Koskatep Level 13: Ixashira, The Dream of Fire

Ashira sleeps and time does not dare to touch her. The most beautiful princess cannot be awakened by the kiss of a man, but only by the willing sacrifice of a woman. Only someone willing to forfeit her life to avenge a great wrong can unleash the Dream of Fire. But if you are a woman, and you are willing to die for your cause, you should ask yourself: do you have the right to change Time itself? Do you have the right to damn millions to save millions? The Dream of Fire will consume you, as it consumed Ashira.

Secret teachings of the Church of Ixion, only known by the High Priest and the Inner Council.

Daughter, beloved, you do not know
How many sacrifices were made
to save this world

Koskatep, Level 13

This level cannot be reached either by mundane or magical means. The only ways to arrive here are through a direct call from Ixion in the temple of Level 10 (see issue #12 of Threshold magazine) or breaking through the beastmen tunnel as explained in Level 11 (see issue #13 of Threshold magazine) or if, eventually, the inhabitants of this level decide to reveal their existence. In this latter case, the beastmen tunnel will be collapsed, and another way to arrive here, magically sealed, will be in area 8 (see below).

The levels of KOSKATEP in past issues of Threshold magazine:

#1: “Mirror of the Eternal Night” (Overview)
#2: “The Debris” (Level 1)
#3: “The Akropolis of Kotesh” (Level 2B)
#4: “The Lower Ruins of Kotesh” (Level 2A)
#5: “Ranesh, a City of Four People” (Level 3)
#6: “Karrast, Dwarven Gold” (Level 4)
#7: “Dark secrets of Ieronyx” (Level 5)
#8: “Shadows of Kundrak” (Level 6)
#9: “Signs of the Universe” (Level 7)
#10: “Mokrath, Serpent Eye” (Level 8)
#11: “Krystallac, Crystal Heart” (Level 9)
#12: “Intitepetl, Gem of the Sun” (Level 10)
#13: “Kalasah, The Black Heart” (Level 11)
#14: “Koskatepetl, The Wasted City” (Level 12)

The text below repeats the original description of this level in issue 1 of Threshold Magazine (Mirror of Eternal Night article). Read on to discover more on this level of Koskatep!

Level THIRTEEN, THE DREAM OF FIRE

It is impossible to reach the Inner Temple of Ixion, except as a consequence of the actions of Hel’s beastmen (see Level 11), or if the Temple is voluntarily opened from below by Ixion’s followers -- which may happen if Quehuar revolts against The Last One or attacks the Darkers before their ceremony in 1031 AC. Attempts to reach the Inner Temple with gates, teleport, or other magical means will fail, even if the PC’s somehow know about it -- note that only a few powerful individuals from the levels above are aware of the Temple’s existence at all and none of them would willingly share this information.
This level is a huge compound dedicated to Ixion, and is home to thousands of people who have chosen to become its guardians over the millennia. There are Sollux, brutemen, Hutaakan and human priests, and warriors living here under the earth from innumerable generations.
Obviously If the PCs have arrived here as enemies they will be fought to the bitter end, but a small group of people will never be able to conquer the temple, as it’s heavily guarded and there are very powerful priests among the guardians. Only an organized army of Hel’s, Nyx’s or Thanatos’ followers could do it, or a large number of fairies and giants. If the PCs arrived here as followers or allies of Ixion, however, they will be welcomed as the temple is preparing to reveal itself to the world and the inhabitants very much need information about the land in which they will emerge - and they could use the PC’s as emissaries and ambassadors to the Karameikan court. The priests will not hide the fact that they guard a powerful artifact, but will not explain the details of its nature and powers.

The secrets: The most sacred place is indeed the Inner Temple. Here is a huge chamber with a crystalline sarcophagus where Ashira, daughter of the Sun, has slept since the dawn of Time with the Dream of Fire. The artifact appears as a bronze box she keeps at her side, with her left hand over it. Several Sollux priests and warriors are always here, guarding her resting place, and the Dream. If the PC’s have managed to arrive here, either by stealth or by violence, Ishan, the highest priest, will not immediately attack them, but will warn them against the dangers of the artifact and will beg them to renounce the idea of using it.
Even if PC’s are able to defeat the guardians, “only someone willing to forfeit her life to avenge a great wrong” will be able to break the sarcophagus. That’s also written on the base of Ashira’s resting place, but in a language so ancient only an Immortal could read it. Only a woman, or a female being of any other race could open the sarcophagus, and only if she is willing to die to avenge a great wrong done to her people. Such a woman would be able to awake Ashira, and the Daughter of the Sun would grant her desire, and literally change the world. Thus, if Lady Sonya of the Darkers ever manages to arrive at The Dream, she would be able to undo the destruction of Taymora. If a Traladaran freedom fighter makes their way here, she would be able to undo the Thyatian invasion. If a Sidhe priestess could do it, she would be able to bring back the Fairy Golden Age, and so on, effectively erasing the existing timeline and supplanting it with another one.
If anyone ever manages to penetrate this far and is ready to awaken Ashira, Ixion himself will appear in his corporeal form of a sollux with burning hair. He cannot prevent the willing sacrifice of someone who wants to awaken his daughter, but he will plead for them not to do it.
“Everyone would like to live forever. Everyone would like his or her family, his or her people, to live forever. This place could do it, it could give eternal life to you and your people. Have not the fairy folk who once ruled the world the right to bring back their days of glory? Have not the massacred Tal people the right to be avenged? Have not the Traladarans the right to be free? And the dragons, the giants, the brutemen, the lizard men? All were once proud and strong people that time devoured and other people conquered and destroyed. They all have the right to return and live forever, but should that happen, the future will never come to be. That is why we guarded this place and that is why we tried to prevent anyone from using its power”.
If the PC’s ignore Ixion’s plea and do it anyway he will not attack them, he will try to integrate the temple into the rest of the world anyway - whatever world it has now become. He will also ask his daughter to come with him, but she will refuse and will decide to remain on the prime plane. PC’s will have to live in a new world and will have to chose whether or not to help Ashira. Ixion will not persecute them. The Dream of Fire will become only a normal bronze box, its power forever expired.

