Gloomhaven: Secrets of the Lost Cabal (Promo Scenario)
Gloomhaven: Secrets of the Lost Cabal (Promo Scenario) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Requirements
None
Goal
Stop the Serpent Cabal
Layout
The sheet's layout diagram is an image; it shows the tile markers a (nest), b (nest) and 1 (door), and the map tiles listed under Maps.
Figures shown in the layout key:
- Giant Viper
- Nest (x2)
- Stalagmite (x2)
Maps
- D2b
- J1a
- M1a
Special Rules
Nests a and b have 8+(CxL) hit points.
At the end of each round, each nest will spawn one Giant Viper. These Giant Vipers are normal for 2 characters, the Giant Viper spawned by nest a is elite for 3 characters, and both spawned Giant Vipers are elite for 4 characters.
As soon as a character opens door 1, read 1 on the following page.
Read 1
Enough of the vipers lay dead, twitching on the cavern floor in front of you, that you decide to press on. You look to the southwest side of the chamber and see tall stone gateway carved out of the cavern wall. On the sealed doorway appears a primitive image of a serpent etched into the rock with a circle of runes surrounding it. You reach into your pack and grab the diary. You must speak the words of entry...
"O-Qua Tangin Wann"
The symbols begin to glow an intense orange, like flames behind the cracks. Grinding stone is heard as the doors give way, retracting to the left and right. Before you, a tunnel lit by torch sconces... someone is here. You can hear the dull drone of deep-voiced chanting in the distance.
There is a sudden popping sound, and a putrid odor fills the air, making you choke. Through the green mist you can see figures making arcane hand motions as the floor around them begins to bubble and writhe. You read about these sorcerers in the diary... they are the Lords, protectors of the Cabal, and they are summoning vile minions to their aid. You must push forward!
Figures shown for this read:
- Ooze
- City Guard
- POISON and damage trap (x3)
Special Rules
The City Guards are Lords of the Dungeon. They add +1 to all of their Moves and Attacks.
As soon as a character opens door 2, read 2 below.
Read 2
With the lords subdued, you stop to catch your breath for a brief moment. The slow droning chants continue. They're louder now, and you're certain the source is in the next chamber. Approaching the large oaken door, you grip your weapon tighter and kick through, blasting the way open with a booming crash that echoes throughout the halls of the dungeon lair. Inside, a circle of runes glows on the floor with a bright orange. In the center is a ghostly visage of an enormous cobra, coiled and ready to strike. Echoing around the room, the chants of ritualists continue louder and faster. As the serpent's image fades in and out, you know if this dark ritual is completed, the creature will be summoned!
Figures shown for this read:
- Cultist
- Altar (x1)
Special Rules
The Cultist ability card deck consists of a single initiative 63 card. Every time a Cultist would summon a Living Bones, place one damage counter on the altar c. When there are 2xC+1 counters on the altar, read 3 on the following page. If all Cultists are killed before this happens, the scenario is complete, and read Conclusion A on the following page.
Read 3
The chanting grows louder and louder, faster and faster. The echoes of the ritualists' voices are so loud, they're making it difficult to concentrate... or is the foul magic penetrating your mind once again?
Shadows whip across the walls as the torch light flares. The image of the phantom serpent fades in and out faster now until it looks almost tangible. You grasp your head as it pounds in agony and let out a guttural scream of pain. And then... the chanting ceases. The torch light goes black in the blink of an eye.
Silence.
The light from each sconce slowly begins to fade back, and an immense cobra, now flesh and bone, coils menacingly before you. The ritual has been complete. Fear washes over you as the great beast poises to strike.
A cackle of laughter comes from a ritualist garbed in ornate robes, "Behold! Yam-Nafarr, the great champion of Belan'tar, has returned!"
The ritualists fall to their knees in worship of the foul creature. Your body is still reeling from the pain caused by the intense magical energies, but you can't give up now. This is why you came here—to see that this monstrosity doesn't leave this cavern to wreak whatever havoc it has in store for the land.
You brace yourself, grip your weapon, and charge headlong at the beast, bellowing a great war cry!
Special Rules
Remove altar c and replace it with an elite Giant Viper. This is Yam-Nafarr. It has 2xCxH hit points, where H is an elite Giant Viper's regular hit point value. It adds +1 to all of its Moves and Attacks and also adds Wound to all of its Attacks.
Add the other seven Cultist ability cards to their draw deck. From now on (including for the rest of this round), whenever a Cultist would summon a Living Bones, it summons two normal Giant Vipers instead.
When all enemies have been killed, the scenario is complete, and read Conclusion B below.
Conclusion A
The final ritualist slumps to the floor, blood pooling below his body as he coughs. You stand over him, satisfied that it is all finally over.
With a great flash of blinding orange light, the image of the giant serpent flickers and fades from view, and the flaring torches return to normal.
The dying man's eyes glaze over as the life drains from his body, and he speaks his final words: "Fools. You truly believe that you have won the day? You have once again fueled the rage of the order. We are legion, and we will have our revenge. Yam-Nafarr, the great champion of Belan'tar, will rise once again, and there will be nothing you can do to stop it. The Cabal will never die."
Life leaves his body. Gloomhaven is safe, and the ritual halted. This fact is comforting, but you cannot shake the feelings of dread you have from the cultist's final words. Maybe these cabalists are everywhere. Who are they? Are they among us every day, and we are none the wiser? You must never forget and continue to be vigilant, for they may one day return to finish what they started.
Rewards
- 10 experience each
- 1 checkmark each
- +2 reputation
Conclusion B
The great serpent writhes and flails violently around the chamber, blood and venom spraying from its wounds and mouth. You dive to the floor, just barely avoiding the long tail whipping over your head. Eventually, the cobra's death fits slow, and it crashes to the ground with a booming slam that echoes throughout the cultists' temple lair.
The corpse of the immense beast begins to glow with an orange light. It is soft at first, but then grows in intensity. With a blinding flash of light, a spectral form of the war cobra rises from the lifeless husk and circles the room, moving upward toward the ceiling, where it finally fades away.
You hear a cough and gurgle coming from the lead ritualist dying on the stone floor. You approach him with your sword drawn, prepared to deliver a merciful death blow.
He speaks his dying words: "Fools. You truly believe that you have won the day? You have once again fueled the rage of the order. We are legion, and we will have our revenge. Yam-Nafarr will rise once again, and there will be nothing you can do to stop it. The Cabal will never die."
Life leaves his body. Gloomhaven is safe, and the foul beast vanquished. This fact is comforting, but you cannot shake the feelings of dread you have from the cultist's final words. Maybe these cabalists are everywhere. Who are they? Are they among us every day, and we are none the wiser? You must never forget and continue to be vigilant, for they may one day return to finish what they started.
Rewards
- 10 gold each
- 2 "Poison Daggers" (Item 011)
- +1 reputation