DM Tools - Campaigns - The Jaidor Talisman - The Siege of Myranor
The players have travelled on the Titan and are now just off the coast of Kitar, near the harbor of Myranor. They player characters board a long boat and make their way into the harbor. It is early in the morning, the Titan stops 5 kilometers off coast. It is VERY FOGGY and a light misty rain begins to fall. The characters switch to a 22' long boat. They row their way in with two shipmates. As they get closer to the city, the fog gets thicker. Pretty soon, they can't see more than 10 feet.
The Duthelm army has brought with the new weapons of war. These are large, wagon mounted devices that resemble large floating spiked spheres hovering between four rotating "control rods". The surge disruptors were created by the Black Sorcerers, the elite spellcasters of Duthelm. They were designed specifically for this siege. These surge disruptors send out waves of magical "static" at variable frequencies. They disrupt any magical spell or device operating within their range (which is about one mile). Only a spell which is operating with a very specific set of frequencies will operate normally within the area of effect of a surge disruptor. Because the Black Sorcerers created this, only the spellcasters of Duthelm can cast spells normally during this siege. The spellcasters of Myranor, who do not know the correct set of frequencies, cannot cast their spells normally. Any attempt they make to cast a spell or use an item results in a very high probability that the spell will be distorted, weakened or simply unravel and fizzle as harmless energy. The exact results are up to you, the game master.
Any kind of tool, device or crystal which detects magic will begin to pick up on this magical energy field. While in this field, detect magic spells are utterly useless... they just detect static.
The player characters slowly row toward the harbor entrance. If the party has any methkari crystals or anything else that detects or reacts to magical energy fields, those items will begin to react. In fact, as DM, you could have any magic item that you deem as "sensitive" begin to glow as it interacts with the magical field from the surge disruptors.
The characters hear the approach of a ship. Anyone with seamanship will recognize the sounds of a big ship. Everyone hears the talk and laughter of several orcs, humans and ogres. The other ship passes frighteningly close in the fog. They can hear the orcs and humans, the creak of the rope, the sails, but they can't see it. The other ship almost hits the long boat. And don't forget, some of the magic items of the player characters might be glowing. This should be a nice, tense encounter. It's probably best if the player characters aren't seen. Just make it a close call. Make the players hold their breath with fear.
After the orcish ship passes by, the players' long boat gets kicked around in the wake of the larger vessel. Their oars start to get stuck in massive amounts of kelp and seaweed that is being churned up by the waves.
The long boat eventually comes upon the shore rocks very suddenly. The shore is composed of sharp, black barren rocks. Lots of crevasses, caves and blow holes. The waves smash the long boat against the rocks. The players will have to make dex and strength and swimming checks. Very quickly their little longboat will get pounded to splinters between the waves and the rocks. The players will have to act fast to scramble up onto the rocks without getting smashed or stuck into a crevasse and drowned. They should take a few hit points of damage and probably get soaking wet in the process.
Once the characters are on shore, they can look around. A steady rain starts. The characters can see orc encampments by their fires. Each encampment has a variety of humanoids. Some orc, some human, some ogre, some goblin, some mixed race. Total of about 40-50 humanoids in each camp. Difficult to tell how many encampments there are, but at least 15, probably more. It looks like over 1000 soldiers.
If you have decided that any of their magic items are sensitive to the surge disruption field, the effect becomes more pronounced as the players approach one of the surge disruptors. Keep this in mind. If they venture toward the orc camps and the city walls, it gets worse.
If the players want to approach and check out one of these surge disruptors, they can.
As you approach, you can see a strange wagon mounted device. This must be the anti-magic device that you were told about. From where you are, you can see five of them. They are all spread out around the city. Each is device is mounted on a large wagon pulled by two horses. The device itself appears to be a large spiked sphere floating and rotating as four arms rotate about it. Guarding each of these devices is a small group of orc and human soldiers. Also, there is a wizard type there. Based on his posturing, it looks like he might be casting a spell or chanting or something.
The players would be wise not to approach too closely as there are many orcs here. After satisfying their curiosity, the players will most likely return to their mission and seek the entrance to the sewers to sneak into the city. If the players do anything really stupid, like attack the wizard and the device, the orcs will overwhelm with sheer numbers and the players will be massacred.
The Sewer Entrance
The sewer entrance is guarded by a group of 10 orc
soldiers and 1 ogre champion. This guard duty is painfully dull and the orcs are
bored. Some are fishing, others are sleeping. Despite this, they are scattered
about the sewer entrance. Getting past them without a battle will be almost
impossible. The ogre wields a huge battle axe, ogre sized chainmail and has
three grenade like enchanted stones. If thrown, they unleash a tremendous flash
which acts as a hold person spell on everyone within 10 feet. Other than their
armor, weapons and some food, the orcs have little of value. The ogre has 24
silver pieces.
This initial battle is very important. If the characters manage to kill or incapacitate the orcs and ogre, then they will be able to enter the sewer at a leisure pace with no pursuit. It will be hours before anyone notices the battle.
However, if any of the orcs escape and make it to the next camp, they will fetch reinforcements that will arrive within 5 minutes. This could mean another battle at the sewer entrance against a much larger groups of orcs. Or, if the player characters have already entered the sewer, then they will be pursued by orcs.
Keep in mind whether or not the orc army is aware of the incursion into the sewers and whether or not a larger orcish force has been dispatched into the sewers after the players.
