Jalizar

City of Thieves
By Umberto Pignatelli
 Jalizar
City of Thieves
By Umberto Pignatelli
A Sword and Sorcery Savage Worlds sourcebook for Beasts and Barbarians

Jalizar, City of Thieves, the Rotten Flower of the North, is revealed to your eyes in this book!

In its pages, you’ll learn the seedy ways of the Thieves’ Guild. You’ll smuggle goods into the
city, fooling the Copper Helms, the corrupt city watch of Jalizar, vie for power with the
Merchant Houses or, if you are really bold, venture into the dark Sewers of Jalizar where an
age-old evil lurks undisturbed.

Twenty new Edges, new trappings and tweaks for the arcane backgrounds,
an additional list of gear, and much more await you in this book!

So sharpen your dagger, put on your black cloak,

and step outside into the dark alleys of the City of Thieves!!
 Beasts
Barbarians &
A Sword and Sorcery Savage Worlds setting

By Umberto Pignatelli

Credits
Author: Umberto Pignatelli
Editing: Andy Slack, Gilbert Gallo
Special Contributors: Jeff Scifert, Shane L. Hensley,
Jordan Trais, José Luis Nunes Porfírio

Cover & Map: Tomek Tworek

Interior Art: Marta Poludnikiewicz, Magda Rudzińska, Bartłomiej
Fedyczak, Anthony Cournoyer, Tomek Tworek, Tamas Baranya, Peter Temesi,
Peter Szabo Gabor, Storn Cook, some images copyright The Forge, Erisian
Entertainment and Louis Porter, Jr. Design, used with permission

Layout: Michał Smaga

Playtesters: Daniele Bonetto, Luca Coero Borga,
Maner Samuel, Paolo Boiero, Pierpaolo Ferrari.

Thanks to: Marta Castellano (my wife) queen of all the Amazons, Massimo
Campolucci (my uncle), for being the first, real Dhaar, Simone Ronco and
Polliotti Yoshi (my friends) for fighting alone against the Valk demons.

Special Thanks to: Marysia, Agnieszka, Kasia,

Jerzy i Marcel Koryś and Maciek Kursa. Thanks for everything!

This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at www.
peginc.com. Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle Entertainment
Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality, viability, or
suitability for purpose of this product.

©2012 Gramel Justyna Koryś, Beasts and Barbarians, Dread Star Dominions and all related marks and logos are
trademarks of Gramel Justyna Koryś. All Rights Reserved.

Produced under license by Studio 2 Publishing, Inc. The Studio 2 logo is a trademark of Studio 2 Publishing, Inc.
All rights reserved.

Printed in USA
 Contents
Player’s Guide Game Master’s Guide
The Book of Lore ���������������������������� 10 Game Mastering Jalizar �������������� 102
History����������������������������������������� 10 The Role of the City������������������ 102
Dwellers in Jalizar����������������������� 29 Campaign Types������������������������ 103
Living in Jalizar��������������������������� 32 Campaign Themes��������������������� 105
Gazeteer: A Traveler’s Guide Guild Missions ������������������������� 110
to the City of Thieves������������������ 40 Tweaking the Setting ���������������� 111
Making Jalizarians ��������������������������� 64 Secrets of Jalizar���������������������������� 114
Skills�������������������������������������������� 68 The Secret History of Jalizar������ 114
New Hindrances�������������������������� 68 Factions of Jalizar���������������������� 124
New Edges����������������������������������� 70
The Streets of Jalizar������������������� 132
Magic���������������������������������������������������� 78 Making Locations Memorable 132
Sorcery����������������������������������������� 78 Citizens of Jalizar���������������������� 137
Lotusmastery ������������������������������ 81 Environmental Features ������������ 139
Enlightenment����������������������������� 82 Traps������������������������������������������ 145
New Power����������������������������������� 85 Relics of Jalizar ������������������������� 149
Gear ������������������������������������������������������ 86 Sewers of Jalizar ���������������������������� 152
Weapon Descriptions������������������ 88 The Sewers in the Campaign ���� 152
Armor Descriptions �������������������� 90 Sewers Levels���������������������������� 154
Mundane Items Descriptions ����� 91 Exploring the Sewers ���������������� 158
Animals and Tack Descriptions �� 93
Creatures of Jalizar ���������������������� 168
Vehicle Descriptions�������������������� 93
Monsters of Jalizar��������������������� 168
Setting Rules ������������������������������������ 94 Denizens of Jalizar��������������������� 181
Contacts�������������������������������������� 94
Index���������������������������������������������������� 198
Looking Miserable����������������������� 94
Life as a Thief������������������������������ 94
T
h e muscular figure emerged from the shadows of the dark alley, as elegant
and dangerous as a panther. He heard a scuttling sound and suddenly an
axe flashed in his hands.
A rat. A big, fat rat of the streets of Jalizar gazed with curiosity at the
bare-chested barbarian, dressed in nothing more than a loincloth.
“By the Lord of Thunder!” Shangor cursed silently. “I hate civilization, and I hate
this rotten city even more!”
“Barbarian, I am here.” A rasping voice called from behind.
Crabface, the newcomer, was a small man with a limp, his face marked by scars. A
face Shangor wouldn’t normally trust. But this was his partner in tonight’s busi-
ness.
“Everything is ready. The merchant’s guards will be sleeping by now. The drugged
wine I delivered this afternoon has surely worked.” The small man said.
“I hope so. Otherwise I’ll have to carve a way out of the palace with my axe.”
Shangor grunted.
“Don’t worry, you won’t have to. Are you sure you’ll be able to climb this wall? It’s
smoother than a courtesan’s belly.”
The barbarian shrugged. “In Northeim, babies climb ice-covered mountains far
steeper than this wall.”
“Good to hear. Remember: the strongbox and all the valuables you find in Master
Taaso’s house are yours. But the golden sigil he wears on his right hand is mine.”
“ You’ll have it,” Shangor nodded and then, without further delay, he started climb-
ing the wall, his big hands finding seemingly undetectable gaps between the stones.
Crabface waited for his figure to disappear in the darkness, then he whispered:
“Have you had a good look at him? This is the man you must kill, but only after
he brings back the ring. Nobody must know that I have Taaso’s sigil and remain
alive.”
“I have seen him.” A soft voice purred in reply, and a third hooded figure appeared,
careful not to show her face. “ You paid the price set by the Assassins’ Guild. The
barbarian will die.”
No other word was necessary and Crabface hobbled away, ignoring the eyes of the
rat spying on him.
“Just another night in Jalizar, City of Thieves,” the beast thought and it resumed its
search for food among the garbage.
 

What this Book is

Welcome back to the Dread Sea Dominions!

This book is a detailed sourcebook about Jalizar, the biggest city

in Zandor. It is a dark, dangerous place, full of corruption, intrigue
and treachery. Here, powerful merchant houses struggle with
shady criminal guilds for control over the great riches brought
daily within the ancient, towering walls that withstood the might
of the Valk invasion.

It is a supplement with a very specific focus, which you can either

use as an addition to your resources on the Dominions or easily
adapt to your own gaming world.

So, put on your black cloak, check the blade of your favorite dag-
ger, and go out into the reeking Jalizar night; but remember, al-
ways watch your back, because the City of Thieves is never to be
trusted…

7
Player’s
Guide
 The Book of Lore

The Book of Lore

Master Velastios,

I hope this letter finds you well. Three years have passed since I left the Great
Library of Syranthia, and every single day I greatly miss your presence and your
wise words. But, as you taught me, the life of a Sage is in the wide world, to learn
about the people, the cities and the marvels of nature, to track down and record the
memories of the past, and to testify to the deeds of the present, so that they will be
set down and archived in the Library for future generations.

It was exactly a year ago when I arrived in foggy Jalizar of the gray towers,
rotten Flower of the North. I have studied the scrolls I found in the Ragamuffin
King’s library, spoken with the people, and generally immersed myself in their
culture. I fear it is too much for me. I must leave this place now, before the subtle
corruption of its ancient walls seeps into my soul and taints it forever.

I am sending you all my reports, so that they can be archived in the Library, before
I set off for a new destination.

Faithfully, your pupil and friend, Justinus of Syranthia

History of Jalizar, but the most famous one, the

one that the Jalizarans believe to be true,
revolves around Jall the Cattle Stealer and
the Manticore.
The Legend of
Jalizar’s Foundation Jall was a young Cairnlander, a cattle thief
by profession. Forced to leave his land due
Jalizar, along with Gis and Faberterra, is to an unsettled matter with his clan chief,
probably one of the oldest cities in the he had a strange dream guiding him south
Dominions. As always happens in cases of the Land of Cairns, where very few of
like these, the origins of the Flower of the his people had ever gone. There he made
North are lost in the mists of time. Sev- an amazing discovery. On the southern
eral stories are told about the foundation banks of the Drowned King Sea, sur-

10
 History

rounded by a huge forest to the south and quickly multiplied and became the first
a group of rolling hills to the north, stood Jalizarans.
an ancient, crumbling city, far older than
any Cairn he had ever seen. The very city So, this is how Jalizar was founded, at least
he had dreamed about. according to the story the Jalizarans most
love to tell.
The young man explored the ruins, find-
ing the old inscriptions and pictures on But you’d never trust any story a Jalizaran
the walls strangely familiar. tells, right?

But the city wasn’t deserted. It was the den

of a terrible creature, called the Manticore,
which pounced on Jall from the shadows, A More Realistic
craving his flesh. History
Legends are exciting, but the truth is usu-
At this point, the legend branches out into
ally duller. The Syranthian sages — au-
different stories. One version says that Jall
thorities on all history-related matters
challenged the beast to a game of dice —
— searched the ancient records of the
using loaded bone dice made from his
Great Library dating back to the Kero-
Ancestors’ teeth — and won, forcing the
nian Empire, and found references to a
monster to retreat forever into the dark
city in the north, called Jalzak, or the City
catacombs below the city. Another version
of the Stinger Beast. According to these
says that the young hero deftly plunged
documents, this was the capital of the old,
a dagger into the Manticore’s tail, pin-
nameless empire whose inhabitants built
ning the monster to the ground, and then
the Cairns.
stabbed it many times in the belly with his
spear, until the creature was forced to bite
off its own tail to escape, taking refuge in At the time when the records were writ-
the darkness under the city. ten, the city was still deserted, its populace
exterminated by some unknown event.
Whatever the truth, in the end Jall be-
came the sole owner of a city with only But the ancient palaces and walls still
one inhabitant: himself. stood, and they attracted some slaves who
had escaped when the Dread Star fell and
Yet, Jall was a resourceful man and he hat- were searching for shelter in the early, des-
ed solitude. So, he rode south and sneaked perate years after the catastrophe. These
into the camps of local tribes to steal the slaves mixed with the local proto-Zan-
prettiest girls he could find. He did this dorian tribes and became the first dwellers
many times with different tribes, and was of Jalzak, which was soon renamed Jalizar,
never caught. as this word was easier for them to pro-
nounce.
Then, he settled for good in the deserted
city, which he called Jalizar after himself, This occurred in around 900 AF, a date
with a plethora of new, gorgeous wives. considered outrageous by the Imperials,
Since his loins were strong and blessed, he because it means Jalizar is at least a cen-
fathered a great number of children, who tury older than Faberterra.

11
 The Book of Lore

Emella, Princess
Hero’s Journal: of Jalizar
Jalizar, City of Poets Jalizar was in a very good location, along
Despite being a ruthless, corrupt place, a natural route that went from present-day
for some reason Jalizar has always been Valkheim (which was then still populated
a source of inspiration for poets, who
by a peaceful, industrious race called the
are charmed by the decadent allure of
the City of Thieves. Here are some of Zharims, the forefathers of today’s Cows,
the names these elevated souls have as the Valk call them) to Ekram, crossing
devised for Jalizar: Zandor. Gis was easily accessible by water,
and sailing down the Elephants’ River pro-
Jalizar, City of Thieves. Thieves, vided access to the rest of the western lands.
burglars and other lowlife are found
throughout the Dominions, but only in
Jalizar are they organized in a guild, so In those days, the pass through the Iron
strong and deep-rooted that it is widely Mountains had not yet been discovered.
renowned and feared. Hence the name.
This is why Jalizar prospered, becoming
Jalizar of the Gray Towers. Jalizaran a wealthy trading city. The old palaces
nobles and Merchant Houses have
weren’t big enough to house all its inhab-
always competed to build palaces whose
towers stand taller than any other in itants, but this wasn’t a problem. A large
the city. This has heavily influenced forest, the Charred Oaks Wood, stood
Jalizar’s architecture, which is charac- immediately south of the city, supply-
terized by extremely tall and slender ing wood to build houses, walls, and even
towers. However, to heat their houses, great palaces.
the Jalizarans mainly use peat coming
from the Charred Bogs. The chimneys The old stone buildings quickly became the
of the common people’s houses are lower foundations of the new, expanded Jalizar.
than the nobles’ spires and their smoke
stains the lofty towers above them. Building upon the old layers of the city is
Jalizar, the Flower of the North. a habit that has long characterized Jalizar’s
Princess Emella, who had twelve hus- history, as will be shown later.
bands, was often compared to a flower
with twelve petals (her husbands) and So, Jalizar became a large wooden town,
this definition came to be applied to always full of Zharim shepherds from
her kingdom. The City of Thieves being the north and Zandorian farmers, ea-
a corrupt place, this name was soon
ger to sell their wares, have a good time
changed to “the Rotten Flower of the
North”. with the local courtesans, and be cheated
in the countless gambling dens. Many of
Jalizar, Last Lady of the Valk. It them were also robbed by the local lowlife.
is well-known that the greatest Valk The criminals were very well organized
horde, led by Dhaar, never managed and, after a while, they set up the Thieves’
to take Jalizar, due to the sudden death
Guild of Jalizar, one of the oldest organi-
of its leader just in front of the City
of Thieves. For this reason, Jalizaran zations in the city.
poets and troubadours call the city the
Last Lady of the Valk. But only a fool But a settlement made of wood, constantly
would say this aloud in a Valk camp. full of carousing drunkards, was a ticking

12
 History

time bomb. Indeed, in 999 AF, most of the

city was burned down in a great fire, which
came to be known as Graybear’s Fire.

Apparently, the blaze started at the royal

palace. King Graybear himself, a man of
enormous appetites, knocked over a burn-
ing brazier while chasing a girl during an
orgy.

With the city reduced to ashes, many

long-time enemies of Jalizar flocked like
vultures to feast over its ruins. Among
them were the envoys of the so-called Tri-
ple Archontate, the city states of Talum,
Sharna, and Tulezzar, the most powerful
city states south of Jalizar, which had for
several centuries been overshadowed by
their thriving bigger neighbor.

Also, the Elders of the Zharims sent a

prince and a small army to take control of
Jalizar.

The task of dealing with such dangerous of Sharna her left leg, and so on. It was
and unwanted guests fell completely on a political stratagem and, each believing
young Emella, Graybear’s only daughter, they had the upper hand over the other
who was then sixteen. Her father had been factions, the suitors accepted this strange
hit by a stroke immediately after the fire agreement. As husbands, they became
and remained maimed and unable to rule malleable pawns in Emella’s hands.
for the rest of his long, worthless life.
At the peak of her power, Emella had
Emella surprised both the invaders and twelve husbands, but the real power rested
the Jalizarans. She was beautiful, cun- with her.
ning and absolutely unconventional. Be-
cause no force among the Archontate, the These foreign husbands, with their reti-
Zharims and the many other claimants nues, built or occupied several palaces in
was able to take full control of the city, the city and used them as bases for trade
she offered herself in marriage to them, with their home countries. The palaces
mainly to avoid bloodshed. would later become the Merchant Houses
of Jalizar.
Following an old Zandorian tradition dat-
ing back to times when men were far more Besides being busy in her bedchamber,
numerous than women, she made a “part- Emella had the city rebuilt. The trees of
marriage”. So, for example, the Archon of the Charred Oaks Wood were felled to
Talum married her left arm, the Archon provide huge amounts of building ma-

13
 The Book of Lore

terials and the beautiful forest disap- on small islands not far from Jalizar.
peared forever, slowly turning into today’s Chiban was ugly, cross-eyed and, if what
Charred Bogs, an unsavory swamp and the chronicles say is true, smelled quite
the main source of peat for Jalizar. bad. But he was the finest shipbuilder in
the region. He taught the Jalizarans how
Emella introduced a system of taxation on to build small, maneuverable ships, which
goods coming in and out of Jalizar and set are called Chibbars or Jalizaran Smug-
up a city watch, which later came to be gler Ships. Emella ordered a whole fleet
known as the Copper Helms. She is also of these vessels to be built and had them
remembered for having introduced a tax moored near Shallows Village, far from
on brothels, called Emella’s Pillow. The the eyes of her foreign husbands. The
Jalizarans grumbled, but Emella answered ships’ crewmen were thugs, smugglers and
that she had won the city’s independence assorted lowlife coming from the Shal-
in her bed, so the Jalizarans could certainly lows and the darkest alleys of Jalizar. With
pay a coin for using their own. this fleet, Emella took control of the en-
tire Drowned King Sea, conquering the
Not all of Emella’s husbands were princes smaller villages along its coasts, inhabited
and nobles. The most famous was Chiban, by Cairnlanders and Zharims; plundering
a humble man from Shallows Village, a those too big to be captured, and trading
village of fishermen and smugglers built with the biggest ones.

Emella was never crowned queen and kept

Hero’s Journal: the title of Princess until she died.
Emella’s Body Sadly death came early for the Flower of
Emella’s body was embalmed by the
the North, as the poets used to call her,
priests of Chamuga and laid to rest in
the Crypt of Kings. Years later, when and that tragic event has been shrouded in
her son, the Smuggler King, opened her mystery to this day.
tomb, he found it empty. It was clear
that the Thieves had stolen her remains. One morning, the princess was found
In the following years, parts of Emella’s dead in her own bed. The guards at the
body were found throughout Zandor door swore they had heard nothing
and in even remoter places. They are strange during the night, but the physi-
still considered relics of great power,
cians who examined the body said she had
granting their owners acumen and
great luck. been strangled by something or someone
not human: the mark of an unnaturally
The Jalizarans went to great lengths to long hand was found on her neck — the
buy, steal, and generally recover their flesh black and rotten in that area, as if she
beloved queen’s body, but it soon proved had died days before.
an impossible task, as many of the
alleged relics were actually fakes. The
Crypt of Kings now holds enough parts The room was locked from the inside, but
to make up three full bodies. a thorough search revealed an old secret
passage, leading deep below the city to
Certain sages say that they are all fakes
and that the body of Emella lies, still what is now known as the Sewers. How-
intact, somewhere in the city. ever, no trace of the killer could be found.

14
 History

People said that the spirits of the old bribed, and made threats in an attempt
dwellers of Jalizar were jealous of Emel- to gain exclusive control over the city, but
la’s power and this is the reason why they they were too divided and no one could
killed her. get the upper hand. Their numbers dwin-
dled due to murder and treason and, after
Emella was 38 years old on the day of her four years, only six of them remained.
death.
To pay for their bloody war, the Widowers
imposed heavy taxes on the Jalizarans and
The Widowers’ War the population soon came to hate them
deeply.
and the Rise of
the Smuggler King In the meantime, thanks to their fleet of
Chibbars, Zoran and his father main-
Even before Emella’s corpse had turned tained control over the Drowned King
cold, the struggle for succession broke Sea, virtually blocking any sea trade with
out. Eleven of the Princess’ husbands, all the west. In addition, their men smuggled
foreigners backed by their soldiers and goods into the city, avoiding the taxes im-
mercenaries, fought openly in the roads to posed by the Widowers and becoming
achieve power. richer and richer.
It took a while for them to realize that
there was someone with more right to In the end, the Widowers reached an
the throne than them. During her life, the agreement during a meeting at the Tavern
Princess had given birth to a single son: of the Conspirers (which still exists to-
a pale, cross-eyed boy called Zoran. Since day). They decided to hire Shade, the most
her marriage had been such a peculiar one, skilled member of the Assassins’ Guild, to
nobody knew who the boy’s father was, dispatch the Smuggler King, as Zoran was
but Zoran bore a definite resemblance called, and his father.
to Chiban, which indicated he was most
likely the son of the ugly shipbuilder. But their decision came too late. That very
night, taking advantage of the unusually
When the husbands realized this, they thick fog, Zoran’s fleet silently entered the
sent guards to imprison Zoran, but found Old Port of Jalizar. His men disembarked
the young prince’s quarters empty. and sneaked down the dark alleys of the
city, led by guides from the Thieves’ Guild.
The boy had in fact left Jalizar on a smug- They surrounded the palaces of the Wid-
gler ship, manned by Chiban himself, and owers and suddenly launched their attack,
taken refuge in Shallows Village, protect- taking advantage of the element of sur-
ed by his father’s people. prise.

At the time of his mother’s death, Zoran It was a harsh battle that lasted two whole
was twelve years old. days. Another large blaze developed and
burned down most of the wooden city
The next few years were troubled ones Emella had rebuilt in the previous de-
for Jalizar. The eleven widowers fought, cades.

15
 The Book of Lore

But at the end of the second day, all the brought great misery upon its homeless
Widowers had been captured or killed citizens, struggling to rebuild their houses,
and the Jalizarans cheered the return of lost in the fire.
their rightful lord, the Smuggler King,
who had managed to triumph thanks to In this period, many were forced to turn to
the help of his far from noble supporters: begging (and occasionally stealing) from the
thieves, smugglers, and assassins. richer ones. From then on, beggars became
a major presence in Jalizar and organized
It was 1025 AF. themselves, creating the Beggars’ Guild.

So, King Zoran’s priority was to rebuild

Jalizar of the his city. No timber could be found nearby,
because the Charred Oaks Wood no lon-
Stone Walls ger existed, and it was now clear to every-
The teenage King proved to be as good a one that a whole city made of flammable
ruler as his mother had been. He set up a material was doomed to burn down again
City Council, with his father Chiban pre- and again.
siding over it, but the Council members
only gave suggestions and the real power Jalizar needed stone — and plenty of it.
remained in the hands of the King. Fortunately, a short while later an amaz-
ing discovery was made. The nearby Hol-
That didn’t mean the Smuggler King had low Hills were found to hide a series of
an easy time of it. The first five years of very old Cairns, devoid of any inhabitants,
his reign, from 1025 to 1030, were terrible living or otherwise. They had been built
for the population. Jalizar was hit by fam- using good square stones, perfect for the
ine, bitter weather and pestilence, which needs of the Jalizarans.

16
 History

From morning till night, the Jalizarans coming from the manholes in the streets
used all their remaining strength to ac- and occasionally people disappeared near
complish a great task: take the old Cairns one of the entrances to the Sewers.
apart and use the stone to build a new city
on the ashes of the old one. The Kings of Jalizar found no better so-
lution to the problem than having heavy
The Cairn Lords of the north complained bronze grates placed to cover the man-
vehemently about this sacrilegious behav- holes, and people generally ignored the
ior. But they were on the other side of the disappearances.
Drowned King Sea and their words had
little weight — or, as Head Counselor Things seemed to get better, as fewer and
Chiban put it, they had: “the same impor- fewer people went missing, but the evil
tance as a drunkard pissing in the sea.” lurking under the city continued to pros-
per unseen.
This sentence soon became a favorite say-
ing among the Jalizarans.
The Emellan Dynasty
Other complaints went unheard, and far
wiser ones. Gis, the City of Alchemists, Zoran ruled for forty years and, when his
sent envoys to persuade the Jalizarans to successor Emel I came to power, Jalizar
drop their project, because the stones of was almost totally rebuilt, had a strong
the Cairns were tainted by ancient sorcery navy and a small but professional army,
and raging spirits. and, more importantly, it was bustling
with commerce again.
“I’ll gladly leave the stones where they are,”
the Smuggler King answered, “if the good Zoran adopted a very interesting approach
Alchemists can conjure up for me stones to dealing with the Widowers, his step-
from thin air. And for free, of course.” fathers. These men had set up various en-
claves in Jalizar, the so-called Merchant
So, the construction work went on, follow- Houses, each with strong trading relations
ing the traditional Jalizaran style of piling with their hometowns. They were simply
layer upon layer. The new Jalizar of Stone too important for the city’s economy to be
stood several yards above the ancient ruins dismantled, so they were allowed to contin-
the first colonists had found. ue their trade as long as they paid taxes to
the King. In the end, their importance grew
These ruins, and what was left of the to such an extent that their representatives
wooden buildings destroyed by the fires, even gained seats in the City Council.
turned into the present-day Sewers of Jal-
izar, a world of filth, garbage and all things Emel I and his descendants — Emel II,
unwanted. No one suspected what impact Emel III, and Emel IV — continued the
this decision would have on the future of work of their ancestor, but the last heir of
the City of Thieves. this great line of rulers managed to destroy
most of what they had created.
After few years, it became clear that the Al-
chemists had been right all along. Strange Zobar the Puny, also called Zobar the
sounds, voices and smells were often heard Convict or Zobar Brickhead, was a vain

17
 The Book of Lore

man who loved ships and pretty courte- The Reign of Shade
sans. He used to take long voyages on his
luxury vessel, full of good wine and concu- When the King was killed, Jalizar went
bines, going far from Jalizar. During one through yet another period of turmoil. The
of these pleasure trips, his ship, moored lords of the Merchant Houses, some nobles,
along the shores of the Cairnlands, was and even influential commoners laid claim
taken by Cairnlander marauders. The to the throne, and civil disorder erupted.
tomb dwellers couldn’t believe their luck Only the Copper Helms, the city watch set
when they realized they had captured the up by Emella, were neutral and continued to
King of the Jalizarans, and demanded take care of the port and the gates.
such a high ransom that some members
of the City Council actually fainted upon Then, one evening, six strangers arrived at
hearing the figure. the southern gate of Jalizar, shortly before
it was closed for the night. They looked
But Zobar was the King, after all, and very much alike — they were probably
couldn’t be left in their hands. After nine brothers — wore rough furs from the Iron
years of negotiating and bargaining, Zo- Mountains, and wielded strange staffs of
bar’s ransom was paid. Yet, when he got polished black wood.
back to Jalizar, he found the city deeply
transformed. The Merchant Houses no Something in their eyes convinced the
longer feared royal power and were now guards to let them through without ques-
the true rulers of the city. In addition, the tions. The strangers seemed to know the
royal coffers had been emptied to pay for City of Thieves very well and immediately
the ransom. made for Jurgo’s Tannery, where the feared
members of the Assassins’ Guild were
But these were the least of King Zobar’s known to gather.
problems. Nine years of imprisonment
had turned him into a terrified man, ob- For several hours the six strangers talked
sessed with personal security. He locked to the Assassins. Then, in the dead of
himself in his palace, and ordered the night, an unusual party comprising six
defenses of the city to be improved. He hooded assassins and the six strangers
wanted the biggest, tallest and sturdiest pried open one of the Sewers manholes
walls built around Jalizar so that he could and disappeared into the bowels of the
feel protected, and the only way to achieve Rotten Flower of the North.
that was to ruthlessly increase taxes, de-
spite the Council’s heated opposition. Three days later, only two people emerged
from the Sewers, battered and wounded
Zobar’s Walls were titanic, and future gen- but guided by extraordinary, non-human
erations of Jalizarans would thank him for determination.
them, because they saved Jalizar from the
Iron Empire and Valk attacks. But in 1380 They were one of the Assassins and one
AF the citizens had had enough. They of the strangers, the only survivors of the
stormed the royal palace, captured Zobar, underground expedition.
and threw him off the walls he loved so
much, putting a bloody end to the Emel- That very night, the main pretenders to
lan Dynasty. the throne died in unpredictable, grue-

18
 History

some ways. Then, the Assassin come back

from the Sewers walked into the Royal Hero’s Journal:
Palace’s throne room and spoke in front of
the Council: “I am Shade of the Assassins’ Shade
Guild. I declare myself King in the name of Readers might be puzzled by seeing the
Jalizar. Bow before me or die.” name of Shade appearing in the chron-
icles of Jalizar. This designation, more
The Counselors were left speechless both of a title than a real name, refers to the
by the identity of the man (see Shade most skilled member of the Assassins’
Guild, but he does not necessarily hold a
sidebar) and by the words he used. He
position of power. In many cases, Shade
declared himself King “in the name of has been a mere pawn in the hands of
Jalizar”, not “of Jalizar”, as if speaking on the Guild Master. Shade’s identity is
behalf of the dark powers lurking in the one of the best kept secrets in Jalizar
Sewers. and, whenever somebody finds out who
he is, a new Shade must be chosen.
One of the Councilors, who had dared
One of the most infamous Shades (who
laugh at Shade’s words, was found stran- lived from 1380-1501 AF) managed to
gled in his bed that very night, the stench become King of Jalizar and ultimately
of rotten flesh all around him. caused the destruction of the first Assas-
sins’ Guild (see below).
Thus began Shade’s reign over Jalizar. He
The figure of Shade is shrouded in mys-
dismissed the Council, taking Rakon, the
tery and some even say that the process
stranger who came back from the Sew- of choosing a new Shade requires a pact
ers with him, as his only advisor. Rakon with the evil entities lurking under-
proved to be as ruthless as Shade, and a neath Jalizar.
sorcerer gifted with frightening powers.
He was rumored to have the ability to
hear any conversation occurring near one like many other minor states and cities.
of the Sewers’ manholes, meaning that no This was achieved with the help of the
one was free to speak out against the new Assassins and with acts of dark sorcery
king. performed by Rakon.

With the support of the Assassins’ Guild, Besides paying heavy taxes, each year the
Shade and Rakon ruled over the Flower subjugated states were forced to send doz-
of the North with an iron fist. Jalizar was ens of young men and women to Jalizar,
no longer the dangerous yet vital city it where they were dragged by Rakon into
had always been. Instead, an atmosphere the darkness of the Sewers, never to be
of suspicion and fear shrouded everything, seen again.
making the roads as quiet as graveyards
and the markets as gloomy as the temples “Sewer Sorcerer” the Jalizarans called him,
of forgotten gods. and it was the first time this expression
was used.
Once the City of Thieves was secured,
Shade started extending his dark influence In the following decades, it became clear
over northern Zandor. Talum, Sharna and to everyone that something very creepy
Tulezzar were subjugated by Jalizar, just and unnatural had happened to Shade and

19
 The Book of Lore

Rakon in the Sewers. Both the King and mage as they were dragged by some super-
the wizard seemed to be immune to the natural being into the cellars of the palace.
passing of time, and, if the records are true,
Shade’s reign lasted for more than a cen- Some daring souls went down to the cellars,
tury, turning Jalizar into a darker place ev- but they were empty and no secret door or
ery day. Strange things cautiously sneaked passages could be found. Neither King
to the upper levels of the Sewers, and then Shade nor Rakon were ever seen again.
became bold enough to venture into the
dark alleys of the city, looking for human
flesh to satisfy their strange appetites. Jalizar Under
Then, the nightmare finally ended. the Council
So, in 1501 Jalizar was once again without
Jalizar usually enjoys fairly good climate, a ruler. Sick of bloodshed and death, the
with the exception of fog, and heavy rains population decided to adopt a more peace-
are rare. But in the spring of 1501 AF, tor- ful approach to the issue of succession.
rential rains swept the City of Thieves for
ten days, as if the gods themselves were A single exception was made: the mem-
weeping for the tragic doom of the Flower bers of the Assassins’ Guild, who had
of the North. served King Shade as spies, secret police
and ruthless soldiers, were hunted down
The roads were soon filled with filth, rot- one by one and beheaded. Their heads
ten corpses, and even worse things emerg- were left to rot on the city walls. Many
ing from the deep caverns under Jalizar. years went by before the Assassins’ Guild
of Jalizar came back to life.
Meanwhile, King Shade and his dark-
hearted counselor remained locked inside It was paramount to find a new king as
the banquet hall of the royal palace, gorg- quickly as possible, to restore order both
ing themselves on food and planning ne- in Jalizar and in the subjugated city states
farious acts. scattered across most of northern Zandor.

The situation in the city was so desperate The Jalizarans hastily reformed the City
that many were forced to find shelter on Council and, after screening the many
the rooftops and to move around by barge. pretenders without finding a suitable can-
didate, opted for a solution that the rest of
Suddenly, a wave of putrid water flooded Zandor found, to say the least, hilarious:
the royal palace too. The King’s guards, who an election.
were all highly trained Assassins, rushed
into the banquet hall to defend their lord. Yet, the Jalizarans were no fools and had
But the room was soon filled with their, good reasons to act in such a way. They
and their masters’, shouts of terror. declared that everyone, noble or not, Jal-
izaran or foreign, could lay claim to the
By dawn, only one servant, who had been throne after having paid a fee of fifty
smart enough to hide in an empty barrel in thousand Moons in gold. In this way, the
the kitchens, was still alive. He said he had royal coffers were partially refilled. Also,
heard the screams of King Shade and his evil only the representatives of the various

20
 History

quarters of Jalizar, of the major Merchant Under Aareso and his successors, Jalizar
Houses, and of the subject city states were had peace for almost three hundred years,
allowed to vote. and the Council Kings, as these petty
monarchs were called, focused mostly on
The votes were cast three times, the first restoring trade and maintaining control
two made invalid by open bribery, but the over the satellite city states.
outcome of the third vote was utterly un-
expected: Ronazar, Archon of Talum, the But from 1660 onwards, they had to face
city states’ candidate, and Master Mer- another threat, the biggest Jalizar had seen
chant Aareso, Jalizar’s front runner, re- in its troubled history: the Iron Empire.
ceived exactly the same number of votes.

So, following an ancient tradition, the

choice of a king was left to Yalg, one of The Great Bet
the oldest and most beloved gods of Jali-
zar (see page 35). The Council Kings were malleable pawns
in the hands of the Merchant Houses. This
The statue of the four-armed god has was certainly good after the nightmare
hollow ears and its stone body is full of the Flower of the North had experienced
winding pipes with an opening through during King Shade’s reign, but these rul-
its lame foot. To ask for Yalg’s advice, the ers did not have the skills to deal with the
priests simply slide two stone balls into iron-clad armies of Faberterra.
the god’s ears, one red and one white, rep-
resenting the two possible answers to a Year by year, chunk by chunk, most of
precise question. The first stone to fall out Zandor fell under the Empire’s control,
of the god’s foot indicates Yalg’s will. conquered thanks to the blood spilled by
the Iron Phalanxes, the cunning of the
The stones were thus placed into the holy Faberterran envoys, and the occasional use
ears by a blindfolded virgin, in front of all of Tricarnian black magic.
the Council members. The result was red:
Master Merchant Aareso became the new
Finally, in 1812, the armies of Masterar-
King of Jalizar.
kos Furialkos, the Conqueror of Zandor,
reached the outskirts of Jalizar.
Ronazar’s supporters shouted that it was
all just a trick, but their lowly insinuations
were ignored. However, the Jalizarans The Masterarkos, a general who had sur-
weren’t at all surprised when the priests of vived many campaigns, had brought twen-
Yalg soon started purchasing some grand ty-four Phalanxes of hardened veterans but,
palaces in Temples Road and exquisite ar- when he saw the walls of Jalizar, built by Zo-
tifacts to decorate their temple. bar Brickhead and improved by his succes-
sors, he understood that a long siege was the
Aareso wasn’t a strong king, because from only way to take the Flower of the North.
this moment on most of the real power
was in the hands of the Council, which From high on the walls, King Emellon,
was steered by the Merchant Houses and last of the Council Kings, understood that
the various guilds of the city. Jalizar couldn’t withstand such an army.

21
 The Book of Lore

So, to avoid bloodshed, he made an offer planted his curved sword in the great
to the Masterarkos. Instead of wasting gladiator’s belly.
the lives of the Hoplites and those of the
citizens of Jalizar, why not hold a single Against all odds, Jalizar had lost and was
challenge, a duel between two champions? forced to surrender.

If Jalizar’s champion won, the Phalanxes But the real winner was King Emellon.
would have to retreat and not come back In fact, as it was discovered later, the King
for twenty years. In case the Empire’s had bet against his own champion and
champion was victorious, the city would won a huge sum of money, for the most
surrender without any bloodshed. part belonging to the Phalanxes. The
Masterarkos even had to sell some of his
Furialkos wasn’t a fool. He was sure the spoils to pay his men’s debts.
Jalizarans were plotting something de-
vious, but he needed time to deploy his To avoid ridicule, the Imperials paid their
troops, build siege engines and establish debts without flinching, and this story,
supply lines, so he agreed to the duel. He called the Great Bet, became one of the
immediately dispatched his fastest courier most popular tales sung in Jalizar.
to Faberterra, summoning the best gladia-
tor of the Imperial Arena to Jalizar. Sadly, Emellon never managed to enjoy
his gold. A week after the Great Bet, the
When the courier arrived in Faberterra, he deposed King, Russ, and Juura Lionhead
found out that Juura Lionhead, an Ivory (surprisingly still alive) were killed on-
Savannah slave known as the best pit board a ship, ready to carry them to their
fighter of the Empire, had been sold two golden exile.
months earlier to a Jalizaran merchant.
Strangely, none of Emellon’s gold was
So, the choice fell on Russ Blackmane, a found on the ship.
Northlander warrior known to be the sec-
ond best. Thus started the Imperial Era of Jalizar.

When Russ arrived in Jalizar, both the city

and the Empire’s camp were brimming Imperial Jalizar
with excitement at the prospect of the im-
minent duel. Huge bets were being placed The Emperor of Faberterra replaced the
on both champions, but Juura was by far King of Jalizar with a trusted Governor
the favorite. and the Flower of the North quickly be-
came the second major city of the Empire.
On the morning of the first day of au-
tumn, Juura walked alone out of the city For the sake of peace, the Governor didn’t
gates and, in front of the whole population dismiss the King’s Council, but its power
of Jalizar gathered on the battlements, he was greatly reduced.
faced his opponent, Russ.
The transition from independence to
The gladiators fought valiantly, but sud- foreign rule went surprisingly well. The
denly Juura tripped and fell, and Russ Imperials, a more pragmatic race than

22
 History

the Jalizarans, immediately saw the great coming from below, then people started
potential of the City of Thieves. Until disappearing.
then, Jalizar had prospered thanks only
to its trade, but had lacked craftsmen. The These events attracted the attention of
Imperials set up great workshops, where two groups among the newcomers: the
Zharim wool was made into cloth and raw Tricarnian sorcerers who had come with
gold and silver turned into fine jewellery the Phalanxes, and an elusive sect of war-
ready to be sold to the Cairnlanders. riors who claimed to be worshippers of an
ancient god of the West, Hulian, Smith of
The Imperials also realized that, besides Words.
providing peat, the Charred Bogs
were rich in good clay, excellent for
making vases, tiles and mosaics, a
Faberterran tradition that quickly
took root in Jalizar.

So, in less than half a century, a new

artisan class arose and founded its
own guilds. The Weavers’, Gold-
smiths’, and Potters’ Guilds were
collectively called the New Guilds,
to distinguish them from the tra-
ditional guilds, those of the Thieves
and Beggars, and the secretly reborn
Assassins’ Guild.

Such massive economic expansion

also caused the city to grow. Because
constructions beyond the walls were
forbidden by law and empty plots of
ground had prohibitive prices, the
New Guilds started building by the
port. In the space of a century, a new
area of Jalizar, called the New Docks,
was built on pillars rising from the
water.

The early centuries of Imperial dom-

ination were also famous for the so-
called Silent War. Soon after Jalizar
lost its independence, the frighten-
ing events linked to the evil coming
from the Sewers started again. As
had happened before, everything
began with strange smells and voices

23
 The Book of Lore

The two groups had very different purpos- the few, occasional merchants and wan-
es. The Tricarnians wanted to explore the derers that had passed through the City
Sewers to find out more about the powers of Thieves before, but whole families that
lurking under the City of Thieves, while wanted to move in, looking for work. The
the Iron Priests of Hulian wanted only to cause, they said, was a terrible pestilence
battle and destroy that evil. in their land, which had killed most of the
yaks, their main livelihood.
Soon, the two factions were fighting bit-
terly instead of pursuing their agendas. In In truth, they came for entirely different
particular, in 2212 AF, the conflict esca- reasons, as explained on page 83.
lated and a massive fire destroyed half of
Market Square. These people proved to be the fastest weav-
ers Jalizar had ever seen, hence their nick-
Now, if there is something that all Jal- name. Nobody can make better cloth than
izarans fear, it is fire. The Merchant Hous- a Jademan, and they asked for only a frac-
es, the Thieves’ Guild and even the Assas- tion of the Weavers’ Guild’s standard pay.
sins’ Guild used all their influence to expel
from their city both the Tricarnian sorcer- Naturally this wasn’t good news for the
ers and the Smith Priests, threatening to Weavers’ Guildmaster, who hired thugs
trigger a global insurrection. from the Thieves’ Guild to teach the new-
comers the proper way to do business in
The Tricarnians were sent back to Faber- Jalizar.
terra using subtle diplomacy. As for the
Priests, the cult of Hulian was forbidden But the Jademen were more than able to
throughout the Empire, so they were mer- defend themselves. Among these humble
cilessly tracked down and killed by the people, in fact, there were warriors trained
Assassins. in the fighting styles of the far East. These
fighters were collectively called Jan Tong,
This ended the Silent War and, from that after their main weapon, a sort of hooked
moment on, access to Jalizar was forbid- staff used to lift wool from boiling caul-
den to both the Smith Priests and the sor- drons. The Jan Tong repelled the Thieves
cerers of Tricarnia. and made it clear that the New Docks of
Jalizar, from then on called the Quarter of
Nevertheless, the Smith Priests had the Brass Lanterns, were now their terri-
somehow found a way to reach their goal, tory. As time went by, the Jan Tong proved
at least partially, because the Sewers re- to be almost as ruthless as the Thieves’
mained empty and quiet for many decades. Guild, becoming one of the most feared
criminal organizations in Jalizar.
Nothing noteworthy happened until the
Fastfingers’ Exodus. Around the time when the Fastfingers
arrived, the evil coming from the Sewers
In 2222 AF, a strange date in itself, an stirred again for a brief but very intense
even stranger fact happened. After ex- period. Even today, the Jalizarans believe
hausting journeys on foot or voyages on that the Fastfingers are somehow con-
crammed, reeking ships, Jademen from nected with the wicked powers hiding un-
Lhoban started arriving in Jalizar. Not derneath the Flower of the North.

24
 History

The Valk Wars king managed to keep the Valk away from
Jalizar for twelve years, until the might
and the Reign of of the horsemen’s horde crashed against
Twelve Winters the imposing walls of the Flower of the
Life in Jalizar went on without any great North.
changes for quite some time. The title of
Governor became hereditary and the Jal- Again, the Jalizarans blessed the name of
izarans started to see him as their rightful old King Zobar Brickhead, who had given
King. The Governors, in turn, understood the city such a great gift: its mighty walls.
that, without support from the Council,
the City of Thieves was almost ungovern- On the first day of the siege Ornestan
able, so the old institution gradually re- died, his heart shattered by the hardship
gained most of its influence. of the war. He had no heir.

Then, in 2327 AF, with the start of the

A successor, Ornestan II, was hastily
Valk invasion, Jalizar became one of the
elected by the Council. The new King, a
biggest military bases in the Iron Empire,
prince of the Merchant Houses and a dis-
hosting several Phalanxes.
tant relative of the former king, tried to
negotiate with Dhaar, leader of the Valk,
But, as the history books explain, the Iron
in the typical Jalizaran way. He sent out
Empire had become a mere shadow of its
ambassadors with crates full of gold and
former self.
twelve beautiful girls from the finest plea-
sure houses of Jalizar.
In 2450 Dhaar, lord of the mightiest Valk
horde ever seen, invaded Zandor. The
But Dhaar couldn’t be bribed. He consid-
Empire retreated, and the Zandorian city
ered himself the King of the World and
states were left alone, each trying to de-
always took what he wanted by force.
fend itself and its surrounding farmlands.

The peak of this crisis came in 2451 when The next day, the Valkyrie tied the twelve
Emperor Domestan XII the Cautious re- girls behind their horses and dragged
fused to send help to his cousin Ornestan, them around in front of the city walls, un-
who was Jalizar’s Governor. Domestan til their tender bodies were reduced to a
also ordered the Phalanxes stationed in bloody pulp.
Jalizar to return to Faberterra, to protect
the heart of the Empire from the raging The ambassadors were killed and sent
Northlanders. With one noteworthy ex- back to Jalizar — their mouths and stom-
ception (see sidebar), all the Phalanxes achs full of the gold sent by Ornestan.
abandoned Jalizar, leaving it to face the
Valk horde almost defenseless. Then the long siege started. At first, the
Valk didn’t manage to breach Jalizar’s
Ornestan, nicknamed by the Jalizarans walls but, using captives from the nearby
the Haughty, declared Jalizar capital of cities, after a few months they built cata-
the new kingdom of Zandor. Using mer- pults capable of throwing huge stones
cenaries, the militia of the city, and all the and dead bodies over the city’s imposing
soldiers he could find, the self-crowned walls.

25
 The Book of Lore

Inside the city, the situation was desper- ies hurled over the walls caused a major
ate. The Jalizarans could not even count pestilence, the Red Plague, which claimed
on their fleet for supplies, because the many more victims than the fearsome
Valkyrie summoned storms that sank the Valk.
ships and dark creatures to patrol the wa-
ters. The lack of food and the rotting bod- However, the evil priestesses’ magic never
managed to penetrate the walls of Jalizar.
The Copper Helms, the city guards, later
Hero’s Journal: said that, in the darkest nights of the siege,
they weren’t alone on the battlements.
The Gray Phalanx Old, rugged Fastfingers stayed with them,
The Iron Phalanxes won many wars — sitting cross-legged in silence and staring
and lost some battles too. Yet, their most toward the Valk camp. When questioned
shameful defeat wasn’t on the battle- about what they were doing, the strange
field, but on their way home. When men said that they were “protecting the
ordered by Emperor Domestan XII to
world”. These words seemed weird, but
abandon Jalizar, they obeyed and, as
they moved from their barracks to the the soldiers were somewhat heartened by
city gates, the Jalizarans insulted them their presence.
and pelted them with filth.
In the meantime, Ornestan II didn’t re-
The soldiers, ashamed, didn’t react and
their departure turned into a rout, main idle. He hired killers, the best the
known as the Shameful Retreat. Assassins’ Guild could offer, to sneak into
Dhaar’s tent and dispatch him, but none
However, not all the Phalanxes left. of them came back. Some say that even
The Thirteenth Phalanx, made of Shade tried to assassinate the Valk war-
specialized sappers and called the Gray
lord but failed.
Phalanx due to the fact that the soldiers’
armor was always dirty, disobeyed the
Emperor’s orders and stayed in Jalizar Then, one morning, while breaking his fast
to defend their adoptive city. in his private garden, Ornestan II heard a
voice calling his name. It was coming from
There were 457 of them at the start of
the Siege of Jalizar, but only twelve were a forgotten Sewers manhole. Trembling
still alive when Dhaar died. Without with fear, he approached and listened at-
their incomparable support and sacrifice, tentively.
Jalizar would certainly have fallen.
Today this Phalanx no longer exists, but Nobody knows what the voice from the
its insignia, a falcon made of the purest Sewers revealed, but Ornestan II ordered
steel, is displayed in a small shrine in the his treasurer to load all the gold remaining
center of Victory Square, where every- in the city’s coffers onto the fastest ship
body can see and touch it, a gesture that still afloat in the port. That same night, the
brings courage and good luck. ship set sail to Gis, manned by a crew of
No one, even the worst cutthroat of pardoned smugglers freed from the city’s
Jalizar, would ever dare steal it. prison.
“Thieves have no honor” the saying
goes, but some debts are too great to be A week later, Dhaar died, and the smug-
forgotten, even in Jalizar. glers’ ship came back empty.

26
 History

Jalizar Today Timorias’s poverty is so legendary that he

usually wears patched clothes and this is
Ornestan II didn’t survive very long. De- why the Jalizarans call him the Ragamuf-
spite having put an end to the greatest fin King, or the Troubled Father, due to
threat of his age, the Jalizarans never loved the fact that his two heirs, his son Juros
him much. This was because, while the and his scandalous daughter Monya, con-
masses were dying of hunger in the ter- stantly embarrass him.
rible famine after the siege, the obese king
was said to gorge himself on stuffed eels Timoras has another two sons: Arman-
and other delicacies in his palace. gas, who disappeared in mysterious cir-
cumstances (see below) and Ronikos, the
In 2482 violent food riots erupted in the youngest, who left the City of Thieves to
humblest quarters of the city: hundreds of search for his fortune in faraway lands.
beggars stormed the palace, captured
the fat king while he was trying to
hide and, using the abundant food
found in the royal kitchens, cooked
him alive in a sumptuous stew.

People who ate the King’s Stew, as

it was called, still remember that “It
tasted fittingly like swine.”

After ten years of turmoil and the

death of Ornestan II, the Council
placed a new leader on the throne:
Timorias, a timid Imperial bureau-
crat.

Having no Merchant House or pow-

erful Guild to support him, Timorias
has always behaved very cautiously
and has never had any real power: he
can’t, because the coffers of the state
are now almost empty.

All his decisions must be backed by

some of the major actors in Jalizar’s
power struggle, and many times he
has been forced to put his royal dig-
nity aside to beg the Merchant Hous-
es for money in order to maintain a
semblance of order in the Flower of
the North.

27
 The Book of Lore

Timeline
All dates refer to the period After the Fall of the Dread Star (AF).
700-800 Jall the Cattle Stealer’s life (estimated date).
900 Zandorian tribesmen found Jalizar on the ruins of an old
city.
First Fire of Jalizar.
1000-1021 Rule of Princess Emella, Flower of the North.
Rise of the Smuggler King. Second Fire of Jalizar.
1030-1380 Reconstruction of Jalizar under the Emellan Dynasty.
1501 Reign of Shade.
1502-1811 The Council Kings
Iron Empire conquest. The Great Bet.
1850-2212 Silent War. Foundation of the New Guilds.
2212 The Fire in Market Square ends the Silent War. Hulianites
and Tricarnian Sorcerers banned from the City of Thieves.
2222 Fastfingers’ Exodus.
2450 The greatest Valk horde seen in history, led by Dhaar, crosses
the River of Tears, attacking Collana. The invasion of Zan-
dor begins.
2451 Ornestan, Governor of Zandor, asks the Iron Empire for
support. Domestan XII the Cautious refuses it. Zandor
faces the invasion alone.
2452 Ornestan declares the independence of Zandor from the
Empire. The Reign of Twelve Winters starts.
2464 Zandor fights the Valk on its own soil, but the Zandorian
armies are divided and slowly driven back year after year.
2464-2467 Siege of Jalizar. Ornestan II is King of Zandor.
2465 The Red Plague breaks out in Jalizar.
2467 Death of Dhaar. The Valk horde shatters.
2482 King Ornestan II is cooked alive by the Beggars.
2492 Timorias, the Ragamuffin King, is made ruler of Jalizar.
2494 Winter Feast Earthquake.
2505 Beggars Revolt.
2510 Today.

28
 Dwellers in Jalizar

Some evil tongues say the Ragamuffin The whole city was ungovernable and
King isn’t actually that poor, but simply a blood ran copiously in the streets. So,
miser. Indeed, given Juros and Monya’s ex- Armangas, the eldest son of the King and
travagant lifestyle, their father very proba- a valiant man, decided to go into the Rats’
bly has a large treasure hidden somewhere. Nest, the Poor Beggars’ base, to offer a
truce, despite his father’s opposition.
Jalizar, it is said, is a haughty, pretty wom-
an: she needs a strong-willed husband to Nobody really knows what happened to
keep her under control, and the Ragamuf- Armangas: he never came back from the
fin King doesn’t seem fit to play this part. Nest. But a few weeks later, a new leader
But, despite his faults, he has been on the emerged from the Rats’ Nest. His face is
throne for 18 years and has had to solve covered by a metal mask and he calls him-
many problems: fights among the Guilds, self the Prophet. He is the sole leader of
an earthquake, and the terrible Beggars’ the Poor Beggars, now called the Children
Revolt. of Hunger, and has made a treaty with the
Beggars’ Guild, by which the Children of
In 2494, during the night of the Winter Hunger have become independent and
Feast, the ground trembled, the towers have claimed the Rats’ Nest as their home.
of the city shook like the hands of an old
man and, with the sound of a thousand The Fat Beggars have been persuaded by
hammers beating on the Anvil of Hulian, the Guildmaster of the Thieves’ Guild
the southern docks of Jalizar sank into the and the Merchant Houses to accept the
water and the quarters nearby were heavily Prophet’s terms, and an unstable peace
damaged. Thousands of people died that has returned to the city. The only one who
night, and today on Winter Feast night, hasn’t gained anything and is still mourn-
the cries of widows and orphans still fill ing is the Ragamuffin King: in fact, the
the air. body of his son has not been found any-
where.
In 2505, instead, the Beggars’ Guild,
which had long been subject to the This is Jalizar today: a rotten place, full of
Thieves’ Guild, suffered a major upheaval. dangers and opportunities.
The Beggars were divided in two groups:
the so-called Fat Beggars, the higher ech- Will the would-be heroes of this age man-
elons of the Guild who never begged and age to get a lucky kiss from the lips of the
never missed a meal, and the Poor Beg- Flower of the North or will they end their
gars, homeless people who spent their en- lives in some forgotten back alley?
tire life in the streets. The Poor Beggars
outnumbered the Fat beggars twenty to
one, but almost all the earnings of the Poor
ones went into the purses of the Fat ones.
In the end, the Poor Beggars rebelled and
Dwellers in
the city was shaken by a civil war: in the
alleys, squares, and temples, the Fat Beg-
Jalizar
gars, backed by Thieves’ Guild enforcers, The City of Thieves is a multicultural
fought the angry mob of the Poor Beggars place, where men of very different races
savagely. trade, cheat, bargain, and generally live

29
 The Book of Lore

side by side. This chapter will describe now been fully accepted as part of society.
who the typical Jalizarans are, and how Even after the separation from the Em-
members of other major populations are pire, the trading bonds between the two
seen in the city. races were so strong that they weren’t sev-
ered. Political relations with the Empire
have slightly improved and there is now a
True Jalizarans resident Imperial Ambassador in the City
of Thieves.
Let’s be honest: there is probably no
such thing as a true Jalizaran. The City of
Thieves is a melting pot of so many differ- Jademen
ent races and cultures mixed and mingled
together that a “true Jalizaran” is very dif- The Jademen arrived en masse in Jalizar
ficult to identify. in 2222 AF, almost three centuries ago.
Many of them are humble, industrious
The original Jalizarans are an archaic people who work very hard to earn a liv-
mix of Zandorians and Cairnlanders. Of ing in the production of textiles. Yet, along
average height, they tend to have black with the workers came a whole bunch of
or brown hair, hazel eyes and very fair troublemakers, members of the famous
complexion, which reddens very quickly criminal organization from Lhoban, the
when they quarrel or are out in the cold. Jan Tong. With the excuse of protect-
Although oral hygiene is unknown in the ing their people from the Thieves’ Guild,
Dread Sea Dominions, the true Jalizarans the Jan Tong created a rival organization.
tend to have very white teeth (having a The Jan Tong are the absolute rulers in
perfect set of teeth is a sign of great luck the Quarter of the Brass Lanterns, where
among them). Many have a tendency to most of the Jademen live, with their own
put on weight as they grow older, but this laws and separated from the rest of Jalizar.
is probably the effect of their diet rather
than a general physical feature. What about the monks? Surprisingly,
there are very few of them. One of the
Typical Jalizaran names are a mix of Im- stories circulating in the city is that they
perial and Zandorian ones. They tend to are in disguise. According to a not-so-far-
be euphonic and with a distinctive sound fetched theory, the Fastfingers arrived in
( as in Sebajos, Jall, Emella, Torran, Van- Jalizar only to cover up the activities of
daios, Renya, Furius) or to have a double the monks. The theory also states that the
vocal (as in Vaaro, Taaso, Meena). monks were summoned here by some un-
known power to replace the Iron Priests
in the fight against the evil lurking in the
Imperials Sewers of Jalizar.

