d20 HighMoon Media Productions Bardic Lore - The Villa of Mysteries

Bardic Lore: The Villa of Mysteries

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This product requires requires the use of the Dungeons & Dragons, Third Edition Core Books, published by Wizards of the Coast Inc. This product utilizes updated material from the v3.5 revision.

Bardic Lore The journals of Amergin Ó Míl

The Villa of Mysteries

Our time in Londinium was mostly miserable, to fully appreciate the villa in broad daylight. We first surrounded as we were by all those buildings with crossed a fancy gate that marked the entrance to the nary a view of nature around. The Ard Righ and I estate. Tall, spear-like trees—cypresses, I was could not wait to return to the lushness of Ierne after informed—created a natural fence around the vast our negotiations, but affairs of state demanded we property and stood st ood as soldiers flanking the path that make one more stop, at a place called the Villa of led up to the villa proper. As we got closer, pairs of Mysteries. A cavalcade of senators accompanied us statues of creatures I’d only heard of in the myths of two, hungry to be seen with the High King and High the invaders replaced the cypresses: centaur, pegasus, Bard of Ierne, even if we were only “barbarians.” medusa, and the god they called Bacchus in a central I was just happy to leave the city behind, even if it and prominent spot right in front of the entrance to was for the southern Albionan countryside. Due to the the house. A dark-haired, olive-skinned woman who large entourage with which we traveled, we had to was unmistakably the mistress of the estate awaited camp overnight during a trip that should have only our carriage with a veritable army of servants. She taken a day, but it did have the benefit of allowing us introduced herself as Mirella Valerianus, and ignoring



2 the power-hungry senators, took the Ard Righ and beauty waving us farewell, I thought I may just have myself to our private quarters deep within the house to take her up on her offer. Now, however, the shores complex. As much as I didn’t like the architecture of of Ierne beckoned, and I longed to be home again. the so-called Empire, I had to accept that this villa —From the journal of Amergin Amergin Ó Míl was beautiful; frescoes adorned every single wall, lush carpets from places I did not know exist spread under our feet, thousands of tiny colored tiles formed A large, large, sprawling sprawling estate estate located located a day’s day’s ride amazing patterns and spectacular images. The lady outside the city of Londinium, the Villa of Mirella noticed my gaze wandering about, and offered Mysteries is a center of both faith and knowledge, to give me a personal tour. She showed me rooms as well as innocuous hub of political power that normally off-limits which made the public rooms look affects both the city nearby and the Empire itself. like the slums I’d seen in Londinium, including a room Though the Valerianus family has been in with a gigantic picture of the god Bacchus seducing a possession of the villa and the land for the last two young woman (whom I was told tol d bore the likeness of a hundred years, the villa’s history stretches back to Valerianus ancestress), and a room bearing a the time of the Republic, to a time when civilization was just arriving on the shores of the barbaric coasts three-wall fresco depicting the rite of initiation of a of Albion, being one of the first actual buildings novice into the mysteries of the cult of Bacchus. I aside from the military outpost by the river. spent most of that night engaged in conversation with Throughout it all, the villa has been witness to the the lady Mirella, comparing points of view on tide of history, having seen more generals, senators, everything from art and music, to politics and religion. kings, nobles, and even Emperors, than any other She was quite interested to learn about Ierne, and was existing Imperial structure in Albion. And quite forthcoming with information about her own throughout it all, the villa simply plays its part as a culture, giving me great insight into the mindset of grand stage for all these personages to play. these centuries-old invaders. The next day the Ard Righ and I attended various unofficial talks at the villa, laying our position as clear as we had during the History official talks in Londinium, until the lady Mirella Early records are sketchy and vague, though they demanded her visiting guests be allowed time to enjoy do reveal that the villa was first built some twenty her hospitality, a gesture I was not able to thank her years after the initial arrival of the legions to the enough for. She gave us a tour of the baths (it’s a shores of Albion. Constructed at the behest of a petty, but wealthy, wealthy, noble of whom nothing else is strange obsession these people have with bathing), the petty, school and temple building, with its massive library of known, the building stood some two days ride from written works, and the gardens, which, although the outpost; far enough for complete privacy yet sculpted and manufactured, were nonetheless close enough for monitoring of all affairs. It is believed all tenants of the villa were killed by a breath-taking. Everything in the villa was meant to barbarian raid, as the next place where the villa impress, and despite my best efforts, it accomplished shows up is in a will from said noble to a niece its intended effect. Early the next morning we were named Lucretia Valerianus, back in the capital. escorted to our carriages by the lady Mirella, who Lucretia, however, never got to see her inheritance, extended personal, private invitations to the Ard Righ as she had no desire to leave the comforts of the city and myself to return at any moment to the villa, for the wilderness of Albion. Lucretia did make one whether on an official function or not. As we pulled change to the villa, and that was renaming it after away, and I turned back to see the olive-skinned herself. Many years later, Lucretia bequeathed the



3 villa to her granddaughter, Cilia Valerianus, only daughter to Lucretia’s only daughter. Cilia was already on her way to Albion with her husband, the famous architect Caesar Palladius, as he had been summoned to help design and construct the new city of Londinium. Villa Lucretia

Under Caesar and Cilia, the villa was refurbished and remodeled, taking advantage of the latest architectural techniques of the Republic. The villa was spacious; though slightly less than half the space of the modern house complex, it still provided ample space for Cilia and Cesar, their servants and storage cellars for the merchandise they imported from the continent. A year later Cilia and Cesar were blessed with the rare birth of twin daughters, Livia and Merriam, and 3 years later with a son, Ignatius. For the next 20 years private and public records show the villa functioning well, a lucrative trade established with Londinium, and the children growing up and following their callings: the twins returned to the continent to be inducted into the mystery rites of Bacchus and become ordained as priestesses, while Ignatius followed on his father’s footsteps and became an architect, eventually helping with the construction of the city as well.

