A Compilation of all Basic D&D Adventures in Dungeon and Dragon Magazines

Chronological Index (order of organization in the pdf, per bookmarks)

Dungeon #1 (cover)
The Elven Home (#1, 1-4 of 1st-3rd)
The Keep at Koralgesh (#2, 6-8 of 1st-3rd)
The Trouble with Mylvin Wimbly (#5, 6-10 of 1st-3rd)
Tortles of the Purple Sage I (#6, 2-8 of 4th-10th)
Tortles of the Purple Sage II (#7, 2-8 of 4th-10th)
The Djinni's Ring (#9, 1 of 3rd, elf, solo)
The Ghostship Gambit (#9, 4-6 of 3rd-6th)
At the Spottle Parlor (#12, 1-3 of 2nd-4th)
Of Nests and Nations (#13, 3-5 of 8th-12th)
The Wererats of Relfren (#14, 4-8 of 3rd-6th)
In Pursuit of the Slayer (#15, 6-8 of 6th-9th)
Pride of the Sky (#20, 4-6 of 8th-12th)
The Bane of Elfswood (#21, 4-5 of 15th-18th)
Rank Amateurs (#22, 6-8 of 1st-3rd, humanoids)
The Vineyard Vales (#23, 4-6 of 2nd-4th)
In the Dread of Night (#24, 5-8 of 1st-3rd)
Hrothgar's Resting Place (#25, 4-6 of 4th-7th)
Caravan Guards (#26, 6-8 of 6th-8th)
Tarfil's Tomb (#27, 5-7 of 10th-14th)
Manden's Meathooks (#28, 3-6 of 4th-6th)
Night of Fear (#28, 1 of 1st)
Isle of the Abbey (#34, 4-6 of 1st-3rd)
The Fountain of Health (#39, 4-6 of 1st)
A Way with Words (#41, 3-6 of 1st-3rd)
Ransom (#42, 4-7 of 3rd-5th)
The Hand of Al-Djamal (#44, 4-6 of 9th-12th)
Dovedale (#46, 2-3 of 1st-3rd)
Them Apples (#48, 4-8 of 1st-3rd)
The Object of Desire (#50, 4-6 of 5th-8th)
The Witch of Windcrag (#51, 4-6 of 2nd-3rd)
Elexa's Endeavor (#53, 4-6 of 4th-7th)
Redcap's Rampage (#54, 2-5 of 1st-3rd)
Voyage of the Crimpshrine (#59, 4-6 of 3rd-5th, AD&D Mystara)
The Creature of Rhyl (Dragon #55, 2-6 of 1st-3rd)
The Sword of Justice (Dragon #92, 4-6 of 1st-2nd)

A Compilation of all Basic D&D Adventures in Dungeon and Dragon Magazines

Index by Party Level
Night of Fear (#28, 1 of 1st)
The Djinni's Ring (#9, 1 of 3rd, elf, solo)
The Fountain of Health (#39, 4-6 of 1st)
The Sword of Justice (Dragon #92, 4-6 of 1st-2nd)
The Elven Home (#1, 1-4 of 1st-3rd)
Dovedale (#46, 2-3 of 1st-3rd)
Redcap's Rampage (#54, 2-5 of 1st-3rd)
The Creature of Rhyl (Dragon #55, 2-6 of 1st-3rd)
A Way with Words (#41, 3-6 of 1st-3rd)
Isle of the Abbey (#34, 4-6 of 1st-3rd)
Them Apples (#48, 4-8 of 1st-3rd)
In the Dread of Night (#24, 5-8 of 1st-3rd)
The Keep at Koralgesh (#2, 6-8 of 1st-3rd)
Rank Amateurs (#22, 6-8 of 1st-3rd, humanoids)
The Trouble with Mylvin Wimbly (#5, 6-10 of 1st-3rd)
The Witch of Windcrag (#51, 4-6 of 2nd-3rd)
At the Spottle Parlor (#12, 1-3 of 2nd-4th)
The Vineyard Vales (#23, 4-6 of 2nd-4th)
Voyage of the Crimpshrine (#59, 4-6 of 3rd-5th, AD&D Mystara)
Ransom (#42, 4-7 of 3rd-5th)
The Ghostship Gambit (#9, 4-6 of 3rd-6th)
The Wererats of Relfren (#14, 4-8 of 3rd-6th)
Manden's Meathooks (#28, 3-6 of 4th-6th)
Hrothgar's Resting Place (#25, 4-6 of 4th-7th)
Elexa's Endeavor (#53, 4-6 of 4th-7th)
Tortles of the Purple Sage I (#6, 2-8 of 4th-10th)
Tortles of the Purple Sage II (#7, 2-8 of 4th-10th)
The Object of Desire (#50, 4-6 of 5th-8th)
Caravan Guards (#26, 6-8 of 6th-8th)
In Pursuit of the Slayer (#15, 6-8 of 6th-9th)
Of Nests and Nations (#13, 3-5 of 8th-12th)
Pride of the Sky (#20, 4-6 of 8th-12th)
The Hand of Al-Djamal (#44, 4-6 of 9th-12th)
Tarfil's Tomb (#27, 5-7 of 10th-14th)
The Bane of Elfswood (#21, 4-5 of 15th-18th)

The following Basic D&D adventure

can be inserted into any campaign in
which characters travel through wilderness areas. The adventure can also be
played as a short session. It is best
suited for 1-4 characters of 1st-3rd level,
though it can be used as a side trip for
most any level to relieve the boredom of
a journey through the wilderness.
The adventure starts as the party is
traveling off-road through forested hills
in the early afternoon. The Dungeon
Master should read the boxed text to
the players or paraphrase it as desired.

The Elven Home

As your party rounds a bend, you see
a strange cluster of unusually large
trees on the side of a low hill. Huge,
green leaves extend from gnarled,
gray branches, and the tree trunks
are almost half again as wide and
tall as surrounding trees. A bed of
fine grass dotted with fallen leaves
carpets the hillside, and a wisp of
smoke floats on the wind. From
somewhere ahead come the sounds of
shrill screams and splashing water.

THE ELVEN
HOME
BY ANNE GRAY MCCREADY

A Basic D&D
Wildress
Scenario

38 Issue No. 1

Regardless of what the player characters may think at first, they have actually stumbled across a secluded elven
home in the wilderness. Nothing is
wrong; the sounds come from a group of
young elves playing in a nearby pond. If
the party investigates the noises, go to
the section below on the bubbling pool.
If the party investigates the hill, it first
finds a narrow path that circles the base
of the hill and leads to the source of the
wispy smoke.
Following the rough dirt path that
leads around the hill, your party
finds a clear, cold stream, shallow
and easily fordable. The stream flows
from a source within the hill, exiting
beneath one huge trees roots. The
smoke among the trees emanates
from an hole in the ground up the
slope from that particular tree.
The stream does not initially seem
unusual, except that it flows from
beneath the large tree. However, if the
player characters watch the stream for
longer than a round, they notice that
large bubbles are carried along in the
running water. The bubbles constantly
pop with a fizzing noise.
The bubbles are filled with a gas

THE ELVEN HOME

which mixes with the water at its

source, deep within the hill. Called
energy gas by the elves who live in
this area, the gas causes anyone who
breathes it to instantly feel a surge of
cool adrenaline rush through his body.
The elves have learned to capture bubbles in tightly woven, cloth sacks kept
in the water; they then breathe the air
trapped in the sacks. The elves, who
live in a hollowed-out section of the hill
beneath the characters feet, also benefit from the gas as the underground
stream surfaces in the middle of their
home, giving them a constant supply of
the gas. The elves cannot control the
supply of gas and do not know where it
comes from within the hill.
The gas affects anyone who breathes
it, giving him extra energy and vitality.
One deep breath of gas adds 1-4 hit
points to the sniffers own hit points and
one point to his strength. This effect
only lasts for five rounds once the character stops breathing the gas. A character can temporarily gain more hit points
than his normal amount in this manner,
but strength scores cannot exceed 18.
Characters can attempt to bag some of
the bubbles, as noted above, but the gas
becomes dispersed in the air and ineffective after two turns.
Vegetation growing around the source
of the stream has also been affected by
the gas, which is captured by the roots
of the trees and causes them to grow
extremely large. As noted below, the
tree over the source of the stream is not
a true tree at all, but a treant (which is
aware of the party and is remaining
motionless and quiet).
If the characters investigate the
source of the smoke, they find a circular,
1-diameter opening in the ground. The
smoke prevents them from seeing down
the hole. Any character with infravision
can see a fire burning at the bottom of
the shaft. If the characters pour several
gallons of water down the hole, read. the
following:
As the smoke subsides, your party
can easily see down the hole to an
open area about 5-6 below. Immediately beneath the hole is a pile of
half-burned logs and ashes contained
in a black pot. Beside the pot is a
smaller black pot filled with liquid,
If the party searches the top of the hill
for an entrance, read the following:

Your party finds no door on the top of

the hill, but you do discover a clear
slab of glasslike material embedded
in the hill near the smoking hole.
The slab is approximately 3 x 6.
Through this substance, you can see
that a dwelling of some sort lies
beneath, the hillside, The dwelling is
lit by natural light (through the
ceiling glass). Thick, grayish candles
can be seen scattered throughout the
room; none of them are lit at
present.
On one side of the room is a small,
smooth, pale wood table surrounded
by three chairs. The chairs are beautifully crafted, apparently made from
the same wood as the table. Near the
fire pot is a fourth chair. In the
southeastern corner of the room, next
to the table, is a large, curved cabinet carved of the same pale wood.
Both cabinet doors are closed.
The other side of the room is hidden by a heavy blanket that appears
to serve as a room divider. The ceiling is covered by a network of
exposed roots from the trees above.
Near the curtain is a pile of firewood
and a table on which rest several
bowls of dark liquid, berries, and
edible leaves and roots.
A grass mat sits along the wall
near the stream. Next to the mat is a
pair of small, worn, leather shoes.
The floor is covered with a larger,
round grass mat that nearly reaches
the walls. A strip of the mat is cut
away where a spring bubbles up from
the earth and runs through a hole in
the wall near the shoes. A pile of
cloth sacks lies by the spring.
If the characters attempt to enter the
dwelling by chipping away at the glass,
they discover the material is extremely,
hard in fact, it has the consistency of
steel and cannot be penetrated by ordinary weapons or strength. In addition,
the party will be automatically surprised by a treant who attacks under
the assumption that the characters are
thieves which may, of course, be true
enough). The treant is the tree standing over the source of the stream,
slightly downslope from the skylight.
As you strike the glass for the first
time, the ground rumbles slightly.
Before you can react, a flurry of leaves
and branches descends upon you.

The treant has exceptional powers

from its long exposure to the gas in the
stream; if the treant moves away from
the area for longer than half an hour,
all of its heightened scores drop to the
given lower levels. The higher levels
are received once the treant returns,
plants itself again, and waits for a full
day (one treant: AC 2; HD 8; hp 45 (64
with gas); #AT 2 branches; Dmg 2-12/212 (3-18/3-18 with gas); MV 60'; Save
F8; ML 9; AL L).
The treant first only tries to push
characters away from the glass pane,
doing 1-6/1-6 hp damage to anyone it
strikes. It does this reduced damage
only if no one strikes back at it or displays fire. If attacked with weapons, the
treant fights back at full power, but it
wont leave the area unless attacked
with fire.
The treant has no treasure. If the
characters manage to escape the creature, it does not pursue them off the
hill. The treant is an old friend of the
elves and all of them enjoy the benefits
of the unusual local gas supply.
The characters may also try to find
the door which is on the westside of the
hill. A root extends from the dirt to
serve as a door handle. The door itself
requires a check to locate concealed
doors because it is cleverly disguised to
blend into the grassy hillside. It is
almost invisible from the outside except
for a hairline break in the grounds
surface surrounding the door.
The sod-covered door slants back with
the natural shape of the hill, and, when
open, is only 5 high. The ceiling inside
is only 5 high in most places. Roots
in the ceiling curl down into the room
and snake back into the ground.
If the characters manage to find the
door and enter (the door is never
locked), they see the same room as was
viewed through the skylight.
The air inside the small home is
thick with wood smoke and the smell
of damp earth. A natural spring
bubbles out of the ground into a
small pool beside the door, giving off
a fresh, misty odor that fills the air.
The air also has a peculiar cool tinge
to it that is hard to identify; it seems
to make one feel better just by
breathing it.
Anyone breathing the air in the room
for longer than one round receives all
the benefits of the gas but the DM
DUNGEON 39

THE ELVEN HOME

should not tell the characters this.

Instead, he should secretly note any
changes to player character attributes
and apply them as necessary.
Behind the curtain are two sets of
rope hammocks, one pair above the
other, on either end of the room.
They are supported by knobby
wooden poles which are anchored in
the ground and the ceiling. A small,
folded blanket lies in the center of
each hammock, and a silver dagger
(worth 20 gp) is hidden within each
blanket.

The liquid in the pot by the smoldering fire is about enough to fill a
wine skin. The liquid is dark and
looks thick.
The curved doors of the cabinet are
plain except for a small carved border around the edge of each door.
Handles are carved into the doors at
the center of the piece.
The hammocks are what they appear
to be simply the place where the elves
sleep. The liquid in the pot by the tire is
a special elf brew. The sweet, dark liquid, no stronger than beer, has no magi-

cal properties. The elves brew small

pots of it at a time using various berries
from nearby bushes. Although the brew
has little effect on human characters,
elves-are greatly effected by even small
amounts (-2 to hit for 1-4 hours as a
result of drinking a mug of the stuff).
Inside the cabinet, the characters can
find the usual array of blankets, eating
and writing utensils, and other small
personal belongings. Four spell books,
containing all spells used by the elves
who live here (as given below), are kept
beneath the false bottom of the cabinet
(a roll to detect secret doors is required
to find it). Note that each spell book has
the spell read magic in addition to all
other spells.
Behind a pile of blankets is a vase
about 1 high. Its white surface is
cracked and aged. Circling the vase are
these words etched into its surface.
When day is night
And night is day
The sun and moon
Shall pass this way.
The elves dont know what the writing means. The vase has been passed
down through the generations for ages;
during that time, the meaning of the
words was lost. The elves think that the
vase was used in some ancient elven
ritual. If the characters take the vase
out of the elves home, it changes color
as soon as bright sunlight or moonlight
hits it. The elves will trade the vase
away, but theyll accept no less than 100
gp or another item of similar value.
If characters trade for the vase or
steal it, they discover that it changes
color each day in natural light. The
light of a fire or magical light causes
the vase to become white again. The
characters will discover that the vase
changes color in regular manner, with a
different color each day for seven days
(red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet,
black) before it begins the color rotation
again. Intelligent characters soon discover that they can tell the day of the
week by the color of the vase. The words
engraved into the surface of the vase
remain visible through each color
change. A typical merchant will buy the
vase for 40-240 gp.
Buried in the earth beneath the small
square mat is a leather pouch with 39
gp, 115 sp, and six gems, each worth 20
gp. No other coins or gems are in the
elven home.

40 Issue No. 1

THE ELVEN HOME

The Bubbling Pool

Characters who head for the source of
the shrieks and splashing water soon
come across the following scene:
The stream winds its way around a
low tree-covered hill for about 80
yards. The shrieks grow louder with
every step, when suddenly you find
yourselves upon a clear pool of water
about 80 across. Splashing about the
water are two young elves. Suddenly,
from a tree by the pond, another
young elf jumps in the water, almost
on top of the other two.
If the characters have not yet
observed the bubbles in the stream,
they do so as they watch the elves. The
bubbles which have not surfaced now
burst in the pond with a soft popping
sound.
The elves are surprised on a roll of 14, unless the characters have made a
great deal of noise around the underground home or while approaching the
pond. If not surprised and if the party
hasnt yet arrived at the pond, the elves
flee into the woods, heading for a
friends home a mile away.
The elves eventually notice the characters watching them if the party simply stands there. They are momentarily
frightened, but if the party takes no
threatening actions, the elves smile and
wave shyly, crouching down in the
water so only their heads show. If the
party contains elves and seems friendly
enough, the swimming elves can be
talked out of the water and will introduce themselves as Derrim (male), Atlee
(female), and Yanna (female). Though
the elves wont mention this, a fourth,
Repo (male), is off retrieving a digging
tool that other elves have borrowed.
Their statistics (heightened by exposure
to energy gas in the pool) are:
Derrim: AC 7; MV 120 (40); E2; hp 8
(12 from gas); #AT 1; Dmg 1-4 (dagger)
+ 2 (from gas); S 15 (16), I 10, W 11, D
17, C 12, CH 12; AL L; dagger; detect
magic, magic missile
Atlee: AC 8; MV 120 (40); E3; hp 12
(15 from gas); #AT 1; Dmg 1-4 (dagger)
+ 1 (from gas); S 12 (13), I 15, W 6, D
14, C 11, CH 14; AL L; dagger; charm
person, sleep, ESP
Yanna: AC 6; MV 120 (40); El; hp 4
(7 from gas); #AT 1; Dmg 1-4 (dagger); S
9 (10), 19, W 16, D 18, C 13, CH 10; AL
N; dagger; shield, sleep

Repo (not present): AC 6; MV 120

(40); E3; hp 14; #AT; Dmg 1-8 (longsword) + 3; S: 18, I 13, W 11, D 14, C
13, CH 12; AL L; long sword, leather
armor; light, magic missile, invisibility
As few monsters have ever been seen
in this part of the country, few weapons
are carried or used. Repo carries his
sword to impress his friends, but he
knows how to use it, too. Repo will
return to the elven home at sunset,
using his invisibility spell to surprise
his friends (and the player characters
if they are still around).
If the player character party appears
hostile, the elves are not as vulnerable
as they may appear. Aside from their
spells, a number of sharp metal daggers
(8) have been left on the bottom of the
clear pond, and these may be retrieved,
two at a time, in a single round by each
elf. The daggers are balanced for throwing. The elves can also dive underwater
for a full round each. A small underwater cave exists, only 10 square with a
4 ceiling, near the southern edge of the
pond; the elves will flee to the cave,
which has a large air pocket continually
freshened by the oxygenated gas in the
water, and will remain there for as long
as necessary to escape attackers.
If the elves are treated well, they offer
to take their guests to their underground home, of which they are quite
proud. If the characters decline the
elves offer, the small beings become
rather offended, saying, See if we are
nice to the likes of your kind again! We
get so few visitors as it is, and they
have to be so haughty! If the characters accept the offer, the elves talk
almost continuously. The characters can
hardly squeeze in a single word. The
elves are so pleased to have visitors,
they forget their manners and monopolize the conversation.
The elves explain that years ago, their
ancestors settled here because of the
great beauty of the setting. Through the
years, however, it has become slightly
less attractive to the elves (the trees
have grown gnarled, the stream has
become smaller aesthetic concerns
that are of great importance to these
beings). They have sent out expeditions
of elves to search for a more suitable
place to live, but have found nothing to
their liking so far. The elves reveal that
there are several other elf dwellings in
the area, but decline to identify the
others homes in order to preserve their
privacy.

If the characters try to cut the conversation off before an hour has passed, the
elves again become upset at the characters rudeness. Only after an hour are
the characters able to politely excuse
themselves. The elves offer to let them
spend the night with them but are not
offended if the character refuse.
If the party has previously ransacked
the elven home, the elves will be
greatly angered and will demand the
return of all stolen items (and are willing to fight to get them back, unless the
party is obviously too dangerous to deal
with). If the party has entered the elven
home but has not harmed anything, the
elves wont mind at all (Everyone
drops in.).
About two hours after the party
arrives on the scene, a number of
stirges fly past the area in search of
nourishment i.e., live beings like
elves and humans. The stirges attack at
once, but may be detected (with a surprise roll) before they are upon the
party (three stirges: AC 7; HD 1; hp 7,
7; 6; #AT 1;,Dmg 1-3; MV 30 (10)/ 180
(60); Save F2; ML 9; AL N).
If the party helps the elves fight off
the stirges, the elves will be the partys
friends for years to come. The elves are
not crass enough to actually offer material rewards for their safety, but may be
more than willing to offer free room and
board for several days as a result.

Future events
Depending upon the partys conduct in
this brief encounter, a number of future
adventures and scenarios may be constructed. The theft of materials or the
destruction of the elves property may
bring retribution as the elves (including
the absent Repo) track down the guilty
parties involved. Player character elves
may, at some future date, wish to settle
down in this area and construct homes
of their own. The mystery of the colorful
vases origins and purpose remain to be
resolved which could lead to a higherlevel task later in the campaign.

DUNGEON 41

Robert Oioc om orn ana J on atha n S immnnw are teachers {or talented and gifted
children in K dleen, Texas uheir slud f:lIls
in tr oduced them to ( em /a llY ~a mi ng).
Both r'{ them enjoy a variety of{il>hing
and IW lllinH spur!s, both reed S F and
funtas;rstories, (/ 1/11 both collect m iniature fig urE's, Robert is married and ha!!
tw o ki lls, twa dURs, WId ru-e python s:
J onatha n has only Olll' dog. apt ly 110 m I' l l
Gobl in.
Th e Keep at Ko ralg esh is a Basic D & D~
game ad vent ure for 68 player ch aract ers of Ist-Srd level . Th is dungeon is a
d ifficult adventur e for a pa rty made up
only of Let-level cha ra cte rs. Since this
d un geon is not intended few a party
made up solely of players new t o th e
DUXGEONS & DRA GONS'" ga me
syste m. it is re com men ded tha t at least
t wo or three PCf; in the party should be
a bove l st level in ex perience. Note t he
ma ppi ng s ugge sti ons in " The S hrine of
Kor" if pla cing thi s adv enture in a
la rge r ca mpa ig n.

For the Dun geon Master

THE KEEP

AT

KORALGESH
BY RO BERT B. G IACO M eZZI AN D
JONATHA N H. SIM MONS

Buried in fire,
but hardly
dead
Artwo rk by Ma rk Ne lson
CartOgfOphy by Diesel

Followi ng are some hi nts to t he OM to

height en the in ter est of the players . ;';-0
informa tion should be si mply given to
the p layer cha racters IPCs). Knowledge
s hou ld he ea rned by exper ience. As an
exa mple, if a PC picks up a ma gic
sword, t he D~l should not infor m t he
character t hat it gives a + 1 to hit and
da ma ge. Let the PC lin d that out for
h imsel f in the next me lee. It is a lso
re com mended t ha t t he OM ha ve a lis t of
the PCs' a tt r-i butes and make ull necessary sa ving throws for the PCs, infor ming t hem of any obvious effects.
Lik ewise, th e DM shou ld describ e t he
mons ter.'! encoun tere d - not just nam e
them. For inst ance, a hu man lighter if;
attacked by a h ideous, boesrltke hu man
(ghou l) and takes 3 hp damage. The DM
sh ould make th e lighter's sa vi ng throw
VB. pa ralyzat ion a nd inform him of any
negutive resu lts.
The OM should also keep t he pe s
infor med of t hose factors in t he environment t ha t wou ld he read ily a va ila ble to
t he se nses. such a s noises, sme lls, etc.
Some obvious playe r act ions shou ld be
te mpered with ap pro pr-i ate sa ving
th rows . For ex a mple, any foolhardy
ac ti on, s uch as lea pi ng ac ross a lava
fiss ure with no a ids 01' safety ro pe,
shou ld requir e th e PC to roll his dex terity or less on 3d6 to avoid a fatal fall .

DUNGEON

45

TH EKEEP ATKORAl GESH

The DM should use his imagin at ion t o

picture t he possib le results of player
actions, and take the necessary steps to
help curb foolish acts.
Not e th at the statistics for hit dice of
monster s ma y have asterisks (*) beside
them. Th e presence of an as terisk indi-

cates t he monster has one OT more special abilities, as noted in t he Du nge on

Masters Rulebook for the Basic D&D

ga me.
Infor ma ti on a va ilable to pl a yer char-

acters is enclosed in boxes; the infor matio n follo wing th e boxed materi a l is for
t he DM's use in play ing this modu le.

Ad ven ture Ba ckg rou nd

The leg e nd of Kora lgesh is k nown by
ma ny, but few re me mber its da ys of
glory. Pr ior to the adve nt ure. the OM
sh ould fam ili arize th e players with the
following story, as it is comm on knowledge in the area arou nd the Mou nta ins
of Gesh .
No t e: Koralgesh was destroyed 62
years prior to the start of t his adve nture, bu t it ha s al ready faded into leg
end and myth in t he su rroundi ng areas.
Th e Dl\1 should avoi d giving ex act dates
for its destruction, but the PCs sh ould
eve ntu ally piece together the date of the
Helm's Peak blast.

As ships sa iling towards the r ising

sun crossed over the dark waters of
t he Western Sea, their crews viewed
with awe the appearance of a great
white fortress em bedded like a brigh t
jewel in the dark rocks of the coast of
Oes b. As t he ships approached the
Keep , the sh ining city of Kor algcsh
slowly came into view over the bonzon. Kora lgesh see med a solace ,
granting" sa fe ha rbo r to a ll who
sailed withi n.
K oralgesh seemed to be t ruly
bless ed by her patron Im mort al, Kor
the Su n K ing, for t he city was a
legend amo ng t he seaports of the
Wester n Sea. Her riches were u ncounted. her merchant fleet swift ,
and her harbor nearly invulnera ble
t o storm or enemy. In addition, t he
great Keep t hat overlooked t he barbor had more t han once repelled
attacks by pirates foolish enough to
come within range of its cat apults
and ot her engines of war.
It is said that the stone blocks of
t he Kee p it self were cut from the
granite wa lls of t he Wh ite Moun -

46 Issue No.2

tains and tra nsported to Kora lgesh

by the dwar ves of that land. Thei r
ski ll in stonecraft had no equal, a nd
t hey built the Keep into the very face
ofthe great mountain called Helm 's
Pea k , that tow ere d like an Immort al
itself over the ha rbor.
All went well for Kora lgesh for
many years . Her fa me as a seaport
spread th roughout t he land, a nd her
riches grew ever la rger. Her very
streets were paved in gold, and no
citizen wit hin he r wa lls k new sorrow
or loss .
Th en came the ill-fated day of the
summer solstice when t he face of Kor
s hone ac ros s t he land in tr iump h
over t he da rkness t hat was Tram, a
chaotic Im morta l who opposed hi m.
Upo n th is day, a vast pirate fleet that
followed Tram's way some how
breached the defenses of Koralgesh
a nd attacked in the m idst of the
celebration of Kor. Mag ica l fir e and
deat h were brought with them, a nd
ma ny of the city 's inhabitants died
without drawing arms. The K ing of
Kore dgesh rallied his t roops, and
they foug ht the invaders in desperation; ma ny heroic deeds were done,
but to no avail. The defender s of
Koralgesh sold their lives at great
cost to their enemies un til all in the
city wer e sla in or had fled , save for
those defenders in the Keep abov e
the city.
What happened next is only conjecture. It is believed that the last defen ders of t he city appealed to the
Immor ta l Kor hi mselffor vengeance.
If this wa s so, t hen Kor heard the
pleas. A deep r umbling sounded
throug h the whole of Helm 's Pea k
Mounta in. For the first ti me in the
memory of man, Helm's Pea k voiced
it s rage. With a ru sh ing wind , great
fissures opened in the side of the
mount ain . Smo ke, lava, and choking
as h ra in ed down upon the city. With
a treme ndou s blast , the side of
Helm's Pea k below the Keep bu rst
out, burying t he ru ined city in fire
and a sh . Glowing rivers of lava
wou nd t heir way to the rolli ng sea to
send great vaporous mou nt ains tow.
ering into the sky. F inally, t he mou n t a in sli d back into silence. Lava
cont in ued its winding path to the sea
and Koral gesh , jewel of the Wester n
Sea. was no more - and the pirates
who captured that jewel were no
more as well .

Sailor s of t he Western Sea sti ll

claim to catch occasional gli mpse s of
the Keep in t he mist s, hi gh on
Helm 's Pe ak , but none venture near
the treacherous waters below it ,
wh ich boil and steam with Kor 's
wrat h to this dav. Wh at secrets t he
Keep holds , it h~lds to itself alone.

Sfarting the Ad venture

The adve nturers meet in the town of
Vinyard, located in the footh ills of the
Mounta ins of Oesh. H ere they rest,
relax, a nd sample some of the vintage
win es produced by Vinyard's wine mas te rs. St rangers a re a luxury, and the
tow nspeople are eager to goss ip.
The Tavern of the Golden Vine is the
town 's m ain sourc e of entertainment
and lodgings. Here, t he adventurers
have the opportunity t o question some
of the townspeople and hopefully gain
inform at ion about the mounting ru mors
that the Keep is still intact. The in nkeeper is named F la nn {AC 3; F3; hp 19;
MV 120' (40'); NAT 1; Dm g by weapon
type (see below); Save F3; ML 11 ; AL L;
S 17, 112 . W 8, D 16, C 9, CH 14). F lan n
is a ret ired figh ter and wears fine cha in
m ai l under his tunic. He keeps a mace
+ 1 under the bar and always wears a
dagger. He is a jovial man but won 't
a bide brawls in his tavern. F la nn al so
know s the lege nd of Kor algesh and
rum ors 19 and 20 (se e " Ru mors of
Koralgeah "), plus one of the DM's
choice . If F la nn is questioned. about
Koralgesh, he m ust be convinced of t he
party's in t egr ity before he mentions his
frie nd , Stump , the town's black smit h.
Stum p fAC 4; D3; hp 25; MV 30 ' nO');
NAT 1; Dm g by w ea pon type (see below);
Sa ve D3; fI.! L 11; AI.. N; S 18, 1 10, W 11,
D 14, C 16. ell 7) ca n be found at his
shop during the day, but is al wavs at
the Golden Vine in t he eve nings. He
has been kn own to drink to excess and,
whe n in this befud dled state, to challenge other patrons of t he tavern to a
game of darts. If he loses, he becomes
sull en and refuse s to talk to his opponent . The only way to rega in h is favor
is to se t him up with another mug of ale
and lose t he next match . St um p is a
dwarf who wears leather armor and has
a wooden right leg, the original having
been lost to a dra gon . He al ways carrie s
h is blacksmith 's hammer (t reat as a war
hammer ) a nd regards F la nn as one of
his only friends.
Stump's fa the r, Bandu ron , was t he

TH EKE EP ATKORALGESH

blacksmith to the King of Kor ulgesh ,

and Stump won 't hesitate to brag about
it if he has had too much to drink. He
only agrees to tell the party how to get
into the Keep of Koralgesh if they
swear to bring h im the gr eat ha mmer of
his father in r eturn (see area 10. Level
Two). He wears an amulet in the sha pe
of a coin that was give n him by his
father; the amulet has a picture of t he
Shrin e of KaT (se e below) on one side
and bears the follow in g inscri pti on on
its back:

In valley east ofgreat Helm 's Peak,

if Koralg esh is what you seek,
S ta nd close an d face th e Shrine ofKar
ifyo u would find the only door
In m orn ing light of longest day
ifKor wou ld send you on yo ur way:
Int erestingly enough. the summe r
solsti ce (the longest day of the year) is
only a week away, as Stu mp points out
to t he PCs. St um p has n ot visited the
Shrine in many years, howe ver, and he
has never looked for or foun d the "only
door: '

Rumo rs 01 Kor al g esh

If the PCs make an effort to lea rn more
about Koralgesh, t he DM may roll Id20
for one or more r umors per individual,
depending upon the size of the pa rty.
Duplication is allowed only when a ll
choic es ha ve been exhaust ed . Th e DM is
fr ee to add more rumors or de lete from
the provided one s.
1. A horri ble cr ea t ure has been prey in g upon t he cr ews of shi ps tha t vent ure
too close to the m ists aro und Helm's
Peak . It is called a tyrannabyss (ty RAN
a biej, the t error fro m the deep. (True)
2. Th e K in g of Kor al gesh is sa id to
h ave kept a great dra gon for h is prot eetion. (Almost true; see area 15, Level
Three , fir st floor )
3. Th e Kee p is haunted by its dead .
(Tr ue )
4 . It is sai d t hat anyone wh o stands in
the li ght of the su n in the Tem ple of Kor
will be cured of all illnesse s. (Genera lly
true; see area 45 , Level Th ree)
5. Foul creatu res have taken up reel.
dcnce in the Keep. CI'rue)
6. Th e streets of Koralgesh were
pa ved in gold. (False )
7. Ships that h ave entered the m ist s of
Helm 's Peak have never been seen
again . <Unrelated; small, volca nic-type
eruptions and sha rp rock s have claimed
a few )

8. An army of orcs has sworn al legiance to an evil wizard in the rui ns of

th e city. (Fa lse)
9. Th e Shri ne of Kor still overlooks
the valley east of Helm 's Pea k. (Tr ue,
bu t no one goes nea r it now)
10. Sheep have bee n lost in the Mountains of Gesh, and only th eir partially
devoured remains h ave been foun d.
(Unrelated; predator s abo und here )
t r . Helm 's Peak is cursed by the Immortals. (False; it is m erely a dormant
volcano)
12. Three she phe rds hav e gone in
search of st rays s nd nev er returned.
(U nrelated: se e rumor 110
13. A r aving sailor was fou nd adrift at
sea, claiming he had been to a great
fortress in the mi st s. He found three
pearls the size of robi n's eggs before he
wa s dr iven off by a grea t sl uglike beast.
(True, but the sa ilor is dead now)
14 . No one visits the valley of Kor
because she pherds hav e see n a huge
sh adowy creature prowli ng there on
moonlit n ights. (F alse; someo ne made
up this story for fun)
15. Bright li gh ts ca n be seen at the
top of H elm's Peak, at which time
strange creatur es appear in t he ai r
around the crest of the mountain.
(Fa lse; someo ne h ad a drun ken visio n)
16. He who find s th e Sh ield of Kor,
lost in t he Keep, become s in vincible in
battle. (F alse; no such item exis ts,
though magica l sh iel ds exist in t he
Keep)
17. A dragon beari ng t he ma r k of Kor
is said t o dwell in the Mou nta ins of
Oesh. The bea st is said to judge a ll
whom it mee ts. (Fa lse; der ived from
rumor 12 )
18. An evil wizard named Landau now
rules the Keep. (fal se, though it was
deri ved from actual h ist ory ; see area 29,
Level Th ree , second floor)
19. The trea su res of Kor algesh h ave
never bee n found, and the Keep is
thought to be their home. "'* (Tr ue)
20. The vill age smi thy claims h is
father wa s the blacksm it h of t he Kin g
of Kor alg esh. (True)
Sho u ld be known to the party.

The Shrine of Kor

Follow in g Stu mp's directi ons to the
Shrine of Kor, the party m ay ea sily fin d
the Shr in e of Kor. Th e DM may cre a te a
map of the wild erness region between
Vinyard a nd the coas t, placing the
Mountain of Gesh parall el t o the coast

such t hat t he ruins of Kor algesh and

the Keep a re on the sea wa rd side of the
r an ge, and Vinyard and the Shrine of
Kor a re on the other. T he Shr ine is 45
miles from Vin yard; the forced march
r ules in t he Expert ru le book (pages 20
21) may pro ve usefu l. Remember that a
week rem ain s before the sum mer
solstice occurs.
No wilde rness enco unters are met on
the way to the Sh rine , other tha n the
following (at the DM's di scret ion).

Roll
1-2

3
4
5
6

E nco unter
Furti ve movemen ts along t he
horizo n that appe ar to be following t he pa rty
Partially de voured rema ins of
shee p (wolf t racks nearb y)
Glint of sun lig ht off metal in
t he distance
Skel etal remains of three m en ,
shepherd's staffs nearby (as
well a s wolf tracks)
Kobold encou nter in the Valley
of the Shrine (seve n kobolds:
AC 7; HD 112; hp 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 2,
1; MV 90' (30'); 1 AT 1; Dm g by
weapon type (sh ort swor ds and
shor t bows) - 1; Sav e norm a l
ma n; ML 6; AL C; 324 cp eac h)

or

As you re ach t he eastern side the

vall ey, you see a lush, green expanse
of tall grasses and flowerin g sh rubs.
Th e white granite of the Sh rine
stands out sha rply from the dark
rock of Helm's Peak on t he far western side of the valley. The r agged
peak s of the Mountains of Gesh ri se
into the sky to you r left . As you nea r
the Sh rine, you notice its immense
pill ars with their encircli ng vines of
bri gh t flowers. Within the Shri ne is
a great stat ue of the Sun King; Kor.
His ar ms are rai sed above his he ad ,
a nd he holds an immense amb er ge m
in his hands .
On the morning of the sum mer solstice , the longest da y of the year, t he
party m u ~ 1 be near en ough to t he
Shrine to see the stat ue ofK or at sunr ise . The Shrine is open to t he eleme nts
but ha s weathered t hem well.
The amber gem cannot be damaged 01"
removed from t he st atue . Anyone touc hing it rece ives an electri ca l sh ock for 13
h p da mage .

DUNGEON

47

TH EKEEP ATKORAl GESH

l evel O ne

South

Nort h

FRONT VI EW

s/

Si nce the fall of Kcrejgesh, various

cr eatures have made their way inside
the Keep by enterin g t he part overlooking the sea. through local caves and
n at ura l tunnels. and throu gh the secret
door in the Shr ine of Kor. This assortme nt of monsters found wi thi n the
Keep's upper leve l is de scr ibed be low.
Roll Id6 every other turn. A resu lt of 1
indicates a wand er in g mons ter encounter on the nex t turn. 'Ib det ermine
the type of encou nter, roll ld4 and
cons ult the table below.
Ro ll
1

,I

i.

SHRINE OF

KOR

3
1 sq uare = 10'

South
As da wn a ppro a ches, the eastern
horiz on becomes brighter and

brighter. The morning sun can be

seen r ising in the notch of a dista nt
mountain ; its rays cra wl a cross t he
valley floor an d ev entually illumi-

nate the interi or or the Shri ne. As

you watch, the sun's ray st rik es t he
gem in the ha nds of K OT, which glows
brilliantly. A new la nce of bright
light is emi tted from t he jewel to

str ike the second pillar from th e

north.

Inspection of t he pi\l ar, especially

when t he li gh t fir st stri kes it , r eveals a

small depressio n. If presse d, a door in

t he pillar rot ates open, re vealing an
iron rung ladder th at disa ppears into
the depths. It is necessary to strip away
the vine/ encircl ing the pillar to gain
access. If t he PCs fail t o locate the trigge r mech an ism for the secret door
wit h in t hree minutes, they can ins pect
the pi lla r and loca te t he door on a ro ll of
Ion Id 6, elves a nd dwa rve s on 1-2 on
Id6. Torches or la nterns are req uired for
the und er gr ound jou rney.

48 Issue No.2

If anyo ne takes t he ti me to inspect the

floor of t he Sh r ine, a n occasional foot.
prin t is revea led. Nothi ng can be told of
w ha t manner of cr eature made the
prin ts, however. The prints a re act ually
those of orcs and ot her cre atures comi ng
a nd going from t he depths of t he Shrine
over t he last few years.
T he la dder descends 20' to a corri dor
h ewn from t he rock; th e corridor
d isapp ears into t he da rk tow ards the
west . An iron lever is embedded in
the rock at the foot of t he ladd er.
Cobwe bs a re abundant a nd the air
sme lls sta le and earthy.
Debr is litters t he floor, and rats chi tter from the darkness thro ughout the
tu n nel. The lever controls the secret
door in the pillar above . More footprints
may be foun d about the base of t he
ladder - pri nts of all size and shapes.
Ceiling heigh t on th is level is varia ble. from 8' to 11' a t va rio us places,
u n less ot he rwise st ated. The walls are
rough a nd dry, u nless ot her wise stated.
This level appear s to have bee n crudely
carved , though by whom is a myst ery.

E n coun te r
16 orcs (AC 6 , HD 1; hp 8, 7, 6,
6,4 ,4; MV 120 ' (40'); IIAT I ,
Dmg by weapon type (short
sword); Save F1 ; ML 8; AL C; 324 cp each)
25 lizard men (AC 5; HD 2 +
1; hp 9, 8, 7, 6, 5; MV 60' (20');
IIAT 1; Dm g by wea pon type
(club); Save F2; ML 12; AL N ; 4
gem s, total va lue 700 gp)
l ogre (AC5; HD 4 + 1;hp 16;
MV 90' (20'); IIAT 1; Dmg by
weapon type (club) + 2; Save
F4 ; ML 10; AL C; 70 gp in sack)
Noxious fum es iss ue forth from
lava fissures, ca us ing dizzin ess
for - I " to hi t" for a ll creatur es
for t wo tur ns.

Lava fiss u r es : These narrow fissures

are about 30' dee p. Slow movin g curre nts of la va flow t hrough them , casting
a fai nt red glow thro u ghout the ar ea
imme diately around the fis sure. They
CRn be crossed by bridging them with
wooden plan ks or some simi la r device,
or by jumping across them . Any PCs
attempti ng t o leap across mu st roll
their de xt erity or less to s uccee d. Failure means a 30' drop in to the la va and
their deaths.
You wa lk west alo ng the corridor,
stepping wa r ily aro und rubble that
h as a ppare ntly fa llen from t he ceiling. You a re occas ionally sta rtled by
ra ts as t hey scurry fro m the light
into holes in the walls. The tunnel
seems to go on endlessly, bu t you r
ligh t finally reve als a blan k wall
before you.
Both the wall to the west and the wall
to the south have a secr et door, detect able on a roll of I on Id6 (12 for elves
and dwarves). If t he party is ine xper i-

THE KEEP AT KORAlGESH

enced or lacks magic weapons, the DM

may prompt t hem towar d th e south wall
first . Ea ch door is operated by a lever
concealed behind a loose stone in the
wa ll next to each door. The levers move
horizonta lly: left to open, rig ht t o close.
The so uth door opens into a 10' cu bicle
t hat contains old provisio n s (now useless), a s ui t of plate m ail armor + I,
s word + 1, mace + 1, and sh ield + 1. The
shield has a pale-blue upper half with a
sun r ising from the dark blue sea of it s
lower half. A pack cont ai ns 20 gp a nd
one healing potion. The wes t door opens
int o t he lowest lev el of the Keep .
1. Wine Ce lla r

Thi s room smells fai ntly su lfurous ,

a nd it contains eight immense
woode n ba rrels. The wall s, floor. and
ceili ng appear to be ca rved from
nativ e rock .
Four bodies lie on the floor in the
southwest corner of th e room. T hr ee a re
the remains of orcs, while one is hum a n.
Their weapo ns are pitted and useless ,
and the hu man still gr asps the broken
hilt of a s word. Combined t rea s ure on
the bodies totals 57 cp, 9 s p. and 5 gp o
Th e sout hwes t barrel has it s western
side knocked out and is now t he la ir of a
crab spider (AC 7; HD 2*; hp 9; MV 120'
(40'); 'AT 1 bite: Dmg 1-8 + poi son;
Save Fl; ML 7: AL N ). The spi der entered one day when the secret door in
t he Sh ri ne wa s left open, and has fed
itself on local monsters ever since .
A secret door is concealed in th e
northwes t cor ner of the room. It ope ns
into a 10' cubicle with a central, ra ised
pede stal. In it a re four recessed cha mbel'S wit h four s ma ll balls of colored
crysta l. By placing a colored s phere in
the cup at the center of the pedestal, the
room fun ctions as an elevator. Red t akes
the room to Le vel One, yellow to Level
Two, green to Le vel Three : F irst Floor,
and blue to Level Three: Second Floor.
It takes one round (m inute) to travel
one floor.
2. Mud Pool,

This ch amber's 0 001' has a th ick coat

of slick mud , sloping down to a sl imy
pool at the center of the room . A thin
film of water covers the mud pool.
an d the odor is m ost foul.

Th ose ve nt uri ng with in 5' of the pool

must roll t hei r dexterity or less, or lose
their footing and slide into the pool. If
this occu rs, a ll wande ring monster roll s
increase to 1-2 on a Id6, untiol the
smell y mud is cleaned off. Th e mud has
the advantage of draw in g venom, if
a pplied soon after t he i nju ry (allows for
second sav e vs. poison if a pplie d one
round a fter a poison ou s bite ).
3. Ore's r oo m.

This room is filthy a nd unkept. Dirty

bl ankets a nd foul s melling clothi n g
are piled toward th e nort h wall. In
the room are six ugl y, humanlike
creatures wh o scra mble for t he ir
weapons a s they become a ware of the
party.
Six or cs are present CAC 6; HD 1; h p 8,
7,4 ,4,3, 3; ~1V 120 ' (40 '); /AT 1; D mg
by wea pon ty pe (s hor t sword I; Save FI;
ML 8 0 1' 6; AL C; 150 s p in leather bag,
on e gold ch ain worth 25 gp and one
healingt poti on ). The lea der of th is band
is named Grirner, havin g 8 hp and + 1
to all damage. He wears t he gold cha in

and carries t he potion in a crude pouch

on h is belt. lfhe is killed , b'TOUP m orale
drops from 8 to 6. H iding: un de r the pile
of bla nket s is Te utung, a l-hp ore. He
has a split personality and const antly
argues with h imse lf. One person ality is
a br aggart and bu lly, while the other is
a wh ining coward . He is fam iliar wit h
the lower level a nd ca n be of use to the
party. He knows of the venom dr a ..... ing
a bili ty of the mud in room 2, bu t won 't
advise th e party of its benefits unless
bu ll ied into it. He is sly and treac herOUS, and the party that heeds all of his
ad vice had best be wa ry i nde ed. He will
lead t he m into traps or en counters in
his efforts to escape them and run away
at the firs t opportunity to do so sufcly.
4. Storeroom.
Th e room is a jumble of overturned
boxes a nd barrels. Th e barrels that
are sti ll in tact conta in oil. water;
vinega r, a nd to rches. A s mall a lcove
i n the southwest corner of the ch ambel' contains a number of badly deter iorated s heets of leather.

DUNGEON

49

THE KEEP ATKORAlGESH

LEVEL ONE

A nest of' fbur giant ce ntiped es (AC 9;

H D '12; hp 3, 3, 2, 2; M V 60' (20'): fiAT 1;
Dmg poisonous bite; Save normal m an;
ML 7; AL N ) lies under t he leather in
t he alcove. Bitten chara cters must save
vs . poison or becom e violently ill for 10
days. They ca n mo ve on ly at half-speed
and ca nnot perform any other ph ysical

act ion.
5. Ocean Pool.

The corr idor opens ou t onto a broa d

e xpanse of clea n sand tha t s lopes
ge ntly down to lappin g wate r. The
pool occup ies muc h of'the chamber,
an d a st rong ly built wooden box rest s

in th e shallo w water near the shore.

Blurred foot prints lead in to t he
wa ter.

A tri p wire is conc eal ed in the sand

that d rop s a weighted 10 '-squ a re ne t on
any character that triggers it. Ea ch
character has a 50 % cha nce of tr igger.
in g t he tra p. On ce t he wire is tripped ,
three liza rd men (AC 5; HD 2 + 1; hp
12,10,10; MV 60 ' (20'); (fAT 1; Dm g by

50 Issu e NO.2

weapon ty pe (d ub ) + 1; Save F2; ML

12; AL N ) emer ge from t he water one
rou nd later a nd attempt to ca pt ure or
k ill the party. Each lizard man has a
belt pouch cont ai n ing 2 20 gpo
6. La v a Pit .

T he room has a charred s mell to it .

Along th e walls are a nu mber of
empty shel ves whose lower portion s
are scorche d and black en ed. A shut
ca binet hangs on the so ut hwest wa ll.
A cha rre d re pt ili a n s ke leton, of
which the bones are m issing down
from its kn ees, lie s on the floor.

Th e crusty black floor is actually a

ha rde ned sheet ofl ava ove r a molte n
pool. Each PC has a 1 on Id6 chance of
break in g through the cr us t if t hey v en t ure out onto the floor a lone. The
chances of breaking t hrou gh t he la va
crust increase to 13 on Id 6 if more tha n
one PC crosses the floor at a time. If
this occurs, the PC invol ved s uffer 5-20
hp damage per round. A full tw o t urns
is nee ded to clean the ha rd en ed lava
fro m a rmor, et c. The ca bin et contains
two vi a ls of healing pot ion .

30' up to Level Two

7. R at La ir.

The room s me lls musty a nd a lar ge

pile of refuse lies in the sou th west
corner. Furtive movements around
the refuse pile can be se en as you
enter, but th ey sto p immedia te ly,
Here, 18 normal rat s (AC 9; 1 hp each;
MV 60' (20'); #AT 1 bite/pack; Dm g 1-6
+ disease ; Save normal man; ML 5; AL
N ) have made their lair in the refuse
pile. T hey won 't attack th e party unless
their la ir is disturbed . They fear a nd
avoid fire if possible. If they do attack,
th ey do so in three packs of six rats
each. PC s bitten have a l i n20 chance
of being infected, save vs . poison a llowed (if i nfected, xp val ue of rat becomes 6 inste ad of 5). If the saving
t hrow fail s, t he vict im may die in 1-6
days (l in 4 ch ance), ot herw ise beco ming sick for one month an d unable to
adventure.
8. A lcove. Th e chamber is empty,
ex cept for the s kelet a l remains of a
human in rusted armor. The body h as
evidentl y been ra nsacked, and the third
finger of its r ight hand is missing.

TH EKEEP ATKORAlGESH

9. Pool of Seeing.

11. Shrieke r Roo m.

The hea vy wooden door is padl ocked,

as well as being locked, a nd a large .
orna te L is bra nded into the door.

Th e room has a musty smell, and the

floor is covered wit h fu ngi a nd m ushrooms. Fiv e large mushrooms are
scattered around the room .

Once the door is opened , a small

cha mber is revealed. In t he center of the

room is an or nate marble pool. Its wa-

ters a re clear a nd sweet smelling. As

the party looks into t he pool, its s urface
becomes cloudy and a n image forms on
its surface. The pool sh ows one of the 10

listed rooms below a nd changes its

image to a not her if t h e wa ters a re di stu rbed. Th is ca n be done for a total of
three times per day. The OM determine s
the room by choice or by r olling I d l 0.
th en cons ult ing the followin g table .
Ro ll Roo m

1
2
3

Lvl 2,Rm t
Lvi 2. Rm 10
Lvi 2. Rm 16

L v1 3,Rm 3

Lvi 3. Rm 15

Roll Room
6
7
8

Lvi 3. Rm 23
Lvi 3, Rm 29
LvI 3. Rm 44

L v13.Rm45

The five large mu shrooms are shr-iekers (AC 7; HD 3 ; hp 17, 14, 12, 11. 10;
MV g' (3'); ' AT see below; Omg nil ;
Save F2 ; ML 12; AL N ). Shri eke rs react
to light within 60' and movement
wit hin 30' by emitting a piercing sh rie k
wh ich lasts from 13 roun ds. DM rolls
I d6; any result of 46 ind icates a wa nder ing monster inves tig ates the noise
and arrives in 212 rou nds.
12. Bat Cham ber.
Th e corridor across the fissure ha s
se ver al bats appare ntly sus pended in
midair. Their t hrashing and chit terin g fa ils to free them from their
predicament . and the ir efforts increase as th e lights of the party draw
nearer.

10 Lv1 3. Rm 54

10. Ore Lair.

Th e room is large and spacious. The
odor of unwashed clot hi ng a nd bodi es
is strongly evi de nt . There a re 10
sleeping pallets a long the north wall,
a nd near the east wall is a charcoal
brazier a nd its cooking implem en ts .
Bags of assor te d m aterial s sca venged
from the dungeon are cast ca re lessly
a bou t.
Th is is the lair of 10 orcs (AC 6; HD 1;
hp 8, 6, 6, 5, 5 (ma les), and 4, 4, 4 , 4, 4
(female s); MV 120 ' (40') ; NAT 1; Dm g by
wea pon (mal es use short swords , fe
ma les u se clubs); Save Fl ; ML 8 or 6;
AL C), The leader, Gronk, h as 8 hp, a
sh ield + 1, one pot ion of inv isibility , a nd
+ 1 to his damage roll s, He dri nks the
poti on h im self if he feels t he situa t ion
warrants it. If invisib le when he attac ks , he gai ns +2 on his " to h it" roll
and im mediately becomes visible. One
of t he eight bags con tains 173 gp , and
752 sp, wh ile another con tains di rty
clothing and a sma ll sack with six fin e
gems tota lli ng 520 gp va lue inside . Th e
rest contain mo ldy food, assorted n-inkets, a nd junk of no va lue .

Suspended in the corr idor betw een

room 12 and t he Keep proper is an
a lmost-i n vis ible mi st n et u sed by the
orcs to trap bats for food . The cha mber
itself is swa rming with them. 1100 bats
(AC 6; H D 114; 1 hp each ; MV 120 ' (40' );
NAT confus ion; Dmg nil; Sav e norma l
ma n; ML 6; At N ). At least 10 bats are
required. to confuse one party member.
Those PCs so at tacked suffer a -2 penalty to thei r "to hit" rolls a nd sa ving
throws, a nd cannot cast spells. Norm al
bats must check morale each round
unl ess su mmoned or controlled.
Th e mi st net is woven of extremely
strong fibers that are so thin eve n bat
rada r ca nnot detect them . The net is 5'
squ are and ha s no encumbrance . It is
not tr uly ma gica l.

As the pes travel down t he corridor

leading to this room , they notice water
se epin g slowly from th e wall s, As the
corridor's slope incre ases a t t he point
marked T, eac h PC mu st roll his dexterity or less to av oid sli pping and fa lli ng .
Any PC who doesn 't make his roll slides
the rest of the way down the slope in to
the pool. Dexter ity checks a re mad e
every 10' until the party is safely in t he
room , The slide tra p ca uses no dam age ,
but cau ses the first person that fall s to
pl ummet in to the pool wit h a resound ing splash . When this occurs, a portion
of the west wall coll apses into the water,
soundin g very much like a la rge body of
some kind . Torches ca rried by the par ty
members that slide in to the pool are
ext ingu ishe d.
A number ofl a rge blind fis h swim in
the pool, and eac h PC has a 13 cha nce
on a Id6 of havin g the m bump or slide
past his legs per rou nd tha t he is in the
pool. PC s must check for dexterity as
they leave this room 3S well . The r ubble
at the cen ter of the pool conceals a rupt ured w coden ches t containing 537 gp of
mixed coins and gems. The body wears
a ring ofprotection + 1, and a rope of
clim bing lays nea rby. U nder the body is
a bone scroll case wit h a scro ll bear ing
one first- level ma gic-u ser spe ll ,
ueturi loquie m:

Leve l Two
Roll Id6 eve ry ot her turn ; a resu lt of 1
in dica te s a wa nder ing monster encou nter on the nex t t urn. A result of2
or 3 ha s a specia l effect that takes place
when t he nex t door is opened by the
party. Roll 1d6 and com pare the result s
wit h th e following table.
Roll
1

13. Besti a r y.

Th e ent ire floor of the room is covered wit h a pool of da rk water 3 '
deep. A small island of ru bble whi ch
fell from the ceilin g occupies the
center of the poo l. A skeletal arm ca n
be se en protrudin g from the r ubble.
Ruste d r em ai ns of iro n cages are
scat te red a bout. Some a re occup ied
by skeleto ns of great cats and apes,
whil e othe rs h ave had t he ir doors
wrenched off and are empty.

E ncou nter
l ogre (AC 5; H D4 + l ;hp16;
MV 90' (30'); NAT I ; Omg by
club, Id4 + 2; Save 1"4 ; ML 10;
AL C; 70 gp in sack ). Note :
re roll if ogre ha s already been
kill ed in Level l,
8 ske letons {AC 7; HD 1; hp 8.
8. 6,6, 4, 4,2,2 ; M V 60'
(20');I AT I ; Dmg 3 by short
sword Id6, 5 by club Id4; Save
Fl ; )l L 12; At CJ; all h ave
broke n manacl es on the ir
wris ts.
1 carrion cr awler (AC 7; HO 3
+ I " ; hp 16; M V 120' (40'); NAT
8; Dmg paralysis; Save F 2; ML
9;ALN )

DUNGEON

51

THE KEEP ATKORAlGESH

20' up to Level Three, Floor I

2 t roglodytes (AC 5; HD 2"; hp

10, 8; MV 120 ' (40'); /f AT 3, 2
c1aws/ l bi te; D 1-4/14/14; Save
F2; ML 9; AL Cl. N ote: PC s
mus t sa ve V i>. poison or suffer
- 2 to their hit rolls. The troga
la ir in area 3, this floor.
1 tara nte lla (AC 5; HD 4 *; hp
15; MV 120 ' (40'); IIAT 1 bite;
Dmg 18 + pois on; Save F2;

ML 8;ALNl
2 gho uls CAG 6; HD 2*; hp 11,
6; MV 90 ' (30'); KAT 2 cJaw st l
bite; D 1311 311 3 + paralyza tio n; Save F2 ; ML 9; AL Cl.
The gh ouls lair in room 5.

A re s ult of " 2" on a wanderin g mon o

ster roll ca uses a ch illing wind to ru sh
out through the ne xt door that is
ope ne d. It blow s out all to rches carri ed,
but it has no ot he r harmful effects . A
resu lt of "3" on a wa nde ri ng monster
roll ca us es a hot win d to rush ou t
through t he ne xt door th at is opened . It
ca uses all iro n ba sed meta ls to glow
with an a mbe r light, too weak to use for
light. It has no h ar mfu l effects and
si mply se r ves to make t he party more
visible . It also blows out all torch es
carried. The glow la sts 3 t urns or until
ca nceled by the chilling wi nd .

52 Issue No.2

LEVEL TWO

The ceiling heigh t for this level is 10',

unless ot herwi se stated . Ce ilings a re
pe rfectl y flat, ofte n covered wi th pa tterned geometric designs. All of th e
archi tectu re dates fro m the age of
Koralgesh .
1. Du n geon.

Two rows of six cel ls bord er a 10'wide corridor that travels the lengt h
of the room. Se veral cells ha ve their
door s ripped fro m t heir hin ges. Eac h
of the othe r ce lls is occu pied by two
skeletal figu res , chained to the wall.
An open archway on the nort h wall
is barely vis ible in the dark ness.
One roun d afte r t he PCs enter t he
room , ghostly apparitions r ise from th e
skeletons in t he cell s, float to the hal'S,
a nd gras p t hem with thei r hands. They
then be gin to wa il, "Free me !" in h igh,
t rembling voices. Their noise has a 50'if,
chance of draw in g t he attent ion of tbe
esc aped skeletons (t hose listed as wande ring monst er s), which arriv e 16
ro unds later.
Th e back room is a torture ch amber
with a rack, iro n maiden, fire pit ,
brandi ng iro ns, and a chop ping block
sca tt ere d a ro und t he chambe r. f:ight

Altar with KGI' I t.atue

c::::::J

StIItU0

sets of chains have bee n snappe d at the

ma n acles, leaving- t he chains hangi ng
on the wal l.
2. Tra ining Room. The room is clear
of all fu rnishin gs except for a num ber of
rack s on the south wa ll. Th ese rack s
hold a nu mbe r of wooden or bl unt wea pons and five shields . The sh ields a ll
have a sun ri sing from a deep , blue sea
on a pale bl ue field .

3, Barrac k s .
A large nu mbe r of r an sacked bunks
occupy tbi s room. Bla nkets a nd matt resses a re strewn around t he floor,
and a large fir eplace occupie s t he
center of the west wa ll.
T his room is the lair of two trcg todytes. If they have not been en countered as wa nde r in g monsters. there is a
50 % cha nce th ey a re here . If previously
encou ntered and not sla in, they a re
definitely in the barracks. Concea led in
a leather ba g un der a bed in the southeast corn er of t he room is their hoard:
933 sp, a magic -us er 's scrol l wit h t he
followi ng s pells: flrst-level charm and
second-level inuisi bility; a nd a
medallion o(ESP.

THE KEEP AT KORAlGESH

4. Ba r r a c ks.

8. C hap e l.

A large number of ransacked bunks

lind ragged bedding are sca tt ered
around t he room. A fir eplace occupies the center of the west wa ll .

A low a ltar lies near the south wal l.

Upon it st an ds a 4 ' statue of the
Immortal Kor holding a silver cha lice in it s cupped palms. A large.
brass bowl lies on t he altar at the
feet of the stat ue.

5. Me ss. Fou r 20'-long tables can be

seen in this room, and one of t hem has

bee n turned over on it s side in the
northeast corner. Broken cha irs litter

the floor amid wooden plates an d eating

utensils. An open corr idor leads west,

and doors are located on the north and

east walls. An open double door in the
sou th wall leads to what appears to be

another room.
6. Kit chen.

The room has two counters on the

sout h wal l and II lon g table in the
m iddle of the floor. The table has

been turned on its side. Two ovens lie

a long t he east wa ll , and II fire pit ha s
been built aga in st the west wa ll .
Th is room is the lair of two ghou ls . If
they h ave not been encou ntered a s
wandering mon sters, there is a 50 %
cha nce that they are here, hidi ng behin d t he table. The DM must make t he
appropriate di e rolls for sur pr ise . If they
ha ve already been encountered, but not
sla in, the y are defi nitely in t heir la ir. In
a small leather bag concealed in the
as hes of the fire pit are four gems: one
10-gp turquoise and three 500-gp pearl s.
7. Storeroom.
Crates, barrels, and assorted un ident ifiable objects fiU this room - all of
which are covered with a ye llow,
cottonlike materia l. Doors are loca ted on the nort h and south walls.
The cot to nlike matter cove ring every'
thi ng in the roo m is actuall y yell ow
mold (AC can a lways be hit; HD 2*; hp
14; MV 0 ; NAT 1; Dmg 1-6 + special;
Sa ve F 2; ML we: AL N ). It ca n be k ill ed
by fire. and a torch does 14 hp da ma ge
per ro und. It sq uirts out a 10' x 10' x 10'
clou d of spore s if disturb ed. Anyone
caught in t he cloud takes 16 hp damage
and must sav e VB. death ray or choke to
death within 6 roun ds.

The chalice is finely crafted silv er

with embossed suns on four sides. It is
filled with clear, sweet wate r. If t he cu p
is lifted from it s pa lms, t he statue
speaks: "May t he blessings of Kor be
upon you!' If the contents of the cup are
t hen drun k, 2 hp damage are cured . Th e
cup mu st be refilled from the br ass bowl
and placed back in the hands of the
statue for its cur ative effects to wor k
again. The bowl neve r em pti es, but the
waters may cure each character only
once per day. If the chali ce is removed
from the chapel, it curses the perso n
who took it . Wounds then take twice a s
long to hea l, a nd healing spells or poti ons on ly restore hal ftheir normal
a mou nts. The cha lice is wor th 500 gp o
9. Museum.

A long, glass ca binet lies against t he

west wall of this room , while t hree
suits of pla te mail st and with their
hands resti ng on to p of t heir
grounded sh ields a long the northeast
wa ll . Two imme nse statues of crabs
cut from coral stand in the northwest
and sout heast corners . The wall s are
adorned with pa in tings of se a battl es. j awe of sh ar ks, harpoons, fish ing
nets, and stu ffed fish .
Th e gla ss cabinet conta ins scri mshaw
artwork in ivory, whal es teeth , and
mot her of pearl (to ta l value: 1,200 b'P ).
The crab statues (AC 4; HD 3; hp 16
eac h ; MV 90' (30') ; NAT 2: Dmg 1-6/16;
Save F3; ML 11; AL L) a nimate a nd
attack anyone t ampering wit h t he con te n ts of the museum. Corridors ente r
from a ll four wa lls.
10. Armory a n d Smithy.
Racks of weapon s li ne the wa lls of
this room. In the northeast corner
are a for ge and bellows , a large
chest , a nd an a nvil on a heavy oak
pedestal. A door ca n be se en on t he
north and east wa lls.

Most weap ons in th is room are no

longer servicea ble. Two battl e a xes,
three maces, a nd five swords a ppear to
be in excellent condit ion. but cannot be
r emoved from the r acks. Th e anvil on
the oa ken pede stal shows signs of considerab le use and is curi ous ly otTcenter
on the pede st al. Concea led in a hollow
ca vity ben eath the a nvi l is a beauti ful
sword (sword + 1, + 3 undead ) wit h a
ru by pommel and a red , lea ther sca bbard. The chest contains use less art icles
of clothin g and the gr eat ha m mer of
Band uron (ha mmer +2). If the a nvil or
chest is to uched, the listed weapons
spring fro m the wall a nd attack the
party (AC 3: H D I : Dmg by weapon
type). If hit once, the weapon drops to
the floor. Once all t he weapons are nullified , or the party dr opped to zer o h it
points a nd unc onscious, all damage is
di scovered to be illu sionary. Whil e t he
party lies u nconscious, all of the wea pons return to their rac ks or rea nima te
five roun ds after th ey have all been
n ulli fied. Thuching the chest or a nvil
agai n r epea ts the process. After the first
t ime it occu rs , t he weapons actually
cause 14 hp damage regardless of
weapon type.
1l.lnfirrnary. Th e condition of this
room is a ppall ing : furn iture ha s bee n
spli ntered and brok en , cabine ts
sm as hed. a nd broken glass litters t he
floor. Fou r cots a re intact, a nd upon
t hem lie the withered remains of four
men . A door is vis ible on t he opposite
wa ll.
12. Ca ptain 's Qu arters.
Four beds occupy t he corners of this
room. A woode n chest lies at the foot
of each bed . In the cen te r ofthe room
is a battered table wit h a barrel on
en d beside it.
This room is t he la ir of an ogre. If it
h as not bee n met as a wa ndering monste r, there is a 50 % cha nce it is here. If
it ha s been encountered but not slai n, it
se ek s refu ge in its la ir. It habit uall y
uses the bed in the sou thwes t corner of
the room and this can be easily noticed
due t o the rum pled state of the bedd ing
and slumped ma ttr ess. In t he chest by
this bed is a ba g of holdin g with 55 4 gp,
987 sp, four ge ms tota llin g 650 gp , a nd
two potion s o{healing. The ogre uses
t he potions o{ healing if wounded .

DUNGEON

53

THE KEEP AT KORAlGESH

t heir saving t hrow tha t sa ys: " Who

dares to steal the t reasur es of
K or algesh? Sleep and I shall come for
you!" Th e message se rves no purpose
now, since its originator died in the
dtsaeter that destroyed the cit y. It mi ght
increase player anx iety, however. The
chest is locked and conta ins 370 sp and
290 gp in loose coins .

Dice
r oll
1

15. Storer oo m.

13. Room of the Cube. Both doors to

this room are trapped with a poison
needle in the door ha ndle. Un le ss successfully re moved by a thief, anyone
attempting to open the door by using
the ha ndle mu st sa ve vs. poison or dro p
u nconsciou s for 1-8 tur ns.
A gelatinous cube (AC 8; no 4 *; hp
18; MV 60 ' (20'); 'AT 1; Dm g 28 +
specia l; Sav e F2 ; ML 12; AL N ) roams
t hi s corridor m indless ly in a clockwise
direction. It su rpr ises on 14 on Id6 due
to its transparency, and successful hits

require its ta rget to save vs. paralysis

or be paralyzed for 2-8 turns. Once paralyzed, h its are automatic and da mage
only is rolled . The gela tinous cube can
be harmed by fire and weapons , but not
cold or li ghtning.
14. Va u lt .

Scattered cra tes and barrels litter

the floor, and rats sca mper across the
litter. M08t of the cr ates have been
broken open . Bolts of decaying cloth
are heaped near the west wal l.
Thi s room h as been ransacked, and
t he only things of possible value are
som e scattered torche s a nd a small
barrel of oil. A secret door is conceal ed
in the northwest corner of the room for
acces s to the elevator. Its trigger meche .
n ism is located to the right ofthe door
a nd is activated by simply pressing the
stone . This also ser ves to summo n the
elevator.
16, To mb.
F our slabs along t he walls support
the bodie s of four men. A large stone
sarcoph agus occupies the cen ter of
t he room. Cobwebs hang heavily
from the ceil ing, even to t he point of
coveri ng the bodies on the sla bs.

E n counter
1 mountain lion (AC 6; HD 3 -+2; hp 16; MV 150' (50' ); /J AT 2
c\awsl1 bi te; Dmg 1-3/1-3/16 ;
Save F2; ML 8 ; AL N)
3 shadows (AC 7; HD 2 -+- 2*;
hp 13, 11, 9; M V 90' (30'); /J Ar
1; Dmg 14 + speci a l; Save F2 ;
ML 12; AL C; SD ea ch hit
dr ains 1 point of strengt h for 8
t urns)
6 skeletons (AC 7; H D 1; hp 8,
8, 5, 5, 4,4; MV 60 ' (20' ); KAT
1; Dm g 16 by short sword ;
Save FI; ML 12; AL C)
2 ghouls (AC 6; H D 2*; hp 12,
7; MV 90' (30 '); KAT 2 clawsl 1
bite; Drug 13113113 + paralysis; Save F2 ; ML 9; AL C). Lair
in barracks, room 2.
3 rock baboons (AC 6; HD 2; hp
14,12,10; MV 120' (40'); KAT 1
c1ub/l bite; Dmg 16/13 ; Save
F2 ; M L 8; AL N )
1 tyranna byss (AC 8/6; HD 5*'";
hp 30; MV 60' (20' ) la nd/120'
(40') water ; I AT 2 c1awsl i
sting; Dmg 14/1-4/14 + special; Save F3 ; ML 9; AL N).
Range of pa ralyzin g sti n g is
10' ; success ful savin g throw vs.
pa ralyzation nullify its effects
(see new mon ster description
for details).

First Floor (L3)

The floor of the room is bare, except

for six leather bags piled in th e cen ter of t his room. On the east and
west wall s are two magnificent tapestr ies of sailing vesse ls and sea
comb at.
Both doors to t his room are locke-d.
Each bag contai ns 1,000 cp. Be neat h
the hea vy bags is a secret compartment
that ca n be detected by a thief, an elf, or
a dwarf, if t he party se a rches for it . Th e
compartment ca n on ly be ra ised by
moving a lever concealed behind a stone
in the wall to t he r ight of the n ort h
door. If the lever is moved to the le ft,
the secret compartment rises (rom the
floor to re veal a strongly made chest
with brass ba nds reinforcing it. The
lever is trapped; if it is moved to t he
right, sleep gas floods t he ch amber. All
persons in the room must save vs. poison or fa ll asleep for 2d4 turn s. A voice
is heard only by those people wh o fai led

54 Issue NO.2

Th e bod ies are zombi es (AC 8; HD 2;

hp 14, 12,10, 8; MV 90 ' (30 '); tAT 1;
Dmg 18; Save F1 ; AL C) and a lways
att ack last , with no in itiative roll . Th e
sarcophagus contai ns t he body of a man
in clerical robes and a st aff ofhea ling
lies on his bre a st beneath his hands.

l eve l Thre e
The ceiling h eight for this level is 10',
unless otherwise stated. This level, too,
dates from the ti me of Kora lgesh .
Roll Id6 every other turn. If a " I" is
rolled, a wa ndering monster is encountered on the following turn. The kin d of
monst er encou ntered is determined by
die roll of t he DM's cho ice. If a "I" or " 2"
is roll ed on the above die-roll che ck,
a ghostly phan tom is seen , glowing
faintly. When it notices the party, it
glides to a wall, floor, or ceil ing a nd
pas se s beyond it . Th ey cau se no damage
or ill effects, being noth ing more t ha n
the rest less dead ofKoralgesh .

1. Co u rtyard .
Numerous sli me trails along the
floor appear old a nd du ll , but one
glisten ing trail passe s from t he
courtyard in the Keep. Th e fountains
are filled with sli my, green water,
and their surfaces a re occasionally
di sturbed by movement below . Huge
statues of kn igh ts in armor flank a
central st atue of Kor the Im morta l.
Stringy, unhealthy-looking vegetation has spr ung up between the fla gsto nes ofthe floor, th ough they a re
absent wherever a slime trail has
coated t he surface.
The m ovemen ts in the fountains
are large. disgusting looki ng salemenders. They are har m less. but if
tou ched, their sli my bodie s ca use
sev er e symptoms much like poison

THE KEEP AT KORAlGESH

ivy. No dama ge is incurred (t houg h a 2 "to h it" is gained), and th e ra sh disa ppea rs in 2d4 tu rn s. If anyone looks out
over t he city, all tha t can be seen is t he
city's destroyed curtain wall, ruins,
mist, and eea. Se vera l trails ma y he
seen leading to the courtyard from the
s urroundi ng cliffs.

20' up to Level Three, Floor 2

2. Barracks.
The bunks in this room are overturned or pus he d into random positions. A la rge. oaken table sta nds
before a stone firep lace in t he northeas t corner of t he room . A door ca n
be seen in t he northwest corner.

Th is room is the la ir of t wo g houls. If

the y have not already been en countered
as wandering monsters, there is a 1 in
Id4 chance t hat t hey are in t his room .
They hav e concealed 1453 cp and three
gems worth a tota l of 1600 gp in the
ma tt ress of t he up pe r bu nk in t he extrem e south west cor ner of the r oom .
The door lead s to a spiral stair way that
is choked wi th rubble and ca n not be
used .
3. Ant echamber,
Several alime tra ils glisten in t he
dim li ght and win d t he ir way around
the room and out t he archway s to t he
nor th a nd south. A fount ain in the
center of the room su pports an alabast er statue of a beaut iful woman in
flowing robes. A heavy doub le door is
located in the center of t he east wa ll.
and sim ilar door s lie on the floor just
in side t he open pa ssage in the west
wall.
The doubl e doors on the east wa ll arc
locked and t he hinges rust ed shut. They
are ext re mely diffic u lt to ope n , even for
a t hi ef ( - 10% to pick locks rol l). T he
shallow wa ter of th e pool is s urpr-isingly
clear, a nd 258 sp are scatter ed aroun d
its botto m. If a coin is thrown into the
pool, the stat ue s pea ks: "The poor of
Koral gesh t ha nk you for your generosity." If a coin is removed , t he sta tue
ask s: " Would you steal from t he poor of
this city?" The st atue serves no other
purpose.

4, Bar r a ck s. The bu nks in this room

have been overturned, and t he en tire
room is in a sta te of ruin. A table stands
before the stone fireplace in the sout heast corner of the room , and a door ca n
be seen in the south west corner. The
door in th e southwest wall open s into a
corridor t hat lead s to a fun ct ional spiral
stairway.

month. The rats have h oa rded three

bright ge ms worth a to tal of 350 gp in a
pile oflitter beneath t he eastern
shelves. The barrels contain water,
vineg ar, oil, pi tch , and wine . Th e ma te rials on t he shelves have ken overturned an d ruined by the rats. One 50'
coil of ro pe is in tact on t he norther n
sh el f.

F ive lar ge bar rels stand on end

around t he room and a large shelf
occupies t he north, east , and sou th
wa lls.

6. Kitchen, The ope n a rc hway leads

in to a room wit h a table nea r the nort h
wall, a cu pboar d against t he west wall ,
and a fire pit in the sou th east corn er.
The floor is litte re d wit h pot s and pans.
Th is room has been ransacked, and
noth in g of va lue is her e.

This room is the lair of five giant

rat.s <AC 7; HD l/~ ; hp 4, 4 , :3, 3, 2;
MV 120' (40'); fiAT 1 bite each; Dmg
13 + dis ease; Save normal man;
ML 8; A L C). Anyon e bi tte n by a rat
has a 1 in 20 cha nce of becomi ng
infected (saving t hrow vs. poison
allowed). Failure of sa ving throw
means t hat the victim ma y die in I S days (l in 4 chancel or become too
sick to adventu re for a perio d of on e

7. Me ss . Thr ee great oak t ables stand

in the center of the room, a nd bro ke n 01'
over turned chairs litter th~ floor. A
large fireplace occupies the sout he rn
halfofthe east wall . a nd a n open archway can be se en in the ce nter of t he
west. wall . A door is located on both t he
no rt h and east. walls. Th is room has
been ransacked , an d nothing of value is
here .

5. S to rage .

DUNGEON

55

THE KEEP AT KORALGESH

8. Grea t Hall.
A massive double door occu pies
the east and west wa lls of th is
chamber. Its 15' vaulted ceiling is
s upported on each s ide by se ve n
gilded pill ars that border the
great ha ll near the north and
sout h wall s. Twelv e suits of plate
ma il stand between the pillars,
eac h holding a halberd at port -of.
arms position. On the north a nd
south walls arc gig a ntic tapestries illustrated with ocean
scene s and battles with sea
monster s and pira te s.
Th e throne room is guarded by fou r
sentries (AG 3: HD 3; hp 21 , 20 . 17, 13;
MV 90 ' (30'); NAT 1; Dmg 1-10 by polea rm ; Save F2; ML 12; AL N ) wh ich
a re magicall y animated suits of armor.
If any person enters the hall from t he
throne room, nothin g happens. If he
turns arou nd and goes ba ck to the
throne room or enters throug h the west
door, t he four suits of armor nearest the
throne room anim ate and bar the way.
They do not att ack unless the pa rty
t rie s to force by the m or attacks. Both
doors of this room automatically swing
shut one ro u nd after t he party en ters.
Both doors a re locked, and the west door
closes slowly d ue to its r uste d hinges.
9. Kit c he n .

The open arc hway leads in to a room

wit h a table near the sout h wall , a
cupboard against the west wa ll , and
a fire pit in the northeast corner.
Scattered pans a nd debris litter the
floor.
A box in the open cupboard ha s a 6 "diameter hole in one e nd. Any one plac.
ing h is hand in t he box triggers a spr ing
blade and takes 1 h p damage . Th e box
is a rat trap, and if the party looks
around ca refully, it sees scatter ed drop s
of dried blood leadin g from t he cu pboa rd
out t he door. The trap is used by the
ghouls in room 2 (t his level) to catch
food.
10. Me ss.
Three great oak tables stand in
the center of the room. A la rge

56 Issue No.2

fir eplace occupies the n orthern ha lf

of the east wall, a nd a number of
b roken chairs have been piled next to
it . An open archway is located in the
center of t he west wall, and a door
can be seen in the sout h and east
wa lls.
Examination s of the fir eplace re veal
that it is st ill in use. Th e ash es are st ill
warm, and the broken cha irs have been
used as fuel.

a swords man a nd Dark eye fanci es himself as an archer. The flat rosewood case
contained 10 arrows + 1. Their clips are
now empty and t he arrows are in
Da r keye 'a quiver. The locked chest on
the east wall cont ai ns one sword + 1.
cure ligh t wou nds I1day in a green.
leather scabbard.
By shee r luck , the bandits have not
yet encountered the ghouls on this
level. and neither have the ghouls found
them.

11 . Storage.

13. Game Room .

Three ba re she lves sta nd against t he

north , ea st . a nd south walls. Stacks
of barrels occupy the southwest pertion of the room . Cobwebs and du st
cover everyth ing in t he room .

Three tables sta nd in the central

area of the room, and a fireplace is
bu ilt into the east wall.

A sma ll , ornate rosewood box lies

between the bar re ls . Anyone attemp t.
ing to reach in a nd grab it ha s a 50%
chance of overtu rning the preca riou sly
bal anced barrel s. If this happens, everyone within 10' of the barrel s must roll
their dexterity or less to avoid taki ng
Id4 h p da ma ge. Th e box con tain s snuff.

The door is sl ightly ajar. and when

an yone opens it , four ghostly figu r es are
seen sittin g at one of t he tables, playi ng
cards. Th ey then see the party, lay down
their cards, and leave t hrou gh t he south
wall. If anyone examines the cards. t hey
find t hem to all be composed of aces and
eights.

14. Cap tain's Room.

12. Armor y.

Two long r acks of weapons stand in

the center ofthe room . Another rack
stands against the west wa ll. A
closed cabi net sta nds again st th e
east wall with tw o snor ing figures
lying in front of it. A fla t. rosew ood
chest abou t 3 ' long lies open on the
floor nea r the west wall.
The tw o sleeping figu res are ba ndits (A C 6; FI ; hp 7. 4 ; NAT 1; Dmg
18 by swor ds; Sa ve Fl ; ML 8; AL C)
dress ed in lea ther armor. A bow.
quiver, a nd two shields lie on the
floor near the bodies. Th ey failed to
disarm t he trap in the cabinet
a gainst the east wall and t riggered
slee p gas whe n t hey attempted to
open it . They wake up if any noise
is made by anyone en te ri ng the
room, and they try to kill the party
members if they are not out n urnbered. If the party a ppea rs to be too
strong , they attempt to join them .
They are sly a nd treacher ous, and
may steal from or kill PCs if they
th in k they ca n do so sa fely. Bla nn is

Three beds sta nd w ith their head boards against the east wa ll . A sma ll
ni ghtstand occupies a space to the
ri ght of each bed , and a fireplac e has
been bu ilt into the sout hern part of
the west wall .
The fireplace is t ra pped , so the
DM shou ld make all applicable saving throws for t he party members
who investi gate it . Up insi de the
fireplace near the flue are three
soot -darkened levers. F rom left to
ri ght, the levers are formed in the
shape of a dr agon 's head. a sku ll.
and a gargoyl e's head. The levers
ca n only be moved to t he left or
ri ght, and the pro per combination
re qu ired to safely open a concealed
compartment in the mantle is left)
left/ r ight . Any movemen t oth er
than the proper combination trig.
gera a poison needle in th e appropri ate lever. If a successful save vs.
poison is rolled. the victim only
feels t he sharp pr ick of t he nee dle .
If t he sa ving t hrow is fa iled. t he
vict im gasps for a ir and col1apses to
the gr ou nd in a comatos e st ate . All

THE KEEP ATKORALGESH

signs of life are reduced to a point

where they are practically undetectable (roll a 1 on lcllO each time the
victim is examined). Th is deat h ly
coma lasts for 6 turns. [ f the proper
combination is met, a concealed
panel in the mantle slides open to
reveal a compartment containing a
small leat her bag. The bag contains
33 gp, 27 ep , 5 pp, and three gems
each worth 25 gpo

15. Throne Roo m.

Two giant statues of KaTthe Im mort al stand near the east wall
on either side of a raised da is.
They each hold a trident of wh ich
t he butts rest on the floor an d a
crystal sphere I ' in d iam et er that
is raised above their head s. Each
sphere emits a brilliant light
that illuminates the room . Two
thrones of polished granite re st
on eith er side oftbe da is. An
ornate tapestry behind t he
thrones pictures a rolli n g sea
with a beautiful white ship cresting t he waves. In fro nt of a fireplace on the north and sout h
walls are two long bench es facing
a low stone chair in the center of
the room . This chair is of white
granite and faces t he throne s. A
large dou ble door is located in
the center of the west wa ll , an d a
door is also located in t he eastern
portion of the south wa ll .
Before t he k ing's throne {on the
left of t he dais) is a blade-wide slot
in the stone at the foot of the chair.
If a sword is placed in the slot an d
pressed down , the Seat of Justice
before th e da is glows br ightly. Any one reaching into or touching this
glowing area feels a pleasant tingle.
If anyone sits in the Seat of J u stice
whil e it is glowing, he is ins tantly
te lepcrted to a cell in the dungeon
on Level 2 (r oom 1). The DM decides
whether or not the cell door is intac t or wr enched open. If a ny skeleton s are left on Level 2, there is a
50% chance per t urn of their responding to th e wailing of the cap tive spirits.
Concealed in the left arm of the
king's t hrone are two studs. If the
first st ud is depre ssed, a small,
round pedestal that contains six
small , leather bags in a recessed

compa rtment rises from the dais to t he

left of t he throne . Each bag contains 25
gp o If the second stud is depressed , an
illusionary gold dragon (AC - 2; HD nil;
' AT 2 clawsll bite + breath; Dmg 28128/6-36l appears and imm ediately uses
its breath weapon for 44 hp fire damage
(saving throw applicable for ha lf.
damage). The body of an yone sla in by
t his breath attack drops to th e floor and
collapses from within, leaving all belongings beh ind as the body disap pears
to reappear in the dungeon on Level 2
(room 1). The dra gon does not attack
anyone on the da is and orders a ny survivors of its initial attack to surrender.
Anyone who does so is orde red to the
Seat of Justice and is teleported to the
prison below, whether or not a sword is
in the slot before the ki ng's throne. All
damage sustained by p e s is ill usionary
in nature, an d one succes sful hit on the
dr agon dis pell s it. Anyone " sla in" by
the dragon awakens in I d4 tu rn s.
16, Ship R oo m.
Two long sh elves on th e nort h an d
south wa lls support 27 models of the
sh ips of Koralgesh. All vessels are
armed with cata pult s fore a nd aft ,
a nd all bear t he colors of Koralgesh.
The models are of great value as collector 's items hut a re extr emely fragile.
Transportation is nea rly imposs ible. but
in th e event of anyone devising what
t he DM feel s to he a possible method,
each sh ip is worth 150 gpoTh ere is a
25% ch ance th at the model s brea k regardless of their method of t ransportati on, a nd 95% if t hey are roughly
handled.
17. Stair w ay.
A ske let al figure in cha in ma il lies
on the floor near a stairway that
le ads upwards. Shield and swor d lie
near t he body.
If t he body or its posses sion s are disturbed, the skeleton (AC 7; HD 1; hp 8;
MV 60' (20 '); tAT 1; Dmg 1-8 by sword;
Sa ve Fl; ML 12; AL C) ani mates and
attacks. It ca n not be tu rned until it
anim ates. The skeleton wea rs a ring of
fire resist ance on its right hand and

a leather pouch on it s belt cont ains 12

gp o
18. Lo unge a nd Libr ary,
She lves of mold y books line the
wall s, a nd an unhealthy. green
growth clings to the ceiling a nd wall
to spread across th e floor.
The green slime (AG can alw ays be
hit; HD 2 ; hp 16; MV 3' (1' ); 'AT 1;
Dmg turns flesh to sli me; Save F l ; ML
7; AL L) does not attack anyone unless
t he room is en tered . It can only be
harmed by fire or cold. It can be hurned
01T armor or clothing if attended to
qu ickl y. Once in contact with flesh, it
t urns t he victi m into green sl ime 14
rounds aft er th e first e.round (one min ute) per-iod. Burning t he sli me a fte r it
has mad e contact wit h flesh ca uses ha lfdamage to the vict im and h alf damage
to the sli me.

Second Floor (l3)

19. Closet. The door opens outward to
reveal a small ch amber that contains
mops, buckets, broom s, lar ge bar s of
ye llow soap, and five small kegs.
Th e ke gs conta in high quality oil for
the lamps in the quarters located on
t his floor.

20. G u est Ro o m. Two large beds, a

table, a nd a rumpled carpet occupy th is
room. A fireplace is built into the ea st ern wa ll, an d an overturned nightstand
lies on t he floor near the bed towards
the east . The room has been r ansacked;
not hing of va lue rema ins.
21. G ue st R oom. Two beds stand in
the norther n part of the room, a nd an
open chest lies overturned near the

DUNGEON

57

THE KEEP ATKORALGESH

easter n wa ll. A ta bl e near t he wes t wall

has been t urned ove r, a nd its legll ha ve
been remo ved . An ova l ca rpe t lies on
the Fl oor near 11 fir eplace o n t he s out hern wa ll. The roo m ha s been ra nsacked;
nothin g of value remains.

22. Guest Ro o m. Two beds sta nd

nea r the mi ddl e cf t he room . A chest
ncar the bed to th e west has be en broken open , a nd a table lies on its side
near t he north wa ll. A tattered ova l
carpet lies o n th e floor unde r the ca ste rn bed . a nd a fireplace ha s he en built
into the cente r of t he western wall . The

room ha s been ransa cked; nothing of

va lue rem a in s.
23 . Ba t h .
The s ha tt e red door to this room lie s
ju st insi de the door fra me, and a foul
odor fills the air. Thick tra ils of mu cous lead fro m the door to a murky
poo l of da rk water in t he center of
the room. Several obscure forms ca n
be seen floa t ing in t he pool.

Fre sh s lime tra ils lead to and fro m

this room . and the fou l odor is not iced
wh e never anyone ventures within 30 ' of
the doo r. This room is one of t wo la irs
for t he t yra nna by ss (AC 8i6 ; H D 5 **; hp
30 ; M V 60 ' (20')la nd/ 120' (40 ') water ;
IIAT 2 claws/I slinl'( ; Dmg 1-4/14/14 +
s pecial ; Save F3 ; ML 9; AL N I. Ifit has
not already been encounte red and s lain ,
there is a 25 % cha nce t hat it is lurking
in the dark wa te rs of the pool. It a tt ach
intruders immedia te ly if it gai ns s urprise or it wa it s for them to a pproach
t he pool. It uses its lon g eye stalks
much like a pe ri scope, It s urges u p from
t he pool a nd fire a its la ncet a t the neares t target. If a victi m is h it, the t yra nnabys s drags him into the pool and
s ubme rges. The victim takes listed
damage per round or d ies by drowni ng,
wh ichever com es first. H is com rades
may be ab le to force the tyrun nabyss
from t he pool and sa ve hi m if t hey react
fast enough, or sever the lancet's con necting tube if they are standing close
enoug h to do so before the victim is
dragged into the pool. Blind attacks into
the pool with arrows, et c., are at - 3 to
h it , and have a 1 in 6 chance of hitting
t he vict im .
Three pa rtially cons umed bodies (a
week old ) floa t in the pool. Two of them
ap pear to be sa ilor s, and each body
w ears u gold earring w or t h 1 gpo The
third body is t ha t of an ore wea ring a
torn belt pouch that con tained 30 gp ,
now sca ttered e ver the floor of t he pool.
Ass um i ng t ha t the pa rt y notices t h is
a nd dec ides to retrieve the coins, 1d4
t urn s a re needed to do so.
24 . Li bra ry. Shelves fill ed with book s
line the walls, sev eral of wh ich have
been pulled do.....n to spill their contents
o nto t he floor. A long table with s ix
chairs stands befo re a fireplace nea r th e
ea st wal l.
Though none oft he re ma in ing texts
a re magica l in na ture, the DM may
create a n assortment of st ra nge and
un usual tomes with references to lost
t rea sure hoard s, s h ipwrec ks, ways to
create pot ion s, and so fort h, Some false
information an d forged treasure maps
would also be helpful.

~:
~

'--'--'-----""

......

~ / ~.

58 Issue No.2

THE KEEP AT KORAlG ES H

25. T h r o n e a n d Din i ng Room .

Great mu rals of ocean adventures
decorate the room and a la rge tapestry h angs on the northern wa ll.
Thr ee i mmense tables of sca rred
wood sta nd ncar the center of t he
room and a s ma lle r. r ichly ca rve d
table stands before t hree orna te
chairs near the north wall. Chairs,
plates, a nd ea ting uten sils litter the
floor. Op en archways lead from t he
room in the sout h and sou th east
walls. A sm all, man-sized arch way
can be seen in the extr em e southeast
corner a nd closed door s ca n be see n
in t he east. sou t h, a nd wes t walls.
The distance that the PC s can see is
lim ited by their s ou rce of light. The DM
must exam in e the map of t he room and
reveal what he feel s t he peopl e ca n see
from a ny gi ven a rea in the room. Pewte r dishes on the royal table ha ve a net
worth of 20 0 g poAs t he party member s
approach within 30' ofthe door to room
29 , a gh ostly image appears. beckoning
to the part y to follow . a nd di sappears
into room 2 9.

26 . Roy al Guards' Roo m .

F ive bun ks sta nd a lon g th e wa lls ,

and t hree s tone statues stand in th e
room in va r ied pos ition s.

The ston e statue s h av e shoc ked . horrtfied exp re ss ion s. They wear ex pe nsi ve.
or nately curved breast plates a nd
greaves. On e s tands wi th his left. forea r m rai sed before hi s hel me d head and
h is rig ht h and on th e- hilt of h is
'
sheathed s word . Another looks like he
j ust roll ed off his hun k, and crouc hes
wi t h hi s left han d raised in front of him .
On t he floor bel ow h is outs t retc hed
fingers lie a numbe r of glas>: s ha rds
the remnants of II mirror. Th e last fig-ure stands as if frozen in the mi ddle of a
charge , sword rai sed over h is head.
U nde r one bu nk if! a he lmet Ident ical to
t hose worn hy t he statues.
If re scu ed by a stone 10 fl,'sh spe ll , t he
guards rocnl l seei ng Landa u (as mentio ned in a rea 29, this lev el) entering
the room a nd orde rin g them to s urre nder to hi m or peri s h . Mov ing in to a rr est
c-

C T:..:I

...,

42

"

him , the me n were a tt acked by a medusa that Landau generated us ing- a

{Tre/le a ny mo n ster spell. La nda u, now
long- dead, wa s a 24th-level mag ic-use r.

27. Royal G ua r ds' Room, Five bu nk s

stand al ong t h e wall s. The beddin g
been stripped off and laid in a pile in
t he center or th e room . The room wa s
ra nsacked; nothing of va lue re ma ins.
2S. Kit c h en .

A fir e pit stands next to the northeast and west walls. and a counter
wi th t wo cabinets stands in the
southern pa rt of t he room . An open
arch way ca n be se e n in t he nor thwes t corner.
Fou r giant ce ntipedes (AC 9; H D I/~;
hp 4, :3, 3;
60 ' (20') ; NAT 1; D
Poiso n; Sa ve no rmal man; :\lL 7; AL ='i l
live in the left ca bine t (its door is
sligh t.ly ajar).

a.

xiv

29. R oom o f t he Book.

Th e door ope ns into a small room
dec orated wi t h a ri ch tapestry that

ha ngs on the east wall. The ta pestry

displays the he raldry of Koralgesh,
and II stone a ltar bearing an immense, closed book sta nds before it.
Ly in g on t he floor in front of t he
altar is a skeletal figur e in blue
clerica l robes.
The body has no va lu a bles a nd lies
wit h its right arm s tretched towa rd t he
a lta r with a wr iting qu ill clenc hed in its
ha nd. The book is closed. a nd its an cient.
leather cover is emboss ed with the sun
and sea of Kora lgesh. If opened, an
unseen voice reads the pa g-e . Wh oe ve r
ope ns the book must tu rn each pa ge
u nti l the book is co mpleted. Upon com pletion, the book closes by itself. This
act lay s the s pir its of the dead to rest
throughout the Keep , dCl'ilroying all
un dead a nd phantom s. Th e following
infor ma ti on is read to the party.

Th e {orf'{athers of our city were me n

u( t"ourape and uiisdam: In their plan1llil M of lhe const ruc tion oflhis, nnr
cily. Ihey consulted nur Uli.~!' :;1 men.
a nd were advised by the se worthies 10
look {i!r a buil di ng si le uC("j',~.:; i ble rmly
b.y tht' SM, Long d id 1I11',v j our /lf":.v
.

DUNGEON

59

THE KEEP AT KO RAl G ESH

a long the coast s of/he West ern Sea.

A t last; along the forb idding coast of
Gesh, a natural h arbor was foun d. at
the wry feet of lhe g N!al mo untain,
Helm 's Peak. Here. they decided,
WtJu ld they build the qu een ofall
seaports, Koralgesh.
They sent afar (or stone masons
whose craft. uould bP worthy ofsuch a
task, alld the dwarves oftk Wh ite
Mountains answenod their chaUenge.
The duart'ftBjournl!)~ to the mountains o{Gesh CUld labored ham and
long. ~r upon tier ofcity I;trt"f!ts and
buildings wen! constructed from tM
IJl:'ry ed~ of the Western Sea up the
sicks of Helm :' Peak itself Granite
from their hom eland was imported to
construct the face ofthe Keep; and with
grrol cunn ing the dwarves detoed into
the body ofthe mountain:
In defen ee of our harbor; a f:rMl sea
chai n was stretched across its mouth.
Thi s harrier kept at bay the pircuen thol
raided the ooast ofGesh. A small fo'"
tre ss waH erected, and a fxx1y of loya l
g uards controlled the windlas s th at
lowf!red tbe chai n for tboee ships outnorlsed to teaoe or enkr our porL
Soon. Korolgesh became the leading
seaport of the Westl"rn Sea Her riches
beoome an assd thaJ 1M council used to
finan~ a fUvt ofships, the liM ofwhich
had n l"Vl'r saikd the briny dtpih.'I, and
trrv:le npcuukd to t"VE'". SffifJOrl almlg
1M coa.~ Silks, jeu-.el& sJJis, art. and
prttious metals Ul('T(' entrusted to Ih ew
vessels and never U:(LS a oorgo lou. The
repulal ion of OIU city grl.'W until tM
decisions ofour eoancilu-ere t'ieWf'd as
the laws ofthe sec,
Th en ro me the m an wh o M lled
hi mself Landau. His uia s a pow er
wh oRe limits we kn ew not, alia by
g uile an d sorcery d id he insin uate
him llelf in fa the confidence flf Our

60 Issue No.2

nob ility. His honeyed tongue m ade

m any fritmds. and his favor and
po wer was sought by many who were
not content with their pos uione in our
city. He bame a familiar figu re at
court, an d often he was see n ubsen~
ing th e ships in our harbor: Most
in terested wa.~ he in the operation of
the great chai n across the inl et. A las.
et't'n 1 wa$ deceived by h is ta lents.. In
a blin d fait h in h is integr ity, I
awarded him th e freedom of the Keep
and much honor: He re, to my eternal
shame, I unknowingly betra yed my
king an d my people,
His tr ue nature was fin(jlly ret'ealed
upon the da y of the su m m er soietice.
Th is, our most holy of day s, was a
celebra tion ofth e long est day of the
year and the triu mph ofKor the Sun
King over Tra m, Lord of Dark ness.
At the heighl of celebratio n; Landau
caused a great wea riness to fall upon
our sentries an d the h arbor gllardS.
He th en Iou-ered the sea chai n for the
pirate fleet lying in wail dow n th e
coast. Too late did I see our folly, and
too fute were my u'arn ing s to save our
city. Th e pirates caught the city l.UIaware and great UlQ.\: the slaughter:
Our king ralli ed the remnants ofhis
g uard, and th e su n and sea of
Koralgesh str uck int o the heart of our
enem ies: Our warriors I'l lew thre e for
every one otou r ow n. hut th f' pi rate s
pree eed forwa rd in suc h n umbers th at
th e standard ofour city was ouerthrown and tram pled underfoot.
One by one, o ur wurriur,~ fell until.,
01 last, K ing A m hril faced our enemies alone. I wat ched in di smay as a
rain Qfarrow s descended upon h im.
for the cowards would not brat'e th e
terri ble lengt h ofh is swo rd Before he
fell., he rai sed hi.~ swo rd ant'l/: f' his
h ead, and dro ve it halfits If'nRth into
the very body of Helm 's Peak. With a
great c". to Kor tu avenge h im. he
sn apped the blade off within the
stone, an d the Im m ortal answered
Deep beneath our (f'et th e mountain
growled in anger: Great "racks
opened in its sidell, an d gum'ing rock
poured forth to en/l ulfour enemies.
With a shuddering roar th at Ieeeled
bui ld ings, a g reat explosion rent the
mountain from wilh in. I wa tchf'd in
horror as the ent ire city below the
Keep was cast into the lieu. A huge
eiou d of glo wi ng em bers rolled acrose
the harbor; and de stroyed every lihip
therein. T he eery water.\: of th e sea

boilf'd; a shrol.ld of m ist rcse high into

the sky.
S taRKerinl! thro ugh the choking
gaslfes, 1 found the oathbreake r; Landau . a.\: hf' was looti ng th e grwt t'aulL
Long di d we battle and ma gic filled
the air: We exhausted our talents an d
(ought lik e beast s until, at last. I slew
hi m wilh my oum ha nds. Now. I am
th f' last to record this knowl('dge in
the Chron icles of Koraigesh: I end my
j ourn al to await my fate, May th e
Im mortal Kor he me rciful:
30. St u dy.
Two doors stand in the southern
porti on ort he east and .....est wa lla.
Two plu sh chairs occupy the center of
th e room , and a bookcase s ta nds
agajnst the west . north . and ea st
walls.
The shelves contai n books cove ri nK a
variety of topics: poetry. h istory, shi pping. la...... a nd economics to name a few.
The second shelf in the ea stern bookcase conceals a hidden panel that ca n be
rel eased by rem ovin g the books from
the shelf. and depres sing a concealed
stud in the left corner of the shelf. Th e
compartment contains one scroll of
protection from lyeanth ropes and a
potion ofgaseo1l8 form.

3 1. King's G uardroom . Two low

benches lie on t heir sides near t he north
a nd sou t h walls. Li tter cove rs t he Floor
a nd the room has a pungent. anima l
odor. Nut hi ng of valu e is in this room.

32. King's Cha m bers.

A ma ssive oak desk and chair occupy
the north west part of the room. A
Ilreplaee stands in t he center of t he
east wall , and a large readi ng cha ir
sits on a n ornate carpet in front of it .
A la rge bed and a small nigh tstand
occupy the sout heast corner: the
oak en foot a nd headboard corner
pos ts are surmou nted by a la rge. gold
ball. An ope n cloth es closet st.ands
agai ns t t he south w all. Two large
mirrors ha ng on either side of th e
door in the west wall. and a nother
door ca n be seen in the north wall.
The mirrors re flect t he contents of the
room whenever t hey are looked into at
an a ngle. Anyo ne ....-hc looks directl y
into the mirrors for more t ha n one

THEKEEP AT KORAlGESH

round is awarded a view of t he outside

of the Keep a s if he were standing u pon
the battlements. Rolli ng mists arc all
that can be seen now . A vague, birdlike
figure is seen a s it plummets fr om
a bove and disappears in t o the cloudy
vapor; the fig ure is t hat of a harpy that
lain. in the ruins of th e outer batt le ments, now inaccessible fr om t he inside.
It won' t be e ncountered by t he party
unles s the party a tt empts to scale th e
mountain above t he Keep. I n the
dra wer of t he ni g htst a nd is a dugger
+2; also. a ring of water walk ing is
con cealed in the Kolde n ba ll at the le ft
of the foot hoard (t he ha ll ca n be unscrewed from it s hase). Severa l oil
lamps han g on the wa ll s a nd. if the
s u pport bracket t o the lamp left of the
fi re pla ce is pu lled directl y outwards , a
s ha r p cl ick is he ard, a nd t he s ecr et door
in this waH opens. Tu close the door;
sim ply revers e the process . Ma t ch in g
lamps in t he cor ridor op en the se cret
doors from t he othe r side ,
:33, Lou nge.

A fireplace occupies the s outheast

corner of this chamber, A low bo okcase stand s against t he north a nd
west walls, and a door is located in
Lh e wester-n sid e oft.he north and
south walls. Two du sty, bu t comfortable looking chairs si t before the
firep la ce.

The room is un occupied, and t he only

item s of a n y va lu e a re two go lden can dlest irks (.')0 !''P each ) a nd a sm a ll j ade
statue of Kor (25 0 h'P) on the mantle of
th e fireplace.
34. Servant's Quarters . A small 10'
square room lies behind th is door. Its
cob we bbed in t er ior s hows on ly a cot, a
wooden ch a ir, and a small ruble with a
basin set into its su rface. T here is not.h ing of va lue in th is r oom .
35 . Que e n 's Room.

The open a rchway leads t o a nursery :

in side are a ch ild 's crib a nd corner Fi repla ce. Severallifelike to y birds arc
suspe nd ed in the air abov e th e cr-ib. If
to uc hed lightly, t hey s in g melodiou sl y,
If moved with any forc e , t hey lose the ir
d weomer a nd fa ll t o th e 11001". A sm all
ha ndmaiden 's chamber lies next to t ilt'
n u rse ry.
Th e mirrors on t he eas t wall are identical to t hose in room 32 . There ill a lO'k
chance for each PC to catch anot her
glimpse of t he harpy. A s ilver ha nd mi rror, comb , a nd brush (25 gp va lue ) lie 0 11
the vanity. Each chest contains clothing.
bu t the only t h in g of rca I va lue is a silver
embroidered bel t or soft leat her wit h n
buckle of smal l pearls set in t he shape of
t he sun (250 gp value). A secret door- is
concealed in the nort hern corner of th e
ea st wa ll; it is opened in t he sa me manner as th e door in room 32.
36. Musi c Room ,

This room contains musica l inst ru ments of many diffe ren t sh jl p(~s and
ty pe s. \VOOdCll flutes, harps, lutes.
and others lint' the wa ll s . Wood ell
stools arc scattered around th e roo m,
a nd an open archway is located in
t he ce nter of the west wal l.

Th ese inst r u me nt s have ull suffered

fr om t he dampness , a nd an' wor th less
a nd u np layahle as a re sult.
37 . Weaving: Hoom.
A l a r ge loom occupies the center uf
the r oom . An ornate cha ir a nd
woode n chest st a nd next t o it.
A ta pestry of an oce a n sce ne has been
started on t he loom. If t he che st il'l
opened, it reveals spools of d ifferen t
colored t h read. A spool of s il v er- thread
and a spool of gold thread (wo r t h 10 and
20 gp) lie in t he buttum of t he c hest.
benea t h t he re mova ble up per nick .

38. R oy al Ha t h .
T his is a large , or nate room. A plush
ch air on a n ova l carpet fa ces a fire pla ce in the center of t he e ast wall. A
ca nopied bed, la dy's van it y tabl e , and
a che s t ca n he seen ne a r the north
wal l. Two large mirrors h ang on
either si de of a door on the west wa ll.
A no t he r chest and a ro u nd table are
located in t he so uthern portion of the
room. An ope n a rc h wa y and a door
can he seen i n t he sou t her n wall.

T he door t o t h is room has been forced

off its hing<~.<.t a nd lit's just. in si d e t he
doorway. A fou l odorfl lls the room
a nd glistenin,;, wet tr-aii s ca n be see n
on the marble 1100r. A la rj.(e bathing
pool occupies t he cente r of t he room :
its wa ters are da rk and murky. A
fireplac e can he seen in t he center of
the north wall.

T here is a n SO'It, chance t ha t t he

ty ru n nabys s is lyi ng at the bottom of
t he puol , if it ha s not already been en countered and s lai n. The wate r in the
pool is too fil t hy to see through. U
present . t he t y runnabyss t r ie s to gain
surp r-ise a nd a t tac k wi th its ha r poon
weapon . Any char ac t e rs so hit a re
riragl,'l'd in t o t he pool. If the beast su oceeds in captu ring- its pre y, the vict im 's
fr-ien ds ca n curne to h is ai d at -3 to hi t
t he submerged animal, at a 1 in 6
c ha nce of strik in g its pr ey. T he re is 4 70
gop of mixed co ins at the bottom of the
pool (l dB t urns t o re trieveL

39. P r tn cos s's C ha m b er.

A !Hrge va ni ty has been pulled away
fr om tho wa ll towards th e door. and
:111 or na t e ch est ca n be see n nca r t he
sout h wa ll. A na rrow ta ble with
cob we bbe d ca ndle stic k", a nd small
ja r s a lso st a nds a gainst the south
wall. A ca no pie d bed a nd a smal l
nightstand occupy t he northeast part
of th e room, and a fi repla ce is bu ilt
into th e center of t he ea st wall .
Laq.w mlrrurs hang on either sid e of
the dou r.

The door to this r oom is bolted from

within . a nd must be forc ed open . As
soon as t he partv t ries to force t he door,
it hears a muffled cru sh from wit h in the
room . The long ta ble a gai nst t he south
wall is covered with cob we bs, bu t the
sm e lljars ha ve rece nt.ly been disturbed .
A wood e n chair- lit's on its b ack in fro n t
of t he ta ble, and a small pa int bru sh
l ies beside it , still we t wi th red pa in t.
'l'herc is one opened jar on t he tab le and
it contains old, d r-ied red pai nt. A parch.
mont 0 11 the t able depicts a br igh tl y
color ed bi rd still in the pro cess of bei n g
pairrtr-d. All of'the jar-s con t ai n dri ed
pig ments. The mirrors per form the
same WHy as l hos!c' in Roo ms:l2 li nd :3,'i .
ln a sma ll silver box a t the ba ck of t h e
drawer in th e vanity are fou r go ld r ings.
Gill' of t he rings i>l a ri nu of a n im a l
control. T he total value of t he box a nd
th e lith er rilll-{ll is 500 gop.
40 , Ste wa r d 's Ro o m .

The door upens into a sruul l j O'

:;4u;Il'C e n t r y that leads into a larger
r oom . A table st ands agai nst the
nort h wall and a fireplace can be
see-n ill the no rthe rn cor ner of t he

DUNGEON

61

THEKEE PATKORALGESH

west wall . A bed, desk , a nd cha ir

occu py t he rem ain ing pa rt of t he
west wall . A cloa ked figu re sits in a
chai r facing the fireplace.
The cloaked figure is t he s keletal body
of the Keep's steward. A chain of office
hangs around his neck , and a he avy
gol d r ing wit h a la rge dark gemstone is
worn on hi s right hand. The heavy
faci ng or the ring rotates and produce s a
small key fro m t he ge m's s urface . The
chai n is worth 25 gp a nd t he ring is
worth 55 6'P.

4 1. Se rva nt's Qua rte r s.

Six bunks are scattered t hroughout
this room , and a firepl ace is located
in the northern corn er of the east
wall.

blade i nto t hi s sea m a nd pry ing downward, a catc h is rel ease d with an a udibl e click. T he e nti re shelf can now s lide
al ong t he wa ll to the left to e xpose a
s mall , locked wall safe. In s ide t h is safe
is a crys tal hall in a blue velvet bag.
Th e brass t ubes a re green with corros ian, hut could he cleaned up. Th ey a re
telescope s, bolted secure ly to t he ir ped estals. If they ca n be re moved witho ut
damage and are pr operl y cleaned, each
tel esco pe is worth 750 gpo The small
sta t ue is a replica of t he Im mortal K or-;
it has a small slot in t he base of its low
stand. If a gold coin is dro pped into t his
s lot , t he st a t ue says: " High h um idit y
a nd deep fag" . . . again . Water te m pera ture va ria ble to boili ng, a nd it look s
li ke rain." If th e base is smashed ope n,
no coins are found , and t he statue
cease s to operate.
43 . Wiza rd's C ham ber.

This is t he lair of three ghouls (AC 6;

HD 2"'; hp 14, 12, 10; MV 90' (30'); IIAT 2
cla ws/I bite; Dm g 1311311-3 + paralysis;
Save 1"'2; ML 9; AL C); they are aw ake
and alert. The door is locked from within.
Any noise made by th e party in its a ttem pts to pick or force the lock alerts the
ghouls inside. The ghou ls unlock t he door,
open it, b'fab whomev er is on the othe r
side , and snatch him into t he room . Two
of them attempt to d ose and lock th e door,
while the third keeps t heir victim busy.
Beh ind a loo~ stone in t he southwest
corner of t he room is a d oth sac k containing 423 cp, 107 sp, and 185 gp , but a PC
must look carefully to see it bene ath the
dust a nd liner,
42 . M ap Room and Obser v ato ry,

Th e door opens to re ve al a room

whose wes tern wall contains two
s hutte red win dows at the cor ners of
the cha mber. A pedestal supports a
long, t ubelik e structure befo re ea ch
wi ndow and a sm all statue st ands
between th em . A long table st ands in
t he center of the room ; the t able is
hare except for a small , carved sta nd.
A large shelf ag ai nst t he north wall
contains rolls of pa rc hmentlike ma ter ial, a nd a small table stands against
the south wall .
The cupped st a nd on t he t abl e is t he
rest ing plac e for a crystal ball conceal ed
beh ind the map shelf on the no rth wa ll.
At the back of the lowes t shelf is a
s ma ll s ca m tha t a ppears slightly
chipped and cut . By in se rt in g a dagger

62 Issue NO.2

A s h utte red window is located in t he

ce nter of the west wall. A bed, fir eplace, desk , a nd chair occupy t he
northern part of the roo m , and a very
la rg e carpet covers the cen ter of the
floor. Below a very large painting on
th e south wa ll stands an or nat e
chest .
The 8' x 20 ' pa inting on t he south

wall port r ays a m ir ror copy of the room

it self. Standing on t he carpet in t he
painting is a large, a pe lik e figure with
scaled sk in a nd long, muscular a rms.
Thr ee orc s st a nd hu ddled beh ind the
desk , and two h ideo us, ghou l-like creat ures sta nd near the chest. Th e apelike
cre a t ure is a n epadrazail (e h pa DRA zil:
AC 3; HD 4 + 1 *....; hp 21 ; MV 120 '
(40'); KAT 2; Dm g 1-4./1-4 ; Save F3 +
spe cial ; ~1 L 12; AL C). It s te ps out of t he
pa inti ng ana attacks anyone or anyt hing disturbi ng its master's belongings
(s ee ne w monster descripti on for deta ils ). An yone ca pt ured by the epadrazail and placed in the pa inting can be
released hy means of a dispel magic
spell, a rod of canrellation, or by destl'Oying t he pai nting (AC 9; hp 20 ; half
da mage by weapon type). This also frees
the three orcs (AC 6; liD 1; hp 6, 6, 5;
MV 120' (40 '); /fAT 1; Dm g by short
s word, 16 ; Save F1; ML 6; AL C) and
the two thouls (AC 6; HD 3* '"; hp 22
(now 14), 13 (now 9); MV 120 ' (40'); KAT
2 cla ws; Dmg 1311-3 + paralyzation,
ML 10; AL C). The two thouls a re
wou nded and rege ne ra t ion takes place

one rou nd afte r t hey a re free . The orcs

bolt for t he door, initiating combat wit h
anyo ne in their path. The thouls have a
50~ chance of attacking t he or cs; oth erwise, they attack the pa rt y unless e ngag-ed immediately by on e grou p or the
other. The orcs each have 216 cp: the
thouls h a ve no t reasure. The chest contains one pair of elvish boots, an elv ish
cloak , a nd three magic-user's scrolls. A
s mall lea the r hag contains 15 gp and 3
pp. Scroll 1 has t wo second-level spells:
dete ct in oieibility and phantasmal [orce,
Scroll 2 has one First-level magic missile
spell, with 3 missiles. Scroll 3 has one
fir st-level dete ct magic spe ll a nd two
second-level spells; knock a nd levitate.
44. Wiza rd's Work r oom,

A long table cluttered with t ripods

and beakers s ta nds in the ce nter of
t he room, and a large desk ca n be
see n near t he sout h wa ll. Four books hel ves s ta nd agai nst t he walls: one
to the north, one to the west , a nd two
to the sout h. A heavy, hlack ma rbl e
a ltar occu pies the northernmost wa ll.
A pe nt a gr a m has been inscribed on
t he floor in front of it. A large
counter with four cabinets stands
agai nst the east wall .
The door to this room has been wizard
locked. A knock spell opens it, but the
door locks ag ain if it closes. It can be
opened by force, but al ways at some
penalty {roll strength or less on 4d6, for
example>.
Anyone e nte ring the room m ust save
vs. spells. Successful characters see a
blind ing flash a nd Iose their s igh t for
one tu rn . Th ose cha r acte rs who fa il
their sa ving t hrow see their exact dupl tca te s step from the pentagram a nd
e ng age their cou nterpar ts in melee.
Any PC who succeeds i n sla ying h is
double see s it fade and disa ppear. Each
double is on ly visible to its origi nal
cha racte r. All damage appears real and
lasts for tw o turns. If a PC is "slain" by
hi s duplicate , he recove rs in two turns
from the ill u siona ry damage a nd is
under a com pulsion to lea ve t he room ,
nev er to return. Th e cou nter with four
cabinets contains t he foll owing":
Cabinet 1: 20 vials of assorted ma tet-ials, s pices, dried powd ers, etc. Each
s topper is numbered a nd vial 7 and 19
are also sealed with wa x. Vial 7 is a
potion of d iminution and vial 19 is a
potion of ht'oli ng.

THE KEEP AT KORAlGESH

Cabin et 2: e m pty.
Cabinet 3: mi scell an eous magic pa raphernalia, 10 s mall jars of lizard scal es,
powdered blood, ha ir, etc .
Cabi net 4: gla ssware a nd a bundle
contain ing ch ain mail armor + 1
wrapped in oiled lea ther.
A large , shallow bowl on t he altar is
actually a shield +2 .

of th e papers i ndica tes that this was a

re cord s office . Ledgers of s hi ps, cargos.
ports, e tc .. a re all tha t ca n he found
he re.
48 . Cleric's Room . Three cots sta nd
in a. row against the south wa ll. A fire place is built in to t he no rthwes t corner
a nd a des k stands aga inst th e nort hern
wa ll. Nothi ng of val ue is here.

45. Temple of Kor.

49, Admi r al 's Ch a m b er,

This la rge room is nc arly e mpty
except for a large al ta r of polished
marble, and a la rge oval carpet on
t he floor in fron t of it. A fi replace is
loca t ed in t h e cente r of the south
wall , a nd a sh ut door ca n be seen in
the north wall. Three stained-gla ss
windows arc built into the wester n
wall , and t h e one above t he alta r
appears to ha ve wri ting on it.
The inscripti on on t he sta ined-glass
window over t h e a ltar reads as follows:

He who stand s and beholds my face

With hea rt and courage pure,
My Blessings on him [ will pl ace
And all h is ai lme nts cure.
An yone wh o stands in the light of t he
late afternoon s un ha s all of his wounds
healed . Th is takes pla ce only if the DM
feels t hat t he ch a racter has been pro perly pla yed and has l ived up to t he
rhyme. A result of 1 on 1d6 in dica tes
that the eun is blocked by r ising mists
from the sea below, and no healing t hus
takes place.
46. Bishop's Ro om .

A sma ll bed lie s near the north wa ll

of t his r oom. A fire pl ace and man tle
can be seen in t he nor theast cor ne r,
and a sm all de sk sta nd s aga ins t the
east wa ll. A st ained-glass window is
loca ted in th e norther n pa rt of t h e
west wa ll .
A sliding door in t he left s ide of t he
ma ntl e reveals a narrow compa rtm ent
contain ing t wo cleri ca l scro lls . Scro ll 1
ha s tw o first -lev el sp ell s, cure light
wounds and ligh t. Scr oll 2 has one
second- level s pell , protection from evil,
a nd one first-level detect magic spell .
47 , Administrative Office. Th is
room is empty e xcept for t wo overturned
desk s a nd littered paper. Ex a m in ation

Rubbl e is scattered ove r t he Floor a nd

the outer wa ll of the Keep is des troye d. An overtu rned desk lies in
t he nor theast corner and a fire place
is bui lt into t he sou t h wa ll.
This is the la ir of five rock ba boo n s
(AC 6 ; HD 2 ; h p 11 , 9, 9 , 6, 5 ; l\IV 120 '
r40 '); IIAT 1 club, 1 bite ; Dmg 16/13 ;
Save F2; ML 8; AL N J. Th er e is a 50"{
cha nce tha t t h ey U f C here. If nut, t he y
a re defi nitely in roo m 50 und <I re att ract ed to this roo m by a ny noi se ,
50. Ruins, See mons ter des cri ption in
Room 4 9 .
5 1, Classroo m. Two row s of five
small desks occu py the center uf t hi s
room . A lect ure stand and bla ckboa rd
can be seen n ca r the easte rn wa ll. Not hing of va lue is in t his room .
,';2 . Tr e asu ry. The entr ance to this
room hal' t wo bac k-to-back doors . The
ou ter door is made of heavy oak and
ope ns ou tw ards . The lock is needletr-apped (sa ve vs. pois on at + :1 to aged
venom l. This dOOI cannot be forced
in wards d ue to the p rese nce of t he second door. The se cond door is made of
iron bars and open s into tilt' r-oom. It is
lock ed a nd chained. Th e ste wa rd's rin g
key (room 40 . this le vel) opens bot h of
t h e se lock s.

A lon g, Lehaped counter travels t he

length of th e room . A desk occupi es a
s pace in t he south west em-net- a nd a
heav y oa ken door can be SN'n behind
th e counter.
The small room behi nd the counter is
e mpt y with the exce ption of a br ass
anch or ab out l ' lon g, ha nging on a peg
in th e nor the rn wall. If t he a nchor is
removed from its peg, a secret door int o
Room 53 ope ns . Repla cing the a nchor
s hu ts the door,

53. Trapped Co rrid or.

A long- corridor st retches nea r ly aoto t he east. s topping at a wooden
door.
Th e cor r idor if; actually :10' lonA", hut
skillfu l workman shlp h a s g-1",ithwll:v
decreased t he di mensions of th e wa lls,
floor . and Cl'i1ing to pr ovide t he illus ion
of dis tunco. The eastern e nd of the corridor is on ly 4 ' h igh with a heavy :'\ ' door.
Halfwnv down t he corridor is a ll an ti~'l'av it)' 11:l1p. The ceiling here ex tends
upwa rd s for 10'. Anyone wa lkin g unde r
t h is area falls upwards a nd takes ld6
hp da mage. Impact with the ceilin g
a nimates t hree sk ele tons lAC 7: lll ) 1:
hp 6 , 6 , 6; HAT 1; Dmg by short sword 1
6; Sav e F1 ; ML 12; AL C ! wh o a ttac k
t he unfo rtu nate adventu rer, The brass
a nchor nullifies the an t.i-g'ruvi ty t ra p, jf
ca rr ied be nea t h t he pit in the cei lin g.
This action drops e veryt hi ng to thu flour
for Ldf hp falling dam age. lf t he an cho r
is carried out Irum under the pit , any thi ng- sti ll bel ow it fall " upwa rds and
takes t he listed dama ge .
The ::1' door i n t he e a st wall is made of
hea vy oak a n d bound with m-ass; it
can not be force d open. Th e re is a hr ns s
pla te in the center of t he door with a
peg near its top. If the bra ss anch or is
hu ng on t his peg an d used as a knocker.
t hree kn ock s open t he door. Any ot he r
met hod us e d to ope n t hc door resu lls in
t he release of II th rowing star from II
conc ealed slot in the we st wall fur Id4
hp da mage, The stil l" str -i kes on e perxnn
standing in t he cen ter of th e hall way . If
its pa th is unobstr ucted, it st r ikes anyon e standi ng in front of th e door or the
door it self. A tota l of five such star can
be re lea sed - one pel- attem pt to ope n
th e door rsu-t ko as fo'4 1.

DUNGEON

63

THE KEE P AT KORAlGESH

54 . Treasure Vault .
Four large chests sta nd near the
north wall. Several dark stains ma rk
the floor in front of t hem.

On e chest contains 6,320 sp. a nother

con tains 3,370 cp, the th ird contai ns
5 ,050 ep, a nd the fourt h con t ains 3.960
gp and 500 pp. A s mall chest behind t he
others con tains 97 ge ms worth a total of
28 70 gpo
55 . Sto rage. The door to this roo m is
forced off its hinges. T he inte ri or of t he
room is in ru in s . S hattered boxes, barrel s, a nd Klass conta ine rs litter t he
floor. Nothing of' valu e remains.

New Monster Desc riptions

T YR,ANNABYSS
Ar mor Cl ass: 8/6
H it Dice:
5"
60 ' (20 ') on l and
Move:
1120' (40') swimm ing
Attack s:
2 clawsll sl i'lg
Damage:
1-411 -411-4 + specia l
No. App.:
14
Fiuhter ,1
Save us :
Morale:
9

Treasu re:
A lignme nt:
XP Value:

U
N eutral
42 5

The tyra nnabyss inhabits coastal wa ters - especially re efs a nd rocky s hoa ls
- whe re it prowls the se a floor in
search of prey. It can s wim ra pidly for
short distances by undulati ons of it s
body. Its circular mouth is lined wit h
ras ping teeth. If its prey is h it by both
clawed tentacles (ld4 hp damag-e eacht,
it is dra wn up aga insi. t his ori fice for an

64 Issue NO.2

automatic Id6 hp damage per rou nd of

contact. Thi s mouth can r asp through
armor at a rate equal in roun ds to the
difference between the AC a nd 10. For
exam ple. chai n ma il (AC 5) req uires 5
rounds before actual damage to th e vict im
results. wh ile plate mail (AC 3) requires 7
rounds. If the victim break s away before
it takes any personal injury, damage to
the armor st ill takes place.
Below the mouth of the tyran na byss is
it s primary hunting weapon , an elon gating tu be t ha t ca n fire a barbed st ing
to a ra nge of 10', Its sting pa ralyze s
(sa ving throw a pplicab le) its prey an d
the tube is retracted to draw it s vict im
wit h in range of its tentacles. If the
savi ng throw is made , victims with a
strengt h of 15 or better can re eiet the
pull ing tu be. but lake I h p damage per
rou nd due to t he lacer at ions from the
ba rb ed st ing. The s ti ng ca n onl y he used
once : t hen, 3 turns are required for it to
he rearmed.
Th e tyrannabyss is covered with a
thick coat of muc ou s which a llows it to
wi thsta nd prolonged periods out of
water, if it can stay damp. Th e ty rannabyss ha s been re port ed to att ach itself to
t he bottom of boats with its numerous
s uckers a nd prey upon the crew a bove.
It s soft back is AC 8. whi le it s u nd ersi de, tentacles, eyestalks. a nd s ti ng are
AC 6. Blunt wea pons do onl y h alf da mage, wh ile edg ed wea pons and fire do
fu ll damage. If injured but not slai n, the
tyranna byss can re ge ne ra te 1 hp per
turn in seawater. It has the ability to
a ssume the coloration of its s urroundin gs and its boneless body ca n squeeze
t hrough openings considerably smaller
tha n its body size. It cannot squeeze
under doors or through s ma ll crac ks. If
a man can crawl t hrough a n opening, so
ca n a tyrannabyss.

E PADRAZZIL
Armor Class:
Hi t Dice:
Move:
At tacks:
Damage:
N"o. App:
Save as:
Morale :
Treasu re:
Alignme nt:
XP Value:

3
4 + 1 ***
120 ' 140 ')

2
1-411-4
1

Figh ter 3 + special

12

Nil
Any
,150

Th e e ped raeetl is a scaled, apel ike creatu re wit h u nusu ally long arms. The
skin is br ownis h-grey , and the cre at ure
a ppears to hav e some re pti lia n or igins.
The epadrazail is a conjured guar dia n
from a tw o-dimensional pla ne of existence. On ly a high-level magic-us er has
the a bility to su mmon th is creature to
do hi s bidd ing. Th do so , the magic-user
must create a special pa inting (AC 9; h p
20; half-dam age fr om weapon type ) in
the room whose contents t he magic-user
wishes the crea ture to guard. The pa in ting must be an exact mi rror image of
the roo m . The epadrazail is confined to
t his pa in t in g u nless its services are
required. Any creat ure other than the
ep adrazail'e ma ste r t hat ta mpers with
the con tents of the roo m s ummons the
crea ture from the pa i nting. Th e ereat ure immed ia tely a ttacks to ca pt ure t he
int r uder. The epadr aaail's great speed
all ows it to surpr-ise 66 % of the time 0 -4
on 1d6 ).
Any h it from the crea tu re paralyzes
its victi m unless a successful sa ving
th row vs . paralysis if! mad e. Any victim
h it by both attacks is grasped, pick ed
up. a nd ca rried into the paint ing to
rem ain i n st asis until re leased. The
victi m ca n be released by a dispel m agic
spell , a rod of cancellutia n or by destroy,
ing the pai nting, The latter re su lts in
the release of t he epadrauil from its
bondage; it then ret urns to its own
plan e. Th e epadraaall can regenerate 2
hp per round tha t it remains in the
pa int in g. All attacks on the creat ure
wh ile it is in t he pain t in g only damage
the paint in g - not t he e pa drazall. The
e pa drazzil contin ues to attack t he in truders unti l it is sla in or until the
room is cle ared. It is semi-intelli gent
and is im m une to sleep, charm and
ot her mind-affect in g s pells.

A ndr~w McC....y w,," inlroduetd 10 l h.

Dil l)" 60m. by 11;' dad. ,b. DM of
And""" .. ,_P "" Ib_ J"'lF'- \\'110.
/I ;" {afbw rn~ ... ,.._ """"" 1M
~~

A.-drno> _ o \ i o _

C"nwtlly .. frwIt_ """'"i"4/ '" "."pr

ill ".,cltdloo <It JIIl'- Cd.
iJo
J ,"",-. Jliu in W . ANlnuJ "-that

Ih. pul>iiculi<m ", My!>';.. Wimbly

br=l. tbutr~. o{bad luch b. 11... "ad
in , rlt ing hi> ",,,,II publi.h.d.

n... Bui. D&D

II_me ..,narK> _ _
u-.l ... d i...,...m., bHWft.. t _ ~
alh'M>lurn _ .. ~ r..... put,- of
6-10.....--,. rn.... I'" lO 3rd 1eo'eI.
pnofenbl, iDdlidillf lot IHtt . - 1Ia1fline. If tbe party iI......, .... _ power-

r.,l than I"" _mended _ and

Ie ",,], tile DM should i..........., or
d.., ,..,,,oe the number of" reo u nd~ lh.
control of the ch""tio "'agioia n,
The DM may choooe bet we.n r . &din g
the Adventure B-ekll"Ou l>d to the pb y
..... or plari"i' out the p(A' fU"Ol

,n'.. with Myh i ll Will>b!y.

Adv entu re llod<ground

THE TROUBLE
WITH MYLVIN
WIMBLY
The enemy you hunt
may not be the
enemy you find.

Havin, left to'Wn littJ.l..ur tha..

expected on an upedition 10 check
ou t a n olf of e mptoym. nt, your
party [oc a u ght in t he middle of ..
tar,.. r_
by nirhtr.ll. RNlwng
!hal. tJ,en is no in .. for mi ld. 7"" MOt
up _ p i n .. - . ; ' " in ' ho _
Aft -.kin&a _ _ f"" ..... piek i cuard shi1U.,.... drift
Iol p. ..... by .....
NOIIoo l_.fter I"" .......... Mift
belli....
it jolled
.I""p
by houl from th. guard , V" u cBu h
a 21impe< "f hurt . hum anlike
..... . tu ... nocin2 into the u nde rl>ruoll.
11Ie cuard expl';... t h.1 be-...pped
out of earn p r.... _ t to <OI1eoct.
fl .......... Whe1l be mun>td. he "'..
-.M a
' Iuollli.... d;pi....
into _ "flhoo
kl*'u. He relied.
ar><! 1M tt.ortl Iuolnin2 cnbbedone
ofl"" pocb and I\ed into the """",",
You ....... mbl. '" your f""l an d
he~ ; n .kim m i n ~ lhro ugh I I.. pIlCh 10
fiod OUl .. hal I.... Uttl. fugit ive took,
It. m&Kic.....". in)'O ur iJ'OUp nclsi"'"
Ih.t the pack ..... tainillll" hit c..........1
....11 books it
[lfthoror.,.,
DO magic-....... tl~ i. the
thot DM tIwuId . Iocr. ..... OIlier
item '" ~.I import&lKe fur tho
h.lninrl" oleal.l

"'h,,

overy,,,..

"'- DC-

DUNGEON 33

r"""

pan,.

THE TROU BLE WITH MYlVlN WlM81.Y

FOf the Dul'lgeon Mosler

Mylvin Wim bly. 1"Y.l friend . nd liard
worker Qmong II.lning on"" . n. ..'ered
n ad 'erti.ement loo.kin g for Q" i ht
to ..,"'e Ir.'eli ng m. gic"""r ',
bOOYil'Uard. TIle magic-u..r, Luambu
IIIe M. gici an. "",ferred. IIuman r..-IIt. r ... an .If. H- . . .r. wb.n f<ned ...
pick bee...... n Myl....., ..ho cnul d opaU
......... la~ and a dw arf .. ho> put
hia poa.nta on _k..ard and iDaida out.
1.alaJnbar deci<Ie<l lhat the halni.... ....
batt than ... lIl"n! al all.
.\a lb. _ u went by, Myl vin I'1'du
alll 1ean>ed t bat hiumployer _ cIeopiloe
his grandf. tilu ly look. _ ...... truly
<h""He. Myl, in , be, ng neutral h, m.. lf,
n",,..,ly ignor ed th ia d iff.r ence in opln.
ion u far ""Ihoir "",*,n.1 r elnll onohip
wao l rn:erned, On o n. e ~ ped i l i o n,
Mylvin followed Luambu 10
. ncampmenl ..here. mucll ... Ilia our
prian, he wil neMtd ...... chariofMtic
.....p:;an pi.. ... ...., boond
Uleo,
with ...... help 01. W. opoe1Ia. F tba
_
...-era! ..-b. lotyh-in tnI.-e1ed
wit.b Lazam_ and ...... _
-.duatr
r... treaaure I ...mbar ~ I . .
buried in the ~o n. Wh ile h u.. 'i
for
t h. Ioot'w location . ...... bn.nd.. mped in a
omaIl "'l'e wilhin large rnck near lhe
center orthe wood.
In tho middle ofthe """"nd w""k. one
of l.azamhar', 0 '" pHtr ol. wn, aur prioed
nn d al most elim i n .~ by . ""tty of
ad.-e nl uren w ho had moved in... I""
...... The oola ...., aurYi_ 01 tile
ambuoh otruuled bad< .....mp .nd
.........p to ...... 1.alaJnbar
, the
.. _ .... oItIM intnlders bef
be diedWithin IIllnut., tba map:.. . - had
..-ciah r""""" .....,. and laUD<bed
haaIy, .......1, pl. nned e...m lenll.laCk.
Ml lvin, in hill ea paeill .. bndyguard.
""""",,,,,nied Luambu IlIld tlul """,, H.
wu hold ing hi, ow.. in lbe d uh ..h. n
he . uddenly ""'"lInired t..,o of hi, old
fri endo in the opp" .ing band, In . pro-dka ment bet.......n hi. duty to hia
em pl"Yer . nd hia loyally to hi . frl . nde,
Mylvi .. quielJ y wilbdre.. from t h" n. llt
nd obaerYed freon boohincl a ~ .... .
.-rbJ bill.
After inll iel i"l Iou..,- ....wtiool ....
tba..,.. ...... .---ely _ _
iMn>don _
ted m- ,bore.-.
M, Ivi.. l l wo halfiin.J rriendr.. ho ......
..... ..ptw-ed II)' the "",,, ..hen
tried ......."". I .. .. mhnr .... enraged
I t the damoge IIi. r<>r<:eo had Iah .., h.
h. d loot more thon ""-If of hi . or<: . ll i...

.n_

I".

I""

34 Is&ue No . 5

in I"" __ Iy .... OlJ In ... n ...... I.uam.

bar docidtod the haming pri_ 1'3
hou ld bo tortured to dl h. MyJyi n
OIlKKelled that L .... mb. r hold the pr i..
oneil r<>1' ,.noom i""td, . ; n ~ their
d. allll ..ou id _ b.m . fll t he "," gioian'.
""..... Allbou~ II Lazambar d id ,,,,,ider
I"" idHo. he dil mi-.l the l bou ghl . r>d
ordeftd an ere h1adomitb te =aloe
bnndi.... irons wilb ..IIicb to tori.....

...

By nichtfalL LaJ.amJ.r .... .--1,- to

becin the ftlCUtioa- The evil """IIician

.....-u..-

pl-.l hia irono in....

f"".
'nlen he ordered the """' ... tie the halflinp to I_ large 00.1<1 .. thaI they
fflCe<l .... anot.her. \\'hen th" i""", gr e"
,"'hit. hot , Laza mhor ..Iected On. and
walked to fa~ th. lar gor of th e pr iaon.... In I n uIT)' of indeciaion, Mylvin
oIartad r.,.......-.:t. only to be otopped . hort
by I houll"ta ..rloyally to hia empl"Y.r.
Bul l"" bou.r>d batniJlll',<')'ft implonld
him to ""Ip i.. the _
or ...... Criendohip .....,. 0"'"' had ohand and the t - I
ortheir -.._ nat. Gnbbi .... . -.....
iron.. Myl" n ebarpd the m-ic m.apeian. The - . J burned I~ the
"""lIic-UMr' .-..be and bIIried i_lf i n
bia ri gllt thigh . Lazambar acr-med i..
p.in. r>d Mylvin drop ped tlul iron and

..

Alth oull'h Mylvin novor k now ii , h.

..ved hi. fri. nd,
Th" 0"'" bolted
fro m l he mp in an a\l.mpt 10 kill i he
litl le Ir.il' Laza mba. dr...k pol_
o{ 1o li.... nd raced .nee Ilia h
hma L.tl.I
in the clearing, ......
agila h.lni
~ ... w<riggIe fret
oItha .....' akwY ~ and .... on
in puUe. A filthl and
Wam'
bt.r,,"urnod '" hio
p te n Dd the

Ii" ,.

.. t.ne.. ..-, h

,,""".-cd
If"l .....,,,

with Mylvin Wimbly iflle had ... ..,y in

IIIe ..-lo rorever.
Now. 1...0 monlh. later, Mylvin ill otill
hid ln~ end renning in thil part oflhe
Woodl , Hi uppli. . .r Imo. t gone and
h. lOl l twko . ttacked whon h...ked
for food.nd ...iota n.., fro m lravel.... in
the (omit. )Iylvin ..ould be perfedly
willi... 10 Iea~ lhe .......... Dd go home .
hu l he k _
be m_ kill Lazambor...
ha.-e DO.curi.,. ...,..hare. The _on
the tnaP:
..-deno, ha .... aet Inpo
and laid
humeo but "".. _ rec
...
dod in ..pturi.... tba balfl;q.
Th. f..-- in which tho ad ,""'
tak.. pi",," io quiloe ntanoi , only .
portion or theoe .......... however. ill
, bown on tho ma p. Th. t..... aland
,..,Iati' ely do.. togdher. but . few

c1. .... ingll do eaili. Wi, hin Ih ia hanMoi

of clearingo . re oet tho many lrap"
Amhush.. of t"" o. il w ambar.
In th. center of . I. rgo d . ",.i1lK
atand. A hugo r""k, Age. a go, it ltoed
river bed. Th. inte r ior o( lbil l re _
rlouo bou kler Iuoa boo.. eroded into ~
cluunbero l
8, 9. and 10 1
The foreol
p bao boon dra.. n ...
IAat Hcll
ia
120' _ _ )1:<11II;
.........."'bered PCo
a1k OM .....
per 1Ilnt.r>d run t.breoo bo1eo po< "'nL
Myl<rin .. UDCbCUmbored.
'!'ITinI toeateh. ""Ini... ..... "-~
.....t to be Cl-DiM. in tbe midd le 01.
dark ...'OOdo und.... the moonli ght, ia
Ir ieky bu . inHi. Mylvin Wimbly hid...
from the PC. , I rlo them into IlIpl ,
nnd does o,oryl hinw in hi. power to
ovRde hi, pur l ue," and o50ape to hi .
oman cave hi....... t<. rea HI).
TIle ]>lIlh Mll ~in ft>l ....... to ,,"urn to
hia hideoul ia marhd 0" the ....p . He
""'" out oraho advenlureR' ca"",
........... the
thea rot...... lhe
II1Irbd trail ..... ....... ..,. drviata mil wtIeso ho b tnrad to do
Each Iurn.
N y h-in adv_ OM
Ione the p'-'h
_ ..-.I hio h;deout. HO'IIe\'. if he _
IolIrdtlighl or . ny her ..-tiflci" llipl
""""'. be runo for three h.~ .. do.. n the
trail duri ng tlta ""~t l urn . H. ll oo
begina to run if t be pC. enler hil
proaenl hex or if they make a lolo(
noi.. in an .djacent hn.
Th. pr.".,.... or . bonn"" of lighl ia
important in IIIia _nario. A ny .....
t,,", wilb a lighc _
~ 1OrCh, Ian
la rn . ... .....,;cal illumi tioo _ ia
-'oed by "'1- in the """'" . any
Oo4,io<aottl
earrieI- or. lilbt
0tIW'ft .... DOdtoo.-to 1UJllri-, Si.the <>n:lI do _ .....1arIy <any torclI...
......ir chanoeo or IIlrpri.. are unaffeocted.
TIle bene fila ..r carrying- a lighl
include . n inc.......,d chance of nnding
trnp' Idetailed for each Ir ap) and I n
eo. i.r joh of trocking l ho e l u,, ~.
Myl, in. P orti el Wi lk ing wil h a light
.....,..,. hav e Chl nC1l! of IpoWng My l~ i n
Wimhly.....pe route. U lbe Pea .... in
...... that Mylyin
paged tbroup.
.. ......-ked on t be
P .....,. hava 25..
ehanooe '" _ ice - . ... twigo,_.

-u.e-.

""a. n.r

ol._

l un>od _
and
oipo or !II, I
...iDeludi"l ....
dire<:tion 0I1re
f . each "U", hal fli ng i n the party. the chance i D<T . _
by 151l .......... imum of 85 .... For
.....pl. pa rty th.t includeo an "If
. nd two II.lnin... h u a 70% (25" haM
+ t 5% for on. elf + 30';( ror two
~

THE IROUBU WIlH MYLVlN WlMBlY

~ ~ to wadl M,l..-ia &va.
- . - _ t bel: if Myl..-ia hM beea

.....

~.

Ihho ,.,..,. -..:bel a 11ft ' MIhao IlQ( anlered

,1,'. then
a 4O'lI> u nm odified chan to nnd
!up nu mbe r of bootprin ta leading
_ ard Lazambar. he ad quMte... Th....
,nnta may be followed . ..It heut any
dw><e of l...ing tM trail, bacauae the
. . . hu. no rellIOIl to """"'" th.ir
..-.cka. If the part, ia notunying a
liPt ac>UI'a!. the Pe. .utomatiealb'
Iorlail .", opportunit, to d ia<oYer both
1II,),i. a aD<! the _ ' Inda.
'iltaDdoerinc - . . ... ......, iJl tI>iI
put <Ii the ........ but Ihay de> _ _
eJly .t " il hl. E~ third tun>,
the DM ahould roll IdS . Oa roll <Ii I
........ _
". . ........... Tbo DM
....Id datoonniDol the dire<lioa <Ii
oppo.-:h ..... roll apia 10 deIenni...
the ...t W'1l of the ....,.".!ar:
12. 1-1 """' V. C 6; HO I ; h p 5eac:h;
MV lZO' (41)'); I AT 1; Dma' by ....pon
'TP"; S.ve Ft; ML 8; AL C) canying
~llJ"I and looking fer Mylvin. Eam oro
Iwo 1 10 op on bia ~ .... n .
S-I. 2-5 gl . nl rata (AC 1; HD '10; hp 3
e Kh; MV lZO' (40'); IAT I; 0"", 1.3 +
d~ s."" nonnal _ n; ML 8; AL N J
"'" bllDtinl: fa- rood.
&-&. 1-6 0 ...,. (aa..- . . . . . .l..-ith
abaot ....... aD. their _y to"'~ the
euarda "" duty .t .... 8. Eao:han: hao
1.10."" hia~.
, ... 1-6 0<eI \aUM .. _Iwitb
abaot ....... returDing to 1 "amba."

..,.triD

............

Encounl ef LocatIons
tbe enIun tera give.. h...... are m.-n 0 0
the Foreot Map.

la and l b. The Pita. Th... I..o IU'eIUI

MOh ""'nlllin a poorly <amoul1.o.ged pit.

n.. pita an:
to opot (~cluLn<:e) in
day];,bl. but at " igbt IIwy .... diaoov
-.l onl, 50'10 ol the time by walling
Pea ..1>0 eany _
rc.n.. <Ii utificio.l
JiIhI.. R " nn iDg Pea tab. I K penalty
oa tl>eiJ'chaD<e to di '''' the pi ta, and
u-. PCa ..bo an -m.c..-itbotn. a
liPt RO<e;-. -:lO' pe...tty_Any PC
..bo _ _
<Ii. pit talle ill, but
..._ "m....ho ... rou-;,.... ~
belli1Ml ba"" a ~ ~ to 0II0p in
IiIlMl if.. alkio,g. :lO-.. if nmlU"lI"
M, IYin Wimbly baa ral lan into eac:b at
th_ I S' >< I S' pita on.., "" he no long.
er ve nl ures in to tM " ...... unleao he ia

e..,

011 "'"

FOREST MAP : '. "

,'" ,:-:. --:"
. --'.
'.'; " :
. . ";' .

,""./"'"
. '7,"

~ '_, ..'.r

'.'.>
' _". ' _,

.,..

..

"
,

'.

Ir7inI to __pot from an enemy. Fortu

...teIy r... hiJn, bolh pita ....... ....:I, 5'

d.p when hot fell ill, and be
ped
~,. 1 .,mhotr later .....-..d the _
to doaapon bot h pita 10 10'. B,,"". <Ii
tho
~ tho "'Ia, an, PC
rotli.... hia dntarit7 _ ' - ou 1d20 ia
ahla to elimb oul ~tho pil durinc the
nut roww:L An~ ral li ng into eithotr
pit tal<.. 1-6 h p damage.
Th. ... an: ""ver.l . mall metal <Up".
. Il.eched to eord lied to lho cam nufl .~ .
Ing Mauch that r8tll e loudly ..hen
_n)'thing foll. into a pit . I f ""mean<>
r. lI . into pil l the... ia. 1S'!> ohllJlce
that three memben ~ tho on: det.ech
men t j
est ~ the pil (area 61arri~
in '1:
tbe dnmk... on:guardo
. 1.... 1. ju8l: beyond pit Ill- an: unable
10 _
.",..-paired . - - . . to tho
raWing" .-..I.

'''''s'>-

I- n.. Moomd 01 Din. Thla mowod

.... _ _ by tho ora from the dirt Ihay

_,ad to mo.l<e tbo pita 01 areaa 1.

..... Ib. 1 ... mbor l"an>ed tbo ..... to

"*""

tho dirt ben to prevenl ena"""

!'rom IJU<IBini the Joc:o,'iona at the pit
tr_ pa. 11>0 lOiIaDd-d., -.utd iA .boIIl
21)' long, 20' wi de. _ nd 8' tall. PC.

tho -..ad muot

al-Ietnpl.iog 10 run _

roll theirdoenerily _ _ ou 1d20 or

l.- tl>eiJ'
tho ""- aDil.

r-u.a: ..
:L The B
.....,. Trap. The ora

u..upt tbia t7ap miPI i"""peeil-ata

M, hi u "" hot could be ~ uptured.

Vufortuna"'l" the .u.pid ..... p;eked
brandl 3'10' from the ,.....,.... and it.
oailo harml-ty o""r 1oI, l'oi o'. head. On
tho FOund, _ raiaed trip ..ire ia lied
bet..... n t wo oak tree. W81king Pea
h.v. a 50% ch.nce of otepping on the
trip wi ....; running Pea h8V. a 90%
ch.nna of touching the triner. If the
thin trip wire ia toucl>ed in any W. Y
larp br.nch "';ngo f"",,,,"wb' bet_n
tho _ . hitUllll tho f\rot PC to ~
bota.n the treaa if""" part, ia beaded
--ua or..--; howe .e,. 111. bad. of tho
PC ilD di.tely fa1lo>orinc the te-dors is
ltitiltbeputy is b edinl-nh __
Quite _DIy. tbo PeaJD.ich. _
tbia ....p bef..... tbey _ ..... it. Thinaoe
.... 0p0I the t7ap ..-itb the ......J.
....."""". and el... and halfIinp loa-
~ cb....,.. to _
.. the .... p. 'Ibere ia
no chance. """'-. of n nding the .... p
while running or morinr ..-ithout light.
The PC who .pota t ho 'r. p ..., hu lr"

DUNGEON

35

THE J1K)lJBU WlTll MYlVlN WIMBlY

THE RO CK IN THE FOREST

I Iqlla... . 5 '

bnncb .....appM '-:It &r<I1lDd tho .;d. '"

its tree . nd tKod. to a otak. on lhe olher
aid. '" the tnl ok. Touching tho trip ..iN
,, _ \.h. loop to olide ofT Ih . ltak .
,..,I...ing th. br.noh io a forceful ... .
Mylvio h.. . njoyed this f"lil e att.mpt
to.akh him. aod .uffe... 00 "'ow.... for
I din g hi. many tormentorl h. ,.., for a
f"", bally ""ha, An elf. buman. 01" ore
takH 28 hp dama ge if hi l by t b.
branch. Ow"",H are bit on the f<nhHd
(or bllet "' Il>e h. ad) and take only 2..5
bp d&n>&,p. but "'_ ..v. v.. bfta\.h
ba k.....t ed ..-..eioouar... 2
1\ I UI'1I&. Pea _
fill plIlte In&iII&ke 2
lip d&Iup ' - thaD iDdie&led"" Il>e
d... &rid Pea l'1lDDinI-.th ... _ _
!.be dit&cCiorI Ihe brancb owiDp _ taka
1 ' - lip d&-. The Itajl aI. .,. .....
al ' - I IIpdamap......... ifll>eflll&l
....11 .. _ l han I . HalfIi_ aull"or ....
adv...-.. oft"lICta, ... 1M bnm<1I _ _
&bon ..... i. '-do.

d earing .. a SO' ~ SO' (i.ho.man. net

..ith _ights attached in
1pia""".
When a PC .nlt>n thi . hu . h
.
trip wi... oat by th. OI"OJ 15O'l .hanre of
. pringing the tr ap, .a"oinK'he nel to
f. lII. A PC .tanding n.ar th. edge of lh.
net must ron hi. de xteri l Yor 1... on
10120 to avoid baing tr.pped by the
fall ing net. n - PCI lI anding &<1"'''I,. 1ritllin \.h learing ha.e ..... hane<l1o
avoid baing u-apped by
naI. Entangled PC. require 3--30 rounda10 get free.
Myl"':n baa already ....
Iltia
partin>Iar U"&p in douiI. and "" kDOWlI
the trip -.u-. \ouJ;ioc>a and .. bat hap_
if _ Ie pulled. N .....11.. be
. . . _ nUt' tltle _
..1Ii1. brilti"
Jl'l"IlIO'II. H. ba, bo ' u . led aariolll
groupo 01
into the Inp 1' aaadiltl'
... bail n ear
middJ. ancI __ ping
..""" !he
ehartIo. Ho mo,hl do Ihr
....... to the PCI if
I.,..

4. The Nd Trap. If Pea are not run

ning ..h.n the,. . pproaoch \.hia .......
tlul,. Ina)" noti<:e that leafy ah.d.,...1 in
da ylight form. diamond pattern On th a
ground. Th. y <:.!In disoov. r the r o.... n
for Ihll hy looking u p. Slret r hed

5. Th.. So .... "J)-ap. Four of th e tren

in lItio oe::tion of Iha ......,.ja ani equipped
with f_.Jtnlbbin g l nare trapa. Pea
Wilking willt Ii"ht ..." .... hay. an 60%
chance to notice eith.. the rope. hang.
;ng from the Ire.. or 'ho loop. below,

_pon_

36 I$SUO NO. 5

be.."e,,,, tho tr-.

aWTnund~IhilI

I""

m
l_

thue ...,;dil\l[ the embarTuailtl' a nd

uoeomfotl&ble problem offlndinllhem.
..Iv.. ouddonly hanlliDll u poide <Jo..nin
l h. middl e of th. clearing. If th e PC
are ru nning or mov ing wil hnul li" hl.
th.y .... i cumula ti v. penalti.. of
40 % Ir"nning) and 30'if, (no lightl '0
loco' e lhe trapo.
Anyon. wh.o ia nOi . ....... of the trI p'
haa 41)"il; . h
oI being grabbed by
OM of \.he 011
Pea .... k hod from
rmund by thooe <levkft . re lolally
helpJ... unlil &JIolher PC euU the rope .
When tho ropo ia cut. an elf ... IIl1.1D&n
ouITen no ......... if be puu ouill ia .......
to brwJr. the fal l Bill- 6 ' ofI'the IJ'IOI'Id ia
qu ite IIa,h for- a dwuf... ball1 inc. n . - taka 1.3 bp fall in& damqe it ....
......., .. made lO..teII lloom.

I""

... o...Amb uoh. n-.. ........ _

lAC 6 ; H D I ; IQ> 7.6. 6. 4. 3, 2; )(V 120'
C40'l; 'AT I; Orne h,. -nil"'" Iypo ; Sa...
FI; ML 8; AL C; 3 ha.., ............... . 11
have l hort " ", ordo) lriding in lIt ia dark
. Iuri ng. n.a, do _ MtritslO to . uaet
parly that incl"d...lv... but iflhe
porty h. . n O elv... they reBel pnoilively
on roll 0( 9 .". betle r on 2<16, Jr th o
......U.n II poI'itiv e, ond if the . dvent"r

THE TROUBLE WITH MYlViN W1MlllY

.. PBf-

"" baMiloo - . tboy _ \0

oab the !'Co 10 Luambar.
tc tho ""'" .ttacl<. tIM l.hne Iltd>en
lop s. a. 2 l ellclll'int one qu .......1frotn

llooir """'OO.... then .n the ora ta""

. . ........ds.nd . U..I<. [ftheir mor.le
filii., they attempl to nee 10 Lazamba r.
_ dquarter o; failinil" thi l. th.y . ltlT<!n
..... Eac h orc ha.o 120.p on hi. p,,,,,on.
tc tho PCI fIll inlo thl pillt """I I a .
tho on: iab archan .... aent 10 invellti
,.108. lf the party h.u "lIin the an:ben
01. the pil, lbe !'Co lind on!)' lhree ora
-nil ahort oworda hen al ..,..,. 6.

n.e....., ..

lit b1 taodNo held in

....keehif\ bolden. WlM1l the PC. .ater.
10 on: ,....-da CAC I ; HD I; bp8. 7 lz2 ~
6 1d~

6. 4. 3(d l~ MY 120' (401; 'AT

I; Oma' b, wel_ Iype ; So.o Fl ; ML8;

rri 112 51'.

AL C) mo.... ta hal l the inl ru .ion by

bl"" kinll the p8I&Ii<''''. y 10 the ......
_ lion ofth. CIV. (. .... 9) . nd aim inll
.rouoo"'. at th. PCI. AI long aO the
PC. do not .tta.k. Luemh th e M. gi
clan emer g.. from Ih. back of the cav.
in I .... rounda.
Uthe party dnoe not hi.. Myl'Oin
Wimbl, . roll I dlOand ...bWed the
number 01 baIfiinp in u.. par1y. If the
. - I t ill gree..... u.... I . Lau...bar taIka
'lith tho puty
dinl ta
their queoti<mo ta the '-t <Jl hia kncI-l
..... If M ilI)lrOloedabout the haHlia l ,
M u.lI. the PC.. eonde
I _ _ <Jl
the DM. biotory ...,.jin ... 10-.tid Ii""
the trait<lrOUl helflinll'OUl'" Leza.mbar'. lea: ", ith bnndillll iron "'hHe M
.I.pt. He millhl be 'lillillll" to let the
i'Vu p . ""nd the ' III oh he night her . if
the y hlv. no h.1nin il" or elve but h.
would prefer to bid Ih.m f"" ewell ....k
i nil" t he m to ... port lIndillllO 10 him .
If the ..... ull of the ro ll ill 1, or if
My..in ill with the pu!y. Laumbar
00"'dtn th...... to .!tICk . nd ret.reel.a to
the bed: <Jl tbe .. ve . FOW" ore erdIoen
...... let _ quarnol
then all the . . .
a!tICk. n.e on: ..m.s
tbeir leader
CI hp l
obort _ _ it>
1 the
reet
ploy - " " If the ora _
-.Ie. they retnoeI ta the r-r <Jlthe
...... ~ 10"1I .. LNam.... is eli ........
'l'ithi" liehl, tboy ..... tinlOe ta light; the
ora ......,nd.... ifLuatn.... dies, ......,n
don, or disappaare. Eec:h "'" bao 120
If'. . nd eacb ..... an:h... Iou 27 ""tre
qu.rrels in hillqu i r. for u" in prolonged mi..il. baltl...

8. Llzambar. H d q ua rte.... A
pl t b", ay I.ado up the aid. of
thi l huge rock . Nnl to the path. in .
prot.a<ti..., nich. iol. the 1IOoe, otaDd
-.no! eIClvatioD 10010.. all ~ rN
'lith dirt. In addition to the.,..Jeo and
""'"-Is. the niobe contaiao .....u eart,
its i s _ ..aIIa . .... ..... with. dirt.
AI the Inpatthe poth. as _nin& in
the rocl< loeado inta the ..... that _
.. the IIoeadquaru.n """ Launbar'.
operatio... ta capture the baIfi i"i. The
ltIu. ll"OefIt ~ el l .........a heal thn>ugh
lime " ill uallUe is thilI <aee. LNambar'.
rage hee ""ly lIOIten -..- . i""" Myh in
fn ed hill 1. 11. In fact. the m.gi.\l8@I' ilI
on the "",ge orin..nil y.

9. The Sleepl nll C. ve. Wh.n tho

party am",,".t the 10.... oIthe main
cav ...... they lind I\I3TOW tunnel 1eed
ina: 10m.el1er ca . Si. COlI .... aceltered . boul thil ....'-d _ . A " ' is Ilidde.. beoeath ..d . 01 the OllIe end
bed:pael< Iiee OD top 01_ <Jlthe becIa.
n.e cIeeor 01thiI oI.opi.., ....... is do>Ini...tad by .Iarp radI eot iata the _
'"IlL s..- .-....fuI on: haa ""'
stubby .....u.. IlOp the radI. ..... the
Will haa melted ...... tIM _
is gray
n wuleta.
Luemhar el",aya fell he w.. do ta
catohi ng MylYin, but he ""
It .....
juet 00'" cioae h..._ Ift h
PC. with
ro mbined . t",nlllh of 40 pull on tho

7. Drunk G uarda. 1D thia amall dear

.......lhree lIl'OIlAC t; HD I ; lop 6. 4. 3;
lolV 30"1101; IAT 1; Doq b 1 _
typo; So.. Fl;)fL II ;AL Cl .... aininlr:
..-..d 0 dyiq campl".... "..,. hi...,

bed little mon _

l.haD tboy abouId

hi... &attend aboul tIM outpost an: 14

ompty and two halU u ll .-in. botl.lea.
Tho orca ere atoli onod he.. 10ch ",,1< On
tho nearby pil (area lhl . nd nel (,.,.. 14)
<rIp, . In Ih.ir p.e..nl Ctlnd il ion. ho",
ev , the orCa . .. in . opabl. of checkinll
tho trap.
WM n the Pea .nte. the orca' camp.
roll 2d6 fur th.",.,.' re action.lfthe
-wt ill above 7. thoo ora bunt into
lo.....u. ., apparenl1y lInd ine the Pea'
""- bilarioua. If the ....11 ill 5-7. the
..... ~ , ail and ataroo i n 0 <lrunUn
....poI". H ...-eo'ft, if the ....11 is Ina
tha.a 5. the""" ~II the PCa fur 3-12
.....-. thrD auad< if tho adftDtWftS
"'"'.. _ 1rft. Tho ora he.. apean but
eI
Iael., .1. - 4 p<De1tylO
hit. PCa may a. .rt riol. .... by ofI'erintl
onolh... I>otUo. at.ine, . hioch l he """
_ o. ly acce pt. _ umi", the I dv.nt....
. .. Join th.ir liltl .,.I.bl ion. Eac h on:

,..-mr

I\I3TOW

brieiI,. ;

a"

rocl<. it rolb out <Jl u.. _,. \O.......:J

MylYin. hideout.
If Lazambar ill forced 10r",hl, he
appo_ _ the bed W\th the bed:pack
ond eeell hill_ U. The lint_ll he
ceoII- wh.n hode_
l he orca ....
losi nil" in the front c. ... _ io mirror
; m<W. H . th.n cut lup and .k",m
p,"wn . If it become uvident that he
", ill not be .. ble 10 de f t the party. h.
rrabo hill backpack _ if "" can _ and
CI.ItI invia ibilil;y. An- doi"" t hi8. be
_
10 plot bia l'eY'OIlJlI . When the
PCI emerge from the ....., I ...m . . . .
roIJow. them 'lithout lbeir ""nwiedF.
if pooaible.
Ft.. 01 the cbeate ..... 1ait> food and
1lIlbn- ...""lieo: kJrcbM. oil, etc. The
oc.bn- ebeot, the ..... uro<let I .,.mbe'
- . coDtIina only food..... 100 edditioael quarreIa lOrthe oreiIb .,.,,10.....
Be....th the feleo bot tom <Jl thill ~
.... 83t s'" 1_ rubiea Cwortb 60 lIP
eMh) in 0
pouch. Iwo polio... of
~!lin/l. I nd. m.p indicating ... m.
kind of t"'Mu" cache bunK n.arby.
Th. DM may decid. if th a.he actu
I lly .. iota and wb.t I.... ou.. iI holds.
If the PC. il""ab LaJ.ambaro backpack .
they find two ~b worth at ratio....
threo torcl><s, 0 tiJ>derbn,., .....u bIen
kot. 0 J>lIlW'eontaini 25 "P. end I
bottle <Jl_tered 'I'i
In addi tion . the
Mekpeclt _
ina. (eleirled <:opJ <Jlthe
_
ia the ~ I . " mber _
to<aJ.
1y tnut.ed the ora ..... !hoouP1u...,.
IniPt .ttempl ta _ k tha hMI<Ieto <a<:ha
the_ loea- Baa;dee the f.1eo IItIp.
Lau...bar eleo ""pi bis _II b<d< in the
....k. Thill opell boot """leina el l the
opelle Laumbar k_
Need l.... ta ..y.
losiail" hill opell boot 'li ll h.nd icap
Laumbar l ill" iflc. nlly. If lhe party
lIke. the o""ll book. they a.... viaited by
plall\1. ofthi in L. ... mbar'l hire
who Iry to Ita.l evary bool< in the PC.'
_ i o n until th e m. /lK:uoer get.a hill
opell book beeJr..

...,.n

10. MylYin Wi",b ly'. Hideout. PC.

who eutnine the northwlot aide ol the
hup boalder in the cIeari"i - a a
IIIlIil lIP ill u.. buehee oumNndinlI
thilI aide <Jlthe rocl<. If tboy probe the
- . tboy m-er 0 amelI boloo is the
bouhiM" that leado to 0 ahort tunnel
".. boale io tao amall i'nr all hut en.l
ina: c1w8"ellor omeller creelures, .....
tIM lun....l ill "" wider thoa the hoi .
Magical "",ana <Jl."l.ry ma" of cnune.
a l... be used. Aboul 10' in. the lunnel
110m . sharply up ward and wid.1lI

J)lJNGEO~ 37

THETROUBLEWITH MYlVIN W1M Bty

~lIIalDt".

AD, PC ..ho ClOD fIt

u.n.u,h ..... tun ...I ....., dim!> up iDto.
-.J1..-1Iw haI.--.:I u M,I".;,,'.
Ioideotrt rot" m.
two .... "tha.
noill . - ill
nck<I to I
~

".ml.."

l.lorouP aD oponiD,g iD 1M

....U. A Iarp boulo..-, obaftcI iDto

m. PI' tt- ..... other oicle, bIocb t.hio
-';"C_1flhroe Pea with oomI>iDed
ob'etIIth of 40 puab 011 thoo boulder, il
n>lb iMo. Iafpr .." beyoOtld. nidi ill
_

t v . mba . t.. of ~ 'The

magi<_ _ lei ba" the .........wl,

t.hiopIM>o if be hew .bout

u.., bouId<or
",.. InforfbOl.lot> oboul .."" ambuobn.
If thto Pea ,,",up l M, lriD earlier iD
thto ad""........ thill ""'Ill ill " oinh.hit.
ed. If M, lyln baa .... ped their ..o"ottIo.
.....ti".... readin, thi .:tion.
In thooend.-d opaoe. the Pea OM.
candle nicker i..,; beyond tho. omall
erealure hlldd l... ",..,r the I nlenla "' a
bo.kpa.k (t.he one otolen from the PC.l
whi.h he hu ju.t emptied onl<> the
ground. P iled . bout on the bare rock are
num erou a other item. which the ha lflin ll h 1"" takon. Obvio....ly. Ihi "
littl e t hief made regular habit of
..qui . in, ot her poopl<!'a thing.. If the
PCI w.it few rou...... they hear sobbi", and a qu iet whioper of complaint:
" So hunlP'J ... no rood:'
Myl.,;.. Wimbly ..ill....-uinly be our
prioecI to I....... lbot
,.,... hu found
hillitll<! hi"""'. If
PCo approoclI
hilll with ~lilY. be
i.. a _DeI". V they ot.tod. bowe_, Myl"; n
r""ta u ..... be ClOD with hio ~
......-d.. 1D thoo third ...... of the firbt.
M, m.. bociuto oulfer .0......... paino,
..... biI,., hit n>llo ON '
t bJ 2
....til the rllht iII __
If the Pee _ -.h hiJn ~
cally. N ym.. II will;"" to talk - .......
.. ill -.red tbe PCa .... DOt wwk;""
rot" Luambc_ Nym.. ClOD tell tho PCa
_
01 the ;nr..,...tion ,;y.... iD F ot" tho
IluDpoD~
. lf the PCootrer hi m
rood ..... drink. be ....:epU withou1 _ _
tioa. He k - . he will die _0 withou1
-.....ce; if the rood II poiIoned, it
will j...t .... kl lha eDdiD& <ome littloe
quicka. At\.- ..tin, hia fill. "" hoco.....
mudl more aIJabl .
MylviD io qui.. willi", to ,;ve the
PCa onythin, in the """" they " ant
th.t ill not hill p"l'lIO nai PI'OPt'"Y- The
itema the party ....y take include a ho:t
of nine pink .andle. three ba.kpa.kl.
five iron . pik... . a Iluffed eagle. a "",,,,.
bar. a I mall lOok, a broken lante rn. nd
;..., al l _

it. M, I.,;.. oflon l ioteDed. at

38 Issue No.5

the pany.. .... ~ ..... i.. ........ n...

U, after the baIfIi.nc &ella hio tale, the
PCa
10
a..mbar.
IMd u..... .........,j the nd.
Myl.,;

"i_ta'

1O ..... ~ ~(iltbo

PCa ha... DOt ,............, t -.. tberel

MylTi.. haa DOt . _ . a td -rr......tlyto
u.;.. k 01ou.u-tiDf: lhat the Pea ......,
Ihe boaWer ..... ourpriae l . ,. m be .....
hiI ..... tr- behiDd. bu.tthoo PCa
y
di a lhio ~bi.lity tbomooleaIf I . .. .... .. io cWeaud. the 1WfI ....
"",y ba:otne ht'D':hlllo"'a1ly r...the
pany. if the OM baI_
the pany .....Id
beDelit tr-lha I""';otioo and u..,
PCa .... willi.., to add him to u..,ir
b.nd. If the lWfIi.., ...... DOt joi.. thr
p-oup. ha ntwm to biI he.... towD,
marriel hia childhood """"'O"'art. and
_
lie..... to JO ....... nturing "';n.

concluding

me Ad ventu.e

J u.t bee........ the cho.raote.. may h.ve

found Mylvin and defeated wamba.
d_n' t mea n Ihi. ...n... io ia exha usted _
The adve nture , in fa.t. may be jus,
beKinninll. The PC. .... y bave L....... mbar'. treuure map and .Itemp t to lind
tho hidd.n .acho. [t ia .. IM qui le iikely
Ih lt wlmbar (if he l lll'Yiveo) will _ k
d of
re ven,.. on the ad....ntnre
coune. he lIill hu a ooore to ttle with
Mylvin Wimbly.
NPC COp$U1e$
Myl ria Wl",bl y io . 11I1eve1 balIliDe
........1...............-bodyl\lOl'dlAC 1 ; hp
6; loW 90' (301; S 10 . 113. W 9. 0 13. C
14.Cb 12; OJ I: Dmi: br_1ype
l - I ""' wee~
~ S. ... HI;ML4:AL
N ~ Hill _~ equipmeDt iDcl.....
....I!>er .........,. 0
' .. with ........
qu&lTtllo, .. obon ...-.l, Mckpa:k
ti.. I ............. pair ol uaed ..........
H. p-atefull, """"'PIa ythiDr thoo PCo
011" hi to m.r- bio ouppIiea,

boca
hehu DO~ .." " ' _ ...
purclo.- the thinp he ____
Myl"" W bl' ill "", to be .........,j
..baD tm.a
pod. 1D ""'" time&,
bowner. he teDdo10 ba:on>e witbdraWD
. Dd """"'y. He II flerctly loyal to his
mew and employe..... PCa thai a1Johim to joiD their poorly will find bi m
determi ned fllIhter who taI<eo .....-l ble riIkI i.. combat. I willi.. g negot i. tor when he ... n ..,,,,,,,,,,,icote ith
mon
nd ahre wd bllAi
deale.
who n often 15O'llo chance) get a we.pon 0 uit of ar mor I t only 8O'J> of ila lilt
pr ice. Due to hi. inteUigence, h. "pe.ko

the 10......... oI pizieo in addiUo" ", . _ _n \on,.... and halnm,- opeedo.

Alloori", Myl"';" 10 join the party ....
""'... Ita
b, hcrwe...-r_ He _ _
..... to he \oeft
with ..., ma,;.e.
_ _H...... iI tDO<ienrel, a11erg:ic ...
fur and herina .,
i .., oi<>Iently if I
Iarp qooantit, of b.air l . bear rill. ",..
eump!el_withi.. 20' ol hill __
n.. OM ollouW roll ",.. -anderina' __
- . twice 10 cIteD _ betl thio allergy iI
.,.;yoted. ..... DO ourpriae ill ailowed tloo
poorly cIuri", _ oI Mym ..1 ...-illg
,.~

I.. add itioll to hil . llergy. M,I't-iD hal.

.......nipftobia ..... 1 _ i.. to u.., ...vi the .......... ponoo . t the oighl <Jf.
........ ""'- lIpidoer. The", iI DO te Um,wb.1 might h.ppe.. U h. _ """ of the
larp. lipid variotieo " 'DlIt'lOll in
dun ,...,....
LoJ.mbar the Ma Riei. n i.1 U hlevel ml,;. ........,. adventu, . and ezpen enced ... in i.., (AC 9: hp 10; MV
120' 140' ~ S 12. 117. W 8. 0 12. C 9,
Ch 16; 'AT I; Omg by wP'ln o, "pell
ty",, ; S.... M4; ML 8 (9 if Mylvin;"
p._n l ~ AL Cl. H.. uoe. a lffigg.. + J io
combat. but be .lon..... two normal
d.lliion in raee IOmel hi.., h"p!","" to
lhe mqi...l one. Laumbar i. well
IloCked with I UPl'li and his h"d,,,,,.k
- . -... . . aD e
n"7 pacJr.. He opeakl
_ mon. ore, pb!i aDd 011"'_
'-amhtir ill. fa milia. Ii,..,... i.. ce.toin iIoIa<ed
ofm. .."..Id. People
Iov. 10 Ila.p
_
lOr hUn. The_
_
lor ror... 01u.- compotitioDl ia aD
ard>er)' ....._ with .....nn, targetI _ mba, ia ';"" " lha CDWlt oi lOto
Nil .. far .. lie ClOD before lha ucben
otart .....;n'_
I
,.....wily male him ""
_
lor with kil magi< iIlotn>not" that
lie wu';""'" a opeII boo!< with only
...J. ~ in it- p....,. thiI ralher ~
poi"';...- ~....u..,: . I .....
haa ....
Ia:ted the roUowi.., _ 1'-: """""
_
Iitua ....,p,. /odd
'Odd
....... oJnp. ~ 1mittUe, .....
",im:w i>rat1tft. At the u- of t.hioad D
tnre. h. hal. .... fIMWiuod t:Aarm penoll,
. Ip, i>wUibi /ily, . nd ,.;.n,,- im<lge.
Luamhar.
objeoti.... ill to
. r;terml ...te MylriD Wimblyl>ut he ill
quite willin , to add other w-ge\o to hi
liA He ill vet)' bi,ote<l to"'on! holflin,..
. nd would loy.. 10 le. ve ..ach <If lhem
wilh th.. lOme...,. on the n,h! thi,h
that Mylvin gi V. him.

".m
",.

m""'.

-w.

_nt

Merle and Jackie Rasmussen live a qui et

life in th e sm all /ow o town of Huxley.
Merl e is general manager of a game
store in Des Moines, and Jackie is a
legal secretary. Both have written for
DRAGOND Magaz im! and TSR's g ames
d ivision. Besides writing nwdules for the
D&/P game, the pair have worked on
m any TOP SECRE'J't game projects.

Tortlee of the Purple S age is a D&D

game Expert Set wilderness adventure
designed for a party of 28 characters of

4th-10th level, including a cleric no

lower than 6th level. Each PC should
have two or three magical items, includ-

ing magical weapons and armor. All

PCs should be outfitted for a long-term

TORTLES
OF THE
PURPLE SAGE
Part 1
BYMERLE AND JACKIERASMUSSEN

Would you walk a

thousand miles for a
tortle?
Artwor k by Jim Ho llo wa y
Cortogrophy by Diesel

40 Issue NO.6

wilder ness adventure.

Thi s adventure takes place in the
Known World of the D&D game , as
outl ined throughout the D&D game
rule books and modules . The DM may
find it useful to consult the Companion
and Masters Sets, as well as most of the
X-series of Expert Set modules. D&D
Expert Set module X9, The Savage
Coast , would be especially helpful, as
Thrtles of the Purple Sage could easily
serve to continue that module's dtrecti on and plot line , adding a previou sly
undescribed area (the Great Northway)
to the Known World. The DM may al so
place the areas and events of this
advent ure within an existing ca mpaign
setting, as long as the geographical
areas of the campaign match those set
forth here.
Most of the st atis tics for monsters set
in b oldface type appear in t he Corn.
bined Monster Statisti cs table at the
end of this adventure.

Adventure Background
It is important that t he PCs learn about
the legend of the Great Northway.
Many folk are willing to tell what they
know (or think they know), but the
Great Northway legend is often confused by rumors of mysterious dangers
haunting the Savage Coast . In any
tavern or inn, PCs can hear the Great
Northway lege nd from storytellers; a
visit t o a library or sa ge could yield a
written tale of the legend . Denizens of
the marketplace or wharf area know
little about t he Great Northway but are
quick to repeat Savage Coast rumors. If
the PCs attempt to bribe or coerce any '
one to give more informat ion about
Great Northway la nds, they hear only
Savage Coast rumors.

TORTLES Of THEPURPLE SAGE - Part 1

The leg end states that the Great

Northway is a broad and mi gh ty river

which flows southward for thousands of

miles t hrough desola te grasslands. At
its source, the lege nd says, lies the
Spring of Good Health from which the
waters of the great r iver ru n r ich with
earth .
Som e say the Gr eat Northway is not So

river but a channel to the arctic waters

of Frostha ven . If this is SO, ships usin g
the cha nnel could easily reach all parts
of the Known World. Along t he r iver's
shores. the legend relates. live fierce,
un educated savages who pray for floods.

During t he floods, islands covered with

an imals float down the r iver a nd i nto

the sea.
Long ago, a great earthquake
dest royed many cities near the r iver.
Sages believe the Great Northway's
cours e was changed by the quak e, and
th e new mouth ha s yet to be discovered.
It is said t hat Ako ba an the Mercha nt
wa s the fir st to find the present mouth
of the Great Northway. When a floating
island cr ushed his sh ip a gainst th e
riverba nk, his crew was lost. Akobaan
and h is first mate escaped t he disaster,
and the latter was rescued by members
of a str ange sect, the La wfu l Brotherhood. Th e first mate d ied of fever, but
not before h e reported that hi s m aster
was determi ned to find t he source of the
great river on foot . Ak ob aan, however,
was n ever h eard from again .
A journa l or map showi ng exactl y
where the new mouth of the Great
North way is located is worth m uch to a
kin g and cou nt ry. Both the K in gdom of
Ier endi a nd t he Em pire of Thyatis h ave
offer ed exclusive trading ri ght s betw een
thei r nat ions and t he sa va ges of the
riverb a nk s to wh oever finds the mouth
of t he Gr eat Northway.
'Ib de termine wh ich S avage Coast
rumo rs the P Cs hear, rollld12 and
consult the li st below. The OM should
not just give the rumors to the players;
th ey must ask for infor ma t ion from
NPCs. Each N P C questioned kn ows 1-4
rumors. It is possible t hat two or m ore
N PC s will kn ow the same ru mor. Pes
should not find out wh ether any ru mor
is true or false , except t hrough t hei r
own ex plorations .
1. Th e mo uth of the Great Northway
is also the mouth of t he Empty Valley
Ri ver. (F alse . The Great North way is
mu ch farthe r north.)
2. There are five ancient and lost
cit ies on Savage Coast la nd s. (False.

Th ere are only four.)

3. Head-hunting can nib als a mbu sh
exp lore rs in th is region . (True. They are
dire cted by t he Chaotic Sisterhood).
4. The Gr eat Northway is a channel to
the arct ic waters of Frosthaven . (False)
5. Uneducated savages of t he pla ins
use gemsto nes to scrape animal hid es.
(False )
6. P lain s savages worship the earth
a nd pray for floods. (True. Ann ual flooding of the Great Northwa y replen ishe s
t he soil.)
7. No one knows where th e mouth of
the Great North way lies. (F al se . The
Chaotic Sisterhood, some members of
t he Lawful Brot herh ood, a nd certain
wayfarers kn ow.)
8. The Chaoti c Sisterhood is get ting
r ich t rading directly wit h uneducated
savages. (True)
9. Watch out for Skurge, a ma raudin g
black wha le stalki ng the Savage Gulf.
(True)
10. The Yazak Steppes a re som et ime s
pla gued by random objects falling from
the sky. (True)
11. Straight lin es crossin g t he Yazak
Steppes were used to gu ide ancient
inhabitants between cities. (True. Th ey
al so intersect ancie nt cere monial
mounds.)
12 . The Portal s to Everyl and were
cr eated by an ancient Dr a vish mag icuser. Th e key to operating a gate stone
ha s somet h ing to do with tortles.
(Tru e)
Aft er researchin g t hese legends and
rumors, the pes may nee d a bit of
re freshme nt . Whil e the Pes are rel a xin g in their favorite t avern, read the
following t o them:
A festive mood fill s the a ir as sailors
a nd explorers swap tales of far away,
exotic lands . Around you, old fr iends
greet one a not her wit h back slaps.
Dea ls are sealed with hearty handshakes. Elves, half'li ngs , and dwa rves
m in gle with humans placing orders
for food a nd drink. The door open s
and a large , silent figure enters the
room . It s purp le garments em broi dered wit h gold t hread catch you r
eye . The visitor is not human , yet it
walks on tw o legs. A bea ked reptilian head nod s slowly atop broa d
shoulders. You have neve r befor e
seen a member of this fabled, a ncient
race - t hat of the tortles.

Th e ma ssive figu r e plods through

the noisy crowd in your dir ect ion.
The locals h ardly pay the visit or
h eed as it approaches your table and
cr eaks, "I, Ka llot , a m sage of tortles.
My people search for br ave escorts. I
mu st lead my clutch to ou r ances tral
ha tchin g gro unds . Hundred years
ago la nd was ours. Now la nd held by
enemies. M ust join other clans there
if next ge neration to recei ve blessin gs of the Im morta ls.
" I se e you r asking faces. Why pick
you? You are newcomers. I saw you
come this place. My peopl e pay for
protection tw o ways. Our eggshells
are worth much to your people. Th ey
make light wei ght ar mor. We a lso
know of Yazak Steppes . Your people
seek mouth of river Great Nort hway.
Guide u s safely to hatchin g grounds,
a nd we pay you eggshe lls a nd guida nce to Great Northw ay. If you seek
t his pay for la bor, find me at library."
The pu rpl e-clothed sage then t urns
and plods out of the chamber.

For the Dungeon Ma ster

Th e best pac ing for adve nture has the
to rtle inter rupt t he Pes as th ey are
decidin g how to begi n their search for
t he Gr eat Northway. Ifthe PCs decide
to delay t heir ex ploration pla ns and
accept the to rtl e's offer, they can in dee d
find him at the local library, reading a n
a ncient t ome . H e insists on collecting
his fam ily (l d4 + 1 mated pairs of to rtl es) and de parting at once. Th e PC s
must provide t he ir own supplies a nd
tra ns por tatio n . but t he to rtles h ave
the ir own wago n s and draft horse s if the
P Cs decide on a n overland t rek.
Th e fir st leg of the treache rous journey t akes the p e s and thei r ch arges
fr om t heir home port to Richland Trad.
in g Post , on t he uncivilized Tall Grass
Coast. Whe ther the group tra vels by
land or sea, it is plagued by dangerous
monster s a nd u npredi ct abl e weath er
(wit h the possibility of a shipwreck ).
The to rtle sage does not surv ive t he
t ri p and dies of either combat or old age
at the OM's discretion. Wit h hi s dyin g
words, the ancien t tortle direct s:
" Choose good gu ide. Protect fa mily.
Eggshell s. Use portals." Th e rem a in in g
tortles, caught in the gr as p of biologica l
nece ssity, have little time to mou rn , but
look to the pes as a uthority figures,
granting them the same respect a nd

DUNGEON

41

TORTLES OF THEPURPLE SAGE- Part 1

MAP 1: CONTINE NTAL MAP

F'~

'"

"'J'

f$

The
Great
Northway

"

Pramayama.
. Sl agovic h

;{'I\

Ri chl a nd Tradi ng Post .....A

Savage Coast

"'~~
~,

Great Wast e

Hule

/Y' S pe ~ul aru m

/l'.orJ:l~.~_-Qvo'dr.;';;Jf
/.J1 ~ren i Q, P

Mule

Empire

Beach

- C

of
Wild
Lands

Thyatis
<::J

\J.".

<?:>

Is le
of Dread

obedienc e as they gave their sage. Th e

DM should role-play the tortles so as to

make it extremely difficult for the PCs
to abandon them.
At R ichland Trading Post, the Pes
should hi re a guide to lead the m over-

la nd to Yazak. Depending on which

guide is hired , the PCs either sail up
t he coast and in to the Empty Valle y to

an ambu sh in Dravya, travel overland

to an earth mo und from wh ich they ca n
follow a mysterious path to Yaza k , or go
directly over land to their rendezvous

wit h the gathering tortle clan s.

From Yazak, myster ious paths can be
followed across the steppes to a solitary
wa ter hole. The wagon trai n of tortles,
guarded by t he PCs, next ent ers th e
enemy-he ld Dry Flats. The tortles'
ancestral egg-laying grounds are
located somewhere on the Dry F la ts.
Soon the newly-laid t ortl e eggs hatch in
th e wa rm sand , and the PC s are pa id for
t heir services in eggshell.
On thei r journey with t he tortles, the
PCs learn that the creatures wor sh ip a
nu mber of weat her-wor n stones in the
r egi on of t he Great Northway - stones
with legend ary powers of teleportation
wh ich the tortles ca ll the " Porta ls to

42 Issue NO.6

Ev eryland" These mysteriou s ga te

stone s, bou lders with hum an-sized pa ssages bored t hrough them, hint at a
means of tr avel far superior to eve n t he
waters of the Great Nor thway. Once
their guard duty is fulfilled , and if they
are will in g to put off their explor ation
of the Gre at Northway, all the adve n t ure rs h ave t o do is find t he key to operate t he gate sto nes a nd they can t ravel
great dist ances ins tantly. The gate
sto nes are jealously guarded by various
war ring fact ion s, a nd no one seems to
k now t he key to their operatio n .
U nk nown to most of t he rest of the
wor ld , female clerics of a group ca lled
the Chaot ic Sister hood have found the
Great Northway's mouth . In orde r to
exploit the area for their own gai n and
to dri ve off compet ition by profit seeker s , the Sisters ha ve de veloped a plan.
Adventurers are discouraged and turn ed away fr om t he area usi ng local
ru mors a nd legends of terrible beasts,
n atur al barriers, a nd h ead -hun tin g
ca nn ibals. Th e closer a party get s to t he
r iver's mouth, the more frantic t he
warnings become . Local nati ve converts, worki ng for the Sisterhood ,
a ttempt to t hwart the invaders' prog-

ress by da maging shi ps, driving off

mounts, a nd im prisoning the explorers .
The Ch aot ic Sister hood has also
for med an alliance with the spiderlike
aranea and the saltwater snappe rs. The
ara nea of the Gra ss Pla ins live undergro und like gi ant, intellig ent trapdoor
spiders. Th e sn appers of the Sav age
Gulf are intelli ge nt ehe ll-bearmg r ela t ive s of t he tortles. Fu rthermore , the
Cha otic All iance is driving the Lawful
Alli ance of t he Yaz ak Steppes against
the Neutral Alliance of t he Byler H ills,
areas n ear the Great Northway. Th ese
latter t wo alli ances, lik e t he Ch aot ic
Alliance, are composed of simila rly
aligned beings.
When the PCs dec ide to ex plor e t he
Grea t Nor t hway r egion, t hey m ay set
out fr om any coast al city. The ca mpaign
coas tl ine is dotted with primitive tribes,
eac h with its own taboos and tr aditions.
Some tr ibes are hostile , some are
ext r eme ly fri endly, and some may cha lle nge th e ad ventu rers wit h dangerous
sports.
Nefarious members of the Ch aotic
Sister hood ha ve t aken control of one
lost ruin and are responsible for the
act ions of loca l native converts. Fla sh

TORTlESOF THE PURPLE SAGE- Part 1

flood s, native u pr isin gs, a nd t errifying

weather phenomen a keep the party

al ert dur ing its tra vels . Ruined cities
an d huma n-made t ra ils ent ice the
adventurer s to explore.

Preparing for the Journ ey

The PC s m ay be gin their jou rney in
Siagovich , Mule Beach , Pramaya ma ,

Specular um, Ierendi, or the Isle of

Dread, all of which were previously
descr ibed in X-series modules for the
D&D gam e (see Encoun ter Map s), You
may h a ve t he PC s start from some ot her
locat ion more fittin g to your ca m paign

if you decide t o lit t he Savage Coast and

its surro unding areas into your own
campa ign setting.
The PCs may tr a vel by sea, by la nd,
or by both .IfPCs decide to trav el by
sea, t hey m ust acqu ire a ship. Most PC

parties should have no trouble raising

enough money to buy one, but if t he
PCB ca nn ot afford a la rge shi p, t he DM
should arran ge for th e party to rent or
buy a boat that ca n sail the coastal
waters.
PCs who follow t he coastline or travel
st raight west from Sl agovich over open
water should enter Ma p 2 at t he he x
marked B. P Cs wh o travel straight west
from Mu le Beach over open water
should enter Map 2 at t he hex ma r ked
C. PCs at hex B may sail al ong the
coast to hex C, or vice versa. If the PCs
sail out of sight ofla nd a nd have no
navigator aboard . chec k t o see if they
become lost.
If the PCs decide to t ravel by la nd
from Sla govich , Mule Beach, or any of
th e la n ds north of t he Savage Coast ,
they sh oul d enter Map 2 at t he hex
marked A.
Duri ng the PC s' travels. use the wilderness ru les from t he E xpert rule book .
The DM should roll I d6 twice per ga me
day for wa ndering monster s. On a roll
of 1-3, use the Wild erness En cou nter
Table s from t he Ex pert rule book (pag es
30 a nd 35). On a roll of 4 .6 , u se the
Great Northw ay Wilderness Encou nters
(see en d of module). PC s in t his advent ure encounter wa ndering monsters on
Sand Be ach , Western Sea, a nd Orcs
Head Peninsu la only. For additional
encou nters in t hese regi ons, the DM
may wa nt to use module X9's enc ounters as well.
Th e genera l weather pa ttern s of this
part of t he worl d move from ea st t o west
but ther e is oft en wind from t he north ,

west. and south. The coastal climate of

this area is similar to the southeast
Un ited States. The inland clim ate
changes to th at of Southe rn California
or the Mediterran ean . Mild weather
continues even du ring the winter, when
the Yazak Ste ppes are not un like t he
mi dwest United States prair ie duri ng
spring or fall.
Th understo r ms in t he Dar k J u ngle
and gentle showers ove r the rest of th e
area occur yea r ro und. The Bylot H ills
and t he Dry Flats are a rid beca use t hey
are so far from any large bodies of wa ter
or moun ta in chains . Th e most da ngerous weather occurs on the Yazak
Steppes du ring the spri ng months of
Apr il , May, and J une. 'Ibrnados, with
destruct ive win ds of up to 300 MPH ,
skip across the la ndscape at speeds up
t o 30 MP H. 'Ibrnadoes form ing over
water are called waterspouts. St range
objects, both organic and mineral, fall
from t he sky miles from where they a re
picked up by eit her sort of wh irl wind.

En c ounter Maps
Map 1 sh ows the contine ntal posit ion of
t he la nds surrounding the Great
North way. Map 2 is an overall view of
th e Gr eat North way lan ds . It shows
details of the continent , Orcs Head
Pen insu la , the Weste rn Sea, and t he
Savage Gulf. Th e DM should prepare a
rough map of the adventuring area for
the players to use; only t he coas tli ne
should be dr awn in, leaving the rest of
the ma p open for exploration. If the PCs
h ave adventure d through modu le X9,
t hey may pencil in any features of the
land they h ave lea rned about from
previous exp lor ation .
'Ib get a better idea of how the Great
Northw ay lands relate to ot her areas of
the D&D game worl d, note that the
easter n edge of Map 2 in th is a dve nture
connects with the western edge of the
map of Hule, on page 31 of module X5.
A sect ion of the Savage Coast wh ich
connects with the southern edge of that
map of Hule is found in th e lower right
hand corner of Map 2 in t his adventure.
The west edge of t h is inset ma p conn ects with the east edge of the mai n
map. Th e map of Hu le shows the port
city ofSlagovich with some of its surroun ding te rrain. Slagovich an d Mule
Beach bot h appear on th e Wild Lands
map in modu le X6. Pr a mayam a appear s
on t he Wildern ess Map of t he Great
Wast e in module X4. Specularum, Iere n -

di, a nd th e Isle of Dread appear on the

Continent ma p in module Xl. The lower
portion of Map 2 in t his adventure
duplicates the ma p of th e Savage Coast
on t he out er gatefold of modu le X9.

sa vage Coast Map Key

Map 2 is a lar ge-scale wilder ness map .
Use this map as a gui de when PC s travel by la nd or sea in t he Sav age Coast
ar ea . This map may also serv e a s an
exam ple of a la rge-scale wild erness
design. You ma y want to ba se du ngeon
a nd wildern ess adventures of your own
on this map, or you may expand the
map by design ing wilderness a reas
whe re t he map ends.
Below is a general key to the regions
shown on the ma p. The key gives only a
brief descr iption of most areas. You may
flesh out individu al encou nte r areas
wit h your own infor mation . To read the
ma p, start in th e lower r ight corner an d
read clock wise around the face.
S a n d Be a ch. Th is sandy, rolli n g
stretc h of land extends as far inl and as
one can see from the shore. The sandy
shore is dotted with tall grass which
form s dunes. Over the crests, the du nes
sprout sh rubbery th at forms a blanket
of grass clu m ps and bushes all t he way
north to the Yazak Steppe s. Sand Beach
st retches fr om t he Gu lf of Hu le to Or cs
Head Peninsula .
Cla w Peni ns u la. Named aft er Claw
Inlet wh ich lies beside it , t his sandy
peninsula jabs into t he Wester n Sea .
The New Hope River mee ts the sea
here. Th e Ne w Hope Lawful Brotherhood Cleric Outpost stands at the ti p of
th is peninsul a .
Ne w Hope Ri ve r. This naviga ble
waterway can be sai led for at least 150
miles inland. Native villages. overha nging br a nches, a nd hostile vegetation
provide adventure.
C a mel Hump. Th is windblown bul ge
of cam el-colored sand du nes and beach
grasses presses out in to the Weste rn
Sea. Dust devils skip along the beach
obliterating footpr ints in a matter of
min utes.
Twin Island P eninsula . Th is flattopped sa n dstone lin ger of la nd point s
to matc h ing isla nds offshore. Th e peninsula's 100't all cl iffs se rve as t he rookeries of ma ny sea bird s. It s coastli ne is
rocky.
Twin Isl ands. Th ese look-a like
isl ands are made of light grayish bro wn
sandstone. Th ey were cut off from t he

DUNGEON

43

.';

';.I:r--

u~e

'"

TORTlES OF THE PURPLE SAGE - Port 1

mainland peninsula by the ceaseless

erosion of wave action. The Oat, hush cove red tops of the islands are surrounded by 100 '-lall sandstone cliffs , dropping
to rocky coastlines. (Beware of the

tyrannosaurus that lives here , according to module X9.)