The Imperials are fairly common in Jali-

zar, in some cases so intermingled with Cairnlanders
the ruling and merchant classes that dis-
tinguishing them from the true Jalizarans The Cairnlanders are probably the oldest
isn’t easy. After all, they have lived in the race that has had dealings with the Jal-
City of Thieves for six centuries and have izarans. The merchants of the Flower of

30
 Dwellers in Jalizar

the North, sailing in their Chibbars, were against the Priest Princes, so that in the
the first ones brave enough to trade with end, for peace’s sake, both factions were
and, frequently, to swindle the barbarians banned from Jalizar.
living in the Cairns.
In the following centuries, the Tricarnians
This and the fact that the Jalizarans de- had too many problems – the Caled wars
stroyed the revered Hollow Hills Cairns being the biggest – to concentrate on Jali-
makes the Cairnlanders hate and mistrust zar. But now, at a time of relative peace,
the dwellers of the City of Thieves. If a clan many of them are returning, like curious
of Cairnlanders surprises an uninvited Jal- and very dangerous cats, to discover the
izaran in its territory, that man will probably dark secrets concealed deep below the
never see the walls of his beloved city again. Flower of the North.

On an individual basis, instead, some

Cairnlanders travel to and even decide Valk
to live in Jalizar. Many of them work in
the docks or have lowly jobs that people A quarter of a century has passed since the
of other races refuse to accept. For ex- siege of Jalizar, but the Valk are still looked
ample, the Sewers Cleaners – the daring upon with suspicion in the city, which is
individuals who descend below the city to perfectly understandable. The horse-rid-
clear the channels when it rains
or to investigate why the wells
have gone dry – are almost all
Cairnlanders.

For some reason, the Cairnland-

ers living in Jalizar feel more at
home here than in any other city
built by civilized races.

Tricarnians
The Tricarnians took an inter-
est in Jalizar immediately after
it was conquered by the Empire.
Sorcerers and many other shady
figures ransacked its ancient li-
braries, studied the paintings in
its oldest buildings and, in gen-
eral, were attracted to the Sew-
ers, as if some power was calling
them with seductive words.

Luckily, despite being outlawed,

the Iron Priests fought fiercely

31
 The Book of Lore

ing barbarians shattered Zandor, violated courage. Yet, some fear that having so many
cities and fields, and reduced most of the of them within the city’s walls is a decision
land to a nightmare-infested waste. In that will be regretted in the future.
addition, some of them are continuing
their plundering undisturbed. This doesn’t
mean that they cannot enter the City of Ivory Savannah
Thieves: after all, they have ill-gained
riches to spend, and the local merchants Tribesmen
and brothel owners aren’t too picky about Men and women from the Ivory Savan-
who fattens their purses. But any Valk nah are very rare in Jalizar. No stable com-
who decides to wander alone in the dark munity of this race exists within the City
alleys of the city should be careful, because of Thieves, and even traders are fairly rare.
he might disappear forever. The few Tribesmen coming to Jalizar are
either slaves sold in the flesh markets of
The situation is a little different for the the north, or mercenaries and adventurers
Valk of Valkheim. Usually noble Valk, looking for fame and luck.
escorted by bodyguards, arrive in Jalizar
with trading delegations of Cows, trad-
ers who have been subjugated by the Valk.
The Cows sell their wool in the great
markets of the City of Thieves, although
Living in Jalizar
most of the profit ends up in the pock-
ets of their new rulers. The Jalizarans have Technology
quickly learned that a drunken Valk isn’t
very good at bargaining, and his Cow Describing a whole culture in a few pages
slaves never dare tell him he is doing bad is impossible, but this section presents Jal-
business. izar’s most characteristic features.

Alchemy: Lotusmastery is known in Jali-

Northlanders zar and, given its relative proximity to Gis,
some alchemical goods can be found in
Despite not being far from Jalizar as the the markets of the City of Thieves (some
crow flies, Northeim is separated from the may even be authentic). The Lotusmasters
City of Thieves by the Drowned King Sea, of Jalizar can pick quite a few useful plants
so not very many barbarians of the North in the Charred Bogs and in the Hollow
visit it. The few who do aren’t very fond of Hills, but some say that the most powerful
the place and its dwellers. They find the mosses and fungi grow in the dark depths
people too devious and the roads too dirty of the Sewers. They are highly priced and
and smelly, very different from the harsh extremely rare, since those who go under-
but untainted landscape of their own coun- ground to collect them rarely come back.
try. Most Northlanders who live in Jalizar
are lone mercenaries, soldiers, and, occa- Architecture: Jalizar’s architecture is very
sionally, thieves. However, some Merchant diverse, because the city has been rebuilt
Princes have started hiring whole com- on top of its own ruins many times. Now-
panies of Northeim mercenaries, highly adays, Jalizar has narrow streets, mostly
sought after because of their strength and paved, with a disgusting trickle of sewer

32
 Living in Jalizar

water running down the middle and dis- es, so that the older buildings give the im-
appearing into manholes. Passersby must pression of collapsing on top of each other.
also keep an eye on the windows of the
palaces, because the habit of emptying Currency: It is widely known that the Sy-
chamber pots out the window without ranthians invented the use of coins. But,
warning is all too common in the Rotten the legend says that when the first Syran-
Flower of the North. thian coin maker made his tenth coin, the
first Jalizaran thief had already stolen the
Sometimes the manholes get clogged up, other nine. The Jalizarans are fascinated by
and the streets start filling up with garbage coins and know much about them. Even
and slime. The Jalizaran nobles hate walk- before the Empire, they had their own
ing through this filth, so walkways are built coin, the Lak, an octagonal piece of silver,
between the higher floors of the palaces to but they were happy to adopt the Syran-
allow them to move around. Certain areas, thian coins. This was for two reasons. First,
such as Graytowers and Tallbridges, have Moons are easier to counterfeit than Laks;
so many walkways that they are used as a second, they are easier to scrape in order to
secondary street network. Thieves and bur- make new coins, a very widespread crimi-
glars, instead, are at ease on the rooftops. nal practice in the Flower of the North,
so much so that a common saying goes:
The layout of the city has some remarkable “Thinner than a Jalizaran coin”.
features. In Imperial cities, the roads are
mostly built with geometrical perfection, Entertainment: Jalizar is a place of en-
while the Tricarnian Priest Princes prefer tertainment. Brothels, houses of courte-
to follow routes inspired by secret caba- sans, and Khav-smoking dens are very
listic rituals. Nevertheless, in both cases common. The Jalizarans also imported
some sort of order in town planning does the gladiators’ games from the Empire
exist. In Jalizar, instead, as the saying goes, and, although the city doesn’t have a main
the roads were built over the tracks of a arena, small, private ones are abundant. In
drunkard chasing a pig in the mud. They particular, the Jalizarans have invented a
are twisted, winding, and lack any appar- type of gladiatorial combat called Blind
ent logic, so that finding one’s bearings is Fighting, in which blindfolded fighters
extremely difficult for a foreigner. duel with the aid of an animal companion,
usually a fighting bird or a dog. But the
Notoriously, the most difficult area to nav- favorite pastime of the true Jalizarans is
igate is the Quarter of the Brass Lanterns, gambling. At least fourteen types of dice
which is completely under the Jademen’s games exist in the City of Thieves and the
control. First, most of the Quarter is built locals will place a bet on anything, from
on water, with canals instead of roads, and gladiatorial fights to the color of the dress
people move around on small barges or princess Monya will wear tomorrow.
along its many bridges. Second, to ensure
security, the Jan Tong frequently close Funerary Customs: The City of Thieves
some of the channels, by simply placing a is a crowded place. For this reason, the Jal-
ship or large raft at a critical point. izarans don’t have much time for the dead
(once their teeth have been removed, see
Note that, before being conquered by the page 36). There are basically three ways to
Empire, the Jalizarans did not build arch- deal with the dead. The most traditional

33
 The Book of Lore

one is to take them to the Charred Bogs Lastly, Jalizar has a very complex system
and burn their bodies. If the gods are mer- of fees on goods and people entering and
ciful, the wind will carry the smoke from leaving the city. It is the Copper Helms’
the pyre over the Flower of the North, duty to collect such fees, but they are eas-
reuniting the deceased with their city. ily bribed, a fact which contributes to the
Sadly, the most common method, used royal coffers always being empty.
by the homeless and the poor, is to throw
the dead bodies directly into the Sewers. Literacy: As for literacy, Jalizar is no
Finally, the rich and nobles build lavish different from the rest of the Dread Sea
crypts under their palaces, where their rel- Dominions. Only nobles, priests, power-
atives’ bodies are mummified and buried ful Guildmasters, and merchants can read
with their treasures. and write (Thieves’ Signs, detailed later,
aren’t considered real writing).
Government: Jalizar has experienced
several forms of government. At pres- Medicine: Sadly, the healing arts aren’t
ent, it is a sort of monarchy, but the real as advanced in Jalizar as in Syranthia or
power is in the hands of the Council and Tricarnia. The local medics are barely bet-
the Guilds. The Guilds themselves have ter than the shamans of barbarian tribes,
a fairly complex structure, with a Guild- healing poultices and leeching are still
master chosen from among the highest- widespread, and dying of an infection is
ranking Guild members, called Masters quite common. But the Jalizarans do ex-
or Elders. Then come the lower ranks, cel in one field, that of mutilations or, as
which have the power to rule over hire- they are commonly called, Beggars’ Gifts.
lings, while the lowest levels include af- As said before, the city is full of beggars
filiates and apprentices. The lower ranks and the most piteous looking ones are
must obey the higher ones and give them also the most successful. So, in many poor
a share of their earnings, all the way up to families, the children destined to begging
the Guildmaster. Naturally, many lower- are mutilated by their own fathers so they
ranking individuals try to hide their earn- will have an easier life on the streets. This
ings from those above them, but this is a might seem abominable to foreigners, but
serious crime, punished in different ways it is widely accepted in Jalizar. In the past,
ranging from simple fines (for instance, certain Guildmasters require some form
in the Weavers’ Guild) to mutilation or of mutilation to be allowed to join the
throat slashing (in the Thieves’ Guild). Beggars’ Guild.

The Merchant Houses, instead, are orga- Warfare: Jalizar no longer has an army,
nized like noble houses, with hereditary and this is one of the Ragamuffin King’s
titles, and so on. It should be remembered biggest concerns. The Copper Helms,
that no true noble class existed in Jalizar the city watch, guard the gates and walls
before the arrival of Emella’s foreign hus- and patrol the streets, but they are widely
bands. They retained the titles they had known to be corrupt.
had in their homeland, thus giving rise
to a noble class in the City of Thieves. So, In the case of an attack, the city would
for example, the Master Merchant of the have to rely on the various mercenary
House of Talum is commonly called Lord forces paid by the Merchant Houses, but
Talum. their loyalty is uncertain and their ex-

34
 Living in Jalizar

act number unknown. However, Jalizar love and loyalty, are always for sale in the
isn’t easy to conquer: its walls are titanic City of Thieves.
and, once inside, the thieves and beggars
would challenge the invaders street after This doesn’t mean the Jalizarans don’t respect
street. the gods – they simply bargain with them.

Water Supplies: For such a big city, a reli- A powerful god has always been seen as
able and abundant source of fresh water is an important commodity. This is why, af-
fundamental. The various districts of Jalizar ter winning a war or subduing a satellite
have several public wells and fountains, fed city, the Jalizarans take the statues of the
by reservoirs under the city. The wells are losers’ gods and add the new divinities to
incredibly deep, deeper than the Sewers, Jalizar’s crowded pantheon. This has led to
and were built in the forgotten past when the creation of Temples’ Road, where the
the city was founded. Sometimes they go houses of gods from all over the Domin-
dry or, even worse, the water gets polluted. ions stand side by side, competing with
In these cases, heroic squads of Cleaners each other to attract followers, and their
(see page 57) are sent down to investigate. donations of course. Even today, new cults
Some of them never come back. appear on a monthly basis, with priests
hawking their religious wares to passersby
In the last few centuries, the Jalizarans and faking the most incredible miracles to
have started building great tanks on the attract the masses.
rooftops of the palaces to collect rainwa-
ter. Given the general pollution of the wa- Many foreign gods are worshipped in the
ter and the unhealthy presence of disease- Flower of the North, along with some
ridden pigeons, this water is often toxic original ones. The three most renowned
and causes sickness and infections. are Yalg, Chamuga, and Ranikos Blind-
folded.

Religion Yalg is an ancient god, represented as a

fat, vaguely apish humanoid, with four
Despite their reputation, the Jalizarans are arms and a grinning face. He also has a
quite religious. This section describes the lame foot, which confers on him the gift
city’s main cults and superstitions. of prophecy. The sages believe Yalg to be a
modified version of another deity, Yallara
of the Many Faces (see Beasts and Barbar-
Cults ians #4: Shadows over Ekul).
Religion in Jalizar is polytheistic and ex-
quisitely instrumental. The Jalizarans pray In Jalizar, Yalg is considered the god of
not out of fear, pure love, or blind faith, luck, protector of thieves (especially pick-
but to achieve a precise goal. For example, pockets), gamblers, and anyone living on
a Jalizaran will pray to Etu, Mother of the edge. A statue of Yalg, with hollow
Health, if he is ill, but, once he recovers, ears, stands in his rich temple in Jalizar
he will turn his prayers to a Syranthian and is used for divination. Stone balls
idol of richness to fill up his purse without of different colors are placed in its ears,
any remorse. This is a perfectly acceptable then they fall through a complex system
behavior, since faith and veneration, like of pipes, and reappear through a hole in

35
 The Book of Lore

Heroes’ Journal: Relatives’ Dice

The dwellers of the City of Thieves do not fear the dead, at least not their dead rela-
tives, and often consult priests to communicate with them. It is believed that, from
their otherworldly home, the deceased can bestow great luck on the living, helping
them to find hidden treasures, establish the right connections, and so on.
One of the most peculiar customs of the Jalizarans, which confirms their Cairnlander
origins, is the habit of crafting Relatives’ Dice. Two teeth are removed from the body
of a deceased relative and used to craft a set of gambling dice, which are believed to
bring great luck to their rightful owner.
In gaming terms, any Jalizaran character can start the game with a set of Relatives’
Dice by renouncing 1 skill point. Once per adventure, the character can decide to
throw the dice (2d6) to call upon his relatives. Check the table below for the effects.
Only one set of Relatives’ Dice can be used by a character at any given moment and
he must be their rightful owner (i.e. he must be related to the dead person).
In case they are lost, they cannot be replaced, but a new set can be made using the
teeth of another deceased relative, which requires a Common Knowledge or Repair
(+2) roll.

Dice Effect
Angry Relative. Bad luck! For the remainder of the session, the
2
hero cannot spend Bennies when he rolls a critical failure.
Insufficient Prayers. The character forgot to make the proper
offerings for his relative’s soul. He must discard any Joker and can-
3-4
not use Wild Card Edges unless he visits a temple and spends 10
Moons/rank on candles, prayers, and so on.
Better to Stay in Bed Today. This is not the right time to play with
Lady Luck. The character receives -2 to Gambling rolls or a mem-
5-6
ber of the opposite sex will act as the hero’s Enemy (GM’s choice).
These effects last for the remainder of the session.
Busy Relative. The dead relative is carousing with other dead ones,
7 or doing other things dead people do, so he has no time for the
hero.
Lucky Day. For the remainder of the session the hero receives +2
to Gambling rolls or he gains a free use of the Connections edge
8-9
with a member of the opposite sex who has a crush on him (GM’s
choice).
Ancestors’ Blessing! The ancestor is watching over the hero, pro-
10-11 tecting him. The character receives a free use of the Danger Sense
Edge or a free Soak roll (GM’s choice).
You Are My Son! The ancestor is very fond of the hero today. One
12 of the hero’s skills is raised by one die step (player’s choice) for the
rest of the session, as per the boost trait Power.

36
 Living in Jalizar

the god’s lame foot, thus giving Yalg’s re- offers help, but it might not be wise to
sponse. accept, since a price must always be paid.
He is also said to be the best dice player
The Jalizarans love Yalg, because he once in the world and the only creature to have
gave them a true Jalizaran king, avoiding ever broken out of the dreaded Prison of
the risk of a foreign monarch (see page Jalizar (see page 46).
21).
During the Silent War, the Iron Priests
Chamuga is probably a Zharim deity. In- studied the myth of Ranikos and his ap-
deed, she is also called the Cow Mother. paritions and concluded that he is a pow-
She is represented as a woman with four erful demon, somehow linked to Jalizar,
breasts, short horns, and a nose ring (like who must be found and rooted out. The
those used for bulls) on which all the suf- Jalizarans didn’t believe these falsehoods
ferings of mortals are engraved. Chamuga and, although some tried to find him, the
is the Goddess of Mercy. Those repent- Blind Trickster managed to fool them.
ing an evil deed, such as a murder, pray
to Chamuga for pardon, while Merchants
toast her after a day’s swindling, just to be
Superstition
on the safe side. Another key element of the Jalizaran way
of thinking is superstition. The Jalizarans
She is also the goddess of rain and life, place great faith in oracles, divination, and
the great cleaner of the streets of Jalizar, omens and have a sort of obsessive venera-
and she is often depicted weeping milk, tion for luck. All Jalizarans, even the rich-
because the tears of the goddess cleanse est Merchant Princes, dream of having a
both men and beasts from the evil within stroke of luck so big (gambling, finding
them and bring new life. Some say that the right husband, closing a particularly
Chamuga’s and Etu’s cults are in competi- good trading deal) that they can stop
tion with each other, as both deities have working and retire to a life of leisure.
maternal aspects.
Naturally, most of them chase this dream
Ranikos Blindfolded is the third deity to no avail, but this inclination makes
that originated in Jalizar, and is mostly them ready to give up their security and
worshipped by beggars. Ranikos is rather wealth to undertake hazardous ventures
more like a demigod, represented as a and to spend a lot of money on petty ma-
blind beggar and a trickster with a sharp gicians, would-be prophets, and similar
tongue. All the tales about Ranikos are shady individuals.
based on the fact that he is blind and that
people try to cheat him, but they always
end up being cheated. This is because, be- Customs
sides his two blind eyes, Ranikos has a
third eye on his forehead, concealed by Domestan I, the first Emperor of Faber-
his long hair, with which he can see. The terra and a great statesman, had a favorite
Jalizarans believe Ranikos to be a sort phrase: “To understand a man, observe
of spirit which freely roams through the what he eats and how he dresses”. And
City of Thieves and occasionally appears that is exactly what we are going to do in
to beggars and people in need. Ranikos this section.

37
 The Book of Lore

Clothes scrap of cloth, commoners wear short

capes, traders and guildsmen have longer
The Jalizarans wear trousers and gowns, ones, while the Guild Masters and nobles
made of either wool or linen. They usu- use very long capes, with embroidered
ally choose various shades of brown, but hems. Thieves and assassins wear dark
the rich favor far brighter colors, like blue, cloaks to remain concealed in the shady
yellow, and red. They prefer boots to shoes, alleys.
but humble people mostly wear rags
wrapped around their feet or go barefoot. Dress code is generally very important in
The women of Jalizar invented the whale the Flower of the North. The quality, value
bone corset, a very uncomfortable item and overall state of an individual’s clothes
which, however, has the advantage of en- clearly indicate his or her social standing.
hancing the bosom. It is regularly used by Nowhere more so than in Jalizar is it in-
courtesans but, for some reason, it is con- deed the clothes, or better the cloak, that
sidered outrageous by the women of other make the man.
populations and even the bare-chested
dancers of the Ivory Savannah refuse to
wear it.
Food
Jalizar isn’t self-sufficient in the produc-
Another very important garment is the tion of food. Rice is imported from Tri-
cloak. Beggars cover themselves with a carnia and wheat from Syranthia, but,

38
 Living in Jalizar

given the climate, meat and fat are eaten archs and, in some cases, ruthless tyrants.
in large quantities. High-class people eat Jalizar, instead, has always had a fairly
good beef and goat’s meat (a Cairnlander weak government, which has led to the
tradition) plus fish from the Drowned creation of a complex set of laws to settle
King Sea. The eels caught in the Charred disputes.
Bogs, stewed with onions and honey, are
a delicacy for the finest palates. Turnips
are the most common vegetable grown in
the fields around the city and they are very Hero’s Journal:
common in Jalizar’s cooking. Redshoulders’
Sadly, the masses of Jalizar are always Justice
starving and mainly live on Chimney Given the harshness of Jalizaran law,
Pheasants and Roof Hares, two colorful people settle their disputes privately.
names to describe much more mundane In particular, duels are common, and
many problems are settled in this way.
and disgusting food: pigeon and rat meat.
This has led to the creation of a particu-
The pigeons of Jalizar are dirty, disease- lar caste of individuals, professional
ridden beasts that soil the roofs of the duelists for hire, commonly known as
Flower of the North with their droppings. Redshoulders.
It is said that they were brought to Jalizar The name derives from the fact that
by Queen Fracassia the Birdlover, one of many of them used to be longshore-
Emel II’s wives, and they have plagued the men, and one of the effects of unload-
city ever since. However, the cooks work- ing heavy crates and sacks all day long
ing in the taverns of the lower quarters of is the formation of semi-permanent
Jalizar claim to know a secret ingredient wounds on the shoulders.
to make their meat absolutely safe. The in- However, nowadays no Redshoulder
gredient is unknown and people still fall worthy of his name has ever unloaded a
sick after eating pigeon meat, though not single crate. Instead, they wear a short
on a regular basis. red cape on their right shoulder, and
fight with long, hooked knives, which
Rats are also very common. They come resemble grappling hooks. They can be
from the Sewers and prosper among the hired to fight on behalf of someone else
to settle a dispute.
abundant filth in the roads and alleys of
Jalizar. A Beggar’s meal usually consists of The duels are usually held in dark al-
a handful of rice stewed with a fat rat – the leys or, if the parties want publicity,
best dish ever, they swear. in broad daylight, but always after a
formal challenge. They tend to be bloody
Yet, the Jalizarans should be thankful for affairs but are rarely mortal, since
crippling is one of the most common
pigeons and rats, which helped them sur-
outcomes.
vive the Valk siege.
Though it might seem incredible, even
close Redshoulder friends will fight
Law each other to settle a dispute between
Many of the civilizations of the Dread Sea their patrons. They often belong to the
Thieves’ Guild or the Assassins’ Guild.
Dominions are ruled by absolute mon-

39
 The Book of Lore

Yet, this doesn’t mean that Jalizaran laws many people die, mostly beggars without
are fair. The rich and powerful are often heavy clothes or access to a good fire. It
favored over the lower classes. In theory, is a sad occurrence but it helps keep the
the King passes judgment on all legal cas- number of poor citizens down.
es, but in truth he only concerns himself
with cases regarding nobles, guilds, and Jalizar is also constantly enveloped in
important personalities. All other lawsuits smog, produced by thousands of chimneys
are examined by the Magistrate, the ruler burning peat.
of the Tower of Justice. To keep the num-
ber of cases down, the Magistrate typi-
cally hands down very harsh punishments,
from life-long convictions to mutilations
and executions. Hence, the Jalizarans tend
Gazeteer:
to solve disputes privately, by their own
means or through the Redshoulders (see
A Traveler’s
sidebar). Guide to the
Climate
City of Thieves
This chapter describes the main features of
Despite being quite far north, Jalizar en- the various areas of Jalizar and its immedi-
joys a mild climate, with moderate rainfall ate surroundings. Note that the layout of
and rare snow. Yet, the city is cursed by the the streets is so complex and labyrinthine
constant presence of fog and the Jalizarans that a detailed map cannot be provided.
have different names for its different types. Even true Jalizarans don’t know every al-
ley of the city, except in their own area.
There is the odorous, almost pleasant The map on page 42 displays the various
fog coming from the sea. It is called the neighborhoods, traditionally separated by
Smuggler’s Lady, because it is under its the major roads of the city.
protection that goods are smuggled on
black Chibbars from Shallows Village
into the City of Thieves. Outside Jalizar
Then, there is the so-called Bogs’ Fart, Hollow Hills
coming from the swamps. It is smelly and
yellowish and it is said to bring fevers and As everyone knows, the Hollow Hills lie
infections. north east of Jalizar, and they are empty of
anything interesting, at least at first glance.
The dreaded Sewer Fog is black and thick The Hills, in fact, are one of the biggest
as darkness. Some say that inhaling it for- mysteries of the Dominions. They are a
ever corrupts the soul and turns common series of Cairns, so old that they are now
people into remorseless killers. Luckily, covered with grass and no longer recog-
this type of fog is very rare. nizable as tombs. What’s even stranger is
that no Cairnlanders have lived in them
An unusual but dreaded problem is frost. for at least two thousand years and no An-
It is subtle and biting and, when it comes, cestors are buried within. When the stone

40
 Gazeteer: A Traveler’s Guide to the City of Thieves

miners of Jalizar opened the first tomb, who haunt the surroundings of the City
they were ready to face hellish creatures of Thieves. She has sworn to destroy the
or, at least, to find something valuable in- Flower of the North to avenge her father,
side, but it looked as if someone had re- but so far her band has only committed acts
moved the dead and all their belongings. of banditry against caravans and nearby vil-
Yet, a more disturbing theory says that the lages. The few survivors who saw her say she
Ancestors simply migrated. But where can is blonde and tall but no Valkyria. She is just
they have gone? a warrior woman, a very uncommon role in
Valk culture; moreover, she looks younger
Today the Hollow Hills are a desolate than her supposed forty-three years.
place, inhabited only by wild dogs living
among the shattered Cairns, which also Ruins of Talum. One of Jalizar’s greatest
double as hideouts for bandits. enemies in the past, the city state of Talum
didn’t survive the Valk invasion and was
Dharima of the Blood. It is widely known destroyed by Dhaar during the Reign of
that Dhaar had three legitimate sons. Two Twelve Winters.
of them died, while the third one is the
ninety-year-old king of Ekul. Yet, a Valk Its haughty palaces aren’t far from the
woman called Dharima claims to be the Hollow Hills. The city is deserted but its
daughter of the King of the World, con- water wells are still full, so many travel-
ceived with a bed slave a few days before ers rest here. However, caravans now avoid
his death. the ruins because in the last years there
have been cases of people stopping at the
Nobody knows if this is true, but she wells to drink and disappearing, never to
has gathered a big band of Valk warriors be found again.

41
 Gazeteer: A Traveler’s Guide to the City of Thieves

Shallows Village and smugglers alike, because the Kyrosian

The Shallows are a group of small rocky pirate attacks whomever he pleases to sat-
islands not far from Jalizar. More like a isfy his greed or lust. Besides his flagship,
reef than real islands, they have been in- he can count on at least half a dozen large
habited for thousands of years by smug- vessels and a small fleet of Chibbars.
glers, pirates, and other shady individuals,
who set up their hideouts in the islands’ Kodar makes no secret of his passion for
countless caves. young, handsome men and, despite his
flashy clothes, his sword is sharp and his
The Shallowers have always had a pirati- gutting knife cruel. Kodar secretly dreams
cal streak, testified by the age-old habit of of pillaging Jalizar, but he knows he needs
starting bonfires on stormy nights to fool to find a way to fool the Seagulls first.
passing ships. The sailors thought they
had arrived in Jalizar and the ships would King’s Tomb. One of the Shallows, King’s
run aground in the Shallows, where they Tomb is permanently underwater. Only
would be plundered by the Shallowers and on one night a year does the tide retreat
the men captured and sold as slaves. enough to expose its land for a few hours.
Mariners and treasure hunters look for-
Shallows Village, a bunch of crude shacks, ward to that special night because the
is the only visible settlement in the islands, island’s cairn is said to hold a huge trea-
because the caves are still the real core of sure. Some claim it is Emella’s body, cov-
all illegal activities. Fishermen, smug- ered in gems, others say it is the tomb of
glers and pirates find a safe haven in the the Drowned King himself. Whatever its
Village, while the Seagulls, the Copper content, no one has ever managed to enter
Helms charged with patrolling the sea, the cairn and come out before the waters
aren’t welcome at all and their ships are cover the island again.
attacked on sight.
According to some tales, King’s Tomb is
Jalizar periodically attacks and destroys linked to the other islands via an under-
Shallows Village, but it is soon rebuilt ev- ground passage but, although many have
ery time. spent their entire life looking for it, no-
body has found it yet.
And yet, the Jalizarans should be grateful
to Shallows Village. Only thanks to the
smugglers and assorted cutthroats of the
Charred Bogs
islands did they defeat the Widowers, so The Charred Bogs stretch south of Jalizar,
that a true Jalizaran ruler, the Smuggler starting from the coast and continuing for
King, could be restored in the city. But the at least three days’ ride.
memory of the City of Thieves is a short
one, and certain debts are easily forgotten. They are a fascinating place: imagine a
vast, shallow lake, dotted with countless
Captain Kodar. Among the various pi- small islets covered in colorful flowers
rates who find shelter in Shallows Vil- during the summer. Gray herons and elu-
lage none is more dangerous than Captain sive eels populate them, and many strange
Kodar. His dromon with pink sails, Etu’s Lotus flowers and roots grow all around, if
Manhood, is feared by honest merchants you know where to look.

43
 The Book of Lore

Despite this poetic image, they can be Somewhere in the Bogs there is a filthy
dangerous and bleak. If you leave the rela- pond of bubbling black water which pol-
tive safety of the Elevated Road, which lutes the environment. Over time, this
crosses the Bogs, you can find yourself caused the death of the Charred Oaks
in quicksand or be attacked by a swamp Wood and its transformation into today’s
dragon, a cross between an alligator and a Charred Bogs. The pond is fed by an un-
giant lizard, which can eat a man and his derground river connected with the Sew-
horse in a few bites. ers of Jalizar. So, according to this theory,
the filth from the City of Thieves is re-
The local dwellers, derogatively called sponsible for creating the Bogs. Yet, even
“Bogmen” by the haughty Jalizarans, live though this story is quite common among
in pile dwellings, either along the Elevated the Bogmen, nobody knows the exact lo-
Road or deep in the Bogs where nobody, cation of the Black Pond.
except a true Bogman, can find them.
The Hooded Boatman. On foggy, starless
They move on flat barges, but every village nights, unwary travelers may see a strange
of some importance has at least two oxen barge in the Bogs, which seems to move
and a cart, because, although the Bogmen without any crew. The only creature on the
are almost self-sufficient, if they want barge is a tall, cloaked figure. He is the
something besides fish and swamp roots, Hooded Boatman, known as the greatest
they have to trade with Jalizar, selling a sorcerer who has ever lived in Jalizar and
fundamental commodity: peat. The whole rumored to have come out of the Black
City of Thieves, in fact, relies on this reek- Pond ages ago. The Boatman is willing to
ing source of fuel for cooking and heating. trade, especially secrets and knowledge,
The Bogmen dig for it in selected spots, but always beware when dealing with him:
cutting rough blocks which correspond his services inevitably have a hidden cost.
to the amount used by a typical Jalizaran
family in a day. The peat is then dried and
taken to the city via the famous Peat Road, In Jalizar
along which the poorest citizens collect
even the tiniest piece of peat falling from Brass Lanterns
the carts.
The area of Brass Lanterns is by far the
The Bogmen are reclusive and suspi- most exotic part of Jalizar and, walking
cious. Most of them are descendants of down its street, you might easily believe
the criminals escaped or banned from the you are in Lhobanport or some other
City of Thieves, and they mistrust the Jal- Jademen city. In time, the Jademen have
izarans, who, in turn, try to cheat the Bogs’ bought or occupied all the buildings, cre-
people whenever they can. ating a separate enclave, ruled by its own
laws, where even the Copper Helms dare
The Black Pond. The Charred Bogs were not enter.
created by deforestation when large quan-
tities of timber were needed to rebuild Jal- This doesn’t mean that strangers aren’t
izar during the Emellan Dynasty. At least, welcome. Mariners, traders, and people
according to the official history treatises; of all types can come here, as long as they
but the Bogmen have another theory. have money to spend in the Lotus smok-

44
 Gazeteer: A Traveler’s Guide to the City of Thieves

ing dens, brothels, tattoo parlors, and sev- difficult for a non-Jademan to understand
eral other businesses crammed into the who the truly prominent figures are. One of
area. However, once they have concluded them is certainly Jan Pon, an old man who
their affairs, they must leave. runs a humble rope making workshop. For
some reason, the Jademen hold him in high
The architecture of Brass Lanterns is very esteem, and young boys are sent to him as
peculiar, as most of the neighborhood is apprentices, although many wonder who
built on water. Given the limited space would actually buy his ropes, so tattered
available, some Jademen used wooden and full of knots. Well, the locals seem
pillars to create suspended platforms and to like them very much and almost every
built their dwellings on them. The idea house has a piece of one of Jan Pon’s ropes
was soon copied and a new quarter of pile over its door, kept as decoration as well as
dwellings appeared in no time. protection against evil spirits.

In addition, many big barges are perma- Secret Waterways. Below Brass Lan-
nently moored in the area, which makes terns, a whole aquatic world swirls among
it very simple for the Jan Tong to change the pillars. Here, the Jan Tong do as they
the topography of the channels by simply please and move unnoticed. In addition,
moving a barge from one place to another. when the fog rises, smugglers and pirates
from Shallows Village find shelter from
Access to the quarter is possible on barges the Seagulls in these dark waters. Some
or via one of the three bridges over the also say that somewhere below Brass Lan-
Channel which separates Brass Lanterns terns there is a secret entrance to the Sew-
from the rest of the city. Dragon Bridge ers, leading to the forgotten lower levels of
(north), Whispers Bridge (middle) and old Jalizar.
Loom Bridge (south) are always stealthily
watched by members of the Jan Tong.
City Walls
The Jan Tong, which rules in Brass Lan- The city walls of Jalizar are the most im-
terns, was a trade union established to posing in all the North, sturdier even
defend the Jademen workers from the than those of Gis. Built by King Zobar in
Weavers and Thieves’ Guild, but it quickly 1380, they were made stronger by genera-
became a fearsome criminal organization, tions of rulers in later times. Ninety feet
second only to the Thieves’ Guild itself. tall and forty feet wide, their battlements
The Jan Tong is led by the Three Elders, are as broad as a road. So far, they have
allegedly powerful monks coming from never been breached, and the reason, the
Lhoban. Yet, very few people know their Jalizarans say, is that they were built with
real identities and nobody can explain the stones of the Hollow Hills, so a whole
how and why they got involved in crimi- legion of ancient ghosts protects them.
nal activities. This theory is supported by stories about
the Ghost Sentinels (see below).
The Rope Maker. One of the biggest prob-
lems posed by the Jademen living in Jalizar But the true wonder of the walls is with-
is the peculiarity of their social structure. in them. Indeed, each section contains
Although there are many “uncles” (impor- rooms, barracks, corridors and gaps for
tant people) and “venerables”, it is quite weapons to fire on any assailant. It is a sort

45
 The Book of Lore

of city within the city, but nobody knows

City Towers all its secrets, since nowadays only a small
Jalizar has no real army, but rather a sort fraction of the rooms are actually used.
of city watch, called the Copper Helms.
They are divided into various garrisons, The city walls are manned by the Copper
collectively called Towers (although not all Helms, the city watch. Officially, the Cop-
garrisons are actually housed in a tower), per Helms do not take sides in the power
each ruled by a Captain. The Tower of Jus- struggles of Jalizar but have the sacred
tice, instead, is ruled by the Commander,
duty of watching the city gates and charg-
the leader of the Copper Helms.
ing customs fees.
Today only four Towers are actually in the
hands of the Copper Helms. The gates of the city are all very similar.
The Lighthouse. This tower used to stand They are massive wooden structures ar-
on a small island and it was a lighthouse, mored with bronze plates, and can be
manned by the Copper Helms themselves. opened and closed only by operating a
Today no guard dares enter Brass Lan- very powerful winch.
terns, so the tower is no longer under their
control. Instead, an old Jademan is said to Each section of the walls has a sturdy
live at its top, in perpetual meditation. The
building, simply called Towers, in which
other Jademen call him the Watcher of Jali-
zar. He is very wise, but also a powerful
the Copper Helms have their barracks
warlock who doesn’t like being disturbed. (see sidebar).
Very few people, even members of the Jan
Tong, visit him, fearing the many dangers The Rat Passages. A rumor circulates in
hidden within his tower. the darkest alleys of Jalizar about some
Falchion Tower. This tower is also called
hidden passages within the City Walls
the Tower of Beheadings, because in which make it possible to leave the Flower
ancient times criminals sentenced to execu- of the North unseen. Built to outmaneu-
tion were killed here and their heads were ver enemies, these passages are now used
then placed over the gates of the Tower. To- to avoid paying customs fees and to smug-
day, beheadings are rare (the Ragamuffin gle people and goods in and out. Nobody
King prefers to sell criminals as slaves), but knows their exact number and location,
this imposing building still has a fearsome but it is almost certain that the Thieves’
aura. The Captain of the Falchion Tower,
Guild controls one of them, while an-
Xaber Tiomar, is said to be extremely hon-
est but very harsh in his decisions.
other is the hands of one of the Merchant
Houses. Both passages are cleverly con-
Tower of Justice. This massive though cealed and heavily guarded, as the Copper
slightly rundown fortress is the headquar- Helms’ Commander would do anything to
ters of the Copper Helms. The Commander
discover them.
and most of the Helms are garrisoned here.
It is also the residence of the Magistrate,
who administers justice to the lower class- There is also another reason for such tight
es, and hosts the Prison of Jalizar, which security: moving within the Walls isn’t safe
everyone dreads more than death itself. and smugglers often enter a passage never
to come out again. It might be because of
Kings’ Tower. In ancient times, before
the King’s Palace was built, this tower
the many traps put in place by the masons
was the residence of the Kings of Jalizar. to protect these weak spots in the city de-
The legends say that under its roof Jall the fenses, but some speak of a terrible mon-

46
 Gazeteer: A Traveler’s Guide to the City of Thieves

Cattle Stealer fathered many of the future strongest force of the Copper Helms. The
Jalizarans. Today the fortress is the per- Seagulls, as guards housed in this Tower
sonal residence of Juros, the eldest living are called, have two tasks: watching the
son of the Ragamuffin King and heir to the docks and collecting fees, and patrol-
throne, who lives in extravagant luxury, ling the Drowned King Sea to prevent
his expenses paid by the Lord of House smuggling and piracy. This is why they
Talum in return for being well represented have a remarkable fleet: twenty Chibbar,
in front of the King. At present, no Copper a dozen dromons and three war galleys,
Helm is allowed into this tower. manned by slaves. Despite this impressive
force, the Seagulls are often fooled by the
Port Tower. The Port Tower is a real
Shallows Smugglers (see above), which
fortress and its garrison is probably the
infuriates their leader, Othel the Walrus.
Thieves’ Tower. The fees collected by the
Helms used to be stored here before being
ster, called the Silent Hunter, which lurks
sent to the King. But many saw the fees
in the dark passages within the walls… as extortion and the guards were ironi-
cally nicknamed thieves, hence the tower’s
The Ghost Sentinels. On foggy nights, name. Being assigned to the Thieves’
the Copper Helms on guard duty on the Tower is still a prestigious position, sought
battlements pray to Chamuga and stay after by any Copper Helm, as it involves
very close to their fires. The reason is handling money and receiving generous
simple: they fear they might be attacked bribes (see Chimney Sweepers below).
by strange creatures haunting the battle- Shade’s Tower. This tower, also called
ments and wearing ancient clothes and the Tower of the Assassins, holds very sad
armor. According to one legend, they are memories for the Jalizarans. After Shade’s
the souls of all the defenders killed by the demise, the Assassins locked themselves
black sorcery of the Valk while manning within to get away from the angry mob.
the walls. Another theory says they are They fought bravely but in the end the
citizens of Jalizar swarmed in and killed
the spirits of the dwellers of the Hollow
them without mercy. Then the Copper
Hills, ancient warriors forever bound to Helms occupied it, but abandoned it soon
the stones used to build Jalizar’s walls. A afterwards, because frightening events
third explanation states they are the souls and fatal accidents happened far too often.
of the victims of King Shade, who were Today the tower is empty, and nobody, not
trapped in Shade’s Tower to be tortured even the beggars, dares enter it, because
forever (see sidebar) and could get away bloodcurdling laughter can be heard at
from their cruel master only at night. Fi- night. The laughter, the locals say, comes
nally, the most rational citizens believe from the spirits of King Shade and of his
murderous minions who, even in death,
the Thieves’ Guild is behind the sightings
torture the poor souls of their former
and uses the fear caused by the legend of victims.
the Ghost Sentinels to temporarily take
control of the city gates and carry out The Tooth. When in 2495 AF an earth-
its smuggling activities undisturbed. This quake severely damaged the Longarm
neighborhood of Jalizar and created the
seems the most logical interpretation, but
Drowned City (see page 48), the tower of
how then to explain the Copper Helms Longarm was also flooded but, as it was
found dead at the base of the battlements the tallest building, its top is still visible
after a foggy night with a look of terrible above the waters. Officially, the tower is
fear on their faces? abandoned.

47
 The Book of Lore

Drowned Jalizar Smugglers’ Cove. Those who hang out

Until 2495 AF the part of Jalizar now under with the shadier portions of Jalizaran so-
water was known as Longarm, since it ex- ciety say that Drowned Jalizar – or the
tended into the sea like an arm.Then came the Drowned City as it is also called – isn’t
Winter Feast earthquake, and in few hours completely abandoned. The flooded hous-
the whole area sank into the cold Drowned es and towers are a complex maze where
King Sea. Casualties were very high because the stealthy ships of the smugglers from
the disaster happened at night and countless Shallows Village can safely hide dur-
people died in their beds. There are many leg- ing the day and come out undisturbed at
ends about the causes of the event: some say night. The Seagulls, the Copper Helms
it was a sign of divine anger, others believe the charged with watching the waters, occa-
Longarm dwellers are to blame because they sionally patrol the area in their Chibbars,
secretly worshipped unholy idols, while some but so far they haven’t found any evidence
claim that moments before the earthquake of illegal activities.
filthy water and the bones of people long
dead spouted out of the Sewers. Webbed Feet. The children grown up in
New Docks are always told by their moth-
Whatever the truth, today only the roof- ers not to play near the water after sunset.
tops and the upper floors of the tallest In fact, many young boys and girls have
buildings are above the water line. No one mysteriously disappeared in the last few
dares sail in this area or eat its fish, made years. The only clues found at the scenes
fat by the flesh of dead Jalizarans. of these disappearances were the marks

48
 Gazeteer: A Traveler’s Guide to the City of Thieves

of webbed feet returning to the water.

The disappearances always happen at full The Prison
moon, and strange croaking sounds are The Prison of Jalizar is one of the most
heard coming from the Drowned City. dreaded places in the City of Thieves.
Rational people say it is only the wind It is built entirely underground and,
blowing among the flooded houses, but when a prisoner enters it, he won’t
many think that someone or something see the light of day again until he is
may be feasting on the poor lost children. released. Very few of them survive long
enough to regain their freedom.
The Prison is ruled by the Gaoler and
Emella’s Hill his ruthless guards. Usually, when a
The royal palace stands right in the cen- new Magistrate is elected, he holds his
ter of Jalizar on a hill higher than its sur- post for seven years, then he becomes
roundings, named after the greatest queen Gaoler for another seven years, tak-
of the Flower of the North. ing charge of the Prison. The current
Gaoler is Master Giurgas, called the
Cannibal. Indeed, the convicts believe
The palace is huge and built in the typi- that the prisoners who cause trouble
cally untidy Jalizaran way. Many kings end up in his stew. Perhaps there is a
and queens expanded it according to their glimpse of truth in this story, because
tastes, and now some parts are falling into bestial grunts and mad laughter are of-
ruin, since the Ragamuffin King simply ten heard from the section of the Prison
doesn’t have enough money to make all called the Black Cells, where the most
the necessary repairs. The security of the troublesome prisoners are sent, never
palace, and of the King, is in the hands of to return. They probably aren’t eaten by
the Serpent Guard (see below). the Gaoler, but by something far worse.
Yet, the greatest danger the convicts
At the foot of the hill stands the Tower of must face is madness: the complex was
Justice, which, despite being smaller than built in a portion of the Sewers and
the royal palace, inspires greater fear. Past black shadows constantly whisper in
its bronze gates, if you turn right you reach the ears of the prisoners, filling their
the barracks of the Copper Helms, but if minds with bleak thoughts. So far
you turn left you enter the gloomy Tribu- nobody, except the legendary Ranikos
Blindfolded, has managed to escape
nal of Justice. If no other settlement can
from the Prison.
be reached (see page 39), those accused of
crimes are dragged in front of the Mag-
istrate, who is always surrounded by law- security of the palace is in the hands of
yers wearing black robes. If they are found the Serpent Guard. They are a mercenary
guilty, they can be sentenced to work company entirely made up of Calde-
as slaves on a galley, or thrown into the ian soldiers and led by Captain Kalethor.
dreaded Prison (see sidebar), a fate much Their green scaly armor is well-known and
worse than death itself. feared throughout the city and so far they
have been faithful to the King. The prob-
The Serpent Guard. The Ragamuffin lem is that they are paid by House Jarikos,
King isn’t rich enough to have a personal and this means that the King is more their
guard, but it would be a shame for Jali- hostage than their lord, a situation which
zar to have an undefended ruler, so the worries him greatly.

49
 The Book of Lore

The Royal Baths. When the Imperials the noblest one is certainly Priest Prince
conquered Jalizar, they brought some of Talbarioc. He fled Tricarnia for political
their Faberterran habits with them. One reasons and came to the City of Thieves
was the construction of baths, a com- years ago, with an entire galley full of
mon feature in the palaces of Faberterran slaves, furniture, and strange contraptions.
nobles. As often happens in Jalizar, the He must certainly have planned his es-
idea spiraled out of control in no time: cape very well. He took possession of an
huge baths were built in the eastern wing old mansion, which was completely reno-
of the palace and deep wells were dug to vated overnight by cloaked servants who
reach clean water. The Baths were a sight weren’t part of his entourage and were
to behold, full of precious mosaics and never seen again after that night. Prince
statues, but they worked well for less than Talbarioc loves his privacy, and this is why
two years. Then the water turned foul and all the window panes of his mansion were
dirty and the royal engineers and archi- replaced with tinted glass, jet-black and as
tects were unable to solve the problem. In cold as ice. Naturally this stirred the curi-
the end, the Royal Baths were abandoned, osity of the local thieves and three foolish
and the whole wing of the palace fell into burglars tried to sneak in a few weeks after
disuse. Even the rugged members of the Talbarioc’s arrival. Apparently, the follow-
Serpent Guard prefer to give this eerie ing day, the Master of the Thieves’ Guild,
place a wide berth, since something evil probably the most powerful person in Jali-
and hungry lurks in the slimy waters of zar, received a basket containing the heads
its pools and those foolish enough to ap- of his three guild members. Despite being
proach it rarely come back. dead, the heads spoke and delivered a very
personal message to the Guild Master.
From then on, no thief in Jalizar has dared
Exiles Quarter approach the Black Windowed Mansion.
The Flower of the North has always been Talbarioc rarely comes out, but his ser-
a very tolerant place. Foreigners and refu- vants are often seen in the dark alleys by
gees of all types find shelter within its sol- the Docks and in the Imperial City, run-
id walls, as long as they have some money ning secret errands for their master.
to spend, of course. Foreigners tend to
stick together and their favorite area is the The Escaping God. During the reign
Exiles Quarter, also called the Foreigners of the Smuggler King, the Jalizarans de-
Quarter, where you can meet Syranthian stroyed a city in the Iron Mountains, in-
merchants, mercenaries from the Inde- habited by barbarians so fierce that they
pendent Cities, ex-slaves from the Ivory preferred death to surrender. As always,
Savannah, and many other people. The the conquerors brought the bronze stat-
architecture of this part of the city is very ue of the local god back to Jalizar. It was
peculiar: palaces with elegant Syranthian twelve feet tall and portrayed a muscular
lines stand next to sturdy houses built in humanoid wearing a helm with a fissure
the Borderlands style, and even the Au- for a single eye. The Cyclops god was
tarch of Kyros took residence here after called Thokh. The statue of Thokh was
being defeated by the Empire. placed in Temples Road, but, having no
followers, it was soon forgotten. Then, one
The Black Windowed Mansion. Among night, the statue mysteriously disappeared,
the many dwellers of the Exiles Quarter only to reappear in a small square in the

50
 Gazeteer: A Traveler’s Guide to the City of Thieves

Exiles Quarter. The authorities thought Quarter. Most of the area is now deserted,
it the work of some prankster and had it but some daring souls pay brief visits to
brought back to its proper place. Yet, a few plunder the mansions. They do so heedless
months later, the statue moved again, and of rumors about the Red Plague still lurk-
then again. The Jalizarans started calling ing in the tainted air and about any object
him the Escaping God, and in the end the from the area being cursed and leading to
authorities left the statue where it wanted a horrible death if touched.
to be. Few individuals dare come to the
square of the Escaping God at night be- The Followers of the Dog. Being almost
cause, when the bright star known as the deserted, the city quarter of Graytowers is
Eye of Thokh shines over Jalizar, people the favorite gathering place of the Cult of
disappear from it. Their lifeless bodies are the Dog. This religion has no altar in Tem-
found the morning after piled at the foot ples Road, being too wicked, but has quite
of the statue, their right eye gouged out, a number of followers, many of which be-
while the hands of the god’s statue are yond suspicion. They see themselves not as
smeared with blood. truly human but as belonging to another
race, the Dogs, who turn into bloodthirsty
beasts when the moon is full, and hunt
Graytowers their favorite quarry, men. So, they kidnap
Graytowers is one of the oldest neigh- some unfortunate soul and, after smear-
borhoods in the City of Thieves. Until ing him with goat’s blood, they give him a
twenty years ago it was inhabited by rich few minutes’ head start, just enough time
merchants, Guild members, and arti- to say a prayer to the Dog. Then, the hunt
sans, who competed with each other to starts. If the chosen victim manages to
build the tallest tower, so that year af- leave the quarter before being captured, he
ter year their houses became ever loftier. is safe; otherwise, he is killed and eaten be
Yet, taller doesn’t mean cleaner, since the the Dog who caught him. Very few peo-
winds blowing northward from Thousand ple have managed to survive this bloody
Chimneys smear the towers with grayish ritual and their accounts are inconsistent.
smoke, making them look like the skeletal Some say the Dogs are just madmen with
fingers of dead people. masks and sharp daggers, others say they
were chased by big bloodhounds or even
This area is famous for another gruesome by a monstrous creature with the body of a
event. While besieging the city, the Valk man and the head of a dog.
threw carrion and dead bodies over the
walls into Graytowers, and this caused a Kilprayos’ Secret. Before the Valk siege,
massive pestilence. Rich men and servants no merchant in Jalizar sold finer silk than
alike dropped dead one after the other and Kilprayos, a weaver and former slave from
the only thing the authorities could do Tricarnia. His business flourished so
was to place the Mark of the Red Plague much that he built the tallest tower in the
on their doors, so that nobody would ap- block, stirring great envy in his neighbors.
proach them. A very solitary man, he lived alone in his
mansion.
Thus began the decadence of Graytow-
ers and the rich moved en masse to new When the siege started, things got worse every
residences in Tall Bridges or the Imperial day and the common people, driven by desper-

51
 The Book of Lore

ate hunger, stormed the house of the rich look- which is run by an all-female staff. Even
ing for a piece of bread or a scrap of meat. the bouncers are rough-looking, scarred
women. The owners of this strange busi-
Kilprayos’ mansion was one of them. But ness are Erianna, a slender beauty said to
when the hungry mob got in and went up have been the concubine of a Kyrosian
the tower looking for the merchant and noble, and Kiria, a tough Amazon from
his pantry, they made a terrible discov- Ascaia. All the courtesans working in
ery. The walls and ceiling of the top room the House of Free Women, as the name
were covered in thick spider webs and at suggests, do it of their own free will. No
the center, cocooned and ready to be eat- slaves are permitted and, if a slave woman
en, was poor Kilprayos. It wasn’t the dead manages to enter the brothel, she is im-
body that frightened the mob but the mediately taken under the protection of
enormous gray spiders that scuttled hun- the House. It can be the start of a new life
grily toward the newcomers! So the secret for the fugitive, because the House is an
of Kilprayos’ silk was finally discovered! Ascaian recruitment center, and a small
group of Amazon veterans is permanently
Torches were brought and the tower was stationed here to provide security. No one
burned to the ground. Yet, a few spiders man- knows if the House pays protection mon-
aged to flee and, in the deserted quarter, they ey to the Jan Tong or the Thieves’ Guild.
multiplied undisturbed. No one knows if their
offspring still lurk in one of the tall towers… Spitting on the Triumph. The Jalizarans
are very superstitious and are willing to
do anything to get lucky, especially at
Imperial Quarter the gambling table. In particular, there is
During the Imperial age, many new work- a sort of ritual known to every mariner
shops were opened in Jalizar. Craftsmen of who has visited the City of Thieves. First,
all types, from potters to goldsmiths and tan- he must buy a large mug of beer in one
ners, set up their businesses in the Imperial of the waterfront inns of New Docks and
Quarter, showing such industriousness as to drink it in a single gulp. Then, he must
rival Faberterra. The only exceptions were the walk to the main square of the Impe-
weavers, who preferred Loom Houses. rial Quarter, where there is an ancient
engraved column called the Triumph,
Today, things are no longer so hectic, depicting Masterarkos Furialkos, the
but the Imperial Quarter is still bustling Conqueror of Zandor. The luck seeker
with activity. This also means that a lot must spit on the statue’s face. Then, if he
of money is involved and, where money is not too drunk, he must go down Luck
abounds, so do shifty characters ready to Lane, walk along Blindfold Dock with
swoop down on their prey. This is why the his eyes closed and, if he hasn’t fallen off
Thieves’ Guild and the Jan Tong vie for yet, he must empty his bladder in the sea.
control over the Imperial Quarter. The Following the ritual ensures that one of
clash mainly concerns protection money; these three things will happen before the
many businesses are forced to pay both night is over: great luck at the gambling
factions and open fights aren’t uncommon. table, conceiving a child, or finding a new
faith. All of them are great blessings, but
The House of Free Women. There is a nobody can know in advance which of
famous brothel in the Imperial Quarter the gifts he will receive.

52
 Gazeteer: A Traveler’s Guide to the City of Thieves

Loom Houses Whatever method these poor boys and

Loom Houses were originally part of the girls use, once outside the workshops,
Imperial Quarter but became an indepen- they find themselves in a city they don’t
dent area when the textile manufacturers know and the only way to survive is to
moved here. They drew seawater for boil- stick together. Despite their young age,
ing wool and, once used, they poured it desperation makes these gangs of raga-
into the Channel, giving it its typical bad muffins very dangerous, because they have
smell. nothing to lose. Most of these groups are
independent and roam the Loom Houses
Today only the Weavers’ Guild still has and other areas freely, while others join
workshops in the Loom Houses, while the Children of Hunger or, some say, are
the Jademen work in Brass Lanterns, recruited by the Assassins’ Guild.
protected by the Jan Tong. In the last
few years, the Weavers’ Guild has found The Arsonist. Someone is setting fire
a way to beat the great productivity of the to the workshops and warehouses of the
Fastfingers: they have started using slaves Weavers Guild, destroying cloth worth
to work the looms, who are even cheaper millions of Moons. The arsonist, or arson-
than Jademen manpower. Many of them ists, must have spies among the Weavers,
are children and they are forced to work because they always manage to start the
day and night until they collapse. Their fires from inside the buildings and the
life expectancy ranges from three to six guards on the perimeter never see any
months, but the Guild finds easy replace- trespassers. Many suspect the Jan Tong
ments in the slave markets or by capturing is to blame, but this isn’t its usual modus
young beggars in the streets. In particu- operandi and doesn’t explain why exactly
lar, the Beggars’ Guild, supported by the thirteen days pass between one fire and
Thieves’ Guild, takes young Children of the next.
Hunger and sells them to the Weavers.