Merriam opted for a more modern approach and held a contest awarding a commission at the house. The winner was a man by the name of Leonitus Gaius, an excellent painter who not only fell in love with the house, but also with its owner. Somewhat shy, Leonitus hid his affections for a year, completing two rooms in the meantime. For his third and final piece Leonitus decided to his art to help his plight of love. Sealing himself off in a newly completed room in the expanded eastern wing for three months, Leonitus created a work of art that survives to this day and actually gave the room its name, the Room of the Seduction. The walls were painted in a pastoral scene that reflected the scenery of the Valerianus lands around the villa, leading to the great scene painted along the fifteen-foot long wall. The portrait showed Bacchus’ seduction of a young initiate, the demure maiden looking longingly and enraptured as the god played his spiderweb-stringed lyre with unearthly passion. Leonitus used himself and Merriam as the models for Bacchus and the initiate, hoping his message would be clear. It was, and shortly thereafter Leonitus and Merriam were married at the villa. Merriam and Leonitus had three children, a boy named Illustrius and two daughters named Luccia and Iridia. Though the fate of both Illustrius and Iridia is unknown, Luccia, however, married a soldier named Victor, and lived at the villa with her husband and parents.

Decades passed, and eventually Caesar and Cilia died, leaving the villa to their three children. Both Livia and Ignatius were married and well When Merriam died three years later, Leonitus, established in the world by the time of their parent’s following the wishes of his dead wife, drafted a death, so the villa was left in Merriam’s hand to proclamation that placed the villa and its lands manage and live in. securely in the hands of the female Valerianus heirs, never to be taken from them. It took some major political muscle and more than a few favors, but The Valerianus Legacy A few years later, Merriam began some of her one way or another, the edict was signed. His brother’s proposed expansions to the house, with daughter’s future secured, Leonitus spent the next both her inherited wealth and the lucrative trades five years painting a number of frescoes in the with Londinium giving her great freedom in house, all featuring his wife and daughter as visions pursuing the new constructions to the house and of the various goddesses. Leonitus also made surrounding lands. One of Merriam’s priorities was detailed sketches for a new fresco to adorn a whole the sparse interior decoration of the house; painted room depicting the mysteries of the initiation to the as it was with subdued colors and frescoes, worship of Bacchus, but never got to paint his



4 second masterpiece as he died just a day after Villa of Mysteries, in honor of the many initiations seeing his granddaughter, Deneira, be born. into the mysteries of the cult of Bacchus performed there. In the decade following, Luccia made extensive additions to the land around the house, turning the After Erania, who had a markedly demurer villa into a majestic complex. A service wing was personality than her mother, left to train at the created to house the growing number of servants, capital, Deneira finally settled down and married and the sumptuous gardens, twice and a half as long another devotee of Bacchus, Avernié Valerianus. At as the house itself, were finished. By the time of the this time she also began to install the villa’s main beginning of the Empire, the villa was on its way to form of security, the Guardians, a group of 12 becoming a self-sufficient estate boasting top-notch statues each depicting a magical beast, which could city engineering in the middle of the Albionan be animated to protect the villa. By the time countryside. Deneira died, half the statues were in place, the villa had doubled in size and was serving as a haven for Bacchans from Londinium and beyond, extending Deneira After her mother’s death, Deneira, now named heir secular and religious education, and protection. of the villa, engaged in various project around the estate. From this period emerged the lake in the Erania gardens, and the Nymphaeum, the nymph’s In contrast to her mother’s sensate tendencies, fountain. Deneira’s greatest addition to the villa, Erania was purely a seeress, and a strong one at however, was the school complex. Housing various that. Having a stronger sense of duty to the Empire rooms for lessons, a gigantic library and a temple to in general than all her predecessors, when Erania Bacchus, it was this building that cemented the villa began to have visions of war to the north she in the pages of the history of Londinium at large. immediately made arrangements to journey in that direction to aid as she could, asking Avernié to take With her extensive wealth, Deneira began a care of the villa in her absence. It wasn’t long massive acquisition of literary and academic works before the visions became true in the form of the in a variety of fields, but geared towards those war with the tribes of Alba. subjects she felt a model citizen of the Empire, and a noble woman should know. She sponsored a This marked the first time the villa found itself number of writers from all over the Empire to without a clear heiress; with Erania engaged in the create new works for her library, on topics such as war, the possibilities of the lands ending up without Imperial and World history, the various fine arts and an inheritor were alarmingly real. Bacchus, geography, as well as poetry, drama and music. In however, watched over her own, and shortly before order to celebrate the new school, Deneira began to the construction of the wall, Erania returned to the host days-long Bacchanalias, devotional revelries villa, in bad shape but alive, only to discover in praise of Bacchus. It was in one of these revelries Avernié had died a year prior, and it was her son that Deneira became pregnant, eventually giving Marcius who had been running the villa since. birth to a daughter, Erania. Though the war raged in the north, Erania had returned for one major reason, her rape at the hands While informal at first, this was the beginning of a barbarian from Alba. A beautiful baby daughter of a still-standing relationship with the greater cult resulted from the vile crime, a girl Erania named of Bacchus; the villa became a kind of private Mirella; a new heiress had been born. retreat for followers of the god to increase their knowledge and pursue their devotion in secure Erania and Marcius later married and resumed privacy. Years later, the complex was renamed the some of the leftover projects around the villa,



5 including an underground waterway and sewer. With the use of Imperial engineers, and with a healthy dose of gold and luck, both projects were finished in record time. Minor repairs were undertaken around the house and garden to adapt to the new source of flowing water, and several new fountains were installed, much to Erania’s fondness.

loved. Mirella continued work on the baths, and commissioned a great marble mausoleum for her family, to be erected at the edge of the villa’s land, as well as finishing the creation and installation of the last five Guardians, including the great statue of Bacchus that greets all visitors approaching the house.

Mirella Valerianus now stands as the sole heir Stored in the library, among family documents, and mistress of the Villa of Mysteries, house, center Erania came across the sketches done by her of education, haven for worshippers, and sacred site grandfather for the frescoes of the initiation to the glory and mysteries of Bacchus. mysteries. Within days a room next to the private house temple had been prepared and notices sent to the capital for a new competition to find an artist to paint the frescoes. The winner was a young and The Villa inexperienced, yet highly talented painter named The Villa of Mysteries sits comfortably on a small Venezio; work on the room began almost and gentle hill overlooking fertile fields to the west immediately. Five years later, the Room of the and a small river to the south. The villa is Mysteries was finished to phenomenal acclaim. approached along a solitary road that leads all the Erania also reinstated the feasts at the villa; though way from Londinium. Although the lands are not more subdued in tone than those established by fenced by any kind of gate, a ring of tall cypress trees, brought in from the capital, marks the Deneira, the spirit remained the same. boundaries of the villa on all sides. Mirella