Dr eam River. This waterway is navlgable for over 75 m iles inlan d. Strange
vegetation inh abi ts these waters, and
the Lawful Brotherhood Secon d Chance
Cleric Outpost stands beside the mouth
of th is river.
Western Sea. This body of salt water
lies south of the Savage Coast. It con-

nects with the Gulf of Hule, Claw Inlet,

H el met Bay, and the Ch oke . The deep-

est parts of t he Western Sea are the

haunts of oversized sea monsters.
Cla w Inlet. This curv ing natural
harbor connects the Ne w H ope Rive r
with t he Gu lf of Hule . Each spring,
thousands of small edi ble fish crowd
into this narrow inlet to lay eggs on the
beach a nd then die .
H elmet Bay. This body of water once
a ppeared on maps as a flattened,
dou ble-horned he lmet. The Dream River
flows into the east h orn point. A sandstone reef lies ju st beneath the surface
of this bay. Mer ma ids, marine decepi,
and mysterious sea creatures inhabit
this bay. Aranea la irs have been found
in land, and fortified snapper egg-laying
grounds have been found along the
coast of Helmet Bay.
The Choke. This smooth cove marks
t he end of Sand Beach and the beginning of Orcs Head Pen insula . The
Peaceful Lawful Brotherhood Cleric
Outpost stands beside the mouth of the
Choke River.
Orcs Head Peninsu la, Th is oddlyshaped land mass, lying southwest of
the Grass Plains, is a continuation of
the Savage Coast.
Dark J u n gle . This un explor ed area is
a subtropical forest overgrown with
cli ng ing vines and low-lying shrubbery.
Ga rgantuan white apes in habit this
jungle. Daily thunderstorms drench this
forest and feed rivers and streams
which wind to the surrounding seas.
Wildlife abounds in this region, eepecially al ong t he winding banks of Forbidden Ri ver. The river is navigable for
at least 75 miles in land but is prone to
nash flooding. The rain forest's coas t line is muddy. Pes may mistake the
Forbidden River for the Great
Northway. The demolished Forbidden
River Lawful Brotherhood Cleric Out-

46 Issue No.6

post stands beside the mouth of the

For bid de n Ri ver.
F orbidden Highlands . Grass and
deciduous trees cover these rolli ng hills.
Several of the pen insu la 's meandering
rivers start in these highlands. The
region is ma rked by beautiful waterfalls, where r ivers plummet 50-100'
over rocky cliffs. The rui ns of the lost
city of Risilvar lie in the Forbidden
H igh land s.
Safe Harbor Peninsula. This point
of land is an extension of the muddy
Dark J u ngle coastline. (Module X9
mist akenly locates a tortle egg-laying
ground on the tip of this peninsula. It is
more likely a fortified snapper egglaying ground.
Safe H arbo r. The calm waters of this
inlet are protected by nearby Safe Ha rbor Pen insula .
T he Horn. This peninsula is the start
of a rugged , rocky coastline much like
the nearby Trident Isles.
Trident Isles, These rocky, mountainous islands resemble the tips of a huge
underwater, th ree-tined spear. There is
an ore village on one of these islands.
Th e other tw o are uninhabited.
Triden t Ba y, This sheltered body of
salt water lies north of Orcs Head
Peninsula. It s northern extreme is partially marked by the Trident Isles. Dangerous reefs lie in Trident Bay. A
pha naton settlement is located inland
from the southern coas t of the bay.
Savage G u lf, This stormy body of
water lies west of Orcs Head Penin sula
and the Grass Pla ins. Windswept waves
scar the surface of the gulf and buffet
its eastern sh oreline.
T h e Bayou, Th is marshy, sl uggish
body of water is a confusing maze of
water routes which connect Shady River
to Trident Bay. A large cay-man com pou nd is located in the heart of the
Bayou.
Shady River. Large deciduous trees
overhang this multi-brunched waterway. Shady River empties into The
Bayou and is navigable for hu ndreds of
miles inland. PCs may mistake Shady
River for the Great Northway.
Tall Gr a ss Coast. A narrow layer of
ri ch, dark topsoil nourishes tall grasses
along this mu ddy coastline. The charred
ruins ofthe Seaview Lawful Brotherhood Cleric Outpost lie beside the
mouth of a short river along the coast.
E m pty Valley. This 150'.deep rift
valley contains little soil and fr esh
water. There is almost no plant or ani-

mal life. Empty Valley once held t he

Great Northway river, but an ancient
earthquake changed t he river's course.
A deep, rocky valley now scars the
Yazak Steppes. The stone ca nyon wa lls
show both water erosion a nd geol ogic
upheaval. A slight trickle of fresh runoff water sometimes splashes in muddy
torrents from the cliff wa lls during flash
floods caused by distant thunderstorms.
Salt water from the Savage Gu lf has
infiltrated the sunken valley, ma k in g
the chasm navigable by lar ge ships for
hundreds of miles inland.
M u d Water Cove. At the extreme
north end of the Savage Gulf, the cool,
mud dy-brown water is shallower and
less salty than in the rest of the gulf.
The G reat No rth way, Th is wide,
powerful r iver empt ies into Mud Wate r
Cove. It is navigable for thousands of
miles inland except for a giant waterfall
240 m iles from its mouth.
Grass P lain s. All the land north of
Sand Beach and east of Savage Gulf is
called the Grass Plains. The domi na n t
feature of the area is the Yazak Steppes,
sometimes called the Dravish Steppes
by the people of Hule.
Yazak S te p p e s. This vast, se mi-arid,
grass-covered pla in is veined with treelined st reams separated by rolling hills.
Large herds of migrating animals m ove
across the land, grazing with the seasons. Blooming purple sagebrush fills
the air with a pleasa nt aro ma.
D ry Fl ats. Ra in rarely falls on this
arid wasteland. Little plant or a ni mal
life ca n survive here.
Bylot H ills, Th ese hot, dry hills are
covered with dense thic kets of shrubs
and small trees. The rugged terrain is
pockmarked with caves and burrows.

G reat Northway Area Encounters

Each encounter describ ed be low is
designed to take place in certain regions
on Map 2. Check the Area Encounters
Table to determine which encounters
may take place in each area. Most
regions have more t ha n one possible
encounter. For example, if the Pes are
traveli ng through the Bayou region,
they m ay become involved in any or all
of encounters 2, 8, or 10. The DM
decides how many encounters take
place and in what order. If des ired, the
DM may have t he PCs involved in one
encounter per day, or he may subject
them to three or four encounters in one
day , depending on t he terra in . Such

TORTLES OF TH EPURPLESAGE

t iming keeps t he a dventure exciting

a nd myster ious for the players, a nd
he lps a dap t the adven ture to t he OM's
own ca mpaign more smooth ly.
Some encounte rs may occur only once.
Oth ers may occu r several ti mes in different terrains. Tr y to se parate repea t
encounters with a t least one wandering
mon ste r encoun te r fr om th e Great
Northway Wilderness En counter
Tabl es . Not all t he possible encounters
in a n ar ea need occur.

Part 1

Area E n cou nter s Ta b le

Map A rea
Bayou
Bylot Hill s
Camel Hump
Cho ke
Claw Inlet
Cla w Pe ninsula
Coa st a l Waters
Coastline:
Muddy
Rocky
Sandy
Dark J ungle
Dry Fl ats
Empty Valley
Forbidden
Highlands
F orbidden River
Great Northway
Helme t Bay
Horn
Mud Water Cove
New Hope River
Open Sea
River (u n na med)
Safe Harbor
Safe Ha rbor
P en insula
Sh ady River
Tall Gra ss Coast
Trident Ba y
Trident Isles
Twin Isl a nd
P en in su la
Twin Isla nds
Yazak Steppes

Enco u nters
1, 7,9
4, 9, 11, 13, 14 , 16
4 , 6,11
7
7
6, 11
7,8

TTS-=-- ._

4
12
8
4, 15
5, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18
1, 9,11 ,13, 15,16, 17

4, 9 , 13, 15 ,1 7
1, 10
1

2, 7, 8
4,9, 11, 12, 13
7
1

2,5,8
1

7
4, 8
1, 9, 10
3,4,5 , 6, 9, 11, 15,
16, 17, 18
2, 7, 8, 9
4, 9,12, 13
4, 11, 12
4, 12
3, 4,5, 9, 11, 16, 18

1. Tidal Bore . A si ngle crest of wa ter,

l ' h igh, rushes u pr iver at a rate of 60 '
per round. It is currently 600' away.
Th is encounter occurs twice a day at the
same h our s, within 24 miles of the
mouth of a river. Roll ld 12 to determine
t he hour, A.M . or P.M., at which the crest
moves past a pa rt icular poin t on any
r iver.

-C'

Th e wav e was caus ed by t he surge of

the incoming ti de colliding with river
water. P Cs aboard a vessel suffer no
damage if t he ship's bow is t urned
directly into the wave . If the PCs turn
t he bow from straight downstream or
attempt to reach shore, th ey are hit by
t he wave a midships , causing 16 hu ll
points of damage to the vesse l. Vessels
moored along the shore suffer no damag e from the bore . People along the
shore may be swept into t he water by
the sur ge (60%), but other wise t ake no
physica l damage from it.
2. S k u r ge

Your vessel's timbers shudder with

an eerie creak ing sound. J ust 600 '
ahead of your vessel, a single wh ite
plume of spray r ises 30' above the
wav es. A 60 'long sea cre ature turns
a single whit e eye above the foam as
it approaches to men acin gly circle
480' from your vessel.
The monster is Skurge, a sperm
whale, It sees the vessel as a t hrea t and
ra ms t he ship 10 rounds aft er spouting

un less defeated . Th e wh ale ca uses 636

hull points damage in a successful ram.
A vessel's ar mor cla ss is found on page
43 in t he Expert Set rule book.
Skurge attacks t he largest targets
firs t: sh ips, then lifeboats, then ind ividuals. If t he PCs attempt to fight Skurge
in the water, man-sized or smaller creatures are swallowed whole on a die roll
t hat is 4 or more th a n t he score needed
to h it . A swa llowed cre atu re ta kes 318
hp damage from Skur ge's stom ach acid
per round.
After rammin g the vessel, Sk ur ge
dives and stays submerged ha lf a mile
dee p for one hour. Ifth e survivors have
not moved into shallow water in one
h our, th e crea t ure atta cks again.
Any sha rp or pointed hurled weapons
doing maximum dama ge stay in the
wha le's body. Weapons which rem ain in
t he whale's body cause permanent da mage which is not re gen erated between
battles. Missile weapons such as arrows,
qua rrels, spea rs , a nd lances (h arpoo ns)
are the most destructive. IfSkurge is
killed, its body floats on the surface for
one day before sink ing; implanted weapons can be retrieved du ri ng t his time. If
its intestines are searched, 10,000 gp

DUNGEON

47

TORTLESOF THEPURPLESAGE - Pe rI l

worth of waxy gray ambergris is fou nd .

The m aterial fills 10 la rge trunks but
weighs 1,000 en . It is valu able to alchemist s a nd perfumer s.
This encounter should occur again
a nd a ga in u nt il Skurge is defeated.

Each time Skurge returns, the creature

bears th e scars of previous battles hut is
at full hit points unl ess weapons are
stuck in to it s blubber.
3. Distan t T h u n d e r
Thunder rolls in t he distance. The
no ise begins to sh ake the ground,
drowni ng out a ll other soun ds. Gr ay
cloud s blow over you, smell ing of
dust an d sweat. Suddenly, over the
cr est of a low hill 800 ' away, a dark
bro wn wave 0 300 shaggy-headed
beasts st am pede in your direction.
The a nimals are b iso n . Each herd
section is led by a larger animal, t he
bull . The 30 animals in each section
move at a rate of 80' per round . If the
PC s do nothing for 10 rou nds, they are
caught in the sta mped e and suffer 120
hp damage from trampling. If the PCs
stop or divert the bull leading the sectio n closest to them, the sect ion is al so

sto pped or diverted. A bull ca n be

di verted by fire, fou r-wheeled wagons,
or objects more ma ssive than a bison.
Ther e a re no tre es or boulders to hide
behind . If there is a cliff nearby, the
herd animals run over the ed ge, plun ging to th eir deaths. Crossin g water or
stoppin g 10 herd bu lls st ops the sta rnpede. Mounts st ampede with the herd,
throwing their r iders u nder the herd
50% of the time. If the PCs levitate or fly
abov e the herd, the y a re sa fe.
'Ien rounds after the herd is encounte red , wildfire streaks across the grassland, driven by the wind at 80' per
ro und.
Now you smell smoke. In the dist ance, you h ear the crackle of a fastm oving wildfire. A wave of heat and
wh ite smoke blows your way. Sudde n ly, over the cr est of the same low
hill that h id the bison herd , 10'high
flames r ace ahead of the wind, burning t all dry grass into black st ub ble .
Lightning ha s caused a grass fir e
which is movin g in the P Cs' direction.
The scorching fire line causes 224 hp
da mage to unprotected PCs. Anyon e
who tri es to av oid the fla me s by cli mb

R a r e Spices
d 100

1
2-3
4-6

7-10
1115
16-21
2228
29-36
3745
46 55
56-64
65-72
73-79
80-85
86-90
9194
9597
98-99
00

R a r e s p ices
Saffron, Cigam**
Celery, Chervil
Tarragon, Rosemary
Savory, Sage
Allsp ice, Bay le a f
Dill, Garlic
Ma ce, Nutmeg
Basil , Sesame see d
Poppyse ed , An isee d
Caraway se ed, Thyme
Cardamon, Marjora m
Cinnamon, Parsley
Cloves, Turmeric
Mint, Chili peppers
Oni on , Cumin
Fennel , Mustard
Paprika, Ginger
Pep per, Coriander
Oregano, Fenugreek

Weight
4 on
15
18

Val u e
250 gp
67
56

28

36

30
32
34

33
31

36
40

42
45
54
56

29
26
25
24
22
16
17
15

66
72

14

75
B4

12

126
130

13

8
7

'" DM may choose wh ich of the tw o is foun d.

"'''' Cigam is a n ati ve plant wh ich , whe n dr ied and gr ound, produces a sparkling powder. In h a nd-to-ha nd combat, if 1 cn weight of this powder is thrown
into a living creature's face, the creature mu st mak e a Saving Throw vs. Paralys is or be paralyzed for 14 rounds.

48 Issue No_6

ing, levitati ng, or flying above them

receives 120 hp heat dama ge up to 10'
abo ve the ground a nd 1-10 hp damage
from 10-20' above t he ground. No heat
damage is received above 20 '. The
fla me s cannot travel over scorched
earth , ice, bare dirt, or water.

4. R a re Spices
Drifting t hrough t he air are pleasant
spicy scent s you have smelled before
at nobles ' tables. Your mou ths begin
to water as the r ich fragrances fill
your nostrils. Th e nearby trees and
shru bs are ordinary, worthless veg etation. Fro m t ime to time you hea r a
deep buzzing sound coming from
bey ond the nearb y shrubbery.
If a ny PC se arches beyond the nearby
comm on veget atio n by follow ing th e
scent or sound. read the following:
You find sma ll flowerin g plants and
short trees whi ch are the source of
the plea sant odor. Flittin g fro m
br anc h to branch are several 3' -long
gia nt dra gonflies, al so att ract ed by
the pleasing odors.
'Ib ge t to the sp ices, 2-12 dragonfl ies
must be driven off or sla in . The type of
dragonflies pre sent depends upon the
terra in. If th e spices grow on Orc s Head
Peninsula, ha lf the dragonflies are
green and half are red. If the spices
gro w in t he Bylot H ill s, they are red
and gold. If the spices grow a nywhere
else, the dr ag onflies are blue and gold.
Unlike full -sized dragons, the br eat h
weapon of a dragonfly inflicts only 1 hp
damage per hit die of the monster, and
each breath is only 3' long. Each breath
norm ally affects on ly one cre ature, but
a Saving Th r ow vs . Dragon Breath (for
half damage) is allowed if the victim is
n ot fighting the dragonfly in me lee.
Those in h and -to-h and combat h ave no
saving throw against t he breath. Each
dragonfly can breathe and bite during
ea ch round of combat, and there is no
limit to the number of breaths. Th e gold
dragonfly can breathe either ga s or fire
at will. These dragonflies do not pursue
if PCs retreat. Their t reasures are the
r are spic es.
By touching, sniffing, or tasting the
scented plants. a PC ca n discover what
type of rare spice is presen t . H ave t he
player roll 1d5 a nd refer to the Rare
Spices Tabl e. The PC should be told in

TORTlES OF THE PURPLESAGE- Pa rt 1

secret wh ich of the two spices indicated

is found. No other rare spices are found
for t he period of one day. If a ny other
PC s se ar ch for pla nts, they a lso find the
same r are spice in an equal quantity.
No more t ha n four t imes t he st ated
quantity ma y be found.
5. Deadly Whirlwind
Huge white t hunderheads lit from
wit h in by flashes of hot ligh tn ing
pile high upon the western horizon.
'Ib the northwest , slanted purple rain
is falling. 'Ib the southwest, the dark
gray base of the white boulder clouds
suddenly drops towa rd the ground .
The win d blo ws increasingly harder,
s pitting large raindrops from the
southwest. Suddenly, t he surface
wind dies a nd approach ing dark
green clouds boil across the sky.

Within 3-60 minutes a dark . funnel sh aped cloud, revolving counterclockwise , de scend s from t he low clouds . The
P Cs canno t outrun t he t ornado, bu t
they ca n out ma neuver it . After t hey
have chosen their course of actio n, re ad
t h e following.
Sudd enly, a li ght gray, needle-t ipped
fu nne l cloud descends from the low
clouds above. Debr is is scattered
al oft as t he howling wind becomes a
dr ago n's roar. The spiraling cone
t urns black a nd grows wider, carrying all it tou ches h igh in to the sky.
If the PCs stay in one place, or t ra vel
west or n orthwest , they ar e hit by the
violent tornado. If the PCs tr avel north,
they encounter ligh t ra in, t hen h eavy
rain and lig ht hail. If th e PCs travel
northea st, t hey meet heavy ra in an d
h a il. If the PCs tra vel east or sout heast,
t hey ar e hit by lig ht rain before the
st orm pa sses to t he north. If the PCs
travel sout h, t he sto r m passes safely to
th e north. Th e most intense part of t he
sto rm la sts 224 minutes.
If th e PCs ar e hi t by the fun nel cloud,
t he t orn ado carries 112 PCs (except
tho se who fou nd shelter in low-lying
a reas), 14 miles to th e northeast. Each
tornad o pa ssenger must mak e a Saving
Throw vs. Death Ray or suffer 240 hp
damage (h alf da ma ge with save). Tents
or she lte rs are torn and flattened. Any .
thing not faste ne d down or worn blows
1-20 miles northeast.

Light hail causes 1-4 hp damage to

anyone with AC 6 to AC 9. Hea vy hail
causes 1-6 hp da mage to a nyone with
AC 4 to AC 9. Hail causes each u nt ied
an imal to stampede 1-4 miles in a random direction . Th e a nimal 's tra cks may
be visible, depending on the terra in, so
they can be t racked down and (with
luc k ) recl aimed.
6. Beach Rubble
Th e receding tide strands pieces of
bone-colored dr ift wood and rotting
seaweed alo ng t he shore. Broken sea
she lls, put rid fish car casses, a nd
uprooted kelp lie strewn across the
sandy beac h. Th e gent le rippling of
wa ves is th e only sou nd.
Roll I d6 an d see the list below to
dete r mine wh at other items t he PCs
find along the shore :
1. Shell. A light gray, irr egularly
sh aped shell with both ha lves intact lies
half- buried in the sand . This marine
mollu sk is a pea rl oyste r. lithe shell is
pr ied open, the meat is rotten , but a
pear l is found . If the pearl is not washed
in sal t water or rubbed in a mild abra sive, lik e salt, it is only worth 250 gpo
Properl y car ed for, it is worth 500 gp o
2. Amber. A fist -sized, transl ucent ,
yellow-orange stone containing an
immobile insect lies on the sa nd . Th is
see-t hrough stone is a fossil re sin worth
100 gp whole. If t he sto ne is br oken
open to release the insect, the am ber is
worth only 25 gpoTh e a ncient winged
insect is well preserv ed but long dead.
3. S ai lboat . Th is small, aba ndoned
boat drift ed he re from a native village
during a recent storm. It has a h ull
made of reed bundles , a wooden mast,
and a cloth sail. The boat is in good
r epair and cou ld hold tw o PCs plus
1,000 en ad ditional weig ht .
4. Mound. On ly 100' ahe ad is a 5'hig h mou nd of wet san d. Th e moun d is
10' in dia mete r and looks recently
deposited. It is too far from the water 's
edge to h ave been caused by wave
action a nd too wet a nd cr umbled to
h ave been pile d up by the wind. P Cs can
climb th e mound wit h ease. Th e first PC
t o reach the mound notic es t he beac h
sa nd h as been pushed up by a great
force. Suddenly the mound trembles,
shifts, and expan ds. On e round la ter, a
giant marine slime worm erupts
through the mou nd a nd th rows the
nea rest PC into the air. It then attacks

the closest PC it senses.

Marine sli me worms attack with sur prise whe neve r possible. Th ey swa llow
t he ir prey whole on an un modified hit
roll of 18 or more. Swallowed prey t akes
2-12 hp damage per roun d until dead or
free (similar to a purp le worm). These
monsters are gia nt -sized burrowers t hat
secrete a st icky substance which coat s
their en tire bodies. The slime does not
affect attacks. Th ey roll in th e sand and
pick up whatever is lying the re. Th is
pa rticu lar sli me worn is coated with
sa nd, shells, seaweed, a nd gems. If the
worm is defeated, th e PCs ga in one
1,000 gp opa l, two 500 gp topazes . 10
garnets worth 100 gp each, and 20 onyx
st ones worth 50 gp ea ch.
5. J elly fish. A small white sack filled
with clear gas and trailin g seve ral
white te ndri ls lies ba k ing in t he sun.
Th is dead jellyfish was was hed up on
t he shore . If stepped on or struck the
sack will pop harmlessly. Th e danger is
in the sting ing tendrils, whic h cause I
hp damage each time touched by ba re
flesh .
6. Footprin ts. A set of bar e human
foot pri nts lea d alon g the beach for 100
yards before they turn inla nd. The footpri nts lea d to a burned-out ceremonial
clearing littered with th e dea d remains
of native vill agers. Th e footpri nts
belong to a native enchante r (AC 9;
MU5 ; MV 120' (40' ); IIAT 1 bow; Dmg by
weapon type + poison; Sa ve MU5; ML
7; AL N; spells: magic m iss ile, read
m agic, ESp, web, fire ball) standing in
the center of the cer emonial grounds.
These bur ial grounds may also be
haunt ed (at t he DM's discretion) by
seve n skeletons . five ghouls. four
wights, or three wraiths. A nearby
native vill age mayor may not be friend.
ly, according to its location and t he
DM's discretion .
7. Salt Water Driftage
Your boat ri ses and falls with t he
rocki ng wav es. Sea bir ds whee l overhead, and you hear the distant roar
of sun on t he shor e. These blue, salty
waters contain few fish.
Roll Id 6 and see below to determine
wh at ite m the PCs find:
1. Flag. Bri ghtly-colored fabric is
wr apped arou nd a human-sized body
float ing past . Someone aboar d recogn izes the clot h as the flag of the Kingdom of Ierendi. The fla g shroud s th e

DUNGEON

49

TORTLESOF THE PURPLE SAGE- Part 1

sword-scarred body of a recently killed

swashbuckler who was buried at sea. If

the clerical spell speak with the dead is
cast on the corpse, the deceased spirit
may be qu estioned. Th e swashbuckler
was commissioned by aristocratic families
of the Kingdom of leren dl to find the
Great Northway's mouth. His ship was

at tacked by female pirates casting clerical

spells. He remembers nothing else.

2. Lifeboat. An empty lifeboat blows

past . Someone aboard the PCs' vessel
recognizes the skillful shipbuilding
handiwork of the Empi re of Thyatis.
This well-built lifeboat has 15 hull
points and conta ins 10 iron r ati on s.
3. Fishing Boat. A water-logged ,
blood-stained fishing boat m issing its

sail and mast sloshes by, t raili ng a

fishing line . If t he fishing line is hauled
in, a sealed tube is found at its end . The
tube contains a common rock to keep it
submerged a nd a map of the Sava ge
Coa st whi ch accurately sh ows the
m outh of the Great Northway. The PC s
will not know if t he m ap is accurate.
Th e damaged boat has onl y 5 hull
points left .
4. Barrel. A red-painted barrel tied to
a ne w yellow rope bobs 150' from t he
bow of the P Cs' sh ip. Th e barrel is a
buoy t o warn passing sh ips of an undersea rock outcropping. If the PC s sail a
large ves sel within 50 ' of t he barrel,
their ship stri kes the rock s for 2-24 h ull
points dam age . Th e barrel is sea led
wit h pitc h .
5. Aerial Assault. Twenty circling sea
birds begin dropping inedi ble saltw ater
termite la rva e on the P Cs' deck . The
dirty-white insects attach themselve s
a nd begin burrowing through the wood
immediately. Th e birds drop 1-4 larvae
per rou nd but are frightened a way by
loud noises , r ap id movement, or br igh t
light. Th e young insects attach themse lves to any a vailable wood immediately and can only be fought for two
rounds befor e they burrow out of sight
into the sh ip 's timbers. Th ese grublike
cr eatures do not bi te unless corn ered.
Inste ad, they use an inky black spr ay for
defense . When fri ghtened above water, a
normal "to h it" roll must be made. A
victi m hit by the spray m ust make a
Savi ng Throw vs. Poison or be paralyzed
and blin ded for one turn. Each larva
causes 1 hull point dam age t o the vesse l
before exiting into the sea.
6. Seaweed. A bed of green kelp floats
by. Th e k elp (2d20 ratio ns ) is edible but
not t asty.

50 Issue No.6

8. Sea Drago n
The blue-gre en water st retches out to
t h e hori zon wh ere th e sea and sky
mee t . Few sea birds fly ove rhead.
Fly in g fish occasi onally glide past.
These salty green wa ters abound
with fish . Skimming alon g the horizon is what appears to be a sma ll ,
ye llow-crested green dragon. Instead
of legs it has finl ike wings with
wh ich it paddles thr ough the wa te r.
Th e cre ature dives and lat er surfeces, sending a double plume of m ist
skyward. With it s head and neck
abo ve the surface it begi ns t o circle
your ves sel, spiralin g closer and
closer with each revo lution. It se ems
to be examining your ship.
Th e se a d ragon is 360' a way when it
surfaces and begins circl in g. Each revolu tion it moves 60 ' closer (6' per round)
to the vessel. Its ap proximate r ange.
revolution time, hit modifiers, and hull
point damage are as follow:
Con dition
Rnd s,
Surfaces
1st revolution
36
2nd revolution 30
3rd revolution 24
4th revolution 18
5th revolution 12
6th revolution
6

Rng,

360'
300'
240'
180'
120'
60'
0'

Mod. Dm g.
0
0
0
0
0
0
-1
1-4
-2
1-8
-3
112
-4
1-20

Ninety rou nds (1112 t urns) after surfacing , the sea dragon compl etes its third
re volut ion and is 180 ' from the vessel.
Th e turbulence of the water sets t he
shi p spin ning, and anyone withi n the
wh irl pool suffers - 1 t o h is ch ance to
hit. The vessel takes 1-4 hull points
damage from the wh irlpool.
U nless attacked, the sea dragon
reaches t he vessel a nd begins bit in g and
spitti ng 126 rounds (2 turns and 6
rounds) after surfaci ng. A sea dragon
can spit up to three times per day, bu t
there is a 50% chance of it u sing this
wea pon at any particu lar ti me. Those
spit at m ust make a Sav in g Th row vs .
Dragon Breath or die. Thi s poison loses
it s effecti veness after one round. The
bi te of a sea dragon is not poisonous.
This particular sea dragon is not ab le
to talk or cast spells. It can be subdued
if PC s dive into t he water and strike
wit h the flats of the ir swor ds. It s treasure lies in a hi dden sea cav e a long the
nea rest shor e. The cave contai ns 3,3 75
cp; 25,000 sp; 1,250 ep; 1,750 gp ; 3, 125
pp; five rubies worth 1,000 gp each; 10

na tive necklaces worth 1,300 gp each;

and a sleeping fem al e sea dragon. She
ha s stats as above , 32 h p, and can spea k
and cas t six spells: charm person, protec-

tion from evil, sleep, detect invisibility,

ESP, and invisibility .
9. Plague s from the Sky
A sm all , dark cloud in an ot her wise
clear sky grows in size and moves
directly above you. Suddenl y, hundreds of objects begin to fall from the
cloud.
Roll1d10 and see bel ow to de te rm in e
what fa lls from the sky on t he PCs.
Where two items are listed , t he DM
may choo se whi ch fall s. Any one with
AC 4 or better, or who reach es shelter,
receives n o da mage. Th e items cont in ue
to fa ll for 1-10 r ounds.
dlO
1
2
3
4
5
5
7
8
9
10

F allin g Items
Wh ite fibe r s
F les h and blood
F rogs/Thads
Pebbles/ N ut s
Stones/Rocks
Fish/Eels
lee blocks
Birds/Bats
Burn ing sulfur
F iery meteors

Dmg/Rod

o
1

14

1-6
1-B
2-8

1-10
2-12
120
1100

10. Mena c e fro m Above

Branches of la rge trees along the
riverba nk s overha ng the water way.
The living t un nel is dim and humid.
Vi nes an d dead bra nches hang touchin g the water 's surface. Birds and
in se ct s fly beneath the protective
canopy as lea ves , twigs, and blossoms fa ll from above.
Roll 1d6 ea ch game hour to see if
som eth ing fa lls from the over ha nging
br anches ont o the PCs or t heir vessel. If
you roll a 1, roll l dl 0 a nd see below to
determine what fall s:
1. B iting Gnat CkJud. Each P C mu st
m ake a Sa vin g Throw vs . Dea th Ray or
be driven to jump into the water to
escape the st ingi ng in sects. F ire, smoke ,
ice, cold , or gas drives th e biting gnats
away. Anyone not leaping in to the
water suffers a total of 1 hp dam age
from a m ultitude of tiny bites.
2. Corpse of Hanged Man. The corpse
wears a robe and carr ies noth in g . If a
clerical speak with the dead spell is cast

TORTLESOF THEPURPLESAGE - Part 1

on the corpse, its spir it may be que sti oned . This man was an adept of t he
Law ful Brotherhood on a jour n ey back
to civilization. He was ca ptured and
ly nched by three Chaot ic Sisterhood
members for no a pparent reason.
3. Crab Spider (See chart, pg. 62).
4. Fresh Nuts. These windfall s cause
1 hp da m age to a nyo ne whose h ead is
uncovered but provide one r ation of

food. The tree above supplies 2d20

rations worth of nu ts.
5. Giant A nt (See ch art, pg . 62).
6. Gian t Centipede. Th e centipede's
bi te does n o dama ge , but the victim
must make a Saving T hro w VB. Poison
or become violently ill for 10 days. PCs
who do not ma ke the ir saving throws
move at h alf speed and ar e not ab le to
perform any other physica l action.
7. Giant Hom ed Chameleon Tongue. A
chameleon in the trees above shoots out
its sticky, 5'-long tongue. A successful
hit mean s t hat loose, unprotected
objects may be pulled from the vessel to
t h e chameleon's mouth. Stuck victims
may be bitten for 2-8 hp damage .
8 . Gray Ooze (See chart, pg. 62).
9. Ripe Fruit. An amount of fruit
equal to I d lO rations falls on the P Cs'
ship. The tree above can provide IOdlO
r a ti ons worth of ripe fruit .
10. Snail. Th is la nd murex has a colorful, frilled sheU. lfits shell is broken
ope n or if the meat is sliced, a ha ndful
of yellowish flu id squirts out . After
exposure to ligh t for one round, t he
ye llow fluid changes to pu rple dye
wh ich stains anyt hing it touches . The
dye will not wear off for over a week .
Alt hough t he dye is neit her magical nor
h ar mfu l. P Cs will not know t his.
II. O n tbe Move. Th e PCs are not
t he on ly group moving across t he sea.
Roll I d6 and see below to dete rm ine
wh a t type of gro up is encountered .
I. R obison the Crusader (AC 9; HD 2;
h p 10; MV 120 ' (40' ); 'AT 1; Dmg by
wea pon type; Save F 2; ML 8; AL LG) is
a warrior who lost h is way dur ing a
ho ly war seven years ago. His clot hing
a nd h at are h and -made of leather and
h e carries a leath er umbr ella . He was
be fr iended by Yad irf, a barefoot n a ti v e.
If t he PC s a ppr oach Robison , he is
struck with awe at seeing t hem . If spoken to in the common tongue, he is
friendly. He k nows where everything on
t he Savage Coast is located , including
the Great Northway. If aske d. he gives
t he party directions to anywhere they

want to go. If the party chooses to inv ite

h im, he and Yadirf accompany the party
as NPCs .
2. 212 Clerics of the Chaotic S isterhood (spells: cause light wounds, darkness, cause fear, confuse alig n ment,
silence 15' radius, cause disease, st riking) a re all fema le. This party of wellarmed but poorly provisi oned clerics
does not spot the PCs u nless th e PCs try
to get their attent ion. Th e clerics are
traveling toward Drav ya and choose not
to accom pa ny the P Cs. The chaotic
clerics a re likely to circl e a rou nd and
attack th e P Cs at nigh t after calli ng on
their nat ive a llies for rei nforce ments.
3. 2-12 Clerics ofthe La wfu l B rotherhood (spells: cure light wounds, light,
remove fear, know alignment, si lence 15 '
rad ius, cu re dis eases, striking) are all
mal e. This par ty of u nar med hut wellprovisioned clerics does n ot spot the PCs
un less the PCs try to get th eir attenti on . Th e cle rics are travelin g to Richla nd trading post and will accompany
the PCs or deliver messages to Rich la nd
for th em. Th ey will also sha re their
provis ions , cure d isease, and cu re lig ht
wounds on t he spot.
4 a nd 5. A party of 12 well-ar med an d
provisioned explorers does not spot the
P Cs u nless the PCs try to get t heir
attention. There are two types of explorer groups: one fr om the Kingdom of
Ierendi (4) and th e other from the
Empire of Th yatis (5). Bot h parties were
sent out by their respecti ve gove rnme nts t o locate the mouth of the Gre at
Nort hway. Eleven of these scouts are
b u m a n w a r ri ors. A hu man swashbuckler lea ds the party.
If the PCs approach th e scouts in a
friendly ma nner, the scouts speak in
common. If asked , the scouts share their
provisio ns with t he PCs and te ll t he
PCs t he ir quest .
6, Deer herd (330) Eac h deer can
provide 10 rations.
12. O n the Rocks
Th e water has stranded pieces of battered drift wood an d shredded seaweed
along the shore. Wort hless broke n
shells, scaled fish, an d uprooted plants
lie strewn among the rocks. The crashing soun d of waves is a constant roar.
Sea spray is blown yards from the sea
onto the eroded rocks.
Roll Id 6 anc\ see below to dete rm ine
what othe r ite ms the PCs fin d lying

alo ng the rocky shore :

I. Sea shells. Hal f a dozen rough,
spiny, spiral seashe lls lie clu stered near
t he edge of th e surf. Th ese fr illed mure x
shells a re from sheltered seas. Thei r
calm home waters must ha ve heen disturbed for them to be cast up on this
beach. If a she ll is broken open or if the
meat is slice d, a handful of yellowish
flu id squirts out. Afte r expos ure to light
for one round, the ye llow fluid cha nges
to purple. This purple dye stains anyth ing it touche s and ta kes over a week
to wear off. The dye is worth 1 gp per
shell to dyers a nd alc hemists. It is neit her ma gica l nor h armfu l, but PCs will
not know t his. There are 520 mu rex
sh ell s lying in a bed 25' u nde rwa te r,
j ust off the shore wher e these few she lls
wer e found .
2. Dru ms. Dista nt heavy dr ummi ng
fills t he a ir, first to one side of th e PCs,
then fa r off to th e other side , as if
natives are signaling ea ch other.
3. Leftovers . St ill smoki ng are the
remains of a cooking fire complete with
broken shells, fish head s, and bird bones.
It appears that someone left t his place in
a hurry. If the PCs search t he fire. they
find glowing embers and a dead sea bird ,
rolled in mud, baking bene ath th e

DUNGEON

51

TORTlES OF THE PURPLE SAGE- Part 1

coals. The meal is the equiva lent of two

r a tions, fragrant with expensive, rare
spices.
4. Statu e. Facing the sea is a 2'-tall
stone statue of a two-legged , multitoothed r ept ile. The statue is holdi ng a
short spea r in its forepaws . The gray
stone st at ue weighs about 1,000 cn but
is wort hless. It is a native carving
designed to guard the land against
reptile invaders from the sea.
5. A moeba. A 30 '-deep tidal pool, 30'
in diameter, is filled with a strange,
clear fluid . The flu id looks lik e water
but quivers in the breeze instead of
formi ng waves. The pool's rocky bottom
is ea sily see n. There are no trapped fish,
shells, sea weed, or starfish in the pool.
F loating in the pool 's center is a 1'
diameter, gray, spherical cloud. Th e
t idal pool's fluid is actually a gi a nt
a m oe ba protoplasm; t he float ing gray
cloud is the amoeba's nucleu s. All other
animal a nd plant life in the pool h as
been absorbed by the amoeba. Any
plant or animal matter placed in the
pool slowly di ss olves and disappears.
Any inorganic material suc h a s metal
or rock slowly sinks to the bottom of the
pool. Weapons or m agi c used against the
amoeba cause it to leave its pool and
ooze toward the sea using it s pseudopods in defense. The amoeba does not
move unl es s attacked . Anyone touching
the creature with bare flesh s uffers 212
hp acid damage.
6. Seals. A herd of 30 brown fu r se als
lies bask ing in the sun light. If the PCs
approach wit hin 40' of any seal, the
entire herd is startled and stam pedes
toward t he water. If they stamp ede over
the P Cs, the P Cs sutTer 1-20 hp dam age.
The ani mals' pelts are worth 100 gp
each.
13. Valuable Minerals
The rock s in this area glint with
mineral de posits. Much of the st one
contains worthless fool's gold and
salt crystals.

If a ny PC examines the rocks closely

by pick ing one up, sitt ing down on top
of, or cli m bi ng over a ny, that PC disc overs valuable minerals. H av e th e player
roll I dS a nd see bel ow. The PC shou ld
be tol d in secr et what wa s foun d . If that
PC continues to search, no other r iches
are found for th e period of one day. If
a ny other P Cs search the rocks, they
also find one random valuabl e mi neral.

52 Issue No.6

Onl y one val uable mi neral may be

found per PC per day no matter how
h ard the PCs search .

dloo
0 110
11-20
2133
34-45

4660
6175
7685
86-95
9698
9900

Minerals found
Turquoise flakes
Quartz crystals
Citrine, uncut
On yx, uncut
Ga rnet, u ncut
Silver ore
Topaz , un cut
Gold nu ggets
Opal, un cut
Ruby, un cut

G P value
5
10

25
50
100
300
500
750
875
1,000

14. Neu t ral Alliance P at rol

Dust rises in the dis tance. A her d of
20 h orses ridde n by robe d humans
leads a pride of 10 sabre-tooth tigers
r idden by cat-headed hu ma noids.
The group does not see the PCs and is
traveling toward the Bylot Ruins. If
approached in a friendly, open manner,
the PCs are invited to travel with the
patrol. Lupins, dervishes , and tortles are
not welcome. Hostilities may (50%
chance) break out against such individuals unless weapons are thrown down or
a white flag of truce is shown . If the party
approaches within 1,000 ' of the patrol in
a secret or hostile manner, they are spot ted 50% of the ti me. Intruders are not
welcome, whoever they are, and the
patrol members will attack.
Each of t he p agans is armed with a
n or mal swor d and carries 110 gpoEach
of t he r akastas is armed with war
claws a nd wears jew elry worth 10100
gpo The sabre-tooth tigers are controlled with kn ee pressure and heavy
riding cro ps. Th ey are a lso fitted wit h
s pecial saddles that do not h inder their
fightin g abilities. These saddles also
allow t he r aka stas to leap off their
mou nts (up to 20') and attack in the
sam e rou nd. These "tame" sab re- tooth
tigers are too fer ocious to be rid de n by
any non -rekaeta.

This gro up of ph anatons represents

their tribal king, who is worried about
the Chaotic Alliance threatenin g the
la wfu l phanaton way of life. The phanato ns welc ome anyon e interested in
defeating the Ch aotic Alliance. As the
phanatons see the sit ua tio n, t he snappers want to expand their t erritory
bey ond t he Thll Grass Coast. The Chao
otic Sisters want to overpower the Lawful Brotherhood. T he aranea are
tr aditi ona l phanaton en emies a nd
attack pha na to ns on sight. Fo rtu nately,
other ch aot ic creatures , li ke the orcs,
are too d isorganized to pose a ser iou s
threat.
This group con sists of a phanaton
subchief and w ar ch ie f, five subchie f
b odyguards, seven w ar ch ief bodyguards, a nd 30 adult phanatons.
16. Aranea Traps
As you move acros s a treeless area
clear of shrubbery, you hear a hollow
echo benea th your feet . The ground
seems to be undermined below yo u .
Without trees, wild a ranea li ve
undergroun d. Stepping on the well
concealed trapdoor alerts the four aranea that live in t hi s under grou nd lair.
Upon careful inspection, a ca mouflaged,
h uma n-sized trapdoor ca n be found a nd
pried open. A white-walled shaft. drops
30 ' stra ight down a nd inter sec ts with a
t unnel connectin g various ch ambers.
The web-lin ed la ir resemble s a whitewa lled cave. Many pieces of crude furmture ma de of web , vine, and wood are
woven in pl ace on the floor of these
la irs. Th e four a ranea attack intruder s,
one aranea fro m each t unnel direction
as the other two climb nearby sh afts to
attack anyone on the su rface outside
the in va de d sh aft. The intelligent giant
spide rs have wove n treasure worth
1,000-4,000 gp into t he ce iling of each of
their lairs for safekeeping. These a renea are wi ld and do not have spell
books.
17. C h a otic Alliance Cam p

15. Phanaton Expedition

You a re s uddenly surrounde d by a
chittering, gest icula ting ma ss of
m onk ey like creatures th at have
dro pped and glid ed fro m t he trees or
popped up out of the tall grass .

Smoke rises in the di stance. A circle

of a dozen leather lean-to shelters
su rrou nds a smolderi ng fire. Anned
orcs m ove among the shelt er s and
occasio nally a bow-armed snapper
appears between lean-tee.

TORTLES Of THE PURPLE SAGE - Part 1

The ca m pers do not see you and are

waiting for ni ghtfall to break ca mp . If

observe d afte r nightfall , they a re traveling toward t he Dravya Ruins. If the

party approaches within 1,000' of the
camp in a sec ret or h ostil e man ne r, they
a re spotted 50% of t he time. Intruders

are not welcome, whoever they a re, and

the campers defend themselves. If the
party a pproac hes in a hostile ma nner,
t he ca mpers alert everyone in ca mp to

help defend .
If the P Cs a pp roach th is temporary

Chaotic Alliance camp in a friendl y

ma nner, t hey are invited to stay and
eat. H ostilities m ay (50% chance) break
out against n on -chao ti c individuals
unless weapon s are thrown down or a

white flag of truce is shown. If th e PCs

throw down their weapons or spea k on
frien dly terms in the common tongue,
the m onsters meet them with lowered
we apo ns a nd welcome t he m into thei r
ca mp. Once inside, the monsters s urround and attack them. The monsters
attempt to ca pt ure the PCs a live, h olding them until Chaotic Sisterhood me mo
ber s arrive (cu mu lat ive 10% chance pe r
d ay) t o determ in e their fate .
Each of the twelve lean-to e houses six
orc s, a ll armed with spears. The or cs
are lead by an o r c chieftain. Am ong
t he lean-to s are fou r o gres, a troll, a nd
a snapper. Each ore carries 3-24 cp.
E ach ogre carries 2-8 gp oThe troll
wears t wo armbands each worth 2,000
gp, a n d the sna pper carries 1-6 pp.
18. L awful Alliance Patrol
Du st rise s in th e dista nce . A huge
pack of 40 dire wolves ridden by dog h eaded humano ids armed with la nees approaches.
The group does not see you and is
trave ling toward the Yazak Ru ins. If
approached in a fri endly, open manner,
the PCs are invited to travel with t he
patrol. Rakasta, pagans, and nomads
are not welcome. Host ilit ies may (50%
chance) break out against suc h individuals u n less weapons are t hrown down
or a wh ite flag of truce is shown. If the
party approaches wit hin 1,000' of th e
patrol in a sec ret or hostile manner,
they a re s pot ted 50 % of the t im e.
Intruders are not welcome , whoever
they are, and patrol mem bers defend
themselves.
Each of t he lupins is armed wit h a
lance and carries 20 -120 cp, 1080 sp, or

1-20 elect ru m pieces. Onl y the lup in s

can ride the di r e w olves.

Set l ocation Encounters

Each encounter below is set in a specific
hex on Map 2. When the PC s enter a
lettered he x, refer to the cor respond ing
encounter to determine wha t , if any t hing, the PC s se e in t hat area.
Loca tions A, B, a nd C are gu ide posts
to help you mark t he P Cs' movement
tow ard or away from t he Grea t
Northway 's mouth . When the PC s are
in a s pecific regi on (the Yazak Steppes,
for example), u se the n otes given under
t he Sava ge Coas t Map Key to describe
their cu rrent s urroundings.
The follo wing encounter s should occu r
as gi ven only once (the fir st ti me the
PCs enter that lettered hex ). If the PCs
leave a lettered hex a nd re t urn later,
alter the encounter based on the PC s'
first vis it to that a rea.
U attacked, the natives defend t hem se lves to the death. If ca pt ured and
questioned, natives do not in volve the
Chaotic Sisterhood but state there is
" very much badness" wh er e the PCs
are going. Asked to explain , the nat ives

tremble in fear and shake their heads.

A . Land R oute. Start here if the PCs
follow ed the coast on land from cities to
the ea st .
B. Co ast al R oute . St art here if the
PCs followed the coas t by water or
sa iled due west from Siagov ich.
C. O pen Sea Route. St art here if the
PCs sailed due west from Mul e Beach .
D. R ic hland Tra ding Post
Snuggled on t he tall grass prairie
against the foa ming sea is the las t
remnant of civiliz ati on. A small
cluster of bu ildin gs surrounds a
recta ngular palisade guarding a
towe r perched on a man-made hill.
Wh ite wisp s of smoke r ise fr om ch im neys mingling wit h t he odor of fre shly plowed fields. Robe d figures can be
se en leading farm anim als along
qu iet dusty streets. Helmeted figures
appear from time to ti me making the
rounds ofthe catwa lk in side the
palisade. The post's gates are open,

DUNGEON

53

TORTLES OF THE PURPLE SAGE - Part 1

.I
"

I',

and it s drawbridges are down. A

single 50'-long dock juts into the su rf
from the south edge of the settlement. No vessels are tied to the unat-

tended dock.
The trading post is populated by an
exotic mixture of greedy merchants,
daring adve nturer s, artist ic cr afts men,

dusty prospectors, stoic nati ves, peaceloving clerics, and amiable tortles. Rich land is the j um ping off poin t for

expeditions into t he vas t unexplored

wilderness to the north. Expediti ons are
pain st ak in gly provisioned , and knowledgeable guides are hired . Raw m aterials collected fro m t he untamed wild s

are traded here for the manufactured

product s of civilization. Controlling
most of the bu siness transactions in
Rich land is Trader J ack , an exmerc en ary, ex-a dventurer, ex-pirate,
ex patriate.
Trader J ack, shipw recked on the site,
built a motte-and-bailey tower to stake
his clai m to t he surrounding r ich but
host ile la nds. Cler ics of t he La wful
Bro therh ood were granted permiss ion to
bu ild outside Richland's palisad e soon

54 Issue NO.6

after it s founding. Th is arrangement

prov ed mut ually benefici al and soon
adventurers, explorers, traders, a nd
craftsmen arrived to visit and eventually stay. Richl a nd is a free city, not
aligned wit h any nat ion , order. or race .
All alignments are tolera ted , b ut overt
hostility is quick ly a nd sev ere ly
quenched by t he local inh abit ants.
If the PCs enter the tr ading post in a
friendly, non violent manner, they are
met and welcomed. It is t he Brotherhood's cu st om to be hosp it able by providing food and shel ter to tr avelers. The
party is shown to room s in the hostel.
Supplies, armor, weapons, and equipment repairs are all provided at cost . If
the PCs have escorted t he tortles here
by boat. they can buy wagons and draft
h or ses for the overl and part of their
journey. All wound s are healed by the
clerics if t hey are politely asked. A
donation is appreciated but not
required.
Th e PC s are ask ed where they are
going. If they answer they are try ing t o
find the mouth of the Great North way,
the clerics look at the m wit h surp r ise
and fear. Th e Brothers warn every one of
terrible beasts, natural barriers (t id al

waves, whirlpools, reefs), and headhu nting cannibals to t he north. Worst of

all are the ch aot ic legions made up of
sa ltwat er snappers, un dergroun d aranea, a nd The Sist erh ood. If asked where
the mouth of the Great Northway is ,
90% of the cleri cs say they don't kn ow;
10% of t he Brothers can give rough
direct ions.
If any male PC speaks in t he Lawful
tongue, that PC is invited to wor sh ip in
the ch apel, to become a me mber of the
Lawfu l Brot herhood. a nd to leave the
group of explorers. Fem a le PCs are not
allowed inside t he chapel. Any damage
to property wh ile staying a t the post
mu st be paid for wit h treas ure or labor.
Any cri mes com mitted dur ing the party's vis it , includ ing females entering
t he temple. are pun ished by banishment
from the post .
Soon after the PCs settl e into the
hostel, H e a thgate (AC 5; HD 5; hp 32;
MV 120' (40') ; tAT 1; Dmgby weapon
type; Save F5; ML 9; AL N; chain m a il
armor, two-h anded sword), a hu man
fighter who ha s been wor king a s a wilderness guide for se veral years, finds
th e party and introduces himse lf. He
will gla dly guide the party to any deati-

TORTlES OF THE PURPLE SAG E- Po rt 1

n ation for 200 gp per month. Heathgate

owns a h orse and carries h is own food
and supplies, but wants 20 gp in
advance. He claims to be neutral and
t rustworthy. The price is fair, but other
guides might do the job for less. If hired,
Hea thga te will lead the party to area U.
He r efuses to approach Yazak because it
is contro lled by the Lawful Alliance.
H eathgat e is of n eut ral alignment and
fears for his life.
Zhingler CAe 9; HD 2; hp 11; MV 120'
(40'); NAT 1; Dmg by weapon type; Save
F2; ML 8; AL C; sword ) is a human
wi lderness guide who will do the job for
100 gp pe r m ont h and does not want to
be paid anyth ing in advance. He
appears if Heathgate is not hired.
Zhingler is experienced and well
known. He is also chaotic an d, if hired,
leads the party by sh ip up the coast and
into the Empty Valley, to an ambush in
Dravya . He has no supplies, hor se, or
ship of his own .
The last human wilderness guide to
approach the party is Ly n uel (AC 5;
HD 6; hp 36; MV 120 ' (40 '); IAT 1; Dmg
by weapon type; Save F6; ML 10; AL L ;
chain mail armor, battle axe). H e claims
to be lawful and know the shortest a nd
safest ro ute to Yazak . Instead of a salary, he asks 400 gp be donated (in
advance) to t he cleri cs of t he Lawful
Brotherhood, to whom he owes his life.
Ly nuel is expens ive but h onest . If hired,
he will do his best to lead t he party
dir ectl y overland to Yazak . Lynuel owns
a horse and can pro vide h is own food
and supplies.
A guide does not have to be h ir ed to
lead t he party, but without one the
party will have little chance to find the
tortle gathe ring place at Yazak.

Th e PCs will have extensive opportun ity to explore Richland Trading Post in
Pa rt 2 of t his adventure (issue #7 ).

F. E m pty Valley River Landing

A steep, n arrow staircase cut into the
rocks leads from a sma ll wooden dock
to the cliff top 100' above.
Each PC must roll his dexterity or
less on I d20 to climb the staircase safely. If the dexterity check fails, the PC
fa lls 50' in to the sea.
At the to p of the staircase. a stonelined path follows the course of the
Empty Valley River to the Dr avya
Rui ns (area R). Twenty nativ es led by a
warrior, trav eling on foot or by canoe.
secretly approach the party.
If the PCs are traveling by ship, the
na tives attem pt to cut the anchor or
mooring lines at ni gh t so the vessel
drift s aground. downstream, or out to
sea. If the vessel runs aground, it takes
1-4 days work to free the craft.
lf t he PCs are t raveling by land, the
natives attempt to cut loose and stampede t he party 's m ount s at night. It
takes 14 days wor k to collect all the
animals.
G. Savage G ulf Be ach L a n d in g
A pu re white sa nd beach stretches
alo ng the shoreline below rolli ng
dunes. Ships ca n easily be beach ed
on this sho re.
Thirty n atives led by a warrior,
traveling on foot or by ca noe , secretly
approach the party. If the PCs a re traveling by ship, the nat ives attempt to set
the sails and rigging on fire, st randing
the vessel. Rowers ca n move a sailing
ship at one-t hird speed if t he PCs have
no spare sails aboard.
If the PCs are traveling by land, the
n at ives attempt to steal all mounts from
the party.

E . Tall Grass Coast Landing

H . Re ef Point Landing

A small group of natives on the shore

wave frantically at your party. They
do not appear to be hostile and are
not armed.

Ships can be moored to tree trunks

leaning out from shore . A narrow
path has been hac ked through t he
un derbrush leading roughly northeast.

Ten n ative s led by a w arrior and

traveling on foot or by canoe approach
the P Cs. They attempt to wa rn of a
terrible monster living in the direct ion
the P Cs are traveling. though they
cannot give a clear description of it .

The narrow footpath leads to the Dravya Ruins (a rea R). Forty n ative s led by
t wo w arriors and a h e r o. traveling on
foot or by canoe, ap proach the party,
beating their shields and chanting,
"Tray Sure! Tray Sure!" (" Treasure!" )

They are friendly but dema ndi ng.

If the PC s are traveling by ship,
natives in canoes attempt to surround
their vessel. If t he P Cs do not gi ve the
eq ui valent of 10 or more gp worth of
treasur e to eac h native, the natives
attempt to board the vessel. They do not
really wa nt a fight. only to come a board
and look for treasure.
If the PCs are t ra veling by land, the
natives attempt to surround the party.
Th ey want t re asure but do not want a
fight . If the PCs do not give the equivalent of 10 or more gp-worth of t reasure
to each native, the natives attempt to
take the t reasur e from PCs' pockets or
from the pack animals .
If the party allows the nat ives to
search, t he na tives attempt to loot all
the party's treasur e . If interfered with.
the nati ves defend the mselves while
running away with a ny loot they have
grabbed. If the natives are qu estioned .
they cla im to be allowing t he PCs to pay
tribute in r eturn for " safe passage"
through their territory. The natives
warn the PCs that great dangers lie
ahead.

1. Yazak Steppes Cli ff Landing

A steep. narrow staircase cut into the
rock lea ds from a small wooden dock
to the cliff top 50 ' above.
Eac h PC must roll h is dexterity or
less on I d20 to climb the staircase safely. If t he dexteri ty check fa ils, the PC
falls 25' into the sea.
At t he top of t he staircase, a st oneli ned footpa th leads northeast to t he
Dravya Ruins (area R). Fifty n atives
led by two warriors a nd a h e ro, traveling on foot or by canoe, secretly
approach t he party.
If t he PCs are traveling by land. t he
na tives attempt to kill all the party's
mount s by poison or combat.
If the PCs are traveling by ship, the
na tives attem pt to board the vessel and
ove rpow er those ab oard. If the P Cs are
captured, the na tives attem pt to load
the m a board six-person boats. Th e PCs
are given pad dles and directed to paddle
out of sight while n ati ves aim drawn
bows at t heir backs. As t he PCs paddle
a way, their captured vessel is sailed
to ward the Empty Valley River a nd
then upstream to t he Dravya Ruins. The
natives were trai ned in seamanship by
the Ch aotic Sisterhood. who confiscate
the vessel a nd return it only if all trea-

DUNGEON

55

TORTlES OFTHE PURPLE SAGE- Pa rt 1

If the PCs are t raveling by ship, the

na t ives attempt to board the vesse l and
kill those on boa rd . Any party members
who escape see t hei r cargo looted and
their ves se l set on fire and destroyed .
IfPCs esca pe to t he Dravya Ru in s, the
Chaotic Sisterhood claims that the
na tives wa rned the PCs to turn back or
be killed . They " luck ily" were sp ared to
become priso ner s of the Sisters, who
confiscate all treasure, maps, and logbooks.
L. Cr op la n d
Unarmed na ti ves cultivate wheat
and corn fiel ds beside a broad river.
Small canals and ditches pro vi de t he
fields with life-gi ving water. F ishi ng
lines a nd net s reach out in to t he
ri ve r. Dogs bark in the distance as
children st a nd waving at you
u nafra id.

sure, maps, and logbook s are turned over

to them. The Sisters claim that the
natives warned the PCs to turn back or
be killed. They luck ily were only set
adrift and their vessel turned over to the
Sisters. The Sisters warn the PCs to turn
hack now or meet with a worse fate .

The narrow path leads across the

prairie to the Dravya Ruins (area RJ.

map s, a nd logbooks are turned over to

them. If the PCs are traveli ng by land,
the na tives attempt to capture the party
members. If th e party is captured, the
natives ca rry them, bound hand and
foot, to the Dr avya Ruins where the
ca ptured party is turned over to the
Sister s. The Sisters only r elea se the Pes
if a ll treasure , maps, and logbooks are
turned over.
In eithe r case, the Sisters clai m the
na tives warned the Pes to t urn back or
be killed, but luckily t hey (or t heir
vessel) were only det ained a nd t urned
over to t he Sisters. The Sisters warn the
P Cs to t urn back now.

Sixty n atives led by three w a rriors

and a hero, t raveling on foot or by

K. Great Northway Mou th L anding

J . Mud Water Cove Landing

A narrow path has been cut through
the t all pr ai r ie grass leading due

east.

canoe , secretly approach th e party.

If the PCs ar e traveling by ship, the
natives attempt to hoard t he vessel and
k ill those on board. If any PC jumps
overboard, Ieuitate s. or flie s away from

the ship, that PC escape s. The captured

vessel is sailed up t he Empty Valley
River to the Dravya Ru ins. Th e na tives
were tr ained in seamanship by the
Chaot ic Sister hood , who confiscate t he
vessel a nd re t urn it only if all treasure,

56 Issue NO.6

A sto ny. wee d-lined pat h starts at th e

riverban k and leads due east.
Th e weed-lined path leads to the Dravya Ru in s (area R). Seventy natives led
by t hree warriors and a h e r o , traveling on foot or by canoe, secretly
approach t he party.
If the PCs are traveling by la nd, the
na t ive s try to k ill t he party members.

If t he PCs land, th ey find innocent ,

hard-worki ng fa rmers and fis h ers. Th e
field s are irrigated wit h water lifted
from ca nals by human-powered wa ter
wheels. Th e nat ives have nothing of
va lue to tr ade, but can give the PCs
food and water. In the fall duri ng harves t , t hey trade grain by weight for
gemst ones or gold nu gge ts. They do not
understand coinage or m agic items. Th e
legends of st upi d savages usin g gold
nuggets for fish ing weights is u ntrue.
Th e only valuable s t hese in dustrious
people have a re a golden harvest of
grain each fall a nd a year-round supply
of fis h .
In additio n to spears, clubs , and bows,
each na tiv e male defend s h im self, family, and vill age with 1-4 traine d dogs,
M. Great Northway Waterfall
The dista nt sound of ru shing water
becomes a t hunderin g roar as a mile wide waterfall 150 '-high comes into
view . Th e sight of wh it e water plunging over moss-gr een cliffs into the
muddy-brown rive r is stunni ng.
Rai nbo w m ists drift fro m the waterfall's base to dampen th e r iverbank s
downstrea m for a mile .
Th e Great North way waterfall is
impassible by water vessel. The cliffs
form in g the fall s are part of a r ift wh ich
run s south along the Emp ty Valley
where the river once flowed. When t he

TORTLESOf THE PURPLE SAGE - Part 1

earthquake which destroyed the Dravish cities occurred, the land west of the
Empty Valley tilted toward the Savage
Gulf. The Great Northway's course wa s
shortened, a nd the river plunged into
the rift and along a new fissure to the
sea instead of following the now Empty
Valley. It is nearly impossible to portage
water vessels around t he falls . The
sheer 150 ' cliffs run unbrok en to the
south. Th e best chance of overcoming
the falls is to travel 24 mile s or more to
the north where the grade is less steep.
Vessel s or individua ls in the water
within 500 ' of the base of the fall s a re
caught in the under tow a nd suffer 10
200 hull point s damage or 10-100 hp
damage. Vessels or individua ls in t he
water with in 1,000 ' of the to p of the
falls are drawn over the fa lls and sufTer
5100 hu ll points damage or 550 hp
damage plus the undertow damage
listed above.
N. Floating Island
Upstream, ro unding a river bend, is
a flat , grass-covered floating island
about 300 yards in diameter, slowly
floating downstream. Birds stand on
the is land's 4 '-high shore . There is
only a little space to pa ss th e island
on either the insid e or outside curve
of the r iver bend.
The isl and is a sudd , a floating m ass
of vegetation which broke free from a
riverbank u pstrea m during a flood .
There is plenty of room on the rive r to
avoid the mass if t he PC s pilot their
vessel to t he inside curve of t he r iver
bend . If t he P Cs try to pass on th e outside bend, t he sudd crus hes their vessel
aga inst the riverbank cau sin g 318 hull
points damage. Any indi vidua l pinned
between the sudd and the riverbank
suffers 1-6 h p damage. The PC s can also
avoid the sudd by moving downst ream
faster than the island, then turning and
passing it on a str aight away ins tead of
a curve.
The island easily su pports anyone's
weight . If the PCs land on the sudd,
there is a 25% cha nce per tur n thei r
vessel is crushed unles s they pull it onto
t he floating island. When the PCs land
on t he sudd , t hey di sturb 12 nesting
d r agonflies with 3' wingspans. The six
wh ite and six black creatures attack
fur iously. Th ey have no treasure, but
the su dd contains fruit t rees that ca n
su pply 5dlO rations.

For more info rmation on dragonflies ,

see Great Nort hway Area Encounter #4.
Care must be taken to get off the sudd
before it floats down stream 96 miles
(four hex es). In 24 hours, the sudd
reaches the Great Northway Waterfall
and is destr oyed going over the fa lls.
Vessel s or individuals in the water or on
t he sudd within 1,000 ' of t he br ink of
the fall s ar e drawn over t he edge and
suffer damage as listed for area M .
O . S u rfers
Twe lve natives are r idin g the waves
into shore on thin wooden planks.
They kneel on the pla nks and paddle
out to deep water. When a la rge wave
begins to form, they stand on the
planks and ri de to shore on the wave
cre st .
If the PCs approach the surfers in an
open, fri endly man ner they are in vited
to try to ride the plan ks. Roll I d20 . If
t he nu mber rolled is less t han or equal
to the P C's dex t erity, t he sur fer successfully rides a plank to waist -deep water
near shore. If the roll fails, the su rfer
wipes out in water 6' deep or more. 1b
ad d inj ury to in sult , the pla nk h its t he
would-be surfer in the head, causing 16
hp da mage.
If over half the party member s s uecessfully surf into shore, the n atives
ha ppily trade inform ation or belongings
with t he PCs. Th e natives are will ing to
trade food or weapons for gemstones
and normal ite ms (including a nimals),
but they do not u nderst and the conce pt
of coins. If the P Cs try to trade an item
whi ch is obviously magical, there is
on ly a 25% cha nce that the natives
accept it .
If the PCs approach t he surfers in a n
unfr ien dly manner, the n atives attempt
to flee . They have no wea pons and live
somewhere inland.
P. Cliff Di vers

Twelve natives are di ving head first

off cliffs 100 ' h igh . Before they leap,
they r un to the edge so they are sure
to clear the rocky cliff face. On the
way down thei r ar ms sweep around
u ntil th eir ha nds meet, a nd they
enter the pou nding surf poin t ing
straight down . After t he divers resurface, t hey cli m b back up the cliffs to
div e agai n.

lf t he PCs approach t he diver s in an

open , frie ndly manner they are invited
t o try th e clifT dive. Roll Id20 twice and
compa re t he value rolled to the PC's
dexterity. If the fir st number rolled is
less t han or equal t o the PC 's dexteri ty,
the diver success fully misses the cliff
wa ll . If the num ber rolled is greater, the
diver pa infu lly grazes t he rock wall and
suffers 212 hp damage. If the second
number rolled is less tha n or equal to
the PC's dexter ity, t he diver safely and
succes sfully enters the water. If t ha t
number is greater, the diver pa infu lly
strike s submer ged rocks, sufferi ng 3-18
hp damage. If the PC ca nnot swim or is
weighted down in the surf, he drow ns
unless rescued by party members.
If over half the party me mbers j ump
off the cliff, th e natives ha ppily trade
information or belongings with the PCs.
Th e native s are willing to trade food or
weapons for gem stones and normal
items or animals, but t hey do not underst and t he concept of coins. If t he PCs t ry
t o trade an item wh ich is obviously
m agical, there is only a 25% cha nce the
n atives accept it .
If the PC s approach the divers in an
unfriendly manner, the natives will
attempt to flee. They have no weapons
and live som ewhere inla nd.
Q . Muddy Water

Th e water in t h is cove is brown ish ,

and t he air smells odd.
If the PC s touch the water, it feel s
cool. If t he y taste the water it is fresh ,
not salty. If they plum b t he de pth , they
find the wate r is fai rly sh all ow a nd the
bottom m uddy.

Lost Ruins
Read the general desc ription below
followed by t he specific description for a
ea ch lost ruin. PCs will have the oppor tunity to explor e t hese lost ruins in
more detai l in Part 2 of this adve nture
(issue #7) .
Scattered over a square mil e is the
rub ble of a r uined city. Th e most
conspicuous structure in the city is a
ce ntral 50 '-tal l moun d. Several huge
sto nes with holes the size of a man
bored through them stand abo ut the
central mou nd. Stone arches stand
20' over some st reets . The rest of t he

DUNGEON

57

TORTLES OF THEPUR PLE SAGE - Part 1

rui n is only 10' high or less, with a

few 20 '-t811 stone pedest als an d 30'tall bri ck pillars poking abo ve the
rubble .

Most of t he buildings within the city

were built of sun-dr ied bric k s. A few
IO'-tall wooden beams sta nd wh er e they
once su pporte d wooden roofs . All a rchways a nd ro und pedesta ls are built of
stone. Th e 50'-tall mound is of pa cked
earth.
These ruins have been deserted for
centuries. Noth ing per ish ab le remains.
Vegetat ion gro ws on wa ll top s and
through crack s in paved street s. An
ea rthqua ke has cr acked streets, broken
build ings, and toppled columns. Rubble
generally lies in a northwest to southeast pa ttern. The earth mo und is unaffected . Only th e sound of wind fills the
once-busy streets .

R . Dravya R uins
Scave nger birds wheel abo ve a city
overgrown wit h dead weeds. A cold
wind moans through the empty
streets of th e vast dese rted city. The
ruins lie trapped between desolate
grassla nds an d a deeply erod ed riv erbank squeezing a trickle of stagnan t
water.

These ru ins a re t he stron ghold of the

Ch aotic All iance: spider like aranea,
saltwater snappers , and memb er s of t he
Sis te r hood. Th e a ra nea do not live in
the st rong hold. Spell-casting Sis t ers
gu ard the ruins wit h the help of
enchanted monsters and th e sna ppers .
S. Bylot Ruins
Skinny sheep a nd goat s graze on
sparse grasse s surrou nding an
a ncient, dusty city. Ru ins stand on
t he broad vast ness of a plateau .
Th ese ruins are the strong hold of the
Neutral Alliance: feline rakastas,
nature-worshipp ing pagan s, a nd flockherding nomad s. Th e nomad t ri be consists of 300 figh ti ng men plus 600
non -combatants that tend flocks on the
city outskirts. These 900 peaceful people wan t to migrate wit h their flocks to
fre sh grazi ng land on the Yazak
Steppes. Th ey welcome anyon e who
helps th em on their quest. Th ey can pay
for safe passag e with 100 of their fine st

58 Issue No. 6

a nimals, worth 10 gp or three standa rd

rati ons each. The re kaetas an d pagans
will not travel with t he noma ds .
Th e Neutral Alli an ce cont rols th e Dry
F lats a nd t he Bylot Hill s. They are at
war wit h the La wful Alliance of lu pine,
dervish es, and tortles wh o hold the
Yazak St eppes. Th e war is a racial conflict between t he r ak astas and lu pin e,
and a religious conflict between the
pa gans and dervish es. Th e norma lly
peaceful nomads and tortles, who once
mi grated as they willed. h ave sided
with th e vari ous fact ions for protec tion .
Th e warring fact ions can be separated
by clever PCs who suggest making th e
Dry F la ts an unclaimed no-ma n's-land
betw een the Bylot Hills a nd Yazak
Steppes (or by some other suggestion).
'!br tl es a nd nomads are the n free to
cross the zone and serve as a bu ffer
between the host ile Alliances . Th e
nom ads can move th eir flocks to bette r
grazi ng land on the steppes, an d t he
tortles ca n reach t heir egg-laying
gro u nds. With luck , th e r aka st as and
pa gans will never see the lupins and
dervishe s.

Earth Mou n d s and Paths

Mysterious path s (see Map 2 ) conn ect
the lost rui ns and intersect several
large earth mou nds on the Yazak
Steppes . On ly PC s who look down from
the to ps of the mound s or fly at least 20'
ab ove the pa ths are able to see th ese
roads.
PCs who investigate what they ha ve
see n fr om above fin d t he paths were
made by clearing away stones on the
surface to reveal the soil, which is t he
same color as t he rocks . Th e difference
between t he soil a nd t he stones is in
texture on ly, so t he pa th s are only
noticeable from above.
Th e paths are human -mad e, are not
magical , a nd are al most perfectly
straight. The path s pass st raigh t over
all terrain and disre gard vegetation a nd
barriers . Th ey cut acr oss st rea ms , up
h ills, an d ove r rolli ng grassland.
Th ese paths had a religious signifi.
cance to the a ncie nt people who
scr atched t hem out. The lines cot -respond with t he teleport directions of th e
ma gic gate sto ne s (see Part 2).

T. Yaz a k Ruins

U. Ring-Sha ped E arth Mo und

Gr ay-yellow dust clouds rise to t he

east of a weed -choked ancient city.
The ruins sprea d across a sq ua re
mile of grass-covered plain .

A mile in th e distance a small hillock

rises 20' above the otherw ise Oat
ground . The hummock appears to be
an earth mound overgrown with
t rees and shrubs . Upon close r inspee t ion you ca n see th at the mou nd is
perfe ct ly round and abo ut 50' in
dia meter. Various animal tracks an d
he avily-traveled t rails converge on
the area .

These rui ns are t he stronghol d of t he

Law ful Alli anc e: dog-headed lu pine,
human dervishes, shell-beari ng t ortles,
and me mbers of th e Broth erhood. The
tortles worship th e gate sto nes that
st and near t he base of th e city's central
earth mound.
A ca r avan of 100 hor se-drawn wagons
is forming on the eastern edge of th e
city. One hundred tortle couples , armed
with light crossbows, are preparing to
t ravel by wa gon tr ai n to thei r ancestral
egg-la ying gro unds on the Dry Flats at
t he ba se of the Bylot Hills. During t his
trip, they n eed adv enturers to scout
ah ead, ser ve as se nt ri es, a nd fight off
enem y attacks . So, even if the PCs have
br ought their to rtle charges here safely,
their job is not yet over. In return for
the PCs' se rvices, the to rtles intend to
pay th em 1,0004,000 empty eggs he lls ,
worth 10 gp each to alch emi st s and
armore rs in civilized lan ds. Th e lupins
and dervishes will not travel with the
tortles.

Th e moun d is of hu ma n or igi n and is

neith er na tural nor magi cal. It's shape
is a sy mbol for t he gate sto ne s fou nd in
t he lost ru ins. If the mound is exca vated, no treasu r e ia found. If t he
mound is scaled or vie wed from above,
re ad the following description .
Th e center of the ea rth moun d is a
10'-dta meter circula r depressio n; t he
earth mound is actually ring-shaped .
Ra in wate r h as collecte d in the center
depression , and t he earth mound
serv es as the only water hole for
mil es around. T hick patches of
shrubs and trees grow out of th e
water, an d the air is filled with the
calls of nesting bird s.

TORTlES OF THE PURPLE SAGE

Port 1

You plainly see two straight,

unswervin g paths le adi ng from t he
earth mound's ba se. The paths
extend to the northwest an d south east . The long, 5 '-wide pa ths are
almost impossi ble to see at gro und
level.
If th e water is approached. the PCs
note that a dozen t horny dwarf trees
growing out of 3'-ta ll mounds of sicklylooking green leaves surrou nd the
water hole. The footprin t s of a nimals
lead t o an d from the water 's ed ge,
wh ere lily pads float on the clear, st ill
wa ter.
If any PC or PC's mount approach es
within 5' of t he water, t he four nearest
archer bush e s attack, spraying the
victim with thorns. Th e water h ole
ca n not be a pproac hed safe ly u nt il a ll
tw elve archer bu she s are defeated.
Th e water in the centra l pool measures 5 ' at its deepest point . Paths visible on ly from the a ir or t he earth
mound top connect with Dr avya to the
northwest and Yazak to th e so utheast.

V. Two Semicircular Earth Mounds

Large birds circle in the vast blue
sky. A mile ah ead, a small hillock
rise s 20' above t he otherwise flat
ground. The hummock a ppears to be
an earth mound ove rgrown with
trees a nd shrubs . When you
approach t he m ound, you discover
that it is perfectly rou nd a nd about
50 ' in diameter. A 10'-wide ditch
bisects the circular earth mound into
two equal semicircles. Th e ditc h ru ns
roughly east to west. Various animal
tracks and h eavily.tra veled trails
conv erge on t he area.
The mound is of hu man or-igi n and is
ne ither natural nor magical. It's sha pe
represents the sy mbol for a to rtle egg shell broken in half. If the m ound is
excavated, n o treasure is fou nd. If the
mound is scaled or vie wed from above.
read the followin g description.
Rainwater has colle ct ed in the center
ditch. and the earth mound se rves as
the only water h ole for mi les around.
Thick patches of shr ubs a nd t re es
grow out of the water and the air is
filled with t he calls of nesting bird s.
You plainly see two straight,

unswerving paths leading from eac h

end of the earth mound's ditc h . The
long , 5 '-wide paths a re a lmost impos sible to se e at gro un d level and
extend to the west a nd east fart her
than the eye can see .
If t he water is approached, the followin g desc ription shoul d be read .
Along eac h ba nk of the ditch are 10 'wide swaths of catt ails and sa wgrass.
Th e footprints of a nim al s lead to and
from the water 's edge where lily pads
float on the clear, st ill water. The
reflection of a large bird flash es
acr oss the m ir rore d surface .
If any PC or PC's mount approaches
wit h in 5 ' ofthe water, three circling
giant hawks swoop to attack . Th e
water hol e cannot be approached safely
un til all the giant haw ks are defeated.
The water in the ditch measures 2' at
t he dee pest point . Th e pat hs connect
with Dra vya to t he west and Bylot to
the east. Th e sa wgrass ca uses 1 hp
da ma ge per 10 ' to the u nprotected skin

of a nyone who runs t hrou gh it.

W. Tortl~ haped Earth Mound

A mil e in the distance a sma ll hillock
rises 20' above the otherw ise flat
grou nd . The hummock appears to be
a n earth mound overgrow n with
trees and shru bs. U pon closer in spec t ion , you ca n see that the mound is
sha ped like a to rtle. Th e mound
m easures 50' fr om the ti p of th e
to rtI e's nose to t he tip of its tail. A
1O'-wide depres sion surro unds the
base of the earth mound.
Ra in water has collected in the
surrounding depression and serves as
the onl y wa ter hole for m iles around.
Thick patche s of shr ubs and trees
grow out of the water, and wh ite rose
bush es bloom on the sides of t he
earth mound. The ai r is filled with
t he calla of nest in g birds. Various
a nimal t rac ks a nd heavily-traveled
tr ail s conve rg e on the area.
The mou nd is of human origin a nd is
neither n atural nor magica l. It is in the

DUNGEON

59

TORTLES OF THE PURPLE SAGE - Part 1

shape of th e sy mbol for a new ly hatc hed

tortle (called a tort). The wa ter-filled
depression measures 2' at its deepest
poin t . If t he water is crossed in order to
sca le th e mou nd, the two neares t white
rose bushes uproot themse lves and

a ttack th e nearest PC or PC's mount.

The eight white rose bushes ar e act ually vampire roses. The water hole
cannot be approa ched safely until a ll

the vampire roses are defeated.

If the mound is excavated, no tr ea sure
is found. If the mound is scaled or
viewed from above, the PCs ca n plainly
see two st raight , unsw ervin g pa ths

lea ding from the nose and t ail of t he

earthe n tortle. The pat h fr om the nose
of th e tortle exten ds to the northeas t
toward Byl ot ; the path from the tail
runs to th e sout hwest toward Yazak.
The long, 5'wide paths a re almost
impossible to see at ground le vel.

X. Tortle Egg-Laying Ground

A str ange collection of wi nd-sculpted
bou lder s stands on a sandy fla tland of
desolation . The va ri ous ly-sized bou lders look like frozen trolls, monoliths,
slug s, shark fins , piles of corpses,
whales, cattle, and tortles. Scattered
among the statues at the base of t he
nearby h ills are roofless corrals with
G'-hi gh walls built of piled stones .
Each corral's entryw ay is a narrow,
winding, roofless tunnel.
The stone walls s urround the tortle 's
ancestral egg-laying grounds. Tortles
usually li ve 4050 years, mating and
producing ch ildre n on ly near t he ends of
their liv es, and layin g their eggs in
family eg g-laying grounds near their
homes. Once eve ry hundred years, ho w.
eve r, all ma ture tortles ma ke a religious
pilgrimmage to their a ncestral eg gla ying gro u nds on the Dry Fl ats. The
tortles believe tha t th e Flats a re the
well-spring of their r ace, and t hat the
sands there are imbued with a special
life essence . The childre n h atched in the
ancestral egg-l ayi ng gr oun ds are considered a special, blessed ge neratio n , an d
their parents, who normally die soo n
afte r t he eggs a re laid, are granted an
ext ra 10 years of life to guard and ra ise
these special to rts.
There are four corrals st anding on the
Dry F lats. If the PCs are accom panying
t he tortle wagon train to these gro u nds,
read t he foll owing de scription.

60 Issue No.6

The caravan s plits into four lines,

a nd 25 to rtle coupl es set up ca mp
around each corral. You lose track of
the old sage's family as wagon s are
pulled into a circle outside each cor ral to form a temporary pen for the
draft horse s. Once settled into camp,
the to rtles busily collect stones t o
repair fallen wa lls.
Seven days after arrival , 25 female
tortles enter each corral to lay 10-40
eggs each. The 25 mal e tortlea take up
defensive positi on s on t he corral wa lls,
in the wagon s, atop the boulders, a nd
around t he entrance to the corral. Three
days a fter the eggs are lai d in the ble ss ed warm sands of the Dry Fl ats, the
baby to rts hatch and are carefully loaded in to the wagon s. The various gro ups
break camp a nd form a car ava n which
prep ares to return to the Yazak Ste ppes
whe re food is more plent ifu l.
After t he torts are carefu lly loaded,
t he me rcenaries are paid 250 -1,000
egg sh ells per camp. Moist tortle egg shell can be fash ioned into objects suc h
as arm or a nd shields . Wh en dry, the
h ardened eggshell is lig htweight but
stronger than plat e metal. Tortl e egg
shell armor has an Armor Class of 1. It
takes 25 eggshells to armor the average
hu m an-sized body. The white armor can
be pain ted a nd does not soften if r eo
m oistened.

Contlnulnq the Adventu re

The PCs are welcome to acco mpa ny the
to rtles back to the Yazak Ste ppes, even
tho u gh they are no longer obligated to
guard the wago n ca ravan. Or, they may
choose to search for t he Gre at
Northway, ex plore Byl ot , or r eturn to
Richland Tradin g Post. If t he to rtles are
asked where the Gre at North way is
located, they tell the party to travel 840
miles due west.
If the PCs enter t he ruin ed city of
Bylot , they ma y learn the secret of
ope rating the gate sto nes . The Ne utral
Alli ance will even offer to sell their gate
st ones for 10,000 pp eac h or t he equivalent in ot her va l uables. The PCs may
th en return t o conquer the Chaotic
Alliance in Dra vya , search for the Great
Northway, or guide no mads fro m Bylot
to new grazi ng lands on the Yazak
Steppes. A peace treaty between the
N eutral and Lawfu l Alli ances may be
made with the PCs' help. If the Great

Northway is foun d, the Pes ca n build

rafts to float downriver. A floating
island , a dangerous waterfall, and
fri endly natives m ay be encountered.
At any tim e, the Pes may attem pt t o
return to Richland Trading Post and
civilizati on. If the adventurers return to
their home port wit h a map showing the
mouth of the Great Northway, they will
be comm iss ioned to ret urn and explore
the conti n ent's heartla nd, and may be
se nt to find the source of the Great
Northway in the land of Frosthaven.
The pl ayers may choo se to have their
Pes sa il st ra ight to the mouth of the
Great No rth way. Once the site is
located, they will want to sa il straigh t
back to civilizat ion for their rew ard.
(The DM ma y wa nt to influence the PCs
to la nd al on g the TaU Grass Coast if
they bypassed it before.) Details for
com pletin g th is ad ven ture will appear
in iss ue 17, in Part 2 of Thrtles of the

Purple Sage.

Great Northway Lands Encounter Tables

Rollld6 a nd refer to this table to de t ermine which m onst er table t o check .
Id6
1
2
3
4
5
6

Woods,
Cle ar, Grassland
:Animal
Anim al
Dragon
Flyer
Trib e
Un us ua l

HiUs,
Valley, Barren
Animal
Dragon
Flyer
Tri be
Tr ibe
Unus ual

Riv er
A:nimal
Dragon
Flyer:
Swimme r
Swimmer
Tr ibe

Swamp
Dragon
Flyer
Flyer
Swimmer
Swim mer
Tr ibe

Ocean
Dragon
Flyer
Swimmer
Swimme r
Swimmer
Tribe

Jungle
Anim al
Animal
Dra go
Tri be
Tribe
Tribe

Animals
Barren,
Clear, Grasslan d
Caecilia
Dog, normal
Horse, draft
Hor se, war
Purp le worm
Ru st monster

Id6
1
2
3
4
5
6

Woods
Bear, black
Centipede
Devil swine
Dog, normal
Owl bea r
Rust monster

River
Amoeba , giant
Decapua, marin e
Gray: ooze
Gray ooze
Rat, normal
Termite , fresh

Woods, Jungle
t\ ranea
Derv ish
Lupin
Na tive
Pa gan
Phanaton
Rak asta
Thrtle

River, Swamp
Cay.men
Day -men

Valley, Hills
Caecilia
Dragonne
Dog~normal

Horse, dra ft
Horse, war
Rust monster

Jungle
Caecilia
Centipede
Dragonne
Purple worm
Rat , normal
Rust monster

Tribe s
Id8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Cle ar, Grassland

Dervish
Lupin
Native
Nomad"

0"

Pagan "
Rak ast a ""
Tortle

Day -men

Tortle
Thrtle
Tortle

0"
0"

Valley,
Barren, Hills
Dervish"
Lupin"
Native
Nomad
Pa gan
Rak asta
'Ibrt le"

Ocean
Snapper
Snapper
Snapper
Snappe
Snapper
Sna pper
Snapper
Snapper

Swamp
Chimer a.
Dragon, black
Dragon. gold
Dragonne
Hydra, flying
Wyvern

HillS/Valley
Chimera
Dragon , gold
Dragon, red
Dragonne
Hydra , flying
Wyvem

0"

" Except in Bylot Hills and Dry Fla ts. Roll again.
" Except in YDZak Steppes. Roll again.
Flyers
IdlO
t
2
3
4
5
6
8
9
10

Un usuals
All Terrains
Dragontl y, bl ack
Dragonfly, blue
Dragonfly, gr een
Dra gonfly, gold
Dr agonfly, red
Dr agonfly, white
Hawk, normal
Hawk , gia nt
Pocket dragon
Pocket dragon

I d 12
1

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

12

All Terrains
Djinn i, lesser
Doppleganger
Efreeti, lesser
Golem, amber
Golem, bone
Golem, bronze
In Visible stalker
Living sta t ue, crystal
Living stat ue, iron
Living stat ue, rock
Hypnosna ke
Shadow

Swimmers
Id6
1

2
3
4
5
6

Ri ver/Lake
t\ moeba , gia nt
Amoeba, giant
Gray ooze
Gray ooze
Hydr a , sea
Termi te, fres h

Swamp
giant
Amoeba, giant
Decap us ,Dlarine
Gray ooze
Gray ooze
Termite, swa mp

Ocean
i\.nioeba , giant
Decapua , marine
Fish, giant r ock
Giant . storm
Gray ooze
Termite, sal t

Woods/Jungle
Chimera
Dragon, gold
Dragon, green
Dragonne
Hydr a , flying
Wyvern

River/Oce an
Ch imera
Dragon, gold
Dragonne
Hydra, flying
Hydr a , sea
Wyver n

~moeb8 ,

Dragons
Id8
1

2
3
4
5
6

Cle ar/Barren,
Grassl a nds
Chimera
Dragon, blu e
Dra gon, gold
Dra gonne
Hydr a, flyin g
Wyvern

COMBINED MONSTER STATISTICS TABLE

"cr -

--

Dmg
S ave
ML
AL Source
AC
HD Mov e
-- 915 30 '(10')- 2-12
F7
10
N
I
CC5 0
180 '(60')
2-12
F2
7
N
B25
1 bi te
3
4'
MU3_ _ 7 _
_ 1.-6 + poison
7_3"'':'''' _ 180'(60'), in .web.l20'(40'J__
c_ eGG
1 bite.
Aranea _
3 '(1 ')
I
1-4
FI
12
C
CC5
Archer bush
7
2
120 '(40 ')
2 c1awsll bite
113 113/1-6
F2
7
B26
N
4
Bear, black
6
24 0'(80 ')
E46
1 butt
18
FI
5
N
Bison, bu ll
7
4
F39- - N - E46
- - -lS - - a
- 6
60'(20 ') Caecilla -"
6'
- 1 bite - 90'(30')
1-4 or BWT
1 bit e or wea pon
FI
8/9
N
CC33
Cay-ma n
7
2
. N _ 8 28
I bit e _
9 _
1/2
60 '(20')
poiso n
NM _
7
Cen tipede, giant.. _
120'(40')
2-811 6
F3
7
N
B32
Chameleon , gia nt ho rned
1 bitell hom
2
5'
1-311-3/2..gj! 1Of3.12 + 3-18
120 '(40'), fly 180 '(60' )
2 c1awsl3 heads + breath
F9
9
C
E47
Ch ime ra
4
9'
120'(40 ')
I
BWT
Ct -7
9
C
Cleric, Chaot ic Si st erhood
4
7
1Cler ic, La wful Brotherhood - 4 - 7 -120'(40') Cl-7- 9 -~
BWT 120'(40 ')
7
N
B38
1-8 + poison
1 b ite
Crab spider
7
2'
_ _ FI
F2 _
..5_
..4 _ 3 '(1')
..9 tentac1es_
. 16 ea.
. 9 _C_CC64
De cap ua, marine _
240'(80' )
1 butt
1-4
FI
5
N
E46
Deer, herd ani ma l
7
2
FI
10
L
E53
120 '(40 ')
V
I
BWT
Dervish
I
3 (9)
IBO'(60' ), hu ma n 120 '(40')
1 gore or blow
1-12 or BWT
F9
10
E46
Devil swine
C
9'
a
8 - N" B39
6 -4 + 1 -150'(50') - - 1 bite"- - - 28
F2 Dire wolf"
1 fist or whi rlwind + specia l 2-16 fist or 212 wh irlwind
E48
FI4
12
C
7 + l'" 90 '(30'), fly 240 '(80')
Djinn i, lesser
5
7_ 2 + 2....180 '(60')
1 bit e
16
_ F l _ 8!6_ N. CCl3.
Dog _~
90 '(30 ')
1-12
F8
B28
Dopplegan ger
I
8
C
5
4'
90 '(30 '), fly 240 '(80')
2 c1awsll bite
2-512-51220
F7
8
C
B28
Dr agon , black
2
7'
27/2-7/3-30
90'(30'), fly 240 '(80'
2 cla wsll bite
F9
9
N
B28
Dr agon, blue
0
9'
2-8f2-86-36 F I I -I 0 - L - B28
2 c1a wsf1 bite
Dragori, gold 11 * 90 '(30'), fly 240' (80')
2
90'(30'), fly 240' (80')
16/1-6/3-24
B28
Dr agon , green
2 clawsl lbite
F6
9
C
I
8'
MU3_ _ 8_
N _CC7l},
1-3 + venOIll
8
Dragon , pockeJ .
3 ' _ 90'(30'), fly. 120' (40 ')
1 bite .
90'(30'), Oy 240 ' (80')
18/18/432
FlO
10
C
B28
10**
2 clawsl1 bite
Dra gon , re d
1
F8
CC64
180'(60') swim or glide
1 bite or 1 spit
324 or special
9
N
Dragon , sea
I
8"
3+2
60'(20 '), fly 240 '(80 ')
1-6/3
1 bitell acid breath
Dragonfly, blac k
F3
8
N
CC64
I
F4 - 9 -N- CC64'
- 1-6/4
4+2
60 '(20 '), fly 240'(80')
1 bite/ l ligh tning breath
Dr agonfly, blu e
1
60 '(20 '), fly 240'(80')
1-6/5
1 bitel1 gas or fire breath
F5
9
N
Now
5 +2
Dr agonfly, gold
3
60 '(20 '), fly 240 ' (80')
1 bite!1 ga s br ea th _
1-6/4
4_
8_
N.. CC64 ,
Dr agonfly, green
0
_ F4..
60'(20'), fly 240 ' (80')
1 bitell fire bre ath
1615
F5
9
N
CC64
Dra gonfly, red
2
5
60 '(20'), fly 240 ' (80')
1 bitell cold breath
1-6/3
F3
Dragonfly, white
2
3
8
N
CC64
150 '(50')
2 claw sll bite or roar
16/16/424
F8
N
CC65
Dragon ne
3
8
8'
F 15
2-16"
- 310 -90'(30'); Oy 240 ' (80') 12
C
E48
1 fist
Efreeti, lesser
180(60)
14 ea. + poison
4 spines
F3
N
E49
5 +5*
8
F ish. giant rock
7
_ 84 8 + special_ _
_ 1.t special _, _
2_
15* ':-150'(50')
E50,
Giant , storm_
F15.
. 10. _ L
180 '(60 ')
2-12121212-20
2 clawsll bite
F5
12
N
E50
Golem, amber
6
10'
120'(40')
4 weapons
BWT
F4
12
N
E50
Golem, bone
2
6'
240 '(80')
20 **
1 fist + special
330 + specia l
FlO
12
N
E50
Golem , bronze
0
a
18- -3"'10'(3')
- - 26
- I Z -N
B31'
F2
Gray ooze' - 450 '(150 ')
eC16
F2
3 +3
I
16
8
N
Hawk. gian t
6
_ mf __
_ _1-2
7_
N _ CCI6
I
Hawk. normal _
8 -Jh _ 4BO'(l6Q:) _
V
120'(40 ')
F4
7
I
BWT
7
Hero, h um an
41
90 '(30 ')
Nil
F2
6
N
E51
Horse, draft
7
Nil
3
120'(40')
1-6/1-6
F2
9
N
E51
2 hooves
Horse , war
7
3
a_
- -13 - - - 1-LO'ea . +'''"s pecia l F 512 - 11 - N
E52
Hydr a , flying
5-9 *'" 60 '(20') 5
5-12
1-10 ea
F5-12
11
N
E52
Hydra, sea
5
59 *'" 120 '(40')
_ _ _ _ 1 bi.te.OI:. l..ga?:,e; tail
C _ CC70,
MU5 _ 9_
4
_
1-8 or sleep; 110
Hypnosnak e
8':"" 90'(3.0) _
Name
Amoe6a, gian tAnt, giant

- -

--

--

--

--

Na me
Inviejbleatalker
Living sta t ue, crystal
Living statue, iron
Livin g st atue, rock
Lu pin
Native
NomalJ _ ..
0"",
Ort_ __
Ore chieftain
(attac ks as a 4 HD monster)
Owl bear
'Pagan
Pha naton
Pha naton, aubchief
Ph an aton, eubehie f
bodyguard
Phonaton, wor chief
'Phonolon;-wa rchier - bodyguard
Purple ,wor m
Rakasta
Ra t , norm al
Rust monster
Sabre-tooth tiger '
Seal, fur
Shadow

Slime worm
Snapper
Sperm whole
SWlfllhbuck ler; h u ma n
'Iermite, fresh water
Thrmite, 1l81t water
'Thrmite larv8,"sa lt -;;;:te r
'Thrmite, swa mp
Thrt le
TroJl"Vampi re rOMe
Warr ior,.hum an
Wyvern

=-

CC Creature Catawg
C Compa nion Set Book 2
V varies

AC
34

li D

Mo ve
-S - 120 '(40')
90(30)
3
2 _4 ~. _ 30(10)
60 '(20')
4
5'
120'(40')
6
2
120'(40')
9
I
y
~ ]- 1 20'(40')
5
4 +1
90'(30')
6_
1. _. 120 '(40 ')
6
1
120 ' (40')

120'(40')
5
5
6- 1- - 120'(40')
7
90 '(30'), gliding 150' (50')
11
6_ 6 _ 9 0'(30 '), gliding.15Q;~50')
90 '(30'),
6
3
gliding 150 '(50 ')
90 '(30 '), glid ing 150 '(50 ')
8
3
6
' 2 - 90 '(301/
glidi ng 150'(50')
6 _1 5 ~ 60 '(20 ')

90'(30 ')
,~
60'(20 ')
s
120'(40')
2
5'
0- 8- 1 5 0'(50')'
120'(40'}, swim 240' (50')
7
3
7_ 2 ,t2:-90'.(30;)
60'(20')
6
10
30'(10 '), swim 180'(60')
5
3
180'(80')
6
36'
S - -5 - 120'(40')
2+ 1
120'(40')
8
5_ 4 _ _180 '(80 ')
ISO' (60')
9
'k
90 '(30 ')
4
1+1
30'(10')
4
3
"6"+"3" -1 20 '(40 ')
7
30'(10')
4'
7_ 2_120'(40~ _,
3
90 '(30'), fly 240'ry'90')
7'
8

' AT
1 blow
2
2
2
1
I bow
t"weapon
I
1. spear
1 spea r

2+1

= =

1-611-6
l cB11 -8"'+'Ios~i al

2-1212-12
BWT
BWT + poison
BWT BWT+2
BWT_ _
BWT

Save

ML
AL Source
12- N -ES2
F3
L
B32
11
F4 _ _11_
N_ B32,
F5
11
B32
C
F2
6
L
CC3.
y
F1
7
CC41
FlSN -E53 '
F4
10
C
B35
FI
618_
C:_ B35,
FI
8
C
B35

F8

2 c1awsll..,bite
.. -,
1
I
1
1

1811811 -8
BWT1-6
2:7
1-6

F3
F IFl+2
F6.t 2 _
F3 + 2

1
I

1-6
1-6

F3+2
7
L
F2 + 2 - 7- r .-

I bitell sting .
2 war cla wll l bite
1 bite per pack
1
" 2"Claws/1 bite" I bu tt
1
1 bite
2 c1awsll beak or l iang bow
1 bite
1
special
specia l
1 bite or ink spray
special
2 c1awlll bea k or weapon
~ 2 c18wSlI bite- - 1 thorn + blood dra in
1_
1 bitell sti ng

B - Basic Set Dun geon Masters Rulebook

NM'" normal man

Note: AC for human NPC s and demi -hum an monsters assumes:

Armor worn
Armor worn
AC
AC
8
Shie ld only
4
Cha in mail with shie ld
7
Leather
3
Plate ma il
Plate mail with shie ld
6
Leather with shield
2
5
Cha in mail

Dm.

4 ~16

2i l6Jl -l;l .'t..poison

1-4/14 /14
1-6 + disease
Nil
1 ~1 811 -1 6

1-6
1:4..!r ,llpecial
2-12
1-611-611-8 or BWT
380
BWT
1-4
11i
1
13
1-4/1-411-6 or BWT

1-6/1-6/1:10
18
Bwr..t poison
2-1611 -6 + poison
E - EX1Jf!rt R ul4'book
BWT -by weapo n type

9
N
B35
S - N "' CC42
7
L
CC43
7_
L. "CG43
L
7
CC43
CC43
CC43

EnS
FB_ I 0--..N_
F2
9
N
CC44
NM
5
N
B36
F3
7
N
B36
F4SN ' B27
FI
5
N
New
F2 _ 1 2_ C_B36
9
N
CCSS
F5
9
C
CC46
F3
F I5
C38
7
N
FS9N
F2
8
N
E56
F3 _
1 1_
N . ES6,
NM
3
N
ES6
Fl
10
N
E58
L
CC47
F4
11
- F6 -10/S -C - ES6'
F2
CCS8
12
C
F2 . _ .B__ V
E57
F4
9
C

Mu ll ttl& Ill' ~ if tptlldUtill&il _

,.",. -.It;.",
D&lJI" ~
-.I... 10 6",,, .. DUNGEON
A.to-J_
H .... ... dn'811d "
~ oM ill WIIt"'6 F"

.....,i.... 1O':

1'>0"'"

"ll>ftlft of oM
s..,. _ Parl2 .......
plotel .. 1M!) l::. pert Set ..udiot ~ ..
...- . . . . _
btpfI '" OO NUW N
_ .. If! n llo
~ for
.. P"1"t1 r# 2-lI
.......- of 4, j,.IOtb

\eYellDdudme' tlmt no k>ooeT than

l Earil PC .......1ol h..... " ... ...
lhree martUI ' - \rlcludl". mag\<Al
_
alld annoor. All f'Cs &bauld to.
0IIlIrned tor .Jooc .~ WIlde .......
6tII _

8II..... ~utII.

11,;. ..J."""~,,,e """- " 1.0",, in !he

Ko.;>wn \\;;Jo ld '" U", 0&0 """"". lib
...Ui."'" llu_l.....1\.he D&D ~""'"

fl,.

TORTLES
OF THE
PURPLE SAGE
Part 2

rul e boolt ...1 modukt.

DM " ..,
find" ....rllll:o """..,11 the Comp aniOD
.M. Mu te.. Seta, .. ",ell lOt moot of the
X-"";eo ot Expol"l ~ mo,hd.o. E~pert
Sel module X9, T~. 8<>""B' CIXUI,
..",, 101 boo OIpoclnlly helpful, ... 7brlk. o{
jM P"'P U S",o 00\1101 """ily aerve t<>
.o"tin", th ai modulo'. diredion and
plot lin. , additllJ ~ louo ly undoecribed
'""00 to t ho
W",Jd. Th<I DM ""'y

1(."""""

o.loo plOd t ho . .... and oon h of this

i>d n tu.. wl l lli .. u ilOt;n ~ eampai,rn
M li
IOlli"1M _
O.Phi<aI
........ ofl.tl.
"'Wh 11_ ....

,-M_

"'""!,,,;""

W ...li.UN I'nr ................nd

KPC t.- lWl>eI .... """ in bnIdf_

t YJl<' . - ill tM CmnbiDfd :\Io:r:5ter
5I..otiol.i<s1loble M .......... afthia adven
_ .. n. ~ CIa I<JrtIo,o olwuld
be ... ~lotDeated bJ inl'""",,tioD t'n>m
cilhoo:.....t... X9 ... t.tw er-..... ~
Iopo; u.. ...n. olto<tLo oouWll ..
....................... -nal--.Jd._ bc

o.alooke4-

Through the gate

stones. into the
unknown.

kli!he Dungeon MoPeo

If, - M .-e Paot 1 oltM. -.I"""""",> bu.
b_
,.t pla)oed it, , - <all WIC &l>c
inform
10 Put ! .. .. ~1 ~

_.

to -,uod

1M K:O """lontioD orR"'"

Lo.Dd '1nd.onr . - and tIM

u.r.. lost

If ,.... ... .... pl ~ tIornugh Put 1. ~

hbll'
;.., np from

Pr...,.. _

thioir -'~lrJ'

tt1 1l"'1 .1>0 ''''''

tIea... fpl" 1.0 their _alllJIi,. rrnund.

TheY Ihnuld be OOIltl nUl"ll' tMlr Inter
rupted pl ..... to find , he mouth of the
GA.t Nort hwf,y and cl.tm the reward

offered by varioua kinidom. for its

di"",, '~".I . Th~ ""'ot ~I ,,", fur Ih. PC.

8 usue No.7

to

TORRES OF THE PURPLE SAGE Parl2

start lo at Riohland Trading PQllt on the

'Ihli Gr""s Cooot. The PCo"'ay ha.~
.topped (her ~ to hir. a guid~ whil.
~'""'rting til<> tortlo. to tho llyM Hilla,
and the tradmg post i! bnelly desc:ribed
in Part I . In t hill part, it ill completely
detai led and i""lud a description of

GREAT NORTHWAY

h ~"

24 mile o

LANDS

tho Lawful Bt ot he ..hood (:lprio Ont!""'!

that sha,..s the grounds. Pes again
ho.o t.hp option'" ni", a goid.; thoy
"'OY . 1"" u"" tno olerics'Ubrary to
researcll the m..tory of tho aNa for du,,"
to tho location orthe Groat Nonhwa.v if
they failed to r _ ive direcliOlll! from
the I.orrl ,
If, huw.v." tho PC. w. "" mor.
'''L,i~u."j by rh o I.<>rtl.,' mention of th.
my.toriou, "Portal. to Every-land" and
decide to fir.t un ravel the "'yory of
the and.nt gate 'U"'''' , they ""'Y oet off
for one of the loat , ruined citi.. ill tho
area , Again, a .top at. Riehland Trading
Foot oiIlowa th<:m to gather infuTmation
and perha"" hi", a golde.
If you want to play Part 2 without
Put 1, tho b<.ot pla to start i. at Rieh
land 'I,.,odingl'ost. Th . 1'1;. may bo
ther<> in tho coor"" oHho", trovols, moy
h" v. boen . h ipwN><k od oJong tho Tltll
Gra.. Coast. or m oy h ead tho"" ffom
a ny ojty i ~ ,..,.pon.o '" ,nm"", nf t",a_
Ollr~ an~ lnot oiti~o on th~ Crra.. PIal"".
Of mu....., ifth@PC.knownnthlng

about 1Ilrt!es, the DMshould still give

them every opportunity to dillcov... clues
to the OllOl'lltion of the gllte . 1.0",," (ve<-hapS in th. library al Riclilirnd Tauliu~
Pool or from a tortle residillll there), If the
Po.. tn<k I.<> 1.1 ,. HrM Hills, they may be
~ew~th ... brok=~~~~e
.~",llnow that. the baby _
have

8Uocessfully hatch,.] and been taken

home _ Ihe eggshell being valuable not
only", ...-mor--makilll; materiol ("" pc>'
the Crroture ~~) bUI "''''''"","" fur
the operation ofthe gat.! stone..
During the PC . ' (Ta"ol., ,..., <he wil _
d....". .. rul fTom tho &:port Rukb=lo,
Th e DM i;hould roll Id6 Iw ioo p<rr go"'"
day, at da"", and dusk , for wand ering
monotero, Un a Toll on .~, """ the WII_
,u,Tnoo, E""oun_ Ttob\@, fro m th~
Jfxp<'J'1 R" I.book (pa g... au and 35) . On ~
roll of 4-6, use the Great Northway
Wi l~ OTM" l':n"cmntl''' ':'oa o n ~ nf mod
u lel_ Th a DM may want to use module
X9. enoountera lIS well .
~I ch lan d

Tro d lng Post

Richl~Jld Tn..Jln~ Po;( i im plo in ito

layout, ""naisting or a .mall duster 0/'

bWldingo .""",unding a ,oolongular

pahoad. WIthin til<> fortli b ",,,,,l<;Irlo,
an octagt>nal tower r;"es from a manmodo h, ll IHho PC.. "rl'iv~ by boa t.
th"l' fi,..t ... o t.ho f"l't'. 1\O'_long dock
ono" t ca il l o " ~ i ng ttl th" ""uth edge of
the settlement,
Tho tradi n~ post i. POpula t.d by an
ex otic mixt1ll"o of mermanlli, w1von tlU'oro, ~rt-"'~Illi , p,,,,,V""Lun, Il ~ Li v .., d ~ ...
ie" ~ Jl<l UJ~\ ....w t'~ce of ':helled being<!
_ the tortl",. The ""tabliohment "'~.
founded and is coni~oUod by '1\";><10'
Jack, an M'm=~<y, e x.~dvent=,
and ox.pi r~to who "'M ohipwrkcd

noar thi. sit. many yoaTO .go_ Ho hnllt

<tak~ hio doito to tho l"-nd
an d la te r gran ted permission for cIeri<"
of the Lawful Br otherhood to build an
outpost on his property, The combination of a fo!"tified towe' ~ n d helpfu l
cler i"" ~ltracu, d ""ploro, . , L,~"",. ,
adv~ll(w'"", ~",I "_r ~ I\" ,," n, ~nd a
"""mil'" """ltUtl'" .....". , ~l'cw about the
. mall outpost.
t n o "'WeT tIl

La-w ful Brotherhood C10ric Out p ost

Tho cleric outpoat ~t Richland Trading
poe( belong. to tho Lawful Brotherhood,

DUNGEON 9

roenss OF ltlf
O"t~

PUQI>l..f SAGf Port 2

....... tou...~Tim ..hi e ....

'f'IIMtable

'I'ime

Actmt)'
Wonhip in ..,mpIe
BId. to bed
~ i n ........
BftUf_
Wcdl .-.tiDe
Wonhip ill tM>pIe
w.u... '" ...Ipool ball
Wonlllp no...,1e

Midni~t

U lO..&:OllOt

"30 "'-"'-

7:Oll.ut
9:00 Hl.
llXlO 4-1t
11:00 4)01.
N_

Lunolo

l~ '"
:t:OO,...
,:z-.Y1 . ..

:::oec.
Wonl", ;.. _
__

pie

1:00 ,....

1:30,...

h,p.""""......-k O""tofou.
m;n utooo W .,.... .....h -.-hip tilN'.
-....TMl ..
1fM...... on 'h~ .\uopf!l
....... 1l.~"1
d wta...,
n oawed fn"lt WWlhl p Ill'" ~ lltUIli ..
puniWntoal. AM nQI>

t"'"

mI,.....
1'1<.,. ti._

......n....

_
""""'"
td
. ny. ~ . lloo.rod tho
In whid>
tJ>o, .... ~ Ire
be1ow.

"""ft ~boll ~ht

2n d 1

1 ",I.n"" M ' " ,fllb'

4th 1

1: ...,... """'bJ wobnds

10
Il

3rd level: ",m""" ClI!'U

4th 1",,1: protection (rom ""U

Md'b'

All La,.,fulll,oth... hood ol""e. hs v.

A.C 9 (unlo th.y doci ,;" t_ ....mo. them
...lv for ooml:>st). 'AT 1. Dmll hy ",.op001 t y p" ("'.....). MV l ~ U' (tu). ond oro,
of"",,"". of l.wful .lip.mcnt , n. ~,.
ro mo,nine: .
n. tnt,,,..,

tot',.,. .....

P"triNY'4' N1; hr at; ~ _ f:9; Ml. II.

1JU!S4' ('.fI: hp 2Il; s..ve ell; J\lL 10.
BuMp.' C7; tip 2&; S...... C7; MI.9.
EUJn: C6: bp 21;
ML tI

s..... ce.

Cw-ak:-t:l; h))1& s... CS: ML 7.

V"....., C4; bp 14; S. C4 . MI.6.
Pr;a,. (;$; Lao 11. 80 03; ML ~.
AJc.ool C2, Itp 7. Ss~ C2; NL 4.

A~ Cl ; hp4;

....,
e

H_ lw. Osll......-

A1t1lDnet. Chamberlain
s.n.. Com"".......

Dun ci 0rW. Pr.entor

Rered oo-l.... a......" l. Chon...llor.
Sub-...-ut, So..b..... lOI'

Keeper. Granalot'

....."

1.. w..1 ".-off<fion fro... ..,.1

3td ~~: "'" disftlst

!l

poort_. and Io<totioon )

w-.. of N<m<O$, Ch.>p<J

10 '

01'lI....1 p""lt"'n

!'.a_y.

wan>o<!

Irow

II"'''

Outp..n Cl_ P..-itt.o...

!Soot """ Cor oMt.o.&b _ oodI

....
.....

Ito

p. .had........... ,"," ty _

-..tuJ. _

. . .,. =<4

_"orboooI""""'WI
""f'IIn!W
""",IS i n

.llll "l"'llo.. N_

ij

....hlel. a l'toAJ)<lQtlble rc.. l ite .pi l'llua!

aDd bod ily we llbeinwIII tho' lradin~ ..,.t
",.iden'" . lId ~""""', 'II> ~t.- e n...... l.he
~ru~h.'" nl.i"l.lOi" " "",,~l., ...hool, and
i"lin"....."d ..n In.t rume lltlll ill
pn,. :I"e"'" nOled ,,<><>do ond food.tuff.
Ifth. re nloe the tr .. ding p""t in "fri.ndly, nonv iolent ma nno r. th.y ore
Wf>loom_d by tho <Jeri...nd p"",iOOd
...ith food .. nd .heliQ. in t he B""-hcr
hood'. """"'1. Th o 010r1<:o will . !so hoa!
wound. i( tho PC.. aol< poli",ly and
,...haps ;l'" . ..... 11 dona tion to Mlp
......,. on tho S ....u-.' l/OOd_1to.
1". eleties tOll_ .. _

.......... to

o" ""U )I, " .... dapel1

1
Lot Ie-oorlo _IiM-...do
2
Ia Jeql: Iipl
3
2nd. ......, blra
4
:hid ~ " ~oU _ _

Work
SUpper
Wonlu)) In _ pi c
1\1 brd

6 :OO~ ..

1'1>0 LaWful

~....,IN:.

Wtrroht p '" ..... rle

41111 . ..

4,30''''

_.--npl.ioM.
o.ncs,......... -.....
cq>l.i..... itt tho

Adopt

S.... cu sn. a

Area OMel'ipl;oru; (OM Map 2)

s....-aJ _ _ of tho tl"tI<h"ll
pwb'OI.... ..,. _nea. A . .try is ......Jy
Ill...,. (noept b1 Ute 11K" ~ a
~_

10.--'" foPt- 01 ~t . hil;'

I)' lAC /I \I'+>a'" .....I~ " 1: Itr Ml; MV
lIlT GllTl '''T I ; t>ma: II)' _poIl l,ypl!
CIDnC ......-.l); So... Pi; ML 7; A.L ""1,
bur -all)- laml!

I . Doclo.. The oolitary ..-oooiea ....,.

jata 50' _ r.- ..... into the crashin;i;
wrf. The dadri.., ;., ""PfI<I<'ed by h~
.......... pilillP ......... <Iecp i..... the
.......n-. On\)' lboPee' .......I (if tlocoy
""'~ :". . .MI;.,
1Iy \.iM to u..

doelr.. A """'" _ n__

u.. \aDdwml ...... 0I u.. dod: _

e1_
_I>

&om
..

oI"b...I4l"ll.}IIOI .... I_ IMu Of IMlndrnS " ..

V_I
f... \0 tie up to Ih . und_
I.n<lod dod: on. n.., ,.",... fi_ ..rYM
1-01T
Any h.-..til. lIoC'ion.
.""l<pnt hy 1M ",nlrl ...trlp I h~
p.lilll<le. An immediate .~.l 10 iven.
and .11 l"habltanU ut the Ir.dln~ _ ,
arm tlw
lvc......In.t .~l~"k, The
~1"'1w
"'. uu.....J. Illd .nyu,,"
trapJll'd oulaide the ",.u. ill len to the

"""'8'"

ell-ac1<en' meloy
C.oft&Jnc,n'. W.......h o p" (........ 21 n
~ted anlaalll lOtl ln m - Ibopo to
procI_ ..Ul, Ute
p<oil -m.
E-=lo""""
uppli.... LuuI.. ..m.
fllliohood I
of """ craft. finisbod
,....ho..U wl-.dani p<i<ew, .. od tbo
c r ~ abo do _ lr. ro. hiR.

It""'...

'tho ,.....,.

_k _ _ he

............1.

ts 01 ~ 01u.-

""'""' left f..- the D!oI to

opt' _tohio .. mpaip

All crwfUopooplo _ - - ' " " - - toDd

....... -... the _
iI&aiiwtOw(AC G;
......,..j h _ CHD III hJo 18; )IV 120'

(10'); ' AT I ; 1looc~

~.lmo ...

111

\ Y1'O'> 500...

_ - - ' ........... lolL 8; AL "yI If

...... (l.S(I<11- ll ~""'"'"

."t-s,

mal .......... _I> 14Itp) .....y M.dded

to Mc'h sloop; t1....... _1ikoIy chi!_
othoot fsm1l)' _ ' - " , -""ing

r.a

I. Cobble,. st- aDd boots taD. be

........ '" 00'tIer In U da~ The cobl>I....
abo ~ ...,.;,., u4 otocb ....Icetion
01 ~M r'to-_ (~ In 0 wide
..",.. of. . but lil tle clooice or stylc.

N<I'ri<e, S..... nl
Aoolyto
1
None
I..oludos 4>ly te,",,,",, doctot". gnrd.",... ot~ble h.nd, . n;mal kMP"'", <II" <>tho.
pooiti_n lleted .. be lo"lli n ll 10 ~ ",",v~nt ofth. BrOlMrhood.

.. ,.

1., .-

a Saddle, &lid Bridle M.lr.e . Sad

dl... bt"idl... and . sdd le ho. ~. ""' .,ill'
ble be",. TII<l le.lher ...",korean ..1.0
m.lld ~,,"k.

TORTlES OF THE PURPLE SAGE Port2

RICHLAND TRADING POST

_.

I "O>A
o.' ",

,~

Duu","" L. .rl

N
,----, 0 0

".
" .

".
17~

""

00

f----I 0

0'
00
00
00

"EM

"'I;

D3Jgg
,

".

'"

".
I,

""
. . I .

,
r;r;:1 '"
L.:.I.:.:.J
"

1 squa,e - 10'

DU NGEON

11

TORTLES OF THE PURPLE SAGE - Pari 2

4. A.m"....r. Any woapon lietod on

paso 19 "ftho Exp.rl R"I.book i. ovail
ab l. heTe. The armorOrmaks. odged
woapon<, shiekl. , bal"ding lOr hor"""
and oha in mail and phto ma il armor at
hi, lo, ff"

tio,," Inble, Certain lotlevel clori oo nrc

give n 1_ "",,i.~ble job/, to tott the
.trongth of thoir vocation. Stot i.tic. for
th e lstI.".1 oI....io, ..... li,wd under
"A"dyle" on Uw Outpo.t Cl....i" Posi.

5. Wood and S, o ne C a C\'~. Deco,",,

tiv~ And utili t.~rian itm. of woOO .nd
'lone Ibowls, Ir"-.'/". statues , ""'.) are
.vailable hel'\!. Gem.tones andje"..elry
can be apprai:;ed, but tho arti.an will
not purchase them.

14. Srbno l m 9.t~ "' . l.od gi ng. Th "

"hoolmIli<l" <1""1'" in !'Ollm IdA . ,
night. Duringth. da y, h. I, in th o
. ebool (area 15), One room{l4B) I'
vacant, reserved for vj.i tin~ cleric.,
Lawful PCs who decide to l.ave their
p~r ~y will be ~llow ed to ,l ~y he""

6. Thnne r. TI,. Ieoth.,. wo<'k", ' """.

he r own tannin~ (a .melly j:ocedure
about which her nel~hbors constantly
<x>mplain). She ... U. tanned h;de. to the
""bb ler (area 2) and . addler ("",a 3) but
keepa tho be,t ,kiM fOT the loath ...
armor she make'! and sells.

1. M <>t..J=rith. Th;" e."fu"n u ""Ol'k.

in coppor, . ilvor, gold, and plati num,
Coms and metal or. can be exclJangro
Il<!r<> for gokl pi. .... ofoquol vol"", I...
a b% oxolumge f"",
~. Blacksmith. The ring of metal on
metal weeto All traveler . .... t hey
approach rhe trad ln ~ post, The black
.mith "hoos hor""s and makes usefu l
Item uclJ as firepl""o pokers and pot
hook..

9. FUller, Thi:l textile wQIker pro<>

e ,,"", cloth by oluiukin;; and preaoing it

to

in<,..,~..,

ito weight an d bulk.

10. Coo per. Th. barrd maker i.

ahno.at as ""und ... hi . W<U'Cl!. He 1"''''''
eh""". formed harrel hoopo from the
blacksmith (ar<oa 8).
Il. Turn@r. Th@l urMr oper ate.oa
foot.po"",...J lath@toprodu<:<ldOC<>rati".
itoms sueb ao table IeI!' . oandl. , ti cks,
~ nd .von wood.n flulo<>

12. P o ",,"', l .odgp. Thi . !'OIlm i.

currently vacant. Auy pri .. m." token
by the derlcs of tbe Lawf\11 Brotherhood
will be lo<:ked in this room.
13. W~11. 'I1,e well is a .imule ,Ume
.truotu", ii ' ill ~ i a Jll . te r and 3' hi~h,
The water i. pur e and a bu"~a"t,

per..,,,,,

.....11
who are li.ted in i~a lic.
below are cleric> of t he Lawful B""th~,..
hood. Their . tati.tic. Rl"e lioted by thair
positions on the Outpo.t Clerie Pnsi

1211M.la No. 7

tlOru! ti<bl.

15. Sc hool. Thl. woodandstone

structure is detailed below,
I SA. Sc riptori nm. The r..-.e floor of
thi:l tW <Hltory bu ilding i. a writing
room. He"" manu".'ipt pog<>. oro writton , copiod, ond iIlominotod (odom<:d
with or""m""tal dcoigo. , min ia lure
paintingo, or lottee;ns ;n b.mianl col",.
or p""'ious m~ o b; ), A """lion oftbo
OCTiptorium i. pm1ition.d off a. a lock<>d
"""' .rial ofl",. wh ioh oonta in' bJanlt
p"l"{'hm.nt.an dbox.s (for ora.. ng),
f"'M, inll, on" s er W('l1'1.h of gol" leof A
loch" ""rnng",x in t,M flffi"" Mnt" iM
143 pp ,
In rh e . crlptorl um. 10 'tool. fare 10
desk, with slanted topo, One to tour
ad,pls .it in the writill,j( room each day
during work period" The Bur>a .. in
char~e of all "'Ulle., dfl~ .up~lie .. ",e""
the oecretaria! offire. li e ear,ie. two
keys: one to the downstain; office and
another to tho otrong room up.ot.iro.
The room .hove tho ocriptorium i
libnry. Tho boolta an> kept in 10 book
cases with four shelves each. Each shelf
bola." about 25 velume s arranged by
.ubje<:\, which inolud. : temple found.n '
WTitingo, lWltory and Iiv"," of famollll
der i,,", Brotherhood law and civil law,
and tho weiling. of tMny ramo". p""
pl<>. Six wooden tables ond ~ 4 ohairs a....
pl"".d aoout the room for .....dmg and
stud y;n~. There are mOre c.ndles for
I;ghting I,han in " ny Olher room .
Gu.lltttlon of tha lihrary Is A lockod
"tron ~ r oom that contains anc ient
booko, a .croll, a ""'p, a flat wooden
box . and a lo<:ked .tron2 box. The IlCroU
oonlJiin, ~h"", fourthlovel elodcal
.....Us; ..",mule tkwl. "roole wul<" o.n~
d"pd
The .t'Oflg1.o.l huloh t;)Jj> ,
The Ulap , ho"",, the SanKe Coast po.ition. of ~II L~wfol BtolheThood cieri.
outllO"ts , It doco not .bow the Cre"t
Nortbway'. mouth. The f1al wooden box

"'''IiI'.

"""lnins tho torn h <il~ .,. of book

",",oiptB, which .bow who borrowed
booka thot have not yet boen TOt uruod.
Ono to four .<hpl ....od in t.ho> library
1>etw.. n 7:00 and 9:1)0 A,M. every morn _
mg. The Ch.n~lIor i. in ohoege of t he
hbnlry ."d th. , ocroti<rlOl
He"
in t.he l i h e~ ry .very rley Bnrl ""tW,O
hy. til I.h"""IBr;ol office end t.~ .
""mng room
A PC who take. 1( day . to sBarch the
bookshelves finds intjlortant information in the ""ction on hi.toO' and lives
of f~muu, d""jo" One tex~ mentiu,,",
Akub."" \1", Mer<hall~, w!lu ,~ iJed pa,~
the SO"".'(8 eoa.t and fBUlld the ",,,,,til
of the Great Northway. Otheo l<!xts
deocriba the eJl'eclo of the devo,toti!lj{
earthquake that moved the Cre.t
Northway'. mout.b nor~b from tho Tall
Gra"" Coast to the lands at the end of
tho Savage Gulf. Lnt<><, Lowf111 Bl'Other
hood m"mber. found pcaeoful, bard
work ing farm.r. irrigating "",pa along
the muddy ri""r'. banks , The Brother
hood decided to diocour"8" profit.
_king oxplore.. from re~hing
inn"""nt nBtlvend dIrected e""h
outpo st to lake appropriate acti on to
prevent. Mvili,ed I"' rt,i~. from mnt.<lN"
log the defen..l. ... riv.monk dw.ll..,..

off,,,,,.

I""..

15B-G, Navltlate. This area contains

a donuitoO' (15B) and <I""sroo"", (15Cl
fur !.hen uvi"", and private q ullClo"
(IuD) for ,!leu ' te""he[. tho M w;ie r 01
Nuv" ...., TI,e Masf<>l' amI
Or.
p.--nt at all time", the novire . r arely
leave !.henovitiato bafure th ey beeom.
adept>,
The novire. e""h lIO"..... a chang< or
undel'Weo., on. tunie, poi. of slip""...,
a pai r of boo",_a pair oflegging., one
blankat, tw o pai.. of white "",,1<0,
loath. r bollt, t"," handk,,,,,hiefo, ueodl.
and thl'99.d, writing moterial o, ond 13
penonol book-o.
T~ i . bUIlding aJoo oent",n. a ""hool.
room (lbE) for or,hnBry pupIl. WIth
led ginlt' (15F, 15G) fn. two I~o,h."" w~ o
....mBin wit.hin t~~ hllilding ~ O % nfthe
time. The young mele natl"". and tOt
ti es (rumally 28 of each] who M.udy here
live in the Almonry (area 17B\.

f""''''''

16. fluolei. The"" trovele,,' BOCOJIU[l(J

,..... buill Bruu.u~ BJl upe n cuW'l.yard, The buildin~ contain. stables fot
be...to of burden (16A, 16D), four "",,11
bedrooms {160Fl, end ~ dining o.teD
(160) fur vio;tlng travel.... Gue locked
~~, iu",

roenes Of l HEPURPLE SAGE Perl 2

"""" (l 6W i.

~oed

for ,tol:lllg me,

cl"",lo' 1(00<I,. Vi"ilor , are reqlle.t.d to

1<K!;;e a t t h e ho.tel dW"lng their may a t

the trading J'O"I. No campin g lo allowed
wil hin the ground..
The HMte ll. , i. in ehor ~ c of Ihe hoo
l el end Ihe dlalingui"he d guo""" ho""e
(oren 37). H o vi .ite Ir.vel .r. during
workin g homo un l"". he hac boon nt
on .n . ....and_ The HO.Ulnar
a
koy to Iho stTongbox at l he d,.hn
l1"i.hed S"",ls' hoc.._

""rrio>,

50' length ohop<, a la rlS" .<><k, a tindo,bo~, . b,,,,,le<, a du n ,word u,ed for
ca uterizing won nd. (1-4 hp damage per
application, but the wouad ioared
d _d), oi" filled wa""'skin" and ,nx
wineakin o holdlns qua rt of win. e:>eh ,
A flaok e.mtalning 1-24 m.di... l l~o .
in wat. r i>l u""" for tram portlng Ih .
la.oh. T hay die If j~l\ oul ~ r waWr for
llION th.n 24 ho W'. _
I 7E. lU.... t;ng H.II a n rl fl<>rmitnry_

'I'm. area ha, a lacgo

11. Multi-Pu.".,,,,, Bullding_

11A . C ~ll ..... a n d S tJ)T/lgP "' /1_ In a

lock ed CeHOT ba lnw t'"n"nd 1 pI. I"Tgl>
....h f,ll"'; w;t,h w;nP 1., . nd !>P. r ~TO
pil"" h/>low
an d cheese. Ih at
hang from l h. rafters. Dried troil and
salted fish a re packed away in bo
stacked again .. the walls. A locked
.tron~bo. contain. 212 pp a JIII 1-6
~c lI",tone. wurl..h 100-LOOO ~~ . ""h ,
On t.lle lU"illlloor. a locked .tora~e
area oontains furnitore and supplie.
th a t the PC. may buy . t co.t f,.., m the
Com nwn.r. For acomplde H.t of nor
m.l eq u ipment .vailable , . ee page 10 of
the Exp<rt R uleblHJk. T he Commoner
.upplie , the derica wi t h a ny o ~\r"" to
what i. p,ovided fo' aU. He o(])"r loo
throc kcy o, one to the collar, on e to I.he
stmngho., and one 10 the storage area,

"""""-Il""

17B . A1moDr)' Th.. room is l<>r pil .

i/ri_ and poor Ir"""Ie,"_T h. young malo

natives and torlleB who study at th e
""hool (""." WE ) . I""P h.,... at Tllj/ht The
A lmo"." i. in Ch"'g~ <>f ...-.nP<'ting "1m"
" no "rlmlni<t"",ng t.h~ "Im<lm~ ""hoot H.
keeps acoounts a nd maintains t he almon
ry during u", doy_The Almoner cames a
leather (>01I, h c:ontainillll 1-100 lIP, He
will acoopt any dunatl""" and will IP"" 1
lIP to any PC who bel!",

17C.

B~ lh ~",l

L"l"; " .

I 7D . Infirmary. Th i , aroa ,erye. a. a

p laco wh",'e me dicinal leemo" aro
applied to bleed the . ick . and aa od di
tional . W'gica l 'paco . If PC. refu"" \ 0 be
hoaled by tho cleric. but.till ""ck medicol aU.entioo .they "'"0 br ou ght horo ,
Tho doctor frem buildillll19 com t o
a pply 1-4 blood I_ h to tha pationt.
'I'lta blood l... oh... C"Wla 1_4 hp da mag<!
p<lc d. y thoy " r" appli~d.
In ad dition to .ighl bada," ,..,h of
t ho mt'1rmary ca n r .v. a l five n.".m~ )
d"llg<'ro of vanoU!i ",Z. ' , on. oil fla .k . a

""low " ~ rl "

ex","pt
novio.. goth"" io the meeting hall e~,,"
t y da y from 10:00 to 11,00 /I..\t. t o dis<I,"" the ol... ic ""tpllon huoine"". The
meeti ng i.led by the Sub-priG' The
room' . ","lls a re lIned with chair..
The durmito ty wall. above"," lin""
with boo bed., wooden f,~m c. ",i,,crossed with ropes h oldill-'l' down-filled
,nal\ re ,,,,,., At ea ch bed', fooll, a
locked .twngbo~ ""nl a in ing ~ cler ic'"
1',,,"',101 bel onl:in~o aud a ny clothing
no t currently be ing worn,
Each cleric h.. t we t unic., one thang<
of under w.ar, ""ven pa i", of wh;t<
wck " two pai", of . lippo"" two paira of
b<Jot", one pa ir of leggings, a ""apula t,
two cowl t wo ho nd cap", a leather bdt,
sovoro,] haodkereh",f" two bl.nko to.
nC'edle ~nd th",ad . w<lting mo torl"lo,.
hol y .ymbo l nec kl.ce, a Dd a key to h lO
own otTongoo._ !:lome cieri," h.w tlu>ir
own par'lOnol book. I~ _ o )
'I'M , I<>, ie. or. on ly lU t ho don mtor y
durmg sie\lta and at night , The Dmn or
fJrd, .. (w~n r on he on y",heTO) m"ke .
.",.,. "H cleM"" attmd wo",hip and t heir
nth~ c o"ti"_
dM"mit~ry

.MV' . /1. 11

h~H

c1~ri<"

11 F. Refeetoo and Waroc ub~ . Th i.

\ WO, tDIY ar ea ha. a dinin<: h~ll belo""
a nd a dot""" ,to">Ille 'OOIll with lau nw-y
alxw e , III 1.10" dill i lL~ 1'<'<"" , IUlJ g locncb~.
.t-lo"d be.ide equally lou ~ woode n
l a ble . :-.1001. a r" . er vcd on wooden
pla te., The R. kctorial1 i. in ona,ge of
the d in i~g ha ll .od dire"'" the <Ukpl.
""ho ",.it on tabl", during mear,. Mo,t
cloriea aro he", du.i~g men l peried
~ i t hQ C oQl.ing 0\" ",.ving,
Up,tai", in tho loundry, cloth a ,..,
",,,,,h.d by haod io ooppar tub . Th .
Cha",o.rloin . uparvi..., tho I.undering
nd p, oing of cleric,' cioth . H. ca r
Tie, l e~ t he c pouch oon t a ioin g ~.~ U pp
17G. \{i t<'.h~~_ Th~ ~ oor of ,-hi. room
lS " ' , . _ wi'-h ~1""".'tC1M,1 ""W~II",,
i'. ", "11 r ock holo" " mlmho r or l"r go

knive. ("'eot "" normal d.gge"') and

mea t d eev ero (lre ot "" hand a~.oJ. Th.
eon",r of the !'<)Om l. domlootcd by a
lor ge , blo od sb i ned chopping block, 3'
to ll and 3' ... U "'O
The kltehao canu..ln. m.ny oish..,
pet., pa"" , and ....I. roki"" fu JI of V,rl_
ou . tl u ;" , e'pa<;"U y ...;ne ond al._
Th e,"" .,.., I.l,~ n.".mal , al ioM wadh 01'
v.g.l.bl fruit, bread, eMo"', egg",
000 fi_h Th e Tell "0 "10 of 1M !:" 000"
ing fir. glow on ' he h~ar'. h
Th, r . II" ,,, i . in ehArgp of meM,
_nppli.., and ,iel.u" I._He carrie. a
lealher pouoh that ennt.in, 10 pp.
18. Plty.le Ga rden. Pl ants used for
makinll medioinea aTe il'Iown in this
~arden. To ~c"'rmi"" c.nolly whnt
heebe a re "rown ~llJ !Iv" lUuch i. ".~il
a~le, roll 1J5 Llu"" tim"" al1J ref., tv
the Ra,e Spioes Thble in P.. t 1, on pa~e
48 of i",ue 16.

II""....

19. PlQ-.i d.n'.

Thi. baildiog
eoot ai Ull both t he doctor', quarters a nd
room, for very ,iek pntienb, There .re
no potionto h o", now. but thc w,(n
,."vont of th. el06ca) i. either inolde 0'
at the infir mary (ar ea 17D).ln additi on
to t h e deetor'. peewnel balon~inb"" the
bulldlng contai ns , a lontorn, a h~nd _
oiocd _ I m i....o r bulb of gar lic, thNO
wooden ,lakes , a mal let. a wator skin
hol ding a qu a rl of wa ter, and 0"" bu n<h
of wolhbane
20. Cemetery. Th i. wa lled enclosure
cont" ;n, R h"ri"1 ground marked hy
'imple ,tone nd "ulplUre. N o und ead
crea tu re s dare to enter the cemet ery of
a lawful clenc Qut rost,
21. O W;" F'ldd.,
~.

w.,n. 'fbi tluetu,~;' ld~ntical to

area 13,

23. Duck a nd Co".e H""..,. Twe nty

duck> and I g gee.o Ilve in pena ourr ou ndin g a e<nl.,a! b~lldlng_ Enoh pen
contalno Il brick lined. pool of wll\e r, Th o
fowl a ce heacd duri nll t be day from
"e veral ya rd. ,,"way, AI. night, th"".
noioy bird!; ar o oh d inoido tho ,mall
r ound hou ...., and .hut in _ If the hou,," i
d,,\W'hod ~ \ Illght , t ho poult')' k'Npor ,.
ala,\od by tho ~""klllg an d h,..mg "f
thollOe,.
24. P Il"ltry K ~~""T'R H"n.~. Th e

JIf'" ltry h pJ''' i. pre",nt here at all

DUNGEON

13

TORnES OF THE PUl?PLE SAGE - f'o n 2

... - .....

tim.... I<IoMo
i~ . he ..Jo.o_ th.
_I _
ldl"&" 2.1.NI 2.~ ,~ ....1oM.
peDII and tollta 4M chicbn. dudr.,

.. n..u H.....-. ThiftY_ ...... and.

r.- "'-'1i... 1II._~.
_a1h,jicli"o(.

on. .........10<1" lh.

...D..1'tlIIDll ~ M du* to ""'"' CD

tho,. _
tho ......... ~ ot...u. II ..

cbr_ .. _al,-"" ....,..M. cIa_..-

rl--.w ....... the t>ipt, W . - s '

~ _ be t.rtI_tMuadiDg
....,t. lfu.. . - . _ , Ihop<JJr)

....... ..........a.

ll6A. Hone Slablt!. 'I'wo to 12 IIllIJY5

..-I .. rid;D(f"""-1-8
1-6 ",w. ... .tobltol
wl>MlH'-'",-",

~and

SUr. t _
i<latIN

mul.... Hall tile IWffIlea4 area ill100red

r"" \lOOt. . . "",lon,

2l'IB .

s......

h a~<u llve

"t. Qu. ........._'fw" .,nhl~

her. and aJ? .Imom BlwaJ'!l

00 be round In th. !>.om

_ _ lipu"ll, """ .~ , He .. <>1ao

i .. dI-s- of 1IUIrI"II
ia1 n>beo,

n. c.....' I<, A 6.on<\e Wllllr. 3' from

tMUlp.tMpoH_. ...... ......I'l_ly
......t>dthoohai"" ~ _. . Ik ;_ _
!Ilble't1l. tw ........... oodI.tlo~
e - ~ ~ 1IloII 4a3". ftIUt
_1rinI P<ltnoIlhe eatwalt .. raMom

.....

dlOrUl(..-t porioda ".. s . ~

"'Il'" _ ."Iooonoo ,n po~ _
talnpl.
thA....".

.......

aoc. V ntr)', n.e reouy io ..-t-o tAo

drid' cJeo1ca 10 btron ""'" _
the

iDterTalL At eid.t oetltrieo.,..

.A. So1<th 0-'>"..... <W......

l1li

Tba dte-trid&e _

f.bt, dilcll
be Iw>ioted by two mea IIAin&' a

Ge~

...illl .i. pI"..... Abu... the rtable i

( _ 26B~ Wh." "ot i" .... prden, be

io ill hio hwoo.

28A. Gr."" A I'boc. 11 ...,.,...,., r...m.,.

........ """""" _
booriJIc bo&h - . .
and dark

P"'P"IP'"_

29B. ,"... 1

hk c...-.&...

N.M . - of

"- _... _III

.... t l ..-i-o._wallM _ _

...... romaldr ,, otl.. _ -.-, c.t>tlrio

-r
PflII_,..."'"'_
,. . 1II'\tOd>

'\;

........ cnltoo

be

n-,....._

- pK-~-,,,,,,,,

-.i otrIII,f beeaL

0IIb be '

ibed to Ibe PC& fId, IlIetlIfd..

1a~.Iitlkr'

D. O..d ..-<l

.lAL

n.... _ ""'.'""
IlI'Ples.

pnmed .nd. traiaed fruit _

---~P\_. "'''''''''''''''
30. Di ld., Thoo dlldl ..............un&' the
ie 2(1' wi~ and 10' deep, Rain
... .... huoolkded ta _depth 0(5'.
~\ey

3t . Pal;.a<k. Th. "'"'l""'ed log .

from ....hich th ~ pBhlde ia constructed

14 ISlue No.7

<%J"O_y til ~ hlto .... DlIt at

their folia 1'lMre iI. loeked ~

;.. 11,.........., ~uc 2-1Z pp.

M A. Ttodi" 1 1l aU. Dw-illJ[ day li~

1>0-. thia luge dwnbor ;. filk><l ...;...
noillc ond _ivity. AIIJ'1'R"...-ho """
anythiDg to.lI buy Q):neI; bere to
trade. Long.....id. _Ie ta bl"" divio!c
tho hall and hold tha "'a&o good., Pil..

_ aldl

of ""Ito. pr .. iouo Ito...., rpi..... and

nd pol't<'Ul h uppo<t

l'QPe.

M R. W ~., G a~ ho " ... (S . J.4'p o rtJ.

Sol. t h. ~ \ ". h r" 'Ahnol"" (MA),

Me. E. .I G"t"hou. e (Postern), See

th e Soulh Oate hOtUf (33M.

baylQ/l,

2"1. O de ...... 11".,, _Th. ""*-'"''

tnodICl'. i" the . _ bloo prdeo

<tut_"A
__ ;"
s.c:n. i o ' -

_ _ tbiI

"';...Da. iD lhe pw.- A met<oi.

ohco.tI...d ,..-wulh. <:&II be drnpped
qual, __ the opelliJli by thopping
i\o~..,...,... Ttoe pte
.......
paat the po.liaNe ... 'IB
b< .......
.. rlghti"4l pl.o.tf<Jnn. Two Iaddero
inside the ba.ll~, ataDCI ap.ill5l the oides
01' tlMo plabouM .110-;"8" _ _ to tho
.....t
lk. IIghhni pl.Uorm, d,.wbridGo

26C, C"ul. 6 to1b l Thi. II! the h ome

"r 212 """n, S il , <dr... .,." . t"red here

-n..

bat&, ~ . ..... ttaDdat<lo. H.o

koy t<I tbo - . , tad It ill tho vastry

34. BIIlI. ,. n", CQUtly. . d in.ide the

....li-.Je ill di .ioMI lry din ....",." and
"'....J... .u..... Ew...JI bWJdinp ...... d in
the bailey.
S. ~pl".
alii.... CboopooL Thia dIapd .. for- both
lIM>""';- aDi tM dorico. The CJwpJ
lC_ is
of~_. I"p_

ill""'"

..... ~ ......... Ttoeehapcl

coataiM_IMIy.,...bol W1Irilo 100_
8l' -am IJoIy _
..wa. no. bani
_
.. Mt ,
"". alt-..p. Jl WI>OO'_
_ -""'- a1t.... tl.UoI .. tho n.tht-el ,lit 1M lIwUl....
-n.e _ ...... OIl ehup ol....."w

manut'actured ioodo fill the air with a

, t , a n p mixtu... of 0<10.... 'l'ho mood in
tho hall " ganorall)' )<Ivl.l nd food
v p ~ n o", w~ n, t h!'(lUllh tho orowd hawk.
ing their tasty WUH. Nearly any stand. .... r""la "" s .....a can"'" bo>lght. >cld, or
..adod In thl. h.ll. Q.ua lly .. a f. ;"
mark" pl1Ce_ UveolllCk and "-"ptu.....
..-lId animals Ire tr.~ al the ""ering
Iroullh tUM -'41O\llllilt r.ho IWI.
AI n1rhl. tho hall tran ll'ormo iDle a
dilli . . bal1l'ut rr.... e;"m IP""" by
Trade.- J. t r...a11 ........looio<allnding
poat .-ioolton &ad iWoabilallta. (Clooi<ll
...... tbov 0W1I tit<beoI and dinluc hall
ill buildi", n.) 81 ~", ..,.....,
fiaoIo .....,et -...... III oIp """""'
......-ly.f"Ud-ed ,....w. ... woaold -.-.
cMndioc ..... be ,....o..l
Jolooa """'_ io W
1M ia \hia
~ hall, i.ool....... u.. biri,.,- of
..- = iN ...,.wiota. Hiftd 001
d--. .Il t ,. i
_ _.._
aJ>iau,I
_
tnu~

JmIIIic: on<! , _."". " Afil.. ",1OOi.

opwa.,

and.~tN.Mi.

rluvoch tho

AlI.-....d
noY1I:N _ - , duri,._ip

,.,....
~ B.

s.m.,-, The MtriIIIY is where

""' . .........1duUli ..... boo ....... and

.tandardo ... ol.<or1Id Iooh..- ... _
ill
~, In the lodr.ed ..... ioty '"'" .....
en ..-nIB _mbroiden.l ..ith gold
tlu-ead {worth 25 Q _I.) .nd temple
om.....nte "';old...Iv.... and p""Ciou.
.ton"" (worth 1,000-6,000 j1.
Th. Sc>crislloolu tf\er temple mainle_

"1 _ _

II"

,..-~ ("" '"""" H

nl.hor-t1~that

.,..,. a......~ l .... llw ""mmlarglWk ...

....-v-. It ..-t11"", be lone until_
""'" approachea tl\l>m with iaf........titm
on ...... their lll<elIa CllD be n.ltllled.
E.....-ybody hoI,. everybody and r.~..-.......

.........lad.
If the Pea need to hi.. a nille. tbeT

mBJ'd_ ah'IOhlI' tho w ...cun'eotly

availabte (_ I'art I , Neo M -M , ;"" U"
16), or 00....... if a rui<lc ...... provioualy

hired and proved aoc:eptable, he may be

TORTLES OF THEPURPLE SAGE Pori 2

,.

"-~. -

- -:::.:::.",, ~.~~~::: .~ .,-" .

IW...I ~~~in. If ~Jl

UjJllc""vt~bl~ u id~

'''.

36D. Granary. Tbi. room i. ~ "Wr e

house for brewery Jll'a in, The Granator

returned to the tradin~ wat and th e

PC.. eateh oi"ht of him, thera may b<

look. a!'ter tho ,uppli., of wheat , harley,

'rouble.

a nd ry e,

36B. G uard Quarte r. TY;o of Trader

Jack', fine ,t menenari... a r med with
. wor d, ,tand gtlu,d here duy un<! ni ght

37. Priory (Distinguish ed Gu est,'

Ho"oc~ The .. quarter> for sueot, of
qWllit y arc eW'<ently vaoa nt . PC. may
stay here only if thoy arc at the 9th
levol of eX!l"ri.nce or .bovo,
nu. dwQlling ill riohly d=<ated and
linely fumlS hed , It has lll""" In t ho "in
dows , carved wooden ""Uing', and lOur
tapestrieJl lworth ~50 gp each) hanging in
~aoh of the bedrooInll. Tho hou.. rout"lllS
R RmRII "h ~[>"l n7 "-\ t.wtl ho><1ohom"""

t<> k eep watch ever the treder'. w""co ill

the next room (36C),

36C. Warno. Valuabln commoditi""
purchaO<'<! by 'I ~adet Jack ;>to ,loud in

this lOCked chamber. The room contams

a eros, bow WIth 3U quar""l' in a oa... ,
one long bo w, one .hort bow, 20 , ilver
til'P<><! annw., " light "''''I'lll" fiv.
pitch shots, a .ilver dagger, barding for
one horse, chain mail armor for one
human fig-hwr. plate mail armor (or one
hu ma n filrhter, a IrI"OpplinR hook. one
holy .ymbol worth 2~ ~'P, vial of holy
w a !.<or, ~ " el or !.hief'" (001" ~ "~ddl~ wllh
brielle, ~Jlel ~ lock,el cho.t. [JJ. io.ko Il,e
ebe, ( are a swo"j + 1, 10 ,,",'rows + J , a
u il of teath<.. onnor ' 1, a polion of
dim,nut",,,, ,, ".;roll with a levitate . pell,
a r,ng ofanimal ""n/",I, a wand of
enemy detection, a~d a !xv: 0( dec""ur'''!f.

m1B, 37(';), a

wiu~

The Prior'. &;r:reIUlY eun' err~nd",

writes letters. an d serve, as the Prior ',
_sonal a,.i.W"t, The Prio,-'. Su,wonl
a rder . , upplie., .Il_Vloe, houoeholcl
! erv""h, and , hook. on tbe oond ition
rooms, furniture, linen, and d othing.
Th. Price, Secretary, and Steward a re in
the hou.. ut ell t.ime. , e ~e op, the Sec",
'lU'Y when r llltn ing a n <'1'r a nd.

or

38. W~ll and Watering 'ft'<>ugll.

Llve. tock and oaptnred wild b<t.. t, ar.
.rodod h9ro during tha day. At night, all
animal, are placed in appropriate
barns. W ild .nlmal. aN lockod inside
O" eAA in tho; kMMI (4 2B J

",IIRr (37m. hutl>!ry

l37El, wardrobe (37Fl, 8tOrerooms (37Gl,

office 137Hl, study (37l), aud plll'illl'137.1l.
A holy symbol (maile ortortle shelll hangs
in each room. The buttery OO1ltaiJUj ";h'.".
w","" worth 1.000 'P. In the dUl...,:J are
"""l<Il"Ill.> embruid ~Jw willi ;:uld lhr~ad

(wud ], :w w ). A luckecl

"""'J!lw, "'"I<>i,,

in!: 430 I>P i, kepi in the "ffic".

It ill nearly im possible to sea lhe Pr'."',
lI e i. in oharge of a n 01"'-;0' at th e out
I"'0t and de<ide. what each doe" Ha hM
a couuoi l of aonior cleric . to advi.., bi m
and tw o "". ;eh n" to belp in bi , work.

119. F oo d Se rvtces B Uildln gs . Thi ~

area, maint"in<>cl hy "'~". (ardl~v~1
clerlos), ,uppl1es the LawfUl Brot her
hood .nd much of tbe sutTound ing ar ea
with food a n d drink. It ts fUrther
d(~il"d below,
39A . Wine P r e . Tho v,,,I,,",' i. a
pd""t who p"""""" grape' durillg work
pori""".
39B. B u tt y. Thi. buttery;" a ,tore
r ""'" for liquom.

DUNGEON 16

TORTLES OF THEPURPLE SAGE- Pcrt 2

39C. Brewery. The brewer is a priest

wlw wile here duriIlll' wtIrk per;<Kb.
390, Kiln. The pollr,. i. a p,'ie.t who
throw. clay pot. and fires t he m in the
kiln .

ailE. F ruit-Drying H"u. e, Cr ape_,

apple s, apriootl!, peaches, and plum,
hans to dry on , <lOU ;l\ th" buil<ling.
39F. Kitchen. See the doocriptiQn of
area 17G.
~ IIU.

M ill

'I'~e

",illwright i. a priest

who grmds ","am dunng ".",1:. hours .

3IlH . Pantry. Th;" ill a . loI"al>" room
f..... flTo,;.iono, glo'<WA,e, plAte", An 6

eatlog nt'm.il.

391, Bakery, The baker I. a pries,

who toil. here durin~ work period .
4(1. BarQ with Thre.hing Floor, Tit;"
lal'l(C huild illR i. otacked to the rallen
with dry fOOde, and !<Cain to he
thr..hed .

41, Sh eepfold. The ,hepherd.' quaeter.! are here """,~g 424 ohoop. The two

ohepherde are l ot Icvel elerico lind MC

alway. h.re,
42A. K'lIIn "b. U.uaI1y, 2_12 dog. ean
fou nd in Ihi. kennel,

b<!

42 R. Wild 4 ni...,,1 St " nge. At night,

R

c.Rptm..-l wilrl .nim.1b",ught for

t,..de i. eAgAd in tho nne empty k~nnel

Th det erm ine which wild animal i. lie"',
roll onlhe Great Northway Wander ing
Encounter TIIble. ror Animal., under
~ny t ype uf Wrraiu he~din~.

42C. St ables tor Se rvants' Horoeo

qua"'''''. "'e
a nd Oxen. The
here among 212 ri ding h o~, 2-12
<!raft horse., and 212 oxen. The two
groom5 are almost alway. here.

..,.,..,.,,,,s'

tees are here among 424 oows and

oalv"". The two rowherds are hexe
un le", the y are deliveTin~ milk to the
kitd,olJ' (17G, 39F, n6B)
46, Stable. for Mare. /ll>d F oal .
This .table i. empty at pre.ent, except
fnr a few miner tool.

48. M""'. T he moat," 4U' OOl"WlS and

isdng 20 ' he'nw ground level RAin wa
,..,. has mlleetl'd in t. h ~ mnot UI a rlep'h
of W , The moat oompletely ,urT ound.
the motte and eon~ ""t. with the diUh
surroundllW the bailey,
49 , PI"nk BrhlK'" A 3' -wide plank

D"ng<O~ Leoel

{7. Mott<. The motto i. a humanmodo e .... h mound me""",,;og UO' in

<li.meter at ito b""" and standing llO'
hi gh, The earth used to const ruct the
molt<! was duS from tho oun'OUndins
m""t. T h" mette'. top i. flot ond m<t.O.
.""'. 00' m diameter.

br~ .t<..,l.ch., 4 u' WI"'" the me aL,

cOlmectiu~ the bailey to tbe b... ""tb.

molt. and Ih. timber .tair,

60. Timber SUU" A 1O'wid. wooden
.tai"",oe climb. the ,ide of the m<>lta
f,""m the end of the pl....k bridge to tho
deor of tho kee p'. getehou!IC.

51. Sa .....t Ent eanee. Atth. baeo of

tho motte f.eing northwaol, 0 eonoeolod
antran"" an<t tunnel lead to tho
dungeon 10v. 1ofth. hop (55.). Evan if
t h " moot i. rilled In t he top, this open
ing i. "ill I ' RI>nV~ wAte, ' . vel Th u",
th" """",I MIn"",,, t b. mAA' m".' hoo
crossed.
32, Pall.ade, 'The 'harpe ned log.
frcm which the calisade iocon.trueted
stand 20' high.

43. Go ot Sheds, The geath.,.,I.' qua:-ten are hore muong 4 24 ll"""to. The lwo
goatherd. are !!eM'anb oftha cler ics and

are . lwo}.. horo .

44 . l"Iglltie-. Th w",.,herdo' quar

SWiM"....:!' v' rt" a lly liw, with t he ir
I,m'oine ehRTses

'5, Cow Sheds. The ",wherdt;' quar-

16 l$sUElNo , 7

Bides of the gatebnu"" RllllWing e",,~ to

the o.twelk, !lghting platform, and
I'Orl<;ulli upport repe,

Thi tone-wall ed tower replaced 0

wooden structure built hy Trader Jack
when he flrslloodod on th . Tall Or"".
Coast. The roof of the keep ia SO' .bove
the top of tho motto; lhe eounl"Y"ide can
be viewed from a height of 110'. Six
alTow loop' pierce tho towor w.!!. 5 '
.heve the ground. StX pilled window.
..... oat inln tha tow~ walla 15' above
the gronnd. ~'our lltainedgla", window,
.... 25' abow th e ground. 'I'm chim_
ney polO .tend atop t he obimney on the
north 'Ii"" of the tower. The odg<o ofth.
roof;" crenellated with merlon s and
emheR"""'. s.~ th~ i n.'~' mol' fo,
detail. "fthe tower', fnur level.

M . Catwalk. A 5'",id. walk way 3'

from the top of the pali . ado r uW! eom
pletely around the keep, The catwalk il
aoo.""ibl. via two exlerior ladders at
the gatehou"". During the day, two
IlCtltric. patrol thc e.tw.lk at il'l'<!gulat
intervall, At nighl, four "entries aro

ters are he re among 4-24 pig . 'I'lle two

fOTm. Two lodder< .1.Rnrl egoiost the

...

M. Gat.hou"e. Thi. ga tol>o""e ha.

no drawbridge. A m.tal.heathed portculli. ean b<' dropped qUick ly a''''',,,,, tho
opening by ehnpping a . upporting rope
The g'l-I'-hou" juto 1"'01 t he p.hsad. so
It!! roof can lie uBed as fighting pl.t.

Tile .Iooe w~lb and floor of Ibis le.el

a>'.

10' thick.

5GA, Well Room, A spinilltairw,y in

the northe.st cornet ofthi. poorl,y lit
chamber lend. 10the n....emeJ>t level
(56\ A eoocealod dooT io th. norlhwest
corne r ""nneets with the oecret door 51
a re. 51 via u leng , downward. leping
I""not In tho .. nt<!r af th. room iB
froBh_water wall 150' d...p,
5511. Pri..,,,er '.

~II .

The door 10thi.

""II >II unk>cked. 1nslde tho c.lt i. a

OOI"U. wn n i. actually. gU"" of TroA<>r

JlICk. Hi. modest acoommod.tion was

nne of two I.n in th~ k""fl for vi.i1"... . If
tbl, part of the .dventu,.., I. ruu Won>
the PC, are hired by the tnrtles (or If
they heve declined to helpA he is packt"lo: hi . purple ~armen", to le.ve for
Y. n k . lId W" ""ntelmi.l pil,,",in~e W
hi . "nc.",..."l en loy;"~ )O"ou"d. H.
can be hired fur 3 SI' per day In 8""ide
the p"rty dir..tly to Yuak.
Me, Priooner'a Cell , Thi" ll i.
.urrently empty but can he uaod by
8"""010 ef Tl-.c1er J""k. Advenlurer. who
break any 1'U1.. 01" offend Trade< Jook
are impriooned in Ihi . dark room.
B",.ment Lw./
~6A . Entrywoy. The onlranoeto Uno
ohoot. hallwoy i. gl.la>x1ed hy a ",,,,"1.

.he.thed porteullis which can btl

TORTLES OF THE PURPLE SAGE Port 2

drnppPll .",.""" t.hR o!"'ning hy chopping

it! support rope_ Doing SO might t .~p
would-be attacker. In the gatehou!le
between lIOrt<ulli or in.ide the entryway. whe,.., 1"'lIe woodan dour. balTad
from the inside hlock their p."".ge,
Arrow. or Loilina wawr CilIJ be ll<>~'..,.j
ODtO U 8Pped invader. throuall d.,.ee
murder hole. in the ceili,.. f,'om <be
guard room (57BJahove.
1i6B, Kitchen, Thi. room' . floor L.
oowered with .. nd flocked with blood, A
rack on the wall hold number of
l.rge <leavers (treat ... hand ""e.) and
"","ving kniv,", (\.Nat ao ",,,,,,,al dag g"'.), In tho ,oom'. oonu.r i. a largo,
wooden, blood-lltained chopping block
about~ ..... t.ll ond 3' .qu..... ,
Th. Iutchen oonlain. food preparation
Ulan.ilnd e.hng imple"",nto of aU
klnd~, Waterskino full of wine and ale
hang fTom woorl.n!",lI" on t.hR wallo.
and a dead duck and chick"" .... Ou...
pended by their necks fi'om the rafter.
The door to :l6A can be barred from
the in.ida. A .piral.talnvay wnn""t. <0
U'" dun~auJj l.,.lloalu," and Lh.llr.at
hall 1.,01 .00, . An .rrnw loov vian",
the wall near the .pn-al.tairway_

500. Armory. Thi. door i. look.d.

Any type of armor OT weapon Ii.ted in
the &p<'1 Rulebook Ill be found in
thi<; ehtunbor, The room iA lit through
two arrow loop".
56D. Storage. Th.. door io not looked.
L ...ge .u~pli... offood, drink, wood, gnd
honsohold . u p~ li
tored in thio
,Mrnb.T, There
1_12 nornu>l rat=s
"ere , The roo'" ,.lit through thr....
alTOw 1M!",

Greal Hall u""1

A spiral stairway connect. thi$l~'el

w ith u,~ ""l~r 1.,d ~bl-"~ ~lld <h. b~",,
men< le,el below.
57A, Great H aU, The Rfeat baU is
richiy de.corot.<>d ond finely furni.hed
There L. gl""" in the metal-grill"" win
dow. Bnd the ceiling. nC of carvod
wood. A large oak !>'estle table .tretche.
40' acroas thi. firepl .."" hoaled eh[UJ1ooc.
Eigh'""n eat"V.d wood.. n chai.. our_
round th. impr...iv.. ly t l abl . The 18
silver platea are worth 10 ap each, and
u!en.iI nd gOOlot ...1 at eh
tho

~.
\
from the ceiling heam., Between the
hm doo"" on the oouth "",11 i. an unfiniched mo.p of the G",.t Northway l.nd.
Riohl<lnd Trading Purl ihown Illa,,!!
tho w....t ""..t. The ring and <orllc
&haped.arth mounds (_ Part 1, J>'-g.'
5-8-59, i.sue f(;) "'" shown a. wat.r
hoi, 'I'h. Ik...t NOO'lbw.y .od tho
lnealions of ruined <iti are not ohown
57R.l1u ar<l Roo m. Thi, room 10
directly abo". the .ntrywoy (MA l. A
JlOI'toullls wlndla.. atand. to nne . id. of
the room, Unle". the tower !laB been
reoently attacked, the metalsh.athed
I-"-'J'\culli. han~ uvl-"-'cL.d by a WI'" in
Ihi. rWIll. A door read,ed by .q""",ing
around lhe .oopellded POr"'ulli. l.ad.
out.id~ to the roor of the ~atehou..,
which
A' 0 fi,hting pl<ltfo.-m.
Three fi.tsited murdeT hole. P;eT"" tho
floor of t b. gutU"d room ond allow the
entryway to be observed or defended.
The guard room i. illumiootod through
two .,,;ned window"

oeT".'

fi,.

pla,,"re wort.h 1O.p more Fiv. MaulJ

ful t.'1"'01""' (worth I ~o m> ".c~) ~.ng

A 'plCal .tain...ay eonooet. this l.v.l

wi'h the ,.""fle....,1 ~b<we .nd tm. greal

nall loyd bel.,..... Thi.lovel i. ri<hly

de"",.ted and finely rUToi.hed. There i.
O\<>;n"d-gl"". the window., and the
ecilings ...0 d""'OT.ted with wood """ ..._
ing<. A holy "}'mool ..nd n tnpo ....y
(wol'th 250 gold pi__) haog io each
ch.mt-.
It JS"".ely irnp"""ible to 1hd.r
J...,k W;lhout "" .p~intrn~ol. Ho i. ill
ch.. ge ot tho .. nti .... trading ~,t (.""..pt
rOT the der;,") and decide. what overy_
en" "I." d......, " <,", "'.inS TT~""r J~"!< .""
hi. ""","ot.ry (""" ~ T"O ,~ R FJ ~ml <'''Wom
(see area MA., The ,eo'"tl'ry runo
~rrand . write. letters, and .e,.,,'~. as
Tradec Jack's personal "",i.tant. Th~
.toward ",d.", .uppli"".uper,ises
huu..,lwld ..,nanL<>, ~Jjd dIed,,, un the
condition of room.., furniture, linen, and
dolhiUj(, Tl'ad..- Jack' oeret.ty and
otowa,d.,.., in lhe keep at all ti mes
except when running clTnndo_TTndec
Jack i. cUlTemly at home, but he often
gocJl ""ploeing f.". month> nt B time,

'0

58A. Study, Outpo.1 buoin,"," i. 000

dueled in thi. omee. During daylight
hou",. 'Ihd.r Jadr'. steward {At: 9;
H; hp I~: IXI' I; Urng by w"'pon Iypo;
MV

rae- 14U'1; San

~ '4;

DUNGEON 17

ML 6; AL NI

TORTLES OF THE PURPLE SAGE . Po rt 2

"an be foun d delving into paperwork. At

night, the ,t.wnro .Ieop. hero. He
alw ays eani an <>rnam~ntal d"gll"c,
U PC. a,k 10 ''''' Trad~c J~ok, tho
steward politely M is them that the
tr9.der ""'. no on. without"" app oint.
ment . One. ~n ~ ppotnt m e n t " mad<>,
,h~ PC:. will ho> gl V' ~ a '.im. Ul ret"tn Ul
this room to meet and talk with Trader
J",k _ U!lUally In 1-4 daY"
~B, P arlor, This silting room sports
an uv.rstutTed diva n upholstered in
animal skin (w"rth 100 gp)

58C . Chapel. In tI,e "h ap.l ha"2

e, Ime-nI. embroid....d "itl. guld
thread (,.,..,,-th 25,iWJ. Chapel ornament:;
of gold, oil",,", and p"edou~ .to"" ..-e
worth 100600 gpo

MD. Be doh"",b<o~ A Imp """"Pied

bed nlmoot fill. thit; l"OOl"tI. Trodor Jnok
.1_ h.<9on f<>UI' "";mol , kim WOtth
200 gp "l"ooo. Preciou. ston.... and "Pi",,"
lotalling 1,Q00-4,OOO gp adorn. tOO room.
MK Hath. The ,.oom', a l,. and wa_
Me h.atod by . lorf1'! fi....pIRC<'. W""m
w.I.. ,. i" pouN'd into a woodon tub "".d
fOT bJoth ing. Thp.... i< no MRp, hnt fll~nt.y
of coarse toWel, hang along the wan.

58F, Wardroom. Trader Jaclr.'. per.

>!Ona! . ecrelary(AC 9; F3; hp l~ ; fAT
1; Om;! by we~pon Iyll"; MV 120' (40');

Save F3; ML ~, AL N)'~ll [,., fu~"J III

this room day and ni~ht un less halpim:
to run errand.. for hi" Il1Mter. Tho room
alllO contai"" "" vera l un1<><k. d the.ta
holding five animal..kin robe. worth
200 gp each, jew.lry worth a total of
500 gp, ODd r= .pi... worth 50 gp, The
oe=tary wear. n hnnd oxe on hin bolt.
59. Re>of Level. A spi ral stairway
conn",,\o thi , lovol to tho ..,lor lovol
""low. T"a d~ .. Jack tAC 9; 1"9; hI' 41;
'AT 1; Omg by w~apon type; MV izc(40 '); Save F9; ML n: AL N; twohanrl...t .wo,rt) 'p"nrt. mlle!> of ~i. f"",.
ltme beh ind the"" b..tt.lemont. , un-ey_
ing Riohland Trading PMt and the ,ur
rounding wllderne,.. He often keeps
watch for rne""a~. pi~eolUl retumin~ to
( h~ic ruunul' luft..
m,o"", ... " .....-ty uf ~ ~~lu.."", ",,(.0 u~t
for unknown lan<1o or """". Jatk ",,,w,,,

oeveral of hi:; pigeon:; aion;( with them.

He inotrocto ad..-enture... to tie me"",, _
to th o pigeon', leg. and l"eleaoe them from
t;mo to lime to infoml him oftheu- progress. It "' through ouoh intdligcnoo-

18 Issue No . 7

gathering operatioru; that Trader Jack

hao am=<! muoh pr<>e\i<:nl inf"",,~tion
llhout the GrOllt Northwoy Londo, Tradc<
Jack has ~lf!O ~n known to "'""".. 1001,
oaptured, or dying parties after reooiving
a pi.... f"" he!p ";.. pigI>OO "", mger. U'
the PC , msk. an oppointment to "peak to
bi m, J.ek req'-"'SlS thRt they 10k<> U

pigeon_ along to inform him of their prog"'''''. Tlt.h~ PC. ",fi,,,, ~i . twjI,,,",,, ',~ e i ,
Iltay in Ricl:tbrnd m oy bo a ohOl"t. one. If
they do not lISe tbe birds ... instructed,
the PC. "ill not be welcomed to Richland
in th e futu re,

The

Lo~1 Rul n~

When the PC! leave Richland Tradillll

P oot, tI,ey may dod 10 eJqlloro allYor
all of the three lo.t rui""l""ated Oil the
Cre at Northway Land.. map . iliarya
lie, be.ide tbe Empty Valley River,
Brlot nc.U nP1aD.$ tho Bylot Hills,
and Ynzo.k ,land. elono on tho ntcpP""
that be~r ito nam.
Remember to use the Wild.ma."
Encounto>" 'fibl from th. &pul R~!o
book and the U ....at Northway Wildsr_
""'" Enooun"'," ( end of thl. mOOul~)
!IS the PC. travel alangthe 'Hill Grass
('" a",. aod "''''l' ." . Y.,.k S'ep",. a nd
Rylot Hi ll. Th",~ i. aIM ~ 21lo}' ohanco
per day that, if th. y """a not hil'ffl '
reputable guide, the PC. will I:>eoome
lost and wander almle,sly rsee Export
Rukbook, pa~e 41l.
Alllhree 01' the I"", cuiI\lj"'" wid out
ill tile ,eille ,,~ tlern , U.., the w. t R~ iIUj
Map as a j(llide \Q the ,e"lLa! """till" of
. ach ruin. Specific ar. ... 1'ealmo diffo!'
ent encounter! in eaeh ru in, however,
PC. feel only a .light 8enlIIlt;on wh;l.
I&porlir>g via the gate oWneo and may
not l'COlillo they ore io 0 diI1'<rcnt ruin
boooUBC the lnyouro ore almoot idontielll.
11' an Moo'Hontenl. diffor only . light
ly from roin to l'uin, " !I" na1 d...,;ph on i. given forst, followed by <pecifio
feat"""" oUlla' ....... ill .....n rotll. !teed
th<! bo~od d~ipt!o n pI"" ony apl>"opri
Rte specifrc cleocriphon """,b h"", the
PC. Olll.~ ll"mho>'"d a""a
1. Gate ~ t"n p . Th~ v"rim,. ~ " tlO
. ton are >hown as IA. IB ,1C. 1D. l E,
and 1F on the Loot Ru tns Map.

A ~ O'_ta ll carvod gato , tOll<' blocka

15' .",ide oI~ t. Th. mao,i" e round
"'-one~. . . ~"mM "i.ffl hol~ bore;
t hr ough it.

This artifact;8 known"" a "Portal ro

Evtryland." Anyone passing through the
oponing in th o "'-'"""l <brection while
holding tho proper key ill i""ton~ t t _
()Olted to an identical gate stone in a
distant location. Conwt ded... OV".ation
i. only diooov",""" by oxporimentahon or
talkmg to loco! ".m.,u ti>l~" (ortl.,.".
,nappers): A fragment ofrortle eggshell
("' 1M1lt n.% of a .,ngl. ,h.m mnll! bo>
heM in. h""",h"nd ,,-, ""'i,"'" ,.ne t<>/p.
port devl",. Nl th~ tTav.l.". """J1' rllrnllEh
tna gate iWlne, tho eggllhe ll fragment
dJBinWgnl1e. InUl powder. Eggshell tTag_
men", not nald in a bare hand are tmaff""l<ld, "" ~dventure," may travel up to
1'our tim"" with ... ingle egwillell by pIa<>
ill" Iho ",,,,~ i,,i,,~ f..""",onto iJl a ,"",k or
baJ;; ",hil. tekp;n'I;'<K,
Tho gate oWn.. ",ero nred by messen
go," of the ono;cnt Dr llv" the rllCe who
built Ih. dtie, that are now tho lost
",ina. Shell folk w .... once a suboen-icnt r~co to the o.ovo nnd we", fOTbid
don to w;c the gntc stonea, 'Ib the abon
f<>lk, who ...gar<:l .peed a. a virtue, tho
gate .to""" b""am o a "ymbol of il'"""''pow.... Not .ll shell folk ....member how
the gat.. OIon worked, thcugh Ihoy
,till ,..,v~ro thom
Th , fiM gate .ton~ wa. <..... a t<><! hy a
J"'W~rfnl n , avi. h m.gie,,,"er ""nw . i ~ "
ago'~ t h ~ oity ftf Y" "k ffih~l l folk
claim h. had " !nrtl~ or .napp~' ~p p",n _
tice , depending On wbleb 'Ian you talk
to,) During the earthQuake whioh
d,,-,troyed tbe Dravi5h citi"" and .hifted
the Graat Nortbway'. roarse, the seoret
to _ ..at h l~ the ~ate .10"" w . . lu.t,
Nati""" who 18te r di""""",od tbo ~ate
oWoo. did nol re8 lizo t heir magical
powe", but knew thoy we'e important
10 their anoeotoro.
D_,J'<'
Ston
Clinging vin"" ~oD.$ from the gnt c
rtoneo at l A, I B, l C, and 10, blocking
thoir openingnd tniling into tho
str t. The,e gate ston.. navo oom_
pletely lo.t t h.ir mag,c. 'l'hq vin aN
!lCtually strangl" vin~. th.t oan pnll.
PC from tho vound . Th"'II"tton. '
eJOll h~ .voi rtAd hy movi ng ..~m"gn '- h ~
Tll~nl ~ ,-,, @
il.h..-r.irle oft.hem
The magieal gate . tone at lE is a on.
way ..kporl d. vice. Movinz southeast
throu~h the p t. atone wh ile ho ldin~ a
rr~~ men t uf wrtle e~~.hel1 /ekparl. the
PC to j(ate .lone I B in Yozak. Nothinj(
bappe '1\! if the PC move. northw.st
t hrough the gate otone or doe. not hold
tortlo cggoholl ,

a-

TORTLES OF THE PURPLE SAGE Part 2

LOST RUINS

Gate stone
Crum bling monol ith
Marble column
':1,.: Rubb le
I::;) Pile of bones

CROSS SECTION

1
DU NCEON 19

aquar e

1U'

TORTLES OF THE PURPLE SAGE - Part 2

Irale .lone at IF while holdinl: a frag.

menl oftortle e~Ksh.J1 teleports the PC
to I:a(.e stone
in ByM. Noth inl: hap!J"U' irthe PC ow,e. iu th e """",e
diNletion or doos nol use an egg,hell,

Ie

flyk,t Gate 8ro"es

PC., ,.ho try to pa'" throu~h the opening. {in either di<e<ti",,) of gate stone.
lA, l B, IE, or IF are .trucl< by a sevo",
electric , hock , a sign t hat the magic of
th""c gate .tone. hw.o begun to fodo ond
"go bo.d," The current oppearo no light
ning radintin.g from oil . idee of the
P"" ""'g'''''''"y. Th . ";"Iim .ulT...." 120 hp
eloctrioal damoge ~V<ln if h~ do~ ",,t
oompWu,ly p.... tJu-ough the opening,
wit h or v..ilheut tortl<! eglfll h ~ ll
PC. who p"" thro"l1h th~ gat<> stone .
in .pi'e of the 'h""k ha"" 8 5% oho"""
Ul h. r.li'[>i>rwi ~Of) mil"" "W~y in "h.
.tr~ight.lin. di....,linn th.y tnn1<
throulrh l he stone (If. of rour"". they
carried tonle elUlshelll, Otherwi.., the
I:at< . tone doe" nothinl:'
Moving w""tsouthwest throul:h the
~a" ,lUlla .. lIe while huldiu~ Lorlle
em:shell
the PC to ~at. stone
IF in Dravya , Moving oouthwe.l
through the "ate stone atlD ..nd. the
PC to galton. l A in """ak, Nothing
haJ'P"Il" if the PC mov,," in the oppo.ite
di=ion th",ugh the g~te stones or
doe' not hold 0 fragment of tortle egg
&hell.

"'k"",."

y_~

Gate Sid"".

Tho p to .tonoo ot Ie, lD, IE, and IF

produoe th~ m. lighlnin.g offt ..
tb""" at !lylot. MOVing northwe.l
through th. gate lito.... at lB t.kpo,,"
'.h~ PC '" ff"'~ . tnM IE in n.~vya
T>-~v~ling nm1,h.~"" IhrOllgh g~I" ",..m ~
lA ..ndo thO! PC Lo gatton. iD in
Bylot. Nothinz happens if thO! PC moves
in the oPllO"ite diroctlon t hrough these
~te ,tones or doos not hold the
required pi""" of lorUe "1:1:,hen,

2. Cru' Il-bliu l\" Mo" olith. The,.. ",e

two uprlj:ht, crumblinl: mon oliths _ 2A
and 2D - in each kJ.l ruin.
This 30-high, squsre. crumbling
monolith suppom a motionless.
humansi<ed lii:u", .l.and;nll on top.
Gril.ty loehu ldpir~l unc" ~,,-,und
\b" pill",.
The loelwlw. ~lluw""- U'" ~ndenl
l.ouild"r' \0 d~,," .lId ",.illla;u ll,.
her"",,' stalue. atop there mo nolit hs. If
the PC. att<ompt to climb a monolith,

20 1S$\le No, 7

roll Id20. Ifth. val"" i. I, than or

equal to tbe pc . Dexterity, he o11mb.
the monoli th safely, If the va lue is
I:",..t"r t han the PC.,. Dexlerlty, he f"ll'
l S' onto the .treet for 2d6 hp damage.

. , W~n~d w ee, The'" W'eeight lerr.

D ,.UV'f~ M~,wl;ll",

Groemoh-brown metol . tatllell of

anciont Dravioh heroe. dr ."ed in
armOr stand atop the pilla,.". Bird.
ocea,ionally land on the h wnan. i2ed ,
hollow .tal~o., whioh "'"0 "OI1",ly mor-tored to the orumbling monolit h:!. If l he
mortar ioohiwled aw,,>", or if t he dork
oorr""ion i. r"tohod f'om a . ...t"" by
forca, <opper_""le"'" b... metal
appOM' . JO""h stat"" i. ma d. ot p""o
<lppor, _igh , 300 pound., .nd i. worth

zoo lIP
ByllJl MMolUh.
The PCs oense they are being watch ed.
Surln.nl)', th~ f1gur . on top ofth. pillOT
bendo down end begins beeting a loud
dr um . The ngure is a pSgRD lookout
.igneling othee Neutrnl Alli a""" memo
ber>. Alkr bnatlnKUte dmm for twtl
,uunw" he atl<J<1o \h~ PC. with hi.
lonl: how and 20 aJ'l"<Jws. The pnl:an
carrie/! no per""nnl trea","'.
Y""n~ Monolith.
The PC. renu lhey are heing watched,
Suddenly, tho figu~ atop the pill'" lin.
an animel horn w it. lip. and begins
trumpeting. The figure ;" " dervish
loo k~ut signaling othor L.wful Alli,.n..
m<>mbers. Aft.r trumpotin.g hi. horn for
lwo rounds, he attacks the I'Gs with his
light ..."","""" and 30 q""-l'l'el. 'I'he
d.nio!> oorri<>. no p",""onal tn."""'.

3. M81'ble Columns. There are two

nprigh.. mOThl.oolumn.' _ U, ~nn ~ R
in each 1_ ru in.

its ~rodf'd ba . T1I. PC who tll11oh<>rllhe

muble and anyone within 30' mu,t
make a Saving Throw v., Deatlt Ray or
suffer 220 hp dama!:t,

Thi8 20 'hi gh, round mubi.

<lJumn ouppoct moti""l...,
num.n.l>ed lIg""" .'''''~ing on top.
Th. colu mn i. of poliohod lito"" and
h!tl! no toehold.!!.
Byk,/ and Ya", k Co/urn",
TIt<> .tontat..... at@ooulptu .... 01
~ n e ;~ nt Tlr.v;,n 1.JJn." dr."",," ;n
flowing ro;""'. An ,",""" innal hlrd land'
on eaeh statue, head.
DrtWJa Colu m n.
The 'Lon n .tntun" dnpJc-' nncien< Drnv
io}" le~d" J'~' du th ...," ill Bylot .ud
Yaza k. However, tbe I""tan t a PC touche. the ma rble, the column topple. from

(4MH) in the rui",'d b~ildiJllU> '<if-

roun din ~ the central earth mound in

each city. Some h~ve been empty for
yo".... Other. "'er' recently va<ated by
theic ocoupant., Some ofthe bi... oon
"'in ormed .... 8tur.

N ul ~ 1I the buildhrjl' lh., oueruuod

the . entr. l monnd .pl>Oar do.."I.d,
$ome ha, ..,lid r'OOf' .nd. m~1ti
tude offoolprinl" leading from their
dark d_w"y.
[)m"J~

La".

Near4A and 4B, tho pc" aense they are

nol a1ono, Suddenly, a <eptiHu on"p'
pet he.d pokes out of a doorway, oiming a long bow in the advent,."..,..'
direction.
Long whit lrand. blow from the
O]l'ln doorway of tC. Fo,.". .~.n~. h.v~
juot diolodgod t ho webbing a. they
charge lhrough the opening,
Crowhng .lowly oul tho doorway of
4D io ~ lorS' 1'I!d."-"d.gre.n.SlTi~
"n~k ~, iM ~y .< .. whi~linE hl.nd nf ~n
the oolon of t he reinbow , Th16 ""esture
i. a ..mi.i ntell ig.n.. h y p no. na ke. I..
ettempta to catc b the PCs niT guard "" 11
can "UflIrio. th.m with ita mllnolic
g""e blJfo~ devouring tham, If a party
~r .".""Iure," "'lock. I,he llJ pn""aoke,
it curl. II. t.il.-.rouud 10 .I""h while it
attempt:; to make eye oontact with one
of the PC" It oontinu", to attack with
taU and goz. until killed or tho party
fleea, un lea:! itfail. a morale check, If
tho ""ventur.... alumpt to fight it
without looking at it, the hYPl\Ollnoi.
"""" ito bite and tail ror sombat. If th e
adv~nt""" .. fl"'" lving .ny of thoir
party mombe.. ""lo~p> tbe hypnoonake
immedi.t.ly bogi"" to davaW' on. oflhe
. l.oping indlvidllala. Thio t ..... ix
round,. d,.".mg whioh the onoke
J./)
hp rl.m"E~ "'l,h. al""'ping ind iv irln~1 ii,
i..... ~n".,.;nE. Onowallow<>rl, ..n.
unfortnn.te PC Mnt iou tn take 1-6 hp
da mage per round un til de ad , A1tee six
hours. the body is dil:ellted and unrecov
.rable. The hYPllOlUlue h"". ,ery
efficient diKestive svstem and mana2e.
to ""noume virtually e-verything it .wallow., including magic.l item., wo"p<""',
gold, and je_I" If the nypn".nake ;.,
defeated and it . lair i. ...arched, two

d"".

TORTLES OFTHE PURPLE SAGE Port 2

opa l. and two rubie., worth 1,000 IW
uch, are found,
Fr om deep in the ohad."..." nea r ~E ,
t he PC . detect moyemenl, Something

human nppet>r. te be conjuring n .pen

(cider cleric of the Choot ic s.;ote,..

h.,.,d, A C 1; C6; hp 6 36; MV 120' (10');
~AT 1, Dmg by epa ll or wupon typo,
Save c e , ML 6; AL C; Spall .: ca U""
lighl woun ds, cnnso
hold poroon,
<i/on"" 15' rodin<, can" di.""w, .tam_
Ao a member of the PC . ' party .top.
ou t of tho !hadoW'O n~a:r 4F, a ",bed mon
oP!"' " ", "H~" i. od "ol ly A mogi"""",
of th o Ch otk S i!!l.... h oo.-l whn h~" "" "' "pOlymorph ,..,/f sp"11 UJ a ppear as a
mem her afth e Lawful Brothe rhood_ She
tri es to convince the party that .he is a
bro th e r who has be<ome 1000t while on"
mi'Mun ~ nlw""n eherie uu tlJUl'l. IT lh n
PC . " t t ack lon" "ho d<>fond<. her""lf wilJJ
spells (n ecro m a n c e r of the Chaotic
Si"tuh<><><l., AC 9; MUS; hp 20; MV
120 ' (40'1, IAT I, Dmg by opoll or weop'
on type; Save MUS , ML 10; AL C, dag.
ger, Spell .: charm per ron, magic
",;",il.>, ~ m<Ji<, ron,inual darh . "",
d.t",,1 inuwible, i"oi. ib'lity, {iroball,
lightning boll, oharm m o""ler, poly-

r.ar;

morph self
Le~ping from ro ver ~ t .,e" 4 (;, ..
human d",,,,,,ed in dark . oior ' abo .. t a
PC '. ba ok (p il fer . , of the Cha otic
Si9terhood, A C 7; 1'7, hp 18; M V 120'
140 '); 'AT 1, Dmg hy weapon tYP"; S""e
1'7: JIlL 9; AL C: long ' w.... d; OL 4 ,~%,
s-r 40%. RT 38%, PP 50 %. M545%, CSS
931t, H S Mit, HN M J.
From d""p in thn Ilh ~dt>w. ",, ~r 4H,

~he

PC. d~\.o t JU uv~lJl~n~. SuJIl"l.hi n~

ltUJll~1J ~W""" l.u be cUJ~ urilJ~ " ..,11

(m a tria r c h of t h e Chaotic S i .tcrhood, AC 9; C9, hp :12; MV 120' (40');

IAT I , Dmg by . pell or ....apon t yp.,
Sav. C9; ML 11; AL C; rna""; Spel ls:
cau ,e lighl wound" d arkn..o, proleclion
from <"V ii, blighl, fr<>t ~"", n . "I,nce 16'
r<>di us, ron /i n""i d ark"""., cau", dio
cas o, ""no, cause ,"" ,,,,.. wound.., pro
!o!cI;"" from ouHIO' r<><Ii",,).

Bylor Lai,.
Tn" Pl'. !><Ie. (ho iow gl'QW l. and pu"".

of large cat" ne ..r ~ r... 4A..Thi. build.

109 is a shelter fot" 11U sahr...tooth
t.i g~ ,,, , t.h~ mmmU ~ft.he I, In ,aka<U1 "
t.hat l~ir in
ing!! 4E4H

""'~ " 41\, 41:, ond 4D , Build_

M e t h.l..;" of I _W p aga no.

Yazak Lairs
Bu ild inlr.l4A, 4 B, ~n d 4C "'-'" t hola;.."
un -lO lu"i"", Huwlin ~, h",h, ~nd
"'....,, 1. CUJHe (l'UIn ~re~ 4D, uoed "" ~

kennel for the lu pm'. di. e wolves

(equal in numher UJ lup in. ). Buildings
4 K-4H "'" t he l"i... of 1_ 10 d"rvi"h ,,".
Ii. Bone PUe

In the miM I. ofa w;d. aven"",

on ly " few yard. from t he ee nt r al
eorth mound, tho us and. of .un_
ble ached human bones form a grisly,
20'_'all pile

" ,'(wya, Ra" . Pi l~

i'lnrlrl.n ly, a (""-'-'I,m"; , manlike <k .l~ .
t on _p" au ' hnm hf'hin d a we ll ~ n d
blocks the path to the earth mound. It Is
armad wit h four nor mal sword. , The
creature i. a h o n e "olem set t o gu ard
(he ear(h muu n d_j f ~n y P C ap pr""ch""
t he mu ulld, r~ i ,e . a we~ p u n , u.- ",,~illli
to o~.t. a .pel!, (he ""lon, attaok, up l<>
t ",o PCs each l'(lUM ont11 it is defea ted
or the T'Co a pe dJ-ive n off. The bon e
not
golem he> no <rea.ure a nd

0.1 "".

retreat fr om combat.
Bywe

~'U1

Y""oJo Bo ne Pile,

Gold glint, from tho tootb of Govor ,,1

.kllll. a"'P the bo"" pile , I f tb. sku lls

a ro searohed , 5 _lUU lIP warth of ar tifi.

cial teeth are found . The anCIent Or a v.

.pp,,"ntly pr oot,i'.Ao1 denU ..ry
6. E a rth Mo u n d . In the center of.-he
ruine d city, a square, na t-topped pyr amid uf e~ rth to",e," above the rubble .
W"""" ~row OIl il lup ill~ . ide, _~nd ~
pile uf inte r wove " ("i>:. a n d hr~m:Jl e .
OIl the py.-amid'. top a ppear> l<o I>< a
larl;<' ne,l , ~ O' above . treot leve l. I f the
pyramid;" ""o led, rend one "Hhe following p..... oge"

D""'-'Y<' Mound

A. , un ~~~ro"dl the l op of lh.

pyl'amid, YQlJ OSll .... tl",UU~]' WI<
lIe . t ,> illlOJ,twilJ<d b ra"dJ , s", ell
3' -iollj( wiJl,i(edlizard .-e, emblh'2
g,=n dTagon.lie ,lrepingon 0 J a r~e
piie of . iiv er eoin> a nd a few bl ue
ge m e-

The wJn ged l",ardo ~re ~ du~lly p oc ket dragon . Their hoard <ontain, l ,OS(l
ep, 7,350 ' p , ~nd ,,"ven top.." worth
24~ gp e oeh .

DUNGEON 21

TORTLES OF THE PURPLE SAGE - Port 2

As you "PP'"osc~ t~ e top of the

pyramid, two huge bro',;n bIrd. l'\lsh
to tho oky in a flurry off.atho,.. ..nd
dry .wiff" Th. V.n' hil'(l. of p""y
wh",,1 t<l " tt. ok wilh talon. ""dy.
This io tho oMt of a mated pair of
lI'I"nl h",,'lro. Thoro i , no t",.,u", in
t.hir n."'" hnf th.r. aro t.wo . gg< '-",io.
t.he 'izo ofa man '. head, ",,,dy to hatch.
The giant hawks defend their eggs to
the death ,
By{,,1 Muund
Ao you appro. oh the top of the
flYl'amid , you "an .... t.h roll g ~ t.h ~
n",,'.'. intl'rtwined ""anoh"" . On~
cre at ur e, with the $haggy head of a
!ton and the I:old body of a dragon .
lies sleepinl: on a lar~" pile of . ilver
and ~ l d coin.,
Any PC within 120' "'tm. dr agOllll ~
when it ro.,.. mum make a Savim: Throw
VOl. Dr"l(OD Breath or fl.., in fuar for twu
,<lUllu". TI", drubUlJlI. 'O """. deaf",,. auy
croalw-eo wllhin 30', Deafened creaturo.
ouffer a -2 penalty 10their hit roll, for 212 toundo , The dro.gonne CAn TO..,. M<e
evocy three roun&, hut CllnrlOl bite in lb o
8IImo round that it roat3. Thi, dragonno '.
ncot. oontnin..a h<>l>rd of 1,000 gp, 2,000
cp, and 5,000 ep .

If the PC, roach tho> pyramid top ond

dol""1 ar driv" olJ tho nost buildors ,
,..,ad tM lollowingo
From the pyramid'. top , you ..,.
the . ubble of " ruino<! eity ett'Ctehing
out in all diroetlon.. Six briel< and
debris litlcred .tr""t" ra diale from
tho oarth monnd'a ba... to tho oity',
out.r adg"., You pla inly '.0 two
lamt, un.worvmg pathll I.ading out
of ' ighl lrom tho out.r an d' oft",o of
tlla .tr!to . Th
lon.g, 5' wid. pRthS
a"" nifficnl'."
iI"""nn l~"",l
My.lcrlOUS pot h<, Vl.,bl. only from
high in tho air or from tho .arth UlOund
top, ,0nn'>Ct t~~ I"" t . " i ,," Only PC s
who look down from , II<! .Art,h mnund
tap or fly allea" ao' ah<>v~ Ihe lin .. ate
abl~ to _tham
PCs who inv estigate the lines find
path. mad. by clew-in~ away . t une. ta
",,,""I Lh~ ""i1. Ao \h~ ""il io Ih~ ."Ul~
color !Ill the rocks , the paths au onlY

22 Issue NO. 7

fuoo" ered when the ditTerente in tex,

ture is noted from above. On the Lost
Ruin. Map. tho ~aths axle nd tho '!-reat.
th~t le ~d ~way fwm th e e~,-Lh muu"d',
b""" in the dir ections mark.d A, 8 , C,
D, E, and F,
The patM arO man'mado, not ma gical,
and do not devinte i'om b<ing perfectly
straight more than a few yard s in a
milo , Th. !"'tM pnM .tr~ight ovor all
terrnin, vegotation, ond b=iorn, Thoy
out through forest" aero"" rive,.", up
hills, and 0""" r oning gra,:,.land. The
path, had a roligiollO. ignifioallO<l to t lla
anci ent people who ""r"leh.d Ih.m oul,
S""", lin oor""'pond with tho l'i'poT!
direct,ons oftb. mag,cal ga te ,t o n~s,
Th. p.th ,.., _n ton_hpgth. loOl
r"iM nn th~ m ~ p of t h~ Gl'I'M N<lrt h w~ y
I..nd.
Dmuya PatM,

mouth ollbe Great NorthWllY.

SUCC~"" at eIther venlllre brln~.l:t eal
",ward>. If tho ad venturers return 10
~lIY <iviliz.d purl wilh ~ mH~ .bowin~
the mouth of the Great Northway, they
or. commu..lone<! to ,'eturl< a"d e~~lo",
the oontin""t'. hearllaud, and may he
"",t to flnd the sout<e of the Groat
Northway in the land of Frostheven.Jf
the PC. learn tho oeeret ei operating
the gale gtoneo, lbey hnve a taotio<>!
adva ntago ior defeating- the Chn eti e
Alliance of aranea, snappel1l, and the
Chaetie Si'lorllood. The """""t of tlu>
gattono,' <>p<trntien i. almo. t beyond
pr ie<>; b<>lh m,,,.., ,,,,,,t, and sail"" will hid
agal""t eac h other for tblS valuable
knowl..Ige. If. in addition, the PC.
,...'"rn wit," I " rg~ pi"""" of tort,l. ~ g g ,
.h~lI , '''.y m~y .011 thorn for " good
price in any aiz;eable WV>1l or city.
f.I

The paths extend 10 the ea. l-northeast

and to the .southeam , The path ta Yluak
(E) in"""",,!.>; ~ rin~ -.h aped "~ rlh
mound about 150 miles from either oity.
The paU, te Bylot (F) intersect. a illouud
ohalH'd like two oemi<irde' ab out 400
mile. from Dtn vya,

QuiCK Fix

Bylol PalM,

The I"' th, elflcnd 10 thc ,.,uthwo. t and

we't-Iloutbw",, ~. oonaeoting Bylot with
Drovya (e) and Ynzak (D), Halfway
botwoon Bylot and Dtavya, the path
inte:roecto an . arth mound . hap<><! iik.
two ..",i,irol"., A tertle. haped mound
on th<l path fro'" Hy!ot to Yll.2ak lioo
obout ~50 mil from oilh... city.
Ytl.>n~

Pnlh.

t.ho north"""" and north_

west connect Y""al< with Bylot (A) and
Dra"y~ fBI. E.th ~ th In,,,r _ t. an
earthen mound (<00 Dra"ya and Bylat
paths above),
Th~ p~th" t<l

Concludin g the Ad ve nture

TIte ~l'e mall)' pos:liblo Ollie"""" for thi .
advent""" all of which pwbo,bly ....ult in
the PQl returning II) ci"ilization ""haost,
ed from ""!<king <""""""",ntry (pel'hapa
""""ralli"",.), If they Ilurvivodthe trip
bot woro ~nl in finding lbe
mouth of the Great Northway, they may
w""t to l'O<lt up , "'provision thc=lvw.
and -...h a~~in, If tho ad" . nt"""," h~~.
not)'lrt oxplcrod th" ruinod cilia<, the D~
~hould enooutage th em to mount an expe'
dition to the Yll.2ak stePP"" an<! Hylot
Hill" as the """,ani. of umavohng the
my.."", oft.h~ "Pr:irUlI. ' (I R"""'l'I"M"
rival evOll those offered fur a map ro the

The ...!:ion .hown h.... appear.d

on Mep 1, p~ge 42, ofissue '6,
"Enwi ... of'J'hynt; ." Lo only n
l{eUoyic IeIm for the K"OKl'aphical
a.-en, uel a . latoment of polili cal
nlality, Th. countri in this
"'gien are ind ependent, ""ve",ign
nationo , not un dor the Thyatian
Empire'. conlrol , The Emp ire
oont rols only the shaded area on
the map and ol~im. moot efth~
llU'g<I island 10 th" east (tho r. l ~ of
lliw,"

Great Northway Lands Encounter Tables

Rollld6 and refer to this table to determine which moniter b"b le to check.

'"a
i

Woodo,
m ea r; Gra la nd
Animal

,, lli..,.
a

Anillllll

Fly er
Thib.
Unu.ua.l

runs,
Valley, B ~ ..
:Anlmal

River

lli_

Animal

"'"~.

..

'''''

Flyer

,~

","0

on",

Swimmer

Unu.ual

Sw"",p

Oe"....

lli"".

lli"".

Flyer

"'"

Swimmer
Swimmer
Thib.

Flyer
Swimmee
Swimmer
Swimmer
Thibe

JunKIe
A.,"",
Animal
Dr"ll<>n

on"
Thibc

Thibc

A.nimalo
Ha......n .
a u r; Gr "".I" nd
Ca""iHa
1'loII, M rmal

'",
a

""'"". draft

Ko""e, war
Purple worm
RUBl rno""ter

R"" r, bl""k
('",ntip'lllo

Hiver
A"",,"M, giant
ru....pu. mari""

fl<>.;l

(''''''' j' ""1';4

Wood.
~WiM

IloiI, normal

Gray"",,,,
Rat,oormal
ThmIlte. fwlh

Owl bear
Rust ll1fIoster

Valley, HiUe
C... dli.
Dr"ll" n""
Dog, Ml'rna l
HOT,"" draft
Horoe,war
Ru", mnmrt.'"

Jungle
C....,iH..
Centipe<l.

Drag<>Tl""
P"'l'l~ WOTm
Rat, nOl'mal
R"... mon""'r

Trib~.

Valley,

rae
i
a

Cleou-, Gr.....h...111

"""'"'

Lupin
Native
Nomad'

0"

-,.

Pngnn"

Rakasta

WlMJdo, Jun~lr
Araue..
Derv l""

Lupin
Nati""
Pagan
Phandon

...

""'
-,.

,
,a
s

a
7

ro

BliI''''''', Hill.

Derviah "
Lupin "
Nati""
Nomad

""
Pagan
R......
'lbrtl..

Ocea n
Snapper
s"ap",,"
SnaPP""
Snapper
Snapper
Snapper
SMppe<
.Snap

Unu.u al.
Id12 AU 1"l'1'Dln.
Djioni, lesser
a
Doppl.gang<>r
F.f. aati, 1... _
a
Golem, amber
s Golern, bone
e Gulem. bro"".
lnviloihltalker
e Uvin~ . (atua, cry_WI
s Uviug lItnluo, isu"
ro UViD~ . tatue, rock
ri
lIYPllo. nake
ie Sha dow

All Thrraina
Dragonfl y, bI""k
Dr..gonfly, bit,.
Dragonfly, green
Dragonlly. i old
Dragonfly, red
Dr"llunfly, wbile
Hawk , IlUl"mnl
Hawk, ~lalJ\
P<>ckel dral[<>n
P""ket draR<>n

l<UO

""",
-"
""
""
Torlle

E"".pt in Ya=!< St.ppoo. Roll <>gain.