The workshops of the Weavers’ Guild are

Market Square
something between a prison and a fortress. This is the very heart of Jalizar, because
Their need for protection is twofold: there the market works as a magnet for all sorts
are regular incursions by the Jan Tong try- of activity. There are two types of stores in
ing to damage the competition and the Market Square: the brick and mortar ones
slaves often try to escape. The Weavers are along its perimeter and the stalls of the
no warriors, but employ mercenaries and Suq, offering all the wares under the sun.
hired thugs from the Thieves’ Guild. In the middle of the square is the Flesh
Market, an elevated platform on which
Baby Gangs. Escaping from the prison- the slave merchants auction their goods,
workshops is difficult but not impossible. just in front of the Temple of the Divine
Many desperate methods have been tried, Lust (once Temple of the Divine Couple,
from jumping into the water drains to see below).
swallowing the poisonous chemicals used
to process the wool. Those who are lucky Trading never stops in the shops and es-
look dead for a few hours and can then pecially in the stalls of the Suq, some of
break free, but many others simply never which are permanent, while some alter-
make it. nate on a daytime-nighttime basis. Stall

53
 The Book of Lore

fees are officially paid to the Copper was desecrated in a wild Bacchanalian
Helms, but everyone knows that a trip to feast which lasted for three days. The stat-
the Thieves’ Guild can ensure a good spot ues of Hulian and Hordan were moved
and keep away the fee officers. Another into a lewd sexual position and the Cour-
great danger of the Market, especially for tesans’ Guild took control of the temple,
foreigners, are pickpockets. The ones in turning it into its headquarters and the
Jalizar are no doubt the best and can steal biggest brothel in Jalizar. Yakzama, the
your tongue from your mouth, as the say- Pale Lady, ruler of the Courtesans’ Guild,
ing goes. The beggars are also numerous. If still resides in the Temple of the Divine
they are paying members of the Beggars’ Lust, as the place is now mockingly called.
Guild, they are allowed to stay, but if they
are independent or, even worse, Children
of Hunger (see Rats’ Nest), they are very
New Docks
quickly dealt with by the Thieves’ Guild. This narrow strip along the shore is prob-
ably the busiest and most vital in the city.
Temples’ Road. Temples’ Road lies to the On its countless piers, all sorts of wares,
east of Market Square. It is famous be- from Cairnlands gold to Tricarnian rice,
cause all the temples, altars, and cult sites are loaded and unloaded by muscular dock
in Jalizar lie along it. Priests of all creeds workers of every possible race. Most of
and races advertise their gods, preach, cel- them are affiliated to the Dockers’ Guild
ebrate rites, and, most importantly, col- and can be recognized by the bronze
lect money from their followers. Once bracelet they wear. There are very few in-
there were only the temples of the gods dependent laborers and finding work is
captured by the Jalizarans, but today it is much harder for them.
common for priests of any religion (either
true or invented) to seek fortune and fame From here, the goods are taken to nearby
in Temples’ Road. Competition is fierce warehouses or sent to Market Square to be
because the number of potential followers sold. It often happens that, during the short
is limited and only a few cults can survive. trip, some valuable items casually disappear.
The Temple of Yalg is still the biggest but Bands of young beggars target the carts and,
it often lends its halls to other cults. if not promptly chased away, they can steal
half the goods in a matter of moments.
Temple of the Divine Lust. When the
Emperor conquered Jalizar, he built a The whole area is patrolled by the Cop-
great temple of the Divine Couple in the per Helms. They aren’t very interested in
center of Market Square, to set his creed maintaining order but inspect every ship
apart from the idols and exotic religions of to collect customs fees and arrest smug-
Temples Road. The Jalizarans have never glers – except those who greet them with
loved the priests of the Divine Couple, a purse full of coins.
deeming them too haughty. After the
Shameful Retreat, when the Imperial pha- Port Tower, a massive fortress on the wa-
lanxes left Jalizar to fight the Valk alone, a ter, is the local headquarters of the Copper
surge of anti-Imperial feeling erupted and Helms (see sidebar on page 47).
the Temple of the Divine Couple was one
of the targets. The priests were dragged off Blood Sports. Jalizar doesn’t have a
and kicked out of the city. Their temple proper arena, but gladiators’ combats are

54
 Gazeteer: A Traveler’s Guide to the City of Thieves

nization in Jalizar. It rules Thousand

Hero’s Journal: Chimneys and most of Market Square,
Wars of Attrition but the Jan Tong has power over Brass
Lanterns. The Imperial Quarter, Loom
Despite the impression of a civilized,
Houses and New Docks are contested
cosmopolitan city, Jalizar is torn by
areas.
conflicts that sometimes escalate into
gruesome violence. The causes are as old Fat Beggars vs. Children of Hunger.
as the world: power, riches, and control The division of the Beggars’ Guild in
over territory. 2505 created two factions. The Fat Beg-
gars remained with the Thieves’ Guild
The most heated conflicts in Jalizar
and exert control over Thousand Chim-
today are:
neys and most of Market Square, but
Thieves’ Guild vs. Jan Tong. The the Children of Hunger rule undisputed
Thieves’ Guild, which also controls the over Rats’ Nest, are influential in Loom
Beggars’ and Courtesans’ Guilds, is Houses, and are quickly gaining ground
no longer the greatest criminal orga- in other districts.
Ragamuffin King vs. Merchant
Houses. Let’s be clear: the Merchant
very common. Fights are held in the rich Houses have King Timorias under their
mansions of the nobles in Tallbridges thumb and grant him only enough power
and savage duels take place on the flat to maintain a semblance of order in the
roofs of Thousand Chimneys, where a city. But the King himself is no stranger
single blow can mean falling five stories to scheming and is looking for other allies
to the ground below. But if you want to (thieves, foreign nations, and so on) to
watch a truly gory, spectacular fight, you curb the power of the Merchant Houses.
must go to New Docks and find one of Copper Helms vs. Smugglers. The city
the many warehouses hosting Pit Fights. watch and coastal guard of Jalizar are
Here men, hawks, dogs, and other beasts traditionally neutral in political matters,
fight for the entertainment of spectators and easily bribed to boot. So, the Copper
of every social class. Pit Fights are a very Helms’ Commander really can’t stand
lucrative business, given the amount of unauthorized smugglers who try to duck
gambling surrounding them, and the out of paying the necessary “donations” to
outcome of many fights is fixed by the the guards. If he catches any of them, he
will show no mercy.
Thieves’ Guild.
Alliances. “The enemy of my enemy is
Khav War. Working in the Docks is very my friend”, as the saying goes, and the
tough and many laborers find solace in wars of attrition above have also led to
smoking Khav. Despite its side effects, some alliances or, to be more precise, some
this drug relieves fatigue. For many years, common goals, for example between the
Jan Tong and the Children of Hunger,
Khav trafficking and dealing was a mo-
or the Thieves’ Guild and the Copper
nopoly of the Thieves’ Guild. Then, the Jan Helms. But everyone knows these agree-
Tong entered the market, and their Khav ments aren’t meant to last. The Assas-
was cheaper and better. The Tong opened sins’ Guild is a different matter, since its
smoking dens in Brass Lanterns and, sur- members work for whoever is willing to
prisingly, this didn’t seem to bother the pay, but nobody is fool enough to trust
Thieves’ Guild much. But in recent years them.

55
 The Book of Lore

the Jan Tong has become much more ag- the Manticore is only a legend. Yet they
gressive (see Attrition Wars sidebar), going cannot find a rational explanation for the
so far as to attack the dens of the Thieves’ strange death of Babarion the Smooth,
Guild. The Thieves have responded with former Guild Master of the Fat Beggars.
bloody retaliations and, if the situation isn’t The man was found dead, locked in his
settled soon, a full-blown war might erupt closet, with hundreds of tiny punctures
in this neighborhood. on his skin caused by poisoned needles.
And everybody has heard of the venom-
ous needles on the tail of the Manticore…
Rats’ Nest
Rats’ Nest, located in the southern part Explosions! Rats’ Nest is usually as quiet
of the city, not far from the Shambles, as an ancient corpse. But lately, loud ex-
is by far the most neglected and one of plosions and sudden fires have disrupted
the dirtiest districts in Jalizar. Its history the silent nights with unsettling regularity,
is marred by many tragic events. During about twice a month. According to some,
the Valk siege, its walls were attacked on they are caused by a madman who claims
a daily basis, and the Winter Feast earth- he is carrying out experiments to build a
quake caused great devastation. flying machine!

For these reasons, Rats’ Nest has always

been inhabited by the poorest citizens of
Sewers
Jalizar and not even the thieves find it The Jalizarans use the word Sewers to refer
worth their while to come here. to any city level below ground. And Jalizar
has got at least four levels of Sewers.
Today, Rats’ Nest is controlled by the
Children of Hunger, a group of beggars Starting from the top, the Emellan Sew-
that separated from the Beggars’ Guild ers, directly under ground level, are what
years ago. They are ruled by the enigmat- is left of the city built by Princess Emella.
ic Prophet, a masked man whose past is
completely mysterious but who is gifted Below them are the Rotguts, the ruins
with exceptional charisma. of the wooden city built by the Jalizaran
Kings before Emella.
The access roads to the area are blocked
by barricades, patrolled by the Children of Then there is Old Jalizar, the old city dat-
Hunger, and it is difficult as well as dan- ing back to the times of Jall the Cattle
gerous to get past them if uninvited. Stealer.

The Curse of the Manticore. Some say The last and deepest level includes the
that the Children of Hunger have discov- dungeons of the ancient city and is called
ered one of the oldest secrets of Jalizar: the the Manticore’s Nest, because, as the leg-
Manticore. This ancestral creature was de- end goes, the Manticore took refuge here
feated by Jall the Cattle Stealer and is now after being defeated by Jall.
forced to obey the Prophet.
For today’s Jalizarans, the Sewers are the
Learned men and sages don’t believe these Sewers, no matter how deep. Nobody
wild rumors because, as everyone knows, knows exactly what lurks down there but,

56
 Gazeteer: A Traveler’s Guide to the City of Thieves

whatever it is, it is most definitely danger- marks on the walls can work well, but it is
ous. So, the manholes at ground level are easy to miss them in the dark and blunder
protected by bronze grates and only the into a deadly trap.
Cleaners (see below) have keys to open
them. However, a good lockpick or a The Cleaners. Nobody knows the Sewers
crowbar and a good deal of determination of Jalizar better than the Cleaners. This
are enough to gain access. small but fundamental Guild has a cru-
cial task: they inspect the Sewers, at least
Why would anyone want to do that? The the upper levels, clean the passages, and
answer is simple: the hundreds of man- do what they can to prevent clogging and
holes allow anyone smart and bold enough the subsequent flooding of the city roads.
to reach very interesting places, like the la- As one can imagine, this is extremely dirty
trines of a Merchant House, avoiding all work and most of the Cleaners are for-
security. eigners, usually Cairnlanders who seem to
be very much at ease in the dark, reeking
But entering the Sewers is only the first caverns under the City of Thieves. Even
step. Once inside, the greatest danger is the Cleaners don’t venture below the sec-
getting lost. Very few maps of this under- ond level and always move in groups, al-
ground labyrinth exist. A complete one is though the disappearance of entire parties
rumored to be in the hands of the Assas- of Cleaners is not uncommon.
sins’ Guild, while a partial one is said to
be part of Marzul’s treasure (see below). Sewer Writings. Strange writings in an
Without a map, the old method of leaving obscure language are sometimes found

57
 The Book of Lore

near the manholes. No one would think

The Merchant much of them if they weren’t written in
Houses of Jalizar blood. The Ragamuffin King has or-
dered them to be removed as soon as
The City of Thieves hosts a large number
they are found, so as not to worry the
of Merchant Houses – some big, some
small, each of them connected with the population. But, if you believe the chat-
others through a network of alliances, ter of drunken Cleaners, you’ll know
rivalries, marriages, betrayals, and that many more are found in the upper
so on. It is impossible to describe all of levels of the Sewers, along with burned
them, so this list includes the four main out candles of black wax and sometimes
ones, with information about the colors dead bodies, sacrificed in some unholy
its members and supporters wear, its rite. “Sewers’ Sorcery” the Cleaners
emblem, and main enemies. mutter in these cases, and will say no
more.

Tallbridges
For centuries the area of Tallbridges has
been the district of the nobles and Mer-
chant Houses, two classes which often
overlap. The name derives from the fact
that the nobles don’t like walking in the
filthy streets of Jalizar, so several bridges
have been built over time to connect their
palaces to one another and keep them sep-
House Talum. House Talum is one of arated from the commoners below. Today
the oldest Merchant Houses in Jalizar, there are so many elevated walkways that
dating back to the time of the Widow- a man can move from one end of Tall-
ers. It was founded by Antollos, the bridges to the other without setting foot
Archon of Talum, who, as the story on the ground.
goes, gave up his title to marry Princess
Emella. Today Talum is a powerful Naturally, the guards and mercenary forces
Merchant House, with a large armed
of every Merchant House carefully watch
force, the Talum Falcons. It is ruled by
the oldest male member of the family, their parts of the walkways, so that no
the Lord, and its riches come from the scoundrel or other unwanted person can
trade between Ekul and Jalizar. The gain access to them. However, the patrols
current Lord Talum, Perikles, is a so- can be easily avoided with a grappling
phisticated, pleasant man in his forties. hook, strong muscles, and a good dose of
House Talum pays the bills of Juros, the stealth.
son of the Ragamuffin King, and in
return its customs fees are often greatly Although the Merchant Houses are con-
reduced, a fact which enrages the other stantly at odds with one another, open
Merchant Houses. fights in Tallbridges are rare and the
Colors: Blue and Gray. guards and soldiers of the Houses usu-
Emblem: Falcon. ally fight in the Imperial Quarter or at the
Main Enemies: House Jarikos Docks. But when tension escalates, major

58
 Gazeteer: A Traveler’s Guide to the City of Thieves

conflicts do erupt, which often leads to the

total annihilation of a House.

The Copper Helms patrol the ground level

of Tallbridges, but their jurisdiction stops
there. They have no power on the walk-
ways and in the palaces, which makes this
district very much an independent one.

Pigeons and Crows. While the other

neighborhoods of Jalizar are plagued by
rats, Tallbridges have another pest to
deal with: pigeons. They are known as the
Whelps of Fracassia, since it was the mad House Jarikos. This Merchant House
queen who first brought them to the City is quite young and cannot boast age-old
of Thieves, and are so numerous that their traditions like House Talum. Its founder,
guano covers the rooftops and bridges of One-Handed Jarikos, was a marauder
the district, making them extremely dirty and a pillager. During the Reign of
and slippery. In addition, they spread dis- Twelve Winters, he and his men razed
the coastal villages of the region, bringing
eases, such as the infamous Whiteplume
stolen food back to the City of Thieves and
Cough. Even with a legion of hunters selling it at extortionate prices. Today
dedicated to killing these beasts, their House Jarikos controls imports from
numbers wouldn’t dwindle. Some time Faberterra, which reach Jalizar via the
ago Jarmikos of Askeros, a Sage of the Iron Mountains. When caravans from
Great Library, suggested that Ironbeak House Jarikos and House Talum meet on
Crows should be brought to Jalizar, since the Iron Route, savage fights break out,
these carnivorous birds are natural en- but in the City of Thieves only minor,
emies of pigeons. As is often the case, although bloody, skirmishes periodi-
the idea was far too successful. The Iron- cally occur. The ruler of House Jarikos is
beak Crows, in fact, can kill a pigeon in a seventy-year-old man, Crumbal, who
truly hates Lord Talum for both political
no time, but they do the same with cats,
and personal reasons. Crumbal mar-
other birds, and even humans. They have ried a sixteen-year-old girl, Tamiria, of
multiplied quickly and, even though they whom he is very jealous, but in the last
are not enough to eliminate the pigeons few months there have been rumors of an
completely, they are a danger to the citi- affair between young Tamiria and the
zens. Jarmikos himself was attacked and handsome Lord Talum. House Jarikos
killed by a flock of raging Ironbeaks when doesn’t have a strong military force, but
he tried to approach one of their nests to sponsors the Serpent Guard (see page 49),
study them. The Ironbeak Crows hunt the mercenary company that protects the
and nest in Tallbridges, but their biggest King, which gives it a much-needed edge
nests are in the lofty, deserted buildings of in its competition with House Talum. In
addition, it has strong ties with merce-
Graytowers.
naries of all types.
The Magpie. Despite the tight security, Colors: Brown and orange.
some palaces in Tallbridges have recent- Emblem: Iron gauntlet.
ly been the targets of spectacular thefts. Main Enemies: House Talum.

59
 The Book of Lore

Gems locked in a booby-trapped chest in

the top room of a tall tower, documents
kept in a safe within a secret vault, and
even the platinum wedding rings of Lord
Jarikos and his wife, taken from the very
fingers of the sleeping couple, are only
some examples. The culprit cannot be
found and nobody has ever seen him, but
he has been nicknamed the Magpie due
to his preference for small, shiny objects.
House Blackhorse. House Blackhorse The Thieves’ Guild is quite embarrassed,
dates back to the age of the Council because the Magpie isn’t one of their men
Kings. It is quite big and powerful, and but rather a Whitemouse (see page 67),
in competition with House Talum and
which means that the stolen items cannot
Jarikos. The Blackhorses made their
fortune trading with the Cows, once be bought back through the usual chan-
known as the Zharims. Differently nels. The even stranger thing is that none
from the other Houses, they built several of the pieces have appeared on the black
fortified outposts along the eastern market, which means that they weren’t
route, which then became small villages, stolen to be resold.
thus extending the influence of House
Blackhorse. With the Valk invasions, its
power was greatly diminished and the The Shambles
fortified villages razed and destroyed,
but at the end of the conflict new trading The Shambles is one of the oldest parts
relationships with the Valk of Valkheim of Jalizar and it has remained mostly
were created, and today most of the meat unchanged through the years. The City
and horses entering Jalizar belong to the of Thieves has always imported cattle
Blackhorses. The house is currently ruled from the Cows’ lands. The beasts come in
by two brothers, Tiroman and Valerios. through the Bones Gate, are taken down
Their strong bond was suddenly broken
Horns Lane to Market Square where they
a few months ago when an attempt
on Tiroman’s life was made. Luckily are sold, and then herded to the Shambles,
Tiroman survived but evidence lead- where the slaughterhouses and tanneries
ing to Valerios’ involvement caused the are located.
House to break into two factions that
are now ready to kill each other. Nobody Although the Valk now rule over the
knows if the evidence is authentic or if Cows and fewer beasts arrive in Jalizar,
it was planted by a rival House. What a trip to the Shambles is still not for the
is certain is that the business of House
fainthearted. The streets are filled with the
Blackhorse is suffering, to the great
dismay of its Valk business partners. mooing and baaing of poor beasts that
House Blackhorse employs herd guards somehow know they are doomed to die
and can always count on bands of Valk and the waste water flowing in the gut-
mercenaries stationed along the main ters is always blood red. What’s more, the
trade routes. smell of dung and blood and the fumes
from the tanneries are hard to bear, un-
Color: Red.
Emblem: Black horse’s head. less the sea wind is strong enough to blow
Main Enemies: Inner struggle. them away towards Thousand Chimneys.

60
 Gazeteer: A Traveler’s Guide to the City of Thieves

Jurgo’s Tannery and the Assassins’ Gu-

ild. It might be just a wild rumor, but many
believe that the Assassins’ Guild’s base is House Tankara. House Tankara
located somewhere in the Shambles. In represents an exception to the other
Merchant Houses. First, it is very
particular, Jurgo’s Tannery seems to be the
recent: it dates back to 2468, the year
best place if you want to hire a profession- after the death of Dhaar. Second, it is
al murderer. The tannery has quite a long owned by the Alchemists of Gis, who
history and it is currently managed by Ju- were allowed to build a base in the City
rgo, who is a descendant of the original of Thieves for their services during the
owner by the same name. However, hir- Siege of Jalizar. House Tankara is very
ing an Assassin is by no means easy; you secretive. Its members always wear
cannot simply walk in and state your need. black garments and hoods and their
Since the end of King Shade’s reign and base, an old palace in Tallbridges, is one
the subsequent destruction of their Guild, of the most heavily-guarded places in
the Assassins are much more cautious and the city. The House is ruled by a Lega-
tus, a sort of ambassador of Gis, who
you must be introduced by someone to
also has the role of Royal Food Taster,
have the chance to speak to one of these a ceremonial duty which gives him a
shady professionals. permanent place in the King’s Council.
House Tankara has always remained
The Offal Well. In the middle of the neutral in political matters and it has
Shambles there is a big hole in the ground, only a single type of trade: twice a year,
nine feet wide, which is the largest known it sends a caravan to Ekul to bring back
access to the Sewers. Bloody water and some mysterious alchemical supplies
the entrails of eviscerated animals plum- which are then sent to Gis by ship. No-
met into the ever hungry belly of the City body knows the nature of this trade, but
of Thieves. The Offal Well is blocked by a the cargos are always very well pro-
tected. House Tankara’s security guards,
heavy grate, so rusty and stained that no-
the Veiled Caravaneers, are tough men
body can tell for sure what it’s made of. who know the dangers of the southern
The workers sent here to drop waste do trails very well.
it quickly and with fear. Indeed, if you
stare into the darkness of the Well for too Color: Black.
long, you start hearing voices whispering Emblem: None.
Main Enemies: None known.
secrets you would rather not know. At
night, the place is even scarier, as cloaked
figures crouch by the hole and engage in
long conversations with the voices below.
It’s best not to disturb them if you value in tiny spaces, with up to ten people in
your life. one room. The area is a huge labyrinth, its
buildings piling up with no rational plan
and its balconies and stalls often turned
Thousand Chimneys into temporary shelters. But the truly
The district of Thousand Chimneys is incredible thing is the stench of human-
probably the humblest and most crowded ity that mercilessly clings to everything.
in Jalizar. The vast majority of laborers, The district owes its name to the chim-
washerwomen, artisan apprentices, and neys built to burn the most affordable fuel
assorted commoners live here, crammed available in Jalizar: peat.

61
 The Book of Lore

In the past, cheap braziers were used, but peared, and despite a rich reward offered
this often caused massive fires – and the for any information on his whereabouts,
Jalizarans are mortally afraid of fires! So, he was never caught. He is believed to be
the braziers were replaced by chimneys, hiding in the lower districts, terrified at
which now spout their smoke all over the the idea that someone might recognize
area. him as the sole living man knowing where
Marzul’s Labyrinth is.
Thousand Chimneys also hosts the head-
quarters of the Thieves’ Guild, located in The Chimney Sweepers. The Copper
the Hospice of the Poor, a very old pal- Helms assigned to patrol this district are
ace originally built for the homeless. It is mockingly called the Chimney Sweepers.
a real fortress and access is granted only to They are known to be the most corrupt
those who are invited. Naturally the Guild guards in the city, and on the payroll of
has other bases in Jalizar, since most inns, the Thieves’ Guild. In certain cases, they
brothels, shops – and even individual peo- themselves collect the protection fees due
ple – pay protection money, or belong, to to the Guild and keep their share. The
the Guild. captain of the Tower of Thieves, the Cop-
per Helms’ base in this quarter, is the in-
Labyrinth of Lies. Marzul was the Mas- famous Rogarius the Fat, a man of great
ter of the Thieves’ Guild thirty years ago. appetites, in all senses, and a good friend
He was well-known for his dishonesty, as of the Thieves’ Guild. A couple of months
well as for his suspiciousness, a fundamen- ago a new lieutenant, Melikan Than, son
tal trait if you rule over a group of cut- of a nobleman from Tallbridges, was as-
throats. signed to his garrison. Melikan doesn’t
seem to understand how things are run
By stealing from the Guild’s coffers, Mar- around here: he has put an end to the col-
zul gathered an enormous treasure. He or- lection of protection money and has even
dered Torkimas, the most brilliant archi- arrested some honest thieves doing their
tect in Jalizar, to build a secret place where job. The man seems determined to start a
to hide his riches. Torkimas did his best pointless fight against crime, embarrass-
and created a maze full of traps so devious ing his commander. Rogarius hasn’t yet
that it is called the Labyrinth of Lies. decided how to deal with this problem
but, before acting, he needs to find out if
Yet, sometime later the dishonesty of Melikan is working alone or if he has the
the Guild Master was discovered by the support of powerful friends.
Guild’s Elders and he was deprived of his
title at once. He was imprisoned and tor-
tured, but died during the process with-
out revealing the location of his labyrinth.
Witnesses say he died with a smile on his
face, happy to have fooled his peers.

In the following years the Thieves’ Guild

literally tore the whole city apart looking
for the Guild Master’s treasure, but it was
nowhere to be found. Torkimas also disap-

62
Gazeteer: A Traveler’s Guide to the City of Thieves

63
 Making Jalizarians

Making Jalizarians
Jalizar offers a great array of possible char- and deadliest Guilds of the Dominions.
acters. To help the players create a hero But even the Assassins must be cautious
from the City of Thieves, several ideas are after the events dating back to the time of
listed below. In addition, certain concepts King Shade, which almost caused the total
already present in the Golden Edition are annihilation of the Guild. Very few inde-
explored again to better fit the setting. pendent Assassins exist, given the harsh
punishments the Guild deals to competi-
As usual, tweaking and mixing them is tors, but they are the cream of the crop.
highly recommended.
Barbarian. This hero was born in the wild
Assassin. Being a professional murderer lands, in cold Northeim, in the dangerous
is dangerous as well as a potential source Savannah, or any other uncivilized place.
of great wealth in Jalizar. The City of Why would such a man come to the City
Thieves sports one of the best organized of Thieves? Soft skinned girls, decent food,
and riches in the hands of weak merchants
who have never wielded a sword are cer-
tainly the main reasons.

Beggar. She is poor, probably misshapen

and surely dirty, but the streets are hers!
She knows every back alley, temple, and
deserted building where she can find food
and shelter for free. And she is a mistress
of the delicate art of begging: she knows
how to make a haughty merchant open
his purse or how to move a noblewoman
to pity. And, under her rough appearance,
not all her scars are actually authentic…

Cat Burglar. Jalizar, City of Rooftops,

loves its dauntless children! A cat burglar
specializes in spectacular break-ins: chases
on rooftops and walking on tightropes are
her bread and butter. She enjoys this dan-
gerous life more for the thrill than for the
enormous loot she can get her hands on.

64
 Gazeteer: A Traveler’s Guide to the City of Thieves

City Watch. Jalizar teems with thieves, more entertainers. Some of them are little
scoundrels, and other criminals. The Cop- more than beggars, singing rowdy ballads
per Helms, the city watch, solve crimes in the brothels of Thousand Chimneys,
and protect the citizens – in theory at while others are pampered poets compos-
least. Most of them are practical men who ing delicate rhymes for the daughters of
know that getting home safe and sound in Merchant Lords. Many of them have a
the evening requires being reasonable and soft spot for adventure, too.
often turning a blind eye.
Jan Tong. The people of Brass Lanterns
Courtesan. The courtesans of Jalizar are are the family of the Jan Tong. Appar-
the prettiest and most ill-reputed in the ently, these tattooed thugs act exactly
Dominions. Dancers, poetesses, or mis- like the other criminals of this rotten city,
tresses of the erotic arts, they can but they consider themselves superior
make you spend all your money, if to them. Many are skilled martial art-
you are lucky. Yet, many are also ists and follow the mysterious Way of
thieves and assassins, in which Enlightenment. Family and clan are
case you could be found dead their strength, and the Elders their
and naked in a dirty alley. masters. They keep the district safe
and make businesses prosper,
Duelist. The law isn’t fair in though not even they know
the Dread Sea Domin- why the Jademen have come
ions. And it is even more here, so far from the moun-
unjust in the City of tains of Lhoban. Anyway,
Thieves, unless you they greatly enjoy the plea-
are a rich mer- sures, the riches, and the
chant or an in- girls of Jalizar.
fluential Guild
member. But any Lotusmaster. Those who
man drawing a have mastered the secrets
weapon in answer of the Lotus are always wel-
to some provoca- come in Jalizar. Rich mer-
tion does so at his chants employ them to be
own risk, and the only protected from poisoning
verdict that matters attempts, while thieves
is given by the iron of and other criminals al-
his – or his opponent’s ways need special concoc-
– blade. Fighters for tions to help them in their
hire, such as the famous work. In addition, the area
Redshoulders, offer their around Jalizar is full of strange
services in perfectly legal du- varieties of Lotus, provided that
els. you are bold – or mad – enough
to go to the Charred Bogs or
Entertainer. Poets, mimes, actors, infiltrate the Sewers.
and beast trainers are widely pres-
ent in Jalizar. Indeed, the City Mercenary. A blade for hire can
of Thieves always needs a few always find work in Jalizar. Mer-

65
 Making Jalizarians

chant Houses, Guilds, and private citizens with the Thieves’ Guild (unless he is a
alike often seek a strong man to deal with Whitemouse, see below), but his skills and
the dangers of the City of Thieves. Not all field of expertise vary a lot. Burglars and
mercenaries are equally skilled but they al- pickpockets are the most common types,
ways know when to desert their old mas- but some of these individuals specialize in
ter for a new one. other areas such as kidnappings and Khav
dealing.
Priest. The Flower of the North is full of
possibilities for a man of the cloth, if he Thug. A thug is above all a survivor, a
accepts the fact that here religion is no rough fellow who lives in the City of
different from any other business. Good Thieves respecting its laws. No task is
acting and marketing skills are the fore- too lowly for him and the only thing that
most requirements for a priest in the City counts is loyalty towards his gang, the only
of Thieves. It doesn’t matter if his god is family he has ever known.
just or treacherous, good or evil, true or
false, as long as he is colorful enough to at- Sewer Sorcerer. Some warlocks and
tract crowds of people – and their money. witches are so power-hungry that they
dare venture into the Sewers of Jalizar.
Rat Catcher. Rats, The few who come back
pigeons and even are forever tainted by
nastier critters live the Powers Below. They
in the gaps in the can be charming maid-
walls, and lurk ens, but the whiff of
in the manholes the Sewers never leaves
of the sewers. them and no perfume or
Haughty lords Lotus can hide it. Sewer
and ladies call rat sorcerers are power-
catchers “mous- ful and feared, but their
ers” or use other skills always come at a
derogatory terms, price: they will eventu-
but when vermin ally be dragged into the
infest their manors darkness below.
and towers, you are
the person they call. Smuggler. This shady
And yes, you have seen individual has learned a
white alligators in the hundred ways to smuggle
Sewers. something, or someone,
into or out of the City of
Thief. Thief is too ge- Thieves. He knows every
neric a term in Jalizar, bribable Copper Helm in
given the number of the area by name, as well
crooks dwelling in as his weaknesses. Some
the Rotten Flower are excellent sailors too,
of the North. and can sail blind on a
He is probably moonless night if the
connected recompense is worth it.

66
 Gazeteer: A Traveler’s Guide to the City of Thieves

Hero’s Journal: Thieves’ Signs

The thieves of Jalizar have developed a particular form of communication, called
Thieves’ Code or Thieves’ Signs, to deliver messages in an inconspicuous manner.
The language exists in two different forms: gestural and written.
The gestural form of the language includes handshakes and touching the body. The
idea is that, even in total darkness, a thief can touch a friend and communicate
without speaking a word. In the same manner, two old friends shaking hands in a
crowded tavern can chat a bit. Note that the language is very basic and something
like “The guards are coming” is the most complex message that can be conveyed.
The written form of the language mainly includes inconspicuous looking graffiti
found on walls. They are left as notes
and deliver meanings like: “House
with guard dog”, “Tricky lock”,
“Generous landlady”, and so on.
To get a general idea of the limits of
the Thieves’ Code, compare it to real-
world street signs.
Playing characters can learn the
Thieves’ Code just like any other
language, in both the gestural and
written form. Since it isn’t a fully-
fledged language, even illiterate
characters know the written form.
A character must have Streetwise
d8+, the Thief or Lowlife Edges,
or be born in Jalizar to learn the
Thieves’ Signs.

Swindler. A charming voice and proper you do your business but, if you decide not
manners are the trademarks of the swin- to accept it, you become a Whitemouse,
dler. He is just another criminal in the a freelance thief, with no other boss but
City of Thieves, but he prefers shrewdness yourself. Be careful! The Guild is watch-
and treachery to sword and dagger. Have ing you, and will do anything to force you
you bought a gem from him? You’d better back into its ranks.Character Creation
check at once it isn’t a fake!
Creation of a Jalizaran character follows
Whitemouse. “In a world of gray and the rules of Beasts and Barbarians Golden
black rats, the white mouse has a hard Edition. In addition, this chapter intro-
life” the saying goes. Gray and black rats duces some new Edges and Hindrances
are thieves and bandits affiliated to the which, despite being typical of people
Thieves’ Guild or the Jan Tong. The Guild from Jalizar, can also be taken by charac-
asks for a good share of your earnings to let ters not born in the Flower of the North.

67
 Making Jalizarians

Skills venture by someone who robs his loot and

leaves his pride and head deeply bruised
(usually the pretty she-thief who helped
No new skill is used in Jalizar, City of him steal the treasure or the treacherous
Thieves, but some of them are used for courtesan who offers him drugged wine).
new tasks, as explained in the Life as a Alternatively, the gold turns out to be
Thief chapter (see page 94). cursed and crumbles into dust.

The character is one of these unlucky (and

careless) people. At the end of each adventure,
New Hindrances the player must draw a card from the Action
Deck. If the seed of the card is not Hearts,
her character has been cheated and robbed,
Important Note: Mutilations and loses any treasure or rewards earned in
As you keep reading, you’ll find some the current scenario. The character’s previous
specific rules referring to Mutilations. A Savings are untouched and the equipment
mutilation, in gaming terms, corresponds can be replenished for free as normal.
to one of the following Hindrances: Blind,
Lame, One Arm, One Eye, One Leg, The player should narrate to the group and the
Small (with a trapping like hunchback or GM how the cheating happened and, if the
dwarf ), and Ugly. story is entertaining, she should be given an ad-
ditional Bennie at the start of the next session.
Sharp-Tongued (Minor) Experience makes the hero more careful,
Certain people are born to provoke. You are so this Hindrance can slowly be removed:
sarcastic, sharp-tongued and, even in com- any time the hero gets an advance, he is al-
bat, you waste time babbling something lowed a Smarts (-4) roll. In case of success,
clever about your opponent’s personal hy- he adds another card suit of his choice
giene or his mother’s profession. A Sharp- (Clubs, Diamonds or Spades) to the list of
Tongued hero must spend his first action in the ones that don’t cause him to be fooled.
any combat on a Taunt Test of Will. He can Jokers have no suit, so drawing one always
perform other actions in the round, with the means the hero is robbed.
normal multi-action penalty. He can also
avoid this restriction by spending a Bennie.
Gullible (Minor)
In addition, his somewhat unnerving at- Certain people are just born to believe any-
titude conditions his social abilities: he thing they hear. The hero is one of them.
cannot raise his Persuasion skill over d8. This hindrance might seem suitable only for
slow-witted barbarians, but it is not so. Gull-
As minor compensation, a Sharp-Tongued ible people actually want to believe, so sages
hero gains +1 to Taunt rolls. and learned people can be Gullible, too.

No matter how weird a story sounds, the

Cheated and Robbed (Major) character is willing to swallow it. He be-
A staple of Swords and Sorcery sees the lieves in faeries, monsters and even in the
hero being fooled at the end of the ad- prayers sailors say against venereal diseases.

68
 New Hindrances

Hero’s Journal:
Guild Structure
All the Guilds in Jalizar have roughly the same structure, outlined below. Each rank
pays fees to the higher ranks, making the Guild Master and the Guild Elders richer
and richer, while the lower ranks constantly struggle to climb the organization’s ladder.
Characters belonging to a profession supported by a Guild (thieves, beggars, weav-
ers, and so on) are considered Guild Members by default (see below).
Guild Master. The Guild Master is the ruler of the Guild. In certain Guilds, like
the Weavers’ Guild, he is elected; in the shadier Thieves’ Guild, instead, the creation
of a new Master usually involves a sharp knife in the old Master’s back. Being a
Guild Master keeps a hero away from adventures, so it is usually an NPC-only
position. In terms of rules, it is the same as having the Noble Edge.
Guild Elders. The Elders are the higher echelons of the Guild and go by names like
Master Thieves, Loom Lords, and so on. A character wishing to be a Guild Elder
should take the Connections or Rich Edge (or both), as they both suit his position.
Guild Members. These individuals belong to the lower ranks of a Guild. A Guild
member must pay the Guild’s Pinkie (a tenth of his income, Savings included) to
an Elder in exchange for formal protection. If he does, everything runs as normal,
otherwise he becomes an Outlaw (see below).
Guild Affiliates. These are the apprentices and lowest ranks of the Guild. They
have all the duties of Guild Members but no rights. You can be an Affiliate if you
take the Poor Edge. It can be removed, once you achieve Seasoned rank, by spending
an advance, or through promotion in the field by an Elder (GM’s decision).
Guild Outlaws. You aren’t paying the Guild fee and you are playing in its play-
ground. You should take the Enemy Hindrance.

Joining a Guild and

Guild Advancements
Heroes usually start the game at Seasoned Rank, which means they joined their
respective Guilds in the past. Yet, nothing prevents characters, especially if they are
foreigners coming to the City of Thieves, from trying to join a Guild later, i.e. during
the game. Usually, a formal request must be made and the candidate must be spon-
sored by someone who is already a member of the Guild (Guild Member or Elder).
At this point, a membership fee is requested and/or a specific task is assigned to test
the candidate’s motivation.
More difficult tasks are assigned to those seeking a promotion within the Guild.
While these tasks are usually quite dull in the case of the New Guilds (for example,
producing certain goods, or something similar), the “adventuring” Guilds, like the
Thieves, Beggars, and Assassins, set harder missions, called Guild Missions, which
can lead to interesting adventures.
The Game Master’s section of this book offers some hints on how to create Guild Missions.

69
 Making Jalizarians

Examples of Guilds
Here follows a brief list of the major Guilds of Jalizar, but many others can be
devised (GM’s discretion), especially if the characters belong to a specific profes-
sions (such as leatherworkers or cobblers). Minor Guilds are often controlled by (or
subject to) a Major one.

Guild Notes
Thieves’ Guild Controls Beggars and Courtesans Guilds.
Beggars’ Guild The “Fat Beggars”. Subordinate to the Thieves’ Guild.
Courtesans’ Guild Subordinate to the Thieves’ Guild.
Assassins’ Guild Very secretive.
Dissident beggars. More like a sect than to a real
Children of Hunger
Guild.
New Guild. Infamous for their slave-based work-
Weavers’ Guild
shops.
Potters Guild New Guild. Also manufacturers of mosaics.
Goldsmiths Guild New Guild. They are also moneylenders (and usurers).

This character has great comic value but suffers Removing this Hindrance is possible through
-2 to resisting Smarts-based Tricks, opposed a personal quest to find Enlightenment again.
Persuasion rolls, and in Social Conflicts. In this case, the Hindrance should be replaced
with another suitable one.
Lost on the Way
(Minor or Major)
You must have the Enlightenment Arcane
New Edges
Background to take this Hindrance. Your
deeds or your lifestyle have made you stray
from the Path of Enlightenment to be- Background Edges
come, for instance, a Jan Tong thug.
Beggar’s Gift
In the minor version of the Hindrance, your
Enlightenment skill cannot start above d8 and Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, must
you cannot raise it further, even with advances. have a Mutilation (see below).

The major version is even harsher: it works It is sadly common among the Jalizaran fa-
exactly like the minor one, but you can’t take thers of the poorest classes to inflict a muti-
any New Power or Power Points Edges. lation of some sort on their children, because

70
 New Edges

this will stir pity and make their lives easier You have lived most of your life in the
when they start begging in the streets. lower parts of the city, fighting over scraps
of food with rats and even more disgust-
Your character is one of these unfortunate ing creatures. Once or twice, you have also
souls, so he must have one or more Muti- had to drink Sewers water. Your guts hurt
lation Hindrances. They can all be consid- a bit and you vomited green stuff, but you
ered Minor Hindrances for character cre- are still alive and kicking.
ation purposes, even when they are Major.
You receive +1 to Toughness and +2 to
A maimed body sharpens one’s wits, so both Vigor rolls to resist illnesses and
the character receives an additional Ben- Survival rolls in the urban environment.
nie for each Mutilation he has, even when Your body is strong but has suffered too
he is an Extra. much deprivation, so you cannot take the
Brawny Edge.
In addition, having lived with these limi-
tations all his life, he is used to them, so
at any time the hero can spend a Bennie
to ignore the penalties caused by all his
Combat Edges
Mutilation Hindrances during the current
round. Beat Back
Requirements: Novice, Strength d6+,
As he is often underestimated by others,
Fighting d8+
a hero with the Beggar’s Gift also receives
+1 to Tricks and to Agility rolls to inter-
rupt opponents. Ask old swordsmen: fighting is half deal-
ing precise blows and half forcing your
opponents to retreat where you want, to
Night Eyes hinder their movements and then quickly
Requirements: Novice, Notice d8+ dispatch them.

Legends say that, by wetting one’s eye- A character with this Edge, who hits an
lids with Sewers water and whispering enemy in melee with a raise can choose
an incantation as old as the City itself, to renounce the additional damage to
the thieves of Jalizar can see in darkness push the enemy 1” away in direction of
like cats. This is clearly a legend, but it is his choice. The attacker, if he wants, can
true that through long training this char- “follow up” occupying his enemy’s previ-
acter has learned how to use smell, hear- ous position. The attacker must push the
ing, touch, and even taste to cope with opponent into an empty space; if this isn’t
darkness. The character reduces by 1 any possible, the defender is automatically
modifier for poor lighting, including those Shaken. If the defender is moved into
caused by blindness, as long as he can free- Difficult Terrain he must make an Agility
ly hear, touch, and smell the environment. roll to avoid falling down and going Prone
(see Savage Worlds core rules).

Street Rat If you aren’t using minis and a battlemat,

Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, Vigor d6+ the GM judges if there is space for the

71
 Making Jalizarians

defender to retreat or if he is pushed into In addition, the cloak works as special Light
Difficult Terrain. Armor (+1), which doesn’t prevent the use of
the Loincloth Hero/Bikini Heroine Edge.
A defender who is beaten back doesn’t
trigger a free attack from the attacker
when he is moved away, but all the other
Harass
rules for leaving a melee apply (i.e. other Requirements: Seasoned, Fighting d6+,
fighters participating in the fight can Intimidate d6+, Smarts d6+, Taunt d6+
make a free attack on him).
This character is very good at threatening and
distracting opponents, so his friends can dis-
Cloak Hero/Heroine patch them with greater ease. His support in
Requirements: Novice, Agility d8+, a fight grants a +2 Gang Up bonus instead
Fighting d6+, Stealth d6+ of +1. This requires excellent coordination,
which has an additional benefit: if the hero
What is a cloak-and-dagger scoundrel with- starts the round within 1” of an ally, he can
out her cape? This Edge allows the heroine decide to discard his own Action Card and
to use any cape, mantle, or cloak in combat to act on the Action Card of the ally,
to deflect blows and hinder enemies. but this can be done only if the ally
draws a 7 or a lower. The choice
As long as the heroine is unencumbered, must be made when the ally shows
she can use a cloak as a small shield his card. The hero always acts
(gaining +1 Parry). In addition, after the ally.
whenever she does a Trick us-
ing a cloak, the player can place
a Small Burst Template on the
Nimble Strike
battlefield with one edge in Requirements:
contact with the heroine. The Seasoned, Agil-
Trick affects any character ity d8+, Fighting
caught by the Template. d8+, Vigor d6+

This Edge is fa-

Cloak Master/ vored by light, fast
Mistress rogues who know
how to best put
Requirements: Heroic, Cloak their great nimble-
Hero/Heroine, Charisma 1+, ness to use. When
Persuasion d8+ picking this Edge,
the character choos-
The heroine can use her cape in es a single melee
such a flamboyant way that enemies weapon for which
are literally dazed by her coolness. he meets the Strength
Every time she initiates a Trick in- requirements. As long
volving her cloak, she can add half as he is unencum-
her Charisma (rounded up) to the roll. bered, he deals dam-
age with that weapon

72
 New Edges

using Agility instead of Strength to calculate Power Edges

damage. Note that the chosen weapon must
be a specific one (like “Dingus’ favorite dag- Flycatcher
ger” or “my black staff ”), not simply a class of
weapons. The character can decide to change Requirements: Seasoned, Enlightenment
the weapon with which he has the Nimble d8+, Fighting d8+, Notice d8+
Strike, but at least two weeks are needed
to learn to use the new weapon before the One of the tasks master monks assign to
Edge applies. their disciples consists in patiently catch-
ing flies with bamboo chopsticks. It might
This Edge can be taken more than once, seem pointless, but constant practice grants
choosing a different weapon every time. the Enlightened One perfect eye-arm-
brain coordination, which can be used in
combat to deflect incoming projectiles.
Example: Dingus of Jalizar has Strength d6,
Agility d10 and the Nimble Strike (trusty Any time a non-Shaken character with
short sword) Edge. Normally, with his fa- this Edge is hit by a physical projectile
vorite blade he would deal Str+d6 (2d6) (so it applies to a sling bullet but not to
damage but, thanks to this Edge, he deals a magic bolt), he can make a Fighting roll
Agi+d6 (d10+d6), as long as he is unencum- opposed by the incoming attack roll. If
bered. Dingus also owns a fine iron battle axe he is successful, he deflects the projectile
(Str+d8) but, as his Strength is lower than with his weapon or bare hand. If he scores
the minimum requirement, he cannot take a raise, he can spend a Power Point to turn
the Nimble Strike Edge for that weapon. the projectile against his attacker, who
suffers the standard damage. This Edge
requires the character to actually see the
Rain of Steel projectile and can be used multiple times
Requirements: Seasoned, Quick Draw, each round, with a cumulative -2 penalty
Throwing d8+ to the Fighting roll for each consecutive
use in the same round.
Sometimes quantity is better than qual-
ity. The character has learned how to hold Incense Tradition
more than one blade between his fingers Requirements: Veteran, Lotusmastery
and can throw them all with a single move d8+, Knowledge (Arcana) d8+, Smarts d8+
of the wrist. He can throw up to 3 daggers,
throwing daggers, or Manticore’s Stings A Jalizaran Lotusmaster stole an ancient
(they must all be of the same type) in a book from the city of Gis which described
single action, suffering -2 to all the attack the secrets of using the smoke of a burning
rolls. The weapons can be used against dif- Lotus. This archaic knowledge, merged with
ferent targets. the mastery of burning other herbs import-
ed by the Jademen, has led to a particular
Given that his grip on the weapons isn’t branch of Lotusmastery, called the Incense
very strong when he uses this Edge, for Tradition. This consists of burning special
damage purposes the Strength of the types of Lotus and trapping the smoke in
thrower is considered at maximum d8. crystal or glass orbs previously treated with

73
 Making Jalizarians

particular rituals. The smoke inside the orbs pocket and is ready for a dangerous expe-
is magical and can be released at will by the dition to the Thieves’ Guild palace…
wielder on his chosen target.

In game terms, to use this Edge a Lotus-

Sewer Sorcerer
master must have an empty Incense Orb Requirements: Novice, Spirit d8+, must
(see Gear chapter). Then, he makes a Lo- have accepted the Sewers Pact (see page 78)
tusmastery (-2) roll and pays a number
of Power Points equal to twice the base The character has made a deal with the
cost of the Lotus concoction he wants powers sleeping deep below the Flower
to imbue the Orb with, plus one for each of the North, has listened carefully to the
“charge” he wants to put in. The whole voices whispering from the dark man-
process requires a full day of work. holes, and has learned forbidden secrets.

If the roll is successful, the Orb will have He receives an additional Sewers Bennie
the chosen number of charges of the se- (see page 78) at the start of each session.
lected Power. If he scores a raise, two ad- Moreover, when he receives a Bennie, in-
ditional free charges are put into the Orb. cluding the new ones at the start of each
With a failure, the process fails but the session, he can decide to pick a Sewers
Orb can be reused; with a critical failure, Bennie instead of a normal one.
the Orb is destroyed.
Sewers Bennies also grant him an ad-
Any character touching the Orb can un- ditional power: each can be traded for 5
leash the Power stored inside it (using Power Points. Note that the Power Points
the maker’s Lotusmastery skill), spending received in this way must be used in the
a charge. All the Powers have a range of same round or they are lost.
6/12/24 and basic duration.
Note: This Edge is useless outside Jalizar,
The Lotusmaster doesn’t recover any of so if the hero leaves the City of Thieves for
the Power Points spent on the Orb until good, he should be allowed to use the Ad-
all the charges are used or the Orb is bro- vancement Substitution rule (see page 102).
ken. A Lotusmaster can carry a single ac-
tive Orb at any time.
Professional Edges
Example: Kurasta, a wicked Lotusmaster,
decides to imbue an Orb with the poison Cat Burglar
power. It costs him 4 Power Points plus
6 for the six charges he wants in it, for a Requirements: Novice, Agility d8+, Spir-
total of 10 Power Points. He rolls 11-2=9 it d6+, Pace 6”+, cannot be Yellow
on the Lotusmastery roll, scoring a raise
and adding two free charges to the item! This hero is not afraid of heights. He
After a day’s work, his Orb, full of green- jumps over chasms with reckless abandon
ish fumes, is ready. By touching it, Kurasta and climbs walls like a cat. In addition, he
can invoke a tendril of smoke delivering is perfectly at ease when walking the Road
the poison power at range 6/12/24 eight Above, as thieves call the dangerous path
times! He slips the precious object into his made of towers, chimneys, and rooftops.

74
 New Edges

A Cat Burglar adds +2 to any Climbing The Jan Tong members tattoo their bod-
and Strength roll to determine jumping ies with images of exotic beasts from their
distance, and generally to any roll made far land. These marks are far more than
walking or running along the Road Above. simple physical embellishments; they de-
note great skill. When taking this Edge,
Also, whenever he might fall, the player the character must describe his tattoo and
can invent a providential prop (like a flag then specify a focus on one of these Traits:
pole, a rock or anything similar) and make Agility, Fighting (limited to unarmed at-
an Agility roll to avoid all damage. In nar- tacks and Monk weapons), Intimidation,
rative terms, he clings to the prop and will or Stealth. If the character is an Extra, he
regain solid ground at the beginning of gains a Wild Die on the selected skill. If
the next round. Even when failing the roll he is a Wild Card, his Wild Die is raised
he ignores Bump and Bruises and suffers by one step (usually from d6 to d8).
only half the damage from falls.
Every two Ranks above Novice the char-
acter selects an additional Trait to focus
Falconer on. So, a Veteran character has two Trait
Requirements: Seasoned, Beast Master, focus and a Legendary hero three.
Smarts d8, Survival d6+

People from Jalizar are very fond of birds

Poet
and falconry is an advanced art among Requirements: Novice, Knowledge (Leg-
them. A falconer knows how to train, look ends and Lore) d6+, Smarts d6+, Spirit d6+
after, and use birds of any type. To be a
falconer the character must have a bird Jalizar is beloved by poets and attracts
companion, not necessarily a falcon (as many of them. Some are cowards who
per the Beast Master Edge). The bird be- faint at the mere sight of blood, while
comes a Henchman, its Vigor and Smarts others are men of the sword as well as
increased by one die step each. of letters. A Poet can use the Knowledge
(Legends and Lore) skill instead of Taunt
The creature is so well trained it obeys or- or Persuasion.
ders as a dog would. If the understanding of
an order is doubtful, the GM can ask both This is limited to cases in which po-
the falconer and his beast for a Smarts roll; etry can be used effectively: composing a
if both succeed, the order is understood. mocking rhyme to taunt an opponent (re-
placing Taunt) or winning the heart of a
The falconer has a special bond with his lady with a sonnet (replacing Persuasion)
beast: the falcon grants his master +2 Gang are reasonable, while using poetry when
Up bonus instead of +1 and gives him +1 to signing a trade agreement isn’t. The GM
any Trick roll if he is within 6” of his trainer. has the last word on the appropriateness
of the skill substitution.
Jan Tong Tattoo Poets are always looking for new stories and
Requirements: Novice, Agility d6+, Spirit legends. Whenever the GM starts an Inter-
d6+, Streetwise d6+, must be a member of lude, the Poet receives a free Bennie (two
the Jan Tong Bennies if he is the subject of the Interlude).

75
 Making Jalizarians

Shadow Monk Beggar Boys. The hero has befriended a

Requirements: Novice, Enlightenment band of beggar boys. These little scoun-
d8+, Notice d6+, Persuasion d6+, Spirit drels can be very useful in the City of the
d8+, Stealth d6+ Graytowers. They are inconspicuous and
people tend not to notice them. They aren’t
The Shadow Monks are a group of En- fighters or experts at anything but can
lightened Ones with a particularly dan- keep their ears open (Streetwise d10) or
gerous task. They must investigate and shadow any target (Stealth d10). As they
fight any demonic presence in the City of are a group, they get a Wild Die in these
Thieves, but they must do it quietly so that specific situations. They are quite easy to
the hidden powers of the Sewers won’t stir locate (+2 to Streetwise roll to finding
and become enraged. them and to persuading them to act).

A Shadow Monk receives the detect/con- City Watch. The hero knows a fairly prom-
ceal arcana Power for free and can use it at inent Copper Helm, which grants him
will, without spending any Power Points some protection from the law and ensures
but with the following limitations: detect
(by successfully contacting the Connec-
works only on detecting demonic pres-
tion) that his minor crimes (thefts and
ence and magic. Conceal is considered al-
similar) are ignored by the city watch. In
ways active (but doesn’t cause any penalty)
addition, the Copper Helm is well in-
even when the character is sleeping or
formed about the criminal underworld
unconscious and protects the monk from
any attempt at detecting his Enlightened (Streetwise d8, Wild Die). However, he
powers. will never provide manpower of any kind,
since that would expose him too much!
Also, a Shadow Monk excels at mov-
ing undetected, focusing his inner power Sewer Fiend. For some reason, the hero
to misdirect the attention of others. By has attracted the attention of a terrible
spending 1 Power Point he can decide to monster, the Sewer Fiend (see Creatures
roll on his Enlightenment skill any time of Jalizar). The creature is somehow at-
he would normally roll on Stealth. tracted to the hero and won’t do anything
to harm him, unless provoked. A Sewer
Fiend can be found by calling it with a
Social Edges Spirit or Sorcery roll (player’s choice), in-
stead of a Streetwise roll, when within one
Connections (Jalizar) mile of the Sewers. The Sewer Fiend is a
Wild Card and will do anything the hero
Requirements: Novice wants (no Persuasion roll required), but
always asks for something in exchange.
Connections are crucial for campaign tak- It doesn’t want trinkets or money, but ex-
ing place in Jalizar, so the Connections pects the hero to perform some evil deed
Edge is slightly tweaked with typical Jal- as dangerous as the one asked of it. If a
izaran contacts. The players and the GM Sewer Fiend isn’t paid, it will stop answer-
are encouraged to add other personalized ing the hero’s calls or might even become
Connections to the following ones. an Enemy (GM’s choice).