After the Darkers take control, the danger for the temple increases considerably as The Last One has learned of Hel’s plan and would like to use it for his own ends. Ixion and his priests do not know yet about this, but regardless they wish to destroy The Last One, and they will try to do so with the aid of Quehuar’s rebellion. Even if they manage to destroy The Last One before he can enslave Hel’s beastmen, they would still risk a fight on two sides at once -- with Nyx’s followers above and Hel’s beastmen below, which could lead to their defeat. If PCs are not aligned with Hel or Nyx and are willing to help the Church of Ixion, they could be a decisive element in the oncoming struggle for control of Koskatep.
For the DM there are several possible events and consequences to consider: The Last One could be defeated but not killed, and could then hide in Level Twelve. Fairies and giants could intervene in the struggle. And obviously, PCs, or any of the several sides involved in this struggle, could manage to awaken Ashira, using the Dream of Fire to change reality according to their own wishes.

Timeline

In the Dawn of time: Ashira betrays Ixion and creates The Dream of Fire. Ixion cannot bear to destroy his beloved daughter and puts her in stasis along with the powerful artifact she created. A chosen corp of Sollux priests, wizards and warriors is put in charge of guarding the temple. Groups of dragons, giants and fairies discover the existence of the place several times during the millennia, but the Church of Ixion always manages to stop them before The Dream of Fire can become common knowledge.

11000 BC: A bruteman shaman tries to use The Dream but the sollux convince him to stop, and Ahyar and his tribe become additional guardians of the temple.

10000 BC: Oltec men are drawn to the area and begin to worship the place, building a temple above ground. Ixion intends to use them as more guardians, as the existence of The Dream is no longer a secret among Immortals.

[Image: Azcan depiction of Ixion]
Caption. Azcan depiction of Ixion

5100 BC: Precious and semi-precious gems are found in the area and the local people, ancestors of the Azcans, build mines nearby. Slowly the temple becomes a town, and later a city, that falls under the influence of the Oltec empire and is named Koskatepetl, the Gem of the Mountains.

3525 BC: The Azcan empire is formed, and Koskatepetl becomes not only a source of gems but also of metals to build new lethal weapons for the war.

3057 BC: The Azcan emperor declares that the underground, secret temple of Ixion has to be opened to share its secrets with the people. The priests refuse, and destroy the city to seal the temple. A revolt of the Church of Ixion throws the empire into civil war and chaos; the site of Koskatepetl is abandoned and for several years infested by bandits and monsters that try in vain to occupy the place.

2998 BC: Human refugees hide from the Great Rain of Fire in the ruins of Koskatepetl, but are soon slaughtered by a group of beastmen that take residence among the ruins. The inner temple survives the cataclysm and the invasions unscathed. In time the beastmen cover the ruins and create a complex cave system

2504 BC: The Inti, led by the church of Ixion, occupy the ruins and rebuild the city of Koskatepetl. The beastmen who survive the conquest hide in a remote part of the cave and are not detected. The Inti explore briefly Level 12, but realize it is poisonous and abandon Levels 11 and 12, building their new city over them. Only a part of Level 11 is occasionally used as storerooms. Inspired by Hel, the beastmen seal a part of the caves (sublevels 1-4) to hide there.

2379 BC: The Troll Queen of Grondheim conquers the city, renaming it Krystallac. Just a few years later sidhe priests discover the existence of the inner temple of Level 13 and begin a century long negotiation with the sollux and the brutemen below to gain access to the artefact. They communicate through the temple of Ixion in Level 10 and do not settle Level 11. The beastmen thrive in their new hidden cave system.

2282 BC: As the Queen grows impatient about the unwillingness of Ixion to compromise, she sends her best troops to open the temple, digging a magical tunnel from Level 10 to 13. As this affects only the abandoned part of Level 11, the beastmen do not even notice. Inti troops soon attack the place, and Taymora intervenes shortly thereafter. This is the beginning of the War of the Empires, or the Twilight Wars, or the War of Southern Grondheim, that will last decades and will devastate the region. Mogreth intervenes as well a few years later.

