VAULT OF THE FLAME QUEENS



Hook: The red-robed dervish ahead of you motions for you to stop as you approach the basalt bridge... It seems stable enough, to you... Beautifully-carved, two still-burning, highly polished braziers flank the entrance to it. It rises upward to a gap in the rocks on the other side... The man's body is tense and alert, the hand upon his curved sword's hilt tightens as he peers over the chasm of cooled lava. '... Something is wrong, here. Someone has been to this place. No one should have been here... Look...' He gestures with an ebony hand and a finely-manicured forefinger indicating the massive, polished gold doors tucked back in the shadow of the cleft in the volcanic rock face in front of you. They were open! Wide open, in fact. Folded inward upon their hinges, further lost in the shadows of the mountain... 'This is uncharacteristic... I cannot go forward.' He makes a gesture of protection over his chest, and continues, 'I am forbidden to enter this sacred place... The Malakhazar are old magic. It is taboo for me to even gaze upon them... I fear for my spirit... Be careful... Find what you need and leave, if you value your lives. If even one escaped... The binding should keep them inside, but...' You came here for the runes of binding said to be used in the magic of this place. The wizard you hired needs them to help you trap the spirit in the sword possessing your companion...

Details: This vault belongs to the Malakhazar, the Flame Queens, an evil spirit of fire that laid waste to the lands. They were the wild children of the fire god of chaos and destruction. They sought only to burn the world to ash. Eventually, a wizard-priest used the power of magical urns bound with sacred runic seals to trap the spirits of the Flame Queens. The wizard-priest and his companions roamed the Southern Lands capturing the Flame Queens, one-by-one... and then constructed this place on the Slopes of Fire to hold them... The statues facing anyone approaching are carved from the same basalt the structure is comprised of. They depict the 3 Gods of Law. The rooms and urns inside are constructed in such a way as to hold the varying strengths of the spirits. The weaker line the main hallway just inside. The strongest is Áshaka the Turbulent, the first Flame Queen... Her chamber is the central one. Wards and protections, rune traps, are placed on all the urns. The volcano, though an odd place for the prison of such powerful beings in need of fire to thrive, was necessary. Though very far from erupting, it still trembles. Its natural power was needed to empower the binding magic the wizard used. He had to use the same power that fed the Queens as a source from which to keep them bound. Even wetting their ash would not keep them quiet, if flames were introduced. They would have enough energy to escape, in many instances. And since they feed off of one another, he needed that power to make the bonds stronger. The power of the Queens and the mountain feeds their prison.

A thief has previously accessed the vault, thinking the place would be filled with wealth. After breaking open the first tall ceramic urn he checked, he was greeted by the violent spirit of Shasha. She was angry and spiteful and burned the thief to ash, immediately. The thief's pile of ash still rests upon the floor in front of the urn. The right main door to the vault had collapsed in a volcanic event, when the dormant volcano upon whose slopes the vault was built trembled. It also dislodged one of the entry statues. Characters would know some of the rumours, only, concerning this place, which should be mostly true, but, just vague enough to leave a margin wide enough for errors to be made. The Flame Queens cannot touch their sisters' urns, nor can they enter the rooms where they are held, unless they have the power of their sisters to help. The Queens' bodies are made of ash, which is what spills out, when the urns are broken. They reform into beautiful women and catch fire. Shasha will attack via surprise, if she can manage it, then try to draw the characters' attacks to get them to hit the urns instead of her. She will form over the urn, her magic unable to damage it, but, anyone hitting her will risk breaking the urn she surrounds. She will throw fire at anyone in range. She will chase the characters, moving from urn-to-urn. If she can free two more of her sisters, they can together break the magic on the lesser urns in the hallway. They will try to free Áshaka, unless they can be stopped. Shasha will hide, if she can, until she is ready to strike. Only the Moderately powerful spirits can 'touch' things. Lesser spirits are too weak and can only burn targets with their fire. They cannot hold weapons. All Flame Queens can only be damaged by magical weapons or water of sufficient quantity. In Áshaka's chamber, and in the chamber of the Greater Flame Queens, there is an elemental protection, should the worst come to pass. A secret door opens and releases a water elemental force that is at least as powerful as the Greater Malakhazar. Áshaka's releases two of these forces. They will attack the Flame Queens, first, then characters, if the queens can be defeated.

The Queens have only so long to burn, depending on their power level, before they 'burn out' and return to ash. So, if you give fire to these ashes... they gain more strength. If players can get these spirits to use their power, they will waste it. They can draw power off of another one of their own, if they can. And the fire won't last forever. A constant supply is necessary. A wizard might pay for the ashes of a Fire Queen. Maybe an added bonus, or the point of the visit...


                                                                        EQUIVALENCY

MAP KEY            SPIRIT TYPE                      IN LESSER SPIRITS               STRENGTH*

A                          Lesser                                                 1                                       10

B                          Moderate                                            2                                        20

C                          Greater                                               3                                        30

NA                       Áshaka                                                6                                        60

* Their various abilities 'cost' co much in fire, and various fire sources should have an amount they can absorb from it. And dry things burn, which gives them more power, so combustible things must have a value, as well, until they're consumed.

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