawling Chaos into all kinds of old school adventures. There were two of the Star Gems aboard the craft which was sailed by half-man, half-animal mummies.
This wasn't a good sign at all for that matter Sir Tristen the Bold wasn't a knight of Apollo after all but an agent of Hastur as we found out during the events of I4 before we were killed!? The bastard was no where to be seen and the player was playing a desert barbarian. So what happened to him? We would never find out but more on that later.


Dave Trampier artwork from the AD&D first edition Monster Manual

The animal headed mummies were intelligent but had the mummy rot touch of standard AD&D first edition mummies. We had to think fast? So when we encountered that weird purple Dhole our party as one dumped all seven animal headed mummies overboard! Our party lost three of our nine PC's during the melee. We took control of the skate ship only to find out it was on a pre-programed extra dimensional course. There were PC's waiting at the tomb to replace the others, these were prisoners of the cult of
Nyarlathotep. We had to time this whole adventure ruse carefully & grab the new prisoners then make our way through the tomb of the wizard who was being held by the ancient Egyptian pharaohs Khephren and Nitokris. They were waiting for the arrival of the Crawling Chaos himself!


The Black Man", artist Jens Heimdahl's rendition of Nyarlathotep.



The situation seemed to get worse &  worse for our party. We made our way through various dungeon levels of the Tomb of Martek  the garden, crystal prism, and citadel were especially dangerous for us. Greed killed a few of our number time and again. Finally we made it to the the Mobius Tower inspired locations This was a place  whose levels are magically linked in a loop as a part of a curse of 'The Crawling Chaos'. 'The time-trapped inhabitants of the tower - who appear frozen because they exist in a different, slow-moving time-frame' element played marry havoc with our party. We completed the adventure received our experience points. I knew that Peter had spent a good month using HP Lovecraft's
"Imprisoned with the Pharaohs" as his source material and masterfully blended it all together. We managed to escape the destruction of the Citadel of Martek. This was before the arrival of Nyarlathotep.



Front cover of the May-June-July 1924 edition of Weird Tales

We finished the adventure over the weekend from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon. But everything went to Hell for Peter & his family. That week in 2011 was very bad, he lost his job, his apartment in Torrington, & moved out of the state by the next weekend. His wife almost divorced him,and his dad who was his land lord threw him out.
He ebayed a small chunk of my gaming collection and my buddy Steve's gaming books. These aren't these gents real names folks. This is to protect the guilty folks. Some of those items I'm still trying to recover to this day. Shrug. I know his back was against the financial  wall and things were nasty but Peter if your reading this you could have come to me pal. I would have and you know that. Someone mentioned not being able to afford keeping up with the OSR product arms race tonight on G+ and that's very true. In point of fact that's one of the reasons for starting this blog and why I stopped reviewing every single adventure title & OSR source book that comes out. You eventually suffer from burn out. But there were a ton of loose ends from I5 that a DM can exploit for a weird pulpy adventure.



Ten Still Loose Adventure Hooks For A
Mythos Modified I5 Lost Tomb of Martek Adventure 

1. There are number of indicators that this adventure might take place in an HP Lovecraft dreamlands version of the Sphinx of Giza where the beast is far more dangerous then his real life counterpart. This version of the Abū al-Haul, English: The Terrifying One; literally: Father of Dread has connections with Nyarlathotep. 
2. Many of the indicators in Clark Ashton Smith's work have deep connections with the pharaohs Khephren and Nitokris  who are far more dangerous entities that are the high priest and priestess for Nyarlathotep
3. The bringing together of the Star Gems awakens a very dangerous avatar of  Nyarlathotep and releases it into the Diamond Desert of Hyperborea. 
4. The tombs of serveral of the 'favored ones' of Nyarlathotep are found within the area surrounding tomb and its lands. 
5. There are other indicators that the a number of planes on the way to the Citadel of Martek are infact Nightmare dimensions of HP Lovecraft Dreamlands. 
6. A number of highly valuable artifacts are found in the Citadel of Martek which could be treasures gathered by Nyarlathotep and could prompt a return visit to recover these for some patron or client. 
7. Several of the priests and other NPC's could actually high ranking Nyarlathotep cult leaders who could cause much pain for other adventuring parties in the future. 
8. Martek himself might be a high level lich who got the low end of the bargain with Nyarlathotep    creating even more adventures for the PCs in the future. 
9.  A variety of magical treasures from I5 could be connected with other HP Lovecraft mythos cults causing headaches and issues in the futures of adventurers. 
10. Because of the association with death and the Egyptian afterlife, The Tomb of Martek there might have a deep connection with  the Jackal-Dog Anubis, the God of the Necropolis. This could lead to the PC's have a return trip to the adventure locations of I5 for a quest or errand for the god or his priests.

