Lost Turismond Part 5: The Stone City

Introduction

This section of Lost Turismond assumes that the players have decided to try and rescue the Pagar Chief’s son from the Taji tribe.  As they will soon learn Taji have already sent Chief Tefo’s son Thokgamo to Stone City by canoe.

The Stone City

Taji Village

The Taji tribe is an offshoot of the Pagar who live in a section of the Graguth jungle much closer to the Guk overlords in the Stone City.  They have fallen under the influence of the Guk and provide warriors for the “Awakening Ceremony”.

The Taji village is a collection of ten wooden huts with thatch walls and roofs. They are encircled by a wooden palisade. The village is located on the bank of the Maji river at the edge of the jungle. The palisade is in a state of constant repair because of damage caused by the enormous local wildlife. If players ask, most of the wood of the palisade looks fairly new. The palisade is eight feet tall.

Their is a large, constantly burning fire in the center of the village surrounded by a number of tree rings used as seats. Near the fire is a pile of torches. The torches are used to scare off hungry predators.

The total population of the village is fifty of which 35 are warriors (male and female), 5 are children (who will not fight) and 10 are old and infirm. They are detailed at the end of the section.

Taji Village Map

(1). Communal Hut

The largest wooden hut is a communal hut where food is stored and most of the cooking is done. There are usually 3-5 older woman cooks here at any time preparing food. The woman are guarded by 2 warriors.

The Taji huts are rectangular wooden structures with a raised wooden floor 4 inches off the ground. Holes cut in the roof allow air circulation. In the case of the communal hut there is a large stone fire pit in the center for cooking.

(2). Family Huts

Each hut houses a family unit that can include cousins. At anytime there are likely 1-4 adults and 1 child present.

(3). Chief’s Hut

This hut is the home of the Taji chief Panua his wives Pipiri and Terite. He has one child, Taurua, but she was a fierce warrior and one the latest contest to go to the Stone City. The Taji have little in the way of traditional wealth. The chief has trophies of dinosaur teeth necklaces and a few rough gold trinkets that were gifts from the Guk.

(4). Warrior’s Hut

This hut is given over to unmarried warriors who have competed in the warrior contest but did not win. These warriors are usually out hunting or protecting the village.

(5). Shaman’s Hut

The real leader of the Taji is the shaman Omai. He is the third generation of Taji shaman who worship Jagga like the Guk. The shaman keep the rest of the tribe in line with tales of the glory of Jagga and the Awakening Ceremony.

The Awakening ceremony is the name the Guk use for the ritual of sending warriors to the isle of Im to attempt to awaken Jagga.

Omai and his predecessors have received several gifts of gold plates from the Guk over the years. He has a breastplate of 12 gold plates worth 3,500 gp.

Taji Warriors (35): AC 8, HD 3, HP 16-22, #AT 1 spear, Dmg 1-6, Save F3, ML 9, AL Neutral. They are armed with spears and wear light breastplates made from wood. The chief uses these statistics and has 25 hit points.

Omai (1): AC 7, C3, HP 15, MV 120’, #AT 1 stone knife, Dmg 1-4, ML 12, AL Chaotic. S 14, I 14, W 16, D 9, C 10, Ch 12. Spells: Cause Light Wounds, Cause Fear.

It is important to note that the Taji are not evil for the most part. Some warriors and the shaman are fanatics and fight to the death. Most of the Taji can be convinced to surrender or will flee if they can get their women and children to safety. They have a very, low opinion of the Pagar but players are something new and will be held in awe. If Terite is captured she will be willing to tell the players that the Pagar warrior that was recently captured has been sent to the Stone City with her daughter Taurua. She wants her daughter back desperately and she does not believe Omai when he says his daughter is going to be a handmaiden of Jagga in paradise. She visited the Stone City once with the Chief and can draw a crude map in the dirt. She knows that Pagar warriors bound for the Isle of Im are kept in the stone ziggurat.

The Stone City of the Guk

The entire tribe of Guk dwell in the Stone City. The Guk are short, heavy humanoids with large skulls and long arms. The average adult stands no more that five feet tall but weighs 200 pounds. They are powerful hand-to-hand fighters but are slow. The Guk have a fear of water and cannot swim. Despite this fact they dwell in a stone city on the shores of the Jade sea. It is clear that they do not have the skills necessary to build the city. That fact and the size (tall and narrow) of doors makes it obvious that they took the Stone City and did not build it. Repairs to the buildings and walls are done by Jafari slaves.

The total population of the Stone City is 200 Guk males and females of various ages, 45 Jafari slaves and 20 Taji slaves.

The Stone City is encircled with 30 foot high, polished stone walls that are 5 feet thick at the base. There are six guard towers 40 feet high at points on the wall. Players attempting to get into the city will need a plan.

The Guk have not been attacked in the Stone City in their memory. For this reason they have grown lazy and complacent. Guards are stationed only in some of the towers facing the land (area # 3). The gates to the city are often left open so Jafari slaves can be taken out to the orchards and fields. The “sun” is always shining but there are periods of the day when the breeze blows thick fog in off of the sea. Attempts to scale over the wall are going to be spotted. Canoes coming down the river will be seen by guards. Canoe coming from the sea will not be spotted if reasonable precautions are taken.

Frontal assault on the Stone City will result in more and more Guk warriors coming to the fight in waves of 20 warriors until all 140 warriors are in the fight (both Guk men and woman are warriors with the same statistics).