2170 BC: Some fairies of Krystallac turn to the Unseelie, and decide to tell Elienor about Ashira’s tomb. The Troll Queen discovers them and exiles them, and manages to scatter the essence of Elienor after a terrible magical battle near the Crystal Lake. But she is gravely wounded by Elienor’s magic, and will never be able to recover. The Crystal Lake is also damaged and its capacity as a portal greatly reduced.

2080 BC: In a time of crisis in Grondheim, due to the Troll Queen’s malady, Taymora and Intua, lizardmen and troglodytes, escaped from Mogreth, occupy Krystallac and keep it for a hundred years. As the lizardmen cannot locate all the portals left by the fairies in Level 9, they try to seal it completely, and likewise they ignore Level 10 and below.

1976 BC: After a long siege Taymora conquers Krystallac and renames it Kosmoteiros. Nyx knows about Ixion’s artefact, but rather than try to steal or destroy it, she decides to exploit the magical aura of the place to build her own, stronger artefact that will bring about the fulfilment of her Dream. The followers of Nyx leave the levels below alone.

1777 BC: To prevent Kosmoteiros from falling into the hands of Thanatos, the priests of Nyx destroy the city with a terrible earthquake. Thousands die and the place is abandoned for many years as seismic activity increases in the area. The earthquake opens the Chasm down to Level 12.

1664 BC: After the destruction of Taymora, fairies of the Unseelie court, former exiles of Krystallac, take possession of the place and try to use the Starlake, but do not discover Ashira’s burial and are not able to reach Elienor until much later. The dark fairies of Kundrak do not reach Level 10 and below.

1597 BC: Lord Keiros, a Tal¹ nosferatu and follower of Nyx, conquers Koskatep from the dark fairies. Vampiric followers of Thanatos attack several times but are defeated. Lord Keiros briefly explores Level 10, 11 and 12, but does not use them.

1412 BC: Hutaakans conquer the site for Ixion and Pflarr; a seriously wounded Lord Keiros is forced to hide, and his followers are exterminated. The Hutaakans slowly explore the levels below, reaching Intitepetl and its mummies, and succeed in communing with them. They explore Level 11 and 12 also but, finding them empty, leave them alone.

1021 BC: Orcs sack Koskatep. Some hutaakan priests survive hiding in the lower levels, and will become more guardians for the hidden temple of Ixion, teleported from the temple in Level 10 by the will of the Immortal.

954 BC: After several battles, a dwarven army defeats the orcs and conquers Koskatep, but they are soon in constant warfare with the gnolls that rule over the region. They do not fully explore the lower levels.

912 BC: The dwarves are finally defeated by the gnolls, who build their own city over the ruins. Shamans of Ranivorus and Thanatos begin to study the Starlake. The Gnolls do not reach Level 10 and below.

841 BC: Followers of Nyx, aided by ogres and giants, attack Koskatep but are unable to conquer it from the gnolls, though they succeed in killing the most powerful shamans of Thanatos in Level 7, and burning their notes.

603 BC: The ogre king Kulfan conquers Koskatep in the name of Nyx; ogres rule over the area for centuries. Human priests of the Lady of the Night live in the city along with them. They have some contacts with Level 8 and 9, and reach Levels 10 and below, but do not use them.

95 AC: The Darkers almost complete the ritual to use the Starlake and bring forth the Eternal Night, but are stopped at the last moment by priests of Ixion, who drive out the ogres and occupy Koskatep for years. The priests of Ixion occupy all the levels down to the 10th, while they briefly explore Levels 11 and 12, soon abandoning them.

227 AC: The priests of Ixion have repelled several attempts by ogres, giants and followers of Nyx trying to reclaim the ruins, but are destroyed at last by a very powerful and ancient vampire sent by Thanatos, The Last One. Some priests of Ixion escape to the lowest level and become defenders of the inner temple, teleported from the temple in Level 10. In the following centuries ogres, giants, followers of Nyx, and even adventurers sent by Ixion try to reclaim Koskatep, but The Last One destroys them all. However, he fails to control completely Level 9 and 10, and so is unable to fully settle the empty Levels 11 and 12 with his minions.

912 AC: Traladaran freedom fighters hide in the ruins for some time, but are destroyed by the Thyatian army. The Thyatians soon leave the place.

998 AC (or later if the DM prefers): Lady Sonya, the Grand Daughter of the Night, a powerful priestess of Nyx, and her followers, are able to defeat The Last One and reclaim Koskatep. The Last One is not destroyed, but escapes to Level 10 with some faithful followers, to plan his revenge. However, Quehuar has his own plan to stab The Last One in the back and destroy the Darkers, too, with the aid of the followers of Ixion in Level 13.

1031 AC: The next alignment. On this date, the Starlake could be used to bring forth The Eternal Night. Shortly before this date at the latest, the beastmen of the hidden level will attack Level 13. If The Last One is still alive and hidden in Level 12, he will stage his final attack at this time. See also “The Battle on this level” paragraph at the bottom of the previous levels of Koskatep in Threshold issue #12 and #13.