By the time Mirella was initiated into the mysteries, a great bath complex had been started at the villa, almost as grand as those found in the capital itself. After Marcius’ death, Erania became completely withdrawn, leaving the reigns of the villa in Mirella’s hands, while she passed her days in contemplative meditation in the gardens she so

The house complex itself sits on a raised many-arched platform where carriages and horses are taken care of and that leads to the servant wing and quarters. The whole façade of the house is decorated in rich white marble from the nearby quarry with accents in dark obsidian shipped from the mountains to the west. To the right of the house can be seen the two-storied school and temple

The 12 Guardians

These are marble guardians (see New Creature below) arranged in the following order (from south to north, as one approaches the house): pegasus, female centaur, minotaur, dragon, medusa, chimera, male centaur, griffon, cyclops, satyr, basilisk and Bacchus. The guardians have the following spells stored within them (all spells are cast as a 10th-level sorcerer, DC 20 where applicable): 2 guardians—the pegasus and the griffon—have the spell fly in storage. 2 guardians—the satyr and the basilisk—have the spell silence in storage. 2 guardians—the male and female centaur—have the spell shield other in storage. 2 guardians—the medusa and the minotaur—have the spell bestow curse in storage. 4 guardians—the dragon, the chimera, the cyclops and Bacchus—have the spell fireball in storage. All the marble guardians at the villa are keyed to one amulet worn by Mirella. Though there are 11 other amulets, one for each guardian, they only work when worn by the villa’s stated heiress (Mirella in this case).



6


complex, with the main dome of the baths peeking from behind. To the left, the terrain slowly descends, leading to the service quarters, and the fields.

quarters. It is accessible from underneath the house or from the long loggia to the left. 3. Offices – These rooms serve to keep day-to-day records from the house, mercantile trades, and to receive minor visitors not normally allowed further into the house proper. The doors are protected by The House 1. Entrance – Upon arriving to the villa’s entrance, good locks (Open Lock DC 30). a visitor is greeted by a marble paved road flanked 4. Formal Receiving Room – Ambassadors, by the Guardians, twelve statues 15 feet tall each heralds and other important visitors are received in depicting a magical beast, with the statue of this room. The decoration is typically Imperial, with Bacchus in the middle of the reception roundel at a bust of the Emperor and frescoes showing the base of the house steps (see sidebar). After a mythical foundation of the Empire, the twins flight of 12 steps, the portico opens to receive suckling from the she-wolf. guests. Four columns in the First Imperium style 5. Overnight Guest Room – Reserved for traveling support an exquisitely carved frieze showing the couriers or heralds who need quick gods of the pantheon with Bacchus in the middle. accommodations for the night. Massive cypress double doors lead into the house. 6. House Wine Press – Mirella imports grapes 2. Servants’ Quarters – Hidden behind movable from the continent so she can press her own wine. panels along the walls (Search DC 16) this area Canals carved into the floor channel the juice into holds the kitchens, pantries and house servant an urn that leads to the cellar.



7




8 7. Wine Cellar –

The ground floor has various caskets and three dozen bottles ready for consumption, while the underground area, where the wine from the press comes into, contains a dozen buried large urns for fermentation. The cellar is kept locked (superior lock, Open Lock DC 40) and only Mirella and Felicia have keys. 8. Servants Courtyard – Common room for the servants, a moving panel along the north wall opens to reveal a passageway through which the servants may move to the tricliniums (dining areas) unseen. 9. Peristyle (Inner Courtyard) – With the ceiling opening up to the sky, this courtyard serves as the main public common area. First Imperium-style columns surround the small central garden where a 10-ft. tall marble statue of a nude nymph stands. 10. Privy Room – The latrines here have been upgraded to be constantly flushed by the new underground waterway into the sewer. tri11. Small Triclinium (Dining Area) – This clinium is used for less formal events or for small parties, and can accommodate up to 30 people. 12. Room of the Seduction – Named after the massive fresco that dominates the east wall. Called “The Seduction of the Initiate,” it depicts the moment when the shy initiate is enraptured and seduced by Bacchus, as he plays his spiderwebstringed lyre with unearthly passion. The scene has an added meaning to the family, as the models for Bacchus and the initiate are Leonitus Gaius and Merriam Valerianus, owners of the villa some 200

years ago. The room is enchanted with permanent dancing lights and ghost sound spells that create a multi-colored, shimmering light show while a ghostly harp plays softly in the background. 13. Large Triclinium (Dining Area) – This triclinium is used for large affairs and feasts, and can comfortably accommodate as many as 100 people. 14. Atrium – This area serves as a vestibule to the guest rooms and to bring cool air into the house. A small fountain in the center provides a pleasant touch as well as drinking water, and the various plants all around provide a nice, cool retreat during hot days and nights. 15. Guestrooms – Each of these rooms is protected by a simple lock (Open Lock DC 20), and each has a secret sliding panel (Search DC 18) that leads to the hallway, or into another room. 16. Portico – These two areas help channel cool air into the house as well as serving as common areas for general use. 17. Room of the Mysteries – So named because of the tri-wall fresco commissioned by Erania Valerianus. The work portrays an allegorical inter pretation of the initiation of a young woman into the mysteries of the cult of Bacchus. The painter used previous owners of the villa as inspiration for some of the figures, and in that capacity, the fresco also offers a pictorial history of the owners of the villa dating back 400 years.



9 18. Private Altar Room –

This is the family’s private chapel and is only used by the owner and her immediate family. A magical trap that only Mirella knows how to deactivate protects the entrance to the room. Door: Hold Monster Trap: CR 6; magic device; touch trigger; automatic reset; spell effect ( hold monster, 9th-

level wizard, DC 17 Will save negates); Search DC 30; Disable Device DC 30. Cost: 22,500 gp, 1800 XP. Whenever the trap is set off, an audible alarm spell is activated. Inside the well-secured room is found the private altar to Bacchus. Gem-encrusted mosaics adorn the walls around the room. Along the north wall is a shrine with a scrying pool, on the east wall stands a bookcase with various magical scrolls as well as other valuable books. The room is protected by permanent mage’s private sanctum spell (caster level 10th). The scrying pool is a magical basin that when filled with water functions as a crystal ball. The bookcase on the east wall contains some 20 books, all quite valuable, some quite rare. The books are worth between 1,000 to 5,000 gp each, depending on the particular tome. The scrolls in the bookcase are too varied and change too often. However, there are always 3 copies of each cure spell, and 2 copies of each remove blindness/deafness , remove curse, remove disease, neutralize poison , lesser restoration and heal. In addition, there is an 85% chance for there to be a scroll for any spell of 3rd level or less, 45% for any spell of 4th or 5th level, and 20% for any spell of 6th level.