!o:x","pt in ByJot Hill. and Dry Fl..t.. RoJi again.
~'l y.r.

Riv"r, Sw " mp
c...y"",n
Cay. men
Caymen

SwimmeTl!l

'",
t

,a
s

"

RiverlLake
AmO$ba, giant
Am""ba, giant
Uray..,..
Gray "" ..
Hydra, "'0
Thrmit" , f",. h

Swomp

AmO$ba, giant
AmoeM , giant
U""ap"", m ari~
G.-ayo<>u
Gr..y OM.
""'Tmito, _ omp

Oeea"
Amoeba, gian t
Deo.apll.,merino
fuh, giant rock
Uiant, . torm
G,.y""".
Tonalte, It

Woods/Jungle
Chimera

River/Oce an
Chim era

Dra~all, ~ld

Dragon.~ld

Dra gona

".,
a
a
s

Uelll'lBanen,
Gr"""lands
Chi"",ra
Dra""", bl""
DralOOO, guloJ
Dr~~OIll'"
Hydr a, fly in~

Wyvfffn

Drag<.JIl, I:Tcrn

Drag<>on~

D,a~u"lJ"

Hvdra, flyj ,, ~
Hy,.lo'a, ""e
Wyvo..,

lIyd...., flvi,,~
Wyveru

Ilwamp
ChImera
Drag on. black
Dragan, gold

H;n . NlIll n ~

H"oJ, n. nyu",

Chime ra
Dral<l1l1. itl ld
Dragon, red
D,a20nne
Hydra , n Vi"ll

Wyvern

W.vvern

Dr n ~ u n n "

N_
'Atnoe1>.a':"giw
." . allea
Bear. black
Caeoili a
Cay.man
Centip<de, giant

Chil>1l!Ts,:""e

Dee.pw, .......in.

"""""

Devil.wine
Dire wolf
Dji~nl, 1_,

"'"

o..p]> l .ga:r. ~

n.,- . \>JoIrk

Dragon, blue
Dragon, gold
Dr.goll, gtreD

'io.g.iJi,-poeliet
Dr"l:" n , N<!
,Dr!,g oaily, bl'\.C"
Dragoaily, blue
Dragonl1y, gold
DragonOy> green
'DriogollOY, ..,.j
Dragonfly, white

,Drag""...,
Efroeti,l_

Fish, giant ro<k

Giant, storm
'G<>lerir:'amb<!:r

Go1...., bo".

,Gol~~~
Gray """.
H.",k , giant
Hawk, normal

'Hem;;.; dm/t.

H""",. r1d inr;:

, 8 - . ..",
Hydra , Oy il1ll
Hydra , sea
Hypn06nake
] nVisibl. sWkei'
Lw;ng statll'l, orystal
,LiYi!>istat"". i>n
Lw;ng """t".., rook
Lup in
Menen ory
NlIt!Ye'"

N_.

,,
.',e
,,

AC

CO MB INE D MO N STER STATIST I CS TABLE

HO

Move
30'(10' )
18[),{60'), in w.b 120 \401
_ 4 _J2O'(40' )

,..
15 -

,.

6O'(2()')

OO'(3()')

"

60'(2 0')

'9~ - "2Q'{t o'l:'!1y'180'(601 _

,,.

S'(I ')

121Y{4lYl :
. ..hi.
180'(00'). hu"",.. 120'(40)
lSO'(W')
OO'(3[)'), fly 240 '18O'j

,,-

00'<.30'),. fly 3iO'(8(I')

OO'(3tl'), fly 240'{8(I'
00'(30'), tl y 240' (8(1')
00'(30'), fly 240' (80')

10 *-

9-3'(30 '), flv 240' (80~

...

V@
3 (9)

,e
,

7 +1*

1 -2 + ~ -" 81Y(OO ' 1

1/'

-,n,
-,,
-,
-,

11**

!* - 9O'(S~i1 2O'(40 j ,

~'! ~__ ~'(201ollrj4,O"'tlO'I

",
,.,

c
!:-2
a
a

f5 _

,-

5 +5"
15 *"

tW161)')
,,W':""UO'@Oi!
,-,

.t o*-

..

O_

,
a
.,., a
,,s ,,, ,.e
,a ,.a
,, a
,
a

6{}'(20'1, fly 240 '(80 ~

1.l'(201, fly 240 '(80 ' 1
6{}'(20'), fly 240 ' (80 1
6O'(M')", tJy 24lJ'(80')'
~O '(2(I'l, Oy 240 ' (tI01
' 5QXW l
00'(30'), Oy 240' (8(1~
180(60)
15(1'(50')

a
,W

OO'(3(1l

: 20'(401
LO'(S')

450U5U~
480 '(l60~

3 - : 3't{2()').
120'(40 ' l
3_ 1 20'(40 1;),
60 '{20')
59'*
1200(40')
59 "
900(SO ~

1:HI0(40'}
900(30'.'
l"._SO\HI?
6O'(20~

120H 01
12or40')

1 -120~(0 ')

1_

120\ 40 ').

,.-

Dm,
m
AL S....,..,.
F7 - 1 0
I ""idie t nu. h
212
N C, ,,,,
I bite
1-6 + !,,>ioou
Mt13
C
_
F>
Li3-lJSIJ.-S _ _
2elaw.n. bito>
N
ass
1 bit<
Fe
e
N
I bit< or weapon
14 or BWT
F>
N ccaa
1 bite
NM
N
sse
Poi"""
2 daWilS heads + b,.-ath-l.:l1\.3I2-&'lCloo.I2"+"3-18 - F 9 9C - E47
9wntllcl
1-6 ea .
F>
C CC~
<BWT., ~
.... l ..""poD
_ F t -lO - L _ F..53
1 lIOn or ...a pen
112o:rBWT
rs
W
C
1 bite
a-a
sa
N
ass
1 list or whirlwind + sp<tei..l 2-16 fiot or 2-] 2 whirlw ind
ra C
- 'f-8"- 1 bite'
- - Pt 8/6 '- N - e C I
I blow
112
sa
a C
2 elaw.ol1 bile
2-512.-S~O
~ 7_ 8_ C _ B28
~,
:I .'" wllll bile
27127!3-30
~
N
~,
2 0:"",1IIl bite
2-81285-;16
Fn
W
L
2 cl"ws! ]bite
1-6/1';;" S-24
ra
C
.aaa
kNr"l- v.~ om
~ bite
MUS9 - N '"' CC15
2 olaWlll hite
: -8l l -!1.'4 3 ~
ro C ~,
, ! bit:ell ""id ~. D
FS_ ~_ N. . Ce~
' -6013
1 b lWl lightnillg breath
1-6/4
s
N CC~
1 bite'l g... or fi,.., breath
N_
ss
s
N
1 blte'l g... bre" t h
16/4
s
N CC64
'1 blM r>t<H relllh
1 -815
F li9 - N ,, ~
W,
1 blt.e!l <:old br eath
ss
e N CC~
)..liJ14'4-24
F 8_
8 _ N_ CC&6
2 .olawill bite or.roar
~,
2-16
ra C
4..,i n
14 ..... .. poiaon
s N
1 + speci.1
8-48 + .F>!ci..l
W
L
E50
~rcla .... Mt.ti_
2-12.'212.'220
Fli~2 -'N" E50
4 ... apo",
ra N E"
] J:"Wl. ,~. ~pe< ia l
3,30 .;;~a1
FlO- ,2 _N_ E5 0
] acidic wuch
a-e
sa
ra N
] 01....
r.s
sa
N CCl6
1 claw
NM
N eC1S
Nil '
p'!'- 6 - N " ESt'
Nil
I-Itl -l
N
EM
2 """"'..
].51)";
""",q
F2 ...... 9 _ N
1-10 ..... + "",,"i..l
F5 t2
n
N
E5~
5L2
1-10 .....
F5 12
n
N
E52
1 hite or 1 gat<!;Ini l
1-8 or.l..p; I-1O
a C CC70
MU'
1 b1.....
--*F 3 ' - 12 '- N - E52
2 hi" ...
HIl1S
PO
n
r. B32
_ 1-811.8 + ,~ _
_ PO _ l~ N ass,
2 j>1""",
2_1212 _12
2 IIl.agn>O jets
n
C
BS2
nwr
sa
a L CC 39
I ""'''pOn
,~
I we"pOn
s N
- BWT ~ poison
1'bow - V "'CC4 ]

'"

"

.-

-.

""
'"
'"
'"

..

'"

,,,

,,,.

,
',
,
,

,
,

"

"

.W,

,,,
,,,
"

'"
'"

"

'"

,.,

"

,.,

'"

."

~wea1"'J1

,~

" ,
"r---F
"

rc

EO'

i
j

h
n
H

Vince Garcia's 20-year dream ofsalvaging the Titanic was recently crushed.
Nevertheless, he continues to send in
module proposals and is a frequent
contributor to DRAGON@ Magazine.
Vince is designing the thief, assassin,
and merchant guilds for the Living City
in POLYHEDRON"', the magazine ofthe
Role-Playing Game Association'" Network. In his spare time, Vince's main
interests in life are Stevie Nicks, Jan
and Dean, and Victoria Principal. Look
for more ofhis work in DUNGEON'"
Adventures soon.

THE
DJINNI'S
RING
BY VINCE GARCIA

A djinni in need can

be trouble, indeed.
Artwork by Daniel R. Horne

24 Issue NO.9

"The Djinni's Ring" is a Basic D&D@

scenario for a single player taking the
role of Moonstone, a 3rd-Ievel elf caught
up in an Arabian Nights adventure.
This module is presented in a format
new to DUNGEON Adventures - no
Dungeon Master required! The text
directs you through numbered sections
based on Moonstone's actions and the
results of combat. It is also possible to
use one of your own D&D characters, or
even an AD&D@ fighter/magic-user, but
there may be some conflict between the
actions your character attempts and the
choices given. If so, use your own good
judgment to determine the results in
each situation, and follow the paths of
success or failure as Moonstone would.
At times your character will be called
upon to test a characteristic such as
Strength or Dexterity to determine
success in a particular task. 1b do so,
roll three six-sided dice (3d6); a score
equal to or less than the characteristic
indicates success.
When an initiative roll is called for in
combat, roll one six-sided die (ld6) for
each side in the fight; the side rolling
the higher number attacks first.
1b determine whether you hit your
foe, roll a 20-sided die (ld20). If the total
is equal to or higher than the roll
required to hit the monster (as listed in
the text), your blow connects. Now roll
one six-sided die and add 1 point
(ld6 + 1) to see how many points of damage you have inflicted. Deduct this
number from the total hit points listed
for the monster. When the creature's hit
points reach zero, you have killed it!
The monster, of course, is also attacking you. Roll attacks alternately after
the first initiative roll, and deduct any
damage inflicted on you from your total.
If your hit points reach zero ... well,
you can always start again and try a
different path.

THE DJINNI'S RING

Saving Throws are made by rolling a

20-sided die (1d20). A throw is successful if it is equal to or above the number
for that type of Saving Throw on Moonstone's character sheet.
Keep a separate tally of any damage
taken as a result of poison, disease, or
heat exposure. Opportunities may arise
to heal these types of injuries in this
adventure.
Most adjustments for ability scores
have been already been added to Moonstone's statistics or otherwise taken into
account in this adventure, but don't
forget to add 1 point to the elf's damage
rolls to reflect above average Strength.

Adventure Background
Nearly two years ago, you left your
home in the Canolbarth Forest and
joined a party of adventurers to seek
your fortune. For a time, there was
much adventure to be had within the
Grand Duchy of Karameikos, but the
discovery of a treasure map eventually
led your group to the deserts of the faraway Emirates of Ylaruam, where
adventuring was much different from
back home.
The harsh, merciless environment
was like nothing you had ever experienced, and soon you longed for home.
When the opportunity presented itself,
you explained your feelings to your
friends and bid them farewell. Refusing
to take a magical sword offered you
because the party had greater need of it,
you asked for nothing more than money
enough to get home - and a bandit
chieftain's moonstone ring fashioned in
the shape of a cobra.
After many days of travel across the
hot sands, you began the long sea journey home, eventually landing in the
port of Serendib, one of the cities of the
Minrothad Guilds. With a three-day
wait until the next vessel sailed for the
city of Specularum, you paid for lodgings in one of the city's better inns.
Wearied from the long, restless voyage,
you stored most of your gear in a closet
and collapsed into bed, falling deeply
asleep.
With a start, you awake, certain that
someone has called your name. Grasping the hilt of the silver dagger you
always keep beneath your pillow, you
turn to see who has entered your room.
The entire chamber is bathed in the
silvery light ofthe full moon gleaming
through an open window, yet no one is

visible. Then your name is called again,

and you realize it comes from your ring,
which emits a ghostly white glimmering in the moon's radiance.
"Who are you?" you ask in surprise.
"I am Rafii," comes the soft answer,
"a djinni whose soul was long ago
divided and bound into two rings by
Abu Iblis, master of dark sorceries. For
years, he forced me to obey his commands, until his enemies at last ended
his reign of evil by sealing him alive
within a chamber of his ivory palace far
away in the great desert. In the battle,
his right hand - and the ring you now
wear - was sundered from him, and I
fell to a succession of owners until you
took me from the bandits.
"Because I sense you are one of good
heart, I have revealed my existence to
you, to beg your help in setting me free.
If you are willing, I can take you to Abu
Iblis's palace. There you could free me
by finding the chamber in which Abu
Iblis died, joining the two rings, and
reuniting me with my other half.
"I will not lie to you, and I warn you
that the palace may yet be guarded by
the remnants of his evil sorceries. But
while there may be great danger, there
may also be great reward for you if you
succeed in your quest. I have thus
revealed my secret, which I have kept
from all the others who have owned me
- those who did evil or were selfish or

Moonstone
3rd-Ievel Lawful Elf

S
13

I
16

W
14

D
16

C
13

Saving Throws:
Death Ray or Poison:
Magic Wands:
Paralysis or Turn to Stone:
Dragon Breath:
Rods or Staves:
Spells:

Ch
14
12
13
13
15
15
14

Armor Class: 5 (leather armor)

Hit points: 15
Chance to find secret or concealed
doors: 1 or 2 on Id6
Weapons:
Normal sword (Dmg 1-8), silver dagger (Dmg 1-4), short bow and quiver
with 10 arrows (Dmg 1-6).
Equipment:
Leather armor, backpack, flask of oil,

too faint of heart to aid me.

"And I would tell you last of all that,
because I am separated from the other
half of my soul, my powers are weak
and may be used only during the times
of full moon. Even so, I am empowered
to aid you one time if you call upon me
- but do so wisely, for the cost to both of
us could be great. Will you now aid this
unwilling slave to be set free?"
Go to 1.

1
"I don't care about any reward;' you
reply. "I wouldn't want to be a slave,
bound in a ring. I'm willing to help you,
but are you certain I can do the job?
And how will I find the room that holds
the other half of the ring?"
"Your courage alone is a great weapon;' the ring replies. "Use it together
with wisdom, and no enemy will prevail
over you. As to the chamber holding my
other self, I am blinded to its location. I
know only that it lies within the palace
where I shall take you. Now hurry! My
power weakens with the dawn, and we
have far to go before then. Step onto the
carpet lying before your bed."
Looking down at the foot of the bed,
you see a carpet some 6' long and 4'
wide. If you obey the djinni and immediately step onto the carpet, go to 10. If
you get dressed first and retrieve your
equipment, go to 13.
mirror, one week's iron rations, two
full waterskins, 50' rope with grappling hook, three small sacks, 12 iron
spikes, a small hammer, tinder box,
two torches, spare tunic and boots,
spare dagger, spell book.
Valuables:
Moonstone ring valued at 500 gp;
purse containing 30 pp, 15 gp, 12 sp.
Spells: Two first-level spells and one
second-level spell from the spell book
below. Choose wisely. Moonstone
may not have the opportunity to
change these spells during the course
of the adventure.
Spell book:
First Level Spells: Detect magic,
magic missile, read languages, read
magic, sleep.
Second-level spells: knock, levitate,
mirror image, web.

DUNGEON

25

THE DJINNI'S RING

2
As you near the city, it becomes clear
that once many people must have lived
here, for there are remains of quite a
few structures, although most of the
smaller buildings have fallen to rubble
from the long period of neglect. While
passage is somewhat difficult as most
streets are filled with rubble, the wide
stone avenue you are now approaching
extends almost unobstructed to the
intact pyramid.
If you want to explore the areas of
rubble, go to 28. If you would rather
explore the area around the pyramid, go
to 16. If you turn around and walk east
in the direction the carpet was last
heading, go to 6.

3
You're not going to risk life and limb
on anything that's not directly related
to the quest - the city's probably haunted anyway! The carpet, meanwhile,
continues on toward the rising sun, and
eventually heads downward, landing
upon a sand dune.
"We are here:' comes Rafii's voice. "The
palace lies beyond this mountain of sand.
With the dawn, I weaken and can give
you little aid. If you find the chamber
containing my other self, place the rings
together and command my release, and I
shall be freed. But be wise - the enchantments yet protecting the palace may
prove deadly. Proceed cautiously, and may
fortune smile upon our quest:'
Go to 40.

4
Curiosity has always been one of your
traits, and this is too good an opportunity to miss. If you climb the rope hanging down from the opening, go to 34. If
you prefer to use your own rope and
grapple, go to 12. If you have memorized a levitate spell and wish to use it,
go to 42.

5
The gallery leads you 30' into the
pyramid before you discover it has been
sealed off with gigantic blocks of limestone weighing many tons. But to the
side, a small passage has been chiseled
away. Squeezing through and upward,
you discover another gallery, the floor of
which must be the tops of the limestone
blocks preventing passage from below.
You continue on for about 100' until you
reach a dead end where another tight
passage leads down, presumably beyond

26 Issue No.9

the obstruction. You have a very uncomfortable feeling.

If you wish to continue exploring, go
to 18. If you decide that whatever evil
doubtlessly awaits can go on waiting
while you leave the pyramid, go to 25.

6
You begin what you hope will not be
too long a walk, for the sun is rapidly
becoming unbearable. Check your Intelligence. If the roll is successful, go to 40.
Otherwise, go to 23.

7
You find yourself looking at a giant
scorpion behind a mound of rubble. It
notices you and begins to approach,
pincers clacking and needle-sharp tail
quivering.
If you draw your sword and fight, go
to 11. If you prefer to cast a sleep spell,
go to 17. If you'd rather cast a mirror
image spell and attack, go to 15. Or, if
you call on Rafii for aid, go to 19.

8
You swing your trusty blade in the
mummy's face, but your blows glance
impotently off the supernaturally powerful creature. If you now use your torch
against the mummy, go to 43. If you
have picked up the glowing sword and
try it against the foul monster, go to 26.
Or maybe you should call on Rafii for
aid (go to 19).

don't have any of my gear:' you call out

while grasping tightly to the edges of
the rug.
The djinni in the ring chuckles. "You
didn't think I would ask you to face Abu
Thlis's palace in your nightclothes, I
hope? Look back:'
Glancing behind, you notice your pack
and the rest of your gear floating in
mid-air. Keeping one hand tightly
secured to the carpet, you snag everything and start to dress.
"Remember:' Rafii warns, "my
powers weaken with the coming of
dawn, but I can aid you one time. May
your quest be successful for us both:'
Go to 31.

11
Yourealize that this is a fearsome foe,
but your sword arm has never failed
you yet. Roll for initiative and begin
combat. The scorpion needs an 11 to hit
you. It makes two attacks with its pincers for 1-10 hit points damage each,
along with 1-4 hit points damage from
its stinging tail. If you are stung, you
must make a Saving Throw vs. Poison
or take 8 additional hit points of damage. You need to roll 16 or higher to hit
the scorpion, which has 16 hit points.
If you kill the scorpion, go to 9. If the
scorpion kills you, go to 108. If the fight
looks hopeless and you decide to call on
Rafii for help, go to 19.

12
9
The scorpion swarms at you with its
pincers and deadly tail. Dodging as best
you can, you make several lunges at it,
each failing to penetrate the creature's
thick body armor. Then, at last, you
discover a soft spot in the chitin and,
making a perfectly timed lunge, you
thrust your sword upward through its
jaw and into the brain cavity.
For a moment, the monster stares at
you with unseeing eyes. Then it falls to
the ground with a thud. You prod it
with the toe of your boot to satisfy yourself that it is quite dead, then proceed to
search the area.
Your scrutiny reveals no treasure of
any sort. If you now choose to explore
near the pyramid, go to 16. If you think
it's time to leave the city and head east,
go to 6.

10
Swiftly, the carpet rises and floats out
the window. "I hope you know that I

Check your Dexterity to snag the

grapple on a secure anchorage. If you
succeed, go to 42. If your Dexterity fails
you, try the hanging rope (go to 34), use
a levitate spell (go to 42), or give up and
head eastward (go to 6).

13
"First things first:' you answer. "It
wouldn't do to go on an adventure in my
nightclothes with nothing more than a
dagger! You'll have to wait a minute:'
After dressing and hurriedly grabbing
your things, you jump aboard and barely have time to toss a platinum piece
onto the bed to cover the carpet's cost as
you lift up from the floor and begin
moving out the window.
"At least you could have waited for
me to put my boots on:' you exclaim,
peering down upon the darkened city.
"There is no time to waste:' the djinni
answers. "Before the dawn comes and
my powers wane, I want to make sure
you arrive safely at Abu Iblis's ivory

THE DJINNI'S RING

palace. But at worst, I shall at least get

you near it:'
Go to 20.

depart, go to 27. If you decide to examine the sarcophagus, go to 37.

14

Instantly, a whirlwind engulfs you,

carrying you out of the city and high
into the sky. Over the desert you sail
until you are deposited before what is
obviously Abu Iblis's ivory palace.
"You should have avoided the city;'
Rafii's feeble voice speaks. "I am greatly weakened now, and I fear my
strength will not return until I am
reunited with my other self. I can do no
more now than wish you luck. When
you find the other portion of the ring,
place the two together and command
my release. Then I shall be free:'
With that, Rafii's voice fades away,
leaving you alone. Go to 40.

19
The hieroglyphics read, "The hand of
death be upon those who disturb the
sleep of the entombed:' Go back to 37
and decide what to do next.

15
Several mirror images of yourself
appear, confusing the scorpion so that
you may make two free attacks before
rolling initiative. Go to 11 and conduct
combat.

16
As you draw near the pyramid, you
discover something interesting. An
opening exists halfway up the structure,
from which hangs an old rope. The
bones of a few camels lie on the ground
below the pyramid, where they apparently were securely tethered and then
abandoned.
If you try to find a way up the pyramid, go to 4. If you'd rather leave the
city and head east, go to 6.

17
With the calm you've learned from
hard experience, you intone a droning
series of syllables even as the scorpion
advances toward you. Then, just as it
rears up to strike, the creature sinks
downward into the sand and lies still.
Quickly, you bury your sword in its
head. After satisfying yourself that
the scorpion is quite dead, you search
the area but find no treasure. If you
choose to explore near the pyramid, go
to 16. If you decide to leave the city, go
to 6.

18
Nervously, you creep down, coming
out before a large copper doorway with
many strange hieroglyphs and symbols
etched into its surface. Three wax seals
upon the door have been broken, and a
rope binding the double door handles
has been cut and tossed aside.
Prepared for danger, you pull one of
the handles and the door pivots open. In
the torchlight, you see the remains of
four tomb robbers spread around a stone
sarcophagus at the chamber's center.
Next to the doorway lies a glowing
sword.
If you go in and search the bodies, go
to 32. If you retrieve the sword and

20
You fly all night on the carpet, crossing the sea and penetrating deep into
the deserts you so eagerly departed just
a few days ago. Then, as dawn starts to
break ahead of you, the carpet begins to
shake and quickly loses altitude. Holding on for dear life, you are unceremoniously dumped on top of a sand dune.
While shaking the sand from your
clothes, you notice the remnants of an
ancient city below you. There is no sign
of any ivory palace, but at the center of
the city lies an intact pyramid amid the
ruins of what may have been temples.
If you decide to explore the city go to
2. If you start walking eastward, the
direction the carpet was flying before it
crashed, go to 6.

21
With a grating sound, the lid begins
to slide away. Then, to your horror, a
bandaged hand reaches out from the
coffin and grabs hold of your arm. Make
a Saving Throw vs. Paralysis. If you
fail, you are paralyzed with fear for one
round, allowing the mummy to attack
first. If your Saving Throw is successful,
roll initiative and conduct combat.
The mummy needs a 9 to hit you, and
makes a single attack per round which
does 1-12 hit points damage. In addition, a successful attack transmits a
disease which prevents your wounds
from being magically healed. You must
roll 15 or higher to hit the mummy. It
has 15 hit points.
If you attack with your own sword, go
to 8. If you have the glowing sword, go
to 26. If you swing your torch at the

mummy, go to 43. If you call on Rafii for

aid, go to 19.

22
Inside the sarcophagus you discover a
golden headband fashioned - like your
ring - in the shape of a cobra. A copper
scepter capped by a golden eagle lies on
a mouldering pillow. As you grasp the
scepter, knowledge comes to you that it
holds several clerical spells which you
may cast at your desire (remember to
cross off each one after it is cast):
Resist fire
Snake charm
Cure serious wounds (heals 2d6 + 2 hit
points damage)
Striking (You may cast this spell on a
weapon of your choice prior to any combat. For five rounds of combat, the
weapon will do an additional 1-6 hit
points damage on each successful hit.
The spell duration expires after one
hour).
Go to 25.

23
Unlike the forest, there are no mossy
trees here to help you tell the direction
you're heading, and soon you begin to
stray. The heat is made bearable only

DUNGEON

27

THE DJINNI'S RING

by sipping water as you trudge along,

but you soon realize you have been
drinking too much. Cross one waterskin
off your list. If you have no more water,
take 2 hit points damage from exposure.
If your hit points fall to zero or lower, go
to lOS. If you still survive, go back to 6
and check your Intelligence again.

24
The carpet obeys your command to
land and gently sets down on the outskirts of an ancient city abandoned
perhaps for centuries. Most of the buildings are now rubble, yet at the center of
the city rises an intact pyramid.
If you want to explore the city, go to 2.
If you think it is better to forget the city
and fly on, go to 29.

25
You make it back to the outside without incident. It is now early afternoon,
and you pause to take a drink of water
before fastening your grappling hook
and descending. Evidently, you've been
sipping without noticing, for the
waterskin is now empty. Cross it off
your list, leaving you a single
waterskin. You free your grapple with a
flick of your wrist, coil your rope, and
begin walking east, the last direction
the carpet was heading. Go to 6.

26
The sword does half damage against
the creature, with a + 1 bonus to hit
and to damage. If you kill the mummy,
go to 46. If the mummy kills you, go to
lOS. If you wish to call on Rafii's aid, go
to 19.

27
Through the glow, you can see that
the sword is quite plain. A simple
. leather-wrapped hilt and steel quillon
are attached to a thin, flexible blade.
(This sword gives you a + 1 bonus to hit
and to damage.) Add the sword to your
list of weapons and go to 25.

28
As you move through the fallen
masonry, nothing of special interest is
apparent. Roll one six-sided die (ld6).
On a score of 1 or 2, go to 35. If you roll
3 or higher, go to 7.

29
"I'm not here to explore dead cities:'
you say to yourself as you step aboard
the carpet again. But now, with the

28 Issue No.9

sun's arrival, the carpet quivers weakly,

evidently unable to fly.
If you step off again and explore the
city, go to 2. If your judgment tells you
to start walking in the direction the
carpet was flying, go to 6.

30
Your backtracking returns you to the
avenue leading to the pyramid. If you
explore the area around the pyramid, go
to 16. If you leave the city and walk
east, go to 6.

31
Hour after hour passes, and as you
look down it seems as though you have
been flying over the sea forever, for
you're certain that you detect waves
and whitecaps below. Finally, however,
the first signs of dawn appear ahead,
and in the pale light you realize you
have crossed the sea and have been
flying over an expanse of rolling desert.
The carpet still flies well, and as the
sun begins to appear on the horizon, you
notice the remnants of some sort of city
lying below.
If you attempt to land and investigate,
go to 24. If you decide to keep going, go
to 3.

32
The robbers must have discovered this
tomb fairly recently, for their corpses
are still bloated and rotting. It takes
only a few minutes for you to decide
that the bodies contain nothing of value. The glowing sword near the doorway catches your eye as you turn away,
so you thrust it through your belt next
to your own sheathed blade. Add it to
your list of weapons.
If you want to examine the sarcophagus now, go to 37. If you've had quite
enough of the smell and only wish to
leave, turn to 25.

33
The "ivory palace:' you notice, is
really made of bleached limestone
attractively decorated with mosaic tiles.
On approaching the gateway in the
wall, you discover its thick iron portcullis has been battered down and lies on
the ground before you. As you step
through the opening, you feel a magical
tingle play over your skin.
Beyond the fallen portcullis, a long pool
faces the palace, reflecting its silver dome
within shimmering blue waters. Ringing
the pool are several stone benches. 1b

either side of you, two wings of the palace

fronted by open, roofed galleries extend
up to the towers in the wall. Each tower
has an entryway at ground level through
which you can see a flight of winding
stairs. Go to 52.

34
The rope seems old and tattered, but
it will probably hold your light weight.
You make it almost all the way up and
are getting ready to swing onto the
ledge before the opening when the rope
finally parts.
'Thst your Strength to hold onto the lip
of the ledge and climb over. If you are
strong enough, go to 42. If your Strength
roll fails, you slip and fall, plummeting
toward the ground 100' below. With certain death a heartbeat away, you call on
Rafii for help. Go to 19.

35
As you pause for a moment, your keen
hearing detects a snapping and scraping
sound on the other side of a large pile of
rubble. If you investigate, go to 7. If you
prefer to retreat cautiously, go to 30.

36
Through an open archway in the left
wing of the palace, you discover a well
filled with water! Drinking from the
well will cure all damage you have
suffered from thirst and heatexposure.
You may also fill both your waterskins
if you wish. Go to 53.

37
Approaching the sarcophagus, you
observe it has an outer casing of stone,
possibly protecting an inner casket
beneath its heavy lid. Hieroglyphics are
inscribed upon the lid's surface, and
lying on the floor nearby is an iron bar.
If you cast a read languages spell, go
to 14. If you use the bar to attempt to
open the sarcophagus, go to 41. If you
search the bodies for valuables before
departing, go to 32. If you decide to
leave the room as it is and exit, go to 25.

38
"I am the true Rafii," a voice speaks
from the ruby as the face of a djinni
appears in the gem. "Earlier, I sensed
your arrival and knew you meant to do
good. You carry Abu Iblis's soul in the
tome you carry. Cast the book into the
flames and he will be destroyed!"

THE DJINNI'S RING

Not hesitating, you drop the locket,

cracking the ruby on the floor, and tear
at your pack to pull out the book. From
the fire pit, the almost-complete Abu
Iblis screams in terror as you hurl the
tome into the flames. In an instant, the
fire pit explodes, shattering the reforming mage like a broken mirror.
Then, from deep below the earth, a
rumbling begins and the palace starts
to shake.
The legs of the huge statue crack and
it topples forward, forcing you to duck
away from the locket holding the djinni.
You make your way back upstairs and
stagger out of the pavilion just as its
silver dome collapses inward, sealing off
the lower portions of the palace. Outside, the flagstone courtyard rolls like a
choppy sea, and you barely make it past
the gateway before the palace and its
grounds begin to sink beneath the desert sands. The cataclysm lasts for several minutes, and you duck low behind
a small dune in case some other explosion ravages the area. Finally the din
stops, and all is quiet.
"Well done!" a voice booms.
You look up to see Rafii - now a 10'
humanoid whose lower portion is
formed of a shimmering whirlwind floating above you.
"I'm glad you're all right:' you
answer while getting to your feet.
"And I am pleased that you have
destroyed the Accursed One and set me
free! You have earned your reward
indeed. I cannot journey farther than
the edge of the desert, but the means is
at hand to get you home. I shall journey
with you at least as far as I may. Come!"
Go to 115.

41
You pick up the iron bar, wedge it
under the lid, and try to slide the heavy
stone aside. 'Thstyour Strength. If the
roll is successful, go to 21. Otherwise,
you cannot open the sarcophagus and
may either search the bodies and depart
(go to 32) or you can depart and leave
the room as it is (go to 25).

42
You have made it safely onto a ledge
halfway up the pyramid. Several feet
away, an aperture is roughly chiseled
into its limestone shell, and beyond
stretches a long gallery some 20' in
height and breadth. Hesitating to trust
infravision, you decide to light one of
your torches before entering. Cross one
torch off your list and go to 5.

43
As you swing the torch, you see your
opponent's wrapped appendages begin
to catch fire. You inflict 1-6 hit points
damage with each successful hit. If you
win the fight, go to 46. If you are killed,
go to 108. If you wish to call Rafii for
help, go to 19.
44
The pool glistens in the sweltering
heat like a sparkling blue jewel reflecting the palace as though its surface
were a mirror. As you approach the edge
of the pool, you can see its tiled bottom
a foot below the surface of the water.
If you taste the water (especially
tempting if you've been suffering from
heat exposure), go to 39. If you ignore
the pool and explore somewhere else,
return to 52.

39

45

Check your Dexterity. If the roll is

successful, go to 49. Otherwise, go to 59.

Roll for initiative and conduct combat.

The cobras need a 14 (16 if you now
wear chain mail) to hit you. Each cobra
makes a single bite for 1-3 hit points
damage. Further, you must make a
Saving Throw vs. Poison if you are
bitten, or take an additional 2 hit points
of poison damage. You need to roll 11 or
higher to hit a serpent, and each has 3
hit points.
If you kill all three cobras, go to 48. If
they kill you, go to 108. If you wish to
call on Rafii's aid, go to 65.

40
The heat of the sun is almost blistering, but you trudge onward for almost
an hour. Then you climb a large hill and
pause to look down. Resting in a valley
below the sand dune you now stand
upon is a white palace. A wall surrounds its perimeter, with a pair of tall,
slim towers at the two corners nearest
you. A gateway at the center apparently
allows entry onto the grounds facing the
domed palace itself, which is set back
100' from the wall. Go to 33.

46
As you fall back against the wall,
exhausted and relieved that the monster is destroyed, you notice that the lid

of the sarcophagus has been partially

slid aside by the mummy's emergence.
If you decide to search the sarcophagus, go to 22. If you'd rather search the
tomb robbers' bodies, go to 32.

47
Moving toward the right wing of the
palace, you note that quite a bit of rubble litters the walkway, as though various items were dumped onto the tiles
for inspection. It's shady here, though.
As you move to peer through a door left
slightly ajar, three snakes slither out
from a pile of refuse next to you.
If you decide to fight them, go to 45. If
you have memorized a sleep spell and
would like to cast it, go to 61. If you've
found a magical scepter and would like
to use it, go to 57.

48
Youdance and dodge as you meet the
cobras attack for attack. Finally, the
last of your foes lies cut in two, quivering in its death throes.
Continuing your exploration, you
decide the right wing of the palace was
once a barracks for Abu Thlis's men-atarms. A few skeletons show where the
men must have fallen during battle, but

DUNGEON

29

THE DJINNI'S RING

the barracks appear to have been

already (and thoroughly) searched).
Return to 52.

successful, go to 63. Otherwise, return

to 52.

52

49
You lean over to touch the bottom of
the pool and catch yourself before tumbling in. This is an illusion! There is no
water - nor a bottom within immediate
reach.
If you use your rope and grapple to
descend into the pool, to see what lies
beneath the illusion, go to 55. If you'd
rather explore elsewhere, go to 52.

50
The main palace is octagonally
shaped, and you enter through an archway. Its interior is an open pavilion
richly tiled in green and yellow mosaics
beneath a huge silver dome. Four sets of
bronze double doors exit the pavilion.
You quickly peek through the crack
between each set of double doors.
Behind the northwest and southwest
doors, stairs lead upward to the second
floor. The other two doors, on the northeast and southeast, lead to stairs going
down. Across from the pavilion's entryway, a fifth exit leads through an archway to the back of the palace grounds.
Through the arch, you can see two more
wings of the palace, each two stories
high. Will you:
- Go through the northeast doors?
(Go to 73.)
- Go through the northwest doors?
(Go to 54.)
- Go through the southeast doors?
(Go to 67.)
- Go through the southwest doors?
(Go to 69.)
- Go through the far archway and
explore the back of the palace
grounds? (Go to 56.)

51
Cautiously, you ascend the right tower
to its top. In a room at the very height
of the tower, a skeleton lies next to its
broken sword. There is nothing else of
value here, so you descend.
The left tower is similar to the right,
but totally empty. The topmost room in
this tower has an unglazed window that
looks back' into the palace grounds,
providing a good view of the entire
complex. From your lofty perch, you can
see two more wings of the palace
extending out to the rear of the twostory structure.
Check your Intelligence. If the roll is

30 Issue No.9

Will you:
Examine the pool? (Go to 44.)
Check out the right wing of the palace? (Go to 47.)
Check out the left wing of the palace?
(Go to 36.)
Investigate the towers? (Go to 51.)
Ignore everything else and head for
the main palace? (Go to 50.)

53
An opening next to the well leads to
stables and a blacksmith's shop. Near
the forge lies an ancient but complete
set of chain mail. You may don it, if you
wish, changing your armor class to 3.
Return to 52.

snakes rise up and begin to sway. With

the tip of your sword, you gently lift
each one and drop it into an old clay jar,
covering it with a loose tile when all the
snakes have been deposited.
Continuing to explore, you find a few
bodies and what was once a barracks.
From the wanton destruction of bunks,
footlockers, and shelving, you decide not
to waste your time looking for treasure
here. The room has obviously been
thoroughly searched. Return to 52.

58
Will you:
- Explore the right (southern) wing?
(Go to 71.)
- Explore the left (northern) wing?
(Go to 62.)
- Ignore the rear area and check the
main palace? (Return to 50 and make
a different choice.)

54
Through these doors, a stairway
winds up and around the northern side
of the pavilion, emerging onto a hallway. Several doorways lead to bedrooms, all ransacked and abandoned. At
the hallway's end lie a pair of broken
bronze doors leading into what you
presume was Abu Thlis's bedchamber.
Once sumptuously furnished, it now lies
in tattered ruin, its silken tapestries
and fine rugs slashed and thrown about
in disarray.
Roll one six-sided die (ld6). If the
result is 1 or 2, go to 75. Otherwise, go
to Ill.

55
Twenty feet below the lip of the pool,
you reach bottom. At the eastern end of
the pit, a passage leads forward toward
the pavilion. 'Ib either side of this tunnel, stairs lead up to the courtyard. The
illusion above is not visible, and the sun
shines clearly through.
If you decide to explore the passage,
go to 100. If you'd rather leave and
explore elsewhere, return to 52.

56
Through the back archway, you discover the remains of four men, tied and
beheaded. Between the right and left
wings of the palace lie the remnants of
a garden and vineyard, long withered
away. Go to 58.

57
You grasp the scepter and cast its
snake charm spell. Immediately, the

59
As you lean down to submerge your
arm in the water, you lose your balance
and fall forward. The water and the
pool's bottom are obviously an illusion!
Take 2 hit points damage and go to 55.

60
Behind a tapestry you notice the door
to a secret compartment. Boy, would a
thief be handy about now to check for
traps! If you'd like to open the door, go
to 70. Otherwise, go to 58.

61
As you chant the ancient syllables of
the sleep spell, the cobras' hoods relax.
They rest their heads on scaly backs
and lie still. After cutting each one in
half, you advance to the doorway and
look in. You decide this was once a barracks, but now it contains only a few
skeletons. Return to 52.

62
Walking through an archway, you
emerge into a long dining hall, once
richly furnished. Rotting tapestries of
green, scarlet, and gold hang along the
chamber's white marble walls, and
once-fine rugs lie beneath a layer of
dust on the floor. Running down the
center of the dining chamber is a sunken area, three steps below floor level. A
short stairway at either end leads down.
Here meals were enjoyed, as you discern
from the remnants of cushions and low
tables, dishes and serving pots.
Roll one six-sided die (ld6). If the

for merciful

Run and

far end of the

black book illumithat beam
stamea-gtass win-

THE DJINNI'S RING

89
Tho bad you're not a thief'! Check your
Wisdom. If the roll is successful, go to
77. Otherwise, go to SO.

90
Within the maze of pipes, you find an
oddity: a small glass bottle securely
attached to one pipe by a harness.
Removing the bottle and tipping it
slightly, you discover a constant stream
of life-giving water flows from its spout.
The water completely cures any damage
you have suffered from heat exposure.
You cap the bottle with an improvised
plug cut from the end of a torch, and
return to the courtyard. Go to 52.

91
Scanning the ceiling and floor for any
obvious sources of danger, you step
through the doorway and begin edging
toward the waiting treasure. Suddenly,
a nightmare arises from the floor!
Writhing black tentacles reach up to
entwine you in their iron grip.
Roll one six-sided die (ld6) to see how
many tentacles have you in their grip.
You may fight the tentacles (go to 76) or
call on Rafii for help (go to 98).

92
With an ominous creaking, the doors
begin to swing outward. Instantly, you
grab your sword. Beyond the doors, a
huge chamber is revealed, lit only by
the eerie glow of the fire pit nestled in
the hands ofa 15'tall statue of a jackalheaded man. Columns surround the
templelike auditorium, possibly hiding
other areas from view in the shadows.
Lying on the floor just below the fire
pit is a robed body. Cautiously, you
advance toward it, keeping your eyes
active for any ambush or danger. As you
draw near the body, you note that its
right arm ends abruptly at the wrist,
while the other arm lies hidden from
view. Go to 83.

93
Removing a hammer and spike from
your pack, you edge toward the chest. If
you have a magical chalice, go to 103.
Otherwise, go to 96.

94
With your last breath, your screaming
abruptly ceases. Were anyone else
present, he would notice a moonstone
ring lying on the floor atop a pile of
ashes. Your adventure has ended. 0

95
Tearing at the body, you find a locket
on a golden chain around its neck. You
jerk the locket free, and instantly a
large, red ruby at its center begins to
glow with a soft light. A voice speaks.
If you have the book from the temple
upstairs, go to 38. Otherwise, go to 106.

96
The lock breaks away and the lid pops
open, spraying the area with a green
gas. Youfall unconscious, awakening
hours later with a dull headache.
Since you haven't been harmed while
unconscious, it occurs to you that it may
be safe to stay here and study your spell
book without fear of wandering monsters. You may rememorize or change
spells as you desire. When you are
through, don't forget to check the contents of the chest. Go to 87.

97
The statue certainly seems fearsome,
and you hope it won't come to life. But
as you near it, nothing happens. A
search of the statue and the alcove
reveals nothing. Go back to 86 and
make a different choice.

98
If you have previously called upon
Rafii for aid, go to 113. Otherwise, go to
110.

99
Drawing near to the doors, you sense
magic. And lying before them is a blackened, shriveled hand - minus a finger.
With a chill, you wonder if the remains
of Abu Iblis await discovery beyond this
portal. Testing the doors, you conclude a
knock spell will be required to open
them. If you do not have one in readiness, you may sit down and memorize
this spell (go to 92). Or, you may return
to the upper level of the palace and
explore elsewhere (go to 50, but you
may return to this section at any time
you feel confident enough to penetrate
the doors).

100
The passage leads forward about 100'
to a small room filled with pipes. You
feel certain some are drains, while others must serve purposes unknown.
Roll one six-sided die (ld6). If the
result is 1 or 2, go to 90. Otherwise, you
may return to the courtyard and explore
elsewhere. Go to 52.

101
Youswing your sword again and
again, hacking your captors in half with
each blow. The last of the horridcreatures? - drops away, and you stumble to the far wall, safely out of reach of
any others that may be lying in wait.
Skirting the sides of the room, you
make it to the far end and lay claim to
quite a fortune in booty! Youpack away
many thousands of gold pieces' worth of
rubies, emeralds, and gold. Then you
turn your attention to the chest. Visions
of the fantastic treasure within tantalize your imagination. Will you:
- Attack the lock with a hammer and
spike to break it open? (Go to 93.)
- Cast a knock spell (if you have one
memorized)? (Go to 79.)
- Ignore the chest and return to the
ground floor of the palace? (Go to
111.)

102
The water in the pool is fresh and
clear, revealing several skeletons at its
bottom. Steps lead down into the water,
and the bottom of the pool may be clearly seen 4' below. Two small drains are
set into the tiles on the bottom, one at
each end of the pool. Return to 88.

103
A brilliant green glow shines through
your pack as you near the chest. It's
your magical chalice, but is it warning
you of danger or pointing the way to a
fantastic treasure?
If you try to open the chest, go to 96. If
you feel the chalice is warning you to
leave the chamber, go to 111.

104
Instantly both moonstones shatter,
and the flames of the fire pit rise to the
roof of the chamber. Amid the roaring
thunder of the fire, a humanoid figure
begins to form. Youstep toward the
statue to observe this fascinating sight,
but in moments your fascination turns
to horror. Taking shape in the flames is
a figure identical to the body on the
floor. You've been tricked into releasing
the captive spirit of Abu Iblis!
"Well-meaning fool:' the coalescing
figure hisses down at you with an evil
leer. "You have freed me from the
entrapment I have endured for so long.
How easy it was to trick your puny
intellect into helping defeat those who
bound me.

DUNGEON

33

THE DJINNI'S RING

"Centuries ago, I transferred the

essence of my magical powers into two
rings so that my strength would never
wane, no matter how time might wither
my bodily shell. My soul was entrusted
to the care of He-Who-Must-Not-BeNamed; it resides elsewhere in safety. I
was invincible until my enemies tricked
me into using nearly all my stored
power. Then my true enemies launched
their forces against me, and in my
weakened state I was overcome and
driven into this chamber. But my consciousness remained, and so I did not
truly die.
"My enemies were wise to remove but
one ring - one portion of my magical
essence - for that act blinded and
weakened me more than if they had
removed both halves of the ring. They
knew that, with only a part of my magic
separated from my body and soul, I
would never be able to muster my energies over the centuries and re-form.
"My enemies cast all manner of
enchantments over the palace to keep
out those of evil or greed who might aid
me, but overlooked what I had realized:
One of unselfish heart might be seduced
into coming here and reuniting my
magical essences, giving me the power
to form a new bodily shell and reclaim
my soul. You, in your beguiled innocence, were able to enter the grounds
and accomplish that task. And shortly,
when I am fully re-formed in my new
body, I shall thank you properly:'
Go to 85.

releasing a shimmering whirlwind

which carries you out of the chamber
and away from the palace as Abu Iblis
curses. You fly across the sand like a
shooting star to land safely at the desert's edge on a hill overlooking a small
village.
A shadow falls, and you look up to see
a bearded, lOt-tall, muscular humanoid
whose lower portions are shrouded in
the dust of a whirlwind. "This is as far
as I may take you:' the djinni speaks.
"I didn't mean to-" you begin.
The djinni hold up his hand to stop
your words. "I know you meant only
good:' his voice booms. "You were
deceived into serving evil. Yet you have
freed me from Abu Iblis's bondage.
Though his power is again great, his
reign is not fully established. I will seek
out those who can face him on equal
terms - and in time he shall fall. For
now, fare you well, and my thanks for
freeing me:'
With that, the djinni fully assumes
the form of a whirlwind and flies off,
leaving you alone. If you want, you can
begin to make your way back home. But
if you can find a way, perhaps you'll
head back into the desert to help fight
Abu Iblis,
Dejected, you begin walking down
toward the town below. Q

107
You receive no mercy, and what you do
receive is too unpleasant to describe.
Consider your adventure over! Q

105

108

You bolt from the room, leaving Abu

Iblis to complete his re-formation. As
you leave the palace grounds and run
blindly into the desert, you hear his
laughter echoing behind you. 1b your
relief, he doesn't seem to be following ..
. but perhaps he doesn't need to. You're
all alone in the most forbidding land
your world has to offer, with no idea of
how to find civilization. Your chances of
survival are virtually nil, and Abu Iblis
knows this. That's why he's not following - your death will be much slower
this way. Q

As your vision begins to grow dark,

you realize that you are dying. The
sounds of the world around you fade
away, replaced by a loud ringing in your
ears. The peace of death comes a
moment later, and your last thoughts
are the realization that your quest has
failed. Q

106
"I am the true Rafii," the voice
speaks. "It is too late now to stop Abu
Iblis, Hurl me into the flames while
there is yet time!"
Without hesitating, you hurl the locket into the fire pit and it explodes,

34 Issue No.9

grasp and depositing you back downstairs. Will you:

- Go through the northeast doors?
(Go to 73.)
- Go through the southeast doors?
(Go to 67.)
- Go through the southwest doors?
(Go to 69.)
- Explore the back of the palace
grounds? (Go to 56.)

111
You return downstairs. Would you
care to:
- Go through the northeast doors?
(Go to 73.)
- Go through the southeast doors?
(Go to 67.)
- Go through the southwest doors?
(Go to 69.)
- Explore the back of the palace
grounds? (Go to 56.)

112
Back downstairs, you must decide
whether to:
- Go through the northeast doors?
(Go to 73.)
- Go through the southeast doors?
(Go to 67.)
- Go through the northwest doors?
(Go to 54.)
- Explore the back of the palace
grounds? (Go to 56.)

113
Desperately, you hope that Rafii's
powers are great enough to help you a
second time, but there is no response.
Go to 108.

114
A whirlwind engulfs the serpents,
sweeping them away into the desert.
With the whirlwind's coming, you sense
Rafii weakening.
Inside this wing of the building are
only some skeletons in what was once
their barracks. Return to 52.

109
Back upstairs, you have several
choices. Will you:
- Go through the northwest doors?
(Go to 54.)
- Go through the southwest doors?
(Go to 69.)
- Explore the back of the palace
grounds? (Go to 56.)

110
A whirlwind begins to fill the room,
pulling you away from the tentacles'

115
It's great to be home - and it's not
bad being rich, either. You've a pack full
of gold and jewels, Abu Iblis's spell
book, and a flying carpet that folds
down into a silken handkerchief, among
other treasures. But coming home with
the tale of a great adventure surely is
the best treasure.
After all, how many elves can count a
djinni as a friend?
Q

SHIP
IT
i 9 you'll
d

THE GHOSTSHIP GAMBIT

't:I}E MastERS Of tl}E PORt Of Roll

OffER, plEbCiE, aNb Otl}ERwiSE CiUaRamEE a total Of J 0,000 CiPto aNY
CiROUP Of bRaVE aNb NOblE souls
williNCi to Rib tne local SEa laNES Of
a bREab MENacE. PaYMENt Of bOUNty ON PROOf Of oastnucnox Of salb
MENacE. Apply PORt MastERS' OfficES, WatERfRONt, ROil.

KOLL AND VICINITY

#'

1t'~'~""W

DMs may wish to copy the poster on a

separate piece of paper and hand it to
the players. It is common knowledge
that the rumored ghostship is the "menace" mentioned in the poster.

'''-I

For the Dungeon Master

Koll is a busy but rather out-of-the-way
trade port. It has an excellent deepwater harbor and is a stopping-off point
on a major caravan route. The docks are
almost always busy as inland goods are
loaded on ships bound up and down the
coast, while other ships unload goods to
be carried overland to the interior.
Ships leave and arrive daily, and the
land caravans do the same.
All this activity makes Koll appear
richer than it actually is. Adventurers
examining the ships and their cargoes
notice many in poor condition. While
some of the merchandise is valuable, a
great deal is not. Many of the cargoes
waiting on the docks are cheap goods:
large kegs of rotgut mead; thin, watery
wine and sour beer; piles of poorly made
furniture; bolts of coarse cloth; boxes of
inexpensive earthenware; etc.
Most of the ships hauling these goods
are no better than tramp freighters.
These ships are of many types (sailing
ships, galleys, etc.) but are all in poor
condition. With well-patched sails,
warped deck planking, and barnacleencrusted sides, these homely but still
seaworthy vessels run the coastal trade
routes, eking out a living for their captains and crews.
But not all cargo leaving and entering
the port of Koll comes by tramp ship.
Occasionally, a war galley arrives as
escort for prosperous ships carrying
valuable goods. Or alone, a fearless,
well-kept, and trim merchantman
leaves with a valuable load. If, however,
PCs try to hire a ship to pursue the
ghostship, only tramps are available,
never a well-kept vessel.
As the ghostship is the talk of the
town, PCs are able to pick up informa-

Trade Routes

1 hex = 24 miles
tion in every tavern, ship, and inn. DMs
should not simply give players the information, but should role-play the parts of
shopkeepers, bartenders, and patrons of
various establishments. By asking
polite questions, the PCs can discover
the following factual information:
- The ghostship attacks only weak,
unprotected vessels and seems to be
able to tell these from better armed
ships.
- The port masters are in a hurry to
be rid of the ghostship because port
business is falling off, resulting in a loss
of revenues.
- Merchants, craftsmen, and the
seamen's guild are complaining loudly
about the rise in freight rates, loss of
merchandise, and danger to crews.
There have been calls for the ouster of
the port masters.
- The ghostship is interested in ships'
cargo only. Ships are never destroyed,
and seamen are not taken as slaves or
food. Crews are allowed to abandon
their vessels, and the ships themselves
are usually found the next day, floating
lifeless with empty holds.
- The local militia has tried several
times - unsuccessfully - to deal with

the ghostship. Shortly after the first

attack, a troop of militia set out in a
harbor patrol boat to find the menace.
And they did find it - or rather, it
found them. The troopers reported that
a dead silence fell just before a grisly
craft, all rotting and hung with seaweed, breached the surface of the water
about 50' off their starboard bow. The
ship appeared to be abandoned; there
was no one on deck. It merely bobbed up
and down in the water for several minutes, as if it were looking them over,
then silently sank below the waves
again. After that, no more patrol boats
were sent out, but one or two harbor
patrollmen were added to the crew of
each ship that put out of Koll harbor.
No ship carrying a harbor patrolman
has ever been attacked by the ghostship, although it has been sighted several times.
The PCs hear this information repeated wherever they go, and the need for
haste in dealing with this menace
comes across loud and clear. The adventurers can easily check out the truth of
all the above information.
When the PCs first visit the water-

DUNGEON

45

THE GHOSTSHIP GAMBIT

front, an abandoned freighter is being

towed into port. Longshoremen on the
docks reveal that many of the crewmen
who abandoned the vessel were sighted
two days ago on a beach many miles
away; a rescue ship has been dispatched
to pick them up.
PCs also hear many rumors about the
ghostship and its terrible crew. The
ghostship is a hot topic in town, but the
party has no way to check the validity
of these rumors as no one in town can
give positive confirmation or denial.
Roll 1d20 and consult the following
table twice per PC per game day. Several PCs may hear the same rumor, or a
single character may hear the same
rumor twice or more.

Rumor Table
1. The ghostship's crew is led by a
powerful vampire. (False.)
2. Clerics have no power over the
undead crew of the ghostship. (True.)
3. Magic of any kind will not work
against the ghostship. (False.)
4. The ghostship is in league with a
storm giant, and the two share the loot.
<False.)
5. The ghostship attacks only at night.
(False.)
6. There is more than one ghostship.
<False.)
7. The ghostship's crew can control
the weather. (False.)
8. The crew of the ghostship use magical items. (True.)
9. At least half the ghostship's crew
are bone golems. (False.)
10. The leader of the ghostship's crew
can conjure and control water elementals. (False.)
11. Somewhere on the bottom of the
ocean is a huge pile of treasure collected
by the ghostship. (False.)
12. There is a large amount of gold
and jewels on the ghostship itself.
<False.)
13. The ghostship can be diverted
from attacking by throwing a small
amount of treasure overboard. (False.)
14. The ghostship is equipped with a
large catapult. (False.)
15. Only several patriarchs working
together will be able to destroy the
ghostship. <False.)
16. The creatures on the ghostship are
from another plane of existence and are
immune to both normal and magical
weapons. <False.)
17. The ghostship can be destroyed by

46 Issue No.9

a dispel evil spell followed by a bless

spell. <False.)
18. There are only 10 of the creatures
(whatever they are) aboard the ghostship. (True.)
19. The ghostship uses trained sharks
to attack any victims they find in the
water. <False.)
20. The masters of the port ofKoll
have secretly sent for a high-level
magic-user, in the hope that the wizard
can rid them of the ghostship by some
powerful blast of sorcery. (False.)
The adventurers will probably want to
talk to a survivor of one of the ghostship's attacks. PCs who ask the whereabouts of an eyewitness are directed to
a local tavern to talk to Jackie Barbarosa (AC 9; F2; hp 11; MV 120' (40');
IIAT 1; Dmg by weapon type; Save F2;
ML8; ALLN).
Jackie tells his story with frequent
interruptions to call loudly for more ale.
He sometimes drains his tankard and
states simply, "My cup's empty:' Then
he will not continue with his tale until
the PCs have refilled his cup. Here,
minus the interruptions, is the old seaman's story:
"We were a day out from Koll, on a
filthy barge of a galley called Effete
Efreet. She was hauling ingots of tin
and bars of unworked iron upcoast
aways. We kept close in, as near the
shore as was safe, so you could spit
and hit sand. It was sundown, and
we was sure we'd given Old Ghosty
the slip and it'd be easy going from
there on. I was relaxing aft, and I'd
just shut my eyes for a wink or two.
Then it happened, all at once like.
"A dead silence fell. Youcould just
make out in the last light of the sun,
men opening their mouths to holler
and no noise coming out. Nor sound
of sea, nor creak of the ship ... just
silence. Then I could see a gurgling
and a swirling in the water to starboard, and rising up alongside - a
ship!
"All gray she was, worm-eaten and
rotten. Slime and ooze slithering
down her rigging, water pouring off
her deck. When the lads saw that,
most of 'em were off and away, over
the port side and heading for shore.
Me, the captain, and a few more
stout lads tried to make a stand
amidship. Old Ghosty just stood off

from us, matching us speed for speed,

turn for turn.
"Then, in the almost dark, a light
flared bright and clear on the ghostship. And I could see then, plain as
plain can be. There they was, as
terrible and cold as anything I'd ever
imagined - the crew of Old Ghosty.
Eyes all aglittering, hair all wet and
green and slimy, they just stared at
us. Then, one of the grizzly things
points at us and that was the end of
it. We went mad. All I remember
after that is terror. We was all
gripped by the blackest fear, you
wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy. Over the side we went, even the
captain, and I wouldn't be surprised
if some of them poor lads aren't running yet.
"They found the Efreet next day,
her hold empty. They found most of
us the day after and brought us in. I
believe one or two of the lads was
never found. No more can I tell you,
for no more do I know:'
Jackie is a seaman, not an adventurer.
He is unable to tell the PCs what type
of creatures, living or dead, crewed the
ghostship. If the PCs press Jackie hard
on the type of creatures that attacked
his ship, he simply repeats that part of
his tale describing them. Tell the PCs
that the creatures were terrible and
cold, grizzly things. Give the PCs only
the most general of information. If players grumble about this, remind them
that Jackie is a seaman, not an expert
on monsters, and that he was, by his
own account, terrified during the
encounter, thus clouding his memory.

Hiring a Boat
PCs will have to rent a vessel of some
kind if they do not already own one.
Even if the PCs have a ship, they may
wish to rent another rather than risk
their own. The owners of idle freighters
can be found in taverns, inns, and eateries near the docks. Ships can be
rented by the month at 10% of their
cost, plus a sizeable deposit. The DM
should check the Water Transport Table
on page 19 of the Expert Rulebook to
find the cost of any vessel. For example,
the table lists the cost of a small sailing
ship at 5,000 gpo Thus, one month's
rental of a small sailing ship is 500 gp
(10% of 5,000 gp). Ship owners rent
their vessels at only the monthly rate,

THE GHOSTSHIP GAMBIT

not for weekly ?r daily rates, although

the DM may wish to make an exception
for PCs on a tight budget.
If PCs wish to buy rather than rent a
ship, refer to the Water Transport Table.
The price of any vessel, regardless of its
condition, is as listed.
All of the idle ships in Koll harbor
available for rent or purchase are of the
tramp variety. PCs will want to know
the names, costs, and capacities of the
available tramp freighters, so the DM
should prepare a short list.
~e cost of renting or purchasing a
ShI~ covers the vessel only; captains,
navigators, and crews must be hired
separately, and at premium wages.
Seamen of all types can be found virtually anywhere in Koll. The DM should
consult the specialist section of the
Expert Rulebook (page 26) for the cost of
hiring seamen. As the hunt for the
ghostship is regarded as dangerous
duty, the cost of hiring seamen is twice
the amounts listed. PCs will be unable
to hire mercenaries. Any mercenaries in
Koll are not interested in fighting a
ghostship at any price.
The captain or a spokesman for the
crew will make it plain to the adventurers that any difficulties the PCs get
themselves into, the PCs will have to
get themselves out of. Under no circumstances will a hired crew fight in place
of the PCs, and the DM should not allow
PCs to use NPCs as cannon fodder. A
hired crew will take care of the ship and
fight only if attacked. The crewmen
defend themselves in a fighting withdrawal until they may safely quit the
battle. A hired crew will not pursue a
beaten enemy.
The number of seamen needed
depends directly on the size of the vessel
acquired by the PCs. Consult the Water
Movement Chart on page 43 of the
Expert Rulebook. All seamen hired by
the PCs are 1st-level fighters with no
armor, average morale (7), and only
daggers for weapons. The DM may
allow higher-level NPCs - 2nd-, Brd-, or
4th-level fighters - as navigators and
captains. Higher-level NPCs also have
no armor: average morale (7), and are
armed WIth daggers. Most of the seamen in Koll are of Lawful alignment.
Once the PCs have secured a ship and
crew, they are ready to search for the
ghostship. Weather factors can either be
ignored or the DM can use the Water
Movement Modification Chart on page
44 of the Expert Rulebook.

THE UNDERSEA BOAT

Th~

u.ndersea boat is 30' in length,

10 Wide, and when running on the
surface has a draft of 2-3'.

1 square = 2'

The Ghostship
The ghostship plaguing Koll is, in reality: an undersea boat (see end of module).
Pirates have disguised the boat as a
ghostship, using pieces of rotting hulks
~hey found on the ocean bottom. Garbed
In old, rotten clothing and greasepaint
the pirates disguise themselves to
'
appear as a crew of undead. So far, their
secret has never been discovered.
It is important that the DM make no
mention of pirates until the PCs discover the nature of the ghostship's crew for
themselves. It is also very important to
avoid deliberately misleading the players. The DM should say only that the
ghostship's crew "look like zombies" or
that they "appear to be undead" not
"the zombies are led by two gh~uls:' or
"the undead attack:' If any players
complain of being deceived, remind
them that no one in Koll, even eyewitnesses, had ever seen through the
pirates' disguises. It was therefore
impossible for the people' of Koll to '
describe the marauder as anything
other than a ghostship.
The pirates are led by a 5th-level
human magic-user, Sork the Enchanter.

Sork is the undisputed captain of the

undersea boat. He is intelligent and
greedy, but will seldom let his greed
overcome his common sense. Sork cares
little what damage he does or evil he
causes, so long as his own desires for
wealth and comfort are met.
Sork the Enchanter: AC 8; MU 5' hp
14; MY 120' (40'); 1M 1; Dmg by spe'n
or weapon type; Save MU5; ML 9; AL C;
S 9, I 16, W 14, D 10, C 11, Ch 12;
spells: charm person, magic missile
inuisibility, web, hold person; magi~al
Items: ring ofprotection + 1, wand of
fear.
. The second in command of the pirates
Is.Bryndle, a 4th-level human cleric.
VIcar Bryndle is also the ship's navigator. Bryndle serves Sork because it
serves hi~ own interests. Like Sork,
Bryndle ISgreedy, but unlike Sork, his
greed often overcomes his better judgm~D:t. If the price is right, Bryndle is
willing to do just about anything.
Bryn~e the Vicar: AC 5; C4; hp 18;
MY 120 (40'); IAT 1; Dmg by spell or
weapon type; Save C4; ML 9; AL C; S
12, I 10, W 15, D 9, C 12, Ch 8; leather

DUNGEON

47

THE GHOSTSHIP GAMBIT

armor + 2; mace; spells: cause fear, light,

silence 15' radius.
Sork and Bryndle disguise themselves
as ghouls. The crew of the fake ghostship consists entirely of eight aquatic
elves (see end of module) disguised as
zombies. These particular aquatic elves
are exiles, outlawed from their ocean
clan for allowing some injury to come to
its revered frond keeper. Even an elf PC
will not be able to get the full story
from these aquatic elves. The morale of
the exiles is very low. They serve Sork
out of fear and because they have no
place else to go.
The aquatic elves have spells that are
primarily defensive (shield, invisibility,
etc.) or for detection (detect magic, locate
object, etc.). If the adventuring party is
very strong, the DM can beef up the
elves' spells with more offensive ones or
raise the level of some of the elves. The
2 HD elves have short swords, and the 3
HD elves carry spears.
Aquatic Elves (8): AC 5; HD 3 (x 4),
2 ( x 4); hp 16, 14, 12 ( x 2), 10, 8 ( x 2), 6;
MV 120' (40'); NAT 1; Dmg by spell or
weapon type; Save E3 or E2; ML 5;
ALN.
The pirates attack exactly the same
way every time. They position the
undersea boat directly below the ship
they are about to attack. Bryndle then
casts his silence spell onto a starfish or
some other small ocean dweller. The
silenced starfish is then pinned to the
hull of the hapless merchant ship with a
dagger. The attacked vessel only knows
that a sudden dead silence has fallen.
The pirates then rise slowly out of the
sea about 50' away from their victim.
At first, the merchant seamen see only
a rotting and worm-eaten wreck rising
slowly from the depths. The pirates
remain hidden below deck until their
craft has fully surfaced. They then rush
forth in their hideous disguises and let
their victims get a good look at what is
attacking. At this point, most crews
begin abandoning ship.
If any sailors attempt to stand and
defend their ship, Sork uses his wand of
fear, effectively breaking any resistance.
If the defenders somehow still hold their
ground and appear to be well armed and
armored, Sork avoids the battle. In the
face of stout opposition, Sork submerges
his boat without attempting a fight.
PCs will need to remain hidden, invisible, or disguised if they wish to battle
Sork and his crew. Remember, no spells
may be cast or command words spoken

48 Issue No.9

- by PCs or pirates - within the

silenced area.
.
Only after most of the crew has abandoned ship will the pirates grapple and
board (see page 44 of the Expert Rulebook). The DM can use the deck plan
provided for the undersea boat or create
his own using the same dimensions.
Plans for the PCs' boat will have to be
drawn depending on the vessel rented
or purchased.
In combat, the aquatic elves' favorite
tactic is to bear hug an opponent (normal "to hit" roll), then dive into the sea.
Once in the water, the victim is released
to either sink or swim. The pirates do
not take captives; anyone surrendering
is stripped of valuables and tossed overboard. Heavily encumbered PCs who
dive or are dragged into the sea must
rid themselves of heavy objects and
armor before they can safely swim to
shore.
Once the pirates take control of a ship
they loot it, throwing overboard anything they cannot use or carry. The
empty freighter is then set adrift, and
the booty is hidden on some deserted
stretch of shore until a buyer can be
found for the goods.
It is during combat with the pirates
that PCs should realize they are not
dealing with undead. Adventurers
should notice that the so-called zombies
are attacking with normal initiative.
When describing the fake zombies, the
DM should point out their blue or green
hair and tell the PCs that all the zombielike beings appear to have neck
wounds. Any character who examines
one of these wounds realizes it is a gill
slit. Also, the false undead bleed when
cut. Zombies with bleeding wounds
should be a dead giveaway to even the
most inexperienced adventurers.
It will be obvious when Sork and
Bryndle attack with weapons and not
claws that they are not ghouls. Also,
their attacks do not cause paralysis as
ghoul attacks, although Sork may use
his hold person spell to fake this effect.
If the battle turns against Sork, he
attempts to cut the grappling ropes and
get away. If Sork is able to cut free the
lines and submerge, the elves dive overboard and join him underwater. If Sork
is killed or captured, the elves immediately surrender. Killing or capturing
Bryndle has no great effect on the elves.
Only Sork and Bryndle know the command words for controlling the undersea boat.

If the PCs defeat the pirates, they find

a locked chest bolted to the floor of the
captain's cabin on the undersea boat.
This chest is not trapped, and Sork has
the key hidden in his robes. The chest
contains Sork's spell book, with all
those spells he has memorized plus read
magic and light. There is also a scroll
containing the command words for the
undersea boat (see end of module). The
scroll lists only the command words, not
what each word does, so PCs will have
to use trial and error if they use this
scroll. The chest also contains five gems
in a leather pouch (500 gp each), a small
silver statue of a horse and rider (worth
500 gp), a ruby ring (1,000 gp), and a
sack containing 600 gpo
The wand of fear and the ring ofprotection + 1 can be taken from Sork. As
Sork has used the wand often, there are
only five charges left. The command
word ("Phobos") for the wand is written
on its shaft, but a read magic spell is
required to understand the script.

Concluding the Adventure

If attacked by Sork, the PCs are likely
to find themselves abandoned by their
hired crew (DM should make a morale
check at - 2). As all attacks take place
near busy sea lanes, PCs who cannot
sail the ship themselves can hail
another vessel and be towed to the nearest port. Local ships are especially glad
to help the PCs if they have defeated
what was believed to be the ghostship.
PCs unable to defeat Sork and his
crew but discovering that they are
pirates, not undead, are paid 1,000 gp
by the port masters of Koll for this
information. PCs unable to defeat the
pirates or discover the secret of the
ghostship should probably move on to
simpler adventures.
PCs must bring the undersea boat
back to Koll as proof that they have
defeated the menace. With this proof,
the port masters gladly pay the bounty.
The masters also allow the PCs to keep
any and all treasure they took from the
pirates, but claim the undersea boat in
recompense for damages done by Sork
and Bryndle. If the PCs refuse to turn
over the undersea boat and its command
words, the port masters order their
arrest. Koll has a well-trained civil
guard, so the adventurers have little
choice but to turn over the boat.
Aquatic elves surviving as prisoners
are sentenced by the authorities to work
in the port. With their water-breathing

Morale:

. "... ,
. ...

' .\

. - -,

. .,.,: .- ::
' ,'

R ick Swan's "The Golden Bowl o( Ashu

H 'san " appeared in n UNGF:ON3 iS1Wt>
119. Hi s other reef'nt p roj ects (or TSR,
Inc , in clude WfJrk on WG7 Castle
Grey hawk ("It',~ My Par ty and ['II Die if
t Want Th"), the S N IPE R!'" Special
Forces board game, and cont ributions to
the new DRAGONLANC~ and TO P
SECRET/S,/,'"" game supplemen ts. R ick
is a resident ofexotic Des Moines, Iowa.

" At the Spottle Parl or" is a D &[}~ module for one to three characters of 2nd
4th leve l. A variety of classes would be
helpful , including at least one fighter.
The adventure takes place in a wooded area just nort h of the city of Gla ntri
in the D&D game's Kn own Wor ld (see
GAZ3 Principalities o(Gumtri), These
wishing to incorpor ate t his adve nture in
a diffe re nt setting sho uld feel free to
ma ke adjustments as they see fit . The
OM shoul d have two six-sided dice
available far each PC .

Adventure Background

AT THE
SPOTTLE
PARLOR
BYRIC!< SWAN

Some games aren't

played for fun.
Altwork by Michoel Wflg ht

24 Issue No, 12

Th e wanderings afthe PCs h ave

brought them to the lu sh forests of the
Wendar ia n Ranges, north of t he fabled
city of Glantri. The sun ha s set, Tired
fram the long day's journey, the PCs are
looking for a place to ca mp among the
beautiful blue pine s,
No soone r has the party located a
suitable clea ri ng tha n the sound of
r ustli ng in t he hushes alerts them to
t he presence of an intruder. From
behind a tall pine tree steps a fat dwarf.
elegantly dressed in polished chain mail
and a flowin g satin cape. " Hold your
swords!" he says. "I come as B friend."
The dwarf bows deeply, his ample
belly sagging over his leather belt . "My
name is Bufred Shabbin," he says, "and
I am here to extend an invitation on
behalf of my em ployer, the honor able
Bradbert Niss , who requ ests the plea.
sure of your company in his home for an
eve ning of spottle, "
The PCs imm ediately recogn ize the
name of Brad bert Niss, a lege ndary
thief who rep uted ly r('tired with ri ches
enough to la st a h undred lifetimes. He
has since become celebrated throughout
the Known World for his higb-etakee
spottl e games, whe re rumor ha s it that
millions in gold piece s change hands in
a single ni ght. What's more , he 's sa id to
give a way fortunes to players whose
company he enjoy s,
Invitations to N lss's games are highly

AT THE SPOTTLE PARLOR

coveted and are generally extended only

to wealthy aristocrats, high-ranking
officials, and other eminent nobles. The
PCs may be delighted that they've been
offered this golden opportunity, but they
may also be puzzled - considering their
modest means, they're hardly typical
spottle players.

For the Dungeon Master

For nearly two decades, master thief
Bradbert Niss and his loyal assistant
Bufred Shabbin plundered the treasures
of Glantri without once being apprehended. Their roguish style earned the
admiration of the Thugs' Guild, while
their generous contributions to orphanages and hospitals made them heroes
among the common folk. Even the local
constabulary admitted to a grudging
admiration of Niss's skill and spirit.
One summer's day, a small group of
Grand Army soldiers led by Constable
Jherek Virayana were on routine patrol
in the woodlands of the Wendarian
Ranges when they were brutally
ambushed by a bandit gang from Darokin. Surprised and outnumbered, the
Grand Army soldiers were on the verge
of annihilation when Bradbert Niss
appeared out of nowhere to wade into
battle. Niss singlehandedly drove off
the bandits and, in the process, rescued
Virayana from certain death. When the
last bandit was driven away, the grievously wounded Niss collapsed unconscious on the battlefield.
In spite of his heroism, Niss was subsequently arrested and brought to Glantri to stand trial for his years of
thievery. Virayana spoke on Niss's
behalf and secured a pardon on the
condition that Niss retire from crime
and live out the rest of his days as an
honest citizen. Niss, approaching old
age and crippled as a result of his
wounds, graciously accepted the terms
of his pardon.
With the help of his new friends from
Glantri, Niss established a home in a
secluded forest area near the Wendarian
Ranges. 'lb while away the time, Niss
invented spottle, a no-limits gambling
game that quickly became a favorite
pastime among the local aristocracy.
Niss settled into a pleasant routine of
nightly competition with his wealthy
companions.
But last night, after the evening's
players had gone home, Niss answered
a knock on his door to reveal an unex-

pected visitor - Lord Guzz, the king of

a hobgoblin tribe that had recently
taken up residence in the Wendarian
Mountains. Lord Guzz said that he'd
heard of Niss's famous game and wanted to play. Niss knew that fraternization of any kind with the hobgoblins
was strictly forbidden by the officials of
Glantri, yet the opportunity to gamble
with an actual hobgoblin was tempting.
Against his better judgment, Niss
invited Guzz in for a session of spottle.
Luck was not with Lord Guzz that
night. After losing 10 straight rounds of
spottle, Guzz angrily accused Niss of
cheating and threatened to kill him on
the spot. The terrified Niss volunteered
to return the winnings, but Guzz wasn't
satisfied. Guzz offered to let Niss live if
Niss would round up some new slaves to
work in the hobgoblin coal mines. Guzz
would return the following midnight,
taking with him either the slaves or
Niss's head.
Niss spent the rest of the night weighing his dilemma, but in the end felt he
had no choice but to comply with Guzz's
demand. He and Bufred could hardly
take on an entire hobgoblin army.
Escape was impossible - how far could
a lame old man get in less than a single
day? Help from Glantri was also out of
the question; if the officials found out
he'd violated the terms of his pardon by
associating with hobgoblins, he could
find himself living the rest of his life
behind bars.
Earlier this evening, Niss sent Bufred
to scour the woods for the most
harmless-looking travelers he could find
and invite them home for a spottle
game. Niss planned to keep them winning so they'd be sure to stick around.
When Guzz arrived at midnight, Niss
would turn the spottle players over as
the new slaves of the hobgoblins and be
rid of Guzz once and for all.
It was unfortunate, thought Niss, that
innocents would have to pay the price
for his indiscretion. But what else could
he do?
Off to the Game
If the PCs accept Niss's invitation,
Bufred tells them to follow, urging them
to hurry. "The sooner we arrive:' he
says, "the sooner you can count your
winnings:' If the PCs resist, the DM
should remind them that these invitations are offered only rarely and would
be considered by most to be the opportunity of a lifetime.

Bufred doesn't know the details of

Niss's arrangement with Guzz; he's just
doing what he's told. If the PCs have
any questions, Bufred tells them that
Niss will supply the answers when they
arrive. If the PCs are fuzzy about spottle (a distinct possibility), Bufred
assures them that Niss will go over all
the rules before the game begins.
Bufred leads the PCs on a winding
route that takes them deep into the
forest. If the PCs wish to engage Bufred
in conversation, he is glad to reminisce
at length about his exploits with Niss
back in the good old days, including the
story of how Niss received a full pardon
from Glantri after his brave rescue of
Constable Virayana.
Bufred Shabbin: AC 5; D5; hp 26;
MV 60'(20'); IIAT 1; Dmg 1-8; Save D5;
ML8; ALN; S 17, I 7, W 10, D 10, C 16,
Ch 9; sword +1, chain mail.

The Spotfle Parlor

After about an hour's journey, the party
comes to a heavy iron door set in the
side of a mountain. Bufred produces a
set of keys from his pocket and uses
several of them to unlock the complex
latches. He pulls the door open and,
with a bow, ushers the PCs inside.
Bufred follows them in, closing and
locking the door behind him.
The PCs step into a circular room
about 25' across, bathed in the warm
glow of an elaborate brass chandelier
containing huge white candles. The
chandelier hangs over a large marble
table with a small iron ring protruding
from the center. The walls are decorated
with colorful silk tapestries featuring
scenes of jeweled mountains and rivers
of gold. One wall has a small round
window. In the wall opposite the door is
a passageway covered by a black satin
curtain. Next to the curtain is an B'-tall
iron statue of a warrior with a prominent star-shaped hole in the center of its
chest. The statue is covered in a thick
layer of dust.
Three other guests are already seated
at the table - a fragile-looking man
dressed in an oversized gray robe, a
chubby teenage boy in ragged work
clothes, and a lizard man with darting
eyes, his hand on the club dangling at
his side. The guests sit silently, fidgeting nervously in their chairs.
Bufred offers the PCs seats at the
table. "Please make yourselves comfortable:' he says. "I'll tell Master Niss

DUNGEON

25

AT THE SPOTTLE PARLOR

that all the players have arrived;' With

that, Bufred bows and disappears
behind the black curtain.
Getting Acquainted
While waiting for Niss, the PCs may
wish to acquaint themselves with the
other guests.
Vansin Vanslep: AC 3; C2; hp 5; MV
60'(20'); NAT 1; Dmg by weapon type;
Save C2; ML 7; AL N; S 9, I 10, W 9,
D 9, C 12, Ch 8; plate mail (under
robes), mace, silver holy symbol, pouch
with 9 cp of church money; spell: cure
light wounds.
Vansin is a 2nd-level human cleric
who has been charged by his superiors
to solicit funds for the construction of a
holy shrine in the Wendarian Mountains. He is extremely high strung and
nervous, more so lately because he has
only been able to solicit 9 cp in a week
of trying. His armor creaks slightly
when he moves his arms or shoulders.
If the PCs address him, Vansin at first
is too timid to speak. If the PCs gently
draw him out, Vansin identifies himself
and his mission, explaining how he
jumped at the chance to attend the
spottle game in hopes of increasing his
funds for the shrine. "I guess this isn't
exactly the way my superiors would
want me to raise money;' he says, "but
if I come back empty-handed, they'll
make me the permanent missionary to
the Blight Swamp;'
Shkad (lizard man): AC 5; HD 2 + 1;
hp 13; MV 60'(20'), swimming 120'(40');
NAT 1; Dmg by weapon type + 1; Save
F2; ML 12; AL N; large club, sack with
30 gp and three dried fish, empty wine
flask.
Shkad was patrolling the Wendarian
Mountains with a lizard-man military
unit until he split off from the group to
indulge in a flask ofleech wine. He
drank until he passed out, and when he
came to, his unit was gone. While stumbling around the woods, he ran into
Bufred and eagerly accepted his offer
for a spottle game, knowing that extra
money would come in handy for bribing
his superiors.
Although he can speak their language, Shkad ignores any overtures
from the PCs, hissing a threat to leave
him alone if they persist.
Gergy d'Ambreville (wereboar currently in human form): AC 4 (9 in
human form); HD 4+1*; hp 17; MV
150'(50'); NAT 1; Dmg 2-12 by tusk-bite
(or by weapon type in human form);

26 Issue No. 12

Save F4; ML 9 (6 in human form); AL

N; dagger hidden in clothing, belt pouch
with 3 gpo
Gergy is a distantly related member
of the famed d'Ambreville family of the
House of Sylaire in New Averoigne
(described in D&D module X2 Castle
Amber). Like many members of that
family, Gergy is affiicted with lycanthropy. His disease causes him to periodically transform into a wereboar.
In his human form, Gergy is 14 years
old, overweight, and has a face covered
with acne. He is lazy and stupid, but
(unlike most wereboars) is very friendly.
Those in his general vicinity will also
notice that he is not fond of baths.
Gergy recently ran away from home
when his parents told him he wasn't
doing his share of the chores. He hopes
to win enough money at spottle so that
he never has to go back to his mean old
mom and dad.
Gergy converses freely with the PCs,
although questions more difficult than
"What's your name?" tend to give him
trouble (he has an effective intelligence
of 6). He gives no indication that he is
afflicted with lycanthropy, which he
considers a shameful secret.
Before Niss appears, Vansin rises to
make an impassioned plea for donations
from the assembled spottle players.
Shkad laughs at him. Gergy asks a
randomly chosen PC to explain what
Vansin is talking about, but no amount
of explanation enables Gergy to grasp
the concept of a shrine, and therefore he
won't donate. It is up to the PCs whether or not they make a donation - Vansin is delighted with any amount. The
DM should take note of any PC who
gives Vansin a donation.
Meeting Niss
After Vansin completes his fund drive,
the PCs hear metallic clanking coming
from somewhere deep underground, as
if heavy latches and doors are being
opened and closed. The sounds gradually move toward the wall with the
satin curtain. A final door opens and
closes, and the curtain parts. Bufred
appears, carrying a leather bag and a
small brass balance (used to check the
weight of the spottle dice). Both are
placed on the table in front of the empty
chair nearest the curtain.
The curtain parts again, and an old
man limps out dressed in formal evening wear. He has a bushy gray beard
and, like Bufred, a large belly hanging

over his belt. He carries a small sack

and a wooden box with several holes
drilled in it.
The old man eases his girth into the
empty chair, setting the box and the
sack on the floor beside him. He smiles
broadly at the players. "Welcome to my
home, good friends;' he says. "My name
is Bradbert Niss. May the luck of the
Immortals be with you tonight!"
Bradbert Niss: AC 5; T12; hp 28; MV
60'(20') (reduced due to injury); NAT 1;
Dmg by weapon type; Save T12; ML 6;
AL N; S 13, I 11, W 12, D 16, C 10,
Ch 15; leather armor, dagger under
clothing.
Before Niss can continue, Vansin rises
from his seat and passionately explains
his fund drive for the shrine to Niss,
concluding with a request for a donation. Niss shrugs. "Of course;' he says.
"How much do you want?"
"Anything, sir!" says Vansin. "Anything at all would be most gratefully
appreciated!"
"Help yourself;' says Niss, tossing
him the sack. The sack is actually a bag
ofholding and contains a portion of
Niss's treasure (475 cp, 512 sp, 905 gp,
270 pp, 31 cloth-wrapped gems of random value up to 500 gp each, and a key;
in addition, assume there is enough
money here to cover almost any reasonable bet the PCs make, but only the
items given above are found in the bag
if it is taken or stolen).
While Vansin rummages through the
bag ofholding, Niss asks if there are
any questions before he goes over the
rules. None of the NPCs have any questions, but the retired thief cheerfully
answers any general questions the PCs
might have. If asked how they were
chosen, Niss says he wanted some new
faces at the table and instructed Bufred
to invite the first travelers he could
find. If asked about the curtain, Niss
explains that it leads to the living quarters and treasure vault, all securely
guarded by a series of intricately locked
doors. (This is true; the PCs can get no
further into Niss's home - unless the
DM has mapped it out and wishes to
allow the PCs to explore the complex.)
Vansin produces a small ruby from
the bag (value 500 gp) and asks if Niss
is willing to donate it to the shrine
fund. "Of course;' says Niss carelessly,
taking back the bag (he will do anything to keep the players in the game).
Vansin stuffs the gem into his pocket
and breathlessly thanks Niss. Unknown

AT THE SPOTTLE PARLOR

to Niss, the ruby is not all Vansin took.

The cleric also noticed a star-shaped key
with a black diamond in its center. He
didn't think Niss would donate the key,
so he took it without asking and secretly slipped it into his pocket.
"Before we begin:' says Niss, "I'll
give you the usual warnings:' Niss says
that some guests might be tempted to
take advantage of his hospitality, then
gestures to the iron statue. "This is a
living statue:' he says, "a gift from the
grateful citizens of Glantri. As you can
see from the dust, it's been quite a while
since I've had to activate it, but rest
assured that it is fully operational:'
Niss then places the box on the table,
opens the lid, and lifts out a fat green
toad the size of a small dog. The toad
has short, skinny legs and two huge,
bulging eyes that rotate independently
of each other. The toad is covered from
head to toe with white freckles. A thin
chain hangs around its neck. It looks
over the players with disinterest, then
sneezes. Niss wipes its nose with a silk
handkerchief.
Spottle toad: AC 7; HD 1; hp 6; MV
10'(3'), in water 30'(10'); NAT 1; Dmg 1-4
(bite); SA sticky tongue automatically
catches items within 6' weighing 1 en or
less; Save F1; ML 6; AL N.
Niss places the spottle toad in the
middle of the table and clips its chain to
the center ring. "Are all of you familiar
with spottle toads?" asks Niss. Assuming the PCs are unfamiliar with these
creatures, Niss explains that spottle
toads are a rare breed of amphibian
especially bred for the game of spottIe.
"And this is a good one:' he says. He
produces a bit of food from his pocket
and tosses it straight up in the air. In
the blink of an eye, the spottle toad
flicks out its tongue to a length of 6' and
snags the food, instantly reeling it into
its mouth. Niss pats the toad affectionately on the head as it contentedly
munches its catch.
Niss says that if they wish, the players may stroke the toad for luck. Once
the game begins, however, stroking the
toad is not allowed. Shkad sneers at the
offer, but Gergy happily gives the toad a
light pat on the head. Vansin is afraid of
it. The PCs may stroke the toad if they
wish. (Stroking the toad is mere superstition and has no effect on the game.)
When everyone has had a chance to
stroke the toad, Niss explains the rules
of the game.

The Rules of Spottle

Spottle is a simple dice game resembling blackjack. Niss carefully goes over
the following standard rules.
1. The SpottIe Master is in charge of
all aspects of the game. His decisions
are final. (Niss, of course, is the evening's SpottIe Master.) Players are playing against the Spottle Master, not
against each other.
2. Each player is required to have two
spottIe dice. A spottle die can be any
six-sided die, but the die must be weighed and treated by the Spottle Master
prior to use. A die cannot exceed 1 gp in
weight and may be no larger than 2"
across. Treatment of a die consists of
rubbing it in powdered flies (thus making it more attractive to the toad). Only
the Spottle Master is allowed to perform
this treatment. The Spottle Master is
paid 1 cp per die for this service.
Players may use the same set of spottIe dice throughout the game. However,
if a die is lost or eaten by the toad, the
player must have a new die weighed
and treated by the SpottIe Master, paying 1 cp per die for the service.
3. At the beginning of a spottIe round,
each player places a bet in front of him
on the table. Unless the Spottle Master
declares otherwise, there is no limit on
the amount of the bet. Instead of money,
players may also bet objects. The Spottle Master announces the value of the
object bet prior to the roll of the dice. If
the player does not agree with the
amount announced, he may either place
a different bet or sit out that round.
(Niss uses the standard prices given in
the D&D game rule books; therefore, if
a flask of oil is bet, Niss sets the value
of the bet at 2 gp.)
4. After the bets are placed and the
values of all bet objects are determined,
each player rolls one die on the table in
clear sight of the Spottle Master and all
of the players.
5. When all players have rolled one
die, the Spottle Master rolls one die on
the table in clear sight of all.
6. After the Spottle Master has rolled
one die, each player must declare either
a Raise or Hold.
If the player declares a Raise, he must
double his bet. The player places an
equivalent amount on the table with his
original bet. (If the player does not have
the equivalent amount of his original
bet, this option is not available to him.)
If the player declares a Hold, he stays
with the amount of his original bet.

After the player declares either a

Raise or Hold, he rolls his second die.
7. When all of the players have
declared and made their second rolls,
the Spottle Master makes his second
roll. Unlike the players, the Spottle
Master does not declare a Raise or Hold.
8. After the Spottle Master makes his
second roll, the round is over. Winners
and losers are determined as follows:
a. Any player whose dice total is 11 or
12 automatically loses the round. His
bet is forfeited to the SpottIe Master.
The Spottle Master's total is allowed to
total 11 or 12 without penalty.
b. Each remaining player whose dice
total exceeds the total of the Spottle
Master is a winner. The SpottIe Master
pays each winner the amount of his bet.
(If a winning player declared a Raise,
the Spottle Master pays him twice the
amount of his original bet.)
c. A player whose total is less than
that of the SpottIe Master loses, forfeiting his bet. (If a losing player declared a
Raise, he forfeits twice the amount of
his original bet.)
d. A player whose total matches the
total of the Spottle Master is neither a
winner nor a loser. He keeps his bet.
9. The spottle toad may swallow a
player's die at any time (it can digest
almost anything but metal). Spottle
toads are trained not to swallow a Spottle Master's die. A swallowed die counts
as a roll of zero for that round; the player may not roll a replacement die. The
player must pay the Spottle Master for
a new treated spottle die at the beginning of the next round. (Example: Player A rolls a 2 on his first die and a 6 on
his second. Unfortunately, the toad
swallows the second die after it is
thrown. Player Ns die total for this
round is 2. Before the next round
begins, Player A pays the Spottle Master 1 cp for a new, treated spottle die.)
The DM should be sure that these
rules are fully understood. After any
questions are answered, each PC and
NPC gets a pair of spottle dice ("Compliments of the house!" says Niss, who
normally has players pay 2 cp for the
pair). The game is ready to begin.
Running the Game
For the convenience of the DM, all of
the rolls and bets for the NPCs as well
as the rolls for Niss are provided in the
following charts. If the DM prefers, he
can ignore the charts and actually make
the necessary bets and dice rolls while

DUNGEON

27

AT THE SPOTILE PARLOR

the game is in progress. In this case, he

will also have to improvise the reactions
of the NPCs, but he may use the events
sections of the charts for suggestions. If
the DM chooses this option, he should
refer to "Simulating Spottle,"
The DM should bear in mind that
Niss is less interested in winning than
he is in keeping the PCs and NPCs
around until Lord Guzz shows up. Niss
assumes that his guests will keep playing as long as they're winning - so he'll
do whatever it takes, including inventing new rules, to make sure everybody
stays happy and stays put. (For tips on
handling unexpected actions of the PCs,
see "Troubleshooting:'
A game of spottle consists of an indefinite number of rounds. Information is
given in the charts to play 10 rounds,
after which Lord Guzz shows up (see
"Midnight Rendezvous"). However, if
the PCs are getting restless, the DM
may eliminate the last few rounds and
go straight to Lord Guzz's arrival, making appropriate adjustments in the
monetary totals that each NPC has.
Fun With the NPCs
Before beginning, the DM should secretly choose which PCs the NPCs will
harass during the spottle game. Make
sure that every PC has been "chosen"
by at least one NPC.
Vansin constantly nags one PC for
donations to his shrine fund. The nagging becomes particularly obnoxious
whenever the chosen PC wins a round.
Vansin's chosen PC should be one who
donated to the shrine fund when the
party first met him.
Gergy is too dense to understand the
intricacies of spottle and peppers one
PC with stupid questions throughout
the game (Examples: "Which is more,
one silver piece or one gold piece?" "If I
rolled a 5 the first time, what do I have
to roll to add up to 7?")
Shkad is very superstitious. He
becomes convinced that one of the PCs
is giving him bad luck. Whenever
Shkad is losing, he snarls at and threatens his chosen PC. Shkad's chosen PC
should be either a fighter or the leader
of the party.
How to Use the Charts
The following charts give the DM the
necessary information to run 10 consecutive rounds of spottle without actually
having to roll dice for the NPCs. The
PCs roll their own dice and make their

28 Issue No. 12

own bets during these rounds in accordance with the rules of spottle.
A round is played as follows:
1. Each PC announces his bet, places
it on the table, and rolls one die. (Niss
decides the order in which the PCs roll,
and this order remains for the rest of
the game.)
.
2. Each NPC then announces his bet,
places it on the table, and rolls one die.
(The DM reads this information from
the chart under the 1st Roll column; the
die roll is the number in parentheses
following the amount of the bet.)
3. Niss rolls one die. (The die roll is
the number in parentheses in the 1st
Roll column.)
4. Each PC makes his declaration
(Hold or Raise). If he Raises, he places
the increase on the table. He then rolls
his second die.
5. Each NPC makes his declaration,
places any bet increases on the table,
and rolls his second die. (The DM reads
this information from the 2nd Roll
column.)
6. Niss rolls his second die (the number in parentheses under the 2nd Roll
column).
7. Niss pays off the winners and collects from the losers.
Following each chart is an events
section which explains specific NPC
actions and other interesting occurrences which take place during that
round.
Here's an example of how Round One
might go, using the information in the
Round One chart. Assume one PC is
playing. The PC bets 5 gp and rolls a 2
on his first die. The DM announces that
Vansin bets 2 cp and rolls a 2, Gergy
bets 1 gp and rolls a 3, and Shkad bets 1
gp and rolls a 5. Niss rolls a 3. The PC
declares he will Raise, adds another 5
gp to his bet, and rolls a 5 on his second
die, for a total of 7. The DM announces
that Vansin declares a Hold and rolls a
1 for a total of 3. Gergy declares a
Raise, adds 1 gp to his bet, and rolls a 5
for a total of 8. Shkad declares Hold and
rolls a 4 for a total of 9. Niss's second
roll is a 2 for a total of 5. Niss pays off
the PC, Gergy and Shkad. Vansin loses
his 2 cp,
NPC players' names marked with
asterisks in each chart are the winners
of those rounds.

Round One
Vansin
Gergy*
Shkad*
Niss

1st Roll
2 cp (2)
1 gp (3)
1 gp (5)
(3)

2nd Roll
Hold (1)
Raise (5)
Hold (4)
(2)

At the end of the round, Gergy grunts

in delight that he's won, and the victorious Shkad cackles with glee. The losing
Vansin asks his chosen PC if he'd consider a loan.
.Round Two
Vansin
Gergy
Shkad
Niss

1st Roll
1 cp (3)
boot (2)
2 gp (5)

2nd Roll
Raise (4)
Raise (1)
Raise (6)

(6)
Niss announces that Gergy's boot has a
value of 2 cpo After declaring a Raise,
Gergy increases his bet to two boots for
a total value of 4 cp. All the NPCs lose.
Vansin puts the squeeze on his chosen
PC, adding any money he gets to his
next bet (and losing it again). Gergy
asks his PC, "How can I win one time
and lose the next time? I don't get it:'
Shkad leans into his PC and hisses,
"You put the evil eye on me again and
I'll kill you:'
(2)

Round Three
Vansin
Gergy
Shkad
Niss

1st Roll
1 cp (2)
fig (5)
5 gp (4)

2nd Roll
Hold (eaten)
Hold (5)
Raise (3)

(5)

(6)

Niss announces that Gergy's dried fig

has a value of 1 cp, The spottle toad
slurps up Vansin's second die as it tumbles across the table. Vansin spends 1 cp
at the beginning of the next round for a
new spottle die. Again, all the NPCs
lose and are very discouraged (Gergy is
becoming hungry and really wanted
another fig). Concerned that they'll
quit, Niss tells the players they've just
played a "charity round:' He dips into
his bag of holding and gives each of the
players 10 gp, PCs included (the NPCs
are stunned and pleased). Shkad accepts
the money but warns his chosen PC,
"You make me lose again and your evil
eye is mine:'
Round Four
The PC who rolls first has his first spottle die eaten by the toad. He'll have to
purchase a new one before Round Five.

AT THE SPOTTLE PARLOR

Vansin*
Gergy*
Shkad
Niss

1st Roll
5 gp (6)
10 gp (4)
5 gp (1)
(3)

2nd Roll
Hold (1)
Hold (5)
Hold (1)
(1)

Vansin is almost in tears with joy at

having won this round. But at the end
of the round, Shkad leaps up as if to
lunge across the table and grab at his
chosen PC. Before Shkad can grapple
the PC, Bufred intervenes with a shout
and holds up his hands to ward off the
attack. "That's not the way we settle
problems here:' says Niss. Then turning
to Shkad he asks, "Do you wish to issue
a formal challenge?" Shkad ignores him
and hisses at the PC. If the PC wishes
to challenge Shkad, they duel as
explained in Round Five. If not, the
game resumes.

Round Five
Vansin

1st Roll
holy symbol

2nd Roll
Hold (1)

(2)

Gergy*
Shkad
Niss

10 gp (4)
1 gp (4)

Hold (5)
Hold (3)

(6)

(2)

Niss announces that Vansin's holy symbol has a value of 25 gp; losing the symbol causes Vansin to turn pale and offer
a prayer for forgiveness for betting it.
At the end of the round, Shkad lunges
at his chosen PC again. "I challenge
you, evil eye:' Shkad hisses. If the PC
refuses the challenge, Niss explains
that the PC will not be allowed to play
for the rest of the night. Further, the PC
must sit at the feet of Shkad and act as
his personal servant.
If the PC accepts the challenge,
Bufred leads the two combatants to a
clear area beside the gaming table.
Bufred explains they are allowed to use
personal weapons, but they cannot use
magic, and they must stop the duel
when he gives the signal. Otherwise, he
says, the living statue will be activated.
Shkad fights viciously with his club.
When either he or the PC has lost half
his hit points, Bufred signals for the
duel to end and leads them back to their
seats. If the PCs' friends join the fight,
the fight is declared invalid and ordered
stopped (or else Bufred threatens to
activate the statue). If the PC is wounded, Vansin offers the use of his cure light
wounds spell. After the spell is used,
Vansin politely asks the PC for a contribution to the shrine fund; any money he
gets is added to his next bet.

Bound Six
Vansin
Gergy*
Shkad
Niss

1st Roll
ruby (5)
10 gp (3)
fish (5)

2nd Roll
Hold (6)
Raise (6)
Raise (1)

(4)

(3)

Vansin's ruby is the donation given to

him earlier by Niss (value 500 gp). Shkad,
disgusted by his run of bad luck, bets a
dead fish he was saving for a snack. Niss
announces the value of the fish is 2 ep,
"Ibo much to bet;' hisses Shkad, and he
bites it in half for a bet valued at 1 cp,
After declaring a Raise, Shkad tosses in
the other half of the fish, increasing the
value of his bet to 2 ep,
When Vansin loses the gem, he is so
despondent he says he's ready to quit.
This panics Niss, who declares another
"charity round" and gives everyone 10
gp from his bag of holding. His generosity may make the PCs suspicious; if
they question Niss's motives, he dismisses their doubts with a smile. "A
little money means less to me than a
good game;' he says. "I just want everybody to have fun:'

Round Seven
Before this round begins, the toad turns
toward the window and starts to howl.
It continues to howl throughout the
round. If a PC asks what's wrong with
the toad, Niss explains that the moon
must have come out - spottle toads can
sense the presence of the moon and
enjoy serenading it.
Gergy becomes upset when he hears
the moon is out, as he's afraid it will
trigger his transformation. If a PC asks
why he is so agitated, Gergy refuses to
explain. "I won't tell:' he says. "I've
gotta go!" As Gergy rises to leave, Niss
stops him. "You can't go!" Niss says.
"This is ... uh ... the howling toad
round! There's big money in it if you
stay!" Reluctantly, Gergy sits down.
Vansin*
Gergy*
Shkad
Niss

1st Roll
10 gp (3)
1 gp (2)
10 gp (3)

2nd Roll
Hold (4)
Hold (6)
Raise (2)

(1)

(4)

Gergy appears very excited and happy

with his winning streak, snorting and
smiling, but also appears increasingly
nervous. In addition to paying off the

DUNGEON

29

AT THE SPOTILE PARLOR

bets of Vansin and Gergy (and any winning PC bets), Niss dips into his bag of
holding and gives each winner a blue
pearl (value 50 gp) as a bonus for the
"howling toad round:' "See?" he says.
"Aren't you glad you stayed? Now let's
have no more talk about leaving:'

Round Eight
Before this round, Gergy shakes and
gasps, then quickly transforms into his
wereboar form. When the transformation is complete, he sighs with a snort
and signals with a hairy hand for the
game to continue - since his se~ret is.
out he might as well keep playing. NISS
shr~gs, but says that they'll have to.
figure out a way for him to communicate his declarations. If the PCs are
unable to come up with an idea, Niss
suggests that Gergy grunt once for Hold
and twice for Raise, which Gergy does.
Shkad is not happy about this arrangement. "I don't want to play with an animal!" he snarls, then demands an opi~on
from his chosen PC. "What do you think
about it, evil eye?" Regardless of the PC's
answer, Shkad hisses at him.

30 Issue No. 12

Vansin
Gergy*
Shkad
Niss

1st Roll
5 gp (eaten)
10 gp (5)
5 gp (4)
(4)

2nd Roll
Hold (1)
Hold (4)
Raise (2)
(3)

The toad eats Vansin's first die; he'll

have to buy a new one before the next
round. Since Vansin lost again, he'll
make a particularly pathetic plea for
donations from his chosen PC. Any
donation that Vansin is given is added
to his bet in round 10.
Shkad loses his temper after losing
the round. "I'm not sitting at a table
with a stinking pig!" he hisses, and
lunges across the table for Gergy. Feeling more aggressive in his wereboar
form Gergy is only too happy to fight,
and ~ moment later they are rolling on
the floor, biting and clawing at each
other. "Oh well:' sighs Niss. "Let them
have it out:' Vansin scrambles under
the table to hide. If a PC interferes with
the fight, both Gergy and Shkad attack
the PC until he withdraws.
One combat round after the fight
begins, there is a loud bumping at the
door. "Open it!" Niss cries to Bufred,
expecting the arrival of Lord Guzz.

Bufred pulls open the door, and two wild

boars run in, squealing ferociously.
Wild boars (2): AC 7; HD 3; hp 12, 16;
MV 90'(30'); NAT 1 (tusk); Dmg 28;
Save F2; ML 9; AL N.
Gergy summoned the boars to help
him fight Shkad. Unfortunately, ~he
boars aren't sure who the enemy IS
supposed to be, and they charge directly
at the PCs. The boars viciously attack
the PCs with their tusks, and Gergy is
too preoccupied to call them off.
Niss and Bufred huddle against the
wall while the battle rages. Niss forgets
completely about activating his living
statue and the noise drowns out any
pleas from the PCs for him to do so.
Vansin stays under the table. Gergy and
Shkad scuffie on the floor, attacking any
PC who interferes. The spottle toad
appears very bored during the fight
raging around it.
If one of the wild boars is killed, the
other panics and runs away. Bufred
slams the door shut and locks it. If all
the PCs are killed by the boars, the
adventure comes to abrupt end
(although if the demise of the PCs
seems imminent, a compassionate DM

AT THESPOTTlE PARLOR

might have Bufred Of" Niss help them

fight t he boars).
Assuming th e boars a re dea lt with,
Bufred signals for th e figh t to en d "or
else suffer the blows of t he livi ng
stat ue." Exhausted. Ger gy and Shkad
cease fight ing and shamble back to
t heir places at the table. They each
have su ffered 6 hp dama ge from their
scume. " If you' r e fin ished," says Niss,
" let's ge t back to the game."

Round Ni ne
Va nsin
Gergy
Shkad
N iss

1st Roll
10 gp (1)
10 gp (6 )
1 gp (5)

2nd Roll
Hold (2l
Rai se (5)

(6)

(3 )

Hold (4 )

The N Pes' enthusiasm for the ga me is

about go ne . " I forgot to ment ion a apecial rule: ' says a nervous NillS. " When
the Spottle Master rolls a 9 in t he ni nth
rou nd , e verybody wi ns!" N i8S pays ofT
all the SPell a nd PC s the a mount8 of
their original bets .
Ro und 'Ien

Vansin
<;ergy
Shkad
Ntse

1st Ro ll
40 gp and
pearl (l)
5 gp (6 )

2nd Roll
HGId (l)

flas k (6)

Raise (4)
Hold (2)

(6)

(61

Th e disgusted Shkad bets his em pty

win e flas k . Ni ss a nnounces t he fla sk
has a va lue of2 cp. Th e toad eats the
first di e of t he last PC to roll . All of the
N PCs are read y to gi ve up , especia lly
Vansi n, who gave in to an impulse a nd
was virtua lly wiped out in t his round.
Niss as ks the PCs if they'll k eep pla ying. If t hey agree, Ni88 ins ists t he NPCs
stay too, 80 t he PCs won 't have to play
a lone . If the PC s a lso are ready to ca ll it
a night, Ni ss starts offering "bonus
mon ey " fro m his bag of holding. He
first offers them 10 gp each. If the PCs
st ill resist , he offers each a n additi onal
50 gp, t hen 100 gp . lfthe PCs become
sus picious of h is motives , N'i88 la ughs
nerv ousl y and assures t he m he's just
hav ing a good time and wants the game
to go on.

Midnight Rendezvous
At t he completio n of the 10t h ro und (or
ea rlier, a t the OM's discretion), there is
a loud k nock on the door. Bufred nero
vously opens it, and in stri des a la rge
hobgobl in wearing a br ass crown . He is

accompanied by two hobgobli ns carry.

ing ba ttle a xes a nd a fourth hobgoblin
with glazed eyes. The hobgoblin with
the crown is lord Guzz , the axe carriers
are his bodyguards, and the fourth is a
thoul in t he service of Lord Gun.
Lord Gun (hobgoblin king); AC 6;
H O 5; h p 22; MV 90'(30'); t AT 1; Dmg
by weapon type + 2; Save F5; ML 10;
AL C; sword.
H obgo b lin b o d yguard s (2 ): AC 6;
HD 4; hp 13, 15; MV 90 '(30 '); t AT 1;
Dm g by weapon ty pe; Save F4 ; ML 10
(if k in g dies, red uce ML to 8); AL C;
battle axe.

Thou!: AC 6 ; HD 3; hp 18; MV
120'(40'); 'AT 2 claws or 1 weapon; Omg
1-311 -3 or by weapon type; SA para lyzing touch; SO regenerates 1 hp per
round; Seve F3; ML 10; AL C.
Guzz slams the door behind h im and
Bufred locks it on his orders. When
Vansin gets a good look at the hobgoblins, he Iainte dead away.
Guzz surveys the room and nods h is
approval. "Very good, Ni88. These mongrels will make fine thou] food:'
At th is point, the PCs m ay li kely
suspect they've been sucke red. Bu t
before they ca n take action, Niss spea ks

DUNGEON

31

AT THE SPOTILE PARLOR

up. "What do you mean, thoul food?" he

says. "That's not what you told me!"
"What do you care?" barks Guzz.
"They're mine now!"
Niss is suddenly overcome with guilt
- innocents for slaves is one thing, but
thoul food is quite another. "My statue
will stop you:' he says defiantly, then
fishes inside his bag of holding for the
star-shaped key to activate the statue.
"Where's the key?" he says, searching
frantically. "It was in the bag! I know it
was!" (Not anymore. As explained previously, the key is now in the pocket of
the unconscious cleric.)
Guzz motions for his bodyguards to
round up the spottle players. The thoul
goes to Niss and touches him on the
shoulder. Niss collapses to the floor.
If the PCs surrender, the hobgoblins
take all their possessions and shackle
them in heavy chains. They are then
taken to the hobgoblin camp and served
as a meal to a lair of hungry thouls.
If the PCs resist, Guzz orders his bodyguards to kill them. The bodyguards,
along with the thoul and Guzz himself,
viciously attack the PCs and NPCs.
They fight to the death.
In the first combat round, the thoul
touches Bufred and paralyzes him. The
thoul then turns his attention to Gergy
and Shkad. Guzz and his bodyguards
concentrate on the PCs. If the thoul
succeeds in paralyzing both Gergy and
Shkad, it joins the attack on the PCs.
If any PC thinks to search Vansin, he
finds the living statue's star-key in the
cleric's pocket. If the PCs manage to
revive Vansin (cure light wounds or a
potion of healing will do it), he voluntarily gives up the key as a reward for (he
believes) saving his life.
Placing the key in the star-shaped hole
in the statue's chest instantly activates
the statue, which obeys all orders given
by the person who activated it.
Living statue (iron); AC 2; HD 4*; hp
30; MV 30'(10'); NAT 2; Dmg 1-8/1-8 +
special; SD nonmagical weapons stick
in statue's body if Saving Throw vs.
Spells fails; Save F4; ML 11; AL N.
The PCs may attempt to escape by
unlocking the front door. A thief has the
standard chances of unlocking the door,
or someone must search Bufred for the
keys. No PC can unlock the complex
latches on the door behind the satin
curtain. As noted earlier, the rest of the
complex cannot be reached unless the
DM so decides.

32 Issue No. 12

Concluding the Adventure

If the PCs wish to leave before the battle ends, they'll have to do so without
the NPCs. Bufred and Niss (assuming
they're conscious) refuse to abandon
their home. Likewise, Shkad and Gergy
choose to stand and fight; Vansin feels
guilty about stealing the key and also
chooses to stay.
If the PCs leave anyway, the forces of
Guzz ultimately win the battle. Niss,
Bufred, and all the NPCs are taken
away, and Niss's home is looted and
destroyed. The officials of Glantri eventually learn of the PCs' role in the loss
of their favorite gambling site, and the
PCs are disgraced and unwelcome in
Glantri for the rest of their days.
If the PCs kill Guzz and his bodyguards, but Bufred and Niss don't survive the battle, the PCs may search the
parlor. All they find of value is the bag
ofholding, which has only 480 gp left in
it. There is nothing of value on the
bodies of Bufred and Niss.
However, if the PCs defeat the forces
of Guzz and Niss survives, he apologizes
profusely for his deception and pleads
with them to accept a peace offering. If
the PCs agree, Niss retreats to his private quarters and returns with a sword
+ 1 and a gold ring (value 500 gp) for
each PC and NPC. He also gives them
the remaining 480 gp from the bag of
holding to divide among themselves.
Finally, he extends an open invitation
to participate in his nightly spottle
games whenever they're in the area.

Troubleshooting
Here are some tips for handling unexpected problems that may crop up during the adventure.
The PCs go broke: If the PCs lose all
their money early in the spottle game,
or if they don't have much money to
start with, Niss makes them a nointerest loan, telling them they can pay
him back with their winnings or make
arrangements to do some work later to
payoff their debt. If the PCs resist a
loan, Niss gives them 10 gp each as a
gift.
The PCs threaten or attempt to rob
Niss: Niss threatens them with the iron
statue. If the PCs persist, remind them
that Niss is well regarded in Glantri.
Should any harm befall him, the PCs
will likely be in big trouble with the
Glantri officials.
The conflict with Shkad gets out of

hand: The chosen PC may get fed up

with Shkad and decide to eliminate
him. So be it. The game continues without Shkad.
The PCs wish to leave early: It is of
vital importance to Niss to keep the PCs
in place until Lord Guzz arrives. If they
try to leave, Niss offers them increasingly higher amounts of treasure to get
them to stay. If this isn't working, Niss
says that without them, there won't be
enough players to continue. The NPCs
won't like this, and they also insist that
the PCs stay put.

Simulating Spottle
The DM may wish to actually roll dice
for the NPCs instead of using the
tables. If he chooses this option, he
should secretly roll1d10 for every die
rolled by the players or rolled for the
NPCs. If a 10 is rolled on the 1d10, the
character's die has been eaten by the
spottle toad.
For a more interesting simulation,
take a long piece of string and make a
circle about 2' in diameter on your gaming table. Place a saucer in the center of
this circle to represent the spottle toad.
Players toss their dice into this circle. If
a die strikes the saucer or lands outside
the circle, it is considered eaten by the
toad. The decision of the DM as to
which dice are eaten is final.
As a variation, you might try ThreeDie Spottle, which increases the stakes
and adds another element of uncertainty. Each player rolls a total of three
spottle dice; each Raise doubles the
previous bet. (For instance, if Player A
bets 1 gp and Raises on his second roll,
his bet increases to 2 gpo If he Raises
again on his third roll, his bet increases
to 4 gp.) When all of the players and the
Spottle Master have completed three
rolls, the Spottle Master rolls 1d20. Any
player whose total exceeds the number
rolled on the 1d20 automatically loses.
The surviving players compare their
totals to the Spottle Master's total, and
winners and losers are assessed as in
standard spottle.
As the popularity of spottle continues
to spread across the Known World,
other variations are sure to develop.
Regional versions rumored to exist
include Dead Man's Spottle, Fireball
Spottle, and the extremely tricky Gelatinous Cube Spottle. The DM is encouraged to explore these and other spottle
variations in his own campaign.
n

"Th is mOOule," Randy says, " W IU w ritten Qn the flovr, whik in a constant stale
of drirmishinf( with my dog. Whilt' working on manuscrip ts, I ma ke piles of the
pages. maps, and reference books to JU I'P
th em wi thi n eMy reach . Th e dog insists
hi' has th e rig ht to sleep on these pi les. I,
on the other hand, prefer that su.ch ROptr
rific excursions tak e pla ce elsew here. Th
da te, th e border d ispute has not been
settled to th e complete satisfaction of
either pa rty."

"or Nests a nd Nat ions" is a

D&D~

modul e for 35 cha racters of 8t h to 12t h

level. The advent ure ta kes place in
Speeu larum, t he ca pital city of the
Gr and Duc hy of Karam eikos. The
Dungeon Mas ter may wish to consult
the D&D Compa n ion a nd Maste rs IIets
for deta ils concern ing some as pects of

this module. The gazetteer GAZI

OF NESTS
AND NATIONS
BY IlANDY MAXWEll

Arson, rioting,
sabotage, murder
- and no suspects.
ArtworIo: by Paul Joquava

Th ~

Gran d Du chy of K ara meikoe is highly

recommended for play; it ca n be used to
add deta il and atmosphere. and to provide a deep a nd vivid background for
t he adventure. Many major NPCs men tioned herein (such as t he Duk e, Baron
von Hendriks, a nd Thldon ) are a lso
found within that work, t houg h the OM
ca n easily create new statistics for these
characters. The OM may also place
Specularum in h is own game world.
usi ng the city map provided a nd ren am ing the city and its major fact ions as
necessary.
Thi s adve nture deal s primarily wit h
the h ivebrood. The OM can find infer .
mation detailing these monsters in the
Creature Catalog, pages 6870 . However,
enoug h information on the hi vebrood is
presen ted in this module to all ow the
OM to conduct the advent ure even without this book .

Adventure Background
Specu larum is in an uproar. In the last
few wee ks , guards on the city wa lls
have been mu rdered at t hei r posts; a
watc hma n was hurled ecreammg from
the High tower; fires ha ve broken out in
the city ; warehouses filled with goods
have burned to t he grou nd; conjured
monsters have a ppea red in t he ma rk etpla ces a nd do ne a great deal of dam age;
a nd water te r m ites have appeared in
Mirror Bay, doing dam age to bot h docks
and shi ps.
No design or pattern ca n be fou nd in
the mu rders, fire s, or conjurations.
Traladara n a nd Thyatian guards have

DUNGEON

47

OF NESTS AND NATIONS

Rumor ThbJe
Choose the appropria te statements from among th ose in brackets to suit the situation. The OM may wish to include Baron von Hendriks and the Black Eagle Barony
as IUllI1e8 mentioned in th e rumors. Thyat ian nobles always blame the Traladaran
clans; the 'Iraladaran clans, of COUI'8e, blame the Thyatian nobles. In a mixed group of
Thyatians and Traladarans , elements from the Foreign Quarter are blamed. It is
likely that people will accuse groups or organizations they ha ve personal gru~
against. All of the roman are (alae, but the PCa ha ve no way to know this at fust.
Some of th e rumors are known to be (alae by the Duke and his advisors. but informa.
tion on th e veracity of a rumor may not yet have reached th e general public.
1. Some (minor Thyatian nobles; lesser 'Iralad ar an clans; fore igner s of all sorts)
have joined togethe r to overthro w th e Duk e. They are usin g fire and murder to
get r id of anyone who stands in their way. They are not above murdering or buming some of t heir own in orde r to avoid suspicion.
2. The Duke was nearly assassinated by someone using a crossbo w. A (Thyalian; Tr aladaran; foreign) quarrel was definitely used in the a ttempt .
3. The lTral adaran clans; Thy atian nobles; forei gne rsl hav e secretly asse mbled
a fleet of ships and mean to breach th e sea ga tes a nd sack th e city.
4. The lmniortals are wreaking havoc on the city for failure to follow the principles
of th e [Church of Karameikoa; Ch urch ofTraladara; Cult of Hale v]. Only strict adher
ence to those principles will convince the Immortals to show mercy.
5. The [Kingdom of Thieves; Veiled Society; Iron Rin g} is directly responsible for
all the trouble.
6. The [Church of Kar ameikos; Ch urch of Traladara; Cult of Hetevl is r esponsi ble for th e fires and murd ers .
7. The Patriarch of the [Church of Karameikos; Churc h of Traladara; Cult of
Ha lavl haa offended creatures from anoth er plan e of existence. They will cont in ue
th eir attacks on th e city unt il the Patriarch l S overt hro wn.
8. Many wells and fountains in t he city ha ve been poisoned by [Thyat ians; Tr aladarans; foreigners}. The poison causes a mild ins anity, mak ing people attack
one another or commit suicide. When th ings get bad enough, th e poisoners will
charge a very high price for the a nt idote .
9. The [Order of the Griffon; Magician s' Guild; Elvenguardl has something to do
with a ll these stra nge goings-en.
10. The Elvenguard and Admiral Hyrakeoe are using the murders and fir es as
an excuse to [depose th e Duk e and establish a military rule; have the Duke ra ise
taxes so he can Increase th e amount of money spent on the military; form a secret
network of spies and informers to spy on the people cf Specularum].
11. The flre a and murders are part ofa complicated extortion plot by some group
' in the [Old Quarter; Nest; For eign Quarter!.
12. Specularum is und er a curse, a nd the only way to lift it is to [depose the
Duk e and put a Tral adaran in his pla ce; rid th e Duk e's court of all Traladara ns;
rid t he cit y of a ll fcrei gne rsl .

Mob Clash Table

Each t ime a PC is involved in a clash of mobs, a riot, or a ga ng war, use this table.
PCs must roll percentile dice for each listed incident . It is possible for everything
below to happen to each PC within a single ri ot.
5% chance of being knocked down and tr ampled by th e mob for 28 hp damage.
5% chance of havin g pocket picked of all money, with no chance to notice it .
5% chance of having pocket picked of most valuable object (ma gical item, jewelry, etc.) with no chance to notice it.
5% chance of bei ng hi t by projectile (rock, bottle, board, etc .) for 1-4 hp damage.
5% chance of accidentally losing a valuable object in the crowd (OM's choice or
random roll).
- 5% chance of being mistaken for a hated enemy a nd a ttacked by a crowd of
510 rioters (AC 9; HD 1; hp 5 each ; MY 120'(40'); 'AT 1; Dmg by weapon
type ; Sa ve Fl ; ML 10; AL N-C) armed with clubs and torch es.
5% cha nce of takin g 1-6 hp damage from a militiaman's club by accident as t he
guard attempts to restore order.
5% chance of being mistaken for a r ingleader or person r esponsible for inciting
the riot, t hus being arrested by the militia. The arrested PC spends 4d6 + 12
hours in jail before being released.

48 Issue No. 13

been killed in about equ al number.

Tr aladaran clans a nd Thyati an nobles
have all lost goods and buildings in
fire s. The conjured monste rs have
a ppear ed at random with no set time or
place of attack.
There is ris ing enmity between al l
fact ions in the city, a nd hard words are
being spoke n. Wild a nd exaggerated
rumors ru n through the streets (see the
Rumor Table). The Pes are lik ely to
hear rumors anywh ere, from t he court
of th e Duke to th e back a lleys of th e Old
Quarter.
The separate fact ions a ll claim in nocence an d blame each other for the
cri mes. The thi eves' guilds have sworn
to th e Duk e th at they are not reaponsible, but accuse one a not her. The Veiled
Society has openly accused the Iron
Rin g of setting fire s. The Kingdom of
Thie ves has blamed both the Iron Ring
and the Veiled Society for th e incidents ,
cla imin g th e two are in league to overthrow the Duk e. The Ch urch of Karameikos, the Churc h of Tra ladara , and
t he Cult of Hala v have called for calm,
but each accuses th e ot hers of not doing
enough to quell t he unrest.
The streets are not safe at night. Old
hatreds and long-forgot te n rivalries an d
feuds have been infl amed . Ther e are
clashes between Tralad aran an d Thyatian mobs, foreigners and locals, and
between various organized street ga ngs.
The militia usually bre aks up these
r iots before they tum deadly, but th e
clash es are becoming more frequ ent and
more violent, and are involving more
and more people. On any ni ght Pes are
in th e streets , there is a 5% chanc e th ey
become involved in one of these clashes
(see t he Mob Clash Thble for the re sults
of such involvement ). The DM may
place a clash or riot a t any location and
on any night desired.
The Duke and his adviso rs are very
concern ed over the growing unrest in
Specularum. It has been decided that
the Duke mus t do something _ anything _ in order to show th e people he
is still in charge. As the posted re wards
are not bringin g a ny r esul ts, t he Duke
has ca lled a meeting of community
leaders and other powerful individuals.
Audience with the Duke
Thday is the 11th day ofVatermont. The
Pes have been invited to th e High Pal ace for an audience with th e Duk e. If
th e PCs are not a lrea dy involved in th e

OF NESTS AND NATIONS

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DUNGEON 49

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OF NESTS AND NATIONS

duchy's affair s t hrough fr iendship with

the Duke or ot her polit ical figures, they
should be in vited to attend the meeting
becau se t hey are of high-enough level to
be of se rvice . Eve n if t he PCs are not
exact ly respecta ble Oike the envoys
from t he t hieves' guilds), they are st ill
in vited to attend. Leede ra of the various
Tral adaran clans. Thyati an nobles,
representerivea from all guilds (including thieves), a nd othe r dign itaries are
in attendance. The Duke himself
addre seea the gat he r ing:
" Honored guests , nobles, and cit izens: Due to the gravity of t he situation, I will dispense with the us ual
introductions and honor ifics. As you
kn ow, the unrest in our city is grow.
ing worse. My advisors an d I have
decided to pool all kn owled ge concerni ng rece nt events. In this way,
we hope t hat your grou ps will work
with rather tha n against eac h ot her,
a nd t ime will not be wasted in t he
du plication of effort. Mak e no mis ta ke; our Duchy itself is at ri sk. I
needs the help a nd goodwill of all
citizens, an d before this is over, perhap s the help and goodwill of the
Immortals th emsel ves.
" Above and beyond what I have
already offered, I cannot post bounty
or list r eward for such service, for I
know not what we are fighti ng or
how such service should be honored.
I ca n only say help will be rewarded
most generously a nd hindrance pun ished most severe ly. I will leave you
now to Lord Kerrigan, who will
explain the facts as we k now them
an d share such information as we
have. May the Imm ortals smile on
you a nd your childre n; I bid you good
day."
Wit h t hese words , the Duke t urns and
leaves the hall . A personal au dience can
be arranged for t he following day, but
the Duke k nows no more than is available from Lord Korrigan .
Lord Kerrigan has been actively read in g a nd correlati ng reports of th e cri mes
happenin g in Specu larum. At t he
Duke's ex it, Lord Kerrigan stands a nd
deliv er s a long speech deta ilin g whe n
a nd where mur ders were committed,
fire s set, an d monsters conjured (the
DM can prepar e t his speech after reading th e list of incidents t hat follows).
Lord Korrigan points out , on a large
map of Specularum t hat hangs in t he

50 Issue No. 13

hall, t he locations of a ll th ese various

incidents (the DM should now give t he
player s a copy of t he " Playe rs ' Order of
Events" and a map of Specularum with
only locati ons A-L ind icated ).
Lord Korrigan a lso peaeea on t wo
impo rtant pieces of information. The
first and foremost is ahout t he Black
Eagle Barony. Suspicion automatically
fell on Baron Von Hendriks a nd hi s
wizard, Bargle th e Infamous, when the
murder s a nd fires first began. It is now
known th a t Bargle has been in the
Minrothad Guild s on t he baron's business for the past several week s. The
baron has just recover ed from a prolonged illness (some say he was poisoned) and is busy purging his own
ra nks. It seems extr emely unlikely,
wit hout Bar gle close at hand and with
internal stri fe in his own bar ony, that
von Hendriks would attempt, or could
attempt , a strata gem of arso n a nd murder against the city.
The second piece of inform ation is
abou t t he clergy. The clerics of Specularum ha ve declared they will not use
com m une spells until a clear, concise,
an d sign ifica nt set of questions can be
asked. The Pat riarc hs feel it is inappropriate to both er th e Immortals with
questions such as , " Is so-and-so
involved?" or "I s t his grou p re spcneible?" As the Patriarch of t he Church of
Tr aladara has sai d, "If you both er the
Immortals with a question, th e answer
had bette r be worth kn owing:'
If the DM has allowed a magic-user PC
to obtain a oontact outer plane spell from
the D&D Companion Set , the PC should
be allowed to use the spell. No NPC
should ha ve this spell or use it for any
price. The Traladaran Patriarch's words
should be heeded, for the Immortals do
not enjoy being disturbed by a game of 20
questions unless it is important to their
sphere of power. Immortala so disturbed
may well penalize a PC by increasing his
chan ce of insanity or the ir own chance of
lying when contacted .

Player s' Ord er of Events

Th is is the sequence of even ts t hat have
hap pened in the city before the PCs'
meeting with t he Duke a nd Lord Korriga n. Letters in parentheses indicate the
locations of th e incidents on th e map of
Specularum. Included is a summary of
what Lord Korrigan kn ows or believes
to be true concerni ng these incidents.
The PCs may examine evidence collect-

ed from a ny crime scene and acquire the

names and eddreseee of any witnesses,
euepeete, or involved parties by contact ing Lord Korrigan or hi s underlings.
(See "Dungeon Master's Order of
Events" for more information on these
events.)
Nuwmont 18th: A guard on the wall
(A) between t he north end of the Nest
and the Great Church of Karam eikos
was found murdered just after sunset .
The guard's neck wa.sbroken , but the
other guards 88W and heard nothing . A
speaJe w ith the chad spell rev ea led th e
guard was gr abbed from behind, felt a
sharp pain in his neck , t he n kn ew nothin g more. The Duk e offered a 2()(}'gp
reward for th e name ofthe person
res ponsible.
NUUlmont 20th : A warehouse (B) full
of cloth burned to th e ground after an
initial explosion. In t he night, a disreputable merchant was found murdered
in an all ey (C) not far away. As with the
wall guard, the merchant's neck was
becken. A speak w ith th e chad spell
rev ea led noth ing . The merchant is
kn own to ha ve t ies to both the Veiled
Society and t he Kin gdom of Thieves. It
is possible th at this murder may be due
to a dispute over stolen goods. As t he
merch an t still had his full purse when
the body wa.s found , robbery has been
ruled out as a moti ve for th e murder. A
2()(}'gp reward was offered for the warehouse arsonist a nd 100 gp for the merchant's kill er.
NUUlfflOnt ZJrd: Fresh -water termites
(apparently created by magic) attacked
ships an d wooden docks in Mirror Bay.
Two sma ll galleys were sunk, and the
southernmost docks on the western side
of th e bay (0) were damaged. In the
confusion of the attack, a watchman
was t hrown from the Hightow er (E ).
Man y of the guards from the Hightower
had come down to help fight the te rmites. Those that rem a ined in th e tower
sa w a nd heard nothing until t he watch .
man fell screaming. The Duk e offered
200 gp for th e names of t he persons
re spons ible for each cri me.
Nuwmont 25th: There was fir e by day
a nd murder by night. An lerendi
frei gh ter (F) caught fire at noon, killing
two crew members and injuring four
more. The sa ili ng ship was takin g on
great bales of fleece from the warehcueee on th e southern shore of Mirror
Bay when one of th e bales erupted in a
fiery explosion. The fire burned out of

OF NESTSAND NATIONS

control, and t he shi p wu towed out into

th e bay, where it burned a nd 88nk safe.
ly away from t he docks a nd other shi ps
two hours later. Th e exact ca use of the
fire is unk nown .
Th at night, a halfi in g was foun d m ur der ed ; h is neck had been bro ke n. Th e
body was thrown into t he bay bu t had
washed up on th e beach of the sout her n
shore (G). A spro)r w ith th~ dead spell
revealed nothing. The h alfl ing, Artemua Gravel , still carried 50 gp in h is
pocketa. He lodged at the Elk Horn
rooming house. Th e Du ke offered 500 gp
for the ship arsonist a nd 100 gp for t he
halflin g's murderer.
,,"u u-mOll I Z81h: Another wa ll guard
waa murdered . Th e guard waa stationed
on th e wall (II) just sout h of t he Hall of
the Ord er of the Griffon. Aga in, t he
guard's neck was broken. The other

guards heard him screa m but arrived

too la te to help or even see what happened . Spells r evealed not hing furthe r.
Three owl bears suddenly appeared in
t he Mercha nt District OJ. Th ey killed
tw o hones, demolished a shop dea ling
in rare and valuable porcel ain, and
badl y injured two people. After t he
attack. th e owl bears just as suddenly

disappeared.
A wholesale foodstuffs business (J) in
th e Mercha nt District was heav ily damaged by fire , No one sa w or heard a ny t hing unusual. Thldon , head of t he
Magician s' Guild. examined the area
a nd stated t hat a d~lay~d blast fire ball
gem was placed und er some sac ks of
Ilour. 'Iel don also te ntative ly connected
th e warehouse fire with the Ierendi sh ip
fire three days ago, a nd more positively
connected th e wall gu ard's murder wit h
those of the halning, merc hant. watch.
man. and other wall gu ard. based on his
stud ies . Enraged , t he Duk e offered
2.000 gp for the na me of th e murderer.
2.000 gp for th e name of the magic-user
who is conjuring monsters, and 2,000 gp
more for th e me gie.usee setting fires .
"iJt~rmon t 3rd: A priv ate guard, hired
by s shi p's ca ptain. was foun d dead in
the night aboard th e ga lley he was
guarding (K l. Ot her sa ilors in t he area
were attacked by sleep spells. When
qu est ioned. t he ship's captain was
amazed. Th e ship had not loaded a ny
cargo; th e guard was simply a precau t ion agai nst other sai lors " borrowing"
gear from his vessel wh ile he and his
cre w spent th e night ashore . Th ere was

only one th ing missing from the vessel:

a keg of lamp oil with th e sh ip's name
etc hed into the to p and bottom of the
sm a ll barrel. Th ill made t he keg a very
" hot " item; no one would buy it. si nce it
was lin ked to a murder. Examination
showed th e gu ard was killed with an
axe, but re vealed noth ing more. A 100
gp reward was offered for t he killer.
JUtermol'lt 7th: A small warehouse (1. )
filled with kegll of tar, pitch , a nd ca ulk ing used by th e na va l shi pbuil ders was
set ab laze . Th e body of a guard was
found in th e ruins. Several sailors saw a
spell-easter hurl a fire ball spell at the
warehouse; they chased him, but he
escaped by cas ting a lL't'b spell across a
narrow alley. cutting off pursuit. Believing t his may be the same magic-use r
wh o has set fires across the city, the
Duk e ofTers 5.000 gp for th e fire -sett ing
magic-user a nd 2.000 gp for a ny of his
henchmen. All ot her offers still sta nd.

For the Dungeon Ma ster

Human agents are not t he ca use of
these disaste rs . Th ey have bee n planned
and carried out by hivebrood. large
paras it ic insect creatures that live by

DUNGEON

51

OF NESTS AND NATIONS

infecting ot her beings, controlli n g and

eventually destroying them as indi viduals in the process. The hivebrood live
in comm unities eomewbet similar to
anta ' nesta, and come in five types:
broodJing. hivebreod, hiveleadet;
hive mind. and broodmother.
H ivebrood ind ividuals have no meaning or worth; only t he interests of th e
hive are im portant . These interests are
primarily to protect and preserve the
broodmother. the most important mem ber of the hive. who lives at the ce nte r
of all the hive 's activities and is protected with fanatical devoti on by he r " children." This large creature (only one per
hive) exists solely to prod uce t he sma ll
la rvae called broodlin gs.
Broodli ngs are placed on paral yzed
vict ims, us ua lly bumanoids of various
types, who act 8B hosts for the parasitic
young. A brood lin g does not kill ita
host; it adapts a nd modifies itself to the
host in such a way that the host and
broodling become virtually a si ngle
creature. This process takes one whol e
day and causes major changes in the
host and broodling. Th e most obvioua
changes are t hat th e host creature
develope a chi tinous outer shell, its eye.
film over, and it becomes stiffer and
more "inaed.!ike" in its movements.
Afterward, th e new broodling joi ns its
fellow hiv e members at work . The broodlin g la ter metamorphceea into either a
hivebrood, hiveleader; or hivemind.
Th e h ivebrood ill t he mature workerl
soldier of the hive, from whence th e
entire group gets ita generic name. The
hiveleader is a more powerful form of
hivebrood , able to give orders to t he
lesser mem bers of the hive . Hivel ead ers
act as lieutenants for t he hiveminds,
who are a barely mobile type Oike th e
broodmother) entirely devoted to controlli ng t he activities of th e hive . Th e
hiveminda make all important dec ieicne
conce rning the hive.
The most feared aspect of th e hivebrood. ia the hivemind's ability to
acquire and pass on to other members of
the hive th e capabilities of any creature
it has eaten. When a hivemind devoun
a creature, it gains all that creature'.
abilities. includi ng saving throw . It ill
th en able to pass these abilities to any
member of ita hive through airborne
chemical emleeicee. Thus, a hivemind
that haa dined on a 3rd-Ievel thief and a
6thlevel magic.user can send out chem ical signals to all the h ivebrood so that
they can hUh ill . ha.crow, as thoug h

52 Issue No. 13

they were 3rd-level thieves, and cast

an y spells the magic.user had memorized at the time he was dev oured. It is
posaible for each member of a h ive to
cast a fin boll spell it a hivemind haa
eaten a magic-user who knew the spell.
Once an ability baa been passed by the
hivemind, it 18 forgotten by that
hivemind. An ability is defined as being
one oftbe following: one spell of an y
level or type; a skill such aa one of a
t h iers specia l abilities; an Attack Rank;
a fighter's combat opt ion Ieee Playu'.
Companion. page 18), or a level of weapon mastery (see Mast~r Pla~r'. Book,
page 15).
In th e metamorphosis of human oid to
hivebrood., one of the most amazing
changes is to t he h um an oid's voice. Th e
vocal chords st iffen, th e to ngue fla ttens
a nd becomes hard, and t he proeeee of
speech becomes mu sic itself. Air is
forced through the vocal chorda, causing
vibrations, then over th e stiff'tongue,
causing a low buzz . The two eounde are
combined and manipulated usi ng the
jaw.. mandibles. and teeth. Th e voice of
a hivebrood, from broodJing to brood .
mother. ecunds like a large bassoon or
oboe. The hivebrood language is based
on the placement of the notes in the
scale, although brood lin ga, h ivebrood,
and hiveleaders rarely we language,
preferring to rely on chemical ecents for
comm unica tion. It ia pri marily the
hiveminda who use the language to
discuss affairs of the hive. Hivem inda
may al80 speak melodious versions of
common, elvish, or other lan gu ages.
No hivebrood. of any k ind h aa a personal name (numbers hav e bee n gi ven
to th e hivel eaders in this adventure to
clarify matters for th e DM). All others
are si mply part of th e whole a nd ha ve
no specific identities. On ly the brood mother has the peculiarity of being a
singu lar un it in th e hiv e.

Food (or Thought

Th e current situation began 10 months
ago when a 20th-level magicuser, alone
and unconscious, was found by the hivebrood in the heavily wooded area west
of Rugal ov Village. The hivebrood
brought him back to th e hiv e, west of
Rugalov in Dymrak Forest. Th e magic
user had had a heart attack and was in
no sha pe to be used for anything but
food, 80 he was delivered, unconscious
but still alive. to one hivemind's cham.
ber as ita evening meal.

Later, in the derkneee of ita chamber,

the hi vemind brooded as it listened to
the distant rustling of hivebrood coming
and goin g. Th e hivemind contemplated
ita newfound power, magic and knowl
edge swirling in ita mind. The hivemind
absorbed th e power, gaining the spells
that were once the magic-user's. These
new powers a l80 let the hivemind ace an
old problem in a new lig ht .
All the hivemiada of the nest knew
the Eastron Road to t he 80Uth of the
hive was becoming too well traveled.
Rugalov Village was becoming too prospercus and Rugalov Kee p too strong.
Humanoids were needed for brood lin gs
a nd food, bu t humanoida in force would
harm th e nest. Th e hiveminda knew the
h ive's security lay in its concealment. If
th e humanoida found t he nest, they
would lay siege a nd destroy it . Unti l
now, the hivemi nde had no power to do
anything except mount a dir ect suicidal
8888ult on th e road, village, or keep.
Ope n warfare with the humanoida
woul d be fstal for the entire nest.
Th e hivemind now saw another wa y
that t ha t problem might be solved. It
&ent hi vebrood I!ICUrI'}'ing off to the
nest's garbage pit, which held al l man
ner of trash and treasure - clethee,
armor, shields , weapons, boots, hata.
jewelry, gemll, coina , IJtaffs, rods, rings,
acrol la., spell books, and anything else a
humanoid might wear or carry. The
h ivemind wanted the 2Othlevel ma gicuser'. spell boolr..s and a medallion of
peculiar design_The spell book.s, the
hivem ind k new, were a source of great
power, a too l to wield to solve the
"human oid problem :' Th e medallion of
ESP (30' range) t hat the magi c-user had
worn was a key to t he doors of th e
h um anoid mind .
When th e hivebrood re turned with t he
spe ll books a nd the medallion, t he
h ivemi nd se nt forth t he signal. Threat
to the broodmother! Threat to t he h ive!
Threat! Threat! Th e hi ve paused for a
moment, scent ing t he alarm. It concerned hivem ieds only, so all others
resumed t he ir labors. Here and there
throughout the great nest. hiveminda
stopped their work and began moving
in ward to the nest's center, to a large
chamber near the broocJmother. The
Council of Drone. had been cal led .
The hi vem inda arrayed themselves in
a rough circ le. In the center was the
alarm-giv er, the hivemin d who had
devoured the 2Oth level magic-user, It
offered a possible solution to the threat

OF NESTS AND NATIONS

of t he humanoids. the music ofit.& voice

echoing off the vaulted roof of the coun.

cil chamber. Here and there, different

music sounded as other hiveminds
spoke. Knowledge was expanded. and a

synthesis reached and announced by the

council-calling hi ve mind. The other
hiveminds voiced their opinion in a
booming choir of assent: The humanoids
would be attacked. (See "The

Hivemind's Plan")

The Hivemlnd Itself

The hivemind wh o devoured the 2Othlevel magic-user is now a very powerful
creature with multiple spell-casting
abilities (Ae 6; HD 6 +6; hp 40; MY
30 'UO'); 'AT 3 (2 clewe/t bite); Dmg 1-4/
1-4/1.f> plus paralysis; Save F12 or
MU20; ML 12; AL N). The bite of the
hivemind causes paralysi s for 2-16
turns unless a Saving Throw VB. Poison

is made. This hivemind's sa ving throws

are made as a 2Othlevel magic-user or

as a 12thlevel fighter, whichever is

better. The hivemind has also devoured
many low -leve l thieves, clerics, elves.
and magic-uaera over the years and st ill

retains many of their abilities. For this

reason. the hivemind has spells exceeding the limitations of a normal spell.

ceete r,
The hive mind has the same chance of
performing or transferring a thief abili ty as thieves of the following levels: 6th,
5th, Srd , 2nd ( X 3), 1st ( x 4). It may use
or tranBfer any thief ability at any of
the listed levels, at will .
The hivemind has devoured nine
clerics and is able to Turn Undead at
the following levels: 6th, 4th. ard, 2nd
(x 2), 1st (x 4). Like thief abilities. the
Turn Undead ability may be used at
any listed leve l, at will. The hivemind
c:an cast or transfer the following clerical spells: cause 'isht wounds. cure lisht
wounds (x 2), darlmf!SS, 'ish t (x 2),
remove fear, resist cold, blight. find

trapR, resist fire. silence 15' radius ( x 2).

eause disease.
The hivemind has devoured six magicusers of the following levels: 20th. 4th,
3rd, zn d, 1st (x 2). It has also dined on
one 2ndlevel and two ret-level elves.
This gives the hivemind the ability to
cast the following spells: charm perlJ(Jn
(X 3), chtect magic, hold porltll, light
( x 4), magic missile (x 2), read language. , read magic ( x 4), sh ield , . leep,
continual light (x 2), ESP ()( 2), llnoell,
levitate, mirror image. wizard locll.

dispel magic, fire ball, fly, hold person,

in visibility 10 ' radius, charm monster,
confusion, curse. polymorph others,
polymorph self, an imate chad ( x 2),
[eeblemind, hold monster, death spell,
invisible stalker, lower waUr, weat her
con trol, create normal monsters, delayed
blast fire ball. sword, per m anence, symbol (sleep).
The hivemind has a medallion ofESP
(30' range) but no weapons or armor.
The spell books of the hivemind contain
only tho se magic-user spell s listed. The
hivemind understands and can use all
these spells to their greatest potential,
learning them over again at 20th level
once each has been cast. IT. however, a
hivebrood of any type (including the
hivemind) casts a spell of any sort, it
loses 1 hp in the process. Any hivebrood
will cast a spell and lose a hit point
even if it leads to death, for the hive is
far more important than th e individual.
The hive mind will not let the spell
books fall into humanoid hands. It will
cast a fir e balispelJ on the books in an
attempt to destroy them, or will use an
invisible stalker spell to take the books
to a nother plane. The hivemind does all
it can to avoid being captured; if no
escape is possible , the hivemind casts
its ckath spell on Itself It will, of course,
try to lure the PCs into the spell's area
of effect before doing 80 . ITcaptured, it
will refuse to cooperate at any cost.

The Hive mlnd'a Plan

The attack upon the humanoids would
have to be carefully planned. All
humanoid prisoners in the nest were
interrogated using the medallion of
ESP. From most, no useful information
was gathered. Occasionally, a thief from
Spec:ularum, an elf with a good memory
for the streets and alleys of the city, or a
fighter with dealings in th e neighborhoods called the Old Quarter and the
Nest was handed to the hivemind for
interrogation. Weeks and months
passed, with prisoner after prisoner
being inte rr ogated, until synt hesis was
reached.
The hivemind learned many strange
things about humanoids. Unlike hive brood, humanoids were not all alike.
Thi s lack of wholeness, it realized, could
be exploited to cause humanoid to fight
humanoid. The hivemind decided to
enter the hive of the humanoids, the
one they named Spec:ularum . With some
specially pre pared hive leaders, it would

tur n the humanoid gr oups ag a inst one

another, cau sing an internal war.
Only three hive leaders were needed
(hi veleadera being preferred becau se of
their higher intelligence a nd toughness). The three hiveleadera received
polymorph st'lfspells from th e hiv emind
and polymorphed themselves into
humans. The hive mind then passed
permanence spells to three other hive leaders, who cast these spell s on their
polymorphed brothers. Because the
hiveleadera used polymorph self spells,
their normal armor class, hit points,
and saving throws remained unchanged. However, once poly morphed into
human form, th e hiveleaders were no
longer able to receive abilities from th e
hivemind by chemical transference. The
hivemind also passed th e sa me two
spells to a second hivemind, who immediately t ransferred them back to the
firet 80 that the original hivemind
would not permanently forget or lose
the spells. The hivemind then had broodlings and hivebrood scour th e trash pit,
arming the polymorphed hive leaders
with magical arms and ite ms.
The three polymorphed biveleaders
in human form now have the following
statisti cs: AC 2; HD 5 + I i hp 28 (11). 21
(12 ), 24 (/3 ); MV 120'(40'); IAT 1; Omg
by weapon type; Sa ve F7; ML 12; AL N.
Hivel eader 11 has a mace + 1 and a ring
of spell stori ng. The ring contains these
spells: charm person. web, sleep. fire
ball, create normal monsters. Hiveleader
12 has a ring ofh uman control and a
sword + 1. Hive leader 13 has a ring of
invis ibility and an axe + 2. ITa hiv eleader is captured, it can tell PCs nothing . QuestiolUl, ESP, and any other
magical mind reading reveal only such
information as : "Th is unit was so
orde red;' " Unknown to this unit; ' and
"Non sequitur; that is hivemind function ." Their physical appearance s are
quite bland and nondescript, matching
the local human population.
The spell s in th e ring ofspell storing
are replaced by th e hivemind. Though
the hivemind casts spell s at 20th level,
the OM should remember that the ring
stores spell s at the lowest level needed
to cast them; the fire ball spell produces
a 5-HO fire ball, and only 15 HD of
monsters are created when the create
normal monsters spell is used . Created
monsters revert to their normal beh avior if uncommanded by a epell-ceete r:
water termites attack and eat wooden
objects, croccdilea attack and eat any-

DUNGEON

53

OF NESTS AND NATIONS

THE FLYING HAMHOCK TAVERN

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OF NESTS AND NATIONS

one they find , etc.

The three polyrrwrp hed hivele adere
were now ready to infiltrate the city.
From pr isoner inte rrogations, th e
hiv emind chose th e Flying Hamh ock
Tave rn as the base for launch in g its
ca mpaign. The hivem ind rod e to t he
city in its own for m. in a covered wagon
pulled by captured hor ses, wit h the
polymorphed hl veleedera along 88 drtvere a nd an escort. Once withi n a mile of
th e city, t he hivemind poly morphed
itself into human form. This ga ve them
about four and a half hours (the durati on of th e h ivem ind's poly rrwrph self
spell) to enter the city, then find a nd
ta ke over t he Flying Hamhock.
On ce a base of operat ions was capt ured, the h ivemind's pla n was to carry
on a ca mpaign of terror using invisible
stalker spells to murd er guards, delayed
blas t fire ball spe lls to ca use fires, and
erecre normal monsters spe lls to stir
havoc. This would be done slowly and
carefully. 'Tho hea vy or too sudden a
blow would bring the city together
instead of tearing it apart. Whil e t he
hivemind did not undentand th e differences between hu ma ns , it kn ew that
such differences were important to th e
h umanoids and could be made to work
aga inst t he m. Th e various humanoid
gro ups, not knowing who was to bla me
for t he trouble, wou ld hopefully blame
each other. Th en , as was typ ical among
humanoids , war would begin.

The Flying Homhock Tavern

Unfortunately for th e staff of th e Flying
Hamhock, t he h ivemind 's plan wen t
lik e clockwork . Th e hivebrood found the
ta vern without difficu lty, rented t wo
upstairs rooms, a nd wai ted for the tevem to dose for the night. When the
hivele adera attacked , th e ta vern owner
fell under th e spe ll of t he ring of h uman
control, a nd t he bouncer fell to a ch arm
person spell from the ring of spell storing. Th e ot her tavern personnel found
themselves face to face with the
hivem ind in its na tural form . Th e
hivemind used its charm person spells,
and th at was the end of any resistance
by t he staff.
Afte r be ing charm ed, the staff mem o
bers of the Fl ying Hamhoc::k were told to
act normally and carry on bus iness as
usual. Th e only difference at t he inn is
that no upstairs rooms will be rented,
and no one but the staff is allowed
above t he gro und floor. H the char m

person spell on a ny staff member is

dispelled, he will actively oppose the
hivebrood a nd help t he PCs. The OM
should not give experience points for
any of t he tavern staff killed by PCs;
t he staff members are in nocent pawns
of t he hivemind . If any staff member is
se nt to pr ison or separated from th e
hivemind for longer than t he duration
of the charm person spell (one week),
the hivemind sends an invis ible stalker
to kill th at person.
Th e staff mem bers of th e Flying
Hamhoc::k Tavern ha ve had shady deal.
ings with every thieves' gui ld in Specu larum, but th ey do not belong to any
guild. Th e staff consists of the owner,
Fyodor Karamazov. and four othe rs :
Mitya Ivano vich, Katerina Polenov,
Gregor Samsa , and Grushe nka .
Fyodor Ka r amazov. tavern owner:
AC 7; T5; hp 14; MY 120'(40'); t AT 1;
Dmg by weapon type ; Save T5; ML 9;
o 16; AL N. Fyodor is th e owner a nd
bartender of the Flying Hamhoc::k 'Iav em. He allows no one to te nd t he bar
but himself, claiming that the others
ei the r don't water th e liquor enough or
steal it out right . Fyodor is pleasant to
the customers, unpleasant with th e
staff, and is considered a master con
a rtist by a ll in th e neighbor hood,
including himself. Fyodor is unarmored
but armed with a short sword and a
dagger +2.
Mitya Iveeovtcb, cook: AC 9; HO 1;
hp 3; tAT 1; Dmg by weapon type; MY
120 '(40'); Save NM; ML 6; AL C. Mitya
is a fat . stupid. and easygoing individual. So long as he can cook and prepare
simple meals in the tavern, Mitya is
happy. H attacked or in need of a weapon , Mity a will use one of the many
kitchen kni ves (treat as da ggers). If
a ttacked outs ide the k itchen, treat
Mitya as unarmed.
Katerlna Polenov, serv ant : AC 8;
T3 ; hp 8; MY 120'(40'); IAT 1; Dmg by
weapon type; Save T3; ML 8; D 15; AL
N. Ka terina serves food and drinks and
acts as maid for th e eecond floor (Fyodor
looks after his own apartme nt). As waitreea and maid. Katerina is able to pick
pockets and pilfer sma ll valuables .
Techn ically, Fyodor is supposed to get
25% of her "take ." He never knows how
much Katerina has stolen, however, so
he is constantly shortchanged (there is
no honor among t h ieves). Katerina is
armed with a da gger and keeps a blackjack hidde n in a skirt pocket .
Gregor Samsa, waiter and handy.

man: AC 9; T4 ; hp 11; MV 120'(40');

IAT 1; Dmg by weapon type; Save T4;
ML 8; AL N. Gregor serves food and
drinks but seldom attempts to pick
pockets . He prefers to confi ne h is thievery to a n occasional big job, such as
looting a warehouse or ransacking t he
h ome of a wealthy merchant. Gregor
likes working for Fyodor because th e
tavern owner know s every dealer in
sto len goods in Speeularum. Gre gor is
armed with a short sword a nd dag ger.
Grushenka, bouncer ; AC 7; F4 ; hp
19; MY 120 '(40 '); IAT; Dmg by weapon
type; Save F4 ; ML 10; AL N.
Grushenka's job is to throw out rowdy
drunks and settl e quarrels (forci bly, if
necessary). Grushenka is short. stocky,
stubborn, and mean - eve rything a
tavern bou ncer needs to be . She ca n be
a good frie nd or a bad enem y.
Grushenk a wears leather armor and
fights with a dub. She al so wears a
special spiked glove, a punch from
which does 1-4 hp damage. Grushenka
carries three daggers , one openly in a
sheat h on her belt and t wo in concealment (one is in her left boot a nd the
other in a special shea th up her right
sleeve). Grushenka throws these daggers a t Expert level of weapon mastery
(see " Wea pon Mastery," pa ge 16. and
the " Weapons Chart: ' page 20, in th e
Master Players' Book ).
Th e Flying Hamhoc::k is a typical
small tavern. As far as the local authorities are concerned , this tavern is no
worse than many others, and has a
better re putation than some. Because of
its location near the cit y wa ll, the wall
guards often stop in for a pint of ale or a
bowl of stew. and t hey are always treated well .
Th e hivemind h as found ou t from
Fyodor which customers are tavern
" re gul ars" and which are not . H PCs
visit the tavern more than tw ice. investigating cri mes or inte rrogati ng the
staff. the hi vemind casts its in visib le
stalk er spell a nd orde rs the creature to
kill a PC randomly chosen by t he
hivemind while spying through a peephole in Fyodor's bedroom (the DM may
choose or roll r an domly). The inviaibl e
stalker (AC 3; HD 8; hp 40; MV
120'(40' ); tAT 1 blow; Dmg 4-16; Save
F8; ML 12; AL N) will try to attack
when the PC is alone .
Descriptions of the various rooms in
t he Flying Hamhock, as shown on th e
tavern maps with th is module, follow.

DUNGEON

55

OF NESTS AND NAn ONS

1. Commo n Room. This room is well

lighted with large lanterns. Daylight or
dark, shutte n always cover the windews. This is partly because lea ving th e
windows open leu in the BOunds and
smeUs of work ing horses and laborers
lnot to mention th e accompanying flies),
and partly to prevent anyone from spying on thoee in the tavern. The room is
well worn, fairly dean, a nd smells of

gre asy food a nd cheap ale .

Hidden on th e floor at the sout hern
end of the bar is a trigger; when
tripped, it ri ngs a small bell upstairs .
This warns a nyone on the second floor
that t he au thorit ies are coming up.
Thus warned, fugi tives. thieves wit h
stolen goods (or in this case, hivehrood)
ca n escape detection by using a sec ret
door to the lumber warehouse be hi nd

the tavern . 1b catc h th e hivebrood

before they ea a escape through t he
secret door. th e PCs must stop Fyodor
fro m triggering the be ll. Thieves in t he
common room ha ve nonnal hear noise
cha nces to detect the ringing ofthe bell .
2. KlU::hen.. The kikhen is a jumble of
pots. pan&, and cooking utensils. Mitya

Ivanovich rul es over the disord er with

calm. He 1lOOm& to know where every thing is. and ca n pull a small spat ula or
a n egg wh isk from a jumble o( uu-nail s
whenever he needs one. The (ood being
prepared is plain. greasy. a nd nourishing . The kitc hen is always kept very
warm by t wo ovens. This room smells
pleaaantly of spices and herbs that are
kept, but never used , by Mitya.

furnished with comfortable chain an d a

table, its floor carpeted with a worn but
clean ru g. Fyodor 's bedroom (4B) eoatains a bed. a nightatand, a chair, and a
wardrobe. The bedroom is uneerpeted,
but t here is a small rug near the bed.
The nightatand conceals a peephole in
the floor. When the nig htatand is moved
away from the wall . the peephole is
revealed . Anyone looki ng through the
peephole can see the western 30' length
of the common room a nd bar. not the
kitch en or stairs going up. The peephole
is plu gged when not in use , and from
t he common room it a ppears to be nothing but a sma ll k nothole.
Fyodor keeps nothing of value in his
apartmen t and only th e minimum
amount of coin (cha nge worth 130 gp
value) needed to run th e ta vern. He,
like th e rest of t he staff. keeps his valuabie s in a well-protected bank elsewhere in town .
5. Unen Closet. Th is room contains
nothing but a la undry bi n for dirty
sheets and blankets, an d shelves helding dean linens, blanketa. and quilts.
8. Staff QuarWrL These employee
bedchambers were originally guest
rooms, but t hey have been perecnelieed
a nd made more livable by th e servants.
Mitya's room (6A) haa several unused
cookbooks on a she lf over t he bed.
Gruea he nka's room (6B) haa a shie ld
han ging from a peg on th e wall and an
old sui t of leather armor stashed under
th e bed. Kau-rina's room (6C) contains a
la rge trunk filled with stole n skirts,
dresses. shirts, and shoos. She also has
a lar ge mirror hanging on th e wall to
th e left of t he door. Gregor 'lI room (6Ol is
very clean and sparsely furnished. It
contains not hing but a bed, a night.
stand. and a spare lIuit of clothes hang.
ing on th e back of the door.

3. Cella r (not shown on map ). This is

one lar ge room, 45' )( 60 ', with great
wooden beams supporting the ceiling.
Extra cha in. ta bles. a nd bed fram es are
piled in the center of the room. The
walls are lined with stacks of casks,
kegs, and cra tes. The cas ks and kegs
hold various wines, br an d ies. a nd ales
- IIOme good, IIOme bad. and some 80
chea p aa to give a perecn a head ache
just looki ng at the keg. Many ofthe
crates hold cheap earthen ware plates.
bowls, cupe. and tankartis; oth en hold
kniv es . fork&, and spoons . There are
alec miaceUaneoua tools and hardware
stored in the cellar: hammer, nails,
buckets, mope, brooms, and ot her iu-ms
use ful in running a tavern.

7. Guest Rooms. The guest rooms are

a ll eJ:actly alike, each with one or two
beds. a chair, and a nigh tatand. They
are clean and spartan. mean t only to
kee p travelers comfortable (or a night
or two, but are too plain an d bare for
prolonged stays. Hiveleader II occupies
room 7A, hiveleader 12 is in room 7B.
and hive leader 13 haa room 7C. The
other guest rooms are empty.

4. Fyodor'a Apartme nt. FyOOor 's

neat and clea n quarters are divided into
two rooms. The sitting room (4A) is

8. Hi vemiDd'. Room. Under norm al

circumstances. this room is never
re nted by Fyodor because it contains a

56 Issue No. 13

secret door. The hivemind had the bed

removed and a trunk brought up from
the cellar. The mfflallwn of ESP and
spell books are stored in the trunk. The
secre t door in t he southern wal l of the
room leaela to t he loft area of a lumber
warehouse behind th e tavern. The
hivemind will use it as an escape rou te
if nec:esaary.
If hard preeeed, or 88 a last resort
before escaping. the hivemind casta s
creue IIOrmal fflOMler iJ spell to cre ate a
Tyran nosau rus reI (AC 3; HD 20; hp
91; MY 120'(40'); IAT 1; Dmg 6-36; Sav e
FlO; ML 11; AL N>. If thi s spell is cast
on th e second or first floor of t he tav ern,
th e weight of t he creature causes th e
floor to collapse, and all persons and
objects within 10' fall t hrough the hole
with th e monster. If the dinosaur falls
through t he second floor and lands on
the ftnrt floor, that floor ecllepeee into
t he cellar. For each floor t hat ccllepeee,
PCs, NPCs. a nd the din088ur each suf
fer 110 hp falling damage and 212 hp
dams ge from falli ng objecta (ch airs,
beds, boards, beams, other PCs. etc .).
PCa face th e additional danger of beeing the dinoeeur fallon them; eac h PC
baa a 10% chance that this oocun to
him, doing 2-20 hp damage. It is poeaible (or th e dinosa ur to (all on all the
PCe, 88 it ia large enough to belly
on th e entire party.
In th e (;(InfUAion. the hivemi nd casta a
permanence spell on the diD088ur before
the duration o( the r:reaU IIOrmal mon
iJleN spell expires. So long 88 a PC
rema ins a live in the ruins. the dinosaur
will not leave the tavern . If a ll PCs ar e
abl e to flee t he ruins o( the tavern, th e
dinosaur esca pes into the streets of
Specularum in 212 rounds. It attac ks
an yone or anything it finds th ere: PCs.
inn ocent bystanders , horses. guards,
etc. The dinosaur else damages build.
ings, walls. and oth er structures in ita
path. The OM ahould decide what type
of 8lrUcture th e din ceaur is a ttacking.
then use th e chapte r on siege equipment i.n th e M QlJler P14yviJ ' Boolt. especiall y th e "Cre a ture Attac ks" aection,
page 26, and the " Fortificat ions" table,
page 28.
As the din088llr is large. noisy, and
easily eeen, it will not take long before
the city begins to fight back . After one
turn, 2-8 people per round (both mili.tia
men and ordinary citizens) begin to
arrive an d attack t he creature with
CI'OII8bows, sli ngs, long bows. and short
bows. The OM may play out this battle

nop

OF NESTSAND NATIONS

ifhe likes; otherwise, th e din osaur is

slain after half an hour.
After it has made the dinosaur perma nent, the hivemind attempts to esca pe
from th e city. Any surv iving hiveleade re
must do their best to escape with th e
hivemind . Otherwise, th ey are left to
di e in the ruins. Any hiv eleaders
trapped in t he ruins of the tavern
attack PCs until either they or the PCs
are destroyed .

9. Lumber Wa rehouse. This SO' x

80 ' lumber warehouse is owned by a
friend of Fyodor. one who keeps his
mout h shut about any nefarious going s.
on. The secret door in room 8 opens onto
a loft area of the warehouse. The main
floor can be re ached by stairs to the eas t
and west. The warehouse holds scatte red bundles of lumber and stacked
boards of various sizes and sha pes. The
loft area holds boxes a nd ke gs of nails,
peg s, h in ges, and other hardware.

Dungeon Master's Order of Events

At the end of t his secti on is the full
order of events in Specularum as the
Dungeon Master knows them. The DM
must keep in mind that th is is not a
mystery module in the lrtrictellt sense.
As PCs investigate the murders, flees,
and conjured monetere. details will be
supplied by th e OM as they are discovered, but th e PCs will probably never
deduce t hat there are hivebrood at the
Flying Hamhock. The best the PCs can
do is to realize something is wron g at
the tavern and organize a raid on th e
place.
PCs will have a direct effect on the
events that take pla ce after Vatermont
11th. After the hivemind is discovered
and exposed. no further even ts take
place. Th e DM is free to re arrange these
events, but care should be taken t hat
clues are not clustered together. givin g
the PCs too easy a solution.
Hthe PCs wish to question NPCs, th e
OM must arrange this as appropriate.
Meet ings wit h any government figures
will, by the Duke 's order. run smoothly
and quickly, without the usual bureau cratic delay. The two major ch urc hes
and the Cult of Hal av can be contacted
and meetings arranged by simply going
to t he re epecuve places of worship.
Church and government officials cooperate freely with th e PCs.
Ordinary citizens can be fou nd at
home or contacted by looking for them

at work, neighborhood taverns , etc .

Thyatian nobles, t he head s of the Traladaran clans, guild mas ters, and other
important people must be contacted a nd
meetings arranged through serva nts
and und erlings. Meetings are held at a
t ime and place convenient for the NPC,
not th e PCs. It is more th an likely t ha t
ordinary citizens and important people
will want some form of payment for th e
information th ey supply. which may be
inaccurate regardless of payment. Such
individuals may have purposes of th eir
own or ulterior moti ves for supplying
inform ation.
Contact with th e underworld of Specularum can be made at th e Black-Heart
Lily Tavern. Representatives of all
thieves' guilds, crim inal organizati ons.
a nd even some st reet gan gs can be
found th er e. Any thief or underworld
figure will certainly want payme nt for
information.
Nuwmont 11th: The Flying Hamh ock
was at tack ed and taken over by th e
hivebrood. The rest of the evening was
spent settling into the inn and preparing th e at tacks to come.
Nuwmont 18th : The hivemind cast a n
in visib k stalker spell before sundown.
The sta lker was comma nded to kill a
guard on th e wall (A) whom the
hivemind saw from its window. Other
than the inform ation listed in the
"Playe rs Order of Even ts," th er e is no
oth er evidence to be had concerning th is
cr ime.
Nuw mo"t 19th: The hivemind
re learned the invisibk stalker spell.
Relearning and transferring spells
always occurs on the days immediately
following a n attack us ing a ny magicuse r spells; the t ime between attacks is
also used to gauge the success ofthe
hivemind's plan so far.
NUlDmont 20th: Hivelea der 13, whil e
itunsible, planted a chlayed blas t fire
ball gem at the warehouse (B) in the
ear ly morning. The re is no evidence.
othe r than blast marks, left behind
after the ensuing explosion.
In the late afternoon. the hivemind
watched th e common room through the
peep hole in Fyodor's bedroom. He
picked a merc hant at random and cast
an inoisible stalker spell. The merch ant
was killed by th e invisible stalker (at
B1) after he left t he tavern . Interviews
with th e merchant's friends a nd his
widow disclose t hat the merchant owed
the Veiled Society a large gambling

debt . An interview with a ny rep resen ta tive of t he Veiled Society re veal s that
the merchant had worked out a paymen t schedule with them; his paymen ts
wen! up to da te . The Veiled Society
could only lose money from th e mer chant's death. The re is no eviden ce th at
a nyone would wa nt to have killed th e
merchant . Spells revea l nothing.
Nuwmont 23rd: Hiveleader 11 walked
from t he Flying Hamhock at dusk to the
shores of Mirror Bay and cas t a create
normal monsters spell, cre ati ng 10
fresh-water termites (D). The hiveleader
wa s seen by a n elven sa ilor on a small
cr aft docked at the sout hern shore. The
elf could not give chase or capt ure t he
spell-caster because his vesse l was
being a tta cked by th e te rmites. The elf
sa w th e epell-caete r turn a nd walk due
sout h, a way from th e ba y. Once th e
spell-caster was past t he wall tower, the
elf could not see where he went. The elf
described the assaila nt as a normal
h uman wearing local dre ss, but distance
a nd darkness prevented him from seein g more .
The hivem ind used its inuieible stalker
spell during t he term ite attac k. The
stalker was comma nded to kill anyone
it chose in the Hightower. The stalke r
chose the watchman tending the fire
and threw him from the tower (E). A
speak with the dead spell reveals t hat
the guard was thrown from the tower by
an in visibl e force and did not jump.
Then! is no oth er evidence.
Nuwmont 25th: Hiveleader 13. whil e
invisible. hid a chlayed blast fire ball
gem in a bale of fleece being loaded on a
ship (F), just before noon. The Ierendi
freigh ter loaded the bale onboard, and
12 rounds later the gem exploded. All
tho se killed or injured were Ierendi
sail ors . There is no evidence of what
ca used the explosion (even if PCs dive
and exa mine th e rema ins of the ship).
Th e hivemind used the peephole in
Fyodor 's bedroom a gai n t hat evening. A
halflin g was chosen at r andom , and an
invisible sta lker was sent to kill him .
As orde red, t he stalker followed th e
halOing until he was alone, then killed
him a nd t hrew him into the bay (G).
Inte rviews with the halfling 's frie nds
(eight people, evenly divided into ma les
and femal es, halflings and humans)
reveal the following: The halfling. one
Artemus Gra vel, was a con artist who
confined his activit ies to rigged ga mes
of three-card monte and selling phony
t reas ure maps. The ha Jning and his

DUNGEON

57

OF NESTS AND NATIONS

frien ds visited seve ral inn s a nd taverns

on th e night of his murder. The frie nds
left Artemus about a block from his
lodgings while they ret urned to the
Laughing Dog Tavern . If suspicion falls
on t hem. all those accompanying Artemus tha t ni ght are willi ng to un dergo
testing by ESp,. ring of truth , scroll of
truth, or any ot he r magical mea ns of
determini ng t he t ruth, to prove th ey
h ad nothing to do with the crime .
On the night of h is murder, the halfling vis ited two inns and three taverns
in the following order: Dimens ion
Doors, the Wizard 's Gizzard . the Laughing Dog, t he Flyi ng Ha mhock, a nd the
Graceful Swan. Th e Graceful Swan Inn
is loca ted in the Old Quarter, a nd
Dimen sion Deere is in Westron Alley,
just nort h of th e Magicians' Guild Hall.
Both inns are respectable eetebliebments. The employees of eac h in n
remember that Artemus ca me in wit h
his frien ds an d had a meal. He is
described as " a happy lit tle chap, free
with his money and fond of his dinner."
They a ll express surp ri se an d shock at
his murder.

The Wizard's Gizzard is located on t he

northeast comer of th e intersectio n of
Westron Alley and th e Street of
Dream s. Thi s tav ern is a gathe ring
place for young magic-users looking for
adventure. The st aff of th e tavern
remembers the halfling came in an d
had a br andy with his friends, a nd th ey
a ll len shortly there after.
The Laughing Dog is located in the
Nest . It is a disreputa ble dive a nd hangout for th ieves and cutthroats of all
types. The staff there remembers Artemus and his friends came in a nd gave
some young t hieves a lesson in rigging
a card ga me. The waite r at t he tavern
confirms th a t Artemus's fri ends
returned later with out him.
The Fly ing Hamhock should be treated no differently than the othe rs . The
staff remembers Artemus, of course. (Th
clai m he never came in would be suspicious behavio r ind eedl) The halOing a nd
hi s frie nds tried to get a ga me of threeca rd monte going, but the t aver n's
patrons wer e too wise to play. The staffs
of all three taverns expre ss shock and
surpr ise at the halOing's death.

Radu's Ust or Cu sto me rs

Most of Radu 's custome rs are kno wn to him by name and place of business. Some
are known by name only and are not steady customers; they come in occasionally
a nd Radu knows no more about them .
The following customers visited Radu'e establishment the day of the fire . They
a re listed in the approximate orde r they arrived as Rad u can best re member. The
custo mers need not ha ve purc hased anythi ng but may have come in to check the
pr ice, quality, or freshness of ite ms. Unkno wn customers are not unusual , as
nearly every day half a dozen people enter t he shop who are tota l stra ngers to
Radu.
1. Dhansur, a n elf, comes in occas ionally.
2. Darya Alexeyevna, the cook for the Dra gonfly tavern.
3. Unknown woman.
4. Boris Nikoli, a grocer in t he Lesser Merch a nt District .
5. Tit us Angel icus, a grocer from the Merch a nt District .
6. Irena k Ire nkov, the cook for the La ughi ng Dog tavern .
7. Petrovovich, comes in occasiona lly.
8. Unknown halfl ing.
9. Gladsholme Axehigh, a dwarf buyi ng supplies for a large adventuring party.
10. Mit ya Ivan ovich, t he cook for the Flying Hamhock tavern.
I I. Bar b Rahdjee J ung, comes in occasiona lly.
12. Unknown ma n.
13. Phineas Hilltop per, halOing cook for the Open Door, a rooming house in the
Old Quarter.
14. Unknown man.
15. Corneli us Andr acus, comes in occasionally.
16. Unknown elf.
17. Klau s Roeder, a foodstuffs buyer for several local loggin g compa nies.
18. Crimso n Noblius, a buyer from t he Trad er 's Corridor.
19. Rhadjarry Moar, comes in occasionally.
20. Corina Pto lemisus, owne r of the Mirror Bay Inn .

58lssuo No. 13

PCs searching t he ha Ining's room at

th e El k Hom rooming house find not hing of interest .
The PCs must get permission from t he
owner of each establis hme nt or from th e
authorit ies before any searches ca n be
mad e. If t he PCs attempt to storm
through th ese inns a nd taverns, taking
t he m apart plank by plank looking for
clues a nd casting spells r ight a nd left,
t he Duke beers of t hei r behavior and
puts a stop to it im mediately. PCs taking such a course of action are fined
heavily by t he Duke. If it happens more
t han once, th e PCs are taken ofT the
case and asked to leave Specularum.
The OM should remember that casting
a spell on a n un willing perso n is a
cri me in Specula ru m, a crime the
unwilling party will report as soon as
possible.
Nu wmonl 281h: A wall guard was
killed by an invisible stalker (H) at midmorning. The hivemind used t he peephole and picked the lerendi guard at
rand om from the crowd in t he ta vern's
common room when the man came in for
brea kfast . The stalker was ordered to
slay the guard when th e man returned
to dut y. Because of severa l dru nken
bra wls, th e ma n had been forced to
choose between imprisonme nt or "s pecial service" as a wall guard. The guard
had no friends in Specularum, and no
one knows or re members at rll"llt that he
stopped at the tav ern. There is no evidence to be found otherwise.
Hivelead er 11 hid in a n a lley at noon
and cast a create normal monsters spe ll,
cre ati ng t hree owl bears. The owl bears
ram paged through the Merch an t District OJ for one turn. An eyewit ness
remembers seei ng a man enter an alley,
t hen suddenly the t hree owl bears
appeared from the sa me alley. The witness ca n te ll t he PCs no more than t ha t ,
as he fled t he area. Visit ing t he alley
accomplishes nothing. There is no other
evide nce.
Radu's Wholesa le Foodstuffs (J) was
set ab laze by Mit ya Ivan ovich, the cook
at t he Flyin g Ha mhock. The hivemind
orde red Mitya to hide a delayed blast
fire ball gem under sacks of flour at
Radu's. The PCs can find out t hat Mitya
was at Radu 's by asking the owner for a
list of everyone who entered the shop
t hat day. If t he PCs do thi s, th e OM
should give the m " Radu's List of Customers," This list contai ns custo mers'
na mes and what Radu kn ows abou t
eac h of th em.

OF NESTS AND NATIONS

If asked, Mitya confirms tha t he was

in the store that day. He poin ts out that
he shops the re weekly for flour. Bugar,
and other gooda needed in the tavern. It
ac:cused of setting the fire , Mitya denies
it . He sticks to th e story that he was
only doing his wee kl y shoppi ng . No
judge in the city will agree to formally
charge Mitya or se t a triat date unleslll
the PCa ca n u ptai n how Mity a came by
the cklaynJ bkut firr ball ge m. Mitya
may. in turn, charge th e Pea with elender if th ey accuse h im . If 80 charged. a
j udge will orde r the PCs to stay a way
fro m Mitya a nd the Flying Hamhock
until their trial date (somet ime in
Yarthmont). If the PCs fail to obey t he
judge's order (t he staff of the F lying
Hamhock will certainly complain to
a uthori ties if they don'U, th ey may be
imprisoned or exiled to the vill a ge of
Marilen ev or Sulescu un til the trial
date. Th e PC a will have sim ilar lu ck if
they attempt to charge a ny ot he r of
Red u'e eustcmere with the cri me.
News of t he judgment ofThldon (lee
" Pl ayer 'l Ord er of Even ts " ) electrified
th e town thil day_Paranoid rumon a nd
fighting between various city factiora
picked up conaiderably over th e next
few daYI as th e search for the murderen and eebceeure took sha pe .
lGtt'rmolit J~ Hive leader II , unarmed, went wa lking alo ng the docu
accompanied by a n invisibk hiveleader
13, armed with an axe . When th ey came
upon a ga lley (K )., hivele ader 1 1 cas t a
Ilnp spe ll on its gu ard and h iveleader
13 killed h im with the axe , becoming
visible . Th e two th en took a keg of lamp
oil a nd went back to the tavern. Wit
nessea in sma ll craft on either side of
t he ga lley can tell the PCs that they
sa w a man walk along the dock, stop at
the gall ey, a nd r aise his hand. Th at is
all th ey remember; everyone on both
sides of th e ga lley was put to sleep by
th e Ilnp spell. When they awoke, they
went to the ga lley to lee if the gu ard
th ere had bee n put to sleep as well , only
to find him dead.
l att'rm ont 7tll : Hivelead er 1 1 was
caught in a small warehouse (1.) while
attempting to cast a spe ll. A guard
discovered a nd tackled t he hi veleader in
the middle of epell-casr ing, Th e hiveleader wu able to knock the guard out ,
step outside th e warehouse, an d cast a
nonnal {i~ ball spell. Th e hivelead er
was chased by seve ral Bailon but
esca ped usi ng a web spell in a narrow
alley. Th e gu ard died in th e fir e; a , peak

wi th the dead spe ll reveal s th e magic.

user's a ppearance wu like th at of hundreds of local people; the man Will
simply nondescript a nd wore regular
work clothes . However, t he gu ard's
spirit does k now that the spe ll-caster
was very powerful a nd tried to bite him,
though the spell-caster had no fan gs.
~a termon t lOtIl : After hearing the
accoun ts of the se crimes, Thldon, head of
the Magicians' Gu ild, was now eon vinced that some mad high -level magi cuser was loose in th e streets of
Specularum. He adv ised th e Duk e to
confiscate a ll spell books and ma gic.
user scrolls , no matter how trusted th e
individual magie-user might be. Th e
Duk e declined this advice, fearing t he
consequences. Thldon closed th e Ma gi.
ciara' Gu ild Ha ll and refused to teach
any spells until th e " mad wizard" W lUl
caught . Unless th e PCs an trusted by
and frie ndly with Thldon, th e old wizard
will not be much help to them. The
wizard st ill eensulta with the Duk e and
ot her advison, but he is very suspicious
of any magie -ueer he haa not k nown for
a long, long ti me. As 'Ieldcn says, "Better suspicion und eserved than trust that
kill s." Magi c.use" in th e city avoid

identifying t he mse lves as 8uch from

this day on t hro ugh the rest of th e eneis, to a void vigilante action a gairat
them .
lQterm ont 1ltll: The PCs hav e their
meeting with th e Duke and Lord Kcrri .
ga n. From this point on, th e PCs may
become involved in the investigati on,
and may also accide ntally walk into one
of the sa bota ge attacks as it ha ppens.
Th e OM shou ld treat the following a8 a
set of guidelin es in this case, preparing
to al ter th e ou tcome of events depend.
ing on the speed and power of th e PCs'
responae to th e sit uat ion.
Th e hiv em ind cancels a planned foray
for this eveni ng in favor of an other
attack to be made tw o da ys from now
(lee following entry).
lGtennont /Jtll: It is a terrible day for
Speeularum. Three large sailing ships
return a t da wn from th e Thanegioth
Archipelago carrying cargoes of 8trange
a nd rare creatures captured on thcee
distant islands. Th e creatures an tran&ferred to warehouse (M) on the w estern shore of Mirror Bay. Th e warehouse ,
though well guarded by the adv enturen
who capt ured th e cre atures. is set
abl aze. A smal l empty oil keg is found

DUNGEON

59

OF NESTS AND NATIONS

only a few yards from the fire; t he keg

ca n be ide ntified, by the name on the
top a nd bot tom , 88 the ODe stolen from
the vessel where the pri vate guard was
killed 10 days before . Other th an t he
fact th at th ese t wo crimea are linked,
th ere is not hi ng more to discover.
Th e a ttack occurs 8 S follows: Hi veleader 13 wa lks up to t he warehouse
while invis ible a nd seta it on fire u sing
t he keg of lamp oil an d a torch. Th e
guards are 90 busy watchi ng th e doors
and monsters that they are taken by
surprise when a wall goes up in names.
As the warehouse burns, th e captured
creatures go insane with fear at th e
smoke . heat, and fire . Several esca pe
fro m the wareho use and mana ge to ge t
in to the city streets. Th e mili t ia a nd the
adventurers responsible for bringing
th e monsters into Specularum go after
them but ca n 't be everywhere at once.
The PCs may play an act ive r ole in
hunting down some of th ese creatures
or be ca lled upon to help subdue or kill
a cre ature once it is cornered.
Two pborcebecoeee (AC 6; HO 3; hp
11, 9; MY 150 '(50 '); ' AT 1 bite; Om g
1-8; Save F2 , ML 8 j AL N) esca pe fr om
th e warehouse, then begin chasing
down small animals (pigs, dogs, goats,
halflings, etc .) for food.
Two dimetrodons (AC 5; HO 7; hp
32, 29; MY 120 '(40'); ' AT 1 bite; Omg
2-16; Save F4, ML 8; AL N) a ttack a nything that they might be ab le to eat .
Th ese large, sail-bac ked lizards are
especiall y fond of crashing in to t he
stables ofinns a nd taverns, k illi ng and
devouring th e horses, poni es, and
stableboys they find there.
Two eebee-eooeh tigers (AC 6 ; HD 8;
hp 37 ,28; MY 150'(50'); 'AT 3 (2 claw s!
1 bite); Om g 1-811 -81216; Save F4 ; ML
10j AL N ) are savage a nd dangero us.
Th e t wo hunt tog ether through the
streets of Spec:ularum looking for
humanoids, their fav orite prey. They
may lair in any convenie nt bui lding.
A giant scorpion (AC 2; HO 4; hp 18;
MV 150'(50'); ' AT 3 (2 c1aws!1 st ing);
Dmg 1-1011 -1011-4 plus poison; Save F2;
ML 11; AL N) hunts around th e shores
of Mirror Bay. It attempts to kill a nd
eat any sailors or dockworkers it ca n
find . H not destroyed qu ickl y, it will
establish a lair among th e man y warehouses along th e docks .
A giant tuatara lizard (AC 4; HD 6;
hp 25j MY 90 '(30 '); ' AT 3 (2 claw s!
1 bite); Omg 1-4/1-412-12; Save F3; ML
6; AL N) escapes into th e Nes t . It hunts

60 Issue No. 13

for prey in t he narrow winding st reets,

establis hing a lair in a n aba ndoned
building.
Th e Duk e swears the death penalty
for an yone convicted of setting the fire .
He pronounces a new law forbidding
an yone to store dangerous crea t ur es
any whe re withi n the city wall s. Th e
Duke offers 10,000 gp eac h for th e n am e
of th e murderer, su mmonin g magi c-user;
or arsonist .
Riots break out this eve ni ng between
numer ous faction s across t he city. Sev .
era l suspected magic-users are attacked
by mobs, and two are sla in . Reli gious
a nd political groups battle in the streets
as well . Six other persons die as guards
try to sepa rate the fighters . Rioting
conti n ues on th e following night.
Guards and vigilantes patrol th e streets
hea vily for the next six nigh ts .
Val ernJonl 161h: Th e PCs rece ive a
note via messenger: " Meet me toni ght
a t th e ab andoned farm sout hwest of
town. Bring 5,000 gp in gems or jewelry,
and 1 will give you th e names of those
responsible for th e murders a nd fires. I
am a wa nted crimina l in Specula ru m
and ca nnot cla im the reward without
facin g imprisonment, but I am a lso a
patriot. Th ese cr imes mu st be sto pped .
Think of th e 5,000 as my share of the
reward. Under no circumst an ces bring
any militia or guards with you. I will be
watc hing . H I suspect you have set a
trap to capture me, I will take my ofTer
else wh ere . Br ing the valuables and wai t
in the old barn. When I'm sur e it 's safe,
I will contact you ?'
The note is a n in vitation to a trap. A
gan g of thugs from the Street of
Dream s, kn own locally as th e Dream
Stree ters, h ave sent th e note to t he PCs.
The Dre am Streeters will do virtua lly
a nything if the pr ice is r ight . The t hugs
hope to lure the PCs to th e aba ndoned
farm and rob t he m of the 5,000 gpoTh ey
will a lso take the PCs' weapons , armor,
magical items, and a nyt hing else of
va lue , but only sla y th e PCs if t hey
resi st .
If the PCs follow th e note 's in atruct ions, th ey take the Farmer's Road th at
travel s sout hwest out of the city. Two
mile s down this road is a n old, rick ety
barn, all that remains of a onceprosperous farm. Th e Dream Streeters
have surrounded the barn in a wide
circle, und ercover. Any at te m pt by the
PC s to bring t he militia , guards, or
anyone else along for pr otection is
not iced, and th e encounter does not take

place . However, th e ga ng is looking for

visible signs the PC s ha ve a n escort.
Inv isibl e or high-flying PCs may follow
t he ot he rs and arrive in t ime to ambush
the a mb ushe rs.
Th e old barn is 100' long by 80' wide.
(As t he bam is nothing bu t a large
rectangle, the DM can dr aw hi s own
map running north to sout h.I The roof
to wers nearly 75' overhe ad. The bam
once h ad doors at bot h t he north a nd
south ends, the only way s into or out of
the bu ilding . The door s at th e southern
end are completely gone, lea ving an
entrance 30' wide by 20 ' high . The t wo
northern doors st ill stand and are both
20 ' wide by 30' high . Both doors stand
wide open. If inspected, th e doors obviousl y ca nnot be dosed or even moved.
They sag deeply in to th e earth a nd
mud. An yone approachi ng the barn
from the north or sout h ca n see th ere is
virtua lly nothing inside . The bare
beams and supports of th e loft st ill
rem ain, bu t the boards are gone . Th e
PCs ca n see at a gla nce th at it is impossible for anyone to hid e in the barn.
Th ere is a noisy stre a m running d ose to
the eastern wall of the barn. The stream
bubbles a nd chatters so loudly over the
sto nes th at it complete ly negates a
thief e hear noise ab ili ty.
If th e PCs h ave come a lone, then 21
Dream Streeters dose their circle about
the barn and a ttack only one tum after
the PCs enter the barn.
Elite Dream Streeter thugs n O): AC
7; F3; hp 16, 15 P< 2), 12 r x 5),11 r x 2);
MV 120'(40'); 'AT 1; Dmg by weapon
type ; Save F3; ML 9; AL C. Each is
ar med with two vial s of slee p gas, a
crossbow with five poisoned quarrels,
and a short sword. All wear leather
armor.
Typical Dream Streeter th ugs nO ):
AC 8 ; F1 ; hp 6, 5 ( X4), 4 (X5); MV
120'(40'); ' AT 1; Omg by weapon ty pe;
Save Fl ; ML 8; AL C. Each is armed
with a vial of slee p gas, a cross bow with
tw o poisoned qu arrels, and a short
sword. All carry small sh ields but wea r
no armor.
The group is lead by a 5th-level thief
(AC 5; T5; hp 12; MV 120 '(40 '); 'AT 1;
Dmg by weapon type; Save T5; ML 10;
AL C). He is armed with a crossbow
with five poisoned quarrel s, a short
sword + 1 a nd a dagger +2 . The thief
wears leather arm or + 2.
The thugs attack firs t by throwing
via ls of sleep gas (Save vs. Poison or
sleep for 2-12 hours). Saving throws

OF NESTS AND NAnONS

must be made every three rou nds as

long as a PC is in or passing through a
gas cloud. The sma ll gllUla via ls each
burst into a 20' )( 20 ' cloud of gas that
lasts one turn before diss ipating. Th e
thU gB throw the via l. into the barn and
in front of t he exits from the barn (with
a 5% chance eac h that t he thug dropa a
vial a nd breau it ). The PC. can leave
the barn only by runnin g through at
least tw o gas clouds. one in the barn
and one in front of the n it. At least
four thugs will hold their vial . for use
in combat later.
Anyone escaping the sleep gas is . hot
wit h poisoned quarrel. The quarrels do
normal damage, and a Saving Throw va.
Poison m ust be made per h it or the PC
is paralyzed until cured by a Mutraliu
poiMJ1I or currall spe ll . After the thugs
exha ust their su pply of sleep gas and
poison quarrel s, a nyone not as lee p or
paralyzed is attacked with ahort ewcrde.
If th e PC a raU to the Dream Streetere,
the 5,000 gp and all their po88e88ions
are gone forn er. The PC. are found the
next day by fannen and. depending on
th e PC. ' conditi on&, ei ther re turned to
Sperolarum or buried. If the PCa defeat
t he Dream Streetere. it breab the back
of th e gang and the Dream Steeeters
cease to be of conce rn to Specularum.
l atf'nnont 19th: A man is found murdered with an ax e in hia rooms a t the
Black-Heart Lily Tavern (Nt The man
was actua lly a apy hired by th e Veiled
Society to infiltrate the ot he r thieves'
guilds. None of the other guests he ard
or saw anything unus ua l.
Th e spy tried to se ll stolen goods to
Fyodor Karamazov . However. after
comi ng under the hivem ind 's spell ,
Fyodor was forb idden to engage in crim inal activity. as it migh t bring th e militia to th e Flying Hamhock. When
Fyodor refused to act all buye r or direct
th e spy to someone who would . t he spy
threatened to make trouble for Fyodor.
The spy did not elabo rate. but the
threat was h is own death sentence. The
hivemind se nt a n invi8ibk h ivel eader
13 to kill h im with an axe (while carrying another in vi8ibility spe ll for escape
in memory).
Th e spy lodged in two 10' )( 10'
rooms, one a bedroom and t he ot her a
sitting room . If th e PCII search the bedroom. they find nothing but a table,
three chain, and a wardrobe holding
nondescript clothing. If they seareh the
sitting room, they may find a spelJ book
with a n in vi8ibility spell cast on it,

resting atop t he wardrobe. The PCs

must feel around on to p of th e ward
robe . or else use a cklm invi8ibk or
cktt mcgic spell, to find the book. The
book h as a small lock that is wiuvd
locJmJ at th e 4th le vel of ability.
If the spell book is found an d eJ:8mined, the PCs discover that the spy wee
a 4th-level magic-user. The spell book
contains these spells: f'f'Od langlUJl/f'.,
nod mogk. light, invi8ibility, Wf'b, an d
wizard Ioclt. It also contains eeveral
notes and a ma p. The map consilJta of
various sizes of lIqWlI"e8 an d rectangles
with DO markings, magiul or etherwise, to explain what it iA; it doee not
even have a compaaa point to orient it .
This map is actually a fabe clue; it is a
map of an area of town in which the spy
believes the Kingdom olThieves' headquarters is located. Only by using a
. ptale with tM chad spell (the spy wu
Chaotic) to interTogate the dead spy will
the map 's purpoee be revealed. Th e spen
book also contains several ecribbled
notes the magic -user apparently wrote to
bimlIelf u reminders, uaing a private
magical ahorthand; a nod ~ spell
allows these notes to be translated, lUI
shown in parent.he8ea in the notes below:
"S's fro m lIuds:' ("Reme mber to pick
up ahirta from the laundry:')
" K's weird. Who use pee per? " ("Kara mazov is acting m angely. Who ill uai ng
the pee phole?")
" Looky gp man , ha -ha dog, flypig,
D.O. BH Lily. No go:' ("I looked for a
deal er in stole n goods in these taverna:
La ughing Dog, Flying Hamhock, Dainty Ogre, Bla ck-Heart Lily. I didn't find
one .")
" T's jerk. Hall no go, must weird
sto p," ('''Thldon is a jerk. The Magicians'
Guild HaU will not be reopened unless
th e murders and firell cease and the
perpetrator ill discovered." )
"Loo ky over MD. LMD. No go fi!ad-Za
my gp_Try SM. HM ." ("I looked all over
the Merchant Dilltrict a nd the Leeeer
Merchant District, but I couldn 't find a
. lHp spell 8Cf'01l at th e price I wanted to
pay. I will try th e South Market and the
Hill Market nen:')
"Kat got gp? Very looky:' (" Did
Katerill8 pick my pocket? I will watch
he r very dosely." )
If the PC, confront Fyodor Karamazov
with the second note , he does not deny
knowing the murdered man. He claims,
however, that the man offered to sell
him stolen goods, but he turned the
offer down. Karamazov flatly states

t hat, al t hough he used to buy and se ll

sto len property in h is younger daYII, he
hu bee n out ofthat bus iness for yean.
He claims to kno w nothing about any
pee phole. If the PCs find the peephole in
his room. he whispers that it ia there to
keep an eye on customers and the staff,
an d therefore must remain a secret. If
uked, Katerina does not deny knowing
t he man either, but claiIna to have a ever pick ed his pocket (or anyone elAe'.,
she sa,.1.
Jbt#rmMI ZI.I: There is a fire at the
Great Church of Karameikos (0) in the
afternoon. No one ia injured, but damage is moderate. Th e cathedral is
unharmed; only meditati on and storage
rooms are damaged. Th e Cult of Hala.
is rumored to have se t the fire, and
If! veral cult members are attack.e d and
injured by an irste ttoW d in the Merchant District shortly thereafter_
Hiveleader 13 seta the fire using a
ek1ayftJ bloat (in balL There is DO evidence other than the blast and burn
marks to indicate a cklayed blMt /ire baIl
gem was left in a storage room. No one
aeeeor hears anything unusual. 1be
church is open to the publie, and many
people come and go daily. It is therefore
impoMible flr church officials to supply
the PCs with any UBeful information
about who was in the church that day.
Hllermont :stA: Late in the ni ght, the
h ivemind and hiveleader II use the
secret door to enter the warehouae (P)
behi nd t he Flying Hamhoc:k. Hiveleader
II cuts a cnate normal fflOm tera spell
and creates a .sant amoeba CAC 9; HD
15; hp 67; MV 30 '(10'); IAT 1 add touch;
Omg 2-12; Save F7 ; ML 10; AL N). The
hivemind casta a f1#rman#nce spell on it ,
and the creature 002e1l off to disappear
into the Nest, killing and eating anything it ca n . If the PCs ask for times
and locations of attacks by the amoeba
(in an attempt to establi sh a pattern or
direction of movement ), the OM can
mark their map with pointe anywhere
in the Neat. The amoeba hunts at random, moving in one direction then
a nother. It may ki ll a pony, a pig, and
eeveral chickens in a maight li ne h eading south. the n suddenly turn west to
devour a mi lk cow. then t urn north to
eat se ver al goat&. Th e resulting "pat.
tern " is a me andering line leading
nowhere. The timn of t he attacka are
likely to be vague or contused as well
(an owner, for iDiJtabce, may only kno w
that he r milk cow dUappeared. somet ime between IJUDdown and sunrise>.