Unlike all the above levels, this lever has neither any Random Critters nor Wandering Parties. The Followers of The Last One encounter table of level 1 likewise does not apply and, even after the Darkers take control of Koskatep, no party of them will be encountered in this level. However if this level has been breached by the beastmen tunnel in Level 11 and somehow all the Followers of Ixion have been defeated, any creature or group may be present here.
Spells that provide magical transportation, such as teleport, passwall, dimension door, magic door, travel, gate and spells such as clairvoyance and find the path do not work on this level due to powerful wards² placed by Ixion himself, so it is Immortal level magic that cannot be bypassed nor dispelled, except by the will of the Immortal. His clerics indeed can cast such spells normally while in this level.

The map and the inhabitants of this Level
The area in dark grey on the map is solid stone, impossible to dig due to Immortal level magic, so it does not contain any tunnels dug by critters and wandering monsters. The area in green is covered by low grass as in a well tended garden, while the dark green spots are trees. The area in yellow is a field of clay and sand. The structures in black are the walls of the ancient temple complex, while those in white are the standing buildings, all at least two stories high, and some higher as described below. This level is well lit by a magical light which appears as sunlight, even if there is no apparent sun. There is also a night cycle during which a pale light similar to the light of the moon comes from area 8. There is no access to this level, unless the beastmen of Level 11 have opened an access with their Machine³, near area 4, or the priests of Ixion have decided to open a passage above area 8, (see below). The level is also guarded as described in each area. However PCs aligned with Ixion and transported from Level 10⁴ will appear in the Halls of Purification (area 9, see below), and therefore will not be attacked by the guardians, unless they come as invaders with the beastmen of Level 11 or with The Last One or the Darkers through the beastmen tunnel.

1 - The Garden of Plenty

A great magical garden surrounds the temple complex, lit by the invisible sunny light of the day or by the pale light of the artificial moon above area 8 during the night cycle. The grass is short and well tended, a great number of fruit bearing trees lay around and many animals graze, eating the grass and the fruits. The diversity of fruits and animals is impressive, and even if the cavern is almost 8 km long and 4 km wide (5 x 2.5 miles) it may seem even bigger due to the amount of animal life and vegetation present. The animals include anything from mice to elephants, but only two of any specie are present. Not even the inhabitants of this level and the priests of the temple know if there is really a couple of animals for every species present in Mystara, but they suspect so. The animals have changed over the course of time. The oldest priests recall that there were more reptilian creatures and dinosaurs in the past, while now only a few can be seen.
The priests too often walk among the trees, therefore sollux, brutemen, fairies, hutaakans and humans can be encountered here too, of both sexes and any age. Even the children on this level have some basic training in defending themselves, and often they also know some clerical magic. Many trees of the garden have edible fruits which can be eaten and are eaten both by the animals and by the people.

[Image: The Garden full of animals]
Caption: The Garden full of animals

1 - All the animals, the trees and, if necessary, the priests, are the external guardians of the temple. If invaders, such as the beastmen or the minions of The Last One, come, hundreds of animals, from the smallest to the biggest, will attack them. The trees will also animate, attacking as treants. The garden is truly an army of thousands.
Some trees also have magical properties and bestow magical abilities (as spells, potions or magical objects), and the priests know which ones.

The Darkers will not arrive here unless somehow Ixion and Nyx agree on a temporary truce (see previous levels of Koskatep). Even if they would be able to defeat the Church of Ixion they will not destroy the Garden, nor will they try to occupy the Temple or use the Dream in area 11. The Last One obviously is another matter entirely. Should he be able to use the beastmen tunnel and defeat the many guardians of this level, he will turn this place into a dark sanctuary to Thanatos, and try to use the Dream to his purposes.

2 - The Great Plaza

This area is used by the residents of Ixashira for sports and games. From 10 to 30 people of any race are normally present here, including children, playing any possible sport or game known in the past or the present of Mystara. Obviously all of them will turn into fighting guardians if invaders arrive.

[Image: Statue of Ixion in Thyatian style]
Caption: Statue of Ixion in Thyatian style

2 - The road surrounding the plaza has statues about 2 meters (7 feet) tall. They are crystal, iron, jade, silver, steel, and rock statues that will animate to attack intruders.

Anyone coming here without the permission of the Church of Ixion will have to face the guardians of this area.

3 - The Corral of the Animals

This area is where several brutemen and hutaakans live with their families, in the three three story high buildings around the lake, and where all kinds of domestic animals are kept. This includes fish, turtles and other aquatic creatures in the lake. Some animals at night are kept in fenced areas. The animals are kept both for company, milk, eggs and food. Yet no animal is really killed here. Every now and then, one falls asleep and does not awake, and is gathered for consumption by the people working here. The brutemen and the hutaakans of this area also cover the role of rangers for the garden of this level. Mostly they gather the wild animals which have peacefully died in the garden. The wall around this area is decorated with bas reliefs depicting the Immortal Ixion and the sun. Originally built in ancient times when the temple was not underground, it has been kept and preserved for defensive purposes. All the people living here indeed can fight back any possible intruder and seal the doors to resist a siege. They are also able to control most of the animals here to send them against intruders as well.