include a +1 rapier , enchanted leather and chain armor, and a random ring or wondrous item of less than 5,000 gp of value. The total worth of the coins and gems in the coffers is 20,000 gp. 19. Cavaedium (Porch) – This large and open space overlooks the majestic gardens at the back of the house. Much like the entrance, four Imperiumstyle columns support a semi-circular ceiling open on all sides. Various couches make this a great lounging area. The room is decorated in the center by a large, unique statue given to the villa as a gift. It depicts the goddess Venus as a voluptuous and curvaceous woman in the nude, laying comfortably one her side inside a half-shell, her hands, body posture, and facial expression all in a manner extremely suggestive of truly forbidden pleasures. 20. West Stairs – These lead to the Servants Wing, stables, and fields. 21. Main Loggia – This long, open and columned hall overlooks the sloping fields. It is the one area of the house where social class is not a barrier, and any may meet freely and without problems. 22. East Stairs – These lead to the School and Temple complex, and to the Baths. The School and Temple

This two-storied complex is also decorated in a fine marble façade accentuated with red-veined marble columns. 1. Entrance – The entrance is flanked by two elaborate columns made of red-veined marble supporting a triangle frieze showing a winged dragon. 2. Main Meeting Room – Normally used for lessons, this room is also used for formal religious meetings. The walls are decorated with mosaics showing important scenes in Imperial and Bacchan history. 3. Library – Deneira’s Library spans both floors. On the west wall are various coffers with gold Shelves line every available inch of wall space, coins and gems, two chests holding a few minor stacked with books, scrolls, tablets and journals of magical items and a shelf on the wall with potion all shapes and sizes, though none magical in nature vials. These are also varied, and can be tailored to (these are kept in the private altar inside the house). your likings, though there are always at least two Three ceiling-high ladders are situated one to each potions of cure serious wounds. The contents of the wall, and two long tables with magical glowing chests can also be tailored, though it is likely to globes provide research space. The library is



10 The School and Temple Complex

protected with various minor magical effects to maintain constant temperature and prevent humidity, fungi and bugs. All items used must be cleared with the librarian, Vinas. Should any item be removed from the library without consent, each and every item is well catalogued for the purposes of spells such as locate object . Though this has never occurred as of yet, no expenses would be spared in tracking down a missing item from the library and those responsible. The library is only accessible from the first floor. 4. Classrooms – These are multi-use classroom each holding up to 20 people. 5. Main Temple – While the house has a private altar, this is the villa’s main temple to Bacchus, though there is a small shrine to the other gods of the pantheon in the corner to the right of the entrance. The temple has been decorated in red-veined marble with numerous accents in emeralds and lapis lazuli brought in from the farthest reaches of the Empire. The main altarpiece boasts a mosaic showing Bacchus holding a goblet and a cluster of grapes in one hand, extending the other in a welcoming gesture. Cypress benches accommodate up to 60 faithful, and the room itself can hold up to 100. Mirella normally heads all services, though she is free to bestow the honor on any visiting priest. 6. Spiral Staircase – Leading to the second floor. 7. Classrooms – These are multi-use classroom each holding up to 20 people. 8. Main Hall – This is multiple use area, used for anything from classroom, lecture room, meditation

room, as well as for makeshift accommodations for large groups of visitors. 9. Records Office – All temple records are kept in this locked room. Only Mirella and Vinas have keys to this room and know how to deactivate the small trap. CR 4; spell; spell trigger; no reset; spell effect ( glyph of warding [blast], 5th-level cleric, 2d8 acid, DC 14 Reflex save half damage); multiple targets (all targets within 5 ft.); Search DC 28; Disable Device DC 28. Cost: 350 gp to hire NPC spell caster. Whenever the trap is set off, an audible alarm spell is activated. Glyph of Warding (Blast):

– These are Vinas’ private quarters. The door is protected by a good lock (Open Lock DC 30). 10. Librarian’s Quarters

The Baths

The Eneiran Baths, as they have been named, were only recently completed. With the advent of the underground waterway sending fresh water from the river to the south, and the magnificent decoration Mirella commissioned, the baths have quickly become the most famous baths in Albion, and a must-see stop for visiting Bacchans and dignitaries. The baths themselves have nothing out of the ordinary; their two claims to fame come from the sumptuous decorations—marble mosaics, highly suggestive statues, and frescoes, all to the glory of



11 Bacchus—and from the quality of the service, from the constantly flowing water and the continuously flushing privies, to the ably-trained servants who run the services inside the bath. Mirella made sure to give her servants the best training, and it shows.

NPCs

The layout of the bath is quite traditional. As one enters, immediately after the entrance is found a receiving area with storage for clothing which leads into the tepidarium (warm pool room), where saunas and warm waters make the visitor sweat profusely in preparation for the ritual. The caldarium (hot pool room) follows, and the massage area, with the frigidarium (cold pool room) completing the basic ritual. The baths at the villa also have a small indoor common room and a small pool, as well as six private rooms. Unlike other baths scattered around the Empire, these baths cater to both sexes, and even though it is expected for guests to keep decorum, within those boundaries there is little that’s prohibited.

Mirella Valerianus

The Gardens

Extending for an area twice and a half the length of the house are the great formal gardens on the villa. Planted over the years, the various areas hold plants and trees native to Albion, as well as from other areas of the Empire and the world. Hedgerows divide areas and create small habitat pockets, as well as small labyrinths and hideaway places. The most obvious feature of the gardens is the long narrow lake that runs from one end to the other, ending in the Nymphaeum, or the nymph’s fountain, which caps the gardens on the north end. Constructed out of one giant slab of marble, the natural spring flows from an arch held on both sides by two statues of Venus. Ten statues of sensuous, frolicking nymphs, five to each side, complete the sculpture. All the statues have an amazing lifelike detail; one could swear they are about to dance out of the marble and into the gazer’s dreams. A sweet music can be heard near the fountain, an effect created as the water flows through the various pipes and crevices.