DUNGEON

61

OF NESTS AND NATIONS

The amoeba stays in t he Nest un ti l

driven out or destroyed , liking the food
it gets here.
Pub lic outrage mounts. Rumors are
heard on th e next day that the Duke has
been quarreling with his advisors or with
ot her major officials in th e city over a
response to this and other events , and

that city officials are at wit's end. A

drunken dockworke r is slai n by a paranoid guard on the following night afte r
failing to give the proper password before
boarding 8 shi p. The guard is released
after questioning and is not charged.

Vatt'nnont 28th : J ust afte r midnig ht .

the re is 8 huge explosion at the Hightower (E l, The roof a nd to p floor burst
into n a mes. Four guards are killed a nd
12 are injured. Dama ge to the Hightower is 50,000 gp , plus the replacement
cost of catapu lts a nd ba lli stas. Fla min g
debr is and rubble fall on nearby war ehouses, docks. a nd shi ps, and into the
Merchant District below. causing man y
fire s. Th ere is a general a larm and call
for volunteers across the city. Spec ularum comes completely awa ke , a nd t he
Duke orders a military alert to quell
looting an d r ioting. Nearly 200 people
storm t he city 's gates a nd flee for othe r

62 1ssuo No. 13

towns, will ing to risk travel at n ight

r ather than stay in t he city any longe r.
Six ships also cas t ofT and sail out of
port th at n igh t.
The hivemind cast fly and invisibildy
spells on hiveleader 13 and th en cast a
delayed blast fire ball spe ll. The hivemind
gave the delayed blast fire ball gem to
hiveleader 13 and told it to fly over the
Hightower, dropping the gem into th e oil
fire th at bums there to guide ships into
the harbo r. The gem was dropped into the
oil fire without anyone noticing, and the
hiveleeder flew back to the Flying
Hamh ock undetected When the gem
exploded 10 rounds later, it threw th e
fiery oil everywhere an d detonated severa l kegs of oil sto red nearby. There is no
evidence of how th e explosion happened .
The tower will be repaired in two months.
but during th at time it has no ball istas or
catapults.
In th e fiery confusio n that follows,
hivelead er 11 uses hi s r ing to cast a
crease rwrmal monsters spell at area Q,
creating 30 kobolds (AC 7; HD Ih ; hp 3
( x 15), 2 ( x 15); MY 90 '(30'); I AT 1; Dmg
by weapo n type at -1; Sa ve NM; ML 6;
AL C) wearing leather armor a nd
armed wit h short swords. For th e spell's
duration , t he kobolds scatter through
th e afflicted area a nd attack a nyone
attempt ing to put out t he fires. No one
notices who created the monsters . Eight
people are slain a nd 15 are injured
befor e a ll th e monsters vanish.
Anyone who walks the streets in obvious magic-user garb afte r th e blast is
subject to attack by en raged a nd fri ghtened townspeople or to arrest by frustrated guardsmen. Th e DM should play
out these events as desired. Twentyn ine suspected magic-users ar e arrested
(possibly inclu ding PCs ), but all ar e
freed 13-24 hours late r afte r being
investigated. Anyone caught with a
scr oll containing a fire ball or monster
su mmoning spell or the lik e will be held
indefinitel y a nd carefully investigated
by th e Duk e's own staff of spe ll-casters.
Extra guards may ha ve to defend pri eonere from lynch mobs a nd vigilan te s.
Thau mont 2nd: This nig ht, a large
sailing sh ip from t he Minrothad Gu ilds
is docked on th e southe rn shore (lU. The
shi p carries a cargo of rare silks and
expensive glass scu lptu res. After t he
ship's captain is warned of th e current
situ ation in Specu larum, he orders
armed gu ards to patrol the ship while
th e vessel's cre w goes ashore for th e
n ight. Th e ship is to be unloaded in th e

morning. Three hours later, the ship

lurch es and sinks to th e bottom ofthe
bay. City gu ards are su mmoned, and the
area is blocked olT. A small riot breaks
out as hundreds of people flee the area ,
fearing furthe r a ttacks or explo sions.
From the guards, t he PCs ca n learn
that, about midnight , a man walked on
board carrying two large j ugs . The
gu ards challenged h im , bu t he ignored
all warnings . Th e guards fired t heir
crossbows a nd hit the man twice, but he
see med unaffected and j umped into the
cargo hold . Th e guards looked down just
in t ime to see h im brea k both jugs,
releasing a li quid whi ch immediately
began to eat t hro ugh th e wooden hull.
The guards fir ed at the man once more,
but th e water began pouring in and
th ey abandoned ship.
Divers attempting to retrieve th e glass
sculptures at dawn claim that the man is
still in the hold, "just standing there with
a bun ch of arrows in him and his feet all
eaten up by the acid." The divers refuse to
go back down to th e ship until something
is done about th e man.
1b accomplish this feat , th e hi vemind
used a n animate chad spell on a
deceased thief(who was poisoned by
Mitya on the hivemind's orde rs) to create a zombie . The hivem ind instructed
th e zombie to go to any large ship, enter
th e hold, a nd break th e ju gs. The Minratha d freigh te r was unfortunate enoug h
to be th e first ship t he zombie found.
Th e hivemind assu med th e zombie
would be destroyed by the acid, but th e
inrushing wa ter lifted it out of the acid
a nd hurled it to the back of th e cargo
hold . Th ere it now stands on ru ined
feet, await ing further instructions .
Th e ship was sunk in a dee p-wate r
berth used for large saili ng vessels. The
top deck of the sh ip is on ly about 3'
underwater ; th e floor of th e cargo hold
where th e zombie stands is about 40'
und erwater. Th e zo mbie (AC 8; HD 2;
hp 3 U5 ori ginally ); MY 90'(30'); IAT 1;
Dmg 1-8; Save Fl; ML 12; AL C) is
unarmed. It may be Turned or
Destroyed normally by a cleric, or eli minated by a spell-caate r us ing a dis pel
magic spell.
If a spealt. with monsters spell is used,
th e zomb ie a nswers the cleric 's qu eertons. If a spealt. with the dead spell is
used , t he zombie is silent; it is undead,
not dead . If the zombie is Destroyed
befor e a spealt. with the dead spell is
used, the spell operate s normally.
Th e PCs mu st hurry if th ey want to

OF NESTS AND NATIONS

qu estion t he zombie. The hivemind

hean ahort ly after the divers return
that the zombie ia still in the sh ip, and
it senda hiv eleader Il to deal wi th it,
Hivelead er II casta a erecze normal
mofUtu. spell, creating seve n crocodil e. (AC 5; HD 2; hp 14 ( )(21, 9 ( )(3), 7
( x 2); MV 90'(30' ). swi mming 90'(301;
'AT 1 bite; Omg 1-8; Save Fl ; ML 7; AL
Nl that attac k an yone in the water.
Th ey also fight over the zomb ie, scattering ita remains all over the bay.
A Iow~r water spell lowers the wa ter
level in and around the ship to half ita
normal depth, but does not keep the
crocodiles out. Th e inrushing water
knocked a cargo bay door from the side
of the sh ip, allow ing ea sy access into
t he cargo holds for all the marine life in
Mirror Bay. Unless th e PCs talk to the
divers about t he cargo hold. they are
not informed of the missing door. It
cannot be seen unt il after a Io~r waUr
spell is cas t or the cargo hold is en tered.
Once the crocodiles hav e attacked the
zombie, there is nothing left on which to
WIe a aPftJk with . spell. Hiveleeder
11 hides farther down the docks from
th e sunken shi p, a nd after casting the
spell he returns to the tavern unnoticed.
He casts his spell at the exact time as
th e fU'8t spell i. east on or at th e zombie
(or corpse) by a PC (a cleric's Turn or
Destroy attempte do not count ). The
crocodiles arrive four rounds after th e
spells are cast. The PCs have these four
rou nda to ask questions and rece ive
answers . Th e DM should WIe re al time
for th ese four rounds (40 seconds), k eeping an eye on the second ha nd of a
watch but spea king normally a nd not
hurrying the a nswers. When the four
rounds are up , th e Pes will be too bu sy
to converse with t he zombie.
In zombie form , the dead thief
answera questions abo ut h is tife, death,
and undeath. If asked, it tells the Pes
that a " hu ge inaect" Bent it to destroy
th e shi p; the " inaect" lives on the top
floor of the Flying Ha mh ock. A8 a
corpse, the dead thief can only rev eal
what happened up to the ti me of his
death. He remembers drinking heavily
and alone in the Flying Hamhock, sud.
denly feelin g a sharp pain in his neck,
then nothing more.
F.rlIt~r r~"ta: The DM may design
more sabotage attempta by t he
hivemind and hiveleaden along the
above lines, though t here is an increasing chance that the monsters will eventually be caught by hypercautious

guards or by their own mistakes. Each

such event further teereeeee th e panic,
anxiety. dread, and anger of the city 's
inhabitants. Rioting, loot ing, and eopycat works of anon and murder may also
sprea d as different groups fight it out in
the belief that other groups are responsible far the troubles.
OptioruU r ltCO'Httr r. Th e DM may WIe
this encoun ter at any time the PCs visit
the Flying Hamhock. If th e PCs attract
the hivemind 's attention by asking
qu estions and snooping around , t he
hiv emind casta a cun~ spell on a single
gold piece . The h ivem iad t hen delivers
t he cursed coin to th e PCs in this fashion: Gregor hid es th e gold piece in his
h and, the n clumsily tries to pick the
pocke t of one of th e PCs (DM's choice or
roll randomly ). Th e PC, upon catA:hi ng
Grego r, may naturally assume th e gold
piece is h is own. No judge in Specularum will charge Gregor with anything
but petty t heft (if so charged. Gregor
pleads guilty and is fined 6 gp). As one
gold piece 1000 much Ii.ke another, the
PCs will be unable to prove to a judge
t hat Gre gor planted t he curud coin.
Th e coin's CUTH' acts the same as a
clerical COlUe fNT spell and takes effect
every Id6 + 24 turns, Anyone in posses.
sion of the gold piece whe n the curse
takes effect runa off in a bli nd pa nic for
two turns. Any magical attempt to cure
th e panic, such as a ~~ fftll', dirpt!l
magic, or remooe curse spell , not cast
directly on the gold piece warD onl y for
the spe ll's durati on (spells with permsne nt duratio n ha ve no effect at a ll).
After that t ime, t he curse starts again.
In additi on, a nyone who owns this coin
will not want to spe nd it or be parted
fr om it for any re ason. 1b be permanently rid of t he curse, magic must be
used directly on th e coin, or the coin
must be destroyed.

Concluding the Adventure

If the h ivemi nd is discovered and either
destroyed or driven from Specularum,
the Duke immediately sends forth ertere
and he ralds to tell the people they h ave
been duped into fighting one another.
The Church of Karameikoe and the
Church ofTraladara hold a joint servi ce
and call for brother hood. The two
churches and the Duke establish a special tribunal to settle disputes among
groups . They eleo raise, with equal
shares from each, a fund to pay for
damages an d heal wounds caused by t he

unrest. In this way, the Duke hopes that

no festering grudges will be held or
re prisal s taken .
ITthe PCs rid Specu1arum of the
hiv em ind, t he Duke raises the lKIciai
status of each surviving party member
by one rank. but no one will be granted
a title h igh er th an baron. Th ose PCs
a lready holding a barony are given
more land. ITit is irapcasfble for a PC to
rece ive land connecting to his property,
because of geography or because all
existing connected properties belong to
someone else , the Duke grants that PC
a one-year tax exe mption.
In addit ion to social adv anceme nt, th e
Duk e pays for aU equipme nt , ma gical
ite ms, armor, and weapons damaged.
destroyed , or used up by the PCs in
r idd ing Specula ru m of th e hi vebrood.
Th e Du ke also gives each surviving PC
a 20,OOO-gp rew ard. Th e DM shou ld
give this reward in goods and services
ra ther th an in coin. Arms an d armor,
hones an d livestock, minor magica l
items, and the services of court special.
im (such as the sage, cartographer. or
armorer ) are more a ppropriate rewards
than a hu ge diamond or a chest of coins.
If the PCs are unable to find the
aource of th e trouble in Specuiarum, the
DM ma y resolve the situation in a num .
ber of way s. There are a host of NPC s
av ail ab le in the gazetteer GAZI TM
Grand Duchy of Koro rruikoa who may
be able to hel p th e PCs. " Lord" Dmi.
trioe, Prince of Beggars, while begging
in th e Mertha nt District , may see h ivelead er II conjure monsters and secretly
follow it back to th e Flying Hamhock.
Dmit rios, fearing th at t he h ivelea der is
in league with one of the Tr aladarn
clans (people he does not want any trou ble with>, may give his information to
t he Pes (for a pr ice, of course) rath er
than to th e mi litia , Or perha ps Lady
Mana nita, the ambassador from th e
Principa lities of Gla ntri, while shoppin g
in t he Merchant District, feels a presence a nd casts a cktm in viribk spell.
She see8 invisible hiveleader 13 stroll
by and fallows it back to th e Flying
Hamhock. Being in visible is not a cri me
in Specularum. but it is still suspicious,
and she gives th is information to the
PCs to check out .
PCs with h igh Charisma l!lCOreB may
choose to try to u nite the people a ga inst
the unknown foe. However. th e PCs will
not be able to look for the hivemind and
be pea cemakers at the same t ime. It
takes too much ti me to meet with veri-

DUNGEON

63

OF NESTS AND NATIONS

cua leaders and fa m ily h eads , se ttle

grievance s. and n egotiate equitable
agr eem ents betw een groups to ha ve
t ime left over to invest igate mysterious
fb-ea and murder s. As peacem ak er s, t he
PCs should be kept very busy runnin g
a ll over Specularum visiting and calm.
ing one hot spot after another. If t he
PCs do cal m the populace and help keep
orde r in th e city, t he Duke is free to
dir ect efforts to root out th e hivemind.
For such help, th e Duke pays a 20,000.
gp reward per PC and raises the socia l
sta tus of each PC by one rank, with no
one mad e higher th an knight . If a PC
holds such status or hi gher already, the
Duke instead adds a n extra 5,000 gp to
the reward.
The DM may wish to let things get
more and more out of hand un til civil
war breaks out, taking such a war in
any direction he wishes. Karameikce can
become stronger, weaker, a perpetual
war zone, or cease to exist as a nation.
Th e Bla ck Ea gle Baron y an d echiema
within the Ch urch of Karameikce may
gre atl y influence t he outcome of such a
war. Th e OM is advised th at such wars
can take a great dea l of time and effort
to prepare and run properl y.
Hthe hivem ind escapes Specularum
and returns to th e hive, it gives th e
other hivemi nds details of what hap.
pened a nd how successful th e plan was.
If a civi l war breaks out , the hiveminds
bide th eir time and occasionally " har.
vest" stray humans near the hi ve. Hthe
hive mind is discovered befor e it flees
Specularum, the Council of Dr ones calls
for the broodmother to lay broodmother
eggs. Th ese egg s are th en take n to
remote locat ions wit h a retinue of hive.
brood, and new hi ves are established.
Ultimately, of course, the PCs may
wish to carry the fight straight to the
hivebrood complex, leading to a protracted war deep in the und erground tunnels
(unless poison gas an d explosive spells
are used to produce random but extensive damage to t he complex). The OM
should take time to make th e hivebrood
complex reasonably dangerous , ass uming th e hiveminds ha ve done their best
to set up defenses suited to stopping
hum anoids from invading it easily. Loss
of th e hi vemind leading the light aga inst
Specularum will seriously cripple t he
hivebrood's abil ity to combat the PCs,
though th e hivebrood will light to t he
bitter end without question or quarter.
And, as always, there are other nests to
carry on th e battle another day.
0

64 Issue No. 13

(cont inued from page 17>

THE RUINS OF NOL-DAER

MacDaer
Major Ca mbion
ARMOR CLASS: 1
MOVE: IS"
HIT DICE: 7
HIT PO INTS: 43
NO. OF ATTACKS : 2
OAMAGElATI'ACK : By weapon type
SPECIAL ATI'ACKS : Spells. thieving
abilities
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 15%
SIZE: M (6'5", 215 1bs.)
ALIGNME NT: Chaotic evil
PSIO NIC ABILITY: N il

S
18189

IW
16 8

O
16

C Cb Co
15 14 5

MacDaer appears human, except for

vestigial horn s, missha pen ears, a nd
glowing red eyes. He fights as a 7-HD
monster in additio n to funct ioning a s a
7thlevel t hief and a gth. level magicuser. As a t hief, he is able to backstab
for triple dam age (at + 4 " to hi t " ) a nd
has th e following a bili ties:
PP OL IT MS HS H N CW RL
60% 52% 50% 55% 43% 25% 94% 35%
MacDaer is a pr acti cing thaumatur
gist. Th e spells he normall y has mem or ized are: idm ti fy, magic missile (x 2),

'M'RE FGHTlNGFOl
\Cffi UFt

sleep, rope trick, sti nking cloud, a nd

s fuw. He a lso owns severa l magical
ite ms which he keeps on his person at
all t imes .
At his wa ist , MacDaer carries a scroll
of protection from breath weapons in a
silver case, a nd a full pot ion of invisibility. He wear s bracers of defense A C 4, a
ring ofprotection -+ 1, a nd at a ll t imes
wears a n amulet of the Abyss (Bee " New
Magical Items" ). Alth ough he carries a
norm al da gger, his weapo n of prefer ence
is his magica l fung sword -+2. An unu .
eual sword, with an intelligence of IS
a nd the ability to speak the demon
tongu e, it ca n detect evil, good, a nd
in visi ble objects in a 10' radius and
detects sloping passages in a 30 ' ra dius.
It has a n ego r at in g of 6. Since it was
forged in the Abyss, it is a lign ed to
chaot ic evil. Anyone of a different alignment who touches the sword suffers 6
hp da mage every time a ny portion of
the sword is touched . If MacDaer is
reduced to fewer than 7 hp, the sword
either continu es th e fight (50% cha ncel,
cau ses itse lf to dr op from his grasp (25%
cha ncel, or forces MacDaer to seek out a
more powerfu l owner a nd r elinquish th e
sword (25% cha ncel.
0

cta

American Heart
Association V

Gran t Boudlrr rnidn in Rod :lrdllr.

Florida, Gnd U fin ally maJrin, a lit'ins
eu a frw-lallC:~ writer G{t~ grodUaling
{rom tla r Unit't"n ily of Florida hut
Ihrrm~r.

H r U U'OTJri1lll a trll.it'f'ly

w illi Wri t End Go",a' S TAR WAR~:

T la.. Rolrplaying Gom f'. Til ;' ;' hi.
fourth oppHJTtJ l'I~ i1l DUNGEON'
Ad~lltu" with "AnciM I Blood" and
"Out of tlar A .II,.. .. acpt~ fo,. publicotion in tla.. lutu ,.e.
Kurt K-t-riZ GUo f'", id... in Rod.lf'dll f'
and oltf'ftd. B revard Community ColIrg t . Ht' ;" a ll octiw m..m ber oftla r S ociety for Crratiw Anachro num ffimrf'j.
r:h aptrr) an d dabbl('l1 in philollophy and
ptH'try. K urt ;" prrpari ng to mow to
California in tlar . prinR. Tll ia ia h i. flrll
apfWO,.a"~ in DUNGEON Adt'f'nlu rr.

"The Wert'ra la of Reffre n" is a D&: D

Expert Set modu le for 4-8 c:haract.en of
3rd-6 lh IrYeI. As most or t he molUUore
a nd charaeten nist in the AD&: Dga me all well, enterp ris ing DMs ca n
easily ada pt t his ~ nario if th ey desire .
If this .. done, th e preeeeee of spells
such as
a lig1J11It'1I1 or magical
items such lUI a W0 1Jd of t''It'11I1dt'I t'Clio'l
may give a way th e ..ererets' secret.
The town of Reffren ahoul d be placed
a long a rela ti vely untraveled mountain
pa.. in t he ca mpaign world . betwe-en
t wo kingdoms. Convenie ntly, ReIC",n
r are ly appears on a ny major maps of the
mountains since it hlUl only recently
become important . Th e paas on which
Relrren lies ia one of only tw o acl'08l the
ran ge, th ough it te not th e better one,
being longer a nd rough er.
Th e adventu ring party shou ld contai n
a ll human cha racter dane. , a nd a t
least one th ieC ia reco mme nded . Elvea,
dwarves, a nd ha lfli ng& will find th is
a dvent ure particularly dangerous , emee
man y oCthe townspeople are infect ed
wit h lyca nt hropy. a rare d isease tha t
kill. demih uma ns (D& D Bas ic Set
Dl.lngN n M tul " f'I R u lt'boolr. page 331.
See " On Wererata" Cor more informa
t ion on th e eWerts and ~ of th is

"''lOW

THE
WERERATS
OF RELFREN
BY GRANT BOUCHER AND WlWAM KURTWENZ

The best laid

schemes of rats and
men ...

48 Issue No. 14

d i llol'a~.

Some plac:es in this modu le call Cor

Inte lligence and Wisdom checlu (or
PC" which art' made by rolling Id20 to
get the appropriate stati.tic or lower.
M o~r stati.tics include t he D&:D
ga me book a nd page nu mbe r! (or re ference IBD: Bas ic Set D U1I/l t<f11J M tut t'r l
Rulf'booJ; ER: u pt'rt Rult'booIr, CC:
Cryatl.lN' Catalogu,, ).

THE WERERATS Of RELfREN

For the Dungeon Master

Fourteen montha ago. some d lsreputable adven turers were explori ng th e
tomb of a rece ntly deceased baron whe n
th ey were ambushed by a la rge pack of
were rats. All the looters wert' slai n
except for th e party thief. Jiles
" Nimbletongue" Nogle r. Bad ly wounded, the rogue ned a nd sought she lte r in
a nearby bam.
After a week of test, Jiles was healed
and re ady to head out a ga in . Th at
nig ht . however, un der a beautiful full
moon, Jiles tu rned into a strange ver.
sion of lycanthrope: a greater wererat
(see "On wererete" for detailsl. Reta ining com ma nd of his se nses, Jiles got a n
idea . He retur ned to the baron's to mb
a nd used hia quick wit a nd persuasive
tongue to conv ince th e normal were rate
th at th er e was more tr easure to be
gai ned under hie leader sh ip th an could
be found wanderi ng around a grav eyard . Th e wererete. ne ver being t he
br igh test or most organized of beasts ,
decide to follow their ne w comrade in
search of advent ure .
The stra nge troop tra veled ecroes t he
land disguised as " Marvelous Minster
a nd h is Rollick ing Ra ts ." During the
day, thcy'd take in a few gold pieces
wit h a legitimate carnival show, while
at night th ey 'd rob th e nearest town
blind with th eir unique combination of
skills. By morning, they 'd be gone .
After a year of close calls , Jiles an d th e
wererete decided that t hey'd played out
th eir h an d on th e road a nd set about to
find a newer, safe r seam.
One of th e troop's favorite snacks,
Emera ld Moon cheese, led the travelin g
show to th e re mote mountain town of
Relfr en, where J iles received th e inspi ration for a pla n. The troop passed quietly t hroug h th e haml et three weeks
ago in human form , only to return later
at n ight . Th e wererate th en cre pt into
th e fa mous cheese facto ry a nd qu ickly
disabled a ll of t he guards. In the morning, t hey a mbushed th e owne r a nd
proprietor, a low-lev el magi c-user
named Grendel Orfma n, infected h im
wit h lycanthropy, a nd held hi m and the
injured gu ards cap tive within th e factory for two weeks un til a ll had turned
into greater wererete . Th e guards a nd
Grend el, never socia ble, were not greatly missed .
Additionally, th e local cle ric, Father
Th ero, was ambushed a nd bit ten (but
rel eased ) while he was out at night only

two weeks ago. He is un aw are th at a

greater wererat bit h im and instead
thinkB he esca ped a n attack by a bear
(see area 19). About thia sa me t ime, the
wererata murde red a dwarven sil versmith ing family a nd a n herbali st in
town.
Th e ch ief consta ble for th e town was
ba dly bitten by a wererat when he stuck
h is hand th rough a slig htl y open but
chained door at th e Emerald Moon
cheese factory a week ago; he believed
th e atta cker was a guard dog and had
his wound cu red by Father Th ero. Th e
chief consta ble, Bert Camem, was re luctant to press charges because he felt
getti ng bitten by eemecne'e guard dog
was hi s own fa ult - t houg h he recalled
th at th e Emerald Moon never ha d a
gu ard dog before .
Grendel, now Chao tic, has become th e
" front" for t he outfi t . Th rough th e use
of h is qu ick tongue and long-term aasocia tio n with th e werera te. J iles re ma ins
firmly in control of the band, a nd
together Gre ndel a nd Jiles have set out
to ta ke over all of Relfren, hoping to
establish a wererat thieves' guil d th ere .
However, fa te ofte n has a hand at
spoil ing th e best-lai d plans of mice,
me n, and were-rats . Mere days ener the
first ph ase of th e takeover of Relfren , a
bandit ga ng ca ptured the on ly ot her
pag t hrough th e mountains, cutting a
major trade route . It will be months
before imperial kn ighta can mak e th e
rou te safe again. Th e once-un tra veled
pass wherein Relfr en lies has now
become the on ly route betwee n two
prosper ous reet me. and strangers of a ll
k inds ha ve been arrivin g steadily.
Among t hose strangers is a party of
young advent urera - th e PCs.
The party's reaso ns for coming here
are left u p to th e OM. It is suggested
th at th is advent ure occur while the PCs
are on t hei r way to another destination.
Th e plot within Relfren can th en develop
around th e party more naturally, Th e
only local source of food and shelte r
a long th is route is the town of Relfren, so
th e stopover is a natural one.

Events In Reftren
Th e tow n of Relfr en is a small haml et
similar to th ose found throughout t he
Swtee Alps in ou r own world. Th e people
are friendly and welcome st ra ngers, but
avoid drastic cha nge a t a ny cost . Th ey
are a ll human unl ess noted otherwise .
Recent ly, a great many visitors have

been passing through Relfr en , a nd some

stra nge th ings hav e happen ed. A dwarf
and his family were k illed two weeks
ago when their silversmit hy was
robbed. Right after tha t, th e he rbalist's
shop bur ned to the gro und. Just the
week before a ll th at, th e fam ous E merald Moon cheese factory (t he lifebl ood of
t he town 's economy) closed down , right
before t he big Founder 's Day festiv al
held every year at th is t ime. A sign on
t he door pre mises "some thi ng special"
is planned by th e owners, but the townspeople aren 't known for th e ir enjoy me nt
of surprises. Th e festi va l is now only
t wo days away. Anyone will relate t he
above informat ion to PCs in converset ion if th e PCs are fr ien dly a nd well mannered.
The town is very sma ll , with perhaps
only 100 or 110 true reeidente, not including tra velers and peddlers . Th e party is
un abl e to purchase a nyt hi ng unusu al
(see area 1 1). Th e merthan ta here preff'r
bartering for goods, since gold is a lmost
useless among friends. The OM shou ld
a llow a 1()'l. discount on all goods and
serv ices bartered for, as opposed to pa id
for in eee h . Also, a ll merchants raise
th eir pri ces 25% for obvious newcomers
bu t are th ereafter subject to normal
ba rgaini ng .
Th e events within Relfren follow
chronologica lly. Th e DM should use th e
followin g infor mation to un fold th e plot
for the PCs, allowing th em complete
freedom within the town othe rwise, Th e
OM ca n cha nge the t ime th e pa rty is
a llowed to complete th e mission (t hree
days), depending on the skill of the
players a nd th e a mount of role-playing
involved. The DM has been given great
latitude in how to role-play certain
citi zens of Relfr en , and many buildings
rem a in open for an a mbitious DM to
show his own creati vity.
Morning, Day I, Th e PCs should
arri ve in Relfren early one morning. As
they enter th e town, they see a hu ge
banner welcomin g t he m to Relrren.
"Home of th e Realm 's Finest Cbeeee.
a nd advert isi ng the tow n's Founder's
Day celebration t wo days from now. Th e
PCs ma y spend t he rest of the morning
explori ng th e town, stabling th eir
horses (area 23). getting a room for the
night (areas 1 or 22), a nd meeting people. Th ey will like ly read th e re ward
notice (area 3) about th e dwarves'
deaths and mee t th e blacksmith (area
13) for more information.

DUNGEON 49

THE WERERATSOf RELFREN

Aftt-moon. Day 1. Som e time in the

aftemoon. whil e th e party is near th e
stables (a re a 23), six hippogrifT8 from
the mountains attack the hoMletl. The
party should be within ran ge to hear
the disturba nce and a id in th e fight.
Since hippogriffs prefer horse flesh,
th ey a ttack human s onl y if t hey them-

selv.... are attacked. lf th ree or more are

slain. th e 8urvi vora flee.
Hlp popi.ff. (6): AC 5j HD 3 + 1; hp 14
each: MV 180 '(6O'Y360'(120'); 'AT 2
d a wsl l bite; Dmg 1-611 -611 10: Save F2 i
ML 8; AL N; E&'5 1.
Th e blac ksmith (area 13) elso arrives,
8lI does Chief Constable Ca me m (from
area 17, but on patrol). Th e burgem aeref (area 10) arri ves enee th e men ace
hall been dea lt with. procla iming it a

" da rk day for Belfren " a nd pr a ising th e

efforts of th e town 's herot'8 (nota bly
ignoring the party's important contributio n). This event shou ld help to establish a friendsh ip between th e party a nd
th e blacksm ith, and he mentionJI th e
reward for inform ation on the dwarves'
deat ha if th e PCs hav en 't al ready eeked
a bout it
Constable Ca mem st icks up for th e
PC. and th ank. th em eatenaively for
th eir help. Th ill rril'nd!lhip ill in !lur k
contral!lt to hi. positio n on day 2, after
th e constable turns into a greater wererat and joins th e plot .
So (ar. only Grendel Orfm an and th e
(aewry guards (area 4). Constable
Camem. and Father Thera (ar ea 19 )
have been infected with lycanthropy.
All but Ca me m a nd Father Th ero are
full Iycanthro pes. Ca mem will become a
lycanthrope in t he evening of this day,
and Father There will become one at
midni ght on day 3, at th e height of the
festi val.
AI!I ment ioned in th e section "On
Werera ta" at th e end ofthis ad venture.
human wererate are kn own 8fJ gr ea ter
were-eta a nd retain t he ir normal h it
pointa when in animal form , othe rwise
hav ing th e same sta t ist ics 8fJ do normal
wererata. Th ey usu all y at tac k while in
human form to allow use of th eir weapons and magica l items. All normal
were ra ta in Relfren usu all y remain in
man-siaed r at form . Astute PCs will
a ttack t he lar gest ra ta (t he w('rera tA)
a nd huma ns (grea ter werera ta) firat in
an y battle.
EVl'nina:. Da y I . This eve ning, while
the town sleeps , Ch ief Consta ble Bert
Ca me m give. in to his lyca nt hropy

50 Issue No. 14

infection. turns into a greater wereret,

a nd jo ins th e evil plot as he see k. out
the othe r ra ta and wererete at the
Eml'rald Moon cheese factory (he can
. mell th em easily).
Midnight. Day 1. Th e Silver Crescent
Inn (area 221 i. sa botaged . Th e support
posta beneat h th e building are cut
through. and the e nti re stru ct u re comes
crashing down into ruin. Th ose withi n
take 8d6 hp damage. Allow an y NPC s
who normally live or work at th e inn a
2S'I> cha nce to be out of the structure
during the accide nt . The elven in nkee pera, however. die immediately in th e
collapse . Th e DM may reduce damage to
any PC. if it i. ne'8118.ry to ens ure
th eir surv iva l. th ough a minimum ofB
hp damage should be given to eac h.
Any PC who makes a n Inte lligence
check while exa mini ng th e rui ns realizes th at th e beams were chewed through
by huge teeth rather than by blades or
saw s. Since the conateble is now part of
the eonapiracy, he dism isses an y
attempta by th e party to prove sabotage
or to investigate the matter furthe r.
If any PC. a re in th e vicini ty of th e
inn j ust after midnight (out searching
for dU M! to the dWllrv('s' murd ers or
alerted by th(' noise of th e inn's eollapse). they are as ked to come down to
th e stat ion for qu estioning. Th e DM
ahould refer to th e events detailed in
" Ear ly Morning, Day 2 " ).
The sa bota ging of th is elv en-ewned
inn was accompli shed by th e wer ere ta,
s ince th ey want all demi-humans to
leave the town but can't kill th em e utri ght 110 800n after th e murder oft he
dwarves. Only one or tw o other dem l,
humans now live in town (a nd may be
developed by the OM all desired , though
th ey do not playa major part in the
adventure).
E arly Morning, Da y 2, lf th e PCs
ha ve spent the night at th e Lazy Ca t
Inn. th ey are awake ned by one of th e
townspeopl e, who infor ms th em that
Consta ble Camem wishes to see them at
th e gu ard stat ion (area 17) immediately.
lfthe PCs have spent the n ight a t th e
Silver Creeeenr Inn, see area 22.
When t he PCs arrive at th e etenon,
th e guard on duty as ks th em to leave
th eir weapons a nd spell components at
the door, where th ey will be gu arded a t
all time . If the PCs refuse . th e chief
consta ble cornell out a nd a88ures them of
the safety of th eir items.

Once insi de , Ca mem lead s th e party

members past the cells. remarki ng th at
h is pr ivate office is beyond. Once insi de
the cell block, he infor ms th e PCs that
th ey are under arrest for sabotaging t he
Silv er Cresce nt Inn a nd for th e murder
of th e elves who died in th e disaster, If
th e party tries to resi st , th e consta ble
dr a ws h is sword and warns abou t resist
ing arrest. If th e party pers ista in
a ttacki ng (Lawful PCs should be
cheeked carefully on this). Constable
Ca mem ca lls for help , a nd th e ot her
guard in th e sta tion runs out to sum.
mon 220 townspeople. who a rrive
armed with d ubs and daggers in 2-8
rounds. If th e PC. re fuAe th e constable's
summons enti re ly, this same gro up is
sent out to hunt them down with
Ce mem'e help.
'Iewnepeople (220 ); AC 9 j HO I ; hp
3-6j MV 120'(40'); 'AT 1 wea pon; Omg
by weapon type; Save Normal Hum an;
ML 6j AL L or N eac h; 5O'J ha ve d ubs .
51Yl- ha ve daggers; BDI34.
Th e PCs are safer if th ey gi ve up ,
since t hey will need t hei r strength for
later. If th ey spe nd th e rest of th e da y in
jail, th ey ca n qu ieti y d iacu811 th e eitua .
ti on and th eir plalUl for esca pe. Of
course, if any PCs man a ge to t'8C8 pE' t he
jail, e ithe r t hrough trickery or by kfll ing th e guards , t he DM shou ld mobili ze
th e entire town to hunt th em down.
Since Relfren is popu lated by peaceful
folk. th e eecapeee should have an easy
t ime Ieeving town ir they hurry. How.
eve r, since everybody kn ows everybody
here , th e PCs will not be able to find
safety anywhere in town. except for the
church (area 20), th e blacksm ith'. shop
(area 13). a nd th e burgomaster's house
(are a 10). The blacksmith a nd th e bur.
gamester will h ide th e party safely, but
the PCs will be secure only until nightfall at th e ch urch Ieee atf'a 19 a nd 20). If
th ey are reca ptured, th e PC. are bou nd ,
gagged, a nd re tu rn ed to th e jail . If th ey
a tte mpt an other esc a pe , th e PCs must
th e town completely or d isa ble a ll
th eir purs uers ,

nee

Evening, Da y 2. If a ny pa rty me mbers are incarcerated, th e blacksm ith

and th e burgom as ter enter t he ja il and
release th em (ret urning their weapons
a nd po&se8llions) whil e th e guard sta tio n
is mysteriously -unattended . Th e PCs
are taken in 8t'CI'('Cy to th e bur gom88ter'. home lare a 10 ) a nd hidden in t he
ba semen t , where th ey are told to lay
low ror a while.

THE WERERATS OF RElFREN

The twe retICU~,.. men tion the follow.

ing ti dbita or information (or t he PC.
may hut t hem later. depending on t he
D~r. peefeeeeee and the party', .kill):
- Many of the townspeople are ..ring
that the death of the elves pro vetl lOm ethine ~ flaby in Rellre n, Investigation
of the debri_ ohhe inn mig ht turn up
ecme dues. but Constable Camem ha.
ordered everyone to stay a way from t he

THE TOWN OF RELFREN

......

- Pub lic opinio n is on the party'ide .

Th eir help in dealing with th e hippogr ifT. prove. th at the PCa are not cri minal s. a nd th e constable is actin g very
strangely by &ne sti ng people with no
appare nt evidence (Constable Came m
wu not very popular before . 11 this
happened . a nywa y).
- The RT8veyard has bee n locked by
Father Th ere , who ia no longer ..
fri endly and open as he once wu. The
lut bodies to be buried in the graveyard
were thoee of the m urdered d W&r\'etI
and the hemalm .
- The hftbalist'. shop (area 8 ) burned
down recmtly, and although this Wall elec
thought to be' an accident, recent ""nb
raiJe MW IWIpkiona. Why would ~
"'ant to ~ a friendly herbalist?
- Th e herbalist'. best customer,.... a
reclusive wizard ,..ho livH in a tower on
the 80Utheut edge ofto'WD (are a 16).
Mean ,..hile, u nknown to the PC.. five
entire fa miliH are bit ten by werera te
infe.ting their home. th~ night . The
OM shoul d chooee randomly among th e
many norm al houles (are.. 2). Th eile
people do not actually turn into grea ter
wererate, however, un til th e following
eve ning (lief! "Midnigh t , Day 3"). Th e
norm al dela y of224 da ya for lycanthropy to let in is greatl y sho rtened by th e
preseeee of a full moon at t ha t t ime.
Th Olle bitten were attacked in dar knHa
a nd believe th ey were let upon by
either roa ming dogs, big ra ta, or both.
n ay 3. Despite the troubled night, the
day long Cl"lebration of th e town '. found ing ~ held today. Everyone ia aupposed
to wear a coatume all day, and part of
the fun is to lee who correctJy gueuetl
the iden t ity of t he most people . At midnight, the
are removed in a ceremony at the town square. Gre ndel
Orfman. proprietor of the Emera ld
Moon cheese factory, h.. premised
" lOmething apecial" for th e festivities
and h.. been very secretive of late. Th e
presence of a full moon this night is
coruidered very luc ky for aU.

IOU'"

,.

16 .

.....:..

'

'!:.,,;

.~

.>.

14
I,

:,. ~
: ,~ .

'I ;

'1
,

- N

\.

1 square 16 '

Th e burgomaster auggesu that th e

PCa wear ecme of hil old coatumes
roM'a creativity required here ) in order
to conceal their investigations. The
guardsmen will no doubt be learching
for t he party all day and will have the
routes out of town guarded at an timN.
Therefore, the safest place for the PCa
to be is out in t he open where they ean
move about freely . Allow PCa to come
up with their o.-n coatumea if they
wish, providing the auppliea are readily
eeceeeible within th e tow n. A PC wit h
the nonweapon proficiency of disgu ise
can be most useful here.

The day is filled with eating and

drinking contnta as well .. gamH of
chance and skill. Th e most important
upect of the costume game is that each
penon geta to uk for one clue to the
identity of the disguised. The clue ca n
be.. aimple as " not the butcher, not the
baker " (for the candle maker of area 61
or etee can be much h arder. The PCa an
harueed constantly by well-mea ning
citiuns an d .hould come up with auit
able clues of their own - mislead ing
clues, of course. Opting to pre tend to be
legitimate c:itiuna of the town ia poaai.
ble, eteeuree, bu t such PCs might actio

DUNGEON

51

THE WERERATSOFRELFREN

dentally run into the real people .t hey

are impel1lOnat ing (who are alec In

disguise). The OM should put the

~y

through some hair.raising ordeal s WIth

these questiona, hut shou ld a llow the
PC I th e chance to goof a few (the ciU-

una of Relfren aren't all th at bri ght ,

afte r . 11).
Example: Young Karen Qwen (area 7)
11 wearing a pri nceSll COIItu me, oo ~plete
with domino mask , long blonde half.
a nd a paste-jewel crown. All th~ young
l ingle men of t he town are look ing (or
her as part of a bet. A few of th em h ave
flattered the to wn eeemetreeeee (area 9)
into teUing th e details of Karen'. cos.
tume. Th e first ma n who beli eves he's
found Karen runa off to cla im victory,
collecting a lJubatantiaJ prize of 10 gp if
he ean pr ove h i, 8 UcceSS. If a party
member (ma le or femal e) attempts to
impersonate the baker, th e young men
will no doub t find out quic kly, if the
diagu ised PC does not take care to
retain bi. or her own mask .

Midnight. Day 3. Beneath 8 brig ht,

full moon, the enti re town gathe rs outside th e Emerald Moon cheese factory
(a~a 4) to wait for the grellt un mllskin g
and l urprillE!. If th e party hee not dealt
with th e were rata, Grendel Ortman
appears on th e factory ete pe wearing a
skull muk. He announcea the "great
l urpri&e" - and t he unmasking re vea ls
th e true sp read of th e lycanthropy u
th e townspeople pull off their maa ka,
re veal ing acorea of horrible furry little
face.. M th e wereeete, greater werera ta, and giant ra ta pour out from t~e
factory, the town is in chaoa aa panIC
br eili out am ong th e popu lace . The
nonnal townspeople are eit her killed or
kn ocked unccnecious (a nd infected). Th e
PC, are in great trouble if th ey remain
in the town. It th ey flee , t hey can
always ecme back, but they will find it
hard to convince anyone else what they
law waa re al.
It, before midnigh t, th e party haa
killed the werereta or forced th em to
n ee, the burgomaster announcea t hat
th e grea t eurpnee is "free cheese for
every body" (a weak idea, but h is beat
try) and opens th e cheese factory, An
astute polit ician, t he burgomaster
inform8 the PCs th at re vealing the
recently foiled plot is un wise at this
ti me and th eir he roiam goes unheralded fo~ now. See "Concl ud ing th e Adventure" for more on how to wrap up this
acenario.

52 lssue No. 14

The Town of Relfren

l. The Lazy C a t InD. Th ia ratinfested in n a nd tavern rem a ina in
buaineaa because of unknowing travelers and che a p food (not al waya wh at
it's claimed to be) and drink (watered
down, of course). Th e owne r and proprieto r ia a one-eyed , obnoxious army veter an named Thegor H uatimar.
Th egor has four doubl e rooms to re nt
at only 2 sp per night. He r arely elee ee
these drafty roorna , a nd PCa h ave a 5lJ>
chance each ni ght to catch a bad cold
{lcwer ali lltatiatiea, a ttacks , a nd akill
checks by one poi nt for two wee u ).
Food at the I..azy Cat Inn is often made
from ra ta. the al e is alweys watered
down.and th e baked goods are alw8)'a
sta.le. Prices are about half the usual for
the campaign (e.g., two dozen pastriee for
a gold piece, instead of one dozen).
Th e pla ce is infested with 3-30 n ormal rate (&ee " On Wererata" for th eir
statiltica ). If asked, Th egor ex plaina,
' 'Ti ger haa one injured leg a nd ca nnot
chase them." Actually, Tiger, a white
domeatic cat. never ha s chaaed t he rata
an d mice around here , even when he
was in h is pri me. In fa ct, Ti ger is afraid
of anything that move,s . He spe n~ ,a ll
h is time slee ping on h la own chair In
the tavern area, abo ve floor le vel where
t he ra u ca n 't get him.
lfthe Pes choo&e to stay here and they
have made their in tentions clear to J iles
and the wel'erata (area 4 ~ th e party migh t
be attaclt.ed.by ra ta during th e night
(OM'a di.Bcretion). See area 4 for more on
th e attack methods employed. by J iles and
his furry little fiends.
Ther or Kuatimar: AC 9; H D 1; hp 5;
MY 120'(40 '); 'AT 1 short sword; Dmg
by weapon type; Save Normal Man; ML
6;ALN.
Ti ge r. domestic cat: AC 7; H D "h; hp
3; MY 120'(40'); 'AT 1 bite; Orng 1.2;
Save Normal Man; ML 4; AL N; SA
surprise 1-4.

2. Normal Ho u ae Each of t helle .

hoWJ8tl contains at least one generatio n
(1-4 adulta and 0-5 chil dren) of normal
citizens. All of the men and women ,are
t rained as town guards and take sh ift.e
guarding their loved ones. They have
little or no treasure, si nce they trade
with each other for moat goods and
eervi eee.
A normal house has a 20% chance of
having 1-8 Dormal rata withi n it (see
" On Wererata" for their statistics).

Theile ra ta steal food a nd trinketa but

will not attack anyo ne until midnight
on day 3, at th e orders of the werera ta
an d greater wererata at the Emerald
Moon cheese factory (area 4).
Normal cltlun.: AC 9; HD 1: hp 1-6:
MY 120 '(40 '); 'AT 1 weapon; Dmg by
weapon type; Save Normal Man; ML 6;
ALN.
3. Th WD Sq uare. The party eeee
not ices posted all over t he town aqu are,
each offeri ng a re ward of 1,000 gp for
any informatio n lead ing to t he arreat of
the person or persons responsible for the
murder of a fami ly of dwarves (si lveramitha by trade). Th e re ward is offered
by t he local blacksmith (area 13)".Th is
much gold is eonaidered a fa ntast ic sum
locally, but th e m urders of the dwarves
were far more shocki ng .
The to wn's ma in well is located in the
eastern portion of th e equate . During
t he da y, eccrea of people miU about the
various shopa around the aquare, get.
ti ng wa ter and talking about th e
u pcoming Ieativel and t he recent trou bles in to wn. It is he re in th e to wn
square t hat most of the Founder's Day
festivities an d contests take place,
includi ng the " great unmasking" (see
"M idn ight , Day 3" ).

4 The EmeraJ d MOOD Cbeeee Factory. 'Both ph)'lrically and flgUr8tively, th e

Emerald Moon cheeae factory stands at
the heart of Relfren. The town sprang up
around w. tJu.e."",>, bWlding founded
by Relfren Orfman (th e great-vandfather
of th e eurrenr owner). H ia ab'ange choice
of greenccloeed eheeee with holes in it
has become one of the best-loved cheeses
in the realm. The refusal of th e own era to
expand. th e operation baa only inaeaaed
the valu e and demand for the now-chic
cheese, But now the windows have been
shuttered, and a large aiga on the door

"""'"

ATlE'rrlON! A'I"nNT1ON!

IN HONO R O F ra e UPCOMING fOUNl).

Ell' S DAY f'ESTlVrnES , l'liE OWNEI AND
MANAGERS Of m e f.MEAAu> M OON
C HEESE fA CT O RY WOULD UKE TO
OfPEll It. SPEOALSUII.PRLSE 1'0 l'liE GOOD
PEOP LE Of RfulEN , AT MIDNIGHT Of
fFSt1VAL DAY, All Will BE RVL\LED.
U NTn. 11tAT MOMENTOUS DAY, HOW
EVER, -rxa SHOP WIll. BE C105f.D IN
o aDER
TO
INSURE
SEClI RlTY .
(WOUlDN 'T WANT TO SPOIL TlfE sua
PRLSE , NOW , WOUIJ) WE ~ )

THE MANAGEMENT

THE WERER,6JS OF RELfREN

EMERALD MOON
CHEESE FACTORY

~m

- -

- -IGI
- -

- I I
I I FI I
i,
, , I
I
, ,
'
~
.
I,
, I,
I
I, , , ,
- ' " IH I

Area 4

-,
n'H -I-+-t-+-I-+-l

-1- ..* ' 0' 01 01

AI101 01 0110
I

- 0 - - N, 1

l-tt
.

"
I

- J, -

All window. withi n the bu ildin g are

ah utte'~ a nd barred (rom with in. PC.
will hn e to bru k the . hut lt' 1"I a nd
bend the ban to ge t In th~ way Oihly
mak ing too much h o llle ). Locked doon
ca n be picked normaUy.
All roonu wit hi n th e building are lit
with rotltinualligAt spella cut upo n
normal t.orth ecollCn. A amall black
doth coveor ha np on chain bHid. each
ICOnal a nd can be placed OYfOr the lig ht
to darken th e room. Th e roonu .,.
heaUd a nd cooled through si milar
magicu involving " hf'atf'r bloch ."

fA. Ma in o mce. The front door

(a lway. locked th eee daye) opena into
th e only part oft he ractory moet people
enr Roe, the- front office. Nu merous
chain an placed against the wall.. (or
the (:(ImI'ort of wa iti ng pa UONI and
busio nllmen, while a emel l table i.
us ua lly kept IUpplied with a m ple. of
cheese to whet th eir a ppetites. Behind a
counter to the ~ut h i pa dded chair.
a n empty atrongbo:a:. a nd a door to t he
vat room (arn 4Bl.
Grend el Orfman (11M area 4L) wed to
lIen-e a n cummers persona lly, jUllt to

kl'e'p hilD8t'lfbusy. but hasn't continued

the pr ad ice einee he became a greater
werer et a nd cleeed th e factory. Now.
only the four Ift'ater we rt' rat factory
ru anU CF2; hp 15 each; 'AT 1 long
aword; Omg by weapon type ; Save 1"2;
ML 10) a nd their eight normal rat peu
( Bee " On Werera u " for their statistics)
remain on thi. level. Each of the~ four
men haa an equal chance of being in
th il room or the vat room (area 4B ~ roll
randomly for each turn .. th ey patrol.
Th e guards do not asce nd the .tain to
th e eecond Ilece unl eM in punuit of
intruders. EKh ot th e guarch carriH a
by which operu aU th e doora on thil
level only. The table in the waiti ng
room haa no aam ple. left on it (jwIt
crumM), and th ere ia no trtoa.ure in th i.
room. The door to Ilrf'a 4B Ie locked.
Th e guards will order t heir ra ll to
a ttac::k a nyone penon who 100.... like ,
apell-c:llIt.er In prefere nce to a ny other
cha racter type . None the guarda wear
armor. allowing tb emaelvH th e chance
to t urn into rat form if neeesaary.

or

4B. Vat Room.. There are four hu ge

vall of mil k being slowly t urned to curd
in here . The vall are magicall y heated

11I11I 111111I111111

-+. '

-K

- - - - - - -I -I - - - - -

IH IIIIIIIIIIII . :

(throug h a spell cut by th e founding

father >, and th e te mpera ture iI a<ljUlta .
ble wit h th e use ot a gradu ated lever on
each vat . A set stairs lOing u p (area
40 , i. viaible to the lIOuth. and anothe r
door operu to th e lIOut heUl into an.
4C. Th. re iI no treaaure in thil room,
but th e OM . hould note th e chalKft for
the guards deribed in are. 4A to be
here .

or

4C. Fi rst Floor Slort'room.. Th e

metal door to \h il room il locked with
both a combination lock and a key lock.
The ruards fana 4A) ha ve key. to open
th e I.tu-r lock. but only Grend el know.
th e combinat ion to th e fonner. ~
. UHaful 01N" lod.. ron. or a . ingle
_110('. . pelt will undo t he combination
a nd ope n the va ult. once th e Jr.ey lock
baa been taken care ot.
Wit hin th is room are th e ('&n'(ully
proterted jars or at.arter culture u Aed to
turn th e milk into eheeee. Th ere are
a lllO various tool. and eq uipment used
(or repairing t he vall and Itimng the
milk. All 0( th e d iacarded armor from
th e greater were ret guarda iI alao here .
Seven large jara contain a thick. dark.
~n n uid. Th il i highly eencen.

DUNGEON

53

THE WERERATSOFRElfREN

trated food dye used to t um th e cheese

green . A small drop will color an entire
vat of milk . 80 if a party member
decides to see whether th e harmless
fluid has any magical properties, th e
unfortuna te imbiber will act ually tu rn
green as the fluid courses through his
syate m. It takes two week s for th e effect
to wear off entirely, bu t t he PC looks

merely deathly ill after one week .

The dye is only slightly valuable (100
gp per jar) compared to th e cheese
Bta.rter, wh ich will fetch 3,000 gp on the
black market of a major city.

40. Tra p pe d Lowe r Stairway.

Th eile wooden sta irs lead from the va t
room (area 4B) to the doorw ay ou tside
the preee room (area 4E)on the seco nd
Ilcor. Every third step has been deliberate ly wea kened a nd will break if more
th an 50 lbe. is placed upon it. Falling
PCa land on spikes for 4-24 hp damage
a nd must find some way to get out of
the narrow e nclosur e.
Astute PCa who specifically sa y they
are exa mining the stain get an Intelli.
gence check to not ice th at th e trapped
stain are strangely un worn in contrast
to t he stain above and below them. All
greau-r and normal werera ta, of ecurse.
know about th e trapped stairs and are
care ful to avoid them.

4E , PrelSing Room. The only keys to

this locked door are carried by Grend el
(area 4L) an d J iles (area 4K). Inside ar e
a dozen short wood golema made by th e
founding father of the factory. a wizard
of far greater skill than a ny of hi s
descendants. The golems' hands ar e
huge round dillal, specifically designed
to pre ee the chee se. These fista do 212
hp da ma ge (instead ofthe regular 1-8
hp) when used as weapons, but t he
golema ar e clumsy a nd have a - 2 to
hit.
The golems obey th e commands of
anyone who openly presents a special
~TMrold moon ring (currently worn by
Gren del Orfmanl upon entering. They
attack all oth er manlike intruders. Thi s
ri ng was fashi oned at the time of t he
golems' eonstruction and ena bles ita
wearer to command them. The gelems
will unde r no circumstances leav e t he
factory grounds (they become demagicked if rem oved) and won't attack
animals, insects, etc. (including rat-form
wereeatal unl eu orde red to do so.
There is no other treasur e in this
room. An unloc ked door to the north

54 Issue No. 14

leads to area 4G, a nd an identical door

to the east lead s to are a 4F.
Wood gole m s (12): AC 7; HD 2 +2; hp
11 ea ch; MV 120'(40'); 'AT 1 h uge flat
fist: Omg 212: Sav e F I ; ML 12; AL N:
SO can be hit only by magical weapons,
immune to s l~f'p, charm, hold, a nd mOiJ'
ic mu silf' spells as well aa a ll cold, missile fire . a nd gases; - 2 to hit; - 1 to
init iati ve: -2 to save against fiery
attacks a nd + 1 hpJHD dama ge from
fire: ERl50.
4F, Seec n d Fl oor Storeroom. Racks
upon rack s of cheese wheels line th is
chamber. Many rows of th em hav e
fall en to th e floor and are curr ently
being nibbled on by 10 gia nt r a ta and
six were r a ta (see " On Wererats" for
their sta t istics). These creatures watch
the PCs fight the golems in a rea 4E a nd
wa it for th em to ente r here before
attacking. The werera ta are smart and
rema in in m en-steed ra t form while
attacking . Since t he were ra ts are larger
than the giant rats, the party should be
able to single out the Iycanthropes if
they kn ow to look for th em . The DM
should ma intain a secret check to see
which of the bite s on party members a re
from gia nt r ats and which are from
wererats. At some lat er t ime, perh aps
even after the adventure il over, t he
DM should roll secretly to see which
party members become wererete a nd
how soon.
PCs who take 50% or more of their hit
points in dam age from th e wer erete
become Iycanthropes and eventuall y
become NPCs under the OM's control,
88 discussed in the secti on " On Were
rats: ' unl ess t hey somehow overcome
these effects.
The whee ls of cheese weigh 100 lbe.
each and are worth 200 gp each.
4G. Cu ring Room, The wheels of
cheese are aged in this large room
before being sold or placed in t he storeroom. Fourteen more giant r a ts a nd
two more we rere te are re sting behi nd
a nd benea th th e shelves. See " On Werera ts" for th eir stat istics and area 4F for
details on comba t .
The re il no treeeu re in here except
the partially aged cheese. A secre t door
in the eas t wall leads to a hidden staircase (area 4H).
4H. Se c ret St aircase. Th is staircase
is hidden behind the east wall of a rea
4G a nd con necta a rea 4G to area 41.

41. Foyer. The stairs lead up to a

sma ll foyer wit h fine carpets on the
floor a nd paintin gs on th e walls. The
carpets are wort h 6 gp per squa re foot;
th e painti ngs dep ict th e curre nt a nd
three former owners of the Emer ald
Moon cheese factory a nd are worthless.
Behi nd th e pictu re of th e current
owner, Grend el Orfman, is a secret door
to his pr ivate quarters (a rea 4Ll. An
a rea of black in t he lower left of the
picture is act ually only black ga uze a nd
a llows anyone in area 4L to see into this
room, provided th e lig hts are dim med in
th e bedroo m a nd lit in th e foyer (as they
are upon th e party's arrival).
An open door to th e sout h lead s to th e
guest apa rt menta (are as 4J a nd 4K ).
There is no othe r tr easure in th is room.

4.1. Werera t Gue st Room. Eight

more w e rerata (see " On Wer er ata" for
statistics ) a re loun gin g around in her e,
although th ese are currently in human
for m. They immediately grab th eir
swords a nd a ttack th e party, hoping to
draw th e PCs into t he room. The were ra ts scream loudly in ba ttle, br ingin g
Jiles from are a 4K an d alerting Grend el
in a rea 4L.
The wereeete ha ve no tre asu re on
th eir persons but are gua rdi ng their cut
of th e band's recent exploits. cheesy as
it may be. In a lar ge I18ck under the
Ilocrboards are 1,803 gp a nd 140 pp. For
obvious reasons, wer er ate won't accept
payment in silver.

4K. Thief Gues t Room. J iles Nogle r,

professional thief a nd now gre ater
wererat ext raord inaire , resides here. If
th e PCs enter t hi s room before in vestigati ng area 4J, th ey have norm al
chances to surp ri se J iles. But if th e
pa rty attacks t he wererats in a rea 4J
fir st , J iles sneaks up be hind t he PCs
and joi ns Grendel in attacking th e
party's rear if th e group is small or
appears weak ; othe rwise. he flees to
mak e hit a nd run a tt ack l on the
gro u p', st ragglers.
Jiles has accumulated little wealth in
his late st crimina l esca pades but is
ea gerly awaiting t he takeover of the
en tire town (see "M idnight, Day 3" ),
when he can start exacting taxes of
visitors, extorting protect ion money,
and expecting regu lar tribute from his
mousy followers.
In a chest be nea t h his bed a re 3,340
gp, 1.098 pp, and six gold necklaces
worth 200 gp eac h. The locked chest is

THE WERERATSOF RELFREN

.1110 lnppNI with. IJt')1.hing blade

wh ich dOf'l 3-18 hp damagt' if not dia-

ermed .
J Ut' " Nl mb ln o n ru.." No glt'r: AC 4
(2 in rat form); 1'8; hp 30; MV 120'(40 '1;
' AT I 10", . u'ONi + 2, ~harm P"f'Ofl:
Orne by ""to.pon type; San 1'8; ML 9;
AL C: S 12. I 14, W 10 . D 16, C 12. Ch
18; SO immune' to normal wupo~ in
rat fonn due to Iyanthropy; rifll( of
proltinn. ...3. ro~ of d'mbing. potion
of i'lt'u'bil~ . J il" ls prrM5 the most
charismatic and s moot h-tal ki n g weon-rat

alive. alway. ma inta in ing hi. ealm and

kHping hls wi"- .bout him . Through
heer force of peorKJulity. he k""plI hi.
Chaotic alii... and underlinltl ....Idfd
togrthn u . teem. Il l' will fouily adapt
to a ny sit ua tion, lying a nd ma king
dea l. naturally and well.

(,

I
, II

..

.' t

/
/ -

41.- Ma in Bedecom, Within th iIUXuM()U.I bedrccm resu Grendel Orf

man, t'WTt'nt owner of t he Emeral d
Moon ch
factory. 1W)f.prodaimf'd
braiM of t he t.alr.fOOvt'r, a nd Dewly eonverted ~.ler . "l'rt.'ral wizard .
Gre ndt'l haa nowhere lW'ar the talt' Rt

hi. (onf.tht'A had for magic an d hu

only barely ma nalft.'d to Ir.f1'P control of
th e golems in a~a ~ E th rou gh th e use
of th e ~rrt~rold moo" ri fl/( cr afted lonl{
ago. He is basically a cowa rd a nd
attacks th e PC. only when t he odd. are
in h il favor. If l urp rilM"d in his cha m
~n. Grendel pull s th e old " th an lr.l for
rt"1'CUing me from th e evil rat .men"
tr ick, in which he olTen th e PC. plenty
of cheese in return for th e rem oval of
t he w~rerats, who he cla ims hav e held
him ag a inst h il will . An y PC. who
believe th at one deserve to be fooled. If
hard preeeed , Grendel locks h ifflM'lf in
th e bathroom Ca rea 401a nd tn t'll to
esca pe th rou gh th e window.
Th ere is no rrees ure in he re . but th e
fum ishinp a re qu ite va luable a nd some
are eve n enchan ~ (pillo. .. tha t are
al way. nutTy. shf1't. that re main magi.
~lIy clea n, an ever-Iul! . a ter gl.... a
d~ that sorta c1othi nK, etc ." Th e
O~I '- free to be u creati ve u poeaible
here.
Grendel Orfman: AC 8 (6 in rat
form ); MUS; hp 20 ; MV 12O'C40 '); 'AT I
dlJlUl" +1; DmKby spell or weapo n
type ; Se ve MUG; ML 8; AL C; S 9. I 16.
w 10. 0 15. C 10. Ch 12; SA l pell s; S O
immune to nann_I . "eapo na in rat form
du e to Iy~ nthropy: speU. : magiC' mu.
li~. ~ mion from ROOd, Iln-p. ddm
i"ltaibi/tty, minor imOll~. fin ball. hold

""non.; magical itema: potion of .pnd.

~m~rold moon ring. potion of flyi"ll.
Shou ld th e PC. cure Grendel of h,lyca nthropy, he daima th at th e diseaw
made h im insane a nd pecmieee tc
return th e factory to its pR"y i OlU glory.
Grendel rema ins a n u ~tanding citize n
until the nest IIC8m ( 0 " , " to town.
Th ough not an evil person, Grendel wu
very eelf.<'f:ntenod a nd gr uping befcee
he btocame a werera t ube dille. . only
made hi m much WorM'; _.,..a 4Ml

4M. Wal k-I n Clo_L Th ,- appean at

fim gla~ to be just a hu ge d~t fill.d

with cloth es of many d ifferent colon.

but man y of th e robes see m to be pad .
ded with IOmet hi ng . Th e padding eon .
.ists of dot h wrapped a rou nd platinum
coins. which is how G~ndf"llr. ee~ the
fam ily fortun e N fl'. All told. there i.
about 10.000 gp worth of plati nu m in
the w~ , Th~ PC. sean:hing t he
clOM'l notice the hea vy li ni ng if t hf"Y
each mak e a n Intelli p nce check.
Th e O~I may wilh to drop little
ru man about Gre ndel if the party u k.
about him in io'm. Th ew could include
" hfO'. put on !lOme . eigh t reee erb" a nd
" pt'rha ~ he'. bee n sampli ng h is own

O\JNGEON

55

THEWERERATS OF RELFREN

wares again." 1Rougb coward. G~n

del got. perverae ple..ure from wear
ing hi. coin-.tuffed clothing and
knowi ns: he had more money on hit
penon than the townspeople would lee
in their lifetimea. He plaDII to do this
again after the town has been taken
over.

" N. Third Floor Storeroom. Thia

room contairu miaeellaneoua odda a nd
ends like apare aheeta a nd IineruJ. Th ere
ia nothing of any real va lue here .

40. Lavatory and Bath. Th is i. a

magical bathroom, with hot a nd cold
running water from pipes that end a t
th e wall. a nd a Ilueh toile t - even a
ahower it present. Like all th e ma gical
devices in this howe. these were made
wi th ~.I spells by the gn.oat wizard
Relfren Orfman man y yean ago.
$.. Meltle'. TBve m and S pirit Shop.
Thia u. the 8OUI'Ce of all the ale. wine,
an d mead the town drinks. The other
inns and taverns.U pun:hue their
auppliH from the lavern'. owner, Fr-ederick Meld e . Frederick ia middleaged , fair-ha ired bachelor who . for JnOlIt
of hia life. kept the boob for his brother 's distillery busi ness. Some years ago,
be retbed to Reltren in search or peace
and quiet. St ill kee ping contact wit h t he
old busineu, Frederick bri ngs in a Ihipment oflpiriu evel')' t wo monthl (a day
celebrated throughout the to wn ).
Fred erick le lll every kind of drink
(except hil aiel) to the othe r busineasetl
in town, at a price low enough to ins ure
their profiu but keep his competi tion to
a min imum. He Iltocka over 100 br and.
or ale (both bottled a nd on tap) in hi.
est.abJi.hme nt , a nd it is t he only place
for miles aro und with such a collection.
Hia place 11 a true ta vern - no food, no
frilta. just a long counter lined with men
an d women letting go after a hard day'.
work. Most ohhe news of the town iB
distributed here, a nd a bulletin board
al...ay. baa the latest mesaagea.
F'ftderidr. i. relatively wealthy but
puu most of hiB profiu into importing
ne....r and rarer ales (hia pef'80nal hobby). Being one of t he brightest of t he
townspeople , Frederick helpe Miu Kil
lian !the general store owner, area 1 J)
belenee her books. Rum or has it they've
become nry eleee frien ds.
Fl"t'derick Meltl e: AC 9; HD 1; hp 5;
MV 120' 401; IKl' 1 10ng owonl; Dmg by
weapon type; Save Normal Man; ML 6;

56 Issue No. 14

AL N; S 14, 1 17. W 10, D 12,C 12,Ch 14.

8. The Lamb and Candle. Th iB little
shop is owned and operated by two very
aged people. Donam and Sara Borke.
Donam h.. been the town's butcher for
over 50 yean, a nd hia wife is a candlemaker. Beeeuee Donam's hearing i8
poor. th e Pea will ha ve difficulty mak
ing them.8e'lv" understood. For exampie, if they addreu hi m as " Mr. Borke:'
he ha nda them a few chapa a nd atarta
ta lki ng about t he high quality of the
pip he slaughters. Hia wife h.. norma l
hearing but haa d ifficulty moving about
an d rema ina in t he back of t he ahop,
cutting wicks and dipp ing candles. Hia
meat a nd her ca ndles a re indeed of good
qua lity, a nd the Borkea are quite frie ndly once the PC. ma nage to get through
to th em ; pointi ng out a sa mple in the
d isplay ease i. usually sufficie nt.
Donam Barke geu li ve animals from
the valley (area 18) and .Iaughters
them in the baaement of the little shop.
The old couple have no lrfoa.aun.
Donam Borke: AC 9; HD 1; h p 4; MY
120'(.40'); ' AT 1 large meat cleaver;
Dmg 1-6; Save Normal Man; ML 6; AL
L; S 16; 113, W 14, D 12, C 14, Ch 13.
S ara Borke: AC 9; HO I ; hp 3; MY
120'(401; ' AT 1 sharp aciuon; Dmg 1-3;
Save Normal Man; ML 6; AL L; S 8, 1
14, W 14, D 10, C 13, Ch 10.

'1. Karen', Bakery. A frie ndly 16year-old girl, Keren Qwen , il currently
the chief baker for this little town. Her
parentlilrained her well and wrote
down all the fa mily recipes before their
deaths some four years ago. For over
three yean, t he youn g bw.ineuwoman
lived with th e Borkea next door (ana 6),
but rece ntly she was dee med old enough
to Jive on her own by the town council.
Her baked goods are fan tastic creations,
the mai n taste treau to be found in the
town.
Recently, Karen had a great ecere
when the he rbaliat'. ahop next door
(area 8) burned down. Only the pereeverance of the towtUpeople uved her
bakery.
Karen doean't know anything about
t he plot in town, but she knowa that the
herbalist never left. a Ilre going at night
(aa the constable ma intains). She al90
knowa that th e her balist had a pet dog,
who has been lee n wandering about
town recently (lee area 14).
Karen Q wen: AC 7; HD 1; bp 5; MV
120'(40'); ' AT 1 cutting k nife; Dmg 14;

Save Nannal Man; ML 6; AL L; S 12, 1

16, W 14, 0 17, C 14, Ch 16.
8. Herbal iat. The recent destruction
of this . bop was attributed to an accident. ('11:Ie herbalist left.a Iire going
and feU asleep" is the official version.)
Since the herbalist was a peacerul ma n
who had no known enemies, and also
becauae he didn 't live long enough to
defend hitnAelf, the accide ntal fire the01')' haa bee n accepted by th e nai ve
townspeople.
What t he enbene of Relfre n don't
know ia t ha t th e werere te killed the
herbaliat a nd burned down hia shop
beca use they belie ved him to be th e
only source of wolfsbane in town. What
th e were u ta don't know is that the
herbalist had just delivered hia entire
su pply of wolfabanl' to the wiz.ard of the
tower (area 161the da y before the rln.
'The party ca n tell only that the blaze
was delibera te ly set. All recorcU and
su pplies were utterly conaumed in the
inferno. The herbal ist" pet dog, Fritz,
can be found at area 14. The herbalist'l
body lies in the catacombe of area 21.

9. The Two Sisten Clothlnl Sho p.

Two twin siaters, Nitty and Bitty
Bunkin, ma ke doth and various artid"
or clothing. They also import leather
goods, like shoetl, for the citizeru. The
liaters have no kno wledge or any or the
plott going on in town, but they do ha ve
a good idea or evel')'body's costumH for
the fH tival , since th ey've made bitll a nd
pieces a nd sold th e cloth and the patterm. If as ked about Grend el Orfman,
t hey lIy only th at " thinp must be
gt"tting lean for him, aince he'a bee n
asking about how to do his own aewing
re pairs" (Gre ndel's been sewi ng his
treesure into hia wardrobe; see area

4m

The women always consult with each

other about th e ir fees.. Nitty c:hargH
10'1> too high, Bitt y 10'l too low. Listening to the m tl')' to agree on a price can
be quite entertaining. They al...ay.
wear matching dreuea and ha ve a good
time confw.ing newcomers to the town .
Nitt)' a nd Bitt)' Bunkin. twina: AC
8; HD 1; hp 5; MY 120'(401; 'AT 1 knitting needle each; Dmg 12 each; Save
Normal Ma n; ML 6; AL L; S 10,112, W
11, D 14, C 12, Ch 10.
10. Bu reomaate-r '. House. This i.
th e nicest houae in Reltre n. 10 date , t he
bur gomaster (no one k nows hi a real

THE WERERATSOF RELFREN

name) has been left unmolested by t he

wererata .. th ey want to kef'p a eembla nc::e of ord er in the town un t illhe
Dormal trade rou te is reopened. The
rail .bo conside r th e burgomastfor a
fool an clu.eleu to their plota.
The joke arou nd town i. that the
burgom..ter proba bly forgot hi. name,
as well as his panu etee, birthday. etc.
Th ia i. essentially true, for t he bu r gomaster wa. once a very powerful werrior wit h land. br a vely won a nd deed s
he roica lly perfor med . But hi. la st miasion ended in t ragedy when he w. s
cursed by the evil object he waa sen t Ul
deatroy. The CUrie' affected hi ' memory.
ca using him to forget hi ll past life a nd
pr even ting him fro m rem em berin g
man y cf th e . ma ll det a il, of da ily living . For yean . he wa nd er ed th e ccu nt ry _ide as a be gga r. When he arrived in
Relfre n. t he k indly towns people took
him in a nd gue him t he figurehead job
ofburgomaate r. Eve r eteee, he'a ha n
died t he to wn'. meager a ffairs pauably
well. In any cue, he '. a fri endly guy
a nd is decepti vely st rong a nd . kill ed
whe n arouaed (t hough t his is not well
knownl.
The burgomut.er iB a good j udge of
character a nd trusta th e blacksmith
(ana 13. implicitl y. Th ese traiu lead
him to_ard helpi ng th e PCs when t hey
get in trouble with the la w.
Hia howe it a two-story mansion (by
Relfre n m ndards) wit h a few eervantl
to help wit h hia duties_The only Inter eat ing aspect of the house is a large
ba lcony which cver lcoke the town
squa re. It haa a high pa ra pet , so th a t
even if th e burgomaater forgets to put
on his pants before a speech, he's st ill
"covered:'
The burgomaster wean a riTll of
wal~r WGlAing but haa no idea it is mag
ical. He b eps a tong sword + 2, a eet of
piau rnml +2, a nd a sh ~ld +2 in a
locked chest beoneath his bed . He doHn't
normally wear th ese, but if the PC.
convince him to joi n them (or he neoedI
to defend himaelJ). be pu u these on and
.urpriaes everybody (includ ing himaelO
with hi. warrior akills.
Burc:omaater: AC 1; FlO; h p 61; MV
120 '(401; ' AT 1 wea pon; Dmg by w eepon type ( +3 for atnngth); Sav e FlO; ML
8; AL L: 518. 19 . W 10. 0 16. C 16. Ch
"4; ring ofwat~r walJring. If a wuh ia
uaed to re move thia ma n's curse, he
quic kly a lTanges to leave Helfre n a nd
return home to bill lands. Alte rn a tely,
the PCa might be sent to fin d h im at

ecme fut ure da te at the ~uest of his

friend! and rel atives at home.
II, General Store, Mias J ulH Kill ian
own!l the only gene ra l It.ore in ReUTen.
She also Mils VaMOUIi crans a nd goods
made by th e townspeople and takes care
of the ir money in a eecret vault in t he
ba ck of her store. The cu t -iron vau lt
door ill locked with . th ree- n umber
combination dia l (req uiring three successful 0~1I IocA. rolls by a thief or a
A1IO('. spell). Ins ide are 10,321 gp,
19,616 sp, and miscellaneou s jewelry
and oth er valuables totalli ng 1,600 gpo
This bright, middl e-aged woinan is
currently being courted by Fred erick,
the tavern owner (area 5 ), a nd they will
be eng aged within two months (Frederick says six).
Th e party ca n buy a ny nonna l supplies here for a fait price, except for
anything made of etlvee. J ulee expla ins
that since th e dwarves ' deat hs (see area
12), t here have bee n no more silver
items mad e in town a nd she is C\ll'nntJy
sold out.
If th e PCs uk more qu estions about
t ha t night, J utee whis pers tbat she
heard scratchi ng sounds coming from
her neighbors' side of th e wall. She
aaaumes that th eM sou nds were mad e
by robbe rs looki ng for treasure, bu t
they could hav e bee n ma de by t he rau
th at have infested the building recentl y.
J UlIt aa she ment ions th e r ats , J utee
100M a way, gr abs a broom, and ru na
across the shop m outi ng, 'There 's one
of t hem right now!" If th e diaguating
rodent is caught, it turns out to be just a
norm al r a t (see " On Wererata" for its
stat istical.
JuJee Killian: AC 8; HD 1; hp 6; MY
12O'(40');,Kf I ohort""'"" Oms by
weapon type; Sa ve Norma l Man; ML 6;
AL L; S 10, 1 16, W 12,D 14, C 14,Ch 15.

12.. SilVf'nmitb. Another re ward

notice is posted on th is door, j uat above
a sign sayi ng " No Admittance, by order
or the Constable." A dwereen fa mily
used to run this little sil ver shop, but
the dwarves were kilted t wo WHO ago
by the wererets beeeuee sil ver and
magical weapons are the only ones
capable of banning Iycanthropea in
a nima l fonn. Now that the dwarves
have bee n eli mina ted , the wererats fH I
they wi lt have no d ifficulty taking over
the town , u ma gical wea pons are r~
in Belfren,
The dwarv es were infected with lyea n-

thropy by the were rats a nd died of it

area 211. At rLnt glance, th e shop
and livi ng quarten look li ke they've
bee n eeare hed a nd robbed, bu t if th e
PCs ChKk th e dwarv es ' reconb th ey
find t hat not hing is miu ing a t all! The
blacksm ith haa bee n sa ying this all
alo ng and rejoices if the party reaches
t he same conclusion.
Seeuered a mid t he wreckage ~ 10
silvered long swords and six silvered
daggen that th e dwarves were ma kin g
as eoetu me accessori es for t he upcoming
festival. The werera ta were un ab le to
take th em, aa even the touch ofsilver
caUlle1 lyca nt hropea grea t pa in. The
PC. might find th ese weapons useful if
th ey need to ann t hemse lves or a few
civiliaD8 ehc uld the going get rough.
Th ere is a lso 500 gp worth of silver
sha vings and goods sca ttered around
the shop.
(lee

13. Blaclumitb. The only penon in

town wbo haa a strange accent i. th e
blacksmith, Sven Pent . Sven is at north
ern barbarian descent (t wo generatiorul
ap) and m et a nd married h iB wife of 20
yean in this very town _They have li ved
here ever since a nd have t wo strong
IlOna. The older lIOn left to ellplore th e
world, while th e younge r h.. a family of
his own in town and expedB to take his
father's place upon his retire ment.
Sven a nd his family were good friends
with the dwarf and his fam ily becaWle
of their similar profeu ioJ1!l and genera Uy simila r outlook on life. Sven swings
a mea n hamm er but pr efers to wield a
tw o-hand ed sword when forced into
acti on. He haa bee n trying for some
t ime to get th e constable to act on find
ing th ose respons ible for t he dwarves'
murders . According to Sven, the eonate ble aeems to be hiding somethi ng about
the rece nt turn at eve nts in Kelfren (not
true, re all y, until very lately; Sven and
the constable have never gotten along ).
If th e party diBooven any evidence
li nki ng the ra ll a nd the fac:tory to th e
murders before actua lly engaging th e
wererata in comba t, Sven gladly joins
th em for the rest of the adventure.
Sven a nd his wife have 4.300 gp laved
up in th e town ba nk (th e 1'8ult of ~a
11) for their reti re ment.
Sven Pent: AC 3; F6 ; hp 60; MY
120'(40'); 'AT 1 two-h01ldl . word + 1;
Dmg by weapo n type plus strengt h
bonus ; Sa ve F6; ML 11; AL L; S 11,
11 0 , W 14, D 18, C 16, Ch 14; kaJllrr
armor + 1.

DUNGEON

57

THE WERERATSOF RELfREN

14. Pla yground. Th i5 1arge open a rea

neer th e hou.es is a lway. filled with
playing childre n duri ng the daytitnC!'. A
6'tallltalue of an elephant stanch in
th e middle 0( t he field. a nd the children
have a number of games involving t he
elephanL No one knows how the statue
got there. a nd few people even know
what a n elepha nt is. In fact . th e stat ue
W all anted decades ago by the wizard
of th e tower (area 16) just to . mUM! the
children.
For seve ral day the ch ildren h ave
been playing with a dog named FrilZ.
th e deceased herbalist's pet . Fritz ia
lonely a nd hungry and will befriend
an yone who petl him or offers h im food..
He will not go near a ny lyeenthrcpes,
barking viciously when ever a ny come
with in 20' . but he won't at tac k eseept
in 1M!1( defense .
Fritz (domestic:: dog):AC 7; HD 2; hp
8; MV 180't6O'); 'AT 1 bile ; Dmg 1-6;
Save Fl ; ML 6; AL N; CCI13.
ICthe PC. WIe a.prolr With animaL.
I~II to uk Fri tz abou t the herbalist'a
death, he cri ngn back ward, hia chin on
th e grou nd a nd hi s tail tucked bet ween
hia lep . Wit h much coaxing, gentle
words, a nd 10ft pa ts, Fritz can be
induced to tell the followina: lltory :
" We had just finished su pperrr, th e
man and me, an d werrre aitting down to
a cory eve ning by the fbrre. All of a
audden IIOme bia:a nimala burrrst in a nd
atarrrted to te arrr up th e place. The
man atood up to atop th em, but t hey hit
him acrrrou the race and he colla psed
in hia chai rrr again. I rrrushed rrright
in to defend him, t did . I grrrowled and
s napped a t th e th ings, and I would have
drrriven th em olT, too, but th ey werrre
carrrying big f1ticks th at they at uck into
the firm grrrete. The sticks ca ught
firrre with a te rrrible stink, a nd I held
my grrround unt il one of th e beas ts
waved a fietTry brrrand in my face. I
couldn't help it then, I had to rrrun.1
rrrac:ed out thrrrough my little doorrr,
barrrking for hel p, but ali i KOl wu a
pail of cold watenT t.hrrrown on me. I
couldn 't he lp him, J rrran a way.. . .
Ooooooh, I'm ao as ha med."
Fri tz lapaoH into howla of despair, and
nothi na: more ea.n be roas:ed from him .
1$. Co natab le's House . Moo people
feel very we ha ving th e constable
living ao near by, safe r than t hey proba.
bly ahould. Since th e constable ape nda
much of his t ime going to a nd fro a nd
work ing strange hours , little not ice has

58 Issue No. 14

bee n take n of hi. rece nt activities.

The PC. can &earth this bouse. but
th e only incri minating piece of evidence
they can find ia a frnh wheel of Emeraid Moon cheese hidd en beneath the bed
(d uri ng n ay 3 only ). The constable
keeps what little treasure he has at the
general store (ana 11). For more on the
constable, see area 17.
16. The Wizard's Tower. For decades,
this four story tower has sat alone a nd
und isturbed in th e aoutheast corner of
town . At first, th e tower W IUI feared, a nd
th ere were even fa iled attempta to bring
it down. Lat er, afte r no harm ca me from
th e st ru cture or its occupant , it W8S
ignored, and few people eve n notice it
anymore .
The resident wizard is none other
than th e founding father of both the
cheese factory a nd th e town - Relfre n
Orfman - still as young a nd fit as ever.
Decades ago, the wiurd Jived ebeve the
cheese factory a nd conducted his magical reseanh there. One day, he acciden
tally dillCOVered an anti-8ging potion
that wor ked too well . He took one sip
a nd began getting younge r and younger
eeeb YE'ar. Make-up a nd illusions could
do the trick for only 110 long, and finally
he had to stage his own dea th (of " old
age"). He then wt out ad venturing to
find a cure for his malady. The wizard
eventually succeeded in halting his age
at a perman ent 30 yean. He then
secretly ret urned to the town he had
founded and ma gicall y built t he tower
overnight, in a posit ion to oversee th e
town and protect it from attac k.
Relfren Orfman spe nt t he next few
decade s trying to duplicate hi. earlier
Ieeee, but to no avail. Rently, however,
he has bee n busy with a new resea rch
project , "ao methi ng for th e kiddi es."
One of his fint trick. wu to place the
stone elephant in th e courtya rd below
(a re a 14 ), a nd he watc hes the childre n
play for hours (through window. con.
cealed by iIIusionsl.
Only t he herbalist. had IIt't'n th e wizard in th e recent put, . nd only because
the ma ge needed spell components and
news of the outside. Ever since the
he rbalist d ied, the wizard hun't had
a ny news . bout the town a nd haa been
too busy to not ice that hi. people an in
trouble. The PCs ha ve no chance to
break into th e tower through force or
magic. but th ey can enlist the wizard's
ai d if they ta lk to th e tower long enough
to convince him that th ey are sincere

and that th e town is in danger.

The party proba bly needs his hel p,
too. For one of his many e:zpenments,
he recently pun::hased t he entire town'.
meagt' r aupply of wolfsbane, which the
herbalist fortunately aold to him before
his unti mely dea th . Even if the party
doHn't need t he herb to dri ve away the
Iycant hropea, t he wizard alao made t he
sil ver chalice t he priest (see areas 18
a nd 19 ) is looking for. Th is is the only
magic in town th a t ca n cure people who
have bee n infected with lycan thro py,
since no cleric in the town or th e party
Is of l ufficient level to cure th e d isease.
The wizard has no idea where the cha l.
ice is now, as th e encha nt ments he la id
upon it prevent even him from locating
It magicall y.
Ift he PCs eueceed in talking to th e
wizard. he givea them all his re maining
wolfsbane a nd teUa th e m the powen of
th e chalice (see area 18), after first
e:ztracting thei r promise not to hurt
innoce nt people or dama ge property
(eapeeia lly the cheese factory ). He does
not give th em his nam e, and he will
eeeept the death of Grendel once he
learns that his relative had become a
full lycanthrope.
The DM should feel Iree to deaign th e
interior of thi s tower to auit hi, whim.,
keepi ng in mind that Relfl'f'n baa a
special love for th e un predictable a nd
u ne xpected. Ot herwise, the D~' may
feel free to " wing it " with t he deeenpt lcn , auuming tha t Relfre n makes
extenaive use of illusions an d eeerer
doors to concea l a nd obscure mu ch of
th e interior.
The werer ete ca n't get into th e tower,
and th ey ha ve no idea how much ora
danger the wizard re prese nts. Aflt>r aU,
no one's seen th e owner in yean.
The OM should a void letting the PCs
learn too much about Relfren Orfman or
hit; reeeereh (on magical confections and
toy. l. If a PC just hap pens to gu t'M th e
link between t he wizard and the elephant ltatue, the mage befrie nds t hat
penon and gives him a short tour of hi.
laboratory lDM '. cnoativity required
he",;
ReU ren o rtman: AC 7; MU 12: hp
39: MV 120140'); 'AT 1 d4ml~r +3 or

spell; Orng by wea pon type or spell ;

Save MUI 2;!oIL 10; AL L; S 10, 11 9, W
15, D 16, C 14, Ch 16; spells: magic
mi..il~ ( X 3 ), dnp. ES P, mirror i mt2jl~,
phantc. mal fo~, wizard lock , du~l
mag ic, fly, h (Ut~, pro ttion from normal
m u.il~ can fu.ion, ice storm , poly-

THE WERERATSOf RELfREN

rruwph u l(. kkpot1. ur-011 of .to,.~. and

proj trd imogr. magical items : . toff of
~r; ~lwlJ d oa. and boola. rifl/l 0/
int'i6ibility.

17. Con suble Station. Constable

Camem is t he only full -time law
enforcement offiCE'r in Rellren. Every
ot her able-bodied citizen (me n and wornen over age 18) taltes a t urn ma nni ng
the guard sta tio n and watc h ing t he
town at night.
As mentioned earlier, Constable
Ca mem W illi badly bitten by a werere t
whe n th e constable stuck h is arm
throu gh a partiall y ope n door at th e
Emerald Moon cheese factory some ti me
ago. He becomes a greater wereret ahort
ly after the Pes arrive in town. Until he
becomes a wereret. Camem believes that
the . i1vers mith dwarves were killed
duri ng a robbery (by strangM'S like the
PCs) and that the herbalist died of carele88nesL Though he knows better as
WI"I"eDt, the PC. ha ve no luck in convincing him anything to the contnuy
- and in fad put themselves at risk by
telling h im anything at all .
Th e statio n itself c;onllisll of one large
office and four IS ' x IS' jail cell. dug
into the stone mountainside . The cell a
an cold and dam p, but th ey a,. not
magically protected in any way, 10 typi cal stre ngt h rolls, spell s (providing the
spell compo nenta are ava ilable), a nd
lockpicki ng sk ills can open the m. Usu ally, one adult villager guard (see stetieti a at a rea 2) is on dut y he re a t a ll
t imes.
Co n sta b le Bert Camem (before
becoming a greater werer at e AC - 1:
F7; h p 70; MV 90'(30 '); 'AT I long
sword + I ; Omg by weapon type; Save
F7 ;ML 9;AL L: S 16, 11 0 , W 10, 0 17,
C 17, Ch 11; chain mail + I , sh i~ld +2;
SO takes half damage from nonnal
weapons due to i nf~ion with Iycan.
thropy.
Co n stable Bert Came m (after
becom ing a greater we,.ratl: AC 5 (5 in
rat form); F7; hp 70; MV 120'(40'); ' AT
1 long.word + I U bite in rat fonn);
Omg by wea pon type (1 -4 hp in rat
form ); Sav e F7 ; ML 9; AL C; S 16, I 10,
W 10, 0 17, Ch ll; .h i~ld + 2 (used on ly
in human form ).
Constable Cemem'e charisma largely
comes from his office, as he is not es peclally eal)' to get along with . In tenM of
penonality, he may charitably be
descri bed 88 dull, t hou gh he is not a
stupi d perso n. He is merely bori ng a nd

,- ~
. t o
unremarkable - even after he becomes
a greater wererat.
18. She p her d '. Stockya rd a n d
Valley. Th e ecut hweete m comer of
to wn is walled ofTwjth a 10'h igh wood
en fence. Only one large door a ppears
throughout its length, with a mu ch
smaller door cut into it. Beh ind th e wall
IiV" the tow n'. en tire a nimal popula tion (u ce pt horse s a nd pels). Cow.,
chickens, pigs, a nd sheep ere all raised
by one man, kn own to th e to wnspeople
only as Animal Ma n .
This poor man is huma n but very,
very ugly. Because ofth is, he hides lik e
a leper behind the fen and takes care
or th e only creat uret. he feels won't sh u n
him . Act ually, although the good people
of Relf,.n probably wouldn't invite him
to dinner every nigh t, lOme or t hem
woul d befriend h im if he just gave them
the chance. Most people allow him to
mi nd his own bu ein eee as long &I he
does n 't bot her anyone . The only person
in town who hee eeen Animal Man
regularly is the pri est, Father Th ero
(area 19). When orders for milk failed to
come through one week, th e priest man ag ed to convince An imal Man t ha t he

needed hel p and was allowed in long

enough to IIet and hea l the herder 's
rece nt ly broken leg . Fath er Thero had
bee n slowly getting t he misgu ided shepherd to come out of h is she ll .
Th ere are a number of rumon going
around abo ut Animal Man . " He's half
ma n , halfbeast" is one story. " Anyone
who looks a t h im will go crazy" haa
long bee n popu lar &I well . Act ua lly, th e
shepherd is just a sa d, ugly li ttle man.
Th e possibly disappoin ted party memben will have th eir fair share of tru e
ma nbeasta before the advent ure is ove r.
Anima l Ma n takes money for his
animals and milk through a small hole
in the large door, then leevee the sold
goods in a sma ll room behind the large
door while he sneau off to safety. When
he pu lls a IIlring . the large door unlodta
and th e buyer enters a nd takH h is
purchase. A sign in the small mom.
reads "Cloee the door behind you !" It
will be rather easy for the party to
sneak in th is way, etnee An imal Man
rarely checks to see if t he area is clear.
Em pty metal milk jugs an ret urned by
t hro wing them over t he fence (the a nimal . inside have leamed to graze elsewhere).

D\lNGEON

59

THE WERERATS OF RELFREN

The pre. can alao climb the fence quite

easily. Ocee iMide. they 8M hu ge,
well .kept courtyard wh ich includes a
larp chicken coop ~parated from a pig
pen. A pus in the mountaifUl ide le.ciA
off into t he distance. If they follow the
pua, th e PC. even tually tome to
grauy valley where the larger animals
grau. A na tural spring feedll the valley
. nd allow8 An imal Man to wub himlett hit! a nimala, a nd a ny returned milk
jugs. An imal Man a lway. sleeps near
his a nimala , maki ng lure th ey art'
warm and well .
Beneath th e floor of the chicke n coop
ia Animal Man', treasure - a deep pit
filled with 803 gp and a silver cha lice.
He aav ed up . 11 th ese coins ove r th e
yean, livi ng off h ill own BnimHla lind
th e ot her (ew necess ities F ath er Th ero
wu ki nd e nough to brin g him until
recent ly.
lfthe PC. ma nage to befriend Ani
mal Ma D(perh aps by telling him of t he
.trange problema Fat her Thero ia having), he ofTen t hem hi . magical chalice
and informll t hem of ite propertiea. The
. iln r chalice wu made by the wizard
Relfren Orfman (area 16) to help the
town in cue of pla gue or othe r di.
eaxt. It w.. JOlIt by a ,..ell meaning
citizen, and the yo ung childre n pick ed
it up . Afte r battering it around (or a
wh ile, they accidentally t hrew it over
th e fence into the stockyard and were
afraid to reecver it. An im al Man took
th e chalice .. paym ent for hia man y
eereteee, elnee he kee ps no ledge r of h i.
businell dealings.
One day se veral months later, one of
Animal Man 's pigA was ill and he wa nted to bring it BOrne water. Unjortunllll!oly, h ill wawr pa il h ad a hoi", in it,
and Fath er There had take n it a way to
be repair ed. Always wanting the best
for h i. ehergee, Ani mal Man used th e
etlver chalice to bring water to h i.
stricken friend . Remarkably, the pig
recovered almost immediately after it
drank from th e chalice. Ever since t ha t
day. Animal Man has used the chalice
to help eare (or his animal. when the
weather tW'lUl cold or the fiu goes
around.
Th e chalice will cure anyone diaelUe
(or one creature once each day. It will
even eure those infected with Iycant~
py who have been wereereet uree (or a
long time. U th e party me mbers can
atch those infected in the town . hold
them long enough to get th e m to dri nk
from th e chalice, a nd keep the m fro m

60 Issue No. 14

becoming reinfeeted, th e town'a p~

lema can be cured eventually.
Ani mal Man'. only other companion
ia Gunter, a grumpy goat. Gu nter
ch~ anyone who enters the compound
(es cept for An imal Ma n ) but won 't usu
aUy harm people. He just makes enough
noi5l!' to alert Anima! Man to intruders .
If any lyca nthropy-infected being
(including Father Thero) eeeerepentee
the party wit hin the compound, Gu nter
chues that penon eve n after An ima l
Man arrives. An ima l Man quic k ly graM
th e goa t a nd a pologizes, noti ng that the
goat normall y doesn't be ha ve BO badly.
Smart PC a ca n use Gunter or th e dog
Fritz (area 14) to point out infected
townspeople when t he nature of th e plot
is re vealed .
Animal Man: AC 8; HD 1; hp 4; MV
120'(40'); 'AT 1 da gger; Omg by weapon
type; Save Normal Man ; ML 6; AL N; S
16; I 10; W 10; D 14; C 10; Ch 5.
Gunte.. th e goat: AC 7; HD 2; hp 10;
MV 120'(40'); ' AT 1 bu tt; Omg 1-4: Save
F l ; ML 12; AL N; ER/46 .

came in answer to lU. prayers and ofTen

to help them. Father Them despain of
ever find ing a 100 silver chalice wh ich
i. rumored to cure all d i5l!'8lM!II. no matter how far progreued (1II!'e anou 16 a nd
18). The (ather te lls the party that he
believes the chalice might be atill with
in the town , but he has no idea where- it
might be.
The PC. an count on curative lpell.
and u nct uary (rom Fat her Thera
should th ey require a nything. The party
cannot convince Father Th ero to let
them into the graveyard (area 21), 10
th ey must enter th ere on th eir own
tal ents . Th e good fa the r ha s no tre esure . 81 he elwaye gave donations to th e
needy or used them for repair. to th e
churc h.
Father Thero: AC 9; C5; hp 30; MV
120(40'); 'AT nil (re fWIH to we w eepona ); Omg nil; Save cs. ML 6; AL L; S
I S, 113. W 17. D 9 , C 12,Ch 18; (our
potion. or hJliflg: take. half damage
from normal wea pons d ue to infection
with lycanthropy; spell.: Cll~ light

wollnd. ( x 2), bl~.. ( x 2).

19. Father Thero'. Qua rte rs. Father
There of the town's churchgoing congrega tion is in very Krest trouble. The
werereee decided to infect him 80 he
woul dn't cure d ieeesed parishioners
duri ng the Iycanthropea' inte nded
takeover. bu t t he wererau didn't !tnow
that Fat her There was not of high
enough level to re move lyca nthropy
anyway. It was made to appear that he
had bee n a ttacked by a bear, and he
be lieve. he has h ad a lucky eece pe.
The good father ha l a lwaYI bee n very
lawful a nd help ful , a nd he Ie now be ving gre a t difficulty changi ng to t he
Chaotic ali gnment lycanthropy b ~.
He has had te rrible nlghtma rel about
huge ra te a nd blood, wh ich he believes
an to rme nte sent by the (orces of evil
a nd ChaOll. He has .pent the last week
re pent ing h i. sins (a ll minimal) a nd
begging for he lp from the Immortals.
He has not yet become a full lycanthrope. though he will become one at
midnight on day 3. At night. Father
Thero behaves oddly, walking the
grounds or the church (area 20 ) and
feeling very irritable beeecee or the
progress orthe disease and the presence
of an almost-full moon ( lee " Mid night,
Day 3").
If the PC. ma nage to convince the
pri est that he i. sufferi ng (rom a dtee eee
r ather than th e temptations of ChaOll.
the good fath er believes that the PCs

20. The C hurch. Father Thero baa

been neglecting his dut ies recently, as
thia duaty littl e building iodic:atet_
Fortuna tely (or the party, Father There
spends a ll of his time during the day at
home (area 19), 10 he will not lee a ny
intrulion into the graveyard by th e
party during these hours. Unfoetu.
nately, Father There patrols th e church
at nigh t and a ngrily ebeeee ofT a ny
intruders, throwin g rccke that a lway .
miu . Th ere il no treasu re in the
ch urc h .
21. Graveyar d . Space il a lways a
concern in a mountain village, a nd
Relfre n is no exception, Years ago, when
the to wn was firs t founded , t he na tur al
cav... here were con verted into catacombs. Recently, the graveyard has
been busier than eve r with t he deat hs of
the herbaliat and t he d,..arvea.
The gate entrance to the yard outside
th e church is t he only way in a nd is
locked by a .imple padlock (Father
Thero haa th e onl y key ). Intre pid Pes
ca n climb ove r the gate or pick the lock
" uily. Within the caves are tb" remains
of th e town'. dead, which are well prese rved by the ca ve'l dry air.
Th e branch marked with an Xon the
map contains the aforementioned bodiH
covered in white li nen . Th e three
d warves slain t wo wee ks ago (alh" r,

THEWERERATS OF RELFREN
mother, and child) an!! in rair cond itio n;
euminatioD reveall only. few small
bite. on each of th em. not enough to
hne UuaN their death&. The consUl-

hie. without adequate (Kilitie..

auumed that they had bee n poi-oned by
prof_ ionaS thieves who quickly ned
the town. Since lyc:anthropy kill_ demihumana., it .u only neoceuary for t he
wererattc to bite each of t he dw arves
enou gh limN to infect them, then hold

t hem lItill until the disease ran iu

course.

The herbalist , CD t he other hand. was

murdered wit h a fe w dagger . winp .
Any PC cleri c who exam ines hi.
charred rem.ina can determine t hat .
few of the wound- were not inflicted by

raili ng debris. and that the herbalist

The party might end up ltayina: here

.t the tiDlfl when the wererats plan on
attacking {lee " Eveni ng, Day I ''}. If eo,
the Pet each l.ake damage (u noted
under the events for Midn iiht, Day 1)
and are ItiU arrested for the erime, even
though this is a patently abeurd U8e'rtion by th e nowwererat Constable
Camem.
QU Gold bou l h: AC 7; E I; hp 6; MY
120'(40'); ' AT I lhort sword; Orng by
weapo n type; Sa ve EI; ML 6; AL N; S
14,1 12, W 11, 0 17, C 12, Ch 16; spell:
magic mu.ik.
Te.aJ Go ldbo ugb: AC 7; E1 ; hp 6;
MV 120'(40'); 'AT 1 . hort sword; Dmg
by weapon type; Sa ve EI ; ML 6; AL N;
S 12, 1 13, W 12,D17, C 12, Ch 17;
spell: dffp.

died before t he fln wu tiel . While the

offici.1 cause or death is labe lled ..

smoke inhalation. the lunp oCthe herbalist are he of smoke .
If party members lIM ~ wilh 1M
thad spell, the victims delCribe their
ra tl ike . ttac.h~ proving th.t thftlr
death. were iodeed murden.
Thne dUH should prove UMful in a
trial if the criminals are apprehended
(r.ther than alain) and tried by IOrDeODe
oth er than the constable (who becomH a
wererat himMlf duri ng the evening on
day 2 ). 'There ill no treasure In the
graveyard.
22. The S Uve r Cre.eent l nn. Two
newlywed elves Qil a nd Thaal Gold
bough, rece ntl y opened t he only new
busi neu in town, a bea utiful Inn and
tave rn. Th ll is one of the few buildi ngl
In town built up on stills end into the
mounlaiMide. Ma ny houses like th il
line th e paues to the east a nd west of
Relfren, and t he PCs may see several of
them u th ey enter or lea ve Relfren .
Being th e only elves in town, the Gel dbought feel out of place but are trying
to make friend. .. best they can.
Their gouda are of the finelJt. quality,
but their prices are a little high. They
built their little chalet in orde r to
a ttract the upperKale merc:hant trade
that baa now be-gun to
regularly
throueh the town. Because of the poor
quality oI't he other inn in town (area I ),
busi neu has generally been very eood,
although no one is ltayina: here when
the part)' arrives. The Goldboughs know
nothine about th e rece nt crimes in
town, u t hey ha ve been too busy putting t he finishing touches on eome new
decorations.

now

23. Stable.. The PCt must tillable

their honet here under the . habby cane
of Smythely J onk , a r ather disrtoputable
man whom the town would r ather eee
gone. Smythely ill obnoz ious but not
criminal, and he wan ts only to be left
alone. H ill horwa N IUIe lycant.hropes
within the ltables and have been the
only thinp keepina: him aate from the
wererats.
Once a month, Smythely', cousin
comes through and takes hi. trealure to
a bank to the eut, 10 Smythely hal hO
gre at amount of money stored away In
town (eomethlng t hat ma kes th e townspeople even more luspicious). Smythely
i. one of th e ~tI1 CWItornenl at Meltle',
Tllvern (area 5).
Smytbely J onle AC 9; HD 1; hp 6; MV
120 '(401; 'AT 1 long sword; Dmg by
weapon tyPR; Save Normal Man; ML 6;
ALNi S 16, t 10, W 11. 0 14, C 12, Ch 7.

Conclud ing the Ad ve nture

If the PCuCCHd in eliminatina: th e
threat to ReUre n with mini mum of
lives loel and all the criminal. in euetody, the toWD.lpeople offer them an award
of only 1,000 KP each (no more can be
spared). 1J:lI addition, the blacksmith
t urm over the I,QOO-IP reward original
ly offered for findi na: the dWarYn ' mur
den.... AU crimes commJtted by the PCI
are pardoned unleu the acta wue
unusually NriOUS (the OM should hue
his judgment on th e alignments and
actiona of the party memben).
Th e PC, are aleo offered.th e deed to
th e cheese factory, and th ey may decide
to N U it or run it thellltleivel. No one in
town mak es a n immediate offer for t he

factory, but the next day a traveling

merchant offen 20,000 IP (or the whole
thing (he can be bargained a little higher if the group if; cbariamatlc). This
merchant is actually the wizard Relfre n
in diJleuile. He could, orc:oune, cla im
the (ae:tor)' outright, but he prefen to
remain incognito and pay the PCs a
truly fitting reward for th eir deeds. If
he purc hue. the factory, the wizard
arra nges a eecret pannenhip with
youn g Ka re n Qwen (ana 7 ), and th ey
u pa nd the bu ein ees into a fullline
confectionery, wit h jamtl, candy~pa,
licorice. th e woru . They conti nue to
ma ke eheeee a nd baked goo&. .. well
.. eome lpeeial toys Relfren work.eon in
hi. lpare time. The townspeople end up
wit h extra work. for which Retrre n pay.
hand.omely. This new prosperity dr aw.
in new businesae8 and new citiuna u
well. transforming Relfre n within
month&. The wizard ma intaina his tow
er and eventually leaves the entire
bu.aineaa to Karen when he rt'tUmll to
his spell reeeereh.
If the party Ileea from the lycanthropea iDtlt.ead of help ing defeat them,
the infected population rrow- and &:1'0"
u more people spend the night and end
up ltaying permanently. The lycan thrope menace will eve ntually turn the
town into a wererat metropo li. , a base
of ~rations for a full wererat thieves'
guil d. Of course , t he party may then
have to deal with this menace on the
way back through the mountain p....
Then, too, t he PCs might driv e mOlt of
the were ra ts and greater wererete out ,
usi ng wolfsbane and force , only partial.
Iy suoceedini in th eir tuk of laving the
town. Rewards . hould be adjWlted
according to the odds th ey faced and
how much or thei r miu ion wu eempleted. A. long u t here i. one were rat
left in Relfren. there will lOOn be- more .
Finally. the mountain pa.u that wu
blocked by bandits will be cle~ in 2-6
monthti by an army of imperial knights.
If Relfren h.. become aate and prwperous, ecme c:aravaDtl will continue to
head through it in preference to the
other paD- If Relfre n baa been taken
over by werera ta, word will led. out and
a major force of imperial kn ights,
backed by hiih.level magic-use rs and
d eric:a, will arrive within another 2-6
montha. The town'. pau will be cloeed.
for months during the fighti ng, a nd iu
fut ure afte rward will be uncertain
indeed.

DUNGEON

61

THE WERERATS OF RELFREN

,n

Eon

' '' - -1'.

RAT

On We rerats
Accord ing to the D&D Ba sic: Se t

Dungeon Mast~r. Ru k hoolt. werere ee

are not lik e othe r lycan thropes. All
other Iycanthro pes are h uma n bein gs
who ca n cha nge into anima l (arm, but
wer era t.a are gia nt -sized rata th at ca n
take on hu man form . Thia is only half of
th e sto ry.
Usu all y, wererete are loosely orga nized sewer -dwellers that tend to domi.
na te lesser groups of giant and normal
ra te, usin g them for food when nothing
else i. available. In this envi ronment ,
only giant r ats that escape be ing eaten
can be infected with lycanthropy, AfI
norm al rata never have eno ugh hit
pointa to survive the infecting bi te in
th e rlrat place. Gia nt re te grow even
larger once th ey've contracted the disease and become weree ete th emsel ves.
Th e constant struggles for food and
contro l 88 th e wererala hattie each
ot her usu ally keep th e wer erat popul ation und er contro l; weak , aged , and
st upid wererata are crowded out a nd
event ua lly eterve. Beca use of th e
unique habi ta ts preferred by these
peculiar Iycanthropes, bit ing gian t rata

62 Issue No. 14

GIANT R Aj

is usu all y th e only way of pasaing on

this dr ead disease. However, wererata
some ti mes encounter human bei ngs or
dem ihuman s - most ette n adventurers
looking for underground tre asure or a
way into a castle or town on th e surface.
When demi-humans are infected wit h
lycanthropy Oosing 50% or more of th eir
hit points from wererar bite damage),
th ey sicken and die relati vely quickly.
Infected demi-hume ne will survive for
one hour per point of Constitut ion (which
a llows th em ti me to try to halt the prog.
reu of th e disease). Th is gives PC partiea
a seri ous tim e limit should someone get
bitten early in a fra y. Infected dern ihumans imm ediate ly feel weak, as if
th ey had been poisoned (gaining a - 2 on
aU rolls to hit and on sa ving throws), a nd
feel a burning fever race through them.
All demi-humen clans te ach about th ese
phenomena, and demi-human PCs
should each get an Intelligence cheek to
real ize t ha t th ey've been infected with
lycanthropy.
Huma na who encounter th ese crea tures r arely liv e to te ll about it , 88
werer e te are a Chaotic lot who enjoy
human Ileah immensely. In t he
extre mely rare instance in which a

GRfATER WERE RAT

."

h uman being survives a wererat a ttack

a nd is infected, a special lyca nthrope is
pr oduced (providing, of course, that t he
unfortunate person is unable to obtain
th e curative a.istance of a n l lth- or
hi gher-level cle ric). Sages refer to these
creat ur es as "greater" wererete because
they reta in th eir classes a nd abilities
whe n in human form . but can cha ng e
into man-sized rata if th ey so desire.
Gre ater werer ats have th e game statistic. of norm al were rete. except th at the
original hit pointa an d mentality of the
affected characters are reta ined in
lycanthrope form.
Ther e are both benefits and dr awbacks to becom ing a greater wer er et.
The subject becomes imm une to normal
weapons, lik e a ny lycanthrope, when in
eithe r human or giantrat form. How.
ever, no mat ter what t he character's
original align men t, the newly made
greater wereeat will event ually t urn
Chaotic. For PCs a nd NPC s, a Wisdom
check is made once each week before
shifting one alignmen t posit ion Ii.e.,
Lawful to Neutral , Neutral to C ha otic ).
If the PC is strongly devoted to a n
ali gnment Ie.g., a Neutra l druid or a
highly La wful clericl, add + 2 to the

THE WERERATS OF RELFREN

chec k . Still. when the transformation to

bei ng a wereret is done, the PC becomes
Chaotic imm ediately, no ma tter what
a lign ment was held beforehand. Father
Th ere, in this adve nt ure, will retain h is
La wful alignment un til midn ight on
day 3, when he becomes a Iull lycan th rope and turns wholly Chaotic. PCs
who become Iycanthropes become N PCa
und er th e DM's cont rol. 8 S per th e
Dungtoll Masters Ru lf'boo~. page 33.
Great er wer er ate do not usu ally infect
other beings or crea tures with lyea nthropy, since th ey prefer to rema in in
th eir more powerful human form and
only resort to Tal form as a mean s of
esc a pe or for deceit. For reasons that
are not yet understood. lyca nthropy ca n
only be passed through the ani ma lsel
of tee th by any lycanthrope. In th e

extr emely rare event that a lyca nthrope

decides to deli berately spread its disea se (as O Ur1l in this adventure). th e
resul ts ca n be devastatin g.
It is a lso a n extre me ly rar e event for a
gre ater werer er to become established
as th e leader of h is own grou p of normal
wer er ate. Norm al wererete a re usua lly
difficult to control a nd. be ing Chao tic.
difficult to tru st . But some small thievin g bands have bee n kno wn to ravage
th e countryside for a tim e before t hey
were event ua lly th rown down by the
local populace or by a n a nonymous
group of advent urers.
Man y lea r ned sages ha ve wondered
why Iycanthropes have nev er infected
th e entire world with their dre ad ed
disease . The im mu nity Iycanthropes
have to nor ma l wea ponry ma kes th em
al most unstopp able und er most circ um stances. but their Chaotic nature and
Inhere nt ina bility to or ga nize the mselves hav e kept th em li ght ing each
ot her ins tead of banding together.
In any case. th e existe nce of t he
greater wer erat has only recently been
discover ed. eve n th ough th e phenomena
must have been oceurrtng for centuries.
80 it is wise to 88.y that not e verything
about lycanthropy ha s yet been d ivined .
Th e events chronicled rect!ntly in t he
little town of Relfren only show th e
genera l populace how little the 88.ges
reall y know.
For convenience. stat istic s for normal
re te. giant rats, norm al wer erats. and
gre ater werer eta a re given here :
Normal rat: AC 9; HO less than 10
hp each); MY 6O'(20'Y30'O O'); 'AT 1 bite
per pack of 510 (or per pack of 10 if
more than 10 are present ); Dmg 16 plu s

disease ; Sa ve Normal Man ; ML 5 (but

nee from fire unl ess driven by magic or
wer er ats ); AL L; B0I36.
Giant rat: AC 7; HO In 04 hp each );
MV 120'(40 'Y60 '(20 '); 'AT 1 bite; Dmg
13 plus disease; Save Norm a l Man; ML
8 (but nee from fire un less dr iven by
ma gic or were rats ); AL C; 80136.
Normal we rereu AC 7 (9 in human
form); HD 3 - ; MY 120'(40'V30'OO') (use
former movement r ate in hum an form);
'AT 1 bite (1 weapon in human form );
Omg 14 (by weapon type in human
form );Sa ve F3; ML 8; AL C; BDI33.
Grea ter we reee u AC 9 (7 in rat
form ); HO a nd hp 88 per previous class
and level": MV 120 '(40 ')(88 per normal
wererat in rat form. with swimmi naabili ties); 'AT 1 weapon (l bite in rat
form); Omg by wea pon type (1-4 In rat
form ); Sa ve as per d 8S8 a nd level ; ML
8 + ; ALC.
Th ere is a 5% cha nce of contracting a
d isease from th e bite of a norm al or
giant rat. This disease may be a voided
by a Saving Th row ve. Poison ; if th is
roll is failed . th e vict im has a 2511
cha nce of dying in 1-6 day s. ot herwise
falli ng ill and being unable to go adven.
t ur ing for one month.
w eeerate and greater wererete ca n
su mmon a nd control 12 ra ts or giant
rats each, with summoned creatures
arriving in 14 round s to obey all com.
mands. A lycanthrope struck by wolfsbane in combat must mak e a Saving
Throw vs. Poison or else flee in fear. In
a nima l form , wererets and greater werera ts can only be harmed by magi cal or
silvered weapons or else by magical
spells. The very touch of silver causes
lycan thropes intense pa in. In human
form. wererate ha ve slightly elongated
faces and pronounced noses, though th is
is rar ely seen 88 except iona l.
Th e norm al were rata in this adventure
prefer to rem ain in th eir giant rat form
unle as it is necessary to seize an ite m or
escape in human form. The greater werera ta prefer th eir human form at all
ti mes. unle aa th eir giant rat forms would
be more helpful. At midn ight on th e
third day. all were rats and greater wererats will be in th eir rat forms , to spread
their lycanthropy M widely M possible
among th e towns people.
Th ough bot h werer ata and gre ater
wer e-e ta can use nor mal tools a nd
weapon s in th eir hum an form s. neit her
will wear ar mor, as it hampers their
abilities to cha nge sha pe.
0

JUST
THINK HOW
YOURIDOS
WILLFEEL
WHENYOU
FINALLY

GETYOUR
NAMEIN
THEPAPER.
: ~ -tJ.-..... ~

~f

;::~
~ ~~

-. S,-.-.;coa:..=,-_ ... "

.

It's easy 10 get your

name in print. All you
have to do is neglect your
health, increasing your
risk of heart attack, and
you could become a
newsmaker sooner than
you'd ever imagine.

American Heart

Association
WrnHlGHTl1\G F01
'OPUFE

DUNGEON

63

Carl Sargent hasju8t fi nished a th ird

fantasy gamebook , for 1989 publicatio n.
H e has also pu bli shed a h()(Jk on the
tarot and is currently working all a 160page fantasy RPG sce na rio book, oth er
game product . and articles. and one or
two other writing proj ects. Carl reports
he needs to repa in t the letters E, R , T. 0 ,
and H on hi s word processor keyboard
as t hey have disappeared with use.

IN PURSUIT
OF THE
SLAYER
BY CARL SARGENT

Can a merciless
killer possibly be
your ally?
Artwork cv Bob G lodrosiCI'I

" In Pursuit cf rhe Slaye r" is a D&Dt

module for 6-8 player characte rs of
levels 69. An y character class can play
the advent ure, a nd a ba lanced group is
vital (or success. but the PC party
shoul d include at leas t t wo strong
dwar ves or figh ters, at least one of 9th
lev el. Chaotic characters a re not rec ommended. It is essential to the adve nture
t hat t he Pes have moun ts . Th e module
can be played as an in dividual adv en ture or easily integrated into a n ongo ing ca mpa ign in a ny te mperate area of
far ms, plains, and lig ht forests .
This sce nario feat ures fou r monst ers
from AC9 Creature Ca talogue. Whil e it
is desi ra ble to ha ve a copy of th is book
on hand, the text he re gives all t he
inform ati on a nd statistics need ed to use
these mone te re.

For the Pla yer c nc rccters

You slow your mounts to a tro tti ng pace
on this warm summ er day as you travel
onward; th ey are feeli ng the heat as
much as you are . It's a lazy, humid afternoon, and somewhere to the nort h a
farme r is burning st ubble judging by th e
plume of smoke you ca n just make out.
Th en, some way ahead along the road ,
one of you makes out a sm all running
figure heading south to wa rd you . Th ere
is no pursuer in sigh t, but it m ust ta ke
something unu sua l to make anyone r un
so fest on so hot a da y. YOII ur ge you r
mou nts 10 a fast er pace, a nd now you
ca n see clearly that t he runner is a
you ng hoy. He st u mbles a nd fall s as you
get close to him , and he doesn 't ge t u p.
Wh en you dismou nt and r un to him, the
hoy looks up a t you , his face st rea ked
with the sa me black that soil s h is
clothes. He holds out his hands a nd fa lls
forwa rd, ex hausted.
Soon revived , t he hoy says his na me is
Albedo . He is flee ing from his home at
Fa irw el l Far m some mil es north . Close
to noon , Albe ri n te lls you, a bearded
wa rrior in a rmo r rode up to t he farm on
a great black charge r. He hel d a mighty

DUNGEON

13

IN PURSUIT OF THE SLAYER

sword in one hand a nd a slim length of

wood in the other. The red -cloa ked man
simply pointed the wooden st ick, an d a
great ba ll of Fire hurtled from it into the
farmhouse , se tti ng it a light ins ta ntly.
As peo pl e fled in terro r, th e warrior
slew them with his sword; ot hers perished in the raging flames .
Th e man spurred his horse to r ide
a way. then saw Alber-in cowering by the
well . He laughed at t he boy, the cruelty
in his face em phasized by t he black eye
patch he wore ove r one eye . " Yo u' re too
little to be worth my while killing," the
murderer chuckled . " Know me 8S the
Slayer!" he intoned . then rode off to th e
north, leav ing a dozen sou ls dead in his
wake. Alberin fled in te rror despite the
man's words a nd is heading south to the
refu ge of a cousi n's home.
The plume of smoke . . . no st ubble
burning, then. The murd erer is moun ted , a nd you ha ve little time in wh ich to
choose your next actions.

For the Dungeon Master

In this scenari o t he PCs follow Wolfram ,
the Slayer, a nd t rack h im to a great
fun eral barrow upo n a devasta ted plain.
Th ere, if noth ing happen s to inte rfere
wit h Wolfr am 'a plans, a great u ndead
arm y will be ma gi cally raised to swee p
so uth a nd spread death on a sca le wh ich
will make hi s efforts look pit ifu l .. .
except t hat they aren't ex actly his pla ns
a nd efforts.
Wolfra m is actually a deepl y Lawful
and good man, albeit one of ve ry str ict
beliefs (see the end of the mod ule for
details on his stat istics and personality).
His wa nd of fire balls is occupi ed by a n
undead be ing known as a posse ssion
(also ca lled a sword spir it) wh ich has
taken over Wolfr a m 's m ind . It ca n also
use t he wa nd itself as a weapon.
Wolfram is headed for th e Pla ins of
Desp air, an ancient battleground. Ther e,
the possession inte nds to leave th e wand
and inh abi t a different magical item, the
S taff of S hrioe ning. Thgether with the
staff, which is guarded by an other undead
creature - II grey philosopher - it will
begin the infernal wor k of animating an
undead army from the countless bodies in
the earth. Wolfram 's stopping to kill peeple en route is ca used by the possess ion,
which gains power from the deaths it
causes, making the anima tion of undead
easie r and quicker when it reaches its
dest ina tion.
Thi s grey phi losopher has long been

14 tseue No. 15

Filled wit h a n especially deep hatred of

li ving creatur es, am plified by magica l
ba nes dee p withi n the barrow. Its dehb.
erat iona, un usua l for its kind, h ave
progressed to the stage where it is ready
to begi n work animati ng und ead . Th is
desolate place is also inhab ited by a
secrcl . a t hird undead creature, which
will present a nother major da nger for
the PCs.
T he PCs begin a t the X on the ma p.
Th ey mu st follow Wolfr am as qu ick ly as
possi ble a nd destr oy the ma levolent
e ntit ies before t he un dea d army is summoned . Th is is a race against t ime, but
along the way there are both time.
wast ing div ersions a nd al so sources of
im portant informa tion, especial ly a bout
Wolfram.
Th is powerful ma n has a lways bee n
k nown as the Slaye r, for very good reason - he is an impla ca ble a nd merciless
foe of all t ha t is evi l. Wh ile he ta kes no
pleasure in h is grim work , h is task h as
been to kill mara udi ng monsters, evi l
creatures, and murdere rs who have
been se ntenced to dea th bu t have
esca ped j ustice - un til Wolfr a m ca tc hes
u p wit h t he m. Wolfr am is not a vigil an te, however. When pur suing evil men
(as opposed to monste rs), he kills only
wh en he k nows tha t t hey have bee n
sentenced to dea th by j ud icial a uthority.
He is Lawful, afte r a ll.
Along the way, the PCs should lind
enough infor mat ion to m ake them realize that all ca nno t be wh at it se ems
where Wolfra m is concerned, and they
should probably realize tha t kill ing him
will mean k illing a good man a nd true!
Th e players' introdu ct ion has bee n
wr itten to se t t his adve nture in su mmer
for t wo reason s. F irst , it helps to
expla in why a fire ball ca uses the complete dest ruction ofl arge far m bu ildings
(everyt hing is very dry a nd t he fire
spreads qu ickl y ). Also, it hel ps to ma rk
Wolfra m as u nu su al. Th is m an is galloping aro und a nd fight in g in full plate
mail a nd sh ows no sign s of exhaustion!
He mu st ha ve some ma gica l resistance
to the heat , so he's probably someth ing
spec ial. Addin g Wolfram 's appare nt la ck
of proble ms wit h the heat to the questi on , " Wh at 's a figh ter doin g using fire
balls, a nyway?" should make t he PCs
cu ri ous enough abo ut h im to set ofT in
pu rsuit. Th e hot weather also sets the
scene for the t hu nde rs to rm on the
P lains of Despa ir.
The Pes may want to quest ion
Alberin for any more details they ca n

get out of him. If so, t hey mu st ask clear

quest ions. If asked about the Slayer's
a rmor, Alber in d"lICJ'ihP!'I phd... m a il. H I'
is fa irl y certain , if a sked, tha t t he eye
pa tch was worn over t he ma n's left eye .
Alberi n al so remembers tha t th e Slayer
had dar k hair, and he ca n say tha t t he
"fire sti ck " (as he ca lls it ) was ma de of
pal e wood, about half a yard long. If
qu estioned closely, Alber in tell s the PCa
tha t the Sl aye r's horse wa s sweati ng in
the hot weather, but t he ma n didn' t
see m to be affected by the heat . If as ked
wh at lies to the north , Albe rin tell s the
PCs of Crabt ree Fa r m, Hara kil 's Farm,
a nd t he vill a ge of Ka ldarek (see Th e
Route of t he Slay er map), a nd a few
details about t he m. He ca n a lso giv e
reasonably accura te directions. Alberin
ca n gi ve a list ofthe dead at h is own
fa rm (h is father Marnt, mother
Hamana , brothers Sylra n a nd Bertran ,
and six farm ha nds) ifthe PCs rea lly
want to k now. He ha s no idea why any '
one would wa nt to do such a terri ble
thing at F airwell F arm .
The Route of t he Slayer ma p shows a
num ber of locations a nd th e pa th wh ich
Wolfra m ha s ta ken. Th e players do not
receive a copy ofth is ma p but ca n ma ke
t heir own sketc h map fro m infor mati on
gained as t hey tra vel. Each t im e the
PCs do not follo w Wolfram 's tr a il bu t
m ake a deto ur somewhere else, t hey
lose time pur su ing h im. Su ch lost time
is noted for a ll locati ons wh ere this ru le
applie s .
Keep a carefu l record of how m any
detours the PCs make, for th is n umber
a ffects t he fin al comb at on the P la ins of
Despair. Also , in some locat ions t he
party ca n gain infor mati on abo ut Wolfram a nd t he direc t ion he has ta ken,
alt hough t hey mu st as k some quest ions
or they won 't be able to follow him. If,
however, th e PC s spend hours a sk ing
qu estions about trivial details , at
Ka ldarek (a rea 4) or of the dwarve n
merchants (area 6) for example, treat
this as furt her ti me -wasting a nd add
+ 1 to t he deto ur count. Don't penalize
PCs trying to th ink of intell igent q uea ti ona and look in g for people or note in
Kaldarek, but only t hose spend ing a n
in ter minable t ime over ma tters. Th e
PCs should realize t hey are not going to
catch anyone while wasting their time
in this way.
It should also beco me clear to t he PC s
that they ca n not catch the Slayer on the
first ga me day. If th e a dve nt ure starts
just after noon , they will ge t to t he

IN PURSU IT OF THE SLAYER

THE ROUTE OF THE SLAYER

- - Rood
sa.yer"iJ\'aoI

Dapl et b Woods (ar ea 81 in the early

e vening. After the comba t t he re, the
party will ha ve to sleep and regai n
s pel ls, eepecielly curative ones. The PCs
may wonder whet her t hey shou ld pur-

sue t he Slaye r during the night hours.

Ma ke it plain that they cannot tra vel in
t he woods by night, nnd t hat t he mun
they are following must lIurt'ly sto p.
rest, a nd sleep also.
No detailed maps are provided for any
(anna or for Ka ldare k, a nd they s ho uld
not be needed since no combats ta ke
place at any of them. Location deeeriphOM give basic details for de!lCribing
th ese pla res to th e Pes.
M a gi c al PU rllui t

It shou ld nol be- poss ible for the PC. to

have any magiea! means o( eau hlng up
en maeee ....irh Wolfra m before he geta to

the Plai ns of Despai r. A epelt euch as

htute laHLlI only 30 minutes. \....hile a fly
spell llUltll longer. it affectll only one
character, and it shou ld be dear t hat
one PC - even a strong one - would
have se ricue pro blems trying to deal
with a ma n using a wand offi re ball&. If
a player is conte mpla t ing usi ng this

--

spell, you may drop a hint on this 8COre.

Similarly, ma gica l items h ave lim ited
use, either due to short duration {a
pot ion of flyinfl} or MaUI\t' only one or a
sma ll num ber of PCI ca n be e ffected
(e. g., bootJl of spee d, ca rpe t of fly ing).
Onl y a party gTOIl..qly cvereq utpped wit h
mn gtcal tranaport ite ms coul d ca tch up
wit h Wolfra m ee a grou p. If you have
such a party. you mulll find eome way of
relievi ng them of a few such items.
Inte lli gent players, however, may well
.use magical item s or spells such 88 fly
and htute to scout a hud and track
Wolfram. A party may split up. agreeing to mee t late r at a Ilaed place, with
the majority going one way a nd one or
more flying cha racters ma k ing a quick
chec k otTt he main trail. Thill ill not a
problem in running the IICt"nario, and
you ahould be careful not to increase the
detour count if magic is used to speed
up investigation". For example , if the
ma in body of a PC group goes stra ight
fro m Fai~'ell Farm to Kaldarek , wh ile
a flying character checks on Ha rakil's
Fa rm, the farm visit shou ld not be
counted as a detour since no ti me has
bee n 10/lt.

En counte r Areas
Many of t heee encounte r areas incl ude
meetings wit h normal. nonadve nturing
h uma ns . For convenience, stat ist ics ror
these people a re gi ve n here.
Vill a ge rs a n d farmhands: AC 9 ;
Norma l Man ; hp 16; MV 120'140'); I AT
I ; Omg by wea pon type; Save Normal
Ma n; AL L: equipped 88 OM sees fit .
I . F a irw",lIf' ann. All that rem a ins
here is a l ingle bar n to the north or a
group Dr st ill. burning shells or bu ildings
tfarmhouse, stables, two barns. Iarmhands' cottagt"8. ete.) wh ich were alm08t
e nt irel y mad e of wood. Th ere are no
IUrvl VOrs , only 10 charred a nd bloodied
bodies. sla in by fire and by the I WOn! .
J ust to the east or the main farmhouse
is a l ar~ well (he nce the rarm's namel
next to which stand watering lroUKhs.
The PCs' mou nts can drink here (no
time pena lty ),
2, H ara kil' s " arm. Visiting t h is farm
cou nted III a detour, si nce Alberin
ma de it dear that the Slaye r road otT
north fro m Fai rw ell Farm, end this
place ie almost due ea st . It is clear Irom

i8

DUNGEON 15

IN PURSUIT Of THE SLAYER

a d istance of half a mile away that a ll

appears well on this grain a nd livestock
farm. Th e eeven farmhands a nd Hera kil. th e owner, say th ey have eeen noth
ing u nusu al a nd are perfectly safe . Th ey
eeeu med (ro m the emc ke that Marat
waa burning st ubble over at Fairwell
Farm. Once they learn differentl y, they
take step' to arm thernee lvea a nd
defend the farm.
3. C rab tn-e F arm. Visit in g this (arm
i. alao counted aa a detour. alt houg h it '.
not bad play coming here. AHleri n Mid
th e Slayer rode off to th e north. and th e
villa in might have come here (alt hough
he h un't).
Th is farm is phyaica1ly si milar to
Har a kil 's Farm. but th e owner ill a
re tired fighter. If the PC. spec ificall y
ask to see the hoM. not Bettli ng for the
obvio usly peaceful nature of th e place at
fint sight. the five farmhands lead
th em to farmer Darrigan. lf the PC. Bilk
about t he Slayer. Damgan frow ns a nd
looks t houghtful. " I' m lure I'v e heard
th at name ecme where, heard aomething
about a fighte r t a iled th e 8layer; ' he
aay sslowly. " But it w eren't sai d with
fear or anyt hi ng like t hat ." He can not
recall any details. Once infonned of the
destnaction of Fairwell F&nn , Darrigan
orden hie fannhands to &nn themselves
a nd withdra w to the main heuee.
F armer Dami an: AC 9; F4 ; hp 22;
MV 120'(40'); 'AT 1; Dmg by weapon
type; 8 15; Save F4 ; ML 9; AL L: lon g
sword (ke pt in Iarmhouee),

4 . The VlIIage of Kaldal"f'k.

Kaldarek n a ama ll vill age of BOrne 80
souls on the main north-south trade
route between Lamford a nd Ca rrabridge . At th e village, horeee are ofte n
res ted, a nd coach parties a nd wagOnA
stop for th e night, lID there is a fa ir-size
coachi ng inn (ru n by Martall us a nd hi.
wife, Diora ) a nd a blacksmith!
stableman, Rodall a n, who is also
reepcneible for ma intaining law and
order in th iAvillage. Th ere's little trouble, anyway. Outaidf'ra who C8Ul1e problema qUirkly find out th ey muse Ieee a ll
th e Able-bodied men of Ka ldaN!'k .
Th e bu ild ingl comprise th e inn,
.mit by, tw o warehouses, l tables , etorege barn. , a sma ll ahop lIelling food and
tool., and some 15 smell cottagf'S a nd
large r dwellings, mostly made of wood.
Just west of the vill age ata nds th e
smolderi ng, burned-out . hell of a Iarm
gon. Besid e it lie th e blackened

161ssu& No. 15

bodies of two horaee a nd four young

men . Th ill tragedy hap pened two houri
before th e PCa arrive (three houra if
they hav e made a detour, four if th ey
have mad e two detour. ). Careful eaamination of the area reveala a blackened
pa tch of ground 20 ' in rad ius and clearIy circular.
At th e edge of th e village, half a doun
town speopl e stand in a h uddl e; ma ny
are dialraught and weeping. One man is
bei ng tended by h ie frie nds. He was
struc k by debri. from the expl osion a nd
baa a deep, bleed ing guh on h is left leg.
A tun lis ht wo utlcLr spe ll will heal the
damage, a nd a Lawful PC cleric ahould
m08l defin itel y offer thia aid. Unleu
othe rwille noted, all villagers he re are
treated .. Normal Men .
None of th e villagf' rs actually saw
what caused th e lire , but one of th e
villagers - a young woma n named
Farrah - aaw a man gall oping a way
eaat on a black horae just after an expleaion was heard. He was some distance
a way when sh e sa w h im, an d all she
could make out waa h.ia red cloak Ilut tering in the breese. Ot hf'rs can confirm
FlUTah's report of a loud bang, but no
one else sa w a ny deta il of the rider.
If th e PCs immediately ga llop ofT eeat ,
point out that their horses are swea ti ng
a nd could do with a dri nk, ea sily
obtained from th e pond in t he center of
the vill age , Tb ere iAno water eource to
the eee r u ntil th ey get to Larred'e Farm
(area 7 ) or into the woods. If the PCa fail
to wa te r th f'ir horses in Ka ldarek, their
mou nts will be slowed . Count such
slowing &I a detour, eve n if a PC cleric
later cast.8 a crW~ w aUr spel l for the
mounta. Th e hones will need twice
their normal wate r inta ke ener being
ri dden 10 far in such hot weather and
will drink alowly for t he en tire hour t he
ma gical spri ng ia in es lete nce, 10 time is
atill loaL
Th e PCs might spli t up in Kalda rek,
ecme watering the horses and others
looki ng for more infor ma nts. If they as k
whether th ere is a village elder, may or,
or othe r authority, they are directed to
Rodallan, who 18 in his smit hy. Rodall an
haa instructed his aui8lant, a youth
named Clada w, th at he dcesn 't wan t to
be disturbed in his priv ate rooms
behind the smithy. Th e PCs must either
march in, bri be Clada w to show them
In, or impre81 th e lad with a show of
authority to gai n entrance. Rodallan is
a ngry at bei ng disturbed, bu t if th e PC.
make it dear th at t hey are trying to

t ra ck the Slayer (a name Rodallan haa

never heard), he becomes a mf'nable and
repeats 8 l tory tol d to h im by
Garaldat h, a young man who waa ri ding
into town from Larred'a Farrn whe n be
118W t he mystericua rider.
Th e young man described th e rider as
blac k ha ired and clad in plate ma il ,
with a IWOrd in its ecabbard at h ie side,
No wand was in view. Th e horae was
large, pure bla ck, an d being ridden a t a
modest gall op since it waa eleerly
swea ring. Garaldath pla inly aaw the red
cloa k of the r ider. He didn't ap proach
him, si nce he was riding to th e aouth of
the man in t he opposite direction, but
ju st after they passed he heard the man
ehcut out, " Cu rse ! CUN!t'!" and looked
back to see him kick t he black hone
into a gallop. Ga raldath watched h im
ride away east, Th is met'ting took place
a mile or 80 outaide of Ka ldarek .
Wolfr am'. cry was due to his br ieny
regain ing control over his own mind
a nd screaming out what he believed
must have happened to him - that he
had been magica lly curs ed, The potJBe .
Ilio n mompnlari ly relaJ:M its gTip on
Wolfra m'lI mind , all owing h im a few
eeccnda to u ndcnlland h i. plight a nd
react with h il a nguished cry before it
reasserted its mali gn control once mor e.
orcourse , what th e PC. are told is
a mbiguous, a. it is mea nt to be.
Ir th e PC. converse with Rodallan
Iurther, he explai ns that he is reepcoei ble for law and ord er in Ka ldarek and
mu st repo rt what has happened to th e
local baron (y ou may a lte r this detail to
lIui t your campa ign if you wish ), hen ce
h is ea r lier inte rroga tio n o( Gar aldath.
Rodallan has not yet decided what to do
about th e situa t ion. It il d ea r t hat the
a888.ila nt must be powerful and in peesess ion of magic, a nd t he village h aa
only a few men-at-arms. Th ey tan hard .
Iy purs ue h im. Rodallan ha s th ought of
IlE'nd ing mc88t'ngere to loca l farrna to
give warni nif; Gar alda th himself was
ea ger to get home qu ickly, for Lerred'e
Farm lie. to th e east , and he If'ft withi n
an hour oft he a tta ck.
Rodall an says th at now that the PCs
a rt' challing t his dan gero us man, th ings
look bette r, don 't th ey? No need to send
out poorl y equipped men.er-erms.
Roda lla n will not accompa ny th e PC. ,
since he ha ll a village full of te rrified
people - not to mention four dead
bodies - to deal with . The PCs may
read ily get infor matio n a bout t he farms
lying eeet of Ka ldarek, a nd the location

IN PURSUIT Of THE SLAYER

of the woods. but no furt her in quiries
will bear frui t he re,
Rodellem AC 5; F4 ; hp 21; MV
120'(40');IAT t at + 2; Dmgby weapo n
type; Sa ve F4; 0 16, W 13; M L 9; AL L;
leathe r armo r, long suord + 1 (in
smithy), long bow (in his home>.

5. Moynoran's Farm. Thia farm

differs fro m th e others. The surrounding
art's ill Bligh tl)" hilly, a nd the Iermhouee
li e. in a ama ll vale. with sheep grazing
th e ric h meadows. Th e Iarmbcuse ill
small - or rat her. was smell. Wolfra m
has been here and fi~ balW t he place.
Since t he far mhcuae W IUI mad e of wood
a nd so me stone, m08t orit has burned
down. but a few flmoking Iramee rema in
above the charred stonework . There are
no survive.... Three burned bodies lie
wit h in the house, a nd thre-e more bearing s word wou nds are ece rte red outside.

One of th ese lies a lm08t half a mile

away fro m the farm house ; Wolfram rode
down a nd k ill ed thill farmha nd as he
tried to eecepe. Th e PChould fin d t h ie
body a. they tra vel to the farm. HOnK"1
ca nnot be watered here aJl the intense
heat ofl he fire ball melted the pump
used to raise water from a dee p well .
Th e PCs may ge t stuck a t this point.
There are no wit nesses and no om' to
tell t hem where to head. They may
gallop stra igh t ofT ecutbeee t to Larred'e
Farm (a rea 71, wasti ng a good bit of
ti me . Other th an magical inquiry, all
the party can do is r ide carefully around
the farm look ing for a ny hint of a tra il
(or use a epell auch as fly for t his purpose ). If t hey eeerch di ligent ly, ma ke
ma tte... ea sy for them . J Wlt east of t he
farmhouse and not very far from it , t hey
IM't' a tra il of sil v('r coins wh ich have
spil led out along a pa th head ing just
eeet of northeast. obviously toward the
Dapleth Wood . Wolfram '. eeddle ba g
to re and Ipill ed out thi s trail of 50 ep llA
he rode a long . The tra il ex tends for
abou t 500 yards.
After 20 min utes at t he farm, te ll the
PCs t hat they ca n see a thin plu me of
wh ite smoke ril ing in the ecu th (from
area 6 ). Gi ve them every chance to look
for and find t he trail ofcoilUl Iire t . If
the y do find this t rail, they shou ld not
head ofT eouth - t hey have a perfectly
good t rail to follow, a fte r all . (Sus p icious
PCs may sus pect that the t ra il is a
decoy, of cccree.j If they ha ven 't thought
of looki ng for a t rail, this enforced
detour to t he lOuth will get them back
on the right pa th even tually. If t he PCs

have found the trail but u k for de tail.

of the smoke, you ca n say that it is
much leee than that they have see n
from burnin g bu ild ings, but do not
ment ion this detail unless t he y are
smart enough to allk .
6. The Dwarves , Visit ing this
encou nter cou nts u a detour.
Smoke ri lleS from a gro up of three
wagons on the road headin g lOutheut
from Ka ldarek. Until the PCs approach
within 120', the smoke obsc ures the
wa gons, making it appear that it is the
vebtetee t hemselves t ha t are on fire.
Th e wa gons contain t he trade goods
(tool, ) of six dw arv ps who ha ve had a n
acci dent along the way. A whe-el fell ofT
one wagon a nd the metal r im split . The
dw arves stoppOO a nd got out some tools
to repair the dam age, buil ding a sma ll
but smoky fire to assist their work .
The dw arves greet the PCs with com.
plaints about the heat, requ ests for
auistance, inqui ries ae tc whether the
PCs want to buy so me fiD tra te shovels,
a nd t he li ke . Th ey will not be ofTe nded
if the PC. get to importa nt business (the
Sla yer l at once, especially ifofTered a
few gold pieces (add + 2 to rea ction rolls
if 10 gp or more is ollered for a ny he lp
or informat ion).
Th e dwa rves hav en 't see n anyt hi ng of
the Slayer, but if the nam e i. mentioned
to the grey-haired veteran named Slate
Hilleider, he i. su re he' s heard it before .
If the PC. ha ven't pa id any gold yet, he
pauses mea ni ngfully, 8fI if try in g to
recall the nam e. If th e PCs don't take
the hint, he may carefully mention the
wond erful effect t he sight of glinting
gold has on the memory of a dwarf. At
last he points northeast toward the
Dapleth Woods. Slate 88yS t hat t he
" fa ir ies" ther e kn ow of this perecn.
a lt houg h he recalls no det a ils. Surely
the man must be h ea dl'd tht're? (" Fair
tee" is Slate's derogatory te rm for el ves:
he will clarify this if t he Pes aJik. If the
advent uri ng party indudes a n t'lf. he
poi nts his th um b at the elve n PC whe n
us ing this term l.
This infor mation al one is not a stro ng
indication for galloping ofT to the woods,
but if the PCs ha ve made a map of Wolf
ra m's progrell8lO far. it's a pla usible
e noug h po!lSibility th at he'a heeded t hat
way, for hi e trail leade ge nerally north
eee t . If the party is un deci ded, you may
decide to ha ve the old dwarf remember
some thi ng else (of course. more gold is
need ed (or this). He rt"Calls t hat one of

the " fa iri es" once told u fri end of his

that a human k now n as the S laye r
attended their cou ncil. at infreque nt
intervals. Slate's impressi on was that
h is info r ma nt thought this man W iUI a
friend of the el veA despite h is ein ieter
nam e.
If this still does n't gt't the PCs rid in g
off to the wood. , you may ha ve to sug
gest that t he trail haa gro wn cold a nd
they must eithe r try Larred'e Farm or
go bac k to Moyn ara n's Far m a nd look
hard (or a tra il (a return trip there
counts lUI anot he r detour j.
Dwarv en m e re h enrs : AC 4; 01 ; 110
1; hp 6 each; MV 60 '120'); IAT 1: Dmg
by wea pon type; Sa ve ni. ML 8: AL N:
dwarven cha in ma il , sma ll shiplds ,
hand axes .
7, La r rt"d ', Farm. Visit in g thieloce .
t ion cou nts as a detour, un less the PCs
spend leee t he n 20 minutes he re .
Th is is a large farm, with two Ie rm hou N's a nd se ver al cottages a nd barM
clustered togethe r, surrou nded by mea dows, field s, a nd livestock pens. Sheep
a nd a few goats mar ked with a ts-iangula r blue brand graze hap pily. There has
bee n no damage here, but there a re no
peopl e in si ght. All inhabitants ha ve
retreated into the ma in fa rm house, the
wa ll s a nd rh eteh ed roof of wh ich ha ve
bee n hast ily soa ked wit h water from a
nearby pond . Th e PCs won't not ice this,
however, u nt il they get withi n fifty
yard .
The occupa nts a re Larred, hi s IOn
Ga raldath and wife Birrana , and t hei r
16 male a nd ft'male farm ha nds la ll 19
ere treated all Norm a l Mt' n). Th e melee
a ll ha ve cfOll8bows whi ch they hold
behind windo ws; their cover makes
t hem effecti vely AC 2 if a ny missile
combat ensues. Ga ra lda t h hall bro ug ht
news ofthe Slayer', doin gll fr om
Kald arek , and the farm folk h ave
retrea ted into t he ma in Iarmhouse for
safety. The 10 ma le defen ders stay put
with C1'08tIbow bolts nec ked , a nd the PCs
will need to peDuade them that they
are fr iendly a nd wish to help. Shouted
negotiat ions will be neceRllB.ry !
If the PC. did n 't hear Garaldath's
story in Ka ldarek, he ca n give them the
details here Ieee area 4 1. AIIO. one of the
fa rm hands, wh ile track ing a lost goat,
aaw the red -cloa k ed ride r gallopi ng
a long some miles away, quite dearly
heading towa rd t he Dapleth w oods.
However, Larred st ill orde red his peo ple
inside the prot ection of the farm house,

DUNGEON

17

IN PURSUIT OF THE SLAYER

...,,

just i n C8~ t he red..(:l oak ed. ridE'f doubled ba ck. The folk he re can \(>11 t he
Pes t hat there are el ves in the woods. if

try to pick u p the Slay er's trail. lf eo.

the Pes don 't already k now th is.

UJ,lltly, th(' PC !! f1houltt watl:'r thf>ir
horses here. Me nti on t ha t thei r mounts
are getti ng t ired and, when give n the
cha nce, dri nk large qu antit ies or well'r,
taking 10 minutes to do 1lO.

As the PC . ente r the woods it is ev eni ng - not yet dMk . but the l un il not

you might 8ugg(,111 that surely an elf or

two may have seen something.
far from t he horizon . The re ie certainly
t ime to make some headway into the
wood. to look for

II

friendly elf or t wo.

Ma ke it pla in that th e PC. canno l eontinue on thro ugh the night: the horses

8. 'The Dapleth Wood s, As t hey hea d

for the woods, t he PCs should kn ow only
that Wolfram was heeded this way, and
that there are elv es in the woods . Th e
adve ntu rers may fee l it is hope leu to

181" U8 No. IS

need rest badly, and the PCI themseh't's

wi ll be tired afte r a long dS)"1I bu sy
pursu it in t he fati gu ing summer heat . If
the PCs pt'r sist in try inll: to march on
t hrough t he night, t he next en cou nter

shou ld drain their magical rE'SOurcE'S

enough to make them think better or
this, and the e lvers offer c f'hcepite liry
they will get shou ld be irree lsu ble .
The woods are light but eeem ebeerlE'ss : no bird song liltel"ll down througb
t he trees. Th e horses heed into the
woods wit h IIOme ne rv cu an ese , and
el ve n PCs feel tha t IIOme force of evil
has affected the woods, but ca nnot ea y
what. If t he PCI inte nd to ca m p outside
the woods. a gai n note that their horses
need to find wa ter soon. Usinll: a 6 pt'aJt
with onimal spell to conv e rse with some
small denizen of thE' woods re YE'a lll that
the re ill a very rE'fresh ing spring in side
t he woods, and directi ons ca n be given.
The Pes Ilnd t his llprinll' lnot ma rked
on the mapj just before it gr ows da rk ,
a nd they will have to make ca mp for the
night . Th ey are now in mu ch thicker
woodland, a lmost forellt. Allow the PCs
time to tethe r the ir hoMit'8 before the
followin g e ncounte r, whi ch OCCUl"lljulit
IlS t he party is preparing to retire . It is
a dangerous one, so dcn 't epeing it on
them while t hey a re taking thei r a r mor
ofT, etc. Th ey mu st be fa irly close to fuJI
IItft' ngt h to deal with th is attack .
Th e sound of IlOmething huge cornell
crallhinR through the da rk en ing fore st.
Allow the PCs one round to make prepa ratio nl' Ispell-eeat mg. l(rabbin g weapons
a nd shields , etc.) btofore they a re
at tacked from all sides by two animated
trees and four animated bu shes.
On t he round a!\l'r t his vegetarian
attack!!,a bizarre crea ture comes eree binK into the fray. It appeara to be a n 18',
tall tree m with black bark and armed
with a giant club. This creature, a
ga kar ak , i8 a host ile, treantlike bf.'ing
which figh tll all int rude rs .
A successful hit from the gnkarak'lIdub
e ntangles the PC in writhing vegetation
(l'IO that the PC is helpleeer for lIix turns
unless a sulXelltlful Saving Throw VI .
Spc>lIs is made. Th e gaka ra k can else flee
four wood darta from its hands each
round Irn rtgl'S 501100(150 ) r a ther than
Uliing itll d ub. Il may Ilre dzu-ta at several

spell<asters if more than one PC is trying

to eeet a spel l at it in th e same round .
The Raka ra k u!\{'s ue teleport ability
on ly to escape the battle if reduced to 8
h p or less . If the Ka ka ra k escapes in this
way, the bushel a nd tree s it is animating immed iately cease their attacks.
A ni mated rreee (2): AC 2; HD 8; hp
38 eac h; MV 60'(20'); ' AT 2 branches;
Omg 2.2412.24; Save F4: ML 12; AL N:
CC/66 .

IN PURSUIT OF THE SLAYER

Animatf'd bU llhf' 1I (41: AC 5; HD 4; hp

18 each; ~!V 60"20' ); ' AT 1 bra nch:

Dm.c 18; Save F2: ML 12: AL N; CCI66.
Ga ka ra k: AC 0; 11 0 16: hp 68; ~I V
180 'l60'l; ' AT 1 dub or 4 da rts: Omg
424 or t.e ( )( 4 1: Save FIB; ML 10 : AL
N: CCI66 .
Th e ga kara k htu se ve ral s pec ial
deferuell. It cannot be ha rmed by wood .
ton weapons . il immu ne to e lect rical
attacka. a nd blunt weapo ns do only 1 hp
dama ge pe r h it lpl Wl Stn'n~h and magieal bonullel. if a rty}, The creature
regene ra tes 3 hp p.r round while in
contact with " ('I{etation (which here it
obvioully iat
None of th ese mon ste rs ha s a ny trea sure uhere will be enough for th e PCa
a t the end of t he ir quest. if t hey reach
a nd s urv ive
Thill fight rn a)' hot- a tough one for th e
Pes , E'lIpec:ia l ly if mo re than one of t he rn
is entangled by the dub oU llch ofthe
gaka ra k . Iflht' party see ms to be in
!W.'rioua danger of bt>ing k illf'd otT, Kilor.
ia n th e e lf rsee be low! enters t he fight at
once, ulling hi. mOltic mi ssile a ttack. to
help the PC. avoid d,'o th . Iftht PCs are
winn ing th e fight. Kilori e n e nte rs it one
round before th e PCa gai n th f'ir fina l
tri umph - give th o m every ebe nce of
glory, bu t bail t he m out if nl'Cel'88.ry !
All th e light com...11 to a cencl usic n.
three mOltic mi... il" Ilere through the
ai r to atrikt' t he ga ka ra k . Kilor ian t he
t'lf comt'll th e pa rt y'a side, with 24 eh'E'n
archt'T1I two rounds behind.
KJlonan: AC - I; E6 ; hp 30; MV
120'140' ); 'AT 1 at + 1 (melt'('lor +3
Imi8llHellr, Omg by wea pon tyJM."; Saw.'
F..6; M L 10; AL N; S 13, I 16. W 13, 0
18, C 1-4, Ch 13; c/UJin mai l +3, t1u'Qrd
+ l : 1Ipt'111I mt'moriw : mON'C fflUlIilf'
( )l 21, rMd magic, ESP' ifll.,uibility, fly,
hlUlf', In addi tio n to hill magica l ch a in
mail an d award, K ilori a n ha ll 8. wond of
fflrJRic mu.ilf'. with 10 cha rgell.
althou gh he is rf'luctant to UM' a ny
more of thf.'1le ,
E lv t' n llN:ht'r ll (24): AC 3; f:l; hp 4
E'ac h; ~tV 120'(40'); ' AT 1 (at + 1 for
miMilt'8); Omg by weapon t)"J)t; Save
El ; M L 9; AL N ; S 15, 0 15; chain ma il ,
sh ield. IIhort IIwords, long boWII. Half of
th lOlK' ('Ivea kn ow t he mCJl{ic mi...il..
IIpt>ll. 10 know th e llpell.t....p. and t wo
ha ve mt'mori U'd rnul ffl4RU'spelia.
Rocaull('of Kilori an 's ht'l p. tht' PCs
Ilhou ld bII' well d illposed towRrd the elf
a nd hill frilOnds. who are t'qually plelt!lt'd
th a t the PCII hRve killed t ht' ('vii
gakara k that infl!'sted part of th ~ ir

uu

woed s. When the PC. as k abo ut t he

Slayer, t here will be much to tal k a bout!
Kiloria n is allto nillhed at th e' PCa' tal l'
of Wolfra m's murderous travels and
offt'rt1 them t he hOflpita lity of his group's
tree houllt'lI, with rt"lJt and refrellhml'nt.

T he

.~ I \"I!' 11

e n d t h e S ls)'(' r

A llim m i n ~ that the PCa accept t his

generous offer. they ca n dr ink and eat
well unde r the IItarl ight in Kil orian's
luxurious tree hou se, wh ich ca n be
reached in hal f a n hour. Here, Kiloria n
tells tbem wha t he kn ows of the Slaye r;
ha ving au rr-e pt it iou llly used his ESP
spell to chec k on the truth of what they
hav e told him .
KHoti an te llAt h e party t ha t " t he
Slay er" is th e profeeeicnal name used
by Wolfram. a br ave an d good lit.::htC'r,
He is know n as8 uch bece uee he is an
im pla cah lt" and utl Nly dedicated enemy
of evil . Ill' neve r takes any evil pnsonere - hence. " t h e Sla yer" The elves
kn ow of hi m because he hel ped th em
fight olT a group of maraudi ng eree rtve
yean aKo. Wolfra m lIingleha ndf'dly
IIIE'w a hill gian t a nd. pausing (or but
one 1Ipt'1i to be cut from his ma gica l
sword . he th en took on a monstrous troll
and diapetehed that all well . The elv es
have good reason to be grateful to him,
a lt hough they kn ow little of hi. h istory ,
Wolfr a m is a secret ive man. a natural
loner. but hI!' dot'll come back once a yea r
to villit th OMe he fought bt-Ilide. and
while he hardly drinks an d makes mt'r ,
f)', ht' ~ m5 to relax a littll' with t he
e h' en folk . lfthe PCs think to ask.
Kiloria n tell s thl'm Wolfra m was last
here about a y('ar Ilgo.
An N df'tailinKthe report.8 tht"y've
had of the a ppeara nce of th e Sl ayer to
K ilori a n, t he PCalind him \.t"ry .....or
r ied IndN.'d. Wolfra m ha l!l bla ck hair. a
beard, alwaYI Wt"Dn a r__od d oak . and
haa an eye patch . Kilorian t..U. th e PCII
th at Wolfra m ca n Moe pt'rft"Ct ly .....ell
throuR"h th e COVf'red e)e. wh ich iSllOmehow e nchantf'd al thouKh he knows no
dlOtailA, Kilor ia n ca n a l80 ellplain about
th t' Slsyt" r'a heat regu lating magi ca l
armor if the PC. th ink to u k about
th ill.
But KHoti a n ill mOllt conct'rnf'd about
the Slay t"r'1l r('port ed U!lt' of a u'a nd of
tiff bolu, Ift hl' PC. ha\'f'n't ligurt-d out
)'et that th ia is wha t Wolfra m hu bet-n
us ing. Kiloria n r..aliU'8 immf'diately
the identity of t hl"sle nder stic k . The t"lf
se iz.ea on th is fact a nd 88 )'S that Wolf

ra m. as a fightt'r. ca nnot U /lt.' such a n

item , 80 clea r ly th i. fell ow riding
around must be an irnpce te r. The PCs
might put it to Kilorian that a nyone in
a rm or using such a wand must be a n
elf, but Kilor ia n points out {rat hf'r
piqued ! that el ves do not ha ve beards.
a nd thltt Wolfram is th e only perecn he
ev e r knew w ho ~ pla W ma il
that a llo w ed the Il.f'a re r to tolerate
su mmer hea t .
Kilorian inllillts th e ma n m ust be
eomec ne else , poss ible even ecmecne
who ha ll IIlai n Wolfra m an d IItol!!n hill
po8lWuions . KHor ia n st re_s the need
to ta h t he marauder al ive. to see if he
is Wolfra m. If he is not . the ma n ca n
then be mt errogeted to It'llrn of Wolf
ram's fa te . Try to im pre M t ht" PCs .....it h
t he st re ngth of KHorian 's bt-Iief; rhe
i mpee te r motif is one wh ich will be
exploited short ly, e nd th e PCs mu st gt't
t he idee t ha t Wolfra m is a man t he
elves truer an d ca n believe no evil of,
Kilorian tells th e PC. to gl!'t some
slee p (accommoda tions are read ily
a va ilable) wh ile he triell to li nd out if
llny of th e wood elves hc ve lII"'t'n this
im pce te r. Wait ing but one night to see if
any of th e wood el ves have more Infermation te a pt'rfl.'C'tly se nsi ble optio n.
a nd travel at niwht ill very slew and
dangt'rous a n)'way. Th e Pes may w ell
need hf'a ling an er th e ir light . but Kilor
ian MyS regretfully that he can do nothing (or t hl'm lin fact, ont"of th e e h'etl
kt"t' p8 II Ilupply of a dozen poti otUI of
h.-ali nN, bu t th is is t he only magica l
ht' aling th e elvt"s ha'i e a nd. bei ng S f'u,
tral . t ht"y 1l.111 not ~ \.t" it away or e\'pn
IIt"Il ill.
I( you wish. Kiloria n might e'ien
accompany the PCII to lind th e' Sla)t'r.
but only ift he PCa ha ve bwon wt'akt.'nt'd
by th e lig ht with th e ~ akar ak (i.e. a n N
hea li nj( they an.' sti ll man y hit poin lll
bel ow ma" imum . or a PC has ht-en
killed l, If you do not wil'h thf' e lf to go
wit h tht' PCa. Kilorian t'l plains that he
canllot 1t'8vl!' h ill fellows si nce tht're
have bet'n many t'vil creaturell in t ht'
wooda of late - ora a nd even a giant or
two - a nd hf' is th l!' only eolf of hia-h,
enough lev el to dl'a l with auch thrt'IlU ,
E'i en if he dot'lI llccompany t hl.' PCII. ht"
will not take h ill wand with hi m, IlOllv,
inK th is with another el f for de ft" nM' of
th e ll'Toup .
In th e morning. Kilori an ellCitt-dly
report a that a n od -cloaktod r id",r was
!il"t'n clOOle to tht.' e4lltem ed.:t.' of th f'
woods la tt' las t night by a wandt.'ring eolf

DUNGEON 19

IN PURSUIT OF THE SLAYER

The PC may heHd t hrough the ra pidly

thinning t1("('S to th e ed ge of the Pla inll
of Despair, a deat hly silent area of
cracked a nd dry ground coa ted with
d ust . Th is old batt le lite ill deeolate a nd
dt"fl poiled . No plant lift' groWl here seve
for a thi n borde r o( scraKKI)', stunted
bushes and hardy KTallS close to th e
edge of t he fores t .
Allow the PC s a little t ime to look for
a ny sign oft ht.' Slayer before thl'y find
unmistak a ble hoofp rin ta headed east .
As they a n" about to remou nt and foltow
th e track s, wh o s hould ha ppe n al ong on
bis black horse. abou t 200 )'ardll to the
nort h as he s kiru t he .-'<iKe ofthe woods,
but a dar k-h aired r-ide r wearin K a red
cloa k!

of th e grou p. Th is t'lf did not kno w Wolf

ram e nd hence ma de no a pproac h.
Kilor ia n ,ulC~l8 t hat t he ma n must
han med e (or the Pla inll of Dt-~pair. II

wretched dust bowl and a n evil place.

The imposter must have bueineee t here!
Laman l, the elf wh o mad .. the aiKhting,
u n KUide thl' PC. to the s pot wh ere he
saw t he eide r. Kiloria n and the elves

know hu h.'or t he PI"iRs. only that t hey

are dellOl.t.. and barren . and t hl'y
believe t he a rt's to hto cur.rd in IIOme
" a y. The ..1.,.('8 a re "'tory lIoupt'utitioulI
abo ut the Pla iM and will not willi ngly
en te r t h ere. Ila \'t' UndE'f K il on an'lI
orden.
Aftlor a quick meal . mort' waiN for thl'
hol"lK"S. and timE' for mo re ht'BlinK lind
mem ori zinlC Ilpe lls , th e PC a !lhou ld he ad
ofT at once . l.amarill ill a lig ht . will owy
e lf a nd can easily ride beh ind one of t ht'
PC.tthe IlUm e applies to Kilori an ifhl'
is with th.. party I. H.. allks to di llmount
dOM' by the t'astN n t"dge of t he woods
wht'r e he IlaWtht' mIlO Im'llr a n 'a 91 and
says the man Willi ht'adinK elUlt from
here . It is about a quart..r mile to the
ed ge of th t' woods a nd t ht Pla inll of
Det!pair. La ma ri s wish es th e PC s well
a nd Ilt'ta ofT back int o tht' Woodll.

20 Issue No. 1S

9, The End II S iKh. The PC s s houl d

realiee at onee tha t tht' r ider a pproa ch inK mig ht not be t he Slayer. Th .. mu r der er'e tra il heeds east . but thi s r jder- ill
tra yeli nKsout h, and he ambles alon g
with no f1itrn of a ttack . HI.' al so has no
a rmor, wa nd. sword. or eye pa tc h,
Alt hough this ill not obvious at fif1lt, it
is eh'ar w!lell he tl:l'18 wit hin 100 yunlll
of t h(' PCIiI.
If th e edventueere attack the ridf'r. he
turns arou nd and Kullo pll OfT Wl'lIt for HII
he ill wort h. di llappt'arinj( in to the woods
before the PC s can get to him . Il l' ill out
of bow range, 110 only a lon g--dista nel'
spel l attack (s uch a!l a fir~ baW can be
used Ilgain llt him wh en he is fil'1lt seen .
In this event , the rider a85uml'" tnot
un re MOnsbly l that he i!l be ing euacked
by hom icidal maniaa And figh u to the
dee th. If th e PCIiI kill hi m and thi nk
t hey have de elt with t he Sla)N, they
will hav e many me re problems facing
thl' m in thl' nt>a r fut urt> ( Ill'l' art'a 10 and
" Co ncluding the Ad\,t' nt urt>" l. If tht>
pa rty cha1ol'1iI t hE' ride r i nto th t" .....oods
a fter a finot aUllck wh ich l..a'(>11 hi ll
hortlt' ali ve, they eve ntua lly ca tch up
wit h h im . althou~h th ill counts Il!l
a not he r dl'to ur.
Ift ht' PC I chOO!lt' not to attac k him ,
Slt"inm eyt' r t h(' c1C'ric ridl-'I u p Ilnd
Kft't'ts t hem. li t' dO(> ha v.. blac k hair
and a red cloa k, bu t /all a lready notro l
no eye patch . armor, s word, or wHnd! li t'
il a n iti mra nt cJl-' ric who gn~ t l t hl' PC8
with tht' amBZinK lint', III he ((BZe! out
over the Pla im , " Wondt'n ul day to
thin k o( a ll the d('athll ht're, illO't it? "
S tei nmt'yt'r is a n unullual mAn. to !lily
the leallt.
S tl'in mt' )t' r: AC - 3: CIO : hp 48; MV
120 '/40 '), 24 0'(80 '1on hor flt'back ; ' AT 1;

DmK by ..... eepcn type; Save C IO; S 12.

I 12, W 18. D 16, C 13, Ch 13; ML 10;
AL N: bracer, of deft "l1~ A C 2. rillll of
proeecuon +3 . ma + 3. Steinmeyer
ha ll 1,200 gp wort h or treasure lto:emll
a nd je ....elryl. but no experienre.poim
a ward ill Kiven for killi ng h im eie ce he
il not host ile. S o experie nce points
sho u ld be given for obtaining hi s tree eure, either. Hill magical beecers art'
encha nted bracelets of copper whic h
confer a ba sic AC equa l to tha t of plate
mail fAC 2).
Ste inmeyer hu.8 the (oll owi nto: llpe llll
memoeteed : curt light wounds / lC oi l,
blt'n , rl'llillt /i r.. l lC 2\, spl'Ok U'ith a ni
mal. rt'mot't' cu r1l~ po'a. u,jth tht' ,It'rnl.
. tr;Jr illll, create watrr, curt' s rrlOUS
u,<JulIds. curt c,.,tu:ol U'Q UlIl/,llt his !lpe ll
curell3 18 + 3 hp damAj(e l.
Steinmeyer is 33 yt'an old, of medium
build with short black ha ir and brown
eyes. lI il fa it h ill sim ple: Life ill a vall' of
tears, tht' world i8 a n unha ppy and
te rri bit' place Iilted with . in and m iflt'l),
and dtpth ilil a merciful release from tht"
toils a nd tra" a ils of extetence. However,
every Cft'llture'lI VlllUling from the wcrtd
has it. a ppointed ti me and place . 110
taki nA" a sho rtcu t b)' t'nd ing (Int"s own
misera ble e xillte nce is not a pp roved of.
Places where many ha n died lli ke the
.'Ia ina o( Dt.>!lpair l attract Steinmey er,
for he tru ly bl'!ievell that many aoulll
w ere released fro m tht' mi!ll'rl'lble bondaKe of worldly life there .
War hu n e ; AC i : 110 3 ; hp 20 : MV
120'140'" 'AT 2 hoove s: Dm g 16116 ;
Seve F'2; ~II . 9 ; AL S ; ERi51.Ifthl PCl!
kill SleinmeYt'r'1 hor se , tht'y have nmde
a 8t;>riOUll enemy.
Ru n this e ncou nte r for fun . Stei nml'y'
t'r would a pprt'C'ia tt.' a cha ne.. to impre8!l
hi s bel it'fs on the PC s, but ht' a lso hall a
IIt'ri outl pUrpotll' i n th ill ad\enture.
Wh ilt- ht, know8 not hinKof t ht' Slayt'r
lbut h kl'tl the namt'! ' a nd won 't acco m
pany the PC s, hE' will llt.'l1 t ht'm hE'ahng
1Ipt'1I8if t ht.'y Ol'tod th.-m . T ht> l'C s
IIhould be at full strt'nK\h for thl-' forth
comi n)( comba t : be ing t> vt' n a ft'w hi t
poin ts down cou ld bot dangl'rou 8 (or
th pm . Ste inml'ye r cha tll'e8 50 ICP (or a
cu r~ IIRht u ~lun</. 1Ipt"II, 100 ICP (or a
cu r t> If ..r; OU S 14'014'1,111 II pt-1I and 150 ICP for
a e Uff Cr d lNJI u'QulId. spe ll.
If the PC s talk to Stt"lhm t.'ytr abo ut
Wolfr a m, th e c1t'ric IIppea rll intr iltutod by
the fact t hat II lill'htt'r is UllinII' a u'and of
fire ba /III and offl'l'1I onl' pol'1Ilblt' t'x p!a ,
nation. He lIUKj(I-'IIts that the item mUlll
be cur1ll'd IPC8 may tloca l! Wo!fr llm 'lI Cl)

IN PURSUIT Of THESLAYER

here) or infested by ec me mal evolent

un dead s pirit which i. using the item
and controlling Wolfr am. Steinmeyer
offen no detailed th eor ies. saying that
he strongly prefen to avoi d undead
hinuelr .nd doet.n 't know too much
about them.
Steinmeyer 8 1110 know. ecme thinp
about the PlaiM of Despair that he ca n
te ll th e PC. if as ked . Man y yean ago.
th is wu the sue of. ift!at battle
between a n evil cleric a nd h i. minicna
on one aide. and human warriora led by
a powerfu l lind good ma gic-wer on the
other. Th e battle WAll fle ree and u nyi eld ing, and thousands were ala in . Th e
cnc e-Iertile plain i. now bleeted and
barren, believed by many to be curs ed.
Steinm eyer hall heard from se ver al
&Duree. that gnat berrew mound lies
on the Pls in a, allt>gf'dly infested with
some awful undead presence. Adventuren hav e tried before to 1001 it, but none
ha ve come back . " Dead . a n of the m,"
the cleric: con ti nues laco n ically. " You
hpading that way? Ah . well . For you. at
leeet, the end ia n igh," he into nes, rubbin g hi. ha nda with a n expreuion of
pleasure. He eI plaiM that he i. pleased
for the PCa, as they will econ be liberated from the oppressive wei ght of their
exteteneee. With this bleak prcel eme t ion , he rid es off lKlUth to spread h ia
de preaaing creed to a ny who will list en.
Th e PC. now ha ve a fai r idea of where
to go. A. they follow the trail e...t cntc
the Pla in a. their honM'1l become skittish
a nd restleee. Af\.er a mile. they cannot
be ur ged on any farther. Th e PC. are
forced lo cont inue on foot . Ha lf a mil e
later they find a dead blac k hcree with
t wo aaddlebags containing 700 gp , 2,200
sp, a nd mundane su pplif'f (ropf'f. a hammer and tool a blanke t. waterekin
a nd the lib). Th e bceee hu no wounds.
but a lather of Iweat sti ll COlIta ita body.
If a PC ub for more information about
the horae . te U h im that it look. a s if the
poor creature W8!l ridden until it
dropped from exhau.nion. If Kil orian i.
wit h the PC., he inlillU that Wolfram
would ne ver treat an ani mal in thia
way. Somet hi ng must be affectin g his
mind or the man is an impeeter,
From t he site of the dpad hoeee, the
PCa ca n make out a large barrow
mound (e re e 101 in the di stance. some
tw o mil es from where they now sta nd.
Ahm'e them the . ky is darkenin g with a
sudden storm , a nd a tr emendous crack
of thunder aplita the silence , impossibly
loud in their ears. A. the PCs ge t with-

in half a mil e of the barrow, a downpour

of rai n a nd guns of wind h it them. Th e
driving ra in a nd preternetural darknNl
reduce visibility to SO',
Th e darknell8 a nd the unnatural
storm are magica l effecta triggered by
the proltimity of the u ndead poueuion
to magica l ban" buriNi deep below the
mou nd. Wh at happena when the PCa
get c:IOlM! to the mound will depend on
their timing and how many deto urs
they have made .

THE

BARROW
MOUND

10. The Ba rrow Mound . A long ,

gfa.tllKOvered bill rUea 20' above the
pla in. It is the tall....t object fur miles
a nd the only po8lIiblp place that the
Slayer could be heading for. Th e long,
roughly ova l mound is abou t 100 ' long
and 65 ' wide. Th e only entrance ia a 5'
diameter tunnel in the mound'. east
face. lnalde, the ceiling hei ght in the
burial to mbs is 89 ',
The Co m b at
Thie eecticn 100'" very detailed . but you
have only lo orga niu the comba t as
shown in one of the four following para
gra phs. depending on how qu ickly the
PC. have followed Wolfram '.ua il.
No detou r. If the PCs have made no
deto urs (clever and fort unate!l, Wolfr am
and the aaerol (detailed laler) are outside the barrow mound and a ttack the
PCa. Th e grey ph ileeoph er within the
barrow haa not yet bee n d isturbed, a nd
he and hi. malicetl (eee detail. below !
u n be fought IIt"para te ly when the PC.
ea te r the barrow afttor dealing wit h
Wolfr am and the eecrc l. Wolfram will
use only two of the thrt"e re main ing
m ari" in hiB wand a nd will not use it
if a PC d08t'B to mel ee. Th e poueuion
bide. its t ime, a nima ti ng Wolfram '.
sword and attack ing the PC. a fter Wol(
ram haa bee n overeeme.
OM drlour. lf the Pes have made only
one detour, the sacrol stands outside th e
barTow and altacu there . Wolfram ill
inside the barTow with the grey phtlceopher and the malioea. The warrior ill
Rbout to take hold of the St4/( of Skrivm ing (detaila at barTow encounlM' are.a A )
to col'l,jtln and animate undead creatures..
\\oOlfram fights with hill sword while the
malicetlattack; the ~ fires off one
charge from the u'On d of /in balU at the
PCa Rfl they enter the berrow (if the Pea
lose initiative). Uwn animatetl Wolfram's
IIWOr'd and atlac1ta afte r Wolfram has been
overcome.

18quare 10'

Th'O ddoura. If t he PC. ha ve made

two detours, thin gs art' worse. Ringing
the barrow are 20 skeletc ns wh ich mu st
be (ought a long with t he sa cral. IM ide
the barrow, the grey ph iloeopher ia fully
awalte and able to se nd four of the melices cute ide to a ttack the PC. (these
ea n not tra ve! mor e than 100 ' from the
grey ph iloeoph ed . Ins ide the barrow,
Wolfr a m hu abandoned the "''GAd of {If
ball. and wields the S'affofShri~f1ing
aa well as his sword fusing bot h weapons in melee). Th .. poaseM ion inhabits
the wand a nd attac:1u the PC . If \\'01(
ra m is ove rcome, it a ni matea the S tD.ff
ofSh ri(~" iflg to attack th e PC .
Threeor mo~ detour. If the PCs ha ve
made three or more detours, the combat
il the aame u for two detours exeept
that the number of . ltch.lo n. outsid...
th e barro w i. dou bled . Twenty of t he&e
are pre se nt at fi11lt. a nd aa the PC. eloee
to melee , another ri ng of 20 ri ses from
t he ground to a ttack .
Ofoall ng with Wol fr a m
Th e PC hould by now ha ve lYaliud
t hat Wolfr am m ust be insane, curud.
magica lly controlled. or hav e suffered

DUNGEON 21

IN PURSUITOF THESLAYER

level drainl2 8; Save F8 ; ~I L 12: AL C;

CC/87. The seerol ill a n undead creature
formed of the a ngry IIpir itMof thollf' who
di ed here. It appears all a la rg e noat in)l;
human skul l surrou nde-d by a ma ny .
hued mist wh ich billows ou t ove r II(' V eral ya rds . Two tenta cular extensions of
the mi st body drain one level of experi ence en eh per hi t , then choke the victim
(or 28 hp damagt> in every lIuttet>dinR
round . Tht'!lt. extensions always st rikl.'
two different opponents . A eacrol rna)'
be Tu rned a s i ( it were 8 spec t re, but so
close to t hi" ha r-row a suttt'AAful Tur ninK attem pt only makes the secrol heai tate (or 1-1 rounds before attack ing
again . The sacrol .....i11 pursue the PCII
anywhe re on t he Plains wit hin one mile
o( the barrow mou nd .

a n align me nt ch eege. ThU8, t hey may

wonder how to overcome t he fighter

rather tha n kill him . If the PCs express

t his intention, there a re se ver al posaibiliti t>8. Be hel pful if the playera ask
you a bout the fea sibility of any cou rse
of ac tion.
One cbvioue possjblfuy is the use of
magic, mo st obvioualy the hold /Wrson
s pel l or 8 spe ll lIuch 8 8 u',b. Wolfra m
ca n be a(fectro norma lly by th f'lK'. bu t
his savi ng throw isn't bad a nd t his
st rate gy may fail . Unarmed combat, if
you have the D&D Com panion Set with
th e full ru les , ill another poss ibility for
t he PCs, who may try to grap ple a nd
ove rwhelm Wolfra m . He, of course, will
a ttack with a wea pon in reply to Much
attempts to overcome him.
You abcu ld alllO allow PCa the opt ion
of subduing Wolfra m with blunt weepens or th e natB of th('j r swords. Roll all
hi t rolls and damage nor mally ; whe n
Wolfra m's hit points fall to zero or
below , he faUll u nconsc ious . (AlIlluch
dam age must be done in t hill way; the
PCa can't decide halfway through to kill
him . If t he)' do. discount all prev ious
da ma ge fro m " Oa t bladl!''' blows and ru n
a nor ma l fight to the deat h!1Likt'wi !l4:'.

22 Issue No . 15

the part)' ca nnot decide to st art eubd u.

ing h im in the middle of 8 combat .
A di'fWi magic 1l ~1I will not affect the
~8Si o n that controls Wolfr am. but a
di .pt'i t'liI tlpt1\la (l:aintlt whi ch it makes
a Sa ving Throw V 8 . Spt'lI sl forre Mit to
lellve t he ite m wh ich it cu rrent ly eceu pice . t hu s freeing Wolfrum, althoul!:h
the horrid t hinl!: will in fl.'llt so me othe r
object after five rounds and attack all
best it can . If t he poseeeeio n fa ila its
Savinjol Throw ve. Spells, it ill destroyed .
U Wolfram iA incapacitated lin which
case the ~ion dropti ita control and
ammetee an objl'Ct to attack ) or the con.
trol over him is otherwise broken , he fells
into a llla W of ca ta to nic Rhock and illout
of the action for the rest of the combat.

G rt"Y p h lloeophe r- AC 4; HD 9 ; hp
40 ; ~ I V nil; 'AT nil ; Drng nil : Save C9:
ML 12; AL C; CC/85 . T he gr ey philoeopher dwells within an'a A o( th e barrow
mound but muy projl'Ct its ma liceslOittint(, almost -invisible fi~ res wh ich are
t he projections of ite evi l and brooding
thou/o:htlll up to 100 ' ewey, The ph ilosopher, the undead fl.lic of a Chaoti c ele s-ic
who died in the a ncie nt ba ttle here. ill a
({Til)', insubsta ntial figure th at 8 it3 atop
a sto ne t hro ne in the barro..... It dOl'II not
attack . nor dOl'II it deft'nd itse lf. Whe n it
iR destroyed, itA previoullly cow led and
invi llible (ace peers out with an expreaaio n of evil enlighten ment, a nd the
figu re dt aappears w ith Il blood curdling
scream . The grey philosopher cannot he
Turned. but ita malices can be Tu rned
8 8 epecrrea i n s uccessful Turning
attem pt a ffl.'Cts 212 of t hem I. These
hatefullutle e ntities look like sma ll
wisps of smoh wit h vagul.'ly hu man
(acell and II pind l)' clawed hands.
M al k (, 1l 1 1 5 ~ AC l ; U D l ; h p S l;'tlch;
:.IV 150'(SO'1; 'AT I tou ch; Dmg 16, }8,
or 1 10 1!K't' bel ow ); Save C6 : MI. 12; AI.
C: CC /85. Th e tou ch of a malice ca ullt'll
16 hp damage to Ch ao tic creat ures. 18
hp da mage to Xeutra ls. and 1)0 hp
da ma ge to La w Iuls.

Tbe Un d e a d C rt'a t Uft>ll

S kt>l t>to n M: AC 7; UD 1: hp 5 ea ch:
60'(20'): 'AT I: Dmg by weapon
type ; Save FI; ~I L 12: AL C; s words:
80137. Th ese animated s keleto ns ca n be
Tu rned normally but art" im mune to
sleep a nd charm s pel ls .
~I V

S a crol: AC 5, HD 8; hp 47: ~IV

180 '(60'): ' AT 2 (1 tou chlt choke l; Dmg

P OIUlt' HHion: AC variable; U D 7; hp

30; M\' 30U O'I; ' AT epeci el: Dmg varia .
ble : 58.\'1.' C9: ML 12 ; AL C; Ego 21: cc
87. ThE.' possess ion ill not a visibl e
cre a ture la lthou(l:h a det ec t ("tit spell
will re ve a l Ite pre sence all a gl ow ing,
e morphoua sha pe, and a df'tf'rt iflt'i Jliblf'
spell rna)' etso re\'1'8 1 it. It ill a spir it
w hich inhabits objects and wh ich ca n
a tt ack only through t hem . Th Ull, it ca n

IN PURSU IT Of THE SLAYER

fi re the wand (lffir~ boll. wh ich Wolf

ram carrit'8 and can animate objects,
cDulling them to Ily through t he air in

order to attack .II, a 711 0 monster.

A possession can be attacked a nd
da maged. ita a rmo r c1alU!l depe ndi ng on
the objl'Ct it occupies. In t his combat, it
is AC 2 within either Wolfr am's sword
or th e S ta ff ofShrit'f.'n.inR (deta iled la t.
er). The possession ca n be 'Turn ed (as a
vampire. causing it to be driv en from
t he weapon it occupies in the form of a

gray, shadowy cloud eheped like t he

object it has just left . The cle ric must
specifically di rect his Tu rning a ttem pt
Ht the ebject occupied or at the cloud
for m . In cloud for m th e po!l8t.'ssion cannot Attack . but nei ther can it be et tac ked (sa ve by dispel evil speller, and it
must find a new object to occupy. You
rna)' wish to beve it n ee to one of the
PC's weapons a nd snatc h it from the
adve nturer's hand to a ttack (but only do
this if the combat ia going fa ir ly we ll for
the PCa l. F in ally, if 8 M'COnd attempt to
Thm the poeeeeaio n Ie eucceesful wh ile
it is in cloud form, it is at once
destroyed .

All in a ll, this is a com plex a nd very

to ug h combat in deed . You should t ry a
s imulatio n of it before usi ng it in game
play. Th e undead creatu res will fiKht to
the end, a lt hough only the IlaCTU I will
pu rsue t he PCs if they flee .
Ha rro w Enc o unter Art"a s

A, Main C h a mber. The grey ph ilosopher (see "The Undead Crea tures'Tsits
on its cold throne here if it has flot yet
bee n dis t urbed . Th e re is one object. in
this chamber that is importa nt . This is
t he magica l StaffofS hriewnillR. whic h
ma y be used by Wolfram in melee or be
a ni ma ted by t he po8llt'8lIion a nd Oy to
the attack. Th is is a high ly evil Itoff +2
which st rik('8 vict ims for 212 + 2 hp
damllge (2 12 + 4 hp da mage against a
Lawfu l opponent]. On a ny h it , t he vic t im mu st Save V8 . Spell s or be affected
by one of the follo wing efTectJI (roll td6 ):
paralysis for one tu rn (13), mu m my rot
(45), ent"rgy drain (6). If a natural 20 ia
rolled , the victim ill dra ined of tw o e xperten ce le vel s (as if hi t by a spectre).
Th e staff alec haa powers of sum moning a nd controlli ng un dea d, but these
a re detf'fmint>d in part by how, where.
a nd b)' whom it is uSt'd. Th e PCs will
not be able to U lle it (to do 80 is a highl y
ev il act). If the staff is controlled by the

po8llt's"ion, it ta k('8 the poeeseion's

num ber of hit points to dt"8troy it (3 7, in
th is case).

8. C ham be r of Tomb s. Three wooden tombs, bro ke n open a nd un occupied,

take up almOtlt all the epe ce in t his
IIma U aide cha mber. The fint tomb
contains {h e ge ms sca ttered in the dust,
worth a tot a l of 2,700 gpoTh e eecc ed
to mb holds a silvert>d dagger +2, and
t he third conta ins a ge ld-banded a nd
gem-set ivory horn worth 3.000 gpo

C, Mo re Th m b s. Th ere a re only shal.

low, em pty tombs here , but 2' below the
lIOiI, at th e point mar ked with an X on
t he barrow map, i. a buried cbee t of
iro n -banded hardwood which contains
wea lth a nd magic looted by some of
thOl'le who rouKht and di ed on the Pla in s
110 10nK ago . Th e ebest is locked but not
tr apped a nd contain. t he followin K
treasur es: three bags hold ing BOO pp,
1,700 gp , and 4,000 e p: a pa ir of gold
bracelets worth 1,000 gp apiece: a heavy
sil ver nec kc hai n I\('t with jaspers , to ur mat inee, and a daulinK ruby w ort h
12,500 gp ; a short swo rd +2 whi ch ca n
dett~f in ti, ible objects three timt"8 per
day on command: a carefully wrapped
ieond ofpvlymorphillR wit h 16 cha rge-s:
11 hea vy ceremonial m ace + 2 , a nd a
sma ll cas ke t containi ng three ma gica l
rin gs, all of pla in gold . On e o( theHe is a
ring ofprottitm + 1, 5' radiUI, the
second is a rinR of regenercnon, and the
thir d is a ring wh ich magically raillell
the Wisdom of any cha racter wearin g it
to 16 80 lonlt as it is worn on the hand .
(PC Il with a Wisd om score of 16 or bet ter gain no benefit from .....ear ing this
r ing,)

Conc lud ing the Adven ture

Th e PCs may be {or eN! to net' th ill fina l
combat at some stage. If they do, only
the 8aCTUI will pursue them. ff one of
the adventurers looks back a. they run,
he !let'S a massive phalanx of skeletons
rtein g (rom the gro u nd aro und t he ber row . Th ere can be no re turn again,t
euch a force . Th e depredati on. ofthis
sk eletal ar my will be h ighly unpleasant
for the surrou nding country but not a
total disaater. If you wiah , you ca n
infor m the PCs eome week s later that
the undead army haa bee n fm ally ove r
come by a large force of men ata rms
commandt>d by IlOme othe r bra ve heroes.
If t he PCa return to filth t , the DM

should create the "tatistics oft he

undead army aa he eeee fit .
Th e PCs may tri um ph against t he
u ndead but kill Wolfra m, bei ng ei t her
unable or unwill in g to su bdue him (or
not havin g thou ght of thi. ). If Wolfram
di e. , th ere will be no additio na l
experie nce-poin t a ward.
Ifthe PCs defeat the undead a nd
overcome Wolfr a m without kill ing him,
they hav e indeed s ucceeded wel l. You
sho uld awa rd a bonus of l ,(M)(l xp per
PC for t his ac t ion (see statil'lt ica on Wolf
r am at the end ort hill modu le I. Wolfr am
will ha vl." no mem ory of h i" actions
while u nder the control of t he pM8{'s
eion . He i. absolutely horrified to hear
what he haa done and ineiete on m a king
ame nds . Se ns ible PCs will poin t ou t
that he ca n ha rd ly r ide bac k a nd try
this, since everyone in the erea will try
to kill h im on aight . Wolfr am will then
ma ke h i. way bac k to th e elves in the
Dap leth Woods for th eir ad vice.
One special note abou t experience.
point awa rds: If La wful PCa in t he pa r
ty decide wit h no prompt in g to donate
money to the Iarme re a nd others who
hav e lost re la tives a nd property, a ward
a n additio nal 100 xp to each charac ter
who doe. t hi . Give t he full experiencepoint a ward for treas ure gai ned with no
red uction for a ny gi ve n a way in this
manner. But don't . ugge8 t suc h ge nerosity to the players . The ex tra experie ncepoint aw ard is only give n for good
rol e.playing of Lawful character .
Th ere are plenty of poss ibilitiea for
spin-off edventuree should you wish to
develop a ny of t hese. Wolfr am is a man
with powerful contacts who ca n introduct" the PCs to im porta nt NPCa in you r
ca m paign world. Such NPCs could eom m issio n th e party for all kind s of lallk.
lind quests. Wolfram himllelf might
pledge hill se rvice to a La wful PC fight.
er Ior a fixed peri od {ru n hi m ee en
NPC l, but gi ve n his gri m a nd un comprom isin g personality, thi. mill:ht cre a te
IIOme proble ma. lie might aleo wa nt to
ato ne for the mu rders he hall comm it .
ted, begging a Lawful PC cle ric to pre.
scribe a lIuitabll"penance for h im.
Wolfram then pleads with the eler ic to
ta ke h im to a major t mp le of the cleric'e deity 80 that he ca n ma ke a ton ement and pledKe se rv ice to the mOlit
powerfu l cleric there (aetti nK up a m inor
adve nture for tht' PC c1t'ric a long the
way, if you wi8hl .

DUNGEON

23

Randy Maxwell reports that his local

geography is largely responsible for this
module. "The semi-arid desert of West
Texas is amazingly like the descriptions
of the Broken Lands in the D&/fl
Known World, particularly the description of South Gnollistan in GAZ 10 The
Orcs of Thar. When looking out over
such desolation, it is easy to imagine
manscorpion temples, ore tribes, and the
sun-bleached bones of mammoth creatures awaiting discovery."

PRIDE OF
THE SKY
BYRANDYMAXWELL

Pride goeth before

a long, long fall.
Artwork by Paul Jaquays

"Pride of the Sky" is a D&D module for

4-6 characters of 8th-12th level (about
50 total levels). A balanced party containing at least one cleric is recommended. The party should take potions
of antidote, bug repellent, and healing,
or other types of magical items (such as
a staffof healing) that either neutralize
poison or induce healing.
While this module is for Expert-level
play, some monsters, magical items, and
spells have been taken from the Companion Set, and the DM should be familiar with the Companion rules before
playing this module.
The adventure takes place in the
Broken Lands of the D&D Known
World. The Gazetteer GAZlO The Orcs
of Thar can be used with this adventure
to add detail, description, and nuance
that are otherwise unavailable to the
DM without a great deal of work. The
module can, with a little work, be relocated to a similar geographical location
in the DM's own campaign world.
The scenario revolves around the
crash of a magical airship named the
Pride of the Sky. Magical airships are
built in much the same fashion as normal seagoing ships. The larger airships,
like the Pride of the Sky, look almost
exactly like full-rigged sailing ships,
but the keel of an airship is much flatter than that of a seagoing vessel. This
type of construction eliminates the need
for any type of special landing facilities.
The airships can use normal freshwater
and saltwater ports, even if they are
frozen over, and can also land on level
dry land. While such ships are rare and
not a common sight, the PCs should at
least have seen paintings and drawings
of such airships hanging in taverns and
inns throughout the Known World.

Adventure Background
Of the tales of unclaimed wealth and
legends of lost treasure, the story of the

42 Issue No. 20

PRIDE OF THE SKY

Pride of the Sky ranks among the best

known. It is told and sung by many entertainers and tale-tellers throughout the
Known World, and it is known to virtuallyeveryone in the Republic of Darokin
andthe Principalities of Glantri.
The Pride of the Sky was a magical
airship that crashed in the Broken
Lands. The airship, along with her sister
ship(the Wind Chaser) was transporting
the treasure hoard of a powerful wizard
from the city of Minrothad to Glantri
City. Over the Broken Lands, the Pride
ofthe Sky was attacked by a huge red
dragon. In the fierce air battle that followed, machine and monster became
entangled and crashed in flames.
The Wind Chaser fled the area and
reported the crash upon reaching Glantri City. The captain of the Wind Chaser
witnessed the final moments of the
battle between the dragon and the Pride
of the Sky, and recorded the crash in the
ship's log. He also had a map made of
the crash location. Daedalus Magus, the
wizard whose treasure was aboard the
Pride, refused to let the log and map be
made public while he lived. He assumed
that one day he would mount an expedition to the crash site and recover the
hoard. However, the magic-user died
before any such expedition could be
launched. After his death, the log and
map disappeared and were assumed to
have been stolen.