3 - The three buildings of this area obviously contain many personal objects, including magical possession and some gems, of the brutemen and hutaakans living here. There is no money of any kind on this level, as the residents have no use for it, but artistic objects in precious metal can be occasionally found.

Should the Darkers arrive here as a conquering force, they will try to capture the residents ( both animals and not) rather than kill them. However, they could also settle for offering them intelligent undeath. Should the Last One attack here he will not be so merciful and will probably try to slay anything living to turn them into undead under his control.

4 - The Secret Passage

In this area, magically concealed and invisible, there is a trapdoor on the ground leading to a cavern. This is a base for exploration of the Shadowdeep below this level. Only the higher ranking priests and warriors of this level know of this location, i.e. many sollux and a few of the other races present. From here they have prepared careful explorations of the nearby territories of the Shadowdeep⁵. The residents of this level have done so in secret and so far they have not been discovered by any creature or people of the Shadowdeep.

4 - Due to a curious coincidence, the tunnel that the beastmen are secretly excavating for the hidden sublevels of level 11 (see Threshold issue #13) will eventually lead them above this area, if successfully completed. So far the residents of level 13 do not know of the tunnel, but Korak, a bruteman warrior tasked with the surveillance of the Shadowdeep cavern, has felt some tremors under the earth, and informed some of the priests. Their investigations could allow the residents of Ixashira to discover Hel’s plot before it happens.

If the beastmen successfully arrive here they will attack area 3 immediately, trying to slay any opposer they may encounter, then they will try to secure the wall to use it as a fortress to prepare another attack against the other walled compound which contains the temple (areas 7-11).

5 - The Wall of Commemoration

This wall was destroyed by the earthquake of 3,057 BC, when the priests of Ixashira destroyed Koskatepetl (see level 12 in previous issue of Threshold) to prevent an invasion of the Azcan emperor’s troops. It has been left down to remind the residents about the danger of trusting outsiders, even supposedly followers of Ixion, who may wish to take control of The Dream for their own purposes. Often residents of any race take a walk here to meditate, so about 10 people can be encountered here during the day cycle, but maybe only a couple or none during the night cycles.

5 - The collapsed wall is not as defenseless as it may seem. A wall of force 500 meters (547 yards) long will spring up to seal the temple compound should it be menaced by any external threat. The wall is an Immortal level spell and cannot be dispelled by mortal magic.

Any invading force will have no luck trying to pass through this area. But they could try and, being unaware of the magical effect, some invaders could be caught inside, separated from their companions and easily dispatched by the defenders of the compound.

6 - The Tower

This is a seven story tall tower that reaches up to the ceiling of the big cavern of Ixashira. The tower is always full of guards and houses one of the main fighting forces of Ixashira. About 200 warriors, 20 priests and 10 wizards are always here, watching Ixashira from above, and ready to rain devastation over any invading force. They belong to any race present in the cavern. The DM may choose what power level to assign them, but the common soldiers should be no less than 5 level warriors and some 30+ level priests and wizards should also be present. Kitlan, a 33 level Azcan warrior, is the commander here. He is proud to be the descendant of a group of Azcan warriors who disobeyed the Emperor’s order to take the Temple of Ixashira by force, more than 4,000 years ago.

6 - There is a treasure trove of magical objects in the tower, mostly military oriented, so magic weapons and armor from a variety of time periods, the occasional wand, and a stockpile of healing items. In the middle levels of the tower there are also the residences of many officers, including their families. Even children in Ixashira are trained in self defense from a very early age, or/and possess magical objects to defend themselves, or are guarded by golems, animated objects or living statues.

Any invading force will have a very hard time neutralizing the Tower, as the defenders will be entrenched here with powerful magic, and will have the advantage of attacking from above.

7 - The Pool

This great pool is a favourite place to rest and relaxation for the residents of Ixashira, and also the home of several nixies who have allied with the church of Ixion many centuries ago, former agents of the Troll Queen of Grondheim who betrayed her when she tried to conquer Ixashira back in 2282 BC.

[Image: The Temple reflected on the Pool during night cycle]
Caption: The Temple reflected on the Pool during night cycle

7 - Inside the pool it is also possible to open gates to the Plane of Water and the Fairy Realms. Only the highest ranking nixies and some powerful priests of the temple know how to do this, and have used the magic of the pool sparingly during the centuries.

If an invading force comes and manages to enter the temple compound, the nixies would choose to hide their presence to stab the enemy in the back at the most favourable time.

8 - The Temple of the Moon

This small temple resemble a very high tower which reaches almost to the ceiling, and is inhabited mostly by hutaakan priests, with some humans. It is a temple dedicated to other Immortals which receive some veneration in the community. The Immortals are those considered allies, or at least not enemies, of Ixion, such as Valerias, Ilsundal, Alphatia, Pflarr, Zirchev. Some of them know what is hidden here in Ixashira, others only that something is hidden there, but they have agreed to support Ixion in keeping the place safe. The temple is also another place from which defenders could attack an invading army from above.
Above the temple, on the ceiling of the cavern, there is a magical silver disk 200 meters (219 yards) wide, which simulates the light of the moon during the night cycles of the cavern.
Phesham, a female hutaakan priest of Pflarr, 32nd level cleric, is the main commander here, and Ictiotl, an Oltec priest of Valerias, 25th level cleric, is her second in command.