While the villa receives countless visitors every month, and houses a staff of dozens, here are those who are an integral part of the villa. The current mistress of the villa is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful women in the province. At thirty-two, Mirella is still young and energetic, with a high sense of humor, and has not let the duties of running the villa interfere with her having both a religious and private life. She stands as tall as some men, with a full and curvaceous body she loves to emphasize and hint at with the use of various layers of thin fabric. She wears her luscious dark brow hair long or wrapped in the distinctive Imperial style, and she makes sure to catch enough sun to maintain the golden sheen of her light olive skin. Her most alluring feature, however, are her dark brown eyes, eyes that can easily and equally seduce and curse with but a look.



12 Mirella has two priorities in life: her dedication to Bacchus and to the villa. Lucky for her, these two are compatible most of the time, if not one and the same. When they come in conflict, Mirella is careful to look for a way in which to compromise to the best the situation allows. Mirella tends to the needs of the villa as a mother tends to a child; she knows all the servants by name, and makes sure to provide a pleasant atmosphere for both worker and visitor. In addition, Mirella is a fairly good businesswoman, and has managed to maintain the profitable trade deals established by her predecessors. This in turn allows her to perform the necessary, and expensive, upkeep to the great complex. Motives:

When not engaged in day-to-day affairs, Mirella likes to read or write, stroll the house and gardens, or spend some time in the baths. She may also be found from time to time teaching lessons on Imperial history and Bacchan doctrines to young nobles from Londinium. Though not romantically involved with anyone at the moment, Mirella does entertain liaisons from time to time. Her only true friend is the enigmatic music teacher, Gavan, whom she adores because, and in spite, of his unique personality and sense of style. Vinas she cares for like a younger brother, and she takes a personal interest in his development, as a priest and as a person. Lastly, difficult as she may be, Mirella also cares highly for her head housekeeper, Felicia, and values her services immensely. It has become an afternoon ritual for Felicia to relate the day’s gossips to Mirella over a glass of wine in the gardens; between Felicia and Gavan, Mirella stays incredibly well informed about the comings and goings in and around the villa. Mirella Valerianus female human Ari3/Brd1/Clr12:

CR 15; Medium Humanoid (Human) (5 ft. 2 in. tall); HD 15d8 + 1d6; hp 93; Init +1 (+1 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 16 (+1 Dex, +2 ring of protection , +3 bracers of armor ), flat footed 15, touch 13; Base Attack/Grapple

+11/+10; Atks masterwork dagger +11 melee (1d4-1, 19-20); Full Atk masterwork dagger +11/+6/+1 melee (1d4-1, 19-20); SA Spells; SQ Bardic knowledge (+5), bardic music 1/day, cast Chaos domain spells at +1 caster level, protective ward 1/day, spontaneous casting, turn undead 7/day; AL CG; SV Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +24; Str 8, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 15, Wis 28, Cha 18. Skills: Concentration +18, Diplomacy +31, Knowledge (Arcana) +5, Knowledge (History) +9, Knowledge (Local) +7, Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) +7, Knowledge (Religion) +14, Listen +15, Perform (Oratory) +25, Sense Motive +17, Spellcraft +18. Feats: Craft Wondrous Item, Iron Will, Leadership, Negotiator, Silent Spell, Skill Focus (Perform [Oratory]), Still Spell. Languages: Common, celestial, sylvan. Equipment: +1 dagger , bracers of armor +3, circlet of persuasion , cloak of charisma +2, periapt of wisdom +6 , ring of mind shielding , ring of protection +2, wand of magic missiles (7th-level caster, 47 charges left) , amulet of the villa (allows Mirella to call and control the marble guardians). This is only the equipment Mirella carries on herself from day to day. Mirella is extremely wealthy, and can procure most other equipment, be it mundane or magical, with little problem. Cohort and Followers: Mirella has a Leadership score of 22, granting her a 15th-level cohort, one 6th-level follower, one 5th-level follower, two 4th-level followers, four 3rd-level followers, seven 2nd-level followers, and 75 1st-level followers. Mirella rarely keeps a cohort, though she can certainly call on a trusted guardian (Ftr15) should the need arise, while her followers are the workers of the villa. Bard Spells (Save DC 14 + spell level) : 0-lvl (2/day)— daze, ghost sound , mage hand , message. Cleric Spells (Save DC 19 + spell level, 6/7+1/6+1/6+1/5+1/4+1/3+1). Domains: Chaos, Protection.



13 Gavan

No one at the villa knows what Gavan truly looks like. Since he appeared at the villa four years ago, he has always affected the particular costume that has become his hallmark: a long black tunic, a triangular wide-brimmed hat, and a full-face, white mask. Only his eyes can be seen from behind the mask, and these reveal a passionate, but tortured soul. Gavan has a strange history that ties him to the villa. Three generations ago, Iridia Valerianus, sister to Mirella’s great-grandmother, Luccia, escaped her education in the capital for a life of adventure in the great wide world. Her gamble backfired, as Luccia found herself enslaved by a tribe of horse-riding barbarians, far to the north, away from everything she knew. Luccia bore a child to her enslaver, and years later, once the boy had grown up, bought his freedom with her life. The boy made his way south, eventually reaching the capital, where he simply disappeared into the maze-like streets. It is from that boy that Gavan traces his ancestry.

Empire. It was enough to claim a semblance of a heritage, and Gavan promptly set out to visit his “ancestral” lands. Eventually he made it to the villa, where after months of consistently proving his musical talents, not to mention his determination and patience, he was invited by Mirella to become the villa’s musician. Gavan is physically deformed and grotesque; he more than makes up for it, however, with his incredible musical talents, his extensive breadth of knowledge, and his ability to find out what he doesn’t already know. Gavan has a strange code of ethics. While he only watches for himself, he has genuine concern for the well being of both Mirella and the villa. Other than that, only his music has any meaning to him. Motives:

As the villa’s musician, Gavan teaches musical lessons at the school. He is strict and unforgiving, but devoted to those that show respect and promise. His particular appearance, a combination of an excellent disguise coupled with his own powers of illusion, has made him something of a local peculiarity. The “Music Teacher,” as both students and staff refer to him, does not mind this at all; anything that adds to his mystique only serves to hide the horrible truth.

