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15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

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CONTENTS

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Introduction.....................................

Prologue............................................“A Foundation in Darkness”

Wizard/Sorcerer Spells...............Shocking Shield...........................................Spark Shield..................................................Chilling Drain.............................................Fire Shroud...................................................Sinister Blast...............................................Final Breath.................................................Earthen Grasp..............................................Avalanche.....................................................Mind Over Magic.........................................Lesser Infernal Spell Expulsion..............Blazing Trail...............................................Refelctive Spell Barrier...........................Arcane Lust..................................................Stoneskin Burst...........................................Nemesis Blast................................................Negative Energy Lash................................Boil Bone Marrow.......................................Flameskin.......................................................Torturous Dance.........................................Versatile Magic Shell................................Greater Infernal Spell Expulsion...........Ice Lances......................................................You Missed Your Chance............................Mental Blast................................................Fires Of Hell.................................................Nine Lives......................................................

Epilogue.............................................“Darkness Incarnate”

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For more free game material, check out the Myrik Games’ Website: www.myrikgames.com

©2004 Myrik Games. All rights reserved. “Tauralathan’s Grimoire, vol 1,” is produced under version 1.0a, 3.0, and draft versions of the Open Game License and the System Reference Document by permission of Wizards of the Coast.

Myrik Games is a registered trademark owned by Amascus Creative Group, Inc.

The following items are hereby designated as Product Identity in accordance with Section 1(e) of the Open Game License, version 1.0a: Any and all Myrik Games logos and identifying marks and trade dress, such as all Myrik Games product and product line names including Tauralathan’s Grimoire, vol 1; organizations; names of places, characters, monsters, and magic items; and any and all stories, storylines, histories, plots, thematic elements, and dialogue; and all artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, illustrations, maps, and cartography, likenesses, poses, logos, or graphic designs. The above Product Identity is not Open Game Content. Subject to the Product Identity designation above, the following portions of “Tauralathan’s Grimoire, vol 1” are designated as Open Game Content: Tauralathan, Myrik, The Realm of Myrik, Shock, Chilling Drain, and anything else contained herein which is already Open Game Content by virtue of appearing in the System Reference Document or some other Open Game Content source.Some portions of this article which are Open Game Content originate from the System Reference Document and are ©1999, 2000, and 2001 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. The remainder of these Open Game Content portions of this book are hereby added to Open Game Content and if so used, should bear the COPYRIGHT NOTICE “Myrik Games’ Tauralathan’s Grimoire, vol 1.” This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction, retransmission, or unauthorized use of the artwork or non-Open Game Content herein is prohibited without express written permission from Myrik Games, except for purposes of review or use of Open Game Content consistent with the Open Game License.This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. This material is a work of fi ction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental.

Credits and LegalWritten by Andy ShockneyCover, Design, Graphic Design & Illustrations by David WierbikiEdited by Sonya Baity

Contents

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INTRODUCTIONWHAT IS TAURALATHAN’S GRIMOIRE?Tauralathan’s Grimoire is intended to be a 32 page introductory supplement to the world of Myrik. Myrik is a world created over 15 years ago for use as campaign setting and new rules system for tabletop roleplaying. It was originally a stand-alone game that tried to combine some of the best elements of classic 80’s fare, including 1st Edition Dungeons and Dragons, Rolemaster, and Stormbringer. One of the fi rst to experience this world was my good friend Dave, who helped introduce me to both comic books and D&D. Later, the rest of my gaming group would play in the game, and world, and ideas still permeate the campaigns we play today. The world has of course grown, evolved, and now has been translated to be compatible with the version 3.5 of the Dungeons and Dragons game.

The world got a signifi cant face-lift for the Wizards of the Coast setting search, which got us thinking that we should strongly consider using this setting, and Myrik Games, as a source for releasing our own gaming material. As a result, you are now reading this labor of love. We are not professional game designers, and everything we do won’t be perfect. We will have fun putting these things together, and we hope you have reading it. We hope that the intuitive rules adaptations, the engaging stories, and the breathtaking art will inspire you to make your games more fun for your groups.

Our focus when developing gaming material is to build variant rules, classes, prestige classes, spells, feats, combat tactics, magic items, villains, encounters, and epic locations, that will be fun and challenging to a group of very experienced gamers. Dave and I have both played roleplaying games for a long time, and both really love this hobby. We would like to share some of the best of our experiences with you, and do it in a format that you will fi nd enchanting and inspiring. We have found that Dungeons and Dragons is at it’s best from 5th to 18th level. So, that is where most of our material will be focused. We are particularly interested in presenting material that will be useful for campaigns from 12th to 18th level, where the game becomes very complex.

WHAT’S INSIDE?The format for this fi rst supplement is to introduce you to the world of Myrik through narrative and art, and explores some new concepts from one of this world’s most notorious villains: the Lord of Darkness, the arch-lich Tauralathan.