For the Dungeon Master

The log and map were indeed stolen.
In the 100 years since the death of
Daedalus Magus, they have changed
hands many times, being stolen or sold
again and again. The log and map have
passed through many cities and nations
since they were made. One of the PCs
inherits the log and map in the followingmanner.
A halfling named Mortimer Smalls
arranges a meeting with the PC (the
DMcan choose one of the PCs at random or choose a PC with an extensive
family background). Mortimer claims he
has business to conduct with the PC.
Mortimer Smalls: AC 9; HI; hp 5;
MV 90'(30'); HAT 1; Dmg by weapon
type; Save HI; ML 7; AL L; BD/31;
dagger, no armor.
Mortimer identifies himself as the
executor of the will of one Gertrude
'Ibklas, He says that the PC's "Aunt
Gertie" has recently died of natural
causes and has left a sealed scroll tube

to her nephew (or niece, as the case may

be). The PC need not remember Aunt
Gertie, as he may not have seen her
since he was a small child. In addition,
the aunt need not be a blood relative
but can be a friend of the family who
was called an aunt.
Mortimer is fussy and officious. He
asks for proof of the PC's identity and
proper receipts for the scroll tube he
delivers. The haltling explains that the
sealed scroll tube is the only item that
Aunt Gertie bequeathed to the PC and,
if asked, shows the PC a copy of Aunt
Gertie's will. The document clearly
states that her house and the bulk of
her estate have been left to her cats,
with all her possessions and money to
be used solely for their feeding and care.
Mortimer has no idea what the tube
contains. Being scrupulously honest
about such things, he has never unsealed the scroll tube to see what might
be inside.
The DM does not have to use Aunt
Gertie or any family member as the
person leaving the scroll tube to the PC.
However, even PCs who do not have any
living relatives have a past history. The
DM may draw forth any old friend,
teacher, pupil, etc. from that past to
replace Aunt Gertie.
The scroll tube is not trapped, though
the PCs, being naturally suspicious,
may use such spells as detect magic or
find traps to assure themselves of this
fact. The tube contains only a note from
Aunt Gertie, the log descriptions of the
crash, and the map to the crash site.
The DM should, at this time, give the
PC a copy of Aunt Gertie's note, the log,
and the map.
The note states:
"Dear Nephew: I have no way of ensuring the accuracy of this log or map. I
acquired them from a friend who bequeathed them to me as I now bequeath
them to you. He came by the map and
log in the desert sands of Ylaruam, but
he also acquired an incurable wasting
illness while in that desert and was,
therefore, never able to use them. At
the time I received these items I was
very old, and my health and age made
an expedition to prove their authenticity out of the question. I believe they
are genuine, for the man who left them
to me was a serious adventurer and not
one to bother with false maps or to play
at trifles.
"I leave these items to you in good
faith, placing no restrictions on what

you do with them. You may sell the map

and log or attempt to find the treasure
yourself. I realize the person I leave
these items to is no longer the fearless
child who listened to my tales of dragons and heroes years ago. So, dear boy,
in remembrance of those long-gone
days, I leave you a chance to live your
own tale of dragons and heroes:'
It is impossible and pointless to trace
the former owners of the map and log.
Whether because the owner died (either
while attempting to recover the treasure or before an expedition could be
mounted), or because the map and log
were stolen, no one has ever succeeded
in finding the treasure-or returning
with it.
Inside Gertie's note is another roll of
parchment, brown with age and stained
with water (and something in the corner
that looks suspiciously like blood). The
ink has faded a good deal, but the writing is still quite legible. The parchment
is headed "Captain's Log" and reads:
"Entry for the 13th day of Klarmont
in the 899th year After Crowning: The
day started with fair weather and a fine
breeze at our backs. We were 40 miles
north of Corunglain, following the river
Vesubia, and were nigh over the first
cataracts of the river when a dragon
came. Blood red it was, and it bore arrow straight and hard upon the Pride of
the Sky. I saw the first swoop that took
the poor lad from the crow's nest and
splintered the yard of the main topgallant sail.
"I didn't see what happened next, for I
took a line hard to starboard, away from
the fight, and dove like a falcon for the
hills below so the dragon couldn't get
under us. I thought the Pride would do
the same, but she wasn't so lucky. When
I got my own ship squared and ready, I
looked up and saw the Pride was bad
hurt. She floundered with her mainsail
gone, foremast shattered, and all sails
on the mizzen naught but flying rags. It
was a hard thing to watch. There was
one small band of elven lads giving as
good as they got, but they just couldn't
maneuver.
"Then a strange thing happened. The
dragon dove out ofthe sun directly on
the Pride. Whether it thought the ship
would move out of its way or was trying
to splinter the ship asunder with one
mighty blow, I just don't know. The
dragon didn't pull up, and the ship was
just too crippled to get out of the way.
The dragon rammed chest first into the

DUNGEON

43

PRIDE OF THE SKY

.&

Mountain

Broken
lands
Badlands

Cataract

X Crash site
"AqNT
1 hex = 8 miles

GERTIE'S MAP
'''",

deck, skewering itself on the broken

foremast and letting out such a scream
of rage, hate, and pain that my ears
ring yet. It lashed and squirmed and
belched fire until the Pride near broke
in two and was alight from stem to
stern. Then all was quiet and still.
"As I watched, the Pride of the Sky
started falling. At first she sank slow
and gentle, like a leaf on an autumn
breeze. Then she picked up speed and
fell like a shooting star into the heart of
the hills. The sound of her hitting the
ground was like a thunderclap:'
Inside the old parchment is a thick
piece of vellum, yellowed with age like
the page from the ship's log, but in
better condition and less stained. It is
the final piece of the puzzle-the map to
the crash site of the Pride of the Sky.
Each PC will have heard 1-4 rumors
about the crashed airship. Roll 1d10 for
each PC to determine which rumors the
individual has heard over the years
concerning the Pride of the Sky, using
the section that follows. Duplicate rumors are possible. These rumors come
from tavern talk and tale-tellers, who
often spice up the well-known story of
the crash with their own personal con-

44 Issue No. 20

J'

.......
,

/'

jectures and fabrications. All the rumors are false except #8, which is not
completely true; only a few of the elven
crewmen now guard the treasure in
Undead form. The PCs have no way of
knowing whether the rumors are true
or false except by investigating the
crash site.
1. The dragon that attacked the airship was not killed and still guards the
wreck and treasure hoard.
2. There are over 100,000 gp worth of
gems, jewelry, and precious metals just
waiting to be claimed by anyone who
finds the wreck.
3. The Immortals have claimed the
crash site, and it can no longer be found.
4. The Pride of the Sky never really
crashed. It was all just a clever hoax to
steal the treasure.
5. The orcs living in the Broken Lands
found the crash site and looted the wreck
long ago.
6. The airship either fell into the
Vesubia River or on the bank of the
river, and it has long since been washed
away in floods.
7. The Pride of the Sky did not carry a
great deal of gold, gems, or jewelry, but
was loaded with scrolls, potions, rare

books, and expensive cloth, all of

which were probably destroyed in
the crash.
8. The airship crew and the dragon
guard the crash site in terrible Undead
forms.
9. The airship exploded before it hit
the ground, scattering the treasure over
a wide area.
10. There was no treasure aboard the
Pride of the Sky. The Pride came along
only to protect the other airship.
If the PC wishes to sell the map and
the log, he will get a maximum of
1d4 x 10 gp for them. Without some sort
of proof of authenticity, most buyers will
be extremely skeptical and unwilling to
pay a large amount.
Those DMs not using GAZI0 The Orcs
of Thar can orient the log and Player's
Map with Map #2, "The Lands and
Environs of the D&D Wilderness;' on
page 33 of the Expert Rulebook. The DM
need only find find Corunglain in the
Republic of Darokin (it is assumed that
the PCs will begin their search here
because of the log entry). The rivers
forking at Corunglain are the Streel
and the Vesubia. The Streel flows down
from the Ethengar Khanate, while the
Vesubia begins its travels in the Principalities of Glantri.
Journeying through the Broken Lands
should not be difficult for the party, as
lesser creatures will avoid any confrontation with such a powerful party. For
wilderness encounters, use the Chance
of Encounter table on page 30 of the
Expert Rulebook, treating the terrain as
barren lands. If an encounter is called
for, consult the Wilderness Encounters
table in this adventure.
If the PCs fly to the location using
aerial mounts, flying carpets, etc., use
the Chance of Encounter table but treat
the terrain as aerial. If an encounter is
indicated, consult the Flyers table on
page 35 of the Expert Rulebook.
It is impossible to take boats up the
Vesubia due to the many dangerous
cataracts (only the very largest are
marked on the Player's Map).
Once the PCs are within four miles of
the crash site, the DM should roll Id6
every four hours. During daylight
hours, a roll of 1-3 means that the party
has encountered a manscorpion patrol
from the temple at the crash site. Night
encounters happen only on a roll of 1-2.
The DM should note that the patrol's
morale is 12, and the manscorpions will
fight to the death. The patrol will not

PRIDE OF THE SKY

send messengers back to warn the temple. Manscorpion logic dictates that if a
patrol is victorious, no warning is necessary. And if a patrol fails to return, that
is warning enough. If a patrol returns
and finds the temple has been attacked,
it will stalk the attackers throughout
the temple.
If any PCs surrender to or are captured by the patrol, they are taken to
the temple for interrogation and certain
death. Captured clerics suffer immediate ritual sacrifice on the altar, while
all others are allowed to live until fresh
meat is needed. Those unfortunate
enough to be allowed to live are often
used by the manscorpions for training.
Fighters, thieves, and even magic-users
are forced to fight to the death, defending themselves with blunt swords and
other ineffective weapons while the
manscorpions launch single and multiple attacks against them to hone the
monsters' skill and timing in attacks.
Nonelven demi-humans (especially
halflings) are allowed to escape so that
the manscorpions can practice tracking
and stalking. The manscorpions also
take scalps. They inflict this indignity
on dead and dying captives as well as
those they kill in battle. Elven captives
are taken to area 19.

The Temple of Skorpios

When the Pride of the Sky crashed,
the dragon was still impaled upon the
foremast but was quite dead before the
ship hit the ground. The airship fell into
a deep, narrow ravine between two
hills. The fiery impact caused a great
avalanche of stones, completely covering the crash site. This is why the ship
cannot be found by searching from aerial mounts, flying carpets, etc. The
tremendous heat generated by the
dragon and the burning ship was
trapped under the fallen rock, forming a
kind of kiln. This fused the loose rock
and boulders together, actually melting
some stones nearest the heat. All
scrolls, books, and wooden treasures
were completely incinerated in the heat,
but something very strange happened to
the coins and jewelry. Melted by the
heat, they formed pools of molten silver
and gold. In many places, the two ran
together, merging to form exotic patterns. These streams of precious metal
are dotted by the many gems and jewels
that survived the inferno.

When the airship crashed, it acted as

a shock absorber for the dragon. Upon
impact, the dragon smashed through
the upper decks of the ship instead of
crunching directly down upon the stony
hills. The dragon's bones-indeed, its
entire skeleton-survived virtually
intact, while the flesh has long since
withered away.
The orcs and other creatures of the
Broken Lands avoid the area of the
crash site because they believe the huge
fireball they saw had something to do
with the Shining One, a kobold Immortal who blinds his foes with shining
armor and tricks them into deadly
traps. Orcs and other humanoid tribes
simply regard the area as unus malusmater locus ("a place where it is unsafe
to go.")
Some 40 years ago, a tribe of manscorpions found the crash site quite by accident while taking shelter from a storm.
They entered what they thought was a
small cave but soon discovered they

were inside a huge skull. With their

curiosity piqued, the manscorpions
widened a narrow passage directly
behind the skull (an opening where the
flesh of the dragon's neck had rotted
away) and set about exploring the dragon's skeleton.
When they discovered the great
golden floor with its manscorpion design (see area 9), the creatures decided
that the place should be made into a
temple. They delved the temple into and
around the dragon's bones and the
melted treasure of the wrecked airship,
excavating new chambers in the rock
and expanding the natural cavities left
by the decomposing dragon. Many
rooms in the temple have solid gold and
silver floors, with melted or fused rock
walls and ceilings. Some rooms are
pillared, floored, or roofed with dragon
bones.
The temple is dedicated to Skorpios,
the Immortal venerated by the manscorpions. It is a weird, exotic place. The

Wilderness Encounters
The Broken Lands are extremely barren but still maintain a large number of
inhabitants. Adventuring parties in the Broken Lands are often considered a
convenient meal by those residing in the desolate countryside. Because this is
their country, the orcs, kobolds, goblins, etc. fight with maximum morale against
humans and demi-humans. If an encounter is called for, consult the list below
using the sum of 1d8 + 1d12. The DM may change or expand the list to include
monsters other than the ones listed. However, the DM should keep in mind that
the Broken Lands are the home of the Ten Tribes of Thar, the nation of orcs.
Therefore, orcs and their many cousins are the primary wandering monsters here.
A DM using GAZ10 The Orcs of Thar may wish to increase or decrease the
probability of encountering certain monsters, depending on the PCs' location in
the Broken Lands. The DM may also wish to increase or decrease the number of
creatures encountered, depending on the strength of the adventuring party.
Lastly, wilderness encounters should be discontinued once the PCs are within four
miles of the crash site.
2-3 Hobgoblins (35): AC 6; HD 1 + 1; hp 6 each; MV 90'(30'); HAT 1; Dmg by
weapon type; Save F1; ML 10; AL C; BD/31; short sword, spear.
4-5 Gnolls (24): AC 5; HD 2; hp 11 (x 9), 8 (X 15); MV 90'(30'); HAT 1; Dmg by
weapon type + 1; Save F2; ML 8; AL C; BD/30; sword, hand axe.
6-7 Kobolds (70): AC 7; HD 1/2; hp 4 (x 20),3 (X 30),2 (x 20); MV 90'(30'); HAT
1; Dmg by weapon type -1; Save Normal Man; ML 8; AL C; BD/32; club, dagger.
8-9 Bugbears (14): AC 5; HD 3 + 1; hp 17 ( x 5), 14 ( x 9); MV 90'(30'); HAT 1;
Dmg by weapon type + 1; Save F3; ML 9; AL C; BD/27; battle axe.
10-14 Red Orcs (45): AC 6; HD 1; hp 5 (x 30), 4 (x 15); MV 120'(40'); HAT 1;
Dmg by weapon type; Save F1; ML 8; AL C; BD/35; short sword, dagger.
15-16 Trolls (8): AC 4; HD 6 + 3; hp 30 (X 3), 25 (X 5); MV 120'(40'); HAT 3 (2
claws/1 bite); Dmg 1-6/1-6/1-10; Save F6; ML 10; AL C; ER/56.
17-18 Ogres (12): AC 5; HD 4 + 1; hp 20 (x 6),16 (x 6); MV 90'(30'); HAT 1; Dmg
by weapon type +2; Save F4; ML 10; AL C; BD/35; huge club (does 1-10 hp damage, excluding the + 2 strength bonus).
19-20 Goblins (55): AC 6; HD 1 -1; hp 4 each; MV 90' (30'); HAT 1; Dmg by
weapon type; Save Normal Man; ML 9; AL C; BD/31; club.

DUNGEON

45

PRIDE OF THE SKY

MANSCOR PION
TEMPLE
Level One

-I~.-

Down to
area 8

N
I -f -

- f-

11111111111-

e-IIIIIIIIIII - 2

(~-H-I--J:...t
1 square =5'

melted treasure, fused rock, and dragon's

bones give the temple an otherworldly
aspect. When describing the 'Iemple of
Skorpios, the DM should always convey
the surreal nature of the place.

Treasure
The gold-piece value for much of the
treasure in the temple may seem low,
considering that an entire floor may be
made of gold and silver. Gold-piece values for melted treasure is not figured on
the basis of how much gold and silver
will actually be recovered if it is broken
up and resmelted. The resmelting process is absolutely necessary to remove
impurities (bits of rock, charcoal, and
metallic junk from the wreck of the
airship, etc.) and separate the gold from
the silver.
Resmelting is an expensive process,
and its cost greatly reduces the value of
the treasure. In addition, while many
gems can be removed intact from the
melted metals, many jewels will be
scarred when removed and will lose
some of their value. So even though
about 150,000 gp worth of treasure was
melted and turned into a very expensive

46 Issue No. 20

~-.-

floor, only about 50,000 gp (one-third

the original amount) can be recovered
as actual profit if the floor is broken up
and resmelted.
If the PCs wish to recover and sell the
bones of the dragon, the DM should
point out that dragon bones are not
really that rare a commodity. Also, the
cost of recovering the skeleton from the
rubble of the crash site and transporting it to a location where it might be
sold is nearly twice its sale value (so
PCs can only lose money on the deal). If
the PCs wish to recover a rib, thigh
bone, or the dragons' skull as a conversation piece or decoration for a castle or
keep, they may do so, but such bones
have no experience-point or gold-piece
sale value.

Creatures
The temple contains only three types of
creatures: manscorpions (in one form or
another), who found and claimed the
crash site; giant scorpions, who are on a
very friendly basis with the manscorpions and are used as guards and beasts
of burden; and wyrds, evil spirits who
were attracted by the death throes of the

shipboard elves and inhabited the remains of elven crewmembers who died in
the crash. These elven warriors used
potions of fire resistance, taken from a
large store of potions that was part of the
cargo, to save themselves from the fire
and heat of the dragon and the burning
ship, but they were unable to save themselves from the crushing force of the
impact.
Statistics for manscorpion clerics and
for wyrds are given individually. Manscorpion guards and giant scorpions encountered in the temple and on patrol
have the following statistics:
Manscorpion guards: AC 1; HD 8;
MY 240'(80'); HAT 2 (l weapon/1 tail);
Dmg 3-18/1-10 + poison; Save F8; ML 12;
AL C; CD/34; huge pole arm. Because
they consider the temple sacred, the
manscorpions' morale is 12.
Each manscorpion guard is clean
shaven and wears his hair in a long,
complicated braid that signifies his status as a temple guard. The guards are
forbidden to wear any upper body ornaments, such as jewelry, wrist bands, etc.
However, this restriction does not include the lower body, and many guards
wear tail streamers. Each streamer
indicates a kill and is made from the
hair and scalp of the guard's victim.
Manscorpions are unaffected by potions of bug repellent, but the giant scorpions of the temple are treated as normal
giant bugs with regard to this potion.
Giant scorpions: AC 2; HD 4; MV
150'(50'); HAT 3 (2 claws/1 sting); Dmg
1-10/1-10/1-4 + poison; Save F2; ML 11;
ALN; ER/55.
Using pigments and paints, the manscorpions have decorated their scorpion
friends in bright colors and intricate
patterns: bright yellow claws and legs
with a black or green body; legs and
body banded with bright red stripes; or
each claw, leg, and the tail painted a
different color. Also, the manscorpions
have used charcoal to draw elaborate
geometric designs on the claws and
backs of the giant scorpions, who are
completely unharmed by these decorations. The manscorpions do this to decorate their lair with living artwork; the
designs have no other significance but
may serve to mislead the PCs into thinking they have encountered some new
variety of monster.

Level One
1. Entrance. If the PCs follow Aunt

PRIDE OF THE SKY

Gertie's map, it leads them to a narrow

valley running north to south between
two high hills.
You have been scrambling through
the rocks for hours. It is dry and
dusty, and the wind blows grit into
your face constantly. You are now
standing at the edge of a narrow
ravine between two hills. Ahead of
you, blocking the ravine, is a great
pile of boulders, rocks, and stones
obviously deposited here by a large
avalanche. As you look at the tremendous pile of rubble, you notice two
large openings near the bottom of the
heap. It is obvious that the two cave
entrances open onto the same tunnel,
but why the tunnel has two openings
is not immediately apparent.
If the PCs happen upon these two
openings after dark, the manscorpions'
watch fires (in areas 2 and 3) outline the
caves clearly against the dark mass of
rock. The flickering of the fires causes a
constant shadow-play in the cave entrances, giving the impression that
there are a great number of small, restless creatures fluttering about inside.
The cave openings are actually the
empty eye sockets of the dragon's skull.
The outside of the skull is completely
buried under dirt and rubble, so that,
other than the two openings, there is
nothing to suggest a skull is there.
When the PCs enter either of the
caves, read the following:
Passing through the opening, you
enter a small room with hard white
walls. While the floor of the room is
dirty and dusty, it appears to be made
of the same white substance as the
walls, which slowly curve together
overhead to form a low, flat dome.
The northern wall of the room contains a large, roughly made archway
through which you can see red-gold
firelight playing on the rough rock
floor and walls ofthe room beyond.
2. Guardroom. The guardroom is
built directly behind and on either side
of the dragon's skull. It is constructed in
such a way that the back of the skull is
actually inside the guardroom. Like
most other rooms in the temple complex, this area is lighted and heated by
a large copper brazier mounted on a
copper tripod. These braziers and tri-

pods were made by the manscorpions

from the melted copper pieces they
found in the wreck of the airship. The
braziers burn scented lamp oil that the
manscopions captured from a large
mule train that ventured too close to
their temple. The room is continually
manned by 10 manscorpions (hp 42
( x 2), 36 ( x 6), 32 ( x 2 and 10 giant
scorpions (hp 25, 21 (x 3), 18 ( x 4), 16
(x 2.
When the PCs enter this area, read
the following to the players:
As you enter this room, you notice
immediately that the air has become
hot and is heavily scented with sandalwood. The heat and aroma come
from a large copper brazier burning
in the center of the room. You are
also immediately aware that you are
surrounded by manscorpions and
giant scorpions.
The manscorpions and giant scorpions
attack at once. The manscorpion cleric in
area 3 becomes aware of the fight immediately and arrives to attack within five
rounds. Unless silence spells are used,
the fight attracts the attention of other
manscorpions (see area 4 for details).
Other than the brazier, which is worth
50 gp, there is nothing of value in the
room.
3. Cleric's Room. This small room
has been roughly hewn from the fused
rock and is occupied by a manscorpion
cleric. It contains a brazier and tripod
exactly like the one found in the guardroom (area 2), making this area extremely hot. This cleric is in charge of
the first level of the temple and will
lead the guards and giant scorpions
against intruders.
Molug (manscorpion cleric): AC 1; HD
8 (C8); hp 36; MV 240/(80'); #AT 2 (1
weapon/l tail); Dmg 2-12 (hammer)/1-10
+ poison; Save C8; ML 12; AL C; CD/34;
spells: cause fear, cause light wounds
(X 2), hold person, resist fire, silence 15/
radius, cause disease, curse, cause serious
wounds. Molug is armed with a huge
war hammer that is too large and unwieldy to be used by a human or demihuman. The cleric also wears a ring of
spell storing with the following magicuser spells: web, fireball, lightning bolt,
and confusion. The manscorpions have
no way of recharging the ring.
Manscorpion clerics are easily identified by their shaved heads and full

beards and mustaches. Other than magical rings, they are forbidden to wear
any adornment whatsoever except when
performing certain rituals and rites.
4. Patrol Quarters. This large room
was excavated by the manscorpions
from the fused rubble and scoria that
covers the dragon's bones. It contains
two copper braziers for heat and light,
each worth 25 gpo The room is shared by
16 manscorpions (hp 40 ( x 2), 38 ( x 2),
36 (x 10), 31 (x 2 and 16 giant scorpions (hp 22 ( x 4), 18 ( x 8), 16 ( x 4 who
patrol the area around the temple. The
patrol works in 12-hour shifts, with
eight manscorpions and eight giant
scorpions patrolling while the other half
eat and rest in area 4. This means that
the room is always occupied. If the PCs
fight the guards in area 2, the noise
rouses all the creatures in area 4. They
arm themselves and arrive as a group
at the scene of battle in one turn. If the
PCs use silence spells or somehow noiselessly overcome the guards in area 2,
they have a chance to surprise the manscorpions and giant scorpions in this
room.
5. Larder.
This room is cool, damp, and reeking
of rotting flesh. As you enter, you
hear a soft buzzing sound like the
noise from a sleeping beehive. As you
look about the room, you see unidentifiable lumps and piles on the floor.
This is the food-storage area for the
temple. If the PCs examine the lumps
and piles on the floor, they find they are
piles of carrion. Some of the carcasses
are identifiable (a man, a pony, an ore, a
giant fire beetle, etc.), but most are not.
The manscorpions generally dine on the
freshest meat, while the giant scorpions
are given the more putrid remains
(which they relish).
The room is filled with buzzing flies
and insects. Anyone disturbing one of
the carcasses or bringing in a light
source brighter than a single candle
causes the insects to swarm with the
same effect as the clerical spell insect
plague. However, because of the abundance of food in this room, the insect
swarm will not pursue its victims. Once
intruders are driven from the room, the
swarm breaks up and returns to feeding.

DUNGEON

47

PRIDE OF THE SKY

large white central pillar. Closer inspection of the pillar reveals it is a large
thigh bone of the dragon. Footing is
good on the ramp due to the rough scoria floor.

Up to
7
area6 I~

MANSCOR PION
TEMPLE
/
I
Level Two
I

1'-

Looking over the side of the ramp,

you see a great white pillar reaching
down into darkness. Far below, you
see the play of light and shadow from
a flickering fire.

1\

1-

Level Two
8. Guardroom.

-10-

\
\

J
I
II , - -II-

\.

- f-12- fI

I -I-I -I--

'\.
1 square =5'

6. Armory. This room contains 10 of

the large pole arms favored by the insectoid warriors. It also contains several
long bows, shields, and swords. The pole
arms are unusable by anyone except a
manscorpion, but the other arms can be
used by any creature normally able to
wield such weapons. The arms are
worth 1,000 gp total. Manscorpion pole
arms can be sold to an armorer for half
the normal price of a pole arm, as the
armorer must cut down and refit the
weapon for human or demi-human use.
This room also contains picks, shovels,
spikes, hammers, and miscellaneous

48 Issue No. 20

1--13-, I--

1-

~"'-.

--

14

Down to
area 15
~

mining gear, along with a small portable bellows, a large heavy anvil, and
several kinds of metalworking hammers. The manscorpions do all their
weapon forging and making of metal
necessities outside the temple, because
the interior is stuffy and not ventilated
well enough to house a foundry or metalworking shop. All these tools, both
mining and metalworking, are large
and heavy but usable by humans and
demi-humans.
7. Ramp Down. This ramp is steep
and turns in a tight corkscrew around a

The ramp leads directly into this

room, which is unlit and has no brazier. Through the archway in the
southern wall comes the flickering
light you saw from above.
This room has been roughly hewn
from the scoria. It is hard to see
clearly in the flickering shadow play,
but you notice that something is
coming toward you.
The room contains 10 manscorpions
(hp 41 ( x 3), 36 ( x 4), 30 ( x 3 and 12
giant scorpions (hp 23 (X 4), 18 (x 8.
They immediately attack any non manscorpion attempting to enter.
9. Temple Area. The temple, which is
within the great empty chest cavity of
the dragon, is entered through a large
archway carved in the shape of a giant
scorpion pincer.
When you enter, you see a huge
golden brazier mounted on a tripod of
silver. It stands in the center of the
room, flooding the area with a beautiful red-gold light. Looking up, you
see running along the center of the
roof what appears to be a great supporting buttress. Arching down from
this huge buttress, forming a symmetrical line on both sides of the
hall, are gigantic pillars that arc
outward in graceful curves from
ceiling to floor.
Near the southern end of the hall,
the pillars curve inward across the
floor to merge and form a large white
dais, a massive, irregularly squareshaped block. The buttress overhead,
the pillars, and the dais all gleam
like polished ivory even in the reddish light. Resting on the dais,

PRIDE OF THE SKY

starkly black against the gleaming

white, is a large, rough-squared bit of
scoria.
Your eyes are drawn away from the
dais and pillars to the wondrous floor.
It is solid silver with an immense
swirling pattern of gold imbedded
here and there with gems. The swirling gold pattern forms the vague
shape of a manscorpion holding a
scimitar. Two rubies are the eyes of
the figure, and it is crowned with
several diamonds. The wavy gold tail
of the manscorpion ends in a large
emerald stinger dripping sapphires.
The great buttress overhead is actually the dragon's backbone. The pillars
arching down from it are the creature's
ribs, and the dais is the huge breastbone of the dragon. The impact of the
crash jolted the dragon's wings wide
apart, and they were buried under the
avalanche of rubble. For this reason,
the wings cannot be seen in the temple.
The floor of the temple is actually a
thin layer of precious metal and gems
stretched over the rough granite of the

crash site. The golden manscorpion

figure in the floor is a purely accidental
design in the melted gold and silver.
The manscorpions, of course, see things
differently. They believe the figure is a
sign from Skorpios requiring that they
build a temple on this site.
The golden brazier and silver tripod
were made by the manscorpions from
gold and silver found in the crash site.
The brazier and tripod are worth 1,000
gp and 250 gp respectively. If the floor is
broken up and removed, it is worth
25,000 gp in precious metals and 10,000
gp in gems.
There is a 50% chance that Lysunts,
the manscorpion cleric in charge of this
level, is in the temple when the PCs
enter. See area 10 for more information
on Lysunts.
10. Priest's Quarters.
Upon entering this room, you immediately notice the bones of a large
claw. Just over your heads, it reaches
down from the ceiling, talons outstretched, as if to grasp something in

the room. Beneath the claw is a circle

of 20 human and demi-human skulls.
The floor of the room is like that of
the temple, solid silver with a swirl of
gold. The gold forms no clear design
but looks vaguely like a running
man.
This room belongs to a 10th-level
manscorpion cleric named Lysunts. He
is in charge ofthe second level of the
temple and will organize and lead its
defense. There is a 50% chance that
Lysunts is in this room. If he is not
here, he is in the temple (area 9). If he is
in the temple when the PCs engage the
manscorpions in area 8, he rushes to the
scene immediately. If he is in his quarters, he will not hear the disturbance.
This room has been excavated around
the dragon's right foreclaw. It is used by
Lysunts as a kind of bedroom, temple
office, and meditation chamber. The
circle of skulls is used in an arcane
manscorpion ritual dedicated to Skorpios and has no other significance. If the
PCs handle or disturb the skulls, they
hear something rattle in each. Each

DUNGEON

49

PRIDE OF THE SKY

MANSCORPION
TEMPLE

18

1-

Level
Three

1-17- -

-.

I -i-I -I-I - I-I - I-I - I--

,....-

1-

c--

1-

,....-

'--

1-

1-

f-19

16

1- '--

1- '--

1- ,....-

11- -

1-

I--I--

1- ,....1-

---

1-

1-

- t--

1-

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20

15

r-,

1~"~

Up to area 12
1 square=5'

skull contains a gem placed there by

Lysunts when he consecrated the circle.
The gems are worth 500 gp ( x 2), 100 gp
(X 12), and 10 gp (x 6). If the floor is
broken up and removed, it is worth
5,000 gpo
Lysunts: AC 1; C10; hp 45; MV
240'(80'); HAT 2 (1 weapon/1 tail); Dmg
2-12 (mace)!1-10+poison; Save C10; ML
12; AL C; spells: cause fear, cause light
wounds ( x 2), darkness, blight, hold
person, resist fire, silence 15' radius,
continual darkness, locate object, striking, cause serious wounds, dispel magic,
insect plague. He is armed with a large

50 Issue No.20

mace that, like most manscorpion weapons, is too unwieldy for human or demihuman use. Lysunts carries a staffof
dispelling with 12 charges left; he will
use the staff freely in defending himself.
11. Meditation Room. This large
room is occupied by three manscorpion
clerics and is used primarily for meditation and prayer. The walls, ceiling, and
floor are rough scoria. This room has
been excavated around the dragon's left
foreclaw. The horrendous impact ofthe
airship hitting the ground dislocated
and twisted the dragon's foreleg. How-

ever, the bones are unbroken and run

across the floor, ending with the entire
claw turning upward toward the ceiling.
The four razor-sharp talons curl slightly
toward one another, and resting upon
these is a brazier of commanding fire
elementals. The very nature of this
device allowed it to survive the fire and
heat of the crash. In melee, the manscorpion clerics will use the brazier
immediately.
Nogush, Imneses, and Sigint (manscorpion clerics): AC 1; C8; hp 48, 36,
30; MV 240'(80'); HAT 2 (l weapon/1
tail); Dmg 2-12 (mace)/1-10 +poison;
Save C8; ML 12; AL C; large mace;
spells:
Nogush and Imneses: cause fear, cause
light wounds, darkness, blight, hold
person, silence 15' radius, curse, striking, cause serious wounds.
Sigint: cause light wounds, darkness,
detect magic, find traps, hold person,
resist fire, continual darkness, cause
disease, dispel magic.
12. Storage. This room is hewn from
the rough granite. It contains equipment and gear used in temple ceremonies. If the PCs search the room, they
can find ceremonial knives and daggers,
several whistles, a brass bell, a large
drum, six small bannerlike tapestries,
candles, incense, and a few objects of
unknown use. There are also several
large kegs and casks of the scented
lamp oil used by the manscorpions. All
items found here are nonmagical and of
no particular value to anyone other
than a manscorpion.
13. Clerics' Quarters. This is a
small, rather cramped room. The three
clerics in the meditation room (area 11)
and the cleric in third-level guardroom
(area 15) use this room as their personal
quarters. In the center of the room is a
small unlit brazier worth 25 gpo
14. Ramp Down.
This ramp has been tunneled
through the rock. It circles down in
one great slow curve. The walls are
rough hewn and damp. At first it
isn't obvious, but as you descend, a
red-geld light begins to play about
the walls, ceiling, and floor. The
source of this light is apparently at
the end of the curving, descending
tunnel.

PRIDE OF THE SKY

If the PCs are carrying their own light

sources, the red-gold light is still visible
ahead of the party, just out of range of
their light sources. There is neither
treasure nor dragon bones visible anywhere along the course of the ramp.
Level Three
15. Guardroom.
Youstep out of the tunnel into a
room that seems to have been literally battered out of the rock and
scoria. And, unlike any other room in
the temple, it has a wooden floor, its
surface blackened and charred in
many places. This room is large and
well lit by a large copper brazier in
the center. The room seems to be
occupied.
This guardroom is the last remnant of
the Pride of the Sky. The floor is made of
the shattered and scorched keel of the
airship. The room contains six manscorpions (hp 41, 36 (x 4), 31), six giant scorpions (hp 25, 19 (X 5), and an
8th-level manscorpion cleric (hp 35,
see area 11 for complete statistics) with
the spells cause light wounds ( x 2),
darkness, hold person ( x 2), silence 15'
radius, curse, striking, and cause serious
wounds. The manscorpion cleric wears a
ring of fire resistance. The large copper
brazier is worth 50 gpo
16. High Priest's Quarters.
The walls, floors, and ceiling of this
large room are of the rough scoria
common throughout the temple.
Down the center of the room, running north to south, are stark white
pillars that seem to be made of
stacked, irregular-shaped rings.
Though misshapen, the rings are all
exactly alike and fit snugly one upon
the other. The pillars become gradually smaller from south to north. The
southernmost pillar is nearly 6' in
diameter, while the northernmost is
only 2' in diameter.
This is the lair of Sanxshun, high
priest of the Temple of Skorpios. Closer
inspection reveals the pillars are actually sections of the dragon's tail. Some
of the tail vertebrae were quarried from
the rock and rubble. Then, long sections
of the tail were separated and used as
supporting columns in Sanxshun's hall.

Sanxshun will defend the third level

and the treasure hoard (see areas 19
and 20). He absolutely detests all humans and demi-humans. He will, however, negotiate with the PCs, but only to
lure them into the open or to buy time
for his warriors to launch an attack. If
the PCs fight the guards in area 15,
Sanxshun hears the disturbance and
rushes to help his guards. If the fight is
going against Sanxshun, he retreats to
area 20 and attempts to guard the treasure hoard of the temple.
Sanxshun: AC -1; C13; hp 59; MV
240'(80'); HAT 2 (1 weapon/1 tail); Dmg
2-12 (hammer)I1-10 + poison; Save C13;
ML 11; AL C; spells: cause fear, cause
light wounds, darkness, detect magic,
light, bless, blight, hold person, resist
fire, silence 15' radius, continual darkness, continual light, cause disease,
curse, animate dead, cause serious
wounds, dispel magic, cause critical
wounds*, truesight*, animate objects,
barrier * (* = from the Companion Set).
Sanxshun uses a large war hammer,
wears a ring ofprotection +2, and carries a staff of earth and fire with 16
charges left.
Sanxshun is getting old, and his beard
is turning gray, but this does not affect
his fighting ability. He has a bright blue
scorpion tattooed across his shaven
head. All manscorpion high priests have
such tattoos; the color of the tattoo
signifies the importance of the temple to
which the high priest belongs. The
darker the color, the more important the
temple. As a high priest moves up in
rank and takes command of more important temples, the darker colors are
tattooed over the lighter ones. If a high
priest falls from favor and is demoted,
he doesn't have to worry about being
tattooed again with a lighter color. His
tattoo is simply removed-at the neck.
17. Clerical Storage.
This room is nothing but a rough,
square chamber chiseled out of the
rock. Down the center of the room,
hanging from some sort of cloak
rack, are some unusual-looking items
of cloth.
The room contains robes, capes, caps,
phylacteries, stinger hoods, tail ribbons,
and other ritual and ceremonial vestments used by manscorpion clerics. The
"cloak rack" from which all these vestments hang is a narrow band of spiny

linked vertebrae that runs down the

center of the ceiling. These bones are
the very end of the dragon's tail, left
undisturbed when the room was excavated. The PCs must remove some of
the garments from their bony hangers
to discover that this is actually part of
the dragon's skeleton.
18. Crypts.
This room is very strange in appearance. The walls and floor are rough
scoria. The ceiling is 60' high and
slightly vaulted. Imbedded in the
ceiling are what appear to be dagger
blades of gold and silver. The room
also contains eight large slabs of
rough scoria. On five of these rest the
mummified remains of manscorpions.
This chamber is where dead manscorpion clerics are entombed. Three of the
mummies are Undead. In most respects,
manscorpion mummies are treated as
normal mummies. However, because
they are protecting a temple dedicated
to their Immortal, these mummies are
Turned as spirits on the Cleric Turning
Undead Tables. They also have a
greater number of Hit Dice than normal
mummies and save at a higher level.
Manscorpion mummies can sting with
their tails for 1-10 hp damage but are
no longer able to inject poison. However,
anyone stung by a manscorpion mummy is affiicted with the rotting disease
caused by the touch of a mummy. Once
disturbed, the mummies pursue the PCs
throughout the complex until either
they or the PCs are destroyed.
Manscorpion mummies (3): AC 3;
HD 8 + 1; hp 42,37,31; MV 60'(20');
HAT 2 (1 touch/1 tail); Dmg 1-12 (fists)/1-10
+disease; Save F8; ML 12; AL C; ER/54;
SD harmed only by spells, fire, or magical weapons (all of which do only half
damage); immune to sleep, charm, and
hold spells.
If levitating or flying PCs inspect the
ceiling, they can see that the dagger
blades are actually thin, twisted shafts
of gold and silver. This phenomenon was
caused when the gold and silver coins in
the wreck melted and ran down between the loose rocks like hot wax in a
mold. When the manscorpions excavated this room, they carefully removed
the rock and left the bizarre stilettos of
precious metal. If removed from the
ceiling, the gold and silver blades are
worth 5,000 gp total. However, the

DUNGEON

51

PRIDE OF THE SKY

metal blades help support the ceiling,

and if they are removed, there is a 75%
chance that the roof will collapse, doing
6-36 hp damage to anyone in the room.
The PCs must support the ceiling in
some way (simple wooden beams work
nicely) before extracting the gold and
silver, or they risk being crushed and
buried alive by the collapsing roof.
19. Lesser Hold.
This room is carved from the fused
rock and scoria. Running across the
arched ceiling are four large white
buttresses. The room is unlit and
contains an unusual assortment of
treasure. In the northeast corner is a
pile of six partially melted silver
statues, while stacked neatly in the
northwest corner are five large
blocks of welded coins. Also in the
room are four dark, robed figures
that hold small glowing red spheres
in each hand. The figures are moving
toward you.
Soon after the airship crashed, evil
spirits possessed the bodies of several
elves. These evil spirits came from a
deserted plateau known as Natoka's
Grave, 20 miles east of the crash site.
N atoka's Grave is a sacred burial
ground of the red orcs. These evil spirits, known as wyrds, haunted the area
of the crash site until the coming of the
manscorpions. When the manscorpions
found the crash site, they negotiated
with the wyrds and made allies of them
rather than destroying them. Thus, the
manscorpions have excellent guards for
their treasure, and the wyrds can remain at the crash site. The wyrds are
rewarded for their service by being
given all the manscorpions' elven prisoners. In this treasure room are three
normal wyrds and one greater wyrd.
They immediately attack any nonmanscorpion entering the room but will not
pursue the PCs beyond the temple area
(area 9).
Normal wyrds (3): AC 4; HD 4; hp 20
each; MV 120'(40'); HAT 2; Dmg 1-6/1-6;
Save E4; ML 12; AL C; CC/89. Each
wyrd attacks using two glowing spheres
for 1d6 hp damage per sphere (ld6 + 3
hp damage vs. elves). Clerics Turn normal wyrds as wraiths.
Greater wyrd: AC 0; HD 8; hp 35;
MV 120'(40'), flying 240'(80'); HAT 2;
Dmg 1-1011-10 + paralysis; Save E8; ML
12; AL C; CC/89. The greater wyrd

52 Issue No. 20

attacks by striking with or hurling two

glowing spheres. A hit by a sphere
causes 1-10 hp damage; the victim must
make a Saving Throw vs. Paralysis or
be paralyzed for 2-8 turns. Elves struck
by the spheres take 1d10 + 5 hp damage
but are immune to the globes' paralyzing effects. In addition, anyone viewing
these hideous creatures must make a
Saving Throw vs. Spells or attack with
a - 3 penalty to both hit and damage
rolls. Greater wyrds are Turned as
phantoms.
Both normal and greater wyrds can be
hit only by magical or silver weapons.
They are immune to sleep, charm, and
hold spells.
The buttresses in the ceiling are the
bones and talons of one of the great rear
claws of the dragon. The claw is arched
and spread, as if the dragon were stooping down on its prey.
The fires that melted the treasure
were not hot enough to melt all of it
thoroughly. Some chests of coins and
many statues were not melted completely and survived in disfigured form.
One of the statues in this room is possibly a horse, though it is difficult to tell.
Another statue is definitely the representation of a dancer, but the head of
the figure has been completely melted
away. The other four statues are humanoid figures, badly melted. The
statues are worth 200 gp each.
In some parts of the burning Pride,
the heat generated was insufficient to
melt metal coins but was more than
enough to incinerate the wooden chests
holding them. The coins in such chests
were welded together into large, ungainly masses. The blocks of coin in the
northwest corner of the room still retain
the shape of the wooden chests that
once held them. One of the blocks contains gold coins worth a total of 400 gpo
Three blocks are of silver coins, worth
200 gp and 100 gp ( x 2). The last block
is of mixed gold, silver, and copper
coins, worth a total of 150 gpo No usable
coins can be hammered loose or in any
way removed from the mass of welded
metal. The blocks must be melted down
before the metal can be used again.
20. Treasure Hold.
This is nothing but a rough, squareshaped room that the manscorpions
cut out of the rock for holding their
treasure. A large rough stairway

runs from the entrance down to the

center of the room 40' below.
The floor of this room is cluttered
with all sorts of valuable objects. You
can see chunks of gold, silver, and
copper as well as many gems and
bejewelled items scattered about.
This is obviously the main treasury
of the temple.
Naturally, the room is well guarded,
containing two manscorpion mummies (hp 40, 33; see area 18 for complete statistics), two greater wyrds (hp
43, 36), and six normal wyrds (hp 20
each; see area 19 for complete wyrd
statistics). The mummies and the wyrds
work together to defend the room. These
creatures remain out of sight in alcoves
built under the stairs. They allow intruders to enter the room, then rush out
to defend the stairs and prevent their
foes' escape. If Sanxshun has chosen to
make his last stand in this room, he
cooperates with these tactics. Should
the PCs escape from the room, Sanxshun (if he is present and still alive) and
the mummies pursue them throughout
the complex. The wyrds will not pursue
past area 9.
On the floor of the treasury are the
following: 10 large chunks of copper
worth 10 gp each; eight large chunks of
silver worth 100 gp each; three chunks
of gold worth 500 gp each; two small
chunks of platinum worth 500 gp each;
and 10 large chunks of copper, silver,
and gold all melted together, worth 75
gp each. These chunks were apparently
knocked or hammered loose from the
walls, ceiling, and floors.
Scattered over the floor of the room
among the hunks and chunks of metal
are over 500 gems worth 500 gp, 400 gp
( x 2), 300 gp (X 2), 200 gp ( x 3), 100 gp
( x 5), 50 gp ( x 8), 25 gp ( x 25), 20 gp
(x 25), 10 gp (x 80), 5 gp (X 175), and 1
gp (X 200). Unfortunately, most of the
gems were cracked or scarred by the
heat of the crash, reducing their value.
Mixed with the gems and pieces of
precious metal are 35 damaged pieces of
jewelry and bejewelled items worth a
total of 5,000 gpo Because they were all
damaged in the crash and fire, these
items no longer have any worth beyond
the value of the gems and precious
metal that can be recovered from them.
(continued on page 72)

ANCIENT BLOOD

The dogs are huge winter wolves,

twice the size of regular ones. They are
truly dead and cannot attack. They
hunt with their master in Jotunheim
now.
The frescoes along the walls are similar to those found in area 7. The battle
in which Mok-Turoknin slew the white
dragon is detailed, and one of the white
dragon's horns is shown being made
into a large drinking vessel (which the
king is seen using often in other frescoes). Numerous battles with the human tribesmen are also recorded, all
suspiciously ending in the giants' favor.
The two chests are both locked and
trapped. If either trap is set off, the
sconce above dumps burning ice onto
anyone within 10' of the chest. This
inflicts 4-24 hp damage (save for half
damage) to the PC(s), and each combustible and magical item must make its
own saving throw if the PC fails the
first save. Inside each chest are 2,500 gp
and 4,000 sp.

(continued from page 52)

There is also a small amount of magical treasure among the jumbled mass on
the floor. All of the magical items were
taken from victims of the manscorpions
and were not part of the airship's cargo.
By sorting through the clutter, the PCs
may find a ring ofplant control; a ring
ofprotection +2; an ivory and silver
scroll tube, worth 50 gp, containing a
scroll of protection from lycanthropes;
and a large silver flask, worth 25 gp,
containing a potion of clairvoyance.

ConclUding the Adventure

If the PCs defeat the manscorpions
and sack the temple, their only real
problem will be transporting the treasure through the Broken Lands. The
DM can use the mass combat ("War
Machine") rules from the Companion
Set for large battles between the PCs
and hordes of orcs intent upon separating the adventurers from their hardwon treasure.

72 Issue No. 20

ConclUding the Adventure

Further Adventures

If the PCs return to Drinidok and Ian's

dreams have ended, there will be a
great celebration for the heroes. The
recovery of the sword Thorgrim will
stamp the approval of the gods upon the
PCs, and songs will be sung of their
great deeds (the highest honor that can
be paid). Ian will declare them blood
brothers (or sisters), and perform the
appropriate rituals that night during
the feasting.
By the time the PCs return to the
village, the pass will have cleared and
they can return to Dagmalstad, where
all accounts can be settled. The PCs
should have an uneventful trip back to
the city, where sunshine, warm sea
breezes, and laughing children will
prove that they've returned from the
land of the dead at last.

There are a number of variations made

possible by the nature of the encounters
in this adventure. You could provide a
higher-level party with a challenge by
using the keep intact and filled with
giants. Enough information has been
provided about defenses and occupants
to make this a viable alternative.
Another thing you can do to add a
more fantastic element is to arrange a
time travel gate in Battle Axe Pass. The
winds and low visibility could slowly
carry the party back in time to the days
just following Mok-Turoknin's death.
The party must then face the remaining
giants and keep Mok-Turoknin from
being laid to rest (eliminating the curse
altogether). Such a party should be of
5th-7th level to handle the remaining
giants and their pets.
If you wish to put a final dramatic cap
onto the adventure, arrange for another
earthquake to rock the area as the
party leaves. The keep is completely
destroyed, burying the giant king forever. Fortunately, this time the earthquake fails to activate the curse of
Mok-Turoknin.
Q

If the PCs are unable to defeat the

manscorpions but are able to escape, the
manscorpions pursue the party for a
maximum of 10 miles from the temple.
The manscorpions will go no farther
because they fear that the intruders
may be only a diversion to lure out the
temple's defenders while another party
waits to sack the place.
If they escape, the PCs may hire mercenaries or men-at-arms in a second
attempt to take the Temple of Skorpios.
The DM may wish to use this second
attempt as an opportunity to use the
"War Machine" rules. While the PCs
gather mercenaries, the manscorpions
also gather their strength. Thus, when
the PCs return, a great battle can be
fought in the narrow ravine.
The PCs may not wish to bother resmelting and refining the treasure and
may simply sell it in its present form.
They should be reminded that anyone
buying the chunks of gold and silver
will want to make a profit on the deal

and will not pay full price. The PCs will

receive between 50% to 75% of the
stated values. In the role of a buyer of
the treasure, the DM should drive a
very hard bargain. The buyer doesn't
really know how much of the treasure is
solid silver or gold and how much might
be a thin layer of metal melted around a
large piece of worthless rock.
However, no matter how the PCs gain
the treasure, whether by themselves or
at the head of an army of mercenaries,
they will win renown. The tale of the
lost airship and its fabulous treasure
lost nothing in the telling over the
years. Those in the adventuring party
who find the wreck will be nicknamed
"the Pride Finders" and will be treated
with honor and respect by both ordinary
citizens and hard-bitten treasure
hunters alike. However, if manscorpions
elsewhere ever find out that the PCs
looted one of their most valued temples,
the PCs' troubles have only begun.
Q

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panble with t he No r old campaiKn
i nt roduced in module C ~11 Tf',~ t f.r th..
U'ar!orJ". bu t it can easily be inserted
into most othtr ca mpa ign Ilf.tt ing s _The
act ion takes place d urin!: au tum n. in
a nd a rou nd the t iny e lve n ee rtle me nt of
Elfs.....ood. nne of t he ma ny "fore sthornell" sca tte red t hro u..:hout Nerwol d.
Before st urti n.: pla y, rhc D ~! should
place Elfs w ood in an isolated w coded
a re u w it h in 100 mi lt's of the !Itro nll: ho ld
o r to.....n in w h ich he willhe ll t he ed ve nt ure to begin .
A ft> w of the monst e rs in thill module
come from AC9 Crt'utun' Cutul"NUt'. M.I
the DM s hould heve II copy of t hat ecCl'SlIOry handy. If t he D~f dOl'1I not o.....n
t his to me, he shoul d lIubllti t ute e ther
a ppr opriate monsters li S he 5t'f'!1 fit .

'"1

THE BANE OF
ELFSWOOD
8Y ST PHEN J . SMITH

Vengeance
denied in life is
reborn in death.

Adventu re Bac kgr o und

Or uida Gla nad yl , II fema le elf adve nt u re r; seeks a id from t he PClI in ave ng in.: t ht' mysteriou s dea th s of her fa m ily
mlmb.:rlO. She ma kes he r plea in II PC 's
cou rt (if om! controlll a domi nion l or in II
ta ve rn tha t the pa rt y members Ireq ue nt. Th e O~I sho uld fill i n the de tai ls
conce rn ing t he loca ti on of Elfllw ood in
Or u ida'lI "tory below.
Befort' you lItand !!lIn elf ma idt'n
w t>a ri nlC plate ma il. A s w ord hanK!!

in i u sca bba rd lit he r s ide. a nd a

16 Issue No. 21

THE BANE OF ELFSWOOD

well -crafted long bow i. slu ng a Cf088

her shoulde r. Obviously, she te e n
adve nture r or some kind. Th e el f
brulIh...1 back hf" r gulden.brow n ha ir.
a nd h er green eyes fix upon each of
you for a n iOllant . She deBf1I her
th roat ne rve ualy and twKln!l her tal e.
her voice mu sical but her tone sad.
" My nam e ill Druid. Glanady l."
she a n DOUDet'I, " a nd I come to you
from my fa m ily'. s ma lllM"ttlt'menl of
El fswood Ithe OM sho uld fill in th e
distance a nd direction fro m the dom ini on or tow n ], Last mon th l ien
my foreat horneo to v iert so me h uman
adve nt uring friends who were abo ut
to embark on a long journe y llOuth .
After my companion. departed. I
returned to my fam ily -only to dillcover t hat a t.. rrible tra Kl'dy had
occurred during my abse nce .
" Upon reaching my tree-b erne, I
met IIO me of my fam ily membere-c-my
au nt a nd four of my coulin&-<l nly
th ey weren't thetnflt'lvN . Th ey were
cha nged _vil-undea d, I thin k . They
e pprcee bcd me , grinnin g horribly
the wh ole time , and I'hot epberea of
ener gy at me (ro m their hand . 1
bare ly eeceped with my life ."
Druida paul'lt's mome ntarily a nd
Klances a t each of you , tryin g to
register you r eeect fcne to her sto ry.
She lakH a deep breath, .igbs aud ibly, a nd eenun ues.
"I 88 W no si gns ort he res t of my
family-my parents, beot hera. . illters .
a nd th... rt'llt of my rt'lati\elJ-while I
W IU u nde r attac k , I don 't kn ow if
they'rt' dead or ali ve : I ca n only hope
thl"Y rtICa pt>d befort' , , ;'
Druida btogi nl' to tremblt'. a nd te an
well up in her eyes. Bravt'ly, she
hold. thl"m bac k.
" 1 nl"t'd ht"lp to a \'t"ngt" w'h at e n 'r
cu r1M' has ravagf'd my family'l hom ~
IIte ad." sht"lI8yll. a fai nt qu iver in her
voice but a fierre look of determin a ,
ti on in her e)es. " I have hr ard Itor iel of )'our kindneN a nd pro.....eN in
combat . U nfort unatel y, I ca nnot olTer
you much in re t urn for your help. I
ha ...e lI8"'f'd up 10 ,000 i o1d pit<'es,
and I would gladly ex change th em
for your aqiJlta nCi!. I k now thill
amount i. not much to lIuch t'ltpt' ri eneed ad .....nturen lUI youraelves, but
it is all I ha ve . Will you he lp me?"
If Druida makes this plea in the cou rt
of a PC lord or lad y. she a l80 pledgell to

eerve that lord in return for his BMist

ence. The addition of a fair ly hlg h.le ....el
elf rda iner to a PC lord's IIlatTcou ld
ha ve a small effeet on h ill dominion's
Confide nce Level . Th e lord ', refusa l to
ht' lp a poor elf maid en in d illtreN could
nl"gatively affect the domin ion'. ConCid e nee Le vel .
Drulda Glanad)'l: AC -3: E8: hp40:
"IV 90 '(30'>; 'AT I weapo n or spell:
Omg by .....eapcn type; Se ve E8: M L las
NPC ) 11: ALN; 8 9, 1 16, W9, 0 13. C
15, Ch 14; magical iteme: p Iau m all +2.
. h irld +2, , u..o rd + I , +2 l 'S . undead.
to nI( bou' +2, II orrou', +3, ,.It'r" boots,
ring of inl'uibi/ity, poti ons of ,,,..i tation
lo ne d~ ) an d suprrhl"aIinK uwe d~ 1I 1;
normal items: silver dagg er, four iro n
ratione, 50' rope, spri g of wolfsbane, full
wate rllitin,
Dr uida has memorized the foUowin K"
spell. if ehe ia used as an NPC (if an
exrre playt'r il running Dru ida'i eherectee, difTt'rent . pen. may !:It' memorized ):
read mCJl(ie, prot l"C'tion from l"l'il, slHp

( x 2), continual lig ht, dl"'l"C" l"t'j/ ( 1Il 2l,

li rl" ball. hold person, rce "0""1( 1Il 2>.
Druids'l llpell book contain. th e ebcve
llpell. plu.: detec mCJl(ie. {loatinll d u e.
liRht , ESP' inlJisi bi/i'.v, u.,uard I.oclr,
d uprl mOllie, u.'atl"r brrolhi flil. growth of
plants, and hallu cin atory tnralfl.
Druids wal bor n into th e elven dan of
Wh i. perinK Grove over 107 yu n ago .
She wa. named a~r a druid who lived
in the fore at near Wh illperi ng Gro ve
a nd wal ..... ell lik ed by the elves for his
IIpr iteli kt' eenee of humor. She hu (or
had l four brothers and D sisi e e. Alto
Jjvi nK" wit h he r im media te family at
Elfe..... ood ..... ere her uncle and aunt. th t'ir
ch ildre n, and her ei.t er.In-l ew ft he wif.
of Dru ida 'i el des t brother). See the
chart of Druida'lI relatives for th e
names, cu rrent condit ions, a nd positions
of thf'llot' el ves.
Some of the boxed text in thill modu le
describes Druids '. u nde ad relati ves as
fa cl"lt'III, nemeleee mon etere. Dru ids
will be ab le to reeegniee t he idt'nti tiH of

Druld a's Rele dvee

Hel a tl \' e
Myrdel or ' fathe r )
Cuamira lmot her )
Gr t'nl yf lb rother)
Gylak (broth er)
Myr kal (bro the r )
Sil vyr (brother)
Roeeperyl fl i.U-r )
Brandylor lu nde)
Dewfyrn (a unt)
Amberlok (ma le cousi n )
GalTbrook (ma le coullin )
Rf'dlyf lmalt' coulin)
Snowbough (ma le ro u.i n)
Fadil (ma le ro ullin)
G1ad ia ' fema le ro ullin l
o...::y l fmale ro ulin)
Myr a (ft'ma lt' cous in)
Chrye.antha (I illterinla w)

Co n d itio n
Undead fP't'a te r wyrd l
Undead fgreater wyrd l
Undead fJfl'ea ter wyed l
Alive
Alive
Undead (vi. ion)
Undea d (vil ion)
Undead (gn- ater wyrd j
Undead (norm al wyrd )
Undead (villion)
Un dt'a d (vi_ion I
Undt'ad (vi, ion)
Undea d (villion)
Undt'ad (norma l wyrdl
Undt'ad (norma l wyrd l
Undt'ad (norma l wyrd )
Un dea d (norm a l wynll
Alive

lAK"liItlon
Tra vele with odic
Tr....ele with odic
Travel. with odic:
Wanden Elfswood forest
Wanden Elfswood forell
EIf.wood se u jement
Elf.wood ee t t beme m
Tr a vele with odic
ElfllWood se tt lement
Elfllwood IM'u lemen t
EIf.wood roe uleme nt
EIf. wood lIeu le ment
Elfl ....ood IM'u lemt' nt
Elfllwood lleulement
Elflwood IM'ttleme nt
Elflwood lIt'u lt'ment
Elfewood lIfIu lt'me nt
Wa nd",n Elf.wood fort'llt

It i. poMible to bring tome of Druida'lI rt'lat ive. back to life a fter deft'ating their
undead form . Whil e the ...Ivel of the vi. ion can be rt'turned to li ft' only by a ""ish
(tht'ir bodie s were bur nf'd a, a n ofTl"ri ng to th... Sp ht're of Entropy), it il euier to
revive the elv el tra nsformed into wyrd . Unle llt the \lo-yrd, a re utterly dest royed
(thro ugh delltruction by derical Turning. di, integration, a raisl" d NJdlrrUIIl" d,ad
fully IIpell , etc.), tht' adventurt'n will be It'ft with the corpllt's. In lIuch an inl ta nee,
Druida will e llpt<'l the PCI to at leut help her bury her loved onell. [f a PC d eric:
offen to ra ilM' fro m t he dl"ad a ny of the elf ma iden '. fa mil y mem berl, he may do
IIO-provided that the body to be ra iled ie present a nd relatively intact . ANume
that the Glanad yl wyrd. hav e been undead for 16 da YI when t he PCI n nt arrive
in Elfllwood.
A deric .....ho brinlJ1l any oftht'le elvel bac k fro m the dt'ad will rK'eive ge neroUA
dona tions to h il ordt'r from the Glanaydy l su rvi von for yean to come.

OIJNGEON 17

THE BANE OF ElFSWOOD

her dead ram ily mem bers , ho....ever, and

ca n convey l h Ui informa ti on to the e t be r
PC .
About 30 yfOB", ego , Dru id. ', family
dec ided to 1..-8\'(> the- Nlfet y of Wh isper .
ing Grove to form iLll ewn IImallllt'ult
men l oThe Glan adyls were k nown all a n
edv en t urcus lot , lIO the cla n If'a d t'n at

Whispering Grove W E're not too surprieed when the fam ily opted to _k itt!
fortune e lsewher e. Th.. ties bet ween th e
tw o gro ups of elves were nev er severed.
however; once the Glanadyltl M'u led
into Elfllwood. they did their best to
kl,,(,p in touch with t hl.'i r old fr it'n ds
back. home .
Druid. i. a true Glanlldyl in l h lll ld lt'
il a lM!uonro adventu re r. Over the palll
12 years, sh... hall traveled wit h many
different ecmpenione: othe r elvea, ha lf
lings, even dw an'ell~ It is wit h hu mans,
howeve r,lhat Druid. has done most of
her ad vent uring . S he never fail , to bto
a mazed at their many different moods-,
and ho w qui ckl y t hey cha nKe. Her aMOda tio n with mankind has pr ovided he r
with knowled ge of hu man eue toms a nd
politi cs but haa also taujl:ht her how to
Nnw" . drink fin.. win _ a nd al ...., a nd
occaaionally use trick..,ry a nd deceit. In
ot he r word Dru ide 'e exper-ie nces wit h
humanity have mad e he r 8 consu mma te

edve nturer!
Nonetheless, Dr uid a is a ki nd.
friendly. fun-lovi ng perso n (a ltho ujl:h the
C'ircumstanC'H of ht'r fam ily ', d~struC'
t ion ..ilI do much to lIubd ue thellE' char
acte ri st ics durinjl: thi adve nt url'Jand ia
loyal to her fr ien ds . She tend!! to be a
bit foolhard y in ba tt le. a tr a it I he
picked up fro m one of her hu ma n com
panioll5 lthe late Renald o tht' FearlelUll.
but she has lellrn ed that Ihe ia bt.-tt e r lit
.,.-II-ca8ting than s\loordfight ing .
If Druid. i. ullt.'d IlIl a n NPC. t h.. OM
IIhould pull llOme punch " l to kl"t'p her
aliv e unti1t he fina l confro nta t ion ..it h
the crea ture re ponsible for her fa m ily's
demille. If Dru ida i8 a PC. htr player
. hould be warned t hat Dru ida ill not to
be played as a fro nt li ne fig ht..r \lo'ho
boldly tahs on wh at e ver hOrTible mon
liter the OM th rows at t he pa rty . She is
a n E.lpe rt .I.....el cha rllctt-r ca u!Cht in a
Companion,le\'el ad\'enture , Thi l is not
10 lilly that Dru ida il uJl('le1IlI: lIhe hall a
di"'erllE' al"llt'na l of 1Ipl."1I11 and weaponll.
a nd ill qu ite ca pable of hel pinK the otht"r
PCa overcome a tough foe , Sh e lIho uld
8AlIist the ot her PC, in ba tt h.'. not lead
them,

18 I"uo No. 2\

T h .. Li k..ly C u l p ri t
The Glanadyl fam ily-Dru ida rela teshaa on ly one t rue enemy, lin evil cle ric
na mt'Ci Ir kthorn Ba li n. Thie c1l'ric \lo'U
once a k indly druid who ca red for t he
pla nts a nd a nimals of Elfllwood and the
surr ounding wildern ess. When Druid a's
fam ily tr it"d to bu ild tht'ir tree- he me in
t he fore st . however; the druid became
enruge-d and ettem pred to dri ve the
el ves out wit h hi s ma,"cal abilitiell. Th e
elv es won out. but the druid made them
hill e ne mies for life.
Irkthor n then enlisted the ai d of a
sma ll arm)' of hobj{Oblins to attack the
Gla nad)'la. but the 8.lll18Ult pro ...ed uneucceeeful . Afte r th ill hattie Irkthorn
W il li ru pj.ured , a nd Dru ide 'e Iather put
him u nder II IltlJlJ to never a gain come
settlement all
wit h in a mile of the ('1...
10n K 88 he lived . For the past 30 yean
the ex-druid has lived a life ofbrood inj{
in a ema ll eheek about four miles sout heast of the Glanady l home st ead. nev er
bother ing t he el vee t he e nure time.
AlI8uming tha t the PC s ace..-pt her
olTer. Druida ta kes the pa rty to EIf~
wood seulement (area 1I, If the D ~{
want a to UIOe th is modul e's Wildem ese
Encounter Thble during thia journey. he
should dillregard any d ire roll re. ult in g
in an en counter with elf surv i vors; thi "
confronta t ion ca nnot occur un til after
t he PCa have visited El fawood . From
the een leme r u. Druide ca n ells ily I('ad
the pon y to Irkt horn ' lhack .
Since the forellt of Elfswood hu no
cha r tra illl, and becau~ th e bla nkt"t of
fa llen lea\e. ca n often hidt' IIma ll ani
ma l holes. lOO!It" rock s, and ot he r !luch
pit flills. Dr u idll aska t hut the PCs not
UllE' hor~ du ring t hi ll qu ellt. Even if the
PCII refulle' ht' r requellt, IJruidll will
tra...e) on foot. The D~ I hou ld kt"l:'p in
mind th a t the pllrty mo...ell at t hl." ra tt" of
itAII10wl'lIt member.

1.".

Fo r the Dungeon Moster

The hOrTor that hauntJI El fswood ca n
indl."t'd be a tt ributed to t he ve ng!;Oful
cleri c. Irk t horn Balin . Onre a rl'lI pe<'ted
dru id. Irkthorn ten dl."d the va llt t rAct of
woodlanda arou nd Elf, wood, a nd he did
a prau.eworthy job.
But Ir kt hom 'lI love of na t ure was
ba!ll.'Ci in pa rt on prid e, Th e drui d had a
fa \'or ite section oft hl' forellt. a IIma ll
gro\'e of mal{niftrent t rt"t"s und t" r whotot'
ca nopy dart ed a dea n. frellh strea m. At
t he foot oft hill grove lay a n open
meadow deco rated wit h II my ri ad of

fraKr an t flowers. Ir kthor n t hought of

this pla ce as hi s own private medita tion
aa nct uaf}'. and he took great pa in l! in
pr p!\t"rv ing and enhandnj{ the a rva's
beauty.
w he n a fam ily of wande r in g el ves
came upo n Ir kt horn's llanct ua ry a nd
beg a n constructing t heir homes h igh in
t h(' boujl:hs of the druid', prized trees,
he demanded thllt t hey leave h is Kr0\'('
immedia tely, TIl(' elves, fe't.'l inK und er
no obligation to do t he bidd ing of a me re
human rev en if he W IUI dru id ). poli tel y
Inform ed Ir kthorn t ha t th ry wou ld now
maintain th e bt.a uty of t his Pllrt of the
forellt . Enra ged . the dru id tri ed to evict
t hl" int ruders u, in j{ h ill ma iCica l powers.
bu t in thill regard t he Gla nadylll ha d
him outd flll.lWd . and Ir kt horn wall
driven away.
Ma ny timet' Ir kthorn tried to chase
the olvee fro m hi ll rneduanon gr ove , but
he never succeed ed . Th e dr ui d's linger
boiled un til it ete a med wi th ha tred . One
Iatefu l night . Irk t hom'lI rage peaked ,
a nd he cursed the for ellt and t he life of a
druid . Il l' then became a cleric ded ice red to t he wa y. of E...il a nd beg an
_ki ng to u ncover the m)'lIlerivlI oft hv
Sp he-re of Entrop y. Not 10nK t herl."lIller.
he made a pact with a s mal l a rmy of
hobgobl ins, a nd togethl'r they . _ultt.'d
the Gla nady l ..... ulemenr. wh en th e
battle wall over. the hoh((oblin ll had
bee n routed and Ir kt horn captured.
During hill cnptivity. the dt-ric utt ered
uch a IItri ng offr ijl:htful oathll t hat
Myrdt"ior GIlInadyl. thl." pllt ria rch of the
elven lK"ttlt' ment. realiu -d that t he once
kind druid had btocome dllngerousl y
evil. nlt' elf qu ick ly ru mma Ked th rouKh
hill old ad ...t-nturinjl: gea r and pr od uct.'d a
maKica l ll('fOlI. StandinK bt>fore t hO:'
captive cleric. Myrdelor dl"Cllired , Un
den ta nd ye. Ir kthorn Bali n. on ce re
s pt."Cted druid oft hi. fort'8t . th at 1111 long
a5 ) 'e IIhall li....e. nev l'r aga in lIha n ye
come ....; t hin a m ile of thi. gro \e. Now
10:0. and bothe r my fami ly no lonll:t'r !"
Thu s W IUI Irkthorn Ba lin IlHuft1 ' to
ne\'er again entN hi ll- old meditation
~\'e , Th e c1eric'lI hatrt"d for t he el .....s
grew. but th e Ht"WI ke pt hi m fro m llct ing
upon hi. emot iona. Thro ughout th rt"l:'
de<:ades of brooding. he ro nt inut"d to
plot aKllinst hill enemil."a. olTering h ill
very lIOu l to t he powers of En t ropy if
only they w(lu ld help him to ga in h is
revt"nll:e. But Irkt horn coul d not hurt
the Glanad)'11I III lonll: as he lived. and
event ulllly tht' old cle r ic di..od.
Aftt'r hi, de ath. Ir kthorn '8 \'t"nKefu !

THE BANE OF ELFSWOOD

spiri t lived on in the form of a n od ic. In

thi s form . the ex-druid a tta cked Elfs -

wood. Since th e Glanadyl homestead

was a settle ment a nd not 8 cla n. the
elves had no Tree of Lift" to help ward
off the undead s pir it. The odic kill t'd
most of the Glanad yls a nd forced th em

to become his undead serva nts . Even

now,lrkthorn 's spirit a nd his elve n
recruits ti relessly pat rol t he fcrest .

~.?~SI:MATIC ~ ~PO'I':!
Odle pnw.
with in I hf'll o t
PC . It rollo w .
thf'm a nd
a n adu' tha t
nil ht .

E ncou ntering t he Odi c

Since odica (like all spirits) a re wand erer s, the one re sponsibl e for th e desrruction of Druids's fa m ily is no longer at
th e scene or its crime. It constantly
patrols the whole of Elfswood. movin g
in a random manner. In order to fight
the s pir it . the PCs must first lind it-or
have it find th em!

The PCa ca n encounter th e odic in one

of t.....o waya. The OM can simply throw
the odic a t the party whenever he feels
they're ready for it . pr obably a fte r the
adven tu rers have explored muc h of t he
Elfswood wildern ess and obta ined some
clues as to what ra va ged the Gla nadyl
family. If. however. the OM would like
to add a dimension of u npr cdictabi lity
to the game. a random movement
system - the OdicMa t ic-can be use d to
determine the IIpi ri t's moves a nd when
it crosses paths wi th the PCs.
The OdicMatil: is simple to use . When
the PCs fint rea ch Elfswood. the odic is
locat ed at the X on the m ap. The spi rit
moves 24 miles per day in four legs of
six mil es eac h . It moves one of t hese
legs every thre-e hours of da yli ght. sta rtin g a t dawn. It first moves in the direction of the a rro w on the map. hut the
0"1 should roll Id 6 before each s ubsequ ent movement leg and ee nault the
tabl e below to det ermine the od ic's next
di recti on .
The Odic-M a li c
Die roll
(ld6)
Move m e n t
12
Odic moves a headleft
3-4
Odic moves stra ight ahea d (no
change in course}
5 -6
Odic moves e heedrtght
If the odic moves off the map. the OM
shou ld return it to the point where it
len the map a nd move it any rema in in g
hex es ill th e general d irection of the
porty. Th e spirit det ect s the PCs whe n it
passe s within one hex of the pa rty 's
pos it ion . Since it is power less a nd ln vie-

6
Od ic-St arti nll
Pn in t a nd

or

Dir..("t io n
:\t o v.. m .. n l

O~1 ro ll~ II I .
Od i<" mov" ~
a h...dlf'tt.

Odi (" mo.... o rr

m.p. U:\I
" IUrn.. it to
mllp lind mo.....
il lin y
r .. ma ln lnJl:
h.. n. in th..

0 :\1 rnll.. a 3.
Od ic- mo ' f'.
..tn igh t a hf'a d.

lI:.. n" ,.1

dirl't'ti on o r Ih..
lh.. PIlr1).

>--<
ibl e during the day. t he odic follows the
adventure rs un til they pitch ca mp for
the ni /{ht : then it se ttles into a t re-e
about a mi le away to begin its a ttack.
See the diagr a m abo ve for a n exa mple
of the OdicMat ic in action.
Th e OM should use h is own judgme nt
when using this random encounter
method. lf the PCs cross paths with the
od ic at the very start of t he ga me . befor e they 've gai ned a ny clues to th e
identi ty of t he ra vager of Elfawood or
ex plored mu ch of the surroundi ng wildemeee. th e aura of mystery upon
wh ich t his module de pe nds will never
de vel op. Co nversely. the PCs mig ht
e xplore all of Elfswood. gai n ev ery s ingle clu e, a nd know for a fact th at a n
odic is res ponsibl e for the dev asta tion at
the Gl anadyl setllem ent, bu t du e to the
lu ck of the di ce never meet up with the
od ic. In lihort, do not hesitate to igno re II
r andom encou nter with the odic if ita
t iming di srupts th e adve nt ure. Once the
PCs ha ve ex plored some of th e Elfswood
wild erness and picked up a few clues.
however. the)' should be cons idered fa ir
game.
Th e odic's ga me sta tisti cs. those of its
undead elve n fo11o w era, and a descrip-

>--<

ti on of the eltmecue en counte r with t he

spir it are a ll provided at " Th e Fi nal
Confro ntatio n."

Exp loring Ihe Elfswood Wildern ess

When the PCs se t out into the wilder nen in searc h of whatever killed
Druide 's fam ily members. they a re
lik ely to run into some ofthe ot he r
denizens of Elfswood-some of whom are
fri e nd ly. bu t most of whom are not . Thi s
sec t ion of the module pr ovides a Ran dom Wild erness Encounter Ta ble, a
nu mbe r of Se t Encou nt ers twbose locat ion s a re ma rked on t he ma p of
El fs w cod ), a nd a s pecial recurring
e ncou nter with a wise a nd helpful pixie
k nown as Old Ma n Hood.
Here a re a few other thinga to keep in
m ind a9 the PCs explore th e wild ern ess :
Mot'ement R att s. Remem ber that a
grou p of ch aracte rs moves at the base
rate of ita slowest mem ber. Since Oruida
refuses to ride a heree throu gh the dan gerous. tra illess terra in of Elfsw ood,
this ra te may be 90 ' per t urn or 18
m iles per day.
Th e te rrai n that th e PCs cross ca n
affect their movemen t rate .

DUNGEON

19

THE BANE OF ELFSWOOD

Through c1eaf hexes a nd meadow. the

PC. move a t their nonnal !I ~ . In hill.
and roreau , th ey move at two-third. th e

norma l ra te. Swamplanda reduce move.

ment to nne-half norm a L
The tw o riv en that run t hro ug h
Elfswood are a bout 60-80' acroa in
mos t places, a nd dee p e noug h to d rown
a metel -e rm or ed adventu rer. MOfll unarmcr ed characten with decent ewtmm ing , kill. could probably swim 1ICTUll8
th t'lie riven wi th little difficulty. A PC
in heavy a rmor mu st build III small raft
to n oat 8CT'OlU1 or else hang onto a good -

. iu log and kick hi' way to the crber

side.
POll/tion. Keep track of the PC. '
polIition s-a nd t he cdi e 'e! It il importa nt
to know where t he PC. a n' located a t
.u times.tr lhe D~f il ulI.ing th e Od ic-

Malic random movement generator. he

will need to kee p track of the odi c'8
po.itio n. too.
AI lonK as Druid. aceempa nie s the
PC " t here is no cha nce of t he e d ve nr urt"rI bec:oming 1000t in her home forest.
Should the PC. wen der off t he E'dgt' of
th e map, heve Old ~I an Hood 1_ "Random WildE-rne.. Encounter" ') a ppea r
a nd point the party back in t he r ight

direcncn.
Autum n in Elfsu.'OOd. This edvenru re
lakt"11 place in tht" m iddlE- to la tter pa n
of t he Ial l se eso n . It ia vitally impo rta nt
that yo u convey this informatio n to t he
pla)'pn for flC"vpral rt"aso nl .
Finlt , th e t ime of yt"ar ca n great ly
enha nce t he a tmosphe re oft his edventure. Autumn is a lleallOn ofte n a~ i
Bted with d('ath or dying: trral8 turfUI
brown, trt"t"s 10tIt' th t"ir Ipa ves, bird.. fly
south , a nd a ni ma lI prt"pa rt" for th l"lr
winter hibernation s . Since dt"at h a nd
undeath a rt" major t hp mt's in th is mod
ule, the D~t ca n cont ribute gr eatl y to
the player!' enjoyment of thill adv en
tur e by uling the tlt"a80n as a n addi
tional plotl"lpmpnt.
St-oond, th(' fall llt'ason mak ell the
odic'll in it ial atta ck for m (its C'harm irrll
lea VE-I ) mu ch more ifUlidioUi a nd t"ffee'
t iY('. Wh ile a gro u p o( experienced a d
ven turers miltht wpll be l us picioul if l ilt
~ n lea v" l w.. tf' to flMt u p to t h..m in
the m iddle of a hot , breezt'll'llS s um mer
nigh t, who would noti ce s ilt dead It'av p.
. wirli ng into ca mp with a hOlit of ot hers
on a cold, windy fa ll evpninlt?
So don 't be afra id to l{t'ntly remind
tht' PC. what time of ye a r it is. Durin g
lulla in thp action as t he pa rty trav plll
through Elfswood, . how the m the aqu ir-

20 Issue No. 21

rel e ga t her ing nuts for the coming

wi nt er, and the VlUltflocks of bird. fly,
ing lIOut h to warmer climes. Ha ve a PC
slip and fa ll on a bed of wet leaves or
come down with hay (ev er or a mild
cold . A part jculaj-ly chi lhng breeze t hat
flC" nda ahivt"rs down the PCs' apint'l
would a lllO be a n app ropriate rem inder.
Rand om Wild prneas E nc o u nt ers
Th e 0 :\1 Ilhoul d make fou r random

encounter checks each gam e day,th ree

durin g the daylight hOUri a nd one at
ni ght . An encounte r occu rs on a ro ll of 1
on Id6. 1b det ermine wh ich encounter
takt"s place, roll 2d8 du ri ng t he day rfcr
e ncou nte rs 2 161a nd Idl O + l ltfor
e ncounters 12211 at night a nd cons ult
the chart on page 21. :\Ionater deseripli on.. followed by a , are "Speetal
Encounters" an d are det ailed be low,
E lf S unh'or.
The OM aho uld not UflC" this e ncou nter
t"ar ly in the adve nt ure unl eS!l th e PCs
have al re ad y deduced that a n od ic is
responsible for t he tragedy in Elfllloood ,
If avinlt t he eurvi ve r elves te ll all a bout
that fat eful n ight before the PCII have
e xplored mu ch or rhe countrysi de, in
eea reh of c1 Ut'1I woul d ru in the e tmosphe re of myst t"ry upon wh ich t hia mod ul e depe nd...
All yc ur gr oup makE-II its way
th rou gh the wilder ne ss, )'OU e re
sudde nly confro nted by tw o sword.
bearing el f warriors who eye yo u
with s us picio n .
If Dru ida i. pre~ nt , . hl.' immediate ly
f't"OO){niwlI her brotheTl Gylak an d
Myr ka l. A thi rd e lf, Dru ida 'lI ailltN in
la w Chryaa ntha , h ides htohind a nl'a rb)'
tret' a nd will e mt'rgl" Ifthe PCa trrt"'t't
Gyl ak and :\t)'rk a l in a fr it"ndly manner.
If Druida ill not with th e PCII, t ht.' tw o
Gl anad yl br otheu approac h the ad \t"ntu ren t a uti oufll)', warning t ht" m ahau t
the od ic a nd telli ng tht" m abo ut the
attack on El f"wood .
The8t' el\' t>lI a re the nnl)' s urvi\'ora of
the odic's 85.'lau h on t hl' Gla nad yl
Ilt"ttleme nt , Th ey ha \e wander E'd
t hrough t ht' forellt t"ver lince , trying to
a void t he odic while plAnning th('ir nl"xt
move . Th ey ha ve dt"Cidl'd to r('tu r n to
their old d an of Wh is per ing Gro" e,
orga nize a powe rful tu m of eh,t.'n
wiza rd!swordmll!ltt"r&, a nd rt't urn to
Elfllwood to hu nt down And dt'lltro)' t hp
mon!lter that slew mOllt of their fam ily.

The eurvivcre can reco unt the even ts

of the tra gic night of the od ic's attac k ,
Ea rly in the eve n ing, a cry of a la rm
we nt up fro m the t ree -home {If Myrdelor
a nd h il fam ily. All t he elves raced (rom
their t ree-hou ses to battle what ev er foe
t hre atened t hem , t hey we re greeted b)'
a st r e nge and fr iltht ening aiKht , The
tree in whOllt' bou gh s rested M)'rdelor 'lI
home was e mi tlinKa bright purple
light , WorlM.', the t ree Ilo. . . 8wi nKi ng one
of its bra nches at a ny e lf who pB.IIW:'d
wit h in r un ge . So me of the G lanad yls
fought valia nt ly a gai Mt the relwlliou l
tree . but ot hers inexplicably dro pped
the ir we apons a nd a pproached the glow,
ing t ree. collHp!ting IIhortly afte r e nte ring t he a rea of pu rple light lIurrou nd inte
it . ~Iy r k a l entered th e purple a ura to
take a few hacks at the t ree's tru nk
wit h hi. magiea l eword. bu t he Iled
e rter 8uffering a n e nergy dra in . When it
beca me a ppa re nt th a t all W 8. 8 1000t . Gyle k, M)rka l. a nd Chryaa ntha rcluctantl y ned for th l"ir lives. ThE'Y re tu rn__-d
to th e 8t'Ulement once but wer t> drive n
a way by the vision and wyrd s t hat now
lrUard t ht' pl ace f __ area I I.
Gyla k: AC - 3; E9 , hp 44; MV
90 '(30 '); ' AT 1 swor d or s pe ll: Dmg by
s pe ll or weapon type: Save }o; 9; ~I L 10:
AL S ; S 14,1 14, W 10, 0 12, C 13, C h
12; maKica l items : IIU'Qrd + I ln amt>a on
com ma nd l, ch ai n m ail + 5, II hir ld +2,
boots of lrd talion, rlt '.." cloaJr; Il pell s:
hold portal. r..ad m ag ic, rorrtm uolliKht,
Irl'ilalt', rl'mOI't' c u r lll'.
My rka l: AC -I ; zs . hp 31; :\tV 90 '
130 '); 'AT 1 8word or lI pt'lI: Omit by lI pt.'1I
or wea pon t)'pt' : Sa ve E8: :\IL 10; AL:-I :
S 13, 1 13, W I I , D 15, C 12, Ch 10;
ma Kical itemll: su'{)rd +2, pla tl' moil
+ I , II hir M + I , I'/t ..." cloa. .. s p'-'III1: /iRht,
u'izard lor. , haJltt', htlltl pt'rl/on ,
C h r)'san th a: AC 8; 4 : hp 20 ; ~I \'
120 HO ' l; ' AT I dal:)(t'r or s pe ll; o mg by
Ilpe U or Wt'apo n type; Sa ve E4: ~I L 9;
AL :oJ ; 59, I IS, W 13, IJ 13, C 10 , Ch 14,
maKica l ite mll: dOIo!Jll'r +2, 1'1t'l'rr boo tif;
, pe lls : dl'trcl m alli.-, lif{ht.
S ince t hl' elvell had not t iml' to pre ,
pa re for thl' assault on t hpir homt' , t hl')'
had ft"w Il pt'll.. mt'morizt"d a nd ha " e no
attt". to more Uhe ir 8pe ll book" wt"rt>
h,n be hind ), Th I'll(' ('h' l;"l cou ld bt.' ust'd
all extra PCI , howeVt'r, I'II pt."Cilllly if
IIOml;" of the playl;"r charactl'nl hllvl' bt-t'n
alai n in the COU rtlt' of t he mod ulI'. In t h ill
ca!'l', t he D:\f IIhou ld prov idl' ('Ach plf
with a llpt'll hook And pt:1!\!libly ra ill('the
t'1\'e8' I'xper ience le\'e1s fe!lpt:-'cililly
Chl')'l\8nt ha'!II. Ift hl'!'l' Gla nad.vla a rt'

THE BANE Of ElfSWOOD

si mply NPCs, however; t he y w iII not

acco mpa ny the PC lI. choos in.: instead to
tra vel o n to the Whi flpl'rin g Grove da n .
They do not II('t> how II smal l ba nd of
adve nt ure rs enn hope to destroy som e.
thin Kthat the w hole Glanadyl family
could not . They in vite Druida to join
them, but t he el f maiden s hould remain
loyal to t he PC pa rt y until t he com ple -

tion of their quest. Th is encounter can

occur only once .
Gartt:a n t u a n O re

As you move quit'tly throUKh t he

forelli. a sh adowy fij{U re a full 12' tall
II t t' pl' from be hind II. large , mossy
I r N' . The crea tu re W 8\' (' 11 a hUKl' tree
limb at you menacingly a nd a nnou nce e, " ~f e ",'Teal Kl o....wort. king
of orcs. No, me not jUlIt kinK. ~I t' II
god ~ Bow, w orms, a nd me will k ill
you quick . 'ca use me ill Klo",p\\ort .
graciou s kinK . . e r, god of orcs,"
Kl o g w ort garga ntuan a rc : AC 6;

lin

8; hp 42; )of\, 240 '180 '); ' AT 1 club; Dmto:'

424; Sa v.... F8; )oIL 11; AL C; BUi35. C Ui
32 . Appar ent ly, th e wcra hjpera of t he
"ore-god" have not been generou g with
t he ir don ations, for Kl cgwcrt cu rrtes a
s ma ll sac k contai n inf{ only 2 4 KP an d
122 rp.
This e ncou nte r can occur nnly onee.
unle!lll t he PCs fail to dillpo!ll' of
Klogv.lort in their in itial mt'(ti ng .

Dead Tree
Whe ne \'er the D)ol rolhl thill e ncou n
ter. t he PC I pa n a trt"t" th a t hag re o
cen1l)' m't'n PO!Ule!lllt.-d a nd killed by the
odi c. Si nce it ill a ut um n, thi s tree look ll
no dilTt"H'nt than t he ma ny ot hers in the
fore!!t thnt a re 1000ing thl ir leo n s. It is
dead, th ou gh, all are all othe r lImall
plants within a 30' rad iug of it Uha nkll
to th e odi c's dead ly pr l"sence l, Decnu!\('
of the season. how('\'er, each adventurer
ha!lo nl)' n l W cha nce of not icin g thill
lIt ra nge phenom e non (4 O't cha nce for an
elf or druid l.
Trade r S pri t e ll
Thill grou p of 22 s pr iLes t rO\'el llront in
uou sly th roul{hout Elfllwood a nd th e
lIurro u ndi n.: lands, They a re oh!ll'lI!1l"d
with t rading; t>ve r)' time th e)' ml'et
ot he r civilized be ingg, they fl....1compel.
led to t rade some t h ing with tht>m. Tht"ir
leader, a talkative fell ow na med Kiplt"r,
flie s forward and allks t h 1 PCs wh at
thl"y would li ke to t rade for. lIhowinK

w ildernes s E ncounte r Table f2d8da y, Id lO + II night )

2: t:1f IIu n 'hour- t
3 - Ga q t:an tua n a rc t
-I e (W ad ( ~ t
5 : 0lCrt"a H -16 r. AC 5; tl O -I + I . hp 20 "l1eh; MV 9O'/30 ' ~ ' AT 1 bill d u b; Omll by w eapon
ty pe + 2 ld uto ko gn>1I1 "tn.-nj{t h ~ Sa ve f'4 . ML 10; AL C ; BO '35 ,
6: Griffo nIl1312 r. AC 5: H I) 7; hp 3O..ec h; " IV 120'140'1, fly inj( 360'(120' 1; ' AT 2 ete ...at
1 bitt"; Omll: 14 '1-4'216; Seve }o'-I: " IL 8; AL S ; ER 5t. Th t"1If' gTilfon tt . ck thf' PC.'
horM'!!rtrllt .
7: H IlI l{iHntll t28r. AC 4, HO 8; hp -1 0 eech; M\" 120-"' 0' 1; ' AT 1 cl u b; Omj( 216; Savt" F8;
"I I. 8; AL C; I:: R '50 _Each J{i ant c. rTi... 2-10 gp and 1100 .p in mall Nick.
8: Tr-ade r- IIp ri Cell t
9: Iw.. f 12,8r. AC 7; no I ; hp 5 tofteh; " IV 240 ' 180' 1; ' AT I but t ; Omill -l , MVC' FI : ML 5;
AL S ; }O: R '46 The dt..r ... i11 fl.... a. IIOOn thtoy become ewe re of th e PC .
10: O ld ~I an H ood t
11: C h i mt" fa,, / ~ ~ AC 4. niH' ""; hp ~3, 47; " IV I ~U "f4 U' I, fl)'ln ll IlW'(60 ' ); ' AT 2 d a w 3
htolld. , 1 bn'. th; Omll 13-'13 Id a...l. 28 !goat 'a he.d l. 110 Iho n'a h... di. 3- 12 plus 3-18
ld r.llon hto.d. bu.. plus brtoa th l; Sa\'f! F9 ; " IL 9 ; AL C; I:: W47. The d r.lIon htoad ca n
bro'lIlhto rtrto theee timl"l per day in a 50 ' " 10' eone Ill mj( 3-18 1,
12: G a r Kantu a n Ka r Ko )"It": AC I; HO 32 "; h p 160 ; " 1\' IfIO 'l60 ' I, flyin g 300'1100' 1; ' AT 2
el..... l bit../ Jhorn: Omj( -1 12 '412'4 -24 '4 -16: Sa ...1' }o"J 2; ML I I: AL C; SA - -1 10 h it .... .
mlln -liu or . m. lI..r opponto nlll; SO mllj(lc.1 ...to.pon 10 h It ; C O '32 _Thi"j(.rj(oylto e. nnot
lIurpr iM' PCa,
13: l'bntl o rt" . 1 5 1 0 ~ AC 4; 110 6 " I" ; hp 29 eech : M\' 120 '440'1. flYlnj( 180 '160 '1;
' AT 2 e l ...'1 bll .. or 6 "pik.. ; Om" 14 '1-1 '28 or 1-6 t'II.ch; M\" F6: ML 9: AL C ;
ER 52 . I::.eh m.n ti torto h." 2-1 t.i l "pi kl"!l .nd ca n lift" up to IIUl pt"r rou nd
1ra nll:'" 50 '/100 '1180' ,.
14: lJ irt" '... 0 In. 1 5 - 20 ~ AC 6; 11 0 4 + I; h p 16 tolleh: "IV ISO'I50 ' 1; ' AT I bi le ; Dmj( 28; Sa \'1'
F2; " IL 8; AL S; 80'39
15: Grizzl y bt"8 ra l l 4 ~ AC 8; H O 5; hp 20 ..ach; "1\ ' 120 H O' 1; ' AT 2 cl a....,'1 bue ; Omlll -8i
18.'110; SaVI' f4 ; " IL 10; AL S ; 8D'26, !r both pa .... hIt thf' u mt" vict Im in onf! ro un d ,
t h.. booar hUIlll for .n addItional 2,16 hp dllmll j(lO.
16 : TroIlIl 1 2 .g ~ AC 4; 110 6 " 3 "; hp 34 f'lIch; M\' I 2Q H O' ~ ' AT 2 d ....1li 1 bue: Omll: 1-611 -61
110; Seve f 6; "II. 10 18 If . tI8 Ckl'd "' lIh fir e or IIcid l; AL C ; SO "'lIe ner. te . 3 hp pt"r
rou nd. ean bo tom plotel) d..llt ro)'O"d onl y by li n' or Ilcld; I::R'66 _
17; Va mplr. b atll,lfi.nt 14-ISr. AC 6; no 2"; hp 10 ...eh ; MV 30'110 '1, flying 180 '160 ' 1; 'AT
I bi t..; Omlll-1 plua pa r.lYli. ; Save fI ; ML 8; AI. S ; B[)'25 _E. ch bat'. bit. c.u_
un colUlCioUlln.. N1 for 110 ro und.. ISa ...inKTh ro.. ' .... . Par.lyli " l a nd .utom.t lc. lly dr.in.
1,-1 hp in blood po'r round Th tort" ill II un ch. nn' t hlll Iht'W tn.t urn lin' . ccompa nif'd
by II v. m p lrt" in Kiant ba l for m lAC 2; HD 9 " "; h p 44 ; MV 120'/40 ' ), flyin g 180 '160 '); ' AT
I touch or j(8ZI'; Dmj( 110 plu . douhlto to n..rtO' d r. in or rha, ...; San F9; ML II ; AL e ; SA
clln changto into h um.n, di tl' ...olf.lt'iant bat, or gA!ll'(lUli forma; lIum mon AnimAla: g. u
Cll n charm 11III\'l" a t - 21; SIl hit o nly by mllj(u:al ..-t"lIpon. , un d..ad im munil i" , reil"t'n..r
Dltoll 3 h p pt"r round: t;ft.'5 7,
18: Wt"r t"" o lvt"JlI416 r. AC 5; HI) -I"; hp 16 toftth; " IV 180 '160 '1' AT I bi lt' ; Dmg 28; SaVf'
}o4. " IL 8; AL C; SA lIum mon nor m. 1 "' olvu , lyca nth ro py; S O hit only by . i1vtor or m.Ki
....I ...tollpon!l; 8 0 '33 ,
19; Sk un k l{iant 1 1 3 ~, AC 6: H I) 3"; hp 12 f'lIeh; " IV 120'140' 1; ' AT I bIt.. plu. mu!!k
lI<ju irt; Dmlll -I plu pl"C ial ; Sa vt' F'2; "I L 7; AI. S . Th t'M' c",.t ur... . pproach thto PC.
1If'\,,chin.: for food, If h. r.-d , Ihto .kunk . U~ th..ir infllmoUII mu"k apr. y U5' " 15 ' x 5{) '
cloud r, _ thto Crt'fllUrt' CatalU1l U~, pa j(" 20 , for th.. t"lft'l"ta of th to mUllk,
20 ; Il n iJ . wl nt' 125 ~ AC 3l 9~ HD 9 "; hp 40 f'lIch ; MV 180 '160 ' ), human form 120 '140' 1; ' AT
1 t:0rto or lIpt'Ci.l; Omj( 212 or by "'t'llpon tylW; Sa\'to }o'9 ; "IL 10; AL C ; SA cha rm . Iyelln
t h rop y; SO hIt on ly by Jl lln r o r mllj(ical "'t"lIpon.; [R48. Th ..~ cr".lurll'l.re in . winto
form Il.'h il"n flrll l'nC'Oun tl'rl"d , Eac h erl'a t u..... ta n UJI@ a IIt rong t han n .pt'lI tSa\'1' a t - 2)
thrt't' t imf'1 pt"r day,
21 : Pu rp lt" w or m JlII ,2 r. AC 6; lID 15" ; hp 75 toach; MV 60 '120' ); ' AT 1 bite' 1 at in ll; Omll
21&'1-8 plu!! poiaon ; Sa v.. f 8; ~I L 10; AL N: SA .....110... victi m. " 'h olto on hit ro ll -I or
mOl? It"'lI lto r thlln nt't-dl"d10 m " 3 1 8~ poillO n t.il "t in,,; ER-55 . Th ...... ",or Il1ll burrow u p
into Ih to re.' mld!!l. Jlurp ri.i nll on II ro ll of I on Id ~ lbut t ht' ...orm" takf' 25 ro und. to
squ irm oul of Ihto ir hal " a nd c. nno t Ullot' Ihtoir t.il alt. ck. unt il rem pito tt'ly o ut .
t

M d('!l('npli o n of .. nro untl"r in Int .

DUNGEON

21

THE BANEOF ELFSWOOD

ELFSWOOD
1 hex e 1 mile

H HH

)-<

)-<)-<

4
3

)-<

-,

)-<

- -

,.,- - H").,. ~- - .....

..

zr:(';

--

)-<

)-<

l~

5
H

6
H

HH H
t hem three or four items fro m the
sprites ' inventory eac h t im e t hill
en counte r is rolled . Ir t he PC a a re not
in terested in t rad ing (a nd t he epr tte e
ar e extremely pe rsistent ! or if they

attack the little tr aders. th e epr ttee

qu ickly cur!, one or more of the PCs
and th en flee. Th e ne xt ti m!" t he s prites

and PCs cress pat hs, Kipler ca ut iously

uks t he ad ven t urers if t hey 'r e in II
bette r mood before offeri nl{ to t rade
with th em .
Sprite. 1221: AC 5; HD 1.'.1 - ; hp 3 each;
MV 60 '(20'), flying 180 '(60 '); IAT I
curu lper 5 11pritf"1l ); Save El : ML 7: At
N; 8DI38.
The Bprite s' curees should take t he
form of magica l practi cal jo kes te.g.,
vict im's n084" gro ws, bucket of wa te r
appe8n over victi m'" he ad and douses
him. victim's boots squeak with every
step, victim hiccup s (or one t urn each
time he dr inks a ny thi ng . etc.I a nd ca n
be lifted wit h remove cu.ru s pells.
Th e little cre at ures a re n' t maliciou s;
t hey're just nat ura l pra nk sters, but
t hey might get on t he PCs' ne rv es. Th is
could become a n a lign me nt test (or the
PC". A group of Co mpa nion -level edventurere could eas ily an ni hilate the

22 Issue No. 21

s pri lt'8 . bu t this w c ul d n't he a very ni ce

t h inK to do . With a bit of role-p laying
(a nd t ra din g ), t he PC s s ho uld be a ble to
a ppease t he sprites an d ma y even d ill'
COVE' r th e t ra de rs' weeknese ieee bel ow ).
The spr-ites' goods a re ca rried in a baR
of holdin/( t ha t conta ins : a tinderbox; "
fla sk of o il: a blue d ragon's (a nI{a nd a
(I' w 1IC1l1t>s; II silver dagge r : a slig htly
moldy cheese: a small mirror: a s prig o(
wolfsba ne: a bu lb of ga r-lic; a to ' pole; a
golden clasp in t he form of a !{TifTon
(va lue 100 gp o and t he s prites k now ill:
a 30 ' coil o( rope; a book (" How to Flat .
te r a H ungry DraR On" ); a bottle o( Darok ini an wi ne (50 gp va lue ); a magic-use r
scroll with t he spe lls U' fOb a nd l"vitatl'; a
r in/( uf {Irf' rt si.!ltanO"(..... hi ch th e s peitea
know ill ma gica l. a nd (or wh ich they
dem and t wo keg!!o( a le-no ot he r de a ls );
and a s hi ny pla tin um coi n- a Gla nt r ian
crown - t hat the s pr ites val ue above all
e lse .
Th e eprt tes w iII t ra de any item in
t he ir i nve nto ry (or a nyt hing of rough ly
equal value, with t he e xce pt ions ofthe
ring of /i r f' rt'sista nO" a nd t he Glantr ian
coi n. The adventu rers m ig ht get 8 bergain if they trade (or t he spe ll scroll .
wh ich the spri tes t hin k is just a piece o(

}'-<

parchment with fu n ny scri bble s on it.

The Gla nt rian coin a ppe a rs to he a
nor ma l platin um piec e. but it flh inefl
with a n unusual luster. It de tec ts as
magical . (or the coin is t reated with
ma gic to obta in its e xce pt iona l glea m.
This pa rt icular coin Wil li minted in the
Pr inci pa lity of Bel ca die. a nd t he (ace o(
t he elven Princess Ca m el te de Belcadiz
graces the fro nt of the coin. The sprites
look u pon the pr i nceea a ll the " S h ini ng
God deHS" a nd wou ld ne ver co nsi de r
t rad ing th e coin (a lt hough th ey do lik e
to see wh a t e t he rs will ofTer (or in The
coin is wort h 50 KP in Glant ri, or 5 gp if
its magica l s hine is di spell..d.
Th ill hall owe-d coin is th e s pri tes'
we akness (a nd offers a cha nce (or
an noy ed PC s to get rid or the pe sk y
li ttlE' traders on ce a nd (or all. wit hout
reso rti nR to viole nce ). I( t he I"-'C s inform
them th at Pr incess Ca rne li a is " real,
Iiv inl{ pe rso n. t he spri tes will immedia te ly ma ke a pilgrimage to t he " Holy
La nd of Gla ntri " (i ( onl y they k nE'w! ) to
meet th e ir "Sh ini ng God dess, " th us
(ree in Kt he PC s cf thei r bot hersome
pr ese nce . Whe n Princess Ca rn elia findJ'l
ou t w ho !Il'nt t he group o( lIpri t E's to
mee t he r (a nd s he U' l ll fi nd ou t !l. t he

THEBANE OF ElFSWOOD
l'Cs will be most un welco me in her
pr incipa lity.
Th e s pr itt'8 kn ow nothing abou t t he
odic .
Ol d Man Hoo d
Th e l'Cs shou ld e necu nr... r O ld Man
Hood, a pixie druid .ah am an, severa l
times durin g th e COUf1le of this adven t ure.lfthe PCs fail to encou nt...r Ol d
Ma n 1I00d often t hrough t hl' use of t he
Wjlderm"1lS Encou nte r Table. the 0"1
shou ld sprm kle e ncou nters wit h the
pillie t hrouKho ut t he a dve ntu re , for Old
Man Hood pr ovides the PCs wit h sev era l important clues re lated to their
qu est.

As you r grou p ma kes its way

th ro uKh the Elfswood wildernellll,
yo u are su ddenly confronted with a
!ltranR'" sight : II s mal l human oid
flgure , not more t han 2' tall and
wea r ing a pla in brow n hooded robe,
appea rs before you r eyes, hover in g
abo ut 4' off the ground, The robe's
hood shrouds the flgurt" s face in
darkness.
"Greeunga!" a creaky. squeaky
voice ca lls from within the hood M
t he figu re flutters forwa rd. prope lled
by t wo de lica te win gs thai e merge
from slits in thl' back of t he creat ure's robe. "Wha t br in KS s uch a
ba nd of mt"rry ad ve nt urers to th is
neck of the woods?"
Th e floa ti ng fiK\lre ill Ol d "ta n 1I00d,
a n aged pixie druid -sham an reee tht>
0&0 .ufUt~r 0 ,\1', RooJr, pa ge 21 1. lie
mea ns no ha rm a nd will in t roduc e h im I14.'lf and chct with the PCs, aa lc ng as
they don 't attack him. Before long,
however, he tu rns to leave, lIIlyinj( as he
gOl'tI, "Aye. st range things have been
goi ng on in t he forellt rl"Cently- thi nltS
st ra nger than lin ore ki ll8inlt a pixie.
Yuck! Don't worry, thou gh . I'll keep ) 'OU
informed," With t his M id. Ihe old pixie
btocomes ifwi slblt' a nd flies a way .
Old Ma n It ood (6th le\el pikie dr uid
shama n t: AC 3; 110 6 .. ..; hp 35: ~I\'
9OC30 1. fly in g 1SO'IBO'1; IAT 1 dagger
or 8pt>H: Dmg b)' f;pell or wea pon type;
Save 1':6; ML 7: AL N: SO can bt>come
int ,jsi bll' at ~'iII : 80135 ; II p..Jls: eurl'
liRht u ~ljj ,ul.., liRht, , proJr u'ith a"imals,
warp u'OOd. hold o"imo/.
Althou gh the old pi xie may Sf."t"m a bit
crazy, he'lI a val uable- lIOurcc of informa
tio n for t he- I'C s. Each t ime- t he ad\'en

tu rers mee t him, Old Men fl ood giws

t he m ano t he r clue abou t the od ic. if the
PClI try to deta in the pixie to lea rn
mor e than t he li ttle ti dbi t of infcrma .
t ion he is will ing ta ha nd ou t . Old Ma n
Hood becomes qui te Irrneted a nd tr it"8
to lea ve. If ESP ill used on the a n noyed
pixie. the only t hought in hill mind ill:
" Boy. what a mean bu nch of ogres.
pickina-on a litt le old pixi e not even
half th eir size!"
The follow in ~ a re the cl ue s Old ~I an
Hood Ki ves the PCs eac h ti me t hey
encounte r him:
2nd encou nter: " Ireebane! Treebane!
The Tr eebene ill loose in Elfawood!"
3rd e ncounte r: " Elflllayt>r! Trt.'t.'b ane!
You 'd do well to f...ar it! Th ese are the
na mes of t he lC1"eat Fore st Spiri t!"
4th e ncoun ter: "Strong magic can
hurt it. though mere w capons don 't .
Destroy it you mia- ht . bu t kill it you
won 't : '
5t h encounter: "'Strong in th e night .
wea k in the day, The dawn of the morn
ta kes itA powers a way!"
Fin al encounter: "Deeth by its prese nce. dl'a th by its touch . death by illl
will -that's a little too much!"
An N pllullina- 8 mome nt for the Pell'
asse ssment of his poem . t he pixie eon t j n ues:

" My Ir ien ds, I'm afrai d t hat my

poem" grow weak,
So listen and heed these last
werde that l s pea k .
in cou rtl~e a nd wisdom your
true hOIX"1l will lie.
For if you eboul d fa il. a ll of
Elfswood will die ."
Use this entry jus.t before the PCs
encou nte r the odic , An er giving t his
clue. Old Ma n Hood pre pa re s to leave
Elfswood, ju st in es se the adventu rers
fail to def"Hl t he od ic lho wevt' r, see
"Concluding t he Adven t ure" if the PCs
do fa ill. Th e adve nturers wi ll not Moe
hi m again du ring t hi s adventu re .
If (in t he DM'll l:"lltimation l the adve n
turel"S are not stronK.. nough to dl'fea t
the odic. Old ~I an Hood offtors th{"m a
partinKg-ifi, II ri"R o{ li{e pnlrt"ctj o" wit h
tw o remaining charges. Thill ring will
protl'ct ils wearer from the errl'C1.ll oft wo
level s of ene rlO'-drain ing attacks. Ontor
which it becomell a r jnR o{protl'etion
+ 1, The old pix ie gives thi s rin g to a
fighter li f potl8ible l. telling him to " fight
the e\'il a t its source." The ri ng can
lC1"eatl y ai d t he rcs in fighting the od ic.

Set Wild l:"r n e lls E I1('o u nte n

Th e following a nd encou nte r areas are

marked on th e map of Elfllwood. Druida
firllt ta kell the PCf! to area 1, the siteo of
the odic's attack on her fam ily.
l. T h e lI a u n te ni o f Elf8 wood .
Dr u ida sk ill fully guide s you throu gh
t he wil derness towa rd her feres t
home. A bla n ke t of fall en leaves
rovers the ~u nd eVl'rywhe re.
crunching un derfoot with every step
you ta ke , Th e com ing offall has
chased a way the greenness of t ht'
fO Tl"llt. s plallhin.: t h e Il'aveA with
or a nge. red. ye llow. a nd brown ,
Your pa rt)' proc eeds t hro ug h a
br own mea dow toward a llta tely
gr ove of tree s. Druida turns a rou nd
and whispers terse ly, " ~Iy home rest s
hi Rh in the tree s before Ull. Be on
guard all we a pproach. and above all.
be q uie t ,"
You sile nt ly p8llllfrom t he sunny
open meadow in to the shadows of the
t ree s, closely followin g in Dr u ida 's
footste ps. Towa rd t hl:" ce nter of the
.,'TO\e. the s un light ill almost ent irely
blocked by a ser iell of llpru wling
wooden plat forms built upo n th e tree
limbs 3040 ' ove rhead. S ixty fee t
before you . a na rrow rope ladd er
hanp down from II wide circula r
open ing in the platform above.
As ycu r fellows hi p cree ps forw ard
cautiously, you notice the ee ne, un nat ural qu iet of the for est. No birds
si ng an d no gO!l8ipinJ( squirrels eha t ter at you r a n-iva i. Th e only sou nds
come fro m the ge ntle gu rg ling of a
smal l brook that cuts th rou gh th e
grove, and t he cons tant piuer-peuee
of falling leav es hitt ing the ground.
A ga s p of horror from Druida
breaks the silence. Thirty feet ahea d,
gholltl)' figu res are materializing on
the ror eet floor! As these Willpy im age sllOlidif)'. five othf'r erea turessickl)' elvt'!I wit h glllZt'd eyes. whollE'
hllnds Klow wit h a strange cri mllOn
au ra- llte p out from be hin d nearby
trees a cd move to attack!
Th e ghO!lt ly figures are a \'itlion com
pOlled of s ix of Dr uida '8 now-dl'Cf.'8Ht'<1
rel atives. The five " sickly elvell" are
normal wy rd s. the undea d Ilpirits of
Dru ida', famil )' member1l rt'lurned to
thei r de ad bodies to j;tOrvt' t he ev il will
of the odic.

DUNGEON

23

THE BANE OF ElfSWOOD

vision in t hill round, read aloud the

foll owin K ((,,;t
A plaintive mea nin g lind the !lOund!
of wt'('pin Krome from the si ,,; Khollt l)'
i muges, wh ich be fore you r p)'p8
II10wly iak e tht' form of elves. The ir
IlOrrolAful e)"1'S re flect confusio n a nd
pa in as t hey gla nce u pon th e liv inK
tll'fore them , ca usi nK 8 II hi n' r of icy
fe ur to ra ce throul{h your bodies.
Throujoih t he wt't'ping of a epec t re l
plf m8 id pn wh o lea ns hell vii)' 8 j{8lnllt
a tr~ trunk , a nd tht' moani ng and
KfOli ni nKof t ht, othl'rll, you beKin to
hear the h l'llrt ~h ill in K word, of t ht'8t'
c reatu res.
" 'Io u ha ve co me too late to 118\"('
us!" criee one of th e KhO!ltly elves,
while a not hl'r grit-\'t'll. " All is 1000t ,
olluJ losr'" S till more ha untinK
phrallt'll art' a i med a t Druids . A
hand lWlml" lC holit e lf tl'lI" he r,
" ElfllV.,ood i ll no mor e, lIi li t t't, Ou r
fam ily is d("!l t ro)'E'd ," a nd the II()bbi nl{
elf maiden cea!Ol'll her wl"t'p lOK lanK
en ou gh to implore , " Muur n for U!l,
Druid e . ~I ou r n u,lth UII,"
An yone _ ' in Kthe vision mu st Save
Spt.,111 or run e we v in fea r, stead .
fa!!tly h 'fu sin .:: to retur n to t he areu in
whic h the v is ion wa ll siKhtl"d A I!IO, t he
wa 11101o: a nd mOlin ing of t h,' vision ca n
han' a ma gicaleffect o n a nyone with in
90' who ht'a ts thl'M' ha unti nlO: so u nds .
Such indi vidualll mus t ma ke a II UCCe8ll
ful Sa \-inlO: Throw \ ' 11 . Spt'lls ee cb ro und
t hey rem ain within nn Kt' or be 110 Illled
with sorrow lind sy m pa t hy that t hl;"y s it
dow n to cry for th t' vision for 11 20
rounds.
Aftl' r 13 rounds of mU>lO ing a nd cry ,
inW", Ihl" individu al phantom l'l\'('1I ht'Kin
to urteck wit h their lIpt>Ct ral s word"
mllin talO inl{ their a wful lA'lIili nK all the
while. They lirllt t> nKaW"I' ehe rec te re
unaffect ed by thlir mallieal moa ni ntl' _
Ea ch phan to m of t he vision must
remalO wuhin e 5QO'lIqua(efoot art'a on
t hl' fon'lIl floor be nea t h t he fil anndyl
eettlement , wu hin thill (l"lItrict E'd a n 'a,
howeve r, the pha nt om elvea may mo ve
at t he ra te of 40' per roun d.
n ll nltl ~e d cn e aW"ai n!lt individ ua l
phantnm.'l ill cou nted 8Kllin llt t he hupoint tot a l of thl' e nti re vis ion . ThU ll,
whl'n a tota l or 72 h p dama joit' ill in
flict E'd allainllt t ht' \'ariou!!lIpt>Ctra l
( ' 1\' ( ' 11, t h( \'illion ill dl' llt rO)'t-d a nd
va nillhl'lI.
Should a PC cit-ric UI'I'a . /NoJt 1I' l t h
\ ' 11.

Vj llloo: ,\C 0 ; lID 12 - . hp 72 . ~1\'

__ below; 'AT 6 ~ word 'l plu s special:
Offill: ' 8 each ; S!l\"P C12; ~I L 12; AL C:
C D/35. Villinn.. l i n" im mune to a ll
charm , ho ld , and fTl M '1r"'l\lI and ca n ht
hit only b)' maKlnl weapons. In nddl '
li on. 8. " il ion ill Tl'liilltant 10 clenc Turning; A " 0 " Tt'II U It i ll handled normally,

but a "T" result

inKThro.....

/{ivl'1l

t hl' vision

II S II\"

Spd lll. If Ih i!!Sa\'IOlC

Throw ill IIUC(I Il....(UI. I h. Turn iii n '
n1.l:'d back u pon ttlt' dNIC. ....hu mUl'l
\ ' 11.

then makt' hIli own S/t\'inK Thro....

Spt'lla or bt- pa ra l)'zt"d with
rou ndt.

fl'ltr

\ ' 11.

("r 2 12

24 Issue No, 21

~ orm ll l w yrd" 15 r. A C~ ; liD" "; hp

24 tF ad ali. 23 IDe....ryrn l. 20 ' Gllldial. 19
I [k' z)d l, 1 3 1 ~ 1 :; rA I; ~f\' 120 "C-lO'1; ' AT 2

.:]o ....inlf 1I Ilh t'ft>!I; l )m lt 1-6 ..Itch CI d6 + 3

s-uch

Il ltl ll n'l l e h'('1I1; Save

c; CC.R9

f4 : ~ I L 12; AI.

S llrmlil w)'rd ll a r(' Turnt-d a ll

wflllth!'l Theu- tw o ~Iowi nl': spheres ca n
1M;' used R!! melee .... tollpon!! or hurb-d a!!
rnissilee t ra n ~e!! 30 60 '90 1, Wh to nt" 'l' r a
sphe-re ill used up, II rl"pIIlCII"ml'nt immedia tt>ly a l'Jll'a rll in tht, W) 'rd ' lI hand .
If t ht' P'C!! im nwd iut('I)' atl/lr k or t ry
10 Turn t hl' .w.' undl'lId mon llh t8, Hllow
thtom to do 110 for om' rou nd Ift hl')"
ht',;itatt> or f~lIl to dl,"t ro)" or Tu rn th p

THE BANE OF ElFSWOQD

morl6tt'rs s pe ll on th.. vision or wyrd s,

ecme important inrormeuon may be

gained. To help th e D~I in an s.....ermg

any IlpeOIt. with mon ster spe ll qu estions,
t he follow ing is what the now-undead
elv es e xperienced during their fat al
en counter with the odi c.

IRKTHORN'S HUT
Area 2

I I'lqUHre S'

The stx elves in th e vision !Dru ids's

brothe r Stlvyr, sis ter Rcse petyl, nnd
cousi ns Amberlok. GlifIbrook . Red lyf
a nd S nowbo ugh t were all killed b)' the
odic's en ergy drain. They ca n recal l that
a lIt ra nge purple light beg an to rad ia te
from the great tree in wh ich " Iyrdelor

ou t 8 cry that the IW."UIe ment was u nde r

a ttack, and all t he Glanadyl s rushed to

the alert. As the six elves (now of tb e

N
I

--

[JJ

A
I

[9

vO

Glan adyl's home was built . Myrdelor 1t'1

vision ) prepared to do battle, they s ud denly felt compel led to ente r the area of
purple light lIurTOu nd ing the tree .
Therein they slowly per ished.
Usinll: a Itpt'Wt with m on sters spell on
the w)'rds (formerly Druids's au nt Dewfyrn, and cou sins Fadil , Gladia . Deeyl .
and Myra l y ields onl y v a gu e informa tion . Ea ch of these elves he ard a com moti on in the se ttle me nt . we nt cuts tde
to in.....s uga te, aaw some st ra nge lights,
and suddenly died (vict im ized by the
odi c's {inRf'r of droth power ). In their
undead exi stence. these elves ca n reme mbe r bl'i ng ordered to gu a rd t he
se tt lement from the living, but t hey are
not certain wh o or wh at gave tnis
com mand .
If the wy rd s are defeated in suc h a
wa)' that the eorpees of the el ves remai n. a PC cler ic could use a Itpro Jc u'l,h
tI" dead s pe ll to obta in the above information. This ia not a n option for the
el v es of the v iaion, ho we vee: t heir
bod ies were bu rned by the od ic's greeter
wyrd serva nts as a n olTerinK" to t he
powers of the Sphere of Entrop y, a nd
their allhes were spread out around the
se ttle me nt . All a fina l gin to the llpir it
of Ir kt horn Balin, the Immort al s of
En tropy ret u rn ed the souls of the elve s
i n the for m of a viaion to guard the
loca t ion of the odi c's tri umph.
If the Pes don 't use a , pt'olf u,ith mo,, '
sters, ro m m u" e. or contact outer pia"..
spe ll he re. 80 much the better, Thill
ad v e nture depe nd e in part on t he mystery a nd da nge r pr ese nted by a n unkn own ent ity ca pable of killing on s uch
a large scale. Whe n the edventurees
ex plore t he wilda of Elfawood, they a re
lik ely to find clues that poi nt to a n odic
88 the cu lprit . Even if the Pell don 't
piece all the dues together, t hey'lI run

L-

i nto th e odic event ual ly, a nd ull their

questions will he a ns we red.
The wyrds and the vis ion hav e no
t reasure. a lt houg h the elven tree -homes
contai n a bout 5.000 KP in norma l hou se
hold items a nd 12.750 gp in wl'lIconcealed coi n a nd je welry IIta8 ht'll, Of
course. it would he in bad tallte for t he
Pes to loot the es ta te of Druids's recently lliai n fa mily. Howe ver, th e t ree hornell do conta in food {both nor ma l a nd
iron rations I and other normal item s
tsuch as rope. la nt erns. lima II mirrors ,
e te.t that Druida will all o w the e d ventu rers to take. if needed.
2, Ir kt ho rn's If ut.
A large wooden shac k sta nds be .
neath th e trees before yo u. A cold,
gusty breeze M'nd!l dozl;" ns of lea ves
fa llinK from th e br anches abo ve. but
t hill is the only lli..m of mevement in
t he wh ole a rea; the place a ppea rs to
be deserted. A closer ins pect ion re veale that the bu ilding has no win de w 11 a nd only a si ngle door on itll
weetem aide . A stone chi m ney c1 imbll
th e outer wall and con t inUE'll to all-

0
[!]

cend several fl"lt a bove the roonop,

Beh ind th e !Ihac k rune a s par kling
cle a r st re a m.
2A, M a i n Room.
This room conta ins a cluttered :\11'
eonment of wooden cha ift' and te blell, 0 bookcase with a fe w mUllty
\'ol umell. and a variety of wUULIt"u
ca n 'inKs, A st urdy sto ne hearth
ge pea a t you from th e nor t ht' allt
corner. An other door open s to the
so ut heast .
The on ly thing of value here ill t he
du st -cover ed collect ion of tiny w code n
fore st a nima ls ar ranged on a s hel f
a bove t he fireplace. Ir kthorn carved
these him self dur ing hill happy ear ly
yea rs all a druid . Th e coiled ion is worth
100 K"P.

28 . Irkth orn's Bedroom.

The floor boards cree k all ) 'OU enter
thill dark roo m . Against th e bllck
wall rt' lillI a dinlO' bed . a nd a n ope n
.....a rd robe lIit8 in tht' northwest cor

DUNGEON

25

THE BANE OF ELFSWOOD

ner, A filt hy bran kin ruK Ii~ a t t h..

foot of thto bed. Th .. r ..' not hinll: else
of int er t h..re , but a fa int, sie kening .~1I of rot ean be detected

Th e wardrobe ronta inll the rem na nts

oC l rkthom'. clothing, mwtl)' mot h
eat en old robt-A a nd tbe liat>, If d t'a ntod.
th.. bran k in ru l{ ill wort h 250 loW. It
concul. a trapdoor lea dinll' to th.. cella r.
2C. Ct'lla r Shrinl;',
Th E' overwhel m ing s te nch of dec a ying fles h wafill u p from th e d llrkm'!111
belew a ll you open t he trapd oor. Dt
IICt'nd inK a II ma ll la dder, yo u lin d
you f ll('l\'t'1l in II tiny lIhr int" probably
dedicated to some ev il t'nt ityju dging from t he ma n)' IIkullll, boOt' II,
and foot lall lll a lu t>S of mo nlliroull
brinp lIitti hlit on a ma kf1lhin al ta r to
the Wt'lIt. LyinJl: fare-dO'l,,'n brfnT" t hill
alta r i. lh. hudd lt"d (orm of. man
wr arin l{ . black robte-. Reyond t h('
rnotionl nll figu re. a !Ima ll woode n
chHt rHta i n t he IIh. do,It... .
~ blal"lr.rohPd ligurP o n Ih .. ntvlT I"
tM body of Ir kt hor n Ba lin . CI()!i('r t> .
a milUiti on of tht' dt"COm pollinl: C'OrpM'
l"t'W'a l. t ha t t ht> c1t>ric hat! bc-c-n dt' Rd fOt'"
abou t a mont h : t ht'rt' fore. hi . dt' a th
prraodrd t he a t tac k upon Elr,....ood by
fMOa rly tw o ....t't"k8.
Sh ou ld a PC dt' ric u ~ a
I(/,Ia
tla, dNd fl pt'll on t ht> col"p!W. t ht>rl" wi ll
be no N'lIu lt a t all! Irkthorn 'll body ill
ml"rPly hi ll t'a rt hly rl"ma ln s; his flpid t
a nd pnst kn owltod /{t' (ellpt"Cia lly hi ll bit
te r mt'mori t'll oftht" Gianad yl lil hav t>
n~ h ill mortal body a nd now rts id. i n
the odic .
All is obvi ou. from tht> a ppt'arll nct> of
th e a ltar. Ir kthor n tum t"d a wa y from
th .. u-aching5 of th t> druidll a nd tom
bracN th t' wa y. of E,il. wOMih ipin~
Iklme fou l . ho-Im ow ....hat from t hf'
Spht'1"t' of Ent ropy. Tht>rP i. noth i n~
markal or dolmgefOull on t h.. a ltar_
Tht' flmall cht'st in t ht> corrtt>r i.
1000ked . a nd t h.. key is no.. ht>rt' to ht'
found. It contai ru a ma- a nd a boo k.
both of wh ich dt'tl"ct u evil .
Tht' weapon i. a ma ~ca l mlUY +2. + 6
,... . Lo u'flll d,rin. Th e mare f1hlJC k, for
1-6 hI' da ma gt' a ny La....f ul creat urP ....ho
\(!uch... it . lf he-Id by a La....f ul d f'ric.
howt'vt'r. it inn icts 2 12 hI' da ma~e- upon
ill wieldt' r eac h rou nd. a nd the ofTtnd
ing c1,ric mu st mak .. a SavinI{ Throw

./WO"

26 Issue No. 21

\ ' 11. S pelle t wu h a - .. pt'nalty l a t t he e nd

of t'ach round he ft' mairu in con tact
....it h the msce or be u na ble to N'11"B.<i;(' it
Ithull takin g .till lTlOrP dama ltt> \.
The to me. e nu rled Th, .'itTr" . of
E rI,rop:r. is ....-rtn en in a flt ra nl{t> rode
a nd ca nnot be deciphered. even wit h a
reed lariRullI(f'lI or read maR/' spell.
Th ose intere sted in d ilOCO\'t'rin l{ suc h
secrete mu"t li MIt rl"lW.arch a fl pl.ocial
s pel l e nabl ing the m to read rh e book.
Su c h a volu me ehould. of course. he
destroyed by a Lawful pa rt y.
Before It'a \'ing th is area , Or uida ins ists on K"'in lC t ht ex-druid's body a
prope r buria l.

3. SaR:t"ha rk'" Woo d .

This particular lIr e 1I of Elf" w ood

~ mll .."pecia lly btoa uuful a nd
cht't"ry d t'!lpit.. t h. com in" of .... inl e r.
The- bn-eae he re lIl... me mort> j((' ntle
a nd 1t"Mcold. and t h.. dl'ad I..a \ell
!It'em to neat. not fa ll. fro m t h... t rt't'toP'!. A ft'_ birds chi rp out m.. rril)
o \t>r h..ad .
" Excu St' me : ' plpt'1l a lIOn. m u ,i~a l
voi- fro m tht> mid!lo t of yo ur KroUp.
Afl)'ou gla net' about wild ly to find
th...spt'ak('r, the VOIet' ad d~. "Oh, I' m
IiOrry~" S udd t'nl y. a foot LaIl .....i nb't'd
cr t"a t ure- look inJO: IOm" .' ha t lik e a n
('If- bli nks in\(! \il".... btofort> you.
''I'm Gli tt t"r: ' th.. tTt'a t ur.. a n
noun"lI.. " Are )ou lIt ro n j(. kind, a nd
\ ' l'ry roura':l"Oull? If 110. my wiM'
fri end Sa':t'ba rk wou ld lik.. to Ilpl.ok
wit h )ou. Follow m.,!"
Ift h.. pc. follow Glitt('r, th. pixi e
lelldll t h.. m to Sallltrnlrk , An old tr...a nt .
Th l" lIma ll crt'a t urt' Ie-ad" you to a
la rge m-.4<unrt'd Ir .....- a tr_ t hat
Iluddt' nl)' turnll a round to fRce you!
Certa in ly. thill ca n only bto a fabled
t noant . All Ih.. to.....er ing cnoatuno
t urns it." attention tow a rd you r
group. it emits a lou d . rum bling
" Ah.. m ~ " that Ilha kt"1l ita .....holt> body.
ca u!!in" a few l..a \t'1l to fa ll . Gest ur
ing to. ard a ba rren ~pot on to p of its
ot ht>rw i!lt" It'afy ht'ad. tht> tre-lint
comm...nt. in t ht' . Iow, dt'li bC'ra lt'
ton to common to illl kind . " I t(' nd to
bald a bit ' ro u nd th i, tim... of yea r.
But t" nou~h about m)!It.'If: Tht>
t rea nt points a branchli k... li njl;l" r
to....a rd a fall en tn~ tru nk n..a r b)'
a nd 118U. " PI" III1l. s It do..... n. my
fri .. nd~. Wt' ha ve mu' h to dillCuu .'

Sa':t>ba rk ha " dwelt in the fOrt'St of

Elfs weed (or M'\t'ra l cent urjee a nd hall
It'arrwd muc h about illl inhabi ta nlll
d urin l( this um e. Firet. tht' t reant ofTt'MI
hi . cnndolrflC('ll to Druida for the Ira J{'
edy a t he r homestead , fie abo ha" 100m..
good ne .... for t he ..If ma iden. fl i. forellt
anima l (nendll hav e rece ntfy IlC't'n he r
brot ht',. fi yl." a nd ~Iyrk a l a nd ht'r
lIillh r-in-la w, Chryll8 nt ha. alive in t he
fore t.
A lt hou ~ h Sal:t"hark ca nnot tell t h.,
PC l t'xHct ly .....hat ill be hi nd t he G1Hna
dyl t ro.:tody, he ca n provide IIO mt" helpful
eluea. U nullual th inl(1I have ht'!'n hilI"
pt'ninl: in lhl' for" lIt re('('nt l)', th. t r eant
cla im!!. lI ill l:oud Irien d. the drynd
S ha ldll. lIimpl)' di sappea red oho ut II
. '('(Ok a.:o_Upon fu rt her i n\e!lti .:a tio n.
Sa .:..tmrk d isceve red t ha t t ht> dryad 'M
t ree had d ied e ve n thou lCh it .....a ' fa irl y
yo u n.: a nd e ppeaeed to be hl'alth)'. Gli t
te r ca n lead t h e PC. to th e dl')ad '. tft"t"
la n.-a " ' If th..v !lO dM'ir ...
Th e' old trt'~ nt all'O wa rns thto adnn
t u""" t hat hill fo~t fri ..nd ll ha \'" rt>portPd !It''t'i n~ fltra n~ Iil{ht.lhrou.:h t h.
tn at ni.: ht. a nd ot-. ,t"!l a nd t rolill ha \'e
bo. n mort" common in tht> a rt>a in th..
lallt ft'w )t'an. IAlt houl:h thl" odi C III nol.
rt'tlpon iblt' for the' rt"C"t' nt in fl u x of hu
ma no id mo n tel'll i nto t h... area. it ill
rt.,pon ible for tht> Ilt ra nl:t> Ii ~ht ll . ,
Gli tte r ha a plere of ad Vice for t he
ad \entu""MI. too. " Kl"t'p an .. ~.... ou t for
Old ~f a n Hood: ' hl." Ilqut"akll. " 11"'11 a
pixit> lik( me. o nly h(,'fI a "'''t' ot ma.:ic
u ~'r .....ho wea n a hoodPd roht. a nd t ra Y
('I. throu.:hout t h(' for(,!It . If a n)'om'
knowII " 'h llt 'fI /oluing o n in Elfflwood , It'll
Old Ma n ll ood ~ The- prublem ill, you
don 't find Old ~I a n Huod - he lindll )'ou!
\\'e hO\'('n't !It'!' O him in o\t'r a mo nt h ."
Glitt .. r Ipixi.. ): AC 3; UO 1-": hI' 7;
M\' 90 '130'1. fiyi n" 180'160 '1; 'AT 1
dlllt.:cr; Om j( 1-1: Snvt> t:J; ~II. 7: Al. :'oI :

8 0 '35.
S aR:..h a rk It ",,a nt l: AC 2; 11 0 8- ; hI'
44 : M\' 60 '120 '1; 'AT 2 branch es; Om g
212.212; San F8; ~1 L 9; AL L: S A
alllmat, trtv'. ; E ft'56. If tht> odic I;"\..r
IIt't tl t'1l into t h ill hn for t hl" n i ~h t . it
~~ and kill Sa/l:..ba rk .
... T h " I>ryad. Tomb. Unlt"M th..
PC . a no acco mpa nitod b)' GliUt'r u h..
pi xie from a rpa 3 1. the)' will not flOd t he
dryad 'fI tr~. GIiUt'r. ho ....e \e r. ca n ..aflil)
poin t out t h.. dryad'. home .
Th t' d ry ad '" tn't" look s no d ifTtrtn l
from t ht' ol h..,s in th p furt"t . II ifl d('ad .
ho.....eY(" r. killed by t he odi c ..... h...n t h.'

THE BANE OF ElFSWOOD

spiri t ~ it . The dry ad Shalda

w all inside hf'f tree ..... hen t he odic
atruck , and when her tree died . she d ied
with it . Should II PC eleri e be 80 imagi rU!lt i \' l" U te u ... a ,pnJ1t wilh tll r drill!
1I ~ 1I o n t he tree, he will be abl e to een tact th e deeeaeed dryad'. Rpir it within
it . Unfort u na tely. Shalda ca n gi "f' lt nfe
information abo ut her deat h. She enu-red her tree for the- n ight ; abou t a n
hour la ter, her tree l udden ly perished
a nd ehe died wit h it .
~. Dud TroIlIJ. Although thi.
encou nte r il mar ked in th ree places on
t he map. it mou ld occur on ly once.
A. t he PC, are t ra veli n" t hrough
EIr.wood. th e)' come ftC'roM three huge.

u n m ov ing fiKUrell. ly in lC on the (on ' lIt

floor before them. Th ese a re t he bod ies

of three dead t roll. , the viclinu of II

lIurp riw encoun te r wit h lht' odic.
It i. u nlikely that a ny of the PC. hall
ever see n II dea d troll before . Adventurt>rll are usua lly in the habit uf bu r ni ng
troll. to u hes whe ne" er t hey encounter
them. Inquir ing min ds m ight want to
UM" 1l ' pnJJt. u'lth th~ dead or ("Om m u n~
spell to learn how t he t rolls WE'~ kill ed
in such a clee n a nd II pparen t ly easy
man ner,
Eac h troll wu k illed by a differen t
typE' of t he odic's attack fornu. One wa l
char mrd a nd died from the odic 's e ne rgy
dra in . Anoth er was elein by the spir it 'l
dead ly poison ous to uch. Th e th ird fell
vict im to a fingrr of d fflth 1IpE'1i. lf a
cleric UIIH a IPftJk u,ith ,hr drad spE'1I
on any of the troll. , eac h monstE'r ca n
rE'late that, du ring the group's nightly
huntin j{ tri p, th ey ee tne actoN a rree
thll t burnt>d wit h a fifOrce purple ligh t .
Each troll ca n allO gi VE'. vague deacr ip'
t ion oft he ma n ner in whkh it died
shortly thE're aftt'r.
6, Ogre L)'nchlng, Although marked
in thrH' locations on the map, this
E'ncou nte r ea n ottOr only once.
A str a nge howli ng bellow cornea from
the woods ht'for e you. It so unds like
the cry of lOme la rge cr E'a tu.... in
diat..... .

tr the PCs in velltigate in a quiet , ea u ,

tious m a nner, they will be ab le to II py on
the prO't'dinp deta iled btolow wit hout
btoing sight.-d by thE' ogrE'S, In this calle,
rE'ad both of the boxf'd palINg" below to
t he players . If the PCa race in the ditf!'Cti on of the cr il'!1 wit h reck lul abandon ,

however, reed only the fintlJl."Ction of

boxed text- and let the battle begi n!
Mill ing abo ut in a Ima ll dE'ari ng
before you arE' abo ut t ...-e dceen 9 '
tall, ug ly. ha iry, bru ti sh hu ma noids .
One of the ir number has his ha ndl
bou nd behind his back wit h stou t
vines. AI th is ca pti ve whin es a nd
tri es in vain to bre ak Iree, a nother
monst er cuua lly tosMos the end of a
th k lr. rope over a Itro ng rree limb 15'
above the (orest floor. ApparE'nt ly a n
e xec ut ion il abo ut to ta ke place.
If t hE' party has not bee e dE'tf'Ctf'd,
read t he following as well .
AI you watch , the ca pt ive is draggf'd
before the larges t of the KTOUp, a
huge, mE'llnlooking brute who il
apparent ly the leadE'r of t he ba nd .
Th is eree ture Ilpitl a Itri nRof harsh
grunts a nd ene rl e a t the prisoner,
who reepc nds ...ith a lIer ies of fright .
ened 'olohines . The lead er shakes his
head and eummona fou r of his bu rl y
(rien ds, who ro ughly gr l b the wh im pering ca pti ve a nd lead h im to ward
the wa iting n<JOSe,
Any PC u ncout h enouKh to ha ve bee n
llChoolrd in t he vu lgar ogre tongue will
be able to u ndE'n1tand what has bee n
lIlid dur ing the preeeedin ga. Th e la rge
ogre IKlamur) hall eeeueed the prisoner
IMas htoe )o ( havi ng cc mrmtted a n /lct of
gr eat cow.rdice . Mu htoe 's wh ining
response is trBru la tf'd , .. It was the Purple Death ... no cha nce , , , had to nee .
Please l pa rt' me :'
U nlE'lUI t he PCs intervene, MashtoE'
will be man::ht'd 1(1 t he noose a nd
promptly h. nged. OnC'e t he elleeu tio n il
fini shed, the ogre band le.v.... If .ttackt'd , howeve r. t hE' OKTE'S fight back
fif!n::ely.
Ogn's (241: AC 5; HD 4 + I ; hp 29
(Klamor. the leaderl, 27 ( )( 21, 25 ( )(3 1,
24 1)(3). 22 1)(6 ). 20 ( )(5 ), 19 ()(2 ), 17.
l 5; ~tV 9O'{3O'r, 'AT 1 huge club; Dmg
by weapo n type + 2; Save F4 ; ~t L 10;
AL C; BDf35 . OKTl'8 g('t a +2 bonu s to
all dam age rolls due to their gr ea t
strengt h . Each ogr e ca rries II sma ll lack
contai ni ng 20-80 gpo
Ma htoe (o({re): AC 9 ; hp 22; , AT 1
fillt ; Dmg 1-4 + 2: ML 3; other statist ics
as abovf! .
If thE' PCs inte rrupt the nec:utio n a nd
rt'tICue Muhtoe , t he ogn hf'p them 1(1
re le..... him . If fr~ , Mal htoP ...; 11 not

attack the adven ture" : hi. only wish il

to get aWly. I ( qu estioned, Mashtoe ca n
relat e his story to t he PCI.
A few nigh ta all'O Mas htoe'. patrol,
whi eh ind udl"d Kla mor'lI son. u rne
a(TOM I tree ba thed in a bright purple
light . Sudde nly, the t ree began Iwing,
inKa bra nch at the patrol mem be rs , end
soon most of the 0W"t'I lind ud ine t he
leader 's eont were kill t"Ci. ~f uhtoe ra n
(or hi. life. \\-'hen he eejci eed th e ma in
ba nd a nd releted hi tory 1(1 the lea der,
Klamor did not belieVE! him. ~t..btoe
wa ll aecused of btoing a ro wa rd and
Ihort ly therea fter, Klamor . nnounced
that ~I ash tot' would be e xecuted.
If the PC. art' late in coming 1(1
~ u h tot" s re scu e or si mply approa ch hia
hangin Kbody aftil'r the ogre band haa
left , th ey ca n gai n the above inform a
tion through a ' /WfJ1r u,lth thr dnul
spell .

The Flnel Ocnucntcucn

Th f' d imax of th ill mod ule comes whe n
t he PCs fina lly meet up with t heir elu.
eive foe, the odic. Th e ga me stati atica
for t his undead horror a nd a dellCript ion
of the PC'I encounte r wit h it are previded below.
Odie Ispirit of Ir kt hom Ba linr. AC
- 4; HD 16....; hp 96; MV 0 (_ below l; 'AT I bra nch or spell 1_ below);
Dmg 112 plus poiso n; Sa ve FI6; ML 12;
AL C: C Df37.
An odic-also known as Treebane,
Elfslayer, Fore st Sp iri t, Purple Death,
a nd Bea con of ne.th- is type of spi ri t ,
a n evil entity that pouE'ues the body
lor body pa rt s ) of ot hers. An odic i.
difft'rE' nt from othe r IIpir ita in that it
poAM'$lIe's only pla nte a nd pla ntHke
mOMt enl. It ia undead a nd u such is
im mu ne to mind .afTm ing lpells (such
as ,/rrp, char m , and hoJd), as wf'1I .. a ll
poilOn. and normal ga!It'A.
Th e odic ha l ma ny othE'r speci. 1de
fenM's . nd at tac k for mtl. It i. immu ne to
spE'lI. belo w 4t h le" el and ca nnot be
harmed by a ny weapon of lelll th.n
+ 2 E'nh ance mf!nt. It can lIen8El a ny
invisible cre at ures that . pproa ch it ,
Th e odic'. mere prellot" nce il da ngt'rou. ,
alJ it ca n spoil a ll conl uma bl. itemll
within 30' (ind uding food, wat~ r, holy
watt' r, a nd ma gical pot ionlii. Such ite ms
are a uto mat ically ru inf'd (no Saving
Th row ) bu t a~ not ma de poi50noua. Th e
odic'l prelM.'nc~ a llO para l)'U's allli ving
pla ntl and inM'rt8 with in th i. " f'a,
kill ing thf'm ifthe spiri t re mainll in one

DUNGEON

27

THE BANEOF ELFSWOOD

place for

mort'

t han a n hour. A

ff'IIU It

of this powe r, a ny form 01' plan t cont rol

01" iM1 llwa rrn i. ineffecnve.
During the dayli gh t hounr.. the- odiC i .
PO.. rl~ a nd invi.ible. lra velinl{ u p to
24 mil" in Ilf'a rc h of new victim . At
nigbt.tht' odic lIeules into . plant. poll_ i ng it a nd killing it immediately.
Onee ""t1t'd for t he eveni ng . t he s pir it
u nnot move ag a in un til daw n .
Wht'n th e odic JlON'E'~lI a plan t . it
ra d ia"". a at ra nge purp le lig ht i n a 20 '

rad iu. aroun d itM'U. Any living erea t ure f'ntt' ri nR' thill light muat ma ke 8
SaviOR Th row VI . Spel ls or lIu ff.f R o ne level e nergy drai n (a ll if !IIruck by II
wJg hU. Demi-hu ma ns wit h an Atta ck
Ran k are afTmN difTt'rf"nt l)' by energy
dra ine.IOfIin K' 101,000 to 120,000 xp pe r
" level" drained. A new Sa ving Throw
mu at be mad e each rou nd a n indi vidua l
i. within t he light.
Th e odic ca n &end ou t u p to lIix sma ll
portions ol tM plant lu sua lly lE'av H lto
,",II. out potE'ntial rictifJUl. Tb ese Ieu"
can noat up to a mile fro m the od ic at
the' rat E' of 30' Pf>r rou nd. atta cki n.: a n)'
Cl"t'lItUre- tMy mt'e't u " UD monst e,..
and gai ninl( I Urpr1!lt' 9O'i ort hE' t imE'.
Anyone loUcht'd by a lraf ta k" no dam
a~ but mWlt ma kE' a SavinI( Thro'" \ ' 1 .
SPf>UI or bf' cllarmHJ. Cllorm HJ \ict im.
are- dr awn to the odiCa nd l ufTE'r - 4
Pf>naltin to th e'ir Savi ng Throwa when
t hey enlE'r Ih... purple light s urrou ndi nK
thE' spirit . Such unfortunatt>lI al llO r...
main in the light un t ilt h...y art' forci bly
re movt'd from t he area , h a\... the odic 'a
charm neg ated lby a dl llINI mOllu' lII pdl
or anot h...r lI uttt'lI.~fu l charm!. or dip
from t he ",nt'rgy drain.
The odic ca n alllO use e it he r a phyllica l
attack or a 1Pf>1I.li ke power lb ut not
both) !Pilch rou nd . Ita ph ylllica l a ttack ia
II blow from part oftht' polllW"lI.~ pla nt.
Uluall y a branc h or vin e 1030 ' long.
Anyone hit takel ) 12 hp da mage a nd
mUit ma ke a Saving Throw va. PoillOn
or die immed iately, struck down by t he
spiri t'l deadl y poilOnou s touch.
IMtead of attack ing " 'it h itl po5N'Ul'd
body, th e' od ic ma y cbooM- to U!lt' a ny of
the followin g 1Pf>1I.like t'fTt'd-a: dor lr
llna. .ikll~ 15 ' radiu s. C'Guu dl'~.
Olltl'rWt, d#'Od, or fing, r of droth . Th_
ca n bf' uM'd at " 'iII- up to Oncf'
per round. requiri ng only the odic'.
COrlC'entrat ion - and a..... t re at t'd a. if cast
by a )6thlev...1 clrric ,
1beo ollimote drod powr r of t hE' pa rtic.
ular odic in t hi s advent ure- is un iq u....
8aUllol! Ir kthorn Balin Ma mc a n odic

POW""

28 I$$U9 No. 21

due to hitl int...n.... hatred of thl.' Glana

dyls. h is Olilmat.. dead ability afTt"ct.
only elve . Th e t wist ed po,,'en of the
SpheN' of Entropy hu e' Kl'antll'd
Irkthorn'l t1 pirlt thl' powt'r to ollimot..
the' d...ad bodies of ...lvee into wyrds 1_
t he Cff'atllTf' Cot aloR" t'. pa.:: e ~9 1. 0.-ceased elves or level 17 a r... transformed into norm a l W) rd. , " 'hi ll" thOM'
of 11"\'l"11 8 10 beeo me KJ'f'at...r wyrd ,
Four greeter wyrdll-fnrmt'rly
Oru ida 'i fa lht'r 1 ~l y rd t"l orl. mothe r
lCall8m ira l, un cle tBra ndylor), a nd
brot her IGre nlyf\- attompnn) the od ic
1111 it move s th rou gh Elflwood . They fly
aile nt ty in t he aha de wa oft he rrece
behind their in\'ilibll" ma ster. foll ow in ~
ita t ...lepeth ic co mme nds . T he se wyr ds
are tota lly unde r t he IIpiri t's contro l.
Gn-at... r wyrd!t14 t: AC 0; 11 0 8 - - - ;
hp 56 1 ~tyrdelor l, 50 IBra ndJ lor), 46
(Grenl)'O, 40 lCasa mirat: ~I \' 120 '140' .,
n y ing 240'180 ' 1;. ' AT 2I1ph ere II; Omg 1
10;1)0 plu!t pa ra lysis, Id l O + S each
a gai nst r h'" t no pa ra lysil t; San F.8 ;
ML )2: AL C; CCJ89.
These " ')'rds are the undeed spirits of
Dru ida's family ml"mlx-rs. rt't urnt'd to
th..ir dead badin to do th e biddi ng of
t he odic. Th E'J ha\'1" lIuch a frilthtful
a ppea raRCf' that a nyo nr vir" 'in g t hl"m
must mak l" a Sa \'i nlt Throw \'1. Spelll or
t1u fTl'r a - 3 pen alt y to hit a nd d8magl"
rolll " 'hill' fighllnK Ihe crt'at ur"'lI.
Thl"M" u ndt'ad horron a llack u in!<:
two glowi ng grt'C'n I phe re" flf l"nf'rgy
Iha l a ppea r in t hl' ir ha ndll. ThC)' ca n
U M-' th t'St' Ilphert'll in mt'll't"ur ca n th row
thl'm as m iN ilt'1 (ra n!:l' 3060,'901. Whl'n
a t;phl' re IIt rikt>" a tarJiwt it I"xplodel!l,
inflict ing 110 hp dama j(l' an d pura lyz.
ing t he victim for 2 8 t urnll u nll'S.'I a
lluttl"lI.'1 ful Savin g Throw VI. ParalYl i!l is
mad .... Elvl"l hit by . uc h a n a tt ack l ufT...r
a n additional 5 hp da ma ltl' but arl" im
munl' to t he paral yzinK I"fTect . A new
IIphe re auto maticall)' a ppean in t hl"
w)'rd 'l hand " 'hen onl" il ullt'd.
Great...r w)'rd ca n be truck onl)' by
I ilvl"r or mai:lc al ,,'r a pon ll. StoinK un
dr ad, the') ' a N' immune' to " ....p , r;J! arm,
a nd J!olJ ~pell" al " ell atl poi!iOn!l a nd
!<:8Sf'5, Cleria, ca n Turn lO'ea ter " yrd
all ph anto mll.
ThE' Odic'lI Atta c k
OIlCf' the odic finds t he' PC it followlI
t h...m throuKh thl" forl"st . Wh...n t hl"
part) set. up cam p for t hl' niKht .l he
odic po!lSt'lilleS a tn ot' withi n a mile of its
prey a nd lx-i:lnl its inliid ioull attack . It

iO("nd out Ii. ani m a t..d It' a \t'lIIAC - 4;

attack all 4110 mon sters; h p 1 eac h; ~tV
30' ; SA charm. t hat blow into t he PC"
ca mp wit h a hOOlt of nor ma l le evea. Each
Ieaf swir ls arou nd a PC , Kt'ltinl{ two
chance to tou ch itll intended victi ms . A
cha ract er und('r a ttack h al only II 10'1
cha net' of nOllClnK that t he wlr h nlt
lee vee see rn to hav e mind s of their own .
If tht' leaves fa il to tou ch anyone du rin g
t hill a ttack, th e) blow out flf ca mp a nd
the odic tr tes t he 88m", tact ic on t ht,
fflllowin/.: niKhl.
ThOM' who SUCCl"llSfull )' make th eir
Sa vinI{ Throws a!<:a inllt t he lea ves'
rha rm pe lls realize thai t hey hlu t, j us t
been n uacke d by so me IIOrt of mi nd.
afTt'Cti ng " pelJ, thou gh t he y probab ly
\Io'on 't know whe re it or igin atl'd.
E\'l"ntuall y, th e PCs l hou ld mf't"t t he
od ic Iace-te-fa ce . If one for more t er t he
rei is rha rm,J b)' t he od le'l r re a cheroua lea ves. he wil! le ad t he pa rty to the
pir it . Any PC who wal'! chtJrm,J but
ha ll had t ht' t'fTt"ct dis pel led can still
point hi. frif' ndll in t he Itl"nl"ral direct ion of thl" odic . In a ddi t ion. the lU"'atl' r
..yrd. ca n lure the PCs to"'a ni thl" final
confro ntat ion by ca ll ing Druida 'i nam t'
or fl"l5n11R1( er us of di t "-'N. Shoul d all
t hE'!lt' ml"thod fail , thE' O ~I ca n limply
ha \'e' t he odic " 'hClOl'h into thl" pc,,'
camp one nil't"ht IWlt h the /.:rea tl"r \Io')'rdl
e101lt' bt'h ind l. ~ a tnoe. a nd haul...
tht, ad\...ntu rer to the d...a lh .
Ro"('lluM" t he odic can IIl'n!O(" in\'illlb il"
objl"('tll. Iht' PCs will han 4 \ ' (O ry dim
eu lt t ime t1 u rpr i~i n .: it . Bt'fort> killin.:
thl' ad\'c ntu nou , the odic wa nUl thl'm 10
k now eltlletly whPl thl'y'n' u p Ill{a inllt :
Ihl' \t'n':l'ful spiri t of Ir kthnrn Ha lin .
Th l" following boxt"d lex l dl"l'Crih!'!1 what
thl' PCI ' l'ncou nt...r with the IIpi rit
mi.::ht ht' like , A. a lwa ys, thl" [) ~I ca n
mod ify thl" tnt dl"pend in!: nn thl"
actionl of tht> PCs.
An a "l' in s pi rin~ !liKht !Ita nd" blforl"
you :./II maje!ltic oak t rff to....I"f"S
n...arl) 100 ' into th... n iltht IIky. it.
u ppe rmost bra nc hes ri l ln K hilth
abo vl" thc trl"'l'tops of it. ne iKhbon,
Thf' trt'l" ilN' lf, thou gh imprt'!WIi\e. i.
nOl " 'hat catches you r eyt'll a nd
dra " '" Ka. p!' fro m )'our mou t hs . Th l"
01111. is ",markabll" for thc inte nN'
a ura of pu rpl l" light It rad iat t'll in a
20 ' rlldi ull. Th... Iltra ngl! light dOl'!l not
rcm ind you of t he cheery glow of a
bt ui n!: hea rth; inllt...ad , it Ilt'('m,

TH EBANEOF ELFSWOOD

eontinued from pa~ 28

more like t he cold helicon of a lig ht .

hOUIIe .

Standi ng a rou nd the KTt"8t oa ktw o within t he purpli!lh glow, two

without-are four more hideous elf
th ings lik e t he o ne s that gre-eted you
a t t he Gla nadyl een je me nt . They
seem to ha ve been a wai ting you r
group a nd are qui te awa re of yo ur
a rrival. As one of the undead e lves
begins to walk Illowly forwa rd. a
sudden icy gu,t of wind R od s a
shower or leans llpirall ing to the
gro und and ca rries to you the fright.
ful voice of the ap proac h ing crea tu re .
Its word s seem to be di rected toward
Druid a .
" Our family should ha ve ]ln
Elfawood when t he drui d told us to!"
t he rotting elf-corpse calls in It raspy
voice. " Now we a re cursed to wa lk
t hese woods for eter nity! How foolish
we were to th ink we cou ld stea l
Ir kthorn'lI fOTt"lIt fro m him! Bu t now
that Ir kthorn has re t urned to ta ke
ba ck wha t is r ightfully h ill." the
undead elf hiseee, breaking into a
re pulsive dirt- a nd blood-arained gri n
as hIE' ges t ures to ward the huge oak
a nd iu fierce purple glow. "we have
ke n the lig ht ."

After the u ndead elf t ha t wall on ce

Dr u ida's fat her '-t)-rdl."1or gi\'e ll hi s
s peec h, t he odic an d illl greater wyrd
se rva nts attack .
Com b a t St r lltl"JOl"s
The finlt thing the od ic d0f.'5 when it
confro nts the PCs ill to onimat.. six more
charm ing leevee a nd Ilt'nd them al{ainllt
t he pa rt y. When ever one of the leaves is
des troyed. th e IIpi rit createll a rl.' place.
ment in t ht' follo wing round. It C8n U!le
t his power in addit ion to a regu la r at
tack (phyllica l blow or Ilpe lJ) ea ch round
bu t can nl.'\'l.'r ha ve more than six leaves
on imotrd at one ti me .
As long all a t leallt one opponl.'nt ill
wit hin 30 ' of its polISot'lIllt'd tree. Ihl' odic
can a ttack with a branc h COm!: 112
plull poillOn}a nd ..... iII do 110, lea ving ou t
of-ra nge PCII for the greah'r wyrdll a nd
onimot..d leave. to engagt'. If all PCII
attack fro m a dist a nct'. ho wP\t'r, t ht'
od ic will Ullt" its s pell likl.' powt'nt'1Ipt'Cially {inRrr of drath -again llt thl.'
IId'il.'ntu rerll . The s pir it ignore ll any
charm rd victims withi n the arl.'a of
purplt' lig ht !lurrou nding it . all owing it!l

64 Issue No. 21

continu ous e nergy dra in to leisu rely

stea l the life out of such unfortuna te
in div id uals.
Another optio n available to t he od ic is
itd epeeia l ","m al~ dead a bility . If a ny
greate r .....y rds a re defeated in combat .
the odic ca n animat,. them again (at
one-hal f their previ ou s hi t -poin t lota lsl
if their corpses a re wi thi n 60 '. Simi .
la rly. i( Druida or any PC elves a re
s lai n du ri ng t h is ha tt ie. the spmt ca n
an imal,. thei r dea d bodies all wyrd s and
send them ag a inllt their for mer fr it'ndll!
Th e s pir it is ca pable of a"imoli,,#: u p to
16 Hi t Dice of undead elves uwo greater
wyrds! per rou nd .
The odic ha ll a notht' r trick u p its
sl ee ve as ....('11. Whe n Ihl.' Il pir it's bu.
point tot a l begins to dwindle, it ca n
dir ect itll /i"gl'r of d~alh po w er against
it!lot'lf. th ull cu r i flR itself of 330 hp darnaKe las pe r t he roi, .. drod llpe ll on PHI!:('
12 o( tht' 0 & 0 P/o....~r/l Companion. Thill
option is usable on ce pe r rou nd in stead
o(an a uack.
If the od ic ill Tu rned by a etene. it ill
im med ia te ly banished to a ra ndom
loca lion }6 milt'll aw ay. O nce it reaches
its new locat ion , the spir-it possesses
a not her tree and t hen cures any damage it ha!ls uff('red at t he hands of the
PC I!. Th e following e vening it rl't urns to
t he s ite of t he previous nigh t 'li ba tt le ,
o"imati"R any e lf cor pse s it finds there ,

Th e IIpi rit then re llumt's its t irdl.' u

pa trol of Elfllw cod . kt'l'ping a sha rp
lookout for t he PCs.

Conc lud ing the Ad venture

S hould t he Pes (a il to dest roy t he od ic,
t he s pirit simply ccnunues to patrol
Elfll.....cod . Even tual ly, it kill s the rree m
Sagl'bark. Old :\!a n Hood. and cou ntless
oth er fore st creat ures. It s dead ly prese nce re ma ins in t he (ort' llt until it is
de etrcyed.
If tb e PC, s ucceed in defpa t in g t he
od ic. Dru ida im medi ately makes good
on any promises ehe'e made to them.
Unlees ehe w Illl mistreated , the elf
IIta teli that she would Klltd ly adve ntu re
wit h th e PC!I in t he futu re ,
As a potlSible further adventure,
Druid" and the ot he r s urviving elves
miKbt dec ide to repopulate the settlement of Elfswood . and a ny PC elv es
could be invited to bu ild ne.. ho mes
there or move into ('xi!lt ing enee. Such a
scena rio migh t call for a jou rney to t he
Gla nadylll' old clan o( Wh ilipering
Grove to attract new lM'u ltt!I. Th e l"Ca
may 81 110 be asked 10 obta in a IIpr ig from
the clan '5 TrPt' of life to help repel a ny
undead ma rauders that might trouble
the settlement in t he fu tu re and to
e nsure t hat II second lIuch tragedy ne ver
OCCUrll in Elfswood .
n

SOMe tlJiN(jS ane WORtlJ

tlJe w ait . .. liI{e cnno's Pla y
Thl. module I. des Igned 10 give beginning
Du ng eo n Masler. and players a chance to
learn Ihe AD&Dt game s yste m . But don't be
fooled by the tillel
High level character. and plenty 01adventure
make th is module a th rille r lor new a nd e xpe
rlenced player, a like .
Availabl e now a l yo ur local toy. book. o r
hobby , to re .
.o.OIb. QA1!VH.tWJ( _ _ ' SA logo

_1_ 'SIl,

ItlC: ... A'9"l" _

_ I t_

tIy

' SR.

John Terra u:

{,",,[aner /.l'rl lr"

1~ 'hfJ

Ill,. happli:~ u-ith hili u'l(r. 1-:11" ., and

d"ldfYfl. Ad ,.il"lHu" om/ .}" h " /11. 80m"
of
past gam'nll prol'''f't nr/ud,. 1'".
t"n 111 U"Gi Castll' Gr"'~' h a"'k and
;\Ion st rou ll Ce mpe ndiu ms I a nd II . III' I II
('u, " " t/.'/( U-n,.ltlflR 0 " Th e Teen T i t a n !!
Sourcebook far .\(0." (0' ''-' n~ HEROES
/lamr, Jl u Rf'G /In.up pIQ.\ ,trJtN/ th ..
{nll,m 'IrIIl adv enture, and th... p IQ) "". or..

h,.

nil r fTfIl 't'r1f1R meelv at a IONJI m f" nt a l

" ..afth ((I(',II(Y,

RANK
AMATEURS
BYJOHN J. TERRA

"Somewhere ogre
the rainbow...."

50 Issue No. 22

"Rank Am ate urs" ill /I O&D modu le

for h umnnord l"C's cn ahod With GA ZIO
T he (Jrn fl{ Thar Gall-ttl'N. It i ll Intended for 6-8 pla ye rs. prtf(rabl) us t hrstnrt of a n nil -hu ma noid cn mpaiRn,
lhou ~h a ny humanoid PC of I.\"(b 13
CIt O hi- used . It is prt'fl'rabl e to i nclu d('
llllt'8l'1t on!' " b ilo: gun'tsuc h 811 a n o",.,.r
or Iroll. one thief-er te nt ed ty p' osuch a"
a kobold . and a s haman or ..... rcca. Attl''''.
to GAZIO is requi red. Those ..... ho w anl
to truly do rusnee to the Ie uer pa rt o(
t he advt'ntur.. should also ha ve acCt."!l.'1
to GAZ3 Th ~ Pr, nclpa llt lCOll aI Gla" ,r"
Th e D ~I i. e ncec raged 10 re ed t he
GAllO Player 's Gu idl' I PGI thorou ~h l).
t'1ipt"CllIlI)' t he secuon dE-a ll nJe wn h th.
eendu ron of Iolo ea pon !! a nd huma no id
k ill, . -\11 rt'ft'rl'nCl'lIt o t hi!! book ere
listed h)' palo:t' nu mber. For t'xl ra fun.
the n ~l "hou ld consult tht weapon
n.:fl"ct. Chart eP{;. pll/olt' 42 1(or "p'"('l fIC
.....t'a pon pr ob lt'ms ,

Fo r the Dung eon Ma ster

F loos hpraHh is the nam.. of the new
,'jllaJW t hat se r ves as t he horde ce nt er
for th e Rude Mon...,.t'III. II Iriht mud e up
of the odd!! a nd ends uf "arIllU!; Io:uhl [,
noid ra ct'S, It is suueted in Upper
8 u/olburh ian rert-itory, but fert u ne tely,
Ch il'( ~l m m 8 u h ! (a n O/olfl' ) i on "''''t'111
te r ms Ith bugbear Tr iba l Chi t'f Ohr' r
a nd ill o ed a fev e r b)' t he le t te r. Of
course, a n)' bUJebtoa f'!l in rh e ~ 1 (lnK"" 1
rr rbe may \'t'ry ..... ell he lI pit'lI for Oh r'r.
In an)' case . the :'-lonlO"t'l. . due to tht'ir
u nqul'5tionlnlo: eeeeptenee of all ..... ho
.....i h to k nle with th e m. ar.. ve ry popu la r With lont'11I a nd a np,,"t' Iolo'"ntin/o: a
(",,,h "ta rt in lift'.
U nfortu na tely. the n u mber of IIt ra /o:
glt'f11 recent ly has swelled the rank s to II
trul)' unman a~a bh' n umber, To makt'
meuere worse, a dOU'n o(Chit'( ~I m m
Buh " mort' d i !lgu!lt in~ rl' latiw nre
mo,'in ll Int o t he hord e In a fortni..:ht.
Th ... Chief ha ll 10 rom,' up with a n idt'll

RANK AMATEURS

to deplete the renke of the lower echelon s. but in a w ay that w iIl .n\'t' h im
po w er lind pr ellt i!:'e .
The PCII a re low-level tY ~1I .....hom the
Chi lf ha ll declared expe nda ble . th ough
t hey do no t kno..... t bts. ~l m m B u h ! fHllI
lik e a nnoy ing h ill neighbcre in the Principa litit'tI of Glantri , The PC II a re It'd to
bel ieve rhe t they ere envoys for the
Chil{. dehver-ing A decl ee et ien of w ar to
the Glant ri vil lage of Tri nta n,
Though at First !:,Iance t hill ad venture
see ms to be a t ras h.the-pla ye r sce na rio .
it ill not . Th e PCs deserve a chance to
avoid the painful deetbe A w a it ing them.
Throu ghout th is module there a re IIUbt ie clues she w i n ~ the PCf! that Not All
Is All It Seems. These clues should be
del ivered in a n crr.he nd way, w ithou t
u nduly a lert ing t he PCslo tht>ir signil'i
ca nce. If the I'e ll a re am urt enouKh .
they .....iIl real ize thl;" Iligni fica ncl' of
t hese hints, If they a re obtuse a nd
III0ppy - w ell. it wall n ice kn owing the m.
Whilt" it ill t rue t hat h um anoids art'
rt'ia t ivd)' s t upid . the)' do k now how to
hand le themsel ves in baule and oth er
dangeroulI llituation ll. This skil l come
from sheer pa ranoia. a natura l gJfi for
violence , a nd a n ftlUtr e8lliv(' nat ure. II
shoul d be e mphns ized. however; t hat
e ve n tho uRh humanoids art' t he "he
roes," the re ill no reason for t he adven ture\o diaintegr ate in to II mindless
me8ll of k illi n". looti nR, buening , a nd
pill a Ring of NPCII. Som e N PCa art'
indeed deserving or relat tvel y unple asan t trea tment, but it will be obv ious
.....ho they a rt', and ev en these ins ta nces
should be ha ndled with class lind good
te st e. ~t akt' su re to IIt rike a ba la nce
betwee n th e h umcro u s uapect (" Huma noid heroes? Co me on now!" ) a nd t he
!\ot'r ioull a spect (t helle PC 8 are ht.>in R
cruelly l'l't up].
If a ny player .....ho roll 8 up a bu gbe a r ill
inte rest ed . h ill PC ca n be a IIpy for
Tribal Chit'f Ohr'r. There ca n be on ly
t .....o s uc h lIpit'1I in t he pa rty, a nd the)'
ea ch "ta rt oITwilh on e good weapon e nd
10 gp . Any PC wh o has a Knowlt'dgt'
sk ill lPG, pa i{t' 351 Muc h lUI tr iba l cuI.
tu re, homel and tl'rrain, etc, ca n m akE' a
roll to 1ll"C if he kn owlI thl' RudE' Mon
grE'b ' h illtory a nd u ni \'erl'la l a ppeal as
wt'll all t he 8ta tl' of a ITain betwl'l'n
Chil'f ~l m m B u h! Ilnd Tribal Ch ilf
Ohr'r. The a ni)' bits of informa ti on th at
he ca nnot know an ' thE' C hit'fs rea l
plans for th E' pRrt y a nd t he filet tha t t he
Chief s rt'\'olt inKrt'lati\t'li are dul' to
a rri \'e IIOOn .

":.

~__

--

"

;:

~~
:A=:r~~).,.--{

':., ',.,A.

":. ' J .

J .~

J J .

',.,A .

J. ,~

. -.

- ~

- ----

-', -:

I tu' x 8 miles , .

M ission Imp o ssib le

Read or pa ra phra se thl' following to thl'
players :
You a ll a re hanKin g a rou nd ant' of
the cookfires in yo ur nat ive " ilIage of
FloollhpraKh, wa rdi ng orr the ..... inter's ch ill and di llC"u!UlinK import a nt
matte rs such as: 1I0w man)' evil
II pir it8 ca n dance on t he head of ~ .
pin? and : If a n E'lf fa ll8 down a pit In
a q uarry and no one is aro u nd to
hear it , does it make a noi8E'? These
philosophi cal a rgu me nts te nd to be
resolved by II fl'w IIt ratt".n coll) placed
blows in cert ai n ap prop riate a reas,
a nd even now t he pu nches a re begi nnin g to fly. So a bsorbed is everyone
in th ill intelll'Ct ua l dillCourr.e tha t yo u
fa il to 1ll"C the Jlt"od Ga rba gt' Pickt'r,
Harr idl'al t hl' kobold . IIt r idini{ pu r
prn;efull)' toward )'ou r con \'e rllation
pit .
.
He st rikt'll tht' 8malle8t onl' In )'our
group on t ht' head , unrolla a mou ldy
scro ll . a nd be gins read ing in a pomplUli be llow: "Be it known dat on dill
day, da following Ra rba gt' has bet' n
pickt'd to a duty of grl'ot importa nce

to de royal, abom inable . terrible, and

very unpleasant AlmiKht) Chief
Mmm Bu h! The be le.....-menrie ned
ga rbage is expected re report to His
Chiefnt'1I1I on da doub le or yer
lu ngll'l! be ripped out !" He roll s up
his scroll , lI pinll on his heel , a nd
jCl'8t url'JI. for the grou p to follow him .
The hut of C hief Mmm.Buh! ill
dark, d ingy, and very 8mt"II)'. Th e
Ch ief ie per ched on a throne mad e of
a pile of rocks a nd de ad wood ekitlfull y arra nged to look lik e a hea p of
sto nes and bran ches. The Chief is th e
bi ggest ogre Ilny of you hov e ever
M't'n, Behi nd him . ready to a tt a ck
any e ne my, re a l or im agined. ere nd
hi 8 f1il troll bodygu ards. Seated here
al so are Ha rrideal ; Oak u Sepp, the
hobgoblin 8ha ma n; Ilnd Scratch. th e
~oblin chit"f IICri he.
The Ch ief clears hill th roat. a proc:,
ellS th a t ta kea t wo minutt'II, Rnd
8pea kll. " Okay. youllot' gu y8! Lis.."l'n
up. cuz ye t gonn a do sum pin' dat will
give )'a he a ps 0' glory! OoIlt' lItoopid
hoomin type s up in Glantri art' tryin'
to mUlICle in on our tu rf, hr ingin' in
dt'r Kodlt'!lS .....ita rds an' fat mt'r-

DUNGEON

51

RANKAMATEURS

.t ,

\. ~
KiN'"
I+tA1.'Z.
-ru~f'

(jAY N"vJZ..J

~
chants to eenle on our Ircnticrs! We
ain't gonna take di e Iyin' down! It's
wa r, an ' ycuse gu ys are gonne be de
dips ... uh ... dn diplomats an'
deliver to dose guys in da vtlle ee of
Trinlan a challe nge to fight .
.. Jt>II' take a diplomatic pou ch to

der number one honcho an ' wait fer

der an a.....er. Don' worry. diplomats
ge t l u mpin' ca lled im mooni ty. 80 dey
.....on kill ya. Do dot a n' co me ba ck,
an' we 'll gtve ) '8 all 80mI,' gold an '
stufT like dot. In fact , go to Eb Neea,
our supply chi ef, a n' get de f1 pe<ia l
equipme nt ya gonna need .
" Yo use are ord ered te take da
marked trail . Da ga in's ill ea sier a n'
you might me ke )'erlleh'ell uSt'ful b~..
attackin ' any stoopld hoomin mer chant car avans. Da trip tak es a couple a day s , 80 make sure ya s top a t
du Sign of de Lost Lunch. a neat inn .
Keep ye r ea rw ope n dere fer any geed
infermation . I' ll pay y a extra if ya
gets any use ful new s. You hal' my
permission La do B bit 0 ' edvent ur tn'
an' esploein' if da npportoonity
prese nts itlle lf. lf yc use KU ya do
everyting right, ya ca n kee p a ny

52 Issue No. 22

neat IIt ulTya find ~ Now gid ou n a

here before I cha ng e my mind and
BlJlIil{ll ye some jevelin-ee reh in'
dooty !"
The Pes are e scorted to Eb Nl"f>z the
Scroun ge, the gno ll su pply chie f, and
len a lone with him. Eb is expecti ng
them a nd has th ei r equipm ent a nd
wea pon!! laid out for them to tak e. lthe
Weapons Defects Chart lPG , page 421ill
used. make a note of wh ich PC get s
which weapon. The inv ento ry in clud es :
- 2 swords
- 1 club
- I battle axe
- 1 hammer
- I dagger
- 1 bow
- 2 maces
- 24 a rrows
- 2 su it8 of leather a rmor (one kobol d
size, one ore aile )
- 2 lIuitll of cha in ma il (one orc size, one
ogre lIil el
- 1 suit of plate mai l (ogre s iz.el lt fa lls
to pieces the firs t t ime th e D~I rolls the
ex act number need ed to hit the wea rer.
Of course , th e gro up ca n sa lva ge th e
biu a nd use them as partia l armor,
- 2 shields tone w ith the same dt eed vente ge ae the plate ar mor )
-8 backpacks (empty; one has a n unnotice-d sma ll hcle !

- 2 coils of SO' of rope (one coil is defeenve end will break if used to support
the weittht of mor e than one orc -eiae or
two koboldsize cre atu res)
- a pouch with 10 gp , 20 lip, and 30 cp
- a map of the area to be t raveled t" Oa
" lap'"
-a lett er of credi t entitling the group to
free room, food, a nd dri nks at the Sign
ofthe Lost Lunch , a humanoid-run inn
on the road to Trintan
-a diplomati c pou ch, sealed with a bloh
of green goc p, that s upposedly holds
Ch ief "l mmBuh!'s declar ation of war (it
actually holds 2 lbs. of a vile, sme lly,
u nide ntifia ble glop'. Th e PCs are inst r ucted not to ope n this pouch on pain
of a rel atively unpleasant death.
If t hert> a re mor e Pes than weapcne,
a rmor, and eq ui pment , too bad! Onl y a
successful use of Int im idat ion or Bawl in g Ilk ill iPG, pa ges 35 and 38 1will
sway Eb to gi ve ever one additional
item. Such tactics work onl y th rN'
times. If attempted a fourth time, a
,. bodyguards come in a nd
half-d ozen oJ.'Te
beat up (but not k ilh the PCs, then kick
th em OUl ofthe supply hut and ha stily
!lend them ofT.
C h ie f MmmBuh! (a n unusua lly
large 010"1"1: AC 5; UO 5 + 2; hp 39; MV
90 '/30 '); ' AT 1; Omit by weapon type;
Save F5; '-IL 12; AL C; XP 150; B0/35.
Harrtde al lkobold r. AC 7; HO 112; hp
3; " IV 90 '/30 '); ' AT I wea pon: OmK by
wea pon type -1 : Sa ve Norma l Ma n:
" i L 8; AL C; XI' 5: B0 I32.
O o k u -Sep (l st level hobgobl in aha man ); AC 6; UO 1 + I ; hp 7; MV 90 '(30 ');
'AT I ; Omit by spell or weapo n type:
Save Fl ; xn, 10; AL C; XP 15; BO/31
and MO,'2 122. Ooku-Sep has no Ilpells .
SCr a tc h {goblin llCribe}; AC 6 ; HO
1-1; hp 5; MV 90 '(30 '); ' AT 1; OmK by
weapon type ; Save Normal "fan : ML 9;
AL C; XI' 5: 80/31.
Troll b od )'gua rd s f6 1: AC 4; HO
6 +3- ; hp 22 each : " IV 120'(40' ); ' AT 2
d awal l bite ; Omg 1611 61110; Save f'6;
" IL 10: AL C; XI' 650: ER/56.
Eb Nf't' z the S crou nge (gnom: AC 6:
11 0 4: hp 22: " IV 90 '(30'); ' AT I
weapon; omg by weapon type I ; Save
F4 : " IL 8; AL C; XP SO: BDI30. Eb is
very greedy a nd miserly, hating to part
with a ny of hi ll precious equipment.
Ogre b odygua rds (6 ): AC 5; H O
6 + 2; hp 40 each; MV 90 '(30 '); ' AT I
club; Omg b)' weapo n type + 2; Sa ve f' 6;
" IL II ; AL C; XP 160 ; BO/35.

RANK AMATEURS

lilt the Ro ad, J a ck!

As the su n sets. the PCs dep art on their
hazard ous mission. Th e en ti re tribe
(wh ich ha s been IE't in on t he chier s
nE'at plan a nd sworn to secrecy) has
come out to giv e them a rOWling se ndoff
Th e PCs ma y notice that their rete rivee are wea ring bla ck wh ile wailing
and gnashing their teeth . A black cat
cr 0880eS t heir path al th ey walk bel ow 13
vult ures perched on a nearby tr ee. A
gong bongs 13 times, a nearby mirror
cra cks , a nd t he tribal n ag is flyin g at
half mast . Pe rcept ive PCs ma y fee l th at
IIOmet h ing is wron g ,
Accord ing to the 0 & 0 Expert Rul~
booA:, the party moves overla nd at the
rate of il8 I lowellt member. Th ill movemenr rate per turn, when divided by
five, gives the num ber of m iles per day
that ca n be cove red . Wh en tra veling ofT
the road, the party's m ileage is t wa.
t hi rds the normal rate , Roll for random
eeec uruere once in the morning , once at
noon , and once at n ight, An encou nte r
occurs on a I or 2 on Id6. If a n encc un te r is called for, roll idS a nd consul t the
Random Encounter Table.

At the Sign 01 the lost l un ch

Your jour ney finally ta kes you to a
haven of rest, 8 sprawli ng thr~ story
inn ca lled the Si l{noft hE' Lost Lunch .
P08tE'd outside is a boa rd that reads:
SICO N Of tnE Lost LUNC!}Lo o kM a N o H a Nb s, t mon .
N o bea n reat
S!}lntz Must be WORN
N o owanva. EIV!., OR !}al fJiNtiS,
~XCEp t ON lEES!}
No !}ooMa Ns encwec EXCEp1
r o n nic!} k aotlc ty pz
N o sweant x ' eroue
BEWanE UV RaNboM v i olENCE
N o p no zlE1yzlN'

Ope nin g t he door revea ls It smoky,

lImelly, dark, loud tap room wherE'
humanoids of a ll racel congr E'gate for
drinking , eati ng, dr in k in g, gamin g,
dri nk ing , gambling, drinking, braw l
ing , a nd dr inking. Behind the bar il
a 8'0011 dru &ed in a greasy a pron.
The most unulual feature oft h ill
fello w is h is lack of hands. You are
impre fltled by h is ability to mO\'e
mu gs around with the hooks a t the

ends of h is arms and turn the al e

8pigot with h ls enout , w hen he eees
you , he gr in s a broken-toot hed emi le
and welcomes you , introd uci ng himsel f as th e proprietor and aski ng
wh at you wish to orde r,
Th e PCI will be sa fe here as long a8
they be have, which il u nlikely to be
long. Even if the)' are on their good
behav ior, the refit of th e patrons most
cert a inly will not be! Look ma is friendly
and properl)' subservient , a s t he letter
of credit impresses h im gre a tly, If a ny,
one' buys him a drink , he may te U how
he 10l t h is h an ds juggli ng BIt'1 on a bet.
Every one el se here is out for blood a nd
8 fe..... chea p laugh, a t IIOml'OnE' else'.
ex pense . For ea ch PC. roll ld1O a nd
con su lt the followin g ta ble :
Inn l\UlIhap Tab fe
1: Si x yellow orcs from the YUP horde
rt'COlCfl ize th e armor and weapon s of
their fall en comrades a nd attack , no
qu est ions ask ed . Everyone else be ts on

t he outco me of the fight ,

If this mish a p never hap pens , e ight
YUPI will engage t he PCs in a tavern
brawl at th e end of thE' eve ning, since
their t ribe a nd the Rude ~I on grel s a re
i ntense eiv el e.
Y,lIo w o r e s (6); AC 7 11t'a t he r r, HO 2;
hp 10 each ; MV 120H O'); IAT 1
weapo n; Omg by .....eapon type (sword);
Save F'2; ~1 L 11; AL C; XP 20; 80135.
Their equipme nt is in good sha pe, a nd
t hey eac h have 5 gpo
Note: if the party d id not pick u p a ny
of the YUP equipment from the tiger
bee tle random e ncounter, use m ishap 12
instead .
2: Ba lch , a n ogr e, ehelle neee the PC to
a drin k ing contest using the Co nstituti on skill (PG, page 3S>. He hall a Consut uuo n of 17, Th e first person to fa il
100000s one posseaaion . Balch 0 w n8 a large
club , a shiel d. and 23 lip ,
Ba lch (ogr e); AC 5; HO 4 + I : hp 3O;
MV 90 '(30' ); IAT I club; Dmg by
wea pon type + 2; Sav e F4; ML 11; AL C;
XP 125; 8 DI35.
3-4: A kobold t ril'lI to lItea l one item or
10 eoine from a PC victim. Th e t hief

Handom [ m.'o u n tf'rll

1: Tilf'f bH- llf'lI, gia nt (2): AC 3; HD 3 + I ; hp 13 eeeh ; MV 150 'tM)'t; ' AT I bite ; Dmll:
212; Sa ve f2; ML 9; AL N; XP 50; BDt26. Th ill pa ir of t iger bH-tiH a mbus hed an ore patrol
and il l'n)oyinll: a light I nack. Ir thl' party igno rH t he m, thl'Yeleee in to .al uire morr food.
Th" four df.ad O n:ll tuve t wo suiu. of leatht' r armor, one IIUlt of f'halft mal l, on.. shl..ld, two
good IWOnD, one good lIpear, one da ll:Ker, 12 gp, 34 ep, 55 cp, a nd a pot ion of hNllnlt . Th..
IIhi..ldl and armor are ..reblaeoned with a tri bai llymbo!. A Knowlf'dtl'f' roll (PG, pa~ 35) for
tribal eulture skill re veal l that th l' Iymbo! repff'llf'nu. th.. " .. lle w Ugly PignOllH(YUPs), a
y..llow are hord t' lhat ill a fierce ri val of tb .. Monl(J'4!l . Th illl' nf'Ou ntl'r ha pppUlI only oaee .
23: Tr adf' ~ \ U AC 6: HD I; hp" f'ach; M\ ' 90 '(30'); 'AT 1 weapen ; Omll by Wf'a pon Iypp;
Sa vr Norm al ~f an ; ~fL 7; AL N; XP l O; 8 0 ,34. Th r y arr eeccrted by f'ig ht n llh tf'~ ( ~C 5;
fl ; hp 7 "'f'h ; MV 9O'f3O'l; ' AT I wl'apo n; Dmg by wr a pon tYJll!; Se ve fl ; ML 9; AL N; XP
25). Th ia r;arava n ia compost'd of four waKQ lI8, each pulled by 1""0 hOf*.'8 and OCC'U p,,'d by one
trsder Ilnd tw<l fig hte rs . Th e tn df'rt art" ar mf'd with short IW<:lrdl, th e fighttors are arm rd
witb long a"' orda, and bot h groups "" ear f'hain ma il- Loot f'O.lUIll1U.of typr A tn uu re , Th l'
c.arava n'a react ions art" rell ed with a - 2 pL'nalt y dur to baal f' hu ma n dL Rtru st of hum. nolda.
In be n te, th e tradrrl will not join thl' fray unlf'N four or more of th eir ellf'Orta are I la in.
4: Stu p id ('. rava n: A. '3 abo,l', but thf'tl(' tradr n were too ehrap to h ire an l'KOrt . They
a re vt'ty aru:ioua to a VOid conflict a nd will gh'l' the PCI up to 76~ of the Ir "" arel , .. well ..
ru mor ' 2 from th r ru mor chart on pag r fl./o . If Prt' lIIll"d for mort' , tht'y la unf'h a dH ppra te
attack . Th i...nf'Ount.rr ha pppfUI only ono.
5~: nU ll b..., bullif'. f!l): AC 5; lID 3 + I; hp 17 r ac h; ~I \' 90 '(30' ); 'AT 1 "" r apon; Dmg by
_a pon tyPf' + I fbatt lr IlI.H l; Sa Vl' f 3; ~I L 9; AL C; XP 76; B0 '27. Th ptlC' bUllb...n are
mrmhco n of Tribal Ch if'f Oh r 'r'lIclan a nd are hr re to .bab down paurl'llby for money. Th ey
art' .. ti~f'd only aIl er t.aking ~ of t he PCI ' coina c5O'\ from a ny PC bupa r). If a PC
bughcoar is S IPY for Ohr'r a nd somehow lell th.. bulli... kn o.... th is, no money ill tabn from
th at PC.
7: Troll:lod )tf' 1I (6): AC 6; UD 2 ; hp 10 l'af'h; MV 120'(4 0' ); 'AT 2 d . ...all bite; Dmll: 1~ !
1-40 '1 .4; Sa vr 1"2; ~IL 9; AL C; XP 30; BD!38. All trog lodyt e enf'Ounll'n a rf' If'()ut mll pa rt lH ,
fro m lIubt.rrTllnl'a n la nds . Thl' Yha"e no I.reaaurt'. Duri ng bat t lr , howevrr, thry 8l"'Cff'te a n all
th at thf' PC. nnd rra lly neat . Il lOOrt of rem lnciat hem of home cooking.
8 : Gia nt ah l"f"u (4): AC 4; HD 1; hp 3 ..ach: MV I AO'IM ' ); ' AT 2 bLl"'; DIT1i 1.&'1 06; Save
f l ; )lL 10; AL S ; XP 13; 8D/36 . Y;' h.. n thi s ..nt'l)llnte r i. rollf'd, Id4 - I PCa . t .. p on IOOmr
!DOlle rart h, c.aulling thl'm to fa ll '" into a t unnel full of bu ngry ahre wII. Unfortun.ate !y, th e
Brokt'n la ndi art' infHt.t'd wit h l uch itf'OlOjt'ical flaw. !

DU NGEON

53

RANK AMATEURS

m us t roll h ill Delter it)' 1171or leas on

Id20 , On a roll of l or 20. th e victim

detects the attem pt.
Ko b o ld: AC 7; UD Ih : hp 4; ~fV
90 '(30 '1: I I\T t ..... eapon ; Dmg by ..... eapon
t ypo (llhor t s word ); S av e Norm a l Man;
ML 6; AI. C:
5; 80132,

xr

56: The PC ill chal lenged to a Ba wlin g eon te et lPG, PUKe 38 1wit h Ikk y.
N ikky, II gnoll. Th e gnoll h all a
C ha risma of 16 . 'The bawlee a are a
grou p offOU t kobclds. The fiT'llt contesta nt to fai l a sk ill c hec k mUlil buy e ve ry one a rou nd of drin ks (a t a COIIt 0(30 gpJ.
Jr th e loser will not or ca nnot bu y, he ill
a t tac ked by a ll 45 cus to me rs . who force
him to II IW> p ou tside for t he n ig h t .
Ik ky N ik ky ' l{I\o lll: AC 5; 110 2: ~IV
9O'1 30' ~ ' AT I wea pon : DmKby wea pon
t ype (JonK a w ord k Save F'l ; "11. 8: AI. C;
XI' 20: a D/3D.
79 : A br awl breaks out for 220 m inute!'! ' no mu tt' t han (l ilt! bra w 1 JWr hc ur j.
Each PC figh ts one huma noid w ith the
ga me !ltatisticll all the PC. Th e ba ttle is
nonfa tal, using the una rmed combat
rule s on page 23 of the Expert Ru /",OOok.
If a ny PC goes look in g for more vict ims ,
he gets one simila r to the fint oppo ne n t
bu t .....ith one extra hit die.

54 Issue No. 22

10 : A PC is invited to join a di ce ga me
wit h five goblins, all of whom have
Ga mbli ng sk ill and Cha ri sma s of 14_
Th ey pia)' 3 12 (3d41 Kamel!for a pot of
3 30 sp per Kame . Th e .....inner of each
gaml.' is t he one w ho rollll t he hig hl'lIt on
I d20 . A succellllful ru ll a lCa ins t th e
Gam blin g skill lPG, page 38 1givee the
roller a -+ 2 bonu s. If th e PC loses. he
mu st pay 6 sp per ga me.

While in t he taproom , eac h PC picks

up 1-1 rum ors. Roll IdS and consult the
follOWing chart:
Itumor C h a rt
I : " You come from Chief Mm mBu h!?
Wha t a guy ! He just 10\"('8 attac king h ill
enemies .....it hout givin g them a ny ..... ernin g!" (Tr ue I
2: " Th ere be a smal l aba ndo ned fort to
the northwest . They lilly that the re be
lots of treasur e a nd neat IIt uff there , but
the r isk be big, too!" (True)
3: "Dere is a sma ll fort nea rby, It iz
abandoned becuz sum stoopid 01' dragon
Btl' everyone dere and sti ll duz it today!
Stoopid dragon! Probably t ink s da fort

is its 10ngIOlIt baby or eu mpi nl Stoopid

dragon!" IFa lJ>l'1
4: "A whole lot of elves a nd wizards
from Glantri ere pat rolli ng the tra il
that leads ROu th fro m Trintan." (False )
5 : "Hce I h 't, lire!! I hea rd da t 01' Ch ie f
Mmm-Bub! is gonna play a neat pr eencal joke on dose Tr inla n w impe! If it
wor ks. he'{l g'et l ow res pect an' pre erige from da e t he r chiefs," (True)
6: " Man, t hose hu ma ns in Trintan
don't me811 ar ound! Th ey hate goblin
r aces a nd are just aching for a reason to
bash a ny of our kind !" l1'rue l
7: "C hi ef ~l m m B u h!! Wha t a guy!
Sa lt of the ea rt h! Whe n th ey were dcfining honor, they ha d him in mi nd!" ' Very
False )
8 : " I hear dat da R ude ~I o n gre l s are
gon na be ge ttin' in a whole lotta relat ivee of da Ch ief s! Oat tribe is genin'
too big ta feed il8elf! Scme t hi n's gct ra
gi \'e!"l1'rue l
9: "T here 's a gr oup of real dumb h alf.
lings north of here, between us a nd
Tr inta n. They ill so easy to fool." Wa lse )
10: " King Thar is work inK on a new
book called K i flg Thor : .U afl ual o( Gvod
Cotlclud: S ft"(m d Edi tiotl," (fa lse )

RANKAMATEURS
Th e eve ning e nds in t he usual drunk en
huma noid good fello.....sh ip ith most
argu me nts and hatreds. la 8 ell lIS dead
customeralswe pt eslde as every one joins
in II ..r ra nd old tap roo m lIi nKa long.
Among th e featured BOngs; " I' m II Huma noid a nd I' m Okay" "t raid all n ight
a nd 1 1I1~p all day" ), "Ninety-Nine

Dwerven Sk ull!! On the Wall ;' a nd the

poten tia lly fillal " If You're ~ llSty a nd
You Kno w It , Stab \ OUf Fri f."nd ," Afu>r
th is, every one t ur ns in .
Th er e a re extra to ug h ir on locks on
the bedroom doors, and the bed s are of
pas.s.able qu al ity, Eac h room ha s a win dow th at ca n be barred from the inside.
Th e rooms eac h accom modate fou r
medium-size guCll ts .
But the YUPs a re not fin ished w it h
t he PC s q ui te yet. In th e hour be fore

da wn. four YUP s a ttack ea ch ofthe

PC's rooms. Th ie ill a ha ttie of life and
dea t h. tht:' YUPs be inR: fa Ofltica l abou t
th eir triba l rivalry. US(> the same ye llow
ore stati lltics provided in Tavern Misha p
II. Any PC wit h the attr ibute IIk ills of
Inst inct . Ale rtneee. Hea r Noise. or Odo r
Seent inl\' (PG, pages 37381 automau.
call y gets a roll which, if sU~88ful,
e nahlea the PC to be a wa kened fgf.'tt ing
ini tiative) by the sou nds of the 't'UPIl
com ing into the room (they stole t he
mast er key from Lookma l,

Sma ll Inconven ienc es

Lea ving beh ind the w er mt h, eompe n iOMhip, and bloodsh ed of rh e Lost
Lunch, you r intrepid ltule ba nd
IIt ri kes its .....ay do.....n the trail that
stre tc hes across t he .....asrela nds.
Monotony sets in a~ai n . a nd it see ms
pa in full y li ke ly that everyone is on
t he ver ge of having a nother " ph ilosophica l di!IC\1B.IIion" when you see a
gr<lUp of eight ama ll figu res rid in g
ponies a nd lead ing thrt"l' pack a ni
mal a. Th ey are 200 ya rds ahea d, and
apparently they llt'f' you too . because
they a re wa vin g a nd ca lli nl\'.
Th e IItra ngers carry no vis ible weap
ons , Ask th e PCs ifthey .....ou ld like to
c10M' in . If they r('fulle to get c1o.wr, the
8tra nli'ers shou t out a n encouragin g,
rellpectful gTeetinl(. If even this faib to
sway the PCs. t he stra ngers !lhru l\'and
igno re them a IM. Should the party
indeed dose, continue the descripti on :

As you dra..... closer; the ide ntity of

the riders become s clea r. The)' are
ha lOing s! The eigh t lit tle people , all
cla d in lea ther a nd w a rm clothinJC.
wave chee rfull y and shout ou t:
" Good lIirs , let us trad e! We have
many geode to interest the li kes of
you!" The pr ese nce of ecveea l casks
of ale la shed to the pack horses Pf"O>
vidl.'ll a further te mptation.
The ha lOinlo:s l>et up ca mp and begi n
cooking som e sa 'oT) stew a nd rollin g
out ba rrels of al l'. It is th e aim of t he
halO inJCII to drug the PCs and rob the m
blind or, fail ing this, to 11('11 th em defecuve a nd fa lll(> good". The "read ers"
carry th e follow ing ite ms, wh ich t hey
offer for sa le at t he prices listed :
- pot ion of h~a/jng: 10 gp (sugar w e te r }
- pot ion of g iant Ift rrngth: 25 gp (a IM
lIuga r water ]
- " Iow ing magi cal sword: 50 gp (a
phosphoro us-coated , unbalanced blad e '
-50....'1' dia mond : 50 ...'1' tn ice KlaN . bu t
that's alll
-eeand of trap df'lection: i s gp (1\ varn ished t .....ig l
- rinJlaf ll'ot f'r wa lk ing: 100 gp fa nice
brass ri ng )
- black wolf.fur ca pe: 50 gp tact uall y,
it's rat ha irl
- loaded dice: 10 gp ft hl'y' n" per ftl)'
normal dice)
- w arm. wewrprcc r bcote: 50 gp (t hey
leak profuse ly I
-c wood sculp ture of a dragon : iO gp
ue rmite. ridde n t
- gu ide to speaking the language of
Gla ntr i: 5 gp (all the phrases are hopelesely wron g, being the most insult ing
and d i s~..u sring in that lan gu age I
Besides selling bad merchandise. the
halOin gs tell t he PCs about the leKt'nd
Rry Fort Boastt a nd ho..... there is much
gold a nd othe r treasure there . Th ey ll8y
th a t t he old fort Hell to the nort h off the
main tra il. Tht' halninKs gi"e t he party
t h is in for mation. not ou t of the goodn!."!.'!
of t hei r hearts. but out of the hope tha t
the poor sucken will buy the halnings'
deft'ct ive equipment in orde r to go ad
venturing at the fort. Th e halOing, plan
to ca tc h up to th(' PCs a t t he fort a nd
sca venge from the dl'ad .
The haln inWlhave th ree callks of al e .
Th ey drin k from the first cas k. which ill
u ntai nted , a nd let the pa rty dr in k from
the ot her two, Roll a 8l'CTt't Constit ut ion
check for each PC for eac h hou r llpent
dr in kinK. Any PC who has the Drinkin g

Ilk ill lPG, page 38 ) rolls aKainst half h is

Consnnnlon. Th ose who p8Bl'l the ir roll,
are not aware of a nything " Tong unless
t hey Are sus picious of poise n. Attrib uterel ated skills that ca n be used to det ect
something a m res a re: a n a ppropr ia te
Knowled ge field of et ud y, Instinct , an d
Odor Sce nting l PG, pa gl"s JS381.
Th ere is enough a le for eac h PC to
spend four hours drin kin g. At t he end of
the four-h our period . all who fa iled their
Constilutio n checks fall into a deep
sleep for the next eight heurs ru nle se
roused j. Dur in g that time. the h alflings
take the PCs' ar mor, w eapcns, ~..o ld. and
anyt hing eve n rem otely use ful . Anyone
who did not s uccu mb to the poison is
a tt acked by all t'ight ha ln inJ{8 wiel din g
du bs. The)' do not wish to kill . so da m.
a ge ill non lethal .
Of course. the party rna)' very well
decid e to throw es tde a ny se mbla nce of
civili ty a nd th rash the halfling ll, tak in g
all their booty. Th is is considered npprepr iate beha"ior for hu manoids.
All t he gaj.," item s are labeled 81t if
t hey were the re nl rhing. Unfort una tely,
ea ch horse 's pack hold s a na sty-te mpered
ferre t that ha s been tr ained to a ttack
a ny nonhllin in g who opens a pack .
" {'rre tlt (31: AC 5; l ID 1; hp 4 ea ch;
),IV 150 '(50 '); AT I bi te ; Dm g 1-1; Seve
FI : ),11. 8; AI. N; XP 10; 8 0 :30.
The hal Oinlo:8' rce ! trea sure consisllI or
800 "1', 1.245 sp , 2.33 1 cp. lIix rubies
w ort h 100 gp each. fwo boule axe + I , a
(u'(l-hand..d su-ord + 1. a war ham mer
+ 2. four pot ions of h~a/jng, a [IIuit of
man-s ize cha in mail + I , and a wand of
magic det ecnan , all of wh ich are correctI)' labeled- in the hal mng ton gue!
Th e e il\'ht pon ies a nd t hree packh orses
are a verse rile pr-ize a nd ca n he used all
mounts, bea sts of burde n. or rasry
snacks,
B a lning",(8 ): AC 7: 110 2: hp 10 ellch;
),t V 90 '(30 '1; I AT 1 weapon; Omg by
weapon type ; Save Ba lflinliC 2; ),tl. 9; AI.
C; XP 20; 80/31 . Each halOin g has a
dagger, sho rt sword. and club. The half
linl\'l1 are ta kin g th e tra il bou nd for
Darok in. Th e) had al so hoped to run
into so me not.!(bright h umanoids a nd
lI .....ind le them . If t he)' surv ive thill
elll'UUlltt'r. tht' ha lninKlIltmtinue on
their ml'TT}' .....ay. However, if th e half
lings outnu mber the PCs, they will
follow the part y, lIt3)'i ng one hour be
h ind them a t all times, .....a iting for the
hu man oidll to lItrikl" it r ich 80 they ca n
8 ....00p do.....n a nd rob them . Nasty little
"Tl"tehes. aren't they?

DUNGEON

55

RANKAMATEURS

Fort Boa stt

-- -I

I sq ua re e 10'

. I \ .

~J
Ha t -ruc k s. 2nd

The sta r k, t umbled ru in s of Fort

Bt JlUIU , fOrllll'r1y It bUIolIMc'lIr out1'O"t,
are enoug h to sna p e ve ryo ne's mind
back to Il(>ri OUll matters. The very
area rad iat es an ominous fN>l inlt of
disa lltl'r, There is a si ngle wa tc hto we r s ti ll sta nd ing, surrounded b)' a
few walls tone of whi ch abuts the
re mains of a ba rracksl and 1018 of
rubble . The only vegeta t ion in t he
area ill made up of wiltin g gra)' and
bro wn weed s a nd a few dead trees
that eril l cl ing to the rocky soil.
Th e re ore no si gns of a ni ma l life
except for a IIOlitary vulture t hat
sta res balefully at you r party,

1.." ' \' ("

i=ru= ~:::I:' i
l~jIITl

Groun d

l ttJ

1.(.\"(.)

lftoA=7=T=;=;=r-:"'fl;ll[+ :P.::;:~:.~
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I I
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:).;'t--1- +-+-1- +-+-+- f-+-'-1 + -t- -t-''''C-+-+ -'1- t-+ -'1- '-+ .. .

The Haunted Ruin s 0 1Fo rt Boa s"

If t he PCII follow the northbound t rail ,

read t he following:

e ncou nter,

Th oul':'h the t ra il here turns to t he

north w est, a seco nd trail. a lm ost
obl ite ra ted by ag t', st ret c hes north.....ard. Coul d th ill be the way to that
Il'lwndary ruin, Fort Boastt?