76
 New Edges

Smuggler. The hero knows a smuggler, a given his experience, he can improvise one
shady man involved in some highly lucra- by using very basic tools and altering his
tive import-export business. A hero can facial expressions. He can ignore the no
turn to his smuggler friend to locate a equipment penalty while working on a
Rare Item, a suitable means of transporta- disguise, as long as he isn’t trying to imi-
tion (horses, carts, and boats are the most tate a specific individual.
common), or an expert in some field (a pi-
lot, a forger, a safecracker, and so on). The
smuggler does not provide mercenaries or
killers for hire. Experts and vehicles can
Weird Edges
be borrowed for free, if they are sent back
intact, while an item must be bought as Still Got One
normal.
Requirements: Seasoned, Smarts d6+,
Stealth d6+, Repair d6+
Everyone’s Friend. The character has a vast
network of connections of various dif-
ferent types. They aren’t very close Con- The heroine has done her best to conceal
nections and he doesn’t need to choose a on her body a number of home-made
specific connection group (like criminals, throwing blades, disguised in clever ways.
soldiers, merchants, and so on) when tak- They might look like hairpins, parts of her
ing this Edge but, every time he uses it, he armor, or whatever she wants. These blades
can call a different person. However, the have the stats of a Manticore’s Sting (see
connection is quite loose, so the Persua- page 87) and their number isn’t fixed: un-
sion roll to call for help suffers -2. less the character rolls 1 on the Throwing
die, regardless of the Wild Die, she still
This Edge is useless outside Jalizar. So, has another blade concealed somewhere.
if the hero leaves the City of Thieves for When a 1 is rolled, the character has run
good, he should be allowed to use the out of blades and cannot use this Edge
Advancement Substitution rule (see page again till the end of the combat, provided
102). that she can then retrieve her weapons.
Otherwise, she cannot use the Edge be-
fore she has a chance to restock.
Master of Disguise
Requirements: Novice, Notice d6+, This Edge has another use. Once per ses-
Smarts d6+, Persuasion d6+ sion, the character can state she has a nor-
mal dagger or a lock pick concealed on her
“Life is like a stage” is the motto of this body even though she was captured and
hero. A professional actor and imper- searched before. This declaration cancels
sonator, he learned his tricks pretending any other use of this Edge for the remain-
to be a mutilated beggar in the streets, der of the session.
or actually performing in front of kings
and queens. Whatever his origin, even This Edge also works on bare-chested he-
his mother cannot recognize him when roes and bikini heroines, even though it is
he is properly disguised. He receives +2 not quite clear where they can conceal a
to Smarts and Persuasion rolls in prepar- weapon while wearing such a scanty out-
ing and using a disguise (see page 95) and, fit…

77
 Magic

Magic
As in the rest of the Dread Sea Dominions, Accepting means making a deal with the
magic is common in Jalizar (including sor- evil forces, which is called the Sewers Pact.
cery, Lotusmastery, Enlightenment, and so If the sorcerer agrees to it, he immediately
on). Yet, various forms of customization are gains a special Bennie, called the Sewers
possible, as explained in this chapter. Bennie (use a different type of gaming
stone to distinguish it from the others).
The Sewers Bennie can be used to reroll
critical failures, or stored for future use. It
Sorcery works normally but can be used only on
magic related rolls (Sorcery rolls, damage
rolls for Powers, and so on).
Sewers Pact
The Sewers Bennie is a permanent addi-
Every sorcerer worthy of his name not tion, and the sorcerer receives a new one
only knows but actually feels that the heart at the beginning of every session, like the
of a great power is beating deep within the Luck Edge.
Flower of the North. And this unknown
entity is always trying to seduce sorcerers. But power always comes at a price. The
warlock will no longer use the normal
The first time a sorcerer rolls a critical failure Sorcery Critical Failures Table but the
on a Sorcery roll while in Sewers Critical Failures Table (see below),
Jalizar, ignore the nor- which is much more dangerous.
mal rules. Instead
he is contacted The unknown entities lurking in the Sew-
by the Sew- ers are very patient. If a sorcerer doesn’t
er Powers, accept the deal the first time, they will
which offer try again the next time he rolls a critical
him help. failure. They know that men are weak and
sooner or later they’ll accept…

The Sewers Pact applies only

while the character is in Jalizar or
its immediate surroundings.

Sealing a Sewers Pact is the first

step to becoming a Sewer Sorcerer
(see page 74).
78
 Sorcery

Sewers Sorcery Critical

Failures Table (d20)
1 Sewer Taint. The character’s soul and body are permanently tainted. He smells very
noticeably of filth from the Sewers, which causes -1 to Charisma and to Stealth rolls. There
is, however, a minor advantage: the warlock gains 1 permanent Power Point since the
Sewers’ energy is now within his body. The hero can gain up to 5 Power Points in this way
(there is no limit to penalties).
2-4 Sewer Voices. Eerie voices are heard coming from Sewers manholes, whispering terrible
secrets in a language incomprehensible to most, except those who meddle with the Sewer
Powers. Any sorcerer who has made the Sewers Pact within 12” of the character (himself
included) is automatically Shaken and loses a Spirit die step for one day.
5-7 “My Eyes!” The sorcerer becomes photophobic: daylight counts as Dim Light for him. A
character that suffers this penalty twice in the same session develops the Blind Hindrance
while in daylight. Both effects last till the end of the session.
8-10 Hungry Ones! A swarm of rats emerges from the nearest manhole and attacks the charac-
ter! If a 9 is rolled, the attack is much more vicious: the rats don’t ambush the character but
a relative or a close friend (for example a dependant or a sidekick) located elsewhere in the
city, with consequences left to the GM.
11-13 Animated Garbage. The Sewers’ powers bring one or more piles of garbage to life. 2d4
Garbage Monsters arrive on the scene after 1d4 rounds and attack the sorcerer and his
friends. The GM can decide to replace 3 Extra monsters with a Wild Card one, or to
remove 1 Extra monster in order to give +1 Size to another one.
14-15 Sacrifice! What the Sewers give the Sewers take! The hero experiences a feeling of dark
oppression. Every spell he casts costs him an additional Power Point, but he can stop the
effect by sacrificing an intelligent being (i.e. any creature except those with Smarts (A)) to
the dark beings of the Sewers.
16-17 Sewer Flood! Filthy water starts spouting from the manholes nearby! After three rounds,
a huge wave of filthy water overwhelms the hero and all the characters on the scene! They
must make a Swimming or Strength (-2) roll every round for three rounds and suffer 3d6
damage any time they fail. After this, the water subsides, but the area counts as Difficult
Ground for at least one hour. Damage to the environment and belongings are determined
by the Game Master.
18 Lure. The warlock feels the irresistible urge to go deep into the Sewers of Jalizar, the only
place that makes him feel at ease. While not in the Sewers, he regains Power Points at half
the normal speed (1 every 2 hours) and suffers -2 to any Sorcery roll. This condition lasts
until the character is placed under a banish spell or leaves Jalizar for at least one year.
19 The Hunter. The Sewer Powers decide that the sorcerer must now pay his due, and send
someone to kidnap him and drag him underground. The character permanently gains a
new Major Enemy, a Wild Card Sewer Fiend. The Fiend appears after 1d4 hour or when-
ever the GM deems it appropriate. If the warlock suffers this effect more than once, the
Fiend becomes stronger (raise one attribute and one skill by one step each time this result is
rolled).
20 Illness. The character’s health is sucked away by the Sewer Powers. He gains a level of Fa-
tigue that can be healed only by magic. It lasts until the end of the session, then the player is
allowed a Vigor (-4) roll. On a success, the Fatigue is lifted, otherwise it lasts until the end
of the scenario. In the case of a critical failure, the hero permanently receives the Anemic
Hindrance, too.

79
 Magic

Jalizaran Sorcery takes effect the round after it has been

cast. On the plus side, it lasts an additional
Trappings round, even if it is an instantaneous Power.
This section provides additional ideas
about trappings for sorcery powers. Mesmerism. This is created by the sor-
cerer’s strong hypnotic powers. It is merely
Glyph. A Glyph is a sign of power written an illusion and does not exist outside the
on an object. Glyphs are more powerful and victim’s mind. A power with a mesmeric
lasting than normal sorcery powers, because trapping can be resisted through a Spirit
the magical energy trapped within them is roll opposed by the casting roll. In the case
magnified. In gaming terms, a power with of failure, the illusion is so real that the vic-
a Glyph trapping actually needs to be writ- tim suffers -2 to all Trait rolls while under
ten down (doubling the time needed to cast the spell. If he is successful, he sees through
it; the minimum is a whole round). In addi- the illusion, becoming immune to all the
tion, a spell linked to a Glyph can be lifted effects of the power. Casting the spell costs
by destroying the Glyph (Called Shot at -2, 1 Power Point less (minimum 1).
Toughness 5). On the plus side, a Glyph
power doubles its basic duration.
Sorcery Trappings in Use
Minion. Sorcerers can count on a legion Here follow some example of Jalizaran
of animal and demonic servants, so some Sorcery Trappings in use.
of their powers might manifest themselves
through the summoning of a minion. Giv- Barrier (Illusory Flames). This power causes
en that summoning a minion takes time, a barrier of hellish flames to rise up from
a Power with a minion trapping actually the ground. They are a fiery barrier (causing

80
 Lotusmastery

Roleplaying the Pact Proposal

The GM should encourage roleplaying when the Sewers Pact is proposed to a player.
Remember, the Sewer Powers are so strong that they can manifest themselves in what-
ever way they want. Hence, the Pact can be proposed by a disembodied voice coming
from a manhole, through the apparition of a dead friend, or even by lawyers dressed in
black offering contracts to be signed in blood. Whatever its form, the GM should make
the scene memorable.

Starting the Game with a Sealed Pact

If the GM agrees, a character can begin the game having already sealed a Pact (and so
he can take the Sewer Sorcerer Edge during character creation). However, during the
first Interlude of the game, he must tell the other players how it happened. The player
doesn’t receive any reward for the Interlude, he only returns the GM’s favor.

2d4 damage to whoever crosses them), but

they are completely illusory! Any character
Lotusmastery
stepping into them can make a Spirit roll
opposed by the caster’s Sorcery roll. If he
fails, he believes the illusion, suffering -2 to
Smokes, Fumes,
all Trait rolls till the end of the spell. If he is and Vapors
successful, he sees that the flames are only Jalizaran Lotusmasters are very skilled at
an illusion and can advance without being creating smokes, fumes, and vapors, subtle
harmed! Casting the spell costs 1 Power and very insidious means of delivering the
Point less (minimum 1). powers of the Lotus. A new Power avail-
able for Lotusmasters is living smoke.
Bolt (Sorcerous Scorpions). With a sleight
of hand too quick to be noticed, the sor-
cerer extracts something from his sleeve and Jalizaran Lotus
throws it at his enemy. The mysterious object
is a deadly scorpion, conjured up from no- Trappings
where! It deals damage the round after being As usual, trappings are very important
thrown and the next, before scuttling away. to making the Powers in Savage Worlds
unique. Here are some new ideas for Lo-
Summon Ally (Evocation Circle). The sorcer- tus based trappings.
er draws a circle on the ground (using a stick,
piece of chalk, or other tool) and recites an Candles. A very subtle method to deliv-
incantation. This forces a powerful entity er Lotus concoctions. These Candles are
of his choice to appear within in the circle. made with wax or other suitable material,
The demon is trapped and must swear to and contain a particular Lotus concoction
be faithful to the evoker before being freed. which is slowly released while the candle
This process makes the casting more lengthy burns. Powers with a Candle trapping cost
(a full round) but doubles its basic duration. 10 Moons/Rank of the power in raw ma-

81
 Magic

terials. The Lotusmaster can set a delay Lotus Trappings in Use

(1-3 hours) before the Lotus starts taking Here follow some examples of Jalizaran
effect. This power affects all targets with- Lotus Trappings in use.
in a Medium Burst Template, but only
in a closed room. Opening a window is Boost Trait (Strength) (Black Khav). Black
enough to immediately disperse the effect. Khav or Wild Khav is a dangerous drug,
a favorite among Jalizaran thugs before
Smokes. Almost any Power can be trans- committing a crime. It is a mix of impure
formed into smoke. Smoke is stored in Khav, Sewers’ water, and other disgusting
small vials sealed with wax which must be waste. Any individual taking Black Khav
opened or smashed on the ground to be develops the Bloodthirsty Hindrances for
activated (vials can be thrown as normal). 2d4 hours.
A smoke concoction affects any target in
a Small Burst Template. As a drawback, Slow (Pale Smoke of Numbness). This pale
opposed rolls to resist its effects are made smoke, made with Lotus from the swamps,
with a +1 bonus due to the fact that the is strangely cold. Contact with it causes a
chemicals are very much diluted. feeling of numbness in the arms and legs.
The smoke affects all targets within a
Impurities. Jalizaran Lotusmasters, espe- Small Burst Template, but opposed rolls
cially those who sell their wares on the cheap, to resisting its effect are made with +1.
are known to replace good quality materials
with inert or even dangerous ones. The mo- Slumber (Golden Candle of Sweet Dreams).
tivation is simple: poor materials cost less. These yellow candles are made with the pur-
An impure concoction costs 1 Power Point est wax mixed with Golden Lotus and other
less (minimum 1) but it has a dangerous side exotic materials. They are used both by those
effect (usually a Hindrance of some sort). who suffer from insomnia and by thieves
and burglars to knock out guards. A candle
affects any target within a Medium Burst
Template, costs 20 Moons in raw materials,
and usually takes effect one hour after being
lit. It also grants very nice dreams.

Enlightenment
The Great Secret
The presence of the Enlightened Ones in the
City of Thieves is by no means accidental.

As is widely known, the Silent War of Jali-

zar ended in 2215 AF and the followers
of both Hulian and Hordan were killed or
banished from the city.

82
 Enlightenment

But the few surviving Smith Priests people, and criminals. The Jan Tong wasn’t,
couldn’t abandon Jalizar to its doom. They as many believed, a criminal organization
had fought the ancient evils hidden in the but simply the armed wing of the monks
Sewers for centuries, and knew that the in Jalizar, ruled by the three Elders.
threat had to be removed once and for all
or, at least, be controlled. Yet, nobody can spend many years in Jali-
zar without being tainted by its corrup-
So, they decided to seek the help of the tion. Many monks and demon hunters are
monks of Lhoban, the only other force op- forced to pose as criminals to avoid suspi-
posing demonic power in the Dominions. cion. But dealing drugs, running prostitu-
tion rings, robbing and killing eventually
Smith Priest Terianus and five of his mar the purity of their spirit and they of-
brothers started the long journey from ten stray from the Path of Enlightenment.
the Flower of the North to Lhoban in
the south. After three years, only Terianus The same has happened to the Jan Tong,
reached the gates of the City of Clouds. which resembles ever more closely the
He was battered and wounded but asked Thieves’ Guild, a criminal organization
to be taken at once to the Enlightened driven by its thirst for power.
One, the greatest and wisest monk. They
talked for three days and, when their se- But the Enlightened One overlooked an
cret meeting was over, Terianus closed his even greater danger: the ability the Sewer
eyes and joined his god. Powers have to lure and seduce. Despite
their cautiousness, the real nature of the
Nobody really knows what the Smith Jademen was soon revealed to the evil
Priest said to the leader of the monks but, entities living under Jalizar and, unfortu-
after meditating for a month, the holy man nately, not all monks are strong enough to
revealed to his people that they had a new resist temptation forever.
mission. Some of them would go north, to
a foreign city full of corruption, and con-
tinue the work of the Smith Priests, fight- Temptation and
ing the evil lurking underneath it.
Corruption
But they would have to be subtle and cun- The dark powers of the Sewers try to se-
ning to avoid being detected by the agents duce the monks with all sorts of tempta-
and followers of the so-called Sewer Pow- tions. In game terms, when an Enlight-
ers. So, the monks would have to be hidden ened One suffers a critical failure and has
among groups of ordinary immigrants. no Bennies, the Sewer Powers help him
by granting a free d4 Obscurement skill
This is the real story behind the migration of (which works exactly like Enlightenment).
the Fastfingers – the Great Secret explaining The new skill can be used immediately to
the Jademen’s presence in the north. reroll the critical failure, as if the character
had used a Bennie, Wild Die included.
The plan of the Enlightened One was
a success. The Jademen integrated into The acquisition of this skill is permanent
Jalizar’s society very well and the monks and the monk can use this taint on his soul
blended in with the craftsmen, common as he wants.

83
 Magic

Obscurement can be raised by spending Vessel. By practicing for a long time with
a leveling option as normal or in another a single item, the monk has become ca-
way: whenever the character rolls another pable of achieving perfect concentration.
critical failure and has no Bennie, the dark Unfortunately, without the item the monk
forces offer to raise his Obscurement by can no longer use his Power. The Power is
one step and grant a free reroll. But this closely linked to a specific item (a weapon,
time there is a price: the hero’s Enlighten- a book, a tool, or something similar). So,
ment skill drops by one step. when casting the power while using the
item, the character can decide to roll on
When a character’s Enlightenment drops the most logical skill the item is linked to
below d4, the skill is lost and the hero (i.e. Fighting for a weapon, Knowledge
turns toward the path of evil, becoming an (Religion) for a holy book, Stealth for a
NPC in the hands of the GM, unless the cloak, and so on) rather than on Enlight-
GM decides differently (see sidebar). enment. Yet, the character cannot use this
power without the vessel. If the original
vessel is lost, a new one can be created or
Jalizaran found in 1 week/rank of the Power, spend-
ing 100 Moons/rank and/or completing a
Enlightenment specific quest.
Trappings
This paragraph suggests some new trappings
Enlightenment Trappings in Use
for the powers of the Enlightened Ones. In this section you can find some examples
of the new Enlightenment Trappings.
Breathing. Meditation and self-aware-
ness are crucial in the training of the En- Banish (Staff of the Seven Whispers). By
lightened Ones. Both can be achieved by wielding the whispering staff carved by his
breathing rhythmically, which allows the old master, a monk can make it whistle in
monk to become calm and focused and to such a high-pitched tone that it breaks the
fully express his potential. A Power with link a demon has with the physical world.
this trapping has its maintenance cost In game terms, the monk can use the ban-
halved (so a power with a maintenance ish power rolling against Fighting rather
cost of 1/round become 1/two rounds). than Enlightenment. However, if, for
However, as it is difficult to maintain, any whatever reason, he loses the ancient relic,
check to avoid disruption is done at -2. he cannot use this power until he builds or
finds a suitable replacement.
Inconspicuous. For Jalizaran monks it
is very important to be unnoticed. This Boost/Lower Trait (Breath of the Deep
is why many of them strive to make their Mountain). By breathing slowly and
powers as inconspicuous as they can, as- rhythmically, a monk can tap into the in-
cribing incredible feats to sheer luck, co- credible resources of his body and soul,
incidence, or nothing at all. A Power with greatly enhancing his skills. In this way,
an inconspicuous trapping is detected as he can maintain his focus longer (halves
a supernatural event only if the witnesses the maintenance cost), but the process
win an opposed roll between the monk’s requires continuous attention (-2 to any
Enlightenment and their Notice. check to avoid disruption).

84
 New Power

Deflection (Minimal Dodge). The monk a Wound, caused by the vicious creature
using this power is capable of avoiding sucking life away from his lungs. During
incoming blows. His movements are fast any round in which the Living Smoke
and brief, almost invisible, but always pre- manages to inflict at least one Wound,
cise enough to get out of harm’s way. The place a counter upon it. Each counter ex-
opponent needs a Notice roll opposed to tends its duration by a round. When the
the monk’s Enlightenment to detect the basic length of the Power plus the bonus
actual use of a supernatural power. rounds expire, the creature dies.

The Living Smoke has Toughness equal to

New Power the caster’s Lotusmastery/2+2, the Ethe-
real and Invulnerability Special Abilities,
but can be damaged by fire and strong
winds (a mild wind causes 1d10 damage, a
Living Smoke medium gale 2d10, and a hurricane 3d10).
Rank: Veteran
Power Points: 4 The Living Smoke is a treacherous crea-
Range: Smarts ture: if, at the end of its controller’s round,
Duration: 1 Round/ Rank of the creator it hasn’t had the chance to suck life from
Trappings: Lotus fumes. someone, the controller must make a Spir-
it (+2) roll. In case of failure, the Smoke
Lotusmasters rarely use evocations, but the becomes an independent creature, con-
living smoke power is a partial exception. trolled by the GM, and its only goal is to
prolong its life by stealing energy from the
By burning a specific variety of Lotus nearest living being.
mixed with exotic ingredients, the Lo-
tusmaster actually creates life within a
cloud of smoke. The semi-intelligent be-
ing is then preserved in a vial of some
sort. When the vial is opened, the creature GM Hint:
comes to life and is placed under the con-
trol of whoever has freed it.
Roleplaying
an Evil Monk
The Living Smoke occupies a Medium A character seduced by Obscure-
Burst Template (a Large one if the Lotus ment becomes a villain. In a
concoction was cast with a raise) and has normal gaming situation, he
a Pace equal to half the Lotusmastery skill would be placed in the hands of
of its creator. The Living Smoke is a dying the GM. However, the GM can
creature: as soon as it is born, it feels life allow a player to continue using
the villain if this doesn’t disrupt
fading away and is eager to steal energy to
the group’s dynamics. Do not
prolong its existence. forget that the presence of a very
evil character should never spoil
Any living target (undead and constructs the fun for the other players.
are immune) caught in the Living Smoke’s
Template must make a Vigor roll or suffer

85
 Gear

Gear
This chapter describes additional equip- able in other lands of the Dominions too,
ment typical of the City of Thieves. At the but their price is increased by 50% else-
GM’s discretion, these items can be avail- where.

Melee Weapons Table

Type Damage Wt Cost Notes
Axes and Mauls
Mace Str+d6 6 150 AP 1 vs. rigid armor
Padded Cudgel Str+d4 2 25 Non-lethal damage, see notes
Spiked Club Str+d4+1 4 50
Swords
+1 Parry, d8 damage on raise,
Manticore Sword Str+d4 4 450
see notes, Rare
Polearms
Monk Weapon, +1 to Tricks, 1
Jan Tong Str+d6 4 150 h: Reach 1, 2 h: +1 Parry, Reach
1
Exotic Weapons
Monk Weapon, Rare, used in
Combat Fan Str+d4 - 200
pair: +1 Parry, see notes
Monk Weapon, Rare, Reach 5,
Knotted Rope Str+d4 4 500 ignores shields Parry and cover
bonus, see notes

86
Ranged Weapons Table
Type Rng Dmg Cost Wt Str Notes
Manticore Sting 4/8/1 6 Str+d4 100/3 - d4 Rare, see notes
+1 Throwing, -2
Throwing Dagger 3/6/12 Str+d4 200 1 d4
Fighting Rolls

Armor Table
Type Armor Weight Cost Notes
Cloak 0 - 50 See notes
Fine Cloak 0 - 500 +1 Charisma, Rare
Thief ’s Cloak 0 2 200 See notes, Rare
Hidden Pouches - - +25% See notes
Weighted Cloak - 4 +100% See notes, Rare

Mundane Items Table

Item Cost Weight Note
Special Adventuring Gear
Assassin’s Scabbard 150 - See notes, Rare
Beggar’s Trick 5 - See notes
Disguise Kit 100 5 See notes, Rare
Advanced Disguise Kit 400 20 See notes, Rare
Incense Orb 100/Rank 1 See notes, Rare
Jalizaran Lock Picks 300 1 See notes, Rare
Pulley 25 2 See notes
Sewer Lotus 100/Dose - See notes, Rare
Animals and Tack
Gemthief 400 - See notes, Rare

Vehicles Table

Vehicle Acc/TS Tough. Crew Cost Notes

Chibbar 2/8 11(2) 2+8 10K See notes

87
 Gear

Weapon gangs and any character wielding one is

considered affiliated to the Jan Tong.

Descriptions Knotted Rope. These six-yard-long ropes

are usually made by twisting the hair of
Combat Fan. The Jademen are masters in young maidens from Jademen families with
the manufacturing of fans, used by many tiny silver wires and rings. The ropes are then
courtesans to hide their faces, thus enhanc- knotted at regular intervals, each knot bear-
ing their power of seduction. Combat Fans ing a secret meaning in the Jademen’s lan-
are made of silk and wood and have a sharp guage. In the hands of a common person,
edge. It is common to use a set of two fans, this type of rope works exactly like a whip.
which grants +1 Parry. They are very graceful But, if a character with Arcane Background
weapons and, by spending a Bennie, a char- (Enlightenment) wields it, it almost comes
acter can add his Charisma bonus to a single to life and becomes as deadly as a living
damage roll inflicted by a Combat Fan. snake. If a target is hit with a raise, the rope
doesn’t cause extra damage but the target’s
Jan Tong. A short spear with a perpen- neck is considered grappled. Each round,
dicular grip halfway down the shaft, the the wielder can automatically deal the weap-
Jan Tong was originally a tool used to lift on’s damage to the grappled target until he
wool from the boiling cauldrons in which breaks free (winning an opposed Strength
it is washed before carding. It is the trade- roll, the wielder rolls with +2). Knotted ropes
mark weapon of the Jan Tong criminal are very sturdy (Toughness 7).

88
 Weapon Descriptions

Mace. Maces are the typical weapons of the Hero’s Journal:

Copper Helms and fairly common among
soldiers from the North. They are quite cheap, Markets of Jalizar
as they are mostly made of wood, while the Jalizar is the biggest market city in the
head is reinforced with bronze nails. North-East. In Market Square you
can be sure to find almost everything
Manticore Sting. These throwing blades are you might be looking for. Characters in
Jalizar can find one additional Rare
very simple metal darts but, according to a
item before each adventure. In addi-
Jalizaran legend, they have the same shape tion, at the GM’s discretion, they can
as the stings of the Manticore fought by Jall also find a minor relic on sale (prices
the Cattle Stealer. They have a longer range varying from 500 to 2,000 Moons are
than a normal dagger, but cannot be used in usually appropriate).
melee. They are sold in sets of three.
But beware of fakes. If you are looking
for Dhaar’s dagger, you are likely to find
Manticore Sword. The trademark weapon of not only one but at least three or four
many Redshoulders, the Manticore Sword is merchants swearing that the dagger on
a short pointed sword made to thrust. It is an display at their stall is the real thing!
evolution of the traditional short sword of the
Iron Phalanxes, but with a thinner and much Jalizar’s merchants are master forgers,
so whenever you buy a Rare item from
more maneuverable blade. A skilled swords-
them the GM secretly draws a card
man can use it to pierce through armor, so it from the Action Deck. If it is Club, the
deals d8 additional damage rather than d6 if object is fake. Recognizing it requires a
a raise is scored on the hit roll. It is also an Notice (-4) roll or the use of an appro-
excellent parrying weapon but requires great priate power such as detect arcana.
freedom of movement, so its Parry bonus
Fake objects grant no bonus and break
doesn’t stack up with shields. A Manticore
when the user rolls 1-2 on the skill die,
Sword can only be made of iron, because regardless of the Wild Die. This is the risk
bronze is too soft for such a thin blade. of buying from Jalizaran merchants.

89
 Gear

Hero’s Journal: Armor

Cloaks and
Personality
Descriptions
The players are encouraged to describe Cloak. The garment each and every Jal-
their cape, adding an additional layer izaran cannot live without. A hero wan-
of characterization to their heroes. dering the streets of Jalizar without a cape
There’s no need to be extremely detailed or cloak of some type is easily noticeable
– a single adjective, such as “stained” (-2 to Stealth rolls), and immediately rec-
or “embroidered”, or a color is enough.
ognized as a foreigner.
Also, remember that the duelists and
professional litigators of Jalizar, the
Redshoulders, wear a red cape. Fine Cloak. A cape of fine make is a sign
of high social status, granting +1 to Cha-
At GM’s discretion, the description of the risma in many situations.
cloak can sometimes give a + 1 modifier to
Streetwise, Persuasion, or Intimidate rolls.
Hidden Pouches. Any mantle can be fit-
ted with cleverly crafted secret pouches.
Padded Cudgel. Also called the Robber’s Notice rolls to find an item in a concealed
Caress, the padded cudgel is a gnarled piece pouch suffer -2.
of wood wrapped in a cloth. Bandits use it to
put down victims in dark alleys without kill- Thief ’s Cloak. Usually black or gray, these
ing them. Despite its simplicity, it is a danger- heavy capes are ideal to go unnoticed in
ous weapon in the hands of a skilled wielder. dark alleys, granting +1 to Stealth rolls in
When used in called shots to the head, it Dim or worse lighting conditions.
gains AP 2. It deals non-lethal damage.
Weighted Cloak. Jalizaran duelists know
Spiked Club. A favorite weapon among very well that weights sewn inside the
thugs and lowlife, it is a club studded with hem of a cloak can turn it into an incon-
nails. It is simple but very effective. Any club spicuous and yet deadly weapon.
can be turned into a Spiked Club with a A Weighted Cloak can be used
Common Knowledge or Repair (+2) roll. as a melee Weapon, deal-
Unless a raise is scored, the new weapon ing Str+d4 damage and
is considered weaker than wood for having Reach 1. Any
weapon breaking purposes. Spiked type of mantle can be
Clubs bought from traders aren’t weighted.
subject to this rule.

Throwing Dagger. Jalizaran

weapon smiths are famous for the
slenderness of their products. A
throwing dagger is particularly
well balanced and ideal for
throwing, making it a rather
poor weapon when in melee.

90
 Mundane Items Descriptions

Mundane Items wise roll) and grants +1 to a single disguise

preparation roll, as long as the attempt is

Descriptions limited to faking a mutilation of some

type or to a single pickpocketing attempt.

Assassin’s Scabbard. This dagger scab- Disguise Kit. The basic clothes, wigs, and
bard is worn on the forearm, usually con- makeup to improvise a disguise without
cealed under one’s cloak or a sturdy bracer. any penalty to the roll to prepare it.
With a simple movement, the user can
swiftly unsheathe the dagger (as per the Advanced Disguise Kit. An advanced
Quick Draw Edge). Notice rolls to find a disguise kit includes clothes, assorted
dagger in an Assassin’s Scabbard suffer -2. prosthetics, Lotus-based make up, and
similar equipment. Gathering a wide col-
Beggar’s Trick. Do you really think that lection of such disparate tools and props is
all the cripples you see in the streets are usually a lifelong task but grants +2 to any
the real thing? Absolutely not! Many of roll to prepare a disguise.
them simply hide a portion of their arm or
leg under their clothes and keep it in place Incense Orb. An empty crystal or glass
with a piece of rope or similar contraption. orb. Through complex alchemical rites,
These crude devices are collectively called Lotusmasters can trap Lotus powers
Beggar’s Tricks. Each costs 5 Moons (but within an orb for later use (see the Incense
can be found for free among the garbage Tradition Edge on page 73). The Orb is
in half an hour and by making a Street- totally sealed and the smoke filters in and

91
 Gear

Hero’s Journal: Merchants of Jalizar

The City of Thieves is great for business, so the heroes might decide to take up the trading profes-
sion, transporting goods on camelback from faraway countries.To keep things Fast Furious and
Fun, and in the spirit of the Sword and Sorcery genre, the process is handled in an abstract way.
First, the heroes involved in the trading must declare how much money from their Sav-
ings they wish to invest – this is called the Capital. Second, once they are in Jalizar and
try to sell their wares, they make a group Streetwise (-2) roll to find potential buyers.
At this point, the group draws a card from the Action Deck, plus one for each success
and raise in the previous roll. Choose the highest card and then check the table below.

Card Effect
Disaster! If the card drawn is black, the goods have been irremediably dam-
aged during transportation (eaten by insects, broken, etc.). If it is red, the goods
2
have been stolen (which can lead to an interesting side adventure). The Capital
invested is lost.
Bad Business. The goods have lost some of their value. It might be because the
heroes have imported wool in the hot season or wine in a period when alcohol
3-4 is banned. Whatever the situation, if the card is black, the heroes can sell their
wares and recover 50% of their Capital; if it is red, they can recover up to 75%
but only after one month.
Break Even. The heroes recover their Capital but don’t make any profit. If the
card is red, their presence at the market allows them to buy a Rare item at half
5-7 price; if it is black, someone (the Thieves’ Guild, the Copper Helms or another
group) asks for a share of their profits (15%). Refusing can have dire conse-
quences…
Profitable Transaction. The goods are sold at a good price. The heroes recover
their Capital and make a 50% profit. If the card is red, the party members will
8-10 be able to find an additional Rare item the next time they are looking for one. If
it is black, their presence at the market isn’t well received and they cannot find
any Rare items the next time they are looking for one.
Good Transaction. The goods sell well. The heroes recover their capital plus
J-Q
75%.
Excellent Deal! The sale is incredibly successful and the heroes end up with
all their capital plus 150% profit! If the card is red, they also make a name for
K-A themselves as good merchants, which grants them one use of the Connections
(merchants) Edge. If the card is black, their presence angers the competition,
causing -2 Charisma for a month when dealing with any Jalizaran merchant.
Deal of a Lifetime! For some reason, the heroes’ business is so good that they re-
cover all their Capital and, on top, they gain the Rich Edge (multiply Savings ac-
Joker cordingly) for 2d6 months. If the card is red, they also receive +2 Charisma when
dealing with merchants; if it is black, however, they have stepped on someone’s toes
and made themselves an Enemy (Major) for the next adventure.

92
 Animals and Tack Descriptions

out through magical means. A Incense

Orb has Toughness 6 and it explodes if Vehicle
shattered, dealing 1d6 damage in a Medi-
um Burst Template for each three charges Descriptions
stored in it.
Chibbar. A Chibbar is a smugglers’ ship
Jalizaran Lock Pick. These lock picks are typical of Jalizar. Slender and light, Chib-
state-of-the-art equipment for breaking bars aren’t made for long voyages but are
doors and safes. The set contains skeleton very maneuverable and can sail in shallow
keys and other expendable materials, such waters. They are also very fast, to elude the
as powerful Lotus-based acids. In gaming Seagulls’ patrols. In desperate situations,
terms, it grants +2 to Lockpicking rolls, the crew can increase speed by putting
but every time a 1 is rolled on the Lock- on additional sails. In gaming terms they
picking die, regardless of the Wild Die, make a group Boating roll per each hour
the bonus drops by one, till it reaches zero. of navigation. For each success and raise
At this point, the lock picks work like nor- the ship gains +25% Top Speed (+50%
mal ones. maximum), but if a 1 is rolled on the
Boating die, regardless of the Wild Die,
Pulley. A mason’s tool, it can be useful the Chibbar capsizes.
when you want to move quickly along
ropes.

Sewer Lotus. This pale Lotus grows only

in the dark Sewers of Jalizar, feeding on
filth and garbage. A dose of Sewer Lotus
can be added to any concoction and causes
the drinker to suffer -2 in opposed rolls to
resisting its effects.

Animals
and Tack
Descriptions
Gemthief. These very intelligent crows
are quite small but gifted with great, al-
most humanlike cunning. Gemthieves
have a fascination for gems and shiny
baubles. This is why thieves and burglars
patiently train them, so that they can fly
into well-protected places and fetch valu-
able objects.

93
 Setting Rules

Setting Rules
This chapter lists the Setting Rules recom- underestimate you, which results in greater
mended for Jalizar. The GM is free to ap- chances of catching opponents off guard.
ply them also outside the City of Thieves. This means that surprise rolls are made
with a -2 penalty when the opponent has
a Mutilation (real or fake) of some sort, be-
cause nobody expects such a wreck to react.
Contacts
No man is an island. Especially in an ur-
ban environment like Jalizar, heroes tend
to develop a network of friends, patrons,
Life as a Thief
helpers, loyal customers, and so on. In Since Jalizar is the City of Thieves, the he-
game terms, any hero who was born or has roes will often find themselves involved in
spent enough time in the City of Thieves some criminal business. This chapter pro-
(i.e. who has gained at least a whole Rank vides situational rules to handle some of
in Jalizar) can count on one Contact. This the most common stealthy activities, with
works exactly like the Connections Edge, minor tweaks to the main rules. You can
but the character must spend a Bennie to also use these rules as inspiration for other
resort to his contact and can do so only similar actions.
once per session.

Characters acquire a new Contact of this

Begging
type every time they achieve a new Rank.The Begging others to be generous requires skill
Game Master can allow players to decide and quick wits if you want to have something
these contacts “on the fly” during the game. to eat at the end of your day. Simply placing a
cup on the ground in front of you and moan-
ing “help!” isn’t enough. First, the would-be
beggar must choose her approach, which
Looking means choosing a skill or attribute, depend-
ing on whether she wants to look miserable
Miserable (Spirit), entertain the passersby with witty
jokes (Taunt), tell sad stories about her hun-
Jalizar is a place where your appearance gry children (Persuasion), or refer to religious
is very important. For this reason, look- parables glorifying the joy of helping the poor
ing frail and weak (in particular showing (Knowledge (Religion)). These are only some
a Mutilation of some sort) makes people examples; in general, the player proposes an

94
 Life as a Thief

approach and a suitable skill and the GM can As a rule of thumb, any item bigger than
approve or refuse it. a dagger will automatically be spotted un-
less it is cleverly disguised (for example, a
Once the approach and the skill have been long sword disguised as a walking stick).
decided, the beggar rolls once for each pe- Finding a concealed item requires an op-
riod of time (usually 4 hours) spent asking posed roll between the searcher’s Notice
for money, adding the modifiers listed below. and the hero’s Stealth. If the searcher wins
the roll, the item is found.
If she scores a success, after the period of
time she gains a number of Moons equiv- Certain items like Hidden Pouches or As-
alent to the number scored. If she scores sassin’s Scabbards grant a +2 bonus to the
a raise, she collects the same amount plus hero’s roll (see Gear chapter).
either an item worth 1d6x5 Moons or a
useful piece of gossip (player’s decision). Clever players can increase their chances
With two raises, she gets the basic money, with good roleplaying. After all, many
plus the item and piece of gossip. guards might get distracted when looking
for weapons on a smiling, curvy woman,
If the beggar rolls a 1 on the Skill die, she and surely nobody wants to put their
is disturbed in some way, for instance by hands all over a dirty beggar. In these cas-
the Beggars’ Guild’s collectors or by a ri- es, good roleplaying grants a bonus rang-
val beggar. She gains no money and must ing from +1 to +4.
deal with the nuisanceWith a critical fail-
ure the situation is even worse: the beggar
enrages someone who reacts badly. The
Disguise
beggar suffers 2d6 damage and (GM’s de- The heroes often have to disguise them-
cision) must face combat or flee. selves. This means something more elabo-
rate than simply putting on a black cloak
Begging Modifiers Table and joining the evil cultists’ procession.
Many beggars also use basic disguise tech-
niques to fake horrible mutilations and
Mod. Condition scars, in order to look more pitiable and
Poor Hindrance (or look- collect more alms.
+1
ing poor).
For each visible Mutila- Disguising is handled in two steps. Prepa-
+1 ration involves putting on the right clothes
tion, real or fake
+1 Young Hindrance and make-up and studying the appropri-
ate mannerisms, while Interpretation re-
Brawny Edge or Obese fers to when the disguise is actually used
-2
Hindrance
to interact with other people.
Well-dressed and/or
-1 to -4
armed/armored Preparation. Putting on the disguise and
practicing the mannerisms is handled
with a Smarts roll and requires some basic
Concealing Items equipment (suitable clothes and makeup).
Heroes wanting to enter guarded places If the roll is successful, the hero has +1 in
while carrying weapons will be searched. the subsequent Interpretation rolls (see

95
 Setting Rules

below); the bonus becomes +2 if he scores Interpretation Modifiers Table

a raise. In case of failure, the preparation is
poor and suffers -1; with a critical failure,
the preparation is so poor that all Inter-
Mod Condition
pretation rolls suffer -4. The observer is actively look-
-2
ing for an impostor
Since the hero has no way of knowing The observer knows the in-
how good his disguise is until he tests it, -2 dividual being impersonated
the Preparation roll is made immediately very well
before he is scrutinized for the first time, The impostor knows the
during Interpretation. +2 individual he is impersonat-
ing very well
Interpretation. Once the character is Disguise limited to a single
disguised, he can pass for the person he +2 physical feature (such as a
is trying to impersonate if the individual mutilation or voice)
observing him isn’t paying too much at-
tention (no roll required if he hasn’t scored
a critical failure in Preparation). In case of Forgery
closer inspection, the disguise is put to the The people of the Dread Sea Dominions
test and the impostor must use his acting are mostly illiterate, so one might think
skills. This is an opposed roll between the that forgery is unknown. Yet, it is not so.
hero’s Persuasion and the observer’s No- People cannot read, but sigils and emblems
tice. If the hero wins the roll, he passes the are recognized by everyone. Hence, forgers
test; if he scores a raise, his disguise is so are more frequently artisans than calligra-
believable that he receives +1 to all subse- phers. Forging a sigil requires 2d6 hours.
quent Interpretation rolls. If he loses the Then, each time the forgery is scrutinized,
roll, he is discovered, with consequences an opposed roll must be made pitting the
left to the GM. forger’s Repair against the observer’s No-
tice. On a success, the scam works well. If
Preparation Modifiers Table the forger scores a raise the first time an
object is inspected, this means the item is
so believable that any subsequent Repair
Mod Condition roll to check its authenticity receives +2.
-2 No equipment
Impersonating a specific Pickpocketing
individual (i.e. Merchant
-2 The heroes often need to stealthily extract
Taaso rather than a generic
merchant) an item from somebody’s purse, for which
-2 Different sex or race they must use their pick pocketing abili-
ties. The attempt requires an opposed roll
Disguise limited to a single
between the pickpocket’s Stealth and the
physical feature (i.e. pre-
+2 tending to be one-armed, victim’s Notice. If the thief wins the roll,
imitating only the voice of an he successfully steals a small item from the
individual) victim (two items with a raise). If he loses
the roll, he is found out; in this case, run-
ning away is the best thing to do.

96
 Life as a Thief

Having one or more partners in a pick- Shadowing sequences have a fixed dura-
pocketing attempt is very useful. Any tion decided by the GM, just like Chas-
partner actively distracting the target (for es: Standard (5 rounds) or Extended (10
example a pretty girl flirting with the vic- rounds). These rounds can last any amount
tim) is entitled to a Persuasion roll. For of time, depending on the situation, and
each success and raise, the thief receives each represents a potential occasion for
+1 to his Stealth roll. the shadower to be discovered.

Many pickpockets pretend to be muti- Give the shadower three Shadowing To-
lated (a missing arm is the most common kens, while the victim starts with no To-
trick) to look inconspicuous, so a Beggar’s ken. Then, each shadowing round an op-
Trick (see Gear) grants +1 to Stealth rolls posed roll is made between the shadower’s
to pick someone’s pockets. Stealth and the victim’s Notice. The win-
ner of the roll takes a Shadowing Token
from his opponent for each success and
Shadowing any raise.
Finding out what some evil cultists are
planning or where a kidnapped girl is held If the shadower is left with no tokens, he
prisoner requires stealthily following vil- is discovered. Depending on the situation,
lains to their hideouts. This is called Shad- the victim can flee (turning the scene into a
owing and is handled with the following Chase), set an ambush, or behave in the way
rules. the GM considers the most appropriate.

97
 Setting Rules

If, at the end of the last Shadowing round, gain any Tokens during the current round
the shadower still has Tokens, he has (but can lose them).
managed to stealthily follow the victim to
his destination. Group Shadowing. Groups of people can
shadow individuals or other groups. This is
Adding Complications. Optionally, each
handled exactly as above, with cooperative
character involved in the Shadowing can
be handed an Action Card. If it is Club, a rolls: both the shadowers and the victims
Complication occurs. Use the Complica- choose a leading character and the others
tions Table from Savage Worlds core rules help him with their rolls. Yet, any helper
replacing “chase” with “shadowing”. In failing the roll causes the leader’s Stealth
case of Distraction, the character cannot roll to be made at -1.

98
 Life as a Thief

Tightrope Walking Pace each round (half with a raise). He

Certain palaces in Jalizar are so heavily cannot teeter and falls only with a critical
guarded that it is impossible to just walk failure; but, if he rolls 1 on the Strength
in. In these cases, cat burglars throw a rope roll, he immediately gains a level of Fa-
from a nearby palace and walk on it in an tigue.
impressive feat of balance. The rules below
simulate this heroic stunt and can also be Pulley. If the rope slants downward, you
used to cross chasms or walk on the nar- can use a pulley and slide down. It is a very
row edge of a precipice. fast way to reach your destination. Use the
same rules as above but double the basic
The first thing to do is to secure the rope Pace of the hero and give him +2 to all
(with a grappling hook, for example) to rolls. Unluckily, a pulley is no use if the
the palace you want to reach. This is a sim- rope slants upward.
ple, unmodified Throwing roll. Failing it
has no consequences, as the roll can be re-
tried, but the noise produced has the same Traps
effect on guards as failing a Stealth roll.
Every burglar in Jalizar will sooner or lat-
Now, the difficult part begins. First, the er face traps. Some are quite basic, while
distance to be walked (in game inches) others, especially those protecting great
must be determined. treasures, are very complex. Dealing with
traps is divided into two phases: finding
Each character on the rope must make an and disarming.
Agility or Spirit (-2) roll (player’s choice),
since walking on it requires both nimble- Finding. Finding a trap requires a Notice
ness and concentration. If he is successful, roll, modified by the difficulty of the trap.
he moves at half his Pace; with a raise or With a success or any higher result, the
better he moves at his normal Pace. In the trap is found.
case of failure, the hero doesn’t move and
teeters dangerously on the spot. Disarming. Disarming a trap is dangerous
business and requires one or more Repair
A character teetering for two subsequent
rolls. Easy traps require a single success,
rounds must make an additional Agility
while more complex ones need a certain
(-4) roll or fall.
number of successes and raises, over in
multiple rounds. Finally, once touched,
The same happens with a critical failure.
some devious traps must be disarmed
quickly, otherwise they are automatically
Both the Acrobat and the Cat Burglar
set off (in this case use a Dramatic Action,
Edges grant a +2 bonus to tightrope walk-
based on Repair).
ing.

Hands-On Approach. A safer approach Whenever a Repair roll is failed while dis-
to crossing a chasm using a rope is to arming a trap, the trap is triggered.
hang from it and move using your arms. It
works exactly as above, but the hero rolls The Treasure Hunter or Thief Edges grant
on Strength and moves at a quarter of his +2 to Repair rolls to disarming traps.

99
Game
Master’s
Guide
 Game Mastering Jalizar

Game Mastering Jalizar

The Jalizar setting can be used in several Conversely, Jalizar might have a secondary
ways. This chapter will help you, the Game role, with the heroes passing through for a
Master, to decide what type of game to run short time. Even though their headquar-
in the City of Thieves and how to tweak ters are in the City of Thieves and they
the setting for your purposes. Some of the come back to it to spend their loot, most
information contained in this chapter can of their adventures take place outside the
also be useful in non-Jalizar stories. Flower of the North. This is another good
choice.

A third possibility is that of a campaign

The Role of with an equal mix of Jalizar-based adven-
tures and stories set in the rest of the Do-
the City minions.

The first thing the Game Master must de- Whatever you choose, be sure to clearly
cide when running a campaign in Jalizar is state your intentions to the players before
what importance the City of Thieves has the campaign starts, as this information
in the story. will influence the types of heroes the play-
ers will want to play. An attractive, cun-
The Flower of the North is big and de- ning she-thief can be a very good charac-
tailed enough to be a self-sufficient set- ter in a Jalizar-based campaign, but would
ting, and you can easily plan an entire set be rather useless in a wilderness-based
of stories in its dark alleys, without both- series of stories.
ering with the rest of the Dominions. It
is a perfectly good choice, if you want an You should also consider allowing Ad-
urban sword and sorcery game. vancement Substitutions (see below).

GM Tips: Advancement Substitutions

Even when the GM has planned a campaign completely set in Jalizar, the players
might decide to move out, changing the focus of the events. If a player has invested in
Jalizaran Edges, such as Sewer Sorcerer or Connections ( Jalizar), this could be a prob-
lem, as he will feel he has wasted precious resources. In this case, the GM should allow
the hero to replace his now-useless advancements with something more appropriate.
In general terms, every time a player gets a new advance, he can also replace a past
advance with another one (respecting all the requirements). This option should not be
abused and no hero can use it more than once each Rank.

102
 Campaign Types

Campaign Types Jalizar’s Themes

Another important choice when designing When creating or running a scenario
stories set in Jalizar concerns the type of in Jalizar, the GM should be aware of
the main themes linked to the City of
narrative structure you plan for your games.
Thieves. The list of keywords and iconic
Several approaches are possible, summa- phrases below helps set the right mood.
rized in three main groups, each with its
advantages and disadvantages: Focused †† Intrigue
Campaign, Picaresque Tales, and Serials. †† A rotten city
†† Money is everything
†† Cloak and dagger
Focused Campaign
†† Decadent civilization
A Focused Campaign refers to a single, †† Everything has its price
long story made up of several chapters
(each being a different adventure). A typi- †† Politics
cal campaign of this type has strong inter- †† Sleeping evil
nal continuity, clear goals, and leaves little †† Dirty alleys and smelly fog
room for digressions. The Rise to Power
theme presented below is a good example †† Urban mayhem
of a Focused Campaign. †† Sympathetic scoundrels
†† Age-old city
Advantages: A Focused Campaign is a
great way to tell a compelling story. If the †† Wits are mightier than swords
GM does his job well, the party will be driv- †† On a razor’s edge
en toward the final goal of the campaign.

GM Tips: Avoiding a Single Protagonist

The best way to design a Focused Campaign is to come up with a compelling story, as
if you were writing the plot of a novel (or cannibalizing your favorite one).
This can definitely work, but GMs must be aware of a very important fact: novels
are based on the concept of a Protagonist. This isn’t acceptable in a roleplaying game,
in which all the players are the focus of the story, not a single individual.
Whenever you can, make all the players main characters of the plot.
If your campaign absolutely requires a Protagonist to complete the adventure, let
him shine, but only at the very end, as the story reaches its climax.
In the other parts, try to build each section around one of the other heroes. Dedicat-
ing at least one adventure to each of them is usually the best. If all the players feel
their characters are receiving enough attention, they will not resent the presence of a
Protagonist.

103
 Game Mastering Jalizar

nected adventures with a single common

Narrative Technique: point. This can be a place (all the stories
begin in the Scandalous Lady’s Tavern), a
Timeline Freedom person (all the stories start with Merchant
The ultimate goal of Picaresque Tales is Lord Horatio the Bored assigning the
telling a good story, so character advance- heroes a new mission), or the main char-
ment is only a minor aspect. For this acters (all the stories tell the deeds of the
reason, it is perfectly acceptable to play the Elusive Four, the best thieves in Jalizar).
adventures without following an orderly
timeline. For example, one story can be
Picaresque Tales naturally tend to be of
about the heroes at the height of their ca-
reer (Legendary), while the next is a tale the roguish sort: gaining the favor of a
about when they are still wet behind the lady, winning a particularly difficult bet, or
ears (Novice). During character creation, committing the Most Incredible Theft of
let the players create several character All Time.
sheets of their own hero, one per each
Rank. At the beginning of the adventure The Thieves Against Everyone theme is a
the GM informs the players about their good example of Picaresque Tales.
Rank for the current adventure and they
play using the corresponding sheet. Advantages: Great freedom in content and
Death in the Past. This type of themes, as well as the chance to use some in-
adventure presents a problem: what teresting narrative techniques (see sidebar).
to do if a hero dies? Normally, he The heroes can explore the setting at their own
would not take part in the rest of the pace. Many opportunities for roleplaying.
campaign. In this case, however, the
player and the GM must invent a story Disadvantages: The main problem of
about how he miraculously saved his Picaresque Tales is the lack of focus. The
skin (for instance, the fatal blow didn’t
heroes aren’t really going anywhere, they
actually kill him, he was captured and
enslaved), and the player starts the have no ultimate goal, and this can get
next adventure with half the allotted frustrating. The GM should also remem-
Bennies (rounded down). ber that Picaresque Tales require good
improvisational skills, because the heroes
often wander off the set path.
Disadvantages: The biggest danger of a Fo-
cused Campaign is getting sidetracked. It is
quite easy for the GM to create a good meta- Serial
plot covering the whole campaign, but things
get complicated when the party begins to move A Serial is a type of campaign similar in
away from the preset story. A Focused Cam- design to today’s TV series. It includes
paign is based on concentrating on the main elements of both the Focused Campaign
goal, which is why diversions should be avoided. and the Picaresque Tales.

A Serial is a set of self-contained adven-

Picaresque Tales tures, each with an internal, self-sufficient
plot, but also with a common meta-plot,
At the other end of the spectrum, Pica- which slowly advances during the adven-
resque Tales are a series of totally discon- tures and is usually resolved at the end.

104
 Campaign Themes

The Guards and Thieves theme can be an Thieves Against

excellent Serial: each adventure revolves
around the solution of an individual case, Everyone
while the meta-plot consists in gradually The heroes are Whitemice, independent
discovering and finally defeating the evil thieves of Jalizar. They have enemies on
mastermind behind all the crimes. every side: the Thieves’ Guild, which
doesn’t tolerate competition; the Cop-
Advantages: A Serial has the advantages per Helms, who are eager to arrest clever
of both the Focused Campaign and the criminals; and the Merchant Houses,
which are frequently the targets of their
Picaresque Tales. It has a final goal (the
spectacular thefts. Why did the heroes
meta-plot) but also leaves space for di-
choose this type of life? They might sim-
gressions and side quests.
ply be free spirits or have a grudge against
the Thieves’ Guild, the Guards, or the city
Disadvantages: The greatest problem itself. It is a game about rebellion, and in-
with a serial is losing sight of the meta- dependence.
plot. Certain TV series introduce the me-
ta-plot in the first episode, almost ignore Friends are Important. In a campaign
it throughout the season, and then resolve like this, friends and connections are pre-
it hurriedly in the last episode. This must cious, because the heroes have so few.
be avoided. The best is to reveal a little of Some friends will prove loyal, while others
the meta-plot in each adventure, so that will betray the characters. Finally, friends
the players know that they are being re- represent weaknesses because, if enemies
warded for their efforts. Alternatively, cannot get to the heroes directly, they can
during the design phase, choose several always take it out on their friends.
points in which the meta-plot advances.
All the Chickens Come Home to Ro-
ost. The heroes will harass and ridicule
the Thieves’ Guild throughout the cam-
Campaign Themes paign but, in the end, the Guild will react,
unleashing all its power against the he-
roes and their friends. This turning point
While Campaign Types give you sugges-
should mark a change in the tone and pace
tions about how to organize and plan your
of the whole campaign.
games in Jalizar, Campaign Themes are
pre-made plot drafts you can use to play
Revenge. Revenge is usually a strong
in the City of Thieves. They aren’t detailed, theme of this type of story. It can be the
but present a strong idea upon which to reason that starts the campaign (the party
build your game. You still have to decide fights against the Thieves’ Guild to take
who the enemies and various other char- revenge for something). Otherwise, re-
acters are, but the concept behind the venge can become more important when
campaign is solid. the Guild reacts and harms one of the
party’s friends, leaving the party full of an-
The following pages detail the themes, ger. At this point, the heroes get serious
situations, and iconic character types that and do everything they can to bring down
are appropriate for each type of game. their archenemies.