Born in a far-off province of the Empire, Gavan was cursed from birth; his face is disfigured, his body weak, and his constitution frail. By all means he should have died a baby, but the one thing he had from birth was determination, a trait that served him well growing up a jeered and feared pariah among the outcasts of the Empire. Gavan’s one gift was a Gavan lives in secret underground quarters heavenly singing voice which he used to get ahead towards the back of the estate, behind the in life. In order to avoid persecution, Gavan Nymphaeum, where he is free to practice his music developed great disguise skills, and eventually and voice lessons, and has a degree of privacy. He adopted the persona of a masked poet. Coupled has a penchant for appearing out of mists in front of with his amazing musical talents and powerful the Nymphaeum, something that, while a parlor tenor voice, Gavan was able to travel unhindered, trick, amuses everyone around. Gavan also likes to reaching the capital, where he set out to increase his trade in secrets, and he has assembled a small, skills. The Imperial obsession with ancestry though reliable, network of spies, both in the house awakened in Gavan a desire to know more about his and in Londinium. Though done partly for his own; though it took him large amounts of gold, the personal amusement, Gavan is the de-facto deterioration of his health as he pushed his magic to spymaster of the villa, and shares most of his the limits, and a fistful of years to assemble all the findings with Mirella. pieces, Gavan finally learned he traced his blood to the Valerianus family in the farthest reaches of the



14 Gavan is indifferent to most people, the exceptions being Mirella, his only true friend (to whom one day, perhaps, he may reveal the truth of his identity and heritage), and his gifted pupils. He has great contempt for Felicia, the head housekeeper; her constant prying into other people’s business, namely his own, unsettles him, as she has tried on various occasions to learn what really lies behind the mask. Gavan male human Brd5/Rog3:

CR 8; Medium Humanoid (Human) (5 ft. 0 in. tall); HD 8d6 - 8; hp 31; Init +4 (+4 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 14 (+4 Dex), flat footed 10, touch 14; Base Attack/Grapple +5/+4; Atks masterwork cold-iron rapier +10 melee (1d6-1, 18-20); Full Atk masterwork cold-iron rapier +10 melee (1d6-1, 18-20); SA Sneak attack +2d6, spells; SQ Bardic knowledge (+7), bardic music 5/day, evasion, trap sense +1, trapfinding; AL CN; SV Fort +1, Ref +10 Will +7; Str 9, Dex 18, Con 8, Int 15, Wis 14, Cha 22. Skills: Bluff +16, Disguise +21, Escape Artist +8, Forgery +9, Gather Information +19, Hide +6, Knowledge (Local) +13, Listen +10, Move Silently +20, Open Lock +8, Perform (Sing) +20, Search +8, Sense Motive +11, Sleight of Hand +11, Spellcraft +5. Feats: Deceitful, Dodge, Skill Focus (Perform [Sing]), Weapon Finesse. Languages: Common, draconic, sylvan. Equipment: boots of elvenkind , cloak of charisma +2, hat of disguise , potion of cat’s grace x2, elixir of hiding, masterwork cold-iron rapier. Spells (Save DC 16 + spell level) : 0-lvl (3/day)— daze, flare , ghost sound , mage hand , prestidigitation , read magic ; 1st-level (5/day)— cause fear , charm person, expeditious retreat , unseen servant ; 2nd-level (3/day)— detect thoughts , invisibility, tongues.

Vinas

Vinas is the head librarian at the villa. Tall and lanky, with a short but unruly head of black hair, and pale from being indoors all the time, Vinas nonetheless has a certain charm about him and a twinkle in his eye that hints at great possibilities or great secrets. In Vinas’ case, it is both. Vinas was born at the literal edge of the Empire, in one of the villages around the great Imperial wall to the north. From an early age, Vinas felt a desire to learn everything there was to learn in the world. He learned to read and write on his own, and eventually headed south to Londinium in search of new horizons. Along the way Vinas was waylaid by bandits, and in the ensuing chase, something amazing and terrible happened: in desperation and faced with four attackers, Vinas lashed out with lethal bolts of magic. By the time Vinas recovered his senses, four bandits lay dead at his feet, killed by the arcane power that shot from his hands; Vinas had discovered he was a natural-born sorcerer. Though he made it to Londinium without encountering any further trouble, Vinas nonetheless decided not to use his powers for the time being, a promise he soon broke as he started exploring the extent of his newfound abilities. He also began to work a string of odd jobs, eventually ending up in the service of Mirella Valerianus. Working around the villa, Vinas learned of the cult of Bacchus, becoming enthralled by it, and eventually becoming a student under Mirella’s tutelage. This gave him access to the villa’s library, and soon he was all but living among the books. Shortly thereafter, Mirella granted him the position of head librarian, a post at which young Vinas more than excels. Motives: All

Vinas wants to do in life is study and become the best scholar he can be. Unfortunately his studious mind is also a curious mind, and he has been secretly practicing how to control his innate powers. He has failed miserably at keeping the secret,



15 however, as it is now common knowledge that Vinas is a sorcerer.