Tower; Srd 1....,\,(,1

Tower; 2n d 1."' \'(,1

Note : lf th e part y hee not ta ke n the

trail a nd hall consequ en t ly avoi ded th is
e ncou nte r, make it th ('ir nex t random

Th ill place wall abandoned 75 yea rs

ngo a Oer a gr oup of bu gbea rs perfor med
a cowa rdly deed a nd enraged Be rm.
luth , t he ir god of stre ngt h a nd bra very .
The Immor ta l cursed th e place, a nd all
proper bu gbears in Upper Bugbur bio
sh un the arcs desp ite their belief t hat it
ill a mi nor stor ehouse of treasure. Wha t
good ill wealth if you've bee n tu rned
into a piece of bl't"fjl'rky? Any PC bUK'
bear wit h the Knowltodge IIk ill of Tribal
Lore lPG , page 35 ) auto mat ica lly kn ows
the story , Any PC of a nother race mu st
make hill roll in Tri bal Lo re,

J...:. "'+-+-+-j,~+-+-++-+-+

",.

I. Ruined Baf f ac k... Ftrat Le vel .

;:~;l-I-++-t-t-f-t ,:\-;.++-t-H-t++1 -+-+---r'''-H~

Th e door st icks, rl'q u ir in g a Strengt h

ro ll to ope n . An lnte flige nce roll shows
that thill was once a barracks .

..:.,,__...i:::J
.
- t-'H H--t- H-I- - 1-,,-t-++-1'-1-

Tb e room has bee n red uced to a

sha mbles. Ueaps of rubble a rc eve ry where. Eac h wall is pierced wit h
a rro w sli ts , One se t of IItairs KOt'S up
a nd one set ':Ot's down .

'~::~H-I-+-'-IJ~tl' -

,;1-+__-+-+-+-++ '01

. .: . ~

Unde r a pile of rubble in t he northwes t corner of the room lie four inhabit-

ants who are very mu ch a live .

56 Issue No. 22

RANK AMATEURS

Pit v lpera (4): AC 6: liD 2 - ; hp 9

eac h: ~f V 9O'130'}; IAT 1 bi te: Om" 1-4
+ poiso n; Save FI ; ML 7: AL N; XP 25:
BDf37 Isn llke ), The have no t reasu re .
2. Ruinl'd Bllr r u c ks , Up per Len' l.

On the outside or t he bu ilding, II

ra mp mad e of rubble leads to the
second floor. At the top. a boulde r
se als ofT a ge p in th e wa ll fr om ca s u a l visitors.

Th is is the lair of Jerk. a hill gia nt.

He lives in th e upper level of the bar f licks, usinK the ra mp to ge t up he re
and t he bou lde r 8 11 his front door (the
origi na l door ill long gone ). Si nce th is is
a n a ll-hu ma noid adv e nt ure, J erk will
not attack immed ia tel y. In a perverse
manner of speak inA:. the PCs a re like
long-lost " little cousins," a te rm that
Jer k will use if his reaction to t hem is
fa vor able. He has moved into this level ,
Ill'sling ofT the staircase leading down
a nd the hole in t he wa ll by massive
boulders, each requiring a St rength roll
lat -2 pe nal ty ) to mo v e.
Jerk lovea food and wine , a nd may be
bri bed by such. If he is give n large
a mounts of bot h pl us the promise of
t re asure, a nd his Monst er Reacti on is
Im med ia tely Friendly, he will join the
PCs as a henchm an, though if he is
verba lly or physically abused. he und ergael! another reacti on roll . Note: If J erk
joi ns t he pa rt y, ad d one more cre atu re to
every mu lt iple-creat ure e ncou nte r,
addi ng the e xt ra beast to the type of
monster that has the greatest number
a lread y Ie.g. if the pa rty e ncou nte rs 12
ru ts a nd a wererat, add one ext ra ra t.
not a n extra werer at j.
Jerk (h ill gia nt): AC 4 ; H O 8; hp 39;
MV 120'140'); ' AT 1 clu b; Om g by
weapon type; Sa ve F8; ML 8; AL C; XP
650 ; ERl50 . His treasure consi sts of
2,105 sp, 1,028 gp, 477 pp, a spear +2, a
suit of hu m an-a ire leath er armor +2, U
pot ion of hrolin/l, a potion of ;m'isi bility,
a nd a rin,ll ofprot ection + 1. Thi s is all
h idden in a hole under the rock th at
blocks the down sta irway.
A trapd oor in t he northeast corn er of
the ceilinl( leads to t he roof. Up there.
J erk has a eteeh of24 boulders to hurl
a t h is ene mies. Th ere is no ladder. J erk
is big e nough to grab t he lip of the ope ning and pull h imse lf u p.

3. Tower, G ro u n d Le ve l.
T he door is st uck [requi r ing 11
S t re n gth roll to ope n]. As you enter,
the odor offrellhly turned earth 8 S sa ils your noses . The r e is also t he
smell of bodie s bot h livin g a nd dead .
Th e room looks bore save for the
a rrowal ita in the wa lls, t he sta irs
hea d ing om inously downward, a nd
the ladder lend ing to a trapdoor in
th e ce iling .
Th ere is not hin g of a ny conseq uence
in he re. The stair!! lead down to t he
area 8 in the underground com plex.
4. Tow t' r. Secon d Level .
Th e trapdoor is stuck , like the door
at area 3. As you pu sh t he trapdoor
ope n , you not ice many st ra nds of
.....ebs crisscrossing t he room and
catch ing the light st rea ming in from
the arrowellts. Th ere are some
\'a"..ue ly hu ma noid-sh a ped lumps in
the w ebs. The nort h wal l hall a 3'
wide hole in it . Th e la dder you
climbed conti nues up to anot her
t ra pdoor in t he ce iling of this room.
A giant bla ck widow spider rests a t
the X and scuttles to th e trapd oor as
soon a s it is ope ned . try in" to su rp r ise
the first PC to pop u p. The th ree lumps
are orcs, but the on ly sa lvaga ble items
are a dagger. 45 gpo 83 ep, a nd a good
pai r of boo ts,
S pi de r. gi u nt: AC 6; HO 3 - ; hp 12;
M V 60 '120' ). in web 120'(40'); ' AT 1
bile; Omg 212 + poi so n; Sa ve F'2: ML
8; AL N; XP 50; 80138.
5 . 'Iowe e T hird Leve l.

Thi s level has the usual nrrowslita

and the ladd er conti nuing ever upward to a nother trapd oor. Th ere
seems to be some nt' sting ma terial
jumbled in tht' r afters.
Scra wled on the ea st wa ll a re these
words in hobgoblin:
Bartziluth 'lI curne {or our cowardiN'.
d ie bu t do not rest.
A way {rom sun liRht 10 the df'pths
below,
I{ yo u know what 's good {or .YOU,
.you better not ,IlO.

H idden in the rafters are eight

stirges. Th eir neat contains a pot ion of
heolin,ll, a ring o{identify ,six ru bies
worth 500 gp eac h , a nd 23 IIp.

A rin,ll of identi{y enables its wearer to

correct ly ide ntify, 95'1 of t he time. the
exact pr operties of a ny six items e v ery
24 hours . The ite m mu st be gr asped in
ord er for t he ring to work . Th e ring
idcnufice itself to ita wearer 8 S soon as
it is put on . Note that a cursed item
a ppears to be a legi timate item of valu e.
St irgt' s (8): AC 7; HD 1- ; hp 3 each;
MV 30 '00'), flyi ng 180 '(60 '); ' AT 1;
Dmg 13; Save F2: ML 9: AL N; XP 13:
8 0 /38. The surges fl)' out of the a rrow
slits in orde r to h unt ,
6. Tower. To p Level.

It smell s bad up here, Th ere is guan o

all over the floor, and twitt e ri ng
soun ds come from th e ral1.('rs. Th e
ladder cc nnn uee upw a rd .
Four giant bats re side her e, thouJ:h
shar p PCs will pick up on this.

Bllts. gi ant (oi l: AC 6 ; HO 2; hp 10;

MV 30nO'I, flying 180 '(60 '); ' AT 1 bit e;
OmJ: 14 : Save F I ; ML 8; AL N; XP 20;
80,'25. Th ey h ave no t reasure.
The ladder leeds to a st uck t rapdoor
that opens out into th e fresh a ir of the
ruur. There is much rubble up here, hu t
this hi gh perch affords a n excellent
vie w of the countryside. One ca n see a n
e nemy mi les a way. Ir the halfli ngs are
followin g the PCs. secretl y roll for a ny
PC up on t he roof ugai nllt an y IIkill lhut
may alert him to the da n ~wr.
7. Covered Well.
This stone-ri m med well has boards
coveri ng- its mout h . Some of the
hoards ha ...e been che.....ed throu g-h .

It takes five m in utes to pry a ll the

hoa rds away. The air t ha t billows out is
mil dewy. a nd a d is/{Usti ng gree n growth
cli ngs to the well 's sides. Anyone at
te mpt in g to use Cli mbing skill l PG,
page 371 to descen d docs so at a - 2
penalty. The .....ell shaft leads to area 20.
F ort Bo e sn-,T he Un dt' rgro u nd
8. IJurrllcks , Lower 1.A\t'1.
Descending the statrwuy. you see two
dozen bed s a nd footl ockers. What ill
more d isconcerting is th at 10 beds
aril l have fiRU rell lying in t hem . the
covera drow n over their faces.

DUNGEON

57

RANK AMATEURS

J>A

~AZ'M~N-r

y-

I~A

~iLli~

'Toe<-'2.
7A

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~~ I<t111{7

yj,

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Th e ligu rfil are the skeleloM of 10

bugbteoan that w e re cursed all th~
yean ago. Xew t hey do in dea th what
they faillod to do in life: be vi5{1la nt and
bra ...e. IilChtinK and k iliinK all int rudt>rtI
without qua rte r.
S kt'l("lons 11 0 1: AC 7; 11 0 1: hp-l
each : ~! V 60'(20 ' ); 'AT I : Dm g by
weapon type; Save Fl : ML 12: At. c . XP
10; 80137. Th e IIke lt"to n.!l a re a rmed
Il, ith s hort l lo\'ords but ha n ' no e rhe r
r re es ure.

9. Armof)'.
The ai r i. I t ill a nd quiet in h tore.
There are four torch" M"t in 1lCOnct'Il,

e ne in each wall. Running along the

wall. ere . heh es that hold. variety
of \ilo'eaporu. Qu ite. find!

Th is wee t he arm ory. and it I t ill holds

*lmil" good .'I:'apons. Tht'rt' an- tw o
swords lonil" long and onto short I, tw o
dalitjl:t'r'I, III ma ee. uwo s pE'ars, tw o pole
a rm l , a ba ttle au, tw o quivers with 12
arrows each , a nd a two-ha nded ewerd . If
t he D ~I wishes, up to half of these weepOWl may be de ft"C1i\'l"lPG , pa ge ~ 2 1,

58 Issue No , 22

-y~

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fuy..

-!t.~

10. Tower; Ct'Ullr 1A'"t'I.

The a ir ill stal e here, a nd deat h
hanlit! all around you -literally,
There are skulls, partial . keleton8,
a nd othe r gruescme trop hiell nai led
to the wa lls, The noor is a CArpet of
bones a nd llkull., Even more disturbin g, the bones look as If they have
been gnawed .

It ge ts wor se . Any PC who Invesri jl:Oh'll the bont'S c10M'1)' and makes an
In lltinct chec k lPG, pag.. 37 1notic- tha t
the gnawing has been done in pe ueres .
An intelligent ereeture did t his, not
some animal , The \!lo'ererat in area 22
was hen- I:'njoying a ",palIt and gnawf'd
t he patterns on thl:' bon " as a way to
alleviate the boredom while . aiting for
hi s nt'J:t meal,
II . C h ie r. Uoom .

The hI:'8\')' 011'" door before you ill

locked and hall a halOing Iku ll
mounted on it at eye level . A message illllCTawled on the door lin t he
buglM.-a r language. of courlle t.

~r:17 ~

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" C hl"l"fll Rume. Dont cumm inn unIt'll u r invitid :-':ok an to k into da
. k u11 ,"
The room beyond the door i. q ui te
romfy, Th e floor ill COVI:'n-d wal l-towa ll in rug s made fro m polar beer
sk inll, A brazier hangs ove r the pl ush
bed , pr esumably for war mth. A crude
writin g dl:'ll k hl:lll been pla ced againllt
the l:'&I't wall a nd holds some parchml'nta in elee r aight . Th e stat ue of a
bugbear in battle armor llund. men acingly in fro nt of the lIOuth wall.
This \!lo'all the bugbear chil:'f . room .
One perehment, written in bugbear,
u ya: " Okay, IlO \!lo'e messed u p, Wt'
turned an' ran when a ttackt'd by dat
grou p of elves. d....erves and halnin'. ,
Ok.ay, IlO dey only out nu mmered u . t. o
ta one , Dt- a,... okay odds fM tough
filr:htun Iik.e us! But no. we ra n bac k to
our comfy fort . cuz we were all bleeding
too much, So, ~I i ghty Baruiluth g1Vl"ll
us all d. double whammy curse, a n'
now . '1:" gotta wander aroun ' an' guard
da pleee. livi n' bu t kinda deed too, ya
know? But hey, 01' Bart, hp'. a n ice KUY
on ' tit>Z d at all e nyene e KOna d o i. t o

RANK AM ATEURS

' '1111I1111

Fort Boastt
Underground
Level
I sqUIINl - 10'

r-,..,... -

+.t

.-

0'.J
.....
." .
~

kill dll di rt y f li t da t is gonna aumday

move inte o ur fort even dough we a re
s u ppoosedly guerdtn' it. 80 I guess wt"~e
gonn a be fail ures ID de a t h 8S we were In
life, hu h? So. a ny ways, if a ny fellow
bugbear or udd er gobli noid type" ca n
k ick out da d irty rat dat moved in. a n'
ieee his body down de well. den we k in
re st in pieces and de neat types dat did
da fllv o r will gpi lotaa valooahle ("flJlh
pt-izea! Good lu k, a n' l i ~ce I'm now a .
guard in my own fort , I m really look in
forwa rd to my dead body killin' ya real
good, re al 8OOne . After a ll . I' m close r
den U l ink ! S igned. Chief Hel t u"
The other parchment is II map of the
lower le vel of fort (" DII Baa'ment").
Anyone who tries to mov e the etat ue
sho uld mak e 8 Strengt h roll . If the PC
i8 successfu l, the sta tue swings e way
a nd a secre t door open s.

12. Trt'8 /1. U " , Roo m.

As t he aton e sec ret door 8win gs ope n
with 8 loud grati ng sound, you are
amazed to 8('(' a large pile of gold,
si lvt'r, gems, a nd ot her loot glisten.
inK und er the light of a half-d ozen

ea

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torches burning with what is e bvioualy magical light . There dot', see m
to be one thing barring yo ur way
fro m all oft his treasu re, th ou gh : a
dead bugbea r who bea rs a n u ncanny
resemblance to the sta t ue in t he
Chiefs room .

It 'll the Ch ief, all right . He'll 8 ecmbie,

transformed by Bartziluth . His hoard is
t he re for the takin g, ifthe PCs ca n
de fea t hi m. Of course, they ca n al waY8
run a w ay and fiKht e not he r day.
cu-r He lt u (zombie ); AC 8; trn 5; hp
38; ~! ove 90 '(30 '); ' AT 1 sword; Dmg by
.....eapo n type + 3; Save F5; MI. 12; AL C;
XP 50; Bo f39 lt his is a non standard
zombi e). Ch ief Hell u is usi ng a tu -oh anded su-ord +3.
The trea sure consists of 3,264 gp ,
3,933 Ip, 11 diam onds worth 300 ~
eac h, t w o potions of healin g , a poti on. of
h..roism, a ring of i ,U' ~ ibiJiI.Y, a hlllflmg
s ize su it of leather armor + 2, a dagg er
+ J, a , hi, ld +2, a u:and offror, a {l.ving
carpet, a scroll of protectio n {rom magic.
and the tu-o-t umd ed su-ord + 3 .....iel ded
by the zombie chi ef.

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If the lucky Pce een k ill ofT Chi ef

Helt u, t he "dying" zombie says, "Nice
goi n', guys! Nothin' per sonal , rig ht?
No w do me a fav or a n' get de dirty ra t
da t hal' moved in . AllarrKghh h!" If t he
PC s have alrea dy slai n th e .....ereret
(a re a 22', t he Ch it'f sa ys everythin g
except the last se nte nce .

A !IigTl on t hi 8 locked oaken door

reeds, "S ha ma n 'Ienc, Ch id Priest of
Fort Boas tt . No vi8ita wi thout an
appoi nt me nt . ConfeMions at 10 :00,
a bsolut ions a t 1:00 , inquisi t ions
.....heneve r no o ne e xpecta th e m."
T here is a small slot in the door for
donat ions to the poor box .

Inside, 8 bed e ven ri ch e r than th e

Chie f'e dominates this comfortable
room , Even afte r a ll these ye a rs , th e
sme ll of incense still hangs in the a ir -a
smell Hke a backed-up se .....er at low t ide
(ye p. that's the favored Incense of bug.
bee r sha ma ns, a ll ri Kht!). Variou s myllti
ca l eymbo le are dr awn on t he walls, a nd
a locked ca bine t stands agai nst the
sou th wall.

DUNGEON

59

RANKAMATEURS
Any sha ma n in t he party will recogn ize the symbols 8 8 inca ntations of
gr eat powe r beyond h ill meager u nd e rsta nd ing. Th e only ot her interes t in g
thin K ill the ca bi ne t . lf the PC s ge t it
open, ree d the followin g:
The hinges sq uea k 8 8 t he doors or the
cabi ne t creak ope n. In s ide a re on ly
tw o thi ngs: som ething thal eppe ers

to be a rattle decorated in odd colors.

a nd the gri nning head of a bugbea r.
Th e head (OCU6e9 i t ll eyes o n yo ur
group and llpeaks:
" Greeti ngll. intru ders! You didn 't
ma ke a n a ppoint me nt . d id you? 8 ..... 8
he -ha t Th en di e, fools!" Th e head
ni cs ofT t he II hel f o nd begi ns swooping a rou nd the party, cack linK
menacingly.

Yes, t his is Shaman Thne. fi e was

t ru ly c ursed a nd now t'Xisl ll lUI 9Om {'
thin g th at could be ca lled a " n y in K

head ." Il l' inte nds to peas hill bad fortune o n to the PC s 8 11 best he ca n . Each
PC must ma ke a Sa ving Throw vs.
Death Ray or Flee from t he roo m in
giblx-ri ng fear for 1.6 turns . Those PCs
whn ma k.. th"ir ~ v i ng Throw" may
choose to a ttac k t he head.
S haman Tanc tnying head r AC 3;
lID 3; hp 24 ; MV n yin g 120 '(60 '); IAT 1
bite curse; Dmg 16 ; Sa ve F3; ML 10;
AL C; XP 395 ; new monste r. Th e she .
man head ca n cu r.~ one PC per round
a s well a s bit ing a victim (t hey need not
both be the same PC ). Th e curse mnn ifesls itself as eit ht'r a new physica l
detail (55'1 cha nce ; PG, pa ge 3 1) or a
new u nfort u na te legacy 145'1 cha nce;
PG , page 4 6 1.
If anyone e ue mpts to touch the 110ca lled rattle (it's a KTigri; see GAZIO
" Dungeon Mas ter's Book let " ( U ~I BI,
page 8; any PC sha ma n will recogni ze it
as such), the offender loses one point
from a nyone a ttr ibute, randomly determined, befor e th e gri gri loses its power.
All cur,f'S and a m ict ions a re perm a nen t .

14. S up p ly Room e.
You see a room that showl! clea r
si l{t\8 of ab use and looting. There art'
hea p!' of rubble everywhere. a nd a n
occa siona l ata rr led r at dam ou t from
the piles.
Th ese areas have been looted and
ru ined, but in eac h room there is a 15'1
cha nce per PC offi nd inKone of the

60 I$$UONo. 22

followin g: backpack , SO' ro pe, ti nderbox,

lantern. la r ge 118ck , sma ll sac k, mallet ,
s ix iro n "pikes , chalk , bla nket , bedroll,

four-men tent, .....Ineekin.

IS. Gua r d Room.
Obviously once used as a barrack s,
th is la rge room has bee n red uced to a
place of j unk . Sphntered rots a nd
to rn-up pill ows lie strewn eve ry ,
wh e re , with chicken fea thers covering eve ry s urface. Th e nort h wall has
an el aborately engr aved door made
of solid iro n .
The place emel le bad even by your
sta nda rds. The ei gh t mou ldy-looki ng
bu gbears who are ahum ing towa rd
you wit h siKhtlt'M eyes and slac k
j a .....s may have IIOmet hi ng to do with
the arom a .
Th e PCs Ret t he firs t st rikE' agai nst
t hese bu gbea r zombies , who are the
corp eee of cursed garriso n sold iers.
There is no t reasure here.
Bu gb e Mr zom hi ..-" (81: AC 8; H D 2; hp
10; ~1V 90 '(30' ); ' AT I claw or I
weapon ; Dmg l oS (claw) or by wea pon
t)'PP (s w ord t, & \ '1' F I ; ~I L 12; AL C; XP
20; BD!39. Th e weapons are ru sty, but
only PCs get penalti es for using t hem
Ieee PG, pag e 42).
16. S h rine.
Th e iro n door lea din g into this room
is locked . Engraved on the door's
su rface a rt' sce nes oft he torture and
sacrif lee of halnings to a bugbearli ke
Im mort a l. It is a beautifu l a nd ra re
wor k of a rt t hat warms your heart.
E nteri n~ the room, you lire am azed
lit the red dish glo .. that lights up the
place . In t he northwest corn er, on a
th ree -tiered da is, is t he sta t ue of a
bu gbear Imm orta l with a n altar of
bla ck basa lt at h is Iee r. The entire
eas te rn wall is decorated with a
plaster treece sho wing hordes of
bugbe a rs defeating an army of elves,
dwarve s, and halnings.
Pa)'ing homa ge to the statue are
two bugbea rs , but they look ra ther
odd . Th eir fu r i. falli ng out, a nd the
Ileeh ben eurh is a sickly gr ay color,
Th e)' sport fangs the likes of which
a rt' not see n duri ng a bug bear 's ncrmal life . Th eir eyes bu rn a feral red ,
a nd their filt hy (eve n by huma noid
sta nda rds ) li ngt' r na ils reach ou t

hun gr-ily toward you . Th ey do not

sta nd up stra ight but lope hunched
over to ward you .
The stat ue is of Bartziluth . Th e bug.
bean a re ghou l", cha nged to this state
by Bart himsell. Now they spend t hei r
days pleadin Kto his image for mercy.
All t hese yean offru itle S8 ple ading
have gotten the m a bit angry, a nd t hey
wou ld just love to take ou t the ir fru stra
t lone on someo ne .
If t he plaste r fresco illchi pped away, a
secret door is revealed in the mid dle of
the eas tern wall. Furtherm ore, a ny PC
who pu ts a n offering of at least 10 gp on
the altar will receive + 1 to his h it and
da ma ge roll a for one hou r. If BO rne wise gu y PC stea ls this offer ing w hen no
cne s look in g, he is permanent ly
cha nged into a ghou l like the others.
Any PC wh o actively w on hips Be rta ulut h and makes a sac r ifice gets 1,000
XP in addition to t he comba t bonus .
Th ere is nothi ng of va lut' in the room .
Bugbe a r g ho uh, (21: AC 6; HD 2-; hp
10; MV 90 '(30 '); IAT 2 c1awsl l bite ;
Dmg 1-311 311-3 specia l; Sa y!' F2; ML
9 ; AL C ; XP 25 ; BDI3O.
17, Cry p t.
Th e doub le doors le ading into t h is
room an" heavy sto ne . Ins ide , t he
place is u nn a turally eeld - ec cold
t hat you ca n see you r breat h .
Tw enty -seven stone coffins a re lined
up in ro ws . Th ey're not t he ca rved
sto ne .....orks of art that th ose wim py
huma ns use, but slabll of rock et uek
together in ro ugh se mbla nces of

rectangles. 1\011 of t hem . unfortunetel y, ba ve bee n broken oppn- fro m

the inside . Th e place is quiet , like
cry pts are euppceed to be.
Any PC a ttempt ing to open t he door
must ma ke a Strength check . Th er e are
10 bu gbear skeletons lu rk ing behi nd
t he intact ea rec phcgi , ready to spri ng
out at the PCs once they ente r the room.
Th is is more of Bartzil uth's work .
nU Rb ea r sk e leto n R{IOI: AC 7; Hl) I ;
hp 4; MV 6O'120'}; 'AT 1; Dmg by
wea pon type (sword ); Sa ve FI ; ML 12;
AL C; XP 10; 8 D.'37 .

RANK AMATEURS

18. G u a rd Room.

20. Rancid We II,

22. Greet u s n .

Th is gloomy room contains t hree

cots . two tablell, eigh t chairs. t wo
Oa gons on each table. 8 11('1 of dice on
one table, nnd a key rin g wit h n
Bingle iro n key on it hanging fro m a
hook on the ea st wal l. Two un lit
lanterns hang from ceili ng chains.

Th e well shaft from t he surface opens

in to this room. A r ancid pool of w eter
silAdirectl y u nde r the I ha ft . Th at
leaves 10' of ope n ai r betwee n the
e nd of the IIhaft Ieet into t he ceili ng
of this room l and the well proper. The
water is a sickly green, but that is
not you r worst problem . The cre a t ure
wa lking on t he ceiling is.

In ilAday, th il'l muat have bee n II

truly .....ond rous feasti ng hall . The
tattered rema ins of bu gbear ba nners
line the wa lls, a nd there are large
fir ep laces to t he eest a nd weer sides
or the room . Several long oa k tables
a nd doze ns of chain He in splinters
on the noo r, Skulk ing a bout is II thin
hu man in ratty clothing. su rrounded
by 12 giant rete . li e enee ra a nd
point" a t you .

Th is room belonged to the guards who

kept a n eye on th e pr ison area to t he
north (a rea 19). The priecn door ill iron
a nd haA a big padl ock o n it . The key o n
the east wa ll opens th e door.

19. Prison.
A 8tale bla st of ai r R..'lNliis you as you
open the door. It smells like an elf
cr awled in he~ and died. You're stand-

illJ{ on a 8to ne plateau. beyo nd which

is II 30' drop to II vaJd chamber ....-ith

damp walls. A 35' [adder lies 3crot18

the plateau . A small pool of wate r lit'S
below in th e northe8llt comer, Danc ing
around down th ere are two !lhort ekeletons and t w'o elf-eize skelt'tons. They
l(X)k up at you ....-ith their horrific !lOCk
t'llI and open the ir mouths in a noiseIt'Il8 scream of defiance.
Pr isone rs were tossed into the pi t , its
sli my walls makin g esca pe impossible.
When the place wall cursed, six pr isonere (three elves, two dwarves, a nd a
ha lning) w ere left here to die- wh ich
they did. Th ey, too, were cursed a nd
became skeleto ns . 1\0,00 of them, a d..... arf
and a n elf skeleto n. ha ve cl imbed up the
plateau and lu rk j ust below the ed ge. If
anyone geta too close to t ht' brin k , th e
ske leto ns make a grab for an kles and
toea their vict ims into the pit . Each
ske leton mu st m ake a to-h it roll to
obtain a grip on a single PC , If a
grasped PC fa ils to roll his Strength or
less on Id20. he is dra gged over the
ledg e a nd plummets scre a ming ofT t he
plateau, tak in g 3d6 hp falling damage
as well as a uto ma t ically losing inirie rive agai ns t the skeleton s a t t he bottom,
S kc )t"to ns (6 ): AC 7: 110 I ; hp 3 eac h;
MV 6O'(20 '}; IAT 1 claw; Omg 16; Save
F I ; ML 12; AL C: XP 10; B0/37, Deepue
t heir lizt' differen ces, all of the ekeletons have t he same stat istics.
Th e pool of wat er ill a .....el l filled with
green, slimy wat er. Anyone who drinks
or immerlles himsel in it sta ndi a 75'lchance of gt'tti ng a di se allt' or the O~f 'l
discrl'tion .

This is a rha godessa that has ta ken to

hu nting do.....n he re. There is nothing
else of eonseque nce he re , except th at
the water has the same ni ce quali t ies as
that in room 19.
Uh a god e lllul : AC 5; 11 0 .. + 2; hp 22;
M V l SO'(50 '); 'AT lleg/l bi te; Omg 0 +
8uckl'r&!216; Save F2; ML 9 ; AL N; XP
125; ERi55. Use the same strengt h
procedure outlined in room 19 to determi ne the cha nce for a victim to free
himsel f fro m the r ha gcd eesa 's suckers.

21. Klt e h e n.
Oh joy! Oh bli88! Coul d it be? Yes!
Sides of beer. Link s of 8Du8Dge!
Whl'E'llI of cheese! All of it fre sh and
re e dy to eat! And cou ld that be a
cask of a le ly ing in t he north w est
corner? Yes, it ill! Thi ll is a ki tc hen,
which even someone ....ith the brai ns
of a small see p dish could te ll. judg ing b)' t he ba ttered cook ware, t he
t.....o bread-baking ovens. and the t w o
firepite. There'll even 110mI.' cutlery
here, ru st y but Mrv ica ble .
Th e food is bot h prese rved a nd cu rsed
by Bartz iluth. Roll Id6 to det er mine t he
effect on anyone who ingelltll food fro m
this room,
I : Emberraeeing gas noilles for the
next 24 hou rs , 80 loud t ha t t he)' ca n be
heard -10' a way.
2: Si ngi ng off key for t he next t urn.
3: Weakness . All die rolls at - 1 for
the next 12 hou rs.
-I: Peinter'e curse . Vict im pointe at
one object eve r)' five lIeCOnds. loudly
dt'Claring what it is (" Floor ! Sword'
Boo t!"). Th is lusts for one hour.
S: Severe nausea. Failin" II Cc nemu.
tio n chec k means the vict im ill wrac ked
by in tense stomach pains, u nable to do
anything for one hour,
6: Fa ll asl ee p, snoring loudly, for the
next two houn, not waking up for
a nyt hing .

Th e you ng man, nam ed Will Erd , is a

.....ere ret. He commands t he gia nt ra te to
attack t he pa rt y a nd ta kes t hat rou nd to
teansfor m into a ma n'lIize rat.
Will E rd twereret k AC 7 (9 in hum an
form ); un 3- : hp 18; MV 120'(40' ); IAT
1 b ite or weapon ; OmJ{ 1-& or by w eapo n
type: Save F3: ML 8; AL C; XP 50 ; BOI
33 (lycant hrope l.
Gi ant r ab (12 ): AC 7; Hl) 1.7; hp 2;
MV 120'(40' ); 'AT 1 bite; Dmg 13 +
d isease; Save Normel Man ; ML 8; AL
:-J; XP 10; B0/36.
Will Erd ill th e "dirty ra t" whom t he
pe rty m ust defea t in order to end the
curse on the fort. Ift he PCs ha ve made
exceeaive noillt' coming in h ere (a loud
fe-edi nJ{ freoz)' in t he ki tchen. (or exa m.
pie), t he rats will be h iding, a nd Will
Erd will try to lull the PCs into lowering their guard before he signals th e
filt s to lea p out an d a ttack,
Hidden in the- ees t fire place is e sac k
with 25 gems leach wort h 50 /{pI, a
potion of heal/fIR, II ring ofinl'uibility,
a nd a d ing +2 ,
Will F.rd is the "dirty rat" whom the
part)' mu st defeat in order to e nd t he
curse on the fort . Ifth e PCs hav e ma de
excess ive noise com ing in here fa loud
fl.'t'din g frenay in the kitc hen, for exampie), th e rat s will be hidin g, a nd Will
Erd will try to lull the PCs into lowering t he-ir gu ard before he llignalll t he
ra ts to lea p out a nd attack ,
Hidden in the east fireplace is a sack
wit h 25 ge ms (each worth 50 gp). a
pot ion of hraling, a rin,r: of invisibility,
a nd a ding +2.

Co ndudin " the Fo rt

If the PCIIa re victortoue agains t Will
a nd to88 his re ma ins dow n the .....ell ( lUI
they were tol d to do by Chief Heltu's
note), the ghOSlA of all -10 bugbears
a ppear and t hank th l'm. Furthl'rmor e,
Ch ief Heltu's spiri t appe ars a nd 88),8 ,

DUNGEON

61

RANKAMATEURS
Welcome to Glantrl-Who's Your
Ne xt 01Kin ?
If the PCs decide to continue on t heir
d ipl omatic m issi on to Trintan, read or
par aph ra se th e foll owin g:
It's sunset, a nd at long last your weary
bu nch errivee at the villal{l;' of Trintan.
Situated on a hill and sWT'Oundt.>d by a
wooden pa lisade, it looks well defended. Th is opinion is reinforced
when two doz.t.'n guards drt'S.'llod in
chain mail and surcoa ls emblazoned
with Tnntan'e colon, all bearing croAAbows and long 8V..Ord.'1, pour out of the
gate to challenge you. " Hal t, nasty
u nw8.'1ht.od humanoids! What business
do you ha ve among honesr folk?" t he
equa d leader dema nds .

"Thanks (or cleeri n' ou t my fort ! Great

Bartziluth is 110 Impressed wit ya det he
se nt me to tell ya de t your ehiefie pu llin' a ( 3.'11 one. Take det for w hat it 's

wort'!" He t hen disappe a rs forever.

S hou ld th e PC I desir e to cont inue on
their mission to Trinlan in s pite of Ba rt zil uth 'lI wa rn ing , don 't try too hard to
dtseu ed e them . In fact , a t rul y mean
DM can wond er aloud whet her a nyone
can tru st a dead bugbe ar to tell th e
truth .
Of COUI"lM! . if the PC I ehooee to heed
t he gh 08l1y warnin g. the qu estion of
what to do next erteee. Th e Pea ca n KO

anywhere in th e Broken Landa th at

they wish. There a re IIt'v('ral ot her
pl aCt"8 on tht' map that ma y pro vide
BOrne ente rta inment (_ "Cont inu ing
t he Adv en ture"), hut the DM shou ld
mak e !lure that rbe PC. h eve at least
been able to adva nce in level before
going ofT f" xploring on th eir ewn . Co n
c1uding th e fort is 8 good stopping point
to a llow PC level incr ea se s.

62 Issue No. 22

It will take IIOme heavy convinc ing to

persu ad e the gu ards to let the PCs into
tow n, Ment ioning tha t they bea r t idin gs
fro m a powerful chief, and th at their
missi on is a diplomatic one, will most
Iikel)' swa y the guard s into being a t
least cooly court eo us . A PC with Servnity skill lPG, page 38 1may wheedle
pe rmission for the party to en te r, In a ny
C8 t1t.', a React ion roll sho uld be made,
a nd each PC ca n try hi s han d at it . If
th e guards relent la nd the)' should
evenrually-cjus t ma ke the PCBwork at
it ), they inaiet t ha t the Pes nnt draw
a n~i weapons wh ile in the vill aKe. lIf
J t'rk accompa n ied the party. he m ust
rema in outs ide the palieades-en o ifs,
e nds, or butJl;!) They a re given direcr lon a
to the Dog and Bone , a low -elase inn on
the rh'er front , and told that they ha ve
a n appointme nt wit h t he vill age lord for
the next morning at three hou rs after
euneiee (9:00 A 101 ).
If the party tr ies to fight the gat e
guards, a n ala nn soun ds an d a nother 60
gu ards arri ve in 10 rou nds to re inforce
the first gToup.
Gate KU a rdll: AC 5; F l ; hp 8; ~I V
60 '(30' 1; 'AT 1 wea pon ; Dm R by weapon
type; Ml. 9; AL l.; XP 10.
Un known to the Pea, the guards IIt'nd
tw o human thieves to tail th e gro up
t hroujth the city.
T hl E"vE"1I (2); AC 6; 1'2; hp 6 , 5; MV
120 '160 ' 1; 'AT 1 weapon: Dmg by
weapon ty pe; ~(L 8; AL:oJ; XP 15, They
are ar-med with ehoet ewords a nd ha ve
25 iCP ea ch , The Pes ca n d iscover t he
th iev es on ly with a s ueeessful roll on a
skill that ca n help them re a lize a re
bei ng followed , and if eithe r thief fail s
hi s Hide in Shadows ro ll 115'1 eech r

AIIIO, a con rt ngent of 12 guard s a rt"

nev er more than tw o rounds' tron '!ing
ti me from t he part y. thouKh they re o
main unsee n, relying on sil e nt sign a ls
fro m t he two thie ves . Th eile gu llrd:l
have t he sa me !Ita tistiC8 as t he gate
guard s.
Curi ous PCII m ay go shopping in th e
village, bu ying common ite ms found in
t he Playt'r ', liane/book a nd be injC as
eured of the ir quality. They cou ld buy
dot hinjC (t hough th is may be tou gh for
ogre,size Pes!) a nd pe rhaps eve n horse s.
They will be treat ed with fea r a nd suspicion at best , out riRht hostility at
worst, All pr ices have a 50ct ma rkup
due to t heir rac e . ~t an y people nee in
panic when th ey a ppea r, a nd mother s
h ide their children.
Trin lan Kf')'
l. M Ai n Ga tf'. The on ly Kate into
Trintan ill open fro m dawn to dusk . It is
usua lly manned by aix guard s. having
t he NA me sta t ist ics ItS the Rate gunrda.
2. Siltn of the Dog An d Ho ne. This
lese-tha n-r especta ble inn is three stories
high . Food a nd d rink of a vera ge qu a lit y
e re se rved here.

3. Ha ou l's Ge nera l Good s. This is

probably t he only establis hmt' nt t ha t
will wa it on the PC", Any common ite m
from the va riou s D&D rul ebook s ca n be
bought here at 50'1 mar kup.
4, Isla n d Fort rt"8!1 Caeele . Thill is th e
l'Cs' ult imate dest m ut ion. It is jCarri
eoned by 200 fiKhters with the sa me
sta t ist ica as the ga te gua rds.
5, Co nllt a b u la ry, This bui ldi ng is
ma n ned by 24 guard ll ha vin g the sa me
IIta tillt icB all the l(at.e gu a rd s, Any PCs
who misbehave will be confined her e in
cells with iron bars.

Thill ill Di p lo m ACY?

Ift he Pes behave in Tri nta n (never
eseume ill, t here a re no inciden ts but
they rem ain u nder surv eilla nce eve ry
minute th at they a re in town . The in n is
D na st y IIOrl of dive, but it ill opulent by
hum anoid sta ndards . Thert" are 10
hor se s in the in n's IIta bles, a fact t hat
the PCs may wa nt to file awa y for fu t ure reference . Th er e ma y be II ta vern
brawl or t wo a t the D~( 's discrerlcn , a nd
if th e C ity Guard ill sum moned. th e PCR
a uto mat ica lly Ket the bla me, They a re

RANKAMATEURS

Village of
Trintan

,::

==

1- 150 yard.!

:c

~
~

SlolM'

To......

N
I

-.
fined 20 gp esch and thrown into jail
(a re a 51 oveen ight . Othl"rwi~ .lhe ni ght
pauetI without e ven t .
The ne:lt morning, a group of guard.
equal 10 tw ice the number of PCI AI>"
pt'an at the inn to escort the group to
the villagt' lord. Thefle guards have the
lame statistica .. the enea a t the ga le .

Th.. PC. are led 8CTtll'll1 the metal gatea

tha t I pa n t he Vel'l ubia. onto a n i llan~
ceet le-fortrese in the m idd le orthe n ver,
Aftt-r nurnereue seeurtty ch ecks a nd
papt".-work. the party il It'd into the
great hall cr rhe lord .

You step onto a red carpet lind int o

vast h all of cle ve rly worked stone .
There a re 40 guanb in the pt eee.
th eir halberds. crossbows, a nd long

. wardl noncha lantly cradled in their

er ms . At the end of t he red ca rpe t
tand. a vast dais. and atop it .itA a
man in ('Iega nt eebee. He i. rather
chubby a nd hil neee i. red . Gray h~ir
tumbles down h i. shou lders, and hiS
gray beard reaches to his na vel . He
is dressed in brocaded green robes
a nd wt'lln mu ch jewel ry on his handa.
neck , ears. toes. a nd wa i5t. A

""""7

~,

I'

"

ltiJI. l d.

IC'raggly ora nge ca t with a mwhappen eye sitA perched u nsteadily on

his shoulder.
Flankin g him are sevt'ral lord s and
le die .... the only ones whose curiOflity
ha s overcome thei r revulsion at t he
si ght of you . Many of them are
.
squirtin g perfum e about a nd fannang
the a ir in you r direction . Sti fli ng a
burp, the lord addresse s you in his
m08t officious voice:
" I a m the Lord Ivroigne [pronounC't'd: Eee -vron-yahl, master wua rd a nd Lord of Trintan. Th is Ilne
a ni mallthe ca t, you auume ) is my
familiar, Gu ill ame. You are hu ma n
oid swine and we spit upon you a nd
your efforts to be civil ized." In what
is obvie ualy a re he arsed action, everyone in court spita .
Ivrci gne, look in g aat isfled . con tinuee. " I am to ld that you have
blUinelS with me . Very well , then !
Conduct your blUineu and be done
with it! Your pre se nee offend 5 us
deeply and makes lU feel not at all
w ell !" He takes a deep beeerh a nd
sita back to a smatteri ng of a ppla use .

Guillam e topples off h is shoulde r and

h its the floor, palling ou t. Eve ryo ne
pretends not to not ice.
At thi. point, the PCs sho uld ha nd
ove r t he dipl om atic pou ch ifthey have
not al ready tam pered with it (or if they
ha ve looked in it a nd decided to gi vt' it
to Lord Ivroign e anywayl. Fortu na te ly.
the lord hlUl seen such pcuebee and
ecee pte it readily.
Ivroigne breaks the seal a nd opens
the pou ch, t ippin g it in the pro'SlI.
whi ch C8 U.!lE'S a digustinglook ing
mau to plop ratht'r unC'el"t'moniolUly
onto h is lap. Every one in the pla ce
draws a sha rp bre ath in horror, with
so me of t he la diH la nd yes, 8Omt' of
t he- men ) fa intin g fro m the ste nch. If
it's a ny hel p, the sme ll re vive. Guil
la me . Th e cat .ita up Ilnd looks a t
Ivroi gne. at the party. at the me" on
h i. malter 's lap. t he n cu rl. into a
fuuy ora nge ball and fa lls ulf't'p.
Th e- lord , hi. face turning a deeper
red than h is ncee. ri.... out of h is
chair. " Stri ke thf!m! Ru in the ir
da y!" he snarl .

DUNGEON

63

RANK AMATEURS

Ye s, IIOmt'thing is horribly wrong. but

the PC s were warned , we ren't they?
Fort un ately, t he guards a re 50 ove rco me
by th iMdi!lgulltin g tu rn of events t hat
the PCa automatica lly il'ct a rou nd of
free action before mak in g a n initi a t ive
c hec k. Ru nn ing seems to be the beat
choice a nd s ho uld be s uggested by the
eonecie nt iou s D~t
Iv ro iKn e: AC 4; ~!U6 ; hp 12; MV
120 '(40 ' ); 'AT 1: Dmg b)' s pel l or
weapo n t ype; Sev e ~1U6 ; ML 10; AL C:
S 5, 1 17, W 10, 0 16, C 5, e h 11; spells:
magic mi.nill", ~hif'/d, in t.'isibi lity. U'f'b,
hold person; magica l items; ri nll of prot l.'f't jon + 3.

of ba rtlec l vr oigne has ca lit

(m m #'(,il And p r(ltO"{'ti"n from
normal miu i/... spells upon h im llt'lf.
Gu illame gi,',,!! h im no not iceable
beneflte .
Ivro jgne has a dee p-rooted fear of
humanoids. He hall re pe a tedl y pleaded
to Glant ri City for add it ional Iu nd a for
mo rt' t roops to lltn 'n/ott hen h ill ou ter
defenses. If ut a ll poss ibl e. Ivroigne
should not die in t hi ll advent ure .
In

C8 !1oe

,.mt~lin "

is ope n. Sm art PC s could IIte a l one or

t.....o boats a nd sa il south do.....n the Vesu bi a Rive r.
The PC II could 811'0try to flee thro ugh
the city gBte by which t hey originally
entered Trinta n. Fort unately, t here a re
onl y half a dozen gUllrdll at the galt'
durin g the day. The hue and cry fro m
t he cas t le w ill s pre ad t hroughout t he
village in II('Vl'n rounds. The PC II. if
the)' run, ca n make the J:at e in six
roun ds. If the)' re me mber t he horses
s ta bled at the Dog and Bone, they ca n
hi" out in fou r rounds.
If J erk is still .....ai t ing oUl.!lidt' of to w n
for t he PCll, he runs alonK tht' ban ks of
th e rtver and event ua lly swims tow ard
t he hna t if t ht' PC lljol:O by w AtN lf t hey
leeve via the gate . h e lobe roc kll as
ertillery su pport to cove r their esc ape.
ThE' Lord of Trinta n ..... iIl not se nd a ny
guard s out to chase t he PCs. fear inKa n
t'la borat e ruse to draw out the vill age'lI
defe n!ll"1I 11O that it ca n hi" saeked. The
PC s should hi" a ble to ma ke a good es ca pt." ift ht'y th ink la nd act ) fast .

We're Baoao-oaackl
Hu n Aw a y ! Hun Awa y!
Th e re a re se vera l wa y' out of to ....-n.
Five bea ts art' moored by t be lerd 's
cast le, a nd t he sout h Kat e uf the citadel

It wou ld serve Ch ief ~l m m B uh ! right if

the pe ll nev er ret ur ned . They could go
ofT on their o w n . wanderin g t he Broken
Landa and tryi n!ol" to pu t wjo(t'tht' r a tribe

Mark Your Calendars

Now!!
Plan to Attend th e World's Largest
Gaming Co nve n t io n .

August 9th-12th, 1990

at the MECCA Convention Cen t e r
Milwaukee, WI
OEN CON .. . ,..ut<ohd ....... maril o(TSR. lroe.

64 Issue No. 22

of o utcas ts li ke t hem sel ves. Thi llcou ld

be the s tart of a w hole ne..... ca mpa ign!
If the Pes dec ide to re tur n to their
tribe a nd confront Ch itf ~! m m Bu h ! .
re ad t he follo w in g:
\ ou t rudKe back to t he fa mi liar lnnd s
of the Rud e MonlfTt'llI. hol ding you r
heads h igh des pite the hum iliat ion.
cold. s uffE' r ing, inj ury, and a ll-aro u nd
inconveme nee yo u've bee n pu t
t hreugh . All of thl tr ibe looks
e mezed to IW't" you . A select few de ma nd payment of many coi ns from
an army of "'rumblers w ho gla re lit
yo u . Bud 10000rs. you guess.
Ha rr ide al the kobold dropli hi s
IlCroll in a mazemen t a nd IIn i\"elll and
airnpe rs a t your ft't.'t, prom isin g 10
take you to M m m - H u h ~ pe rso nally if
only you do not kill h im. You a rrive
at th e Chit"f " te nt , where all of t he
tribe members you M W during you r
in it ia l hriefln Ka re here uKain .
Mmm-Buh! look ll amaz ed t hat you
aurv ived . HiRrelicti on is evert more
pronoun ced if J t'rk ill with t ht" part y!.
The Chi l'f llhifts uncomfor tably a nd
eleaes hill t hrou t . " Well, yo use KUYS
mad e it , huh? WtlI. uh
it Willi II
joke! Yf' h ~ J oke! Ok ay? So
uh .. .
you cn n keep da neat 8tu ff, but we
ca n' t pay yn a ny t hin' t'11I(". No w git
ha ck to yer h utll or else!" Th e trolls
take a fe w IItt'pS close r lind s narl .
Th ere an' clea r-ly (( '0 ma ny ...nem it's to
lak... on a ll at on ce . ...\'t' n for thl' PCR in
th...ir new IIta te of ri ch l'lI. ~N>dII'II"1 to
say. th eir ad\... ntu res hav e jol: ui nlod them
much prelltilo:t' in th e tri bt'. a nd t hey
.....iII not be ki ckt'<! out to make room for
~t m m B u h 'll sleazy r...lativt''' . PC s wh o
ca nnollita nd t he Chit' f anymon ' may
try to s ta rt their own horde t PG , pA ~e
32; UMB, pa jo(es 3 1351,
If J erk ill with the pa rt y. Chil'f ~! m m
Buh! trit.'ll to s.....ay t hl' hill gl a nt to h is
llot'r\"ice . Th t' Ch ilf a nd one PC lIho uld
makt' Relicti on Rolls to lIt't' .....ho Jte18 II
bt-tlt'r r...acti on from J erk . a nd therefor ...
l!:E'1tI his loya lty. Mm mBu h! has a Cha
r illma of 17.
S hou ld J l'r k stay .....it h th(' puTty. tht'
Chief will get ...... f). ch u mmy wit h t h...
PC s, ca lli ng t hE'm hi s " good friE'nds ."
Th ey .....ill ...njoy th t' pick of the !Ipoihl
a nd a re lati,'ely Rood life, ind udinK
IlOrne trul y heroic m i.'lliion ll, For in
lIta nce, thE' Ch ief .....Rnlll to fl{" nd lin (n
" 0 )' to Darok in . . . .
0

" Writi ng a m oe/ult' U a lot li_" balriflil a

ro Ju," R and l' ,,1 L. 1.1 "Somt'tim n if' a
llttl, O(:t',.d(J~t'. IIVmdi m f', lt', a litt~
und rrdont'. cmJ no mot Ur hoU' yo u _PUy
II,

,t'_ 11(.>1 1<>

t'('I"t"VII:'nf'"

lcutf'. /low n .,,,,

rok,.. art' {ini.h.:..J by tht' ha/tl'r alld nol

b.v Ihm ,. wh o ral Ihl'm. "'OOu lt' on till'
othl" hand, art' /i niaht'd b,v thou ....'h o
play th rm and 1Iat by th ou 11.'110 u'rit,
them. 1 . imply .upply til t' C'dl'. DM. mid
p lQyrrupply 11I l' fro, rinK."

"The Vin eyard Va IH " i. 8 D& [)4 ad ven tu rf' for 4 -6 characters of levels 2-1
la bout 15 lola l hvel i l. The adventu re
lakt'" place in the Sod .. rfJord der ldoma
a nd ia companble w ith GAZ 7 Til t'
Northl'r,. R, orA,.. Geae u ee r. UnleM th e
D ~t hes a n t'lila bli.hed ca mpa ign m i.
lieu. the afoeementioned gaze tteer i.
recommended for use with t h i. module .
Wh ile it is not req ui red for play. the
gazettt'E'r info rmatio n adds dl;"pth a nd
fil ls in many m inor dl'tails. allo w i nK th..
OM to present playeTll w ith a more
complete. polillhtod. a nd "Iiving' worl d
than i. orherwbe possible. The OM
ulling his own campaign world need
only set the mod ule in a ny fron tie r area
ne ar a marsh ,

THE VINEYARD
VALES
BV RANDY MAXWtLL

The lizard men are

just pining for the
fjords.

Adventure Bac kground

As the adveetur.. ope ns. the PC s s hou ld
al re ady be i n the Soderfjord Jarldom .
They may be foll o.....in g a treas ure ma p,
pall8inll' th roUlCh in eeare h of a dve nture,
or rr av ..ling to one of the large r cit ies of
the northern ki nll'doTnll---Soderfjo rd,
NOlTVik. or ua bu rg- in hopes of IIt'lIinlC
their lI.....ords a nd se rvices to the hight'llt
bidd er, Wha tt' \'('r the reason , the PC s
are in t he area kno wn lUI the Vineyard
V. lt'll (jWlt WHt of the hex nu mbe red 16,
ebove t he " f-'J" in " Soderfjo rd" on the
ma p on pOKe 18 ofC AZ 7 1,
The Vineyard Va les in area of
green rolli ng feemleed be twee n Great
:'oota ra h and th.. Otofjord River. The Va le"
are not unde t- the control of . ny j arl or
jllrl dom and. for the momen t . enjoy a n
i nde pe nde nt e xis te nce .
Th e most bou ntiful a nd re......rd ing
crop beinlCgrown in the Valt'll ia gra pt'll.
The vi neyard" o( rhe Val f'lll are rapidly
becomin g known for thl.'qualit y or their
win" . " Va le 8 urKU ndy" and " Vale
Sauterne" art" reno wn ed tabl", win es in
the kingdomll o( VMltla nd a nd OIIt land
Th t'y al so hav e excellent re pu tationll all
(ar a wa y as Rockhome , Ylarua m, and

Kere meikoe.

6 I$$UO No. 23

THEVINEYARD VALES

A secondary wi ne t hat t he Va lt'!Iprod uce is the infa mous Jarldom 2020 ,

,,180 known DR JD 2020 an d usually
referred to si mply 8 S "dolly Dwarf."
Th ill ill 9 chea p and very Il w ee r win e

THE VINEYARD VALES

T hrnnd's
S tt' lld

that delive rs a pow erful wallop. It alec

deli vers a hangover tha t ca n leave the
meet ha rdened a nd J'l toiclll of warrior s
blea t ing and pll's d in l{ (or mere)', For all
its dr aw back s, the wine is e xtre mely
popular in the ta verns of t he north. It is
prec ise ly because the Va le vineyards
art' becoming kn own for t ht'ir wines
t hat t he e ree has c('II!K"d to be Moen 8S
aim ple frontie r steads a nd iJ'l now con eide red valuable pr operty.

For the Dungeon Ma ste r

Th e Va le fa rmerll realize the value of
t heir stea ds and hay!' ba nded tOKl'thl'r

in a 100M' confeder at ion known 8 8 the

Vineyard Vale Defense League. In add ition. they have hired man)' mercena rie s
from Whi tehea rt , a city jUl~t llcrOKll t he
Otofjord Ri ver from t he Vales reee The
Vineyard Val es mapl. Thus. a nyone
wish in g to move in and take over the
Vale s by force ill in for a fiK ht , Th e Va le
far mers are from many differe nt clans
a nd nations and do not wish to seek t he
protection of any jar]. They prefer to
re ma in independent of a ny jarld om la nd
any jarl'lI taxes),
Even with the defense leal{Ue a nd
mercenaries, all ill not well in the Valt's_
Giant locuste, norma lly su bterra nea n
creeture e a nd of no problem to farm ers,
have in the la st si x wee ks rome in great
numbers ou t of eaves to the !IOut h . The
hungry locusts he ve attacked the vi neyards, ea t ing the grapes, leaves, a nd
te nde r new vines. They have str ipped
the vin eyerda tu such an extent tha t
only the tough, tw isted Ilta lk s of the
Kl'apevines re ma in.
Th e fa rmers have no idea what ha s
caused t he Kiant locust s to swar m. The
defense league ill current ly di!ICuMi nK
the ma tter and nrKUing over wha t's to
be done . In t he meanti me , eeveral
Iarmers ha ve 1000t hea rt . With their
vi neya rds ru ined for t he se aso n and no
solu tion to the probl em in sight . t hey
ha n ! aba ndoned th(' ir IIteKdll, III uddi.
tio n, all if to a dd insult to injury, t he
lizard me n from Gr el:lt Mafllh have
attac ked nnd deate oyed !If:\"t'ral steads.
RhunKol d a n d H i M P h.n ll
\\' hllt the farmers don't kn ow ill that
their cu rrent problem s wit h giant 10<

cuete and liza rd men are pa rt of a well

orchest rated plot for ta king over t he
Vineyard Vales.
A me ge k now n as Rhun gold the Tr ick ster Ieee area 5E for com pl...te det a ils).
once a membe r of th e Royal House hold
of the Court of Cnute of Zeaburg in the
Kingdom of Ostla nd, ha ll had his eyes
on the Vales for some time. Rb ungcld
wall a m inor counc ilor to th.. king of
Ostland, ad\'isi ng on matters of magical
resea rc h. He abused his position by
extorting mane)' from other wasrds for
advi sing in their favor. whet her t heir
resea rch was worthwh il.. or not , He also
duped many of the household into in vt'l'Iti nl( la rge sumll into fraudulent
magical research projt"Cta (a potio n of
1mmortal ltv, a ring of ifllifl itf' U'i,h".
etc.). Rhu ngold sim ply took t he money
a nd had a Rood t ime. If investors
pressed him on the subject. he would
te ll them that progr ess wall being made
on a particular magical item, but "you
ca n't rush magic: ' Th e Roya l Household
l{Tew t ired of his end le Sll web of treachery a nd deceit, they booted hi m out of
the ki ngdom and forba de his re turn .
Rhun gold illof a mi nd to [ltart hi ll own
jarldom , and the Vineyard Va lell. with

their excellent source of re venue, seem

8 good place to etert it . He ha.'! heard of
the Black Eagle Ba ro ny in Kerarn elkos
a nd would like to pa ttern hi llown
jar ldom aftl'r it, but fint hI' must " win"
hi ll ki ngdom. Rhu ngold ill an es tu re
poli tician. com plet e ly u nscrupulous.
and lin excell ent ta ct icia n w hen it
comes to ma neu\t'ri ng other people to
. u it hi. pur po""", . For the la.king of th e
Va lell. he ha ll I:l simple th rffstep plan.
Step 1: Rhungold pla ns to drive as

manJ' Isrmere 89 posaiblt: from th e

Vtneyaed Vales using giant locusts end
liza rd me n . He does rhis by polymorphine him!lt'l f int o a black dragon
and terror izin g the liza rd me n of Great
~t ars h into doing hill bidding.
St e p 2: On ce the farmers have been
drive n from the Vales, Rhungold ca n
clai m t he len ds and ma ke them his own
c1anhold.
Step 3: Once he has cla imed t he Vall'll.
Rhu ngold will cease the attacks by
gillnt Iocuats a nd liza rd me n. Wit h the
Vale' once again safe, he ca n en tice new
Ia rmere to ta ke eve r the aba ndo ned
lltt'ad1l. lit' then need only sit back and
ta ke his " fai r eh eee" of t he pro fits for
taxes a nd protec tio n,

DUNGEON

THE VINEYARD VALES

Thro nd 's Stead

\\n e n the PC. errwe in the V. les. m p
1 of Rhungold ', plan L. well under ""ay,
Many I teadJ ha ve been abandoned or
deltroytod.
Read or par.plu-aiIethe following to
t~pl .y .n:

It I, nearing the end of the day, and

you .~ looking for eoml"pla- to
c::am p-bfottf'f yet, someplace tha t will
put wan. between you and th e- night.
You are rid ing leisurely down a ca rt
track. through II vineyard to ward II
rather homely but It urdy.looki ng
stead. Suddenly there is a gTl'8t
whirrin g noise in the eir be h ind you .
You turn jult in t im e to eee I i.. giant
1000u.~ land among the gr. ~vi nH
a nd begin . t ri ppi nR' the pl ant. of
I.. vel an d grapes.
Gia n t 1000u l t a (6 1: AC " ; HD 2 ; h p 9

eac h: MV 60'120'). flying 180 "60' ); ' AT

I ; Omg 12 or 1-1 or special: Sa ve F2;
M L 8; AL S ; 80133.
If awnered IN' auachd . the giut
lacu.u bite for ) 2 h p damaR'I!', Thl!'Y can

.1.80 spit. foul bro wn ~y l ubsta nCf'

up to 10 '. The targr:t or the I plttle i.
tna tf'd AI AC 9 a nd , if hi t . must maAr: a
Saving Throlllo' n . PoilOn or ~ inca paci
laud wit h nAWIf'a for on~ tum du e to
th~ a ~fullmell , Wh~n the locusu at
te mpt to fiN', thr:re is a S()'l. chanCfO ~r
locult that it will ~m~ confu- t a nd
accid~ ntal1y jump into the party inltu d
of a w.y. Ifthis occu rs, th~ D ~I Iho uld
chOOflE' . vict im r. ndomly and m.k~"
w. h it roll. If a iClan t IOCUllt hitl a char
acter. th ~ victim il battered for 1-4 hp
da m a g~ , The D ~l lho u ld roll for each
locult to ~ how many oft h ~ cr~.tur~ 1
accid~nt.ally la nd a mong th~ PC party_
I( t h~ PC. attack or . tte mpt to drin
th~ gi.nt locuatl aw ay. all l iJi locusu
. ta nd t hei r iTOund. Th~y are rav~n
ously hu ngry . fte r lonl{ n ight a nd do
no!. want to le. v~ a n ar~ a of abund ant
food_8au_ of th~ ir hung~r. t hto10000tJ have mor . le of 8 r.ther t h.n 6 .
I( alocuat faill a mor.le chKk . it imme
diate ly flies . way, The PC. will be un
abl~ to follow any Heaping locu "ta dlU'
to the .P-d of the fly in g ereatul'M and
th~ inte rvf' ning grape-vineos.
Just at the last locust it killed or
MC8~'. a gro up of peop le fro m t he
nurby ltead come runnin g up . Th~y
hail th ~ PC. a nd thank them he artily
for killi ng or dri ving ofT the locul u . Th~
PCI arr: invitf'd to eat and . ~ nd the

8 I"ue No. 23

night . t t he eteed . [ft he PCI JUllt lookf'd

on as t he locullu r8Va gPd the crops. the
peoplf'-acol)tM, al d~lCTibtod la te r onlU"P upset at the 10811 but do not chide
th~ PCs for their in. cti vit y. He....'ever.
the PCI will be eharged 16 gp ee eh for
room and board a t the Itead. and the)'
will be treated coolly at ~t .
Alt hough t hil particular farm il
known locally .. Thra nd 'l Stead, it il
act ually a mon alltf'ry eostablillhed by and
for clerics of Frey and Fr~yj a _ Th~ mon o
aste ry 'l rea l ne me il the Cloister and
Peacefu l Se ttleml;'nt of t h ~ Br others e nd
S ilten of Frey a nd Fr eyja . Xatu rall y.
no one ever callI it that , The place Keta
ita nam e from the elde r in charge ofth('
mcne stery , Thrand of \ '('atl a nd.
The monaatt'ry ia not a plan' of rel igiou. inetructron, but a place where
ne w ecclytee are IIotnt to contt'mplate
their ehcice of a rf'liiCloul vocati on. If.
. fte r a year of h.rd .....or k in t he vi neyerds, they are IItill of. mind to joi n the
clergy, tht'y .re eent on to v.r ious ternpleos and monuteriel thro ughout the
north for 8t"rious instruction in their
f.l th. Ho.....e ver; if.t .ny time during
th at y~ar they find their f.ith i. not up
to the ta.k, the)' may leave t he clergy
....it hout pl!'nalty or dilhonor, At the
moment. thf' monastery rontain l onl)'
Thr.nd . nd 14 lllrolytel .
Thra nd of V" IIUand : AC -4 ; C6; hp
22: ~f V 120HO'); ' AT I; Dm j{ by
w~ lII pon type; Sao v~ C6; ~fL 9; AL L: I 15,
W 17; ch. in m.il . lh i~l d, war hammer.
. li ng. mffiallwn of ESP; .~ II~: CIH"t'
light ulOunru , p u r ify food Qnd u'al..r,
bit'''. ~PfiJJr wi th animal. continual
ligh t,
Th rtllRd i. a k indl y. intelligent. .....e!l
educated ma n .....ho i. devott'd to h il
Im morta la . nd hi. acolytt's . Ht' ca n tell
the PC. infor m.tion about t h ~ local
jarl . , feudl . geognphy, hi ltory. and
gener. l go&8ip. lie ca n .110 ttoll thf'm a
good dt'al .bout t he k in gdoffil of Veiltla nd . nd Ostla nd nd Sodf'rfjord . Hto il
(amiliar with tht' nam... of most of tht'
nob leos. j.rls. and ari,ltocracy of t he
three kingdoffil . including the Court of
Cnute. Thr.nd 1"K'eivf'd hi s tr. i n i ng .~
a cleric in S orrvik . tht' c.pital cit) of
Vt'l tI . nd. \\n ile in that cit)', ht' took
many c1aues in h il tory. politics . and
rt'ligion a t the coU" ge loc. ud tht're.
Al'Olyt"lI(14): AC 6; C I ; hp -4 ~ach ;
MV 120 '(40 '); ' AT 1; Omg by 1Ilo ~.pon
type ; Sao"e CI : ~IL 8; AL L: lut ht'r
a rmor. ahield. mace.
The acolyt es . rf' r:qua Uy divided ~

tween m.leos . nd ft'maIH_The)' e re

ro mpl..ttoly 10)'.1 to Thrand. If tht' PC.
a re in need of me n-a t -arms, be erere.
gu ard or messengers. the)' will han to
_II. them eleewbere. Und..r no ci rC'U m.
ll tancn ..... i11 Thrend a llo~' the acol )tH
to go IIIdVt'nturinj{ with t he PC party. In
11I11 in "tanCt' l . the acolyte. kn ow much
leu th.n Thrand about .....hat il Koinl{ on
in t ht' V. Ie I . Ifthe edventure ra qu t'lltion
them about .nything, the ecolv tes lOi
t he r do not heve t he informat i~ n roo
quest ed or refer the PCs to Thra nd .
When the PC. ha ve bee n escorted
Indoo rs, they mee t Thra nd in t he mon o
este ry'e Ierge common roo m. Read or
pa raph rue the followinl{ to thl' playe1l '
The leeder of t ht'!le peo ple, a kindly
cleric named Thrend, grl"t't. you in a
I. rl(t'. warm room lit by a hl al inl{
flre . " You are welcome to IItay al
10nl{ . 1I you like, We are in need o(
lItronl{a rffil e e d ba ck ll at th t' momt'nt . Th e lllool)t... te ll IDt' ) 'O U have
_ n the gia nt locu.tl . Wt>II.t ht' ir
presence ill very Itr a nge indeed:
Giant locullla uaua lly lltay in thf'lr
ca "f'fI a nd don't venture forth except
in 'lOme greet need . For th e m to
lean thei r C. " t'tI in the hilill to rbe
llOut h ill uncanny trange. I My.
Wh. t with tht' locu llt" t'at inl{ the
v in~Y IIINilllllnd tht' lizard mt'n attack
inl{ out of Gru t Man h. I' ll waj{lOr
that. thi rd to a hlllif of thlO 1ft-AdM
havf' ht-en aba ndonoo or bu rnt"<! .
" We've h irt"d a j{ood many mt'n a t
a rm l to prott'Ct the lIteo dlll and fit'ldli.
hut th ey ca n't be e\"t'r)'whe re nnd .....f'
nt"t'd tht" m ht"re in the Volt"lI. If Wt"
lIt'nd tht'm j{ullivanting th rough th~
l'IOuthern h ill l look inl{ for locullt. and
trou blt', many IIteadlll .....ou ld two !t,n
un prott'Ctt'd, and onl)' Frt'y know l
.... hat would happen then . Wlo. that ia.
myllotlf a nd thf' other farmt'ra-we
call ou"""lveos the Vin t'). rd Vllllf'
Dt-fenlN! 1.t' . IfUf'-ha " ~ put a few
roppen in pot al re...... rd (or .n)'
who might ha"e a look into tht' ca "eos
a nd tell U I .....h.t't irred up th t'
loculttl ,"
Ihhf' PCI u k for more mformation
about th~ hurd men, Thrlllnd c.n tell
them only th. t t ht' ereatun-I h.ve bt-t'n
attacking rt'ntly- .ttacking with
mort' ff'rocity and frt"que nC)' tha n ullual.
Iftht' PC. acclOpt Thrand'" off~ r to go
and ha" t' a look in the ca'el. ht' _upplie. them wit h. ma p lt ht" D~l lho u ld

THEVINEYARD VALES

or

gin' t he pl aye rs a copy The Vineyard

Vales ma p .....it h the e ncou nte r numbe rs
dl'lehod l. The D ~l: may use t he hill indt cared for t he location of the locust cave,
or he may U II(' any of the nearby h ill s to
the sou th . TIlt' .. (t w eoppere" Th rand
mentjoned tu rn ou t to be 200 KP in
asso rted coi ns, primari ly co ppe r and
silver pit'Cl's .
Wh e n the re ll a re journ eying t hroug h
the Va lell. the D~l lI ho u ld milk", encc unter cht'Ckli twi rl;' per day due to the
ma rauding liza rd men . A roll of 6 on
Id6 indicates an en counte r : th e 0 11
sho uld ch oose from t he Va le Ra ndom
Encounters t ha t helPn on PRill.' 17 or roll
Id8 for " random en cou nter.

The Cave
The can' i 8 1ar~t' and vaguely rec te ngu ler, about 500 ' wide by 1,000' long . Its
entra nce ill on the north side of the hill .
Upon e n lN inl.:. the PC s im med ia te ly
not ice t hat the air ill very warm and
humid , heavily tingl"d wi th the odor of
bur-nin g .....ood. Vari ou ll fungi, mosses.
a nd lich en gro w on the ..... all a a nd ceil in!:" but the Ilcor i8 ba re ex cept for nu merou s sa ndy pat cht>!I. The ge ne ra l
a t mos phere of the CIWl' ill o ne of st u ffy,
dump, di llmul decay,

A. S hril'kerM, At thill point. a long

lint" of giant mushroom s e xte nds in a
w ide a n: acrOS!! the caver n, each about
2S' from the nex t . These art> not normal
mu sh rooms but ere ehriekera tha t react
to light and movement, If the PCs set
them olT, their pi('rc inJl: shrit> ks sta rt le
10 giant loc usts t h p 9 each, full lltati s
tit'8 o n pa loW 8 1. t ilL' IlIlIl U Ilt'S re ma ini ng
in t he ca ve.
S hrie kt'rM120 1: AC 7; nn 3; hp 12
(ach; ~t V 9 '(3 '); 'AT nil : OmK nil; Sa n '
F2 : ~!L 12; A L N; 8 0 .'3 7.
The noise oftht' ehr iekere a nd t he
sounds of th e giant locu ete llCu ttli ng
about a tt r act the attention crihree
giant crab IIpidel'l1 that Iive on the roof
of the ca ve. These ereet uree a rrive in
212 roun ds and Itlt ack im medi ately,
G lltnt crJl b t;pi d t'rH (31: AC 7; 11 0 2 -;
hp 1-1 , 8 ( )( 2); ~!V 120'(-10'1, t'l() ..... eb!!;
'AT 1 bi tt' : DmK 18 plu ll poiso n: SaVI'
FI : ML 7: AL :oJ ; 80138. Vict im8 bitt...n
by a crab II pider mU8t Save \'s. Poison a t
+ 2 or die in 1-4 t urnll. Crab IIpidl'n
ha\'1' a cha ml'lronlike ability to ble nd in
with thtir lI urrou nd ingli and !Iurprise on
It roll of 1-4 on Id6. TheM' horrible crea
turell hav e ht.'t'n H\'ing off the giant

IOCU8t8. Th ey are al w ay e hungry, ag o

greeetve. a nd more t ha n willi ng to vary
their d iet by adding a n ccea sicnal side
orde r of adven turer,
Th e eh rie ke re mu st be passed bot h
en tering and exiting th... ca ve . Thus, the
PC I ma y avoid the sb r tekeee upon fira t
en te ring the eeve, on ly to IIoet t hem off
on t he ir .... ay out , The PCl llhou ld reo
c...ive exper-ience points for only those
ahr rekera Actually causi ng t rouble . lf
t he PCs pointleealy hu nt do w n and
de st roy every IIhr it'ker in t he ca ve, they
receive no pointe for such ectt ons .
8 , Pool. This murky pool of water is
about SO' in diameter a nd 4',6 ' dee p
t hroughout . Th ere is a sma ll 10' Ie IS'
isla nd of rock in the ce nte r. The pool ill
occu pied by a giant toa d tha t attack s
anyone sta nding on the ehc re or ente r ing t he wa ter,
G ian t to ad : AC 7; 110 2 + 2; hp 12:
MV 90 ' (30' ); ' AT I bite ; Dmg 2,S; Save
F l ; ML 6; AL N; ER/S6. UnleSll t he PCs
have already de st royed the crab s piders
a t a rea A, the II pl8llhing and neiee
ca use d by fig hting the giant lo ad will
attract th e s piders' attenti on, Th ey
arrive and attack in 212 rou nds .
Anyone sta ndi ng on t he shore of the
pool wit h a tor ch or be ue r light scuree
is able to see t ha t t here is IIOml' sort of
debrt e or rubbish eca ue red about on the
tiny hiland. The PCs are unable to tell
e xacfly wha t the rubbia h is until they
cr08!l the murky wate r to e xa mine it ,
Any PC exa mining t he rubbish immedia tely realizes tha t part of the rema ins
are those of a giant locust, a nd h8ll a
cumulative 2()'l, chance pe r round of
lIE'a rch ing to di scover th at part of t he
remains are those of II lizard man (a
foot, part of t ht> tail , the skull. etc .).

C, A lhl'II, In t he vel')' back of the cave

are the re mai ns of II h uge bo nfi re . Th e
PCs ca n see a la rge pile of eebee a nd
se ve ra l half.bur ned branc hes a nd logs.
It is obvious ly the remains of a large
fire , th e s moke of whi ch dro \'l' t he giant
locusts from thl'ir cave. Thl' bonfire W ill
built on a large sand}' area of t hl' floor.
PCs ex am in ing the sa ndy a rea for
t racks find the foot prints of liza rd ml'n
in abundll nce . Oncl' thelloe tracks ha\'e
bet>n found , t he PCs should begi n to
wonder why lizard men lire usin g giant
locus u to attack t ht" vin eyards.
If the Pes return to Thrand's stead
with th ill informltti on, Th ra nd pay s

THE CAVE
1 square e SO'

,, ,
I

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J! i I 1~\ _ ~~I!f;

.1
I
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-;.

I,

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0 000

t: ,,
I

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,

I I

000000000 0 00

I,

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~-H-

II

I I I
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,I I,

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",HjJ

t he m th e 200 gp bou nty a nd atlks the

party tc st lly on for a fl'w mor e daya
while he dilloCu88es matters wit h the
dl'fen JM> league,
If t hl' PCI were unable to get fllr
en ough into t he cave to disco ver th e
t ra cks oft he lizard men , they may try
again. Neither Thrand nor his acolytes
will aAllist th e PCs, etnee they mu st
defend their own stead .

Into Greal Marsh

Thrand ca lls a meet in g of the defense
league for the followin g eve ni ng. Either
Thrand or th e PCs can report the ir
findings fro m the ca ve lit this m('('ti ng ,
The defense league membe rs agree thllt
th ere is IIOml' connK t ion be t .....('('n thl'
lizard men and the gia nt locu sts, bu t no
one will ve nture an opinion on what the
connKt ion might be, Thrllnd (or t hl'
PCs , iftht>y thin k of it ) poinu. out tha t
Hurd mt'n art' not intellilten t e nough to
thin k of delibe rat el y usin g the giant
locusts to attack the farmst eads. Thi ll
ope nll up t he poNibility t hat /lOme morl'
sinistE'r inte lli gf'flce is behind the giant
locus t and liza rd man attack8.
Th E' de f('lue lea gu e wou ld li ke to "'Tap

DUNGEON

TH EVINEYARD VALES

old mad. It ill cro wned b)' a smel l circle

c r treee a nd is an easy la ndma rk to spot
b)' those attem pt ing to use the old road .
Exam inat ion of the hill area re veal s old
charcoal rings of long -dee d ca mpfirell,
bitAand pieces of roned lea the r, sect ions
of old rope , a nd oth f'r rubbish den ot in g
one or two ve ry old ca m psitell. Th e hill
ill no more tha n a pleeee nr dry spot
s urrou nded b)' the m a rsh .
Th e area a rou nd t he hill ill t he hu nting ground of tw o gia nt leec hes that
will be attr acted to t he h ill by the noise
of the party a nd the grou nd vi bra t ions
caused when the pa rty moves a bout .
The leeehe a will not attack 110 long a8
the party rema lna on t he dry ground of
t he hil l. If a ny PC utt elllplt4 to leave t he
hill a nd reenter the ma rsh, the gia nt
leec hes a tt ack immedi a tely .
G ia n t 1t'('cht'8 (2): AC 7; HD 6; hp 26,
21; MV 90"3 0' ); ' AT 1 bite; IJmg 16;
Seve F3; ~I L 10; AL N; ER/52. On ce II
leech IICOres a hit , it attaches to itll vic.
t im and cont inues 10 l uck blood for 16
hp dam age per ro und . Leeches are not
particular abo ut their meals, and the
party's hor8eIl, mul es, or ot he r warm.
blooded pack a nimals (or N PClIl are jUlit
as like ly to be e neeked ae t he PCs .
t hings u p q u ickly a nd wan ts to r('IIOI ve
the si tuati on il8elr. Under no circum slanC('s do the farme rs wa nt to ca ll on
one of the local jarl e for protect ion . Th ey
art' acute ly a ware of the old Northma n

say ing " J ar ls are qui ck to se nd their

me n , but slow to ta ke them ha ck agai n ."
The old saying re fer. to t he fact that
once a jarl haa used h is me n to protect
an a rea. he usual ly conllid{'1"S t hat a rea
a n next>d a nd part of h illjarldom . Th E'
league. the refore, poets a 1,000 gp re ward for the deetructicn of the liza rd
men a nd a nothe r 500 gp (or infor mation
concern ing wh o or what is be hind the

attack .
If the Pes offer to sea rch for t he hurd
men. Th rand and ot her defen se lea gue
members advise t hem not to ta ke ofT
into the marsh looki ng (or tro uble. Th e
cler ic tell s t he PCs to ta ke t he old abandoned spur road that once connected
Whiteheart with the Marsh Road in the
west . He ment ions tha t no one kn ows
th e curre nt condit ion of t he bridge (a rea
-I I and the shelter (a rea 5) mar ked on
th e ma p. Th e PCs will have to di scover
for th em selves whether these structu res
st ill sta nd . The eler ie lea ves the PCs
with the comforti ng th ought that the

10 Issue No. 23

spur road a nd shelte r were a ba ndoned

because they pro ved too costly and de nlCero uII to ma in ta in .
I. T h e Ma nh Ro ad S p u r. Eve ryo ne
kno w ' where the spu r roa d sta m, for it
ill al most imJXWIible to miss. Th e road
entra nce is mark ed with 1w 0 ta ll sto ne
colu mns. Th ey bear no ma rk s or ea rv .
ings ; they are lIimplt' , rough -he w n atone
pillars tha t lea n to w ard one anothl'r
a nd a re covered with lichens .
T his old t ra il .....as an attempt to build
a side roa d fr om the Man h Road to
Whi te beert. It heads due west into the
ma rsh un t il it e,'entua lly joins t he
Man h Road , Th e road prov ed too expensive to defe nd a nd ma intain a nd was
eventua lly a ba ndoned . The PCII will
dillCo" er and lose th is tra il time a nd
ti me aga in all it disa ppea rs into bogs
and mire s, then reappears on firme r
gro un d . If the D~I wish es to play thiS
out , give a 50'l chance per eig ht-mi le
hex r-eveled t hrough t hat the road ill
lost , wit h anot her SO.. chance of find in g
it aj{a in per hour t hereafte r.

2. T he U t tl E' Hill. Th ill hill ill t he only

true dry gro und al ong t he route of the

3. Liza rd M an C a m p . Th is 1le('tion of
th e road pallSt's Ihrou j{h dense, la ll
reeds . These la rge cattails gro w heavily
alo ng eac h eide of what is left of the
road. Th e ..... eeds block the vie w of wha t
is beyo nd: II ca m p of 16 liza rd men just
off the north .IIide of t he m ad . Anyon e
a ttE'm pti ng to paM down the road or
near the cam p ill a mb ushed b)' t he se
liza rd men. If the PCs sta te they ore
prep a red for a n a mbus h or are al ert to
the pD!'8ibility of a n a mbu sh in t hi8
area , th t'), a re s urpr-ised by the lizard
men only on II 1 on Id6. If the PC fI make
no such prepe ra ticn e. t he y are su rp ri sed
on 13 on Id 6 .
U zard men 0 6 r. I\C 5; H D 2 + t ; hp
10 each; MV 60 '(20 '), swim m ing
120"40'); ' AT 1 wea pon ; DmJ{ by
we a pon type + I : Save F2 ; ML 12; AL
N; 80/33: l ar~e cl ubs, epeare .
Th e liz.ard men U8e the si m ple attack
method of half their nu mber ru,hin g
directly at a party wh ile t he other ha lf
cornell u p behind to cut off ret re at . If th e
PC.II ru n, there is nowhe re to go but
d{'CJK'r into t he marsh , If the PCs ere
defea ted a nd a ny a re ca ptu red a live,
they are taken to t he liza rd men's ca mp
to be t he "guests of honor" at a horrible

feast .

THEVINEYARD VALES

If the Pea defeat the lucrd men and

find t he cre a t ures' ca mp in t he tall
reeds, t hey find e vid e nce t ha t at !t>1l81
o ne eucb feas t h as taken place rece ntly,

In th e ca mp a re ma ny w ell-gnawed
bon es of cb vto ue hu manoid o ri gin. At
the ed ge of t he ca m p ill t he r ubbish hea p

of the lizard men. Th ill tra sh inclu des

old turtle ehelle. sna ke heads, fish
bone ll, bird beakA. e tc ., all s uch t h inKIl
t ha t even luaed men fi nd inedible.
Mixed in wit h t his t ras h a re t he be lo ng ingll, clo thing, a nd boots of th e vict ims.
By tw.'arch ing t hrou gh t he liza rd men's

garbage. t he PC's ca n lind a euit of

leather armor + 1.. a jewel led ahea rh for
a dagger (wo rt h 25 gp }; a Jl'lItht' f PUfM'
co nta ining 15 IW in esso rt ed copper,
s ilvt'f. a nd el ect ru m piece s; a nd Ii eilver
brooch (wort h 40 gp l. The je wel led
s hea t h a nd t he silver brooch a re /10
e ncrusted with !{Time t hat the PCf! will
ha ve to clean t hem be fore diecoveei ng
the ir value.
4. De ad M an's BridK e . Th is old
woode n bri dge i!l bu ill of lo)Cll an d ro ull:h.
hewn pla nkl'. Time a nd na ture ha ve not
bee n kind to t he st ructu re : it hlUl a
wea the rbe a ten look but Ie st ill very
sturdy. Th e bridg(' ~ th(' Wyde n
deep. a s wift. deep stream t hat ru ns
t hrough Gn'ltt MllJ'tIh . There is no ford
for ma ny miles up- or d ownst rea m . Th e
bridge is blocked a t t"8ch end by a la rgt"
wagon a nd is guarded by 12 zombies.
In the fi nal da ys of t he road. be fore it
was comple te ly a bando ned , briKand!l
too k cont ro l of the bri dge. These br ig.
a nde would eit her a ttack t ra vel e rs U Bin.: t he br idge, ex t ract a toll from them,
or lea ve t he m a lone, depending on the
a ppea r-ance a nd nu mbe r or wernore
pre se nt . The ecmblee a re the rem na nt of
t hat ba nd of brigand !I . A magic-user
amo ng the briga nd s created t he zom bies
fro m fa lle n comrades a nd vict ims to a id
in t he defe nse of t he br idge. The malCic.
uller a nd t he remain ing live brigands
we re eve ntually overwh elm ed and ca ptund by t he liu rd me n of Great Ma rsh.
The liza rd me n , pre ferr ing on ly live
ca pti ves for t he ir feas ttl, left t he zombie"
wh ere t hey WE' rE' a nd have never bot hered with t hem.
The zombies are t her e s t ill , follow ing
t hei r las t ord e rs to defend t he bridg e. If
t he PC s a tte mpt to searc h or move t he
wa gons bl ocki n j{ t he bri d j:W or atte mp t
to cross the bridge in a ny manne r. th e
zombies im media te ly a tt ac k ,
Zo m b i('!!(12); AC 8; H D 2; hp 9 ea ch;

-MV 9O '(30' ~ IAT I cle w or weapo n;

Omg 18 or by wea pon t ype ; MV
9O '( 30 ' ~

Se ve Fl ; ML 12; AL C; 80139.

Searc hi ng th...wa gon " r e ve al e that

t he)' once held so me sort of foodllt u{f
tposaibly flou r or corn mea l) in fou r
la rge casks per wagon , w h a te ve r it wa a,
it has long etnce spoiled to a putri d
gree n-bla ck mu ck . In additi o n, t he PC s
ca n fin d sca t te red about in the wa gon s
s ix silve r.tipped a rrows, o ne or na tely
ca rved woode n scro ll t ube rempty, worth
10 gpl, a nd one tooled.leat her scroll
t ube rwort h 15 k'P 1conta in ing a scro ll
with a hold portol spell. This loot ill all
that re mains a fte r t he 1a!!t ba ttle oft ht"
brigands wit h t he Hurd men . Wea t ht'r
a nd rime ho yt' also ta ke n their toll o n
the wagon s. Th e)' a re worthless , be i ng
wa rped a nd ric ke t y from t heir lon g da)'s
a nd night. in t he ope n.

S. Th e S h ...Iter- Co m pou nd . Th eSP old

buildings are t he re mn a nt of a welt fortified compound with a s t rong ti mbe r
palillade. Afte r be i ng a ba ndo ned a nd
una ttended for ye ars. the en ti re north .
t'rn s ide of t he palisade. includin g t he
ga te a nd ga te towe r. hu rollapl't"d in to
th e- ma rs h , The- bu ildi nlol's of t he com

pound hav e Moen ransa ck ed t ime a nd

ag a in by va rious swa mp dw elle rs .
Rhun gold th e Trickst e r hall recen tly
ta ke n up residence he re a nd usps t he
co mpou nd a8 h is ho me .
5 A. Tool llhe d . This buil di ng wall th e
tcolshed for the s hel te r, Th ere ere eev eral e mpry shelves o n th e sout he rn
wall, a nd t he ot he r wa lls a nd e ven t he
back of t he door have pegs and hook s for
hangi ng tools a nd ute ns ils. In the ce nte r of the roo m is a pile of junk and
r eIuse . This rubbis h h ee p conta ins bite
a nd pieee e of me ta l; broke n handles
fro m ra kes, hoes, a nd e the r tools ;
warped a nd brok e n boa rds; a nd rot ten
birs of rope . It else hide, a nes t of giant
centiped es. Ift h(' PC s a ttack th e gi a nt
ce nt iped es , th e noill4' a rrracta t he e ue nti on of t he lizard me n i n a re a 58 . If the
PCa have not previously encountered
t hese liza rd men . t he eree t uree a rri ve i n
2d6 ro unds to i nvestiga te .
Gi a nt ee n riped e a l1 l): AC 9; H D 11.1;
hp 2 eac h; ~1 \' 60 '(20 '); IAT 1 bit e; Dmg
poiso n; Save N M; ~( L 7; AL N ; 80128.
Anyone bitte n by one oft he ce nri ped es
mUllt Save "S. Poison or becomt' viole ntl ) ill for 10 da ys.

DUNGEON

11

THE VINEYARD VAL ES

that th is .....as once slt't'pi njl" qua rters is a

la rge fire pit . lf t he pe s ca refullv e xa mine t he fir e pit , t hey ma y not ice 't ha l
there is an u nusual a mo unt of dirt
mixed in .....ith t he eshes . !r th.,y dlloi
t hrough the a shes t hey fiml noth in g,
but if t hey d ill" into the fire pit itllt'lf,
they find a ches t bur-ied in t he d irt under th e Illlht' 8. Rhu ngold kee ps hill trea sure stor ed in thie chest. ..... hich i!l locked
and t ra pped ..... ith a poison needle . Th e
nPt'd!e's poi son it! not deadly , a8
Rh ungold .....an tll to int l'fro Ka te a ny
person .....ho tempe rs ..... ith hill t reasu re
befo re he kills him. The poi son merely
paralyu'" t he victim for 16 hours: It
SavinR Th row V8. Polson red uc.'" 1111
effect to 16 t ur ns . The tr..nsure i n t he
cheer ill 300 gp in va rious coins (mollt l)"
lIiln r pil"Celll: a ruby r ing lwort h 50 ,,">p I:
three Kerns (wort h 50!{p, 2 5!{p. and 10
,,">pI; 8 pot ion of trt'CUIUN' (i nd i n/l ; lind
Five quarrels + 1. Buried unde r thl'
coins in t he ches t ill H bo ne scro ll tube
inlaid wit h silver ' ..... ort h 100 iWI. Thl'
tube eoru ai ns a 8("r01l of prot /'C'tion f rom
f'/ f'mf'nta /./f.

51), Cotla psed Building, Whe n the

pa lisa de fell , it ap pa rently took this
building .....it h It . The re is nothinR Il,n
he re but a Ju mbled pile of lumber thai
hides nothing of interest .
Four robbe r Il tes mah t hi !ljunk pil"
t heir horne and attack anvone disturbing it . The noise of env b~tl l ., wit h rhe
robber n ies a urecte t he atte nt ion of the
liza rd men in urea 5R, if they have not
al ready been .. ncou nte red by the PClI.
They tiff in>to i nvestiga te in 2dfi
rounds.
Hohhl'r ni t'li (41: AC 6, Hn 2 , hp 9
each ; ~I \' 90 '130 ", ny tn K 180 't60 ' I: ' I\T
I b ite : Dmg 18: Save "' I ; M L 8; AI. N;
B1)'36.

5 8 . B arn . Thill Inr j;W hu i ld inw: w 'l. $

used to sta bile' hor ses and other d raft

a nimal s and to store hey a nd fodde f .
Lizard men ~' r\' i nK Rh u nl{old have
moved into t nt' buildinlt an d made it
t he ir hom e , Th e horse sta lls se rve li S
separate Illl't'pinl{ an'u s for the lizard
men . If the PC s enter the be rn.jhey a re
e ueeked im mediatel y by 10 Iiaa r -d m en
t hp 10 each, St'1" !lta t i!'lt ics at a feR 3 land
t heir s ha ma n. ff t ht, PC II defea t t nt'
liza rd rnt'n and l4t.'arch th e ba rn . ttwy
cpn find II client' 0(20 llpt"lI rll and 10
clubs, wh ich t he)' rna}' 1'(>11 at s ta nda rd
pr ices upo n th!'ir ret ur n to thl' va ll' .

12 Issue No. 23

Liz a rd m an " h a mli n : AC 5 ; Col; hp

16; :..tV 60 '(20 '1, swimm ing 120 '(40 '1:
'AT 1; Dmg b)' w eapon t)'JM> "'1: Save

Col ; :-'1l 12; AL ~ ; 8D:33, "fD '2 1; clu b,

s pe a r'; epel le: rmu .. ligh t wou fldll, dark .
1U'u . hold person. The lizard man sha mo n sho uld be treated like liny oth er
ath lev e 1c:l e ric . For mo r e informa ti on
on nonhu ma n spell-castera, M;'(' the
MfI.~tf'r [J.\t' s RoolI, pa loies Zl ZZ.
5C. S mall ilou st', Th is is a bart',
e mpt) buildinPt:. An)' sl l"(' pinKbt'nche!l
that .....ere in t he hu ilding hu\'(' ht-en
rt'mo\ed , and all tha t re ma iTUIlo dl' noh

5 . :, M nin Ho u se. Thi Nbuilding WON

t hl' main hal l for rhe compound. There
u re 1Il"\"f'ral llll1.'pinK tw ncht'll al on.: thl'
western and eastern ..... 8 I h~. a nd the floor
ill pa ved with largf' Oaglltonell.
Rh un Kold'1I lIpcll book is u nder t he
se ut be rnmoat of t he ea stern benches.
He has made a ~ m a ll . d ry cuhbyhol..
under a broke n nfl)t!ltone and pla ced hill
s pe ll book in it . Elich PC searching t he
main house ha ll a l in 6 chance of none.
in!: that t he Oa!:lIto ne ill llliKht ly as ke w.
In adduion to t he !lpt'1111 Rhu n j{old hus
m.. mor izl-d. t h.. book con tain!!tht, fol
lowi ng lI pe llll: rf'(J'/ "1lIj(i(', 1'''lI l nloq u iJ; m. u 'f'b, w f r CJI'i sio ll .

THEVINEYARD VALES

Down the cente r of the room a re (ou r

s mall fin> pits for eook ing a nd he ating.
These are flan ked by six larKl' ....-ooden
pillara. Rhungold has ma de this enti re

bu ilding his pr tvet e que rt era. fi e slH'ps

on the easte rn be nches a nd sto res blanker a und c1othint: on t he west ern
bench es al onK with a supply offood.
cooki nK utensil s, water, and wines ki ns .
A la rg e amou nt of wood , mostly old

lumber scavenged from th e ot her bu ild.

inKS of the compou nd. is stac ked und er
t he west er n benches .
RhunlCol d the Tyj CkHtt'r: AC 7;
:-.rU 7; hp 19; MV 120 '(40 '); I AT 1; Dm g

by spel l or weapo n type ; Se ve ~1U7 ; ML

9; AL C; I 16; Ch 16; rin!: orpro(~r'Wfi
+2, dCJl{Rf'r + I , potion of iIH'uibili(v:
spells: trlOj(ic miseile; ,h irld, lIlfi.>p. i nllu,
ibility. wizard ladl , hold person , lightning bolt. pol.vmorph Iif'/f
Rh ungnld'e treach ery and trick ery
ca used hi m to be exil l,.-d from the Court
ofC n ute in Zt-ab urg. The Kin gdom of
Osrland has no bounty for Rhu ngold;
th e noble " sim ply want him out of 0 6tland. Wh at he does outside that king.
dom i8 of no conce rn to them . If the PCs
ca pture Rhu ngold a nd attem pt to return
him to Ost lund , they will be told to take
h im back to where they fou nd h im . for
he is not welco me in Ost land a nd OI-i
tbe r are the PCI' as long all t hey ecco rnpan y h im.
Rhu njoCold'8 doubl e .dealings (84'e
"Rhungold and H is Pla na") are not
based on gr eed, but rather on the 8hl"t.'r
joy he gets from cheati ng a nd tricking
people. He especially enjoys creating a
great de al of e motional dis treee . Hew.
ever, hi ll high Charisma ofte n leads
people to give him the ben efit of the
dou bt ; so far, no one h as removed hi!!
head from h is sho ulde rs .
In an attempt to acco mplish step one
of hi s plan. Rh ungold used a po l,vm orph
1I.. lf 8pl'1I to cha nge into a black dragon .
In this for m he eonfrcnted a tr ibto of
lizard men in Gre at Marsh . killed some
of their .....arriors. and claimed r uler sh ip
ove r t he tribe. The lizard men se rve
Rh ungold out of fea r, bel iev ing him to
be a real dragon .
Rhu n gol d ti n bl a ck dragon fo r m ):
AC 7; 11 0 as ~tU7; hp 19; ~1 V 90 '130' 1,
nying 240 '(80 '); 'AT 3; Omg 25/2 5/2
20 ; Sa ve ~tU 7 ; ~! L 9; AL C . Rhu nj{old ill
un able to cast any IIpelJlI .....h ile in 8
pol:vmorpht'd form. The liza rd men ha ve
m'ver llt"t.'n Rhungold in a nyt hi ng ot he r
th an dragon form; he al .....8JII po(vm o rphtJ wh ile in the main houst" a nd out

oflli ght of the lizard men . !i l' ca n nit

and ente r the ma in house in av erages ize dragon form th rough the great
double doors a t the northern end of the
build ing.
Under no circu msta nces .....iII
Rh ungold help the liza rd men fil':ht the
PCs. Rh ungold's stra te gy ill to remain
h idden in the ma in hou se u nti l one aide
or the ot her wins the hattie. If th e liza rd
men w in. he ha s nothing to w orry
about. Ift he PCs .....in. Rhungold will
U8(' hi ll inl,illibi li ty spel l or pot ion of
int 'itJibi/l(V to evade the adve nturers as
lon g all pceeible. If the PCII do not dill
cover Rhu ngold 's spe ll book or th' tree .
s ure buried in the smal l bou se CRrea
SC I. he ..... iIl not show hlm se lf at ell .
If the PCs de st roy the liza rd men bu t
are u nable to find Rhungold , he bogint!
to attack th e Vales in dr agon form .
Liza rd men are not the brightest creat ures in the world a nd tend to take
thin gs at face value. However, even
in ex pe rienced adventurers kn ow dra g.
e ns h ave a breat h ..... ee pcn. As Rh u ngold
does not gain one when he polymorp htJ.
t he PCKshoul d re aliz e tha t th ere ill
somt-t hi ng odd about t he d ragon .
If the PCs do discove r a nd ta ke either
the epel! book. the trea su re, or both .
Rh ungold attacks them fro m the best
cover po8lIible, pro babl y around t he
corne r of one of the buildings ( - 1 to th e
PCI'I ' to-hit roll s ) but within spell range.
He qui ckl y callts maRie missile and
lightni nR bolt .llpelill at the neare st PCs,
then im mediately polymorphtJ himSot'lf
into II black dragon and auacks in th at
form .
When Rhungold is in bla ck dragon
form. PCIl in comba t with him sho uld
not attempt to s ubd ue h im or st rike for
subd ui ng da mage . As Rh ungold ill not a
re al dragon. he cannot be s u bd ued; the
PCII merel y waste their time and do no
damage to Rhungold . If the PCs can
red uce him to 8 hp or less . he will su rrl' nder. If Rhungold s urrenders or is
ca ptured, he rell e the PCs not h in g abo ut
h ill pla ns . He claims to be a simple
brigand w ho ill usinK the lizard men a8
hi .ll hen chm en . The PC" or the defenSot'
league can d bccve r the truth through
e it he r ESP or a char m JWrtJon spe ll .
Rhu ngold will a ttem pt to fight in
draKon form until he n "COverti hi s t rea
lure, llpell book . or both. Once h' recov
l'rtI hi s propert), he immed ia te lJ ni l' S
away. If Rhun gold ellCa pes . he will not
return . Th e D~I hall the option of using
him ag ain in IlOme fut ur e adv enture. In

suc h a case, he remem bers the Pes and

certai nly holds a grudge ag a inst them.

COncluding the Adventure

If the Pes s ucceed in de stroying the
th rea t of Rhu ngold a nd t he lizard men.
t he de fense league "" i11 pa y t hem the
bounty in full , IfR hun gold is ca pt ured
or eurre ndere, Thrand . using h ill m ..d allion of ESP' i nte rroga tes him . If the PCs
destroy the liza rd me n but are u nable to
ca pture Rh ungold, the defense league
payll them t he I ,OOO.gp bounty for the
liza rd men but not the 500 gp for their
leader.
If the PCs a re unable to destroy
Rhungold and the liza rd men. t hl' ad vent ure rs may make a M'COnd a ttem pt
usi ng a band of defense lea gue fighters
for he lp. The OM mu st dec ide on the
e xact number of fighters accompanyi ng
the PCI and t heir ra nk (elite, typical, or
bot h; see " Va le Random Enoounters"
for com plete defense lea gu e fiKhter
deta ill ). If the PCs use the defen se
league for help, the bounty i8 red uced
by hal f, a nd the defense I'agu e claims
half of any rreesure found. In a ny event.
if Rh unguld ellCltpl'1I but the PCII delltruy
hillair or caulOt' him trouble. they will
have made a n enemy in the Northern
Kingdoms. Rh ungold will ne ither forgive nor forget the PCI . If Rhungold has
been captured, he ie no long er of con cern to the PCs unl '88 he escapes.
Ifthl' PCs are unable to resolve any of
the ad ven tu re but st ill wish to re ma in
in the Va il'S. the)' may become leaders
in the Vineyard Va l's Defen se League.
They ca n help defe nd Thrend'e St ead or
ot hl'r vineya rdl again llt the lizard men.
They m ay act as escort for ca ra va nll or
help tra in defense lea gue flgh ters. The
max imum a mou nt paid for such a id b)'
the defense league ..... iIl be 100 gp per
party (not pe r PC) per month . However;
the Pes may keep all a rms, ar mor.
eq uipment . magical items. a nd treasure
they ca n ca pt ure .

Va le Rand om Enc ounters

Wh ile there is no treasu re to be gained
in the followi ng f" ncounten. the PCII
may IIt ri p pr isoners or fa llen liza rd men
of their ar ms and !leU t hese at sta ndard
pr ices (see th e EZJWrt R u l4'boo k . page
19). In add iti on. eac h liza rd man has
ppr llOnal bolongi ngs. ooin.ll, or jl' welJ")'
worth approximately 05 gp (copper "'Til'lt
ba nds, decor ative tooled leather arm
bands, llma U sih' er neck chai ns . etd .

DUNGEON

13

THE VINEYARD VALES

When defense lea gue. lizard men . or

Whiteheart mereenanee are enccunte red , use the followin g I'I t a t is t iclI and
de tails:
Viney ar d Val f' 1I D E'f E'hIIe League

Th e defense league is ma de up of ill trained and poorly ar med farmers. It

has no lea de r. a nd all decisions are
mad e by a committee ort he ste ad own.
era. Each owne r or hill emissary may
voice h is opinio n or cast a vote on enything brou ght befo re t he com mittee.
The defense league ill nol a wellorgani zed mili tary mac hi ne hut ill a ble
to field sma ll bands of wa rrion from the
Bt(>a ds a nd (arma of t h e Va lt'll.

Elite d E'fenae le a gu e fig ht e r: AC 6;

Fl ; hp S each; MV 120'(40 ': IAT 1
weapon; Dmg by weapon type; Save F l ;
ML 7; AL L; leather armor. sh ield , short
sword. h and axe.
Typical d efense lea gue fig hte r: AC
8; zero-le vel human; hp 3 each; MV
120'(40'); 'AT I weapo n: Dmg by
weapo n type; Save N M; Ml. 7; Al. l.;
sh ield, de gger, dub.
U zard Mf'n
Lizard man fhthten a re simple tri bal
warriors and shamans. They have no
idea what Rhungold is u p to; they are
sim ply doin J( lUI they are to ld. Th e liza rd
men figh te rs do not greatly value etr ategy a nd taetics , prefe rmg hea dlong
chargee into t he enemy's ranks . In bat tle, t hey ad opt a n " every lIiza rd l ma n
for himse lf" attitude.
Uzard m an s h a man: AC 5; C2; hp
12; MV 60 '/20 '); 'AT 1 spell or w ee pcn;
omg by weapo n type ... 1 or s pell: Save
C2; ML 12; AL N; 80133, Mo !2 1: dub;
spel l: N UU light wound..
Typ ic a l liz ard man nghtt' r: AC 5;
HO 2 "'1 ; hp 10; MV 60 '120', s wi mm ing
120 '(40 '); 'AT 1 wea pon; Omg by
wea pon type "'1 ; Save F'2; ~fl. 12; Al.
N ; 80133; dub, spe e r.
Wh itehe a rt Me rcena ri E'1
Th E' Wh itE'hE'art mercenar ie s a re a
milled ba g of battle-wise veterans, barroom braw lers, and downright brig a ndll.
Th e city of \\'hite hE'arl Iiell west of
Gnoat Man h a nd north of Gnollheim.
Canlltant Illd rm ishing wit h liza rd men
a nd goolls hu honed t he battle skillll of
the merc1lnari E's and taught them the
va lu e ofth ink ing abo ut a battll.' bl.'fore
engaging in it . Lik e- all Northm e-n , they
KTeatly va lu E' perlKlnal stre ngt h a nd
courage, but the y al80 have a m uch
bl.'tter KTall p of st rate-gy a nd ta ct iCll t ha n

14 1"U 8 No. 23

the average North ma n. They use this

knowledge to best ad vantage and tend
to a void charging headlong into a n
enemy.
Eli te WhitE'hea rt me r ce n 8l"y : AC 4;
F4 ; hp 18; ~I V 120'(40'); ' AT 1 .....eapon :
Omg by weapon type : Save F4 : ML 10:
AL L: cha in ma il , shield, war hammer,
hand axe .
T ypical Wh ltehe a n m e rce n a ry: AC
6; F2; hp 9; MV 120 '140 '); 'AT 1 weapon ;
Omg by weapon type : Seve F2; Ml. 10:
AL L; leat her a rm or, shie ld, mace, hand
axe.
Ber8t' rk("M1 loptiona ll
For ecme unex plained reason ,
North men are particularl y susceptibl e
to t he berserk battle rag e that evercomes some .....arriors in combat. Some
sa ges Iluspt.'d. it hall somethi ng to do
wit h the Nort h men'e Immorta ls, Odin
a nd Tho r, whil e othe rs point to purely
racial factors. Wh ate\'er th!" re ason,
berserkt'r11 a re more comm on among t he
northern ki ngd oms than el sewhere .
Wh E'n ueing the following en coun ters,
the O ~t may change 20'l {rou nd all
fractions down l of the typ ical fighters to
bereerkera (see HoJ'l 7 l once they are
engaged in a battle . For t his adventu re ,
use the- stat ist iCll I{ivE'n for a typica l
defense league or w hiteheart mercenary but add + 1 to hit points a nd ... 2
to hit roll s.
A bel'lM.'rker E'ngagl.'sonly e ne my
figh ters 80 long as there are enemies to
fight. Once all enemies have be-en va nqu iehed. however, the berserker keep s
on fighti ng , turnin" on PCs, frit'nds ,
and alli ('8 in a blind battle-rage. On ce
the berserk fury ha s taken hold, it will
not pass aot long as the fighter Is en gaged in combat (with either frie nd or
enemy). If the berserk fighte r t a n be
subdued (by using a "~p or hold /HrlOn
8pell, by knocking him un conscious. or
by whatever mea ns the OM deem s pees jble), the berllerk fury pesse e in 14
turns, a!tl.'r which thl.' fightE'r ret ur ns to
norm al. though he will go bertlerk again
the next time he is engaged in combat .
El ite figh te n do not go berlll"rk . due to
t h p _If.diJlCip linp lind t raining tht'y
have atquired.
Battle- G uldellne ll
In large battles involving many war
r ion , t he fighti ng is often ro nfu sed a nd
chaoti c. Because of t h ia confu sion , the
PCs must be ca rl.'ful in using missil("
fire or spell s on jumbled and shifti ng
ta rgeu. Th e OM should roll percentile

dice for a ny hit that a PC Morell by a

miss ile weapon (spells such all magic
mUfil e and hold person automatit:ally
sti kE' thl.'ir de sired targl.'ts l. There ie a
50'1 ch ance o(hitting a n enemy or ally:
a roll of 1-50 mea ns t he hit was eccred
on a friendly figh te r or all ied cr eature.
wh ile a roll of 51-00 hits a n enemy
fighter or mons ter. S pel l-caste rs mu st
a lso be ca re ful when using area-e ffect
spellil such as , /erp or blt'ss, as fri endll
may be accident ally harmed or en emies
accidentally. For conve nience, the OM
can use the 5O'l- rul e: In any confused
j u mble of people, 5O'l- are friendll a nd
50'l are ene mies. Thus, If a , IH p spell
is calCt and pu ltl four Ilghtere tv slt't'p,
two are frie ndly fightt'rlI and t wo are
ene mies. If an odd number ie effected,
the OM may choose or roll randomly to
determ ine If the one left over is a Iriend
or a n enemy.
The OM may roll randomly for the
following encounte rs or choose an
enco unte r u approprtat e . Ea ch encou n.
ter should be used only once, but if th e
D ~l: wishes , encounters 1 a nd 6 ca n be
re work ed and used over aga in .
1. He ne ga de Uzar d Ml.'n. Sixteen
lizard men lhp 10 each) are attacklnK
five de-fense lea gue Iighre rs Iene e lite,
hp 5: four typ ical , hp 3 eac h) on a 8OOutinK mission. Th e liza rd men are nol
trying to kill t he 8OOU18 but are attemp t ing to drive them westw ard into the
mereh. Th e lizard men feel t hat the
marsh otTen much more opportu n ity for
s port with th e eco u te t han dry land. If
PCs attack th e reptiles. they sta nd a nd
figh t to the last liza rd man. The liza rd
men are renegades, dl'tlt.'rt ers from
Rhungold 's foeeee in Gr ea t Ma rs h Isee
" Into Gr eat Mareh "). They dese rted
se veral week s ago a nd hav e be-en living
in the mareh eve r since . If any are ca ptured a nd Interrogated, t hey attempt to
trade infor mat ion on the loca tion of
Rh ungold 'sla ir in Great Marsh for their
freedom . [f Rhu ngold'&lai r hee a lready
brtn found and a ttacked, the8t' liza rd
men will not kn ow of it .

2. DI.'(e-ndlng thl.' Dt-fe n lle IA"Rgue ,

Read or para phrutle the following to t he
playeu :
As )ou approach a emaIl hill, you
hear the llOundll of battle: mE'n shouting, horse s wh inny in!:, the d ash of

THE VINEYARD VALES

s word altaiRst s h iel d . These sounds

r tee on the w ind and com", from the
(ar side of t he hill. 1b 11('(' wh a t ill
ha ppe ning, )'OU mus t KO d irectly ove r
the hill , 88 t he heavy brush on ei t he r
side of it ill virtually im passable.
Once atop the hill. you see 10 defense
lea ","Ul' fi.:h tt'TlI attempting to repel
t he onsla ug ht 0(20 lizard ma n war r iors. The liza rd me n ha ve thei r
backs to the hill a nd ca nnot see you .

'/
-,...

"'-

. I \ '

lf the Pell cha rge im me-diately, the 20

lizard men (one sha ma n. h p 12; 19 typica l, hp 10 each ) a re eur pr tsed a nd disorga niz ed . Th e PC s CR n a Uack once more
before t he n'pti l~ recover enoug h to
defend t hemse lves . In additio n, the PCs
automat ica lly win ini t iative for t he

next t w o combat sequ ences. If the PCs

Issu e a challenge be fore attack ing, th e
l iza rd men will not ne goti a te but will
s imply divide thei r foret' s a nd se nd half
aga in st the PC s and half agai nst the 10
defen se lea gu e fighters (four eli te, hp 5
each: six t yp ical , hp 3 each ), In th is
case, in it iat ive ill rolled no rmally,

3. T he Hu r n i n g Ste ud . For t his

encoun ter, tbE' O~ l may use th e ma p
ebcve or the fold-out map a nd 3 0 card,
board bu ild ings of Ot kel's stead eupplied with GAZ 7 The Northern
Hffi ch...lI . A OM who ow ns module OlO
N iRht ', Dark Terror can UJ' t he fold-out
map ofSukillkyn and the cou nters eup
plied with t hat modu le . In t he latter
t wo eases, the OM need only note t he
placement of firt' s in t hi s e ncounter to
use t he maps.
Read or pa ra phrase the follow ing to
t he players:
You ha ve stopped to relit you r ho nes
a nd eat a meal. The day is hazy, bu t
r isin Kove r one hill in the dt stence is
wh a t looks li ke s mo ke . As you watch,
it beco mes thicke r a nd stro ng er until
it ca n on ly be t he billowing s mo ke
fro m a large fire . As you ride to wa rd
it to investigate, you begi n to he ar
t he sounds of ba ttle KJ"Q1l.inK lou der.
You to p a sm el l rille a nd can clearly
see a burn in g atend. Th e Kittell a re
down and t he Rat(' tower, main
house, a nd a s hed a re burn ing [u r-icusly. A beute s till ra gE'S a mong the

Ilames.
T he stead is defe nded by 12 dt.'fen!\e
league fighters (four eli te, hp 5 ('a ch :

eig ht typica l, hp 3 eac h). Th e a ttac kera

are 15 lizard me n (two sha ma ns, hp 12
each: 13 typical . hp lO eac h), Th e PC s
will ha ve a difficu lt ti me re achin g the
battle because of t he blaz in g ga te to we r,
the only entra nce a nd exit to t he stead.
Th is else meena that the oomba ta nl.8
wit hin the walls arp una ble to retrea t .
Any PC I atte mpting to pu s t hrough
t he fire wit hout magica l protection ,
s uc h as a ruu t fire epell or ring offi re
r"i1ltall~, su tTer 28 hp damage from
t he Ilamesuhe 0:\1 may also i nclude
further pe nalties, s uch as clot hes ee tcb .
ing fire for addi tional da mage, flCrolis
bur ni ng a nd beco ming use less. or 10lllI of
Dexterity or Ch ar is ma due to burns).
Th e easiest way for the PC s to ente r
the burni ng compound is for a t hief
cha racte r to climb the wall (nonna l
chance of s ucreu) a nd th row down a
ro pe for the et he rs . One attempt can be
mad e for eech wa ll of t he st ead. Ift he
pa rt y dot's not contai n a thief, ot he r
characten rna)' atte mpt to cli mb the
wa lls usi ng the gu ideli nes s upplied on
pa ge 22 oft he Expert R ult hook. As t he
defenders a nd e uec ke re of the stea d a re
busy hacking a nd ala,h ing at eac h ot he r
a mong the bu rni ng bu ildin gs, no on e

will notice t he PC s unt il they attack .

There is fig hti ng t hrou gh out t he burn inlt stead, !IO t he O:\! may place en cou nters a ny whe re within illl wftllll.
4 . Rt' Acuing Whlt e h ea rt Me r ct'n ari" A. Read or pa ra phrase th .. follow.
i ng to the players:

You hear the eou nde of battle as yo u

foll ow a well-te nded wa gon road
th rough a s ma ll tree-s hrou ded glen .
Around a be nd in the tra il yo u come
u pon a Whitehe art wagon train under a ttac k by liza rd men ra ideu .
There a re seven wa gon s sto pped in a
li ne on the road , with the wagon s
about 20' apa rt. A tota l of 60 Whi teheart merceneriee and liza rd men
are lock ed in dea dly h an d-to-b end
combat in , on, under, lind a rou nd the
wagons. Fr om tht' look of t he battle,
t he White ht'a rt wa gcn eers are get t ing t he worst of it .
The wegons are de fended by 23 White.
hea rt mereen eries (23 typica l. h p 9
each }a nd contai n foodst uffs and arms to
resu pply the meree nary ba nds de fe nding the Va lell. They are be ing a ttac ked

DUNG EON

15

THEVINEYARD VALES

by a force of 27 lizard men uwc she .

mane, h p 12 ea ch; 25 typica l. hp 10
each>. If the PCa ch arg.. into beufe
immediately, t hey automatically have
initi a tive (Of th eir first attack . Ifthey
challenge the lizard men, nothing happene or chang H . The fightf.' n are too
preoccu pied with thE"ir comba t to dtsen-

gage or worry about the PC. If the PCs

iss ue a challenge. however, roll in iti ativ e norma lly.

5, Locuete lind Uza rd Men. Read or

in that round beca use he Ie eurp r teed

and off bal ance .
It will ta ke the defense league fight.
e re 30 ro unds to drive the tOCU'UI from
the vineyard. H the PC II defeat the lie.
e rd men before thill, they may join help
the fightt>n . If the PCa are st ill engaged
with the liza rd men a fte r th e figh ten
have eit he r killed or driven the locu sts
aw ay, the fighter. will help the PC.
fight th e lizard men. Ofthe NPC fight
en , 1-4 will hav e s uffered 16 hp demag e in th e fight with the locu sts.

pa raphrase the ollowinR to the pl ayers;

You are rid ing down an old cart t rac k
when yo u hear the llOu nds or ba ttle.
AI. y ou round a t hick Alan d of rreee.
you see a battle be t ween defense
lea gu e tighten a nd Iiaerd men . Apparently, the defense lea gue fighten
are trying to get into the vineyard
just beyond. bu t the Hurd men have
formed a sk ir mish li ne and are preve nti ng a nyone from e ntering. Locking into t he vi ne ya rd, you eee that it
is being atta cked by several giant
IOCU818. The defenll4:' league members
are cuni ng the lizard men and
screaming bloody murder, but they
are u nable to ge t at t he locusts. If
you want to drive the locusts from
the vineyard. you are go ing to hav e
to de al with the lizard men y our-

selve .
There are 12 defe nse league fighten
(two elite, hp 5 ea ch ; 10 typ ical. hp 3
each! trying to break through a line of
25 liza rd men (two shama n., hp 14
each; 23 typical , hp 10 ee ch ]. In the
vin eya rd are 15 gi ant locusts Ihp 9
each). The locu lltlla re very hungry and
figh t with a morale of 8 r at hE'rthan

the ir usu al 5.
If the PC . ebellenge th e lizard men or
engage in combat wit h them, the repril es are forred to give up their gam e
with the defense league Ilghte re and
allo w them to e nte r the vineya rd. If the
PCI attack the liza rd men, several
t hings happen at o nce . The defense
league me n attack the giant locusts.
a nd the locusts begin jump in g. There is
a 5O'l- cha nce pe r giant locust t hat it
beco me. confused and ju mps into the
fig ht be tween the PCa and the lizard
men . If 10, a victim (either a PC or a
lizard man) te determined randoml y and
a hit roll is made, If the gian t locust
h its. t he victim i. battered for 1-4 h p.
Any victim hit by a locust ca nnot attac k

16 1" uo No. 23

6. Ambuah, Read or par aphrase the

following to t he pla yers:

You a re follo.....ing a narrow track

through a heavily thick eted area a nd
are u nable to see more than 2'-3'
th rough t he heavy brush .
Sixteen Hurd me n (one shama n, hp
12; 15 typ ical , hp 10 each ) h av e been
ly in K in wa it for some u nfort un ate
pa ssers-by to enter this thicket . If th e
PCa attempt to pa~ through, they a re
ambushed immediately. lf the edve nture ra ete te t he y a re preparing for an e rnbush in the t h icket , th e lizard men
s urprise them on a ro ll of I on Id6 . If
the PCII make no such preparanen e.
they are eurp ri eed on a 13 0n Id6 . The
liza rd men wa it ing in a mbus h are out to
kill anyon e en te ring the thicket . Th ey
attack fro m both si des a nd attempt to
block the track a he ad and be hi nd the
party.
7. Ca pn vee. The PCs carne acfOl\ll 20
lizard men (20 typica l, hp 10 ea ch I ret urning from a raid . The lizard men
have four hu man ce puvee a nd e re reo
tu rn ing to the marsh for a fea st. The
ca pt ives a rt' bound a nd ca nnot figh t
until they are relea sed . If the PC s at tack, t he liza rd men divide their forces ,
.....it h eigh t liza rd men trying to escape
with the ca pt ives ..... hile the other 12 act
as a rear guard to prevent a nyo ne fro m
attempti ng a rescue. If the rear guard is
destroyed, the first ei ght lizard men
aba ndon the ca pt ives a nd high-tai l it as
fallt as they ca n for Great Mars h .
Ca p tln1I (4): AC 9; zero-level hu mans: hp 3 each: ,-t V 120 '140 '); ' AT I;
Dmg by weapon ty pe; Sa ve N ~I; ML 5;
AL L: unarmored a nd unarmed. Iffreed .
the ca ptives are grateful but ca n offer
no rewa rd to the PCII beceuee thei r
stead was burned .....hen they were
captured .

8. Re fu get' ll in Need . Read or pa ra ph rase th e foll owing to the pla yers:

You are rid inK do.....n a n old ca rt track
when yuu hear the lIUund of a !lU Ke
number of peopl e weeping and .....a ilinK. Ah ead and ofT to the ri ght you
see a numbe r of peasa nl8 being b eeessed and bull ied by a gr oup of fight.
en. Th e fightt>n are going through
the peaNl nt'1 gooda and po8sellllions
a nd ta ki ng .....hat they please .
Th e pe asants a re 30 refu gee s fleein g
t he figh t in g in the Va lt's. They are being ro bbed by 15 Wh iteheart merce.
naries rt .....o elite , hp 18 each; 13 typ ica l,
hp 9 eac h) .....ho have decided that there
is more mon ey to be mad e in robbing
the Vales than in pr otectin g them. The
mercenaries a re 80 busy searc h inK
t hrough and argu in g over the pe8lBnt's
pitiful be longi ngs that, if the PCs et tack immed iately, t hey automatically
s urp rise the mercenaries a nd win iniria rive for the nex t two rounde. lf the PCs
challenge the meree neriee before attacking. the men from Wh ite heart eollect rhemse lve e a nd prepare for battle .
In th ill case. normal tnitta u ve rolls are
made.
If a n)' of t ht'1lt' re negade mercenaries
a re ca ptu red, the)' ca n be tur ned over to
the defense league. The reneged ee will
be treated as com mon bri gandll. i.e .,
la shed, imprrso ned, used 88 forced labor,
etc, Once a gr oup of mercenaries turns
to robbery, the other Whitehea rt mercenaries will hav e nothing to do with
them a nd do not ca re wh at beco mes of
suc h ren egades . If a ny PCs are ca ptured
by the brigands, they will be et eipped of
all eq u ipme nt . a rms . a rmor, magical
items, end anyt h inKt'IIW of val ue, th en
rel eased along with the peasa nts.
Ht' fu gel' lI (30): AC 9; zero-leve l humene: hp 3 each : MV 120 '140 '); ' AT nil,
omg n il: Sa ve N !o.t ; ML 5; AL L; una r med a nd u nar mored .
0

A nn first met her husband, Paul Dupuis,

10 yrorl ago when she wen t looking for a
good Du ngron Master. Perhaps that's
why POIlI u w illi ng to support her a. she
tur M to a full-time career design ing roleplaying aids. This is her fir st Bah to
DUNGEON- Adoenturee. With their
fiTd mo rtgagf' loomi ng in the near futu re,
A 1111 a nd Pau l hope it won't be her last

" In th e Dread of Night" is a D&IY' ad ventu re for 5-8 PCs of mixed classes and
leve ls 1-3 (about 13 total levels). Lawful
characters would be best. as Chaotic
characters will find little or no reason to
help the villagers. The adventure is set
al ong the Westron Road in t he Grand
Duchy of Kara meik08(GAZl. which
covers this te rritory, would be ofhelp
hereI. Ifthe OM wishes a short adv ent ure, playable to its conc lusion in three
to five hours, the " Adventure Backgrou nd" may be read to the players and
the adventure begun near the tower
itself Otherwise. the PCs' arrival and
activities in the village should be roleplayed .

Adventure Background

IN THE DREAD
OF NIGHT
BYANN DUPUIS

Things are darkest

before they go
totally black.

6 IssueNo. 24
h.

The village ofSisak has been plagued by

some unknown terror for nearly a year.
It sta rt ed in nocentl y enough: A few
animals disappeared from the fields and
were thought to have wandered ofT while
t he herdsman dozed. A while later.
farmer Bram Radescu'slivestock disappeared from his barn. Br am a nd h is
oldest son followed the tra cks for a mile
in to the woods. They found t hei r horse,
k illed by some wild beast, but a ll the
ot he r tracks had mysteriously vanished.
Since then , livestock has disappeared on
a regular basts, always a few nigh ts
befor e the new moon .
Su spicion fell on Th addigre n Dentiata,
a magic-user who h ad moved into the
a rea short ly before the first disappear.
ances . He had constructed a tower in
less than three mo nths. using many
imported workers and (it W Wl rumored )
great magic. Thaddigren Dentiata himself was hardly ever seen by a ny of t he
villagers. It was whi spered t hat Den tiata's magic was of the dark sort.
Grigore Mavrov. th e village headman.
sent word to the local lord req uesting
help in the form of armed me n to conduct
a n in vestigation. None were immed iately availa ble. however. as the lord was
h av ing problems with goblins raiding
some ofhis more important lands.

INTHE DREAD OFNIGH'!

Dieter Mavrov (Ori gcre'e gr endecn),

Mik s l Ta ppe (t he tavern keeper), and a
few or the fa nners armed themselves
with pitchforks a nd a n old sword that
had belonged. to Dieter's father, th en
marched out to the m agic-user's tow er to
confro nt him with t he ir suspicions. They
were mel by a polite a nd cool Thaddigren Dentieta, who gave them a gu ided
tour of his abode . The men found nothin g
u nusual except for th e odd henchmen
Dent iata kep t-balf a dozen OTC8-who
were also polite and cool. The men
returned to the village. stillsUBpecting
De nt iata hut u nable to prove anything.
Parents began to keep the ir chil dre n
indoors duri ng the week ofthe new moon
for fear t hat the evil would not be satisfied with livestock.
Two night.8ago, Die ter Mavrov a nd
Miks l Tappe, having had a bit too much
to drink at Miltsl'. ta vern, staggered off
vowing to put a n e nd to the te rror.
Milta }'s body was found in the woods the
next day, mangled al most bey ond recognition by some savage beast. Th ere was
no sign of Dieter.
Last night, Grigore Mavrov gat he red
the menfolk ofthe vi llage together in the
tavern . "Somethi ng mu st be don e; ' they
all agreed. But the tw o bra vest villagers,
Dieter and Mik al, who ha d led the
farme rs to the to wer before , were now
gone . Word s a nd ale flowed freely
thro ugh the lips ofthe men present. In
the end Grigore left the tavern, shak ing
his gray -haired head sadly.
A few mome nts la ter the vill agers
he ard a shout. Rushi ng out of the tavern,
they eaw four figures dragging the at rugglingold man into the woods . One of the
farmers who had gone to the towe r was
sure he recognized t he la rgest figure a s
t he chief ore he nchman ofThaddigren
Dentiata. As a mob. t he men r an into the
woods, but the orcs had disappearedand Grigore Mavrov with them.
The PCs ma y come ac ross t he vill age of
Sisak a nd its troubles while t raveling
the Westro n Road on their way to som ept.oe else. Alter nati vely, the local lord
~,. have hired the ad venturers to
IDft8tiCate the proble m, una ware of the
MW denolopments.

For the lMlgeon Master

"Jbaddicr'e- Dentiata is in deed responsi-

r..

hi.
mysterious disa ppearances of
li..-oc:k aDd for the k idna pping of he admaD Gripft MIIvrov. He intends to
S8C!"ifice Gricoft on the Stone ef Secri-

Sisak
and Vicinity

I square = 1/4 mile

"

",\

I.......

.o~t

)- f....

Wcstron Road

f-T>o

T_~

C I~lU....tee

Rh n-

I"

t-....
I'

Pll!;tu ~

and

stsakX

t'~1

Hnf'"trich

CrftII. \1....,..

r-, ........

t 'Dre'/i1

fice in area 11 of his to wer, j ust moments

before dawn on the ni ght ofthe new
moon . Th is sacri fice, if performed cor rectly, will enable Dentiata to gain
level of experience (becoming a 7th! vel
magic-user). It will a lso pro vide him
with his fir st fourth-level spell (see he
Son s of Night" under "Th addigren Dentiata and F riends"). The spell revealed
by the sacrifice will be confusi on, but the
DM may substitute a ny fourth-level
spell desired. Dentiata ha s chose n Gr igore as the sac ri fice because of the headma n'slang life of upholding the ideals of
La w. This m akes him perfect for Den nate 's purposes .
The DM sho uld allow the PCs enough
time to rescue Gr igore befor e the ee cri fice ; a t least one full ni ght will be
need ed . If the party is sma ll or consists
of only first-level characters, a n extra
day may be necessary to allow for the
ca pture, escape, a nd regrouping of the
party. Plan t he timing of the adventure
accord ing ly. Ha ve the PCs arrive in
Sisak just before noon, eit her on the las t
day ofthe month or on the first, t he day
of t he new moo n (see the calende r of
Karameikos on page 33 ofGAZI Th~
Grand Duchy ofKarameiltlMJ.

I'" <, r-,

Before role-playi ng the PC s' actions in

Sisak, the DM should read all of the
information on the village households.
Interrelationships between villagers
shou ld be especially noted. The villagers
are m ore than just a means of giving or
selling informa tion to the PCs; they
ha ve families, obligations, and personalities. Some of the villagers are available
as low-level NPCs to ro un d out the party
if there are too few PC s.
Once the sit uati on is explained to the
PC s, they will need to come up with a
plan of a ttack . If the PCs decide to
approach Dentrata'a tower after dark,
they can use the afternoon to gather
infonnati on, get any equipment they
ca n, a nd make plans. If t hey re member
tha t orcs are nocturnal, the PCs may
decid e to lea ve for t he tower ri ght a way.
In eithe r case, t hei r journey to the tower
should be u neventful, whether they
choose the West ron Road or go through
the woods a long the Clea rwate r River.
Keep in mi nd that Dentiata is a powe r ful character -too powerful for the average t st-level PC to easily defeat. Bein g
higher tha n 4th level, be is imm u ne to
s1p spells. He is also immune to charm
/Jf!rBOn spells (creatures witb six or more

DUNGEON 7

IN THE DREAD OF NIGHT

,,\,
Slime Walll
....~ Propeny Line
Rock Wall
::::::::::: e nw palh/R""d

Riveri'Creek

cell s before the hour of sacrifice. Ifthey

do escape, return, a nd are capt ured
again, they will find themselves in the
interrogation room (are a 25) or on the
road to t he Blac k Eagle Ba rony in the
company of Iron Ring Slavers (see GAZl,
page 28).

Sisak Villa g e

Upper
Cow
Pasture

Lower
Pasture

: [ill :

hit dice are not affected by th is spell; see

the D&D Bas ic Set Dungeon Masters
R ulebook, page 14).
Dent iata is not invulnerable, however.
The PCs may defeat him if they surprise
him and cleverly dea l wit h him before he
can cast a spell . If Dent iata gets the
initiative in an enco unter, his spells of
choice are sleep (for the ent ire party) or
charm person (if he meets up with one of
the adventurers alone ). He will not use
his darkn ing bolt (see page 14 for new
spell description ) unless he is outside the
tower or on the roof. Dentiata uses his
wand ofparalyeation only after first

8 Issue No.24

I!
!
I

. [[]

,
!
,,s~

using his sleep spell.

IfDentiata does manage to capture
any of the PCs (wit h h is sleep or charm
perso n spells, h is wand ofparalY2ation,
or by force of arms), he puts them in cells
in hi s dungeon. This makes the cells a
bit crowded, as there are only two available for the PCs (a rea s 22 and 23). If Den tiata or Warag, ch ief of Den tiata'e orcs,
is feeling particularly cr uel, one of the
PCs may be put in a cell (are a 24) with
the now violently insane Dieter Mavrov.
The adventurers will be h arm ed or
k illed by Dentiata and his minions onl y
ifthey don 't manage to escape from the

Sisak is a t iny village located along t he

Westron Road in the Gra nd Duchy of
Karameikos, about 25 mi les west of
Radlebb Keep . Sisak is home to 77 vil lagers, mostly far mers an d their Iamilies. There is one tavern here that caters
to travelers on t he Westron Road.
M08t of the buildings are constructed
of wood, with thatched roofs and whitewashed or st uccoed walls. Some of the
ba rns have wa lls of bare wood. Th e tavern is of stone and timber with a slate
roof. This is also the on ly bu ilding in t he
village with two complete stories,
although some ofthe residences and
barns ha ve lo~.
BUildingssz.lled alphabet ica lly on
the map are e residences of t he vil lagers; unla led bu ilding s are outbuildings , including barns, byres, and coops
for the villagers ' livestock. Not shown on
the map are the numerous pens and folds
for the livestock.
The fields are borde red by the
Clearwater Rive r and Creek Melnik.
These two waterways join one another
just southeast of the village. Each field is
labelled on the village ma p with the
letter corresponding to the family t hat
farms it. The inn's two fields are fa r med
by the villagers an d by temporary hired
hands in return for ale a nd ot her supplies available at th e inn. Each field is
divided into three roughly equal parts:
the villa gers rotate the crop s in t he ir
fields , leaving one part to lie fallow
each yea r .
The grasslands to th e east ofthe
Clearwater River serve as pasture for
t he cows and sheep, and as hay fields.
Haying season each summer is a t ime of
cooperative work among the villagers
during the day, and feast ing and da ncin g
each evening. As there is no mill in the
village, all grain h arveste d by the vil lagers is taken to a la rger village ha lf a
day' s journey to the southeast.
A well locate d in the center of the
vil lage provides dr in k ing water for
everyone. The in n has it s own additiona l
water supply. The villagers draw fr om
the river or from Creek Melnik for trri-

IN THEDREAD OFNIGHT

gating their fields a nd for washing clot hing . The norther n ford is m uddy a nd
clouded each mornin g and evenin g after
the livestock ha s been driven thro ugh,
but it soon cle ars. The cow paths on t he
outski rts of t he village ha ve been beaten
down a lmost 3' bel ow the surface of t he
surrou nding ground.
All villagers con for m to the follow ing
st at ist ics except whe re noted othe rw ise:
Villagers: AC 9 ; Norma l Humans; hp
se lected according to age, he alth, and
pr ofession ; MV 120 ' (40 '); (fAT 1 we a po n;
THACO 19; Dm gby weapon type ; Save
Nor mal Man ; ML 6; AL L or N; BD /34.
Th e villagers have very little wealt h of
a ny sort.
As the PCs a pproach the village,
read or paraphrase the following to the
players:
As you trav el a long the Westran
Road, a s mall r ive r winds its way
a longside , someti mes t wist in g away
into the woods for a while only to
ap pro ach the edge of the roa d on ce
more further on. Its quiet gurgli ng
provides a melodious cont rast to your
t rud gi ng through t he m ud of the road.
The sun shines stro ngly down upon
you, pro m ising to t urn the squelchi ng
muck left by last n ight's rains t o
ch ok ing dust before the day is
through.
Just before noon you see a village
ahead. Its whitewashed buildings a re
nestled between the r iver a nd a n
a djoini ng creek. A few welcoming
curls of smoke rise up from ch im neys.
The field s are well tende d and neatly
laid out between stone walls. To t he
east are hay fie lds a nd past ures.
Approaching the vill age , you begi n
to notic e that t here are no a nimals in
the pastures and no vill agers in the
fie lds. In fact , as ide from a few chickens pecking about in the di rt ofthe
road, nothing seems to be moving in
the village except for one man, cursing lou dly a s he a nd his te am of
horses st ru ggle to pull a fully loaded
wagon ou t of the m ud of the ford .

The man is Bram Rad escu , on hi s way

bac k from a supply ru n for the Boun tiful
Tappe Tavern. Bram wa s the first vi llager to lose hi s livestoc k . Since then, he
has mana ged to replace some of hi s stock
but not his ho rse . He agree d to ta ke
Mika l Tappe's wa gon and horses to the
nea rest me dium-eire tow n and there

purc h ase su pplies, in return for a previous use of the h orses. The wa gon contains tw o barrels of al e and many cr ates
and bags offoodst uffs, candles , lamp oil,
a nd the like. Bram and his second son ,
Igor , have been gone for three days and
are un aware of the latest happenin gs in
the vill age. Seein g the fie ld s a nd pastures empty and mos t of the a nimals st ill
shut in their barns, Bram is more than a
little concerned for h is fellow villagers.
Just a few m inutes ago he se nt Igor
ahead to the tavern to fetch help and
find out wh at's wr on g.
Bram Radescu: AC 8; Normal Man;
hp 6; MV 120 ' (40 '); IAT 1; THACO 19;
Dm g by weapon type (+ 1 d ue to
stren gth), Save Nor ~
Man; ML 6;
AL L; BD /34j S 14, II W 9, D 13, C 12,
Ch 9. Bram is currentl
med with a 10'
ho rse wh ip t ha t does 12 hp dama ge, but
du e to h is in ex pe ri ence in using the whip
as a weapo n , h e is u nable to entangle
oppone nts wit h it .
If the PCs stand by and watch Bram's
efforts, or simply wade across the ford
igno ri ng him, he indi gn antly curses
them for their disco urtesy. If they offer
to hel p Bram , he acce pts t heir assistance
with r eli ef. He kn ows about t he ev ents
in Sisak duri ng the past year a nd was
one of the fa rmers to confro nt Dentiata
but is un aware of Dieter's disappearance, Mikal's death, and the kidnappin g
of Gr igore .
One turn after the PCs firs t meet
Bram, Igor comes running back fr om the
tavern with t wo farmers to help h is
father get the wa gon un stuck. He is full
of t he news of Dieter and Mikal and
Gri gore, and isn't much help with the
wagon until he bl urts out everything he
lear ned fro m the other villagers . The
two fa rmers, Nefen Zbon and Vladislav
Kruschneh, are glad to see Bram and
shortly get the wagon and horses on
their way again, if the PC s haven't
already hel ped. Both farm ers hope that
Bram will be abl e to put an end to the
bickerin g cu rrently going on in the ta vern. They insist that he come immediately to the Bou ntiful Tappe, wit h the
adve nt urers as well, to hear what is
being said and perhaps to provide a
solutio n .
Each of the villagers that the PC s meet
is more tha n happy to babble on about
to wn 's pro ble ms . Many of t he to wn speople can suggest a nother vill ager whom
the PC s may wis h to inter view: Odolf
Czelb, for instance, who claims to ha ve
seen Mik al killed; or Casimi r Zbon , the

cowher d, who knows the most about the

missing cattle. If the PC s ask about
garlic, wolfs bane, or magical potions,
Runa Kroza 's hovel is pointed out to
them. The villagers a re proud of their
resident wisewoman, although they
pre fer to stay aw ay from the crotc hety
old woman unless in need of her wisdom
or herbs.
Each PC wh o see ks out rumors will
encou nter 13 of them per day. The DM
may sel ect wh ich rumors the PC s hear,
depending on wh om t he PCs ask a nd on
the direction the DM wishes the edve nture to take.
Rumors Everyone Knows
-Dentiata is a powerful, evil wizard.
(True) - Dentia ta is fr om the Black
Eagle Barony. (True. The villagers
pick ed up t his bit of information during
the cons t ructi on of the to wer a year ago.)
- Wei rd lights ca n be seen dancing on
the tower roo f ev ery ni ght of the fu ll
moon . (F alse . One of the villagers sa w
st range lights once, the re sult ofa ma gi ca l expe ri me nt Dentiata was eonducrin g. There wasn't a full moon at the
time, and t he lights haven't been seen
si nce, b ut the sto ry grew in its retelling.)
R u mo rs the Children Tell
-Dentiata has a big tiger that eats pe0pl e! (Fal se . This idea originated in a
bl end of imagination and the memory of
a circus with a caged tiger that stopped
overni ght in Sisak about a year ago .)
-If yo u' re bad, Dentiata will get you!
(Fal se )
-Skelly, the stableboy, went there all
alone! (True. See area A2.) He could beat
that mean old Dentiata ifhe wanted!
(False )
The follo win g vill agers marched up to
the tower to confront Dentiata :
Name
Residence
Mikal Tappe (deceased)
area Al
Dieter Mavrov (cur rently
m iss in g)
areaB
a rea D
Nefen Zbo n
HanPodsk
areaG
areaH
St a nisl a n Czelb
a rea J
Burr Si lecz
a rea 0
Bram Radescu
Boris Radescu
a rea 0
Dentiata wa s forewa rned of the villa gers' intentions through the use of hi s
crystal balL He ca refu lly insured that
h is gu ard wolves were taken down to the

DUNGEON

IN THE DREAD OF NIGHT

lowe st dungeon le vel, alon g with t heir

ch ains, leavin g littl e si gn oftheir exist ence in sight. He poli te ly greeted the
angry vill ag ers when they arrived, and
offered to giv e them a tour of hi s to wer.
There was very little at the to wer to
make the villagers sus picious (aside
from the orcs). A you ng woman wa s in
the kitchen preparing a me a l when the
vill agers went by. Dentiata then showed
them h is workshop a nd even parted the
curta ins hiding the Stone of Sacrifice
(see a rea 11), letting them see the illusion of a n empty room . The villagers did
take not ice of Dentiata's magical lightin g and innovativ e plumbing (wondrous
things to t he farmers), but the sign jficance of the comm unic atio n pipe in t he
wall escaped them.
The villagers were also brought down
the stairs to the first level benea th the
tower, but as the door to the lower levels
wa s hidden, a ll they cou ld see was a
recrea tion room a nd a st orage are a (see
areas 13 and 14). Two ofthe orcs were
down in the guard room (a rea 19), and
the vil lagers were not observ a nt enough
to realize that there were eig ht u sed
beds in the or c quarters rather than six.

Gor dog, Den t iata's interrogato r, was

also on the lowest dungeon le vel , so none
of the villagers know about him.
The Households
A. The Bountiful Tappe Tavern,
Inn, and General Store. Th is timber
and stone bu ild ing is la id out like the
typical small tavern on pa ge 26 ofGAZl.
In normal times, the t avern se rv es as a
gathering place for the to wnsfolk after
the day 's chores. It also ca ters to the
need s of tra velers on the Westron Roa d.
Right now the tavern is in turmoil.
Most ofthe adult ma le vill ag ers a re
gathered here, argui ng among themselves as to what shoul d be done about
Thaddigren Dentiata . Many a re in favor
of once agai n se nding someone to the
local lord to dema nd that justice be done.
A few are insisting t hat Gri gor e
Mavrov's life is in obvi ous peril-if the
headman hasn 't been don e aw ay with
a lre ady-and that somet hi ng must be
done imm ediately. No one is volu nteerin g, ho wever .
When the PCs enter the ta vern, they
immediately bec ome the ce nter of et te n-

Prices at the Bountiful Tappe

Ale (heavily watered downl
Ale imported from a neighhoring town
Beer
Home-brewed beer
House wine
Good wine (no more than 20 bottles available)
Black bread
Mess 0' greens (avail able summer only; contains
greens with vinegar and bacon dressing)
Squirrel stew
Trout
Brown bread and beans
Roast chicken
Beef atewe
Roast beef"
Roast pork'"
Roast goose''
Hedgehog pudding (no hedgehog, but It does have
raisins and nuts)
Spice cake
Apple tart (fresh apples in late summer and early fall ,
preserved apples in other seasons )
Sleeping room (for as many persons as will fit l
Stabling (includes bedding and feed )

3 cp per half pint

2 tip per pint
3 cp per half pint
5 cp per pint
J gp per bottle
2 gp per bottle
Free with any meal

5 cp
z ep
hp
hp
g sp

5,p
19p
19p
Ii ap

5 cp per slice
1 gp per room
5 sp per animal per night

'" Beef, pork, and goose require advance notice, as the animals need to be butchered, dressed, and cooked. They are served with all the trimmings. Anita Romov is
an excellent cook. Beef will be available for 1-4 days following the original order;
pork will be available for one additional day; a goose will be con sumed by the party
or the villagers on the day it is first served.

10 Issue No. 24

tlon. Bram Radescu is thought of as

bein g r ather courageous, and the villagers are gla d that he's returned, but
t he strangers look like adve nt ure rs, and
a dve nt urers are know n to solve problema for peop le .
The following people (wit h their real dence areas ) are currently i n the tavern:

Anys Tappe (A I), Anita Romov (AI),

Weens Tap pe (AU, Cast a Bellaz (A U,
Nefen Zbon (Dl. Odolf Czelb(H), Vladisla v Kruschneh (I), Bram Radescu (0),
and Igor Radescu (OlITen to 15 ot her
vill agers are also p Ter:nt. Ro11 2d8 fOT
each of t hem, refer to the indica ted
household descript ion (2: re sidence B,
3= residence C, etc.I, and pick one of the
householders listed. Duplicate rolls
indicate that more than one person fr om
a particula r household is in the tavern.
Choose adult ma les fir st, the n wives or
older children. E ach household descripti on includes a rumor that can be heard
from any m em ber of that fam ily.
lethe DM does not wish to hand pick
the current crowd at the tavern, the
follo wing vill agers may be used (in eddttion to those listed above): Casi mir Zbon
(D), Radu Yorhini (E ), Amber (F),
Sta nislan Czelb (H), Danika Czelb (W,
OlafKruschneh, Burr Silecz (J), Valdemar Vlem (L), and Al vis Romczi eM).
AI. Tavern Keeper's Residence.
- M ika l Tappe, pro prietor (deceased)
-Anya Ta ppe, Mik al 's wife
-Weena Tappe, Mikal 'a Ld-year-cld
da ug hter (serves as barmaid )
- A nita Romov, Anya 's unwed sister
(t he inn's cook )
- Casta Bellas, a you ng wido w (lives
wi t h the family and serves as ba r-m ai d)

R u mo r: Onl y t he " Rumors Everyone

Kn ows" are to ld by the taver n staff.
Anya Tappe is distraught wi th grief but
has managed to ta ke up t he reinsof her
husband's business . The me nfolk of the
village a re sure the womenfolk of the
tavern will soon beg for help. The men
are mistaken.
A2 . Stables. The stables have room for
up to 15 horses or mules and a few m iscellaneous ot her animals. The Tappes
own two horses, a pa ir of m ul es, and a
large wa gon t hat the villager s may rent.
The horses are not for sale , a nd Anys
wou ld be reluctant to let such val uable
a nim als accompany t he adventurers to
the wizard's tower.

IN THE DREAD OFNIGHT

Skelly, the stableboy, is an orphan who

lives in the st ables. His sister, Amber,
lives wit h the village wisewoman at area
F. Ske lly and Amber wandered into the
vill age tw o years ago; no one knows who
thei r parents were , a nd the tw o children
wouldn 't or couldn't say what had happened to them. Skelly takes care of the
horses, mules, and other animals belonging to the Tappes. He also cares for the
animals of any overnight gue sts at the
inn. Th e 12-year-old redhead is strong
for his age and doesn't talk to people
very much. He ha s an uncanny way with
animals and ca n make friends with even
the least friendly mount. He talks to the
animals under hi s care when he doesn't
think a nyone is liste ning.
Ske lly has gone off more th an once to
prowl aro und Dentiata 's tower and
barns. Although he ha s been inside the
barn, he doesn't know about the secret
tunnel to the tower. He has never been
in side the tower, but he knows that
Dentiata has two wolves, and he would
very much like to befriend them. H e
isn 't likely to mention any of this unless
one of t he PCs takes the time to become
his fr iend (sim ply pumping Skelly for
infonnati on makes him less than cooperat ive). Once Dentiata is dealt with,
Skelly will actually be able to befriend
the wol ves, if they are still alive.
Rumor: Skelly won 't say anything he
doesn't know by his own experience to
be true.
B. Headman's House.
-Grigore Mavrov, vill age headman
(currentl y Dentiata's prisoner)
- Savina Mavrov, Grigore's daughter
(Dieter's paternal aunt)
- Gyth a Kavda, Grigore's son's wife 's
sist er (Dieter's maternal Bunt,
widowed years ago)
- Dieter Mavrov, Gri gor e's grandson
(vill age blacksmith, currently
missing)
- Kat rina Mavrov, Dieter's wife
(pregnant with their fir st child)
Rumor: Kat rina heard from her hu sband
that Dentiata is actually a werewolf and
roams t he forest as a great gray wolf
every night with a full moon. (F a lse)
Katri na Mavrov is anxious to learn of
ber hus ba nd's fate and hope s that he 'll
return soon, because she is one month
away fro m ch ildbirth. She mentions her
h us band's slee pless nights and re stless
pacing in his blacksmith shop before his

di sappearance . If the PCs in vest igate

the shop, they find an incomplete sword
forged ofsilver hidden un der a cloth in a
corner. Dieter wa s attempting to forge it
from his wife's silver jewelry and the
silver tea set that wa s an h eirloom from
her mother. Katrina will be di straught
to discover the loss of these things.
C. Czigan y Residence.
- Bori s Czig a ny, fanner
- Nada Czigany, Boris's wife
(pregna nt with their sev enth child)
- Ha ll ie Markov, Neda's aged mother
(he lps with the chi ldren)
-Six children, ages 3, 5, 6 , 7,10,11

Rumor: Thaddigren Dentiata sometimes

entertains strange visitors from afar and
often hires messengers to take pac kages
to distant corners of the world. (Exeggerated truth )
Wenceslava Yorbini is sure that Dentiata is plotting something against the
duke, that the mysterious st ra ngers are
co-conspirators, and that the messages
and pac kages se nt to Specularum and
more di stant places a ll h ave to do with
this plot.
Janos Yorbini's sk ill as a physician
allows him to heal 1-2 hp for every 12
hours an injured person is in his care.

R umor: Bori s is too busy trying to feed

h is large family to have paid attention to
a ny more than t he " Rumors Everyone
Kno ws."

F. Runa 's Hovel.

-Runa Kroza , village wisewoman
- Amber , orp ha ned urchin
- Daimon, Rune's black cat.Isome say
he's as old as Runal

D. Zh on Resid enc e .
-Obert ZOOn , farmer
-Nefen ZOOn, Obert's eldest son (farmer)
- We lda Zbon , Nefen's wife
- Nefen and Welda's three chi ldre n,
ages 3, 5, 6
- Ca sim ir Zbon , Nefen's younger
brother (vill age cowher d)

Rumors: Runa Kroza deals in mystical

truths. not in rumors. Amber, however,
proudly tells the PCs th at , if they want
to know about the wizard, they should go
talk to her brother; he 's been to the
mage's tow er.

Rumors: Casimir tells of sever al occe si ons when a mysterious slee p came over
h im . When he awoke, more animals
were missing. <True; he was a victim of
Thaddigren'a sleep spell.)
The Zhon s own the onl y bull in the vtl la ge and receive extra payments from
the villagers each spring. Casimir Zbon
is a handsome and eligible bac helor. In
return for tending the vill agers' cows
and sh eep, he receives milk, meat, and
h ides. There are between 20 a nd 25 cows
and oxen in his care, nearly 20 shee p,
and 10 or 12 goats.
Casimir tells the PC s that the vil
la gers have lost nearly a third of their
stoc k in the la st year, with most being
stolen in the la st few months . What
Casim ir won 't mention is that a few of
the missing animals were taken away to
be sold in another vill a ge by an associate
of his . (This scam will stop as soon as
Dentiata is dealt with, as Casimir will
no longer have a conven ient ex cuse for
the m issing animals.)
E . Yo rbini Re sidence .
- J a nos Yorbini, physician and fanner
- Wencesla va Yorbini , Janos's wife
-Three sons: Radu, age 15; Dmitri,
age 13; J akos, age 11

This tiny home is made of wattle and

daub: sticks and twigs woven into a
frame and covered with dried clay
from the river. Its thatched roofbears
many signs of patchin g. A gnarled old
wom an in ragge d clot h ing stands by
the doorway, h un ched over a bubb ling
ca uldron . She mutters to herself as
she sti rs t he murky contents with a
large sti ck.
When the PC s first meet Runa Kroza ,
she is doing her laundry in a cauldron
over a small fir e . She has information of
interest t o the party, all of it cry ptic and
mysterious. Abandoning her laundry
when the PC s approach and ask to speak
with h er , Runa bustles into her hovel,
waving the PCs before her . Despite its
run-down appearance, the hut is cozy
and fai rly weatherp roof. Inside are
many jars and sacks of dried herbs and
plants, all pa rt of Ru na 's craft as village
wisewoman.
Amber is in side the hove l sorting
herbs and packing t hem into jars. The
io-veer-cld is very precocious a nd has
flame-red hair. She is a bit of'a scamp,
fond of climbing trees a nd chasing the
Zbons' bull. Runa h as taken her on as
an apprentice wisewcman, Amber's
brother, Skelly, lives in the inn's
stables.

DUNGEON

11

...

INTHE DREAD OF NIGHT

lfthe PCs come for garlic, HURa has
wreaths of it hanging here a nd there. If
they ask for wolfsbane. ahe tells them
how to get some. Her method requires a
full moon, a walk of some distance to
where the wolfsbane blooms, and an

elabo rate ritual for retaining the plant's

potency in the gatheringofits leaves
and Ilowera, If asked whether she has
any wolfsbane handy, she impatiently

replies. "What-roe-an old lady, tramping about in the dark looking for a poi SODOUII pla nt?"
If the PCa rome for information or
advice. HURa Kroza carefully removes
her deck offortunetelling cards from its
velvet wrappings and performs two
readings (or the adventurers. The first
reading reveals: " Bewa re the death from
above!" After the second set of cards is
dealt, she suddenly screeches in a high.
cackling voice: " Whe n t he hidden door
opens not for thee, Dentiata's true name
will be your key." Runa then hustles the
PCsoutofher hovel and shuu the door ,
refusing to speak to them again. She
knows she has given a true prophecy and
wishes to meditate on the experie nce.
G. Podsk Residence.
-Han Podsk , fa rmer
-Gilda Podsk , his wife
- Maria Pods k, 10.year-old daughter
-Mika l Podsk , lOyear-old sontna med
for his mater nal uncle, Mik al Tappe)
R umor: There's a golde n vial containing
t he elixir of youth in Dent iata 's wor kshop. (False. Han , one of t he far me rs
who took th e tour of Dent tete'e tower,
noti ced a st ra nge golde n-colored via l in
the wor kshop. He menti oned it to
a nothe r villager, who told a t hird vil lager th at Ha n had St'en a golden vial
with a mys te rio us potion in it. That
villager the n added the idea that t he
poti on wou ld restore vitality to a man .
The next te ller of t he rumor tur ned t he
potio n of vitality into an elixir ofyouth.
The rumor has now gone full circle. Han
te lls the current version rather tha n
what he actually saw,)

H , Cze lb Residence .
-Stanislan Czelb , farmer
-Da nik a Ceelb, Stanislan's wife
-c-Th ree children: one son age 15,
another son age 10, a daughter age 6
-OdolfCzelb, Stanislan's younger
brother (village drunkard)

121ss<Je No. 24

-Radinka Ceelb. Odolfs wife

(village midwife)
RUITWr: OdolfCzelbclaims to h ave seen
a werewolf maul Mikal, and to have
watched as Dieter disappeared in a puff
of black smoke. (False. This is a mixture
of what he actually saw the night Mikal
and Dieter foolishly went ofTthrough the
woods, combined with the large amount
ofalcohol Odolfhad consumed that evening, all made to seem more real to Odolf
by his numerous retellinga ofthe story.
Mikal was killed by one of Denttete'e
wolves. Dieter was subdued and dragged
away by Warag.l
I. Kruschneh Residence .
-Vladislav Kruschneh, farmer
-OIafKruschneh, farmer and butcher
(Vladislav's son )
-Cleva Kruschneh, Olafs wife
(pregnant with their first child,
due in two months)

Rumor: A pack of enormous wolves

guards the tower ofThaddigren Dentiata, but they won 't eueck anyone who
tosses them meat. (F a lse. There are only
two wolves, and they'll attack first and
eat later.I

Olaf keeps part of eac h animal he

slaughters as payment. He 's excellent
with a butcher knife and enjoys showing
ofThis skill. He doesn't have any meat on
hand to give or sell to the PCs, although
he woul d be more than ha ppy to butcher
a n animal for them if t hey brought one
to hi m.
J , Silecz Residence,
- Bur r Silecz, farmer and potter
-Sonya Silecz, Burr's wife
- Three children (all boys), ages 9, 10, 12

R um or: There is a dreadful labyrinth

below the tower, where fea rso me beasts
and man -eating plants devour any unfortunate wr etches Thaddigren Dentiata
catches. (False)

K. Reh Residence.
-Armand Reh, farmer and sheep
shearer
-Milka Reh, Armand's wife (village
weaver, spinner, an d dyer )
-Fourdaughters,ages7,9,ll,13
Rumor: Thaddigren Dentiata'slife was
once saved by a dwarl; because of that,
he will never harm any dwarf. (False.
The DM may substitute elf, or physician,
or anything else if desired.I

L. V1em Residence.
-Vladimir Vlem, farmer, woodcutter
and carpenter
-Velika Vlem, Vladimir's wife
-Valdemar, their 17.year-old son
RUITWr: Thaddigren Denriata has a
female slave who is really a vampire in
disguise. He lets her kill any unwelcome
guests. (False. Dentiats has a slave
named Ashira, but she isn't a vampire.)

lfthe PCs go to the V1em residence, they

see a coffin and some wooden stakes, The
coffin is the one Vladimir just finished
building for Mikal; the stakes are for his
tomatoes. He gladly parts with a few of
them to any hopeful vampire hunters.
M. Ro mczi Re sidence ,
- Alvis Romczi, swineherd
-Zoru Romczi, Alvis's wife
Rumor: Thaddigren Dentiata practices
horrid rites involving the sacrifices of
black goats, black hens, and even people .
(An exaggerated rumor that is actually
true.j

Alvis takes the villagers' pigs into the

forest every day to forage, in return for
the ownership of one pig in five. (The
entire herd consists of between 20 and 30
pigs.) He supplements this with t hings
he forages for himself while in the woods
with the pigs: mushrooms, he rbs, bee ries, fruits, and othe r wild foods.
N. Rogoz Residence ,
-Bellamy Rogoz, farmer-I miesi ng his
left ann)
-Zoru Rogoz, Bellamy's wife
-Two children (boys), ages 5, 6
-Zelda Patka, Zorn 's mother (elderly
and bedridden!
Rumor: TheorcsofThaddigren Dentiata
have been conditioned to freeze whenever they hear t he words, "The Sun is
Rising." (Fa lse)

Bellamy lost his arm three years ago

when he fell from the central beam while
helping build Armand Reb 's barn.
0, Radescu Residence.
- Bram Radescu, farmer (the first to
lose his livestock )
-Ida Radescu, hi s wife
-Boris Radeecu, Brant's eldest son,
age 19
-Three other boys: Igor, age 15; Barret,
age 14: Roald, age 13

IN THE DREAD OF NIGHT

Rumor: None of the Redescus know any

rumors other than those commonly
known by all the villagers. They all

suggest that the PCs speak to Bram. as

he has actually been inside the wizard's
tower.

If he was assisted by the PCs in getting

the wagon out of the mud , Bram will be
friendly and pass on a s much helpful
information as he can. He remembers
quite a bit of what he saw on the guided
tour ofDentiata's tower.
P . Valerian Residenc e .

- Cla udius Valerian, farmer

- Adr ia na Valerian, Claudius's wife
Ru mor: Claudius discounts th e wild
stories about werewolves and vampires
as Traladaran superstition. He thinks
it 's dangerous enough living near a
normal human wizard of unknown
power and doubtful motives.
Claudius was once a soldier in the duke's
army. He and his wife moved here onl y a
year and a half ago, building a new
house and barns on the spot of a house
that burned down and wa s abandoned
three years before. The villagers have
made little attempt to be friendly toward
Claudius and Adriana, as they are Th yatian and outsiders.
If the PCs look like they might actually have a chance to do something about
Dentiata, Claudius will join them if they
ask. He has a sword and some leather
armor he can use if necessary.
Claudiu s Valerian: AC 7; Fl ; hp B;
MV 120 '(40'); IAT I ;THACO 19; Dmg
by weapon type; Save Fl ; Mt 8; AL L;
BD /31.32,35; S 13, 110, W 9, D 10, C 14,
Ch 10. Claudius is + 1 to hit and damage
with his normal sword, due to his
strength bonus.

Thaddlgren Dentlata and Friends

T he Sons o f Nigh t
This group of evil wizards believes that
the worl d will one day be consumed by
the Dread Night, a lightless and lifeless
void. Before that happens, the wizards
wish to rule the world and prepare it for
its destruction. Many ofthe spe lls they
research have to do with darkness and
deat h. The Sons of Night believe that
sac rifices to the Dread Night will give
them personal power to further their
ends; such sacrifices also bring the time
of the Dr ead Night closer.
M08t such sac r ifices are of animals,

sponsor. It involves tests. ordeals, and

but human sacrifice is performed in
specia l ceremonies where the celebrant
the teaching ofthe brotherhood's secret
expects to gain great power in the form
language and doctrine. As part of the
fin al initiation ceremony, a Son of Night
of knowledge or spells. A Son of Night
takes a new name that is related to the
who is ready to ascend to the next level
of experience prepares such a sacr ifice .
society in some way . Upon the induction
The sacrifice, following an hour-long
ofa new member, the Darker leaves the
fraternity, and, thro ugh a series of tests
ritual. must be performed at the end of a
moonless night, with the sym bolic intent
set up by the departing Darker, a new
of extending the darkness int o eternity.
Darker is chosen. It is assumed that the
The blood of the victim is cha n neled
previous Darker goes to join a not her,
more powerful fraternity .
through grooves in the sacrificial altar
The Sons of Night may be as numerous
to drip onto a specially prepared parchment (usua lly black). Ma gical writings
and powerful, or as few and weak, as the
OM would like. The organization may
form on the paper. revealing to the celebrant a new spell.
consist of only a few fraternities residing
The brotherhood believes that true
in Karameikos, or it could comprise
power is gained through individual
thousands of members spread across the
Known World. It may be as young (havcunning and cleverness, but they realize
that by cooperation they can further
ing been started only a dozen years ag o)
or as old (being founded by an exiled
their desires. Their numbers are
unknown. Their purpose is to gain perwizard of Alphatia centuries ago ) as th e
sonal power and wealth whi le hastening
DM wants it to be .
the oncoming of the Dread Night and the
If the DM uses the Sons of Night in
end of the world . Most members have an
further adventures, he must design the
interest (ra ngi ng from fondness to obsestrue leadership of the organization, a
fraternity of Grand Darkers who really
sion) in puzzles and tricks. The Sons of
have the bringing of the Dread Night as
Night respect the qualities of cleverness
their goa l. Most of the low-level memo
and ingenuity in all creatures, even
their adversaries. Thus, most ofthe
bers, of course, are more interested in
brotherhood will give particularly clever
gaining personal power than in the
opponents one chance to escape. The
destruction of the world . But those
Grand Darkers who rea lly believe in the
Sons of Night can be recognized by their
Dread Night and wis h to bring it about
fascination with puzzles, their sacrifices
as soon as possible long for immortality
of black animals, and their adoption of
and the creation of a new world, with
anagrams for their names.
The Sons of Night, being a chaotic
them as gods . It's their vision that only
the strongest and the most cunning will
or ga n izat ion, has no real leadership. The
cu lt is organized into groups of seven
be able to survive the destruction of the
members, each group called a " fra terworld. As eac h Grand Darker believes
nity" Individu als know the other memo
himself to be the strongest and most
cunning, each strives to bring about the
bers of their fraternity and occasionally
Dread Night.
correspond with each other. The existence of other fraternities is known, but
Thad d igren De ntiata (a na gra m of '
communication between them is rare.
" Dre ad Night Attained"): AC 8; MUG;
Each fraternity has an unofficial leader
called the " Dar ker," the most powerful
'Z.E P"'1Q;. MV 120 ' (40'); 'AT 1; THACO 17 i
member of th e group, who maintains ties
Dmg by spell or weapon type; s~e MU3;
with Darkers in other fraternities. A
ML9 jS9.I 17, W 12, D 13,C' h 10;
AL C; XP 500 killed, 750 broug t to
Darker has the authority to settle disj ust ice; dagger + 1; wand ofparalyzation
putes between fraternity members by
setting up a contest, usually involving
(th ree charges), 15-gp ring (non magica l j
magic and trickery . The Darker is also
on finger, amuletofprotection from
the one who decide s upon the site of th e
charm, belt pouch containing 7 ap and 10
gp; spells: ch arm person, shield, sleep,
annual meeting of his fraternity. He
continual darkness, mirror image,
does not, however, actually command or
darkning bolt (see new spell description),
rule the other members.
protectwttfrom normal missiles. 1,
Any mage who wishes to become a Son
Thaddigren Dentiata is evil as well as
of Night must find a member who will
agree to sponsor him. The initiation
Chaotic. He delights in other people's
process lasts a year before the new memsufferings, and hi s drivi ng ambition is to
ber is allowed to join the fraternity of hi s
become powerful enough to rule the

DUNGEON

13


IN THE DREAD OF NIGHT

world, even if he 's the only one left alive

in it . He is not yet a Da rker , although he
believes he will be the next Darker of his
fraternity.
H is spell book is in a well-hi dden a nd
zealously guarded secret compartment
in the lib rary. The P Cs should find it
only if the DMs want a PC magic -user to
have access to new spe lls . In this case,
the DM can include any appropriate
spells oflevels one through t hree . The
spells listed above are the ones that
Dentiata normally memorizes. He ha s
ha d dealings wit h magic -users in Glan tri, a nd the Sons of Night sometimes
share arcane k nowledge with one
another. so there is t he possibility of
hitherto unheard-of spe lls being written
in his book .
Denttata can spea k Thyatian, Tralada ra n, and orcish as well 8S the secret
language of t he Sons of Night. He considers h im self h igh ly intelligent and
clever, a nd respects such attributes in
others. H is personal beliefs include the
attitude that a nyone who is brave or
clever enough dese rves a second chance,
which explains the secret doors in t he
cell s and the riddle room in the du ngeo n.
No one stupid enough to fail twice
dese rves a third chance, however. The
secret doors in th e cells can be magically
locked by Dentiata to prevent repeat
escapes .
Dentiata is from the Black Eagle Barony. He is worki ng for t he baron (while
such em ployment suits h im ), gathering
Dar kning Bolt
Third-Level Magic-user Spell
Range: 180 '
Duration : Instantaneous I
Effect : Bolt 60 ' lon g, 5' wide
This spell creates a bolt of " negative
lightning." This bolt is so black that
anyone seeing it h as a 10% ch ance of
going blind for 14 turns. Black
spa rks and tendrils of darkness play
about the bolt for the brief instant it
exi sts. The bolt starts up to 180 ' away
from the caster a nd extends 60 ' farther. All creat ures within the area of
effect take 16 hp damage per level of
t he spell-caster. Each victim may
make a Saving Throw va. Spells; if
successfu l, onl y half damage is taken.
If th e darknin g bolt strikes a solid
surface (such as a wall), it bounces
back toward the caster until th e total
length of the bolt is 60 '.

14 Issue No. 24

information in Karameikos. He a lso has

t ies to t he Iron Ring; several people
wandering through this area in the past
year ha ve found themselves bound for
Fort Doom in chains. His tow er was built
with the he lp of magic and fun ds from
t he Sons of Nig ht (arranged for h im by
the Darker of his fraternity) and the loan
of ma ny sla ves from the baron.
Roll percentile dice or choose fro m t he
list below to dete r mine Dent iata 'slocation when the Pes arrive at his tower:

Thaddigren Dentiats's Location

01-10: Away ; will be back in 18 hours
114-0: Lib rary (area 4)
41-50: Bed area (area 9)
51-80: Workshop (a rea 10)
8190: Sto ne of'Sacrifice Ia rea 11)
91-00: Outside (50% cha nce on roof; 50%
chance in barn)
Orcs (8 ): AC 6 ; H D 1; hp see below ;
MV 120 ' (40 '); 'AT 1; THACO 19 ; Dmg
by weapon type ; Save F 1; ML 8 (6 ifboth
Warag and Dentiata are killed or away );
AL C; XP 10 each; BD/3S.
Ore name
Hit points Treasure
Wa rag (ch ief ore)
8
20 sp
Gorrake
7
15 sp
Gardak
6
11 sp
Caddark
6
12 sp
Ar lag
6
19 sp
6
5 sp
Sor kak
Thorag
5
12 sp
Duljak
5
13 sp
Dentiata employs a total of eight orcs,
who will fight to the death if Dentiata is
in the room with them. Each is armed
with a short swor d (his weapon of choic e)
and a dagger. Warag and Gorrake ca n
eac h command the wolve s t hat guard the
tower door ; the other orcs are in almost
as muc h danger from Gobb ler and Biter
as the P Cs are. (Denn a ta , of course, can
also control the wolve s. They leap and
ca vort about h is feet like puppies.)
Roll percentile dice or chose from the
lists below to determine t he orcs' locations when the PC s arrive at the tower:
Warag's Location
01-10: Away. Will be back in 16 hours
(75% chance) or 1-6 days (25% chance)
114-0: With Dentiata
41 70: His quarters (area 2)
71-80: Game room (area 13)
8 1-90: Interrogation chamber (area 25)
91-00: Outside patrolling grounds (n ight
only; reroll if daytime)

The Orcs' Lo ca tions

Choose separately for each of the seven
orcs. At least one should be on guard in
area 19.
0110: Roof<area 12) at night onl y. Reroll
ifin daytime
11-30: Guard room (area 19)
3160 : Ore bar racks (are a 3)
61-85: Game room (are a 13)
8690: With Dentiata
91-00: Outside (at night only ; rercll ifin
daytime)
As h ira (h uma n female slave): AC 8;
Normal Human; hp 2; MV 120 ' (40 ');
'AT nil (t oo frightened to defend h erself); THACO nil ; Dmg nil ; Save Normal
Man; ML4; S7,I 13, W9, D 15 ,C 7, Ch
17; XP 5 if rescued; AL L; wears costume
jewelry of no real value.
Ashira is a 19year-old human femal e
from the Blac k Eagle Barony. As Den nata's slave, As hira does all the cleaning, cooking, and chores of the tower,
and entertains Denti ata some evenings
a nd nights. Contrary to rumors that the
Pes may have heard , she is not a vampire. Although she is good a nd kind, she
has been thoroughly intimidated by
Dentiata and the orcs, and lives in terror
oGordog, th e mage's interrogator. She
serves Dentiata faithfully and without
comp laint, for h e is her r igh tful ma ster
(by the laws ofthe Black Eagle Barony)
and she fears hi s wrath. Ashira will be
very sympathetic to the PCs, but not to
the point of betraying her master.
She knows about the hidden door (outside area t-n and the ele vators (a reas 16
18) as she is someti mes required to cle an
the cells and empty the prisone rs' ch amber pots. Sh e will not sh are this know ledge with the PCs, however, unless '
Dentiats an d the orcs are first dealt
with. At any sign of trouble or any so und
offighting, Ashira ru ns to the pantry
(are a 5) and hides behind a sack offlour .
lf she is outside, she hides in the hayloft
of the barn. Anyone glancing into the
pantry or hayloft will not notice her
without a more careful exploration.
Roll percentile dice or ch oose from th e
list below to determine Ashira's locat ion
at the beginning of the adventure:
As bir a's Locat io n
0110: With Denriata
1130: Kitchen (ar ea 6)
3160: Her room (room 8)
61-70: Dentiata'a bedroom (a rea 9)

INTHE DREAD OFNIGHT

71-80: Library (area 4)

81-00: Outside , tending the animals
(daytime only; reroll if nighttime)

The Tower a nd VIcinity

Thaddigren Dentiata'a tower is located
on a small hill in the midst of a forest .
The to p of the hill was cut off and lev elled to make room for the tower. The
PCs may get to the tower by following
the Westran Road west, then a twisting
side path to the tower, or they may
attempt to go through the woods, followin g t he Clearwater River from Sisak
village.
The tower itself is 60' square and made
of cut blocks of stone. The 5 'thick walls
of the tower contain numerous pipes and
conduits for water, waste, and ventila tion of the windowless tower. One special pipe ru ns down the interior of the
north wall, with attached pipesjutting
out of the wall on each level. This
arrangeme nt carries sounds between the
various levels of the tower, allowing
comm unication between Dentiata and
t he orcs. The floors of each tower level
are 5' t hick, with conduits imbedded in
them. The ceilings of rooms are nearly
lS'high.
There are two water storage chambers
beneath the tower. One is equipped with
a fire elemental restrained within a
magical boile r imported (at great cost)
from Glantri. Hot water may be piped up
from here for use in the shower or bath
tub, in the kitchen, orto heat the tower
in cold weather.
There is only one apparent entrance to
the towe r , a to 'x 10' set of iron-bound
oak double doors intricately carved with
sce nes of wizardry and war. The doors
are set in t he middle of the south wall.
They are locked and possibly barred on
the inside (50% chance or DM's decision).
In the center of each door is a 1 "square
shutter that may be opened from the
inside by anyone wishing to look out
without opening the doors themselves.
If t he front door is barred, the only
ways into t he tower are via the roof or
the secret tun nel from the barn. The roof
might be the preferred route for the PC s,
if t hey thi nk ofit(at nig ht, of course, the
roof is usually patrolled). It shouldn't be
too hard for a dexterous PC to swing a
grappling hook up to the crenellations
around the roof. Make a Dexterity check,
applying any Strength bonuses or penal.
ties to the roll. Each PC may try three
times. The OM should make sure to ask

the adventurers which side of the tower

they are trying to climb. lfit's the north
side, away from the wolves chained
outside the front door (see right), the
PC s will climb over the wall onto a magically magnetized portion of the roof (see
area 12). Any metal object, such as a
grappling hook, that clears the wall on
the north side will stick firmly to the
roof.
Two large wolves, Biter an d Gobbler,
are chained by 20 '-long chains, one on
either side of the towe r door . They wear
thick leather collars with 6 ff _Iongiron
spikes (10% chance for spikes to hit for
1-4 hp additional damage on each suc cessful attack by a wolf). They attack at
- 1 to hit when they are chained. There is
a 10% chance that any successful h it
with a sword or knife may cut a wolfs
collar, thus freeing the wolffor normal
attacks (if it 's still alive).
The wolves are trained to raise an
alann ifthey see anyone, and they
attack a nyone venturing within their
reach. If the PCs carefully remain out of
sight ofthe wolves, there is a 10%
chance each turn the adventurers are
within 200' of the front door that the
wind wiJI carry their scent to t he wolves,

who then begi n barking a nd howling.

Any alarm fr om the wolves brings 1-4
orcs in two ro unds. There are re lease
mechanisms inside the tower, to either
side of the door, that t he orcs can use to
release the chains fro m the outer wall
once they've determined the nature of
the disturbance. The wolves may then
attack a nyo ne on the grounds, but move
at two-thirds nor mal speed due to the
chains still attached to their collars.
Wolve s (2): AC 7; H D 2+2; hp 12 each;
MV 180 '(60')(l20'(40')while chained);
IAT 1 bite; THACO 17(18 while
chained); Dmg 1-6; Save F 1; ML 6; AL N ;
XP 25; BD/39.
lfthe PCs try a fro ntal assault on the
tower, they will ha ve to dea l with the
wolves first. While t hey're busy dispatching the beasts, the orcs will come
out. Alternatively, the orcs may bar the
door, release the wolves, and inform
Dentiata of t he assault. Dentiata can
then go up to t he roof and cast a sleep
spell on the PCs. He may also use his
darkning bolt from the rooftop , but only
if the PCs are not near the base of the
tower. The bolt might make a hole in
front of his door or damage the to wer
foundation. Both t he fro ntal assault and

DUNGEON

15

...

INTHE DREAD OFNIGHT

I I 1 1 I I

The Tower fand Barns f-

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the sneak attack via the roof have a

chance ofsucceeding ifthe PC s are
clever and lucky.
To the northwest of the tower, on the
gentle back slope of the hill , is a livestock barn and a chi cken house. To the
westofthe tower is a covered well . The
chicken house is 20 'x20 ' and one story
high. It contains five black roosters, 40
chickens, and a place for feed storage.
The chickens roam free on the la wn
during daylight (and ca n st ir up quite a

fuss if start led), and are shut into the

coop at night. The roosters are kept in
cages in the coop .
The well is 100 ' deep and 5 ' in diameter. It has a rope-and-bucket winch with
100 ' of rope. The bucket is large enough
and t he rope strong enough to hold 75
lbs. There is 40 ' of water in the well. If
the OM wishes, an underwater tunnel
large enough to be used by a PC may
lead into the conduit sys tems in side the
walls of t he tower. The OM should then
prepare a map of the crawl spa ces and
mark any potential entrances into the
tower rooms via this route. Be s ur e to
include the two water-storage chambersone hot , one cold-with one -way valves
that allow the clean water to flow into
the tower but not back out a ga in.

16 Issue No. 24

I I I
The live stock barn is 50 ' x30 ' and one
and a half stories hi gh . It contains a
riding horse, a mule, eight large ponies,
one cow, and three black goats. All of the
an imals are kept at ground level. Each
pony is tied in its sta ll with 5 ' of rope
attached from its halter to an iron ring
set into the feed rack mounted on the
barn wall. The loft contains hay, grain,
and str aw for bedding, and some seldomused harness and tool s. A tack room at
ground level contains harness, gear, and
tools. Some of the animals may be cut side in a large pen during daylight. The
grass on the hill is lus h and green duri ng
spring and summer, but due to ove rgrazing, the pen enclose s only dust or m ud.
There is a cord of firewood st acked
against the east side ofthe barn.
R idin g h ors e : AC 7; HD 2; hp 11;
MV 240 ' (80 '); ' AT 2 hoove s; THACO 18 ;
Dmg 1-4/1-4; Save F1 ; ML 7; AL N;
ER/51 ; XP 20.
Mule : AC 7;HD 2; hp 11;MV 120 '
(40'); 'AT 1 kick or bite; THACO 18;
Dmg 1-4 or 1.3; Save Normal Man;
ML 8; AL N ; BD/34; XP 20.
Ponies (8): a s riding horse, but with
HD 2-2; hp 7 each.
A secret tunnel leads from the barn to
the first dungeon level ofthe tower (area

14). The ent ra nce is in the pony stall

closest to the horse stall. PCs ha ve twice
their normal chances to detect the secret
door ifthe y exa m ine the floor or feed
rack of this stall. A lever on the underside of the feed rack activates the
machinery tJrat lowers the stall floor
down a 20 ' shaft in the rock under the
barn.
Adventurers should take the pony out
of the stall before activating the lever. If
the secret floor descends while the pony
is st ill ti ed to the ring, the animal
squeals in terror and does everything it
ca n to free itse lf. The ensuing whinnying
and kicking is sure to bring someone
from the to wer to investigate. An observant character may have three rounds
from the activation of the lever to assess
the problem a nd unt ie the pon y before it
makes much fuss. If the PCs don 't untie
the pony in time, there is a 25% chance
that the pony 's neck will be broken, and
a 75% chance the rope or halter will
break first . Any PC attempting to ride
the floor down whil e the pony is struggling suffers 2-8 hp damage from bei ng
kicked or cr ush ed.
There is another lever st ick ing out
from the rock wall at the bottom of the
sha ft . Th is lever will send the stall floor
up or down . The tunnel proceeds southeast fr om the bottom of t he shaft. It is
roughl y 7 'wide, 250 ' long, and crudely
hewn through mostly solid rock beneath
. the h ilL Th e ceiling averages 8 ' h igh,
though there are places it dips down to
6 '. About halfway down its length, the
tunnel splits in two.
One branch continues east toward t he
tower; the other turns southeast and
leads 10 ' to the la ir ofa giant black
widow spider whose web is stretc hed
across the center of the natural ca ve at
the end of the short tunnel. Th e cave
floor is littered with bone s (mostl y those
of animals). Dentiata sends an occa siona l goat or troublesome visitor down
the tunnel to feed his pet. A careful
search through the debris be neath t he
web reveals nine pieces of gold and 17 of
silver. Any PC with the ring ofarachnid
control from Dentiata 's desk in the
library (area 4)can keep the spider from
attacking (see page 19 for a descri pt ion
of the ring of arachnid controlJ.
Black widow sp id e r : AC 6; HD 3 ;
hp 18 ; MV 60 ' (20 ,), in web 120 ' (40 ');
I AT 1 bite;THACO 16; Dm g 2-12 plus
poison; Save F2 ; ML 8; AL N ; XP 50 ;
BD/38.

IN THE DREAD OF NIGHT

The Tower-c-Flrat F100r

1. M ain HaU.

The Tower

A soft white glow pervades the inside

of the tower . By its unwavering light,

you can see most of the interior of this

level. In the northwest and southeast

corners, the stone walls jut 10 ' into
the room; there is a closed wooden
door in eac h wall. The northeast and
southwest portions of the room are
hidden by dark curtains hanging
from ceiling to floor . The ceiling itself
is 15'high. In the center of the room,
suspended from the ceiling, is a silvery globe that is apparently the
source ofthe glow.

On th e west wa ll is a rack of weapons

a nd armor belo nging to the orcs. There
are var-ious crates and barrels of foodstuffs stacked in the lO'x 10 ' section
between the northeast curtain and the
southeast stairs. Levers to either side of
the double doors activate the release
mechanisms to the wolves' collars. The
gkJwgkJbe suspended from the center of
the ceiling is operated by touching a
silver plate on the north wall by the
northwest stairs or a similar plate to the
east of the entrance doors (see the sidebar on page 18 for a description of the

gkJwglobe).
A 1 ~ -diame ter pipe juts out slightly
from the north wall next to the glowgkJbe plate. This is part of the sound
system running through t he tower walls .
Loud noises (such 88 combat) in any part
ofthe tower may be heard t hrough this
pipe. Normal conversation carries
faintly along the pipes and may be heard
by someone listening very carefully with
an ea r pressed to the opening. The pipe
will be noticed by anyone examining the
silver plate or by a thief ma king a h ea ring r oll at the door to the northwest
stairs.
2. Warag's Qu arlera.

This curtaine d-otT area is someone's

bedroom. Th ere is a large bed, a small
ta ble with a silve r globe attached to a
blac k base , and a trunk beneath the
bed. A strange stone construction juts
out of the southwest corner.
Warag is t he leader of the orcs. The
globe is a portable glowgkJbe. The trunk
is locked and contains 23 cp, 13 ep, 1 gp,
and some clothing. The key to the trunk
is in a pouch at Warag's belt. The

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strange stone construction is a toiletsink.

The toi let-einka are constructed of
stone and are extensions ofthe wall
itself. They consist of a ha nd pump, a
basin, and a round hole to sit over.
Flushing is accomplished by pumping
water into the basin, which drains into
the toilet, which empties into pipes in
the wall.
3. Ba rracks .

This room is obviously used as sleep ing quarters. There are four bunk

II-I-I--

1-

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F

The Roof

beds in here. A table and three chairs

are set haphazard ly about the center
of the room. Two chests lie under each
of the double bunk beds . A silver
globe mounted on a black base is on
the table.
The seven other orcs working for Thad digren Dentiata sleep here. There is a
chest for each ore plus one empty chest.
The orcs' chests are unlocked and filled
with miscellaneous junk, such as extra
(dirty) clothing and worn-out boots. The
toilet-sink in the corner is identical to
that in Warag's quarters.

DUNGEON 17

...

IN THEDREAD OF NIGHT

The Tower-Second Floor

A commu nica tion pipe juts out slightly
fr om the north wa ll ofthe corridor , nex t
to the door to t he stairway. It will be
noticed by anyone exam ining the wall ,
or on a roll of 1 or 2 on Id6 by anyone
who ha s previou sly not iced a communica ti on pipe .
4. The Library.

Th is room is lit by a fireplace in t he

center ofthe east wall. Wood is
st ac ked in a rec ess to the r ight ofthe

fire place; the rest of the walls are

lined wit h bookshelves . There are
Glo w glo bes
The glowglobes found in Thaddigren
Denneta's tower are 1 "diameter
silver spheres enchanted with modi fie d continua/light spells. The spell is

triggered on and off by touching a 4 N

square silver plate that was created
at the same time as the glowglobe but
was installed elsewhere. Most of the
glowglobes are fixed in place and
impossible to remove without damaging them. The portable glowglobes
are activated by touching a 1"diameter rubylike jewel on their
square bases. Hthejewel is pried
from its setting, it becomes worthless
and the glowglabe is re ndered useless.
Any portable glowglobe removed
from the towe r will require recharging after 1040 turns of use. A
recharged glowglabe will work for
100400 turns before needing to be
recharged once again. Recharging
requires a magic-user who knows , or
can successfully research, the modified spell. Dentiata has the third-level
recharge glowglobe spell written in
his spell hook. The spell will work
only on a previously prepared
glawglobe: manufacturing a
glowglobe from scratch is much more
difficul t .
The silver content of a spent or
damaged glowglobe is worth 20 gp;
normal glowglobes are worth 100 gp
each, and their encumbrance is 100
on each. The DM who doesn 't want
portable g/owgiobes running around
loose in his campaign should feel free
to replace them with oil lamps, or
have them work only within t he
tower.

18 Issue No. 24

two ar mchairs and a small table by

the fire . A la rge desk in the sout hwest
corner of th e room ha s papers and two
globes on it . Coveri ng the floor is a
plus h Ylari rug of geometric design
woven in a rich blood red on a pal e
bac kgro und, wit h a deep-black and
blood-red borde r.
The fir eplace in the east wall is always
lit. Ashira te nds th e fire as part of her
normal duti es; she a lso keeps wood
stac ked in the recess in the wall . The
glowglobe han ging from the ceiling is
act ivated by plates at either door. The
enor mous Orie ntal rug on the floor was
imported from Ylaruam . The desk holds
paper s, a g lowglobe a nd a crys tal balL
The pa pers on the desk mostl y deal with
day-to-day matters, including a letter to
a merch ant in Specul ar um requesting
the immediate delive ry of some unspecified su pplies . It is sign ed "Thaddigre n
Den ttata,"
Another piece of pa per, covered with
doodles a nd odd wri t ing , re veals Den ti ata 's inte res t in a nagra ms. An example of one of the a nagrams here is " Duke
I Ta ke Arms Of Snake III," being the
re arranged let ters in the name Duke
Stefan Keremeikoe II. Anoth er is "Big
Mouth Learn Sa fe; ' from " Bargle the
Infam ous:' court wiza rd ofthe Black
Eagle Barony. (These clues shoul d be
helpful in solving the puzzle ofthe hid den door on t he firs t level of th e dungeons.) A secret compartment in the
desk cont ai ns a small locked iron strongbox holdin g 30 gp, 10 ep, and a ring
arachnid controL

or

tables. A pum p handle over a met a l

sink juts out of th e west walt. Alongside the large iron stove that sta nds
next to the sink is a tall wooden cabinet . There is a g lowglobe suspended
from the ceiling, and another portable
one on the counte r.
The wooden cabinet is a ma gica l re friger ator. The stove looks lik e a wood stove
but is actually heated by gas stored in a
glass ca nnister in its base . The glowglobe is activated from a plate by the
door.
7. Storage Roo m.
This room also has a g lowg lobe euspended from the ceili ng. It 's apparently bein g used.as a store room.
There are some pieces of furniture,
clothing, and odds and ends such as a
broken portable g lowglobe and some
extra dish es st acked in here.
8. Ashira's Roo m.

This room is sparsely furnished wit h

a st r aw pallet and a small chest that
has a portable glowglobe resting on it .
There appears to be a sma ll closet in
the sout hwest corner , its closed door
facing ea st.
The chest conta ins jewelry a nd clothing (mostl y worthless baubles except for
one 5.gp bracelet and a 10-gp necklace).
The closet is actually an e nclosed t oilet,
sink, and shower (hot a nd cold water).

5. Pantry.

9. Thaddigren De ntia ta's Bedroom.

The walls of this small room are lined

with shelves cont ai ni ng jars of foods
and spices. Sacks of flour, dried fru its,
grains, and potat oes a re heaped on
the floor. Ther e is no g lowglobe here.

Th is mu st be the master bedroo m. It

holds a large bed, a plush dark-red
ru g, a dr esser, a sma ll table, a nd one
chair. A giowglobe hangs from the
cente r of the ceilin g, and a portable
glowglobe is on th e dre sser.

If Ashira was on this level at the start

oft he advent ure , and the PCs have made
en ough noise, she ma y be hiding behind
one of th e sacks on the floor.
6. Kitchen.

This room is obviously used for food

pre paratio n. There is a small table
wit h two chairs , a nd the wall s are
lined with cupboards over long tab les.
Sets of dr awers are bu ilt in under the

The central g lowg lobe is act ivate d by

pla te s at the doors and beside the bed.
The plush rug is mad e of woven wool; it
has an en cumbrance of 750 en and is
worth 350 gp o

9A. Bathroom.
This 10 'x 10 ' room wit h a til ed floor
holds a large bath tub, toil et , a nd
sink.

IN THE DREAD Of NIGHT

9B.Closet.
If this is Thaddigren Dentteta'e
close t, he exhi bits poor taste in clot hing. Everything in here is black: the

robes, the trouser s, t he shirts, t he

belts. Well , alm ost everyt h ing. You
find one set of clothes cons isting of

t rouser s, shirt, a nd robe all the color

offreshly spilled blood.
A secret panel at the back of the close t
contains a 12" x 6" x 4" intr icately
carved silver box (worth 10 gp). Th e box
cont ains iro n a nd clay chips that cli nk

when sha ken, sounding much like coins.

Th e lid is locked an d t rapped with a
poisoned needle (Save VB. Poison or be
too ill to do a nyth in g for 3-8 turns; will

feel very ill for 24 hours , with to hit and

Savi ng Thr ows all at - 2; sa ve VB. poison
lessens the severity of the effect a nd cuts
the duration in half).

Behind the silver box, ca refully concea led in a mess of spider webs and dust,
is a n unobtrusive wooden box. A small
but deadly spider attacks a ny hand that
disturbs the webs. If the spider is noticed
(12 on Id6) before it attacks, it ca n be
easily k illed; otherwise , it has two
attacks per ro und (Save vs . Poison or die
in 2-5 turns). An y PC wit h the ring of
arachnid control fr om Dentiata's desk
may control the spider long enough to
get the box-if t he a dventu rer notices
the spider first.
Sp ider: AC 10; HD 1-1; hp 1; MV 180 '
(60'); ' AT 2; THACO 19; Dm g poison ;
Save Nor mal Man; ML 12; AL N; XP 5;
unique mon ster .
The wooden box is locked but not
tra pped . There is a 5% penalty to a
thief's open-locks roll (Th a ddigren Dentiata has the k ey). Inside is a pair of
ex quisitely cut ma tching rubies (worth
1,000 gp as a pa ir , 400 gp each if sold
separately). A hidden comp artment
beh ind the wooden box ca n be discov ered
on a roll of 1-2 on Id6 if eomeone search ies for it . In side the com partment is a
via l containing one dose of a nt idote to
the sma ll but deadly spider's venom.
The To wer-Third Floor

10. Ma gic Wo rksho p.

Th is area look s like an alchemist's
worksh op. Most of the shelves lining
t he walls are empty, though a few
hold bottles, boxes, a nd bags. A large

wooden table is filled with various

containers, flas ks, tubes, and ot her
glassware. A sta irca se against the
so uth wall leads up to a trapdoor in
the ceiling. Near these sta irs is a set
of bookshelves with a few old book s. A
la rge portion of the room is curta ined
offby blood -red curtains hanging
from ceiling to floor. A glowglobe is
suspended from the ceiling above the
east end of the table ; a portable
glowglobe occupies the other end.
The shelves lining the wa lls contain
m iscellaneous junk such as toads' eyes,
leopards' wh iskers, spider web , etc.
There is a lso a scroll of black parchment
carefully rolled into an ivory tube . The
scroll itself is blank; it is t he parchment
Thaddigren De nti ata has prepared for
u se during t he sacri fice ofGrigore
Mavrovtsee " The Son s of Night" on
page 13). One of the shelve s contains a
golden vial, the one that Han Pcdsk
noticed (see village area G), but the vial
is now em pty.
The books helves contain old volumes
oftreatises on magic. In the northwest
corner. mixed in a pile of rags, is a brown
sa ck that appears to be empty. Onl y if
the sac k is picked up or moved will anything unusual about it be noticed. It is a
bag ofholding with 620 gp, 897 sp, and
four gem s (two emeralds worth 200 gp
each, a 50-gp dia m ond, and a 25-gp
bloodstone).
The suspended glowglobe is activated
from a plate by the stairs . A com munica tion pipe juts out of the north wall just to
the left of the western curtain of area 11.
II. The St o ne of Sacrifice.

The cold , clinging, blood-red curta ins

part to reveal nothing but a n empty
area.
Upon entrance, Lawful characters get
a st ro ng feel ing of evil and re pu ls ion;
Chaot ic character s feel stro ng power a nd
delightful deeds. Neutral characters are
unaffected.
The area is not really em pty. An illusion created by a hallucinatory terrain
spell hi des t he Stone of Sacrifice from
prying eyes. but not from prying fingers.
Th e illusion is di spe lled when touched or
blundered into by a ny character.
In the ce nter ofthis room is a 15 'dia meter ei ght-pointed dark-re d stone

set on a 7'x 7'x 2' wooden platform .

Channels carved into the stone 's top
slope down to a slightly hollowed-out
center . A deeper groo ve slopes down the
sout h-facing point from the center. The
dark stai ns on the floor hint that the
blood of sacrificial victims pools here.
In front of t he st one is a pedestal with
a slanted top to hold a large book . A
mechanism set in the pedestal causes a
30 'x 30 ' section of the roof above to
r etract , and t he middle portion ofthe
north wall on t his level to split and slide
to either side, so the room can be opened
to the night sky. Activation of this mechan ism could prove un comfortable to
anyone st uck on t he roof or climbing the
north wa ll . Dentiata will activate the
mechanism during h is sacrificial ceremony , ifhe is n' t stopped first .
A secret compartment in t he pedestal
cont a ins t he Book ofthe Sons of Night,
which details the history a nd beliefs of
the organization (see " Th e Sons of
Ni ght" on page 13). Failure to disarm
the trap on t he compartment causes
slee ping gas to spill into the room .
E veryone within the curta ined area
when the gas is released falls asleep for
4-16 turns (no Saving Throws).
Ring of Arachnid Control
The ring ofarachnid control in Dentiata's desk is a specialized version of
a ring ofanimal controL The wearer
ofthis ring may control one giant or
10-40 normal-sized arachnids of any
type. This includes spiders, scorpions,
mites, and ticks. The arachnids are
not allowed a Saving Throw.
The wearer must be able to see the
arachnids to control them. This control lasts as long 8S the wearer con centrates on the arachnids and does
not fight. (The wearer may move
slowly if doing so does not break the
line of aight.) When the wearer stops
concentrating, the arachnids are free
to run away or attack.
This ring can be used for a full turn,
once per hour. Properly used, it
allows safe passage through the
secret tunnel from the barn. and past
the small spider in Dentiata's closet.
It can also be used to rid adventurers
or their animals of mites or ticks.

DUNGEON

19

IN THE DREAD OFNIGHT

or outside help is needed to get up if the

PC is wearing steel or iron armor or an
excessive amount of buckles, jewelry, or
st uds. Anyone attempting to throw a
grappling hook up from the ground finds
it remarkably easy to make t he hook
catch on the roof.
At night, the wi nd blows across the
roof with a moaning sigh that is eerily
transmitted into the rest of the tower via
the communication pipe. The pipe itself
juta up from the to p of the north wall to
the west of the magnetized portion of
the roof.

The Dungeons
I "'lua", ..

f,""l

L H =t=H= ~

T he Dungeons-First Level
13. Game Room.

Here are a few old battered chairs, a

couch with ita stuffing coming out,
and a card table. There is on e
g louiglobe i n the ceiling, and a set of
wel l-used cards a nd some knucklebones on the table.