105
 Game Mastering Jalizar

ventures of this type can include complex

GM Tips: Building crime investigations, in which the heroes
must find the culprit of some crime com-
Up Interest and mitted in high society, or clashes and
Avoiding Confusion sword bashing, in which the heroes must
A mysterious and very complex meta- actively fight thieves and bandits to pro-
plot seems the best for a Serial. And tect helpless citizens.
indeed it is if you are a professional
scriptwriter, because a tantalizing A Filthy City. This campaign truly brings
mystery will motivate your players and out the corrupted soul of Jalizar. The slums
build up their interest.
and alleys in which the stories are set are
But don’t exaggerate. The most impor- degraded and dark. And even when their
tant thing when designing a Serial is investigations take them to the upper
not the number of twists but a story quarters of the City of Thieves, the he-
that is clear and well-designed from roes will find the same corruption, only
the beginning. Who is the main vil-
masked with velvet and lace.
lain? What is his purpose? Who are his
supporters?
Rotten Apples. Corruption is all around
If you start a Serial without a detailed
the heroes – even within their own ranks.
back-story, you are doomed to fail. The
players will understand that the plot is Copper Helms have to protect themselves
weak and soon lose interest. from corrupted fellow guards or com-
manders. Enforcers and private guards
So, design a solid meta-plot BEFORE will learn that their patrons’ agenda isn’t
starting to think about the first episode.
A straightforward tale is much bet- that noble after all.
ter than a super-complex, illogical
meta-plot which reveals its weakness Law or Emotions? One of the best ways
halfway through the campaign. to create tension in this type of campaign
is to make one of the heroes or a friend
of the party stray toward the shadier areas
Character Types of morality. This will force the heroes to
make a moral choice. What about a Cop-
Independent thieves, foreigners of all per Helm whose brother is a thief ? Will
types, beggars. he do his duty and arrest him or will his
personal feelings prevail? And what about
a character whose wife is on her deathbed?
Guards and Thieves Will he let her die or accept the offer of
the evil warlock who can cure her illness?
The heroes aren’t thieves, but guards. They
Whatever the answer, remember that
might be Copper Helms, private guards,
choices always have consequences.
or independent agents working for a Mer-
chant House, a Guild, or the Ragamuffin
King himself. Character Types
They are men of the law, trying to pre- City watch, bodyguards, investigators of
serve order in an unruly, corrupt city. Ad- all types, enforcers, bounty hunters.

106
 Campaign Themes

The Rise to Power of competition is good, if accepted by

the players, but the GM must make sure
This campaign is all about a precise goal: this doesn’t disrupt the game or become
gaining supremacy and control over a spe- the only focus of the campaign, otherwise
cific organization. It can be a Merchant the group will shatter. A common enemy
House, a Guild, a cult, the Copper Helms, is usually a good way to keep the players
even the City of Thieves itself ! The heroes collaborative.
start as underdogs and slowly advance to-
ward supreme power. External and Internal Threats. Groups
playing a Rise to Power campaign face
Before starting this campaign, it is very external threats, i.e. their opponents (for
important that all the players (or most of example, a rival Merchant House), as well
them) agree on this goal and find reason- as internal problems. As in real life, career
able motivation for their heroes to accom- advancements generate envy and resent-
plish it, to avoid a dangerous impasse. ment. Those seeking power must fear their
own subjects and collaborators as much as
Competition or Collaboration. Unlike a their enemies.
standard game, in which the players col-
laborate, a Rise to Power campaign can Non-Linear. Rise to Power adventures
turn into a competitive game. After all, tend to change as the heroes advance to-
there can be only one King of Jalizar or ward their goal. The type and scale of the
Thieves’ Guild Master. A certain amount threats and problems they have to face de-

107
 Game Mastering Jalizar

pend on their position in the organization.

GM Tips: Round- For example, if the heroes are a band of
outlaws with the ultimate goal of taking
Robin Campaigns control of the Thieves’ Guild, their first
Thanks to their great narrative freedom, mission will be a spectacular theft to get
Picaresque Tales are ideal for sharing the attention of the Guild Elders. Then,
the role of GM among the players. At
once promoted, they will have to deal with
the start of the campaign, each player,
the current GM included, creates a very different tasks, such as diplomatic
character. Then, each player takes turns missions with the Children of Hunger
in running an adventure for the other and the Jan Tong.
players. During a player’s turn as GM,
her character is “off screen” but, to keep
the advancement of the group even, her
Character Types
hero receives the same amount of experi- Any, depending on the organization the
ence as the other party members. heroes are interested in.
Limitations and Requirements.
This type of game resembles the process
used by a group of authors creating Lone Warriors
an anthology of stories all set in the
same world. For this reason, before Against Evil
the campaign starts, the players must Jalizar is in the grip of an ancient evil,
choose some common elements for all the though the citizens do their best to ig-
adventures and some limitations that nore it. Someone must take up the fight,
must always be respected. For example,
otherwise the city and its people – maybe
all the stories must begin in the same
tavern or no story must lead to the King even the whole world – might be de-
of Jalizar being overthrown. stroyed forever. Obviously, the heroes are
the ones chosen to battle against this evil.
When a “round” of stories is completed Before the campaign begins, it is impor-
(all the players have run an adventure), tant to decide why the heroes take up this
it is a good idea to re-check the limita-
dangerous task. What’s driving them?
tions and requirements before start-
ing a new round. At this stage, each Vengeance? An old family tradition? Or
player has contributed in some way to maybe the GM can provide a good reason
the fictional universe and is likely to for the fight in the first sessions of game.
claim a specific aspect of the setting as
her exclusive territory. For example, if Unsung Heroes. Whatever great deeds
a player introduced a cool villain who the heroes accomplish, they won’t be-
escaped in some way at the end of an come famous and know the cheering of
adventure, she can claim the villain as the crowds. The path of those fighting evil
her own creation and have him return powers is a secretive one; otherwise the re-
in a future adventure, which means lentless forces of darkness might take re-
no other GM is allowed to use that
venge on their relatives, friends, and loved
character. This type of game can be really
fun, because it brings several GM styles ones.
together and allows players who don’t
usually run games to take on the GM Hidden World. The heroes will discover
role without the burden of designing a they aren’t alone. Other organizations
whole campaign. such as the Jan Tong and even some

108
 Campaign Themes

Smith Priests gone into hiding can help

them. As the adventures unfurl, they’ll GM Tips: Scope
learn that they have other unsuspected and Steps
allies, like the tightlipped innkeeper who
The scope of a Rise to Power campaign
seems to know a lot about the Sewers, or
doesn’t need to be huge. If the heroes are
the courtesan with a secret past. In the part of a crew of pirates, the scope of the
same way, apparently normal people, like campaign might be to take the place of
incredibly successful merchants or beg- the captain and gain control over the
gars who have survived deadly pestilences, ship – a humble but still interesting
are in truth hirelings and servants of what goal.
lurks under Jalizar.
In the same way, a Rise to Power game
can be organized in steps, with every
Onionskin Structure. This type of cam- adventure or cycle of adventures aimed
paign is based on investigations to pro- at taking control of a bigger organiza-
gressively discover the nature of the evil tion. Following the example above, the
lurking deep beneath Jalizar and the best pirate heroes can start by taking control
way to stop it. Every time the heroes solve of the ship, then they will build a fleet
a mystery, this leads to a new investigation. under their command, and finally
So, for example, the campaign starts with besiege Jalizar and conquer the Flower
the heroes investigating the disappearance of the North.

109
 Game Mastering Jalizar

For example, the Rise to Power and Lone

GM Tips: Involving Warriors Against Evil can be easily com-
the Party in a bined. While trying to gain control of the
Thieves’ Guild, the heroes discover that
Guild Mission the Guild Elders are actually Sewer min-
Due to their nature, Guild Missions ions disguised in human form who use the
tend to be solitary affairs: a lone thief Guild to achieve their dark ends. At this
or assassin is asked to prove his worth point, the heroes’ goal is no longer per-
by completing a task. But RPGs are sonal success: taking control of the Guild
cooperative and there is no sense in might mean saving the whole city…
leaving most of the party idle while
a single player acts alone. So, the GM
should find a way to involve the rest of A final word of advice: mixing themes is
the group in a Guild Mission. Making good but it must be done with modera-
the errand quite difficult, so that the tion, otherwise the campaign will lose fo-
main character must ask his friends for cus. Combining two themes usually works
help, is a good trick, or you can include well, while three or more can cause prob-
an element which requires the skills lems.
of other group members (for instance,
a house to be plundered has a magi-
cal gate which only the sorcerer in the
party can open). Whatever solution you
choose, Guild Missions should be ways
Guild Missions
to involve the players in the game, not
to exclude them. Characters belonging to Guilds can be eli-
gible for a particular type of scenario, i.e.
Guild missions. A Guild mission usually
of beggar boys near a tavern, and they find begins with the hero being summoned by
out the innkeeper is the culprit (he kid- a Guild Elder (or, in rare cases, the Guild
naps the boys to use them in dark sacri- Master), who asks him to complete a task
fices to the beings in the Sewers). Later for the good of the organization. Some
the plot will lead the party to discover a Guild missions are simple tests to prove
major sect, whose leaders are high-rank- the character’s loyalty, while others have
ing Copper Helms and influent members great importance for the Guild. The type
of Merchant Houses. and difficulty of the task depends on the
rank of the character, so an Assassins’
Guild Elder (a Master Assassin) will be
Character Types tested in very different ways compared to
Monks, Jan Tong, priests, sages, demon a humble apprentice.
hunters, anyone who wants to do the right
thing. Those wanting to join a Guild will also
have to complete a Guild mission (also
called a Guild Quest in this case) to prove
Mixing It All Together their worth, with a difficulty equal to their
skill.
While you can build an entire campaign
on a single theme, you can add layers of Rewards. Guild missions often have little
complexity by mixing various themes. or no reward, since any loot, bounty, or

110
 Tweaking the Setting

treasure belongs by right to the Guild.

However, if successful, the character can Tweaking
be granted a share or, in few cases, receive
a promotion ( Joining a Guild and Guild the Setting
Advancements, see page 69).
Beasts and Barbarians can be easily
Thieves’ Guild Missions tweaked to fit the players’ tastes. In the
Golden Edition, attention was paid to
The Thieves’ Guild includes a wide num- making the game more horrific, or alter-
ber of criminal professions, so Guild mis- natively a little less serious. In the case of
sions can be very different. Sneaking into Jalizar, a new possible tweak is introduced,
a building and stealing (or placing) a spe- as detailed below.
cific item are standard quests for burglars,
but swindlers can be asked to create com-
plex scams or gain the trust of important
individuals. The Romantic Game
First, a word of advice: romantic doesn’t
Assassins’ Guild Missions automatically mean either love and sex
or turning your adventures into soap op-
Assassins are killers, so in the vast majori-
eras. Adding a romantic element to your
ty of cases their missions involve dispatch-
game means that emotions (all of them:
ing a specific victim. For apprentices and
hate, love, vengeance, etc.) have a place in
applicants, these missions are also used to
the game as important as actions. This is
test their determination to obey orders, so
another trope of the Sword and Sorcery
the Elders often require them to kill a per-
genre: heroes are as grandiose in their
son they know or even a friend, to prove
emotions as they are in their deeds.
their trustworthiness. Failing the trust test
usually means the character has a price put
on their head. The following tweaks allow you to add a
romantic theme to the game.

Beggars’ and Courtesans’

Flamboyant and Roguish
Guild Missions
In romance, words that show feelings of
These two Guilds rarely assign missions some sort have a great impact on people.
to their members. However, as they are You can simulate this during combats by
subject to the Thieves’ Guild, they could giving more emphasis to Tests of Will. If
be asked to complete minor tasks for that a player roleplays a Test of Will in a flam-
Guild. Spying and creating diversions boyant and roguish manner (for Taunt he
are common assignments but there are invents insults to put into his character’s
rumors of legendary thefts requiring the mouth, for Intimidation he roleplays the
joint efforts of large groups of Thieves’ scene) and wins with a raise, the Test of
Guild members as well as beggars and Will doesn’t count as an action and the
courtesans. character can immediately perform an-
other action without any multi-action
penalty.

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 Game Mastering Jalizar

Oaths Oaths must not be taken lightly. If a hero

In a romantic game, oaths have a very real doesn’t manage to fulfill his oath in the current
effect. Once per adventure, a hero can speak scenario, he starts the next adventure with a
an oath of some type, then he makes a Spirit Bennie less (as per the Bad Luck Hindrance).
roll. In case of success, he immediately gains Moreover, the Game Master is free to inflict
an Oath Bennie, plus one for each raise. The on him the chosen penalty “off screen”.
Oath Bennies are kept for following ses-
sions, but expire at the end of the adventure. This situation lasts until the hero manages
to fulfill the oath.
Oaths must be clearly worded, like: “I
swear to do this”. If the hero wants, he can
So, beware of what you swear: gods and
add one or more penalties in case of oath
men despise oath-breakers.
breaking, each granting +2 to the roll.

Example: “May the Lord of Thunder The Power of Love

blind me if I don’t kill Dromak the Tri-
carnian before sunset!” is a valid oath, As said before, romance doesn’t necessarily
with a breaking penalty (+2 to the Spirit mean love and sex, but feelings and affec-
roll). If the oath is broken, the character tion are among the driving forces of human
can expect to be hit by the One Eyed or life, so they can have a great impact on your
Blind Hindrance. game. A single rule (Crushes) and a new

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 Tweaking the Setting

Hindrance (Thwarted Love) are enough to

rightly set the mood of an entire story. Romantic Hindrances
As always, there is no need to have a
whole plethora of Edges and Hin-
Crushes drances to add a specific mood to the
Sword and Sorcery heroes are extreme in ev- setting. For example, the Hindrance
erything they do, and this also applies to their below is enough to define a Romantic
passions and feelings. Whenever a player game.
draws a Heart suited card during the Post Ad-
venture Phase, the GM can decide to add to Thwarted Love (Minor)
the other effects of the card the fact that the The hero is in love with someone but,
character suddenly falls in love with someone. for some reason, their love is thwarted.
The cause can be internal or external.
The object of love can be either a NPC In the first case, the hero’s feelings
or a suitable PC. An enamored character aren’t reciprocated and he spends his
receives +1 to all his Spirit rolls, as long as time nursing his broken heart. In the
he is confident that his beloved returns his second case, the feelings are mutual
feelings, but he will soon fall into depres- but someone or something hinders
the lovers, i.e. the girl’s family, social
sion if despised or ignored, suffering -2 to
conventions, or even a curse brought
all Spirit rolls. The initial attitude of the upon them by an evil sorcerer or an
love interest is decided either by the GM immaterial specter.
or randomly with a roll on the Reactions
Table, but it must change depending on Whatever the reason, the hero is very
the hero’s behavior during the scenario. resentful of his destiny and, at any
given moment, cannot have more than
A crush must not be a way to punish or
three Bennies.
extol a character, but an additional hook
to do some good roleplaying. Constantly
remind the player that his hero is in love! Warning:
Crushes are short-lived and tend to be soon Tweaking Abuse
You might be tempted to add lots of
forgotten (after one scenario) or they turn
tweaking to your setting, for example
into stable relationships (the love interest to create a humorous, romantic game.
becomes an NPC member of the campaign’s While this is certainly possible, the
cast). If the player really wants a complicated Game Master must be careful not to
love story, he can replace one of his Hin- exaggerate and to concentrate on few,
drances with the Thwarted Love Hindrance specific tweaks; otherwise the game
described in the sidebar. In all cases, the will get too messy. Always remember
Spirit modifications only apply to the next one of Savage Worlds’ key tenets: trim
adventure after the Crush is discovered. the fat.

To avoid turning the game into a soap op-

era, we suggest having only one hero in-
volved in a Crush at any given time, even
though a cunning Game Master might
devise a really good plot with two heroes
both in love with the same NPC…

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 Secrets of Jalizar

Secrets of Jalizar
The Secret
History of
The design philosophy behind Beasts and
Barbarians is that the setting presents the
Jalizar
GM with mysteries and questions but no The following section is a faithful account
definite answers. Some of the answers can of the history of Jalizar, which uncovers
be guessed by reading between the lines, many of its mysteries.
the others are left entirely up to you.

The reason for this approach is that the True Origins

Book of Lore must stimulate your imagi-
nation without limiting your creativity. Jalizar is far older than you might think.
The blank areas of the map are where you Its original name was Anenda and it was
can develop your ideas. the capital of an ancient empire, which
was the forerunner of today’s Cairnland-
In Jalizar, City of Thieves this philosophy ers civilization.
is only partially followed. Since the setting
is well-defined (a single city and its sur- Many centuries before the Dread Star
roundings) and dense with connections fell, the city was hit by a plague that killed
among places and NPCs, it is necessary most of its dwellers. The only survivors
for the GM to know a little more about were those who left the city and settled in
the history of the city. the ancient tombs not far from Anenda.
When the plague ended, these people
This doesn’t mean that the informa- were too afraid to leave the tombs and be-
tion described in this chapter cannot be came the first Cairnlanders, who later col-
changed. Rather, it can and should be al- onized the entire region north and south
tered to reflect your personal vision of the of the Drowned King Sea, turning tombs
Flower of the North! into their homes.

The information below represents the “de- Then, with the fall of the Dread Star, ev-
fault answers” to questions about Jalizar, to erything changed. The great earthquakes
be used when the GM cannot find a more that shook the land were nothing in com-
creative and personal solution to one of parison to the cataclysms that occurred
the mysteries of the city. along the sea floor.

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 The Secret History of Jalizar

And this stirred the Jamhans. In the end, they found an abandoned hu-
man city, Anenda, on the shores of the sea.
An ancient race from the cold waters of It had a sewer network connected to the
the Drowned King Sea, these strange sea, and this proved to be a perfect new
part human/part fish creatures lived in home – warm, reeking, and damp.
the great underwater city of Jamhra.
They worshipped their immortal ances- Once in the sewers, the exhausted survi-
tors, creatures of titanic size and strength, vors fell into a lethargic state, a feature of
called Father and Mother. Occasionally, their race, and slept unseen under the de-
the Jamhans attacked the primitive ships serted city for dozens of years.
and barges of the humans. With their
hypnotic voices, they lured mariners, cap-
tured them, and used them as sacrifices A Haunted City
in unholy rituals. Men feared the waters
where the Jamhans were said to live and When the Jamhans awoke, they were in-
avoided them. credibly hungry. The sea was still in tur-
moil, so an alternative to their traditional
Jamhra was almost destroyed by the source of food, fish, had to be found. De-
quakes and most of its dwellers died. The spite being a sea race, they were partially
few who escaped moved south looking for amphibians. Yet, they could not remain
food and shelter. outside the water for long to hunt game

115
 Secrets of Jalizar

In few months, entire clans met this end.

The Forgotten The Cairnlanders were so terrified that
city of Jamhra they moved away from their tombs. Some
Many sailors of the Drowned King of them went north and joined their cous-
Sea have heard of the Green Depths, ins, while others went south and mingled
an area far from the southern coasts with the Zandorians.
where the waters are the color of em-
eralds. The reason, it is said, is the soft
Meanwhile, the Jamhans had eaten
luminescence shining from the seafloor.
Here the waters are so deep that mari- enough and soon fell into lethargy again.
ners believe the luminescence to come
from the fire pit of the Drowned King,
whose haunted mansion lies under the
sea. Another fact supporting this legend Jall the Cattle
it is that, when the moon is full, faint
non-human voices are heard coming
Stealer
from the waters. When the Jamhans awoke again, they felt
This is where the city of the Jamhans very different. They hadn’t been living in
lies. clear seawater for a while; their new diet
was almost exclusively based on human
meat; and some strange Lotus spores
An Evil with growing in the sewers of the city had
caused their bodies to mutate.
Many Names
Most people know nothing about
the Jamhans, but many names have They found they were physically weaker
been given to the evil lurking beneath after so much inactivity but their minds
Jalizar. were strong and powerful as they had
The most common names are: never been before. From deep within the
Sewers they addressed silent prayers to
†† Sewer Lords or Sewer Masters
their Father and Mother, still sleeping un-
†† Lords Below derwater in the ruins of faraway Jamhra;
†† The Seducers then, they began looking for food.
†† The Herders
But this time it wasn’t as easy as before.
The Cairnlanders had abandoned the
as men did. So, they turned to their ances- nearby Cairns and even the few travelers
tral magic: the power of their voices. Their had learned to stay away from Anenda.
chants rose from deep below Anenda and So, using the power of their voices, which
reached the nearby Cairns. Many men can be heard from hundreds of miles away,
from the tombs, driven by inexplicable they lured a small band of exiled Cairn-
desire, moved to the deserted city, were landers from the North to the abandoned
caught by slimy claws, and dragged into city, promising them a new home. The
darkness, to satisfy the uncontrollable chief of this band was a scoundrel called
hunger of the evil race. Jall the Cattle Stealer.

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 The Secret History of Jalizar

The Larder of
the Jamhans The Manticore
The legends about Jall the Cattle Steal-
When Jall and his men arrived in Anenda, er fighting the dreadful Manticore are
they settled down, completely unaware of true. This hideous monster was created
the hungry eyes spying on them. Despite by the Jamhans as their pet and blood-
their appetite, the Jamhans didn’t attack hound. When Jall and his band finally
them immediately (with a noticeable ex- reached Anenda, the Jamhans kept the
ception, see the Manticore sidebar). They creature in the Sewers so as not to scare
the newcomers. Yet, the Manticore’s
had used so much of their energy to sum-
strength was so great that it escaped
mon the humans, and thought it a waste and reached the surface, where Jall and
to eat them all at once. Instead, they al- his men fought it and defeated it. The
lowed the new colonists to prosper; only monstrosity then fled back to the Sew-
when they could not bear their hunger any ers to nurse its wounds and wallow in
longer would they lure someone into the rage. The Jamhans tried to recapture it
Sewers to be devoured. but failed... The Manticore can be a free
agent of great power in your games.
With the passing of time, they discovered
that what they really needed wasn’t human
flesh but rather the souls of their victims. problem. With their new powers they
With each soul they consumed their pow- were able to create legions of non-human
ers grew strong, while their bodies became minions, which they used as agents in
bloated and shapeless. Yet, this wasn’t a the upper city and as slaves to protect the

117
 Secrets of Jalizar

the Sewers. The Jamhans were very spar-

Jamhans and Mankind: ing in the use of their human livestock.
Seduction and They alternated between sleeping and
waking, and always tried to eat as little as
Corruption possible. The only exception was in the pe-
Over time, the cruel Sewers Lords riod before going into hibernation, when
have become master manipulators. The they actually needed to gorge themselves
more their craving for flesh diminished on numerous fresh souls. These great ban-
and their desire for souls increased, the quets – they couldn’t be called anything
more they started seducing and cor- else – have always been interpreted in Jali-
rupting the Jalizarans. The Servants
zar’s history as disasters of some type. The
of the Sewers, as they are called, are
given power, riches, and anything else first two fires of Jalizar were both caused
they wish for. Everyone has a secret by the Jamhans, as were many other simi-
desire and the Seducers can satisfy it. lar events.
A Servant of the Sewers usually bears
a mark concealed on his body to testify The duration of the Jamhans’ sleep cycles
to his pact with the evil forces (see page isn’t fixed, but it usually varies between
195). twenty-five and fifty years, enough time
Most of these individuals are beyond for the Jalizarans to forget all the strange
suspicion. The plump, funny innkeeper coincidences that led to the most recent
or the grumpy Copper Helm sergeant disaster.
are excellent Servants of the Sewers.
In addition, just like good shepherds, the
The Jamhans act in this way for several
reasons. First, because they always Jamhans have tended to their livestock,
need agents among the Jalizarans to wanting it fit and well-fed but not strong
watch and lead their human herd; enough to break free of their control. So,
second, because they are playful and they have always killed or kidnapped the
manipulative; third, because they find most gifted rulers of Jalizar, like Emella,
a corrupted, evil soul refreshing and when they got too close to discovering the
very tasty. secret of their presence.
The Jamhans hardly ever show them-
selves as they really are and conceal
their presence through illusions or The Cairn Stones
using their non-human minions as
intermediaries. and the City Walls
One of the very few cases in which they Although the Jamhans were powerful, the
showed themselves was when dealing Jalizarans might have been able to fight
with Shade (see below). and overcome them, like a skilled healer
who finds a hidden splinter in a patient’s
body and removes it.
Sewers from curious explorers, especially
when they went into lethargy. But in 1030 AF, Zoran the Smuggler King
did something that condemned the whole
So, Jalizar began to prosper but none of city. Despite many warnings against his
her citizens knew they were being raised decision, he ordered the old Cairns out-
as cattle to feed unholy creatures hiding in side Jalizar to be destroyed, so that their

118
 The Secret History of Jalizar

stones could be used to rebuild the Flower Guided by the smell of evil, like hounds
of the North. by the scent of blood, they arrived in the
City of Thieves with a precise plan: enter-
The stones of the now empty Cairns were ing the Sewers and making a pact with the
homes to the orphan spirits of the past Jamhans. But they could not do it alone,
Cairnlords, which cried in loneliness and because the Sewers were too dangerous
howled with their empty voices, inaudible even for them. So, they contacted the As-
to any man. sassins’ Guild, whose leaders showed great
interest in their plan, and a chosen group
But the Jamhans could hear them from the of hired killers was sent with them to the
dark Sewers, and were delighted. When Sewers.
the stones were brought to the city, they
devoured the spirits trapped within them. Their journey through the dark tunnels
With each soul devoured their power be- was terrible but, in the end, they found
came greater and their bodies weaker. the Jamhans and offered to serve them.
The reaction of the evil beings was one of
Their final act was the murder of Zobar curiosity and amazement. Ever since their
Brickhead, the king who had made the arrival in Jalizar, no member of what they
city walls even stronger. His blood and considered their herd had ever had the
brains, smeared on the stone paving of idea, or the courage, to come looking for
Jalizar, made the Jamhans lurking in the them and even to offer them a deal!
Sewers drunk with power.
The Jamhans have a playful disposition,
From then on, their need for human flesh so they decided to put the humans to the
subsided, but their appetite for souls knew test. They said they would make a deal only
no bounds. with the ones capable of bringing them
the greatest sacrifice. The Assassins and
the sorcerers were surprised, but two of
Shade them – Shade of the Assassins and Rakon,
the eldest of the sorcerers – had no hesita-
In the following years, the Jamhans be- tion. They butchered their companions on
came bolder. Murders, mysterious disap- the spot, thus earning the Jamhans’ trust.
pearances, and other strange occurrences
became fairly common, but the Jalizarans So, the pact was sealed. Shade and Rakon
learned to ignore them and to pretend ev- received the blessing of the Sewers Lords,
erything was going well. gaining incredible powers and a prolonged
lifespan.
The evil from the Sewers reverberated in
the air like heat and news of it spread like Shade came to power and, during his
wildfire. All over the Dominions, enslaved reign, the Jamhans extended their influ-
demons whispered in their human mas- ence over most of Jalizar and received
ters’ ears of the great power rising in the yearly sacrifices of young men and women.
North.
The nightmare ended with a natural disas-
The first to come were six brothers, wick- ter, the great flood of 1501 AF. For some
ed sorcerers from the Iron Mountains. unknown reason, the Jamhans now want-

119
 Secrets of Jalizar

The deal made with Shade taught the

The Sigils Jamhans that mages can be useful and
The Jamhans are among the most pow- they started seducing them with promises
erful evil entities in the northern lands of power. The Sewer Warlocks, as some
and no Iron Priest is strong enough call them, pay a great price for the dark
to banish them. But Hulian, the Lion gifts they receive. Sooner or later, they are
God, is also the Smith of Words, and snatched and dragged into the darkness
his followers know ancient words of under Jalizar, where their very bodies and
power, called Sigils. By engraving souls become delicious food for the Jam-
Sigils in strategic places across the city,
hans.
a sort of protective shield can be created
around Jalizar, greatly reducing the
power of the Jamhans. The cruel Sewer
Lords cannot even sense these glyphs The Silent War
and must use their human servants to
actually find and destroy them. When the Empire conquered Jalizar, two
new groups started investigating what was
The Sigils would have already been
destroyed, had the Jademen not come to going on in the Sewers: the Tricarnian
Jalizar. sorcerers leading the army and the Iron
Priests of Hulian disguised among the
hoplites.
ed to get rid of Shade and Rakon. They
probably started to fear their human ser- The two factions were bitter enemies and
vants and decided to dispatch them before had completely opposite purposes. The
they could pose a real threat. sorcerers, emissaries of the Priest Princes,
came to investigate the evil powers lurking
The two tyrants were dragged to the Sew- under Jalizar in order to treat with them
ers, never to be seen again. or enslave them, while the servants of the
Smith of Words wanted to discover what
Yet, some say that Rakon, who had been haunted the City of Thieves and destroy it.
a powerful sorcerer even before receiving
the Jamhans’ gifts, managed to make it out The scheming Jamhans immediately de-
of the Sewers, though severely crippled. cided to pit the two groups against each
The nature of his mutilation was more other. They welcomed the Tricarnians and
spiritual than physical: his immortal soul faked submission to the sorcerers, warning
had remained somewhere in the sinister them that their ancestral enemies, the fol-
tunnels. lowers of Hulian, were in the city.

Rakon still haunts the bogs south of Jali- In the meantime, the priests of the Smith
zar as the Hooded Boatman, always look- God were not idle. They searched the city,
ing for a way to retrieve his soul from the asked questions, found ancient books, and
Sewers. The spell he used to escape now soon realized that the evil must come from
prevents him from entering Jalizar again, the Sewers. In the end, they managed to
so he hopes to meet someone ready to discover the enormity of what lurked un-
perform this daring task. However, so far der the city and found a way, if not to de-
he has found no volunteers willing to risk stroy it, at least to severely limit its power
their lives. (see the Sigils Sidebar).

120
 The Secret History of Jalizar

But they acted too late. The Tricarnian

sorcerers attacked them, thus starting the Sigils: Their Nature
Silent War. Everyone knows how it end- and Powers
ed: Market Square was set on fire and the
Sigils are excellent plot devices in the
citizens, guided by Servants of the Sewers
hands of the Game Master, especially
in disguise, drove both factions away, ban- if you are playing a Lone Warriors
ning them from the City of Thieves. Against Evil campaign (see above).
Plots can be built around finding, pro-
In this way, the Jamhans got rid of two tecting, restoring or, why not, defiling
pesky groups of intruders with a single them.
move and returned to rule over their herd,
Appearance of Sigils. Sigils are
hidden and unnoticed. glyphs in which the secret name of
Hulian is written. Anything can be a
Sigil: engravings on a wall, the small
The Jademen and writing in the corner of a painting, a
jewel, or even the building plan of a
the Great Secret palace. Some say that one of the Sigils is
The Jamhans believed they had wiped out actually a tattoo on the skin of a person.
the servants of Hulian forever, but they When the wearer dies, the tattoo is
were wrong. The few survivors of the Jal- passed on to another individual…
izaran massacre realized their forces weren’t Defiling Sigils. To be defiled, a Sigil
enough to fight the Powers Below and de- must be broken and its pieces smeared
cided to travel to Lhoban. They knew that with human blood or water from
the holy monks were the only ones capable the Sewers. If the latter isn’t done, a
of continuing their fight against the evil Smith Priest or one of the Jademen
lurking under the City of Thieves. Elders might be able to restore it (after
someone – for instance, the heroes – has
found all the pieces). Another way to
Before dying, Terianus the Smith Priest
render a Sigil powerless is to take it
told to the Enlightened One what he and away from Jalizar.
his companions had learned about the
Jamhans, and the location of the Sigils Sigil Powers. Owning a Sigil doesn’t
they had placed on the houses and walls grant any particular benefit to the
of Jalizar, and even in the Sewers. These player characters, since the function
of a Sigil is only to limit the Jamhans’
marks, he said, must be protected and
powers. The examples on the next page
their exact location is a secret that must explain what happens when one or
never be discovered by the Jamhans. more sigils are destroyed or restored.

As mentioned above, the Enlightened

One sent a large portion of his people to them about the existence and function of
the north, officially to start a new life in the Sigils.
Jalizar, but in truth to fight the evil of the
Jamhans. There is a set number of Sigils, he said, and
they must be defended at all costs. Then he
Before his people set off, the Enlightened revealed to each Elder the position of one
One spoke to the Three Elders, the ap- third of the Sigils, with the order to pass
pointed leaders of the Fastfingers, and told this knowledge on to his successor. This

121
 Secrets of Jalizar

Destroying Sigils Restoring Sigils

The Shadows Lessen. The powers of the
The Shadows Grow. The powers of the
Jamhans grow weaker. Creatures from
Jamhans grow and creatures from the
the Sewers are now confined to the tun-
Sewers now start appearing above
nels or to areas right next to manholes.
ground.
Blind Masters. The Lords Below can-
Spies in the Manholes. The Lords
not hear or spy on what happens in the
Below can now extend their inhuman
upper levels of the city. They must rely
senses so that they can hear and see
on reports from their human servants.
anything happening near a manhole.
Weaker Minions. All the creatures
Powerful Minions. All the creatures
serving the Jamhans have their Vigor
serving the Jamhans have their Vigor
die lowered by one step.
die raised by one step.
Safer Magic. In Jalizar all the rolls on
Dangerous Magic. In Jalizar all rolls
the Sorcery and Sewer Sorcery critical
on the Sorcery and Sewer Sorcery criti-
failure tables are made at -2.
cal failure tables receive +2.
Quiet Period. The Jamhans are forced
Cataclysm. Within 2d6 days of break-
to inactivity for a period ranging
ing the Sigil, a cataclysmic event occurs
between a few days and several years
(an earthquake, a pestilence, a flood).
(GM’s decision).

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 The Secret History of Jalizar

was a security measure to avoid defeat, hidden among the humble workers, soon
should one of the Elders be captured and located the Sigils, restored the ones that
forced to speak. had been defiled by the Servants of the
Sewers, and generally started a contain-
He also warned the Elders not to tell the other ment plan to curb the Jamhans’ influence.
monks about the true purpose of their mission:
you cannot speak of what you don’t know.
The Valk Wars
The Elders deemed the words of their master
wise, bowed, and left the City of Clouds forever. The Valk invasion of Zandor was launched
in 2450 AF. In 2452 AF, Ornestan I, gover-
Then, the Jademen moved north and nor of Zandor, declared the independence of
settled in the City of Thieves. The monks, Zandor (and Jalizar) from the Iron Empire,

GM Tips: Degrees of Knowledge

about the Jamhans
As described on page 109, gradually discovering parts of a secret is an excellent way to
keep up interest throughout a campaign. The Jamhans are THE big mystery of Jalizar
and the gradual discovery of their presence can lead to a long, exciting campaign.
The various levels of knowledge about the Jamhans are summarized below. By default,
all the characters (and players) should begin from level 0 and find out more info during
their adventures. Player characters with the Shadow Monk Edge should begin with
some additional information (level 2-4 is recommended).
Level 0. Jalizar is a city full of corruption and crime.
Level 1. There is something inherently evil in the city.
Level 2. The cause of the evil lies in the Sewers.
Level 3. The Sewer Powers are organized and somehow self-conscious. They have
secret agents in the upper levels of the city.
Level 4. The evil from the Sewers is being opposed by monks disguised among common
Jademen.
Level 5. The creatures living in the Sewers are an ancient race, called the Jamhans.
They are older than Jalizar itself and use the city as their very own larder. The Jam-
hans have influenced the entire history of the City of Thieves.
Level 6. The Iron Priests of Hulian put several Sigils in place to curb the Jamhans’
power. The Jademen are supposed to protect and preserve them.
Level 7. Several Sigils have recently been destroyed or defiled because one of the Jade-
men Elders has been corrupted by the Jamhans and has betrayed her sacred oath. The
traitor is Pao Lhin.
Level 8. Is there a way to destroy the Jamhans? Only the Game Master knows the answer.
How much knowledge your players need to gather depends on the focus of your campaign.
They might either need to unravel the whole mystery or just to discover a part of it.

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 Secrets of Jalizar

Children of Hunger and the power-hun-

GM Tips: Ignoring gry Guilds, can easily be manipulated to
the Jamhans pursue the Jamhans’ goals…
The GM might also choose to ignore the
Jamhans. The Sewers Master certainly
exist and lurk under Jalizar, but either
they are sleeping or they aren’t inter- Factions of
ested in the heroes’ actions. This choice
can lead to a more realistic and less
supernatural game, and it is particu-
Jalizar
larly suited to politics-based campaigns This chapter describes some of Jalizar’s
or to brief scenarios taking place in the organizations and power groups, as well
City of Thieves. as some major NPCs belonging to them,
analyzed from the Game Master’s point of
view. No stats are given for these charac-
starting the Reign of Twelve Winters. 2464 ters, but hints about their secrets, friends,
was the first year of the Siege of Jalizar. and hidden plans are provided. They are
more important for their role in your sto-
The Jamhans were troubled, since the Valk ries than as opponents but, in case of com-
were invading their playground and had to bat, the GM can easily work out their stats
be repelled, but at that time the evil powers by tweaking the existing profiles from
living in the Sewers were very weak, their Beasts and Barbarians Golden Edition or by
strength lessened by the Jademen’s Sigils. using those presented in this book.

Yet, one of the Jamhans managed to com-

municate directly with Ornestan II, King The King’s Court
of Zandor, and convinced him to ask the
Alchemists of Gis for help against the The Ragamuffin King. Timorias, the Raga-
Valk. Most of the city’s treasure was sacri- muffin King, is far from being the helpless
ficed for this cause and, cleverly concealed man he poses as. When he was forced to
among the royal jewels, there was a ring become king, everyone expected him to be a
engraved with a very powerful Sigil. Hav- mere puppet in the hands of the Merchant
ing it taken far from Jalizar allowed the Houses and Guilds. Timorias accepted his
Jamhans to regain some of their power. role and has always kept up a sheepish façade
of poverty and humility while plotting to gain
the covert support of a powerful third party:
Jalizar Today the Alchemists of Gis. He has connections
with House Tankara, which represents Gis’s
Today the Flower of the North is still a interests in Jalizar, and is particularly close to
perfect playground for the Jamhans. The its Legatus, the lord of the House, who is also
Jademen are their greatest opponents, ad- the Royal Food Taster and holds a seat in the
amantine in their protection of the Sigils, King’s Council. Timorias does his best to ap-
but a breach has finally been opened in pear quite cold toward the Legatus when in
their resistance (see Pao Lhin, page 129). public, but he secretly hopes to use his help to
In addition, the city is bustling with ac- restore a strong monarchy, like the one of the
tivity and many new groups, such as the Smuggler King.

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 Factions of Jalizar

GM Tips: Focusing GM Tips:

on Factions Relationships Map
When reading these pages, it is easy for Especially when the plot tends to in-
the Game Master to feel a little lost, clude a complex network of people, the
because the City of Thieves displays a GM might find it useful to draw a re-
very complex network of organiza- lationships map. It is a simple diagram
tions, relationships, and contrasting with the names of the main actors con-
goals. Using all of them in a single nected to the others by arrows. Above
campaign is impossible, and should be each arrow write a description of the
avoided. While designing your story or relationship, like “hates”, “wants to
adventure (see the Mastering Jalizar cheat”, “serves”, and so on. If you want,
chapter), focus on one or two groups you can put several related actors in
(for example, the Thieves’ Guild and the same group (e.g. “Thieves’ Guild”,
the Jan Tong) and try to build your “supporters of the Ragamuffin King”).
story around them, developing the You can use this method for individu-
hints given in this chapter. als, organizations, and even places.
Remember: quality is always bet- It is an amazing way to immediately
ter than quantity when designing an have a clear overview of what is hap-
adventure. pening in your scenario.

Nobody knows the real intentions of the her thirties, the princess is known for her
Legatus and of the Alchemists, but for now scandalous behavior and in particular for
they seem to support the Ragamuffin King. her familiarity with the Courtesans’ Guild.
With the same expensive tastes as her
Armangas. The oldest son of the Raga- brother Juros, Monya likes being indepen-
muffin King, he was a true prince: proud, dent and can count on several very gener-
strong, and valiant. If he had become king, ous lovers. It is also widely known that she
Jalizar would have experienced a new sells herself in the Temple of the Divine
golden age. He disappeared during the Couple and that she is a personal friend of
Beggars Revolt and was believed to be Yakzama, the Pale Lady (see below). Some
dead, but he is actually still alive (see the say she is actually a follower of the strange
Children of Hunger below). southern goddess Etu, but most people
think she is just a lustful woman.
Juros. The second son of Timorias, he is
handsome but full of pride and vanity. He Ranikos. Timorias’s youngest son, Ra-
will come to the throne when Timorias nikos was a free spirit who didn’t accept
dies, so he is spoilt and pampered by the the social conventions of life at court, so
powerful House Talum, which pays his he ran away from the City of Thieves ten
bills and looks after his court in the Kings’ years ago. He forsook his privileges and
Tower. In exchange, he backs House Ta- even his name. Nobody knows where Ra-
lum’s interests in the King’s Council. nikos is today, but some say he eventually
became the captain of a powerful merce-
Monya. Many good and bad things can nary company that fights in the southern
be said about Monya. A pretty woman in dominions.

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 Secrets of Jalizar

The Old Guilds with the Thieves’ Guild after the Beg-
Thieves’ Guild. The Thieves’ Guild is an old, gars Revolt. The current Guild Master is
powerful guild which also rules over two mi- Bokhan the Wise. An old, sheepish man
nor guilds, the Beggars’ Guild and the Cour- with a penchant for young boys, Bokhan
tesans’ Guild. The current Thieves’ Guild lives in fear of being killed by some evil
Master is Jutarkos Six Fingers, former chief magic evoked by the Children of Hunger.
of a small criminal band, who came to power To feel protected, he has hired a myste-
a couple of years ago thanks to a short but rious character, Jizro, who is said to be a
very intense bloodbath. Jutarkos is forty, has Sewer Warlock. Jizro is becoming richer
a plain face, and is known for his calm man- and richer, and is gradually taking control
ners, which are somewhat frightening, as he of the Guild, a fact that Jutarkos Six Fin-
can order an assassination without showing gers really doesn’t like.
any emotion. He owes his nickname to the
sixth finger on his right hand. Jutarkos is ob- Courtesans’ Guild. The Courtesans’
sessed with Marzul’s treasure (see page 62) Guild is one of the oldest organizations in
and would do anything to retrieve it. Jalizar. It controls almost all the brothels,
bawdy houses, and other similar places
Beggars’ Guild. This name refers to the in the City of Thieves. The Courtesans
Fat Beggars, the faction which remained are mostly women and often collaborate

126
 Factions of Jalizar

with the Thieves’ Guild, which provides however seems immune to her charm, but
protection, bouncers, and ruffians to the the same cannot be said about his coun-
brothels, in exchange for a major share selor, Jizro the Warlock.
of their earnings. It seems unfair but this
agreement has worked well for centuries. Assassins’ Guild. After witnessing the
However, all things might change soon, death of King Shade and the cruel re-
because the Courtesans are now led by pression against them, the Assassins have
Yakzama the Pale Lady. learned their lesson well and have rebuilt
their Guild afresh on the ashes of the first
A woman of great charm, Yakzama is a cu- one. Today, the Guild is extremely secre-
rious mix of Valk and Jalizaran blood, and tive and contacting an assassin, a true
she is said to be the daughter of a Valk war member of the guild, isn’t easy. The current
chief and a princess of southern Zandor. Guild Master, Norkot, is so paranoid that
Yakzama is a cunning politician and wants no one has actually seen his face. On of-
the courtesans to be free of the Thieves’ ficial occasions, like the Guild assembly or
Guild’s control, so she has contacted the occasional meetings with the Thieves and
Thieves’ chief enemies: the Jan Tong and Beggars’ Guild Masters, he wears a hood
the Children of Hunger. She has also tried and speaks in a muffled voice. Many won-
to seduce the Beggars’ Guild Master, who der if he is a man or a woman and some

127
 Secrets of Jalizar

Heroic NPC:
Mardoan Fallioch, “The Impossible Man”
Appearance: Mardoan is an average-looking man in his early forties, with brown hair and a
sardonic, devious smile.
Roleplaying: Mardoan is a master of infiltrating his targets’ strongholds and relieving them
of whatever wealth or worthwhile items they possess. A confident master of disguise, Mardoan
moves among the wealthy merchants as easily as the masses of Jalizar. He only robs from the
wealthy merchants of the city, redistributing the wealth as he sees fit. He has never backed down
from a challenging theft and is the one of the most successful thieves in Jalizar, never having
been caught. His true identity remains a closely guarded secret; as “the Impossible Man” – a nom
de guerre he created to facilitate his status as a folk hero - he is one of the most hunted thieves
in the city, both by the merchants from whom he steals and from the Thieves’ Guild to whom he
neither belongs nor pays tribute, enjoying his Whitemouse status! He is not afraid to run from a
fight in order to live to steal and fight another day, and he is fast enough to get away!
Personality: A master at hiding his thoughts and emotions, Mardoan is always on his guard
and looking for his next mark. He uses his skills to make many friends in the community under
his various guises, all in the service of increasing his reputation. He has an almost supernatural
sense of awareness that has often saved him from capture or death on his missions.
Motivation: His goal is to gain the backing of the masses so that when he reveals himself he may
secure his rightful place as a ruling noble in Jalizar and bring the city back to its rightful power
and status.
Background: Mardoan is the son of Keown Fallioch, formerly one of the richest nobles in
Jalizar, prior to the siege of Jalizar in 2464. His father was killed in the siege and his mother
had her infant son smuggled from their estate during the final days of the siege, along with the
House Fallioch signet ring. All assumed that there were no survivors of the family after the siege.
Mardoan grew up on the streets, knowing his heritage and raised by a loyal House Fallioch re-
tainer and beggar monk, Jaevin, from whom he learned much about the art of deception. Today,
he works in secret, furthering his reputation as a thief and increasing his mystique as a hero of
the people. He typically fights with his tiger claws and whatever weapons he has at hand. Soon
he will have sufficient backing and contacts to make his move. He uses his signet ring to disarm
magical traps and to avoid detection by scrying.
Attributes: Agility d12, Strength d6, Smarts d10, Spirit d8, Vigor d6
Skills: Climbing d8+2, Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Knowledge
( Jalizar) d8, Lockpicking d12+2, Notice d12+2, Persuasion d6, Stealth
d12+2, Streetwise d8, Taunt d6, Throwing d6
Charisma: +1; Pace: 8; Parry: 8; Toughness: 6 (1)
Hindrances: Code of Honor, Wanted (Minor - Powerful City Merchants),
Wanted (Minor - Thieves’ Guilds)
Edges: Acrobat, Alertness, Connections (various merchant/criminal/fences), Danger Sense,
Distract, Fallen Noble (heirloom - House Fallioch signet ring), Fleet-Footed, Harder to Kill,
Improved Dodge, Improved Level Headed, Improvisational Fighter, Lowlife, Martial Artist,
Master (Notice), Strong Willed, Thief, Treasure Hunter, Watch Your Back!
Gear: Light Armor Shirt and Bracers (+1), 6Throwing Daggers (Range: 3/6/12; Damage:
Str+d4), House Fallioch signet ring (detect/conceal arcana, dispel – Arcane Skill d6, 5 Power
Points), ghost paint (see Body Paint Beasts and Barbarians freebie ) , lockpicks, silk rope, tiger’s
claws (+1 to unarmed damage, +2 Climbing)
Special Abilities:
*Dark Alley Lord: When in Jalizar, Mardoan Fallioch has his Wild Die increased by one step
on Streetwise (to d8) and Notice (to d12) rolls.

128
 Factions of Jalizar

even say he is a creature from the Sewers

which has secretly replaced the real Guild
Master. All the day-to-day business of the
Guild is run by a high-ranking Assassin
called the Scarred One, due to an ugly
mark disfiguring his check.

Officially the Assassins’ Guild is affiliated

with the Thieves’ Guild, but the Thieves
know nothing of its activities, not even the
exact number of its members.

The Jan Tong

The Jan Tong is a criminal organization
that includes various Jademen gangs. With
the excuse of protecting their own people,
they control the district of Brass Lanterns
and the nearby areas. This is what most
Jalizarans believe, but the truth is much
more complex. The leaders of the Jan Tong
are the Three Elders, the descendants of
the same Three Elders sent to Jalizar by
the Enlightened One centuries ago. Their
goal is to protect the Sigils, keeping the Mang Do. A true crime boss, Mang Do
Jamhans at bay, and to generally fight the is staggering along the Path of Enlighten-
evil lurking in the Sewers. ment. He has become too involved in the
business of the Jan Tong and his priority
Their mission is so secret that most monks is the war against the Thieves’ Guild. He
don’t exactly know who they are fighting honestly thinks that the Sigils are safe be-
against and what they are protecting. The cause the Sewers have been very quiet in
reason is simple: if the Jamhans discovered the last few months. His main problem,
the location of the Sigils, they would cer- besides the Thieves, is the Black Tong (see
tainly try to destroy them. sidebar).

The Three Elders are: Pao Lhin. The oldest of the Three Elders,
this woman, who runs a candle making
Dai Lomen. The pleasant owner of a shop with her daughters and granddaugh-
Lotus smoking den. Under layers of fat ters, was surely the most Enlightened indi-
and a raucous voice, Dai Lomen hides a vidual in the Jademen community. This was
deep knowledge of the ancient secrets of before she was seduced by the Jamhans.
the Lhoban monks and has not forgotten It took the Sewer Masters thirty years to
why the Jademen are in Jalizar: to fight the seduce her, but in the end they managed
Jamhans. He and his men try to act as me- to lead her along the path of Obscure-
diators between Mang Do and Pao Lhin. ment, and now Pao Lhin is one of their

129
 Secrets of Jalizar

The Black Tong

In the last few months a new threat
has appeared in Brass Lanterns:
a gang of Jademen wearing black
garments, very skilled in martial
arts, and gifted with the deadly
abilities of the Enlightened Ones.
Differently from the other members
of the Jang Tong, these men and
women attack their own kin and
have no respect for human life. In
truth, they are the new disciples of
Pao Lhin, followers of the Path of
Obscurement, and their purpose is to
discover the location of all the Sigils.
They are fanatics and none of them
has ever been captured alive. Some
even say that they aren’t human at
all and that their bodies disappear as
soon as they are killed.
Whatever the truth, for now the se-
cret of their dark mistress is still safe.

most faithful servants. Unfortunately, no simply guard the gates and walls, maintain
one, not even her lieutenants and the oth- order in the streets, and collect fees.
er two Elders, knows of her betrayal, and
she pretends still to be protecting the Si- Of course, this doesn’t mean they are hon-
gils entrusted to her, although they were est. The Copper Helms make their living
destroyed years ago. Pao Lhin has secretly by collecting bribes from merchants, smug-
created the Black Tong (see sidebar) with glers, and criminals, and they are more than
a precise goal: she wants to persuade the ready to turn a blind eye when necessary.
other Elders to reveal the location of the
Sigils they protect, with the excuse of orga- The Commander of the Copper Helms is
nizing a common defense. As soon as she Lord Hugo Stone Head, a heavy man in
finds out, she will destroy the remaining his late fifties, who has earned his nickname
Sigils and finally release her new masters. (never to be used in his presence) because of
his perfectly round, bald head. Lord Hugo
used to be the commander of the Seagulls
The Copper Helms (the division of the Copper Helms assigned
to fighting pirates and sea smugglers) and
The City Watch of Jalizar has always been came to his current position through an
neutral in political matters, even during awesome military victory over the pirates
the Widowers’ War and the dark years of Shallows Village ten years ago. He loves
under King Shade. The Copper Helms his city and would like the King to be stron-

130
 Factions of Jalizar

ger and the Guilds and Merchant Houses convinced him that her people were the
weaker. But he is a realistic man and has King’s most faithful subjects and desper-
adapted to his neutral role, pretending not to ately needed his help. Armangas knew that,
see the robberies of his men. should he ever inherit his father’s throne,
he would be a mere pawn in the hands of
Under him there are the various command- the Guilds and the Merchant Houses.
ers of Jalizar’s Towers: Othel the Walrus,
commander of the Seagulls (a grumpy and So he decided to make everyone believe he
impatient man), Rogarius the Fat, who is was dead and reappeared a few days later as
supposed to maintain order in Thousand the Prophet, the new leader of the Chil-
Chimneys but is actually in league with the dren of Hunger – his identity protected by
Thieves, and Xaber Tiomar, commander of a silver mask. In the following months he
the Falchion Tower, a very honest man but managed to send a message to his father,
too intransigent to be loved and respected who now knows that the Children of Hun-
by either his men or Jalizar’s commoners. ger are loyal servants of the crown and will
support him against the Guilds.
Lord Hugo knows that the City Watch is
now weak. So he is discretely looking for Nobody, except Mayma and the King,
independent agents, or even mercenaries, to knows the Prophet’s real identity, although
work on cases that the regular guardsmen, for some of the higher ranking Children, the
political or other reasons, cannot deal with… Questors, have suspicions.

The Questors were the original initiators

The Children of Hunger of the revolt and now not all of them are
happy to accept the Prophet’s leadership.
In 2505 AF the Beggars’ Guild separated Recent rumors say that a few of them, aid-
into two factions: the Fat Beggars, the cur- ed by the unknown powers residing in the
rent members of the Beggars’ Guild, and the Sewers, have decided to make an attempt
Children of Hunger, the poorest of beggars on the Prophet’s life…
who, tired of being vexed by the Fat Beggars
took the Rats’ Nest district for themselves.

It was a bloody separation and the City of

The Questors
Questor simply means “a man who
Thieves went through a period of great tur- asks”, a perfect definition that applies
moil.The Ragamuffin King sent his oldest son, to all beggars. The Questors were the
the gifted Armangas, to treat with the leaders original leaders of the Poor Beggars’
of the two factions. But the prince entered the secession from the Fat Beggars.
Rats’ Nest and never came back. He was be-
However, something has changed
lieved to be dead and great was the mourning
recently. Firstly, they allowed the
of the Ragamuffin King and of the whole city, Prophet to become the new leader
because the prince was dearly loved. of their people without challenging
him. Then, in the following months,
In truth, things went very differently. In some of them started using mysteri-
the intense, exciting days he spent with the ous, dark powers against the Thieves’
Children of Hunger, Armangas fell in love Guild. Many wonder what the
with Mayma, one of their leaders. The girl source of these new gifts is.

131
 The Streets of Jalizar

The Streets of Jalizar

One of the key features of pulp narrative is which there are very few NPCs besides the
the centrality of places and Sword and Sor- enemies, in a city environment the charac-
cery stories are no exception. So, the location ters are constantly surrounded by individuals
of each scenario must be chosen with great of all types. Detailing all of them is obvious-
care and must be attractive as well as evoca- ly impossible, but a quick system to generate
tive. Haunted cities, forgotten ruins, jungles characters on the fly is suggested below.
and forests are all excellent examples, as are
the back alleys of a dangerous city full of
corruption and decadence like Jalizar.

But Jalizar should not be reduced to the stereo-

Making Locations
type of a “corrupted city”.That’s why this section
offers some suggestions on how to make every
Memorable
corner of the City of Thieves as interesting, new, Think of fiction: a good writer only needs
and exotic as all pulp locations must be. a few words to make a location utterly
memorable. The same is true in Jalizar:
Another crucial element is the people living the City of Thieves is a maze of squares,
in the city. Unlike wilderness adventures, in streets, alleys, and dead ends, each with a
colorful name and history.

So, before placing the hideout of your

thugs in a nondescript road, take a couple
of minutes to make the location more de-
tailed.

The first step is to create the proper name

for a place, then you need to make it
unique, adding a particular twist or con-
centrating on an unusual aspect.