For most of the tunnels in the Myranor sewer system, there is no ledge. So, the characters will have to get into the water. Usually the water is chest deep. This means several things:
The sewer system has an array of obstacles, gates and traps. It is designed to prevent an army from entering the city this way and also prevents thieves and other criminals from using the sewer system as a way to elude authorities or travel unseen. Therefore, feel free to put all kinds of traps and locked gates and such down here. Here are a few examples:
Locked Iron Gates
There are dozens of these in the sewer system. Each is composed of thick iron bars to allow the flow of water to pass, but prevent animals and people from getting by. Each has a lock and a keyhole. A good thief could pick the locks of these. Several of them are hopelessly rusted and the locks cannot be picked.Siege Gate
There are several of these in the sewer system, though not as many as the standard iron gates mentioned above. Siege Gates are heavy iron mechanical doors, some three inches thick, that are raised and lowered as needed using a chain and winch system. Normally they are held in the “up” position. However, during a siege, they are lowered into their “down” position from controls up in the city. These are heavy iron gates with no locks to pick. The player characters will have to get creative to get past one of these. Possible ways around a siege gate would be:
- Magic that will deteriorate, rust or corrode the iron of the gate itself.
- Magic that would affect the stone around the gate - stone to mud, stoneshape, etc.
- Dimension door or some other short range movement spell.
- Acid.
[Keep in mind that extremely high chance of spell failure due to the surge disruptors].
The first section of tunnels is the inner corridors. Filthy water flows in a man-made river-like system. The ceiling is about 8 feet above the water.
In one of the first large chambers, the characters come across huge strands of spider webs stretch from wall to wall. Massive flies buzz around. A huge dam of debris and filth. Foot long maggots crawling in the garbage. A massive spider lurks beneath the water. It will pull one character under the water and bite them. It’s bite is poisonous and will paralyze. A paralyzed victim could drown if they’re floating face down. The spider will attempt to stay in the water and pull each player character away from the group, one by one, to be bitten and paralyzed. Once all party members are paralyzed, it will cocoon them in silk and save them for a snack later that night.
A group of saurians from the Duthelm army has been assigned to roam the sewer tunnels and look for intruders. The saurians have been down here for a week. They like it down here. They have explored most of the tunnels except for a few sections that they haven’t been able to get into. They are limiting themselves to the sewers beneath the outer city
The saurians are highly adapted to the water. They can move through the water and fight in the water with no penalties. They will ambush the party, using the water to cover their approach. The size of the saurian party can be as large as you think will challenge your players. They do have a leader, but he is equipped the same.
A side passage leads to a higher and drier corridor that leads to a large chamber. Once a great burial chamber, this large circular chamber is now a huge trap set by Myranor officials. This room has many vents in the floor. A large stone bowl is in the center of the room on a stone pedestal. It’s impossible to see what’s in the bowl from the doorway. You have to go into the room. If the players enter this room they will notice a very foul stench. The chamber is filled with methane and other gases. The floor in the corridor has pressure triggers. Once someone steps on one of these, the door will slide shut and a mechanism in the center of the stone bowl will rotate, causing a fire to spring up. The gas in the room will detonate, cooking everyone inside. The trap automatically resets after 10 minutes.
Upon entering this chamber, a group of eight sewer zombies will rise from the murky water and attack. Sewer zombies are fairly mindless creatures and will not bother will stealth, ambush or tactics. They will simply attack.
The characters come to a huge chamber with a high ceiling. An opening in the center of the ceiling allows sunlight down. Garbage is being thrown down. Piles of garbage fill the room. The characters can hear orc laughter and language above. If they try to sneak through the room without alerting the orcs, a tentacle wraps around one character. A neo-otyugh has claimed this chamber as its home and attacks.
The characters come into a chamber flooded with sunlight. On the far side is a large iron gate. The gate is locked although it can be picked. Sunlight blinds the characters. Beyond the iron gate, a river can be seen. This is the river that separates the outer city from the inner city. Large stone walls on the far side of the river can be seen… the inner city. The orcs and ogres of Duthelm hold the outer city, but they have not yet taken the inner city. The player characters will have to figure out a way to cross the river without being seen by the orcs on this side of the river.
Stealth might work here, but the players will have to be clever or lucky. It’s about a 50/50 chance they’ll make it to the far side without being seen. If the players are seen, the orcs will raise the alarm. Orcish archers will begin firing arrows at the players. Only a few at first, but after several rounds, more and more archers join in. While this is happening, a unit of orcs is preparing a boat and making ready to launch and chase the players and haul them back into orcish held territory.
Assuming the player characters make it to the other side of the river without getting captured or shot, they have several options
There is a entrance to the sewer system beneath the inner city. It has a locked iron gate on it, but they could conceivably pick the lock or smash the gate in and then venture into the sewer system beneath the inner system. Of course, the orcs might be in hot pursuit.
They could try scaling the walls of the inner city. Of course, they will have to identify themselves clearly to the human archers on the walls of the inner city lest they are mistaken for orcs and shot. Don’t forget that they are probably filthy from their journey through the outer city sewer system and could easily be mistaken for filthy orcs.
If the players choose the inner city sewer system, they soon come across a large chamber. Piles of garbage. High ceiling. Opening in the ceiling high above. Iron grate. A shadow flickers across the grate high above as someone walks past. Iron rungs on the wall allow the characters to climb up.
The grate is locked but can be picked or forcibly broken. The noise coming from the grate will bring several soldiers running.
This website was last updated March 31, 2026. Copyright 1990-2026 David M. Roomes.