Lovecraftian Mythos Memories Of I4 Oasis of the White Palm For The Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea Rpg System & Your Old School Campaigns

"Tired and sore, you struggle over the burning sands toward the long-forgotten city. Will you reach the place in time to save yourselves from the evil efreeti? The sun beats down, making your wounds stiff and worsening the constant thirst that plagues anyone who travels these waterless wastes. But there is hope - are those the ruins over there?" 
 Looking over the back title blurb of  I4 Oasis of the White Palm I was immediately struck by the very weird pulp essence of the adventure. I wasn't the only one though. A couple of years ago back in 2010 I was involved in a modified version of I4 that tested my mettle as a player & a dungeon master. We were adventurers in the wrong place at the right time after an ancient weapon of mass destruction had been freed by some other adventurers an efreeti that had been freed from a room from  G7 of "Pharaoh." And in a case of mistaken identity we were tasked with stopping it by the locals! The second part of 'I' series of modules is I4 Oasis of the White Palm (1e) By Tracy Hickman & Philip Meyers, my ex partner Peter had heavily modified the module.


In the midst of broken columns and bits of rubble stands a huge statue. This is the place! You've found it at last. Gratefully, you sink onto the sand. But there is no time to lose. You must hurry. So with a quavering voice you say the magic words. And then you wait...

A hush falls over the ruins, making the back of your neck prickle. Then, out of the east, a wind rises, gentle at first but quickly growing stronger and wilder, until it tears at your clothes and nearly lifts you off your feet. The once clear sky is choked with white and grey clouds that clash and boil. As the clouds blacken day turns to night. Lightning flashes followed by a menacing growl of thunder. You are beginning to wonder if you should seek shelter, when all of a sudden there is a blinding crash and a bolt of lightning reduces the statue to dust.

For a moment, silence. The, out of the statue's remains, soars a blue flame. Its roar deafens you as higher and higher it climbs, until it seems about to reach the clouds. Just when you think it can grow no larger, its shape begins to change. The edges billow and soften, their roar lessens, and before your eyes materializes a gigantic blue man. "

Yeah, we were tear assing across the desert with one very pissed offed Efreeti hot on our heels! We had made the ruined city and had no idea how much trouble we were in! On the trail of the 'star gems', we made the ruins of the city & summoned the genni to do battle with the efreeti. Not a good idea at all as destruction reigned around our heads!

Efreeti by Dave Trampier, AD&D Monster Manual, TSR, 1977.


We were in the middle of an Oasis which wasn't exactly what it appeared to be. We were smack in the middle of Iram of the Pillars of Lovecraftian fame. A tactic I would later use for my own modification of I4 in December of  2016. 

The party was navigating the politics of two cults of Cthulhu whose 'princess'(sacrifice) had been stolen by the other group. We were trying to recover the other 'Star Gem' an artifact of the Outer Gods capable of bringing back their soul Nyarlathotep to this plane. We had to navigate the politics of insane cultists & the mystery of the missing bride! We also felt as if our party was cursed by that insane sardonic god Nyarlathotep himself. Part of the problem was that the adventure location existed in both the prime material plane of this Earth,Hyperborea, & Iram other dimensional locations as well. Some of the other dimensional locations of the city could swallow adventurers whole & they would never be seen again. Two of our nine adventurers were wiped out that way never to be seen again! They may turn up as NPC's in some upcoming adventures of mine.

The Black Man", artist Jens Heimdahl's rendition of Nyarlathotep.

We knew that these cultists had several artifacts two of which were connected to the Elemental Evil cult & we were trying to find out where the other Star Gem was?! We never made it, the insane so called 'Pit of Everfall' with its Cthulhu style star spawn guardian wiped out the entire party. It wasn't until much later on that we found out Sir Tristen the Bold wasn't a knight of Apollo after all but an agent of Hastur! The bastard set up the entire party for the fall! Even now we still can hear the mocking laugh of  Nyarlathotep echoing off of the desert sands!


Ten Still Loose Adventure Hooks For A Mythos Modified
I4 Oasis of the White Palm Set Up 

1. The location of the "Mad Arab" wizard  Abdul Alhazred & author of the Kitab al-Azif (the Necronomicon)'s tomb is know to certain members of one of these cults. The tomb has not been looted and is a sacred place to these people.
2. The Star Gem is still out there & its location is highly guarded! It is a powerful artifact and sacred to Nyarlathotep
3. A sword of the Knights Templar has been secreted away and is said to be able to slay certain types of ancient horrors. The sword is said to have mystic properties and only the devotees of the desert demons know its location. 
4. A desert locust demon is said to weep tears of gold & knows the location of a magical book in the city of Iram where it holds court. 
5. The beasts of  Nyarlathotep prowl the city's ruins searching for the souls & ghosts of men who worship Apollo & other gods. They will  torment & swallow these fools souls. 
6. A lost scroll of the Necronomicon is said to be in the hand of an ancient lich where it rests for it contains the last incantation of Cthulhu. Many wizards want it and it is rumored to be worth at least 70,000 gold pieces. 
7. The buzzing of the locusts sing of the treasures of lost Iram or the songs of the Outer Gods. PC's must save vs wands or be driven temporarily mad. 
8. The lesser gods of Hyperborea are said to walk the streets at night choosing the occasional sacrifice. 
9. The lesser councils of Cthulhu come here once every three years from other worlds to discuss the status of the cults of Cthulhu on many worlds. 
10. There are several ancient tombs of dangerous and mad wizards guarded by invisible stalkers and worse. 