The Proper Name for

the Proper Place
Finding colorful fantasy names is a gift
rather than a technique, but we have
devised a way to help you stretch your
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 Making Locations Memorable

naming imagination. With this method, cation Description, and then another one
location names are created as follows: Lo- for the Location Type.
cation Description + Location Type, as in
Cursed Dice Alley, Lepers Square, Mad Naturally, the suggestions contained in
Poets’ Palace, and so on. Of course, you are this table are very generic, but they’ll give
you a good starting point. When you cre-
free to modify the names generated in this
ate a name, you should also consider the
way and add more variety to them.
district of Jalizar in which you will place it.
For instance, Butchers’ Alley is an appro-
Draw a card from the Action Deck to de- priate name for a street in the Shambles
termine the first part of the name, the Lo- but less so for one in posh Tallbridges.

Location Names Table

Card Location Description Location Type

2 Weapon/Tool (e.g. Axe, as in Axe Bridge) Catwalk
3 Animal (e.g. Rat, as in Rat Docks) Alley/Blind Alley
Organization/Occupation
4 Road/Lane
(e.g. Baker, as in Baker Gate)
Famous Character
5 Street
(e.g. Emella, as in Emella Monument)
Physical Feature
6 Square/Court
(e.g. Narrow, as in Narrow Alley)
7 Emotion (e.g. Hate, as in Hate Square) Docks
8 Famous Event (e.g. Siege, as in Siege Road) Channel
9 Color (e.g. Green, as in Green Park) Crossroads
Colorful Touch
10 Monument
(e.g. Pious Whore, as in Pious Whore Mews)
J Religious (e.g. Yalg, as in Yalg Gate) Bridge
Gory Detail
Q Gate
(e.g. Spilled Blood, as in Spilled Blood Well)
K Virtue/Vice (e.g. Lust, as in Lust Road) Temple/Park
A Foreign (e.g. Kyrosian, as in Kyrosian Catwalk) Tower/Palace
Joker Draw two cards and combine their meanings Fountain/Well

Notes
Channel. Very common in Brass Lan-
Catwalk. They are common in Tallbridg- terns and Loom Houses. Replace with
es, less common in other areas. In these Square or Tower in other areas.
cases, use Alley or Crossroads.
Park. Common in rich districts. In other
Docks. In districts by the water only. Re- cases, use Fountain or Monument.
place with Alley or Square in other areas.

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 The Streets of Jalizar

Making Locations Deuce – The Sewers. The location is somehow

connected with the rotten heart of Jalizar: the
Unique Sewers. There might be a manhole nearby (see
A location can become unique if it has a page 144), a Sewers creature might have chosen
particular feature, such as an interesting it as its hideout, it might be regularly visited by
NPC, a particular terrain type, or if it is a Sewer Sorcerer, or accessing it might require
the setting of an event happening while going through the dark tunnels under the City.
the heroes are there. Whatever you decide, the Sewers are involved.

This feature must fit in with the spirit of the Three – City of Darkness. The Jalizarans
story, enhancing and enriching it or provid- are used to living in constant semi-darkness.
ing the lead for an interesting diversion. The causes can be many: in certain alleys the
roofs are so close to each other that no light
Of course, we can’t describe all the pos- shines through, while other areas are regularly
sible features, but the list below provides shrouded in the smoke rising from the many
several ideas. chimneys of the City of Thieves. Whatever
the reason, visibility is affected. If the card
If you are in a hurry, you can also draw drawn is red, the location is in poor light con-
a card from the Action Deck and apply ditions or in permanent Dim or Dark Light
the feature described directly. Some fea- conditions (optionally, the GM can decide it
tures are quite rule-intensive. So, to make is Pitch Black). If the card is black, the loca-
consultation easier, they are detailed in the tion instead is affected by one of the obnox-
Environmental Features chapter. ious fogs of Jalizar (see page 140).

134
 Making Locations Memorable

Four – Organization. The location is con-

nected in some way with one of the or-
ganizations of Jalizar. If the card drawn is
Tavern Names
Taverns, inns and brothels are the
red, the organization is a legal one, like the heroes’ second home in Sword and
Copper Helms, the Merchant Houses, or Sorcery adventurers, so finding
one of the New Guilds (such as the Weav- cool names for them is important
ers’ Guild). If the card is black, the location and helps make them really unique.
is linked to a criminal organization (the Jan The Location Names Table can also
Tong, the smugglers and pirates of Shal- be used for taverns with a minor
lows Village, or even an independent band tweak: just draw a single card and
of criminals trying to carve out a space for check the Location Description
itself in the Flower of the North). column, then add the word “Inn” or
“Tavern”. If you want something
more elaborate, draw two cards,
Five – Bad Habits of Civilization. One check the Location Description for
of the main themes of Beasts and Barbar- both and try to combine them.
ians is the dichotomy between civilization So, for example, if you draw an
and barbarism. Jalizar being a “civilized” Ace (Foreign), you can invent the
place, this card places emphasis on the Slaughtered Valk Tavern, a place
negative aspects of civilization: decadence, in New Docks where the Siege of
poverty, and terrible living conditions. The Jalizar is still a vivid memory (the
Game Master can decide that, while the owner fought in it and survived)
heroes are walking down a street, some- and Valk customers aren’t wel-
body empties their chamber pot right on come…
top of them (counts as a Taunt Test-of-
Will). Otherwise, the heroes have to deal
Seven – Garbage. Filth and garbage are
with appalling poverty, as they are ap-
common in the City of Thieves. Both in
proached by a beggar man who wants to
the richest districts and in the poorest
sell his daughter to them. Whatever the
slums, piles of discarded, smelly things lie
situation, the uniqueness of the location is
around everywhere. The Jalizarans are so
based on the flaws of civilization.
used to the rats, the stench, and the in-
fections that they almost seem to take no
Six – Resident. The location has a perma-
notice. Detailed rules on the many uses of
nent dweller, such as a beggar, the owner
garbage are available on page 141.
of a shop open day and night, or an ani-
mal that has chosen this place as its home.
Whatever the situation, the Resident is Eight – Contested Area. This area is or
very territorial and is considered as having will soon be the subject of a dispute be-
Notice d10, which can make visiting the tween two or more factions. For example,
location or performing stealthy actions an alley can become the battleground for
quite difficult. However, this doesn’t mean a furious fight between the Jan Tong and
the Resident is automatically hostile. A the Thieves’ Guild. The clash can also be
stray dog, for example, can be very fond of on a lesser scale, as in the case of two men
the heroes (especially if they give it some quarreling in front of the house of the
food), but enthusiastic barks can attract woman they are courting, or two drunk-
unwanted attention… ards exchanging insults. The heroes might

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 The Streets of Jalizar

be involved (or must try to avoid getting tentionally (e.g. a tavern whose sign is so
involved) in the quarrel. faded it cannot be read).

Nine – Religious or Commercial Rele- Queen – The Road Above. This location
vance. The location is linked to one of the can be accessed only from high above the
two main businesses of the City of Thieves: streets or has something to do with Jali-
religion (if the card drawn is red) or com- zar’s roofs and chimneys, in the thieves’
merce (if it is black). In the first case, there lingo collectively called the Road Above.
can be a temple nearby, or the hideout of a Complete rules for walking the Road
secret sect, or simply the statue of an old, Above are found on page 142.
forgotten god. In the second case, there
can be a warehouse, a factory, or a meeting
King – Personality. An important per-
hall for merchants to discuss business.
sonality of Jalizar is linked to this place.
This feature could just add a touch of color
Ten – Historical Relevance. Jalizar has
or introduce a major twist in the scenario.
a rich history and this location features a
For example: Lord Talum’s favorite cour-
monument, a temple, or some other con-
tesan works in the brothel the party is vis-
struction of historical significance. It can
iting; Princess Monya is in a theatre where
be the statue of an ancient king, a cross-
a secret cult performs its unholy rites; or
roads famous for having been the scene of
the carriage of the Royal Food Taster is
a spectacular theft, and so on. The histori-
going down the very street where the he-
cal feature can simply provide some back-
roes are lying in ambush.
ground or it can hide something peculiar,
like a curse, a ghost haunting it, or a secret
treasure. Alternatively, the location can be Ace – Secret Passage. In Jalizar the
used by the Game Master to tell the players thieves are particularly stealthy and the
about a new aspect of the history of Jalizar. local history is full of murdering and
backstabbing. This is why sensible people
Jack – Labyrinth or Hidden Place. As a have built hidden passages in their houses,
peculiar local saying goes, the layout of Jali- so that they can come and go safely and
zar was devised by a drunkard, high on Lo- without being noticed. This location fea-
tus, while he was singing a lascivious song tures a secret passage of some type. It can
and kissing a courtesan. Many districts be related to the main plot or be just an
are intricate mazes and finding a specific incidental feature leading to an interesting
place can be difficult. In addition, in areas side story. For example, the heroes might
like Brass Lanterns, where channels can be find a hidden door leading to a hideout of
quickly opened or closed by moving barges, the Assassins’ Guild while they are shad-
it is easy to get lost. If the card drawn is owing a rich lady whose husband suspects
red, finding the location is problematic. In she wants to kill him. Would this lead to
gaming terms, the party must ask for direc- some major misunderstanding?
tions or make Streetwise rolls to get to their
destination. If they are involved in a Chase, Joker – Weird. This location has some-
either as pursuers or as pursued, they suffer thing very weird, such as a curse or hidden
-2 to Chase rolls. If the card is black, the monster or other creepy feature devised by
place is hidden, either intentionally (e.g. a the GM. Alternatively, two cards can be
shrine protected by a secret door) or unin- drawn and their results combined.

136
 Citizens of Jalizar

Putting It All Together

Here is a practical example of how to Citizens of Jalizar
make a location remarkable.
The City of Thieves is populated by the most
The Game Master knows that in the cur- desperate people, and even an experienced
rent session the heroes will have to cap-
Game Master might have some trouble
ture a mercenary burglar who has stolen
when the players ask him who all the cus-
an ancient statuette from the temple of
the Frog Master in Temples’ Road. The tomers in the tavern are. With the following
GM has already determined the thief ’s generator you can create a character concept
identity and decided that the heroes will rolling a d20 three times. The first roll will
surprise him while he is delivering the give you a general idea of the character type,
statuette to a mysterious Caldeian mer- the second will provide a personality trait
chant, but he has not yet chosen the loca- (traits are the same as the Ally Personality
tion for the capture.

So, he draws three cards

from the Action Deck: two to
find a colorful name for the
location and a third one to
make it unique. He draws:
Seven (Color), Six (Square/
Court), Nine of Clubs (com-
mercial relevance).

He decides that the thief will

meet his shady employer in an
abandoned wool warehouse
in Russet Court, a small
square in Loom Houses. The
location features vast rooms
with large cauldrons and
pools to wash the wool, as
well as plenty of cobwebs on
the walls and similar props.
In particular, the cobwebs
give the GM another idea:
the warehouse is now the den
of a giant spider, a specimen
escaped from Graytowers.
Both the heroes and the thief
will have a nasty surprise
in the deserted warehouse in
Russet Court…

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 The Streets of Jalizar

Table of SWD) and the third, optional one, personalities. Finally, decide who they are
will indicate the character’s allegiance. loyal to or roll a die for the entire group
(or several times if you want one or more
As for allegiance, some characters are traitors or rotten apples in the group).
naturally associated with a faction, so the
roll can be skipped. For instance, a thief Concepts by Districts. It is quite difficult
will be faithful to the Thieves’ Guild, while to meet a beggar in Tallbridges and almost
a Copper Helm has sworn to protect the impossible to find a noble in Rats Nest. So,
city and the King. But in a place as corrupt the table below assigns the lower numbers
as Jalizar, traitors are common and many to poorer characters and the higher numbers
characters have secret allegiances. to the more prominent members of society.
When you want a type of person that suits
Groups of Characters. The same system the district you are in, change the die you use
can be used to quickly generate groups for the first roll. Use d8 for very poor quar-
of similar characters. Simply roll once for ters, d12 for average ones, and roll a d10+10
the character concept, and once for each for the very exclusive areas. You can alter the
member of the group to determine their dice a bit to reflect slight differences.

Citizens of Jalizar Table

D20 Concept Personality Allegiance

1 Beggar or Prostitute Young Servant of the Sewers
2 Bogman or Manual Laborer Cruel Foreign Pow
3 Servant or Slave Old Beggars’ Guild
Low Ranking Criminal
4 Happy Courtesans’ Guild
or Jan Tong
5 Copper Helm or Bodyguard Experienced Thieves’ Guild
6 Barber or Witch Gung Ho Merchant House
7 Sailor or Smuggler Lazy Religious Cult or Sect
8 Foreigner or Traveler Sneaky Copper Helms
9 Soldier or Mercenary Bright Independent
10 Apprentice or Guild Affiliate Dumb Mercenary
11 Courtesan or Entertainer Rough Independent
12 Shopkeeper or Innkeeper Agile Mercenary
13 Guild Member Observant Black Tong
14 Thief or Merchant Clueless Children of Hunger
15 Priest or Poet Mysterious Shallows Village
16 Military Officer or Sage Creative New Guild
17 Assassin or Duelist Artistic Assassins’ Guild
18 Guild or Jademen Elder Fearless Thieves’ Guild
19 Lotusmaster or Sorcerer Cowardly Ragamuffin King
20 Noble or Guild Master Heroic Traitor

138
 Environmental Features

Notes so probably fat) whose only occupation

Servant of the Sewers. The character is a seems to consist in selling his three sis-
servant of the Seducers (see page 195 for ters’ favors in the streets of Jalizar, but
rules)! actually watches and hears everything
happening in his neighborhood. Grasko
Foreign Power. The character can be ei- strokes his greasy moustache and gives the
ther Jalizaran or foreign but owes alle- heroes the directions they need. Moreover,
giance to a foreign state. if they are a very colorful party, he will
report their names to the King…
Independent. The character works mainly
as a freelance or isn’t linked to any specific
power.

Mercenary. The character’s loyalty is “for

Environmental
sale”. This doesn’t automatically have a
negative connotation, as the character
Features
can be either temporarily out of work or a This chapter presents rules to handle sever-
mercenary soldier. al environmental features typical of Jalizar.

Traitor. The character is double-crossing

his employer and secretly working for Diseases
someone else! Roll a d20 twice for alle-
giances: the first roll determines the char- The Flower of the North is corrupted as
acter’s original allegiance, the second one well as filthy, and diseases of all types are
his new master. quite common. The Game Master should
not overdo inflicting illnesses on the heroes
and, in certain cases, the mere possibility of
Putting it All Together catching a nasty bug can add some drama
Here follows a practical example for a to the story. Unless differently specified, the
citizen of Jalizar generated on the fly in a two normal ways of recovering from a dis-
random way. ease are either naturally, by scoring a raise on
the Vigor roll at the start of the session, or
During their first trip to Jalizar the he- magically, through the healing power, which
roes stop a passerby and ask for directions must be cast with an appropriate trapping.
to Market Square. The Game Master,
caught by surprise, has to create an NPC See SWD page 87 for general rules on
on the fly. He rolls a d20 three times and Diseases, and check the following list for
gets: 4 for Concept (Low Ranking Crim- specific ones that are common in the City
inal), 7 for Personality (Lazy), and 19 of Thieves.
for Allegiance (Ragamuffin King).
Bog Fever. It is a Long Term Chronic,
A Lazy, Low Ranking Criminal work- Minor Debilitating disease, with high,
ing for the King himself is most probably recurrent fever, similar to malaria. It is
a spy of the crown. So, the Game Mas- caused by a microscopic parasite living in
ter invents the character of Grasko the the mud of the Charred Bogs. An individ-
Procurer, a plump ruffian (he is Lazy, ual catches it by spending a long time in

139
 The Streets of Jalizar

the bogs or by being wounded by a weapon Rat Curse. It is a Long Term Chronic, Mi-
smeared with the Bogs’ mud. The Bogmen nor Debilitating disease, which causes the
believe that those affected are actually body to shake and the jaw to lock progres-
possessed by the spirits of people burned sively tighter. In terminal cases, the pressure
by the Jalizarans in the Bogs in the distant is so strong that the victim’s teeth shatter.
past. When a character catches this dis- This disease can be cured in three ways: by
ease, he is allowed a Spirit (-4) roll. In case scoring a raise on the Vigor roll made at the
of success, he gains the strange ability to start of the session, with the healing power,
cast the Summon Ally (Ancestor’s Ghost) or by finding the King of Rats and begging
Power, using Spirit as arcane skill and for mercy (see page 176).
with 5 Power Points. Oddly, only the sick
individual can see the ghost. The power Whiteplume Cough. This disease is carried
disappears when the disease is cured. by Jalizar’s pigeons, in particular by a vicious
airborne parasite which multiplies in the nests
Damsel’s Skin. This dangerous fungal par- of these birds. It is an Airborne, Short Term
asite exists only in the Sewers of Jalizar. It Debilitating disease, with persistent cough-
is an Induction illness (transmission occurs ing, which in extreme cases causes bleeding
when touching a person already affected by in the lungs. The roll to check for contagion is
it), and manifests itself as a thin layer of pink made only in indoor locations inhabited by a
fungus growing on the skin. It is considered great number of pigeons.
a Long Term, Debilitating disease but, in-
stead of being Fatigued, the victim loses a
die step both in Spirit and Smarts and gains Fogs
the Berserk Edge. If a 1 is rolled on the Vig-
or die, instead of being Incapacitated, the Jalizar is famous for its fogs and this location
victim also suffers the effects of the Delu- is a perfect example. Standard fog counts as
sion (paranoid visions - Major) Hindrance. Dim Light or Dark Light, depending on
how thick it is, but there are other, much
Greenbug. It is a Long Term Chronic, nastier types of fog, described below.
Major Debilitating disease, with green-
ish pustules, which are actually caused by Smuggler’s Lady. This foul-smelling fog
a fungus. It is particularly dangerous, be- coming from the sea is the smugglers and
cause it is undetectable. It devastates the thieves’ favorite. It muffles sounds causing an
body of the victim, but causes absolutely additional -2 to any sound based Notice rolls.
no pain. The disease works as usual, but no
penalty for Fatigued is applied, until the Bogs’ Fart. This putrid fog comes from the
victim is Incapacitated and then dies. Charred Bogs and is said to bring diseases.
Any hero standing in it for more than an
Mummy Rot. It is a Long Term Chronic, hour must make a Vigor (+2) roll or suffer a
Major Debilitating disease, akin to a very level of Fatigue for the remainder of the day.
aggressive form of leprosy. If the victim
rolls less than 1 on the Vigor roll, instead Sewer Fog. This very dangerous, and
of passing out, she must roll on the Inca- luckily rare, fog rises from the Sewers
pacitation Table to determine which body and can turn anyone inhaling it into a re-
part is affected. There is no chance of re- morseless killer. Any character standing
covering naturally from Mummy Rot. in it is considered as having the Berserker

140
 Environmental Features

Edge. Under its effect, the most trivial Cushioning. Trash is usually squashy and
tavern brawl can degenerate into a bloody any character falling from a rooftop will
slaughter. Any character killing someone be happy to land on something soft. This
under the effect of the Sewers Fog must reduces the height of the fall by 2”/4”/6”
make a Spirit roll or permanently acquire respectively (see falling rules in SWD, page
the Bloodthirsty Hindrance. 88 and the Fast Falling sidebar on page
144). It also causes Diving (see below).

Garbage Diving. Characters chased by enemies

or in other dire situations can decide to
Garbage is an important feature in Jalizar. hide in the trash. In this case, take a deep
When you want to use it, place at least breath and dive into the filth! Being hid-
2d4 Trash Piles in the area. You can use den under trash grants +4 to Stealth rolls,
Small Burst Templates to represent them. but it also makes the character smell very
Optionally, you can trade two small piles bad. After leaving his hideout, he suffers
for a medium one (use a Medium Burst -2 to Charisma, and -2 to any subsequent
Template), or three small ones for a large Stealth rolls due to the stench, until he
one (use a Large Burst Template). bathes and changes his clothes.

The piles can be used for one of the fol- Props. Garbage piles are perfect for find-
lowing purposes. ing useful objects. During combat, any
character standing within 1” of a pile can
Cover. Small piles of trash count as Light declare she has picked up a useful prop
cover, Medium piles as Medium cover, (such as rotten food, dirty rags, or some-
and Large ones as Heavy cover. thing equally disgusting) and she intends

141
 The Streets of Jalizar

to use it for a Trick, receiving +2 to the

Searching through roll. Optionally, searching through piles of
trash when not in combat can lead to in-
Trash, or, Lost teresting discoveries (see sidebar).
Treasures of Jalizar
Some people live off stuff discarded by
others so, outside combat, searching The Road Above
through trash piles can be very useful.
By spending half an hour and making a The chimneys, rooftops, and catwalks of
Survival, Notice (-2) or Smarts (-4) roll, Jalizar are collectively called “the Road
the hero can find various things, which Above” by thieves and scoundrels of all
are detailed below. Characters with the types. In game terms, devising a scene
Beggar’s Gift or Alley Survivor Edges featuring the Road Above can be very
add +2 to the roll. interesting and exciting. The rules below
Critical Failure – Nasty Critter! A describe how to move along the Road
beast of some type that is hiding in the Above, how to handle Chases, and how to
trash bites the unfortunate hero. She stage fights among the chimneys.
suffers 2d4 damage to her least armored
location.
Walking
Success – Interesting Stuff. The hero
finds an improvised weapon (Str+d4), a When the heroes must get to a location
Beggar’s Trick or something of equiva- via the roofs, adopt the following rules.
lent value (1-5 Moons). They must be used only when appropriate
Raise – What do We Have Here? for the narration, and not every time the
The hero finds a well-balanced club, an party moves away from the ground. Walk-
equivalent weapon, (Str+d4) or some- ing on the roofs is handled in an abstract
thing of similar value (5-10 Moons). way, using a slightly different version of
the Dramatic Task rules. First, the Game
Two Raises – A Real Treasure! The
Master must decide the length of the walk
character finds a real treasure in the
garbage! It can be a normal weapon (up in abstract Steps. Each Step represents a
to Str+d8), a prop giving +2 to a single particular moment during the Walk and
roll (like a precious gown giving +2 to a revolves around overcoming a specific
single roll to produce a disguise), an item problem (a steep wall, a slippery roof, and
worth up to 200 Moons, or even a minor so on). The total number of Steps is usu-
Relic of some type. Naturally, if the item ally between 2 and 5.
is very precious, there must be a reason
why it has been thrown away, and this During each Step, the characters must
can lead to an interesting side story… make a skill roll.

Since there can be all sorts of dangers, the

nature of the skill depends on what is hap-
pening during the specific Step. This must
be determined by the Game Master in
advance (or decided randomly by drawing
a card from the Action Deck during each
Step), as shown in the table below.

142
 Environmental Features

Road Above Skill Selection Table

Card Step Description Skill Used

Number
2-4 Climbing up a steep wall Climbing
Moving on difficult ground
5-7 Agility
(such as a slippery edge)
8-10 Jumping from place to place Strength
Finding the courage to jump
J-Q Spirit
over a very wide gap
K-A Finding an alternative path Smarts
The Step is automatically completed,
Joker -
+2 to the next Step roll!

The rolls can be cooperative (GM’s deci- Disaster: Fall! The character is going to
sion) if the players find a way to help each fall (but you can use the Cliffhanger rule,
other (for instance, using ropes, marking see sidebar)!
passages, encouraging comrades who are
scared of heights, and so on). Major Obstacle: A large flock of pigeons
or Ironbeak Crows
Now, check the result of the roll.
Minor Obstacle: A slippery edge or a
Critical Failure. The character falls. The gust of wind.
height of the fall is decided by the Game
Master, but we suggest using the Fast Distraction: A small chimney must be
Falling sidebar on page 144. avoided or a tile suddenly breaks under
the hero’s weight.
Failure. The hero is stuck in the current Step.

Success. The hero manages to complete

Fighting
the current Step. When the heroes have to fight on roof-
tops, you can choose to apply one or more
Raise. For each raise, the hero gains +1 to of the following terrain rules.
the roll to overcome the next Step.
Catwalks. They are usually 2” wide and
When the heroes successfully complete all between 2” and 10” long. Some are made
the Steps, they reach their destination. of brick and mortar (Toughness 8) but
the wooden ones are dangerously weaker
(Toughness 6).
Running
The heroes might have to run on the Chimneys. Typical Jalizaran Chimneys
rooftops, usually while chasing or being are 1” by 1”, offer Medium Cover, and have
chased. Use the standard Chase rules, giv- Toughness 6. They can puff out smoke at
ing an appropriate trapping to Complica- any moment. Whenever a character is dealt
tions. Some examples are listed below. a deuce, it means a chimney has puffed out

143
 The Streets of Jalizar

Fast Falling
When you are in the heat of the game and the heroes are going to fall off a roof, wast-
ing time on calculating falls can spoil the gaming experience. To speed things up,
choose the height of the building the heroes are standing on as follows:

Height Height Falling

(real world) (gaming table) Damage
Very Tall 80 feet 8” 8d6+8
Tall 60 feet 6” 6d6+6
Medium 40 feet 4” 4d6+4
Low 20 feet 2” 2d6+2

Cliffhanger! A classic scene in pulp stories sees the heroes desperately clinging to the
edge of a building or rock. Let’s be honest: killing heroes with a fall is no fun at all,
either for the players or for the Game Master. So, the Game Master can decide that
every time a Wild Card, Henchman, or Right Hand (both PC and NPC) is going
to fall, they are allowed an Agility roll to cling to the edge of a roof or crevasse. Then,
with a Strength (-4) roll, which can be cooperative, they can regain solid ground. Yes,
this rule isn’t realistic (Extras fall normally, after all), but it is much more fun.

a cloud of smoke: place a Medium Burst Steep Roofs. They are considered Diffi-
Template centered on the Chimney to rep- cult Ground. In addition, any time a char-
resent the cloud (consider it as Dim Light). acter rolls 1 on the skill die (regardless
of the Wild Die) while using an Agility-
Pigeon Spikes. It is common in Jalizar based skill, he slides 1d4” toward the edge
to put spikes along the edges of roofs to of the roof (which can cause him to fall).
prevent pigeons from alighting on them.
Pigeon Spikes are considered difficult Very Steep Roofs. Same as above, but the
ground and any character walking on them surface is so steep that moving requires a
must make an Agility roll or be Shaken. Climbing roll. In addition, any 1 rolled on
the skill die when using an Agility-based
Jumping over the Streets. Jalizar’s streets skill causes a fall!
tend to be narrow, and with some courage
a character can jump over them! As a gen-
eral rule, a narrow street is 1” wide, a me- Sewer Manholes
dium one is 2” wide, a rather broad street
is 3” wide, and one of the main avenues or Manholes are made of bronze and they are
a square is 4” wide or more. To keep things locked (as per an edict issued by one of the
fast, roll a d4 and use the number to de- past kings of Jalizar). A Lockpicking roll
termine the width of the street in combat or brute force are necessary to pry them
inches. The roll can ace (usually meaning open (Toughness 7). In addition, man-
the building overlooks a square). holes are places of great importance for

144
 Traps

the worshippers of the Lords Below. Any isn’t always viable. Traps have different
character with the Sewer Sorcerer Edge purposes and this is exactly what you have
can try to draw energy from a manhole to determine when devising a trap to be
within 6” of him by making a Spirit (-2) included in a scene. Even when you are
roll. For each success and raise, he recovers looking for a random trap, its purpose
a Power Point. Each manhole can grant must be decided to fit your scenario.
up to 5 Power Points but, when they are
all drained, a month must pass before the Traps can be very different: lethal, inca-
manhole can be tapped into again. pacitate/block, alarm/spook and mark.

The Game Master can also decide that a Lethal. The most obvious type of trap is
manhole fills up with filth and floods the made to severely wound or dispatch en-
nearby area. Any character on the scene emies. If you find a lethal trap in the lo-
must make a Swimming or Strength (-2) cation you are exploring, you can be sure
roll every round for three rounds or suffer that the owner of the building isn’t going
3d6 damage per round. After this, the wa- to be of a friendly disposition.
ter subsides, but the area is reduced to Dif-
ficult Ground for at least an hour. Damage
to the environment and the buildings is Incapacitate/Block. Traps made to in-
determined by the Game Master. capacitate or block aren’t lethal, their goal
is to capture trespassers alive. A trap of
Manholes usually lead to the Sewers (see this type doesn’t automatically mean the
the Sewers of Jalizar chapter). owner of the device is an evil person. He
might just want to question the thieves
about their motivations or the identity of
the person who ordered the break in.
Traps Alarm/Spook. These aren’t traps in the
Jalizar is the City of Thieves and people do true sense of the word. The purpose of
their best to protect their homes from the an alarm is to alert the people living in
rapacious hands of burglars. Guards can the building. Note that not all alarms are
be bought or killed, magic is rare and dan- evident to everybody. The most dangerous
gerous, so what can a fat merchant do to ones are those which alert only the guards,
protect his ill-gotten money? The answer without alarming the thieves. Spooks are
is simple: he can set up traps. different: they are made to scare and to
convince the thieves to run away.
The following section will provide some
hints about how to design traps through Mark. Quite a rare type of trap, a mark
a three-step system. If you are in hurry, a doesn’t stop or prevent thieves from
simple trap generator is included. breaking an entry or committing a crime,
but it leaves something on them, so that
identification and tracking down are easi-
First Step: Purpose er. For example, a strongbox smeared with
Despite what you might think, not all a Lotus concoction which permanently
traps are lethal. Getting rid of dead bod- dyes the hands of whoever touches it is an
ies is no easy task, so killing all intruders excellent way to track down the culprit.

145
 The Streets of Jalizar

Second Step: Type so the best way to handle them is simply to

The second step is about determining the avoid triggering them.
nature of the trap. Traps can be divided into
four broad groups: mechanical, creature, Magical. Magical traps are more common
alchemical or magical. The nature of the in high fantasy, but they can also be found
trap will give you an idea about how the trap in Sword and Sorcery, though much more
works in practice. rarely. This is why the Game Master should
use them with great care. A magical trap
Mechanical. Although the Dominions are usually unleashes a curse or some Power
an ancient-era setting, architecture and en- which affects the victims. Good magical
gineering are quite advanced. In addition, traps are power glyphs which explode after
if a trap was built by a very old civilization, being touched, enraged spirits kept in sealed
such as that of a lost city or of the Keronians, urns, and illusions hiding a deep chasms. In
it can be fairly complex. Typical mechanical most cases, magical traps cannot be found
traps range from springing blades to sections and disabled without supernatural means
of floor which collapse under the weight of and skills, like the Knowledge (Arcana) skill
anyone standing on them. Mechanical traps and the detect/conceal arcana Power.
can be blocked and/or overcome with some
clever stratagem and they usually include a
control to block and/or reset them after use.
Third Step: Mechanics
The mechanics of a trap concern the rules to
Creature. The nature of this trap is the pres- detect and disable it. Detecting a trap usual-
ence of a beast of some type. It is rarely pos- ly requires a Notice roll, with a penalty rang-
sible to create a trap completely based on ing from 0 to -4, depending on how well the
an animal, so a mechanical or alchemical device is concealed. Magical or alchemical
element is usually included too. A pit full of traps aren’t so easily noticed and sometimes
scorpions or a sliding section of wall which the Knowledge (Arcana) or detect/conceal ar-
traps the heroes inside a room with a rag- cana power is needed.
ing bull are both good examples of animal-
based traps. When you design a Creature The standard skill to disable a trap is Repair,
trap remember that mundane beings have but alchemical or magical traps might re-
mundane needs, such as food and air. A pit quire other abilities.
full of snakes in a sealed pyramid will con-
tain only dusty bones unless someone regu- Traps can be simple or complex. Simple traps
larly comes to feed the beasts. Disabling an can be disabled with a single roll, which usu-
animal trap involves killing or incapacitating ally means that one action is enough to elimi-
the Creature(s) in question. nate the threat (a pressure plate is blocked; a
magical glyph is erased, and so on). Complex
Alchemical. The powers of the Lotus must traps, instead, require a certain number of
not be underestimated. Alchemical traps are actions to be disabled. For example, a room
subtle, invisible, and usually very dangerous. which fills up with water is a complex trap
A good Alchemical trap can be an obnox- that requires the heroes to find four hidden
ious soporiferous gas which makes a tres- pressure plates and push them in the correct
passer lose consciousness, or a tiny needle order. In this case, the best way to handle the
which punctures an incautious thief. Al- disabling process is to approach it as a Dra-
chemical traps are quite difficult to disable, matic Task, involving one or more skills.

146
 Traps

Second Card Value: Mechanics

Random Trap
Generator Suit Damage Creature
Alchemical/
Magical
The suggestions above should give you
2d4
plenty of ideas about how to devise traps. 2-3
damage
Novice Creature Novice Power
But, if you are in a hurry, you can use the
2d6 Novice Novice Power
rules below to quickly create a trap, draw- 4-5
damage Creature(x2) (MBT)
ing two cards from the Action Deck. The
2d6
only thing the Game Master must decide 7-8 damage
Seasoned Crea-
Seas. Power
in advance is the purpose of the trap. ture
(x2)
2d8 dam- Seasoned Seas. Power
9-10
The default trap is simple. If a skill is re- age Creature(x2) (MBT)
quired for the trap to work (for example, 2d6
Shooting for a dart to be thrown or Sor- J-Q damage Veteran Creature Veteran Power
cery to activate a specific power) check the (MBT)
suit and color of both cards to determine 3d6
Veteran Power
it (see Cards/Colors Suits below), starting K-A damage Heroic Creature
(MBT)
from the unskilled level (d4-2). (x2)
draw two cards and
Joker — —
apply both results
First Card Value: Trap Type
Second Card Suit: Disabling Difficulty
Value Type
Suit Repair Roll
2-6 Mechanical Modifier
7-10 Creature Clubs 0
J-K Alchemical Spades -1
A Magical Diamonds -2
Draw two cards and apply Hearts -4
Joker
both results
Complex Trap
Joker (can be disabled only with a
Dramatic task)
First Card Suit: Spotting Difficulty
Cards Colors/Suits: Trap Skill
Suit Notice Roll
Modifier Card
Color/Suit Trap Skill
Clubs 0
Spades -1 Increase relevant trap
Black Card
skill one die step
Diamonds -2
Increase in relevant trap
Hearts -4 Red Card
skill two die steps
Complex Trap
Increase in relevant trap
Joker (can be disabled only with a Same suit
skill one die step
Dramatic Task)
Add Wild DiePutting
Any Joker
it All Together

147
 The Streets of Jalizar

Here is a practical example of a trap cre-

Narrative ated using this generator.

Technique: Traps The heroes are sneaking into the house of

and Roleplaying Baaros, a cobbler who is rumored to be a
There are basically two ways to role- moneylender and to have a fortune hidden
play situations involving traps, each of somewhere in his house. With a stratagem,
them representing a different gaming the heroes have managed to lure him away
philosophy, both with advantages and for a couple of hours. They have broken
disadvantages. in and are now on the second floor of the
To illustrate the difference, let’s take for house. The Game Master has decided that
example a very simple trap: a pressure Baaros’s bedroom, where his treasure is
plate hidden in a corridor. When a hidden, is protected by a Lethal trap, but
weight of 100 lbs or more is put on it, a he hasn’t determined its nature. Five min-
dart hidden in the nearby wall is fired. utes before the session starts, he draws two
The most straightforward decision
cards from the Action Deck and uses the
would be to integrate the trap entirely Trap Generator illustrated above.
into the gaming mechanics. Finding the
trap requires a Notice roll, disarming The cards drawn are: Deuce of Spades
it a Repair roll. It is quick, simple, but and Seven of Diamonds.
sometimes not very rewarding from a
roleplaying perspective. The trap is a Mechanical Trap and a
The second approach consists in letting Notice (-1) roll is required to spot it.
the players find and disarm the trap. The trap makes two attacks causing 2d6
This can happen if a player says her damage each time. Since an attack skill is
heroine is probing the ground with a needed, the combination of the card suits
staff or looking explicitly for fissures in results in 3 die steps, so d8.
the wall.
Even if the heroine lacks the required The Game Master is inspired by the two
skills, she will still find the trap. This attacks feature and decides that the trap
approach slows the game down and is is a set of two blades hidden within the
much less fixed, but it is certainly more doorframe of Baaros’s bedroom. The
entertaining and satisfying from the blades will attack any person stepping
players’ perspective. into the room with Fighting d8 (and the
So, which approach should the GM Drop). The gaps in which the blades are
choose? housed are easily spotted with a Notice
(-1) roll and the trap can be disarmed
The answer is very personal but we with a Repair roll. In addition, since the
suggest using the more mechanical trap is mechanical, there must be a but-
approach if the players make no at-
tempt to find and disarm a trap using
ton to disable it, which the Game Master
their own wits (i.e. they simply say: places along the external wall, hidden
“We’re looking for traps”). Instead, if behind a painting. When the button is
they propose clever, in-character ways pressed, the mechanism is automatically
to find a trap, use the second approach disabled. Finding the button requires no
or, at least, grant the players generous roll, but a player must clearly state he is
bonuses to their rolls. looking behind the painting.

148
 Relics of Jalizar

which can be used only for Boating

Relics of rolls or to Soak Wounds to the Catfish,
as per the Helmsman Edge, with +4 to
Jalizar the roll. In addition, there is a hidden
compartment (Notice roll to discover
it, opposed by the shipwright’s Stealth
The City of Thieves is bustling with com- d10) which might contain (GM’s deci-
merce and in its colorful shops and mar- sion) some precious but very danger-
kets it isn’t difficult to find strange items ous cargo belonging to the previous
from all over the Dominions. Many of owner of the vessel.
them are fake (see the Merchants of Jali- 3. Zymandias’ Flowers. Zymandias
zar rule on page 92) but some are real, was a famous Jalizaran poet who,
magical items. many centuries ago, took his own life
because his beloved, the Countess of
This chapter details some typical relics the Black Tower, didn’t return his af-
found in Jalizar. You can integrate them fections. His love poems, called the
into your scenarios as they are or use Flowers, are considered masterpieces
them as inspiration to create your own and this book, made of thin layers
strange items. This section describes of engraved mother-of-pearl, is
one of the originals. Studying
12 items in total, so you can also se-
it for a month grants the hero a
lect one of them randomly by rolling free die step increase in Knowl-
a d12. edge (Legends and Lore) or +1
1. Havrana Chastity Bodice. De- Charisma (player’s choice). But
spite its name, this leather and the book is cursed by Zymandias’
whale bone bodice leaves very desperate love. After studying it,
little to the imagination. It the reader must make a Spirit
once belonged to the famous (-4) roll or his dreams will
Havrana, an exotic dancer be haunted by the vision of
and skilled member of the a pale, dark-haired lady, the
Assassins’ Guild, who wore Countess, and his soul will
it when she visited her vic- be overwhelmed by desper-
tims to kill them. The bodice ate love. In gaming terms,
hides a series of cleverly con- he is affected by the Thwarted
cealed throwing blades made of Love and Bad Luck Hindrances.
bone, granting the wearer the One The only way to remove the curse
Still Left Edge. All the blades are so consists in finding all of Zymandias’
perfectly balanced that they give +1 Flowers and destroying them (four
to the Throwing rolls. In addition, the books in total). Alternatively, the hero
bodice grants +1 Armor, allowing the will have to find where the Countess
use of the Bikini Heroine Edge at the is buried and destroy her body.
same time. Naturally, the bodice can 4. Manticore’s Blood. This rare Lotus
be used only by a woman. potion is one of the strongest acids
2. The Catfish. This old, ragged Chibbar known in the Dominions. It can be
still bears the stylized picture of a cat- splashed onto opponents, dealing 3d6
fish painted on its hull in barely visible damage (AP 6) for three rounds. How-
colors. The ship belonged to a famous ever, this would be a waste, because a
smuggler, nicknamed the Catfish, and little drop is enough to melt any lock.
has survived many storms, chases, and Usually, a flask contains enough acid
battles. It grants the owner a Bennie, for a single attack or to melt five locks.

149
 The Streets of Jalizar

5. Sewer Map. In the distant past, 7. Tattered Cloak. Very few people
someone drew maps of different parts would still wear this cloak, because
of the Sewers. Basically two types of it is dirty and foul-smelling and has
maps exist: targeted maps and sector been patched so many times that its
maps. A targeted map simply shows original color and shape are indistin-
the route to a specific location in the guishable. Indeed, anyone wearing
Sewers (usually marking the position it suffers -1 to Charisma. However,
of a treasure), while a sector map de- somehow its owner always manages
tails a portion of the Sewers, making to survive deadly attacks and it grants
it impossible for the heroes to get lost +1 to Soak rolls. Any successful Soak
in that particular area. The type of roll creates a new hole or stain on the
map is decided by the Game Master tattered cloak.
but, any time this treasure is found,
8. Iron Key. This rusty key bears the
secretly draw a card from the Action
engraving of a human face disfigured
Deck. If a club is dealt, the map is
by pustules. A Knowledge (Religion)
fake and it will lead the heroes to
or Common Knowledge (-4) roll
a dangerous place or give them
identifies the face as the symbol
completely wrong directions (-4
of Javalasta, a terrible foreign god-
to any orientation roll, see page
dess of pestilence. In Temples’ Road
159).
there is a small shrine dedicated to
6. Night Jewel. Princes and lords Javalasta. It has been locked for a
have spent fortunes to lay their decade or so and the rusty key opens
hands on this round dia- its door. The room within is so
mond, as black as the small it can barely contain
night and casting mes- the statue of the goddess.
merizing reflections. The statue hides a secret
But its magic is actually passage, with can be dis-
of another, much darker, type. If covered with a Notice (-2) roll. A
it is exposed to the direct light of flight of stairs leads to a few un-
the full moon, the Night Jewel derground rooms, which used to be
shows its real nature. It shatters the hideout of Faceless, a famous
and, in few seconds, an enormous Whitemouse thief known to be a
spider made of black crystal great master of disguises. The rooms
hatches from it! The creature and contain his enormous collection of
the owner of the gem make an costumes and props, which grant +4
opposed Spirit roll. If the spider to any roll to create disguises, and an
wins, it attacks the owner of the alchemic laboratory. At the Game
gem; if the owner wins, the crea- Master’s discretion, the place might
ture is under his control for the be protected by one or more deadly
entire night. The spider has the traps and has at least one other exit.
same stats as a Wild Card Giant
9. Shade’s Blade. Quite a number
Spider (see SWD, page 140), plus
of these weapons exist, including
the Construct Special Ability. It
curved bronze knives, short swords
can also become totally transpar-
and a single Manticore Blade. The
ent, which counts as the invisibil-
legend about them is always the
ity Power, cast with Sorcery d10
same: these weapons were used by
and 10 Power Points. At the end
the infamous King Shade in his As-
of the night, the creature returns
sassin days. Whatever the truth, the
to its owner and turns back into
reddish stains on the blades prove
the wonderful gem.
that these weapons have spilled a lot

150
 Relics of Jalizar

of blood and still want more. They are still lies hidden somewhere, with all
as sharp as razors, dealing +2 damage, its treasures ready to be plundered…
but also vicious and untrustworthy.
12. Cat’s Paw. The Jalizarans are very
Every time the user rolls a 1 on the
fond of charms and, at first glance,
Fighting die, regardless of the Wild
this embalmed cat’s paw doesn’t look
Die, she cuts herself, suffering normal
any different from all the other amu-
weapon damage.
lets you can find for a few Moons in
10. Jangrila’s Ashes. Jangrila was one of Market Square. Yet, this item is truly
the first three Elders who led the Ja- magical, since the King of Rats bit
demen to Jalizar. When he died, his it off its greatest enemy, Zhubal, the
body was burned and his ashes care- King of Cats. The owner gains the
fully stored in an urn, to be sent back Harder to Kill Edge for a limited
to the City of Clouds, in Lhoban. number of times. When a charac-
However, they never left Jalizar, be- ter finds this relic, the Game Master
cause they were stolen, causing great secretly rolls a d10: the result is the
rage throughout the Jademen com- numbers of “lives” the Paw still con-
munity. The urn is sealed and whoever tains, with 10 to be read as zero. Each
opens it frees the spirit held within, use of the Edge consumes a life. In
which emerges in the shape of a cloud addition, the owner will never be at-
of smoke. Jangrila is a benevolent tacked by felines, unless he attacks
soul, but he will try to possess the them first. Alternatively, the Paw can
body of the nearest individual, win- be used to summon (no roll required)
ning an opposed roll between his own Zhubal, the King of Cats. Zhubal ap-
Spirit (d10) and the victim’s. The pos- pears after 1d6 rounds and will per-
sessed individual still has control over form a single task for the owner of the
his body and actions, but Jangrila can amulet, then the feline will take its
speak through his lips and can freely paw back. Determining the true na-
use his powers (just like an Ances- ture of the item requires a Knowledge
tor Ghost, with 30 Power Points). (Arcana or Religion or Legends and
The spirit disappears when his Power Lore) roll (-2). The use of the detect/
Points drop to zero. Returning the conceal arcana Power, instead, allows
urn intact to the Jademen ensures the character to automatically recog-
their gratitude. nize the magical nature of the item.
11. Moss-Covered Skull. This ancient
skull is covered with a thin layer of
some unknown type of Lotus moss. It
is a powerful item and a Lotusmaster
with the Incense Tradition Edge can
use the skull in place of a glass orb,
with 10 extra Power Points, which can
be used only with this Edge. But the
moss on the skull is dangerous and
anyone touching it for long periods
(more than one day) catches a moss
infection which lowers his Charisma
by 1 and causes the Anemic Hin-
drance. The infection goes away after
a month of not touching the skull. A
legend says that the skull was taken
from a lost underground city, which

151
 Sewers of Jalizar

Sewers of Jalizar
Sooner or later, the heroes will head down The presence of water dramatically influ-
below the city, to explore and discover the ences the Sewers. The rain often floods
dark secrets buried under Jalizar. When the channels closer to the surface, creating
this happens, you, the Game Master, must blockages that that must be cleared quick-
be ready! ly, otherwise the streets will be invaded
by filth. In particular, the Cleaners fear
the Bottleneck Effect. This happens when
trash builds up, stopping the regular flow
The Sewers in of the water. When the buildup is cleared,
the mass of water is released, creating a
the Campaign wave which can be very dangerous for any
creature stuck in the Sewers.
Jalizar is mainly an urban setting. The
characters will fight, steal, and get drunk The tides instead affect the lower levels.
in the city in the purest Swords and Sor- The Sewers are directly connected with
cery spirit. But such a setting lacks the the sea, and certain channels are com-
thrill of exploration and of not knowing pletely submerged at high tide. Also, when
what is waiting for you a few yards away in the moon is in a specific position, known
the darkness. The Sewers are made exactly as the Moon of the Drowned Rat, sea-
for this purpose, to allow you to include water fills most of the lower levels of the
exploration and, why not, a little dungeon Sewers, turning them into a deadly trap
crawling in your stories. The Sewers are for any living being. Luckily these occur-
also home to the Jamhans, the cruel Lords rences can be predicted with accuracy.
Below.
Plants
Ecology Despite being underground, the Sewers
are full of vegetable life. Unusual mosses
Climate and fungi grow on the filthy walls, giving
a spooky luminescence to the dark tunnels.
The Sewers are an underground environ- Many of these fungi can cause diseases too.
ment with certain features that make for If a person or animal spends a long time
very peculiar climate conditions. First, the in the Sewers, greenish fungi will start
Sewers are noticeably warm. Water doesn’t growing on any portion of bare skin. The
freeze even in the coldest winters, and the Greenbug, as this condition is called, is not
constant rotting of organic matter con- painful but the fungi have pesky roots that
tributes to increasing the temperature. spread throughout the body and, in the

152
 The Sewers in the Campaign

end, they are always deadly to their host. roots growing in their intestines and of
Another dangerous disease is caused by a two-legged fungal creatures lurking in
minuscule type of pink moss, called Dam- dark vaults, ready to attack and devour any
sel’s Skin. It is as infectious as the Green- trespassers.
bug but much more dangerous, causing
visions and mad incontrollable rage which
lead the victim to a violent death. For the Animals
effects of both, see page 140.
Many animals live in the tunnels under
Several types of Lotus can be found in Jalizar, and most of them are dangerous.
the Sewers, especially in the Rotguts (see Rodents, of any type and size, are abun-
sidebar on page 156). dant. The Cleaners have five different
names for the various mice and rats found
The abovementioned forms of vegetable in the Sewers, from the tiny, almost ami-
life are the most common in the Sewers. cable Honeymice to the larger rats like the
However, there are countless weird stories vicious Blackfurs and the disgusting Fur-
told by the Cleaners and by the few other less Rats, which spread horrible diseases.
individuals who have wandered below the There are also wild stories about giant rats
City of Thieves. They speak of corpses that can grow bigger than a man thanks to
brought back to un-life thanks to strange the disgusting food they eat.

153
 Sewers of Jalizar

In the lower parts of the Sewers spiders

The Cleaners are very common. Also, the flooded lev-
els are home to the terrible Sewers Eels,
Despite the fact that their bravery is
seldom rewarded, the Cleaners are funda- similar to snakes and as black as oil. These
mental to ensuring that Jalizar survives. creatures can kill and swallow a man in
few bites.
They go deep into the Sewers, keeping the
tunnels clean and as safe as possible. They The Cleaners have also recently found
have set up a minor guild, the Cleaners’
partially chewed up corpses, which has
Guild, but their members are mostly for-
eigners, because very few Jalizarans would led them to believe there are alligators in
ever consider accepting such a job. They the Sewers. The rumors are unconfirmed,
wear no uniform, but can be recognized by but Jor the Slender, a burglar specialized
their constant smell, which doesn’t go away in breaking into houses via the Sewers
even after many baths. When off duty, they manholes, swears he has seen one of them,
meet in a tavern in the Shambles called an albino specimen as big as a horse. His
Dirty Evan’s. The owner, Evan, used to be Guild friends have started mocking him,
one of them, before he lost the use of his legs but legends about the White One, as the
in an accident, and he knows a lot of stories alligator is called, are spreading quickly.
about the underground levels of the city,
though not all of them are true.
Deep down, in Old Jalizar, where light is
The Cleaners always go underground scarce, there are colonies of bats, some of
in groups or at least in pairs when their which suck the blood of living creatures.
numbers are low. The only exceptions are
the so-called Tunnel Dwellers, or Loners. But the most terrible beast of the Sewers
These guys, usually not completely sane, live is probably the Sewer Troll. Despite its
alone in the Sewers and never return to the
name, this creature is very different from
surface, not even between shifts, because
they feel better underground. They are often the specimens found in the north and has
given sections of the Sewers to take care of. been given this name for lack of a better
word. It is a massive, snakelike beast with
Player Characters as Cleaners. Clean- a humanoid torso and vicious biting ap-
ers (or ex-Cleaners) can be good adven- pendages. Sewer Trolls are luckily very rare,
turers, especially if the campaign focuses
but extremely brutal. Some say they were
heavily on exploring the Sewers. A single
Edge is enough to characterize a Cleaner created by Rakon, King Shade’s evil mage,
and it is basically the Woodsman Edge during one of his wicked experiments.
with a different trapping:

Cleaner (Professional Edge)

Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+,
Survival d8+, Tracking d8+
Sewers Levels
Cleaners are perfectly at ease under- The Sewers are generically divided into
ground, especially in the Sewers of Jalizar. “levels”. However, this definition is dif-
They receive +2 to Stealth, Tracking and ferent from that found in traditional dun-
Survival rolls when they are in an under- geon crawling RPGs. A level of the Sew-
ground environment. In addition, they ers includes several floors and the division
receive +2 to any roll to avoid getting lost is based on shared features rather than
in the Sewers (see below). simply on distance from the surface.

154
 Sewers Levels

A feature common to the entire Sewers sys- Emellan Sewers

tem is that it wasn’t originally built for its The portion of the Sewers closest to the
current purpose. The Jalizarans simply erect- surface is called the Emellan Sewers. The
ed new buildings above the ruins of old ones Emellan Sewers are what is left of the old
and used the manholes to the lower levels city built by Princess Emella. They tend to
to throw in filth. As the tunnels weren’t de- have winding channels as well as many steps
signed for the purpose of waste disposal, they leading up and down, and are characterized
are actually very inefficient. Floods, clogging by countless small rooms (the foundations
and accumulation of trash are common and of the old houses). Since this is the most eas-
require constant interventions by the Clean- ily accessible level, the Cleaners can perform
ers. Luckily, an underground river flows at regular maintenance work and, through the
the very bottom of the Sewers and its waters years, they have also completed some reno-
take away most of the filth, while the rest vations, tearing down walls to create larger
reaches the sea through the many outlets the tunnels so that the filth can be channeled
Sewers have in Jalizar’s bay. toward the lower levels.

Here follows a description of the general The Emellan Sewers are far from deserted.
features of the various Sewers levels. Some Besides the Cleaners, they are the under-
locations of interest and/or scenario ideas ground den of thieves and host the secret
are also provided for each level. warehouses of many smugglers.

155
 Sewers of Jalizar

Broken Skull’s Ghost. This is a common The Rotguts

legend among the Cleaners, but nobody
knows if it is actually true. Broken Skull The Rotguts are the level immediately be-
was a Cleaner, a Cairnlander who spent low the Emellan Sewers. They were built
more than twenty years in the Sewers on the ruins of the wooden city erected
without ever leaving them. His comrades by the Jalizaran Kings before Emella. The
brought him food and he was content to timber, the most common building mate-
remain in the dirty tunnels. One night, rial here, is mostly well preserved but, in
while a terrible storm was raging over the some areas, constant exposure to water
City of Thieves, the Sewers were flooded. has made it rot, so that several sections are
This caused several pillars to collapse, trig- dangerously prone to cave-ins.
gering a massive cave-in. A large portion
of the Sewers, including the rooms Broken The Rotguts tend to have large rooms and
Skull used as his refuge, was destroyed, channels with very low ceilings that al-
and the old man surely died in his sleep. ways give the impression of being about
But, since then his ghost has been haunt- to collapse onto your head. The Cleaners
ing the Emellan Sewers. Some Cleaners visit them, though very rarely, and they
swear they have spotted him on several are mainly the home of the Outcasts (see
occasions, disfigured by the wounds he below).
suffered when he died. Each sighting hap-
pens just hours before a major accident, The Vault of Discarded Things. There are
such as a cave-in, a flood, and so on. stories about a big vault, deep in the heart
of the Rotguts, where waste and discarded
things are piled so high they reach the
The Iron Door. An old wives’ tale says that, ceiling. The busy ants collecting all this
somewhere in the Emellan Sewers, there stuff are a sect of Servants of the Sewers,
is a door reinforced with iron bars which who call themselves the Servants of the
nobody, not even the smartest burglar in Ancient One. Indeed, in the middle of
Jalizar, can open. What is hidden behind this pile of filth lives the largest Garbage
it is the subject of wild debate in the worst Monster Jalizar has ever seen, a creature
taverns of Thousand Chimneys. Some say so gigantic that it can swallow a whole
that the door protects the secret treasure cow. The cultists use the trash to feed it
of the Ragamuffin King, while others have but they also sacrifice young virgins to ap-
identified it as the cellar of Myrgo Nider, pease its unholy appetite.
one of the richest and most ruthless mon-
eylenders of Market Square. However, the The Garden of Dreams. In the Rotguts,
most peculiar rumor was spread by Nat the walls of the tunnels are mainly made
Threefingers, an old lock-picker who un- of wood and this is why they are often
successfully tried to open the door years covered with moss, fungi and other veg-
ago, losing two digits in the attempt. He etable parasites. In some sections, a rare
swears he saw a hammer and a flame, the type of mossy Lotus slowly devours the
symbol of the Iron Priests, emblazoned on pillars and covers the constant stench
the iron door. Unluckily, the rumor cannot of the Sewers with its exotic scent. Few
be confirmed or dismissed because Nat, a Lotusmasters know about this place, and
terminal Lotus addict, spends most of his even fewer dare come here to gather the
days in a delirious, raving state. Lotus, despite its value (see sidebar). A

156
 Sewers Levels

strange type of magic haunts this place

and people who stay in these tunnels too Treasures
long are bewitched by visions and get lost
in the Garden of Dreams, never to be seen
of Jalizar:
again. Underground Lotus
The normal lotus found in the Sewers
of Jalizar is the Sewer Lotus (see Gear
Old Jalizar section), particularly common in the
Emellan Sewers. However, a few other
In a very distant past, this level of the Sew- types can be found in the deeper tun-
ers used to be Anenda, the city belong- nels. Some of them are listed below.
ing to the ancestors of the Cairnlanders. Finding these types of Lotus usually
It was old even before the arrival of the requires a Lotusmastery (-2) or Sur-
Jamhans in the City of Thieves. Old Jali- vival (-4) roll and 1d6 hours of search
zar is made of hard, good stone, and was time. With a success a dose is found,
built using advanced masonry techniques plus one for each raise.
that could never be reproduced now, not Violet Lotus. The Violet Lotus, small
even by the great Imperial Architects. The and hairy, is a common ingredient in
channels were once the streets of the old many evil concoctions. If used in any
city and the side rooms that flank them are type of lower trait concoction, it gives
all that is left of its ancient palaces. Sun- +4 to the Lotusmastery roll.
light never touches Old Jalizar, and every- Translucent Lotus. This slimy matter
thing seems still and dead in its vaults, but grows only on rotting corpses. It has
something, a sort of malignant conscience, strong medical properties and gives +4
can be clearly perceived by the few daring to any healing concoction.
souls who come here. Some adventurers Orange Lotus. Also called the Lotus
have even reported stories of silent figures, of Madness, this brightly colored fun-
dressed in tattered rags, wandering stiffly gus is strongly hallucinogenic. Using
up and down the old roads. it in fear concoctions grants +4 to the
skill roll.
Ghost Port. There are stories about a hid-
Black Heart Lotus. A very precious
den channel somewhere along the coast, but deadly plant, the Black Heart
not far from Jalizar. Usually submerged, Lotus is a sort of root growing only
the entrance to the channel is visible only among filth. The Black Heart is used
if the tide is right and if the proper invo- exclusively in concoctions with a main-
cations and sacrifices are made. The chan- tenance cost (such as armor, puppet and
nel is wide enough for a ship to navigate so on). The drinker must make a Vigor
it and leads to a subterranean lake in the (-4) roll when he uses it. In the case of
very heart of Old Jalizar, where the port success, the effect of the power is per-
of ancient Anenda once lay. It is rumored manent, while in the case of failure he
to be the hideout of a band of Jademen permanently loses a die step in Vigor (if
it drops below d4, the user dies). Death
smugglers and pirates. Their ship is a large
also occurs if the Vigor roll is a critical
junk with gray sails called the Decay and, failure. A single Black Heart can be
led by the mysterious Captain Rotworm, worth up to 1,000 Moons and it is so
they bring death and fear throughout the rare and powerful that a specific quest
Drowned King Sea. must be completed to find it.

