Dungeon Magazine 124

Greyhawk Source

Dungeon magazine #124
Issue 124 (July 2005), illustrated by Wayne Reynolds
Type:	Periodical
Code/Abbreviation:	Dun124
Edition:	Third edition (v3.5)
Author(s):	Erik Mona, et al.
Editor(s):	Erik Mona, James Jacobs, and Jeremy Walker
Cover Artist(s):	Wayne Reynolds
Series:	Dungeon
Publisher:	Paizo Publishing
First Published:	July 2005
Class:	Officially published content

Table of Contents

Dungeon issue 124 was released in July of 2005. It contained the following articles related to the World of Greyhawk™:

Table of Contents

Article name	Page number	Author
The Whispering Cairn	14	Erik Mona
Backdrop: Diamond Lake	48	Erik Mona
Chambers of Antiquities	76	Robert J. Kuntz

Publishing history

Development

In the introduction to The Whispering Cairn, author and Editor-in-Chief, Erik Mona, hinted at "updates and previews" which would be forthcomingcoming, and said the first would be in Dungeon #125 (Aug 2005). When that issue came out, it instead mentioned that an entire PDF was available which the magazine said one could download the PDF "today", though it was not available for just over six weeks (August 5, 2005).

The final PDF supplement for The Whispering Cairn (and subsequent adventures set in Diamond Lake) is called Age of Worms Overload.

Release

Dungeon #124 was released by Paizo Publishing in Jul 2005 for $7.99 US, or $10.99 Canadian.

Paizo later released a high-quality digital-origin PDF of the issue for $4.95 US. Paizo's contract with Wizards of the Coast permitted the digital re-release of any issue once print back issues were depleted, which covered most D&D third edition issues of Dungeon. However, as of 2024 the PDF of this issue is no longer on sale at Paizo's web store.

The Whispering Cairn

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The cover of The Whispering Cairn depicting adventurers in the "Passage of the Face". Art by Joachim Barrum (2005).

By Erik Mona, illustrated by Joachim Barrum, Steve Prescott, and Eva Widermann, Cartography by Rob Lazzaretti. p.14–47

The adventure is the first installment of the Age of Worms adventure path, and takes place in 595 CY.

"A handful of would-be adventurers gathers to explore an ancient tomb, eager to trade their discoveries for a ticket to a better life. What they find within presages the advent of the Age of Worms, an era of darkness, decay, and writhing doom. A D&D adventure for 1st-level characters."

Plot

Background

In an age before history, ancient beings fought an epic battle to decide the fate of the multiverse. On the side of Law stood the Wind Dukes of Aaqa, ancient beings older than the human race. In the armies of Chaos fought Miska the Wolf-Spider, a powerful demon prince, who was defeated only by the most powerful artifacts ever known: the Rod of Law. The Wind Dukes who fell in this battle were buried in grand tombs on the worlds in which they were slain.

Thousands of years ago, an enigmatic cult leader named Kyuss led his followers to a distant jungle on another continent, where they founded a grand city of stone monoliths. There in the jungle they discovered massive metal plates left in a bygone age by a forgotten civilization of mysterious six-armed beings known as spell weavers. The plates revealed a premonition of the apocalypse time known as the Age of Worms.

Kyuss decided that he would bring about this age.

He dredged up an ancient spell weaver monolith of great power, and in a massive ritual sacrificed the lives of all his followers to become a god. But this came at a price for Kyuss: he was trapped within the monolith, where he waits patiently until this day.

Synopsis

The player characters explore the Whispering Cairn in the Cairn Hills, burial chamber of the Wind Duke Zosiel, near the seedy mining town of Diamond Lake. Therein their progress is blocked by the ghost of Alastor Land, a boy who died exploring this tomb decades ago.

Alastor cannot rest until his remains are buried with his family, but upon visiting the old Land farmstead it turns out that a necromancer named Filge has stolen the bodies to animate as skeletons. They must trick him to his hideout and return the Land family's bones to progress through the Whispering Cairn.

There they uncover the hidden tomb of Zosiel and recover the ancient artifacts buried with him, while discovering ancient frescoes detailing the history of the ancient Battle of Pesh.

Contents

Characters

Alastor Land • Artophanx • Filge • Kullen • Merrowahn (Filge's familiar) • Rastophan • Todrik • Ulavant

Referenced only

Allustan • Amophar •Anders Land • Balabar Smenk • Bemissa Land • Coldaran Land • Darbos • Emoniel • Faceless One • Farrel • Gertia Land • Icosiol • Kyuss • Lanod Neff • Merovinn Bask • Miska the Wolf-Spider • Nadroc • Penader • Qadeej • Ragnolin Dourstone • Skutch • Uriel • Zosiel

Creatures

acid beetle • animated object • brown mold • bugbear • elementals (earth, water) • ghost • ghoul • giant bombardier beetle • goblin • grick • human • lurking strangler • mad slasher • owl • owlbear • skeleton • spider • tomb mote • troglodyte • weasel (Merovinn Bask's familiar) • wind warrior • wolf • worm of Kyuss • zombie