Further Campaign Notes On Adapting The I3 Pharoah Adventure For Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea or Your Old School Sword & Sorcery Campaigns

"Your skin was blistered all day before the hot desert sun sank slowly below the horizon. Now, the deep blue mists of the desert night swirl about you in the lazy wind. The cool night air seems to soak up the heat of the endless desert sands. You shiver as you and your friends huddle around your campfire, glancing nervously at the giant pyramid in the distance. There is an eerie and mysterious feeling about that place.

Gradually, the winds change direction, carrying a thin streak of white mist that swirls into the shape of a faceless man dressed in ancient robes. The moonlight seems to shine through him as he raises his arms toward the pyramid and speaks.

"I am the Pharoah Amun-re, son of Takosh-re of the House of Mo-pelar. I am now only a shadow who has walked these sands for a thousand years in search of wise and mighty warriors to break into my pyramid and plunder my tomb."

The winds shift again; his robes begin to swirl about him and he fades back into the mists and winds. Why does this desert spirit want you to plunder his tomb? Can you survive the challenges of a pyramid that has stood for a thousand years? Or are you being led into a trap?"

This is how I3 Pharoah begins from 1983 by Tracy & Laura Hickman what is interesting to note is that according to Wiki;" It combines three previously published individual modules: Pharaoh, Oasis of the White Palm, and Lost Tomb of Martek. " Its also one of the more pulp driven adventures to come out of the transition era of classic TSR. The module is for PC's level five to seven which means that this is going to be an adventure designed for mid ranking upper tier PC's for Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea.  Don't let this adventure fool you it can be quite deadly.

Alright I've done quite a bit with I3 Pharaoh  in the past but I wanted to revisit it again. This is one of those modules that I've run numerous times & yes I've even adapted it in the past for Call of Cthulhu & White Wolf''s Mummy The Resurrection. Its that good in my humble opinion. But I've been thinking about adventures I3,I4,&I5 which were collected as the Desert of Desolation series mega module. In many people's opinions are some of the best desert adventures for AD&D.  But what I want to do is adapt them to AS&SH but there's a few things that need to be tweaked with the monster ecology of this adventure. Now once again what I'm saying isn't to disrespect the original work of the module's authors but to adapt it to my home Hyperborean campaign.



"While in the desert, the characters encounter the spirit of Amun-Re, a pharaoh cursed to wander the desert until his tomb is robbed" Right off the bat there's something very interesting about the mummies of Hyperborea of AS&SH even the good ones will turn evil after a few centuries. So what's going to happen with Amun-Re?? Well, according to the monster entry these mummies are called the 'sons of Nyarlathotep'. They're mummies who retain intelligence & their former will but they crave power & domination. In I3" Amun-Re begs the PCs to remove his staff of ruling and Star Gem from his tomb to break his curse. The tomb was built to be thief-proof and has so far lived up to its reputation." So are the PC's being set up? I think so! The idea here is that even though Amun-Re was a Hyperborean royal personage, godlike pharaoh, etc. his people locked him away. But he's had a nice little bargain going with  Nyarlathotep over the centuries. But what about those other star gems? We'll get to those next!


Nyarlathotep in "The Dweller in Darkness" by August Derleth.

All this time he's been looking for & finding suitable dupes to 'free' him. Each of the 'star gems' is actually an artifact similar to the shining Trapezohedron from the HP Lovecraft novella the Haunter in the Dark. The star gems allow Amun-Re to gain a few brain addled minions for say a paltry human life time. Because only the strongest, most cunning, etc are going to make it through the mazes of death and destruction that Amun- Re. This makes them perfect chattel for the former prince, puppet, etc of the soul of the Outer God. Now to fill in some of the lesser bits & pieces about I3's Hyperborean rulers & their lesser peoples I used "Kingdom of Nithia" (1991) for the Known World. There's just enough weird magic & occult technology to help fill in some of the gaps necessary to bridge this adventure into the inner parts of the Diamond Desert of Hyperborea.


Why use"Kingdom of Nithia" (1991) for this bridging because it enables you to use the neat set up that I found called Deserts of Desolation by Joaquin Menchaca Simply take one of the cities at the edge of the Diamond desert & change its technology level to classic era Alexandria & you've got your equivalent for a Hyperborean Mystara style city to go! But wait there's more because as a DM you can branch this whole campaign fodder approach to Ghost Ship of the Desert Dunes From North Wind Adventures. Ghost Ship could be hooked in as a side adventure enabling the PC's to skirt into the wilderness further of the Diamond Desert location.

But this whole white hot mess could be hooked up with The Lost City (Dungeons and Dragons Module B4) to connect the worship of  Zargon & his minions as another society of Hyperboreans lost to the annals of time. 

Anyhow more to come!