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 Sewers of Jalizar

Tombs of the Kings. In Old Jalizar hans. The Fishmen’s shamans have pol-
there is a palace, recognizable by its ished it by constantly touching it with
doors made of polished alabaster, where their webbed hands. It is an artifact of
the Kings of Anenda lived and were tremendous power and allows anyone
buried when they died. Within its walls touching it to hear the voices of Mother
lies a treasure so large and magnificent and Father, the ancient gods of the Jam-
that it would make a man rich forever. hans now sleeping in sunken Jamhra.
The doors aren’t locked but so far no- Even the Lords Below fear this artifact,
body has managed to plunder it. The few but have never dared destroy it.
who tried never came out. The legends
say that only the true Child of the Man- Black Spring. The Sewer Sorcerers
ticore can claim this huge fortune for use the tainted water from the Sew-
himself. Treasure hunters and Syranthi- ers in their dark rituals. Sewer water is
an Sages have gone through every single powerful but its taint is due to natural
book contained in the libraries of Jalizar, causes, i.e. the garbage and rotten things
but none of them has been able to de- coming from Jalizar. Instead, the liquid
termine who the Child of the Manticore gushing out of this stone is as thick and
might be. black as old blood and a thousand times
more corrupt. Nobody knows what it
really is, or whether it comes from the
The Manticore’s Nest earth or is yet another evil weapon of
the Lords Below. The legends say that, if
The Manticore’s Nest is the deepest, oldest drunk regularly, the liquid of the Black
part of Jalizar. Directly connected with the Spring will keep a person young forever,
sea via underground channels, it used to but their soul will become ever more
be Anenda’s sewer network. It is made corrupted. This is probably the secret of
of solid stone and has a clear, functional King Shade’s and Rakon’s longevity.
design. It is called the Manticore’s Nest
because the legends say that, when it
was wounded by Jall the Cattle Stealer,
the Manticore took refuge in this part of
the Sewers. The Manticore doesn’t live
Exploring the
here anymore, but its Nest is inhabited
by even worse creatures: the Jamhans.
Sewers
Very few men have visited the Manti- Exploring the Sewers is probably one of
core’s Nest, except a few Servants of the the most interesting and dangerous parts
Sewers who proved their great faith and of your adventures, but it must be an ex-
were rewarded with a chance to see the ceptional activity, not just a quick fix for
real faces of their masters. None of them a gaming session you have had no time to
came out sane. prepare for. Try to emphasize this partic-
ular point: the Jalizarans fear the Sewers
Fishmen’s Altar. There is an altar in because they are largely unexplored and
a large, half-flooded room deep in the very few people would visit them unless
Manticore’s Nest. It was built from forced to do so. Try to convey this feel-
a piece of black coral and came from ing to your players by introducing NPCs
Jamhra, the ancestral city of the Jam- who tell the party about the rumors, sto-

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ries and legends concerning what lies un- When you run an adventure in the Sew-
der the City of Thieves. The descriptions ers, we strongly suggest using one of the
and hooks of the Sewer Levels above can mapless approaches described in Beasts
give you some ideas to invent stories and and Barbarians Golden Edition. Some lo-
urban legends that will scare your players cations, connected via an indefinite num-
and, remember, not all of them necessar- ber of dark tunnels and passages (especial-
ily have to be false… ly if you use the Getting Lost rule), allow
you to create very compelling encounters
without having to waste time drawing
Mapless Approach complex maps.

Mapping the whole network of Jalizar’s

Sewers is an impossible task. This is partly
Getting Lost
because the Sewers are just too vast, but One of the biggest dangers of the Sewers
also because they must be big enough to is getting lost. You can be the most experi-
allow you to place your own locations and enced and strongest sword-wielding hero
NPCs in their various levels. but, if you lose your way, you could wan-

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der forever in darkness, till you go mad or can Ace and, if this happens a couple of
starve to death. times, the heroes might well start think-
ing they are doomed to die in this filthy
Obviously, the following rules must be place…
used only when appropriate for your nar-
ration. If the players lose their way EV- Getting lost can also lead to interesting
ERY time they descend into the Sewers, locations and/or situations. For each time
they are likely to become frustrated. interval, draw a card from the Action
Deck. If you are using an abstract system,
If you are using the Abstract Navigation you can apply the location/encounter you
System detailed in the Golden Edition, have already devised (or you can design
simply add this rule: whenever the lead- a second list of events exclusively for he-
ing hero rolls 1 on the Advancement skill roes that get lost). Otherwise, you can
die, regardless of the Wild Die, the party improvise an encounter using the table
is lost, gaining 3 Lost Tokens. below.

If you aren’t using the system above, make Lost Events Table
the party check to orient themselves
whenever appropriate (usually for each 4 Card Event
hours of exploration or when a particular
2-10
event happens, e.g. after a Chase). It is a Nothing happens.
(any seed)
cooperative Smarts (-4) or Survival roll.
In case of success, the heroes are still on Natural Threat. The group
J-A
the right path, otherwise they receive 3 finds some kind of natural
(clubs)
threat (see page 162).
Lost Tokens, as above.
J-A Trap. The group comes
(spades) upon a trap!
Lost Tokens Lucky Find! The group
If the adventurers receive Lost Tokens, finds something useful,
J-A
it means they are in trouble. They can- such as a safe area to rest,
(dia-
not gain Advancement Tokens or find a a patch of Lotus fungi,
monds)
familiar area unless they get rid of the an interesting location, or
something similar.
Lost Tokens. Finding the right path is
achieved through orientation checks NPC/Critter. The group
(Smarts (-4) or Survival rolls as above). J-A finds a monster or NPC.
(hearts) Its attitude is decided by
For each success and raise, the heroes
the Game Master.
discard one Lost Token. If a 1 is rolled,
it is bad news: they gain another 2 Lost Back on Track! Miracu-
Tokens. lously, the heroes are back
Joker
on the right track. They
(red)
immediately lose all their
An orientation roll is made for each time Lost Tokens!
interval spent in the Sewers. The Game
Master can decide how long said inter- Hopelessly Lost! The
heroes wander even further
val is, depending on plot requirements or Joker
from the right path, gain-
rolling a d4 to determine the number of (black)
ing another 1d8 Lost To-
hours elapsing between checks. This roll kens (this die cannot Ace).

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 Exploring the Sewers

Being Prepared
Knowing that they risk getting lost, the Sewer Map. A Sewer Map (see page
characters will try to be prepared. Sev- 150) is a precious item and can give the
eral good ideas to make their journey into heroes substantial bonuses.
the Sewers safer are listed below.
Guide. Finding a reliable guide to take
Marking Junctions. The easiest trick you into the Sewers isn’t easy. Locating
to avoid getting lost in the Sewers is to a guide is basically a Streetwise (-2)
mark the routes taken at junctions, so you roll. The results listed below describe the
can find your way back. If done properly, type of guide found and the cost of hir-
this gives +4 to orientation checks. But ing one for a single mission.
the Sewers of Jalizar are a haunted place
and there is a small chance the malevo- Guide Locating Table
lent Jamhans will erase the marks or
tamper with them. If at any time during Result Skills Cost
the adventure a character is dealt a Black The guide leads
Joker, count the number of bennies he Critical
the party into a 100
has. If it is even, one of the marks has Failure
trap!
been cancelled (bonus lost); if it is odd,
Failure No guide found. -
the mark has been tampered with, caus-
ing -4 to the next orientation check! Success Survival d6 100
Survival d8,
Drawing Maps. Another good idea is to Raise 300
Cleaner Edge
take a piece of canvas to draw an accurate
map of the party’s moves. It is an excellent Survival d10,
method, because in this way the characters Two Raises Cleaner Edge, 500
can skip all orientation rolls, but their Wild Card
progress will be very slow. Drawing a Other Ideas. In general, if the players
map requires writing implements (which find a creative (and reasonable) way
can be very crude), and a great amount to avoid getting lost, let them use it,
of time (decided by the Game Master). granting a substantial bonus. The risk of
Last but not least, although maps can be getting lost represents a challenge for the
drawn without writing any words, the players but must not be allowed to cause
level of abstraction needed to read one frustration.
requires the hero to be Literate or to have
at least Smarts d8.

Flooded Areas
Natural Obstacles The Sewers are a damp environment.
and Threats Filthy water is common throughout the
levels and can pose a real threat.
Exploring the Sewers doesn’t necessarily mean
fighting abominations all day long. The Game Low Water. If the characters can walk
Master should never underestimate the im- in the water, the whole area is consid-
portance of the environment, which can be ered Difficult Ground. In addition, long
used in creative ways to harass the party. walks in low water can be tiring. For each

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 Sewers of Jalizar

hour spent walking in low water, the he- means almost certain death for anyone
roes must make a Vigor roll or suffer a caught in its path.
level of Fatigue. Remember that Aquatic
monsters can move without any limitation A bottleneck can be used to enhance
in low water. In addition, by swimming drama, to save the party from impending
underwater, they can easily go unnoticed doom, or to make a villain escape.
(Stealth roll) and surprise the heroes.
When the flood approaches, the heroes
Deep Water. In deep water the heroes have no choice but to run. A bottleneck
will be forced to swim. Use the standard scene can be handled with a slight modi-
Savage Worlds swimming rules. fication of the Chase rules, by simply con-
sidering the Wall of Water a “character”
pursuing the party.
Bottlenecks
A bottleneck is an event feared by all the Decide the size of the Wall of Water in or-
denizens of the Sewers. It happens when der to determine its speed (Agility), the du-
filth accumulates and clogs a channel. The ration of the Chase in rounds, the intensity
water level starts to rise and puts increas- of the water hitting the heroes (Fighting),
ing pressure on the obstruction. When and finally the damage dealt. Attacks per-
the pressure is strong enough (for in- formed by a Wall of Water are considered
stance, in case of heavy rain), the blockage Pushes (see SWD page 75, use the Fighting
is dislodged and a Wall of Water rushes roll as the Strength result of the push). The
through the tunnels. The sudden flood Wall of Water is considered a Wild Card.
Wall of Water Table

Bottleneck Size Agility/ Duration Damage

Fighting
Small d8 3 2d6
Medium d10 5 2d8
Large d12 7 3d6

Poisonous Gases ers take a pet mouse or small bird with

Sealed environments with plenty of de- them when they go underground. If their
composing matter, such as the Sewers, are pet starts feeling sick, they know they
often filled with deadly gases. The main must leave at once.
danger of gases is that, when the first
symptoms appear, it is often too late to Gas can have a smell or be odorless (GM’s
reach a safe area. Remember that physical decision). The first type can be detected
mass is a key factor influencing the effect with a Notice roll, while odorless gas can-
of gases. Creatures with Size -1 or lower not be detected without magical means.
(like many pets or animal companions)
suffer the effects of gas long before it is Certain precautions, such as using damp
toxic to humans. This is why many Clean- cloths on the face, can ensure a certain de-

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 Exploring the Sewers

gree of protection (from +1 to +2 to the linked to a specific card value, so you can
Vigor roll or the Fear Check) against toxic integrate them into your plot either when
and hallucinogenic gases. using the Abstract Navigation System or
as Lost Encounters.
Here are some of the most common types
of gases found in the Sewers. Deuce – Great Black River. The heroes
hear the sound of running water nearby.
Toxic Gas. Toxic gas, the most common As they go on, the tunnel they are ex-
in the Sewers, is often produced by rotting ploring is abruptly interrupted by a large
Lotus. If the heroes fail a Vigor roll, they mass of water, a true underground river
suffer a level of Fatigue. A new roll must flowing tumultuously. The river is quite
be made every three rounds. This fatigue large, a dozen yards, but can be crossed
can lead to Exhaustion and, eventually, with some difficulty. A successful Swim-
death. ming or Strength (+2) roll is required;
otherwise, the characters suffer a level of
Flammable Gas. Flammable gas isn’t Fatigue. A closer inspection of the river-
dangerous unless a flame is present. In this bank and a Notice roll reveal a small barge
case, it explodes, dealing 3d6 damage in (Toughness 6), smartly concealed under
a Large Burst Template. Since the Sew- some loose rocks. The barge can be used
ers are a dark place, adventurers usually to cross the river or to navigate it. Mov-
take with them torches and lanterns, so an ing against the current is potentially tir-
area of Flammable Gas can potentially be ing (Vigor roll required to avoid suffering
deadly. a level of Fatigue), but it eventually leads
the party to another location (chosen by
Hallucinogenic Gas. Hallucinogenic gas, the Game Master). Going downstream
usually generated by the decomposition of is much easier but, after a while, a nasty
strange Lotus plants, is extremely danger- surprise awaits the party: they see a water-
ous. Basically, two types of this gas exist. fall just ahead! The characters must make
The first has the same effects as the fear a cooperative Boating (-2) roll; in case of
Power, causing the victims to have horri- failure, the barge and all the crew suffer
ble visions. The second one is much more 2d6 damage. The waterfall takes the party
insidious: if the heroes fail a Vigor roll, the to a lower level of the Sewers.
Game Master can create an entire scene,
realistic or otherwise, which is caused by Three – Round the U-Bend. Select a
a vision. Hallucinogenic gas can be a great random hero (or pick a character with
way to justify the presence of ghosts or the Bad Luck Hindrance). Suddenly, the
other supernatural events in your stories. disgusting contents of a chamber pot fall
right on top of him! The character suffers
-2 Charisma until he can wash. By look-
Pregenerated Sewers ing up, the heroes see that the filth was
Encounters thrown down a vertical shaft. Light can
be seen and amplified voices coming from
Sewers locations should be designed to above can be clearly heard! If the heroes
suit the current adventure but, if you are aren’t too squeamish, they can climb up
short of ideas, here are some pregener- the shaft and reach the house above! Go-
ated encounters set in the Sewers. Each is ing up requires a Climbing (-2) roll. If the

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card drawn is a Club, the shaft leads to an sequences too. If the card drawn is red,
artisan’s house; if it is a Spade, it leads to the ride ends in a pool of water (no dam-
a public office. In the case of a Diamond, age suffered). If it is black, the heroes hit
it leads to a noble mansion; finally, if a something hard (garbage or solid ground).
Heart is dealt, the building is a temple. In this case, they suffer 1d6 damage for
The Game Master is free to change the every 6 points of their current Pace.
location depending on the city district the
party is in. Six – Filth Quicksand. The floor of this
huge hall is covered in semi-decomposed
Four – Corpse in the Way. While explor- garbage which comes down through an
ing a channel, the party stumbles upon the opening in the ceiling. The ground seems
dead body of a man trapped under a grate. quite solid, unless the heroes make a No-
The grate must have closed just as the un- tice (-4) roll or probe the floor with a staff
fortunate victim was passing under it. The or similar tool. In truth, the floor is much
victim is a nondescript beggar or a suitable further down and the room is literally a
NPC (Game Master’s choice). To get past stretch of treacherous quicksand made
the grate, the party must lift it (Strength of garbage and filthy mud. Any charac-
(-4) roll required) or break it (Tough- ter caught in the quicksand automatically
ness 10). Otherwise, any hero without the sinks by a third of his height each round.
Obese Hindrance or the Brawny Edge When he is completely submerged, the
can squeeze under it with an Agility roll. normal Drowning rules apply (see Savage
When the grate is lifted or destroyed, the Worlds core rules). With a Strength (-4)
corpse is set free. If the card drawn is red, roll, the hero can avoid sinking further
nothing bad happens; in addition, some- in the current round; if he scores a raise,
thing precious/useful can be found on the he also manages to lift himself by a third
dead body. If the card is black, the corpse of his height. Once he is completely out,
comes back to life and attacks the party! he is free. It is very difficult to get out of
He is considered a Henchman Zombie. this situation without external help. The
If the heroes lift the grate, take notice of Strength roll can be cooperative and, if the
which character is doing it. If he loses his leading character is not in the quicksand,
grip, the grate moves all the way down, the roll is made with +4.
and this can separate the party in case
someone has already gone to the other Seven – The Floating Treasure. The he-
side. roes come to a large room, which is in
Deep Water (see page 162). Among the
Five – Slippery Slope. The party finds garbage floating on the surface, they spot
a sloping tunnel made slippery by filth. a strongbox bearing the emblazoned mark
Going up requires a Climbing roll each of a Merchant House! The treasure box
round. Going down is much easier. The is roughly in the middle of the room, so
heroes cannot run, but must move at their getting to it isn’t easy. Unless the charac-
full Pace each round, gaining additional ters find a creative way to grab it with-
momentum (+1d4 cumulative Pace each out getting their feet wet, they will have
round), up to Pace 18. Slippery slopes can to swim. Unfortunately, something nasty
be a fun experience (many are at least 50” lives in the water! If the card drawn is red,
long on the gaming table and with one or it is a dangerous Sewer Eel; if it is black,
more turns), but can have dangerous con- the threat is a whole colony of water rats

164
 Exploring the Sewers

(use the Swarm Stats adding the Aquatic performed by a Sewer Sorcerer. A Knowl-
Special ability). Both the eel and the rats edge (Arcana (-2) roll unravels the mean-
are just looking for food. Once the party ing of the signs, i.e. an evil invocation to
manages to defeat them and/or to grab the the dark beings lurking under Jalizar. Any
strongbox and drag it onto solid ground, character with the Sorcery Arcane Back-
it can be opened with a Lockpicking (-2) ground reading the first third of the signs
roll. If a Club card is drawn, the box con- immediately recovers a Power Point, as
tains nothing but old rags. If a Spade is he feels their evil power flowing through
drawn, the heroes make a gruesome dis- him. Reading the second third has the
covery: a dead body, whose arms and legs same effect. The last third lets him recover
were severed so that it could fit into the a third Power Point, but this comes at a
casket. The identity of the victim and the price: the Sorcerer must immediately roll
cause of his death are left to the Game on the Sewer Sorcery Critical Failures Ta-
Master and can lead to an interesting ad- ble. Even when the character doesn’t read
venture. If the card is a Diamond, the box the signs, casting a spell in this place is
contains several bottles of very precious dangerous: the warlock receives +1 to any
wine (value: 1d8x50 Moons). If the card is Sorcery roll, but the spell backfires on 1-2
a Heart, the heroes find some very pretty on the Sorcery die.
gowns (worth 300 Moons, +1 Charisma
to any woman wearing them) and some Ten – Curiosity Killed the Cat. The he-
love letters, evidence of a scandalous affair roes find a small alcove along the right
between a married noblewoman and the wall of the tunnel they are currently in-
ruler of a rival Merchant House. specting. A single object stands in its cen-
ter, a sturdy metal lever protruding from
Eight – Echoes. While the heroes are the floor. The lever is stuck and moving it
advancing in a narrow tunnel, they hear requires a Strength roll. In case of success,
a hideous sound coming from some- the party accidentally opens a sluice gate,
where further down, like the mad howl unleashing a flood down the tunnel! After
of a terrible creature. They must make a a few seconds they hear the unmistakable
Fear Check; in case of failure, in addition sound of water rushing in! The lever is
to any other effect, they run away, terri- now permanently stuck, so the only thing
fied. If they are successful, they can decide they can do is run as fast as they can! The
to investigate. They move closer and dis- water is a Medium Wall of Water (see
cover that the cause of their terror is just page 162). Run the scene using the stan-
wind blowing through a narrow passage dard Chase rules.
which produces the howling sound. The
first player who declares that her charac- Jack – A Strange Meeting. While the
ter is going to investigate the source of the heroes are advancing down a dark cor-
sound immediately gains a Bennie. ridor, they spot a feeble light some yards
ahead and hear whispering voices. If they
Nine – Signs in Blood. The party finds move carelessly or fail a Stealth roll, the
a small, dry room. On its walls and floor light disappears in no time. If they are
they see strange cabalistic signs painted stealthy, they can spy on two cloaked fig-
using the blood of some animal. They also ures, who are speaking in low voices in
find a few black candles nearby. This place a nearby room. The two individuals are
must have recently hosted a dark ritual Zakk, a member of the Thieves’ Guild (use

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 Sewers of Jalizar

the Thief profile of Beasts and Barbarians 10 Power Points to the standard profile).
Golden Edition) and Shi Ma Po, a mem- If possible, she wants to knock them out
ber of the Jan Tong. One of the two is a and tie them to the altar. Given that ev-
betrayer: if the card drawn is black, Zakk erything is ready for a sacrifice to the dark
is selling precious information about the lords, wasting fresh victims would truly be
Thieves’ Guild to Shi Ma Po; if the card is a pity…
red, the opposite is true. The exact nature
of the information sold is left to the Game King – Drunken Hermit. The party sud-
Master. If they are approached or realize denly hears a voice coming from a pile of
that they are being spied on, they run garbage nearby. When they inspect it, they
away, each down a different tunnel. If the find a man singing lewd songs. The man
heroes run after them, this starts a Chase. introduces himself as Ham, the Hermit of
Capturing and questioning one or both of the Sewers. He is blind drunk and totally
them can uncover a dangerous plot and harmless. Ham came down into the Sew-
lead to an interesting side adventure. ers many years ago and knows a lot about
this place. He is a Wild Card Beggar
Queen – A Strange Sacrifice. The party with Area Knowledge (Sewers) and d10
hears a chant coming from a corridor near- Survival, plus the Cleaner Edge. Ham is
by. Investigating the source of the sound, interested in only one thing: drinking. In
they find a room, lit by the faint glow of exchange for some booze, he will happily
some braziers. There, tied and gagged on lead the party to the nearest exit or back to
a rough block of stone, lies a naked girl, their path if they have gone astray. With-
her eyes rolling in fear. A group of indi- out alcohol, Ham is unable to perform any
viduals wearing black robes has gathered task. He loses the Wild Die and suffers -4
around her, holding serrated knives ready to any skill roll. Ham also knows a lot of
to strike! They are Cultists (see Beasts and additional stories regarding the Sewers,
Barbarians Golden Edition) and their num- and some of them are actually true.
bers are equal to the characters plus two.
If the heroes don’t do something quickly, Ace – The Room of the Skeletal Hand.
they’ll butcher their victim. Once the bad The heroes walk into a hall. The room
guys are dispatched, the damsel in distress is dark, but the party’s torches shine on
can finally be freed. The girl has very little something shimmering at the far end of
to cover her modesty and there are strange the room. A skeletal hand lies on a small
serpentine tattoos on her forearms. With pedestal. It is hideous to look upon but it
Knowledge (Arcana) or Knowledge (Re- bears magnificent rings. The room is lit-
ligion) (-2), these signs can be recognized tered with human bones, a thick carpet of
as the marks of a witch. The girl, Jazarah, them covering the entire floor. This place
is a Wild Card Sorcerer, and the cultists obviously hides a trap and, through detect
wanted to sacrifice her to please the Lords arcana, the heroes can understand that an
Below. If the card drawn is red, Jazarah is evil spell was cast on both the hand and
grateful to the heroes, at least until they the bones scattered around. Picking up
bring her back to safety. If the card is the hand while walking on the bones trig-
black, the witch turns out to be more evil gers the trap: six skeletons rise to un-life
than her captors. She casts stun and then and attack anyone in the room. But kill-
zombie to bring back to life the cultists to ing them doesn’t end the threat. The round
attack the heroes (add these Powers and after the last skeleton is destroyed, the

166
 Exploring the Sewers

bones join again creating three complete

skeletons which are bigger than the first
ones (Size +1). Destroying these abomi-
nations alerts the last guardian: a Wild
Card giant skeleton (Size+3, Large, armed
with a giant flail made of bones (Str+d8,
AP 1, reach 2, ignores shield Parry and
Cover bonus)). The skeletons cannot leave
this room. After defeating the monsters,
the evil magic disperses. Note that if the
party manages to take the hand without
touching the bones on the ground (using
a lasso, climbing to the ceiling, and so on),
the trap isn’t triggered. Once inspected,
the rings turn out to be rather precious.
There are five of them, for a total value of
1,000 Moons. If the card drawn is Hearts,
one of them is also magical, granting +2 to
natural healing rolls. If it is a Club instead,
one of the rings bears a dark curse and its
wearer suffers -1 to any Vigor roll.

Joker – Double Event! Draw two cards

and try to combine the scenes.

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 Creatures of Jalizar

Creatures of Jalizar
This chapter introduces several new crea-
Hey, what about tures and denizens typical of the City of
the Jamhans? Thieves.
In this book you won’t find any stats
to represent the Lords Below. This is
intentional: an old rule of roleplaying
games says that, if a creature doesn’t Monsters of
have stats, it cannot be killed – which
is exactly the case with the Sewer
Masters. They are wicked and older
Jalizar
than Jalizar itself, so they can’t (and Several hideous monsters lurk in the City
shouldn’t) disappear forever. The heroes of Thieves, and are described below.
can send them deeper into the Sew-
ers or make them fall asleep for a long
time, but sooner or later they’ll return,
hungrier and nastier than before. Black Tong Puppet
Nobody knows how many Jamhans One of the greatest secrets the Jamhans
live under the Flower of the North. have used to seduce Pao Lhin of the Ja-
There might be a dozen, hundreds, or demen is their ability to create wax pup-
maybe few lone individuals. pets completely identical to real people
As for their appearance, after countless and imbue them with life. These strange
years of practice, they have mastered constructs cannot speak and don’t eat, but
the secrets of shapeshifting, and can other than that they are almost indistin-
take on any form the GM chooses: guishable from living people. They are to-
hulking brutish creatures reigning tally faithful to Pao Lhin and to the other
over legions of Fishmen, frail bodies Black Tong members, who use them in
gifted with incredible magical powers, suicide missions and similar situations.
or anything else the GM prefers.
They always fight to the death and, when
However, they should never be shown to captured, they cannot reveal a single word.
the party. They lurk in shadows, acting A killed puppet dissolves in 2d6 minutes.
through their minions, lesser and greater.
When the heroes dispatch their servants, Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit
they might believe for a moment they d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
have finally defeated the evil hiding
Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d6, Stealth d8,
underneath Jalizar, while it is still very
much alive, going deeper and deeper Shooting d8, Throwing d8.
into the darkness to lick its wounds and Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 5
prepare for the next strike…

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 Monsters of Jalizar

Improved Puppets
A limited number of Black Tong
Puppets are more realistic than the
standard ones, can actually speak, and
resemble living people in every way.
The method used to shape these crea-
tures is wicked and requires consuming
a human soul.
In gaming terms, the stats of an
Improved Puppet are made by adding
Construct and Weakness (Fire) to any
Denizen’s template.
Some say that one of Pao Lhin’s grand-
daughters, Yamao, is actually a Black
Tong Puppet.

Gear: Black Tong outfit (mask includ-

ed), iron fists (Str+d4+1), any two Monk
weapons.
Special Abilities
• Arcane Resistance: Black Tong Puppets
are born from sorcery and this is why they
can withstand magic quite well, gaining
+2 to Trait rolls to resist magic and hav-
ing 2 points of Armor against damaging
magic effects.
Bog Imp
• Construct: Black Tong Puppets receive The highly civilized, snobbish Keronian
+2 to Spirit rolls to recover from Shaken. Imps firmly deny that these brown-
They are immune to called shots, poisons, skinned bog dwellers belong to their same
and diseases. Black Tong Puppets are nev- race, but it is actually true. After centuries
er affected by Wound Modifiers. of isolation and corruption, these short,
• Flexible Body: Black Tong Puppets can potbellied, thin-armed creatures are all
move in ways impossible for humans. They that is left of the Imps of the Keronian
receive +2 to all Agility based Tricks and Empire, at least in the northern lands.
+1 to Parry while unencumbered.
• Martial Artists: Black Tong Puppets Bog Imps, sometimes called “goblins” by
are imbued with ancient martial knowl- the Bogmen, still have demonic blood in
edge, and can fight barehanded just like their veins, but it is very much diluted,
real monks, dealing Str+d4 damage when even though they are as evil as true Imps.
unarmed. Rather stupid and rough, they are canni-
• Weakness (Fire): Puppets are made of bals, and are known to attack travelers in
wax, which can be melted by flames. So, the Charred Bogs to drag them into their
they suffer +2 damage from any attack underground lairs and chew on their ten-
with a fire based trapping. der meat.

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 Creatures of Jalizar

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8(A),
d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6 Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d6, Survival Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d8, Stealth
d4, Tracking d6. d10.
Pace: 5; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6 Pace: -; Parry: 5; Toughness: 3
Special Abilities Special Abilities
• Acid Blood: Bog Imps ooze green, cor- • Flight: Gemthieves fly at Pace 10 and
rosive acid. Anytime a Bog Imp is Shaken have Climb 2.
in close combat by a damaging effect or • Pickpocket: Gemthieves are quite small.
wounded, the attacker must make an imme- • Size -2: Gemthieves are very light-
diate Agility (+2) roll. In case of failure, he is fingered and can steal small items (such
sprayed with acid and suffers 2d4 damage. as rings, keys, gems, and money) directly
• Claws: Str+d6. from the pouches of their victims. They
• Low Light Vision: Bog Imps have mul- follow the normal pickpocketing rules us-
tifaceted insect-like eyes which see very ing their Stealth die.
well in the dark. They ignore Dim and • Small: Attack rolls against these crea-
Dark light. tures suffer –2 due to their small size.
• Obese: Bog Imps are short and fat. They • Steal: Gemthieves can be taught to fetch
receive +1 to Toughness but suffer -1 to specific objects from distant locations.
Pace. This requires their master to speak to
them in a soothing voice for five minutes
and then both must make a Smarts roll. If
Crow both the beast and the master succeed, the
Crows are very common in the City of command is understood correctly. If the
Thieves, where many different species are master has the Beastmaster Edge, he can
found. The Jalizarans are particularly fond add +2 to the roll.
of them (except for the Ironbeaks) because • Talons or Beak: Str.
they are clever birds and can be taught a
number of tricks. Ironbeak Crow
These big, black birds were brought to
Jalizar by Jarmikos of Askeros, to reduce
Gemthief the pigeons’ population (and the many
Gemthieves are small, slender crows, with epidemics caused by these dirty beasts).
a nice white feather on their head. Like As often happens, the cure turned out to
magpies, they are attracted by shiny bau- be worse than the disease. The Ironbeak
bles, but are far more intelligent. Jalizaran Crows are fierce and very territorial, and
thieves train them to steal gems and small they are not afraid of attacking humans.
jewels from places where a man cannot They owe their name to their sharp iron-
go but that are easily accessible to a small, gray beak, which is strong enough to
winged creature. They are also excellent pierce a man’s skull.
imitators and can mimic the human voice.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4(A),
A typical Gemthief has Stealth d10, but Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
highly trained ones also exist, with up to Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d8.
d12+1 (double the price for every Stealth Pace: -; Parry: 5; Toughness: 4
die step above d10). Special Abilities

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 Monsters of Jalizar

• Beak: Str+d6. • Fear: Fishmen are fearsome creatures.

• Call the Murder: Ironbeak Crows emit The first time a hero sees one of them, he
loud cries during a fight to call the other must make a Fear Check.
members of their murder. Every time they • Size +1: Fishmen are larger than men.
are dealt a face Action Card, at the start • Unholy Chant: Fishmen still have some
of the next round 1d3 additional Crows of the powers of their forefathers, and their
appear on the scene. voices are capable of enthralling men. A
• Flight: Ironbeak Crows fly at Pace 8 and group of four or more Fishmen acting on
have Climb 2. the same Action Card can cast the puppet
• Size -1: Ironbeak Crows have a wing- (luring chant) and stun (paralyzing song)
span of 3-4 feet. Powers using Spirit as their arcane skill,
making a group roll. The Powers don’t
require the use of any Power Points, but
Fishman only have the basic duration. Also, if the
The Jamhans luckily don’t mate anymore number of singers is reduced to less than
and their numbers are very low now. four at any time, the Powers immediately
However, sometimes their eggs hatch and cease. The Unholy Chant is often used to
weird weaker creatures are born. They are lure mariners.
pale imitations of their ancestors and are
called Fishmen.

Fishmen are bowlegged humanoids

with huge fish-like heads, scaly skin,
and webbed feet and hands. They lurk in
the upper levels of the Sewers, especially
in the sections closer to the sea (such as
Drowned Jalizar). They are cannibals and
worship the Jamhans as their own fathers
and gods. Despite being only imperfect
copies of their masters, they have amazing
powers.

Fishman
A typical dweller of the Sewers.

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6,

Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8
Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d6, Stealth
d6, Swimming d8
Pace: 5; Parry: 6; Toughness: 8(1)
Special Abilities
• Armor +1: Fishlike skin.
• Aquatic: Pace 8.
• Claws: Str+d4.

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 Creatures of Jalizar

• Fear: Fishmen are fearsome creatures.

Fishmen Shaman The first time a hero sees one of them, he
The oldest, greatest and most learned must make a Fear Check.
Fishmen are raised to the rank of shaman, • Size +1: Fishmen are larger than men.
and they act as emissaries and representa- • True Chant: Fishmen Shamans are gifted
tives of the Jamhans. with great powers given to them by the Sewers
Lords, which are manifested through ancestral
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit chants. In gaming terms, they have access to
d8, Strength d10, Vigor d10 the following Powers: fear (chant of unspeak-
Skills: Fighting d8, Knowledge (Arcana) able terror), summon ally (chant of evoking:
d8, Notice d6, Sorcery d8, Stealth d6, alligator, garbage monster, constrictor snake),
Swimming d8 stun (paralyzing song), puppet (luring chant).
Pace: 5; Parry: 6; Toughness: 9(1)
Special Abilities
• Armor +1: Fishlike skin. Garbage Monster
• Aquatic: Pace 8. Jalizar produces a lot of garbage, but where
• Claws: Str+d4. does it all go? It piles up in the alleys till it
becomes so smelly that it is thrown into the
Sewers. Sometimes these piles of filth are
touched by tendrils of evil emerging from the
Sewers and come to life. A Garbage Monster
is of a vaguely humanoid shape, filled with
the gases of decomposition, and its eyes are
made of methane-blue flames. It isn’t very
smart but it is constantly hungry, looking for
any type of “food” to sustain its rotten body.

Garbage Monsters are considered Sea-

soned creatures for the purposes of the
summon ally Power.

Variable Size: Garbage Monsters exist in

various Sizes (from +1 to +6). The follow-
ing stats refer to a small monster. For big-
ger ones modify the Size accordingly.

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit

d4, Strength d10, Vigor d10
Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d4.
Pace: 5; Parry: 5; Toughness: 8
Special Abilities
• Construct: Garbage Monsters receive
+2 to Spirit rolls to recover from Shaken.
They are immune to called shots, poisons,
and illnesses. Wild Card Garbage Mon-
sters aren’t affected by Wound Modifiers.

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 Monsters of Jalizar

• Fists: Str+d4.
• Engulfing: If a Garbage Monster hits an Enslaving a
enemy with a raise, the victim is wrapped
in a filthy embrace of trash that tries to
Gargoyle
infiltrate his body. A character in this situ- When they find a sleeping Gargoyle,
the heroes may try to bring it back to
ation is considered grappled and suffers
life and place it under their control.
Str+d4 damage every round until he man- Discovering how to perform this task
ages to break free, winning an opposed requires a Knowledge (Arcana) (-4)
Strength roll against the Monster (which or Investigation (-2) roll, given that
rolls with +2). a suitable library is available (GM’s
• Pile of Garbage: When lying flat on the decision).
ground, Garbage Monsters are almost in- In case of critical failure, the hero discov-
distinguishable from normal piles of trash, ers that the simplest way consists in spill-
but can be detected with a Notice (-4) roll. ing some blood on the statue. Even the
• Garbage Absorption: A Garbage Mon- smallest drop awakes it, but it will attack
ster standing on a pile of normal trash the nearest individual, as normal.
for an entire round automatically recov- With a success, the character discovers a
ers a Wound (or recovers from Shaken). secret incantation which can awake the
Alternatively, an unwounded, unshaken Gargoyle. Pronouncing it in the right
Garbage Monster on a pile of rubbish way is considered a Dramatic Task
permanently gains +1 Size, by consuming based on Smarts (-4) or Sorcery, with
the entire pile. the results listed below.
• Size +1: Garbage Monsters are bigger
than humans. Successes Effect
• Weakness (Fire): Garbage Monsters
contain a lot of inflammable gases, so fire The creature awakes
and obeys the
deals +4 damage to them. In addition, any 4+
caster’s orders (see
Garbage Monster Incapacitated by a fire below).
based attack explodes, dealing 2d6 dam-
The ritual fails
age in a Medium Burst Template.
and the Gargoyle
continues to sleep,
2-3 a new ritual can
Jalizaran Gargoyle be tried after a full
These strange, winged statues of dwarfed moon cycle (28
humanoids are usually found on the roof- days).
tops of the oldest palaces in Jalizar. A The ritual fails, but
second type, wingless and a little bigger, 0-1 the Gargoyle awakes
instead lurks deep in the Sewers. Despite and is free!
some slight differences, the two races be-
Issuing Orders. A Gargoyle is a
have in the same way. They sleep for cen-
bound servant, so it continually tries to
turies, even millennia, as stone statues. But break free from its master. Anytime an
if blood is spilled nearby (within 6”) or if order is issued, the master must make a
a sorcerer awakes them, they come back to Spirit roll. If a 1 is rolled on the Spirit
life and attack the nearest creature to sati- die, regardless of the Wild Die, the
ate their craving for human flesh. monster is free!

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 Creatures of Jalizar

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit tom is probably ascribable to the ancestral
d4, Strength d8, Vigor d8 Cairnlander roots of the Jalizarans. Some-
Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d6, Stealth times the mummified corpses come back
d10. from dead, especially to protect their rest-
Pace: 5; Parry: 6; Toughness: 9(4) ing place from looters.
Special Abilities
• Armor +4: Stone hide. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit
• Bite: Str+d6. d8, Strength d10, Vigor d10
• Claws: Str+d4. Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d6, Stealth d8.
• Demon: Winged Gargoyles are immune Pace: 5; Parry: 6; Toughness: 9
to poison and disease. They have a +2 bo- Gear: rich robes, ornate staff (Str+d4, 2
nus to recover from being Shaken. hands, +1 Parry), assorted jewelry (value:
• Flight: A Winged Gargoyle flies at Pace 1d12x100 Moons).
6 with Climb Rate -3. Special Abilities
• Size -1: A Winged Gargoyle is smaller • Invulnerability: Attacks not linked to
than a man. A Wingless Gargoyle instead their weakness can Shake but not Wound
is as big as a man (ignore this Special abil- Jalizaran Mummies.
ity and add +1 to Toughness). • Fear: The mere sight of a Jalizaran
• Weakness (Daylight): An ancient curse Mummy freezes the blood. Anyone pres-
prevents Gargoyles from standing in full ent must make a Fear Check.
sunlight. If this happens, the creature • Rotting Touch: Jalizaran Mummies
immediately turns back to being a deliver a vicious Touch Attack (+2)
stone statue (Toughness 10) till to their victims. They can also use
something awakes it again. weapons, which are considered
• Weakness (Eyes): The eyes of a infected too. If the target is
Gargoyle shimmer with hellish hit, he must immediately
red or green light and are their make a Vigor roll or catch
weak spot. A called shot to the Mummy Rot, a terrible
eyes (-4) bypasses the creature’s disease (see page 140).
armor. • Undead: +2 Tough-
ness; +2 to recover from
being Shaken; immune
Jalizaran to poison, disease and
Mummy called shots.
• Weakness (Canopic
In the City of Thieves, no- Jars): The internal or-
bles and rich people follow gans of a Jalizaran
the tradition of mummify- Mummy are removed
ing their relatives, remov- during the mummifi-
ing their internal organs, cation process and care-
wrapping the bodies fully stored in so-called
in rich bandages, and canopic jars. Normally,
burying them in deep there are three jars for
crypts. According to each mummy (one
the Syranthian for the heart, one for
sages, this cus- the liver, and one

174
 Monsters of Jalizar

for the spleen). Breaking a jar (Tough-

ness 3) inflicts a Wound to the Mummy. The Manticore’s
When all three containers are destroyed, Nature
the Mummy crumbles into dust.
Manticore Spawn are very dangerous
• Weakness (fire): Fire based attacks deal
and venomous but, after all, they are
+4 damage to Mummies, due to their very only animals. So, they can be defeated
flammable nature. with luck, skill, and courage. But their
mother, the Manticore, is totally differ-
ent. It is an intelligent being and, some
Manticore Spawn sages say, it looks much fouler than its
The Manticore, the dreadful monster offspring…
fought by Jall the Cattle Stealer, is one of
Jalizar’s oldest myths. Some legends say it
was killed, while, according to other sto- • Rain of Stings: Manticore Spawn tails
ries, it hid in the Sewers of Jalizar. There are full of spikes, which can be shot by
are also rumors about recent sighting in the creature and aimed with deadly preci-
the city streets. No one can claim they have sion. Each volley is a ranged attack with
seen the true Manticore, but many have range: 4/8/16, deals 2d6 damage and hits
seen its terrible offspring: huge, brownish all targets in a Small Burst Template. The
creatures with a scorpion-like tail covered creature uses Agility instead of Throwing.
in countless stinging needles and ending Stingers re-grow quite fast, but the mon-
in a venomous stinger. These monsters are ster can use this ability only a number of
luckily rare, but some of them, captured in times equal to half its Vigor each day.
the Sewers by brave hunters, are now in • Size +3: A Manticore Spawn weighs over
the hands of devious crime lords and evil 500 pounds.
sorcerers, who keep them as pets.

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6(A), Rat

Spirit d10, Strength d12+2, Vigor d8
Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d8, Stealth d8 Giant Rat
Pace: 7; Parry: 6; Toughness: 9
Special Abilities The rats of the Sewers of Jalizar are notori-
• Bite or Claw: Str+d6. ous for being unnaturally big. Sometimes,
• Improved Frenzy: Manticore Spawn one of them becomes a huge monstros-
may make two Fighting attacks each ac- ity, as large as a man, and emerges from a
tion at no penalty. manhole to hunt in the city streets…
• Fear: Manticore Spawn are hideous
monsters, and seeing them means death. Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6(A),
They cause a Fear check. Spirit d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8
• Large: Due to its size, attack rolls against Skills: Climbing d8, Fighting d6, Notice
a Manticore Spawn receive a bonus of +2. d8, Swimming d6
• Low Light Vision: Manticore Spawn ig- Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6
nore penalties for Dim and Dark lighting.
• Stinger: Str+d4, Reach 3. The stinger of a Special Abilities
Manticore Spawn is full of Lethal venom. • Bite: Str+d4.
• Claws: Str+d4.

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 Creatures of Jalizar

• Frenzy: A Giant Rat can attack twice Special Abilities

each round, once with its bite and once • Bargainer: Summoning the King of Rats
with its claws, without any penalty. with the summon ally power isn’t enough
• Rat Curse: Any hero wounded or shaken to force it to obey. To obtain a favor, the
by a Giant Rat must make a Vigor roll or summoner must offer something in return
catch the terrible disease known as Rat (such as secrets or food), and the King is
Curse (see page 140). known to drive a hard bargain. If an agree-
ment isn’t reached, the King leaves and
The King of Rats cannot be summoned again for a year.
• King’s Bite: The bite of the King is noth-
Despite what the Caled druids say, the ing more than a prick, but it is powerful.
Kings of Beasts don’t all walk under the When a victim is hit, don’t roll on damage,
shady leaves of the Caled forests. At least but let him make a Vigor roll. In case of
one of them, the King of Rats, has made failure, the saliva of the King has marked
its home in the Sewers of Jalizar, where it the victim. For a week the King can track
rules over all the rodents. It resembles a him down with incredible precision (as
normal rat, but there is an intelligent look per the detect arcana Power cast with d12),
in its eyes and it has a bald patch where, as long as the victim remains in Jalizar.
according to the legends, Zhubal, the King • Size -2: The King of Rats is slightly big-
of Cats, scratched it with a mighty paw. ger than a normal rat.
• Small: Attacks against the King of Rats
The King of Rats is a specific individual,
suffer -2 due to its small size.
with a peculiar, human-like personality.
It speaks human tongues (almost all of • Soothing Tongue: The King of Rats can
them), and likes dealing with people, es- cure the Rat Curse disease with a single
pecially sorcerers and shady individuals, lick of its rough tongue, but this life-sav-
both out of sheer curiosity and to satisfy ing favor usually has a high price.
its appetites. It hardly ever attacks a hu- • Rat Servants: The King of Rats can sum-
man, preferring to bargain and persuade. mon swarm of rats (use the Swarm stats)
Sometimes sorcerers summon the King of or control ones already present as per the
Rats to use its enormous knowledge or to summon ally and beast friend Powers. It
hire rodents as killers. has 30 Power Points and uses Smarts as
its arcane skill. While among other rats, a
For the purposes of the summon ally Pow- Notice (-4) roll is necessary to spot it.
er, the King of Rats should be considered • Reincarnation: The King of Rats can
a Legendary creature, but, being very curi- be killed quite easily (after all, it is only
ous, it agrees to be summoned as a Novice a rat). Yet, after one day, it reincarnates as
creature. a new rat and is usually rather angry with
its killers.
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d10, Spir- • Weakness (Cats): The King or Rats is
it d10, Strength d4, Vigor d6 terrified of all cats (it must make a Fear
Skills: Fighting d8, Knowledge (Area - check if a feline is present). The reason is
Jalizar) d12+1, Knowledge (Arcana) d10, simple: if killed by a cat, it cannot rein-
Notice d10, Stealth d10, Streetwise d10, carnate for a year, a month and a day. A
Taunt d10, Tracking d8. weapon made with a feline claw or bone
Pace: 8; Parry: 6; Toughness: 3 has the same effect. In addition, legends

176
 Monsters of Jalizar

say that Zhubal, the King of Cats, can kill souls to the evil lurking under Jalizar.
it permanently. Other stories claim they are the Ancestors
of the Cairnlanders. Whatever the truth,
the few people who have seen a Sewer
Sewer Eel Fiend in its real form and lived to tell the
The Jalizarans are very fond of eels, the fat, tale say they are thin, dried-up corpses
tasty ones swimming in the bogs or in the with strange sutures on their parchment-
shallow waters around the City of Thieves. like skin, each depicting a cabalistic sign.
Nevertheless, very few people would be
willing to taste their meat again after see- Sewer Fiends are usually employed by the Jam-
ing a Sewer Eel. Sewer Eels are vicious hans as spies, seducers, corruptors, or killers. Some
creatures which live in the dark, reeking of them might even agree to be summoned by
channels below the Rotten Flower of the sorcerers (they count as Heroic creatures).
North. They are omnivores and eat every-
thing, from garbage to rats, and the occa- Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d10, Spir-
sional curious beggar looking for some- it d10, Strength d10, Vigor d10
where warm in the tunnels of the Sewers. Skills: Climbing d10, Fighting d10,
Some wild stories also say that these pred- Knowledge (Arcana) d10, Notice d8, Per-
ators can climb up the Sewers shafts and suasion d10, Stealth d10, Streetwise d8.
reach the toilets of noble houses to taste Pace: 8; Parry: 7; Toughness: 7
the soft, plump bottoms of the rich…
Special Abilities
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4(A), • Backstabber: A Sewer Fiend is a master
Spirit d8, Strength d12+1, Vigor d8 at catching its opponents flatfooted. It can
Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d8, Stealth d8, spend a Bennie to gain the Drop.
Swimming d12. • Claws: Str+d6.
Pace: 3; Parry: 6; Toughness: 9(1) • Creature From Below: These creatures
Special Abilities are intimately linked to the Sewers. For
• Aquatic: They move in the water at Pace any day in which they cannot spend at
10 but can also crawl outside the water. least one hour in the Sewers of Jalizar, they
• Armor +1: Scaly, slimy skin. must make a Vigor roll or suffer a Wound.
• Bite: Str+d4. When they become Incapacitated, they
• Quick: Sewer Eels are incredibly fast are “killed”. However, bringing their bod-
and, if dealt an Action Card that is 5 or ies back to the Sewers is enough to trigger
lower, they can discard it and draw anoth- their Sewer Regeneration Special ability.
er. They must keep the replacement card, • Demon: Sewer Fiends are immune to
however. poison and disease. They have a +2 bonus
• Size +2: Sewer Eels can reach 12 yards to recover from being Shaken.
in length. • Illusionary Aspect: A Sewer Fiend can
take on any shape it wants, as long as it re-
mains roughly of human size. Its true form
Sewer Fiend is revealed only through dispel or detect ar-
Sewer Fiends are among the most power- cana (and mirrors, see below). Changing
ful and dangerous servants of the Sewers. aspect requires a full round. When imper-
Some stories say that the Sewer Fiends sonating someone, a Sewer Fiend receives
were once men who willingly sold their +4 to Persuasion rolls.

177
 Creatures of Jalizar

it permanently. A called shot (-4) is needed

Sewer Troll Blood to hit the sutures. With a success, the attack
The fresh (less than 3 days old) blood deals +2 damage and Wounds caused in this
of a Sewer Troll is highly prized by way cannot be regenerated.
Lotusmasters. A dose of this green-
ish substance added to any healing
concoction gives +4 to the Lotusmastery Sewer Troll
roll. Alternatively, a Lotusmaster “Troll” is probably the wrong term to de-
who knows the healing Power and scribe this monstrosity, created by the de-
has Healing d8+ can decide to suffer
ranged experiments of some mage. Large
-4 on the Lotusmastery roll to create a
greater healing concoction instead of a enough to touch the ceiling of many Sew-
standard healing one. ers tunnels, a Sewer Troll has a serpentine
body, two appendages curiously similar to
The only drawback of a potion contain- mouths, and a central mouth full of teeth.
ing Sewer Troll blood is that it is dis- Animated by an insatiable appetite, Sewer
gusting: any character drinking it must
Trolls haunt the lower levels of the Sew-
make an immediate Vigor(+1) roll to
avoiding throwing up and canceling ers, eating almost anything they can find.
its effect. Unlike other species, they keep growing
throughout their life, which is lucky since
their huge size prevents them from reach-
• Sewer Powers: A Sewer Fiend has ing the surface. Rumor has it that some of
learned dark magic from its masters. It these beasts are kept as pets by Jalizaran
can use the following Powers: boost trait crimelords who feed them their enemies.
(unnatural ability), deflection (fast reflexes),
fear (visions of death), quickness (amazing Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit
speed), smite (razor sharp claws). It uses d8, Strength d12+2, Vigor d10
Smarts as its arcane skill and has 20 Power Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d6, Intimida-
Points. These are the standard abilities, but tion d8, Swimming d8.
each Sewer Fiend is unique and can have a Pace: 7; Parry: 6; Toughness: 12(2)
different list of Powers. Special Abilities
• Sewer Regeneration: When a Sewer • Armor +2: Snakelike skin.
Fiend is within the Sewers of Jalizar, it • Bite: Str+d8, AP 2.
enjoys the benefits of Fast Regenera- • Claws: Str+d4.
tion, making a Vigor roll every round to • Crawler: Sewer Trolls have no legs, so
recover a Wound. This works even when they cannot run.
it is “killed”, unless the killing blow was • Fear -2: Seeing a Sewer Troll causes a
destroys its sutures. Fear check at -2.
• Weakness (Mirrors): A Sewer Fiend re- • Frenzy: A Sewer Troll can perform two
flected in a mirror appears in its true form. Claw attacks in the same round without
All Sewer Fiends hate mirrors deeply, be- any penalty. This ability cannot be used in
cause they are reminded of their real nature. combination with the bite attack.
Forcing a Fiend to look at itself in a mirror is • Large: Due to its size, attack rolls against
considered a Smarts Trick, with a +4 bonus. a Sewer Troll receive a bonus of +2.
• Weakness (Sutures): The cabalistic stitch- • Lizard Regeneration: A Sewer Troll re-
es on a Fiend’s body are the real source of its generates wounds and sprouts lost limbs
power and destroying them is enough to kill like a lizard. It can make a natural healing

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 Monsters of Jalizar

roll every two days. When it recovers all

its Wounds, lost limbs and any effects of
the Injury table are considered healed too.
• Size +3: Sewers Trolls are 18’ tall.

Toothless One
In Jalizar, especially among the poorest
classes, it is quite common to throw dead
bodies into the Sewers, after removing
their teeth for ritual purposes (see page
36). Most of them simply become food for
rats and other critters but, in some cases,
they are found by the Jamhans, which put
will-of-the-wisps into their open mouths
and bring them back to un-life. A Tooth-
less One is almost mindless, but guided by
an insatiable hunger for mortal souls.