- 11 -

L-'-First Le vel
I

.i,
I

- 16 -

l.L

Third Level

Seco nd

Level
The Tower -Roo ftop

12. The Roof.

This is the roof of the tower, surrounded by a 5 '-high crenellated wall.
A low wooden railing s urrou nds a
30 'x30 ' area against the north wall.
The portion of roofenclose d by the
railing is made ora str ange-look ing
metal. The rest of the roof is paved
with slate. The view from up here
show s forest stre tc hi ng for miles; in
the distance to the east, the vill age of
Sieak can ju st barely be see n.

20 Issue No. 24

There is a trapdoor se t against the

sout h wall that opens to stairs leading
down to the third floor. The trapdoor
may be barred and locked (50% chance)
fr om the underside, but will not be SO if
there are are guards on the roof'(a a per
"Thaddigren Denttata a nd Friends" ).
The retract in g portion of the rooffwithin
the railing) is magically magnetized to
attract a ny metal or jewelry (even gems).
An yone leaning over the railing or stepping into this area is pulled down to the
floor when all the pieces of stee l, iron,
coins, and gems he carri es become glued
to the st ra nge surface . A Strength of 18

This is a recreati on room for the orc s.

There are 6 cp and lots of crumbs under
t he couc h cus h ions. The communication
pipe turns past this room, jutting an
extension of itself out of the west wall
oppo site the door. Acoustics are worse
here than usual , as the pipe has gone out
of its way from the north wall of area 14
to get here.
14. Stora ge Room.
Wine casks stacked a long t he south
wa ll , a nd the ot he r half ofthe r oom is
filled with a cluttered mess ofold
furn it ure, too ls, boxes, an d cr ates of
odds and ends .
This room also has a glowglobe. but it
doesn't work (Dent iat a h as not yet gotten around to recharging it). A communication pipe is located in the north wall
by the secret door. Beyo nd the secret
door is the tunnel that leads to t he barn.
All of the occupants of the tower know of
this secret door a nd may attempt to use
the escape tun nel if things are going
badly for them. They are also aware of
the spider in the t unnel, so they'll have
to be desperate to use this exit without
Dentiata's pro tection .
Dieter 's father's old s word has been
tossed in here. It is a short sword with a
-1 penalty to hit and damage due to its
poor quality. There is noth ing else of
note here exce pt for a small wooden box
th at will be found by the first person to

INTHE DREAD OFNIGHT

rummage through th e odds and ends.

The box aeems em pty hut has a hidden
compartment containing two very old
pieces of silver and an intricately carved
gold ring worth 10 gpo
There is a secret compartment in the
middle of the west wall (found with a
character's normal chance to search), It
is tr apped with itc h ing gas (Save vs .
Poison at -l for everyone in the room to
a void severe itching and incapacitation
for 2-5 turns). Insi de the com partment is
an iro n strongbox. locked and trapped
(acid burns hands of person opening for
14 hp damage unless disarmed). The
strongbox contains a sma ll pouch of 16
pp, a larger pouch of21 gp , and 11 pieces
of silver dropped on top. There is a false
bottom to the strongbox, under which is
a s mall box of carved gold (75 gp value),
locked but not t rapped, holding a necklace (worth 300 gp), a bracelet (worth 100
gp ), and a ring (worth 50 gp ).
When the party exits area 14 through
the door in the east wall, read or paraphrase t he following to the p layers:
Hangi ng on the north wall of the
corridor is a tapestry depicting a dark
cloud rolling over the wor ld and
obscurin g the stars. Below, people flee
in panic a s a wiza rd on a hilltop raises
his arms triumphantly.
Behind the tapestry is a black metal
door without hinges or handle. The door
cannot be opened unless the words
" Dread Ni ght Attained" are spoken
beside it . When the key word s are spoken, the door sli des silentl y into the east
wall ; it closes again when everyone in
the party ha s passed through. The key
words must be spoken again to open the
door from the north side .
The DM should remember that the
intelligence of the characters and that of
the players is not necessarily the same .
Let the players try to come up with the
ke y words themselves. but if they give
up, let their characters have a ch ance.
Make an Inte lli gence chec k for each PC
who is tryin g to solve the puzzle. Apply a
+ 1 penalty to the dice roll for each of the
following clues that the character ha s
not un covered:
- Th addigren Dentiata is fond of anagrams (indicated by the notes on the
des k in the library)
- The Sons of Night change their names
to cont a in a h idden meaning (found in
the Book of the Sons of Night hi dden in
area 11 of the tower)

- Th e Sons of Night wish to bring the

Dread Night upon the world (found in
the Book of the Son s ofNightl
The PC s should already know that the
key to opening the door has something to
do with Dentiata's name; the DM may
wish to remind the players of Run a Kroza's mysterious rhyme about a hidden
door before resorting to In tell igence
checks.
T h e Dungeon s-Second Level
15. Statue Room.
The stairs leading down to this room
are very long and st eep. In the center
of the room there is a statue ofa
young man dressed in a cloa k, tunic
and boots, h is right arm raised and
pointing to the middle of the north
wall. There is not hing else in t he
room.
An inscription on the base of the st at ue
reads, " Wh it her be ye going? Let me
point the way." The stat ue' s magic is
activated by spoken word s. If someo ne
asks how to get to t he dun geons (or
down, or something similar), it will point
to the door of one of the elevator rooms.

Roll Idf to determine which room it

points to: 1-2=area 16; 3-4=area 17;
5-6= a rea 18. After one minute of
pointing at a see mingly blank wa ll , the
statue rotates to point back to the m iddle
ofthe north wall . The secret door in each
wall ca n be disc overed normally; there is
twice t he chance of discoveri ng the door
at whic h the statue is pointing.
IT one of the tower's in habi ta nts acti :
vates the identical statue in area 19
below, this sta tue rotates as well. If the
PC s attempt to forcib ly move the statue,
they will be un successful . Dentiata put
this st at ue here as an extra measure to
prevent bu mbling visitors from finding
anything suspicious. He has a low opinion of the villagers and officials h e
thought might trouble him in his tower.
De ntiats also feels capable of handling
a ny persistent troublemakers who are
clever enough or sill y enough to talk to
statues.
The statue itself is Dent iat a 's own
private joke; it is actually a you ng man
he turned to stone wit h a wand long
since used up . If the spell is broken,
either through dispel magic or stone to
flesh, the entire framework of spells
involving t he statue and the elevators is
broken as wel l. The elevator s will then

DUNGEON

21

IN THE DREAD OFNIGHT

lock, trappi ng everyone insi de as t he

elevator descend s to t he third dungeon
level. There it rem ains , locked, until the
PCs break out (in 2-5 turns) or Dentiata
or his henchmen open the door . Meanwhile, an alarm sounds from the elevato r's outer door (caused by the activation
ofa modified ventriloquism spe ll that
Dentiata's Darker placed on each of t he
three oute r elevator doors on the lower
le vel). A very loud cry of " Int ru der
alert!" repe ated for one t urn can be
heard in the tower above thanks to t he
comm unication pipe in area 15. If the
statue did not rotate to point at one of
t he rooms, none of the elevators will
wor k ; t hey all the n func tio n as tra ps.
The Dungeons-Third Level
19. Guard Room .
In the center of t his room is a stat ue
ide ntical to the one in t he room above.
There are also two ch airs, a small
table , and a portable gLowglobe. A
heavy oaken door is set in the middle
of the north wa ll . A set of keys hangs
on a hook on the wall beside t he door.
There are more wooden doors in the
centers of the ot her three walls.
cease t o work prope r ly. Anyo ne wis hing

to get from this level to the lower level

will need to force open one of the secret
doors, break through the floor ofthe
elevator , climb down th e 30' shaft, and
force ope n the door at t he botto m. Brea king throug h t he floor of an elevator will
take 510 t urns (ld6+4l. The young
man's statistics should be created by the
DM with an eye toward further adventur es for the PCs.

16-18. Elevators.
Th is is an empty lO'x 10' room.
These rooms are elevators t hat take
passengers to the lower level. Eac h h as
two doors: the outer. secret door , and an
inn er door that swings ope n a nd shut
with the secre t door. When the elevator
descends or ascends , on ly the in ner door

travels wit h it. The outer doors remain

st at ionary . Anyon e examining the open
door will not ice its peculiar construction.
Both doors m ust be closed for the elevator to fu nction.
On ly the elevator to which the statue
is point ing will work. The others, if
discovered and entered, will close and

22 Issue No. 24

The statue in t his room fu nctions identically to the statue in area 15. It also
rotates any time the statue in area 15
rotates, thus alerting the occupants of
the guard room to t he impending use of
one of the elevator rooms. Unlike the
unfortunate you ng man in area 15, thi s
really is a statue. Dentia ta h ad it carved
in the likeness of the young man turned
to stone, reasoning t hat two identical
statues would likely quell any suspicions
that one wa s once alive.
There is always at least one a nd so metimes two ore guards here, a s per The
Orcs' Locations table in " Th addigren
Dentiata and Friends" (one may have
been ca lled upstairs to help repe l
intruders). Gordog the Interrogator (a rea
25) will join any orcs in the guard room if
he hears fighting on this level.
The door leading to the dungeo n corridor is r einforced with iron. It is not
locked, though it can be. Just to its left is
the final outlet of the communication
pipe. A hook set in the wall to the right
of this door hold s the keys that unlock
a ll door s to the cell s (areas 21-24) and the
interrogation room (area 25). J ust under
t he keys is a bi t of discolored stone t hat
sticks out of the wall half an inch. (Th ere

is a 2in6 cha nce of t h is being noticed by

a PC taking the keys. The orcs k now of
it , of couree.I Pus hing t he stone knob
activates the sli ding ba rs that hold area
20's guard ian monste r in its place.
20. Dungeon Corridor.

This lO'-wide, 20'-longcorridor has

four cell door s opening off its sides
and a large iron-reinforced door at
eithe r end . Two oily torches sputter
on the wa lls, sending stinging smoke
into the air.
Clinging to the ceiling is a death-fromabove (see sidebar at end of adventure). It
will drop onto anyone beneath it unless
the mechanism found on the other side of
the door (in the guard room , area 19) is
activated to slide five iron bars horizontally aCT06S the corridor two feet below
the ceiling. There is a n identical mechanism in the inte rrogation chamber (area
25). Characters whose players specificall y
men tion they are looki ng up will notice
somet hing strange on the ceili ng and
have a +2 bonus to their Saving Throws
VB. Paralyzation if attac ked.
21. Grigo r e Mavrov's Cell.

This is a dank, dark cell. The only

light that penetrates here (or into any
other cell) comes from the two oily
torches set in the walls of the corridor. The cell contains a st ra w pallet
on a wooden bench suspended by
chains from t he west wall. Th e dirty
straw strewn over the floor almost
hide s a chamber pot in the southwest
corner and a pitcher of water and a
bowl set by the door . An old man is
lying on the bench, apparently asleep .
The old ma n is Grigore Mavrov. He has
not bee n harmed but is hungry, angry,
and afraid. Thaddigren Dentieta has told
h im abo ut the sacrificial rite in gruesome
det ail. Grigore is also concerned for his
grandson, Dieter, in cell 24.
Grigo re Mavrov: AC 9; Nor mal Ma n;
hp 6; MV 120'(40'); IAT 1;TIlACO 20;
Dmg 12 (with bare h ands); Save Normal
Man ; ML 6; AL L; XP 10 ifrescued;
HD/34 .
There is a secret door in the northwest
corner of the cell; it can be foun d only by
careful searching (nor ma l chance to find
secret doors) and can be opened by fitting
a spoon ha ndle or similar object into a
slit in the door . The spoo n m ay be found

--

IN THE DREAD OFNIGHT

by the pitcher of water and howl next to

the door. All of the secret doors are easily seen and opened from the other side.

22. Empty Cell.

This cell has no occupant, though it
does have the standard pallet. chamber pot , and straw-strewn floor .
This cell 's secret door can also be dis cover ed only after a careful search.
There is a loose bolt fastening the bench
to the chain from the wall. Pressing that
bolt into an octagonal hole in the east
wall activates the door mechanism .

23. Empty Cell.

Th is cell contains a pallet, bench,
chamberpot, str aw, and water pitcher.

There is a concave human face carved

into the wall at the southwest corner.
Pressing one 's nose into the depression
fonned by the face 's nose activates this
cell's secret door .

24. Dieter Mavrov's Cell.

Thi s cell contains Dieter Mavrov, who
has obviously been tortured. His cell
contains the same fittings as the
others, but there are numerous bloodstains on the floor , bench, and wooden
door.
Dieter Mavrov has been driven insane
as the result of a failed alchemical experiment Dentiata performed on him, and
will attack a nyone who enters the cell.
He is chained to the northeast corner of
the room by a 7' chain attached to a
heavy iron collar. He attacks at + 2 due
to the ferocity of his attack, and does 2-5
hp damage with his str on g hands.
Dieter Mavrov: AC 9; Normal Man;
hp8; MV 120 ' (40')j IAT 1; mACO 18;
Dmg2-5 (wit h bare hands); Save F2; ML
12; AL L fcurrently insane); XP 10 if
rescued; 8D/34.
The secret door in this cell is visible
only as a keyhole in the sto ne. It may be
unlocked by a key found in a secret com.
partment in the northeast comer ofthe
ceili ng. The secret compartment , hidden
by cobwebs , is simply wood painted to
look like the stone of the ceiling. It ca n
be broken easily with a fist.

25 . Interrogation Chamber.
Thi s room smells like blood. and there
are bloodstains everywhere. One
corn er is taken up by a messy bed .
Only a few torture devices are
present, but they a re well used.
Gordog, Dentiata's "int errogator," will
be here ifthere hasn't been fighting on
this level. He is either eating, sleepin g,
sharpening knives, or (if the ore is here)
playing ca rds with Warag (OM's choice).
Two potions of healing and one potion of
extra healing are stored in a small chest
under the bed . Hidden in the straw of the
mattress are 50 gp oThere is a 25%
chance that a villager has been ca ught
wandering near the t ower and is being
interrogated by Gordog . (lf tbe PCs need
help in a fight on this level , the DM may
provide them with an NPC ally in this
manner.)
C' Gordog the Interrogator: AC 7; F,J.;

~ hp ~ ; MV 120 ' (40 '); IAT I ;THACO 18;

Dmg 2-7 (hot iron poker plus st rength

bonus); ML 9; AL c, S IS , I 10, W 9, D 13,
CIS, Ch 5; xp 15; 5-gp gold ring in right
ear.
Gordog lives, eats, and sleeps in the
interrogation chamber, rarely lea ving
the room for any reason but to fetch
a not her "guest:' He will join any fight
he hears.
26. Puzzle Room.

This room appears to be 20 ' long and

10' wide . Inscribed in black on the
south wall are the words:
I am that wh ich htd ee all Evil .
With me es ccver, vampires pla y.
I am all the blind envision.
In me will all men find their way.

This room is actually 30 ' long . The

southern 10' sect ion is hidden by the
illusion ofa wall, an illusion that feels
solid and isn't dispelled when touched.
Dentiata cast this spell from a powerful
scroll given to him by his fraternity
leader (the price of the " gift" was
unspecified at th e time of the giving).
Denriata himself doesn 't know whether
the wall is th e product of a modified
illu sion or hallucinatory terrain spell, or
if it is the result of some arcane magic
currentl y unknown to him.
The riddle refers to darkness. When
there is no light in the room , th e wall is
not solid to the touch (it can be seen as a

st ra nge sh immer of darkness by characters with infravision , but they won't be

able to see what is on the other side
without ste pping through the wall). If
th e a dvent urers produce light, the wall
becomes visible and solid to th e touch
once more. Whenever anyone enters the
10'x 10' area beyond the illusory wall,
the sou nd of a gong reverberates
through the room .
The gon g is an alarm set to alert Den ti ata that someone has solved the riddle .
The gong can be heard in the tower
above thanks to another outlet of the
tower's communication pipe system that
sticks out of the ceiling by the secret
door. The gong will sou nd if anyone,
Dentiata included, uses the room to
escape . Gordog and Warag also know of
the secret doors and the solution to the
riddle. They may, ifthings look really
bad , try to escape via this route. The rest
of the orcs and Ashira know nothing of
this escape route.
On the southern wall ofthe area
behind the illusion is slow stone platform running the width of the room . It is
l ' high, 2 ' deep, and looks like the begin.
n ing of a stairway that runs immediately into the wall . Above the platform

DUNGEON

23

IN THE DREAD OFNIGHT

are engraved the words: "You have

made it t his far; now but one step
remains." Anyone who ste ps up onto the
platfonn is teleported into a clearing in
the woods about half a mile from the
tower . An adve nturer who leaves t he
tower in t his manner m ust find his own
way back to the village.

Concluding the Adventure

Several outcomes are possible in this
adve nture. depending upon the cleverness and skill of the players.
If t he PCs are successful in rescuing
the prisoners ofThaddigren Dentiata
and returning them to their homes, the
villagers will have proof of Dentiata's
villainy. They will once again request
a id from th e local lord . and Dent is ts will
beforced to leave the vicinity an d set up
his operation somewhere else. Dentiata
will not attempt to take on the whole
village because of sheer numbers, but

Death-From-Above
ARMOR CLASS: 6
HIT DICE: 3 (hp 20)
MOVE: 30 ' (10')
NUMBER OF ATTACKS; 1
THACO: Will hit any character failing
a Saving Throw vs. Paralyzation
DAMAGE: 1-4 (initial dr opping
att ack only)
SAVE AS: Fighter 1
MORALE: 12
TREASURE TYPE: Non e
ALIGNMENT; Neutral
XPVALUE:75
The death-from-above automatically
hits a nyone who misses his Saving
Throw vs. Paralyzation . The initia l
attack does 14 hp damage. Then th e
monster (resembli ng a tou gh rubber
mat, a'x 12' and a foot thi ck ) smothers its victims in 1d10 +10 rounds and
digests them in 10-40 turns unless it
is killed (a digested character may not
be resurrected). The death-from-above
has sucker pods on all its surfaces
that it uses to grab prey. Once it has
digested its meal, it uses its suckers
to slowly crawl back up the wall and
again hang from the ceili ng. Any
adventurer in its gr asp ca n attack it
with a -4 penalty to hit, but only with
a short weapon (such as a dagger) and
only ifthat weapon was in hand at
t he t ime of the attack.

24 Issue No. 24

neither will the villagers attempt to

storm his tower for fear of his magic .
The village will rejoice that Dieter and
Grigore Mavrov have been safely
returned. The effects of the vile potion
Dieter was forced to drink will wear off
in 2-8 day s, and he will regain his sanity.
Eventually, Dieter will return to blacksmithing for the villsge.
The PCs will be held in high regard by
the village ofSisak and will be welcome
guests any t ime they pass t hrough. For
several days after the adventure. they
will be catered to and offered free room
and board at the inn. If they wea r out
their welcome by staying too long, the
Bountiful Tappe will begin to charge the
adventurers, first for meals, then for
rooms, until they are normal paying
customers.
If the PCs fail to rescue the prisoners
alive but defeat Dentiata, t hey will still
be welcomed by the villagers , but t he
mood in the village will be one of mourning as funerals are arranged for Mikal
Tappe and any other villagers or PCs
that died (including Dieter or Origcre).
If the PCs capture Dentiata or any of
his minions and return them to the village, the townspeople will hold a trial
(See GAZ1, pages 28-30)_The villagers
are mostly Lawful and will hold a fair
trial, even for the orcs. The PCs will be
asked to hear witness against (or for) any
prisoners. If Dentiata is a prisoner, he
will be kept bound and gagged at all
ti mes until allowed to speak on his own
behalf at the t rial. Villagers will stand
ready to subdue him ifhe tries to use
magic. If the Pes do not stay for the
trial, there is a 20% chance that Dentiata will escape. If the PCs do st ay, their
testimony should be enough to convict
Dentiata and his henchmen (but not
Aehira).
The villagers, not sure they have the
authority to pass a death sentence, will
ask the PCs to escort Dentiata and any
other prisoners to the local lord for punishment . Thi s may lead to further monetary reward from the local lord, but the
PCs shouldn't count on that.
lfDentiata and a majority of th e orcs
are killed or captured and the prisoners
are rescued. any remaining orcs and
Gordog (if st ill alive) will take what they
can from the tower and flee. Ashira, not
knowing what to do, will remain in the
tower until told otherwise. If the PCs
take her back to the village, she will find
a place as maid wit h the women of the
Bountiful Tappe Ta vern an d Inn .

If Dentiata and his household are all

killed or have fled, the tower may be
occupied by the Pes for a while , but
eventually the local lord will award it to
some Lawful NPC magic-user who has
won favor in his court. The adventurers
will beas ked to leave, as they have no
legal claim on the tower.
Several other adventures may he built
from this one. If the PCs are captured by
Dentiata a nd fail to escape, they may
find themselves on the way to the Black
Eagle Barony in the company of Iron
Ring slavers. This could lead to "The
Great Esca pe" (see module Bl-9 In
Search of Adventure, pages 24-29) or to
an adventure of the DM's own design.
IfDentiata survives, he will certainly
not forget the PCs' part in his trou bles.
He may be cast out of the Sons of Night
for his lack of cleverness in allowing the
Pes to defeat him . Even ifhe is expelled
by the Sons, Denti ata is powerful an d
influential enough to gain help in his
que st for revenge and reinstatement in
t he brotherhood.
The Sons of Night rep resent a group
that the PCs could encounter again in
the future. The Sons invested a lot of
effort in Dentiata's tower and will not
take kindly to its loss. Sometime in the
future they may attempt to regain the
tower by trickery: a Son of Night , with or
without a doppelganger assistant, may
try to impersonate the local lord 's favor ite mage . The Pes, visiting Sisak or once
again just on th eir way through, may
then have to deal with an even more
powerful menace in the tower.
Infonnation placed in the tower by the
DM could lead to adventures involvi ng
ere st rongholds, the Iron Rin g, the Black
Eagle Barony, or other mage s who may
or may not be members of the Sons of
Night, but most certainly will be gree dy
and power-hungry Cheotice or Neutrals.
Dentiata's library (or workroom) ma y
also contain ma ps, scrolls, or books lead ing to other adve ntures for treasure,
magical items, 108tcit ies, and the like. {l

Stephen bought a new word processor

with his earnings from "The Bane of
Elfswood" [issue #21} and hopes to make
good use ofit writing more D&D@ m(}o
dules. He is currently in mourning for his
beloved Boston Bruins, who came up a bit
short in their quest for the Stanley Cup.
He'll probably use the money from
"Hrothgar's Resting Place" to buy tickets
for next season.
"Hrothgar's Resting Place" is a short
D&D@ Expert Set module for 4-6 player
characters oflevels 4-7 (about 27 total
levels). A mix of character types, including at least one cleric and one magicuser or elf, is strongly advised. This
adventure is introduced through a treasure map to a combined treasure (see the
Expert Rulebook, page 61). The DM can
slip this treasure map (which takes the
form of a wizard's diary) into an existing
treasure hoard in another adventure, or
even have the PCs find it lying in a gutter in their hometown.
The adventure takes place in the
Grand Duchy of Karameikos from the
D&D Expert Set and GAZ 1 The Grand
Duchy ofKarameikos. A copy of GAZ 1
might prove helpful to the DM (as it
contains an outline map ofthe city of
Kelvin and a large, full-color map of the
duchy in its entirety), but this accessory
is not necessary.

HROTHGAR'S
RESTING PLACE
BY STEPHEN J. SMITH

He wanted a scabbard-but
got the shaft.
Artwork by Terry Dykstra

32 Issue No. 25

Adventure Background
The treasure map in this adventure
takes the form of an old diary belonging
to a wizard named Aeloros Runolfsen.
Among other passages detailing several
splendid adventures is the following
entry, which hints at lost treasures: an
intelligent sword and a silver statuette
of a lion. The date of the entry is about
25 years in the past.
"Our expedition to the land of Karameikos has come to an end, and we shall
begin our long journey home to Soderfjord in the morning. My bold friends
and I return home far wealthier than
when we left, yet we have paid a steep
price as well-our fearless comrade
Hrothgar has been lost to us forever.
"While staying in the town of Kelvin,
we heard stories that a marauding red
dragon had been terrorizing some of the
farms north of town, swooping in over
the moors to burn down a barn or devour
a cow or two. My companions and I,
knowing that where there's a dragon
there's bound to be treasure, immediately volunteered to hunt down the beast.

HROTHGAR'S RESTING PLACE

"The townspeople eagerly accepted our

offer and told us they suspected the
creature's home was hidden in the middle of the moors. Fortunately, I knew
better than to believe that. No selfrespecting dragon-except a black one,
perhaps-would dwell in such a bleak,
open, forsaken tract ofland as the Kelvin moors. I had a hunch the dragon had
a cave in the hills north of the moors, so
that's where my friends and I started our
search.
"Our group took the trail leading
north out oftown, thus avoiding the
treacherous bogs and their dangerous
denizens. We then headed east, following the edge of the moor where it meets
the hills. Eventually, we reached a
river-the Volaga, the Karameikans call
it-followed it north. A few miles
upriver, we spied a large cave in the side
of a rocky hill. I knew we had found our
dragon.
"My friends and I climbed the rugged
hillside and cautiously crept into the
cave. Therein we found the dragon, and
fortune was on our side-the great beast
was asleep! We launched a very successful surprise attack, slaying the wyrm
quickly with a minimum of damage to
ourselves. The dragon did catch
Hrothgar with a feeble blast of its flaming breath, but the poor beast was nearly
dead so the barbarian wasn't hurt seriously, although his beard was a bit
singed.
"Examining our vanquished foe, I
discovered that the dragon was fairly
young for its species. As a result, it had
not collected nearly as much treasure as
its larger, older counterparts might
have, but there was still enough gold
and jewels to keep our pouches full for
sometime.
"Near the back of the cavern,
Hrothgar found a splendid sword that
my spell detected as magical. He also
claimed a beautiful statuette of a lionwrought of silver and inlaid with an
assortment of gems-as his share of the
loot. While the barbarian admired his
new blade and statue, the rest of us
sifted through the remainder of the
treasure.
"Suddenly Hrothgar let out one of his
annoying grunt-laughs and claimed that
his new sword was talking to him. The
next thing we knew, he was scampering
around muttering, 'Scabbard, scabbard.
My sword needs a nice new scabbard!'
Not finding one in the dragon's main
treasure hoard, the barbarian disappeared down a side tunnel.

KELVIN AND VICINITY

"That was the last we saw of our dear

friend Hrothgar. We heard his long cry
of terror and the muffled clang when he
hit bottom. The fool had gone off exploring without a light and had fallen into a
deep shaft. My companions and I rushed
to help, but it was all in vain. We found
the pit that had claimed our friend and
called down into the darkness, but there
was no response from below. I dropped a
small stone into the shaft, and it finally
hit bottom after several long seconds of
silence. We could do no more, however,
because the stupid barbarian was carrying our only length of rope when he took
his plunge.
"Since Hrothgar's fatal fall, I have
come to the conclusion that the blade he
found in the dragon's lair was an intelligent sword. Such a sword, I have heard,
is capable of bending the will of its
wielder if that person is not mentally
strong enough to control it. Although
Hrothgar's sword arm was highly
respected by both friend and foe, intelligence and wisdom are attributes the
barbarian did not possess in quantity.
"I fear that Hrothgar fell under the
sword's sway, and that is why he romped
off on his ill-fated scabbard hunt. Whatever the reason for his demise, I will

miss that big, lovable ogre of a man. I

can honestly say that Hrothgar was a
true friend to all of us, and his brave
spirit and steadfast sword arm will be
sorely missed but never forgotten."
Although there are a few more entries
in Aeloros's diary following the above
one, none of the later passages suggest
that the wizard and his companions ever
made it back to their home city ofSoderfjord. If any PC uses a commune spell to
further investigate the diary, he may
learn (if he asks the right questions) that
Aeloros and his friends were ambushed
and killed during their return journey to
Soderfjord, and that Hrothgar's treasures had never been recovered by them.

For the Dungeon Master

Since Aeloros's diary could be discovered
by the PCs' almost anywhere in the
Known World, it is impossible to include
an accurate random encounter table to
cover the party's journey to the treasure
cave. (For example, adventurers crossing
the Alasiyan Desert in Ylaruam would
be very unlikely to encounter any lizard
men, while a party slogging through the
great Malpheggi Swamp in Darokin
might cross paths with quite a few).

DUNGEON 33

HROTHGAR'S RESTING PLAC

The cave toads center their attacks on

paralyzed opponents if possible, gaining
a +4 bonus to hit. They have no treasure.
The stony incline leading up to area 6
contains many loose rocks. Anyone who
attempts to climb this incline must roll
his Dexterity score or less on 3d6+ 1.
Anyone who fails this roll slips during
the climb, sending a small cascade of
loose stones clattering to the cavern
floor. No damage is taken by such a PC,
but the noise alerts the harpies on the
ledge above, and they immediately begin
to sing a little welcoming song.
6. Harpies' Ledge. Four adult harpies
call this ledge home. They will fight very
fiercely to defend their nests (ML 10
instead of 7). If these nests are searched,
the PCs will find some grungy but valuable jewelry: a pearl necklace (1,500 gp),
a small ruby pendant (1,000 gp), and a
thin gold bracelet (600 gp).
Upon discovering intruders, the harpies immediately begin to sing. Each PC
who hears this monstrous melody must
make a Saving Throw vs. Spells or be
charmed. Those who save will not be
affected by the harpies' singing for the
rest ofthe encounter.
Harpies (4):AC 7; HD 3*; hp 20,18,
15, 14; MV 60' (20'), Flying 150' (50'); N
AT 2 claws/1 short sword plus charm;
Dmg 1-4/1-4/1-6;Save F6; ML 10; AL C;
XP 50; BD/31.
7. Hrothgar's Fall.
A deep chasm appears in the tunnel
floor before you-a chasm so deep that
you are unable to see its bottom.
Perhaps this is the dark pit that
claimed Hrothgar and the treasure
you seek!
This is indeed the spot where Hrothgar
took his fatal fall. Anyone falling the
120' to the bottom ofthis shaft suffers
12d6 hp damage and is rendered unconscious for 3-12 turns. Those who successfully listen for noises can hear a faint
grinding sound coming from below (the
caecilia in area 11).
Getting to the bottom of the shaft is
somewhat challenging but not overly
difficult. For those without the magical
powers of flying or levitation, there is a
small stalagmite near the edge of the pit
around which a rope can be fastened.

The stalagmite is thin, however, and

looks like it could safely support the
weight of only one or two characters at a
time. If more than two people try to
climb down the rope at the same time,
there is a cumulative 15% chance per
additional person on the rope that the
stalagmite will give way, plunging
everyone on the rope to the bottom of the
pit. Should such a tragedy occur, the DM
should roll1d12 and multiply the result
by 10. This figure gives the PCs' height
in feet above the bottom of the chasm
when the stalagmite gives way. Falling
damage is 1-6 hp per 10' fallen.
Once the first group of PCs has begun
to descend into the shaft, roll for surprise. A giant black widow spider has
been hiding behind a stalactite over the
pit. Seeing the PCs in a vulnerable position, it drops down on a single web
strand in pursuit of the descending
adventurers.
If the PCs are surprised, the spider
drops past any persons standing at the
top of the pit before they can react. It
reaches those climbing down the rope in
the next round. If the PCs are not surprised, they may attack the arachnid as
it drops past. The spider will not bother
to fight adventurers at the top of the
shaft, preferring instead to attack those
on the rope.
When the giant black widow lowers
itself into the pit, it is far enough out
over the shaft to be out of range of the
melee attacks of PC on the ledge. It may
be attacked normally by missile weapons and thrown ones, however. If and
when the spider reaches the descending
PCs, it attacks them immediately. Characters on the rope can fight back, but at
-4 to hit and with a -2 penalty to all
damage rolls.
Should any PC aim a missile or thrown
weapon to sever the web strand from
which the spider hangs, treat the web as
AC -2. Any hit breaks the web and
plummets the spider to its death. An
adventurer who can reach the web
(through flying or levitation, for example) can automatically cut it.
Giant black widow spider: AC 6; HD
3*; hp 20; MV 60' (20'), in web 120' (40');
NAT 1 bite; Dmg 2-12 plus poison; Save
F2; ML 8; AL N; XP 50; BD/38. Anyone
bitten by the spider must Save vs. Poison
or die in 1 turn.

Lower Level
8. Bottom of the Pit.
Upon reaching the bottom of the pit,
you find yourselves in a vast empty
cavern. Yes, empty-there is no sign
of Hrothgar's skeletal remains or his
treasure. At the east end of the chamber, however, are two dark passages,
and from them comes a strange grindingsound.
The grinding sound is caused by the
burrowing of three caecilia (see area 11).
The noise comes from both tunnels but
sounds stronger at the entrance of the
northeast passage.
Hrothgar's remains and treasure are
not present because they were picked up
long ago by a gelatinous cube that scours
this level of the caves. The barbarian's
body was totally dissolved by the cube,
but his metal treasures were not. The
cube (and the valuables the PCs are
seeking) is currently in area 11.

Cave or Rock Toad

The cave (or rock) toad appears in the
D&D Companion Set. For those who
do not own that set, the toad's description and statistics appear below.
ARMOR CLASS: 2
HIT DICE: 3+1*
MOVE: 60' (20'
ATTACKS: 1 bite plus paralysis
DAMAGE: 1-6
NO. APPEARING: 1-4 (1-4)
SAVE AS: Fighter 3
MORALE: 7
TREASURE TYPE: V
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
XPVALUE: 75
The cave or rock toad is about the size
of a large dog. It carries a hard shell
on its back, like a turtle, and has
large, multifaceted eyes that shine
with a hypnotic glow. Anyone gazing
into these eyes must make a Saving
Throw vs. Paralysis or be paralyzed
for 2-8 rounds. Its normal attack is a
bite from its sharp, beaked mouth.
The strange eyes of this creature
continue to cast a feeble light in a 5
radius for 1-3 hours after the creature
dies, but their hypnotic powers are
lost. Cave toads usually live in cold
regions.
I

DUNGEON 35

HROTHGAR'S RESTING PLACE

coins, and a few other items inside the

shimmering cube as it approaches them.
As you let out sighs of relief after
dealing with the huge gray worms,
the faint clatter ofloose stone alerts
you to another threat. A strange sight
emerges from an alcove in the western wall: A magnificent sword, a
silver statuette of a lion, and a few
other small items are floating toward
you, all contained within a shimmering, semitransparent cube.
Gelatinous cube: AC 8; HD 4*; hp 29;
MV 60' (20'); NAT 1; Dmg 2-8 plus paralysis; Save F2; ML 12; AL N; XP 125; BDI
30. Anyone hit by the cube must make a
Saving Throw vs. Paralysis or be paralyzed for 2-8 turns. Any attack by the
cube on a paralyzed victim automatically hits. The creature is immune to
cold and lightning attacks.
The following is an inventory of the
many items the gelatinous cube has
picked up and been unable to digest
during its long years of patrolling the

lower caverns: 25 gp; 11 sp; 12 cp; a

dagger; a suit of chain mail armor
(minus the straps, which the cube dissolved); a few metal clasps and buckles
from Hrothgar's other equipment; the
barbarian's magical sword and silver
statuette.
The sword has quite a few nicks in it
but is still functional. It is indeed an
intelligent sword, as the wizard Aeloros
had speculated in his diary. Its name is
Seeker, and it is a Neutral sword +2
(Intelligence 9, Ego 12) with primary
powers to detect gems, detect metal; and
see invisible objects. It can communicate
these powers to its wielder through
empathy. Any Lawful or Chaotic individual who touches the sword suffers 1-6 hp
shock damage for each round he is in
contact with the blade. The first thing
Seeker wants, of course, is a nice, new
scabbard.
The statuette is made of solid silver
and depicts a snarling lion on the prowl.
Its eyes are inlaid rubies; its teeth and
claws are ivory. Unfortunately, the
gelatinous cube, in its years of constant

scouring, has picked up and spit out the

statuette so often that the silver sculpture has been badly scratched. In its
present condition, the statue would fetch
a price of 3,000 gp from the right buyer.
If the ivory and rubies are removed and
the silver melted down, the precious
materials would be worth 1,000 gp and
the silver 100 gpo The party's best option
may be to have a skilled sculptor do
some repair work on the piece (which
would cost 100+ 10d10 gp), then resell it
for about 5,000 gpo

Concluding the Adventure

When the PCs recover Hrothgar's lost
treasure, the adventure is over. If the
DM would like to send the PCs right out
on another adventure, however, the
intelligent sword, Seeker, can supply a
rumor it learned from one of its previous
owners. The DM will have to create the
details of this rumor and an appropriate
quest for the heroes.
{}

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ MARVEL
Continued from page 23

Before running an encounter with

Mastermind, review the rules for disbelieving illusions on page 82 of the Players' Book. Heroes trying to disbelieve the
illusions must make an Intuition roll
against Mastermind's Unearthlyintensity images. Note that blind heroes
or those with different sensory modes,
such as Daredevil, still sense Mastermind's illusions (his mutant power
affects the brain, not the actual sense
organs). Androids and mechanical
devices are unaffected by Mastermind's
illusions.
Inner Circle treachery: Don't
neglect the dramatic possibilities of
forcing heroes to work with the White
Queen or other Hellfire Club villains.
Once Mastermind falls, an Inner Circle
member may try to ambush and defeat a
single hero. Treachery is their byword.
If the heroes aren't aware of the Inner
Circle's secret powers, let the White
Queen use all her charm on them, offer
them honorary membership, and so on.

The club can then use the heroes as

dupes in a later scheme.

Aftermath
The police Special Weapons Force,
unsure of what to do with Mastermind,
locks him in a special invisibilitynullifying harness designed by Stane
International. The harness has Remarkable Nullifying Power (Players' Book,
page 76) with Feeble range and is made
of Good-strength material.
Heroes familiar with Mastermind
realize this equipment won't affect the
mutant illusionist. If they aren't familiar with him or don't notice this, and
don't accompany the police until the
villain is locked in a psionically shielded
prison cell, Mastermind easily escapes
within hours.
If circumstances force an Inner Circle
member to go public with his or her
superhuman powers, the rest of the
Inner Circle, pretending shock, expels
the member publicly-but only publicly.
The member will return to the Circle
covertly or in another identity.

_
Karma
Karma should be awarded according to
the Karma Summary Listing on page 37
ofthe Players' Book. Here are some
possible Karma awards:
Detecting Mastermind's illusions: +5
Karma.
Deducing his presence and locating him:
+10 Karma.
Defeating Mastermind: + 100 Karma.
Stopping a violent crime: +30 Karma.
Multiple rescues (more than five people):
+100 Karma.
Joining the Hellfire Club: + 1 Popularity, -1 Karma.
Getting an Inner Circle member to
betray his or her powers: + 20 Karma
per Circle member, to the hero who
manages it (and undying enmity from
that Circle member in the futurel), {}
MARVEL, MARVEL SUPER HEROES, MARVEL
UNIVERSE, and all Marvel characters, names, and
likenesses are trademarks of Marvel Entertainment
Group, Inc. Copyright 1990 Marvel Entertainment
Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

DUNGEON 37

This is Stephen's third DUNGEO"'''

ad venture. He has also w ritte n " The
Bane of Elfswovd" (iss ue 121) and
"Hrothgar's Resting Piau" tissue '25 1.
After u:reuk ing our collectiee brains {or

a Michier title for this module ("No

Bhuts About It ," "S hut M-'ait- There's
More!" etc.). ue decided to kuvt' /J'ell
enough alone (erttpt for th e teaser lin").
"Caravan Guards" is a D&O Expert
Set adventure designed (or 6-8 player
characters of levels 6-8 (about 50 total
levels). A variety of character classes,
including at least one magic-user or elf.
will be useful.

For fhe Dungeon Moster

CARAVAN
GUARDS
BY STEPHEN J. SMITH

The heroes get to kick

some bhut.

30 Issue No. 20

This short adventure can be run while

the PCs are returning home (rom anot her quest or are traveling to 8 distan t
place. The scenario described in this
module shoul d take place a long a me rchant trail through a dark and dangerous fore st. If the D~ 's campaign is set
in the Known Wor ld ofthe D&D Expe rt
Rulebook and Gazetteer series, a good
setting for this adventure is the Darokin Road , in the great forest between
the cities of Darokin and Selenica.
As the PCs ride along the trail, they
overtake II small merchant ea ra va n
traveling in the same direction. The
PCs are greeted in a friendly but wary
manner by the merchant leader, who
introd uces himself as Sir Bry an Derba n .
Derba n then tries to hire the adv entur.
era to help guard his wago ns, ex plain.
ing t hat he is carrying a mysteri ous
ite m that his evil half-brot her; Malcolm ,
would dearl y love to get his hands on.
Mal colm, Sir Bryan continues, has
obtained the services of an accomplis hed wizard and a small force of
ogres. This evil alliance has already
claimed the lives of several of Bryan's
caravan guards. The merchant leader
offers a tid}' sum of gold to hire the Pes
as replacements.
If the PCs accept Sir Bryan's offer, they
get to know Bryan's other guards better
and are soon called upon to defend t he
wagons from two threats: a hungry chimera and a band of bugbears.
Then, during their first night of guard
duty, the PC s get a big surpri se: Sir
Bryan and his seven or igi nal caravan
guards turn into wild-eyed . savage maneaters. The adventurers must fight for
their lives to avoid becoming their em ployer's dinner.

CARAVAN GUARDS

Meet t he Bhuts

Sir Bryan and hi s retinue are bhuts,

unusual humanoid monsters similar in
many ways to lycanthropea and undead.
During the day, bhuts look and act like
nonnal humans. But with the setting of
the sun, their skin becomes scaly, their
hands become claws, their hair grows
wild. and they transform into toothy,
sa vage man-eaters.
Like undead monsters, bhuts are
immune to sleep, charm. and hold spells
(as well as all poiso ns and gases), and
they make no noise while moving.
Bhute are not undead, h owever, and
cannot be Turned by clerics. They can
be hit by only magical weapons and
spells, and a single hit from a bussed
weapon will slay a bhut instantly.
In combat, bhuts attack with their
two claws and chilling bite. Anyone
bitten by a bhut must make a Saving
Throw vs. Paralysis or be numbed for
1-4 rounds. Numbed creatures always
lose initiative in battle and suffer a - 2
penalty to all to-hit rolls.
Bhuts rad iate a potent aura that
makes them immune to the effects of
detect evil and know alignment spells. In
fact, all know alignment attempts are
distorted by t his aura, and the bhuts
register as Lawful. These scheming
creatures often live near human settlements to obtain their meals . Th avoid
arousing suspicion, bhuts usually assume some innocent guise such as
monks, gypsies . or even traveling
merchants.
All the bhuts in this adventure have
the following common statistics:
Bbut : HD 7 +2 ....; 'AT 2 claws/l bite
(in bhut form ); Save F lO; ML 10; AL C;
CC/33.

Other statistics are variable and ac compa ny the description of each member of the caravan. These "NPC "
descriptions list the bhuts' monster
statistics as well as the statistics for
t heir human forms lin brackets]. The
bh uts fight as 7th-level fighters during
the day. with the exce ption of Sir Bryan,
who attacks as a 7t h-level magic-user.
Even while the bhuts are in human
for m, they still cannot be harmed by
nonm agica l weapons or attacks.
When these creatures ass ume their
nonnal (monster) forms , they attack as
7HD monsters using their claws and
tee th. The only exceptions are " Ogre:'
who always attacks wit h his beloved
t wo-handed sword, and Sir Bryan, who

casts suitable spells before engaging the

PCs tooth and nail. Upon completing
their transformations. the bhuts' armor
classes drop to 4 (even lower for those
with Dexterity bonuses and Sir Bryan
with his ring ofprotection + 1), as their
skin grows scaly and tough. The bhuts
should retain the bcnuees and penalties
from their human ability scores when in
monster form .
Sir Bry an De rban: AC 3 [8J; hp 33;
MV 120' (40'~ 'AT 2 clews/I bite [1
weapon or epellk Dmg 1-4/1-4/1-6 plus
special [by spell or weapon typel; S 10,
I 16, W 11, 0 12, C 16, Ch 13; spells:
light, magic missile r x 2), detect invisible, ESP, dispel magic, hold person.
polymorph other; dagger
Sir Bryan is the leader of the bhuts,
and he acts as the leader of the merchant caravan in this adventure. He is
of average build and is qu ite ha ndsome
and charming, having black hair and a
moustache, friendly blue eyes, and a
reassuring voice. In keeping with his
cover as a merchant, he tends to wear
colorful, expensive clothes.
Though he is also a 7th-level magic user, Sir Bryan hide s his abilities until
the bhuts attack the PCs. Sir Bryan
loses the memory of any unceat spells
once he changes into bhut form, so he
must rememorize spells every morning.
Hi s spell book is hidden in a secret
compartment in his wagon. In addition
to his memorized spells, Sir Bryan's
spell book contains the following spells:
read languages, read magic, ventriloquism, knock, wizard lock, water breath ing, wall of fire. He also owns two
magical items that he wears on hi s
person. An amulet vs. crystal balls and
ESP hangs from his neck at all times,
and he wears a ring ofprotection + 1 on
his right index finger.
E ric Tram ble: AC 4 [7J hp 36; MV
120' (40'); IAT 2 claws/l bite [1 weapon];
Dmg 1-4/1-4f16 plus special [by weapon
type]; S 12, I 13, W 13, 0 10, C 10, Ch
11; leather armor; sword.
Eric is second.in-comrnand to Sir
Bryan, and he acts as Bryan's close
friend and trusted advisor. He is
slightly shorter than Bryan and has
short, curly brown hair. His quiet personality does not mean that he is shy.
Go r d Dres tkilh AC 3 [41; hp 47; M V
90 ' (30 '); 'AT 2 c1aws/l bite U weapcnl;
Dmg 2-512-5/1-6 plus special (by weapon
type]; S 14, I 10, W 8, 0 13, C 13, Ch 11;
chain mail armor, sword + 1.
Becton Crestkifh AC 4 (51; hp 48; MV

9O'(30'); 'AT 2 c1awsl1 bite (1 weapon];

Dmg 2-512-5/1-6 plus special [by weapon
type]; S 13, I 11, W 13, D 10, C 15, Ch
11; chain mail armor, sword + I .
Gord and Becton both appear to be
capable fighters in their early twenties,
and they claim to be brothers (Becton
seems to be the older). Both have brown
hair (though Gord 's is lighter ) and are
quiet but civil toward the PCs. The
brothers share an interest in weapons
and armor, and will gladly compare or
discuss arms with any PC fighters .
Si r Ri c kinsoD DeNorland: AC 4 15J;
hp 40; MV 90' (30'); 'AT U weapon];
Dmg 25125/16 plus special [by weapon
type]; S 13, I 9, W 9, D 12, C 13, Ch 15;
chain mail armor, sword.
This blonde-haired, blue-eyed fighter
is a ladies' man through and through.
He is always courteous to women and
will slavishl y cater to the desires of a
lady he finds particularly beautiful.
Because of his constant pursuit of memo
bers of the opposite BeX (and because he
tends to devour his lady -friends when
he meets them in bhut form ), the other
caravan members have nicknamed him
"Wolf."
Lo r nal Westhill: AC 4 (51; hp41 ; MV
90' (3D'); IAT (l weapon]; Dmg 2-512-51
1-6 plus special [by weapon type ]; S 13,
I 12. W 12, 0 10, C 14, Ch 6; chain mail
armor, sword .
Lornal is a bitter individual who
never has anything good to say about
anyone else . For the most part he ignore s the PCs , but he may make a
nasty, sarcastic comment if someone
makes a mistake in combat.
Petri: AC 1 [21; hp 34 ; MV 90 ' (30');
'AT [1 weapon]; Dmg 1-4fl-4fl 6 plus
special [by weapon type); S 11, 111, W
10,018, C 10, Ch 12; chain mail armor,
sword, three throwing daggers, short
bow, 12 arrows.
Petri is the clown of the group. He is
short (5 '4~) and has a wild tuft of brown
hair atop his head . Petri is always smil ing or talking, and as a result he sometimes gets on the nerves of his fellow
travelers (Lorna! in particular). Quick,
energetic, and dexterous, Petri is an
accomplished juggler and has also been
known to play an occasional practical
joke. Petri is the caravan's lone archer,
but he is deadly accurate with his short
bow.
"Ogre" : AC 4 (51; hp 55; MV 90' (30');
'AT 1 weapon; Dmg by weapon type; S
18,13, W 7, 0 9, C 16, Ch 6; twohanded sword +I, chain mail.

DUNGEON

31

CARAVAN GUARDS

Ogre is a giant of a ma n (6' 1O ~, 320

lbs. I, as his name implies. He is a lso not
too bright and has trouble spe aki ng
clearly, with the except ion of a few
words (" k ill," " break," " smash ," a nd
" din ner"). Ogre is neither ge ntl e nor
refined. He can be qu ite dest ructive
with his magical two-handed sword + 1
which he uses even in bhut form .
'

The Bbuts' Caravan

Sir Bryan's caravan has tra veled
throughout the Known World for years,
seldom remaining in one area for more
than a week or two. Typically, the bhuts
ride into a town posing as merchants.
grab a quick bite to eat, and then quietly slip away. They also obtain Quite a
few meals cons isting of the fellow travelers they meet on the road.
Occa sionally, the bhuts set u p an
extended ope ration in a larger city.
During these operations (most of wh ich
are cont rived by Sir Bryan), the bhuts
pr esent themselves as gypsies, pilgrims,
a troupe of entertainers, or traveling
scho lars (Ogre doesn't do very well at
this one ). The cocky bhuts seem to dare
the loca l authorities to uncover their
gruesome misdeeds. Onl y once were the
bhu t s tracked down, and th ey dined on
sheriff that night.
Th e caravan itself consists of two
medium-size roofed wagons, each of
wh ich is drawn by four sturdy draft
horses, and six war horses that the
ca ra va n guards r ide . Under normal
conditions, Eric and another bhut (usually Sir Bryan or Petri ) drive the wagons while the remaining six bhuts serve
as mounted guards.
The two wagons serve different purposes. One carries the merchant bhuts'
trade goods, currently 40 bulky bu ndles
of common animal pelts and hides and
four bundles of precious fur s (fox and
giant weasel). Ea ch bundle of common
furs has a value of 15 gp a nd an encumbrance of 400 en. Each parcel of precious furs is worth 500 gp and ha s an
encumbrance of 500 en. This wagon also
conta in s four tw o-man tents and a dozen
warm blankets. At night, the bhuts who
are not on guard duty sleep in t he back
of this wagon.
The second wagon is Sir Bryan's priva te pr operty, an d the PC s will not be
allowed inside. It contains two comfortable down mattresses (one for Bryan
and one for his assistant, Eric); two
large chests (secu rely bolted to the

32 Issue No. 26

wagon floor ); a large sack containing

Eri c's spare clot hes; a crate of iron ra tions (enough dried beef to feed eight
persons or bhuts for four weeks); a barrel of drinking water ; and a variety of
other common items. The two chests
conta in Sir Bryan's expensive wardrobe
(2,500 gp value) and the bhuts' disguises: clerical robes and holy symbols,
down outfits, gypsy cloth ing, an d the
like. These disguises have a value of
750 gp , but findi ng th e proper buyer s
for these outfits shou ld prove to be a
formi dable challenge for the PCs.
There is a secret compartment in the
floor of th e wagon be neath Sir Bry a n's
ma ttress (treat as a secret door). Hidden
t herein is the bhuts' treasure: a large
sack containing 27 sp, 315 ep , and 89
pp; a second sack with 585 gp oa small
bag that holds four 500.gp pearls; and
Sir Bryan's spell book ( see his character
description for a list of the spells in this
book }.
Sir Bryan's wagon contains something
else of note . Hanging from the ceiling
are two large metal birdcages, and
perched inside one is a colorful bird. If
p:esented to the right buyer, th is rare
bird could fetch a price of 100 gp o However, this bird is actually a polymorphed
captive ofthe bhuts (see the "Concluding th e Adventure" for the identity of
this prisoner),
Whe n the bhuts attack a group of
victims and there are too many to eat in
one sitting, Sir Bryan uses his polyrrwrph other spell to turn one of their
opponents into a turtle or some other
harmless, slow-moving creature . The
ca ptive is then placed in a birdcage until
the following morning, when Bryan casts
a second polyrrwrph spell on the victim,
turning h im into a bird, which the bhuts
keep well fed until they 're hu ngry again.
At this time Sir Bry an casts a dispel
magic spell , and t he bhuts enjoy their
supper. Prisoners who resist the second
polyrrwrph spell into a bird are kept in a
cage until nightfall. Sir Bryan then
dispels the polyrrwrph spell an d the other
bhuts dig in.

For the Ployer Ch ara cters

Having seen no one along the trail
for qui te some time, you almost feel a
sense of relief whe n you spy a small
merchant car ava n t raveling in the
same direct ion a s yourselves on the
road ah ead. As your group draws

nearer, you see that th e cara van

cons ists of two roofed wagons, each of
which is drawn by four draft horses.
Six men on horseback, most of whom
wear metal armor, encircle th e
wagons.
When the men spot you, they halt
the wagons and begin trott ing ba ck
down the road, either to greet or to
intercept you. The guards sto p about
10 yards away, their hands resting
on th e h ilts of their swords . On e is a
black-ha ired man with a neat ly
trimmed mou stache , wearing a flow.
ing blue shirt t hat waves like a fla g
in the wind, clean brown pants and a
pa ir of shi ny bla ck boot s; he appear s
to be th e leader, He edges h is charger
forward a bit, hili ha nd ra ised before
him in greet ing .
" He llo, my friends!" he calls out in
a pleasant ton e . " I a m Sir Bryan
Derban, owner and leader of t his
ca ravan . Who migh t you be, a nd
where might you be he aded?"
Derban cha ts with th e PC s in a
friendly man ner, trying to learn where
they are headed. He th en informs t he
gro up th at h is ca ravan is al so traveling
In th~t sa me direction , though probably
to a different destination [depending on
where th e DM decides to ru n this ad venture in his own game world }. Sir
Bryan's objectiv e in this encou nter is to
convince th e ad ven turers to stay with
his cara van , even if only for the night.
At fir st . Derban si m ply asks the PC s
if they would li ke to travel with hi s
carav an, stati ng t ha t he a nd hi s men
could use some com pa nio nshi p on this
lonel y trail . If t his straig htforward
method fails, Sir Bry an makes the following plea to the PCs. Should the PCs
still not wish to travel with the ea ra van, there will be no adventure.
S ir Bryan's Plea
A troubled look d ouds up Sir Bryan's
handsome face. He sighs aloud, shako
ing his head, a nd then a nnou nces,
"My friends, I have not been entirely
truthful with you, a nd for th is I am
most sorry. I would have endangered
your lives-and under the guise of
friendship! I am afraid that my recent
problems ha ve affected my judgment.
" You see , although your companionship would be a pleasure

du ring our t ravels, t hat was not the

only reason I asked you to join us.
You look like accomplis hed fighters,
something that I ca n sorely use at
t his ti me. Perh aps you would be
interes ted in staying on with us for a
while if I pa id you? Well, first let me
tell you my story.
" In my wagon I am carrying
something-a family hei rloom-that
my half-broth er Malcolm decided
oug ht to belong to him. Ma lcolm
hired t he services of an evil wizard
an d a small army of ogres. For the
past two weeks he has been pursuing
my caravan. I have lost several

ance. Would you be interested in

selling your services to me?"
Der ban offers the PCs 1,000 gp each if
t hey agree to accompa ny him all t he
way to his desti na tion (whatever lie he
told t he adventurers earlier) or 500 gp
each if th e)' tra vel only par t of t he way
with t he caravan. Since Sir Bryan
k nows he won't be payi ng the PCs anyway (one way or the other, the alliance
be tween the caravan membe rs and t he
PCs will end that nightll, he can be
haggled into olTering the PCs an ad di tional 500 gp for their services. This is
t he limi t, howeve r, for the bhuts don't

guard.OJ to the ogTe!l and the Spt>JJll of

want to ta.ngJe with 8 bunch of 8th-en-

the wizar d, hut fortuna tely my elite

guard corp" -he smiles and gestures
at his surrounding men- " is still
intact:'
Sir Bryan pauses momentarily, as
if weighing his words carefully. At
last he says, " I am not accustomed to
hiring strangers as mercenaries. hut
these are strange times and I feel I
can trust you . And." he adds with a
weak smile, "I'm afraid I may not
reach my destination without assist-

t urers who can be hired only for an

astronomical amount of gold; such a
group's fighting skills might prove wor.
thy of the price they ask!
Sir Bry an says nothing more about
the mysterious " heir loom" that he is
carrying (there is no heirloom; it's sim ply a part of Sir Bryan's false story ),
and under no condition will he allow the
PCs inside his wagon . If the adventurers seem suspicious of Sir Bryan', story
or his secret cargo, the merchant leader

shrugs and says that he cannot revea l

the object or its hiding place until
Malcolm is defeated and the PCs prove
themselves worthy of his trust.

Event s Minor and Ma jor

The OM should run the following eve nts
in the order presented. Some of th ese
events require combat, while others
sim ply serve to further introduce the
other caravan guards to the PCa.
T he Injured Guard
Shortly after hiring the PCs, Sir Bryan
asks if anyone in the party is a healer
(cleric). He explains that during the last

aetack on the caravan. an ogre managed

to stab one of his guards (Becton) in the
foot, nearly sever-ing his little toe. He
would appreciate it greatly if the cleric
could heal Becton (any cure light
wou.ndA spell will suffice). Although
Becton can still ride with the other
guards, his wound prevents him from
being quick and steady on his feet . If
healed, Becton thanks the cleric with a
25O-gponyx, saying, " I would like to
donate this to your merciful order. Holy
One ." The PC cleric then bas a friend

DUNGEON

33

CARAVAN GUARDS

for life (or at least until nightfalllj.

In truth, Becton recei ved his wound
from one of the bhuts' recent victims.
Ironically, he now wields the magical
sword that injured him.

The Wolf Stalks Hi s P rey

Shortly after Sir Bryan hires the adventurers, Sir Rickinson " t he Wolf '
DeNorland begins romancing the female PC with the highest Charisma
score. He begins with th e introduction,
"Sir Rickinson at your service, my
lady," and constantly hounds his admired PC with more such chivalrous
nonsense. By mid-afternoon be will be
so forward as to say (pick one), "The

way you use that wand with such grace/

The way you daintily wield your crushing macefThe way you finger that
dagger ofyourslIn your bulky metal
armor/ ... You really look good!"
Should the object of Sir Rickinson'a
desires not return his affection, the
chivalrous guard will direct his lovin g
attention to another female PC (if one is
present). Sir Rickinson doesn 't give up ;
the DM should make sure that Sir Rickinson picks out a particular female PC
to be the object of his affection during
the adventure (whether she wants to be
or notl). If there are no females in the
PC party, Sir Rickinson will sulk
throughout the adventure.
Chimer a Attack!
Ray s of midday sun filter through the
treetops a s the caravan cr awls slowly
along the trail. The guard named Petri
pulls three apples from a small sack and
begins tojuggle the fruit on horseback.
In the middle of hi s act, Petri tosses one
of the apples to Gord, who catches it
with a smile and lobs it back . Petri
takes Gord's return toss smoot hly and
keeps right on juggling. He proceeds to
flip an apple to Becton, Rickinson, and a
randomly determined PC, always catching the return throw in perfect synch
with his juggling.
With a mischievous twinkle in his
eyes , Petri turns his glance toward
Lornal, the dark-spirited guard, and
says , "Come on Lornal, join the fun!"
Lorna} raises one arm, motioning for
Petri to throw him an apple. Upon re o
ceiving Petri's toss , however, he chuckles meanly and promptly roll s the piece
of fruit in front of his mount. As his
horse halts to sniff the offering, a horri.
ble screech fills everyone's ears as a

34 Issue No. 26

monstrous three-headed form swoops

down through the branches overhead
and attacks!
The swooping three-headed mons ter is
a chimera. It attacks a randomly determined PC the first round of combat and
anyone within ra nge of its three heads
in subsequent rounds. Although bhuts
are normally immu ne to nonmagical
attacks, the chimera's dragon-head
attacks (bite and breath) are strong
enough to cause them damage (t hey
don 't yet know this, believing that the y
are immune to its bite) . The bhuts avoid
frontal assaults in hopes that the PCs
will finish the monster off, which also
avoids the clumsy problem of having a
bhut be attacked but not be wounded.
Chimera: AC 4; HD 9....; hp 56 ; MV
120' (40'), flying 180' (60' ); IAT 2 claws!
3 heads plus breath; Dmg 1311-3/28/
1-10/3-12 plu s 318 ; Save F9; ML 9; AL
C; ERJ47 . There is a 50% chance each
round that this creature will use its
breath weapon, a cone of fire 50' long
and 10' wide . The chimera can breathe
fire up to three times per day.
Ogre Shows His Stuff
About an hour after the chimera attack,
Sir Bryan orde rs the caravan to bait
near th e bank of a trailside stream.
This quick break allow s the PCs and
the other guards to refill their waterskins and st retch their legs a bit. As the
PCs mill about, a tremendous snapping
sound comes from the woods nearby.
Although the adventurers may th ink
otherwise, the caravan is not under
attack. After a few dramatic seconds,
Ogre emerges from the underbrush
dragging an enormous fallen tree limb
behind him. The huge man promptly
breaks t he thick branch across his knee
and then, noticing that everyone is
looking at him, mumbles, "Dub ... just
gettin' duh firewood."
Bugb ea r Ba ndits
Late in the afternoon, the caravan
rounds a bend only to find the trail
blocked by a fallen tree trunk. Unless
the PCs immediately voice suspicions of
a possible ambush here, they will be
surprised by a volley of arrows fired by
10 bugbear archers, while another 10
bugbears burst from the surrounding
forest to engage both the Pes and the
bh uts in hand-to-hand combat. Among
the bugbear foot soldiers is their leader,
Lord Tangulwizkers , who fights with his

magical sword + 1, + 2 tis. speli-caeters,

Due to their gre at strength, bugbears
get a + 1 bonu s to all hit and damage
roll s. It should be noted that Lord
Tangulwizkers (with his magi cal sword)
is the only bugbear capable of damaging
the bhuts . The other bugbears str ike
and shoot at the bhuts , but their blows
(t hough they tear at clothing and armor ) draw no blood from their foes.
Afterward, the bhuts tend to imagin ary
cu ts and bruises, blessing their marvelous " luck."
Lord Tangulwizkers: AC 5; HD
3 + 1; hp 23: MV 90' (30'); I AT 1 (m agical sword); Dmg by weapon type; Sa ve
F3; ML 9; AL C; B0/27.
Bugbe ars no ar chers, 9 foot soldiers):
hp 15 (foot soldier s), 11 (arche rs );'AT 1
sword or arrow; Dmg by weapon ty pe;
other st at ist ics as per Lord 'langul wizkers. Ea ch bugbear carr ies a sword.
The archers (who use long bower use
their swords only if forced into melee
comba t.
Each bug bear carries a sma ll pouch
containing 324 cp and 3-18 sp. In add iti on to th is spare change, Lord Tangulwizkers's pouch also bolds a large topaz
worth 750 gpo
As th e gr eat tree is being cleared from
the path, Sir Bryan sees a chance to
enhance the credibility of his st ory by
suggesting th at the bugbear raiders
may have a ttacked under the orders of
his brother Malcolm . By interrogating
any captives or by using a spe ak wi th
the dead spell on a va nquished foe, the
PCs should be able to learn t ha t the
bugbears were not in league with Sir
Bryan's evil half-brother (who is a fiction , anyway'.

Man-E aters in t he Moonlight

Shortly before sunset , Sir Bryan give s
the order to halt th e wagons and set up
camp for th e night. Once th e hor ses are
safely secured, Ogre bu ild s a fire and
Petri prepares a gener ous pot of rabbit
stew. Sir Bryan invites the PCs to join
the feast. and if the PCs accept the offer
th ey can enjoy a tasty meal in the jovial
company of the other gu ards. All the
caravan members partake of th e rabbit
ste w (alt hough Lornal consta ntly complains about Pet ri's choice of ingredients), so overl y su spicious PCs can lay
to rest their fears that the stew might
be drugged or poisoned. None of th e
men eat too much , however. They are
saving their appetites for the evening's

CARAVAN GUARDS

rea l main course.

After the meal, Sir Bryan asks the
PCs if they would mind doing a shar e of
th e night watch duty. Since he is the
ca ravan leader and is responsible for all
the important decision-making, Derben
adds with a roguish grin. he is excluded
from this duty. He also suggests that PC
spell-cast er s (who need their sleep to
regain spells) be exempt from guard
duty. Sir Bryan can offer the PCs a pair
of two-man tents and some blankets if
they need them.
Allow the PCs to organize the night
watch schedule 8 S they see fit; the seven
NPC guards will go along with any fair
system. Normally, the guards divide the
night into three four-hour shifts. with
two men working each shift. and the odd
man getting the night off. The PCs may
suggest four or more shorter sh ifts or
opt for more guards per shift. It doesn 't
rea lly matter what the PCs plan beyond
the fir st shift, however, for it is at th is
time that the bhuts will attack .
The caravan members can exercise a
limited amount of control over their
transformation into bhuts. The men ca n
delay their change into bhut form for up
to three hours after sunse t. When the
three hours have passed, however, t hey
automatically transform into bhute.
They must t hen retain bhut form until
three hours before daybreak , at which
time they may change back to human
form if they so desire. At dawn , however, bhuta automatically resume their
human appearance.
The actual transformation from hu man to bhut (a nd vice ver sa ) takes
about 30 seconds (34 rounds in ga me
terms). The bhuts have devel oped a
clever scheme to synchronize their
change into monster form and signa l
the st art of th eir ambush.
All bhuts not picked for the first shift
of guard duty split up and pretend to
prepare for sleep: Sir Bryan climbs into
his wagon (accompanied by Eri c, if he is
not on guard duty) while the other
bhuts pitch a couple of tents. These
remaining bhuts spread themselves out
t hrough the ca mp a s best they can ,
some cra wling into the tents while
others hop into the back of th e second
wagon .
Shortly after everyo ne has settled in
for the night, Petri kick s off a series of
" Good nights," signalling the other
caravan members to begin the change
La bhut form. At the end of thi s humor-

ous exchange of pleasantries, Sir Bryan

unleashes a scream of terror. Once the
PCs rush to Bryan's wagon to see what's
wrong, the other bhuts emerge from
their quarters and attack. Sir Bryan
delays his transformation long enough
to ensure that he can cast a few spell s
at the PCs before he becomes a bhut.
The following boxed text gives an
account of the bhuts' ambush. Shou ld
any of the bhuts with a speaking part in
this episode be on guard duty with the
PCs, he casually turns his back to them
while delivering his lines (a nd changing
into bhut Icrrnlj.
Darkness envelops the camp, and th e
chirping and humming of hundreds
of insects fills the night air. Over this
soothing chorus you suddenly hear
Petri's voice call out, " Good night,
Gord!"
You hear a soft chuckle and then
Gerda voice answers, " Good night,
Petri. And good night to you, Ogre :'
A loud grunt, snort, and a contented
sigh are the only replies.
" G' night , Gord," comes Becton 's
voice, " and good night Petri, Ogre,
Eri c, and to you, good Sir Rickinson."
Rickinson, in turn, rattles off his
own eloquent " Good nights" to everyone in the camp, his voice growin g hoarse in the process. If he is
enamored of a PC female, he ends his
lengthy discourse by adding, in a
very raspy but poetic tone, " And
pleasant dreams to that very special
someone whose radiant smile is
brighter than the mid-day SUD,
whose lovely [blue, brown , or green]
eyes are deeper than [Lake Amsorak
or the Malpheggi Swamp; the DM
should use substitutes if his campaign is not set in the D&D Known
World] and 10 million times more
beautiful, and whose voice is even
sweeter than that of a fair elven
princess who gargles honey . . ."
" Quiet, you fools," Lornal interrupts with a gruff bark, "befor e you
draw every monster within 10 miles
to us like moths to a flame!"
An immediate silence falls over the
camp as the other guards grasp the
wisdom in Lornat's words. The quiet
is short lived , however, for suddenly
a piercing screech of terror erupts
from Sir Bryan's wagon , spooking
your horses and sending an icy chill
racing down your spines.

The following boxed text assumes that

the Pes immediately rush to invest]gate Sir Bryan's scream. Allow the PCs
to interrupt your reading of this text if
they ask questions or take some other
action. If any PC has witnessed a
guard's cha nge into bhut form , this part
of the ambush will not take place ; in stead, a wild free-for-all is likely to
ensue.
You and your friends find Sir Bryan
standing alone just outside his
wagon . His eyes are bugged out in
fear, and his beard and moustache
are badly disheveled . He looks
around wildly and shouts , "The wiz-

ard! The wizard! The wizard Malcolm

hired . , . was in there .. . in my
wagon .. . standing over me ...
standing over me, saying- " and
Bryan begins to mutter strange
words and phrase s that sound like a
magic spell .
Sir Bryan has two rounds in which to
cast spells before he completely transforma into a bhut. He begins with a hold
person spell cast against four random
PCs, then uses his polymorph other spell
against a PC spell-caster, if possible.
While Bryan is casting his spells, the
other bhuts engage the adventurers in
melee combat. Some bhuts attempt to
take on particular PCs: Gord and Becton battle any fighter who has a nice
sword or impressive armor (t hey get to
claim these spoils if the bhuts triumph).
Petri tries to match hi s speed against
the quickest PC (probably a thief), and
LornaI attacks any PC who has been
particularly cheery during the adven.
ture. Sir Rickinson, needless to say,
dir ects his attention toward the female
PC he has been courting. He leaps at
her, a wild look in his eyes and a toothy
grin on his face, and with a dramatic
gesture toward the moon overhead
growls, "Rr-r-romantic, isn' t it?" He
t hen begins stalking his beloved, adding
in a hungry tone, " You look good tonight, my lady. Re-r-real good!"
Comb at No te s
The bhuts' statistics appear in the
"Meet the Bhuts" section of the module.
The DM should adjust basic bhut sta tistics for the special abilities of the individual hhuts. For example. Gord gains
bonuses for his high Strength and Dexterity scores but suffers a penalty for

DUNGEON

35

C ARAVAN GUARDS

ready figured into the ar mor class

statistice listed for each bbut.

Conclud ing the Ad ven ture

If the PCs defeat the bhute, they may
rifle through the bhuts' wagons , claiming any treasures they find. The wagons
themselves are valuable , should the
a dventurers t hink of selling them. Si r
Bryan's wagon , com plete with living
qu arters a nd a secret com pa rtment , ill
worth 1,000 gpoThe seco nd wagon is
wort h around 700 gp o

The bird ha nging in the cage in Sir

Bryan's wagon opens several poeeibihties for further adven t ure . As expla ined
previously, this bird is act ually a polym.t)rphed ca ptive of the bh uts. The iden tity of this captive is left for the OM to

low Wisdom. Ther efore . the OM should

add t he Strength bo nus to Gord's claw

damage (St re ngth does not increase a

bhut 's bite da mage) and ap ply a - 1
penalty to his Sav ing Throws V8 . magical spells. Dexterity bonuses are al Contmued from page 14

The ches t becomes visi ble wh en

touched. Inside it is a short sword + I ,
t hree arrows +3. five darts +5 (usable
only by a wizard-class ch aracter ), a
potion of extra- luoalinB. a rinB of
pro tectio n + 2, 500 pp , 850 gp, and live
gems (val ues 3 ,{)(X). l ,{)(X) ( )( 2 ). 500, and
3(0).

Concluding the Ad ven ture

IT the a dventurers are u nsuccessfu l in
dri vin g the hobgo blins ou t in time, the
k eep a nd its belongings _; 11 escheat to
t he Lords of weterd eep . Th e Lords se nd
out a full company of men -at-arms and
cavalry with siege engines to retake it,
and they succeed. The ad venturers will
have to find riches and glory elsewhere.
lfthe PC s are sUCC8S8ful, U ncle's
nephew or niece receive t he ti tle
" Sq uire of South Krypt garden " along

36 Issue No. 26

deci de. but three pcssibihtiea, based on

the people and lands described in the
D&D Gazetteer series. follow .
FredriltJra of lJof.whold (9th-level Glantrian sorceress), This young lady recently graduated from the Great School
of Magic in Glantri City and has since
been t raveling throughout the Known
World in search of adventure. Her par.
e nts rule the obscure barony of Dovehold in a wooded valley of the
Wendarian Ranges far to the north.
Returning Fredrikka to her home would
provide the PC s with a wea rying
amou nt of travel. but this wou ld be t he
lea st of their prob lems. Clerics are outla wed in Glantri a nd are ro utinely
executed when di scove re d. Dwarves and
halflinga traveli ng through these la nd s
wit h a deed to the keep and la nd . This
relative is summoned be fore on e of t he
Lords of Waterdeep, who de mands fealty
and explains to the PC that t here is a
condition to the deed: t he land's new
occupant m ust kee p t he area clear of
monsters.
If the D~I feels that giving low-level
PCs a keep of their own is. too grand a
gesture. then the Lords of Waterdeep
might opt to put the keep in trust,
stationing armed IIOldiers there until the
inheritor has gained sufficient personal
power to warrant giving the keep back
(if the Lords of Wate rdeep are 80
inclined ).
Avenues for addi tio nal adventures
and ro le-playing are en dless. Some
ideas are as foll ows:
- Thirty da ys after t his. a dventure, t he
chief of the Lostafin ga tribe se nds
another t roop of hobgobli ns to reliev e
the one t hat was on duty, and the

might find themselves coveted for magical research by a mad wizard or two.
(See GAZ3 for more details about the
Principalities ofGlantril.
Ahmed AI-HUBsalTl of Kirlrulr (5th
level fighter ). Ahmed is a handaome,
well -tanned warrior from the village of
K ir kuk in the Emirates of Ylaruam. He
is most than kful for being rescued by
the PC s a nd offers to throw a great
party in t heir ho nor if they accom pany
hi m to his dese rt home. Such a celebret ion could be used to introduce the PCs
to t he Ylari customs of eoffee -drtnking
and story telli ng. Kir ku k is described in
detail in GAZ 2 The Emirates of Ylaruam . wh ich also includes a number of
adventures wit hi n the vtllege'e wa lls.
A ldan Volstro.\e (5t hlevel figbter/Srd level merchant). Aldan is a fr iendly.
brown-haired man with an outgoing
personality and a silver tongue. Hia way
with words and ability to put peopl e at
ease with h is pleasant speech is an essential asset for someone in h is.line of
work. A former adventurer. Aldan invested his wealth into his own buaineee,
the Volstrake Mercantile Trading Company based in the city of Selenica in the
Republic of Darokin. If the PCs enjoyed
their one-day st in t as caravan guards for
Si r Bryan. Aldan can offer them similar
employment protecting some of his wagona . See GAZll The Republic of Dorokin, for more info rmation on the
merchant character class and hints for
running merchant- a nd caravan-based
adventures.
n

adve nturers may lind the keep

reocc upied when they get back.
-Thieves or other NPC s in Waterdeep
hear of the PCs' success and try to
secure the kee p for themselves.
- The Tree Ghost barbarian t ribe
decides t hat t heir ancestral totem is
hi dden in Kryptgarden Forest , and they
want to use the keep as a bese of
ope ra tions for their search.
- The PC s decide to further fort ify and
inhabit the kee p; se ttlers and the means
to provision them must be found.
- The annual real estate tax bill arrives
and money must be raised to pay it .
Whate ver course the campaign takes,
t he adventu re rs will find the taking and
securing of Uncle's kee p a great
platfor m for taking off in to more
adv entures in t he savage northern
fro ntier of t he For gotten Rea lms.
n

Charl~Jl wrote "Tarfi l's Tamb" ill his

sport! time white studying electrical
engineeri ng. A recen t g raduate, he u
currently seekillg employment ill the reol
u:orltl. Th is module is dedicated to the
memory of Jeff BUrTIS, who introduced
Charles to the D&lY game ill 198 1.

"Tarfil's Thmb " is a D&D~ game edvent ure for Expert-level eh aractees. It is
designed for a resourceful party of 5-7
characters of levels 10.14 (aro und 70
total levels). This adventure is set in the
D&D Known Worl d. starting in the city
of Kelvin and proceeding eastward onto
the Nameless ~Ioor, in the Grand Duchy
of Karameik os. Several monsters in this
adventure, such as the beholder and t he
banshee, have been taken from the
D&D Companion Set. The D&D game
accessory GAZI The Grand Duchy of
Korameieoe may be useful in se tting up
the bac kgro u nd. but it is not required .
Th e adven ture may easily be placed on
a moor or in a swamp nea rly any.....here
t he DM wishes.

For the Player Characters

Read or paraphrase t he following infermation to the players at t he atart of the
ad venture:

TARFII:S TOMB
BY CHARLESJ. NEVEROOWSKI

He died a good man.

He'd like to stay that way.
Artwot1t by 10m Be. a

8 Issue No. 27

It is ea rly aut um n, a nd you ha ve recently a rrived in the city of Kelvin, a

sto pover on your long and a rduous jour.
ney sou thwa rd. After a success fu l summe r adve nt uri ng: in the north, you ha ve
decided to spend t he winter months in /I
more hospitable clim ate.
Unfortunately, t he weather for t he
past 10 days has been poor. You entered
the mountains ex pecting a comfortable
cha nge from the grueli ng late-su mmer
heat of the lowlands, but chilling .....ind
a nd las hing rain made your trek ove r
t he Black Peaks extre mely un pleasant.
You entered the city longing for a hot
meal, a warm ba th, a nd a !lOft bed.
You ha ve bee n in Kel vin for se veral
days now. with the weather showing
little sign of change. Wit h your su pplies
restoc ked a nd your mounts w ell rested.
you anxiously wait for the weather to
change so t hat you can cont inue your
journey. As comfortable as the Silver
Ladle Inn has been these days past, you
still find yourself ready to push on .
Your fourth evening in town finds you
all gathered around a heavily laden
trestle at the Ladle, gloomily a w aiting a
break in the weather as you take long
pulls from your flagons of ale. As you

TARFieS TOMB

ponder a trip to the seedier section of

town for another night of city life ,
dreading the long tramp through the
muddy streets, you notice someone so
odd looking as to stand out from the
crowd in the expensive establishment of
the Ladle.
Your attention has been attracted by a

pale, bespectacled little man in a muddy

gray cloak and sandals. A small metallic holy symbol that represents the
Church ofTraladara dangles around the
gangly man 's neck .
Upon entering the common room, the
little man scuttles up to the proprietor,
who greets the odd looking man as

"Brother" and asks him how he may be

of service. The muddy man replies by
taking the barman by his sleeve and
pulling him toward a quiet corner of the
room .

As the pair draws away, the small

man begins to speak furtively, gesturing
rapidly with his hands. The innkeeper
gives the man his full attention. When
the little man finishes, the owner gives
him a curt nod and motions toward your
table. The little man peers at you
through his spectacles for a second,
bows to the larger man, and inches
toward your table.
Clasping his hands in a most suppliant manner, the small man introduces
himself as, " Iva n Sumanov, your humble servant."
" Th e gracious innkeeper," the
scrivenly looking man continues, " h as
told me that you are adventurers of
some renown, and by appearances I do
believe that he spoke most truthfully of
you. It is to my extreme good fortune
that I have found you here, as I have
never before had need for the services of
the likes of yourselves." The small man
pauses for a brief second to allow himself a breath and then continues.
" I have a story that must be told and,
although I am but a lowly novice of the
Church of Traladara, I implore you to at
least hear my story before passing judgment upon me : '
The man glances suspiciously around
the room and takes a seat. Then, pushing his spectacles up his nose , he begins
his tale .
"Three days ago I had a dream. Not
just an ordin ary dream, you see , but a
vis ion . I say 'vision' because it concerned happenings t h at none of the wise
men of Karameik os are a wa re of, yet
these events are of great concern a nd
displeasure to the div ine patrons ofthis

land. Even the foul weather oflate

stems from the displeasure of revered
Halav.
"I went to Bishop Pyotrevich. the
Prelate of the Church of Traladara here
in Kelvin. I spoke to him of my vision
and my firm belief of its validity. His
Grace spurned me , saying I shouldn't
waste my time or his with such fantasy,
telling me that I was forbidden to pursue the matter further at risk of being
excommunicated from the church for
my blasphemy. Although I did not understand hi s anger and denial , I still
fear acting against his word . Just to act
against his will is sin, so you must see
how imperative it is that you believe me
and help right the wrongs being done ,
as I dare not risk approaching anyone
with my story ever again.
" But I stray from my purpose. As I
said earlier, it has been two days sinc e I
had this dream. In my vision I saw a
warrior-actually, the spirit of a longdead warrior. He was running toward
me across a wide , grassy plain. He wore
a breastplate of bronze, and upon his
head was a gilded helm with a horsetail
plume. He carried a long spear and held
a large round shield of embossed
leather.
"This warrior spoke to me in an archaic tongue, yet his voice was pure and
angelic, and I understood him clearly.
'Greetings, disciple of Halav ' the
gleaming warrior said. 'I require the aid
of a mortal, and my lord has bade that I
seek you, as you are destined for greatness in his service.
.. 'I am 'Iarfll, Warlord of Clan 'Iarvon,
vassal to King Halav. Two millennia
ago , I was slain upon this field.' As he
waved his arm out across the plain, I
could see two great armies locked in a
pitched battle. Bronze-armored men and
tall, jackal-headed beastmen chopped
and stabbed at one another in a chaotic,
churning melee.
.. 'We won the field that day long past ,
though I and many of my companions
never lived to see our victory,' the man in
my vision said. Again he waved. his arm.
and the scene changed. Now only men
moved about, picking out the wounded
from the dying and the dead. The warrior
continued, 'The men labored long, laying
their slain comrades in turf-covered
mounds and building huge pyres to burn
the carcasses of the beastmen.
" 'My own bones still lie within the
tallest of those barrows, a mound
marked only by seven pillars of granite.

The army marched ofTto join our lord in

the final battle, and the barrows now lie
forgotten upon a windswept moor.
.. 'A fortnight ago , ev il entered my
resting place and now torments me in
the spirit world . Even now I am pursued
by fell beasts summoned by one who
chants binding spells over the dust that
wa s my body in life . He desires to ensna re my soul for some evil but un known purpose.'
" Suddenly, I heard an eerie baying
and, looking out across the plain, I
could make out four black sh apes racing
like the wind across the swaying grass.
" 'Th ey come ,' the spir it said. 'I have
tarried far 100 long, for the beasts again
draw near.
"'Awake, disciple of Halav, for in
your dreams these fell creatures of
darkness may steal your BOUI. Awake
and aid me!'
" Tarfi l turned away, and with the
grace of the swiftes t deer bounded
across the plain. leaving his pursuers
far behind . Even a s he fled , I turned to
see more clearly the beasts that pursued
him: great, fiercesome hounds. black as
jet, with gaping maw s and glowing
yellow eyes.
" I awoke in my bed, with the vision of
those ghastly beast s etched in my mem o
Dry. As I lay there pondering the events
of my sleep, I could fai ntl v hear th e
distant baying of hounds'"Since that n ight I ha ve slept ill. I
have labored ceaselessly. se archi ng
through ancient scro lls a nd forgotten
texts, looking for som e clue to the location of the spiri t-warr-ior 's tomb. Then,
last night, as I prayed for guidance, a
certa in scroll I had m issed was revealed
to me . Written upon it in a nearly indecipherable text was a description of the
barrows I sough t and their location. I
believe the battlefield that Tarfil spoke
of is somewhere on the nameless moor
to the east, where the River Volaga
flows down from the Wulfwolde Hill s."
Brother Sumanov shows the adventurer s a rough map (see The Unnamed
Moor map).
" Why the Immortals would choose one
so unworthy as myself to be their in str ument, I cannot say. I know not what
e vil you may encounter, but I must beg
you to journey to Thrfil's tomb and free
him from his torment. I have neither
the ways nor means to do eo myself,
though I would give my life to save his
soul. Please, noble ones. go with all of
my prayers."

DUNGEON

TARfIL'STOMB
Ivan Su manov: AC 10; C2; bp 8; IAT
1: Dm g by weapon type : MV 120 ' f40');
Save C2; ML 7; AL L; W 18, Ch 14. Ivan

is un armed a nd un ar mored at t he time

of this meetin g, a nd ha s only a curt!
light wound~ spell mem crued.

For the Dungeon Moster

Iva n Sumanov is an ade pt in t he
Church of Tralada ra in Kelvin, and has
been contacted in his dre ams by a spirit
for r ea sons detailed later. Iva n was
chosen because he is destined to rise to
greatness in th e service of the Three
Immortals. However. he has far to go to
meet his des tiny. Luck shoul d always be
with Iva n. and th e OM should go to
great pa ins. short of divi ne intervention , to preven t Ivan's de at h . Anyone
who insists on harming h im . however,
will be infl icted with a s ubtle but powerful cu rse: All Tr alad arans comi ng into
contact wit h t he assaila nt will have a
feeli ng of un easiness a nd distrust, even
if the y have been lifelo ng friends. Th e
degr ee of this uneasiness a nd distrust is
proportional to the Tral ad aran's piet y.
Also, mem bers of the Cult of Ha la v ca n
a ctually see th e curse as an evil au r a
an d will sec retly t ry to ca use the cursed
perso n trouble or harm at every turn.
Only the u ndertak ing of a grand que st
(beyond t he scope or this advent ure) will
allow some redemption in th e eye s of
immortal Halav a nd undo the effect s of
th e curse.
In spite or Bish op Pyot revi eh 'e st rong
reprimand, t he prelate is simply extremely pa ra noid a bout his position in
th e ch urc h, as h e obtained it more
through manipul ation a nd politics than
by piousness. The suggestio n that the
Immortals migh t se nd dreams to a novice ins tead of to h imself causes t he
bish op to react rather vehemently. Afte r
all , he is only human.
All that Iva n told the PCs is true, but
th ere is a good dea l of information that
he does not possess.
Th e spirit warrior was a Tr a ldar chieftain sla in in battle against gnolls 2,000
years ago and lain in a barrow near the
Volag a River. Recen tl y, however, an evil
pa triarch by t he name of Annak arr
e ntered the barrow .
For t he pa st fort night, Annakarr and
his followers he ve been chanting an evil
spell of binding. Th e knowledge to cast
such a spe ll was a gift, in th e for m or an
ancient tome of power, from the Chaotic
bei ngs they worship. Th e casting of the

10 Issue No. 27

spe ll requir es a gr eat a mount or power

and energy bu t, if successful, will give
Annakarr cont rol over the sou l of t he
spirit warrior, bringin g t he warrior
back to life in a form similar to that of a
ghost. This wars-ior -ghoet wou ld be
complete ly und er Annakarr's control,
forced to do whatever evil deeds are
commanded of it.
Once Anna karr has control of the
warrior, he pla ns to raise a n army of
undead an d Chaotic mon sters and put
the Tr aldar spiri t at their head. An na karr feels that th e Tra ladaran peasants
around Kelvin wou ld never have t he
cour ag e to resist one claiming to be t he
spirit of th eir an cest or. Thus, An nakarr
could force them to accept him as t he ir
lead er, making Kelvin a new strong hold
for t he forces of Ch aos.

Jou rney to the Barrows

After the PCs meet Ivan Su ma nov and
accept his mission , t hey must decide on
a path to th e barrow gro un ds . If th ey
ask about the moor, people will tell
them th at it is indeed most t re acherous.
Danger, both natural a nd otherwise,
abounds. Marked paths are few, and
many of these lea d nowhere or directly
into treacherous bogs. Seemingly solid
ground offering safe pa ssa ge ma y t urn
out to be a sucki ng moran ca pable of
swa llowing a rider and h is mount in a
matter of minutes, leaving no trace of
their passage. As for the denizens of the
moor, the Traladaran pea sants speak of
werewolves and trolls, flyin g drago ns
come down from the Wulfwolde Hills to
hunt, and stra nge flickering lights t hat
lead the unwary into the fata l bogs.
Sh ould the PCs seek a guide. t hey ar e
directed to the ta verns near th e eastern
gate of th e city. Few people know th e
winding paths of the moor, an d fewer
still will ingly tread its paths.
Near th e east ga te , the party is told
about a man named Serge i Mishev. a
Tr aladaran man kn own to wander th e
moor at ti mes . " Look for Sergei at the
Grinnin ' Bear;' th e party is told.
Wit hin the di m confi nes of the Inn of
the Grinning Werebear, the PCs find
Sergei Mishev speaking quietl y with
several Tralada ran min ers . Sergei
seems a sim ple man, wit h weathered
features a nd th ick, graying h ai r.
Sergei l\.lisher. AC 2; F7; hp 36 ; IAT
1; Dmg by weapon t ype; MV 120' f40'l;
Save F7; ML 8; AL L: S 15, W 14, D 16.
Sergei wears scale mail +2 and carries

a long sword + 1, + 2 us. lycanthropes, a

silver da gger. a long bow, and a qu iver
with 11 silver arrows, eigh t arrow. + 1,
a nd an arrow of lyron thro~ slaying.
When the party ap proaches Sergei
abou t guiding them across the moor, he
de ma nds that they give him a full explanati on of the purpose of their jo urney. He has no desire to lead a band of
t hrill-seekers on a foolish treasure hunt:
he has done t hat before and returned
alo ne .
If the PCs truthfully explain their
expedition. Serge i will quickly agree to
guide them. Serge i has a great dea l of
common sense and is very capable of
gui ding t he party Berres the moor to
Thrfil's tomb . He is a devout follower of
the Tra ladara n church and will gladly
serve revered Ha la v. All he asks in
pay ment is a magical item or t wo th at
will make his fut ure journeys acrose the
moor a bit safer, and a sma ll port ion of
a ny treasure for provisions and dona tion to th e ch urch.
Sergei was a sheepherder livi ng on
th e easter n border of t he barony u ntil
seven years ago whe n his farm was
burned and h is fam ily bu tchered by a
ra vaging band of werew olves. He ha s
si nce labored u pon the moor, hunting
creat ures of Chaos and try ing to give
some protec t ion to the fa rme rs and peat
diggers who ek e out a liv ing on the edge
ofthe va st moor.
If the PCs do not seek a guide. they
will find it hard going on the moor. The
normally poor te rrai n is mad e even
worse by th e inclement weather of late.
If t he PCs consider traveli ng by ri ver,
they find that the many days of r ain
have turned the Vola ga in to a ra ~in g
torre nt. No r iver captain is will ing to
pilot a boat for t hem, and any small
craft they might bu y would be of little
use agains t th e dangerous cu rr ent.
If th e ad venturers opt to trav el by
horse ba ck, th ey may skirt arou nd th e
moor to the north or south for a day, or
they ma y str ike directly eastward
across it. Eit her way, t he trip by horseback wilt take two full days. Th e same
trip on foot will ta ke four days. Travel
across th e moor is slow going, and skirting the moor takes the party well out of
its way. Thus, the rout es balance out,
with the trip taking t he same amount of
t ime no ma tter which route is chosen.
There are no pr actica l sho rtcuts, as
even flying is made hazardous by t he
stor ms. If Sergei is leading the party. he
crosses the river at Kelvin and travels

TARFIl'S TOMB
alo ng the sou theast bord er of the moor
durin g the fIrst half of the trip.
Although the western t hird of t he
moor is claimed by Baron Kelvin all
part of his dom inion, t he area claimed is
sparsely populated by he rds men a nd
peat di gge rs dwelling in sm all, isolated
villages of wattle a nd daub huts. Th is
are a ill only sli ghtly less dangerous
than the eastern portion of the moor.
While the party travels acrose the moor,
the OM should try to play up the atmosphere crea ted by the foul weather and the
nature of the moor itself. Nights upon the
moor are cold and wet. The days are
miser ably humid when it isn't raining
and miserably chill when it is. Insects .
mud, m ist , wind, and fog all affect tra vel
on the moor, working t hese into the description of travel can add to the atmcephere. The Pes will see vel')' little
sunlight on their tri p to the barrow.
Tra vel on t he moor without a gui de is
ext remely hazardous. For every t wo
hours of daylight during wh ich the
party travels on the paths, there is a
lin2O cha nce that the lead PCs will
stu mble into a well-d isgu ised bog. This
chance takes into conside ration those
that a wary party saw and bypassed
a long t heir rou te; a careless party
should be pe na lized accordingly. T he
rate a t which the trapped characters
sink a nd su bse que ntly drown is le ft to
t he DM 's di scretion. If any of the PCa
wander a ro und or try to tra vel at ni ght.
th e cha nce offalling into a bog becom es
1 in 6. che cked every t urn.
Ch eck for wander ing monsters every
four hours; a n e ncounter occurs on a J
on Id12. Three encou nte r table s are
given; the DM should choose the a ppropr iate tabl e for t he path taken.
At the halfway point in t he journey
(the first night by horsebac k or the
seco nd n igh t by footl, whe n the party is
camped on the moor. only the following
encounter occurs. U the party is on foot,
roll normally for wa nder ing encounters
during the first and th ird nights.
We n-wol f Atta ck
At midnight on t he eve ning when the
PCa reached the halfway poi nt of their
journey, as a thick fog roll s ac ross t he
sodden moor and the fu ll moon glimme rs a deep orange in the southeastern
sky. a long howl breaks t he silence of
the night. If Sergei is with the party
and not on guard. he a w ekens immedi.
ately and strings his bow. If on guard.

THE UNNAMED MOOR ,. .

o

Wulfwolde H ill s
~.-

he quickly rouses t he Pes a nd tells

t hem to prepare for an attack.
Been t hereafter, more howls sou nd
from severa l directi ons around the enca mpme nt. From the distance come s a
short yipping ba rk . In anot her direction, rustling noise s emanate from a
thicket of heather only yards from the
ca mp. Su ddenly. fro m yet a not her di rec ti on in t he dark ness, a great dark sha pe
hurtles upon the ad venturers.
It is a huge wolf with gleaming fa ngs.
its sa ble coa t glistening in t he damp
nig ht. The wolf cro uches in the center of
t he camp for a brief secon d. snarling
v-iciously, then leaps upon anyone standing (or b:ing) nearby. With in seconds,
the campsite is overrun by wolves of all
sizes. The pack seems to be directed by
a huge she-wolf of unnatural propertions, with a thick silver coat and enormous fangs.
Th is werew olf pack consists of 10
nonnal wolves. six dire w el ves, and
ni ne werewolves. Th e werewolf wit h 30
hp is the pac k lea de r. who a ttacks as a
5HD monster a nd adds + 2 to dama ge
rolls. This is Valeri a , Se rgei's sister. It
was she who betrayed her k in a nd slew
the rest of Sergei's fa mily.

-"" I

~ ~.
~W
~.

wolves I10t. AC 7; HD 2 +2; hp 16 ,

14, 13x 3 , 12 x 2,1 1.10.9; 'AT 1 bite;
Dmg 16; MY 180' (60'}; Save Fl ; su, 8
or 6; AL N ; XP 25; BD/39 .
Dire w olves (6); AC 6; HO 4 + 1; hp
30 , 25 )( 2, 23 , 20 x 2; IAT 1 bit e; Dmg
28; MY 150 ' (50'); Save F2; ML 8; AL
N; XP 125: BO/39 (WolO.
w erewotve s tat AC 5 (9): HD 4 * : hp
30,29,26)( 3, 24, 22 x 2.20; 'AT 1 b ite ;
Omg 2.8; MY 180' (60' ); Save F4 ; ML 8;
AL C; XP 125; BO/33 H.yca nthrope).
Th e great she- wolf is viciously cunning. directing the pack with snarls and
barks from a hillock or rock outcropping
near the edge of the campsite. Valeria
pits the wea ker wolves against horses
or sleeping characters. and sends the
werewolves against any points of strong
resista nce . She avoids facing a strong
PC but will not hesitate to strike the
weak or to strike from behind .
If Seegei is with the party. he uses his
silver and magical BrTOWS to hel p anyone hard pressed by the fanged
onslaught. If Sergei was not with the
PCs when they left Kelvin , he jo ins
them now. havi ng been hunting this
ba nd of werewolves for severa l n ights .
He r uns howling in to the e nca mpme nt,

DUNGEON

11

TARfIL'S TOMB

Encou nters En Route to the Barrows

CRoll IdS)
Northern Route

Eastern Ro u te

Sout hern Route

(H ills)

(Moor)

( FO n>~t8)

1. Patrol; 3-18 horsemen

(pl us horses )
2. 14 moun tain lions
3. 330 bandits
4. 330 gno mes
5. 2-16 hi ppogriffs

1. 520 bugbears

1. 224 elves

2.216 ghoul s
3 . 18 trolls
4 .3-18 wolves
5. 18 spectres
6. 2-12 ogres

2. Caer Wed.gewood
3.318 sprites
4. 14 t reants
5.2-8 black widow spide rs
6. 14 dryads

6. 1-6 hill giants

Bandit: AC 6: H D 1; 'AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; MV 90 ' (30 '); Save T l ; ML 8;

A L C; XP 10; BDI25.
Bla ck widow spider: AC 6; HD 3 ; IAT 1 bite; Dmg 2-12 plus poison; MV 60 '
({20'), in web 120 ' (40'); Save F2: ML 8; AL N; XP 50 ; 8D /38 (S pider, giant).
Bugbear: AC 5; H D 3 ... 1; 'AT 1; Dmg by weapon type ...1; MV 90 ' (30'); Save
F3; M L 9; AL C; XP 75; B0I27.
C a e e Wedg('wood (druid); AC 9; 09; hp 31; 'AT 1; Omg by spell or .....eapon
type; MV 120 ' (40'); Save C9; ML 10; AL N: W 16, C 15: quarterstaff; O",fs choice
of spells. Wedge w ood is a eleeic w ho h as attained 9th le vel and is beginning his
tra ining as a druid. He h as been living and meditating in the forest for a month
no w , but no high-level druid mento r ha s yet appeared to him.
Dryad : AC 5: HD 2 *; IAT special: Omg nil : MV 120 ' (40'; Save E4; ~I L 6; AL N;
ERl48.
EJ(; AC 5 ; HD 1*; 'AT 1; Dm g by w eepon type; ~IV 120' (40 '); Save E1; ML 8 or
10; AL N; B0I30. These elves are t raveling to the .....edding of a relative a nd have
no knowledge of Tarfil's tomb.
Ghoul: AC 6; HD 2 *: 'AT 2 claws/ I bite; Dmg 13JI 3I13 plu s special; MV 90'
(30 '); Save F2 ; ML 9 ; AL C; XP 25; B0/30.
G nome: AC 5; H O I ; IAT I : Omg by weapon type; MV 60' (20 '); Save 01 : ML 8
or 10; AL N; B0I30. This group of gnomes ha ve left their overc rowded village and
are scouting a site for a new town. T hey have no interest in a ncient human warriors a nd know nothing abo ut to mbs on the moor.
Hill giant: AC 4; HO 8; NAT 1; Omg by weapon type; MV 120 ' (40'); Save F8;
ML 8 ; AL C; XP 650; ERl50 (Gian t).
H ip pogriff: AC 5; H D 3 + 1; tAT 2 claws/I bile; Dmg I SI1WHO; MV 180 ' 160');
flyi ng 360 ' H20'); Save F2; ~I L 8; AL N; XP 50.
H o rsema n: AC 7; F1; 'AT I ; Drng by weapon type: MV 120' (40'); Save F1 ; ML
8; AL L ; leather armor. sword, dagger. Thi s patrol from Kelvin is investigating
reports of a bandit ga ng operating from a base in the Wulfwol de Hills.
H o ne, riding: AC 7; HO 2; 'AT 2 hooves; Omg 1-4fl-4 ; MV 240 ' (SO');Save F1;
ML 7; AL N; ER/51.
Mo unta in lion: AC 6 ; HO 3 +2; 'AT 2 claws/I bile; Dmg 1-3/1-3 /1-6; MV 150'
ISO'); Save F2 : i l l 8; AL S ; XP 50: BO('17 ICat, greet ).
Ogre: AC 5; HO" + 1; 'AT 1 d ub; Omg by weapon type +2; MV 90 ' /30 '); SaVE"
F4; ~IL 10: AL C; XP 125: BO '35 .
Spectre: AC 2; HD 6 * ; 'AT I touc h: Dmg 1-8 plus double energy drain: ~[V
ISO' (SO'), flying 300' 000'); Save F6 ; ~(L 11; A.L C; XP 725; ER/56 .
Sprite: AC 5; HD Ih*; 'AT J spell: Dmg nil: ~lV 60 ' (20'), flying ISO' 160'); Save
El ; ML 7; AL~ ; BD/38 .
Tn.-ant: AC 2; HO 8*; IAT 2 branches; Omg 2121212: MV 60' (20'); Save F8 :
M L 9; AL L; ERl56 .
Troll : AC 4: HD 6+ 3*; 'AT 2 clew e/r bi te; Omg 16/1 611 10; ~IV 120' (40'y,
Save F6; ML 10 (8r, AL C; XP 650 : ERlS6 .
Wolf: AC 7; HD 2 + 2; 'AT 1 bite; Omg 16; MV 180' (60 '); Save Fl ; ML 8 or 6;
AL N; XP 25 : B0/39 .

12 1ssuo No. 27

firi ng silve r arrows as he comes. If none

of the party me mbers slay the pac k's
lea de r, Sergei saves his arrow of lyean thrope 6layi ng u ntil he ge ts a clear shot
at his sister. Th en he screams, " Va leri a .
I do this for yo u!" and looses his arrow.
The sha ft: pierces the grea t sil ver wolf
in the ribs, and it fa lls to the gro u nd
with a shu dde ri ng howl.
After the Pes slay or drive off the rest
of the pack, the y find Se rgei hold in g a
beautiful woman in h is arms, ca ress ing
her long hair and singing soft ly. Wiping
a tear from his eye as he looks up at
them, he says, " It wa s necessary, so she
wouldn't kill agai n." Then , ta ki ng his
dead sister in h is arms, he wal ks II short
di stance from the campsite a nd qu ietl y
buries her. If an)' of t he party members
try to follow him. he insists t hat he be
left alo ne.
About an hour la ter, Se rgei retur ns to
the ca m p. If Sergei .....as not previously
with the party, he joins them here, offer,
ing to guide them on the same te rms as
if the party had met him in Kelvin.
If the party's horses were slain in the
werewolf attack, the tri p will take two
days fro m th is point. The party should
arrive at t he barrow grounds at dusk on
the last day of their journey.

The Barro ws on the Moo r

Read or paraphrase the followinK to the
players as the pa rty approaches the
barrows'
Ahead of you, ri sing from the stea my
fens of the gray-green moor like small
islan ds, are th e mou nds of which Ivan
spoke . Through th e mist a nd foK, you
ca n make out four or five mound s,
some topped -ith great pillars of
stone, others -ith only t hick tufts of
gray-green grass. No trees or bushes
grow on the mounds. OnI~1 arou nd
t heir 00- does the gor'9t' and heather
common on the moor grow thick. A
small stream meanders among the
grave-mounds; upon its bonks grow
short. stunted trees.
As you move closer, you can make
out more shapes looming in th e mist.
perhaps 20 moun ds in all.
As you near t he fir-st barrow,
mound you hear, not far otT, a long,
mournfu l wail. In t he dar ke ning
t wili ght ahead, Se rgei freezes in mid step. Slowly he tu rn s, a nd you see
that his eyes are .....ide and fil led wit h

TARfIl'S TOMB

fear. "Sasmirella , he mutters, and

collapses to h is k nees. sha king a nd
muttering prayers to t he Immortals.
After several moments of shaki ng and
praying, Sergei gradually re gains his
wits. A re moce (fOOT spell will immediately banish t he fea r. As soon as he is
himself again. Sergei explain his terror :
" Two years ago, while I was out on
the moor alone. I encountered a banshee .....ho has wandered the moor for
years. I had never encountered anything as fearsome as Sasmirella a nd
st ill haven't. She almost killed me!
That encounter aged me 10 years
and gave me this gray hair before my

time: '
No matter what t he advent urers try.
Se rgei refu8t's to continue on with t he
pa rty. He'll wait here, he says em phatica lly. Bes ides. he led t he party to t he
bu rial mou nds . and someone m ust stay
behind to watch the horse s.
As Se rgei lea ds t he horses toward
the shelter of a sma ll copse of
stunted t rees, he t urns to gay, " Bewa re Basmirelle . She smells the
blood of liv ing souls a nd kn ows you
draw near."
Lea ving Sergei Mishev beh ind , you
en ter the area ofmounda under which ,
you assume, are interred the remains
of the ancient warriors killed in the
battle with the beast-men.
Some of the mounds, however, are
marked by sq uat pillars of weathered
granite, the size a nd number of
stones proportional to the height and
gi rt h oft he mound on whic h they
st a nd. It is this obse rva tion that
brings you to t he tallest mound
a mong the bar row s, one marked by a
ri ng of seven huge pillars of lichen cove red granite.
Th e mound a head of you is 15' high
at its flat, grasay to p. Th e gr eat
stones stand 10' hi gh and form a r in g
approxi mately 25' in diameter, the
whole moun d bei ng 75 '-80' wid e at
its base.
For an instant, you see wh at appears to be the pale figure of a
maiden in shimmeri ng wh ite standing bet w een t.....o of the pillars. But as
quick!)' as you notice it, the figure
disappears.

Th e ghostly figu re is the banshee

Sasmirella, who wa lked out from behind one of the stones and thence into
the Ethereal Pla ne .
Sasmirella (ba nshee): AC -3; HD
13 .....; hp 57; ' AT 1 tou chll gaze; Dmg
age 10-10 )earsiparalysis; M Y 60' (20');
Sa ve s pecial; ML 9; AL C; XP 5,150;
CD/32 f Ha un t ).
Th e evil patriarch, Annakarr, talked
her into guarding the entrance to the
violated barrow from a ny other in truders. She wi l! not leave the ring of
stones to attack the party, as they have
no other way into the barrow than
through the hole made by Annakarr.
She waits on the Ethereal Pla ne as the
ad venture rs advance up the mound.
If a nyone in the party walks up the
mound, or if the party splits up to go
around the moun d, Sasmirella tries to
get t he attention of one ofthe male
ch aracte rs . She materializes next to one
of the sto nes near that character so that
only he not ices her. Th en she duck s
behin d a pill ar and re-ente rs t he Ethereal Plane. Th t he ma le character who
sees her, Sasmirella a ppears as sh e did
in life, as a stunn ingly bea utiful elf
ma iden . Howe ver, any female characters who are close enough to see Susmirella see her in her true form, as will
any helpless mal e character foolish
enough or bold enough to follow her into
the standing ato nes alo ne .
If any male character a ttempts to
follow Sasmirella in to the stones, he
find s himself alone in the circle, with
Sesmirella nowh ere to be found . Suddenly, Saemirella erupts out of the
ground at the cha racte r's feet in her
t rue form, a grotesque corpse with hollowed eyes and a ga pi ng mouth! (Sea mirella is really com ing " u p" out of t he
Ethereal P lane.) U nless the ch aracter is
in the Ethereal Pl ane as well , Sasmirelle's attack sur prises h im on a roll of 15
on Id6 . Sasmirella st rik es at the character and uses her gaz e attack before
beginnin g to wea ve her ectoplasmic net .
I! the character's eompaniona rush to
h is ai d, Sasmirella use s her second wa il
attack (the firs t was the wailing moan
the adventurers heard ou t on the moor l.
Everyone in range must ma ke a Saving
Throw VII. Spells or age 1040 years. See
the Dungeon Master. Companion. pages
32-33, for det ails on the effect.s of a
haunt's aging attack .
Sasmirella figh ts fiercely to defe nd
the entra nce to t he to mb , but if things
go badly against he r, she U8eA her fina l

wa il attack and flees to the Ethereal

Plane so that she may continue to
hau nt t he moor.
Once the PCs defeat Sasmirelle lei ther destroyi ng he r or dr ivin g her om,
!five them the following informa t ion :
The to p of the moun d is relatively
flat , cove red wit h the t hick , coarse
grass common on t he moors. The
stone pillars are cracked a nd weethered, covered with brown and gray
lichen. None of them bear any di sti ncti ve ma rk s.
If the PCs carefully search the area,
they ca n fin d a potion of eth ereality and
a n emerald neck lace valued at 5,000 gp
cr aftily bidden in a clump of gr88S beaide one of t he standin g sto nes. These
w ere gifts fro m Annakarr for Sasmirella's service. The PCs may use the poti on
to se nd someone into the Etherea l Pla ne
to rescue a ny party me mbers ensnered
in Sasmirella's ectoplasmic net.
In the a pproximate center of t he barrow top. a gaping hole plunges down
into darkn ess. Thrchlight at the mouth
of this 4 '-diamete r bole reveals a ro ugh
tu nnel desce nding into the barrow at a

DUNGEON

13

TARFIL'S TOMB

SOO angle. The sides of the tunnel are of

loose. damp earth, making descent by
anyone without climbing ability shee r
(ally. The earth-walled tunnel see ms to
go down for 8' before passing through fi '
ofj agged rock . Past this point, the tunne l a ppears to open into a ch a mber of
indiscernible proportions. Those peering
do wn into the darkness ca n make out
jumbled st one blocks 20 '25 ' below.
Infr a vision provid es even less informe.
tion, showin g only that all belo w is cold

and motionless. A light spell sho ws the

PCa little more . Dropping a torc h Of
similar light source briefly illuminates
the layer of stone that form s the ceiling
and then the jumbled blocks on t he floor
before it is quickly extinguished in a
dark pool of water on the floor of the
chamber.
By attaching a rope to one of the
s tanding stones, the PC a should ha ve
little trouble clim bin g down into the
cha mber bel ow .

I . E n t ry C ham b e r. Th e followin g
description should be given to the players when their characters enter the
barrow:
You sta nd in a damp, domed chamber
approximately 20' in diameter a nd
12' high at its highest point . The
floor is earth, and a small pile of
jumbled sto ne blocks lie s in a shallow pool of water be neath the ga ping
hole in the ceiling. Small wooden
doors with ornate bronze hinges face
north and east. To the south , a 5'
wide by 5' high pa ssa ge slants upward. The northern door is locked
with a sh iny metal padlock of unusua l design, having tw o keyholes.
Th e western portion ofthe cha mber
is shro uded in im penetrable
darkness .
Deathly si lence commands t he
barrow, except for the occasional soft
tap of water falli ng into the pool
from the outside.
Th e darkness hid ing the wes tern
quarter of t he chamber from view is
ca used by a conti nual da rkness s pell .
Annakarr cast this spe ll to h ide those
who guard the entry into the barrow.
Aft er the PC s ha ve had a moment to
glance around the room, Annakarr's
two gu ardia ns step out fro m t he
shadows of the spell. The two guardians
a re bone golems, each with fou r swords.
80n(' gole m s (2): AC 2; HO 6* ; hp 54 ,

14 Issue No. 27

50 ; IKf4 ; Omg by weapon type; MV

120' (40'); ML 12; AL N ; XP 500; ERiSO
(Golem). These creatures may each
attack up to two opponents and are
immune to fir e. cold , and electrical
attacks.
If the PCs di spel the darkness. they
can see a small, wooden door identical
to the ones facing north and east. But
the door in the western wall stands half
open. There is nothing of value in this
ch amber.
Aft er t he pa rty defeats the bone golems, the adventurers hear the faint
howl of a lone wolf out on the moor.
Th oughts of Sergei out on the moor
a lone may creep ecroee their minds.

2. Original Entrance/Dead End.

This short passage sla nts noticeably
upward and ends in a wa ll of rough rock
set with now-dusty mortar. If the PCs
spend a few min utes removing blocks
from the wall . they find a small metal
ches t shoved into a narrow hole in the
earthe n wall behind the rock . If the PCs
show eve n the sli ghtest ince ntive in
st udy ing the chest, t hey re al ize that it
does not show a ny si gns of age or decay.
It hardly seems possibl e that it cou ld
have been placed here 2,000 years ago.
The spac e in wh ich th e chest is
crammed, however. is too sm all to open
the lid , so the cheKt mu st be removed to
open it.
Behind the che st , coiled in the dark,
lie three pit vipers. Unless the PCs are
specifically watching (or something
behind t he chest , t hey are automatically surprised by the serpents la shing
out as the chest is being lowered to the
ground.
Pi t vipt"rtil (31: AC 6; HO 2- ; hp 12, 10,
15; 'AT 1 bi te ; Omg I ..... plus poison ; MV
90' 130'); Save Fl ; ML 7; AL N ; XP 25;
BD;37 (Snake).
Th e starving vi pers have bee n
crammed in t he hole for several days
now and want only to ma k e a ha st )'
escape. Th e snakes strike out from the
hole at t he first opport uni ty, then t ry to
make a brea k for the entry ch am ber as
they continue to st ri ke at anyone t hey
pass. Serpents that are cornered will
continue to stri ke un ti l slain .
On ce the vi pers are dealt wit h, the
PCs can get on with examini ng the
chest, wh ich was put here by Annakarr
to di stract and h arm the unwary. It is
locked and tr apped with a poison needle
(Sa ve vs . Poiso n to av oid death in 25
rounds ).

The chest is filled with a dozen large

rock s and a batch of yellow mold that ,
after being jos tled around as the PCs
lowered t he chest to the ground , bu rsts
forth a huge cloud of spores that fills
the entrance.
Yellow m old: AC not applica ble; HD
2 - ; hp 14; IKf spores ; Omg 1-6 plus
chok ing spo res; MV 0'; Save F2 ; ML not
applicable; AL N; XP 25; BD/39 .

3. we eeern Tomb. This room a nd the

e ntire length of passage leading to it ,
incl uding part of the ent ry chamber
(area l ], are under the effects of a continual darkneee spell . As the PCs battle
the bone golema in the ent ry chamber,
the creatures within this room a re eet ting up their trap.
lfth e PCs d ispel the m agical darkness
80 that they can vie w the conte nts of
t his chamber. they see the followin g:
Th e narrow passage beyond the
small door is short a nd slcpee gently
downward. At its end is a domed
chambe r sli ghtly smaller than the
cha mbe r t hrough which you e nte r ed
t he barrow. In the ce nter of the
cha mbe r are two stone slabs, each
about 6' long, 3' wide, and 2' h igh.
Upon each of these sla bs lies thedu sty re mains of a body dressed in
ta ttered clot h . Th e corpses wear
ancient-looking tar n ished bronze
breastplates, and their heads a re
cove red by great he lmets. warped
and decayed shields cover their feet.
and each clasps a sh ort bronze sword
at his breast. All around t he ch ambe r lie huge vases a nd ur ns , rottin g
chests, and se veral a ncient weapons .
Straddling the sto ne bie rs is a n
inky figure : a stunted, viciouslooki ng man-thing wit h an evil grim ace a nd long bony c1aw s. Th ro ug h
t he creature, ) 'OU can vaguely make
ou t the far wall of t he room .
As you look upon this horrifying
s ight, a wispy. chilling mist begins to
swirl about t he room .
Th is roo m currently houses a motley
band of undead, followers of Ann ak arr.
Th e creature straddling the sto ne slabs
is a n apparit ion that , to Anna karr's
glee , had bee n haun tinl{ t he ba rrow for
se veral decades and was qui te willing to
join the pa tria rc h. An nakarr qui ckl y
put the appa ri tion in comm and of the
rest of his undead en tourage. Hiding
behind and beneath the various con-

TARFIl'S TOMB

tents of th e tom b are the tortured souls

who were attracted to (or doomed within )
Annakarr's Temple of Chaos . These creatures include eight wights and two
wraiths, one of which (hp 25 ) hides in a
huge wn near the doorway. putting him
behind the party if they enter the room.
The two figures lying on the slabs are
mummies, ready to rise to the attack.
Ap parition: AC 0 ; HD 10 " ; bp 53;
' AT 2 claws; Dmg 3-813-8; MV 180 ' (50 ';
Save ~fU I 0 ; ML 10: AL C: XP 3.000;
CD/35 (Ph a nto m).
Wig b ts (8): AC 5; HD 3-; hp 20 ( x 2).
18.17,16,15,14 ( )(2); 'AT 1: Omg
energy drain; M V 90' (30'); Save F3; ML

TARFIL'S BARROW
1 square" S'

N
j

o --6

12; AL C; XP 50; 6DI39.

Wrait h f2r. AC 3; HD 4; hp 30, 25;
' AT 1; Dm g 1-6 plus energy drain; MV
120' (40'), fiyi ng: 240' (BO'); Save F4; M L
12; AL C: XP 175; ERi57 .
Mummje s (2): AC 3 ; HD 5 + 1" ; hp
33 ,25; 'AT llouch ; Dmg 1-12 plus
disease; MV 60 ' (20 '); Save F5 ; ML 12;
AL C; XP 575; ERl54 . Do not Iorger
thei r paral yzin g fea r effects.
As th e party e nte rs t his room, the
apparition begins the creation of its
deadly mi st, wh ich will fill the chamber
and a good portion of the entry hall
within one round (maximum extent : 10'
hi gh , 20' radius) . Eve ryone wit hi n the
room or seve ral feet into t he entry tun nel mu st m ak e a Saving Throw va.
Spells or be entranced, standi ng he lpless before the swa r m of unde ad. Th ese
remai ni ng within the m ist must save
each round until the mist va nis hes in
12 rounds. As soon as at least one PC is
entranced, the apparition materializes
and a ttack the helpl ess adve nt urer.
Wh en t he apparition m ateria lizes, t he
mummies sit up from t he slabs and t he
wights a nd wr a iths r ise up fro m the ir
h iding places am on g t he shado ws and
de bris.
The u ndead will not pursu e t he party
beyond the door of the cham be r. Shoul d
the PCs ve nture into the room under
the effect of t he magical dar kness , the
u ndead attack will come in much the
same fas hio n bu t without t he t heatrics
and the PC 's knowled ge of their fate!
The roo m is fil led with rotting chests
and large clay vessels , all filled wi th
lon g-decayed foodstuffs and molderi ng
garme nts. The remains of an ancient
chariot stand a mong the wrec kage.
Upo n the wall hang six crossed battle
axes of a viciousl y hooked design, and
fro m one of these hangs a sil ver key on
a leather thong. This is one of the tw o

Da rkness s pell

Entry hole

~
I

Trap ped area

keys that are re qu ired to ope n the s pecial padl ock to t he norther n tomb. On
t he floor beneath t he battle axes si ts a
chest tha t contains the sk ulls of eight of
t he gnol l.beastmen.
If a party member carefully se arc hes
around the stone biers, he notices that
the earthen floor of the chamber has
bee n disturbed near the head end of the
southern slab. If the slab is pushed
aside or overturned (requ ir ing a com bi ned strength of 50 or more), the ad ve nt urers discover the monsters'
tr easure cached in a small hole. The
following items are located there: a

sma ll electrum wolfs-head brooch

(worth 1,000 gpr. a pla in platinum arm
band (worth 2.000 gpr. an ornate gold
a nd platinum crown, crafted in the for m
of intertwined oak leaves (worth 10,000
gp ); a wand of magic det~tion (20
ch arges); a scroll of creation; and three
potions (green dragon con trol., undead
control, an tidote).

4. Eastern Tomb. ITsomeon e in the

party successfully listens at the door to
this tomb. he hears fa int, deep-throated
laughter. After the PCs ope n the door,
describe the following scene to them:

DUNGEON

15

TARFIL'STOMB

From the doorway, torchlight flickers

on the walls of the short passage that
slopes down into a chamber of indiscernible size. Harsh voices and vul gar laughter echo up from the room
below.
When the party has traveled the short
corridor, give the Pes the following
description;
Twc smolde ring torches illuminate a
chamber somewhat sm aller than the
entry area. The center of the room
contains three stone slabs upon
which sit four brutish warriors with
shaggy hair and wild eyes . All the
warriors are clad in plaid kilts and
leather ve sts.
The center of attention seems to be
the largest of the warriors, every b it
of 7' tall. who is sitting on the cen tral slab, holding up a giant rat by
its tail . and teasing it with the point
of a dagger. Two warriors are sitting
on the northern slab, each with a
battle axe in hand and a bastard
sword nearby. The fourth warrior sits
on the southern slab, toying with a
two-handed sword. A second sword is
strapped to his back .

If t he PCs draw any attention to

themselves whe n they look in to this
room , t he la rgest warrior looks up fro m
his sport. " 1 grow ti red of battling rodents . Are t here any amo ng ye worthy
of a fight?" he challenges. With that he
h ur ls the r at at the PCs and grabs two
hefty m aces fro m beside him on t he
stone bier. This is the signal for all four
warriors to leap to the attack with
bloodcurdling screams.
The four warriors are actually mujina
m ercenaries hi red by Annakarr. The
mujina fight ferociously and will pursue
a weakened party to the ha rrow top if
the PCs leave them so me means by
which to climb out.
Mujinll (4 ): AC 4; HD 8 ; hp 58, 50,
45 ,43; 'AT 2 weapons plus spec ia l;
Dmg by weapon type plus fear; MV 120'
140'); Save F8; ML 9; AL C; XP 1,750;
CD!34.
The only items of value in this room
are carried by the monsters. Of the two
armed with sword and axe, one wears a
jewelled arm band valued at 3 .000 gp,
a nd the other has a pouch containing
five gems O ,ooo gp ( )(2 1, 500 gp ( X 2),
100 gpl. Th e third mujina has a bag o f

16 Issue No. 27

holding that contains 5,000 gp in gold

coin , plate, and bars. The largest of the
group bears the second key required to
open the north door in area 1. This key
is gold and is strung on II leather thong
around his neck. His dagger is a dQRjler
+ 2/ + 4 vs. undead.

5. Antechamber. As mentioned earlier, the door to this chamber is locked

by a very powerful and quasi-magical
padlock. The lock was crafted by a long.
dead dwarflike race. and the kn owledge
and power to make such II lock is now
lost .
This lock has two keyholes and can be
opened only with the two keys found in
areas 3 and 4. Without theS(' keys. entrance to 'Iarfil's tomb is impossible.
Besides, if the PCs are too weak to defeat Annakarr's hencbcreeturee and
attain possession of the keys, how could
they possibly hope to overcome the
beings behind this door?
The lock is immune to any thief's
attempt to pick it. although trying to do
so has no ill effects. This special padlock
empowers whatever it locks (in this case
the door, hi nges, frame, and allJ with
the equivalent of 750 hp of resiliency.
This st rength is by no means permanent. It is in effect only while the lock is
a ttached and properly fastened . In addition, t he lock is immune to the effects of
kfl(}('k spells and any other magics except a unsh: As said before, only the two
keys may ope n the lock . If someone
decides to take the lock , it may he sold
for 5,000 gp or more if t he right buyer
can be found . Those interested in such a
lock include wealthy nobles and me rchants, dw ar ven crafts me n of great
skill, and powerful mages. Of course,
the powers of t he lock are not rep roduc ible , nor are copies of its keys. If nothing else, it could provide an adve nturer
with a very safe way of protecting his
valuables, providing that he doesn't
mis place t he keys.
Once the lock is open, the door swings
open easily. When the PCs enter the
chamber beyond, read the following to
the players:
The room beyond the padlocked door
is dimly illuminated by two lanterns
whose wicks have been trimmed very
low. You stand on the landing of a
short flight of stairs that leeds down
to the floor 10' below. The oval shaped room is 15' wide and 20 ' long,

with a 20 high ceiling. Hovering in

the center of the room near the fa r
end, about 10' off the floor, is a
scaled, sphere-shaped creat ur e approximately 4' in di ameter, with a
Raping maw, on e hu ge eye, and a
multitude of short sta lks spro uti ng
in a ring around its to p.
The grinning monstrosity is a beholder who has allied itself with An nekarr to further its own twisted ends .
Annakarr placed it here to act as a fin a l
defense against any intrusion in his
work.
Beholde r- AC 0I2f1; HD II ... ; hp
501'20112; 'AT 1 bite plus spec ial ; Dmg
216 plus spec ial; ~{V 30' nO '); Save
MUll ; ML 12; ALC; XP5.IOO; CD.'28.
The monster im med iatel y attacks
anything that enters the room. The
monster tries to hold a position in the
center of the room , about 10' or 12' off
the floor, and uses as many of its eyes as
possible aga ins t the intruders. If the
beholder's safety appears severely
threatened, and if someone attempts to
parley, it may offer to allow the party to
pass in excha nge for 5,000 gp in gems or
two scrolls or potions. If the party acce pts such terms, the beholder asks that
t he items be put in a pouch or sack . It
then takes up the parcel in its mouth
and leaves the tomb. The beholder cer tainly doesn't feel it owes Annakarr its
life .
This room is filled with chests, coffer s,
and urns, most of wh ich are bri mming
over with coppe r and silver (30,000 cp
and 19,000 sp ). There is also one large
urn containing 2,000 gpoA rack of
weapons, containing mostly rusted
spears, swords, and axes, stands against
the west wall. One spear, however, bears
no sign of its age except the ancient
carvings engraved in its haft. It is a
spear +3 , returni ng.
6. Terftl's 'Iomb. Beyond the antechamber guarded by the " sphere of
many eyes" lies the final (?) res t ing
place of Tarfil. warlord of the ancient
1'raldar. Doub le doors covered with
bronze plate bar e ntry to the chamber
in whi ch An nakarr and h is minions
work the spe ll to bi nd Tarfil's soul to
their evi l will. Eu:hed into the hronze of
the doors are runes in the tongue of
ancient Traldar t hat read: " Herei n lies
Thrfi l Thrfun's son, who fell glorious in
battle and rests in everlast ing pea ce

TARFIl'S TOMB

amongst t he gods." Car ved in bas-relief

on ei t her aide of the portal are sto ne
figures. warr-iors in horse-ta il-plumed
helmets. holding short swords a t attention before t heir breastpla tes . The bolt
to the door s is unfastened, but the doors
themselves have been enchanted with a
hold portal s pe ll. cast at II th lev el.
If the PC s h ave no magical means to
pass beyond these doors. it "ill require
200 hp of damage to destroy the doors

by hamm er and axe, though axes used

will be qu ickly blunted by t he bronze
platin g a nd severe ly impa ired for use in
battle. If someone successfully listens at
the doers, he ca n hear a monotonous
ch a nti ng . As the party member listens,
the cbant begins to increase in intensity

a nd pitch. Shortly thereafter. the sound

becomes diecerneb le by every one in th e
antechamber. The spell being cas t
within is a pproachi ng its cl imax .
Even if the PC s must break down the
doors. the chanting will continue. Annakarr is too close to his goal to sto p now.
When the adventurers enter the room.
either by over power ing the magics on
the doors or by battering their way
through. give them the following
description:
The room beyond the bronze doors is
smoky and dimly lit by several lanterns and two large candelabra hold ing thick black candles. The oval
chamber is 30 ' long and 20 ' wide.
Five feet inside the doors. wide stone
steps lead down 3' to a lower level of
the floor. The ceiling height is a pproximately 12' where you stand and
15' on the main floor.
Standing at the top of the st a irs are
three grossly fat. grim-faced men ,
each bearing a huge pole axe raised
menacingly above his head. The fat
men are dressed in leather jerkins
and breeches, but are dirty and reek
of filth. On each of their faces you
can see an ev il leer. their teeth seeming almost tusklike in the d im light.
Beyond these monsters, six bu .
mans stand chanting in a half circ le
around an open sarcophagus, their
attention fixed upon a maroon-robed
man holding a loft a blood -red candle
in one hand and an ancient tome in
the ot her. Above the sareophagua, a
swir li ng. sickly green m ist is rapidly
forming. An other man, dressed in
long robes covered in glyphs. is gesturing dramatically. J ust as you

enter, a wall of translucent ice form s

at the foot of the stairs. shoot ing up
toward the ceiling and sealing off
most of the chamber.
Regardless of how long the PCs ha ve
spent elsewhere in the barrow. they
enter Tarfil 's tomb just as the spell of
binding nears success. The three creatures at the door are dev il swine who
have been enl isted by Annakarr to fight
for Chaos.
De vil swine (3): AC 3 (9); HD 9"; hp
46,45.42; IAT 1 gore or weapon; Dmg

212 or by weapon type; MV ISO' (60' \.

human form 120' 140'); Save F9 : ML 10;
AL C; XP 1,600; ER/48.
When the party enters the room, the
devil swine are in human form. but
each round thereafter one of the swine
drops to the floor and transforms into a
huge hog. Each dev il swine may make
up to three special charm pertroll attacks
per day, with the victim saving at -2.
Th e man in the glyph-embroidered
robes is Cargilon Darkbringer, a wizard
who has been watching the PC. through
a crystal ball since they entered the
barrow. Knowing that they were about

DUNGEON

17

TARfIl'S TOMB
to enter the chamber. he began casting
a wall of ice spe ll to prevent the party
from disrupting t he incantation .
Car gilon Dar kbringf'r: AC 1 (with
r in g and shield); MU 11; hp30; 'AT 1;
Dm g by spell or wea pon t ype; MV 120'
(40'); Save MU ll ; ML 10 ; AL C ; I 17;
XP 2,700. Ca rgilon possesses a dalUfer
+2, a crystal ball, a ring ofprotection
+ 3 , and a potion of healing. He has just
finished imbibing a potion of sight and
casting shield and det ect invisible spells
on himself. as well as cas t ing the wall of
ice spell and a protec tive spell on An na .
kar the Conquerer (see following ).
Cargilon has the following spells memorized: cha rm fWrson. magic missile ( x 2),
invisibility, eominual dar/mess, web,
fireball. lightning bolt. confus ion, polymorph other; [eeblem ind, telepo rt.
Gathered. arou nd the sarcophagus are
Anna karr a nd h is followers . For nearly
a fort n ight they ha ve worked in shifts,
tw o or three a t a time, invo king the
powe rs of Chaos lo b ind Thrfil's soul.
Wh ile not cha nting the inca ntatio n,
they prayed , ale, and slept , never Ieav ing the lomb. As Tarfll's spirit began lo
weaken , t hey gradually increased the
intensity of t heir chant until all seven
of them join ed in 20 hou rs ago, focus ing
their combi ned powe r agai nst the Tr a ladar wa rl ord. No w the five lesser cle rics
are exhausted, not be ing powe rful
eno ugh to sustai n their phy sical
st rengt h , a nd h ave a ga unt look a bou t
t hem . Lodigris the Wicked, a Chaotic
lama converted to A nn akarr's be liefs
long ago, has retai ne d m uch of his
st rength due to hi s fa ith . Still , on ly
Annakarr be ars no sign of ph ysica l
str a in, h avin g drawn a gr eat deal of h is
power directly from the Thme of Binding S ouls, a powerful relic of Chaos .
Lesser cl erics ot C h aos (3 1: AC 3;
C3 ; hp 15, 12, 10; ' AT 1; Dmg by
wea pon type; ~I V 60 ' (20') fr om exheustion a nd encumbrance; Save C3; ~fL 11;
AL C; XP 50 . These cle rics wear plate
mail be neath t hei r robes, a nd each is
a rm ed wit h a mace + 1. Although their
weakened condi t ion has no effect on
t hei r combat abilities due to their re ligious fa na ticis m. non e of them has the
powe r left lo cast spells. Each wea rs a
plati num chain worth 200 gp o
Elders ot Ch a o s (2): AC 2; C6 ; hp 32 ,
25 ; 'AT 1; Dmg by s pe ll or weapon type;
l\.1V 60 ' (20 ') from exhaustion and encumbra nce ; ML 11; AL C; W 16; XP
725. Tbeee men a re no t quite as drained
as their lesser brethren. and they still

18 Issue No. 27

have t he a bility lo ca st BOrne s pe lls . The

stro nger of t he pair wears plalemail + l
a nd bears a staff ofst riking with 20
charges. He has a caus e light wounds
and a fear spell available. The other
wea rs plate mail a nd a ring ofprotec tion
+ I , carries a snake staff and ca n ca st
cause light uounds and hold person
spells. These men each wear large gold
holy symbols {Chaotic, valued at 1.000
gp apiece.
Lodigris the Wicked, lama of Ch aOll:
AC 1; C8 ; hp 36 ; 'AT 1; Dmg b)' s pell or
weapon type; MV 60' 120'); Sa ve C8 ; ~ L
11; AL C; S 16. W 17; XP 1,750 . Lodi
grishaspla1~mail +2, a rrJan' + 3, a nd
a potion of giant strength . He also has
the following spells at hi s disposal:
lig ht. hold person. silenCE' 15' radius,
poison. finger ofdeath . Lod igr'ie has a
ruby nec klace valued at 900 gp and a
ke y to the iron chest near the back of
the cham ber.
Annakarr the Con q ue ror. patria rch
of Chscs: AC - 2; C 13; hp 50; 'AT 1;
Dmg by s pell or weapo n type ; M V 50'
120'); Save C13; ML 12; AL C; t 17, W
18, C 16; XP 3,250. An nakarr wears
plate ma il o{gasoous form + 3 and
wields a mace of slowing +3. He also
wea rs a ring o{ spell tu rn ing a nd is
under t he effect of a prot ection fro m
normal missiles s pell recently cast u pon
him by Cargilon Darkbrtngen Anne.
karr ha s t he foll owing spe lls available:
caus e {ear ( X 2 ), cure lig ht ioounds ( X 3),
hold person ( x 3), bl"ss, bliRht. continual
da rk ness ( )( 2 ); cu rse ( x 2), poison , cure
serious WOUTl cls, cause ser ioue wounds,
cure critical wou nds r x 2), barrier r x 2).
An na karr wears a jewe lled penda nt
worth 5,000 gp and four finger ri ngs
va lued at 1,200 gp, 500 gp, 250 gp, and
50 gpo 'The Conqueror' is Annakarr's
self-given (a nd some w hat pre ma ture )
ti tl e .
The r ound afte r the PCs enter t he
chamber, the three lesser pr iests br eak
off from the inca ntation, as it is in its
fina l stages and they are no longer
needed for its com pletion. As soon as
t he u'all of in' is dest royed. t hey rush
t he party. On the follo w in g round. the
tw o Elders break off as well , a s does
Lodigrie on the round thereafter. Once
the PC s hue entered the ch amber, the
only way to reverse the spell befor e its
completion is b)' slaying Annakarr, an
occurrence hi s foll owers are willi ng to
give their lives to prevent.
F or the first three rounds, the PCs
rna)' notice that the green mi st is t hick -

ening, swi rling with greater and

greater intensity. On the fourth round it
takes the form of a man, emanating a
lu mi nous green lig ht that floods the
chamber w ith an u nwholesome emerald
hue. Floating above the sarcophagus.
the spirit appears just as described by
Iva n Sumanov, with the presence and
bearing of a man who in life possessed
great strength and a powerful personal
aura.
As he takes sha pe, 'Iarfil looks a t the
PCs, a nd upon hi s face they may see a
look of tragic sorrow, as though t he
spir it already felt grea t remorse for the
"Tongs he must com mit a gainst humanity. But as the a d ve nt u re rs continue to
battle the m inion s of An naka rr. a drematic cha nge comes over t he countenance of the spirit that WB.'1 'Iarfil
Thrfun's son. The look of SOITOW s hi fts to
a menacing grimace, a nd evil seems to
permeate the a ir of the cha m be r, magnified by the sickening emerald glow .
An nakarr speaks words of great
power. On rou nd five after the party's
entrance, the Traldar ghost ra ise s his
spear and charges the strongest look ing
warrior in the party. ru nning across the
a ir as though it were soft turf. From
th is point on (r ou nd six and beycnd j,
Annaka rr is also free tojoi n the melee.
Spirit or Tarfll, warlord of a ncie nt
Tral der: AC - 2; HD 14; hp 75; IAT 2;
Dmg 41414 14 ; M V 120 ' (40 '): Save F14 ;
ML 12; AL C; XP 3,500.
'Iarfil a ppe ars much as he di d i n life.
dressed in t he helmet , breas tplate , a nd
gr eave s of h is ancient civilization and
ca rry ing his gr eat s pear a nd leathered
wa rboard. The fighter whom Tarfil's
spi r-it has marked for single com ba t
must make a Saving T hrow vs. Spells
every rou nd or be affected as if by a {par
spell. 'Iarfll ign ore s all others until th e
one he has challenge d lies sla in. (Oth er
Pes who attack Tarfil a t this time nee d
not make Saving Throwa.l
All the agents of Chaos in this room
figh t to the best of their abilities. using
spells aggressi..-ely and s pa ring no magica l items. A nnak arr has come too far i n
his grand scheme a nd wi ll not see it
ruined now by a handful of would-be
heroes.
In orde r to cont rol 'Iarfil. Annakarr
must stay a liv e and retain possession of
the Thmt' ofBind ing 8014111. He fights
with the book grasped in one hand and
hi s m ace in the other. Should anyone
manage to wrest the book from Anna karr. the s pell is broken. Tr ea t s uch an

TARFI~S

a ttem pt as a wrestling attack {Pw.vers

Companion. pages &71, giving Ann aka rr t he initiative to strike first with
his mace each ti me (he has a wrestling
r ati ng of lOt Th take t he book a way
requires beating An na karr by 10 or
more on a wrestling roll . lfthe PC beats
Annakarr by less than 10, however, he

needs best Annakarr by only 8 on his

next attempt. provided that Annakarr
does not hit the PC with his mace before
the PC attempts his next wrestling roll.
Should the tome be taken from Annakerr, 18rfil's spir it howls with deli ght .
Tarfil immediately attacks Anna karr,
ignoring hi s previous opponent. Anna-

karr fight,., back desperately, but be no

longer ha s a ny magical power over the
spirit and is no match for Thrfil in battle. Upon the death of Annakarr,
whether by Thrfil's spear or at t he

han ds orthe PCs. Tarfil's shade fades

away. looking extremely satisfied a nd
smiling at t he PCs, eve n if they are still
engaged with Annakarr's followers.
Should the spell be broken a nd all

T h e To me o f Bin ding Sou ls

Bound in demon hide , this it em is a
sm all, thick book roughly 9 ~ hi gh, 6 ~
wid e, and 1 11oJ ~ thick , It st ro ng ly radio
a tee a pulsing a ur a of evil, noticeable
even without ma gi ca l detection. It s
worn pages of thin flesh a re covered
with str a nge sigi ls a nd glyphs. Merely
looki ng at the tome's evil writings will
ca use a ny non -Chaotic being to take
3 18 hp electrical damage and make a
Savi ng T hrow vs. Spe lls or go insane.
The form that th is insanity takes is
left for the OM to dec ide. bu t requir es
t he cas t ing of a cu reail spell by a cleric
of 18th level or hi gher to dis pel. An y
non-Ch a otic be in g who reta in s the
book in hi.s posse ss ion for mor e t han
t hree da ys will suffer fro m a vile rot ting di se ase, as t hat ca used by a
m um my, with no save a llowed. Th e
curing of this effect requi res the casting of a cure disease spell, a lso by a
cleric of 18th or hi gher level.
The tome is a re lic t hat contains the
knowledge and power to ensnare the
soul of a deceased bei ng a nd bind it to
one 's will. The ca ptured soul manifests
itse lf in a form sim ilar to that of a
ghost, except that its hit dice are equal
to that whi ch It possessed in life . This
spn-it -ghost is completel y under the
pcwer of the tome's user.

TOMB

three ofthe higher.level cler ics sla in,

Ann a karr'a minions run for the surface,
hoping to esca pe with t heir lives. On ly
Lodigris will give no quarter, fighting to
the last. If, of the high-level clerics , only
Lodigris lives, he attempts to rally the
other human clerics . Cargilon will cast
a continua l darkness spell and flee by
teleporting away sh ould the battle look
hopeless.
HTarfil's spirit is banished and the
Chaotic priests are being soundly
beaten, Annakarr screams curses at the
PCs and vows to hunt them down a long
with their families and friends to see
that they all die horrible deaths. Then,
screaming hysterically for his minions
to slay the PCs in the name of Chaos,
Annakarr t ransforms into a g asf'OUS
cloud and flee s the barrow, determined
to someday be avenged.
Near the rear of the cham ber is a small
locked iron chest, to which Lodigria has
the key. It is trapped with four poisoned
darts and contains a clerical 9CI'01I with
three spells (raiM dead fully, T'E'1lWre,

curroll) and 1,000 pp. This is Annakarr's

"traveling money." Also in the chamber
are several chests partially filled with
rations, and three casks, one containing
wine and two filled with water. All the
casks have been broached, but the food
and water are palatable and the wine is
exceptionally good..

Th e tome is wTi.tten in an arc ha ic

form of the Chaotic align me nt la nguage and ca n be fully u nderstood only
by a Chaotic cleric of at least 10t h
level, although such a cleric ma y then
pass on some of t his kn owled ge to
others. Th ese followers ca n then add
their power to t he cleric's own to in crease the stre ngt h of the in cantation .
The cas ti ng of the inca nt ation requ ires that the spell be cas t ove r the
rema ins of the soul's former body, a nd
that the cast er kn ow t he sp ir it's na me.
Success of t he inca ntation begins at 8
base 1% chance, roll ed once ever) 12
hours of the incantation. This cha nce is
mod ified b)' t he following: For every
level ofthe spirit, sub tract 2%, For
every level of the caster (a nd t hose of
any assistants chanting at the sa me),
add 1'l. Lastl y, a dd 1% for each 12
hour period in wh ich t he incantation
has been in pr ogress.
Should the inca ntation be interru pted or halted at any t ime, all prog
ress made to tha t point is lost, and a ny
new attempts to ensnare the soul begin
at the base l 'l chance again . Also,
should a 99'l- or greater lunmodifiedl
chance be rolled in any ensnaring
attempt, the soul el udes his pursuers
tfell hounds from the Abyss) a nd
breaks the spell's hold. This has the

same effect as brea king off the

inca ntatio n.
Once ensnared, however, the re is
little hope for t he spir it , as the power
ofthe to me qu ick ly binds it to a m aterial form fro m which escape occu rs
only when its new form is destroyed or
when t he caster loses control of the
tome . Th is doesn't mean tha t t he
caster m ust sleep w ith the tome
clutc hed t o h is brea st , bu t it does requ ire tha t t he book a lways be in a
place of t he ca ster's choosi ng and
accessible to hi m.
Should the caster lose control of t he
to me, the spi rit becomes free to direct
all its energies toward the deat h of its
ca pto r, attacking until dest royed or the
caster is kill ed , at which poi nt the
spirit is allowed to return to its final
plane of ex istence.
The tome is imm une to normal and
most magical destruction, such as
burning or ri pping. It must be destroyed by some special means, such as
being thrown into a part ieular volcano,
perhaps on the Elemental Plane of
F ire, or by immersion in the acidic
blood of some huge a ncient black
dragon, The particular means of the
tome's destruction are left to the OM
and could provide an exciting and
dangerous quest.

Leaving the B arro w

When the PC s finally ex it the barrow,
they are greeted by a pale dawn, the
yellow sun just peeking ove r the eastern
mountains. Th thE' west, they see Sergei
leading their stri ng of horses along th e
small brook . He stops at the base of the
mound, saying, " ~{,Iords, I knew that ye
were successful, for the dark clouds that
have hung over the land for weeks su ddenly boiled and churned and raced
away to the south, leavin g behind this
beautiful dawn. I deem you ha ve don e a
great thing for Traladara today."
ContJrtueo 0tI page 38

DUNGEON

19

Continued from page 2

Continued Irom page 19

detail help you set an atmosphere, or

does it simply take up space?
Some other items on the garners' wish
lists were: mini adve ntures (we've
started a new section for this); guidelines for awarding experie nce points
(we've added XP as a statistic for eac h
"bad guy; ' but we coul d be doing more
to re ward good role-playin g ); solo advent ur es (we've probably discuased this to
death ); one-on-one ad ven tu res (I' ll pri nt
them if you' ll write t hem ); low-level a nd
high-level ad ven t ures (mostly I get
modules for levels 3-8).
Did the con vention pa rt icipant s reo
Ilect your views . or are there other
item s on your "wish list ,. for
DUNGEON Adventures? Write and let
me k now.
This issue's quote was sent in by Daniel B. Cordez of Little Neck. New 'ark.

Shortly thereaftt.r, as the mounted

PC s near the edge of the barrow
grounds, they see a lone figure standin g
near a small tree beside the bank of the
stream. Sunlight reflects otTthe warrior's bronze armor and the plumed
helmet he hold s in the crook of his arm .
A great shield and spear lean against
the tree.
" Gree ti ngs, heroes," the warrior says.
"I have been granted thi s bri ef st ay on
your world to give you my tha nks."
Tartil then moves to each member of the
party and gently lays a hand upon his
shoulder. 1b the living, his touch has
the effect of a double st rengt h restore
spell, or a cureat t spell for anyone who
has lost no experience level s. If any
members of the party died in the barrow , Tarti!'s touch will raise dead fu lly.
After he ha s to uched ea ch party mem o
ber, Thrfi l pla ces h is hand upon Sergei's
shoulder, saying, " Guide well, tra veler,"
and gives Sergei a &Carob ofprotectio n.
Any other character who lost no levels
and needed no curing will a lso receive a
scarab of prot ection.
Ha ving said h is thanks, Tarfi l bows to
the party, lakes up his spear and shield,
and sa ys, " Fare well , adventurers. May
you all find high place s a mongst the
gods!" With that, Thrfilleaps away,
running at fir st across the moor, then
gradually up into t he sky. Wit h a brief
flash of light, the ancient warrior disappears from the mortal world.

thoughts of conquest will be se t aside in

h is desire for re venge, and Annakarr
will spare none of h is diverse resources.
including several sp ies based in Kelvin .
If the PC s flee the barrow afttor fa iling
to defeat Annakarr, the)' ma y be asked
at a later time to help sta ve otTAnnekarr'a undead army. Baron Kelvin may
as k them to lead a force of mercenaries
a ga ins t Annakarr in battle on the moo r
or in the mou ntains. Or perha ps an
embarrassed Bishop Pyotrevich will
send them to An nakarr's mountain
stronghold to free Tartil at the request
of the Immortals.
If any of the PCs were captured by
Annakarr in the tomb, they are taken
back to the patriarch 's stronghold for
sacrifice in the Templ e of Chaos as grato
itude for the mission 's success. T his
leaves the defeated party som e, albeit
bleak, hope of esca pe.
If the PCs successfu lly defeat Annakarr and return to Kel vin. there will be
no official recognition of their accom.
plishment un less they bring Annakarr
back in chains. Howev er. should the
adventurers pass through Karameikos
again in tbe next year or two , they may
hear a Traladaran minstrel si ngi ng
a bout a noble band of heroes who
thwarted the aims of Chaos, dealing
terrible justice upon an evil patriarch
named Annakarr the Despised. The
Karameikan nobility and prelacy may
have ignored the PCs achievements, but
with the help of a Traladaran com mone r named Sergei Mishev, word of
t he ir deeds has sp read and bee n put to

Concluding the Ad venture

song.

If the PC s destroy Annakarr and his

followers and obtain the Thme of B ind ing Sou ls , they mu st decide what to do
with th e book . Annakarr's other followers (t hose he left behind at his
stro nghold in the mountains ) will scattered without h is guidance. but the D~I
may dec ide to h ave so me vengeful lieutenant learn of his leader's dem ise and
plague the party at a later time . The
escape of Car gi lon Darkbringer wi ll
have little effect on the party, as he was
si mply a hired rogue mage and will not
consider the party members as enemies
should the)' meet again.
If Lodigris or the tw o elders esca pe
after t he party's success, they wil! eventually seek retributi on. But the esca pe
of Annakarr will be of most concern to
the party, as he meant every threat he
uttered when he fled the barrow. All

Many years la ter, Iva n Sumanov will

rise to wield much power in the Church
of Traladara, as he truly ha s been
marked for greatness by the Three
Immortals. Ivan will become a very
infl uential person in Keram eikce, a nd
thus a good person with whom to be on
Q
fa vorable terms.

Mail from the G u lf

Dear Dungeon ,
I have a sa d story to tell you . A few of
my friends and I have been depl oyed
to Saudi Arabia , part of the I st Mar ine Expeditionary Force. Unfortu.
nately, we didn't bring any gaming
materials with us . Would you please
(pretty please) print my address in
your magazine. D ~1s wa nted' An y
garners interested in running a pen pal game for a few ~I arines wh o a re in
Saudi Arabia, please wri te'
Semper Fi!
Cp . Don W. Petersen
Co. " A" 3rd AA B~

HQPLT
FPO San F ra ncisco, Ca li fornia
96608-5522

Fm sure Don and his buddies wouW

like to near from any of our readers,
t'uen if you can 't help run a Rom e by
mail. Eeen a postcard would surely be
ureieame.

38 Issue No. 27

The Oops Pile

There is an error in t he map of Caer
Th orne, Level Four, on page 58 of
issue 125. There should be a sma ll
spiral staircase that gives access to
room 58. The placement oft his sta ircase ca n be see n in room 47 on the
previous map (page 57).

MAN

".

L--'------''----''~_'_'_''__

;
- v.

' .

__--2.-_~=:::..__

_____.J

A rest stop that's anything but

BY ALLEN VARNEY

For this D&D'!: game mini-scenario, you need the Basic, Expert. and Companion
rules sets. It works best for 3-6 player characters of levels 46. This lighthearted,
low-threat encounte r can fill out a play session or lend color to an overland journey.
Though se t on the border between Glaotri and th e Broken Lands in the D&D
Known World , it fit s easily in to any campaign.

For the Dungeon Master

Manden 's Meathooks. a small band of 20 brigands (Expert Rulebook, page 53l,
scrounges a precar ious existence preying on goblins and human t raveler s at the
edges ofthe Broken Lands. Statistics for the brigands a ppear in the sidebar on th e
opposite page.
Recently, J a sk Manden and his fellow lowlifes happened to waylay a small band
of low-leve l ad venture rs . The br igands killed the party and stole their loot, then
saw an opp ortunity in one of their new treasures: a hurricane lamp (Dungeon Masters Companion, page 53). For the last several days, they h ave worked an ambush
at rest stops along the Wizards' Road between Glantri City and the Broken Lands.
One evening, the PCs run afoul of that ambush .

Surp rise and Theft

The PCs are traveling overland. As evening draws on, they encounter a st one shelter in a clearing beside the road, an ordinary rest stop like many others on the

20 Issue No. 28

frontiers of Glantri . Th e ground around

the shelter is barren and choppy, suggesting heavy traffic, but now the sh elter is vacant.
Try to avoid rousing th e players' suspicion s about th e sh elter. Describe it as
a typical ca mpsite, and stop there. Let
the PCs make camp. Then, as n ight
fall s, casually mention that th ere are
two shuttered lamps, neither lighted, on
pillars in front of the shelter, one lamp
to either side.
Presumably the P Cs light the lamps.
{If they don 't, see "Tr oubleshooti ng.")
The first one they light is an ordinary
lamp. The secon d is the brigands' hurricane lamp. Its a ssault sh ou ld take t he
PCs by surprise: Sudden gust s blowout
the other lamp and the PC s' ca mpfire,
jet s of water st in g li ke needles, and a
whirlwind of element al proportions
throws everyone within 30' to the
ground. Squinting against sheets of
dust and mud, the heroes realize why
t he dirt here looks so barren and
chop py!
Optional hurricane effects: In additi on to those listed in the Companion
rules, th e PC s may a lso ex perience the
follow ing effect s. Even those who suecessfull y Save vs. Spells are dizzy and
partly deafened by the lamp's wind.
Reduc e THACO and Dexter ity checks by
4 for three rou nds.
On each of the three r ou nds after t he
hurricane ends, each character's Dexterity is reduced by 4. Also, characters who
want to act that round must make a
successfu l Dexterity check (th at is, roll
their adjusted Dexterity scores or less
on Id20). Fa ilure means t he victims fall
down and can do nothing that round.
The T heft
Three brigands wait in the bu shes a
hundred yards from the re st stop. When
they hear the hurricane, they ru sh to
the clearing's edge and cr ouch low until
the wind stops. Then, while the vict ims
are disoriented as described above , the
brigands scoop up whatever supplies
they can find in the darkness, along
with the hurricane lamp. They make a
lot of noise, k ick a few downed PC s in
the rib s, th en run for it , laughing.
Ea ch brigand, a [at-level fighter,

DEN'S MEATHOOKS
wears lea ther a rmor and ca rries a short
sword, a short bow, a qui ver of 16 arrows, a nd a sh ield. Each also ca rries a
small iron hoo k, the emblem of their
com pany (l hp dam age). They fight
when cornered but prefer to run from
superior opposition. The brigands lead
pursuers t hrough the forest into an
ambush .

Troubleshooting: If the PCa don't

open the lamps, the brigands have a
second plan of (for them) remarkable
subtlety. One unarmed brigand ventures out from the woods. calling, " Hey
there ! I think I left eomethiu' hidden in
that shelter? Mind if I check?" The thug
develops this idea as necessary to either
get nea r the shelter and open the la mp,
or fool the PCs into doing it for him. If
t his ra ils, the bri gand t ur ns and runs,
hoping to lu re t he PCs in to the a mbus h
below.

Pursuit into Ambush

In the trees, under excellent cover, wait
the Meathook brigands: two I et-level
fighters for each PC , plus the three that
the PCs are following and one 2nd-level
lieutenant named 'Ibbias. The hidden
brigands attack from surprise, using
short bows. Because of their conceal,
ment, treat them as AC 2. Spell-c:asters
must succeed in an In telli gence check to
spot t ar gets for their magic.
Tobias is a warty lout with bad bre at h
and a worse attitude, but he's not dumb.
When he sees t ha t t he PCs will handily
defeat the brigands, he orders a retreat :
" Hey, you guys! These bu ms is too
tough! Rabbit hutch!"
At this code signal, the brigands flee
in all directions, to rendezvous later at
their encampment (see below). PCs who
follow them can spend half an hour in
pursuit before their quarry leads them
to the next encounter, or impatient PCs
can run one thug down and coerce him
to lead the party t here at once .
If the PCs don't handily defeat th e
brigands , the vicious thugs soon abandon their short bows and engage the
PCs hand to ha nd , fighting to subdue.
Th ey loot fallen PC s but leave t he m
alive-so the brigands can rob them
again later.

Wrapping It Up
By interrogating the brigands or follow.
ing them by stealth, the PCs should lind
their way to the sma ll Meathook en campment, a few milea away in a dry
gorge clumsily concealed with dead
foliage. He re a family of giant weasels
once hollowed out a lair in the side of
the gorge. Adventurers long ago sought
out and slaughtered the weasels, leaving the cavernous tunnel unoccupied
until Jask Ma nden arrived.
Manden , a vain and insecure man, is
currently hiding out in the cave due to a
misha p with another of the treasur es
h is band recently foun d. Ma nden tr ied a
creamy salve on h is body, only to diacover t hat it turned him bright orange
all over! (It was a n ointment of ta nning;
see the Dungeon Masters Companion,
page 54.lTh avoid public r id icul e, he
intends to remai n in t he wease l la ir a
mon th or more. He's been drinking
heavily; being orange will do that to a
man.
There are 20 brigands in the encampment, plus any who escaped the PCs
after their ambush. Horses equal in
number to the original number of bandits are tied to posts and tree branches
in the area. When they spot the PCs,
h alf of t he bandits charge at once with
sho rt bows or short swords, while the
others scramble onto the ir horses to
attack with broad swords. All li ght at
li rs t to subdue, t he n (as the PCs mop
them up) t o kill, and fin ally jus t to get
out alive. Mand en shouts dru nken cr.
dere from the lair, but he soon ret rea ts
via a rear exit tunnel some distance
away. His horse waits there. If he ca n
get a five-round lea d on the PCs, or get
a quarter mile ahead, he loses any
pursuit.
A well-dressed snob, Ma nden wears
one item that clashes with his outfit: a
ring of Jif~ prolt'ction (Dungron Mast~r.
Companion, page 52) with four charges.
When fleeing , he carries a small strongbox with 21 gp, 150 sp, and t hree infe rio r, yellowish pea r ls worth perhaps 200
gp a piece . Th e ointment of tanning is
us ed up , thoug h its attractive walnut
box might bring 10 gp.

All to ld, the brigand's treasure is

hardly worth the trouble, ri ght? Manden's real stash is well-buried h alf a
mile down the gorge (Treasur e Type A;
deter mi ne its contents, if necessary,
u sin g the standard charts). Only he and
his lieutenant, Thbias, k now where the
treasure is buried. However, an ES P
spell or other magic can't get the loca tion from Manden right now; he 's too
drunk to remember! It takes him 12
hours to sober up.

Manden's Meathooks
Brigands (20-35): AC 6 (7 for bow men not using shields); Fl ; 5 hp ; 'AT
1; Dmg by weapon type; MY
120 '(40'); Save Fl ; ML 8; AL C; XP
10; leather armor, shield, iron hook ;
each ha s either a short sword and a
short bow with 16 arrows (50%) or a
broad sword (50'1.
1bo slove nly for the Glantrian
anny, too cowardly for the Broken
Lands, these brawny, unwashed men
prowl the bord ers between the two
lands looking for rich people to rob
and poor folk to beat up . They cr ave
the illusion of power and su periority
that Manden gi ves them.
Riding horses (one per brigand):
AC 7; HD 2; bp 9 each; 'AT 2 hooves;
Dmg 14/14; MV 240 '/80 '; Save Fl ;
ML 7; AL N; XP 20; ElU51 Ihoree);
each has normal tack and 1-2 empty
sacks tied to the back of the saddle.
Jask Manden: AC 3; F4; 18 hp;
'AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; MV
120'(40'); Save F4; ML 9; AL C; XP
75; plate mail, broad sword, t wo
daggers, ring of life protection. Reduce Manden'lIto-hit chances by 3 for
the duration of his drunken ness .
While working as a plowboy, J ask
Manden dreamed ofjoi ning the elite
of Glantrian eceiety. Wh ile working
as a stableboy (after a petty theft got
him Fired from plowing), Manden
decided that good clothes and classy
speech were the key s to prosperity.
While in the Glantrian ar my (he
enlisted aft er the stable fired him for

DUNGEON

21

VISITORS FROM ABOVE

and beg ins th eir ascen t. The players

may find it st ra nge for t heir characters
to rise slowly above the world and still
be able to breath, but the Pes might not
even question this, since they have not
been educated in our physical sciences.
One strange phenomenon that FaUgon
may demonstrate is the plane of gravity
through the shi p. An object dropped
over the side will bob down and up
th rough the plane.

As the dwarven ship leaves the world

far below and approaches the moon ,
Selune, and the asteroids known as the
Tears of Selune, they are met by huge
stone dwarven warships that escort
them to the citadel of Whitestone, a
huge city the size of a mountain, carved
from a single white stone to resemble a
long-bearded and helmed dwarven
wa rrior.
The ship flie s into the " warrior's"
mouth and lands on a lake. There is a
great feast, and King Gundulph Whitebeard VII is present. He is a very old
dwarf who enjoys hearing tales of ad -

venture and is very grateful for the help

the PCs ga ve his people.
At the cit adel, the king may give the
PC s a galleon space ship and aid them
in equipping it with a furnace h elm . If
the PCs insist on the dwarves giving
them a minor helm, the dwarves will
refuse , explaining that they have only a
few. If the PC s persist , the dwarves
become in sulted and ask the adventurer s to leav e.
The PC s should sta rt out with a fu r nace helm to in iti ally limit their range
of travel and to force them to use up
some of the magical items they have
acquired over the years.
If the DM does not wish to give the
PCs a galleon right away, the king will
simply give them some gifts and return
them to their worl d. Roll a random item
from the 2nd Edition DMG for each
character in the party, rerolling until a
suitable item for that character is
found. All items should be of ap proxi mat ely the same value.
If the PCs rescued the human pr -isoners, some of the former prisoners will

If Rudvarie n a n d the P C Sur-vive

The doppleganger would make a good

arch-enemy for the fledgling PC. Rudva-

Furna ce Helm
For every 1,000 XP a magical item is
worth, the furnace will function for
one week at a SR of 2. The SR can be
boosted to 3 by sacrificing more than
one item sim ultaneously, but there is
a 25% chance that this will cause the
furnace to explode, causing 10-100 hp
damage to all within 30'. As stated
earlier. a sh ip in the atmosphere or
gravity well of a large body moves at
a rate of 600 yards per round for
every point of SR. However, all ships
can travel 100 million miles per day
in wildspace regardless of the ir SR. 0

Con tinued from p8g6 21

Continued from p8g6 45

he is impersonating, claims that he was

attacked by a wandering monster before
reaching the trading post. " Such is an
adventurer's life."
Rudvarien will not relent until he has
substituted himself for Crellar. If the
PC barricades himself in a room with
everyone else, not hing happens until
dawn. Then Rudva rien and everyone
else go their separ ate way s. If Rudvarien is not one of the people barricaded
in the room, he will leisurely loot the
whole trading post, write insulting
graffiti on t he walls, and leave before
daybreak.
If Rudvarien is kill ed, he reverts to
his true hideous form . Crellar offers a
generous reward to those who braved
the night. Breaking policy, Crellar will
pay 100% value for the doppleganger's
possessions as well as for the gear of
an y dead guests! The money will be
split evenly among the survivin g
guests. If the PC wants to keep a particular item (such as t he dop pleganger's
magical long sword), the negotiations
must be role-played.

otTer to serve on the PCs' galleon (if the

adventurer s were given one). They will
serve the PC s for an indefinite period,
then will wish to be taken to their original destination or to a world where t hey
may book passage to the colony. If the
DM h as the SPELLJAMMER boxed set ,
the humans m ight wish to go to the
Rock of Bra l.

rien has other things to do, but as a nonhuman adventurer of sorts, he may cross
paths with the PC again. He will bear a
grudge against anyone who thwarted his
plan to take over the trading post. However, th e PC shouldn't recognize Rudvarien in ea ch of his new disguises.
The secret of sus t ain ing a good archenemy is t o a void over using him . The
PC should not en counter Rudvarten
more t han once at each level. Here are
some of the endless possibilities:
1. On the eve -if a particularly profitab le adventure, Rudvarien joins the
PC's party disguised as a n NPC adventurer. He fights like a good teammate
until the treasure is won . Then he
seizes a good opportunity to betray the
party and steal the treasure.
2. The PC 's party repeatedly encou nters a tival party of NPC adventurers
whose leader is Rudvarien in disquise.
Even his own scruffy henchmen don 't
know t ha t he's really a mon ster.
3. The PC enters a castle or town
where Rud varien is impersonating a
local official , such as the mayor or
guard captain. Using his auth ority,
Rudvar ien fine s, arrests, and otherwise
bu Jlies the PC's party. Will the PC rec ognize his old nemesis and finally exQ
pose him?

stealing horses), Manden developed a

fine wardrobe and a snobbish, dandy
ma nner. Now enjoying the "prest ige"
of leading the Meathooks (after the
army cas hiered him for stealing),
Ma nden puts on ai rs that conce al his
peasant back gr ound.
Tobias: AC 4; F2; 9 hp ; I AT 1;
Dmg by weapon type; MV 120 ' (40 ');
Save F2 ; ML 9; AL C; XP 20; chain
mail , shield, broad sword, short bow
with 16 arrows.
Thbias is Mandene Sancho Panza,
his loyal servant and silent worshiper.
Thbias is as brutal and ignorant as the
other brigands, but his status as lieutenant and manservant to the "classy"
J ask Manden has made him arrogant
to the other men, who dislike him
intensely.
In addition to adve ntures for TSR
games. Allen Varney has designed many
adventures and supplements for other
g am e companies. He also review s roleplaying games for DRAGON!' Magazine.
This scenario is based on material cut
(for reason s ofspace) from module
HWAI Nightwail, th e first adventure for
the HOLLOW WOR LD'" campa ig n set. Q

DUNGEON

69

Mark Lucas is a reporter for a daily

newspaper; where he tilts at windmills
and champions the hopeless on a regular
basis. He is circulating three short stories and a screenplay for a high-action
military movie. He is also researching a
horror novel set in a modern New England mill town. Mark dedicates this
module to the heroic stand by the Slayers ofDarkness against the bullywug
army at the Batt le of Creliar'e Trading
Post.

"Night of Fear" is a D&D'!i adventure

designed for one player and one DM to
play in a single session. The adventurer
may be a jet-level character of any
class. The player can chose to play one
of the prerolled guests at the inn (see
the Master Character List ) or substitute
any 1st-level character of his own.
This module is a cross between the
murder mystery and horror genres. The
situation emphasizes logic, observation,
and role-playing, with only one climactic fight. The entire adventure takes
place between midnight and dawn in
Crellar's Trading Post. The trading post
must be in an isolated frontier area
where help is at least six hours away.
Before playing, the DM must familiarize himself with the various characters
and the trading post. The contents of
each room will probably be searched
closely for clues.

NIGHT OF
FEAR
BY MARK LUCAS

The deadliest enemy is

in plain sight.
Artwor1c by Jim Holloway

40 Issue No. 28

For the Dungeon Master

Rudvarien, a doppleganger, has been
prowling the frontier between civilization and the untamed wilderness. When
he came upon Crellar's Trading Post
today, he assumed the guise of a human
(or demihuman) and rented a room for
the night to enjoy the comforts of shelter. When he noticed the prosperity of
the trading post , Rudvarien decided to
end his wanderings and take over the
establishment.
In the middle of the night, Rudvarien
crept downstairs to kill Crellar in his
sleep an d substitute himself for the
trader. However, Crel lar's faithful dog
smelled that Rud var ien was not human
an d attacked the doppleganger. In the
loud fight that followed, the dog inflicted 4 hp damage on Rudvarien before the doppleganger killed it.
As the inhabitants of the inn awake
and come running, Rudvarien stuffs the
dead dog up the chimney and reverts to
his disgu ise as a guest. He easily joins

NIGHT OF FEAR

the cr owd to help search for the mysteeiintruder. The OM ca n in itially give
Rudvarien the ide nti ty of a ny guest
(ot her than th e player characterl).
OUII

A Ca ll to Arms!
10 be gin the advent ure. read or paraphrase t he followin g to the player:

You 've bee n traveling th e fro nt ier of

civilization for days in search of
adve nture. At the end oHbis day.
you checked in to a n isolated. rust ic
inn ca lled Crellar'lITrading Post.
The Crellars are h ardy, sel f-reliant
folks, and t he tr ad ing post is a st urdy
stone structure. Wh en you a nd the
ot her guests r etire to yo ur rooms and
se ttle in to slee p, you feel safe and
secure.
In the m id dle of the n ight. you
awake to a horrific din of bark ing,

growling, and screaming from downstairs. Within seco nds, you hear
running fee t , pou ndi ng on doors, and
a call to arms: " Everyone u p! Gear
for battle! The trading post is u nder

attack!"
The noise s ubsides quick ly. By the
t im e the PC ex its hi s room, t he second
floor hallway is dark a nd deserted. The
DM may start the PC in a ny of t he
empty guest room s (m arked wit h Xsl on
the second floor. A glow of light and the
murmur of excited voices com es up the
west staircase leading down to the barroom (area 11.
If the PC goes down stairs into area t ,
r ead the following:
You find the five members of the
Crellar family and the other guest s
gathe red around a puddle of blood on
the barroom floor . Crellar addresses
the circle of worried face s by the
light of h is lantern.
" It looks like we hav e an intruder,
folks. I can' t find my guard dog, Bone
Breaker, and this looks like his fur in
the blood. We'd better split up and
search the place. My family will search
your rooms upstairs. You guests searc h
the first. floor and the bam. All the
outside doors sho uld be locked by my
key, and the window shutters should
be closed and bolted from the inside.
Let me kno w if you find t he intrude r
or whe re he brok e in.
" And be carefu l. Bone Breaker was
the toughest dog I ever had."

By questioning Crellar further, the

following infor mat ion can be learned:
Bone Breaker patro ls the fir-st floor at
night to protect the strongboxes from
thieves. Crellar was the first person to
arrive in the empty bar. He saw nothing
but the puddle of blood .
Rudvarien is too arrogant to be chased
into the n ight at sword point by a bunch
of " inferi or" humans. He still intends to
kill Crellar and replace the jovi al
trader, but he will not purposely kill
Crellar's family, because they are to be
the doppleganger's free work for ce.
Usin g hi s shapechanging abilities,
Rudvarien will attempt to kill off the
guests one at a time, when each is
alo ne. He always hides the bodies so he
can impersonate a wide r ange of people
without r aising s us picio n. He will slip
in and out of the group of searchers
whe never it is to h is adva ntage. Rudv arien is telepathic and very bright ; the
OM should pla y him to the best of h is
ability.
The rest is up to the PC . He a nd t he
NPC guests start their search in area I ,
the barroom.

up the chimney with enormous

strengt h). Close exami nat ion reveals
that the dog was clubbed to death (by
the doppleganger'a fist s). Thick ashes in
the fireplace hide any blood that
dripped from the corpse . A thief stri pped of armor and gear cou ld climb the
chi mney a nd help work the dog loose .
Four baretools are bolted to the floor
on the west side of the bar. Hidden behind the bar are a cl ub , a heavy crossbow , and a case contain ing 30 quarrels.
A strongbox <locked and bolted to t he
bar) contains 1-10 of each coin type .
Worthless glees mu gs a nd towels are
a lso under the bar. On the wa ll be hind
the bar, a shelf holds numerous kegs,
jugs, a nd bottles containing a wide
ra nge of be verages (to tal val ue 10-60
gpl. A la rge m irror h angs on the wall
above this shelf.
An empty coat r ack stands beside the
locked door at the west end of t he din ing roo m, in the comer by t he fireplace.
A bulletin board, cluttered wit h bu si ness a nd governmen t notices, h angs on
the wall beside the rack . This is a good
source of informa ti on leadin g to future
employm ent and advent ures.

Cr e llar's Trad ing Po st, First Floor

1. B a rroom. This area contains seve n
sma ll tables, a bar to the east , and a
coat stand in the sout hwest comer. A
fir ep lace on the west wall warmly lights
this room during business hours. Now ,
the vast bar is dark and foreboding . A
staircase in the northwest com er leads
up to the second floor. It has a wooden
r aili ng but is not otherwise enclosed.
Brown fu r floats in a puddle of fresh
blood near the center of the room .
A small pile of logs eue on the t '-high
granite hearth along with a set of brass
chimney tools (poker, be llows, etc.: the
set is worth only 1 gp). Above, on t he
slate ma ntle is a tinder box . The stuffed
head of a green dragon (wort h 10 gp) is
mounted over the mantle. Anyone who
looks up t he chimney must make a
saving t hro w va. paralysi s or leap back
in fear. This shock causes embarrass ment but has no ot her effect aside from
drama and s uspe nse . Closer exa minati on reveals that Crellar'a dead guard
dog, Bone Breaker, has bee n shoved up
the chi mn ey backward. Its forep aws a nd
head dangle down, so the dead dog eppears to be diving fer ociously down the
chim ney. Pulling down t he dog is as
difficult as forcin g open a door (indicat ing that the 1SOlb. m as tiff was sho ved

2. Privy. A sm all privy with a dirt

floor has been attached to the ou tside of
Crellar's Trading Post. The sturdy door
bolts from the inside only. The walls are
shoddy, however, and someone cou ld
bu st throu gh them as easily as a door to
get outside. The shack contains a
bucket of lime and a few rags. Onl y a
halOing or dwarf could squirm thr ou gh
the hole in the wooden toilet seat. The
hole leads down to a to' cubic pit who se
bottom ho lds 2' of refuse and garbage.
Two giant rats liv e in the muck and
attack anyone who enters the pit. If the
muck is searched for one turn, the PCs
can find a leather pouch (dropped down
the toilet by a drunken patron) contain ing a pi ece of onyx (value 50 gp l.
G ian t r a ts : AC 7; HD lh ; hp 3,1 ; 'AT
1 bite; Omg 1-3 plus disease; MV
120 '(40 '), swim 60 '(20'1; Save normal
man; ML 8; AL N ; XP 6 ; BO/36 .
3, Ki tcben, This room contains a
large wooden table , a fireplace to the
sou theast , a sink to the north, a nd a
counte r to t he east. No food is stored in
this room .
Empty iro n pots and grills hang in the
firepl ace. Som eon e coul d squeeze
through here and emer ge from the ot her
side of the fir ep la ce into Creller'a bed-

DUNGEON

41

NIGHT OF FEAR

Master Character List

Kra c (dwarf): AC 3; Dl; hp 8; 'AT 1;
Dmg by weapon type; MV 60 '(20');

Save Dl~ML9; ALL; S 12, I 7, W 7, D

12, C 16, Ch 7; plate mail, battle axe ,
su. torches. Locked in Krae's room is a
50' rope and a leather bag holding 1
gpo Krae is brave and cooperative, but
also slow of thought and hesitant in
decisions. He will not attack anyone
unless he is IJUr'e it it the doppleganger.
HiA indecisivenesa may C8W1E' him and
others to die.
BrenHfighter): AC 2; Fl; hp 2; 'AT
1; Dmg by weapon type; MY 60120');
Save Fl; ML 10; AL C; S 16, I 9, W 9,
D 10, C 12, Ch 8; plate mail. shield,
long sword, dagger. lantern. In his
room. Brent baa an oil flask. a quart
bottle of wine, and ratione for seven
dayB. Brent ill a headstrong bully who
is almost as dangeroUB aa the dappleganger. He is very insulting, but he
always provokes the other guy into
swinging flnt. Brent is determined to
kill the intruder, no matter how many
innocent people get hurt.
Galen (cleric): AC 3; Cl; hp 6; 'AT 1;
DIng by weapon type; MY 60 '(20' );
Save C1; ML 11; AL L: S 12, t 7, W 14,
D 10, C 9, Ch 6; banded mail, shield,
club, lantern, holy symbol, sling, 30
sling stones. In Galen's room are two
vials of holy water, a water skin, a
large Back, and 2 gp wrapped in a scrap
oflinen. Galen is a bombastic old evangelist. He ia fearless and encouraging
in the pursuit of the intruder. His inflexible convictions will not tolerate
surrender; capture, or retreat in this
"battle to the death with an agent of
Chaos!"
God dle (haUling); AC 4; HI: hp 5:
'AT I : Dmg by weapon type; MY
90'(30'); Save H I : ML 8; AL N: S 12, I
8, W 9, D 11, C 9, Ch 6; chain mail,
shield, hammer, sling, 30 sling stones,
backpack, wolfsbane, mirror, iron retiona (enou gh for a week ), one vial of
holy water, 3 gpoGaddie is a boastful
wisecracker. Once he realizes the danger, he may panic.
Mira pesb (t h ieO: AC 7; T1; hp 3:

'AT I : Dmg by weapon type; MY

120 '(40'); Save T1 ; ML 5; AL N; S 12,1
7, W 8, D 13, C 9, Ch 9; leather armor,
long sword, four silvered daggers.

42 Issue No. 28

Locked in his room are thieves' tools, a

tinder box, a mirror, a week's worth of
rations, and 2 gpoMirapesh is cheerful
and light hearted but not brave. He
wants to get through the night with no
fuss and a whole skin.
Lyons (magic-use r): AC 9, M1: hp 3;

'AT 1; Dmg by spell or weapon type;

MY 120'(40'); Save M1: ML 8: AL N: S
8, I 13, W 7, D 10, C 10, Ch 7; silver
dagger, dagger, backpack, flask of oil,
holy symbol, one vial of holy water,
tinder box, wolfsbane, water skin,
lantern, quart or wine, 12 iron spikes
and a small hammer,S gpoLyone has
left nothing in her room . She used her
one spell yesterday and has not rested
enough to learn a new one tonight (a
magic-user who cannot cast a spell
might become the object of suspicion
before the night is over). Her spell book
contains mogic missile and light spells.
Lyons is smart, greedy, independent,
and susp icious of others.
W (elO: AC 4, El; hp 1; 'AT 1; Dmg
by weapon type; MY 60 '(20'); Save El;
ML 8:ALL;S 15,1 14, W6, D 10,C
12, Ch 5; chain mail, sh ield. two hand
axes, short bow, quiver with 19 arrows
and one eilver-t tpped arrow. In his
room Lif keeps enough rettone for
seven days as well as an oil flask, sil:
torches, a tinder box, and 50' of rope .
Lif is logical, calm, and quiet. He currently has a detect magic spell mem orized. His spell book also contains a
shield spell. He is an invaluable resource, but he h as no patience with
fools and falls silent in the face of stubborn and pushy people .
R udvarien (doppleganger): AC 5;
HD 4*; hp 21 (currently 17); 'AT I ;
Dmg 1.12: MY 90'(30'); Save F8; ML 8;
AL C; XP 125; BDI28. A doppleganger
can assume the size and shape of any
humanoid creature from 4 '7' tall .
Dopplegangers can also read the surface thoughts of anyone creature up to
50' away. Rudvarien starts with th e
shape, gear, and personality of one of
the guests previously listed. In his
room, he keeps 266 gp and a long
BWO rd + 1, +3 VB. dragons locked in his
footlocke r. Rudvarien is smart and
deceitful.
CreUar (trader): AC 6; Fl; hp 8; 'AT
1; Dmg by weapon type: MY 120'(40');
Save Fl; ML 9; AL L; leather armor,

shield, club , crossbow, case with 30

quarrels, keys to all the locks in the
trading post. Crellar is a geed-natured,
heavyset man. He is quietly proud of
establishing a trading post and raising
a hardy family at the edge of the
wilderness.
Gertrude (Cre llar's wife): AC 6; Fl ;
hp 3: 'AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; MY
120'(40'); Save F1; ML 9: AL L; leather
armor, shield, club, eroeebcw, case with
30 quarrels: key s to trading poet locks.
Gertrude is a heavy woman with a
loud and pushy disposition. Despite her
frequent complaints and eriticiBID.B, she
loves her family and is very generous
and he lpfu l. She, like her family, has
acquired some fighting experience
from past ore raids on the outpost.
Kellogg <Crellar's older son): AC 6 ;
Fl ; hp 4; 'AT 1; Dmg by weapon type;
MY 120 '(401; Save Fl; ML 8; AL L;
leather armor, shield, club, crossbow,
case with 30 quarrels, keys to front
door of trading poet and room shared.
with his brother. Kellogg is 24 years
old, a quiet young man who is subservient to his father. Although he has
see n many barroom brawls and orc
raids, he still might panic if faced with
prolonged stress and danger,
Kelsey <Cre llar's younger son): AC 6;
F1; hp 4; IAT 1; Dmg by weapon type;
MV 120'(40'); Save Fl; ML 6; AL L;
leather armor, shield, club, crossbow,
30 quarrels, keys to front door and
room he sh ares with Kellogg. Kelsey is
17, energet ic, and enthusiastic. He
idolizes professional adventurers and
hopes to become one someday. However, he is likely to panic if faced with
st ress and danger.
Ma ry (Crell ar 's daughter): AC 6; Fl;
hp 3; 'AT 4; Dmg by weapon type; MY
120'(40'); Save Fl; ML 6; AL L; leather
armor, sh ield, club, crossbow, 30 quarrels, keys to front door and all interior
doors . Mary is 18, quiet, and pretty.
Like her brothers, she is likely to panic
in a real fight, though she has some
fighting skill.

NIGHT OF FEAR

room (area 6 ). A thief stripped of armor

a nd gear could climb up the chimney to
th e roof.
Over th e counter hang pans and large
utensil s such as kni ves and meat cleav er s. Und er th e cou nt er are large cabi nets for spices and wooden plates and
utensil s. A man-sized creature could
eas ily hide in some of these cabinets.
Dirty dishes and ut ensils soak in the
sudsy water of the sin k. A cabinet under the sin k contains soap . rags, and
keg s of water.
4. Lob b y. An open staircase with a
bannister winds up to the second floor
he re. A potted pl a nt sits at the bottom
of the stairs. A ca bi net hangs on the
west wa ll behind t he fro nt counter.
A small worthless copper bell sits atop
the front counter. A qu ill , ink pot, and
register book also rest on the counter.
The book lists everyone who has
checked in and out of the inn over the
past three months. All of the current
guests checked in today. If the book is
read for one t urn, it re vea ls that only
Coddle (see the Master Character List)
is a regular visitor. (This may remove
him from sus picion until the shapeebift.
ing nature of the intruder is diecovered.)
A loaded heavy crossbow is strapped
under the counter. If Crellar has serious
trouble with a visitor, he ca n reach
down and fire the wea pon through the
flimsy front of the wooden counter ( + 2
to hit anyone in front of the counter
because of surprise). A locked st rongbox:
bolted under the counter contains 1-10
of every coin type.
The locked cabinet contains labe led
keys to each guest room on the second
floor. Cr ellar keeps his emergency
wealth buried in the soil ofthe potted
fern . It contains a small lea ther pouch
with 1-4 gems, each worth 50 gpo

5, Shop. Thi s locked room contains a

counter to the west, a large table in the
center, and shelves alo ng the north and
south wall s. Thi s is t he trading post
where Crellar buys, sell s, and swaps
goods for a profit. He will offer to buy
almost anything for half its real value.
He then resells the item at full va lue .
Bolted beneath t he counter is another
locked strongbox, containing 1-20 of
each coin type. A list ofthe shop's invento ry and a club are also kept under
th e counter.
Th e shelves and tables contain a mix
of ite ms. At any time, the shop contains

NPC Actions and Suggestions

After each incident or clue found (or at least once per turn), some of t he NPCs
should have the followi ng re acti ons . The DM can choose reactions t ha t are appropri ate to t he circumstances or can roll I dS to select an NPC , then Id4 for t hat
character's reaction. Othe r reactions can be added, so long as they are in characte r for each NPC. Always have the NPCs r eact appropriatel y to each other's theori es. Elaborate each suggestion and role-play deba tes wit h t he PC.
I , Krae
1. "Perhaps t he intruder is not hostile an d killed only in self-defense."

2. "Co uld we be dealing with more than one intru der?"

3. "No matter what happens, we must all stay together?'
4. " Wouldn't it be awful if one of us were re ally some sort of shapeshifter."
2. Brent
1. "I t hi nk one of us killed th at man gy mutt and t here is no intruder."
2. "I think you're the killer]" Br ent accuses someone randomly.
3. Brent sneaks away from the group to get a free dr ink at t he bar.

4. Brent hears somet hi ng in an adjoini ng room a nd charges off alone.

3, Galen
1. "I t hink t he intruder has already fled the trad ing post."
2. "I hope we are still as leep and this is just a terrible nightmare:'
3. "Where are you? Coward ly monster! I challenge you to face me!"
4. " Perhaps one of us is a vamp ir e?'
4. GoddIe
1. " Hey, maybe the intruder isn't even human."
2. "We have only one chance! We should all barricade ourselves into one r oom
toget her and wait until more people arrive in the morn ing:' (See " Concluding the
Advent ure" for the results of this strate gy.)
3. " We're all doomed! Thi s creature is going to kill us one at a tim e, and there's
nothing we can do!" He goes hysterical until sla pped.
4. Coddle slips away from the gr oup and jumps out a window to flee the trading
post. After an hour alone in the dark woods, he t imidly knocks on th e front door.

5. Mirapesh

1. " This search is futile. I say we set a trap to catch the int ruder."
2. Mirapesh slips away from th e group to break into a etrcngbcx.
3. " Let's fin d out what the intruder wants and just give it to him!"
4. " U we surrender now, maybe t he monster will be merciful ," (He's wrong.)
6. Lyons
1. " For all we know, Crellar plays this hoax on all his gu ests . He's probabl y upstairs looting our rooms right now?'
2. " Th is place is too big. Let's split into smaller search parties."
3. "Perhaps the intru der is after one of us in particular. Are any of you being
followed by an old enemy with a grudge?"
4 . " Per haps one of us is really a dopplegan ger."

7.lJf
1. "Maybe we're dealing with a win ged creature that flew down a chimney."
2. " Per haps one of us is a lycanthrope, such as a wer ewolf."
3. " Maybe we can use a spell to determine which of us is the monster."
4. "I keep wondering why the intruder attacked the guard dog firs t?'
8. Rudvarien
1. Rudvarien comes to the group disguised as Crellar and says to an NPC, " Come
ups tairs with me. There is somethi ng in your room I'd lik e you to explain ?'
2. The monster appears as Crellar's daughter, Mary, to seduce a male guest into a
pr ivate rendezvous/ambush.
3. Rudvarien impersonates an NPC who was separated from the group, claimi ng
to have been struck from behind, robbed , and left unconscious. When the real
NPC returns later, the group will wrongly think he or she is the monster.
4. Rudvarien slips away from the guests and goes upstairs. Disguised as the PC,
he briefly attacks Crellar and flees ba ck downstairs . Thi s will cast much suspicion on th e PC an d lead to some interesting role-playing!

DUNGEON

43

NIGHT OF FEAR

CRELLAR'S TRADING POST

Ground Floor
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of an y item listed on page 29 of the

Basic Set PkJ~rs Handboolt.. The shop
never contains magical items. The total
value of the in ve ntory is 1()()..6()() gp a t
any given time. There is enough space
beneath the table and on some of the
empty shelv es to hide a man-sized
creature.

().3

8. Crellar's Room. Thi s room contains 8 doub le bed in the sout heast
comer. This is where Crellar a nd his
wife , Gertrude , sleep. Th ere is also a
che st of drawers beside t he fireplace, a
closet in the northwest corner, and a
chair at the foot of th e bed. Someone
could stoop through the fireplace and
enter the kitchen (area 3) from here.
The closet contains Cre llar's clothes.
A tinder box and an unlit lantern sit on
the chest of drawers. which contains
Gertrude's clothing.

7, Ma ry's Room. The trader's sweet

lives here, but the
room ill empty now . There is a bed al ong
the sout h wall. The room also contains a
chest of drawers and a chair.
On the bed is a book entitled Age-Old
Fairy Tale. , by Hussan Ogar. Ironically,
18-year~ld daughter

44 Issue No. 28

if one turn is spe nt skimmi ng t hrough

the book , a story about a doppleganger
can be found . Th e story contains a detailed description of the doppleganger's
powers. However, one part is inaccurate.
The fairy tale states that, in a ll of its
sha pes , a doppleganger retains its gray
eyes. Of all the inn's occupants, onl y
Galen (see the Master Character List )
has gray eyes. From the placement of
her book mark , Mary has not yet read
the tale of the deppleganger,
The following monsters are also descr ibed in Age-Old Fairy Thies. These
descript ions can be used as " red herrings" to confuse t he PC if the inv estigation is going too well: devil swi ne
(ERl48l, gargoyle (BDI3O>, medusa (BD!
34 l. ogre (BOI35), werebear (BOI33 ),
vampire (ERl57 ).
An unlit lantern and a t inde r box sit
on the chest of drawers, wh ich contains
Mary's spare clothes.

8, Sons' Room. Crellar's two eons ,

Kellogg and Kel sey, live here. Th is
room contains a eloeet a nd two beds.
The closet holds only spare clothe s.

J:

Crellar's Tra d ing Post,

Second Floor
9. G uest Roo ms. Ea ch of these roo ms
is the same; Crellar rents t he m to
gues ts for I gp per night. Each roo m
comes with a chest of drawers and a
bed. A pot tery pitch er full of water and
a pottery basin sit on the chest of
drawer s. A footl ocker is under the bed.
In the footl ocker is the key, so that
guest s can lock their val uables in side .
Guests usually lock their doors when
they leave their rooms or when they are
asleep .
The empty rooms (marked with Xs)
are unlocked. Some of the guests' gear
ha s been len locked in their rooms. Th e
OM ca n randomly determine whi ch
room s are occu pied by the in n's paying
guests.
10. Bat broom. Th is small room holds
a prim itive wooden bathtub. A makeshift box with holes in the bottom is
rigged ove r the t ub . When filled with
wa ter, the box se rves as a crude shower.
Th e room also contains j ars of soap,
ke gs of water, and towels. Th e room is
usually quite WanD. because it was bu ilt
bes ide the ch imney.

NIGHT OF FEAR

CRELLAR'S TRADING POST

Second Floor
1 equere S'
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The Barn
11. Stable. The double doors at each
end of the barn are barred fr om the
insid~ a~ night. Read the following
description aloud the fir st time the PC

enters the barn:

The familiar smells of farm animals
and manure greet your nostrils as
you enter. The stables are fair ly
clean a nd sprinkled with stra w. You
can hear the animals shuffling nervou sly in their stalls.
The sto ne barn contains 12 stalls
along the east wall , a ladder to the loft.,
a horse-drawn cart, a coop conta ining 25
chickens against th e south wall, and

two st acks of sa cks and keg s containing

100 gp worth of food. Two unlit lanterns
and several wooden buckets hang on the
wooden support beams. Tools a lso hang
on the eoutheaet wall . These farm implements are equal tv a battle axe, a
hand axe, a war hammer, and three pole
arms. A large pen against the west wall
houses a bull that will attack anything
he can reach.
Bull: AC 7; HO 4; hp 22; 'AT 1; Omg
1-6; MV 240'(80 '); Save F2', ML 5', AL N ,

XP 35; ER/46 (a nim al her d).

Each stall contains one animal. From
north to south, the stalls contain Crellar's tw o draft horses, two pigs , three
sheep, and two goa ts. The three southernmost stalls are empty. Any steeds or
pets brought by the customers may be
kept here overnight.
Each time the doppleganger enters the
barn, regardless of his shape, the farm
animals become highly agitated because
they can smell he is not a human or
typical demihuman. The animals will
snort, ki ck their stalls, and rear up in
alarm in Rudvarien's presence.
12. Hayloft, The hayloft extends on ly
two-thirds of the length of the barn. The
loft floor ends abruptly with no raili ng,
and it is a 10' drop to t he floor of the
barn from here. The loft contains several stacks of hay, sacks of grain, water
barrels, and other animal food. These
st acks are large enough tv conceal a
man-sized creature. The only ot her
entrance tv the loft is an unlocked door
in the south wall that ope ns 10' above
the ground. A flying creature could
have entered this door without leaving
any damage.

I..

l.

_L

Co nc ludi ng the Ad ventur e

There are several way s tv defeat the
doppleganger. As smart as he is Rudvari en still does not realize that dcmeeticated animals can smell that he is not
human. He will figure thi s out only if he
reads it in the mind of an opponent. The
barn. contains many animals that can be
used as "dcpplegenger detectors"
The group may also find the body of
someone Rudvarien is currently impersonating. Hthe doppleganger knows
this is abo ut to happen, he slips to the
rear ofthe gro up and leaves before the
body is found. Only a very alert pl ayer
can p~event this fro m happening.
Optwnal R ule: 1b be fair, the OM ca n
occa sionally rearrange the miniatures
representing the search party. If the OM
can remove Rudvarien'e figure from the
board by sleight of hand without the
player noticing, the doppleganger has
slipped away unnoticed by the PC .
Close in spection can revea l that the
doppleganger (in whatever form he
takes) has been wounded (by the guard
dog and perhaps by his later victims).
Rudvarien, in character as whomever
ConrJrlufld 00 pa gB 69

DUNGEON

45

VISITORS FROM ABOVE

and beg ins th eir ascen t. The players

may find it st ra nge for t heir characters
to rise slowly above the world and still
be able to breath, but the Pes might not
even question this, since they have not
been educated in our physical sciences.
One strange phenomenon that FaUgon
may demonstrate is the plane of gravity
through the shi p. An object dropped
over the side will bob down and up
th rough the plane.