Guk Warrior: AC 8, HD 2, HP 10-16, MV 120’, #AT 1 spear+1, Dmg 1d6+1, SA F2, ML 11, AL Chaotic. They get a +1 to hit and damage due to their strength. Their tough skin gives them an armour class of 8. They wear leather skirts with bronze plates woven into them. The average Guk warrior will have gold jewelry (necklace, armlet, anklet, ring) worth 80 gp.

Guk Acolyte: AC 8, HD 2, HP 12, MV 120’ #AT 1 staff+1, Dmg 1-6+1 (+1d6), SA C1, ML 12, AL Chaotic. Guk acolytes are chosen for their wisdom. In time they will be trained to become priests. They have magical staves of striking law. These staves do an additional 1d6 damage to anyone of lawful alignment.

The Guk is a chaotic society with a great deal of infighting. Their language is incomprehensible to players or the pagar. It consist of grunts, growls and gestures with the occasional slap to make a point. The Guk priests and acolytes can speak the Pagar/Taji dialect with difficulty. Despite their infighting, the Guk will ally against other races. They fight with suicidal determination as their god Jagga is always watching from overhead.

The Stone City Map

(1). Bronze Gates

There are two, large gates made of bronze set in an opening in the wall. The gate doors are each 5 feet wide by 12 feet tall. There is a gatekeeper on duty at all times to open the gates for Guk and slaves that are coming and going.

(2). Warrior Residence

These huge structures are halls made of marble. The halls are 20 feet tall. The roof is supported by stone columns placed outside the walls of the hall. Inside is a single large chamber without windows. The Guk sleep on straw pallets. Each hall can house 20-30 warriors.

(3). Watchtower

This structure is 40 feet tall with a wooden stair inside leading up to 3 floors of wooden platforms. The lower two floors are sleeping areas and weapon storage. The top floor is outside and is the watch area. At all times there is at least one Guk warrior on guard at the top floor. However, there is a 1-2 in 1d6 chance he is asleep.

(4). Unoccupied Towers

These towers are abandoned. They have 3 floors like the watchtowers but the wood is old and rotten.

(5). Central Tower

This tower is at the confluence of 3 stone and wood bridges. The bridges have a base structure of stone and wooden planks for the walkway. The tower has two wooden floors. The base floor is at the level of the walkways. A ladder leads up to the watchtower. There is always one Guk warrior on guard in the tower.

(6). The Ziggurat

The largest structure in the Stone City is the 45 foot tall 3 stepped ziggurat dedicated to the worship of the Guk god Jagga. The ziggurat is constructed of marble blocks. Narrow stone steps lead up to a building at the top of the ziggurat. If any combat occurs on the steps, falling becomes a very real possibility.

At the top of the ziggurat is a stone building 12 feet square and 10 feet tall. There is a single bronze door blocking entrance (it swings open easily). Inside is an eight foot square chamber. The walls are decorated in bas-relief. However, this bas-relief is painted over with crude art depicting the Guk hunting dinosaurs, worshipping the sun (Jagga) and travelling to an island.

Careful, examination reveals that the humanoids in the bas-relief carvings are not Guk. They appear to be more human but are thin and tall.

There is a single stone altar in the chamber and two lit torches. Behind the altar is a bronze plate in the floor. Prying it up reveals a 20 foot,square 10 foot deep room where captives are kept. Currently, there are five captives.

Guarding the ziggurat at all times is a group of eight elite warriors. The high priest is also often here with at least 1 acolyte.

Elite Guk Warriors (8): AC 8, HD 4, HP 20-26, MV 120’, #AT 1 spear+1, Dmg 1d6+1, SA F4, ML 11, AL Chaotic.  They are armed with wooden spears with bronze tips.

High Priest (1): AC 8, HD 6, HP 35, MV 90’ #AT 1 stone dagger+2, Dmg 1d6+2, SA C6, ML 12, AL Chaotic. The high priest is fairly new to the position after the recent death of the previous high priest. He is the leader of the Stone City and can expect to enjoy the position for years or until a rival kills him. He has a Stone dagger+1 (the other +1 is due to his strength). He knows the following spells: Cause Light Wounds, Protection from Good, Blight, Silence 15’ radius. He wears a jeweled headdress with gems in it worth 6 x 1,000 gp.

Acolyte (1-2): AC 8, HD 2, HP 12, MV 120’ #AT 1 staff+1, Dmg 1-6+1 (+1d6), SA C1, ML 12, AL Chaotic. They have staves that cause magic damage to lawful aligned creatures. They are both young, the high priest killed his rivals on the way to the top so all of the experienced Guk priests are dead.

The captives are Thokgamo, Taurua, Taji warriors Molat, Setsit and an Imar warrior named Moabis.

(7). The Boat

The Guk have constructed and maintained a single boat for travel to the forbidden island of Im. Captured Pagar tribesmen helped construct it before being sacrificed. Taji slaves man the boat. The boat is 45 feet long and ten feet wide at its widest point. It has a single, simple sail and places for 16 rowers. The rowers stand and paddle the boat along. There is a hut at the front of the boat for the single Guk brave enough to man the boat.

Guk Captain (1): AC 8, HD 4, HP 25, MV 120’, #AT 1 whip, Dmg 1d6+special, SA F4, ML 11, AL Chaotic. His whip is a magical whip of command. Those struck by the whip are affected by a Charm Person spell.