Toothless Ones can be summoned as

Seasoned creatures with the summon ally
power and can be created from a dead has the basic duration. After overcoming
body with the zombie power, but the ritual the paralyzing effect, the victim becomes
must be performed in the Sewers of Jali- immune to it for the rest of the encounter.
zar, a bog, or another place where will-of- • Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
the-wisps are present. from being Shaken; immune to poison,
disease, and called shots.
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d4, Spirit
d4, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Notice d6, Stealth d6. Will-of-the-Wisp
Pace: 5; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7 Also called “faerie fires”, “bog lights” or
Special Abilities “sewer spirits”, Will-of-the-Wisps are
• Claws: Str+d4. widely known in Jalizar and its surround-
• Fear: Toothless Ones are hideous to look ings, and almost everyone can tell a story
upon. The first time a hero sees one, he about a friend or an acquaintance who has
must make a Fear Check. seen one. However, first-hand reports are
• Paralyzing Light: Toothless Ones al- extremely rare, because very few individu-
ways have their mouths unnaturally open, als survive to tell the tale.
and a strange greenish light shimmers in
them. This is the will-of-the-wisp, which Basically, two types of Wisps exist: Bog
has the power to paralyze anyone looking Wisps and Sewer Wisps. The former are
at it. In gaming terms, this counts as the found in the Charred Bogs and glow yel-
entangle Power, using Spirit as the arcane low, the latter are found within the Sew-
skill, and can be opposed by the target’s ers of Jalizar and are usually greenish. Yet,
Spirit. It affects a single opponent and they are the same type of creature: malev-
doesn’t consume any Power Points, but olent, lesser spirits craving human souls.

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 Creatures of Jalizar

Will-of-the-Wisps are considered Sea- the Wisp wins with a raise, the victim does
soned creatures for the purposes of the the same but running. Shaken results for
summon ally Power. Sorcerers summon the Test of Will apply as normal, but they
them to use their powers (see below) or to don’t hinder the victim’s ability to move.
create the Toothless Ones. • Ghostly Light: A Will-of-the-Wisp
emits a faint, constant light, identical to
Tactics: Will-of-the-Wisps have no di- that produced by the light Power.
rect means of inflicting damage, but they • Life Sucking: If someone dies within 3”
are very dangerous. They use their Follow of a Will-of-the-Wisp, the creature feeds
the Light and Disorienting Special Abili- on the victim’s life force, permanently
ties to lure enemies into traps (such as gaining a die step in an Attribute chosen
quicksand) or to make them lose their way by the GM.
till they die of thirst and hunger. They are • Small: Due to their diminutive size, at-
also an excellent way for the GM to take tacks against Will-of-the-Wisps suffer -2
the heroes to specific locations. to hit.

Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d10, Spir-

it d10, Strength d6, Vigor d6 Zhubal, King
Skills: Fighting d8, Stealth d10, Taunt of Cats
d10.
Pace: 12; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5 The legends say that the fist cat arrived in
Special Abilities Jalizar in a silver cage and it was the prize
• Disorienting: Will-of-the-Wisps try to a Jalizaran merchant won in a rigged dice
make people lose their way, which can be game in Verazar, in the Lush Jungle. That
extremely risky in the Charred Bogs or the beast was Zhubal, lord of felines, brought
Sewers. If a Will-of-the-Wisp is in sight, here with its race to terrorize the many ro-
any Survival or Notice roll suffers -4. dents infesting the City of Thieves.
• Concentration of Energy: Will-of-the-
Wisps are concentrations of magical en- Zhubal is a big, tabby cat with the stare
ergy. If a sorcerer is within 6” of a Will-of- of a killer in its eyes and a missing fore-
the-Wisp, she can try to win an opposed paw, which gives it an uneven gait. Zhubal
Spirit roll to absorb its magical energy. isn’t very interested in the affairs of men
On a success, she immediately recovers 5 and intervenes only if fellow cats are mis-
Power Points and the Wisp is destroyed. treated or harmed. But its greatest passion
If she fails, she gains a level of Fatigue. is hunting rodents and it especially hates
Wisps called via the summon ally Power the King of Rats, which bit off its forepaw,
share a special link with their summoner, greatly reducing its power.
who receives +4 to the Spirit roll.
• Ethereal: Will-of-the-Wisps are im- Zhubal speaks in a deep voice and agrees
material spheres of light and can only be to be summoned to track down and hunt
harmed through magical attacks. creatures of every type.
• Follow the Light: A Will-of-the-Wisp
tries to lure its victims, forcing them to For the purposes of the summon ally Pow-
follow it. It is a Taunt-based Test of Will. er, the King of Cats is a Heroic creature (a
If the Wisp wins, the victim is forced to Legendary one if it retrieves its Paw) but
move her entire Pace toward the Wisp. If

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 Denizens of Jalizar

can be freely summoned by whoever owns

its Paw (see page 151). Denizens of
The Paw is Back! If Zhubal retrieves its
Jalizar
paw, the limb is magically reattached and
the King of Cats recovers all its Strength. Most of the human dwellers of Jalizar
Its Agility, Smarts and Spirit go up by one can easily be represented through the ar-
chetypes found in Beasts and Barbarians
die step each, its Bite and Paws damage
Golden Edition. The characters typical of
increase to Str+d6 and its Pace rises to 10.
the City of Thieves are detailed below.

Attributes: Agility d12, Smarts d8, Spirit As always, generic templates are presented
d8, Strength d4, Vigor d8 along with suggestions about how to cus-
Skills: Climbing d10, Fighting d10, No- tomize them.
tice d10, Intimidation d10, Stealth d12+1,
Tracking d12.
Pace: 7; Parry: 7; Toughness: 4 Beggar
Special Abilities Beggars are one of the most common
• Bite or Paws: Str+d4. groups of people in Jalizar. Poor and
• Ninety Nine Lives: The King of Cats homeless, these men, women and children
has many more lives than normal cats. It live off alms from the higher classes and
can make a free Soak roll against any at- what the other citizens discard. Many of
tack, as per the Loincloth Hero Edge, and, them also have terrible scars and mutila-
as you might expect, it has the Harder to tions, some true and some faked in order
Kill Edge. to inspire greater pity. Beggars are usually
just a nuisance but, when they gather in
• Quick: The King of Cats discards any large groups, they can become truly dan-
Action Card of 5 or lower, but must keep gerous.
the replacement card.
• Shrink/Growth: The King of Cats can, The following profiles can be used for the
at will, increase its size to that of a large Fat Beggars, the Children of Hunger, and
tiger (Size +4). This ability works exactly the few independent ones.
like the shrink/growth Power, but doesn’t
require any roll and doesn’t use any Power Beggar Agitator
Points. The King can gain or lose 2 Size
points as a free action. Agitators are the chiefs and leaders of the
beggars. They can be physically frail, but
• Size -2: In normal situations, Zhubal is
their mere presence is enough to drive
the size of an average cat.
other beggars to revolt.
• Terror of Rodents: Zhubal causes a Fear
check (-2) in any rodent that sees it. The Customization: Hysterical Leader (drop
legend about it being able to kill the King Vigor to d4 add the Hold The Line! and
of Rats isn’t completely true, but Zhubal Command Presence Edges), Occult Agi-
can indeed banish the lord of rodents from tator (raise Stealth to d10, drop the Char-
Jalizar for one hundred years. ismatic and Inspire Edges. Recognizing

181
 Creatures of Jalizar

and spotting an Occult Agitator requires

Questors winning an opposed Notice roll versus the
The Questors are the chosen leaders of Occult Agitator’s Stealth), Children of
the Children of Hunger, the initiators Hunger Questor (see sidebar).
of the revolt against the Fat Beggars.
They answer only to the Prophet. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit
Questors are of two types: standard d8, Strength d4, Vigor d6
ones use the normal Beggar Agitator Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d8, No-
template, but few of them have made tice d6, Persuasion d10, Stealth d6, Street-
a secret pact with the Sewer Lords and
wise d10, Taunt d8.
wait for their orders to do evil.
Charisma: +2; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Tough-
These rotten apples have the Arcane ness: 5
Background (Sorcery) Edge, 15 Power Edges: Charismatic, Command, Inspire.
Points, Sorcery d8 and the following Hindrances: Poor, any one Mutilation
Powers: beast friend (rats and Sewer (optionally draw a card from the Action
creatures), boost/lower trait (enthrall-
Deck and check the Beggar’s Features
ing words), confusion (glimpse of the
Sewer Lords), draining touch (touch of Table).
weight consumption). Gear: Rags, beggar’s staff (Str+d4, +1 Par-
ry, 2 hands, Reach 1), beggar’s trick.
Special Abilities
• Call for Help: Beggars usually work in
groups, at least in Jalizar, and a Beggar
Agitator can call for reinforcements in no
time. Anytime a beggar is threatened, he
calls for help (a free action) and makes a
Streetwise roll. For each success and raise,
1d8 new beggars arrive on the scene at the
start of the next round. Large numbers of
beggars can turn into a Mob of Beggars
(see below).

Beggar Thug
These burly men can belong to the Fat
Beggars or the Children of Hunger, but
you can bet they have never missed a
meal in their life. They protect their lead-
ers, collect alms from beggars reluctant
to pay, and fight to defend their territory
when necessary. Many of them are former
Thieves’ Guild members.

Customization: Guild Wrestler (Vigor

d8, add the Brawny and Martial Art-
ist Edges, replace all weapons with Iron
Fists), Guild Slinger (drop Strength to d6
and raise Shooting to d8, add the Trained

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 Denizens of Jalizar

Beggar’s Features Card Effect

Table 9 Sick. Anemic Hindrance.
Despite the fact that their bravery is
seldom rewarded, the Cleaners are One Armed. One Armed
10
Hindrance.
fundamental to ensuring that Jalizar
survives. Lame/One Eyed. Lame or
J
One Eyed Hindrance.
Disease Ridden. The beggar
Card Effect is infected with an illness (see
Leper. Ugly Hindrance. If page 139) chosen by the GM.
Q
2 he tries to touch someone, he Prolonged contact can spread
causes Fear in the target. contagion (if the person in
contact fails a Vigor roll).
Hunchback/Dwarf. Small
3 Hindrance. -1 to Intimida- Legless. As per the One
tion rolls. K Legged and Small Hindranc-
es. He cannot run.
Scarred/Disfigured. Ugly
4 Lunatic. Add a Major Delu-
Hindrance.
sion. Some lunatics are very
Idiot. Smarts and Spirit d4,
A persuasive. If the card suit is
Clueless Hindrance. Iconic
red, he has +2 Charisma and
5 Idiots tend to be large: if
the Command Edge.
the card suit is red, add the
Brawny Edge. Ranikos’ Favor. This individ-
ual is protected by the Three
Underfed. -2 to Vigor rolls.
Eyed Beggar. Draw another
In presence of food he gains Joker
6-7 two cards and combine their
+1 to all Trait rolls and the
features. Add the Beggar’s
Frenzy Edge.
Gift Edge.
8 Blind. Blind Hindrance.

Thrower Edge, replace spiked club and Hindrances: Loyal.

sling with war sling), Guild Fee Collec- Gear: Spiked club (Str+d4+1), light leath-
tor (Raise Intimidation and Persuasion to er armor (+1), dagger (Str+d4) or sling
d8, add the Iron Will Edge and the Quirk (Str+d4, range 4/8/16).
(Cruel) Hindrance), Children of Hunger Special Abilities
Guardsman (remove the Braggart Special • Braggart: Thugs are strong when they
ability, add Combat Reflexes). outnumber their opponents. In this case,
they receive +1 to Spirit rolls. But when
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit things get ugly (they are outnumbered),
d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6 they turn into cowards, suffering -2 to
Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Spirit rolls.
Notice d4, Persuasion d4, Shooting d6, • Hit where it Hurts: A Thug usually hurts
Stealth d6, Streetwise d6. but does not kill his victims. Whenever he
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Tough- hits an opponent with a raise, it means he
ness: 6(1) has delivered a particularly nasty blow. If
Edges: None. the victim is at least Shaken, she receives

183
 Creatures of Jalizar

a Hurting Counter. Characters with a Mob of Beggars

Hurting counter suffer -1 to rolls to re- Beggars tend to be a real threat when they
cover from Shaken. Hurting Counters are gather in large groups. Even heavily ar-
discarded at the end of the victim’s turn. mored soldiers cannot withstand the rage
of the mob when it is unleashed.
Common Beggar
A poor, homeless citizen of Jalizar. Mob Size. Ten or more beggars create a
Small Mob, twenty or more a Medium
Customization: False blind man (Notice Mob, and forty or more a Large Mob. Mobs
d8), Madman (Spirit d4, Strength and are considered Swarms and are represented
Vigor d6, add the Berserker Edge), Beg- by templates of the appropriate size.
gar Boy (Young Hindrance, raise Agil-
ity and Stealth to d8), Child of Hunger Customization: Children of Hunger
(Vigor d6, add the Enemy (Fat Beggars) Mob (they actually bite: raise Teeth and
Hindrance). Nails damage to 2d6), Religious Fanatics
Mob (raise Spirit to d12).
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
d6, Strength d4, Vigor d4 Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6 (A),
Skills: Fighting d4, Notice d6, Persuasion Spirit d8, Strength d12, Vigor d10
d6, Stealth d6, Streetwise d8, Taunt d4. Skills: Intimidation d10, Notice d6.
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Tough- Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 7
ness: 4 Special Abilities
Edges: none. • Agitators: Agitators arouse mobs and
Hindrances: Poor, any one Mutilation orchestrate their actions. For any Beggar
(optionally draw a card from the Action Agitator present in a mob, the mob re-
Deck and check the Beggar’s Features ceives a Bennie. As well as the standard
Table). uses, a mob can spend a Bennie to force
Gear: Rags, small improvised weapon a victim caught in the template to discard
(Str+d4, -1 Fighting rolls), beggar’s trick. the Mob Attack card and draw a new one.
Special Abilities • Mob Attack: Unlike animal swarms, hu-
• Call for Help: Beggars usually work in man mobs tend to behave randomly, with-
groups, at least in Jalizar. Anytime a beg- out any real focus. Any character caught in
gar is threatened, he calls for help (a free a template with a mob must draw a card
action) and does a Streetwise roll. For any from the action deck and suffer the conse-
success and raise 1d4 new beggars arrive quences listed below:
on the scene at the start of the next round. 1. Spades – Theft! Someone is removing
Large numbers of beggars can turn into a some of the victim’s possessions. The
Mob of Beggars (see below). character must make an Agility (-2)
roll or lose an item of the GM’s choice.
• Gossip: Beggars spend their whole lives
on the streets, hearing and seeing a whole 2. Hearts – Teeth and Nails! The Mob
range of different things. For this reason, angrily attacks a victim dealing 2d4
they tend to be very well-informed. If a damage. The attack targets the least
hero looking for information uses a beggar armored location. Characters knocked
as his source (provided that he pays him), prone (see below) suffer +4 damage.
he receives +2 to the Streetwise roll. 3. Diamonds – Curses and Wild Howls.
The crowd is mad and attacks the vic-

184
 Denizens of Jalizar

tim verbally. This counts as an Intimi- Black Tong Monk

dation Test of Will. An evil monk following the Path of Ob-
4. Clubs – Trampled! The victim must scurement.
make an immediate Strength (-2) roll
to avoid being trampled underfoot. A Customization: Black Tong Assassin (add
trampled character is knocked prone the Assassin Edge), Monster Within (re-
and suffers -4 to all Trait rolls until place all the Powers with shapechange (Gar-
he manages to stand up again with a bage Monster), and add the Hardy Special
Strength (-2) roll. ability), Shadow Walker (add the Thief
5. Joker – Reinforcements! The mob in- Edge, Stealth d10, Streetwise d8, replace
creases in size by one step (if it is Large, spiked gauntlets with knotted rope), Night
a new Small Mob is created in contact Killer (drop Fighting to d6, Shooting d8,
with the current mob). Draw another Marksman Edge, add bow to Gear).
card and add the results.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit
• Mob Size: Small Mobs disperse after
d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8
suffering a Wound, Medium Mobs dis-
Skills: Fighting d8, Notice d6, Obscure-
perse after two Wounds, and Large ones
ment d8, Stealth d8, Streetwise d6.
after three Wounds. Mobs suffering a
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Tough-
Wound are automatically reduced in size
ness: 6
(so a Large Mob suffering a Wound is re-
Edges: Arcane Background (Obscure-
duced to a Medium Mob).
ment), Improved Martial Artist, Monk.
• Swarm: +2 Parry. Mobs are made up Hindrances: Loyal, Vow (fanatical ser-
of dozen of angered people, pushing and vant of Pao Lhin and the Jamhans).
trampling their victims, so melee weap- Powers [15 PP]: Boost/lower trait (prayers
ons aren’t very efficient. Melee and ranged to evil power).
weapon attacks deal only half damage. Gear: Black outfit, spiked gauntlets
Fire and magic deal normal damage. (count as iron fists).
Special Abilities
• Low Light Vision: As a reward for their
The Black Tong new depraved condition, they see very well
The Black Tong is a secret sect within in the dark. They ignore Dim and Dark
the Jan Tong, led by the traitor Elder Pao lighting.
Lhin. Its members are monks seduced • Son of Darkness: Black Tong Monks
by the dark powers of the Lords Below. are somewhat stronger when in dark-
Although many of them live normal lives ness. They receive +1 Toughness and +1
among the other Jademen during the day, to Spirit and Obscurement rolls when in
at night they put on black outfits and Low Light or worse lighting conditions.
masks and perform wicked tasks to please
their evil mistress. Many Black Tong Black Tong Overlord
members were recruited in a very secretive
way, and they don’t know the real identity This evil monk is one of the chosen lieu-
of their mistress. Since they are few in tenants of Pao Lhin.
number, when on missions they are sup-
ported by Black Tong Puppets, the grunts Customization: Mastermind (Smarts
of the organization. d10, add the Connections (crime) Edge),

185
 Creatures of Jalizar

Guardian (add the Improved Frenzy and Customization: Tracker (raise Notice,
Improved Sweep Edges). Tracking, and Survival to d8), Wise Man
of the Bogs (Strength and Fighting drop
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit to d4, Lotusmastery d8, add the Lotus-
d10, Strength d10, Vigor d10 mastery Arcane Background and the
Skills: Fighting d10, Notice d6, Obscure- following powers: healing (Lotus of the
ment d10, Stealth d8, Streetwise d6. Bogs), living smoke (entraps a will-of-the-
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 9; Tough- wisp), poison (weird herbs of the Bogs)),
ness: 7 Clan Chief (Fighting, Strength and Vigor
Edges: Arcane Background (Obscure- d8, Command Edge, add bronze battle
ment), Block, Improved Martial Artist, axe and medium bronze armor to Gear, he
Monk. is usually a Wild Card).
Hindrances: Loyal, Vow (fanatical ser-
vant of Pao Lhin and the Jamhans). Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
Powers [15 PP]: Boost/lower trait (prayers d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
of evil power), fly (incredible jump), smite
(fists of evil). Skills: Boating d6, Fighting d6, Healing
Gear: Black outfit, spiked gauntlets d6, Notice d6, Shooting d6, Survival d6,
(count as iron fists). Swimming d8, Throwing d6, Tracking d6.
Special Abilities Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Tough-
• Puppet Master: Black Tong Puppets ness: 5
revere the Overlords. For this reason an Edges: Woodsman.
Overlord has the Command and Hold the
Line! Edges, but only for the Black Tong Hindrances: Poor.
Puppets. Gear: Bronze hand axe (Str+d6), jav-
• Low Light Vision: As a reward for their elins smeared with mud (Str+d4, Range:
new depraved condition, Overlords see 6/12/24, see below), small shield (+1 Par-
very well in the dark. They ignore Dim ry), sling (Str+d4, Range: 4/8/16) or bow
and Dark lighting. (Damage: 2d6, Range: 12/24/48).
• Son of Darkness: Black Tong Overlords Special Abilities
are somewhat stronger when in dark-
ness. They receive +1 Toughness and +1 • Bog Poisons: Bogmen are believed to
to Spirit and Obscurement rolls when in smear their weapons with nasty poisons,
Low Light or worse lighting conditions. which kill after causing excruciating pain,
but this isn’t actually true. The weapons
are covered with mud, which transmits
Bogman the nasty Bog Fever (see page 139). Any
The people living in the Charred Bogs character Shaken or Wounded by a weap-
south of Jalizar are derogatorily called on smeared with mud must make a Vigor
“Bogmen” and are considered barbar- (+1) roll or suffer the effects of the illness.
ians by the much more civilized and so- • Bad Blood: The Jalizarans treat the Bog-
phisticated inhabitants of the Flower of men with contempt, and often try to cheat
the North. What the latter forget is that them. This is why any contact between the
most Bogmen are actually descendants two groups is always very tense, causing
of Jalizarans accused of some offense and -2 Charisma to both the Bogmen and the
forced to leave the city. Jalizarans when they have to interact.

186
 Denizens of Jalizar

Copper Helms The Game Master is free to ignore this if

it does not suit the plot.
The Copper Helms, the City Watch of
Jalizar, owe their name to their reddish, Veteran Guardsman
polished helms, which are actually made An experienced soldier, who has survived
of bronze. They are absolutely neutral in long nights on patrol in the dangerous al-
political matters, their duties being pro- leys of Jalizar.
tecting the walls and the gates, keeping
the peace (whenever possible), and col- Customization: Investigator (drop
lecting customs fees. Strength and Vigor to d6, raise Notice,
Smarts and Spirit to d8, Persuasion d6,
add the Alertness and Investigator Edg-
Guardsman es), Officer’s Bodyguard (Notice d8, re-
A typical member of the guard, with a place mace with sword), Sergeant (add the
“live and let live” attitude. Command Edge).

Customization: Quartermaster (Street-

wise d8), Seagull (Boating d6), Archer
(raise Shooting d8, add bow to Gear),
Thousand Chimneys Guard (Fighting
d8, Stealth d6, replace mace with bronze
sword).

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit

d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d4,
Notice d4, Shooting d6, Streetwise d6,
Throwing d6.
Charisma: 0; Pace: 5; Parry: 6; Tough-
ness: 7(2)
Edges: None.
Hindrances: None.
Gear: Bronze tipped mace (Str+d6, AP
1 vs. rigid armor), medium bronze armor
(+2), bronze helm (+2, only head), small
shield (+1 Parry).
Special Abilities
• Uncertain Loyalty: The Copper Helms
are notoriously corrupt. When a group of
them is encountered, the Game Master
must draw a card from the Action Deck.
Unless it is a Heart, the guards are on
someone else’s payroll (roll on the Dwell-
ers in Jalizar Table, Allegiance column on
page 138). This also means they have the
Connections Edge with their employers.

187
 Creatures of Jalizar

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit Charisma: 0; Pace: 5; Parry: 7; Tough-
d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8 ness: 7(2)
Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, No- Edges: Command.
tice d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Street- Hindrances: none.
wise d6, Throwing d6. Gear: Bronze long sword (Str+d8), me-
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Tough- dium bronze armor (+2), bronze crested
ness: 8(2) helm (+3, only head), small shield (+1
Edges: Combat Reflexes. Parry), dagger.
Hindrances: None. Special Abilities
Gear: Bronze tipped mace (Str+d6, AP • Uncertain Loyalty: The Copper Helms
1 vs. rigid armor), medium bronze armor are notoriously corrupt. When a group of
(+2), bronze crested helm (+3, only head), them is encountered, the Game Master
small shield (+1 Parry). must draw a card from the Action Deck.
Special Abilities Unless it is a Heart, the guards are on
• Uncertain Loyalty: The Copper Helms are someone else’s payroll (roll on the Dwell-
notoriously corrupt. When a group of them ers in Jalizar Table, Allegiance column on
is encountered, the Game Master must draw page 138). This also means they have the
a card from the Action Deck. Unless it is a Connections Edge with their employers.
Heart, the guards are on someone else’s pay- The Game Master is free to ignore this if
roll (roll on the Dwellers in Jalizar Table, it does not suit the plot.
Allegiance column on page 138). This also
means they have the Connections Edge
with their employers. The Game Master is Jan Tong
free to ignore this if it does not suit the plot. Believed to be the criminal organiza-
tion of the Jademen controlling the Brass
Lanterns quarter, the Jan Tong is actually
Copper Helm Officer much more. Concealed among its thugs,
One of the appointed officers of the City the Enlightened Ones fight covertly to
Watch. Some of them have reached this protect Jalizar from the evil lurking in the
rank through hard work and devotion to Sewers.
justice, but many have bought their posi-
tion or have come this far thanks to some
important sponsor.
Jan Tong
A standard member of the Jan Tong.
Customization: Investigator (drop
Strength to d6, raise Notice, Smarts Customization: Tong Family (see page
and Spirit to d8, Persuasion d8, add the 190).
Alertness and Investigator Edges), Tower
Commander (add Connections, Noble Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit
and any two Leadership Edges). d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, No-
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit tice d4, Streetwise d4, Throwing d4.
d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6 Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Tough-
Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, No- ness: 5
tice d6, Persuasion Riding d6, Shooting Edges: Connections ( Jan Tong), Jan Tong
d6, Stealth d6, Streetwise d6, Throwing d6. Tattoo (Intimidation), Martial Artist.

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 Denizens of Jalizar

Hindrances: Loyal, Vow (protect the Ja- Special Abilities

demen). • The Jademen’s Secret: The Jan Tong
Gear: Bronze tipped Jan Tong (Monk Monks know, at least partially, why the
Weapon, +1 to Tricks, 1 h: Reach 1, 2 h: Jademen have come to Jalizar and are very
+1 Parry, Reach 1) or Iron Fists (Str+d4, much aware of the fact that they cannot
Monk Weapon). fail, otherwise the Sewer Lords will un-
Special Abilities leash their terror on the world. This gives
• Jade Warrior: Jan Tong members are them incredible determination: they can
trained by Monks. Although they do not spend a Bennie to automatically skip any
reach the same level of skill as their mas- Fear check caused by demons.
ters, they are extremely good with tradi-
tional weapons. If a Jan Tong armed with Jan Tong Veteran
a Monk Weapon rolls 1 on the Fighting This Jang Tong member is a veteran of
die, regardless of the Wild Die, he can re- many battles with the Thieves’ Guild hire-
roll the attack for free. lings and a fierce defender of his people.

Jan Tong Monk Customization: Tong Boss (Wild Card,

Despite looking like any other Jang Tong add the Command, Noble and Hold the
thug, this man is actually a follower of the Line! Edges), Tong Assassin (Fighting
Path of Enlightenment. His task is to pro- d10, Stealth d10, add the Thief and As-
tect Jalizar from the evil lurking under the sassin Edges).
City of Thieves.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit
Customization: Tong Family (see side- d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8
bar), Shadow Guardian (add Persuasion Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, No-
d6, Stealth d6, the Shadow Monk Edge tice d4, Streetwise d4, Throwing d4.
and the invisibility power), Drunken Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Tough-
Monk (add the Liquid Courage and ness: 7(1)
Brawler Edges and the Lost on the Way Edges: Block, Connections ( Jan Tong),
and Outsider Hindrances). Frenzy, Jan Tong Tattoo (Intimidation,
Fighting), Martial Artist.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit Hindrances: Loyal, Vow (protect the Ja-
d8, Strength d8, Vigor d6 demen).
Skills: Fighting d10, Enlightenment d8, Gear: Jan Tong (Monk Weapon, +1 to
Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Streetwise d6. Tricks, 1 h: Reach 1, 2 h: +1 Parry, Reach
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Tough- 1), Iron Fists (Str+d4, Monk Weapon),
ness: 6 (1) light wool armor (+1).
Edges: Arcane Background (Enlighten- Special Abilities
ment), Improved Martial Artist, Holy • Jade Warrior: Jan Tong members are
Warrior, Monk, New Power. trained by Monks. Although they do not
Hindrances: Loyal, Vow (protect the Ja- reach the same level of skill as their mas-
demen). ters, they are extremely good with tradi-
Powers [15 PP]: Deflection (minimal tional weapons. If a Jan Tong armed with
dodge), smite (touch of the Lhoban dragon). a Monk Weapon rolls 1 on the Fighting
Gear: Iron Prayer Beads (Str+d4, Monk die, regardless of the Wild Die, he can re-
Weapon), light monk armor (+1). roll the attack for free.

189
 Creatures of Jalizar

Tong Families
The Jan Tong is organized in bands called Families. A Tong Family is based on blood
relationships and affiliations and is linked to the others through a very complex net-
work. Each family is subject to one of the Three Elders and has its own distinctive
fighting style as well as specific customs and symbols. The examples below describe
some of the main Tong Families of Jalizar. As usual, the Game Master is free to
invent more.
Family Tattoos. Tong Families usually have characteristic tattoos, different from
the standard Jan Tong Tattoo Edge. Each tattoo focuses on a specific Trait. With the
Game Master’s permission, player characters belonging to a specific Tong Family can
choose one Trait for their Jan Tong Tattoo Edge.
Cauldron Masters. This Family has traditionally worked in the wool processing
trade. Their fathers were the first to use the real Jan Tong, the spear-like tool to lift
wool from cauldrons, which gave the organization its name. Today it is the larg-
est family in Jalizar and its members have a distinctive mark on the palm of their
hands. When they join the Family, they are asked to lift a red-hot cauldron, which
burns the skin and permanently leaves a distinctive mark. They are very good at
fighting in groups and, whenever they get a Gang Up bonus, they receive an addi-
tional +1 (the maximum is still +4). This ability counts as their Jan Tong Tattoo focus.
NPC Customization: None.
Blue Flowers. This Family is almost entirely composed of women. Dancers and cour-
tesans, they are skilled in the arts of both love and fighting. The Blue Flowers manage
their brothels and pleasure houses without the interference of their men, who usually
work as ruffians and moneylenders. They have a stunning tattoo depicting blue flowers
on their back (this counts as their Jan Tong Tattoo, with Persuasion as the Trait focus).
NPC Customization: Drop Strength by one die step, add the Attractive and Two
Fisted Edges. Replace weapons with Combat Fan.
Great Mountains. In this Family what really matters is having an imposing
frame. From early youth, the children of the Great Mountains, especially the boys,
follow a fattening diet. The fatter they become, the more important they are. They
are excellent bodyguards and usually protect the Elders and the workshops of Brass
Lanterns. They have tattoos on their chest and lower abdomen depicting abstract
looking stones (this counts as their Jan Tong Tattoo, with Vigor as Attribute focus).
NPC Customization: Raise Vigor by two steps and Strength by one step. Add the
Obese Hindrance.
Velvet Blades. Thus named by the Jalizarans, the Velvet Blades are master swords-
men, fighting with a subtle technique unknown to the barbaric westerners. They are
also learned in poetry and fine arts. The Velvet Blades are usually employed as litiga-
tors and duelists, when the need for such figures arises, or as diplomats and envoys.
They have snakelike tattoos on their arms. Each scale bears a symbol in the Jademen’s
Secret Language, so that each snake tells a complete story. This counts as the Jan
Tong Tattoo, with Knowledge (Legends and Lore) as the Trait focus.
NPC Customization: They have Fighting raised by one die step, Knowledge (Leg-
ends and Lore) d8, and the Counterattack and Poet Edges. The highest-ranking ones
are armed with Lhoban Swords.

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 Denizens of Jalizar

Lotus Slave that would normally kill him. A double

Shaken effect doesn’t cause a Wound.
Lotus, and in particular Black Khav, can • Coming Down: Luckily, the madden-
forever mar the soul of a man. An addict, ing effect of the Lotus quickly subsides.
especially in the advanced stages, will do Whenever a Lotus Slave is dealt a deuce
anything, no matter how depraved, to get during combat, the drug stops affecting
his fix. This is why Lotus addicts often him, leaving him Exhausted. In addition,
become slaves of criminal gangs or, even he loses all his Edges and Special Abili-
worse, of ruthless Lotusmasters, and are ties.
willing to obey their each and every order.
Some even say that the Assassins’ Guild
keeps a group of Lotus Slaves and uses Noble Houses
them in suicide missions in which both The Merchant Houses of Jalizar, with the
the victim and the killer must die. Guilds, are the real powers behind the
City of Thieves. Many of them employ
Customization: Mutating Lotus Addict personal militia and mercenaries who
(the Lotus Slave actually turns into a hid- are far more skilled than common hired
eous monster: the Altered State Special swords and more reliable than the Copper
ability has a mutation trapping, add Claws Helms.
dealing Str+d6 damage), Forgetful Slave
(the Lotus Slave can’t remember what he Noble House Soldier
does when he is high on Lotus).
A skilled mercenary, paid with the gold
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit of the Noble Houses. Many of them en-
d6, Strength d10, Vigor d10 ter the service of a House in a respectable
Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d8. way and serve an entire career in it. Noble
House soldiers usually wear a tabard and
Charisma: -4; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Tough-
a mantle with the color of their House, so
ness: 7
as to be easily distinguishable during the
Edges: Berserk, Combat Reflexes, Frenzy.
not-so-rare fights erupting in the streets
Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Habit (Black of the City of Thieves.
Khav or other Lotus concoction – Major).
Gear: Dagger (Str+d4), tattered rags. Customization: Ceremonial Guard
Special Abilities (Vigor d8, Intimidation d6, drop Fight-
• Altered State: A Lotus Slave is con- ing to d6), Gate Guard (Notice d6, re-
sidered to be under the effects of various place sword and small shield with spear),
Lotus concoctions, which count as three Personal Bodyguard (Raise Toughness to
boost/lower trait effects, respectively rais- d8, Notice d8, Brawny Edge, can use the
ing his Strength and Vigor by two die Fanatics setting rule), Raider (raise Agility
steps each and lowering his Smarts by one to d8, lower Strength to d6, add Stealth
step. These changes are already included in d8, Streetwise d6, replace iron long sword
the profile. with short sword and medium armor with
• Hallucinating Mind: A Lotus Slave isn’t light armor), Swordsman (raise Fighting
affected by Fear. to d10, add the Block and Counterattack
• Hardy: A Lotus Slave hardly feels any Edges, replace medium bronze armor with
pain and keeps going even with wounds light leather armor), Heavy Archer (raise

191
 Creatures of Jalizar

House Special Abilities

Each noble house has a special ability, which is the fruit of their personality and their
training. Here are the house abilities of the major Merchant Houses of Jalizar; the Game
Master should feel free to invent others for his own Houses.
House Talum. This House is famous for its political skills and its wealth. Guards of
House Talum are always properly dressed and have no problem with paying generous
tips, which opens many doors to them. They receive +1 Charisma, and, in the case of
player character officers their Savings are increased by 20%.
House Jarikos. The mercenaries of House Jarikos are not exactly known as the best
men in Jalizar, and many of them are real rabble, so don’t expect them to play fair in
combat. They receive +1 to any Trick roll. Officers have an even worse reputation and
receive +1 to Intimidation rolls.
House Blackhorse. The greater part of these men pass more time on the saddle,
herding down cattle from the north and protecting caravans, than patrolling the
city’s roads. For this reason they tend to be a little rough, but excellent riders. House
Blackhorse men are very apt at staying in the saddle, receive +1 to Riding rolls, and
can treat their Riding die as one step higher for the purposes of horseback fighting. In
addition, officers of this house are given a good quality horse for free.
House Tankara. The Veiled Caravaneers of House Tankara are all foreigners, hired
from the city of Gis. They are all dressed in black, and usually veiled. They are also quite
acquainted with the use of magic, so receive +1 to Fear checks against magic. Officers
are usually issued a Lotus concoction of some sort (any novice Power). Player character
officers receive a free lotus potion at the start of each adventure.

Hero’s Journal: At the Service of a Noble House

Noble Houses can be excellent patrons for a group of heroes. Joining a House and
climbing the command ladder can also be the focus of the adventures especially in the
case of a Rise to Power campaign.
Joining a House. Being the best swordsman in the city isn’t enough to be accepted by a
House. The most important thing is trust. New recruits will surely be tested, both with
missions and “in the field”. Usually failing these types of tests isn’t a good idea, because
many Houses have secrets they don’t want to be revealed to rivals…
House Ability. A character joining a House acquires the House Ability after a pro-
longed period, usually when he achieves a new Rank, this representing the slow learn-
ing of the “rules of the House”. The House Ability is free, but the player must remember
that his hero now has duties and responsibilities and could be asked to do things he
doesn’t like. A newly created hero can have the House Ability for free, but he should
take an appropriate Hindrance (Loyal or Code of Honor are both good examples). A
hero wanting to leave is very likely to gain an Enemy.
Climbing the Ranks. Going up the ranks in a Noble House is a good reward for an
exceptional mission at the order of the House, or a well-deserved recognition of years of
faithful service. The Game Master could allow a newly created character to begin as an
officer by tweaking the Fallen Noble Edge a little (replace the relic, money or follower
reward with the officer’s benefits).

192
 Denizens of Jalizar

Shooting to d8, replace Combat Reflexes (Smarts d8, Knowledge (Battle) d8, Per-
with Trained Thrower (bow), replace long suasion d8, any two Leadership Edges).
sword and small shield with short sword
and bow). Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit
d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d6,
d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6 Knowledge (Battle) d4, Notice d6, Per-
Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d4, No- suasion d6, Riding d6, Shooting d6,
tice d4, Riding d4, Shooting d6, Throwing Throwing d6.
d6. Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Tough-
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Tough- ness: 7(2)
ness: 7(2) Edges: Block, Combat Reflexes, Com-
Edges: Combat Reflexes. mand, Connections (nobles), Level Head-
Hindrances: Loyal (Noble House). ed.
Gear: Iron long sword (Str+d8), dagger Hindrances: Loyal (Noble House).
(Str+d4, Range: 3/6/12), medium bronze Gear: Iron long sword (Str+d8), dagger
armor (+2), small shield (+1 Parry), tabard (Str+d4, Range: 3/6/12), medium bronze
with House emblem, cloak with House armor (+2), small shield (+1 Parry), tabard
colors. with House emblem, cloak with House
Special Abilities colors.
• House Ability: Soldiers of Noble Hous- Special Abilities
es usually are trained and kept in good • House Ability: Officers of Noble Hous-
shape by the House master–at-arms, so es usually are trained and kept in good
in the end their skills resemble each other. shape by the House master–at-arms, so
Each House has a special ability. Some ex- in the end their skills resemble each other.
amples are given in the sidebar. Each House has a special ability. Some ex-
amples are given in the sidebar.
Noble House Officer
A top-notch officer of guards, the best that
money can buy in Jalizar. Certain Houses Redshoulder
have the tradition that only members of The professional duelists of Jalizar are
the family can achieve officer rank. In this recognizable by their red cape and brash
case add the Noble Edge. attitude. Also called litigators or justice-
settlers, the Redshoulders have a very
Customization: Archery Commander specific role. When a citizen can’t solve
(Shooting d8, Spirit d8, add the Fervor a legal matter through civilized means
Edge with a different modifier: it gives +1 (i.e. coming to an agreement or taking
to Shooting, not Fighting), Grumpy Vet- the cause to the Magistrate), he contacts
eran Officer (Vigor d8, Persuasion d4, add one these professionals. The Redshoulder
Command Presence and Nerves of Steel tracks down the opponent and insults him
Edges, add the Mean Hindrance), Mas- in a public place, forcing a reaction. This
ter–at-Arms (Improved Block, Counter- usually leads to a duel, so that the issue is
attack, Weapon Master Edge, replace gear quickly settled.
with Manticore sword and light armor),
Guards Officer (Notice d8, add the Hold Customization: Cloak Master (replace
the Line! Edge), House Commander Manticore sword with short sword, add

193
 Creatures of Jalizar

the Cloak Hero Edge), Poet-Swordsman Gear: Iron Manticore sword (Str+d4, +1
(add Knowledge (Legends and Lore) d8 Parry, d8 damage on raise), weighted red
and the Poet Edge), Two-Fisted Blade cloak (Str+d4), light armor (+1).
Master (replace the Iron Will and Block Special Abilities
Edges with the Two Fisted and Ambi- • Provocation: If a Redshoulder wins a
dexterity Edges, replace Manticore sword Taunt Test of Will with a raise, he can
with two daggers). immediately perform a free Fighting at-
tack, without suffering any multi-action
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit penalty.
d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, No-
tice d6, Streetwise d6, Taunt d8, Tracking Sewer Sorcerer
d6. Some warlocks are so power-hungry that
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 8; Tough- they look for dark magic in the foul-
ness: 6(1) est place: the Sewers. The wicked Sewer
Edges: Block, Counterattack, Iron Will, Lords are more than happy to give these
Quick Draw. individuals what they want, because they
Hindrances: Greedy, Mean. know that, in the end, their servants will
be dragged, screaming, to the darkest tun-
nels under the City of Thieves to endure a
fate worse than death.

Sewer Sorcerers are very powerful but very

cautious too, since the Jalizarans still re-
member the reign of Shade and his war-
lock, Rakon, the first Sewer Sorcerer, and
will kill any open follower of this dark
path.

Customization: Disguised Sorcerer (add

Persuasion d6, Knowledge (trade) d6, re-
place rags with normal clothes), Abomi-
nable Creature of the Sewers (Fighting
d8, Strength d8, add the Assassin Edge
and the Ugly Hindrance), Corrupt Lady
of Dark Pleasures (add Persuasion d10,
Very Attractive, Temptress, replace fear
and zombie with boost/lower trait and pup-
pet).

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d10, Spirit

d8, Strength d6, Vigor d8
Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d8,
Knowledge (Arcana) d10, Notice d8, Sor-
cery d10, Stealth d8, Survival d8, Street-
wise d8.

194
 Denizens of Jalizar

Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Tough- impossible for them to get lost in the
ness: 7 Sewers.
Edges: Alley Survivor, Arcane Back- • Worshipper of the Seducers: A Sewer
ground (Sorcery), Lowlife, New Power, Sorcerer standing in the Sewers of Jalizar
Power Points, Sewer Sorcerer. benefits from the Rapid Recharge Edge.
Hindrances: Cautious, Greedy, Outlaw.
Powers [25 PP]: bolt (dark tentacle), fear
(glimpse of the Jamhans), invisibility (dis- Servant of the Sewers
appears in a puff of obnoxious vapors), Any character can secretly be a Servant of
smite (claws), summon ally (garbage mon- the Sewers. So, to create a Servant, sim-
ster, swarm of rats, sewer fiend, toothless ply pick an existing profile and add one
one), zombie (sigil of false life). or more of the following Special Abilities.
Gear: Black robes and cloak, curved
bronze dagger (Str+d4), flask of sewer wa- Special Abilities
ter (see below, usually 2 doses). • Gift of the Sewer Lords: The Jamhans
Special Abilities can give their followers almost anything
• Flask of Sewer Water: Sewers Sorcerers they might desire: riches, beauty, strength,
know about specific places below the love. Add an Edge or raise one Attri-
city where they can collect the foul- bute by one die step to represent the
est water, a concentrate of evil and gift the Servant has received.
filth. They can drink this water • Mark: The Jamhans put a
to achieve one of the following Mark on the body of their
effects: recover a Wound as per slaves, such as a pustule or a
the healing Power, or imme- festering wound. It is small
diately gain 5 Power Points. and easily concealed, but it
The same water, if drunk by always reminds the Ser-
someone who isn’t a Sewer vant that he is a slave. The
Sorcerer, acts as the poison Mark makes him some-
Power, cast with Lotus- what stronger
mastery d10. and more
• Low Light determined,
Vision: Sew- g r a n t -
er Sorcerers ing him +1
have unnatu- Toughness and
rally keen sens- +1 to Spirit rolls.
es. They ignore Dim • Powers: Rarely, the Jamhans
and Dark lighting. bestow a fraction of their su-
• Retractable Claws: pernatural abilities on a Ser-
Str+d4. An action is neces- vant. The Servant gains Sor-
sary to unsheathe them. cery d6, 10 Power Points, and
• Sewer Sense: Sewer Sor- one Power from the Sorcery
cerers know the Sewers so Arcane Background list.
well that they instinctively
perceive (with a Spirit roll)
where the nearest manhole
to the Sewers is. It is also

195
 Creatures of Jalizar

Thieves’ Guild Justice

The Guild bases its control on the city through a simple means: fear. People must be sure
that if they annoy the Guild, something bad is going to happen to them. There is a sort
of unwritten list of offenses to the Guild and a correspondent list of punitions. Usually
the “justice” of the Guild is enforced by the punishers, a group of burly fellows with the
same sense of humor as a dead cat.
Here follows a list of the commonest offenses to the Guild, and their respective penal-
ties.
Shop owner not paying protection money. Two warnings, then breaking a limb,
then burning the shop.
Courtesan not paying the pinkie. First time, beating (2d6 damage), second time
disfigured (permanenty Ugly Hindrance), third time death.
Guild Member not paying the pinkie. First time broken arm, second time broken
leg, third time thrown down from a tall palace (Tall building). If the character sur-
vives, he is pardoned (this is the law).
Killing a guild member. Death, in a slow and painful manner.
Stealing without the Guild’s Permission (whitemousing). First time confiscation
of the loot and serious beating (3d6 damage), second time death.
Talking to the Copper Helms. Tongue cut out (character cannot speak anymore, -4
to any social interaction).
Seeing illegal activities (and reporting them to the guards). Eyes burned out
(Blind Hindrance).
Bad-mouthing the Guild. Something bad done to a relative.
Fence buying gods without paying the pinkie. First time broken thumb, second
time broken leg, third time kidnapped and sold as slave.
The effects of these punitions (apart from blinding, disfiguring and cutting out the
tongue) is usually temporary: the character is considered to have been Incapacitated
and have rolled the corresponding result on the Injury Table. Unlike normal injuries,
when the character recovers from all Wounds he must make a Vigor roll: if he rolls 1
on the Vigor die, regardless of the Wild Die, the injury is permanent and the character
receives the corresponding Hindrance..

Thieves’ Guild Bravo Customization: Guild Slinger (Shooting

d8, Trained Thrower (war sling), Marks-
When the Guild needs a good blade, they man Edge, replace weapons and cloak
send one these men. Bandits and crimi- with war sling and bronze dagger), Guild
nals, they are excellent swordsmen too. Punisher (Strength and Vigor d8, Intimi-
They are also used as guards by Guild El- dation d10, replace Counterattack and
ders and sometimes they offer their ser- Cloak Hero with Brawny and Sweep, re-
vices as mercenaries. place weapons with maul).

196
 Denizens of Jalizar

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit

d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d4, No-
tice d6, Stealth d6, Streetwise d6.
Charisma: 0; Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Tough-
ness: 6 (1)
Edges: Counterattack, Cloak Hero.
Hindrances: Loyal.
Gear: Cloak (+1 Parry per the Cloak Hero
Edge), bronze short sword (Str+d6), dag-
gers x2 (Str+d4, Range: 3/6/12), leather
armor (+1).
Special Abilities
• Street Fighter: Bravos are particularly
good in fighting in the dark, cluttered
roads of Jalizar and are ready to use any
opening their opponents concede them.
Whenever a Bravo’s opponent scores 1 on
the Fighting dice while attacking him, he
is allowed to do an immediate free Trick.

197
 Index

Aareso ����������������������������������������� 21 Common Beggar��������������������184 Imperial Quarter���� 51-53, 55,

Anenda���������� 114-117, 157-158 Copper Helms ��������������3, 14, 18, 58

Archontate������������������������������� 13 26, 34, 43-44, 46-49, 54- Ironbeak Crow�����������������������170

55, 59, 62, 65-66, 76, 89, 92, Jalizaran Gargoyle ������������173
Armangas ����������27, 29, 125, 131 105-107, 110, 118, 130, 135,
Assassins’ Guild ����������������� 6, 15, 138, 187-188, 191, 196 Jalizaran Mummy�����������������174
18-20, 23-24, 26, 39, 53, 55, Cows��������������������������������12, 32, 60 Jall The Cattle Stealer���10,
57, 61, 70, 110-111, 119, 127, 28, 46, 56, 89, 116-117, 158,
129, 136, 138, 149, 191 Crypt Of Kings������������������������� 14 175
Beggar Agitator181-182, 184 Dai Lomen��������������������������������129 Jalzak������������������������������������������� 11
Beggar’s Gift��70-71, 142, 183 Damsel’s Skin����������������140, 153 Jamhans��������115-124, 129, 152,
Beggars’ Guild����������16, 29, 34, Dhaar��4, 12, 25-26, 28, 41, 61, 157-158, 161, 168, 171-172,
53-56, 70, 95, 126-127, 131, 89 177, 179, 185-186, 195
138 Dragon Bridge������������������������ 45 Jamhra��������������������115-116, 158
Beggar Thug ��������������������������182 Elevated Road�������������������������44 Jan Tong ����������������������24, 30, 33,
Blackhorse ����������������������60, 192 Emella ��������������������������������12-15, 45-46, 52-53, 55-56, 65, 67,
18, 28, 30, 34, 43, 49, 56, 58, 70, 75, 83, 86, 88, 108, 110,
Black Tong ��������129-130, 138, 125, 127, 129, 135, 138, 166,
168-169, 185-186 118, 133, 155-156
185, 188-190
Black Tong Monk�����������������185 Emella’s Pillow���������������������� 14
Jan Tong Monk�����������������������189
Black Tong Overlord��������185 Emellon ������������������������������ 21-22
Jan Tong Veteran�����������������189
Black Tong Puppet���� 168-169 Exiles, Quarter���������������50-51
Jarikos ����������������� 49, 58-60, 192
Bog Fever ���������������������� 139, 186 Falchion, Tower Of�����46, 131
Jizro ����������������������������������126-127
Bog Imp�����������������������������169-170 Fastfingers �24, 26, 28, 30, 53,
83, 121 Jurgo’s Tannery���������������� 18, 61
Bogman���������������������44, 138, 186 Juros����������������27, 29, 47, 58, 125
Fastfingers’ Exodus �������24, 28
Bogmen������������44, 140, 169, 186 Justice, Tower Of���� 40, 46, 49
Fat Beggars29, 55-56, 70, 126,
Bogs’ Fart �������������������������40, 140 131, 181-182, 184 Jutarkos Six Fingers �����������126
Bokhan The Wise �����������������126 Fishman ��������158, 168, 171-172 Juura Lionhead����������������������� 22
Brass Lanterns, Quarter 24, Fishman Shaman��������������������172 Khav War ����������������������������������� 55
30, 33, 44-46, 53, 55, 65,
129-130, 133, 136, 188, 190 Fracassia, Queen������������� 39, 59 King Graybear������������������������� 13
Chamuga���������������� 14, 35, 37, 47 Garbage Monster����������������156, King Of R ats ������140, 151, 176,
172-173, 185, 195 180-181
Charred Bogs �������������������������12,
14, 23, 32, 34, 39, 43-44, 65, Gemthief��������������������87, 93, 170 King, Tower Of The ��� 46, 125
139-140, 169, 179-180, 186 Giant R at �����������������������175-176 Legatus���������������������61, 124-125
Charred Oaks Wood�����12-13, Gray Phalanx �������������������������� 26 Lighthouse, The����������������������46
16, 44
Gray Towers, Quarter 10, 12 Longarm������������������������������47-48
Chiban �����������������������������������14-17
Greenbug ��������������140, 152-153 Loom Bridge����������������������������� 45
Chibbar�����������������47, 87, 93, 149
Guardsman�������������������� 183, 187 Loom Houses, Quarter52-53,
Children Of Hunger ��29, 53- 55, 133, 137
56, 70, 108, 124-127, 131, Hollow Hills�������������16, 31-32,
138, 181-184 40-41, 45, 47 Lotus Slave �����������������������������191

Cleaners��������������� 31, 35, 57-58, Hooded Boatman ���������44, 120 Magistrate ������� 40, 46, 49, 193
152-156, 162, 183 Hugo Stone Head�����������������130 Mang Do�����������������������������������129

198
 Index

Manticore ����������10-11, 56, 73, R at Curse ���������������������� 140, 176 Silent War���� 23-24, 28, 37, 82,
77, 86-87, 89, 117, 149-150, R ats’ Nest, Quarter ������������29, 120-121
158, 175, 193-194 54-56, 131 Smuggler King���14-17, 28, 43,
Manticore’s Nest����������56, 158 50, 118, 124
Red Plague �����������������26, 28, 51
Manticore Spawn�����������������175 Smuggler’s Lady�������������40, 140
Redshoulder����������39, 193-194
Market Square, Quarter 24, Tallbridges, Quarter��33, 55,
Redshoulders����������39-40, 65,
28, 53-55, 60, 89, 121, 139, 58-59, 61-62, 133, 138
89-90, 193
151, 156 Talum������� 13, 19, 21, 34, 41, 47,
Relatives’ Dice ����������������������� 36
Masterarkos Furialkos21, 52 58-60, 125, 136, 192
Ronazar�������������������������������������� 21 Tankara�������������������61, 124, 192
Mayma���������������������������������������131
Ronikos���������������������������������������� 27 Temples Road �����21, 50-51, 54
Merchant Houses��3, 7, 12-13,
17-18, 21, 24-25, 27, 29, 34, Rotguts �������������������56, 153, 156 Thieves’ Guild Justice��������196
46, 55, 58, 61, 65, 105, 110, Russ Blackmane���������������������� 22 Thieves’ Guilds ���������������������128
124, 131, 135, 191-192
Seagulls �������43, 45, 47-48, 93, Thieves, Tower Of����������������� 47
Mob Of Beggars���������� 182, 184 130-131
Thousand Chimneys������ 51, 55,
Monya���������� 27, 29, 33, 125, 136 Servant Of The Sewers ����118, 60-62, 65, 131, 156, 187
Mummy Rot������������������� 140, 174 138-139, 195
Three Elders45, 83, 121, 129,
New Docks, Quarter�����23-24, Sewer Eel ���������������������� 164, 177 151, 190
48, 52, 54-55, 135 Sewer Fiend���� 76, 79, 177-178, Timorias ����27-28, 55, 124-125
Noble House Officer ���������193 195
Toothless One��������������179, 195
Noble House Soldier ���������191 Sewer Fog �������������������������40, 140 Tooth, The�������������������������������� 47
Norkot ��������������������������������������127 Sewer Sorcerer ��������������������� 19, Tulezzar������������������������������ 13, 19
66, 74, 78, 81, 102, 134, 145,
Old Jalizar �������������45, 56, 154, Veteran Guardsman�����������187
165, 194-195
157-158
Sewers, Quarter�������������������3, 5, Weavers’ Guild ������� 24, 34, 53,
Old Port������������������������������������� 15 69-70, 135
14, 17-20, 23-24, 26, 30-32,
Ornestan���������� 25-28, 123-124 34-35, 39, 44-45, 48-49, Whispers Bridge���������������������� 45
Othel The Walrus �������47, 131 56-58, 61, 65-66, 71, 74, 76,
Whiteplume����������������������59, 140
78-79, 81-83, 93, 109-110,
Pao Lhin ���� 123-124, 129-130, 115-124, 129, 131, 134, 138- Whiteplume Cough�������59, 140
168-169, 185-186 141, 145, 150, 152-163, 166, Widowers �����15-17, 43, 58, 130
Poor Beggars�������������������29, 131 168, 171-173, 175-180, 188,
Will-Of-The-Wisp���179-180,
194-195
Port, Tower Of ���������������� 47, 54 186
Sewer Troll ����������������� 154, 178
Prison Of Jalizar �����37, 46, 49 Winter Feast Earthquake28,
Sewer Troll Blood��������������178 48, 56
Prophet, The�� 29, 56, 131, 182
Shade ���������������������15, 18-21, 26, X aber Tiomar�������������������46, 131
Questors��������������������������131, 182
28, 47, 61, 64, 118-120, 127,
Yakzama�������������������54, 125, 127
R agamuffin King ������������������10, 130, 150, 154, 158, 194
27-29, 34, 46-47, 49, 55, 58, Yalg ����������������21, 35, 37, 54, 133
Shade, Tower Of �������������������� 47
106, 124-125, 131, 138-139, Zharim ��������������������������12, 23, 37
156 Shallows Village ����14-15, 40,
43, 45, 48, 130, 135, 138 Zhubal, King Of Cats��������180
R akon������19-20, 119-120, 154,
158, 194 Shambles, Quarter�56, 60-61, Zobar ������17-18, 21, 25, 45, 119

R anikos Blindfolded ��35, 37, 133, 154 Zoran��������������������������� 15-17, 118

49 Sharna���������������������������������� 13, 19

199