Tauralthan’s Grimoire is a compilation of excerpts

from a variety of Tauralathan’s personal journals. This will hopefully provide some insight into this villain, his motivations, his horrible accomplishments, and a glimpse of the unique and powerful magic he wields.

As a Dungeon Master, we encourage you to use this material to inspire your own villains. You could use Myrik as a core world for a new campaign, using the material found within this book, and through www.myrikgames.com. You could also use Tauralathan, and transport him into another world, such as Midnight, the Forgotten Realms, or Greyhawk. Finally, you may simply fi nd ideas from the stories, art, or spells that you may fi nd useful in your own campaign.

What other books do I need to use Tauralathan’s Grimoire?This gaming material relies solely on the material presented within the most recent version of the System Reference Document (SRD), and is compatible with the 3.5 Edition version of Dungeons and Dragons. If you own the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual, published by Wizards of the Coast, you have everything you need to enjoy this book!

MYRIK The world of Myrik is unique in a few key aspects from the other major settings published today that support Dungeons and Dragons. First, it is a young world. The races of the world are just learning the value of forming, cities, trade, and the power of the written word. There are no “ancient and powerful” kingdoms to uncover. Instead, the greatest this world has to offer, is still before it. It just may be the actions of the player characters in your campaign that decide the greatest heights of this world.

Does that imply there is not fast-paced adventure, or an opportunity to uncover lost secrets through dramatic dungeon crawls in the world of Myrik? No, quite the opposite. The people of Myrik have uncovered the secrets of the seven sacred elements in the deepest, cavernous recesses of the realm, under the watchful protection of the powerful undying magical beasts of the realms, and in the highest, most inaccessible aeries. Unlocking these secrets, and the power of the seven sacred elements, will shape the future of the world. The second primary difference, however, with Myrik, and most campaign settings, is that the power unleashed in the world will be completely at the disposal of the player characters and major NPC’s of the world. Nobody will fi nd the Vorpal Scythe of the Ithsari, uncovered from the ancient tombs of a long-forgotten king. Instead, the greatest heights of the world will come from what you build.

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Finally, the world of Myrik is intended to be darker and more austere than the campaign settings published and supported by Wizards of the Coast. There is no assumption of the success of the “heroes”. Instead, the odds are very much stacked against the player characters success and longevity. We have designed the world this way, with a very distinct purpose. We hope that it will convey the overall image of a more “challenging” and “threatening” environment, which we hope will be appealing to experienced gamers. Second, we hop that you will fi nd your victories, whenever they should come, to be far richer.

What role does Tauralathan play in the world of Myrik?Tauralathan will compete with the player characters in the realm of Myrik. He has his own plans, and they include nothing short of complete domination of all he encounters, and absolute control of his ever-expanding dominion. He is a Lord of Darkness, which denotes him as one of the most powerful agents, of the evil god Ruun. His powers all come from the sacred element of Darkness in Myrik.

NEW CONCEPTSWhen writing the arcane spells that are featured in Tauralathan’s Grimoire, we focused on improving several key aspects of the 3.5 Edition core rules. First, for lower level spells, we focused on improving their usefulness at high levels (12th+). There’s really just no use for sleep past 10th level. To do this, we leveraged different combat tactics, which will limit the usefulness of spells, but increase their effectiveness when chosen to be used. For mid level spells, we wanted to really improve on the most commonly used spells by most villains, such as Tauralathan. Spice things up a little, and throw your players for a real loop! Finally, for high level spells, we wanted to put real fear into your players, and each spell should provide a great opportunity to do this. Any one of these spells can be devastating to players who don’t suspect them, but when used in conjunction, by a truly vile persona, the effects will be chilling!

ABOUT THE AUTHORAndy Shockney is a hands-on, business manager with nine years of experience in the fi nancial services industry in Columbus, OH. His work experience includes over eight years of call center management experience. He has a proven track record of sales management, project management, and risk management. He has also been recognized for fi nancial services sales excellence, having received the Chairman’s Challenge Award for being in the top 5% of sales performance over three consecutive years. Andy is currently employed with the CheckFree Corporation, in Dublin, OH, as a call center manager.

Andy’s gaming experience includes 15 years as a player and DM. He is an avid fan of the ENWorld community, and his writing credits include Relics & Rituals II and Creature Collection III, both published by Sword & Sorcery Studios.

ABOUT THE ARTISTDavid Wierbiki is a long time artist, whose experience lies in: illustration, 3-D stills & animation, pencil renderings, pen & ink, and oil painting. He works in Princeton, NJ for one of the Big Four Accounting fi rms as the resident graphic designer where he applies the trade to information architecture as well as typical graphic design duties, including both print and web mediums.