[Image: Painting of Valerias and Ixion in Nithian style]
Caption: Painting of Valerias and Ixion in Nithian style

8 - There are magical objects, weapons and armor everywhere in this tower, but each room is defended both by the inhabitants and by constructs that will come to life to fight any intruder entering the tower.
From the upper room of this tower there is also a secret teleporting spot, which can be activated only by words known to Phesham, Ictiotl and some other priests, and by a Moon silver medallion always worn by Phesham. The spot leads to a chamber and a tunnel above the ceiling of the cavern, which leads up almost to the bottom of the Chasm in level 12 (see issue #14 of Threshold and previous issues). These tunnels were partially created in origin by the Troll Queen of Grondheim when she tried to enter Ixashira by magical force, but were maintained by the residents even after she failed, to have a possible connection with the outside world. If Ixion chooses to reveal the existence of this temple to the world, the tunnels will be used by the residents to exit the cavern and by outsiders to come in, but in any case access will be granted only to priests of Ixion, and the medallion will remain the only way to access the passage.

Any invading force will have a hard time conquering this tower just as in area 6. Even if a conquering army wins, they probably will not be able to use the magical spot in the upper floor to access the tunnel, and will instead use the access opened by the beastmen tunnel in area 4 to enter and exit the cavern of Ixashira.
Any invading force will have a hard time conquering this tower just as in area 6. Even if a conquering army wins, they probably will not be able to use the magical spot in the upper floor to access the tunnel, and will instead use the access opened by the beastmen tunnel in area 4 to enter and exit the cavern of Ixashira.

9 - The Halls of Purification

This area was and is the main access to the temple complex, where the pilgrims were supposed to go through four different halls, the first one open to the sky, the other three on the inside, and meditate before accessing the temple grounds. Now the Halls are four stories high, and the upper floors contain mainly the workshops and laboratories the community may need, from artisans to kitchens to production of clothes, tools, magical objects and weapons.
The ground floor is now mostly a sort of market, meeting area and children's playground, but still guarded by soldiers, priests and wizards, at least 30 of them at any time. Edkinar, the commander here, appears as an Oltec warrior in full armor but is in truth a gold dragon. He will revert to his true form, if necessary to defend the temple. Sikanira and Kelisia, his mate and daughter, appear as unremarkable Oltec women, but will likewise return to their dragon forms if the temple grounds are threatened.

[Image: Avenue of Rams at the entrance of the Halls]
Caption: Avenue of Rams at the entrance of the Halls, during night cycle

9 - Many of the statues in the Halls are decorated with precious metals, semi precious stones and gems, but several are also golems and constructs that can be animated to defend the temple. The upper floors also contain all kinds of mundane and magical objects.

Any invading force reaching as far as here will find a nasty surprise in Edkinar and his family, more so as the dragon will collapse the Halls over his enemies if he thinks he cannot contain them, to seal the temple proper and give the defenders more time to resist.

10 - The Hall of the Thousand columns

These two halls are spectacularly decorated with statues and columns. While the ground floor had mostly ceremonial purposes when the temple was built, and is now used mostly as a school and laboratory by the priest, the three upper floors are now the main residential area of the community, with many rooms inhabited by brutemen, Oltecs, sidhe, elves, Blackmoorians, Nithians, hutaakans, Thyatians and Traladarans, the many people which over the centuries entered Ixashira by the will of Ixion to become its residents and defenders. Cain, a 36th level wizard, is the informal community leader here. He is also called “The Blackmoorian” because he descends from some refugees that arrived at the temple just after the Great Rain of Fire. Even if the human communities have intermingled to a certain degree over the centuries, they have mostly tried to maintain their old cultural identities.
There is a smaller, four story building on the left side of this area which is the home of two families of ogres and one family of giants, numbering about 25 people, who have reached the temple in recent centuries. They normally perform any heavy repairs the temple and the cavern may need, and can double as shock troops if needed.

[Image: Statue of Ixion in the Hall]
Caption: Statue of Ixion in the Hall

10 - Hundreds of people live in this area of the temple and most of them are fully capable and willing to fight in defense of the temple, their lives and possession. And in this area too many of the apparently inanimate statues are golem which can attack any invading enemy.

Any invading army will have to face quite a number of opponents here. The Halls of the Columns can also be turned into a deadly trap, as half of them can be collapsed over enemies, should the temple be in serious danger. Cain and his assistants are in possession of a magical rod to activate the trap.