Referenced only

• snake • spawn of Kyuss

Locations

Buildings

Old Observatory • Feral Dog

Settlements

Diamond Lake

Sites

Whispering Cairn

Referenced only

Aaqa • Black Cathedral • Pesh • Cauldron • Keltormir • Seeker Lodge • Stirgenest Cairn • Waterdeep

Magic

Items

Necroturgon • Rod of Law

Referenced only

Sphere of annihilation • Talisman of the sphere

Organizations

Referenced only

Church of Hextor • Church of Erythnul • Church of Vecna • Cult of the Green Lady • Ebon Triad • Seekers of the Arcane • Guild of Wizardry • Wind Dukes of Aaqa

Miscellaneous

Armor

Books

Chronicle of Chan • Way of the Ebon Triad

Items

Languages

Auran • Vaati

Weapons

Referenced only

Age of Worms • Battle of Pesh • Red Death •

Backdrop: Diamond Lake

The cover illustration for Backdrop: Diamond Lake, depicting Diamond Lake at night. Art by Chad DuLac and Jim Zubkavich. (2005)

By Erik Mona, illustrated by Chad Dulac and Jim Zubkavich, Cartography by Rob Lazzaretti. p.48–64

This article presents a look at the small town of Diamond Lake, strictly from a lore perspective.

"Kick off Dungeon's new 12-adventure Age of Worms adventure path campaign with this overview of Diamond Lake, a run-down mining community nestled in hills laden with the tombs of a dozen lost civilizations. Bonus poster map by Robert Lazzaretti!"

This article is presented directly after The Whispering Cairn, and fleshes out the setting of that adventure. This issue of Dungeon includes a keyed poster-map insert of the small village, and the article describes the major buildings and sites, political situation, and notable NPCs in town. Additionally, "a detailed section at the end of this article provides suggestions on bow to integrate the player characters into Diamond Lake and how to use the town as a launching point for the Age of Worms adventure path."

Characters

Allustan • Ariello Klint • Auric • Balabar Smenk • Benazel • Bitris Ruthek • Chaum Gansworth • Cubbin • Dannath • Dietrik Cicaeda • Dobrun Trent • Dulok Blitzhame • Durskin • Ellival Moonmeadow • Fester Trollump • Filge • Galuth Grobadore • Gaspar • Gelch Tilgast • Golot • Guld Tortikan • Hameneezer • Jamis • Khellek • Kullen • Kurlag • Lanch Faraday • Lanod Neff • Lazare • Luzane Parrin • Manlin Osgood • Mélinde • Merris Sandovar • Mikela Venderin • Millicent Parrin • Nogwier • Purple Prose • Ragnolin Dourstone • Rontabont Mur • Shag Solomon • Taggin • Tirra • Tolliver Trask • Tom Shingle • Trovost Skunt • Tyrol Ebberly • Valkus Dun • Velias Childramun • Venelle • Vulgan Durtch • Zalamandra

Referenced only

Henway • Faceless One • Flailing Felanore • Montague Marat •

Creatures

badger • basilisk • boggle • cooshee • cow • dire ape • djinni • dog • dwarf • efreeti • elf • flea • gar • gnome • griffon • half-elf • half-ogre • half-orc • halfling • hill giant • horse • human • jermlaine • lizardfolk • manticore • oliphant • owlbear • peacock • quaggoth • rat • sea mite • shield guardian • snake • swan • sylph • walrus

Named creatures

Esmerelda, Jr. (two-headed calf) • Festus (shield guardian) • Kanemar (cooshee) • Tatae (cooshee)

Locations

Buildings

Able Carter Coaching Inn • Diamond Lake Garrison • Bronzewood Lodge • Chapel of Heironeous • Jalek's Flophouse • Gansworth Residence • Hungry Gar • Lazare's House • Old Observatory • Osgood Smithy • Parrin Residence • Rusty Bucket • Sheriff's Office • Smelting House • Smenk Residence • Spinning Giant • Tidwoad's • Tilgast Residence • Venelle's • Zalamandra's Emporium

Regions

Cairn Hills • Mistmarsh

Settlements

Diamond Lake

Referenced only

Blackstone • Blackwall Keep • Celene Elmshire • Free City • Greysmere • Grossettgrottell

Sites

Abandoned Mine • Diamond Lake Boneyard • Deepspike Mine • Dourstone Mine • Old Piers • Lakeside Stables • Stirgenest Cairn • Whispering Cairn

Magic

Items

Organizations

Able Carter • Bronzewood Lodge • City Watch • Greyhawk Militia • Old Faith • Wind Dukes of Aaqa

Religions

Ebon Triad • Heironeous • Obad-hai • Saint Cuthbert • Wee Jas

Miscellaneous

Events

Age of Worms • Red Death

Games

Dragonchess • Dragonfire • norebonne • Rat Game

Items

Champion's Belt

Vehicles

Able Carter coaches

References

Bibliography

• Mona, Erik. Age of Worms Overload. Bellvue, WA. Paizo Publishing, 2005. Available online. Accessed: September 2, 2019.

———. "Backdrop: Diamond Lake". Dungeon #124. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2005.

———. "The Whispering Cairn." Dungeon #124. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2005.

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Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

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