David’s infl uences are: Keith Parkinson, Rodan, Waterhouse, Blizzard Entertainment, Manowar, and many others too numerous to mention here.

David’s gaming experience includes 15 years as a player with 10 years Game Mastering both Dungeons & Dragons as well as the White Wolf Universe. He has had Black & White Illustrations published in Dragon, Dungeon and White Dwarf magazines.

ABOUT THE EDITORSonya Baity is an editor and critic with a background in education and psychology. She currently creates, proofs and edits proposals and reports for a fi nancial services fi rm in Princeton, NJ, as well as freelance editing in various professional fi elds. She enjoys literature, writing and philosophy and credits her creative infl uence to the likes of Tolkien, Poe, Thoreau and Jung.

Sonya’s gaming experience extends from Dungeons and Dragons to Hero’s Quest to Warhammer, as a player.

ABOUT MYRIK GAMESMyrik Games is a subsidiary of Amascus Creative Group, Inc. and is a company dedicated to building challenging games for experienced gamers, under the authorization of the immensely popular d20 System Trademark License, based on the game Dungeons and Dragons ®.

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Free bonus material at www.myrikgames.com

Introduction

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auralathan was an ambitious and naïve young member of mankind. Magic did not come naturally to the wizard. Instead,

he learned through pain and failure, seeking to uncover the mysteries of Myrik. Tauralathan belonged to the Academe Sorcere on the

island of Krylin. He was not a Krylinean and he found

himself jealous of how easily his peers accomplished feats of magic.

Tauralathan was an arcane wizard; he studied relentlessly,

dedicating himself to succeed in his tests, whatever the cost. One such trial challenged Tauralathan to achieve mastery of a new magical emulation that created a Shocking Shield. The spell was a simple evocation to many of Krylin. Its purpose was to protect the caster, especially when using magic,

but useless if unable to maintain concentration. Tauralathan had a strict deadline to complete his task: before the stroke of midnight. Failure

would mean being left behind, and perhaps

losing his struggle with the gifted Krylin sorcerers.

As with many of his previous studies, this project had resulted in failure, upon failure. Casting other evocations was an effortless task for Tauralathan, but learning the trigger component of this evocation was complex. Tauralathan was out of time; he would present himself to his master for a late, late attempt at completing his objective. Tauralathan stepped cautiously toward the door of the hut where his master, the even-tempered and patient Krylinean named Climyr, resided.

Sweat poured from Tauralathan’s brow and nervous hands rapped repeatedly upon the door. More times than he’d intended. Then, he noticed that there were no lights on within the hut. After what seemed like an eternity of shuffl ing, scuttling, and incanting, magical light appeared from within, and the man he sought fi nally opened the door from the other side. Climyr appeared disheveled, although still well equipped in his heavily runed teaching robes, made of a plush green fabric.

“I have prepared for my test,” chirped Tauralathan.

“What?” inquired Climyr, his face contorting at the presence of one of his students at such an inopportune hour.

“My test,” Tauralathan explained. “I was to research and master the incantation for ‘Shocking Shield’ and now I will present it to you.”

Climyr grimaced, “Well, let’s get on with it then!”

Tauralathan took a step back, and focused. He began the practiced incantation, slowly proceeding through each calculated step.

FOUNDATION FOR DARKNESS

Into the darkness I command my soulNever shall I repent, never shall I be saved

I go into the house of deathBefore my last breath my enemies all shall die

- House of Death, Warriors of the World Manowar

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Methodically, he produced the arcane gestures, precisely as he had developed them. Tauralathan’s temperature rose, his body responded to cool itself, releasing sweat in massive quantities. His grasp was slipping; the magic wished to release and attack a nearby target. Climyr was near. Tauralathan bent the magic to his will, and shaped it, commanding it to do his bidding. At last, success. The spell manifested in a fl ash of static and materialized as a yellow shield that surrounded the apprentice.

The blast of the spell burst forth at Climyr. Climyr, refl exively braced for the shock, but the spell dissipated in a fl ash, as the elven runes fl ashed blue-white on the silver ring on Climyr’s left hand.

“You have failed,” scowled the mentor. “I thought you told me you were ready.”

Young Tauralathan, practicing the Forbidden Arts- David Wierbiki, 2004

“Oh, I am. I am. I know exactly what I missed, and I can correct it, now,” Tauralathan screeched, his voice raising several octaves as blood fi lled his embarrassed face.

“No. You will do no such thing,” Climyr spat. “The hour is late, and you must live with the consequences of your failure. I only hope you have more success in the future, for we will not slow down on your account.”

Tauralathan was silenced. His heart yearned for another chance. He despised failure, especially his own. As Climyr shut the door for the night, Tauralathan absorbed this scene, and captured his emotion. Tauralathan was one of the few who did eventually master this spell. However, this traitorous moment would provide motivation for years to follow.

Prologue

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