11 - The Great Temple of Ixion

This is the main temple of Ixion, probably the most important sacred place of the Immortal on Mystara, if not in the Multiverse. A gigantic statue of him decorates the southern side, and many more paintings, bas reliefs and statues of archons or ancient priests decorate the rest of the ground floor. Every statue can rise as a golem or a living statue, and every decoration contains a magical effect to harm or kill enemies and intruders. There is an impressive amount of gold and gems in the temple, but any thief would have a hard time taking any of it. The ground floor is exclusively a ceremonial area, and the main priest here is Ashea, a female sollux 36th level cleric. She is not however the most important priest of the temple, as the highest one is the sollux Ishan in the Inner Temple (see below).
Above the ground floor there are four more levels which contain mostly the sollux population and the residences of some high ranking priests of all the other races living in Ixashira. Statues and golems are abundant also in the levels above.

[Image: Painting of Ixion leading the carriage of the Sun]
Caption: Painting of Ixion leading the carriage of the Sun

11 - All the sollux, even most of the children, are able to fight in self defense and possess several magical objects, weapons and armor. Indeed the temple is a treasure trove of clerical magic, but only a very strong invading army could hope to pillage it.
The entrance to the hidden Inner Temple (area 11B below) is concealed under a statue of Ixion on the left wall. The statue moves only if two priests with two different sun medallions touch it and pronounce two different special spells. Ashea and his second, a brutemen named Wak, have now the medallions. Any attempt to steal the medallions or force the priests to reveal the special spell will automatically trigger an alarm throughout the temple. However, the statue will open automatically for a female willing to sacrifice her life to save her people, as told in the prophecy of Ashira (see below). An hostile invader such as The Last One could come to know this with magical intrusion in the minds of the priests, but he would still have to trick a willing female sacrifice to gain access to the Inner Temple. Or he could simply find a way to destroy the statue, but he would need an artifact with Immortal magic to do so.

Any intruders will face a very hard fight here as the number of sollux, priests and constructs here is quite huge, measuring in the hundreds. The DM should adjust the actual number to his or her preference, but anyway war machine rules or any other mass combat rules could be advisable if such an invasion takes place. The sollux and the priests should be treated as an elite unit with a war machine BR above 156.

Here is the most sacred place of the church of Ixion, a huge chamber with a crystalline sarcophagus where Ashira, Daughter of the Sun, has slept since the dawn of Time with the Dream of Fire. The artifact appears as a bronze box she keeps at her side, with her left hand over it. At least 20 sollux priests and warriors are always here, guarding her resting place, and the Dream. If someone manages to arrive here, either by stealth or by violence, Ishan, the highest priest, will not immediately attack them, but will warn them against the dangers of the artifact and will beg them to renounce the idea of using it.
If the intruders do not listen, Ishan and his sollux will fight to the death, as is their duty. There are no statues to animate here, but the sollux have several magical objects and weapons on them.

11B - If an intruder is able to defeat the guardians, “only someone willing to forfeit her life to avenge a great wrong” will be able to break the sarcophagus. That’s also written on the base of Ashira’s resting place, but in a language so ancient only an Immortal could read it. Only a woman, or a female being of any other race could open the sarcophagus, and only if she is willing to die to avenge a great wrong done to her people. Such a woman would be able to awaken Ashira and the Daughter of the Sun would grant her desire. This would literally change the world, effectively erasing the existing timeline and supplanting it with another one in which what went wrong (at least in the perspective of the person sacrificing herself) did not occur.
If anyone ever manages to penetrate this far and is ready to awaken Ashira, Ixion himself will appear in his corporeal form of a sollux with burning hair. He cannot prevent the willing sacrifice of someone who wants to awake his daughter, but he will plead for them not to do it.
“Everyone would like to live forever. Everyone would like his or her family, his or her people, to live forever. This place could do it, it could give eternal life to you and your people. Have not the fairy folk who once ruled the world the right to bring back their days of glory? Have not the massacred Tal people the right to be avenged? Have not the Traladarans the right to be free? And the dragons, the giants, the brutemen, the lizard men? All were once proud and strong people that time devoured and other people conquered and destroyed. They all have the right to return and live forever, but should that happen, the future will never come to be. That is why we guarded this place and that is why we tried to prevent anyone from using its power”.
If the PC’s ignore Ixion’s plea and do it anyway he will not attack them, he will try to integrate the temple into the rest of the world anyway - whatever world it has now become. He will also ask his daughter to come with him, but she will refuse and will decide to remain on the prime plane. PC’s will have to live in a new world and will have to chose whether or not to help Ashira. Ixion will not persecute them. The Dream of Fire will become only a normal bronze box, its power forever expired.