Felicia

Felicia is the head housekeeper at the villa. She is in charge of all the servants in the house and serves Vinas is somewhat shy though he comes off as Mirella personally with great attention to detail and aloof. He likes Felicia, though he has never devotion. She’s in her mid twenties, is short and acknowledged this out loud and in his naiveté, stays hyper, and is possessed of a vigor that both amazes away from her. Although he tends to keep Gavan at and frustrates those under her orders. She wears her arm’s length, the two sometimes have wonderful dark hair in a tight bun, and rarely changes her stern conversations about music and the arts. expression in public. Felicia’s family has served in the villa for three Clr3/Sor 3; CR 6; Medium generations. Originally brought in as slaves, then Humanoid (Human) (6 ft. 3 in. tall); HD 3d8 + 3d4 owner Luccia grew to like Felicia’s ancestors, and (24 hp); Init +1 (+1 Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 13 granted them their freedom after years of (+1 Dex, +2 ring of protection), flat footed 12, exemplary service. Felicia’s family decided to stay touch 11; Base Attack/Grapple +3/+3; Atks at the villa and continue their service to the masterwork mace +4 melee (1d6, 18-20 x2) or Valerianus. Felicia is the fourth member of the dagger +4 ranged (1d4); Full Atk masterwork mace family in a row to become head housekeeper, a +4 melee (1d6, 18-20 x2) or dagger +4 ranged testament to the family’s and Felicia’s dedication. (1d4); SA Spells; SQ All Knowledge skills are class skills, spontaneous casting, protective ward 1/day, Motives: Felicia knows most people don’t like turn undead 6/day; AL NG; SV Fort +4, Ref +3, her and she does not care. Her only cares are Will +9; Str 10, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 15, Wis 16, Cha serving the needs of Mirella and the villa, and she 17 does these with absolute dedication regardless of Skills: Concentration +9, Knowledge (Arcana) anyone’s opinion. The satisfaction she draws from +11, Knowledge (History) +8, Knowledge accomplishing these tasks to perfection more than (Religion) +11, Profession (Librarian) +9, Search make up her lack of popularity among the staff and +8, Spellcraft +11. Feats: Craft Wondrous Item, servants. Heighten Spell, Skill Focus (Knowledge [Religion]), Still Spell. Regardless of the face she puts out to the public, Felicia is a sad person who wishes she had Languages: Common, celestial, draconic. Equipment : Ring of protection +2, goggles of friends. She just doesn’t have the necessary people minutes seeing, potion of mage armor , potion of skills, and coupled with the self-imposed demands protection from evil , potion of sanctuary, wand of of her position, she sees this possibility as being summon monster I , calligraphy set, assorted books, almost unattainable. Felicia fills this void by paper, ink. learning every single secret she can about Cleric Spells (Save DC 13 + spell level, everybody; no gossip exists in the villa that Felicia 4/3+1/2+1). Domains: Knowledge, Protection. does not know about, or so the rumors go. While Sorcerer Spells (Save DC 13 + spell level): she does keep some of what she learns to herself, 0-lvl (6/day)— arcane mark , mending, open/close, Felicia shares much of her knowledge with Mirella. read magic, resistance ; 1st-level (6/day)— color So far the only secret that has eluded her is that of the Music Teacher, though she bides her time. spray, magic missile, shield . Vinas male human

Felicia always maintains her stern personality while in public. She is incredibly curious about Gavan and sometimes her curiosity borders on



16 obsession, which has gotten her polite but firm 1. After completing a particularly well-done service reprimands from Mirella. Felicia is incredibly to a member of the cult of Bacchus, the adventurers infatuated with the young librarian Vinas, though so are rewarded with a day visit to the villa. If the party far she has done nothing about it, as he tends to stay has any followers of Bacchus, the invitation could away from her, no doubt due to her reputation. be extended to two days. Player characters could meet Mirella, use the facilities for both education Unknown to all, Felicia’s greatest secret is that and relaxation, and embroil themselves in the she has been courted on various occasions by comings and goings of the villa. Villa politics are agents from rival noble families and other very much like a snake, silently slithering all organizations in Londinium. Her position in the around until it strikes out of nowhere. Sometimes a household would provide a great benefit to mere formality as a “Hello” can mean the difference whoever can sway the young woman, though so far between being perceived as an ally or an enemy, so Felicia has remained loyal to Mirella. the characters will have to be on their toes. Felicia female human Exp3;

CR 2; Medium Humanoid (Human) (4 ft. 4 in. tall); HD 3d6 (10 hp); Init +1 (+1 Dex); Spd 30 ft; AC 11 (+1 Dex), flat footed 10, touch 11; Base Attack/Grapple +2/+1; Atks Club +1 melee (1d6-1); Full Atk Club +1 melee (1d6-1); AL LN; SV Fort +1, Ref +2, Will +6; Str 9, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 16 Skills: Bluff +8, Gather Information +9, Heal +7, Intimidate +6, Knowledge (Local) +7, Profession (Housekeeper) +10, Search +8, Sense Motive +9, Spot +8. Feats: Alertness, Iron Will, Skill Focus (Profession [Housekeeper]), Languages: Common. Equipment: Club, fine quality servant’s outfit, handed down noble’s dress, safe box with 100 gp. Felicia has access to all the resources of the villa and can reasonably procure any regular, non-magical, item.

Adventure Seeds The following are a few ideas on how to use the Villa of Mysteries in your campaign. The villa is a setting ripe for roleplaying opportunities, with secrets everywhere, and countless delights around every corner. These suggestions are by no means exhaustive, but should provide you with a good starting point in integrating this great new location to your games.

The characters are hired by a Londinium merchant to guard his caravan as it heads to the villa to deliver supplies. The characters are received at the villa, invited to a sumptuous dinner and put up for the night while the shipments are prepared. Depending on how the night goes, the characters could find themselves employed by Mirella to act as a caravan guard after their present job is completed. 2.

3. While visiting the villa, a visiting noble from the

capital is found dead in the baths one morning, apparently the victim of poison. The entire villa is alarmed at having an assassin in their midst, Mirella is furious that something like this would happen in her house and worried over the repercussions this death could have for her and the villa. Regardless of her social status and position, as an unmarried woman Mirella is in a precarious position and this death could bring much unwanted attention upon the villa. Rumors swirl everywhere, and gossip points at the ever-masked music teacher, Gavan. The villa is sealed until the crime is solved, and Mirella asks the characters to help in the investigation, hoping that due to them being outsiders, they will have a more unbiased opinion. After a few hours of questioning, the characters find that behind marble walls and under the layers of gracious hospitality, the villa is a viper’s nest of bitter rivalries, hidden agendas, and secret liaisons that make the Imperial senate seem like child’s play. Did the masked musician kill the priest? Was it



17 someone else from the staff? Did anyone see The villa also houses a grand library and a anything? Is there an uninvited guest in the villa? luxurious Imperial bath complex. The villa is Who stands to gain from this death? And how long protected by magical statues as well as by other before the culprit sneaks away free and brings ruin magical and mundane means. over the magnificent villa? 25: The villa has been in the possession of the Valerianus family for centuries. Members of the cult of Bacchus travel from all over the Empire to be initiated into the mysteries of the cult at the villa. Lore 30: The villa always passes to a female heir, and it Use the information below whenever a bard rolls a remains in the Valerianus family even if the heir Bardic Lore check regarding the villa. At the GM’s marries, going against all the conventions of the discretion, a Knowledge (History), Knowledge Empire. This is possibly the greatest weakness of (Local) or Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) skill the villa and of the Valerianus family. check (as appropiate) could be used to learn some of these facts as well (add +5 to the DC for Knowledge checks).