If the Darkers somehow manage to arrive here they will not use The Dream, as they do not consider changing time a justified course of action. They would instead use the Starlake on level 7 to open a permanent gate to Nyx’s home plane. If eventually the priests and followers of Ixion here try to stop them, as it is likely, the Darkers will try to defeat them and will offer them intelligent undeath as per Nyx’s precepts. Even if all the followers of Ixion are killed, defeated or exiled, the Darkers will not destroy this temple, nor they will awaken Ashira.
The Last One will obviously behave very differently as he will try to kill everyone here to turn them into undead under his control. Should he discover the true power of The Dream however he could have serious doubts about continuing his servitude to Thanatos. He may realize that with the Dream, he could undo everything that made him fall. He might be able to convince Louma or Asteria (see area 9 and 10 in Kosmoteiros, level 7, in Threshold issue #9) to turn back the events of 1421 BC, when the The Last One and the other Tal nosferatu dominating ancient Traladara were defeated and massacred by Traladaran crusaders. This could also have unexpected results depending on what Louma or Asteria really believe went wrong, and The Last One might be unable to control the outcome.
Any other powerful female NPC of Koskatep, or any motivated female PC coming this far will be really tempted to sacrifice her life to avenge a great wrong done to her people, creating a new timeline in which her people has not been defeated, but are instead alive and strong. An undead female hutaakan from the levels above could be tempted to undo the gnoll invasion, creating a new timeline in which the hutaakans still dominate Karameikos. An undead female gnoll instead could create a new timeline in which Halav was defeated and a gnoll kingdom dominates Karameikos. Enialee (see level 3 and 6) could try to undo her undeath, unwillingly preventing the conquest of the dark fairy’s city of Kundrak by Lord Keiros in 1597 BC.
Gilas (see area 28 in level 4) could undo the fall of the Glittering Realm of Loktal, making Karameikos and the Five Shires part of a great Dwarven Kingdom. The lizardwoman Shaga (see level 8 in Threshold issue #10) could prevent the fall of Mokrath, leading to a timeline in which Karameikos, and maybe all the southern Known World, is dominated by lizardmen.
Elienor of the dark fairies (see level 6 and 9) will obviously awaken her daughter, thus unraveling most of Mystara’s history, to return to a time in which fairies and chaos dominated the planes. Some of the other fairies in level 6 and 9 may have similar agendas.
The beastmen of level 11 obviously have the use of The Dream as their main purpose, to create a timeline dominated by them and Hel --- maybe one in which the Blackmoor crusades against them failed, the Great Rain of Fire never happened, and they dominate the world.
The followers of Ixion will not use The Dream in any case, and some of the people above (particularly Gilas and Shaga) could eventually decide not to use it, as they would be aware of the extreme consequences. However some followers of Ixion, and even the Immortal himself, could consider awakening Ashira and using The Dream if something goes very wrong, such as a triumph of Thanatos, Hel or Nyx. In this case they would likely use The Dream just to undo such a victory. This outcome would be very ironic for Ashira, who would find herself in a timeline in which the original purpose of her Dream has been effectively defeated. Ixion will still offer her a return to his home plane, but she will refuse to remain on Mystara, maybe allying with her mother Elienor, or perhaps starting her own path to Immortality.

There will be no initial battle on this level, but as explained above and in the previous issues of Threshold, some parties may wish to try to take control of Ashira’s Dream eventually, leading to a great battle that could even involve the Immortals themselves in manifestation form. Even if this does not happen and the Church of Ixion wins, conquering Koskatep fully and making it a public location of the cult, the presence of Ashira’s tomb and its power will still be a secret for most of the world, but some of the Immortals will know it, and they will not stop their plotting to conquer the place, particularly Thanatos, Hel and Nyx. Therefore some years after an eventual victory of Ixion in Koskatep, a new struggle or attack could well take place, with new battles and adventures.

Images

1The name I gave to the Taymoran descended population that lived in Karameikos before the arrival of the Traldars, see my History of Traladara here in the Vaults: http://pandius.com/tralhist.html

2For example a Teleport Ward as the spell created by Robin D. here in the Vaults: http://pandius.com/tprtward.html

3See Level 11 of Koskatep in Threshold issue #13.

4See Level 10 of Koskatep in Threshold issue #12.

5See my articles in the previous issue of Threshold for more details on the creatures and the realms they may have encountered underground.

	[Image: Ashira] Pandora by Dante Gabriele Rossetti, via Wikimedia commons	Source
	[Image: Azcan depiction of Ixion] The Aztec sun god Tonatiuh, from the Codex Telleriano-Remensis (16th century), via Wikimedia commons	Source
	[Image: Map of Ixashira, Level 13] Original cartography by Francesco Defferrari	https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4FkxRFtCZ22M3NuZGlBTzN0Uk0
	[Image: The Levels of Koskatep] Original cartography by Francesco Defferrari	https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4FkxRFtCZ22YXc2bnlsWGlnWjQ/view?usp=sharing
	[Image: The Garden full of animals] Paradise by Jan Brueghel the Younger via Wikimedia commons	Source
	[Image: Statue of Ixion in Thyatian style] Apollo of the Belvedere, Vatican city, Rome, Italy, via Wikimedia commons	Source
	[Image: The Temple reflected in the Pool during night cycle] Karnak temple complex at night © Ad Meskens / Wikimedia Commons	Source
	[Image: Painting of Valerias and Ixion in Nithian style] Hathor and the Pharaoh at the Louvre, via Wikimedia commons	Source
	[Image: Avenue of Rams at the entrance of the Halls] Karnak temple of Amun-Ra, Egypt, at night via Wikimedia commons	Source
	[Image: Statue of Ixion in the Hall] Ramses II statue in Luxor, Egypt, via Wikimedia commons	Source
	[Image: Painting of Ixion leading the carriage of the Sun] Apotheosis of the Medici family by Luca Giordano via Wikimedia commons	Source