New Creature

DC: Type of Knowledge 10: The Villa of Mysteries is

Marble Guardian Large Construct Hit Dice: 10d10+30 (85 hp) Initiative: +0 Speed: 30 ft. AC: 24 (-1 size, +15 natural),

a grand estate situated about a day’s ride from the city of Londinium. It belongs to the Valerianus family, and its current mistress is Mirella Valerianus. 20: The Villa of Mysteries is a center of worship for the cult of Bacchus, under the direction of Mirella. 9

flat footed 24, touch

Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+17 Attack: Slam +12 melee (1d8+6) Full Attack: 2 slams +12 melee (1d8+6) Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft. Special Attacks: Spell storing Special Qualities: Construct traits, fast

repair 2,

find master, hardness 8 Saves: Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +3 Abilities: Str 22, Dex 10, Con —, Int —, Wis 10, Cha 1 Climate/Terrain: Any land or underground Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 6 Treasure: None Alignment: Always neutral Advancement: 11-24 HD (Large); 25-45 HD (Huge) Marble guardians are great construct statues created by spellcasters to provide protection to an area, typically a house or a temple.



18 A marble guardian looks like an ordinary marble statue, with as much detail as the sculptor had ability, with most being of fine craftsmanship, which when created is keyed to a particular amulet. Henceforth, it regards the wearer of the amulet as its master, obeying that person’s commands to the letter.

Construction

A marble guardian costs at least 80,000 gp to create. This cost includes the construct’s basic physical body, the keyed amulet, and all the materials and spell components that are consumed or become a permanent part of them. The body must be crafted first, and this is usually left to a master sculptor in order for the statue to be of the finest quality. Creating the most basic of bodies requires a successful Craft (Sculpture) or Craft (Stonemasonry) check (DC 16). The keyed amulet is fashioned next. The most basic amulet must be fashioned from gold,

Marble guardians are normally stationary, standing in one place as ordinary marble statues. Whenever commanded by the amulet’s wearer, or when certain conditions are met, the guardians become animated, following their master’s commands or performing an already-stated set of commands such as “protect the temple from intruders” or “move the sacred texts to the secure requiring a successful Craft (Metalworking) check area.” Although not good for much beyond combat (DC 14). and some manual labor, marble guardians perform their duties with utmost efficiency. Once these two are created, the creature must be animated using a complex magical ritual that requires a week to be completed. The creator must Combat Marble guardians are straightforward in battle, labor for at least 8 hours a day in a specially striking with their marble fists. While they are equipped laboratory or arcane workroom. Such meant for defense, they can nonetheless provide a rooms normally cost 1,000 gp to establish and can good offense. be used repeatedly. Spell Storing (Sp): The marble guardian can store one spell of 3rd level or less that is cast into it The creator must work non-stop each day for by another creature. It “casts” this spell when the time it takes to create the guardian, with commanded or when a predetermined condition activities limited to resting, eating, sleeping or arises. Once a spell is used, it can store the same or talking. If the caster is creating the body as well, another spell. both the building and the ritual can be performed Construct: Immune to mind-influencing simultaneously. If the creator misses a day, the effects, poison, disease, and similar effects. Not process fails and must be started again, money subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability spent is lost, but XP spent are not. The body and damage, energy drain, or death from massive chamber can be reused. damage. Fast Repair (Ex): The marble guardian regains CL 15th; Craft Construct, command , limited 2 hit points per round. miracle, locate objects, shield of faith, shield other, Find Master (Su): No matter the distance, caster must be at least 15th level; Price 80,000 gp; when called, the marble guardian can find the Cost 54,000 gp + 3,200 XP. amulet wearer (or just the amulet, if it has been removed after the guardian has been called) as long Amulet as they are on the same plane. If the amulet is destroyed the guardian returns to its Hardness (Ex): The marble guardian has a stationary form and ceases to function until a new hardness of 8. one is created at a cost equal to the original. If the wearer dies but the amulet is intact, the guardian



19 remains in statue form and carries out the last set of A limited miracle can do any of the following commands given. things: • Duplicate any cleric spell of 6th level or lower Since marble guardians are created to guard (including spells to which you have access because locales, a ritual was developed to transfer amulet of your domains). mastery from one person to another. This ritual • Duplicate any other spell of 5th level or lower. requires one full day to complete, drains 500 XP • Undo the harmful effects of certain spells, from both present and new master, and requires such as feeblemind or insanity. • Have any effect whose power level is in line command and comprehend languages to be cast at the end of the ritual, command by the current with the above effects. master and comprehend languages by the masterto-be. If the limited miracle has any of the above effects, casting it has no experience point cost.

New Spell Limited Miracle

Evocation Level: Clr 7 Components: V, S, XP Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: See text Target, Effect, Area: See Text Duration: See Text Saving Throw: See Text Spell Resistance: Yes

Alternatively, a cleric can make a powerful request that would be outside the effects of the guidelines above. Casting such a limited miracle costs the cleric 300 XP because of the powerful divine energies involved. In any event, a request that is out of line with the deity’s (or alignment’s) nature is refused. A duplicated spell allows saving throws and spell resistance as normal, but the save DCs are as for a 7th-level spell. When a limited miracle duplicates a spell that has an XP cost, you must pay that cost. When a limited miracle spell duplicates a spell with a material component that costs more than 100 gp, you must provide that component.

You don’t so much cast a miracle as request one. You state what you would like to have happen and request that your deity (or the power you pray to for spells) intercedes. XP Cost: 300 XP (for some uses of the limited miracle spell; see above).

CREDITS Author: Daniel M. Perez Proofreader & Additional Material: Mark Gedak Line Cartography: Daniel M. Perez Color Cartography: John Milner of UKG Publishing,

used with permission. Some artwork from Fantasy Filler Art copyright Rick Hershey, All Rights Reserved. Some artwork is copyright by Octavirate Games,and used with permission. Some artwork is copyright by Mad Elf Enterprises,and used with permission.

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www.HighmoonMedia.com Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity. 8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content. 9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License. 10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute. 11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so. 12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected. 13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License. 14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable. 15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. System Reference Document Copyright 20002003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Rich Baker, Andy Collins, David Noonan, Rich Redman, Bruce R. Cordell, John D. Rateliff, Thomas Reid, James Wyatt, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. Bardic Lore: The Villa of Mysteries Copyright 2005, Daniel M. Perez d/b/a Highmoon Media Productions; Author Daniel M. Perez. www.highmoonmedia.com.

d20 HighMoon Media Productions Bardic Lore - The Villa of Mysteries

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