As the dwarven ship leaves the world

far below and approaches the moon ,
Selune, and the asteroids known as the
Tears of Selune, they are met by huge
stone dwarven warships that escort
them to the citadel of Whitestone, a
huge city the size of a mountain, carved
from a single white stone to resemble a
long-bearded and helmed dwarven
wa rrior.
The ship flie s into the " warrior's"
mouth and lands on a lake. There is a
great feast, and King Gundulph Whitebeard VII is present. He is a very old
dwarf who enjoys hearing tales of ad -

venture and is very grateful for the help

the PCs ga ve his people.
At the cit adel, the king may give the
PC s a galleon space ship and aid them
in equipping it with a furnace h elm . If
the PCs insist on the dwarves giving
them a minor helm, the dwarves will
refuse , explaining that they have only a
few. If the PC s persist , the dwarves
become in sulted and ask the adventurer s to leav e.
The PC s should sta rt out with a fu r nace helm to in iti ally limit their range
of travel and to force them to use up
some of the magical items they have
acquired over the years.
If the DM does not wish to give the
PCs a galleon right away, the king will
simply give them some gifts and return
them to their worl d. Roll a random item
from the 2nd Edition DMG for each
character in the party, rerolling until a
suitable item for that character is
found. All items should be of ap proxi mat ely the same value.
If the PCs rescued the human pr -isoners, some of the former prisoners will

If Rudvarie n a n d the P C Sur-vive

The doppleganger would make a good

arch-enemy for the fledgling PC. Rudva-

Furna ce Helm
For every 1,000 XP a magical item is
worth, the furnace will function for
one week at a SR of 2. The SR can be
boosted to 3 by sacrificing more than
one item sim ultaneously, but there is
a 25% chance that this will cause the
furnace to explode, causing 10-100 hp
damage to all within 30'. As stated
earlier. a sh ip in the atmosphere or
gravity well of a large body moves at
a rate of 600 yards per round for
every point of SR. However, all ships
can travel 100 million miles per day
in wildspace regardless of the ir SR. 0

Con tinued from p8g6 21

Continued from p8g6 45

he is impersonating, claims that he was

attacked by a wandering monster before
reaching the trading post. " Such is an
adventurer's life."
Rudvarien will not relent until he has
substituted himself for Crellar. If the
PC barricades himself in a room with
everyone else, not hing happens until
dawn. Then Rudva rien and everyone
else go their separ ate way s. If Rudvarien is not one of the people barricaded
in the room, he will leisurely loot the
whole trading post, write insulting
graffiti on t he walls, and leave before
daybreak.
If Rudvarien is kill ed, he reverts to
his true hideous form . Crellar offers a
generous reward to those who braved
the night. Breaking policy, Crellar will
pay 100% value for the doppleganger's
possessions as well as for the gear of
an y dead guests! The money will be
split evenly among the survivin g
guests. If the PC wants to keep a particular item (such as t he dop pleganger's
magical long sword), the negotiations
must be role-played.

otTer to serve on the PCs' galleon (if the

adventurer s were given one). They will
serve the PC s for an indefinite period,
then will wish to be taken to their original destination or to a world where t hey
may book passage to the colony. If the
DM h as the SPELLJAMMER boxed set ,
the humans m ight wish to go to the
Rock of Bra l.

rien has other things to do, but as a nonhuman adventurer of sorts, he may cross
paths with the PC again. He will bear a
grudge against anyone who thwarted his
plan to take over the trading post. However, th e PC shouldn't recognize Rudvarien in ea ch of his new disguises.
The secret of sus t ain ing a good archenemy is t o a void over using him . The
PC should not en counter Rudvarten
more t han once at each level. Here are
some of the endless possibilities:
1. On the eve -if a particularly profitab le adventure, Rudvarien joins the
PC's party disguised as a n NPC adventurer. He fights like a good teammate
until the treasure is won . Then he
seizes a good opportunity to betray the
party and steal the treasure.
2. The PC 's party repeatedly encou nters a tival party of NPC adventurers
whose leader is Rudvarien in disquise.
Even his own scruffy henchmen don 't
know t ha t he's really a mon ster.
3. The PC enters a castle or town
where Rud varien is impersonating a
local official , such as the mayor or
guard captain. Using his auth ority,
Rudvar ien fine s, arrests, and otherwise
bu Jlies the PC's party. Will the PC rec ognize his old nemesis and finally exQ
pose him?

stealing horses), Manden developed a

fine wardrobe and a snobbish, dandy
ma nner. Now enjoying the "prest ige"
of leading the Meathooks (after the
army cas hiered him for stealing),
Ma nden puts on ai rs that conce al his
peasant back gr ound.
Tobias: AC 4; F2; 9 hp ; I AT 1;
Dmg by weapon type; MV 120 ' (40 ');
Save F2 ; ML 9; AL C; XP 20; chain
mail , shield, broad sword, short bow
with 16 arrows.
Thbias is Mandene Sancho Panza,
his loyal servant and silent worshiper.
Thbias is as brutal and ignorant as the
other brigands, but his status as lieutenant and manservant to the "classy"
J ask Manden has made him arrogant
to the other men, who dislike him
intensely.
In addition to adve ntures for TSR
games. Allen Varney has designed many
adventures and supplements for other
g am e companies. He also review s roleplaying games for DRAGON!' Magazine.
This scenario is based on material cut
(for reason s ofspace) from module
HWAI Nightwail, th e first adventure for
the HOLLOW WOR LD'" campa ig n set. Q

DUNGEON

69

it--

Randy wri tes: "My introd uction to the

D&lJ& ga me was the old, now lege ndary,

blu e book. From that in troduction, I still

' ,,,,,

retain a nostalg ic fon dness for low-level

D&D adven tures. The game has expanded immensely from tho se early, simple
days, and my modu les have expanded
accordi ng ly. For this ad venture, I urant-

/~

ed to get back to basics (no pu n intended)

ond do a mod ule that requ ired only the
ru les, mo ns ters, an d magical iteml:l fro m
the Bas ic S et (either the old red boxed set

..-

or the new black box-the ancient blue

book is not requ ired).

",

...
\

,
"

ISLE OF THE
ABBEY
BV RANDV MAXWEll

Time to hit the beach.

ArtwQrIl by Pel el C lark e

26 Issue No. 34

, '
,

" Is le of t he Abbey " is a D&D advent ure

for 4-6 player cha racters of level s 13
(abou t 12 totai levei sl. Th e adventuri ng
party shou ld be basica lly Lawful in
alignme nt and of varied cla sse s, with at
least one cleric of 3rd level or two or
more clerics of lower levels.
Although page referenc es are gi ven
for the 0 &0 R ules Cyclopedia (a bbrev iated Re) , t h is ad venture uses on ly t hose
ru les, monsters, and treasures in the
New , Easy to Mast er D&D Game
("bla ck box" ).
The exact location of t he adven ture is
relatively unimportant. OMs usin g the
0&0 Known World ca mpaign se tting
ca n place the island in a ny remote area.

Adventure Bac kgr ound

In the past th ree months, the ev il clerics of Abbey Isle a nd a large ba nd of
loca l pirate s h ave quarreled violen tly,
and thei r str uggle m ay ha ve left the
island uninhabi ted . Th e pirates burned
t he abbey to t he ground, but they suffered so ma ny casualties th at the y could
h ardl y sustain them sel ves and t hu s
were soon dest royed by the loca l ma riners. Now, the mariners would like to
claim the small , st ra tegically located
island and b u ild a li ghthouse there. So
far, they have not been able to la nd
safely on the island. Every attempt to
come as hore h as been m et by a horde of
undead.
The Pes are h ired by t he local m arine rs ' gu ild to exp lore and clear the
island of any haz ards to bu ild in g a
lighthouse the re. Th e guild is will ing to
pay 2,000 gp u pon com pletion of the job,
whic h will be verified by guild me mbers
before pay me nt is m ad e.
The mari ne rs' guild will supply the
a dve ntu ring party with transportation
to t he island . Th e party 's j umping-off
poin t is a not her lighthouse one day's

ISLE OF THE ABBEY

sa il up the coset. This lighthou se is a

safe harbor where PCs may ret reat
when they wish to rest, re-equip, or
regroup.

The mariners ' guild can su pply th e

PCs with any of the equipment listed on
page 69 of the RC except for holy symbols, holy water, thieves' tool s, and wolfsbane. The guild cannot supply PC s with
any wea pons or armor. The price of any
equipment used by PC s must be deposited with the guild and will be refunded
on th e return of the equipmen t or successful completi on of the ad ve nture .
The gu ild supplies the adventu ring
party wit h the boa t a nd sa ilors need ed
to r each the island . The eai lc ra will not
come as hore or attempt to r escu e the
PCs if they get into tro u ble. Th e party
should devise 8 set of signals bet ween

t hemselves and t he sailors for drop-<llTs

a n d pick-ups, etc.
SailOnl (5): AC 9; O-Ie vel human; hp 3
each; I AT 1; Dmg by weapo n type; MY

120' (40'); Save NM; ML 7; AL L; da gger.

For the Dungeon Ma ster

The lighthou se where PCs begin t he
adventure is manned by a ret ired military officer nam ed Major Ursa. Th e
Major, as he is ca lled locally, is a huge ,
barrel-chested ma n with a bri gh t-red
beard, and a circlet of thin red-gray hair
on his balding head. He was once a
military man and served in glor ious
conquests and bit ter defeats . His usual
r a iment is a ga udy red a nd ye llow kilt
with hi s war ham mer and dagger hanging fro m a broad leather belt.
Major Ursa: AC 6; F5; hp 22; IAT 1;
Dmg by weapon type ; MV 120 ' (40');
Save F5 ; ML 10; AL N ; S 18, I 17; scale
mail . wa r ha mmer, dagger.
Th e Major has long since given up his
fighting career and now lives the solitary life of a lighthouse keeper. Wh ile
considered reclusi ve an d eccentric by t he
locals, he is a respected member of the
communi ty and of the mariners ' guil d. If
th e Major is attacked by the PCs, the
local citizenry rallies to his defense . Th e
mariners' gu ild quick ly places a bounty
on the PCs, a nd the adve nturers find
that they have become hunted cri minals.
The Major does not ha ve the gu ild's
reward money or anything of value (other th a n food, drink , and na utical equipment) at the lig hth ouse.
TIle Major gives the PCs the followin g
information concerning Abbey Isle:

" The on ly safe place to get ashore on

t he ree f-ringed , r ocky little isla nd is
a large sa ndy bea ch known as the
Sk ull Dunes. Th e du nes are full of
undead because t he clerics of the
abbey created a n army of ske letons
to guard t he beac h. The ske letons lie
in wa it under the sa nd and at tack
any one who comes near.
" Me a nd a few of the boys have
tried la nding at different places on
t he du nes, but t he ske letons seem to
be everywher e. The poor la ds I was
with had no stomac h for the battle,
a nd I'm getting too old for such
fights . When t he skeletons started
lurching up out of t he sand and
swinging swords at our head s, we
legged it helte r -akelter back to the
boats .
"The pirates got ashore somehow.
There's probabl y a pa t h through t he
u ndead, but fin ding it's t he problem.
We didn't catch up wit h the pirates
till after they 'd left th e island.
They' d a ppare n tly ta ken as good as
t hey ga ve. They were a miserab le,
sorry lot when we attacked an d routed what was left of th em. One shipload ma naged to sa il to safe ty, bu t we
sa nk the others . Th e sea and the
shar ks got the survivors, so we never
got a firstha nd accou nt of wha t happened on the island or of how the
pirate s got th roug h t he dun es. Maybe there a re no safe paths , but you
never k now till you try.
"AJJ for the abbey, who knows for
sure? We never got anywhere near
th e place. Smo ke rose from t he island
for days after t he pirate s attacked .
Maybe th at means t he island's bee n
abandoned , or may be t he abbey
bu r ned and the clerics are wa iting to
rebuild. I don't know. Th at's what
you have been hired to fin d out."
Major Ursa is not placed here as a
convenient mercenary and will not
a utomatically join the PC pa rty. The
Major should accom pany the party only
if it has made at least one attempt at
landing on the island, a nd th e isla nd's
defend ers or defense s are obviously
beyo nd the PCs ' ca pabilities . He will go
along only to help clear t he isla nd for
the mariners' gu ild; he is not interested
in searching for t reasure.
If the Major accompa nies the party,
t he guild must find and pay a replace ment to man his lighthouse while he is

away. Ther efor e, t he PCs' r eward is

reduced to 1,000 gpoAlso, if the Major
accompa nies the PCs. he r eceives one
full share of t he reward a nd one full
share of any trea sure found on th e
isla nd.
In ga me terms, Major Ursa 's primary
purpo se is to serve as an NPC conduit
whe n th e OM wan ts to give inform ation
to th e player s. At t he OM's discr etion,
th e Major can a lso offer suggestions,
a dvice, and occasi onal helpful hin ts.
These hints should not be given on
demand.
The Major 's sugg estions concerning
the tactical situation on the island are
dependent on how much information
the PCs give hi m abou t the island, its
inh abitants, and its traps and monsters .
Qu esti ons such as " How do we get
t hrough the tunne ls underneath t he
ruins?" ar e inappropr iate because th e
Major has no way of kno win g t here are
tun ne ls under the abbey. The PCs mu st
fir st descr ibe t he t un nels (see " Th e
Wind ing Way" ) and t he si tuation there
before the Major ca n give advice . The
Major may not have advice on every
subject . Possible su ggestio ns t he Major
mig ht ma ke a re inclu ded under t he
ap propr iate headings. Th e PCs need not
follow a ny of the Major 's advice .
T be Island
Abbey Isle is a sma ll island about a
mile wide and two miles long. It is little
more than a great slab of rock rising
from the ocean. The sea has battered its
cr umbling cliffs so that alm ost the en ti re isla nd is surrounded by dangerous
rocky sh oals. The waves crashing a nd
splashing over the jagged rocks ma ke it
obvious, eve n to la ndlubbers, that any
attempt to navigate t he shoals can end
in only disa ster.
In fact , t he re is no reason to pass
t hrough the danger ous r ocks, for the
granite cliffs beyond them rise directl y
out of the water, offering no place to
la nd or come as hore . Only the dunes at
t he southernmost t ip of the isla nd ofTer
a sa fe place to land a boat (see "Th e
Skull Dunes" ).
The island has li ttle wildlife but is
covered in grass, sma ll Flowering plants,
and a few gnarled, stunted t ree s and
shrubs. Wha t little wild life there is on
t he island was imported by the clerics ,
either deliberately or accidentally, when
they built t he abbey (see th e " Abbey
Isle Wande ri ng Monsters" sidebar). The

DUNGEON

27

ISLE OF THE ABBEY

ABBEY ISLE

~'

,l

.-

.II<, ....

~ Q

-.

--",:,
....
.

... .... . . ~

1 squa re - 500'

'~

".

~"

. . ........

Ru t....

~~~

.. - - ~

~Ab 1><-)'

. --

~.

\. ,.

'.

,
I

,J

See below

THE SKULL DUNES

6 10 8

14

711 5 ; --- J
12

1 square - 150'

"

6 10

\. 13 '- , 6
Ii

\0+.:+'
-, 18 +'''t''-l-'-t'+:'t::-f:-:t''f
,----~_ .

\.

o
s

1'"-_. o

'!OI.

12 7

~l4!'.
P.th

island is two hou rs sail from the

special scepter that allo wed safe pas-

mainla nd .

sage through t he dunes, but this scepter

was destroyed in the fire that razed t he
a bbey,

The Skull Dunes

The Skull Dunes lie beyond a be ach of
coarse bro wn sand at t he southern end
of the is la nd . Th e du nes are desolate;
onl y an occasiona l bit of scraggly grass
grows here and t here in the sandy hol lows. Wh en t he abbey was built, t he
evil clerics popu lated t he dunes with
hundreds of skeletons brought from the
mainland for the defen se of the isla nd .
Th e overlord of the abbey carried a

28 Issue No. 34

The skeletons now form an uncontrolled minefield of undead. When a nyone passes near, t he undead rush up out
of t he sand and attack. The skeletons
are impossible to avoid by stealth because they can detect intrud ers by
noise, ground vibrations ca used by
movement , and pressure on the sand .
When the pirates attacked, the akele tons made t he m pay dea rly, but the
pirates eve ntually cleared a path

t hrough the undead a nd pushed on to

the abbey .
If the PCs en ter the dunes, the OM
must kee p track of t he party 's loca tion
on the Skull Dunes map. Ass u me that
the PCs la nd at the sout her nmost t ip of
t he dunes unless the players decide
ot herw ise. Th e map shows the area s
guarded by undead a nd the wa ndering
path made by t he Chaotic pirate s.
Wh en the PCs fir-st.enter the dunes,
the hills of sa nd ar e unruffied and
t rack less. Travel through the loose sand
of the dun es is difficu lt, a nd movem ent
rates are reduced by ha lf
If a PC enters an unmarked square,
nothin g h appens. An yon e entering a
square m arked with a number ia immediately attacked by that nu mber of
skel etons. The nu mber of ekeletona
mar ked is t he maximum n um ber of
skeletons in t hat area . F or example:
Th e PCs enter a numbered square
marked "7." Th is m eans t hat seven
skeleto ns r ise an d defend that particular square until t hey are des troyed. If
five of the seve n ske letons are destroyed , only t wo skeleto ns rise and
attack on a PC's next entry into that
sq uare. Once all the skeleto ns in a
square have been destroyed, that square
is cleared and safe to enter (t his does
not stop other ske letons from pursuing
PCs in to that square).
If the PCs walk along the line directly
between two guarded areas, they are
attacked by the akeletona from both
areas. If PCs pass over the junction
whe re four squares meet and form a
cross, they are attacked by the skeletons
from all four areas (or from those of the
four areas th at are actua lly guarded ).
Wh en attack ing, the skeletons rise
fro m the sand in a single ro un d. They
are encrusted wit h sa nd but unhinder ed
by it, 80 t hey reta in their norm al movement rate while in the dunes. Eac h
skeleton is armed wit h a rus ty short
sword or decr ep it cutlass. Th e swords do
normal damage (16 hp eac h) bu t are too
r usty and damaged to be salvaged or
BOld by PCs. Because Major Ursa h as
alre ady warn ed the PCs about the ske letons, t he PCs sh oul d not be surprised
by them. In itia ti ve is ro lled normally.
Ske letons: AC 7; HD 1; h p 5 eac h ;
' AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; MV 60'
(20') ; Save F1 ; ML 12; AL C; XP 10; RC
204.

The skeletons defend only their own

squares and will not pursue beyond 50'
of that square. Also , skeletons do not

ISLE OF THE ABBEY

pu rsue into the water. Sea water does

th em no harm-they ha ve si m ply not

been ordered to defend that area . Thus,

coming ashore and then wadi ng around
the dunes is a clever way to avoid the
skeleto ns, although climbing the cliffs
m ay prove just 8 8 deadly. Do not drop
h ln ta to the players about this; let them
figure it out or fight through the dunes.
After driving intrude rs from their
square, the skeleto ns rebury t hemse lve s
in the sa nd. This gi ves PC a an edventage because they can see where the

skeletons ha ve hidden a nd ca n mark

these areas. However. the const ant sea
breezes over the loose sand of th e Skull
Dunes will destroy all footprints and
ot her markings within 24 hours. If the
PCa mark the guarded areas, they must
use something permanent, such a s

sticks. shells. etc.

Clerics may atte mpt to tum the undead after the akeletona have risen from
the sand. All attempts to turn undead
before they ri se from the sand fail automatically. If a cleric turns one or more of
the skeletons, the undead do not run
a way but immediatel y rebury themse lves in the sand. Turning lasts idtn +4
rounds for all skeletons turned by a
turning attempt (not per skeleton). After
this time, the skeletons rise and attack
a ga in if the PC s are still in the area .
U the PC s attack buried skeletons,
they suffe r a - 2 on to-hit and damage
rolls bec ause they ca nnot se e where to
strike and t he sand cus h ions the blow .
If a buried ske leto n is attacked, it and
all ot her ske leto ns in that square ri se
a nd attack (eve n ske leto ns that have
just been turned l.
How the PCs map the dunes is their
own affair. Howe ver, the DM can suggest,
either 8B a mapping hint from M$r Ur-sa
or 88 a useful hint from DM to players
before the game starts, that a large grid
system for the dunes is helpful.
If the PC s are unable to force a path
through the dun es, they m ay return to
the lighthouse a nd as k Major Ur sa for
adv ice. If asked wh at tactics might
work aga ins t the ske leto ns, he suggests
th e following: " Clear ou t a spot or two
in the Sk ull Dunes to u se as fighting
room and safe a reas, then explore and
test the dunes until a path is cleared." If
even more basic advice is needed, he
tells the PC s: " F ig hters and clerics are
va lua ble aeseta here. Other party members should attem pt to draw the undead
out and allow the fighters to destroy
t he m or the clerics to turn them."

Abbey Isl e Wandering Monsters

After t he PCs have passed the Skull Dun es a nd a re on the ma in portion of the
island, the DM sho uld roll ld6 six ti mes per day: at sunrise, noon, sunset, midn ight , and twice at t he DM's disc retion . If the result is a I, an encounter occurs.
Ou tdoor enco un ters di ffer fro m normal dungeo n enc ou nters because t hey begin
at much longer di st ances. Dist ances depe nd on terrain a nd available light {Re,
page 931. 'Io deter mine encou nter distance during t he day, roll 4d6 a nd m ulti ply
by 10 to prod uce a n umber between 40 a nd 240. This num ber is the di stance in
yards at which the monster is first encountered. Night encounters are at a dis t ance of 2d6 x 10 yards, because t he creature must come in to the lig ht or into
infra vis ion ra nge to be see n (t houg h it may be heard coming at a mu ch greater
di st ance).
If a n encounter is called for, roll 2d l0 and consult the following ta ble:
2: Zombies (5): AC 8; HD 2; h p 9 each; IAT 1 claw or 1 weapon; Dm g 1-8 or by
weapon type; MV 90 ' (30'); Save Fl; ML 12; AL C; XP 20; RC 213. T hese creatures
m ove about as a pack a nd are always encountere d as a group rathe r than as indio
vid uals. If the PCs des troy one or more zombies in a n encoun ter, red uce the nu mber appearing for any further enco unters. Once all five zombies have bee n
des t royed, treat this option as no encou nter.
34 : Stirges (l 4 ): AC 7; HD 1 +; h p 4 each; 'AT 1; Dmg 13 ; MV 30' no, Ily ing
180 ' (60'); Save F2; ML 9; AL N; XP 13; RC 208. TheBe creatures feed pri marily
on the mules, rats, and giant rats that populate the island. They are aggressive
and more than will ing to va ry t hei r diet by tasting adventurers. On ce a ll four
stirges h a ve been dea lt with, treat all no encounter.
57: Giant cen tip e de (16); AC 9; H D 112+; hp 2 each; 'AT 1 bite; Dm g Poillon ;
MV 60' (20'); Save NM; M L 7; AL N; XP 6; RC 163. These creatures ca n be fou nd
under rocks , in piles of t ras h , a nd in a ny dam p hollow on t he island.
8-11: Normal rats (5-24 ~: AC 9; HD 1 hp eac h; tAT 1 bite per pack of 5-10; Dmg
1-6 plus di se ase ; MV 60 ' (20' ), swi mm ing 30 ' fl O'); Save NM ; ML 5; AL N; XP 2;
RC 201.
12-14: Giant rats (212): AC 7; HD Ik ; hp 3 eac h; 'AT 1 bite each; Dmg 13 plus
dise ase; MV 120' (40'), swi mmi ng 60 ' (20' ); Save N M; ML 8; A L N; XP 5; RC 201.
15-17 Mule (12): AC 7; HD 2; hp 9 each; IAT 1 kick or 1 bite; Dm g 14 or 1-3;
MV 120' (40'); Save NM ; ML 8; AL N; XP 20; RC 195 . The a bbey 's mules h ave
gone wild and now roam the entire island. The m ules are inoffens ive and will n ot
attack un less pro voked . The DM is strongly advise d not to give experie nce points
for the pointless kill ing of mu les and is well withi n his rights to deduct ex perience poi nts from a PC'1l total for such actions. If t he PCs ca pt ure the m ules in
order to sell t hem or use the m as pack animals, giv e fu ll experience-po int value
for each mule cap t ur ed. Capt ured m u les may be so ld for 30 gp each. The mules
suffe r greatly fro m lack of wa ter, so Pes may capture the m using fres h water 85
bait. Th ere are only five m ules on t he island. Once all are ca ptured or killed, treat
as no encou nter.
1819 : Skeletons 001 : AC 7; HD 1; hp 5 each; 'AT 1; Dm g by weapon type; MV
60 ' (20'); Save F l ; Mt 12; At C; XP 10; RC 204 . Lik e the zom bies listed previously, these creatures roa m in a pack and will always be encountered toge ther rather
than individua lly.
20: Giant black widow spider : AC 6; HD 3 +; hp 15; , AT 1 bite; Dmg 212 pl us
poiso n; M Y 60 ' (20'), in web 120 ' (40' ); Save F2 ; ML 8; AL N; XP 60 ; RC 206 . Th is
spide r was once a pet ofthe abbey's ove rlord. It escaped fro m its wooden cage
when the abbey burned , and now it roams the island in search of prey. Th e sp ider
is always hungry and is a n aggressive hunter. If t he black widow spider is k illed,
t reat this result as no enco u nte r.

DUNGEON

29

ISLE OF THE ABBEY

The Sur-vivors
Abbey Isle is not un inhabited. A few of
the abbey's clerics and gu ards managed
to su rv ive the pirate attack and now
live a spartan life in th e ruins . Th ey
h ave made rough accommodations for

themsel ves in the abbey's cellars. The

abbey's vegetabl e garden and a few
k egs of corned beef and salted pork al so
survived the pirate attack. The survivors fish from the lower cliffs a nd raise
bu ckets of sea wa ter up the cliffs by
rope . By ca st ing purify food and water
spe lls on the se a water, the abbey's

cleri cs create enoug h water for their

drinking, cooking, washing, and gardening needs.
Unfortunately for the surv ivors, they
ha ve no boat and no means of building
one. The island's few stun ted trees and
gnarled bushes are incapable of supplying the wood for even a crude ca noe or
raft. The survi vors ha ve no control over
the unde ad of the Skull Dunes and
would have to fight the ir way through
the ske leto ns to launch a boat (t hey are
unaware of the path made by the pirates). They are effectively trapped on
the island wh ile every one else is kept off.
The survivors keep a very low pr ofile.
Th ey stay close to the ruins of th e abbey
and k eep out of sigh t of paea ing boats.
They do not hail boats or shi ps or light
signal fir es. Trapped on the island since
the pira te attack, they are unaware
that the pirate s have been destroyed.
Th ey are therefore very hesitant to
make t hei r presence kn own for fear the
pirates will return a nd finish t he m off.
While th e survivors desperately want
to lea ve the island, their su per iors
would not approve of their abandoning
the island to the mariners. Both the
clerics and the survivi ng guards would
be se vere ly punished (the death penalty
or worse) if they left the property th ey
are re sponsible for. For this re a son, th ey
will attempt to capture or kill anyon e
coming to t he island and take their boat
through treachery or force of arms. If
any PC s are ca ptu red , they are kept
alive onl y if they can be used in negotiations to extract a ransom. Ransom demands are lik el y to inclu de a boat or at
least transportation to the mainland.
Th e surv ivors ' main goal is to se nd
word to their supe riors wh ile still ret a ining poeeession of the isl and. In this
way they hope to receive reinforcements, labo rers, and material for r ebuilding the abbey. Th ey keep watch on

30 Issue No. 34

the Skull Dunes during the day, but t he

giant spider and the roaming undead
(see the " Abbey Is le Wandering Monsters" sidebar) ofte n force the lookouts
to retreat to the cellars below the ruined abbey. Th erefor e, there is a 50%
ch ance of la nding unseen at the Skull
Du ne s during the day. The survivors do
not keep watch at ni ght out of fear of
the spider and undead. The PCs have a
100 % chance oflanding u nseen at
ni ght. The PCs can st ill be heard at
ni ght if they make a great deal of noise
fighting the sk eletons in th e dunes.
The survivors ma y be above ground
getting water, fishing, or gar dening
during the day, or they may be in area 2
of the ruins. At ni ght they stay in th eir
rooms. Th e survi vors a re :
O zyma ndia s: AC 6; C4; hp 14; I AT 1;
Dmg by spell or weapon type; MV 120'
(40 '); Save C4 ; ML 9; AL C; XP 175;
leather armor + 1; war hammer; spells :
cu re light wounds, light, hold pe rson.
Ozymandias barely survived the bettle with the pirates becau se he attempt.
ed to rescue importan t books a nd scrolls
from the burning ab bey, and a collepeing hall closed a doorw ay behind hi m.
He wa s forced to aba ndon the written
works, and he escaped onl y after a wall
collapsed and freed h im.
Tech nica lly, Ozym a nd ias is now the
" H ig h On e " and the lead er of the survivors . He is a capable administrator, but
he does not inspire loya lty or trust in
those under him. Underlings obey him
because of th e h ier arc h ical structur e of
th e abbey 's chain of comma nd, not beca use he shows a ny strong lea dership. If
attacked, he defends h imself to the best
of h is abil ities. If the PC s attem pt to
negotiate, Ozymandias is t reacherous
a nd unlikely to keep a ny agreem ent
(except at sword poin t). He wan ts to
se nd word of the abbey 's destructi on to
the mainland, and he hope s to hold the
island until help arrives.
Ow mend tee wears a specia l medallion that allows safe pa ssage pa st the
undead guardians of th e Winding Way
(the tunnels below the abbey ruin). Th e
medallion is a gold disk inscribed with
com plex geometric designs worth 30 gp o
It is not ma gical, but und ead of the
Winding Way recognize it and allow
a nyone pceseeeing the med allion to pass
safely (u nless the undead are at tacked).
Only the u ndead guardians recognize
the medall ion , and it cannot be used for
safe pa ss age past traps or ot her gu a rdians in the Winding Way or for protec -

t ion from a ny ot he r undead on or off the

island. The undead will not obey orders
from th e person wearing the medallion.
In addition, the medallion protects only
the person weari ng it .
As the high est -ranking cleric left on
the island, Ozymandia s has inh eri ted
the medallion as a sy m bol of th e faith,
but he doesn't kn ow about its powers or
a bout th e dangers of the Winding Way.
His supe rior s cons idered him too insig nifi cant to trust with such information.
O di u m: AC 8; MU5 ; hp 12; IAT 1;
Dmg by spell or weapon type; MV 120 '
(40 '); Sav e MU5; ML 8; AL C; XP 550 ,
ring ofprotection + I, d agger'" 1..spells ;
m ag ic missile, shie ld , m irror image,
web, d ispel m agic.
Odium was visiting the abbey on
bu sine ss wh en the pirates a ttacked. He
is no coward and ga ve a good accoun t of
h imse lf duri ng the battle, though he
survived by sheer cha nce. He ran
throug h t he bur n ing building to save
h is spell book and ot her valuables. As
t he flames mounted, Odium wa s forced
to retreat to t he cella rs with h is rescu ed
goode .
He is a grumbler and an noys everyone
with hi s consta nt griping . Odium and
Ozymandias dislike each other intensely. If one gets into trouble, th e
other will do ab solutel y nothing to help.
Odium has bu siness elsew he re and
desperately wants to leave t he island
a nd get on with h is life. If PC s do not
a ttack Odium immediately, they may be
able to strik e a deal with h im . His pr imary dem and is to get off the is land. He
will dr aw the PCs a rough map of th e
a bbey ruins for 200 gp a nd safe passage
off th e is la nd . Ilf this occurs, t he DM
need on ly dr aw PC s a rough map of t he
cellars without incl udi ng th e Winding
Way.) Odium will refuse to j oin the PCs
in a fight a gai ns t t he other survivors .
B ayl e af: AC 3; E 3; hp 12; I AT 1; Dmg
by spell or weapon type; MV 120 ' (40');
Save E3 ; ML9; AL N; 117, W 16; XP
80; chai n ma il, shield + 1, sword, dagger, eloen boots; spells: ch arm person,
sleep, phantasmal force.
Bayleaf is a mercenary who wor ks for
the high est bidder. He was h ired by t he
ab bey as a training instructor for t he
gu ards . If PC s do not a ttac k him immediately, negotiat ion is possible. Bayleaf
can be bough t off for 500 gp and safe
passage off the island. He will not draw
a map for th e PC s or help th em attack
hi s fonner em ployers, but he will tell
them there are treasure- filled tunnels

ISLE OF THE ABBEY

beneat h t he abbey. If pressed, Bayleaf

admits on ly that the treasure is guarded (true) and claims it is worth 10,00 0
gp (false).
Bayl eaf survived t he battle wit h the
pirates by m aking t hem t hink he had
jumped to his doom from t he cliffs. In
fact , he stood at the edge of t he cliff a nd
ceet hi s phantasmal force spell to make
it appear he had ju mped to hi s death. If
cornered by t he PCs, Bayleafwill use
t his ruse or somethi ng simi lar again.
Bayleafis an excellent swords man
a nd a n above-average tactician in small
skirmishes. Ozy mandias h as placed him
in charge of defending the cellars. If
Bay leaf is captu red, killed, or br ibed,
defense of t he cellars becomes a hectic,
haphazard affair.
Ogmund th e Strong: AC 4 ; F3 ; h p
14; 'AT 1; Dm g by weapon type; MV
120' (40'); Save F3; ML 11; AL C; 17. S
17; XP 35; chain m ail. shield. swor d.
dagger.
Ogmun d is a h uge, st upid. meansp irited fighter. In battle he is awesome,
wie lding his swo rd untiringly. Du ri ng
t he battle with the pirates, a blow fro m
a wa r ha m mer knocked him u nconscious. He was left for dead and later
was dr agged to sa fety by clerics r etreating to the cellars. He is embarrassed
that he did not die in t he battle and will
not make this mistake tw ice .
There is no negotiating with Ogmund.
H is dema nd s are simple: surrender or
fight. As a tactician. Ogmund is wholly
wanting. He is like ly to overlook t he
simplest of ambushes, and his only
offensive tactic is a headlon g frontal
attack. Ogmund feels h e should be in
charge of defense and resents the presence of Bay lea f. He will gladly lea ve the
elf in the lu rch should the chance arise.
Cle rics (4): AC 6; C3. C2 ()( 2). Cl; hp
11. 7()(2). 4; IAT 1; Dm gby spell or
weapo n type; MV 120 ' (40 ')j Save C3 , C2
()( 2), cr. ML 5; AL C; XP 50, 25 ()( 2).
10 ; leather armor, shield, mace; spells:
(C3) cure light uounds. light; (C2, I U
cure light wounds; fC2, 12) purify food
and water.
These re mn ants of the a bbey's clerics
a re not a particularly spirited lot. After
t he devastati ng loss to the pirates, they
are not eager to join ba ttle with anyone.
These low-level clerks and h elpers survived the battle and burn ing of the
abbey by hiding in the cellars. Although
t he heat, smoke. and lack of fresh a ir
might have killed t he clerics in a wellsealed room, the cellars of the abbey are

ABBEY RUINS
N

1 aqua re 10'

Up to area I

f*~-+-++-++=+---+-~*
2

I ..
I ;.;.o.;.':-~"' -+-+--1H-1
A

12

riddled with small r at pass ages and

ventilation shafts t hat pu lled air in
fro m t he outside, drawi ng t he heat a nd
smoke upward a nd permitting t he clerics and their guards to survive the
names.
Th e clerics perform those functions
needed for the survival of the group.
They figh t on ly if a bsolutely necessary
and will surrender at the first oppoetun ity if a ny fight turns against the m . If
questi oned, t hey kn ow very littl e about
t he is la nd and t he ab bey.
G uards (3): AC 5; F3, F l ()( 2); hp 12.
5 ()( 2); tAT t : Dm g by weapon ty pe;

MY 120' (40 ')j Save F3. F l ( x 2); ML 10;

AL N; XP 35, 10 ()( 2); chain mail, short
sword, dagger.
Th ese disciplined wa rriors are the last
of the abbey guard. All three were
dyi ng of their wounds wh en they were
found a nd h ea led by the cle rics. Ozymandias has ordered them to obey Bayleaf, but they prefer Ogmund as leader
because he is one of the m and not a
hi red sword. They will figh t to the
dea th to save t he clerics. If the cle rics
surrender, the guards' morale is lowered
to 5 .

DUNGEON

31

ISLE OF THE ABBEY

The Abbey Ruin s
The pira te attack on the abbey came as
a complete surprise to the clerics, since
the pirates a nd clerics were in leagu e
with each other. The pirates fenced
much of t hei r booty through the clerics,
who shipped the goods to distant te rnpIes wher e they could be sold wit hout
being recognized as sto len mercha ndise.
Th e Abbey Isl e cle rics ofte n che ated
the pira te s on t hese clandestine deals.
Th e pirate s grumbl ed and mad e threats
about the poor treat ment they received ,
but t hey did little to alter the arrang ements. Thus, while t he two gr oups had
their differences, t he cleri cs did not
thi n k t he pirates would attack . The
clerics were confide nt that , even if t he
pirates did attack. they could not cernm and enough forc e to break t hrough the
Skull Dunes defenses.
Unfortunately for the clerics, th e
pir ate s did have enough manpower to
bre ak th rough, barely. After th eir losses
in the Skull Dunes, the pira tes were in
such a vengeful mood that they immediately set fire to the a bbey. The battle for
the lit tle isla nd was foug ht in the glow
of t he burnin g bu ild ing.
Because th e structure was aflame, the
pirates never ha d a chance to loot the
build ing or find the cellars. Th e air
pulled up into the fire from the cellars
guaranteed a hot, steady burn, and as
the naming structure collapsed, it buri ed
the cellar entrance in smoking debris.
After the battle , the pirates ga the re d
wha t loot they could and abandoned th e
smoking ruins . unaware they were
leaving survivors behin d. When t he
smolderi ng wrec kage cooled, the eurvtvors forced their way ou t through the
rubble.

1. Rubble and Cella r Entrance.

All t hat remains of th e abbey is a
great square of sto nes filled with
burned and bl ackened rubble. However. as you a pproach t he 800ty
atones , it is obvious someone has
been sorting t hrough the deb ris.
Assorted oddmen t s a re piled inside
t he scorched square of the foundation
stones. Rui ned cook ing u te nsils,
crushe d pots a nd pans, ma ngled
kettles, and less ident ifiable metal
objects lie in one pile. Broken crockery, platte r s, plate s, porcelain. a nd
potte ry are hea ped in another. A
great deal of wood has been sorted

32 Issue No. 34

in to one large mound of badly burned

scraps. In the center of t he ruins is
a n opening, and as you move ne arer.
you see a atone staircase leading
down into darkness.
If t he PCs investigate the piles of
rubbish . they find not hi ng of value. Th e
su rvi vors ha ve sorted through t he r ema ins of the abbey. and all va luable or
usabl e objects ha ve bee n removed . The
pile of charcoal is used as smokeless
fuel for cooking and heating. The stairs
are fir e-black ened and lead down to a
badl y charred door, which can be forced
as a stuck door (Re. pa ge 9).
If PCs are unabl e to force a way into
the cellars, they may return to the
lighthouse and as k the Major for help.
He gives t he following ad vice: " If there
are survivors who won't come out of t he
ruins . take a load of green wood to the
isla nd a nd smoke them out ." (This won't
work beca use smoke r ises out of th e
cellars). Ot her a dvice from the Major is:
" Negoti ate, and give safe passage to
a nyone who wa nts to leave the island."
Experien ce points should be awarded
for clearing t he isla nd of survivors by
negoti at ion beca use this accomplishes
t he PCs' goal.
2. Main Area.

This appears to be a combi nation

di ning hall and recreation area. The
room reeks of greasy, soured food.
The main feature of the room is a
large makesh ift table made of two
bad ly burned pla nks placed side by
side and su pported at either end by
u p-ended. barrels. Beneat h the table
are seve ral small empty kegs that
serve as chair s. The table is not very
clean; scra ps of food are strewn
across the planks and on th e floor
nearby. Scattered about t he room are
sma ller mak esh ift tables. Several
ha ve dice, cards, or other ga ming
tokens on the m.
Th is is t he dining a nd recreation area
for the survivors . The re is a standing
argument between t he guards and eler ics over who sh ould keep th e area clean.
As a re sult , no one is willing to clea n
t he place . There is not hi ng of va lue in
t he room.
If t he PCs attack, th e pri ncipal fight.
in g will ha ppen here. Ogm und se ldom
sleeps in hi s quarters (area 4) a nd often

spe nds hi s ti me here. dicing wit h his

fellows. Ther e is a 75% chance offinding Ogmund here at a ny t im e of t he day
or nig ht gambli ng with one guard and
one cleri c. There is only a 25% chance
that each of t he followin g is her e: Ozymandias, Odium, Bayle af, an othe r
guard, anothe r cleric. If an attack occu rs, Ogm und gives a tremendc ue war
cry that rouses everyone in the cellars.
3. Kitchen.
Thi s seems to be th e survivor '.
kitch en. A large cauldro n filled with
smoldering charcoal burns in the
center of the room . Plate s, cutl ery,
cups , kettl es, pots, pa ns, a nd other
assorted cookware are stored on the
floor a nd on she lves. One she lf holds
several bottles of spices and eeesonings, such as salt , pepper, and -re.
There is also a n orn ate ecrcl! tube on
t he she lf. The room is fa ir ly clean ,
bu t t he air is hu mid and greasy. A
large tub of dirty water standa in the
cor ner, surrounded by a gr ea t numbe r of dirty dishes.
Th e large cauldro n was or igin ally
used in the abbey laundry. The eurvi.
vors rescued it from the ruins and now
use it as a rue pit for cooki ng. Meals
prepared. her e consist primarily of
boiled vegetables a nd fried meats . If the
PCs search. they fin d little of value
except t hree large butch er kni ves (treat
as da ggers). The scr oll tube on th e spice
shelf is worth 10 gp but contaiIlA only a
scroll of simple recipes.

4. Ogmund'8 Quarters.
This chamber ree ks of wine. Small
kegs are scattered every whe re . A
floor to ceiling win e ra ck filled with
bottles dominate s t he sout he rn wan .
A crudely made pa llet of ra ga and
sa cks covers t he cente r of t he room.
The old wine cella r serves as
Ogmund's private qu arters . U the PC.
in vestigate. t hey fin d t hat all t he kega
a nd every single bottle in the wine ra ck
is empty. There is littl e for th e surv ivors
to do, 80 t hey have slowly consumed th e
wine. All the sma ller empty wine keg_
have been removed an d now serve u
chairs in the ma in room (area 2). If th e
PCs search Ogmund's pallet, t hey find a
pouch conta ini ng 25 gp and a dagg~r
+ I . A search of t he large wine cuk.

ISLE OF THEABBEV

reveals one that contains a sui t of leat her armor, a short sword , and a pair of
good quality boots . Th e wine r ack holds
nothi ng but empty bottles.

6. Barracks.
Three crude pallets lie on the floor.
a nd a large iron kettle st ands in the
cen ter of th e chamber. In the northeast corn er is a jumbled pile of broken lumber.
If PCs in vesti gate the pallets, they
find nothing but rags st uffed into flour
sac ks to make crude mattresse s. Th e
kettle contains only as h a nd ch arc oal
burned for heat. The lumber in the
corner fuels th e kettle. If the PCs searc h
t hro ugh the lumber. they find the
guards ' weapon hoard hidd en behind it :
five spears, a short bow and quiver of 20
arro ws, two short swords, three da ggers,
two shields, and one man-sized.suit of
leather armor. The PCs may use this
equipment or sell it for t he prices listed
on pages 62 and 67 of t he Re.
6. Meditation Room.
This room ha s bee n cleared of all
debris a nd scrubbed clean. Three
wa lls are hea vily curtain ed with
dr aperies of t hick black velvet , an d
the eastern wa ll is decorated wit h a
horrible mural dep ict ing a red dr agon devouring shee p. Near t he western wa ll is a stone table on whic h a
large iron br azier burns. The tabl e
has been scrubbed a nd scour ed , but it
has ma ny odd discolora tions and
scorch mar ks. A half-melted stat ue
a nd two badly damaged candlestic ks
sit bes ide the br azier.
Thi s was a med itation and study room
before the abbey burned. The cler ics
st ill perfo rm what few rites a nd cere monies they can given th e circumstancesthe furnishings have all bee n sa lvaged
from t he rubble . Th e t abl e, which was
discolored by t he fire and heat, serves
as the cere monial platform where in cense is burned a nd wher e larger sacri fices are made by burning rich, costly
items in t he brazier. The candlesticks
are gold but are 80 dam aged tha t t hey
a re now worth only 5 gp each. The
stat ue is vaguely human oid but was
partially melted by the hea t . It is solid
silver and worth 20 gpo Unfortunately,
the r ich, black velvet curtains a re old,

mild ewed, a nd rottin g. PCs may sew the

material into bags or sacks, but the
velvet is worthless and cannot be sold.
Hidden behind the curtains on th e
southe rn wall is th e door to the Wind ingWay.
7. Ozymandias's Quarters.
This room is full of kegs, bags, and
boxes. There is a rough cot in one
corn er and a great deal of clutter
everyw her e. Except for th e cot, thi s
ap pears to be nothing more than a
disor ganized storage room.
The room is Ozyman d ias's bedroom ,
office , and storeroom. If PCs search the
jumbled mess, th ey find a few kegs of
corned beef a nd pork ; bags of bea ns,
rice, a nd flour ; and a cou ple of boxes of
fresh vegetables from the abbey's garden . The y also find gardeni ng tools; a
keg of nails; a box of carpe ntry tools
(saws, hammers, plan es, etc .); three
lanterns; 10 flask s of oil; t wo 50 ' coils of
rope ; 20 torches; and two 10' wooden
poles. Und er t he ru stic cot are two poti ons of healing in crystal decan ters.
The decante rs are worth 20 gp each.

8. Bayleaf's Quarters.
This a ppears to have been a n armory.
There are empty racks for holding
spea rs and swords, a nd severa l empty bins a nd shelves. On the floor is a
bedroll of three blankets next to a
pair of shiny leather boots.
The armory of the cleri cs and th e
ab bey guards is now devoid of arms and
armor. Weapon s th at survived the battle
with the pirates are scattered a mong
th e survivors and hidden in a new armory (see ar ea 6). Bayleaf now uses the
old armory as his pri vate quarters.
If the PCs search the bedroll, t hey
find a small pouch containing 15 gpo
Hidden under some rags in a n empty
a rr ow bin is Bayleafs spell book. In
addition to the spells he has memorized,
th e book contains read languOBes, read
magi.c, a nd locate object. Th e boots are
Bayl eafs extra pa ir. Hidden in the toe
or t he right boot is a silver med allion
worth 20 gpo If th e PCs mak e a deal
with Beyleaf he will ta ke th e coin
pouch, spell book, boots , and silver
med alli on with him whe n he leaves t he
isla nd.

DUNGEON

33

ISLE OF TH EABBEY

9. Odium's Quarters.
This room contains small statues a nd
figurines. The re are statues of dogs
and horses, mon ks a nd pil grims,
footmen a nd k nights on h or seb ack ,
a nd se veral garde n gnomes. All the
statues are fro m 1'-3 ' t all . Sta nding
agains t the northern wall are two
life-size statues. On e is a ro bed eke le ton holding a large scythe, and the
othe r is a medusa . On the floor directly in fr ont of these st a tues is a
pallet of se veral blan kets.

Odi u m now li ves in this storage area.

IC PC s inspect t he small statues a nd

figu rines, they discover th at they are a ll

badly made of glaze d clay. The two lar ge
statues are made of sto ne, and each
et a nda on a large square base. They
were used as scarec rows in the garde n.
However, the isla nd's birds were soon no
longer fri ghtened by t hem a nd began

roost ing on the figures, 80 they were

re moved to t he cellars. Bit s of old birds'
nests ca n st ill be found in the medusa's
snaky ha ir and between t he skeleton's
rib s. Th e PC s ma y remove t he statuary
th ey wish. Th e mariner's guild will

charge a sti ff fee for tra nsporting them ,

and the PC s will soon di scover that no
one wa nts to bu y a n ug ly statue of
Death or a medus a .
IfPCs move the medusa stat ue, t hey
discover th at the ba se is hollow. Od ium
has placed h is spell book , a pouch contain ing 40 gpoa nd a scroll with t he spe ll
ventriloquis m in t he em pty space. In
additi on to the spells Odium ha s memorized, the spell book con tain s read magic. detect m agic, a nd knock. If t he PC s
m ake a dea l with Odi um, he tak es these
treasur es with him , and t he PCs find
nothin g in the statue's base .

Winding Way Tra ps

10. Clerics' Qua rters.

Trapped areas in the Winding Way (areas 11-14) are denoted by letters.

Th e cold ai r in th is room ha s the dry,

papery sme ll of a library. Th er e are
se ver al large book ca se s agains t t he
wa lls a nd a h igh chair and scr ibes'
desk to the r igh t of the door. The
bookcases are loaded with books,
to mes, an d scrolls. Four bedrolls are
stacked ne atly in the corne r.

A. Trip Wire . Th is is a taut wire stretc hed ac ross the corridor. When any PCs
are within 10' of the t rip wire. r oll Id20 for each PC ; the PC sees the wire on a
roll of 19 or 20 . Th e PCs can easily defeat t hese t raps by simply stepping over the
wire or by tripping the wire from a safe dist ance with 1'1 pole or other object .
Trippi ng the wire or sna ggi ng a foot in it immediately releases a large stone
directly overhead. doing 16 hp damage to anyo ne below who fails a sa ving throw
vs. wa nds. A success ful saving throw means the PC has jumped or r olled out of
the wa y of the falling stone . Onc e a wire is tripped, that trap is safe until reset.
B. Open pit a n d illusi on. This is an open 6 ' x 6' x 10' pit. Any PC falling into
the pit takes 1-6 h p damage. Th e pit is covered by an illusion (a permanent phantasmal force spell! of sol id floor. PCs can di scover the illusion by a detect magic
spell , by probing ahead with a pole or ot her object, or by fa lling into the p it . A
detect magic spell will show only that a 6 ' x 6' area of the floor radiates magic. It
doe s not dispel the ill usion . A detect in visible spell is ineffective because the pit is
merely hidden, n ot invisible.
C. Pit traps . This 6 ' x 6 ' x 10' pit is covered by a trapdoor painted to look li ke
the surrou nding floor. The t rapdoor gives way when a weight greater tha n 50 Ibs .
is placed upo n it , du mpin g the pc. object, or mon ster into the pit. The fall does 1-6
hp damage, and t he trapdoor swings shut automatically one round after opening.
These traps ca n be defeated by probing ahead with a pole or heavy object. If a
knock spell is used within range of the se pit traps, the trapdoors open for one
round and reveal the tra p's location.
D. False door with over head block. This is a very sim ple tra p. When a nyo ne
attempts to open the door by puah ing or pulling on it even slightly, a stone block
above the door falls and does 16 hp damage to a nyone beneath. The PC mu st
ma ke a saving throw va. wands to jump out of the way of th e fa lling block . Once
th e block has fallen, the trap is ueeleee until reset.
E . Do o r w ith Crossbow, This door is wired to a crossbow placed in a niche at
an angle to t he door (see the Wi nding Way map). When the door is opened to an
angle of 45 ' or more. the crossbow fires into the opening. Anyone in t he line of
fire takes 1-6 hp da ma ge from t he quarrel. The cro ssbow is 4' otTthe ground and
may fire over the heads of halflings and dwarves. Anyone standing behind the
shorter folk will be str uck. If the door is pu sh ed open with a pole or other object.
the quarrel ricochets ha rmlessly off the wa ll. Once fired , the crossbow is ueeleea
until reset. The cro ssbow is permanently bolted in place ; a ny attempt to remove
one for sa le or use by PCs may damage the bow and render it use les s (DM's
di scretion).

341ssuo No. 34

Th e four lower-level clerics ma ke this

roo m their hom e. Th ey do not heat the
room for fear of se tting the paper alight.
The bedrolls are made of bla nk ets a nd
hold nothin g of interest or value. If the
PC s search t he desk, t hey find two vials
of r are ink worth 25 gp each. A careful
search through the books and scro lls in
the bookcases will reveal t wo clerical
spel l scrolls; light and bless. Th e major ity of the books a nd scrolls are merely
abbey bookkeepi ng and of no interest to
t he PC s. However, one se t of five books
is of a more sinister n atu re.
Th ese five to mes ha ve old, fragile
pages a nd are bound in t h ick , cracked
black leather trimmed in copper. If the
PC s exa mine them . t hey discove r t he
a ncie nt books give procedures a nd details for a number of evil ri tes a nd ceremon ies. Th e books m ake grim a nd
ha rrowin g readi ng for any PC not be nt
to ward evi l.
If the PC party destroys t he books,
give each party member a 100 XP bonu s. If Lawful PCs keep and se ll the
Chaotic books, each party member is
penalized 100 XP, and t he 50 gp sale
va lue of the books is ded uct ed from the
party's total experience points.
The Win di ng Way
Wh en t he ab bey was constructed, these
meande ring t unnels wer e dug beneath

ISLEOF THE ABBEY

it for trea sure sto r age. Only the abbot

wa s privy to a ll the Way's secreta , and
he died in the fire . The t u nne ls are well
made, with smoot h walls, floors, and
ceili ngs 10' overh ead. The Winding Way
contains an abundance of traps a nd
guardians to pr otect the abbey's trea sure. Traps in t he Winding Way are
den oted by letters . When the PCs en ter
a trapped area , cons u lt the "Winding
Way Traps" sidebar.
The Windin g Way contains only two
type s of guardians: living statues and
undead (for ease of reference. those OMs
using the new D&D set may wish to
change the crystal and iro n living
statues to wood a nd hone golems re spec tivel y), Use the following statistics
when any of these guardians are
encou nte red :
Living crystal statue: AC 4; HD 3;
IAT 2; Dmg 1-6/1-6; MV 90 ' (30 '); Save
F3; ML 11; AL L; XP 35 ; RC 208.
Living iron statue: AC 2; HD 4 ;
I AT 2; Dmg 1811-8 plus special; MV 30'
(10'); Save F4; ML 11 ; AL N; XP 125;
RC 208.
Skeleton: AC 7; UD 1; I AT 1; Dmg by
wea pon type; MV 60' (20'); Sa ve Fl ; ML
12; AL C; XP 10; RC 204 . If turned,
these undead stay away from t he turning cleric for 110 rounds.
Zombie: AC 8; UD 2; 'AT 1 claw or 1
weapon; Dmg 18 or by weapo n type;
MV 90' (30 '); Save Fl ; ML 12; AL C; XP
20 ; RC 213. If turned, the zomb ies stay
aw ay for 110 rounds (as above).
If the PCs are u nable to pen etrate t he
maze of the Windin g Way and ask the
Major 's advic e, he states simply: "Seal
it off lad s. No t re asure's worth your
life ." If pr essed, he will continue:
"Magie-uaera and thieves are valuable
in such labyrinths. Use spellcr aft and
t h ief abilities rather than pu re force :'
Th e Major has no inkling that a meda llion exists that allows ea sy passage pas t
the undead.

11. Entrance Guardroom.

You hav e found a short tunnel beyond t he drapes, an ent rance to hid den pa ssages, it see ms. The tunnel
ai r is stale and stuffy, but not foul.
After 20', the t u nne l widens into a n
u nfurnish ed and undecorated
30 ' x 30 ' chambe r. Standi ng across
the center of the room are five
ghostly wh ite ske letons , each with a

short sword in its bony hand. Five

corpeelike figures sta nd shoulder to
shoulder, guarding a door in the
easte rn wall. Their faces have been
pa inted in gruesom e colors.
Unless a PC is wearing Ozymandias'
med allion (see "The Survivors" ), the
skeletona Ih p 5 ea ch) a nd zo mbies fhp
9 each) move forward immediately to
attack an yone entering the area. The
undead attack until they are destroyed
or the intruders hav e been driven aw ay.
They pursue intruders throughout the
tunnels but do not lea ve the Winding
Way. Once intruders h ave been killed or
driven ba ck through the door of th e
room , the undead return to their original positions.
The clerics pa inted th e zombies' faces
to give them a h orrible and mor e fear some appearance, alt hough the re sult in
some cases is to make them look lik e
undead clowns. The paint jobs are su pposed to be death masks: the face is
pa inted stark white a nd the lip s, nose,
and eyes are painted coa l black .
12. Hallway Guardroom.
The hallway widens out su ddenly
in to a bare SO' x 50 ' cha mber. Stand.
ing close to the southern wall are tw o
ranks of undead, five sk eleto ns in the
front rank and five corpee li ke figures
in the second. Sta nding d irectly in
the exit in the sout he rn wall, effectivel y blocking it, is a large crystal
statue of a minotaur.
The behavior and battle tactics of the
skeletons (hp 5 each) and the zo mbies
(hp 9 eac h) are th e same as for those in
area 11, Th e minotaur sta tue blocking
th e sou the rn exit is a Uving crystal
statue Ih p 14). It does n ot move until
the undead hav e been turned or ha ve
joi ned battle with the intruders . The
sta tue then attacks the nearest treepa sser. Lik e the u ndead, the sta t ue
a ttacks until all intruders ha ve been
killed or driven from the complex. Th e
statue does not pursue beyond area 11
and returns to its origin al position once
intrude rs hav e been dealt with. Th e
command words ("Thur us movere ") used
to byp ass the statue safely were lost in
the destruction of the abbey.
13. False Treasure Room. After th e
tw isting corridor, the PCs come to a

large iron-bound wooden door t hat is

both locked and trapped. If the tr ap is
not removed, an y attempt at ope ning
t he door ca uses a large vial of poisonous
gas to drop from the ceilin g a nd sh atte r
on the floor directly before th e doorway.
Th e gas immed ia tel y fill s a 10' x 10'
a rea for one full turn. When it dissi pates, it lea ves a n incred ible stench.
An yone caug ht in the gas must save
ve. poison or take 2-8 hp damage from
the foul air. After th e trap has been
removed or the gas cloud h as dissipated,
the PCs ma y open th e door by pick ing
the lock, by cas ting a k nock spell, or by
battering the door open. The door is
treated as an AC 9 target with a ttack ers receiving a + 2 bcnus on to-hit r olls.
Th e door takes 15 hp dama ge before
opening.
Th e large chamber before you is
unfurnished and undecorated .
Ches ts, urns, and a large strong box
stand in alcoves placed uniformly
along th e walls. Som e chests are
open, and you Bee jewelry and coins
spill ing out. Colored fla shes of ligh t
sparkl e with the promise of ge ms and
jewels. In th e very center of the room
is a crystalline statue of a beautiful
elf maiden.
Th e stat ue is a li vi n g crystal statue
(hp 14). If the PCs eit her attack t he
st atue or touch a chest , a n urn, or th e
st ron gbox, it attacks a nd pursu es them
ceaseless ly until it is eith er destroyed or
the PCs are driven from the Winding
Way. It will not pursue beyond ar ea I I.
If the PCs in vestigate the treasure
chests and urns, they find the treasure
is worth less than it see med . Goldpa inted wooden coins , iron rings pa inted silver, and bits of colored glass fill
the chests a nd urns.
The st rong box is trap ped and locked .
An yone attempting to pick t he lock
without first disanning the trap is
jabbed by a poisoned needl e . The poison
affects the nervo us system an d causes a
severe loss of muscular contro l. Any PC
jabbed must save vs. poison or his Dexterity is redu ced by -5 (to a min imum
of 3) for 110 day s. Th e stro ngbox contains nothing but old r ags, bits of metal,
and a small piece of pa per wit h the
message: " Dea r t h ief; A lot of work for
nothing, was n't it ." Directly behind t he
strongbox is the secret door to t he re al
treasure room.

DUNGEON

35

ISLE OF THE ABBEY

14. 'J'noas ure R oom.

This roo m i.I a large square whose

,ili og is held u p by two massive

gray gr anite pillars. The wa lla. floor.

and ceiling appear to be made of
shi ny bl a ck iron, a nd there are sev-

era l bags, ebe ete. and urns scattered

about the room. As you look about.
you notice a shi m me ri ng in the a ir,
as if you are look in g through t he
heat ri sing from a campfire. Sudden-

ly, the shimmering passes between

yo u and one of the pill ars and you
ca n te ll wha t it is-a hum a noid form

mad e of t he sa me iron

8S

t he walla.

Th e walla of t he chamber are cloaked

by a permanent phantasmal foree spell.
This illusion makes them appear to be
made of shi ny, black iron and also
mak es it difficult to see the room's
gu ardian. a li ving iron st a tue (hp 19 ),
which surprises on 1-3 on Id6. It imme -

diately attacks an yone entering th e

room who fail s to gi ve the proper passwords (" Mortem cb ire ex m ach in a " ).
The stat ue is of basic h uma noid form
but bas been const ructed purely as a
fighting machine . The head is a smooth ,

featureless iron ball . The tono is sho rt

a nd broad, wh ile the legs are thick and
st um py. The a rms of t he stat ue are its
weapons. The ri ght ann, from elbow to
t ip, is a razor-sh arp sword blade U.s hp
damage). The len ann appears no rmal
fro m sho u lde r to wrist_ Howev er, t he
arm does not end in a hand but in an
iro n hall (1-8 hp damage).
lfthe PC s ove rcome the stat ue and
se arch the bags, chests, and urns , they
find a tota l of 1,500 gp in mixed coins
(pr ima rily silver pieces). Another 1,000
gp in gems and jewelry ca n be found in
the urns. A la rge ches t (locked but not
t rapped) in the n orthwest corner con tains five bolts of rare silk worth 100 gp
each, two pot ions of healing, a scroll
con taini ng the spell CU N' lig ht WQ unds ,
and a jeweled sheat h for a dagger
(wort h 50 gp ).

Concludi ng the Ad venture

If the party is unable to find or make a
path through the Sku ll Dunes, they
receive nothing from the mariners other
than the return of de pceite on borrowed
eq ui pme nt . If t he PC s dear or find a
path through the Sk ull Dunes but a re

unable to dear the island of the eu rviving deri cs , they receive a l OQ-gp reward
fro m the m ariners' guild. PC s are give n
the fu ll boun ty if they dear a path
th ro ug h the Sk ull Dunes and k ill , deport, or ca pture the survi vors of the
abbey. Captured survi vors are held by
t he mariners' guild until construction of
the lighthouse is well underway before
they are released.
If the PC s complain about low pay,
Majo r Ursa ca n remind them they were
hired to perform a specific service, a nd
payment ca n and will be withheld until
the island has been cleared.
Once the marine rs take control of t he
island , it is u nli ke ly that t he evil cult
that built the abbey will try to retake it .
1b do 80 wou ld require bringi ng troops
through host ile waters (the area a round
the island is cont rolled by the mariners)
to attack the island. This requires a
m uch larger force than they are capable
of musteri ng at present. However, the
cu lt will not forget about the is land or
t he PCa.. Thus, those OMs wishing to
place t his modu le in the context of a
larger ca mpaign ca n use the a rea and
cult 88 a source of future confli ct and
adventure.
0

OlllG
IPOl.
Before you take another bite, think about the fact that a diet high in choleste rol and fat can load
your blood with choles terol. which raises your cha nce of heart attack. In fact. more Americans
may die by the fork than by any other weapon.

V Amerlcan Hearl Association v.rnE FIGHTING Fal\ClUl UFE

36 Issue No. 34

Ann has turned her love of role-playing

games into a full-time career as a
freelance writer. Her accomplishments to
date include the GURPS@ Old West
supplement for Steve Jackson Games
and PC4 Night Howlers for TSR, Inc.
(Anyone wanna be a werewolf?) She
borrows a lot of adventure ideas from
her husband, Paul, who is also her
number-one play tester. This is Ann's
second appearance in DUNGEON@
Adventures.
"The Fountain ofHealth" is dedicated
to the memory ofJohn W Brown II
(a.k.a. Rambling, the halfling hero with
an attitude), who never got a chance to
playtest this one.
"The Fountain of Health" is a D&D@
adventure for 4-6 1st-level player characters (about 5 total levels). It may take
place in any remote area where clerical

healing is scarce due to isolation, recent

death or indisposition of the local cleric,
or other reasons. A sparsely settled area
of the Principalities of Glantri, detailed

in GAZ3 The Principalities of Glantri,

would be ideal because local laws prohibit clerical magic. The party should

THE FOUNTAIN
OF HEALTH
BY ANN DUPUIS

By the time you find it,

you'll need it!
Artwork by Charles Dougherty

32 Issue No. 39

include at least one thief and two fight-

ers. The PCs should be Lawful (or at

least good-hearted), as the primary
motivation for the adventure is to save
the life of a dying villager.

Some of the monsters encountered in

this adventure are taken from the D&D
Rules Cyclopedia, and page references
are given for the Re. The statistics and
important information for each monster
are reprinted here, so you need only the
Rule Book from the new D&D boxed set
("Black Box") for this adventure.
Counters for these monsters are available in the Haunted Tower Adventure
Pack. At the start of play, the Dungeon
Master should write down the name,
armor class, and hit-point total of each
PC to help keep track of their injuries.

For the DUNGEON MASTERTM

This adventure takes place in the ruins
of a temple built around a magical
spring of healing waters. Dedicated to
the Immortal Ariana (a little-known
identity of the Immortal Alphatia), the
temple was a hospice run by the clerical
Order of the Golden Fountain. For 200
years, local people flocked to the temple
to benefit from the healing powers of
the magical spring. A single cup of the

THE FOUNTAIN OF HEALTH

water could heal wounds, cure disease,

or heal the blind and the lame. It was
even said the water could bring the
dead to life-if the recipient was worthy.
More than a century ago, a warlord
demanded that the Order of the Golden
Fountain reserve their healing waters
for his army. (If you sets this adventure
in the Principalities of Glantri, this
occurred in 861 AC, when all clerics
were expelled from Glantr i.) The Supreme Waterbearer, head of the clerical
order, refused the warlord's order. The
Gift of Ariana was not meant to be a
tool for bloody warfare.
Enraged, the warlord tried to claim
the spring for himself and sent an enchanted monster-a stone golem in the
shape of a minotaur-to destroy the
temple and all within it. The priests
died as the creature knocked the temple
down around them, but the Supreme
Waterbearer laid a curse upon the healing waters with her dying breath: Until
the warlord no longer coveted the Golden Fountain for his evil purposes, its
waters would be poisonous to all.
The death of the warlord lifted the
curse decades ago. Unfortunately, the
return of the healing waters remained
undiscovered. The few people who visited the temple ruins encountered dangers they could not overcome. Since the
temple's destruction, various forms of
wildlife have made the ruins their
home. And the monster still remains,
following its orders to destroy all intelligent life within the walls of the Temple
of Ariana.

Monsters, Ruins, and Rubble

Before beginning play in this adventure,
carefully open the staples at the center of
the magazine, remove the large color
map, and bend the staples back in place.
Lay the map out flat and cover it with
pieces of paper cut to the shape of each
room or hall. As the PCs peer into or
enter each room, remove the appropriate
piece of paper. This way, the players cannot see areas of the temple map before
their PCs explore them. If a PC climbs a
wall or a nearby tree to get a look, remove all the papers except that covering
the Inner Sanctum (area 22, which is
hidden under a root). When the PCs can
no longer see the temple from above,
replace the papers over those areas the
party has not yet visited.
The Ruins: The walls of the temple
are made of cut blocks of stone mortared

together. The outer walls were originally 2' thick. Inner walls are made of
smaller stones and are roughly I' thick.
Before the destruction of the temple,
these walls stood about 20' tall. They
now stand only 8' to 12' high, with
stone debris crumbled at their bases.
The temple's second story was demolished by the warlord's stone golem. The
wooden floor and support beams, as well
as the timber-and-thatch roof that once
covered the temple, now block passages
with fallen timber and blanket the floor
as rotted debris. The main entrance and
sanctuary (areas 1 and 2) did not have a
second story; they were open to the roof.
If you wish to expand the adventure,
parts of the second story may still be
intact. Of course, exploring these areas
should be dangerous. Many traps, pitfalls, and hungry scavengers lurk in the
shadows.
Climbing the Walls: The heroes may
attempt to climb the temple walls. You
should discourage this, as PCs could
conceivably avoid most ofthe dangers
and obstacles in the adventure. Tell the
PCs the walls look unstable and dangerous to clamber about on. If a PC tries
anyway, mention that the debris piled
at the base of the wall shifts alarmingly
when stepped on. If the PC continues,
have a stone suddenly loosen under his
hand as he pulls himself up. If none of
these warnings discourage the PC, roll
percentile dice. If the climber is a thief,
compare the result of the dice roll with
the PC's Climb Walls ability. Nonthief
adventurers have a 50% chance of
climbing to the top of a wall without
falling. If the roll is higher than the
thief's ability (50% for non thief adventurers), the PC falls, taking 1-3 hp
damage.
If a PC climbs a wall or a nearby tree
to gain an overview of the ruins, let the
player see a glimpse of the map. (Cover
area 22, which is hidden under a slate
roof; see below.) Answer up to three of
the player's questions about what the
PC sees before the wall or branch the
PC is standing un suddenly gives way. If
the PC is a thief or halfling, the fall
inflicts 1 hp damage. Otherwise, the PC
suffers 2 hp damage from the fall. A
successful Dexterity check on Id20
reduces the damage by 1 hp.
Adventurers on top of a wall will meet
either a collapsing wall or a wandering
monster each turn they remain. Roll
Id4 and consult the following table to
determine the danger encountered.

1. Collapsing Wall. PCs on the wall

fall, taking 1-3 hp damage each. The
collapse creates a 10' wide gap in the
wall, filled to a height of 4' with stone
rubble. (If the PCs are on a wall of the
inner sanctum, ignore this result and
roll again. See "The Inner Sanctum;' )
PCs may clamber over the debris, but
this is dangerous. See "Rubble," below.
2. Wobbly Stone. One PC standing
on the wall must make a Dexterity
check on Id20 or fall, taking 1-2 hp
damage. Choose the party member
affected (rolling randomly if desired)
and the direction the PC falls.
3. Robber Fly. A robber fly attacks
the party. See "Wandering Monsters."
4. Stirges. 1-4 stirges attack the party. See "Wandering Monsters."

Rubble: Many areas within the ternple are heaped with rubble from the
demolished walls and floor of the temple's second story (see map). This rubble
is typically 3' to 5' high, and very dangerous to walk or climb on. Roll Id6 for
each PC who tries. On a roll of 1, the
rubble shifts and traps the PC's leg,
doing 1 hp damage and requiring one
turn to free the PC. You can apply other
results (the shifting causes the PC to
fall, or brings more stones or timbers
raining down from above, etc.) to vary
the consequences of climbing over rubble. These results should not cause more
than 1 hp damage or delay the party
more than one turn, or both.
Two piles of rubble are especially
dangerous (area 2, southeast corner and
center of north wall). Any party member climbing on one of these heaps automatically causes the crushed stones to
shift and slide, bringing some precariously balanced wooden timbers down as
well. Even if the party just walks by the
debris, the whole pile starts to slide on a
roll of 1 on Id6. Every PC within 20' of
the debris when it shifts must make a
Dexterity check on Id20 or take 2 hp
damage. Adventurers hit by falling and
sliding debris are trapped; it takes one
turn to extricate them. Feel free tu
make other piles of rubble equally
dangerous.
Doors: Most of the doors in the temple were wooden and now lie smashed
or rotting in the doorways. PCs have no
problems stepping over or on top of
them. A few doors were made of stone
and still remain more or less intact,
including the main doors in area 1, the
two concealed stone doors leading to

DUNGEON

33

THE FOUNTAIN OF HEALTH

areas 8 and 19, and the great white

marble doors leading to area 22.
The Inner Sanctum: This rectangular structure (area 22) was the original
temple. The order built the rest of the
building around it when they founded
the hospital. The inner sanctum's walls
are 3' thick, 12' tall, and made of
smoothly polished black marble. The
area has a flat slate roof, quite different
from the wooden second story (now
demolished) over the rest ofthe temple.
The minotaur stone golem was unable
to damage these walls, although it did
batter the mortared stone walls that
once extended up from the top of the
inner sanctum's walls to the timber
roof. Jagged remnants of these upper
stone walls remain, standing 2' to 3'
above the slate roof.
Light Sources: Most of the temple is
open to the sky, so PCs won't need any
light unless they go exploring at night.
This will not be the case if you expand
the adventure to include a partially
ruined second story. The corners of
rooms and any areas under collapsed
timbers remain in shadow. Adventurers
cannot see into these areas unless they
shine a lantern or torch into the
shadows. Standing in normal light
negates infravision when attempting to
peer into darkness. Any monsters hidden in shadows gain surprise on a roll of
1-2 on 1d6.
Weather: For simplicity, you may
decide that it's a nice sunny day with no
threat of rain or wind. But some interesting things can happen with weather.
Strong gusts of wind may suddenly
cause dried leaves and other debris to
rustle and rise up in a small dust devil,
startling the PCs. ("Suddenly, you hear
crackling and see something moving out

of the corner of your eye. Oh, never

mind, it's just the wind kicking up some
leaves:') In cold seasons, ice or snow
may add to the dangers of the ruins.
(Increase the chances of the PCs losing
their footing or of walls collapsing.)
Rain, too, can make the walls slick and
slippery, and mire the heroes in muddy
spots. Even a light drizzle can make
PCs miserable, dampening all their
gear and making torches hard to light.
And even on a bright day, the sun may
disappear behind a cloud at an ominous
moment.
Wandering Monsters: Roll 1d6 every
other turn. A roll of 1 means the PCs
meet a wandering monster at the beginning of the next turn. If the PCs are
badly injured (down to only 1 or 2 hp
each), you should not introduce any
wandering monster encounters, although you can still roll dice to keep the
players on their toes.
Roll 1d6 and consult the following
table to determine which monsters the
PCs meet. None of these wandering
monsters have treasure with them.
1. Giant tiger beetle (1): AC 3; HD
3 + 1; hp 10; MV 150'(50'); HAT 1 bite;
THACO 16; Dmg 2d6; Save as F2; ML 9;
INT 0; AL N; XP 50; Rule Book/39 or
RC/160. Robber flies are their favorite
food.
2. Giant rats (2-8): AC 7; HD 1/2; hp 3
each; MV 120'(40'), swimming 60'(20');
HAT 1 bite; THACO 19; Dmg 1d3 +
disease; Save as Normal Man; ML 8;
INT 2; AL N; XP 5; Rule Book/50 or RCI
201.
3. Giant centipedes (2-8): AC 9; HD
1/,,; hp 2 each; MV 60'(20'); # AT 1 bite;
THACO 19; Dmg poison; Save as Normal Man; ML 7; !NT 0; AL N; XP 6;
Rule Book/40 or RC/163.
4. Stirges (1-4); AC 7; HD 1 "; hp 7, 5,
4, 3; MV 30'(10'), flying 180'(60'); HAT 1
beak; THACO 18j Dmg 1d3 + 1d3 per
round (sucking blood); Save as F2; ML
9; INT 1; AL N; XP 13; Rule Book/52 or
RC/208.

5. Bats (10-40): AC 6; HD 1/4 *; hp 1

each; MV 9'(3'), flying 120'(40'); HAT
confusion; THACO nil; Dmg nil; Save as
Normal Man; ML 6; INT 2; AL N; XP 5;
Rule Book/38 or RC/159.
The PCs have disturbed these normal
bats in their roosts among the fallen
timbers. The bats flap about erratically,
doing no damage but causing much
confusion. The PCs suffer a - 2 penalty
on attack rolls and saving throws, and

34 Issue No. 39

they cannot cast spells while the bats

are flying about. Roll for the bats' morale each round. The entire group flies
off when it misses a morale check.
6. Robber flies: AC 6; HD 2; hp 10, 9,
8,4; MV 90'(30'), flying 180'(60'); HAT 1
bite; THACO 18; Dmg 1d8; Save as Fl;
ML 8; INT 0; AL N; XP 20; RC/202.
A robber fly is a 3' long giant fly with
black and yellow stripes. From a distance, a robber fly looks like a giant
bee. The robber fly is a patient hunter,
often hiding in shadows to surprise prey
(1-4 on 1d6). A robber fly can leap up to
30' and attack with its bite.
The THACO statistics noted above can
be used instead of the Monsters' Hit
Thble on page 37 of the D&D Rule Book.
THACO stands for "To Hit Armor Class
0" and is simply the number the monster needs to roll to hit armor class O. To
use THACO, you subtract the modified
attack roll (the number you rolled on
1d20 plus any bonuses) from the
THACO, and the result is the armor
class the monster hits. For example, the
stone minotaur in area 2 has a THACO
of 13. Its weapon is a battle axe + 1. The
DM rolls 1d20 for its attack, adds 1 (for
the weapon's bonus), and subtracts the
result from the minotaur's THACO. A
result of 17, for instance, is compared to
the THACO like this; 13 -(17 + 1) = -5.
This is good enough to hit Armor Class
- 5 and will certainly hit a Ist-level PC!
IfTHACO involves too much figuring
for your taste, use the Monsters' Hit
Table instead.
Gargoyle Pendants: These holy
symbols of the Order of the Golden
Fountain are molded and engraved in
the shape of an ugly, winged creature.
These golden pendants are worth 100 gp
apiece, but their real function is to
protect their wearers from the gargoyle
guarding the Fountain of Health. The
gargoyle ignores anyone wearing one of
these pendants in plain view (not obscured by clothing or armor). There are
three gargoyle pendants hidden within
the ruins of the temple, one each in
areas 5, 14, and 20.

For the Player Characters

Read or paraphrase the fullowing to the
players and start the adventure at the
entrance to the temple. If you wish, you
may role-play the events leading up to
the adventurers' arrival at the ruins,

THE FOUNTAIN OF HEALTH

including their stay in the village and
their trek through the wilderness to the
Temple of Ariana.
Your party is pretty new to the adventuring business. So far, you haven't visited many distant lands,
rescued many princesses, battled
many fearsome magical beasts, or
done any of the hundreds of daring
deeds you envisioned when you set
off in search of adventure.
In fact, your latest "adventure"
barely qualifies for the term. A merchant hired your party to deliver an
important package to a blacksmith
living in a distant village. Reports of
bandits in the area had him worried
that the package might not arrive
without a strong party of experienced
adventurers to transport and guard
it. But you came all this waythrough a forest reportedly teeming
with ferocious beasts and cruel
outlaws-without encountering anything more dangerous than a fox.
When you arrived at Wood's Hollow,
the blacksmith, Hugh Grossman, was
relieved to see you. The package you
carried contained a potion of healing
for his daughter, who had suffered
grave wounds in a battle with orcs
who had raided the village a week
before. The village priest was slain in
the fight, and Alise Grossman's mjuries hadn't responded to normal treatment. Hugh hoped the potion would
cure her.
But it failed. The ore who attacked
Alise apparently had a poisoned
blade, and the poison interfered with
all attempts to heal the young woman. Bowing his careworn face in his
hands, Hugh told you there was only
one chance left for his daughter. A
ruined temple, half a day's walk from
Wood's Hollow, had once housed an
order of healing clerics. There were
tales of a golden fountain of miraculous waters that could cure
anything-even death itself. If the
tales were true, and someone could
bring the healing waters to his
daughter, Alise would be saved.
But there were dangers, Hugh
went on. People stayed away from
the ruins, fearful of the shadowy
creatures and fearsome beasts that
visitors had caught glimpses of. Four
brave villagers had ventured to the
ruins three days before, afraid the

potion of healing would not arrive in

time and hoping to save Alise with
the fountain's waters. They had not
yet returned; the other villagers
were sure they had perished.
This is what you've been dreaming
of! A chance to explore ancient ruins,
brave unknown dangers, and save
someone's life! While the villagers
can't afford to pay you for this task,
there may be untold treasures within
the old temple. And who couldn't use
an endless supply of healing waters?
Without further ado, you set off for
the temple ruins. It wasn't far; only
about seven miles from the village,
along a rough and overgrown track.
You arrived without incident and
stand now at the main entrance to
the once-fine temple. A quick circuit
around the building showed it to be
roughly 100')( 150'. There is one
other entrance, in the middle of the
south wall. The surrounding forest
has encroached upon the temple's
clearing, and some small trees now
grow within 30' of the ruined walls.
The temple's outer walls still stand
to a height of 8' to 12', but the rubble
and debris at their base attest to the
fact they once were at least twice
that height.
Your chance to make a name for
yourself lies within those crumbled
walls.

The Temple
Each of the following descriptions corresponds to an area of the Temple of
Ariana marked on the map. When the
PCs first enter each area, or look in
through a doorway or around a corner,
read the appropriate boxed text. This
contains information the PCs can notice
with just a quick look. The rest of an
area's description contains information
for the DM, including monster inhabitants, treasure, and other things of interest. Pass this information on to the
players as the PCs discover it.
1. Main Entrance Hall.
This was once the main entrance to
the temple's sanctuary. One stone
door leans against a pile of rubble on
the north side; the other lies flat and
broken where it fell. The floor is
littered with leaves and other debris.
Ahead, you can see the sanctuary's

lovely marble columns lying in ruins.

There doesn't appear to be anything
of interest in the immediate area.
The debris on the floor includes many
years' worth of rotting leaves, dust, dirt,
and animal droppings, as well as small
chunks of stone that were once part of
the temple's walls. Beneath all this
debris are beautiful marble tiles. If a
PC carefully examines the floor (spending one turn in this room), he will find
the recent prints of two pairs of booted
feet. Adventurers who look into area 2
can see the top half of a stone statue of
a bull-headed human.
2. Sanctuary.

This once-beautiful sanctuary is now

a shambles. Marble columns that
once marched down its sides lie
strewn about the floor. Some of them
crashed into the walls as they fell,
and lie atop enormous piles of rubble.
'Ibward the far end of the room, in
the center of the only clear area,
stands a large stone statue of a bullheaded man. A mighty stone battle
axe rests in its hands. Its head is
bowed as though weary.
The PCs cannot to see the statue better until they go around or over the
fallen columns. The columns were originally 4' wide. Treat any attempt to
climb over a fallen column as climbing
over rubble (see "Monsters, Ruins, and
Rubble").
When the PCs get within 20' of the
statue, they can see a human form lying
at its feet. (This was one of the villagers
who came in search of the fountain of
healing.) When they are 10' from the
villager. the PCs can see he has a deep
chest wound and is obviously dead. One
hand clutches an old, broken sword; the
sword point is on the floor a few feet
away.
Any party member who gets within 5'
of the statue can see that the stone
battle axe is not actually part of the
statue itself; it has an ornately decorated wooden shaft. There is blood on
the stone axe head. Just as the PC notices this, he also notices that the axe is
swinging at him. Roll for surprise. The
PC is now under attack!
Minotaur statue (lesser stone golem):
AC 5; HD 6*; hp 8; MV 120' (40'); NAT 1
axe; THACO 13; Dmg 1d8"!" 1; Save as

DUNGEON

35

THE FOUNTAIN OF HEALTH

F6; ML 12; INT 4; AL N; XP 500; new

monster (see Golem, RC/180).
The warlord Bent t.his magical monster to destroy the Temple of Ariana.
Although it succeeded, it has been badly
damaged. Cracks now riddle its surface,
and it has only 8 hp left. It still attacks
as a 7-HD monster (because ofits special bonus), so its attack rolls are three
levels better than the "3 + to 4" line on
the Monsters' Hit Table in the D&D
Rule Book (page 37). It also wields a
magical two-handed battle axe, which
adds + 1 to its attack and damage rolls.
This is a dangerous monster-it can kill
a hero with one blow!
But it's not invincible. Unlike normal
golems, this minotaur statue is not
immune to all normal weapons. PCs can
harm it with any metal or stone weapons that smash rather than cut: maces,
war hammers, and sling stones. Adventurers can even throw rocks at it, doing
1 hp damage each time a rock hits. If
the minotaur chases the party, it has
the same chance as they do of getting
stuck or damaged when it goes over
fallen columns or rubble (see "Monsters,
Ruins, and Rubble").
As soon 9>; the stone minntam- receives 8 or more hp damage, it stops in
its tracks. The small cracks riddling its
surface spread rapidly until it crumbles
into a pile of rubble. Nothing but the
stone head (encumbrance 500 en) and
the battle axe remain.
The battle axe is a magical twohanded weapon, + 1 to hit and damage,
+2 vs. stone monsters (gargoyles, stone
golems, earth elementals, and the like).
It also has a special power. On a natural
attack roll of 20, it inflicts double damage on any stone monster, or destroys a
10' x 10' section of stone. (If you think

this special power will cause problems

in future adventures if the PCs take the
axe, limit its use to 1-6 charges. After
that, the axe loses its special power but
retains its + 1/ + 2 vs. stone monsters
enchantment.)
The minotaur has no treasure, The
dead villager has a pack with two days'
standard rations (now spoiled), a wineskin with a quart of wine, and 30' of
rope. There is nothing else of value on
the body, but the villagers of Woods'
Hollow will wish to properly bury their
neighbor and return even worthless
possessions to the villager's kin.
Hidden behind one of the fallen
columns in the northeast corner of the
stone minotaur's room is a large nest of
six giant rats (see "Wandering Monsters" for statistics). These rats attack
any PC entering their corner or climbing over the rubble of the eastern wall.
They will not venture out to attack PCs
anywhere else in the sanctuary.
The nest is made of heaps of old rotting clothing, dead leaves and grasses,
and other soft debris. Hidden in it are
various items the rats have collected
over the years. If the PCs search for one
turn, they will find one gem and three
pieces of jewelry: a large topaz (500 gp),
a gold bracelet studded with tiny rubies
(700 gp), a diamond necklace (1,100 gp),
and an emerald pendant on a gold chain
(1,300 gp). Searching for an additional
turn reveals two more gems (a garnet
worth 50 gp and a small pearI worth
100 gp), some miscellaneous coins (13
cp, 18 sp, 18 gp), and a rotting leather
pack with a bone scroll case amid nowunidentifiable (and rather squishy)
contents. The scroll case contains a
piece of parchment with a well-worn
love letter. The bone case is worth 10
gp; the parchment itself has little monetary value.

3. Infirmary.
This room is jumbled with thick wooden
timbers that must once have been part
of a roof or second story. A broken wooden stairway leads part way up the south
wall, only to end in a pile of debris. It's
difficult to tell what purpose this room
had, although beneath the fallen timbers are vague shapes that may once
have been tables or beds. Accumulated
rocks, rotted wood, and other debris
raise the level of the floor nearly 2'
above that of the sanctuary.

This was the hospital's infirmary,

where clerics of the Order of the Golden
Fountain tended the sick and injured.
There are five giant centipedes (hp 4
(X 2), 3, 1 (x 2); see "Wandering Monsters" for complete statistics) concealed
in the debris. AlS soon as a PC enters the
room, roll for surprise. The three centipedes in the southern half of the room
attack immediately; the other two join
two rounds later.
Any PC bitten by a giant centipede
must save vs. poison or become ill for 10
days (half movement speed, can perform
no other physical actions). If the centipedes fail their morale check, they flee
into the crevices in the debris, where
the PCs can't get to them. They will
venture back into the open one turn
after the party leaves.
Once the centipedes are out of the
way, the PCs can explore the room.
There were originally 12 beds in here,
arranged in two islands of six beds. If
the PCs poke about among the fallen
timbers and other debris. they will find
scattered bones and two mostly intact
skeletons, the remains of patients
slaughtered in their beds by the minotaur golem. There is also a 1-in-6 chance
that any PC poking about will move the
wrong piece of wood, toppling timbers
and debris onto everyone for 1-2 hp
damage. Spending an entire turn
searching the room reveals 12 cp, 5 sp,
and 1 gp, coins that once belonged to
the unfortunate patients.
The broken stairway will collapse
under the weight of anyone trying to
climb it, spilling the PC onto the floor
for 1-4 hp damage. If the adventure has
been expanded to include a second floor,
this stairway is intact and leads upward
with little blockage.
4, Hallway;

A pile of debris, including the broken

top of a column from the sanctuary,
partially blocks thiB hallway. E1Bewhere, fallen timbers lean haphazardly against the walls or are
wedged onto the top of the walls
overhead. The debr-is makes walking
down the hallway difficult.
The rubble in the middle of this hallway is particularly dangerous. PCs may
start a rock slide simply by walking by
(see "Monsters, Ruins, and Rubble").
As the PCs approach the eastern end
of the hallway, they can hear horren-

THE FOUNTAIN OF HEALTH

THE FOUNTAIN OF HEALTH

1

square =5'

DUNGEON

37

THE FOUNTAIN OF HEALTH

dous buzzing and crunching noises: a

battle between two giant tiger beetles
and a robber fly (see area 7).
pes at the eastern end of this hallway
will notice that the wall surrounding
the inner sanctum (area 22) is different
from all the other walls. This wall is
made of enormous blocks of black marble, and it seems to be undamaged, with
almost no debris at its base.
The eastern end of the hallway's north
wall has a concealed stone door leading
into area 8. The concealed door's color
and pattern of mortared stone is similar
to the surrounding wall, so the door is
not immediately noticeable. Any PC
examining the wall automatically finds
it. The door is hinged on the right and
opens away from the hallway simply by
pushing against its left side. This door
is stuck, however, and requires a roll of
5 or 6 on Id6 to open. (Remember to
modify this by the PC's Strength score
adjustment.) Each PC may try as many
times as desired, but each attempt takes
one turn.
A thief successfully examining the
door for traps (rolling his Find Traps
ability or less on percentile dice) will
realize that the door is stuck due to
rubble wedged near the top of the wall
on the other side. Forcing the door open
may cause this rubble to fall. A successful Remove Traps roll allows the thief to
open the door without triggering the
collapsing ceiling in area 8.
If the PCs try to break the door down
with the minotaur's axe. it does 2 hp
damage with every successful hit
against AC 9. The door can take 20 hp
damage before breaking apart. It shatters into rubble immediately if the
player rolls a natural 20 to hit.
If the party goes south to the large
pile of rubble between areas 2 and 22,
they may climb onto the slate roof
above area 22. Remember to check for
rubble shifting beneath their feet, and
for their chance to climb the wall without getting hurt (see "Monsters. Ruins,
and Rubble").
5. Sick Room.
This room has the same jumble of
debris and fallen timbers as the rest
of the building. Part of the upper
floor remained pretty much intact as
its eastern half fell. The timbers and
floor boards now form a sloping wall
that blocks your view of the far corner of the room.

38 Issue No.39

This was a private sick room, for patients who needed more than one dose of
the fountain's healing waters. Behind
the wooden floor (now a wall dividing
the northwest corner from the rest of
the room) is a bed. Although its wooden
frame is partially rotted and riddled
with termite holes, it's relatively intact.
Lying on the bed is an old skeleton, still
clothed in rotting clothing.
Another skeleton lies crushed beneath
the eastern end of the fallen floor. Only
its sku11 and right arm and hand are
visible. The bony fingers clutch a gargoyle pendant (see "Gargoyle Pendants"). The skeleton was one of the
temple's priests.
6. Sick ROOIn.

The wall separating this room from

the room to the east has a large gap,
filled with debris.
There was nothing in this room for
the minotaur to kill when it demolished
the temple, though it wrecked a bed
that now lies in flinders against the
north wall. If the PCs have not yet
fought the giant tiger beetles in area 7,
they can hear them now and see one of
them over the pile of debris in the gap
in the wall.
7. Sick Room.
You see two large, tiger-striped beetles munching away on a giant bee.
One of them turns its attention to
you and races swiftly across the floor,
clacking its mandibles the way a
butcher might wield his knives!
Only one giant tiger beetle attacks
(hp 9; see "Wandering Monsters" for
complete statistics). The other beetle (hp
7) continues to eat the dead robber fly
(the "giant bee" the PCs noticed) unless
a PC gets within 5' of it. Then it, too,
attacks.
The beetles were slightly injured in
their battle with the robber fly, so they
have fewer hit points than normal for
monsters their size. They're still dangerous, however. One bite can easily kill a
Lst-level PC. If you think the PCs will be
badly beaten in this encounter, you may
"fudge" the damage roll when a PC first
gets bitten by a beetle. If the actual damage you roll would kill the PC, announce
enough damage to leave the PC with 1 hp
left instead. (For instance, if Thadeus the

Cleric gets bitten for 7 hp damage, but

has only 5 hp remaining, the DM may
announce "Thadeus takes four hit points
damage:' Of course, you should make
these rolls in secret.) This will give the
PCs a chance to retreat and think up a
better strategy.
After the battle, the PCs can examine
the room more thoroughly. The first
thing they notice is the half-eaten body
of another villager. Next to the body is
the carapace of a dead tiger beetle,
killed by the villager's stout club.
If the adventurers search the room for
one turn, they find a sack that appears
to be empty. If a PC sticks his hand
inside, he discovers the sack is actually
a bag of holding. It contains a large gold
buckle ornately carved in the shape of a
dragon's head (laO gp) and a plain silver
necklace (20 gp).
8. Secret Entrance Hallway.
This narrow room is nearly filled
with debris and fallen timbers.
If the PCs enter this room through the
concealed doorway, they walk into a
trap. Pushing open the stuck door disturbs the rotted timbers wedged above
(unless a thief has successfully removed
the trap; see area 4). A portion of the
second story's old floor falls on the first
PC to walk through the concealed door,
inflicting Id6 hp damage and burying
the PC (Dexterity check on Id20 for half
damage). It takes one turn to extricate
the victim. If the PCs break the door
down with the minotaur's axe, the rubble falls before they enter the room,
doing no harm.
The entire room is filled with rubble
and may trap others as well. Remember
to check for injuries sustained by PCs
crossing the rubble.
The concealed door cannot be opened
from the north side unless the PCs
spend one turn clearing the fallen timbers and uther debris away from it.
9. Side Entrance Hall.
Just inside the doorway, a flight of
stairs leads halfway up the wall to
end in jagged, broken wood. Debris
heaped beneath the stairs reaches
nearly 5' high. More debris litters
the floor and piles up against the
base of the interior walls. In the
center of the hall liesthe broken top

THE FOUNTAIN OF HEALTH

of a once-beautiful marble column.

Ahead, the corridor is completely
blocked with stone rubble and debris.
The priests used this entrance to get
to their quarters, and these stairs once
led up to more rooms and storage areas.
These areas still exist if the adventure
has been expanded to include a partially intact second story.
A giant spitting spider watches the
PCs through the doorway from its hiding place behind some debris in area 10.
If the party ent.ers its lair, the spider
attacks immediately. Otherwise, it
stalks the PCs as they leave area 9,
attacking without warning from behind
(surprise on 1-4 on 1d6) unless the players specifically state that one of their
PCs is guarding the rear. See area 10
for the spider's statistics.
The rubble spilling over from the
southeastern corner of the main sanctuary (area 2) is particularly dangerous
(see "Monsters, Ruins, and Rubble").
10, Dormitory.
This room is filled with a jumble of
fallen timbers, crushed rock, and
rotted floorboards from the temple's
demolished second story. Piles of
wood that may once have been bunk
beds line what's left of the walls. The
jumble of debris makes it difficult to
make out many details. It also offers
plenty of hiding places for small
scurrying things-or perhaps even
large scurrying things.
If the PCs haven't already dealt with
the giant spitting spider (it may have
stalked them in area 9), the spider spits
at the first PC through the door. Roll for
surprise for the PCs. If they're surprised, the leading PC does not get a
saving throw to avoid the web.
Giant spitting spider: AC 7; HD
2 + 1*; hp 11; MV 120'(40'); HAT 1 spit or
bite; THACO 17; Dmg poisonous web or
IdS; Save as F1; ML 7; INT 0; AL N; XP
35; new monster.
This 5'-long giant spider is yellow
with black spots, and spits a poisonous
web for its main attack. The web has a
range of 10' and completely encases any
target it hits, gluing it to the floor and
to any object within 3'. The spider does
not need an attack roll to spray its web
accurately. The victim gets a Dexterity
check on 1d20 to avoid the web, but

only if he's not surprised by the attack.

Any PC caught in the web must save vs.
poison or become paralyzed. If the saving throw is successful, the PC can
break free of the web in 2-8 turns. The
spider can spit only once every 10
rounds. It uses its bite attack in any
round it can't spit.
This spider follows the PCs through
the ruins, attacking from behind when
the PCs least expect it, unless the PCs
dispatch it.
If the PCs kill the spider, they may
examine its body. The spider has six
pearl-white eyes and a tough fluid-filled
sac suspended from its thorax, just
behind its jaws. If the PCs carefully
remove the sac and the jaw, they can
use it to "spit" more poisonous web.
This involves holding the sac between
the PC's torso and one arm, aiming the
jaw with both hands, and squeezing
sharply on the sac. The player must roll
as if his PC were using a missile weapon. The sac contains enough fluid for
three complete web-spits.
Party members examining the spider's lair find a fairly fresh web-covered
bundle in the northeast corner of the
room. The bundle contains Joseph

Bauer, one of the villagers who ventured into the temple four days ago.
He's alive, but just barely (1 hp), Unconscious, poisoned, and paralyzed, he
cannot recover without magical help.
Award the party 200 XP if they manage
to return Joseph to the village alive.
Finding the healing waters of the
Fountain of Health could help Joseph
tremendously.
Searching the lair for one turn uncovers the remains of other victims, both
human and animal. The party members
also find 23 sp and 6 gpo
11. Main Hallway.

This hallway once ran the length of

the temple. Now, much of it is choked
with debris. At one point, the hallway
is entirely blocked by fallen stones and
wooden timbers piled 5' high.
Any PCs in the eastern end of this hallway will notice that the wall surrounding
the inner sanctum (area 22) is different
from all the other walls. It's made of
enormous blocks of black marble, and it
doesn't seem to be damaged. There's
much less debris at its base, as well.

DUNGEON

39

THE FOUNTAIN OF HEALTH

The rubble spilling over from the

southeast corner of area 2 is actually a
trap of sorts, and may turn into a rock
slide at any moment (see "Monsters,
Ruins, and Rubble").
If the PCs make it past the rock slide
to the large pile of rubble between areas
2 and 22, they may climb onto the slate
roof above area 22. Remember to check
for rubble shifting beneath their feet,
and for their chance to climb the wall
without getting hurt. See the description of area 22.
Adventurers climbing over other
rubble in this hallway have the normal
chances of getting hurt.
12. Pantry.
Wooden shelves that once lined this
room now add to the general mess of
rotten wood and other debris littering the floor. There doesn't seem to
be anything of interest here.
This was once a pantry with a trapdoor entrance to the root cellar below.
Now the dangerous hole is covered with
debris. The first PC to step on the indicated area must make a Dexterity check
on 1d20 or fall into a pit trap, taking
1d4 hp damage and becoming partially
buried under the heaps of debris that
follow him in. It takes two turns to get
the PC out.
The fallen PC has a 50% chance of
landing squarely on a small locked chest.
This iron chest contains the cook's supply
fund: 600 gp and a piece of parchment
bearing a shopping list. The chest can
also be discovered by climbing down into
the root cellar and searching through the
debris and rubble for one turn.
If a thief successfully makes a Find
Traps check, this trap can be avoided. It
cannot easily be removed. If the PCs
haven't yet dealt with the spitting spider (see area 10). it will take this opportunity to attack.
13. Kitchen.
This room contains the top half of a
column that fell over the north wall
of the main hallway. The south wall
has an enormous fireplace. partially
hidden behind a mound of demolished chimney bricks. There seems to
be little else of interest here.
This was the temple kitchen, where
the cook prepared food for all the clerics

40 Issue No.39

of the order and their patients. PCs

investigating the fireplace find nothing
but soot (which promptly covers them
from head to toe) and an iron cauldron
(encumbrance 900 en).
14. Dining Hall.
This large room was once a dining
area. Large wooden tables and long
benches can still be seen beneath the
boards and timbers of the collapsed
upper floor. You hear a squeal as
something charges toward you from
the southwest corner of the room.
Roll to see if the PCs are surprised.
The party has stumbled into the territory of six giant rats (see "Wandering
Monsters" for statistics) who are now
defending their nest in the southwest
corner of the room.
The nest is made of heaps of old rotting
tablecloths, dead leaves and grasses, and
other soft debris. Hidden in it are various
items the rats have collected over the years.
If the PCs search for one turn, they will
find four gems: a turquoise (10 gp), a piece
of amber (100 gp), a second piece of amber
with a tiny flower preserved inside (500
gp), and a finely cut onyx (75 gp). There's
also an incomplete collection of silverware
(three forks, two knives, and seven
spoons, worth 50 gp) and a gargoyle pendant (see "Gargoyle Pendants").
15. Dormitory.

Smashed and half-buried bunk beds

line the perimeter of this room. You
notice something metallic poking out
of the pile of rubble by the door.

A small chest that once belonged to a

temple cleric has survived a recent fall
of some heavy stones. The chest is not
locked, but a big dent has stuck the top
closed. If a PC tries to open the chest,
have the player roll 1d6 as though opening a stuck door. Add any Strength
modifiers to the roll. On a roll of 5 or 6,
the PC opens the chest. It contains 27 sp
and a leather-bound book wrapped in
velvet. The book is a first-aid manual
carefully illustrated with many drawings of common injuries and their treatments. It would be very valuable to any
physician or healer (250 gp).
The only other thing of interest in this
room is a nest of normal rats in the
northeast corner. If the PCs approach
within 10' of their lair, the rats flee into

the cracks and crevices; a few even run

up and over the outside wall.
16. Dormitory.
This room was evidently a dormitory,
as broken bunks line the walls. Its
most interesting feature, however, is
the very large snake basking in the
sun on the top of the east wall.
This 6'-long giant racer snake remains on the wall unless it feels threatened. If the PCs approach within 10',
check morale for the snake. On a roll of
7 or less on 2d6, it attacks; otherwise, it
slithers down the outside of the wall.
Giant racer snake: AC 5; HD 2; hp
12; MV 120'(40'); HAT 1 bite; THACO 17;
Dmg 1d8; Save as Fl; ML 7; INT 2; AL
N; XP 20; Rule Book/51 or RC/204.
The snake has no treasure, and there
is nothing else of interest in the room.
17. Hall. This hall leads north to a
dead end. PCs walking along the hall
see that the west wall is a continuation
of the black marble wall they saw in the
main hall (area 11).
The northern end of the hallway has a
concealed stone door leading into area 19.
The door is the same color and pattern of
mortared stone as the surrounding wall,
so it's not immediately noticeable. Any
PC examining the wall automatically
finds the door (no secret door roll reo
quired), It's hinged on the left, and opens
away from the hallway simply by pushing
against its right side. Rubble on the other
side partially blocks the door, however,
requiring a roll on 1d6. On a 5 or 6 (modified by any Strength adjustment), the PC
shoves the debris out of the way. Each
party member may try as many times as
desired, but each attempt takes one turn.

18. Supreme Waterbearer's

Quarters.
This room contains a jumble of broken and rotted floor boards and timbers, just like much of the rest of the
temple. There doesn't seem to be
anything moving in here.
If the PCs search through the rubble
and debris, they can find parts of a large
bed, a wooden dresser (its smashed
drawers still contain bits of frayed and
rotted cloth), a chair leg, and a few broken personal items. The only thing of
value here is a silver comb (5 gp),

THE FOUNTAIN OF HEALTH

19. Secret Entrance Room.

This room is almost entirely filled
with rubble and debris; it may be
difficult to get to the other door.
Check for each PC'5 chance of getting
trapped or injured by the rubble.
20. Vestment Room.
This large room still has a partially
intact ceiling over much of the northeast corner. You hear an ominous
buzzing sound from the shadows.
Two robber flies (hp 10 each; see
"Wandering Monsters" for complete
statistics) are lurking in the shadows
here, so roll for surprise for both the PCs
and the monsters. The robber flies will
attack the PCs. They're hungry, and a
good meal just walked into their lair!
Robber flies can easily kill a 1st-level
PCwith one bite. If you think the PCs
willbe badly beaten in this encounter,
you may adjust the damage roll when a
PCfirst gets bitten by a robber fly (see
the tiger beetle example in area 7).
True to their names, these robber flies
havemindlessly collected some shiny
objects. Scattered about their lair arc
50sp, some smoothly polished pebbles,
and a gargoyle pendant (Bee "Gargoyle
Pendants").
Hanging in shreds against the east
wall, partially protected by the sagging
floor above, are three long robes of clothof-gold. They are badly chewed and torn,
and no longer have any monetary value.
The hooks they hang on are made of goldplated brass (worth 2 gp apiece).
21.Antechamber.
Thefirst thing you notice in this
large area is the body of a woman,
lying as though she fell while running across the room. The next thing
younotice is a second body, now
nothing more than a skeleton,
stretched out in front of two huge
doors made of white marble.
The woman was one of the villagers.
Though strongly muscled, she was unable to overcome the gargoyle in the
inner sanctum (see area 22). The monstermortally wounded her, but she
managed to run out into the antechamberbefore collapsing. Terrible claw and

fang marks scar her face and back. The

waterskin clutched in her left hand is
uncapped and empty. Her right hand
grasps a battered sword, its once-fine
blade dented and dulled.
The ancient bones are all that is left
of the Supreme Waterbearer, who died
defending the entrance to the inner
sanctum. A battered and rusted mace
lies beneath the remains.
The doors to the inner sanctum (area
22) are fastened with golden hinges and
have huge, solid-gold handles on them.
They swing outward, into area 21. If left
to themselves, they slowly swing shut
again in six rounds.
22. Inner Sanctum. The sanctum's
flat slate roof is still intact and entirely
covers the room. The sanctum once had
mortared stone walls extending up to the
timber and thatch roof ofthe temple,
creating a sort of attic above the slate
roof. The bottom few rows of stones still
stand on top of one another. The upper
portions of the walls have collapsed onto
the roof, along with timbers and longdecayed thatching material.
If the PCs climb onto the slate roof of
the inner sanctum, they're attacked by

1-4 stirges (see "Wandering Monsters"

for statistics). After that, the roof is
fairly safe to walk around on. You may
plague the party with more stirges or a
robber fly if you like, or have them
check for injuries caused by shifting
rubble, but they should first get a turn
or two of peace.
There are plenty of secure, protruding
stones the PCs can tie ropes to if they
wish to climb down into surr-ounding
areas.
When the PCs first enter the inner
sanctum itself, through the white marble
doors, read the following description.
You can't see much of the interior of
this structure. The sunlight shining
through the doorway doesn't carry
very far. The walls to either side of
the entry seem to be made of smoothly polished black marble, with the
glint of a golden candle sconce here
and there. The floor is made of
square gray tiles. Though the room is
a bit dusty, there's no rubble or debris in sight.
The party must provide illuminationtorches, lanterns, or the candles in the

DUNGEON

41

THE FOUNTAIN OF HEALTH

sconces-before they can see the southern half of the room very well. Once the
heroes are close enough to see the
southern end (remember, torch and
lantern light carries only 30/), read or
paraphrase the following.
Before you, an ornate golden fo~n
tain, rises from the center of a circle
of marble steps leading down to a pool
at its base. A hideous creature carved
from black marble squats atop the far
side of the fountain's basin. Its horned
head juts out between shoulders that
sprout batlike wings, while the creature's clawed hands and feet grip the
golden rim. Although the statue's
mouth gapes open as though to spew
forth the fountain's waters, the pool is
nearly empty.
The ugly statue is actually a gargoyle
(an enchanted monster much like the
stone minotaur in area 2), placed here
centuries ago as the fountain's guardian. It remains perfectly still (like a
statue) until a PC descends the first
step leading to the pool. Unless the PC
is wearing the holy symbol of the Order
of the Golden Fountain (a gargoyle
pendant), the gargoyle leaps to the
attack, gaining surprise on 1-4 on 1d6.
Once awakened this way, the gargoyle
attacks everyone within the room. Only
PCs visibly wearing a gargoyle pendant
are not attacked.
Gargoyle: AC 5; HD 4**; hp 16; MV
90/(30/), flying 120'(40/); HAT 2 claws/1
hite/1 horn; THACO 15; Dmg Id3/1d3/
1d6/1d4; Save as F8; ML 11; INT 5; AL
C' XP 175' Rule Book/43 or RC/178.
With fo~r attacks per round, this is a
nasty creature to fight! It can't fly at
top speed in this confined area~ b:ut it's
still formidable. The gargoyle ISImmune to sleep and charm spells, and
cannot be harmed by normal weapons.
The PCs should have at least one of
the following items to use against the
gargoyle: the minotaur's magical s~o~e
battle axe, the web sac from the spitting
spider, or a gargoyle pendant (the golden holy symbol of the Order of the Fountain). If they don't have any of these,
and they have no magical weapons or
combat spells oftheir own, their best
bet is to flee!
The magical axe is very effective
against the gargoyle, especially with its
+ 2 bonus vs. stone monsters and its
special power. If the PCs use the web

42 Issue No. 39

sac successfully, the gargoyle will become entangled in the web and glued to
the floor for 14 turns. After that, it
breaks free and continues to attack any
PCs within the room (except those visibly wearing a gargoyle pendant).
At first glance, the fountain looks as
though water should spew from the
gargoyle's mouth into the fountain's
basin, and from there spill over into the
pool at the bottom of the circular steps.
In fact, the healing waters seep up from
the ground beneath. When the Or?-er of
the Golden Fountain was at its height,
the natural spring would fill the pool
with up to 30 doses of healing water
every day. Now, however, the pool at the
base of the fountain contains only
enough healing water for 10 doses. The
PCs undoubtedly have some injured
party members-perhaps eve~ dead
ones-and they may be escorting a very
bedraggled Joseph Bauer (see area 10).
One dose of the healing waters will do
one of the following: bring a person back
to life neutralize poison, heal 1d6 + 1 hp
dama~e, cure disease, remove paralysis.
Patients suffering from multiple effects
may take multiple doses; each dose
provides a cure for one of the previous
effects in the order indicated. A patient
can benefit from a specific type of healing only once in any 24-hour period.
Joseph Bauer, for example, can benefit
from up to three doses of the healing
waters. The first dose neutralizes the
poison; the second restores Id6 + I hp
damage; the third removes his paralysis. Further doses taken within 24
hours have no effect. If he had suffered
from two types of poison, only one could
be cured the first day.
The healing waters can restore a
person to life only if death occurred
within 24 hours (it will not work on any
of the dead villagers found in the temple). It also cannot heal anyone who has
suffered 10 or more hp damage beyond 0
hp. PCs restored to life awaken with
only 1 hp and must complete their healing through rest; magical spells and
potions (even the bealing waters of the
Fountain of Health) will not restore any
more hit points.
The only treasures in the inner
sanctum-other than the healing waters, of course-are the golden candle
sconces set in the walls. There are 16 of
them, spaced every 10/. Each is worth
50 gp if pried out of the wall.

Concluding the Adventure

Once the PCs manage to get the healing
waters, the way out of the temple
should be fairly safe. They may meet
some of the remaining monsters or a
wandering monster. The PCs should not
take the time to explore areas they
haven't visited, unless they suspect one
of the villagers may still be alive. After
all, the blacksmith's daughter may die
if they don't return immediately. Of
course, the PCs can come back to the
temple later if they wish, to do any
further exploration or cleaning up.
Award the PCs 1,000 XP for getting
the healing waters and saving at least
one dose fur Alise. Award another 800
XP if they left the golden candle sconces
on the walls in the inner sanctum, out
of respect for the lost Order of the Golden Fountain. Returning the bodies of
the dead villagers to Wood's Hollow
earns 300 XP; rescuing Joseph and
seeing him home earns another 500 XP.
If the PCs suggest re-establishing the
Temple of Ariana and its hospital to the
villagers, reward them with another
1,000 XP. They're not likely to stay to
do the work themselves (after all,
they're important adventurers now,
with other tasks to attend to), but if
they stay for a week while the villagers
feast and celebrate, making much of the
heroes, they can depart with three doses
of healing water collected from the
fountain by villagers.
The Golden Fountain of Ariana will
yield five healing doses each week. The
PCs can draw on this source for as long
as they're in the area. If the PCs abuse
this privilege, the villagers regretfully
inform the party that there is now too
much demand for the healing waters for
them to take any without recompense
(500 gp per dose, or volunteering for a
difficult and dangerous task on behalf of
the village or the temple). If the temple
is rebuilt and rededicated to the Immortal Ariana, the clerics of the new Order
of the Golden Fountain will be able to
coax 25 doses out of the fountain each
week but the demand for the healing
powe~s of the fountain will ~ow as
well. The PCs can never receive more
than three doses at a time.
Q

Teeuwynn has just bought a house in a

pine forest in North Carolina. She
shares this home with a paratrooper!
lawyer and two cats named Aurora and
(aptlyl) Monster. She has recently completed the new D&lJ DM Screen and
module "Escape From Thunder Rift" for
TSR. She is currently hard at work on
new projects for both TSR and White
Wolf Games Studio.
Tim had a promising career in freelance
game design for nearly two months before the RPGA" Network hired him. He
worked as the Network 's tournament
coordinator for eight months before
joining TSR's game design staff. Recent
projects include FR 1.5 Gold & Glory,
City of Delights for the AL-QADIM'"
game, and the AM4 MAGITECH" supplement to the AMAZING ENGINE"
system. In renl life, T im likes Star Trek,
reading, and rule-playing thri-kreen.

A WAY WITH
WORDS
BY TE EUWYNN WOOD RUFF AND TI M BEACH

Brutish, yet historically

inclined and d isc reet,
a d ve nture rs req uired .
Artw o rk by Terry Dykstra

28 Issue No. 41

"A Way With Words" is a D&D game

a dve nture designed for 3-6 player characters of level s 1-3 (about 9 total leve ls).
The number and strength of t he mo nsters may be adjusted to compensate for
a stronger or weaker party and provide
a mo re balanced adventure. Th is scena ri o is intended for beginning players
and Dungeon Masters bu t should be
enjoyable for more experienced individuals as wel l.
The adve nt ure takes place in a nd near
the ti ny village of Edgewa t er, a small
town loca t ed in Th und er Rift on the
norther n edge of Lake Ga nif, halfway
be tween t he city of Melinir and the East
Drake River's de lta to t he Black
Swa mps. H owever, the DM may set the
a dve ntu re in a ny small town near water
a nd a m arsh y area .
Althou gh there are some combat en counters, the emphasis here is on roleplaying. Wh en runni ng this adventure,
t he DM sho uld play up the various
characters found in Edgewater and t he
surroundi ng wi lderne ss . This is a n
es pecially good way to enco urage begin.
ning PCs t o interact with t he NPCs and
with each other, ins tead of jus t kill ing
everything in sight. The wa nde ri ng
monster table in t h is adv ent ure should
be used a t t he DM's discr eti on (for example, if the P Cs a re hav ing too easy a
t ime, or if t hey are maki ng quite a bit of
n oise).
Thou gh t his is a se lf-contained adventure, the D&D R ules Cyclopedia (RC)
would be quite helpful. The DM may

A WAY WITH WORDS

also use the stand-up mo nsters a nd

characters from t he D&D game boxed
set or the entry level D&D modules.
Two concepts fro m t he R C are used
through ou t t h is ad venture: THACO a nd
ahil ity checks . Though these a re prohably familia r to exper ie nced garners, a
shor t explanation is offered here.
THACO stands for " Th Hit Armor
Class 0." To determine the roll a monster need s to hit a character with a
specific Armor Cla ss, subt ra ct the AC
from th e mon ster's THA CO number.
Thus, if a mon ster's THACO is 19 and
its target is AC 3, the mon ster needs to
roll a 16 or better to hit.
A PC may be asked to make ability
checks in or der t o perfor m cer tain
ac tions. Ability checks a re re fe rred to
by t he na me of t he relevant ability, such
as Dexterity or Int elligen ce. Wh en an
ab ili ty check is ca lled for, t he pla yer
ro lls Id20 and comp ares t he resul t to
hi s character's abi lity score. If the number on t he die is le ss than or equal t o
the ab ility score, t he check is s uccessfu l.
For exa mple, a PC with a Dext erity of
15 must make a De xt erity check to
walk a tightrope. The player rolls 1d20.
A roll of 15 or less indicates s ucces s.

Adventure Background
Th e famous (at lea st in hi s own mind)
g nom e archaeologist H arfur Glu mtoes
ha s spent t he past year a nd more in a n
attempt to document th e hi stor ic differences bet ween dwarven and gno m ish
poetry, a nd how t he t wo poetic forms
diverged over t he course of centuries.
He had come fa r in tracing t he st r uct ura l a nd philosophical differen ces bet ween
t he t wo poetic syste ms, a nd t houg ht it
would be a re latively simple matter to
fin ish his Very Important Treatise on
t h is Hi ghly Rel evant Subje ct . Soon ,
Harfur would be ab le t o document
where the dwarven syste m went wrong,
a nd thu s wh y today 's dw arven artistic
(and inte llectual) creati on s are not up to
gno mish standa rds.
H arfur ca me t o the t iny to wn of Edgewate r 18 months ago for two rea son s.
He wante d peace a nd qui et, a nd he
needed to be near the libra ry a ro und
which the town was bu ilt . The library is
the sa le known lega cy of a group of
monks, the Kohl er-ia n Brother hood, who
were dedicated to the pr eser vation of
knowledge. Neari ng t he e nd of h is research, Harfur needed only to copy
down a few illust ra ti ve verses of ear ly

gnom ish poetry, and h is impeccable

(a nd, in h is own opi nion , br ill ia nt) researc h would be complete.
Howev er. whe n Harfur went to the
shelf wh ere he kept t he volume of poetry, he fou nd it was gon e! Harfur
searche d hi s entire hou se fro m top to
bottom but found no sign of T he Big
Book of Sappy, Dr ivelly Loue Poem s.
Harfur even searched the town library,
in case someone had found hi s book and
brought it there. No such lu ck .
Harfur t houg ht long a nd hard about
where th e book might have gone . F inally,
he remembered a young bard who had
a tte nded one of his poetry readings only
last month. He rem embered th e woman
for t hree reasons. She had as ked whet her
she could borrow or purchase the poetry
book, an d she was very pretty. The third
reason he remembered her was that she
had been the only person to ever attend
one of his poetry readings.
Rhiannon the bard had begged, sobbed,
and wail ed in her efforts to ga in the book.
Yet, despite her beauty, Harfur had remained firm and adamantly refused to let
her borrow the important tom e. After all ,
res earch is research . Rhi annon was the
only person Harfur could think of who
might want to ste al his book.
Wastin g no time, H arfur easily
learned the location of Rhi annon's home
in t he hills just outsid e of to wn. Armed
with thi s infor ma tio n, H a rfur intrepidly
set ofT to talk to t he young bard. Howeve r, when he r eached Rh ian non 's
home , he was in for a shock. The young
woma n was clad in a green gown and an
even greene r snake, a ppare ntly her pet .
For most indi vid ua ls , this woul d not
h av e been too di scon certing, but Harfur
is terrified of snakes. Eyes bulging,
Ha rfur stammered a n ap ology and
da shed pelI-mell back to the village .
In light of this ne w in formation , Harfur h a s de cided that the best course of
action wou ld be to hire some a dve ntu rers t o deal with the bard and he r sca ly
fri end. In order to attr act a dvent urer s,
H arfur ha s placed large, neat ly let tered
sig ns a bout the town:
Brutish , yet hi storically incl ine d a nd
discreet, adve nture rs required for a
t a sk of some del icacy. Must have a t
lea st one literate member. If interested, contact H a rfur Glumtoes,
Ma in Street. Second house from left.
T he green one. Wit h white trim. Or
just ask a nyo ne in tow n a nd th ey' ll
show you .

Wandering Monsters
Roll 1d4 once every six hours . On a
roll of I , the PC s encounter a wandering monster. The DM may al so
pick an encounter from thi s table if
the party is bein g very no isy or doing
somet h ing that might draw unwanted attention .
If a wandering monster is indicated
or desired, roll 1d6 and consult the
table below.
1. Giant rats (4-6): AC 7; HD Ih ; hp 2; MV
120'(40'), swim 60'(20'); ' AT I bite; THACO 19;
Dmg Id3 plus disease; Save as Norma l Man ;

ML8: INT 2; AL:<; XP 5; RCI20l.

Anyone bit ten by a rat has a l -in20 cha nce of
contracting a disease (a diseased rat is worth 6
XP). The victim may avoi d the disease by
making a successful saving throw vs. poison.
These rats attack as a gro up, swarming around
t he Pes.

2. Kobold, (3-5),AC 7; HD '&: hp 3; MY

90'(30';' ' AT I weapon;THACO 19; Dmg Id6- 1
(short sword); Save as Norm a l Man ; ML 6; INT
9; AL C; XP 5: RC1187.
These kobolds are memb ers of a different
tribe than the kobold "mages." They are looking for treasure and will attempt to ambush the
party.
3. Giant centipedes (14): AC 9; HD

1/2 *; hp

2; MY60'(20'); IAT I hite; THACO19; Dmg

poison; Save as Normal Man ; ML7; INT 0; AL
N; XP 6: RC1163.
The victi m of a centipede's bite must mak e a
success ful sav ing t hrow VS. poison or become
violently ill for th e next 10 days (movement is
at half speed; t he PC is unable to perform any
other physical acti ons). The centipedes swarm
out of a decaying log or tr ee stump to attack the
party.

4. Giant ferret: AC5; HD I + I; hp 8; MY

150'(50';' 'AT I bite; THACO 18; Dmg Id8: Save
as Fl; ML8: DlT 2; AL N; XP 15; RCII77.
Th is creature at ta cks one PC at t he rear of
th e par ty, hoping for a swift kill.
5. Goblins (2-5): AC 6; HD 1-1; hp 4; MY
90'(30'); IAT I weapon; THACO 18; Dmg 1-4
(club); Save as Normal Man; ML7; INT 9; AL
C; XP 5; RC1180.
Th ese goblins are looking for gold and will
attack th e PCs in a fairly organized ma nner,
since they hav e st rong leader sh ip.

6. Brigands (2-41, AC 7; HD 1; hp 5: ~IY

120'(40'); IAT I weapon;THACO 19: Dmg Id6
(short sword>;Save as Fl ; AlL 8; INT 11; AL C;
XP 10; RCI193 (Men).
These brigands wear leather armor an d carry
short swords. They are simply robbers looking
for a qu ick payoff. If t he party appears to be
getting t he best of them. a ny bandits still on
t heir feet will nee, lea ving t he ir compatriots to
the Pe s. They have no loyalt y whatsoever.

DUNGEON

29

A WAY WITH WORDS

Lake Ganif
,II r,

vampire Moss

,,

For The DU NGEON MASTER"

The bard, Rhiannon, did steal Harfur's
book from his house, as she had fallen
desperately in love with the verses of
poetry in the volume. However, just a
few hours ago, a group of kobo lds stole
the book of poetry from her, believing it

30 Issue No. 41

:,
,

lfthe adventure starts in the PCs'

hometown, Harfur might also come
looking for them.
Harfur Glumtoes is devoted to the
study of history, language, and general
knowledge. An archaeologist, he is a
gnome with a penchant for moldy tomes
and a weakness for tall women (those
over 4 1 in height>, Harfur prides himself
on his intellectual prowess, but often
becomes absorbed in his projects to the
point where he notices nothing else. He
can be gruff, but he wants to be friendly
and tries to be patient with others.
When Harfur has developed sufficient
physical skills, he is determined to go
adventuring himself. He is currently
working with t he short sword and whip.
The DM may wish to use Harfur as an
NPC in later adventures, encouraging
the PCs to accompany him on quests to
"save history" (and Harfurl).

.1/"

\ 111

to be a spell book.
The thieving kobo Ids learned to read
and write Common this past winter. The
creatures captured a thief who was busy
escaping from a merchant cara van he
had just robbed. As the ko bolds were
preparing to kill the thief, the clever
(a nd desperate) man told the ba nd he
knew how to read magic and would
teach the kobolds if they wou ld let him
go. After a short conference, the kobolds
decided to take the thief up on his offer.
The man proceeded to teach the koba lds Com mon, as he did not really
know how to read magic. Luckily for the
thief, the kobolds could not tell the
difference. The kobolds freed him once
they had lea r ned to read and write, and
he hastily left the area.
The kobolds are currently taking the
stolen book of poetry back to their small
encampment where some of their fellows wait, a bout a day's hard journey
from Rhianncn'e home. There they plan
on having a celebration and magic demonstration before making a journey of
several more days back to their home
clan. The PCs should catch up to the
kobolds shortly after the little creatures
reach their temporary encampment.

Harfur's Offer
It is indeed a very simple matter to
locate Harfur's green house with white
trim. If the PCs ask any of the townspeople, they will point the way to the
gnome's residence. This is a small town,
and most of the residents know each
other. If any of t he PCs are from the
town (and have been around during the
past 18 months), they will have heard of
Harfur and know where he lives.
Harfur's recently whitewashed door
has t wo door knobs set into it. The first
appears to be placed for the comfort of
humans, while the second has been
placed more appropriately for halflings
or gnomes.
When the PCs knock on the door, they
hear a high-pitched voice call out
"Egad!" This cry is followed by several
loud thumps.
Harfur was attempting to change the
candles in his chandelier. In order to
reach that high, Harfur climbed atop
one of the piles of books and papers
cluttering his home. Unfortunately for
Harfur, the pile slipped out from under
him, causing the loud thumps mentioned above. Harfur managed to avoid
falling with the pile of books, but is just

A WAY WITH WORDS

bar ely hangin g on to his cha ndeli er.

If the PCs attempt to open t he door,
they find it is not locked. If they ca ll out
to Harfur or do not ope n t he door with in
a few seconds, t hey hear a va r iety of
noises from inside the dwell ing, such as
"Uhh . . . Aaack ! ... Ooch! ... Gahh!"
etc. If this does not move t he PCs, t he
next rou nd they hea r a nother thump
(caused by Harfur falling to the floor ).
Harfur then opens t he door a nd regards
the PCs with host ility. It will take some
soothi ng befo re the ac h ing gnome will
agree to offer the PCs the job.
If t he PCs ope n the doo r be fore H arfur
fall s, read or paraphrase the following
to the player s:
As the door opens, you behold piles of
documen ts, books, and scrolls of every
type scatte red in appare ntly random
fashi on about the large room . Some of
th e piles stand 4' high, a nd a few seem
to be on the verge of collapse. In fact ,
the loud noises you ju st heard seem to
have been ca used by the collapse of
one of th e larger stacks .
Even mor e unusu al than the materials filling the dwelling is the small
gnome swinging back a nd forth from
a large chande lie r. H e app ears to be
losing hi s grip a n d may fall at a ny
seco nd.
Harfur will ind eed fall short ly. Th e
PCs h ave on ly on e round in which to
ac t . If they do not do some th ing , H arfur
takes 13 hp fa lling dam a ge. Any
human -si ze or larger character can grab
Harfur and help him down . If a PC
attempt s t o ca tch Harfur as he falls, the
PC must ma ke a s uccessfu l Dext erity
check or take 1-2 hp damage when Harfur la nds on h is re scuer.
As long as the PCs a tte mpt to help
h im , H arfur will be very happy to offer
them the job. This is especially true if
the PCs also aid h im in rest or in g t he
falle n pil e of book s and scrolls. Harfur
will be very fu ssy wh ile arranging the
pile , since he wants hi s or de r ly d isorder
to be "j ust so."
Once "orde r " ha s bee n restor ed, Harfur leads t he PCs to a sma ll table . Th ere
are enough cha irs for a ll t he PCs, but
they are a ll sized for gno me s . H a rfur
offers th e grou p lea , in tiny cu ps. The
gno me will be es pec ia lly nice t o a ny
" tall" female PCs in the party.
Once tea ha s been di stributed or
refused, H arfu r ex pla ins th e t a sk he has
in mi nd for the party. Th e gnome has a

st odgy a nd scho la r ly manner, a t odd s

wit h hi s hi gh -pitched voi ce.
" The task I a m proposin g for yo u is
one of great. per haps even monumental, hi stor ical sig nifi ca nce. For t he
pa st year a nd more , I ha ve been
tra cing t he linguisti c root s of dwarven a nd gnomish poetry sys te ms
ba ck to t he t ime whe n they were one
an d t he same. I a m on the ve rge of
com plet ing my rese arch , but one
t hing pr ev ents t he com pletion of this
impo rtant wor k.
"A volume entit led The B ig Book of
S appy, Drivelly Love Poem s, an early
gnomish collect ion, was take n from
my home some ti me within the pa st
month. I beli ev e t hat a young woman
by the name of Rhi annon stole the
com pila t ion . You see , she ca me to my
poetry reading la st month and
begged me t o lend her the volume .
She eve n cri ed! I was te m pted but
held firm . Even lovely, young, tall
wom en must not come between me
and my research.
"In any case , the young woman is a
bard who lives not far from town. Did
I mention she is very tall? Easily
5'2" . I am certain if you just r eason
with her, she will return the vol ume.
However, if sh e becomes obstreperou s, you might h av e to resort to
for ce, dist a steful as that might be .
Try not to hurt her too much though,
if it should come to violence.
"If, by some chance , she should not
be in possession of the tome , you
must locate it as quickly a s possible."
Harfur's eyes glitter as he leans
forwa rd a nd wh is pers:
" Th is will probabl y be the sing le
most important mi ssion you have
ever taken on . Nothi ng is more im portant t han knowledge!"
H arfur lea ns ba ck a nd sips hi s tea
as h e rega rd s you steadily from behind wi re spectacles. " Well , what do
you say? Are yo u inte rested?"

Harfur will be happy to give the party

what little infor ma t ion he possesses on
Rh iannon. If th ey as k th e gnome about
othe r people who atte nded his poetry
read in gs and migh t have stolen the tome.
Harfur squirms a bit before telling them
th ere were no other a tte ndees. He hastily
expla ins the lack of attendees as due to
the "paucity of cultural values assimilated by current aud iences."
If the party as ks why H arfur doesn't

go to see Rhi annon himself, since h er

home is so close, he goes a bit pale and
st a m mers that he is " allergic to . . .
trees . .. a nd I don't go in to the wood s
much ." Harfur does not wis h t o infor m
anyone of hi s cr ippli ng fear of snakes ,
and admits to it only if pressed .
If t he party expresses interest in t he
mi ssion , H a rfur will be very happy and
will im med iately offer t he m mo re tea. If
the PCs ask about paym ent , he appears
befuddled for a mom ent befor e excusing
himsel f. The g no me clim bs a sma ll
ladder that a ppa re nt ly lead s t o an upper a re a. The party hears cla ttering
noises and mumbled curses, and eventually gold pieces a nd a few sma ll ga r nets
begin to drop from a bove . Harfur pokes
his head through the trapdoor and a sks
if " t ha t will suffice?" He tells the PCs
that they can ke ep a nyt hing else they
find white on their mi ssion. H e is intereste d only in the book . All told , Harfur
offers the PC s the equivalent of 40 gp
each.
If the party gives Harfur a hard time
about the payment, he grudgingly offers
them a small pl atinum st a tue of a unicorn that can he sold for 75 gp oIf the
PCs did not a id Harfur when he was in
troubl e nor help him with t he fallen
stack of books and papers, he will not
offer them th e stat ue .
Once the group ha s accepted the job,
Harfur expla ins how to get to Rhiannon's hom e . The way is sim ple; just
follow t he old ca ra van route east out of
town. After they ha ve gone almost a
mil e, the PCs will see a sma1l trail
leading ofT to t he left. The bard's hom e
is a few hundred ya rds up the t ra i1.
Harfur G1umtoes: AC 5: HD 2; hp 6;
MV 60'(20'); NAT 1; TH ACO 19; Dmg by
wea pon t ype; [ 16, W 8; Save as Dwarf
1: ML 8; AL L. Harfur has both a whip
(12 hpj and a shor t sword (16 hp j.

Rhiannon
Unless the DM wis hes to a dd a wande ring mon ster e ncounter, the journey t o
Rhiannon's hom e is without incident .
Th e bard's hom e is circular and made of
wood. It see ms to hav e been built
a ro und a large oak tree that ri ses gracefull y from t he center of th e dwelling.
If the PCs knock on the door or call
out, Rhiannon will a ns we r. The bard is
a lovely human woman wit h blonde
hair and gr een eyes. She we ars a jade
green silk gown , and her pet s nake,
Cassandra, is wrapped about h er waist.

DUNGEON

31

A WAY WITH WORDS

Cassandra is a pit viper a pproximately

5 ' long . The snake will attack only if
Rhiannon is harmed .
Wh en t he PCs come up on Rh iannon ,
she ha s been crying and sn iffiing into a
green silk handkerchief. This is not
uncommon for her because she enjoys
t ragedy. Rh iannon becom es teary eyed
at the slig ht est provoc ation, se a rch ing
out mi sery, or even the possibility of a
tra gic sit uat ion, whenever possible.
Often whil e cry ing she will begin to
smile or laugh , a rather discon certing
habit.
Th is love of tra gedy h a s u nfor t.un a t ely ca used Rh iann on to hav e a
rathe r li m it ed a ud ie nce. H er so ngs
are j ust t oo depre ssin g for most peopl e . She is pa rticul a r ly e n a mor ed of
doomed love affai rs.
Wh en Rhi a nnon answers the door she
looks hopeful, a lt houg h her face is tear
streake d. Sh e immedi a tely asks t he
gro up if they have her book . If t he PCs
do not resp ond or respond n egatively,
Rhi annon bursts into sobs, and Ca ssa ndr a hi sses at them . If any of the adventurers as k her about th e book of poetry
or why she is crying, Rhi annon t ells the
PCs t hat one of her dearest possessions
ha s been st olen.
If th e PCs confront her wit h Harfur's
accusat ions a bout the stole n book,
Rh iannon begins sobbi ng even harder.
She runs ins ide her home wi thout botheri ng to shut the door a nd collapses onto
a pile of pill ows.
As long as the PCs a re no t too threateni ng or mean, Rh iannon eventually
in vit es t he m into her hom e. It is a cozy
dwell ing, with pillows strewn ca su ally
a bout t he floor. Th e warm effect is
slig htly m arred by depressing paintin gs, t he most prominent of which de pict s a woman weeping as her hu sband
is dragged to the gallows .
Onc e t hey are inside, Rhiannon will
a nswer the PC s' questions. Sh e readily
a dmits t o having " borrowe d" the
gnome 's book of poetry. The bard defends her a cti on s by sayi ng she was
on ly " rescu ing the book " from Harfur,
"who does not hav e the a r t ist ic se ns itivity necessary to t r ul y a ppreciate suc h
deep works."
If the PCs ask Rh iannon for the book,
she te lls the m about the t ragic t he ft of
her new possession. It seems the prized
to me ha s been stole n by a gro up of kobcld s. She is not sure why they wa nted
t he book , as " everyone knows kobolds
have no a rtistic se nsi tivity whatsoever."

32 Issue No. 41

Rh ia nnon had set her book down on a

rock a nd gone in side to fetch her handkerch ief, since she h ad just come to a
parti cul arly sad sec t ion of poem s. By
t he time she returned, the kobold s were
r u nning off with the book . Sh e is sure
t hey could not have gone far, because
t his tra gic incident occurred on ly a few
hours a go.
Th e young woman can point out the
trail a long which the kob olds fled , and
she te arfully appeals to the party to
return t he book to her. Rhiannon even
offers t he group up to 10 gp each for t h e
opportunity to copy a few of the poems.
If the PCs atta ck Rhi annon , both she
and her snake will fig ht . However,
Rh iannon snatches a ny oppo rtu ni ty to
flee or su rrender, throwing hersel f on
the pa r ty member she t hinks is most
likely to ai d her in her time of need .
Rhiannon: AC 7; Nor mal Human; hp
4; MV 120 '(40'); NAT 1; THACO 20; Dmg
by wea pon type; DEX 16; Save a s Norm al Human; ML 9; AL N .
Rh iannon has 60 gp a nd a shor t swor d
(1-6 hp ). She wears no armor ; her low
a r mo r class is due to her high Dexterity.
Pit viper: AC 6; HD 2*; hp 11; MV
90 (30 ' ); NAT 1 bite; THACO 18; Dmg Id4
plus poison ; Save a s Fl ; ML 7; INT 2;
AL N; XP 25; RC /204 (Sna ke) .

Pursuit
The par ty will have no trouble following
t he kobolds' trail. The DM sho uld occasio nally tell th e PC s tha t t hey ha ve
foun d something along t he pa th , such as
a poorly painted star or a few pieces of
glitter, In their haste a nd exc iteme nt,
the kobolds have dropped bit s a nd piec es of th e numerous strange it em s they
carry a nd wear, and which t hey beli eve
to be m agical.
Wh en t he party reaches the northern
edge of the Black Swamp, read or paraphra se the follow in g to t he players:
U nt il this point , your journey h as
been rel atively easy. You ha ve now
rea ched the edge of what appears to
be a very marshy area. Th e gr ound
here is ex t re me ly spongy. a nd your
feet sink a n inch or t wo into t he
muck as you survey the land in fro nt
of yo u . For a swa mp, there are quite
a few trees, mostly pines a nd small
oaks. Pa le green moss, some specime ns a lmos t 3' lon g, hangs from
a lmost every branch. Small patches
of dark water, repl et e wit h old

logs a nd br anches, are scattered

throughout, and the stagnant odor of
rotting veget a t ion fill s yo ur lungs. A
faintly visible animal t ra il snakes off
to t he south , marked by a brightly
painted feather t hat lies a few ya rds
down t he path.
Th e feather was dropped by one of the
kobo lds. The on ly possib le way to cross
this swa mpy a rea is to stay on the animal path. The caravan trail that once
trav ersed t he swa mp is no lon ger pa ssabl e. If the party attempts to cross t he
marsh a nywhe re else, t he PCs will soon
become hope lessly bogged down , taking
ove r a n hour to t raverse eve n a quarter
of a mile. E ven the a ni ma l trail is
t reache ro us , and it t akes great concentra t ion to keep from tripping or wa nderin g off the narrow path. While on the
trail, the party must trav el in single
file, a nd movement is at half t he normal
rate .
This fet id marsh is home to many
creatures, most of which are quit e
h ar ml ess an d avoid intruders. As t he
PC s slowly cross the marsh, th e DM
should describe the for eboding environment. Strange noise s echo between the
trees, a nd birds burst from cove r in
nearby bushes. The group mi ght ca t ch a
gli mpse of a la rge alligator sile nt ly
swimm ing a wa y, or see a gia nt python
ba skin g in t he sun's wa r mth hi gh above
t he ir head s.
The real danger to t he party is not so
conspicuous . Four specimens of va mpire
moss (see sidebar) hang nea r t he pa th.
Th is vege t a t ion senses th e PCs' pr esen ce a nd immediately begins a n in sidiou s attack. When the PCs ha ve gon e a
little more than hal fway throu gh th e
marsh, read or paraphra se the followin g
t o th e players:
As you slow ly m a ke your way a long
the marshy path, you a re for ced to
concent rat e on every step , for vines
a nd branches are ev erywh ere. Plodding along, you begin to fee l very
ti re d, and the backs of your heads
t in gle. Perhaps you ha ve been exer ting yo urselves t oo hard, or maybe
you 'v e bee n breathin g swamp gas?
T he tingling effec t is from t he subt le
attack of t he vampire moss. Ea ch of the
four mosses may at tack one P C. If t here
are five or more PC s in t he party, the
mosses attacks the fir st four PCs to

A WAY WITH WORDS

come into ra nge. If th ere a re fewer t han

four PCs, two speci me ns of moss may
attack a sing le vict im . When the va m pire moss a ttacks , ask the fir st four PCs
to make Cons t it utio n chec ks. PC s who
fail their checks take 1 hp dama ge a nd
feel even dizzier beca use t he moss h a s
drain ed th e ir life force .
After the first Consti t ution ch eck , the
OM should ask t he player s wh at their
ch aracters are doing. If t hey are exa mini ng the a rea close ly, infor m the PC s
that so me of t he hangin g moss a ppears
exception all y hea lthy a nd gree n, but
there seems to be noth in g out of the
ordinary her e . If the party a tte mpts to
travel at a pa ce fas le r tha n a slow wa lk ,
t he PCs must ma ke Dext erit y chec ks
every round or t r ip a nd fall into t he
sur rounding mire. In a ny ca se , it takes
the party three rounds to move out of
t he area of effect of t he va mp ire moss .
For every round the PCs st ay in the
area of effect, unaffected PCs being
attacked must make Cons t it uti on
checks. All affecte d PCs lose 1 hp per
round. Once a PC has lost more than
half h is ma ximum hi t poin ts, he mu st
ma ke a Constit ution check each round
to st ay conscio us. Any PC reduced t o 0
hp by the moss will die.
For eve ry round th e PCs st ay in the
va mpire moss's ar ea, the mos s t urns a
bri ghter shad e of green. If t he PCs do
not notice the moss by t he t hird rou nd ,
they may not ice it wit h successful Intelligen ce checks .
Dest roying t he moss is fa ir ly simple;
all the PCs need do is r ip it a pa rt. This
does not perman en t ly dest roy the moss.
as it ca n grow bac k , but it does pr event
t he moss from draini ng the adve ntu rers ' life forces. Tb perm a nently destroy
the moss , the pa rty must burn it or r ip
it int o ti ny shreds.
Once th e PCs h a ve either defeat ed t he
vam pire moss or escaped the ar ea of its
effect. t he y will have no more pr oblem s
in t he ma rsh.
By t he time the PCs make it t hro ugh
t he marsh, the sun is se tting. Th er e are
several lik ely places to make camp in
the area . If t he PCs t ry to pu sh on past
sundown , the OM shoul d wa rn th em
th at it is ext re mely difficult to track the
kobolds in the dark. If they in sist on
conti nui ng, ha ve the PCs meet a wandering monster or two. In a ny case, t he
PCs should not catch up wit h t he kobolds th e first n ight.

Crocodile Crossing
Th e next morning, read or paraphrase
t he followi ng t o th e players:
You ha ve left the da ngerous marsh
beh ind a nd see m to be makin g good
progr ess. Th e gro und her e is far less
sodde n t han wha t you covered yest erday. However, you now stand before a
la rge st re a m, perhap s 15' across and
3' deep. Broadl eaft rees sha de the
tra il, providing relief from the day 's
wa rmth. Severa l logs rest in the
riv er, alt hou gh none qu it e spans t he
cha nnel. Several cl umps of flour a nd
glitter a re scattere d on the fa r side of
the st ream, as if someone had been
hurling pack ets of the st uff.
The kobolds used packets of " magic
glitter " (mica chips) a nd flour to attack
t he crocodile s t ha t live in the river.
When , in spite of their "spe ll-cas t ing,"
two of th e ir gro up became brea kfast for
t he hungry rept iles, t he kobolds decided
t hat th e crocodil es mu st have some
special ma gica l protection. Th e rest of
the ba nd promptly n ed t he dangerous
"cr ocodil e mages."
If the PCs ask a bout t he logs, t he OM
should inform t hem that it ma y be possible to cross t he river by hopp ing from
log to log, since t hey are quite close
toget her. Clever PCs ma y attempt to
det er min e if the logs a re crocodiles. If
t he player s state t hat th e PCs exa mine
t he logs close ly, the OM shou ld look
puzzled and as k which log they a re
e xamining. Th e nearest log is just a log,
bu t t he t wo middle " logs" are ind eed
crocodiles .
Roll Intell ige nce chec ks for the PCs,
no ma tter wh ich log (or logs) t hey exa mine. If a PC is lookin g at one of the
crocodiles a nd ma kes his check , t he PC
not ices someth ing odd about the log but
is unable to det er mine exac tly what is
wrong . If t he PC fai ls the ch eck or is
looking at a real log, the OM shou ld tell
t he PC t hat it looks lik e an ordinary
log.
Any PC attempt ing to jump from log
t o log mu st make a Dext erity check or
la nd in the water. A successful check
ca rr ies the PC to t he second "log" (a
crocodile). Here th e PC m ust make
a nothe r Dext erity ch eck as the crocodile
rolls over to a ttack t he hapl ess advent u rer. If t he check succeeds , the PC may
attack normally ; ot her wise, the PC is
surprised and may not attack unt il the
second round of combat.

Vampire Moss
Arm or Cla ss:
Hi t Dice:
Move:
Att acks:
Damage:
No. Appearing:
Save as:
Morale:
Treasure Type:
Int elligence:
Alignment:
XP Value :

9
'12 (1-4 hp j
N il
1 (specia l)
1 hp per round
1-6 (1-6)

Wizard 1
9
Ni l

Ne ut ral
7

Monster Type: Lowlife (Rare).

Vampire moss hangs from trees and

bran ches in marshy or tropical environments. It is normally pale green in color,
and from 1'-4' in length. The moss grows
in a netlike mass but is not as thick as
rock-dwelling moss.
Vampire moss lives offthe life energy of
other creat ures, although it prefers mammals. The moss is an "air feeder," requiring
nocontact with the creatures that it draws
energy from. However, victims must be
within 10 yards ofthe moss. A vampire
moss feedson the lifeenergiesof nearby
trees only if it is starving to death.
When vampire moss atte mpts to feed on
a PC, the victim feels a prickling sensat ion at the back the neck and must make
a Constitution check. If the check succeeds, the moss conti nues to try to magically attach itself until the intended
victim leaves its area ofeffect. If the
victim fails the Constit ution check, the
moss has " latched on" to the PC and
begins feeding at the rate of 1 hp per
round until the victim dies or leaves the
area. When the moss has consumed four
times its own hit points in energy, it is
sated and releases its victim.
When a victim is reduced to half his
maximum number of hit points , he must
make another Constitution check or fall
unconscious. The victim must cont inue to
make checks each round until the draining stops or t he victim falls unconscious.
The victim dies when reduced to 0 hp.
As the moss feeds, it tu rns a brighter
and brighter shade ofgreen. A fully sated
moss is a vivid emerald green.
The only ways to kill vampire moss are
by ripping it into tiny shreds or burning
it. The moss regenerate all other damage
at a rate of 2 hp per week.

Terrain: Swamp, Woods (tropical).

DUNGEON

33

A WAY WITH WORDS

Th ese cr ocodiles a re hungry and do

not a ppre cia te being disturbed. As soon
as the PC s attempt to ford the river, the
crocodiles a ttack , hoping for surprise.
Un less the party flies or levitates, or
moves a subs tant ia l distance up - or
downstream (a t lea st h alf a mile), the
crocodi les will drift beh ind a nd attack
whe n the party enters the water.
Any items t he PCs drop while in the
water will eithe r sink or float rapidly
downstrea m. Halfl ings a nd dwarves
fight at a - 2 penalty to attack rolls
while in t h e water, du e to its depth and
t he ir short stature .
Th e number of crocodiles found in the
stream may be cha nged to com pensate
for the relative stre ngth or weakness of
the adventuri ng party.
Crocodiles (2): AC 5; HD 2; hp 8; MV
90'(30'); # AT 1 bit e; THA CO 18; Dmg
1d8; Save as F1; ML 7; [NT 2; AL N; XP
20; RC/164 .

Poetic License
By mid-a fte r noon, t he PCs notice a
colu mn of smoke in the distance. If the
PCs ask about thi s, t he DM can say that
it looks as if it comes from a large chimney or bonfire.

34 Issue No. 41

It t akes the PCs the rest of the afternoon to re ach the area near the column
of smoke. Shortly before su ndown , t hey
should decide how they wish t o approach the spot .
Scouting is easy, since most of the
kobold s a re bu sy pr eparing for tonight's
celebrat ion a nd magi c demonstration.
As long as the PCs take reason able
precautions (sneak ing qui etly, not wearin g bright colors), they are not spot te d
by the bu sy kobold s. If the kobold s spot
the adve nture rs, the crea tures fr a ntica lly mobilize a nd a ttack t he party as
discussed la ter.
If the PCs make a r easonable effort at
scouting t he small encampment , t he
DM m ay give th em a rough version of
the "Kobold Camp" map , omitti ng t he
locations of speci fic koboIds. In stead,
the DM should tell t he PCs they see " a t
least half a dozen " kob olds wa lking
about the ca mp. Th e positions of the
kobolds on the map show the DM where
the kobolds are when the PCs begin
their a ttack (or wh en the kobolds fir st
notice the party).
The smoke that dr ew the PCs bere
comes from a lar ge bonfire that the
kobolds h av e cons tr ucte d in preparation

for the eve ni ng's celebrat ion. The kobold s a re celebrat ing the discover y of a
mage's spell book, which is act ually Th e
Big Book ofSa ppy, Drivelly Love Poems.
However, the kobold s beli eve t he ridiculous verses a re spells . After a ll , what
else could anyt hing t his st range be?
Cu rre ntly, the most intellige nt and
cunn ing kobolds a re working on memorizin g " spells" from t he book . They pla n
on dem onst r ating their magical expert ise t his eve ni ng .
As long as t he PCs ha ve mad e a n
attempt at being quiet and ha ve a reasonable plan for ap proac hing the kobolds, the creatures will not notice the
intrude rs un til the party strikes. When
t he PCs have decided on a plan and are
read y to move on t he kobolds ' enca mpment , read or para phrase the followin g
to the player s:
As you close on th e ca mp, you hear
snort ing a nd hissing. One scrat chy
voice is reciting some sort of
poetry .. . if you want to call it t hat.
If the PCs move a bit closer, they can
see nine sma ll re pti lian creat ures with
t iny horns and lon gish snouts. Th e little
mon st ers look as though they are put-

A WAY WITH WORDS

ting on a page ant . Se vera l of th e koholds wear mak eshift robes with

strange symbols sloppily pa inted on

them . Some wear feathers in th eir hair,
behind the ir ears, and on t he ir fin gers.

Two have small sticks that hav e apparently been dipped into paint. A kobold

Kobold Camp 'N.

.....~m .~

N""~'.

.-<

reading from a large book wears a flop-

py bak er's hat covere d in golden glitter,

with large eyes painted all over it. Th is

K K

kobold, who calls himself Th e Great

Whizzo, is th e lead er of th e sma ll band .
The Great Whizzo is currently reading
from The Big Book of Sappy, Drivelly
Love Poems. The PCs may list en for as
long as th ey wi sh (or as long 85 they can

stand it).

"Oh! Thou art as the light of dawn,

St irring my blood
Till t hou art gone.

Burning away the morni ng mist ,

Steal my bre ath ,

With your sweetes t k iss.
Cast your spell
[Here, the kobol ds all gasp an d clap]
Till I am too weak to stand.
A puppet , yours to quell."
There are nine kobolds standing about

t he small clear ing. Th ey ar e all enraptured by t he "spell book" th ey have

cleverly sto len, because the kobolds all

ve ry powerful magi cal charms. Exam -

The DM should feel free to make up

wish to have "'Ib ngues like daggers/And

ples of t hese include " I before E except

eyes of flam e," as one of th e poems

promises. The entire group is certain

after'C or when soundi ng lik e I A' as in

any atrocious varia nt s of his own.

Kobolds (8): AC 7; HD 112; hp 3; MV
90'(30'); KAT 1 weapon or " spell" ;

t his book is a powerful magical tom e.

If th e PCs immediately at tack, the
koboIds launch a furious cou nterattack.

neigh bor or weigh ;' and "Kobold is

spelled with a 'K' just like ken nel or
keg."

Th e kobolds r efuse to answer any

The crea tures are certain that the party

questi ons on how th ey learn ed "magi c"

is her e to take t he "spell book" from

(Common) and atte mpt to get into good

th em , a nd they are determined to keep

positions for atta cking th e PCs. As soon

it . The kobalds' strate gy is described

as the kobolds believe t hey are in t he

best positions possible, they fall upon
t he PCs. The kobolds are armed with

later.

If th e PCs appr oach t he kobolds more

cautious ly in ste ad of leaping into battle,
th e crafty creatures will atte mpt to ta lk
to th e PCs. During t he conve rsation, the

koboIds t ry to cast spells on t he PCs by

spouti ng lin es of poetry. Some exa mples
of th ei r "spell select ion" are:
"Tempt me notJLest I drown thee
within mine eyes of blue , fair one:'
"If 1 th ought t hat/The very eart h
should tremble about me :' and
"But one kiss/And thou art mine !"

(An enterprisi ng kobold might even

attem pt to ki ss one of th e PCs at this

point.)
The kobolds also chant certa in mnemonic tea ching devices used by the
thief, becau se they beli eve th ese to be

short swords and usua lly att ack with

them. However, each kobold also has

t wo packets of " magic powder " (glit te r

dust mad e of mica and sand) that t hey
will also try to hurl at the PCs while
shouting " spells :' If a kobold manages
to hit a PC wit h a packet of glitte r du st ,
the PC must save

VB.

paralyzation or be

blinded for 13 rounds. A blinded PC

suffers a -4 penalty to all attack r olls.
Through out the fight, the kobolds
shout " spells" at the PCs. For example:
" Homicide'? Foul, brutish beast ,"
" Feel my wrathlLike a scaldi ng bath; '
and

THACO 19; Dmg Id6 -1 (short sword);

Save as Normal Man; ML 8; INT 9; AL
C; XP 5; RC/187.
T he Great Whizzo: AC 6; HD I; hp 6;
ML 10; XP 10; ot he r statist ics as for
kobolds, above .
In add itio n to t he book of poetry, th e
kobolds have 250 cp, 120 sp, and 6 gp
hidden under some blanket s in the
northernmost ten t. Each kobold also

has tw o pack s of glitter dust . The PCs

may tak e any unused packet s, whic h

th ey may find useful for bli nding opponent s. The packets have the sa me
throw ing range as a dagger.
The Great Whizzo wears three rings .
Two of th ese are made of colored twin e
wra pped around thin twigs, but th e
third ring is act ually a ring ofprotection
+ 1 (which explains the Great Whizzo's
armor cla ss of 6). The rin g is wrapped in
colored tw ine , so the PCs wi ll have to
unwrap it to discover th e plain silver

band benea th.

"Thine eyes weeplLike two rivers

deep."

Continued on page 71

DUNGEON

35

DEADLY TREASURE
Continued from page 25

the pewter mug (10 gp ). Howev er, the

spoon beside t he mug is actually a
Murlynd's spoon. Both the spoon and
mug are encrusted with dried gruel
from Zathis's last meal.
The unicorn head is a trophy from
Zathis's younger years. He came upon
the beast in a forest and slew it before
he realized what it was. The wizard was
so impressed with the creature's beauty
that he brought its head here to adorn
his tomb.
The drapes on the north wall partially
conc ea l a 30' x 10' st or a ge area. In side
are numerous barrels, bins, crates, and
containers of all sorts that st ore Zathis's
s upply of m ateria l components. There
are enough components here to ca st any
given mage spell 1-3 times. The encum-

THE WELL OF LORD BARCUS

Continued from page 27

ser pen t ine owl figurine of wondrous

power,. a rusty dagger, a bronze helm,
three silver rings wor t h 30 gp each, a
gold ring worth 200 gp, a n ordinary
ring with " Rin g of Warmth" written on
it in elvis h scr ipt, and three glass marbles. PCs will not be cursed if they take
these items. Only PC s who take items
from the well will be cursed.
Mar-linus uses his condition as a
haunt to try to fre e himself from his
curse by possessing a PC and returning
hi s loot to t he well . If Marlinus manages to possess a body and return all the
loot to the well, or if som ebody does it
for him, the curse is lifted. Marlinus
goes on to hi s r eward (wha t ever that
may be) with an audible sigh of relief.
Marlinus's su rv ivin g personal items
include belt buckles a nd som e bits of
clot h in g, a dagger + 1/ + 2 vs. sea

A WAY WITH WORDS

Continued from page 35

The Last Word

Once the PCs have retrieved the book of
poetry from the kobo lds, it should be
relatively s im ple for them to get back to

br ance of all t hese spe ll components is

200 lbs. Also stored here is a sma ll pouch
hanging from a spike on the wal l. Inside
is Zathis's store of eme rgency funds: 20
100-gp gems, 10 500-gp gems, and five
1,000-gp gems (base values). None of the
items in this storeroom are magical.

C o nc lu di n g th e Ad ve nt u re
Once the tomb has been cleared out,
there may still be a few loose ends. Any
PCs lost on other planes shou ld be given
a reasonable chance to escape, though
this is a process that could span several
a dv entures. The evil priest Dranloc will
certainly wish to run into the PCs
again, most li kely with a small army
behind him. And, with 30,000 gp worth
of gems, he can certainly afford to hire
whatever help he thinks he needs.
If the PCs restore Sir Ayvers , they
gain a 3,000 XP bonus. Sir Ayvers may

creatures sheathed in his belt, a neck lace ofadaptation around his skeletal
throat , a ring of sustenance on a bony
finger, and two 200-gp rubies hidden in
his rotted boots.

Marlinus (haunt): INT non ; AL CN; AC

Olas victim; MV 6/as victim; HD 5/as
victim; hp 30/as victim; THACO 15; HAT
1/1. as 5HD monster; Dmg Dexterity
drain/by weapon type; SA possession/as
victim; SD struck only by silver or magical weapons, or by fire; weapons cause
only 1 hp damage (pl us magical bonuses, if any); normal fire causes 1 hp
damage per round/as vict im; SZ M; ML
16; XP 2,000; MC2.
After sunset, Marli nus approaches the
camp and attempts to possess the PC
with the lowest Dexterity. If hlocked, he
will try the PC with the sec ond lowest
Dexterity. If "killed" in h is noncorporeal form, Marlinus fades away but will
re-form in one week. Marlinus must
stay within 60 yards of the shrine.

Rhianncn's home or to Edgewater.

If the PCs a llow Rhiannon to copy
some of the poems, she will be so happy
that she begins cry ing. The bard also
gi ves the PCs the gold she promised
them.
Harfur will be exceptionally pleased if
the book is r et u r ned. He immediately

decide to r epay his rescuers by serving

the heroes for some time , improving
their moral fiber, and keeping them on
the path of righteousness.
If the PCs escape from Zarrp, the arcanaloth is still obligated to hunt t hem
down and destroy them before he is freed
of his debt. A particularly brave and
capable party may even wish to track
down Zarrp to his red-iron fortress in
Gehenna and recover Zathis's spell books .
The perils and rewards of such an under taking are left entirely to the DM.
If the PCs fail , the people of Green barrow are convinced the lomb is
haunted and continue to warn others
away. If they succeed in overcoming
the traps and creatures of the tomb,
the PCs sh ou ld gain a 30,000 XP story
award , to be split among the party
membe rs . The tomb itself remains ,
abandoned until some monster decides
to make it a home.
Q

Concluding the Adven ture

If the PCs kill Marlinus's haunt without
returning the loot to the well, they will
have missed the main point of this adven ture. The experience award should be onehalf or one-quarter of the possible total. If
they return Marlinus's loot to the well ,
the full award is recommended.
If PCs st ea l from the well, they will be
affected by the well's curse of ill luck
(penalty of 2 to all rolls). The DM could
drop hints like bad dreams, fortune
tellers, or omen readings to communicate the cause of t he curse if necessary.
Further adventures could arise as the
party tries to remove the well 's curse
from one of their members, or to learn
to deal with the strange benefits be stowed by the well.
Roger Baker says he got the idea for th is
encounter from a song he heard on the
radio. "It just proves th at interesting
adventures can be found anywhere." Q

gives the PCs their gold and garnets,

and he invites them to a celebratory t ea
party and poetry reading. He will not be
too disappointed if the PCs decline hi s
offer, but the party will hear him mumb le something under hi s breath about
"the cu ltural bereavement of today's
adventurers."
Q

DUNGEON

71

David writes: "Currently, I live in Mountain Home, Idaho. I've written over 20
articles for DUNGEON Adventures,
DRAGONMagazine, and The General
from Avalon Hill. This is my eighth
module for this magazine. I graduated
from Montana State University in 1983
and have been writing for TSR's magazines since 1986."
This D&D adventure is for 4-7 lawful
player characters of levels 3-5 (about 22
total levels). Page numbers given here
refer to the D&D Rules Cyclopedia (RC).

Adventure Background

RANSOM
BY DAVID HOWERY

Blood is thicker than

water, but gold is thicker
than blood.
Artwork By Charles Dougherty

36 Issue No.42

Banditry is a fact of life across the

Known World, wherever there are wild
lands or hostile borders. Karameikos,
with its vast wilderness areas, suffers
badly from such depredations. The most
infamous gang on the northern border
is that of Thoros the kidnapper.
The fief of Sir Reynald stands on the
northern border near Threshold. A
week ago, Reynald's oldest son,
Baldwin, was kidnapped by Thoros. The
bandit heard that Baldwin would be
traveling to Specularum with a small
escort, there to be trained as a squire by
his father's boyhood friend. The bandits
surprised the group, slew the two menat-arms, and captured the lO-year-old
boy. Thoros later sent a ransom note to
Reynald, asking for a huge sum of
money. Business as usual for Thoros,
but a new experience for Reynald.
Reynald plans to send a treasure chest
across the border, as instructed, but he
doesn't want to use his own troops. He
doesn't trust them to keep their cool
when facing the bandits. Thus, he decided to hire a group of adventurers for the
job. After a quick survey of available
personnel in the area, he has decided to
contact the PCs.

For the Player Characters

The PCs should start the adventure
near Threshold. The party receives an
invitation, by special courier, to visit
Reynald in his castle. It is common
knowledge that Reynald's son was recently kidnapped, and that Reynald has
been interviewing adventurers. If the
PCs decide to accept Reynald's invitation, they are escorted into Reynald's
office, where he is waiting for them.

RANSOM

Reynald is a tall, strong man with a

well-worn sword at his hip. However,
his eyes are bloodshot and sunken in
dark circles; the kidnapping has left
him haggard. After motioning you to
be seated, Reynald rises and speaks.
"Greetings, and many thanks for
answering my invitation. I am Reynald, lord of this border castle. As
you may know, my son Baldwin was
recently kidnapped by the bandit
Thoros. He is being held somewhere
north of the border.
"I have decided to send the ransom
across the border, but I need someone
to take it there. I cannot send my
own troops. I fear my hot-headed
soldiers will risk my son's life by
doing something foolish when they
face the bandits. I need cool, experienced adventurers for the job.
"I offer each of you 500 gp to take
the ransom to the designated spot
and recover Baldwin. Your reward is
payable upon my boy's safe return!'
If the PCs decline, Reynald asks them
to keep the meeting secret and shows
them out. If the PCs accept, Reynald
begins to make preparations for their
trip. Reynald can be bargained up to
650 gp each, but no higher. If asked how
much ransom has been demanded, Reynald only smiles grimly and say that it
is of no relevance to the PCs.
Reynald: AC 2 [8]; hp 60; NAT 1; Dmg
by weapon type; MV 90' (30') [120' (40')];
save FlO; ML 12; AL N; S 18, I 14, W
10, D 14, C 16, Ch 17; XP 1,100; plate
mail, shield, long sword, dagger. In his
castle, surrounded by his men, Reynald
does not wear armor and has the armor
class and movement noted in brackets.

For the DUNGEON MASTER'"

Reynald is less than sincere about his
concern for his son. Not only is he selfishly neutral in alignment, he is also
losing his mind, due to the interference
ofhis chief advisor.
The problem began years ago, when
Reynald married his wife, Belesa. Her
first husband, the former lord of this fief,
died in a border skirmish. The young
widow was married to Reynald just days
later, a common practice in feudal lands.
Duke Karameikos likes strong border
fiefs and did not want this one to fall to
raiders from lack of leadership.
Baldwin was born exactly nine
months later, and there has always been

doubt as to his paternity. The boy resembles his mother but doesn't look like
either of Belesa's husbands, so the question is unanswered. Reynald claims
Baldwin as his son but has always had
his doubts. He treats his two younger
sons with much more affection.
Reynald is a selfish and paranoid man
who has ambitions to rule far more than
a single fief someday. He also thinks that
unknown persons are out to stop his deserved rise to fame and power. In spite of
his paranoia, Reynald's strong personality
and his high Charisma let him present a
kind and caring mask to others.
Reynald's selfishness would have
amounted to little if not for the treachery of his main advisor, Antar. This man
is actually an agent of wicked Baron
von Hendricks of Fort Doom. In order to
place his own agent in charge of the
border fief, Hendricks must get rid of
Reynald. Antar was inserted into Reynald's service years ago, and has slowly
worked on Reynald's mind. He has used
Reynald's natural paranoia to convince
him that Baldwin is not his true son,
and has played on Reynald's greed to
make him extraordinarily miserly and
ambitious.
The kidnapping has given Antar a
golden opportunity. He tried to convince
Reynald to ignore the ransom demand
and let Baldwin perish. Why pay a
large sum for a son of questionable
heritage when he has two more sons
that are definitely his? Of course, Antar
knows that this despicable act would
cause Reynald's immediate removal by
Duke Karameikos. That is Antar's goal.
Antar was disappointed when Reynald
decided to pay the ransom.
However, Antar has succeeded better
than he knows. Reynald is indeed furious about paying a large ransom for a
questionable son. He has devised a plot
that he hopes will bring destruction
down upon Thoros and his men, without
implicating him as a heartless monster.
Antar: AC 9; M2; hp 6; MV 120' (40');
NAT 1; Dmg by spell or weapon type;
Save M2; ML 8; AL C; S 10, I 17, W 10,
D 11, C 12, Ch 17; XP 35; dagger, 12 gpo
Spell book: analyze, charm person, read
magic (can memorize any two per day).

The Journey
The instructions on the ransom note are
clear. The ransom is to be taken to the
small village of Utica, 10 miles north of
the Duchy's border. There, the bandits

will contact the PCs and lead them to a

secret location where the exchange will
be made. Reynald provides a sturdy
mule to carry the treasure chest filled
with the ransom. The chest is 2' wide, 2'
high, 3' long, and weighs 150 lbs,
The chest is exceptional, an heirloom
of Belesa's family. Although it appears
to be made of iron, the chest is actually
an alloy of steel and adamantite, impervious to weapons and cutting tools. The
lock is magical. If opened by magic or
picked by thieves, it automatically
relocks itself before the lid can be lifted.
Only members of Belesa's family, including Reynald and Baldwin, can open
the chest. Thus, the PCs will not be able
to examine the ransom before delivering it to Thoros. Reynald is also depending on the PCs' lawful alignment to
keep them honest. Just before the PCs
leave, Reynald explains the magic of
the chest and his plan to have Baldwin
open it at the exchange site.
Reynald will provide rations, mounts,
weapons, and other common items as
needed. The road to Utica crosses mountainous terrain. The DM may use the
Wilderness Encounters Table (RC, page
95) if desired.
Mule: AC 7; HD 2; hp 14; MV 120'
(40'); HAT 1 kick or 1 bite; Dmg 1d4 or
1d3; Save Normal Man; ML 8; INT 2;
AL N; RC 195.

Utica
This small town survives by offering
services to bandits as they move along
the border. Few of the residents have
any morals. The town is always starved
for cash and supplies, and crime is a
way of life for many.
The party must wait in Utica for one
hour before they are contacted by the
bandits. The PCs may take any precautions they wish, so long as they stay in
town. There is little of interest in Utica:
one inn, a smithy, a small adventurers'
shop, numerous shacks, and about 40
sullen residents. Most common items
and services are available, but not
mounts, weapons, or armor (see RC
pages 62-69 for prices).
In a town like this, the chest on the
mule will draw attention. Five bandits
(not connected with the ones who have
kidnapped Baldwin) desperate for
money will try to steal the chest. If the
PCs are in a building, the bandit leader
and the two fighters try to burst
through a door, while the two thieves

DUNGEON

37

RANSOM

sneak in through a window. If the PCs

are outside, the bandits surround them
and attack from all sides.
Althling (bandit leader): AC 5; F5; hp
22; MV 120' (40'); HAT 1; Dmg by weapon type; Save F5; ML 11; AL C; S 16, I
11, W 10, D 10, C 12, Ch 13; XP 175;
chain mail, bastard sword (used two
handed), dagger, 2 gpo
Fighters (2): AC 6; F3; hp 20; MV 120'
(40'); HAT 1; Dmg by weapon type; Save
F3; ML 9; AL C; S 14, I 11, W 12, D 1.0'C
14, Ch 10; XP 35; leather armor, medium
shield short sword, dagger, 3 sp.
Thi~ves (2): AC 5; T3; hp 10; MV 120'
(40'); HAT 2; Dmg by weapon type; Save
T3; ML 7; AL C; S 10, I 11, W 10, D 17,
C 14, Ch 12; OL 25, FT 20, RT 20, CW
89, MS 30, HS 20, PP 30, HN 40; XP 75;
leather armor, short sword, dagger, 3 sp.
The thieves use both their swords and
daggers in melee (-4 to hit on second
attack).
These bandits are desperate but not
especially brave. They hope to steal the
chest for fast and easy money. If three
are slain, the others will flee. If they
have a chance to grab the chest or lead
away the mule that carries it, they will
do so.
One of Thoros's bandits rides into
Utica one hour after the attack to contact the PCs. If the PCs have lost the
chest the bandit angrily rides away.
The PCs may try to follow him, but he
is skilled at losing pursuers.
Kerak (bandit): AC 3; F4; hp 24; MV
120' (40'); HAT 1; Dmg by weapon type;
Save F4; ML 11; AL C; S 15, I 10, W. 11,
D 15, C 14, Ch 10; XP 75; chain mall,
normal shield, long sword, dagger, long
bow, 20 arrows, 10 gp, riding horse ~nd
tack. Skills: horseback riding, tracking,
mountain stealth, quick draw.
The bandit's horse is an excellent
runner with extraordinary endurance,
giving him a + 10% bonus for successful
evasion isc; page 99).
Kerak is a short, evil-tempered man
who is devoted to Thoros and helps to
plan the bandits' crimes. H~ has ~ habit
of interrupting a conversation to interject snide comments.
If the PCs still have the chest, Kerak
instructs them to follow him north to
the exchange site (about two miles). He
will not tell the party where he is going.
The bandit rides at least 50' ahead of
the party and objects strongly if they
crowd closer. If the PCs threaten Kerak,
he reminds them that Baldwin is in the
bandits' power and can be killed or sold

38 Issue No. 42

into slavery at any time.

The Exchange
The bandits have set up a secure site for
the exchange in an ancient ruined fort.
Two of the towers are rubble, one has
partially collapsed, and the fourth ~s
intact. The building on the north SIde of
the courtyard has fallen down in several
places. The walls are riddled :with holes,
and a crumbling well stands In a
cleared space near the southeast co~ner
of the building. The PCs should arrive
near sunset, as long shadows fall across
the fort.
Kerak tells the PCs to stop at the gate,
then rides across the courtyard and tethers his horse by the building. Two ofthe
bandits step through the door into the
open. One is Thoros, a tall blond man
with an obvious air of command. The
other is Ademar, a short and surly man
who is festooned with daggers.
.
The three bandits feign disinterest m
the PCs and eye the chest greedily. .
Actually, they are sizing up th,e ~Cs m
order to try an old kidnappers trrck on
them. Thoros calls on a random PC to
bring the chest to the center of the
courtyard, leave it there, and return to
the gate.
If the PCs comply, the bandits drag
the chest into the building, only to
sneak out through a hole in the back
wall, taking Baldwin with them and
leaving the PCs empty handed. The
bandits' horses are tied beside the hole,
and Baldwin is inside the building.
If the PCs refuse or ask to see the boy,
Thoros grins and stops the trickery".
Ademar steps back into the dark building and brings Baldwin out into the
open.
Thoros demands that one PC bring
the chest to the center of the courtyard
(area 1). The others must stay at the
gate. "A friend of mine is watching you
from a safe place," Thoros remarks,
pointing to the intact tower: "He'll be "
very angry if you try anything sn~aky.
The bandit leader takes a hard grip on
Baldwin's arm and marches him to the
designated spot.
.. .
Thoros's threat is a subtle bit of misdirection. The bandit Hattin is not in the
intact tower but is lying prone on the
ruins of the second floor of the partially
collapsed tower (area 2), 20' above the
ground. Hattin cannot be seen unless
the PCs are able to see in the dark at
that distance and say that they are

looking at the second floor of the correct

tower. There is a 25% chance to spot
Hattin ifthey do this. The fifth ban~it,
Balian the thief, is crouched out of SIght
behind the well (area 3) listening for
signs of trouble.
Thoros: AC 2; F7; hp 42; MV 120'
(40'); HAT 1; Dmg by weapon type; Save
F7' ML 12' AL C; S 17, I 14, W 10, D 16,
C i5, Ch 13; XP 450; chain mail, shield,
long sword, dagger, 18 gpo
Thoros leads his band by force and
fear. A strong, tall, and greedy man, he
has always wanted to make his fortune
in one big strike. Success has eluded
him until now. Thoros hates to be
cheated and trickery drives him into a
rage. Most of the time he is a devious,
grinning but merciless mercenary.
Adem~r: AC 4; F4; hp 24; MV 120'
(40'); HAT 2; Dmg by weapon type; Save
F4' ML 11' AL C; S 16, 114, W 10, D 17,
C i4, Ch 10; XP 75; scale mail, short
sword, 16 daggers, 6 gpo
Ademar is a perpetually surly man
who is happy only when killing with his
prized daggers. He has no.fewer than 16
blades on his person (two m each boot,
two on each shoulder, and eight in a
bandolier across his chest). In melee, he
can use a dagger in his off hand ( - 4 to
hit on second attack) but prefers to
throw his blades from a distance ( + 2 to
hit). Ademar is slow witted and rarely
helps devise any of the bandits' plans.
Hattin: AC 4; F4; hp 26; MV 120' (40');
HAT 1; Dmg by weapon type; Save F4; ML
10; AL N; S 13, I 13, W 10, D 18, C 13, Ch
8' XP 75' leather armor, light crossbow,
20 bolts, 'long sword, 9 gpo
.
Hattin is a true mercenary, caring
little how his money is earned. However he does not go out of his way to
hurt people, unlike his chaotic-aligned
comrades. Hattin is nominally Thoros's
right-hand man, since he is fairly intelligent. When not pla~ning cri~es, Hattin is morose and taciturn. He IS very
self centered, caring little who ~ives or
dies-including his fellow bandits.
Balian: AC 4; T5; hp 20; MV 120'
(40'); HAT 2; Dmgby weapon type; Save
T5; ML 8; AL C; S 12, I 12, W 10, D 18,
C 14, Ch 11; OL 35, FT 30, RT 30, CW
91, MS 40, HS 28, PP 40, HN 50; XP
275; leather armor, short sword, dagger,
6 gp; fights with both sword and dagger
( - 4 to hit on second attack).
Balian is a valued member of the
group because of his thieving skills. He
has no guilt in letting the others do the
bulk of the fighting; it isn't his job. His

RANSOM
tasks are spying and infiltration. Balian
is a quiet and diplomatic man, a result
ofliving among stronger and more
aggressive fighters.
Thoros has no plans to doublecross the
PCs, so long as they do not cheat him.
When the PC with the chest reaches the
center of the courtyard, Thoros releases
Baldwin and orders Balian to open the
chest. As Balian fumbles with the magicallock, Thoros grows angrier by the
minute. Sooner or later, the PC must
tell Thoros that only Baldwin can open
the chest. Thoros grins at that, appreciating Reynald's caution. When Baldwin
grasps the lock, it automatically opens
at his touch and stays open.
Impatiently, Thoros pushes Baldwin
aside and grasps the lid. With pure
greed in his eyes, he pulls the lid open.
Suddenly, the greed is replaced by
puzzlement. Thoros stands abruptly,
anger in every plane of his face. Livid
with rage, Thoros kicks the chest over,
spilling thousands of coins on the
ground-sccins made of worthless lead
and iron! The treasure is fake! Reynald
seemsto have betrayed you and abandonedhis son. Thoros shouts at you,
"Where is the real money? What did
you do with it? Thieves!!"
This was Reynald's plan from the
beginning. While Antar thought he had
failed to convince Reynald to abandon
Baldwin, he actually turned the
knight's mind to another plan. Reynald
loaded the chest with phony coins, hoping to provoke a fight in which the
bandits would be killed.
Regardless of what the PCs intend to
do, Thoros draws his sword and attacks
the nearest adventurer. Kerak rushes to
aid Thoros. Hattin fires his crossbow at
spell-casters, if he is able to identify
them. The PCs can make an Intelligence check to see if they can determine
where the bolts are coming from. Balian
sneaks around the well to backstab a
PC, then retreats. Ademar attempts to
throw daggers from a distance until he
runs out of blades. None of the bandits
are stupid when it comes to combat.
Baldwin is in no immediate danger,
since the bandits are intent on killing
the PCs. However, the boy is frightened
by the combat and flees out the gate to
hide by the wall (area 4). His fate depends on who wins the fight.
The bandits are brave men. They fight
savagely until Thoros is slain. If this

Ruins
1 square = 10'

-..,

..__..

:.l:~
~.-

, -.

.. --

:et~;_r
"
"

..

__

,'.Ia#.
.'
,

.'Co

happens, the rest fight only 2-5 rounds

further. Then they flee out the nearest
hole in the wall. Kerak, Balian, and
Ademar run swiftly away in random
directions. Hattin quietly exits the rear
of the tower, hoping to get his horse and
ride away. If cornered, he will fight
fiercely to the end. Thoros fights to the
death; rage and the need to stand tall in
front of his followers prevent him from
showing any weakness.
If any of the fleeing bandits pass
Baldwin's hiding place, they try to recapture him; he still has value in the
slave markets. The PCs may have to
chase down a bandit and rescue
Baldwin all over again.

Concluding the Adventure

If the PCs bring Baldwin back alive,

they will likely have a grudge against

Reynald. He is prepared for this. Although mentally unstable, Reynald is
not stupid. He realizes the consequences
of placing the phony ransom in the
chest: The lords of Karameikos would
strip him of his title for such a wicked
act. Thus, he has prepared phony "evidence" to implicate Antar for placing
the fake ransom-something Antar

definitely did not plan.

When he spots the returning PCs,
Reynald has Antar chained, gagged,
and thrown into the dungeon. Reynald
explains that he discovered the plot too
late to intercept the PCs, but that Antar
will soon be executed for his crime. The
PCs might still have their suspicions
but will have to solve the mystery on
their own.
If Baldwin is returned safely, the PCs
will have made a friend for life. He is still
a child, however, and won't believe that
his father is guilty unless the PCs prove
the truth to him. Because he never liked
Antar, Baldwin will be all too ready to
believe the advisor is guilty.
Reynald will not try to rid himself of
Baldwin again. He may, however, make
one of his younger sons his official heir.
This could lead to conflict when
Baldwin comes of age. As far as the PCs
are concerned, Baldwin is safe for the
time being.
Q

DUNGEON

39

S tephen S m ith has had odcenturee

published many tim es in DUNGEON'
Advent ures. 80 he suggested we inclu de
a briefprofik of 1M artis t who illustrated th is adoenture.
Scott Rosema started reading and
d rawing comics at age 7. When h e was
12, he read the Iliad and the Odyssey,
and these heroic myths captured his
imagination. After art college, h e worked
13 years as a professional illUlJtrator.
S cott's current work inclu des comic and
gam ing proj ects.

"The Hand of Al-Djamal' is a

Challenger-level DUNGEONS &
DRAGONS. game module designed for
a party of 4-6 player characters. levels
9-12 (about 50 total level s). The PC
party should be well ba lanced. inc lud.
ing one or two magic-users or elves and

THE HAND OF
AL-DJAMAL
BY STEPHEN J. SMITH

The exhibition of Ylari

relics is temporarily
closed .
Artwork by SCcll RQMlmo

26 Issue No. 44

at least ODe cleri c. Because of this module 's setting, dwarves and halflings may
choose to avoid this quest .
Th is adventure is set in t he Principal .
ities of Glantri in the D&W game's
Known World (see the R ules Cyclopedia,
pages 269-273. for an outline and maps
of this nation, or accessory GAZ 3 for
full details).
This realm is a magocracy ruled. by a
council of wizar d-princes. PC dwarves
and halfl in gs might hesitate to adventure in thi s la nd. as it is rumored that
the wizards of Glantri sometimes abduct such demihuman visitors for use in
magical experiments (the mages believe
that the short folk are naturally resi st ant to magic). Also. dwerven immigrants to Glantri were blamed for a
severe out brea k of t he plague about 200
years ago, and the short bearded folk
have not been welcome in the country
since.
Clerics, too , might be hesitant to adventure in this setting. Glantri is infa
mous for its intol erance of foreign
religions, a nd clerics found within its
borders were once subjected to immediate executi on. Recent events have made
Glantri more hospitable to traveling
priests. however. In the midst of the
recently concluded war between Glantri
(with its ally Thyatis) and Alphatia (8
conflict detailed in the Wrath of th e
Immortals boxed set ), a killer plague
swept through t he Principalit ies, forcing t he r uling council to rescin d the "no
clerics" ban and import some priests
from nearby Darokin to battle the deadly epidemic. The rampaging plague has
since been halted. but the Glantrian

THE HAND OF ALDJAMAL

Ad venture Background

nobi lity ha s not yet reinstated its ban

on clerics, so PC priests m ay participate

Th e PCs should be gat hered in Glantri

City at t he start of play. They may be in
town to visit friends or fam ily, or perhaps they have been lured t o th e area
by rumors of rampaging monsters or
legendary t reasu res (or whatever other
effective lead-In the OM can concoct).
Wherever the PCs are staying in the
city, they are approached early one
morning by a messenger sent by Gleu ndro Valkn er, curator and owner of
Valkner's Museum of Wor ldly Wonders.
This messe nger, a man named J ona s
Kettler, asks t he heroes to accompany
him to the museum for an ur gent meetin g with Mr. Valkner. Jonas refuses to
disclose t he subject of thi s meeting, hut
PCs who use an ESP spell or medallion
ofESP to probe Kettl er 's min d may
learn th at Valkner wants to hi re the
PCs t o find out who murdered his mus eum watchmen la st night.
Jonas Kettler: AC 9; HD 1-1; hp 6;
THACO20; MV 120' (40'); NAT 1 dagger:
Dmg by weapon type (dagger 14 hp j;
Save NM; ML 6; AL L; RC/197.
Glantri City is a bit unusual in that
most of its tho roughfares are filled wit h
wate r. There are few streets; instead,

in this advent ure without fear of

prompt executi on.
The DM should also be awa re t ha t
P Cs who are nat ives of t h e Emirates
of Ylaruam (RC/269 , GAZ 2) pres ent a
potent ial problem for smo ot h ly run-

ning t hi s scena r io. While a pa r ty containing a lone Ylari PC can under t a ke

t his advent u re wi t h minimal damage
to the story li n e , part ies containing
mul ti ple Vla r i will not even be hired
for t he mission. Th e DM sho u ld consu lt the "For t he Dungeon Ma st er"

secti on of t he module for deta ils of

t his " Vlari pr oblem" a nd possib le
solu tio ns to it .
Th is adventure takes pla ce in t he
fa ll or winter of t h e year AC 1010 an d

is linked t o a n event det ailed in t he

Poor Wizard's A lm anac: t he discover y
of t he tomb of th e ancient Nithi an
qu een Nenn aya-Sh er at (see the ent r ies on pages 165 , 202, and 211-212 ).
OMs wh o don't own t his acces sory
need n't wor r y; the relevant details of
the Nennaya-Sherat story ar e pr ovid ed in t his modu le.

the city boasts a network of beautiful

cana ls that link it s various neighborhoods. Jonas has a large, comfortable
gondola waiting outside for the PCs and
can t ransport t hem to Valkner' s mus eum whenever t hey' re ready. If the DM
is running t his adventure in the aut umn, J onas simply poles the PCs to
t heir desti nati on. If it 's winter, t he city
canals are frozen, so the gondola has
ski -like rails attached to its bottom and
is hitched to a team of sled dogs.
If the adventurers accept t he mysterious summons, Jonas pilots them into
the city 's Entert ainers' Quarter (see t he
accompanying map) and stops in front of
th e museum. Inside the st ately stone
building, the PCs ar e greeted by Glaundro Valkner (see sidebar ). The curator
lea ds the PCs to a private room, closes
the door behind them, and prepar es to
briefthe heroe s on the mission. The OM
should be a ware that Valkner 's tal e
contains a num ber of lies and halft ruths (see " For the Dungeon Master"
for t he real story).
Valkner begins by thanking th e PCs
for ans wering his summons. He claims
t o need adventur ers to perform an important task, and he flatters t he PCs by
mentionin g that he has heard stories of

Glaundro Valkner
6th-level Magic-User
Glaundro Valkner: AC 4 (2 VB. missile a tt acks); M6; hp 24: THACO 17 (15
with dagger +2 ); MV 120' (40'): fiAT I:
Dmg by spell or weapon type ; Save M6;
ML7; ALN; XP 725; S 10, I 17, W 15, D
13, C 13, Ch 12; dagger +2, wand of
teleporting (13 chargee), amulet of
shielding, bag ofholding, crystal ball
with clair audie nce.
Spells: analyze, detect mag ic; ESp,
invisibility; dispel magic, lightning bolt.
The wa nd ofteleporting and the am ulet
ofshielding are new magical items
det ailed at the end of t his sidebar.
Valkner keeps his crystal ball and
magi cal bag a t his home in th e most
effluent section of Gla nn-i City's
Middle-Class Quarter.
Gla undr o Valkner, age 43, st a nds 6'3
t all , weighs 175 lbe., a nd has black hair
and a moustache, both of which are
length y and streaked with gray. He
wea rs expensive, stylish clot hi ng (not
the robes typ ica l of some ma gic-users)
complet e with shiny bla ck boots and a
wide-brimmed hat decora ted wit h large,
colorful feathers. The curator's facia l
H

expression is usually pleasant, though

not exactly what one might term warm
or friendly.
Because he is a wealthy spell-caster
who has dealings with GIantri's highest
nobility, Glaundro has acquired an aristocratic air (some would deem him snobbish). Nonetheless, the museum curator
treats most acquaintances with fairness
and respect (if not quite equality).
Valkner routinely hires adventurers
to accompany him on his various expeditions in search of new artifacts for his
museum, so he knew who to hire when
confronted with his mummy problem .
He has become accustomed to hiring
others to do tasks he doesn't particularly car e to do himself-dangerous ones
especially. Glaundro considers himself
pragmatic in this regard, but others
might label him cowardly.
Lastly, Valkner has a deep passion for
history and r elated sciences (such as
anthropology, archeology, etc.) and lives
only to collect rare and wondr ous items
for his museum. This fanatical devotion
to hi s museum sometimes clouds the

man's moral conduct, as witnessed by

Glaundro's theft of the Ylari artifacts
from the tomb of Nennaya-Sherat.
Amulet of Sh ielding
This amulet gives its wearer the same
protection afforded by the first-level
magic-user/elf spell shield. This protec tion is cont inuous and lasts as long as
the amulet is worn . It give s its wearer
an armor-class rating of 4 against melee
attacks and AC 2 against missile attacks. The wearer of this magical item
is also entitled to a Saving Throw VB.
Spells to prevent damage from magic
missile attacks (as per the shield spell
description, RC/45). The amulet cannot
be used in conjunction with physical
armor or shields.
Wand of Teleporting

This wand creates the same effect as the

seventh-level magic-user/elf spell teleport
any object. The wand's teleporting effects
are subject to the same limitations as the
aforementioned spell (see RC/56).

THE HAND OF ALDJAMAL

Gla nt r i City
Entertainers' Quarter
22. Temple n r Had
27 . watergu te s
35 . Metro lHllitnn Theatre

'50

500

Faet

36. C a me Lizards. Inc.

37. Tht' Waurt owt>r Inn

38. t' irewo rk", Arc ane H ou se

39. The GOJdf' R Imp

40. Hostt'lry ofthe U nico r n
41. Shur9-v Orlovski's Tenement

42 . Lou G ltrou'" Fries

43. Un it e d Anh,ts ' Guild

44. Magt's' ilOI, t t'l r y
69 . Gu ard POMt

v elkn ee's Muse um of

Worldy Wo n d e r s

See GAZ3 Th e Prineipalities ot Gtan tri, pages 41-47, fo r d e sc riptions of rh e se a reas.

t he PCs' prowess . He will not detail the

"important task; ' however, unless all
the PCs vow to keep sec ret what he is
about to tell them. Almost as a n aside,
he warns the heroes that he has t he
resou rces at hi s di sposal to retali ate
forcefully if t he Pes breac h his confidence. Indeed. several Gla nt rian
w izard-n ob les finance Glaundro's dis-

pl ays and expediti ons, and would lend

their assistance to the cura tor shou ld
the PCs attem pt to bl ackmail Va lkner.
One such benefactor is the pa ra noid,
murde rous ex-Pr-ince In nocenti di Mal a p ietra (see GAZ 3, page 26), whose pri n cipality was des t royed in a catastro phic
meteor strike during the Glantril
Alphatia war.
If the PCs take the oath, Glaundro
details t hei r mission :
" When I arrived at the museum t his
morni ng , I di scovered the two night
watchmen dea d. St rangled. I ha ve
hesit ated to in form t he local co ns tabul ary of the murders because ...
well , it woul d nev er do to ha ve th e
public find out th at my museum's
exhibits are r unnin g around killin g
peopl e ."

28 Issue No. 44

Seeing the looks of confusion

brough t on by his strange statement,
the curator qui ck ly explains h imse lf.
" Our newest exhibit here at
Va lkner's Mu seum of Worldly wonders is a collec tion of a mazing artifacts recove red from the tomb of an
ancient noble from the desert lands
of Ylarua m t o t he ea st. My exped it ion brou ght back several gold u rns,
jeweled scepters, and ot her rather
valuable trinkets, but the real gems
we recovered were a pa ir of or nately
decorated sarcophagi . Within these
ex travagant coffins we discovered
t he mummified rem ains of tw o Ylari
warriors, and these fellows became
t he ce nte rpiece of my exhi bit.
" I beli eve , la dies and gentlemen,
t ha t these mum m ies are t he perpetrators of last nigh t's ho micides. I
base t hi s conjectu re on a discovery I
made this morning."
Holding up a thin strip of brownishwhite cloth, the curator announces, "I
foun d this sna gged on the corner of B
table near the Ylari exhibit ." As if
reading your mi nds , the man adds,
" Yes , it's a piece of mummy wrapp ing: '

Curator Valkner offers the PCs 500 gp

each to d ispose of the killer mummies.
If t he PC party includes one or more
cle ri cs ca pable of casting raise dead
spells , Va lk ner offers a bonus of 2,000
gp to bring h is gu ards back fro m deat h .
Although the cu rator wou ld like the
PC s to si mply accep t his offer and de stroy the mummies-no questions
asked-the PCs mi ght wish to as k a few
questions fir st. A few like ly qu estions
and Valkner's answe r s are provided
below.
Where in Ylar uam d id you find the
noble's tomb? Did you also recover the
noble's body and sarcophagus ? " My men
excavated a site in t he foothills nort hwest of t be town of Deraan in north
ce ntral Ylaruam , in the E mirate of
Alasiya I believe. The local emir
claimed the noble's body and
sarcophagus-and most of the golden
valuables we u ncove red , for t hat
matter-but allo wed us to bring t he
mummified warrior s, their sa rcophagi ,
and a few less valuable arti fac ts ba ck to
my museum."
Why would you bring "live" mummies
in to the city? " Before bringi ng t he m um mies into t he city, I te sted them wi t h a

..

THE HAND OF AL-DJAMAL

barrage of detection spells: detect magic,

detect evil, and the like. Nothing registered. I'm sure these were typical
corpses:'
If the mummies were "dead," then how
could they kill the guards? "That's another story:' The DM should tell the
players the story of the Ylari thief AIDjamal as presented in the following
section, omitting details such as the
actual origins of Valkner's artifacts. The
curator characterizes Al-Djamal as an
unreasonable, slightly crazed foreigner.
Valkner's theory regarding the mummies can easily be verified or disproved
by using a speak with the dead spell on
either of the deceased guards or by
raising the men from the dead. In either
case, the guards claim to have heard a
disturbance in the vicinity of the Ylari
exhibit. Upon investigating, they found
the two sarcophagi standing open and
empty; immediately thereafter, the men
were attacked and eventually throttled
by the mummies.

For the Dungeon Master'

Glaundro is correct in his suspicion that
the Ylari mummies killed his guards.
Unfortunately for both the curator and
his hired heroes, however, the mummies
are merely the pawns of a greater undead malevolence.
The source of Valkner's mummy problem can be traced to an expedition the
curator made to Ylaruam in the latter
months of the year AC 1009. The objective of this expedition was to excavate a
suspected tomb site in the foothills
northeast of the town ofCinsa-Men-Noo
in the Emirate of Nithia (not Deraan in
the Emirate of Alasiya, as Glaundro
told the PCs). After obtaining all the
necessary permits, Valkner's team of
archeological explorers, in conjunction
with a group of native Ylari clericscholars, began excavating the site. The
two parties had made a prior agreement: the Ylari scholars would keep all
major finds of historical or monetary
value while the curator would get a
selection of lesser artifacts for display in
his museum.
When the excavators broke into the
burial chamber of the Nithian queen
Nennaya-Sherat on the 3rd of Nuwmont, AC 1010, the terms of the original agreement were instantly changed.
Agents from the Vouchery of the Province (a department of the bureaucratic
Ylari government charged with oversee-

ing all activities in the wilderness regions of Ylaruam, especially tomb

excavations) swiftly stepped in and
declared the find of such historical importance that all of the tomb's artifacts
belonged exclusively to the local emir.
Valkner was rudely told to go back to
Glantri empty handed.
Although he found this treatment to
be grossly unfair, the curator ordered
his assistants to return to Glantri.
Valkner himself secretly remained at
the excavation site, using his spellcasting ability to explore the queen's
tomb surreptitiously at night after the
Ylari had retired.
Following a week of this nightly reconnaissance, Glaundro pilfered several
minor artifacts and placed them in a
bag ofholding he carried. Next he used
his most prized possession, a wand of
teleporting, to transport the mummyladen sarcophagi of two "unimportant"
Ylari warriors back to his museum.
With his work accomplished, he teleportedhome.
The curator made it a point not to
take anything that might have been of
great value to the Ylari people (like the
queen's jewels or scepter, for example)
and honestly believes that he took only
as many artifacts as he deserved under
the terms of the original deal. Valkner
does not consider his means of acquiring
the Ylari artifacts as theft, though he
realizes that the Ylari government is
most unlikely to agree with him on this
point. Still, once he got back to his beloved museum in Glantri City-over 400
miles northwest of Ylaruam-Glaundro
felt sufficiently safe from the Ylari
authorities.
Thus, six days ago when a Ylari native named AI-Djamal entered the museum and informed Valkner that he
could not be allowed to keep his Ylari
exhibit on display, the curator's heart
nearly stopped beating. He had been
discovered!
As AI-Djamal continued his rantings,
however, Valkner realized that the man
was talking in generalities about the
immorality of raiding graves for profit
and didn't know the origins of the curator's collection of relics. Much relieved,
Glaundro tried to point out the historical and anthropological value of the
excavated relics to mankind, but when
AI-Djamal threatened him with physical violence if he did not remove the
Ylari exhibit from public display,
Valkner had the desert man thrown out

of the museum.
That night, Al-Djamal broke into the
museum and was caught by Valkner's
night watchmen in the act of stuffing
several of the smaller Ylari artifacts
into a sack. Under Glantrian law, theft
is punishable by the removal of one
finger per 100 gp of merchandise stolen,
and getting caught red-handed with a
bag full of priceless artifacts left Mr. AIDjamal in a rather unfavorable position. The Ylari native certainly didn't
help his cause at the trial when he
began to shout out the virtues of AIKalim (the patron Immortal of Ylaruam) while heaping derogatory
remarks upon Rad (Glantri's most revered Immortal).
Three days after Al-Djamal's arrest,
the local magistrate's sentence was
handed down. In what he called a "gesture of goodwill to our foreign guest:'
the magistrate generously decreed that
only five of the man's fingers were to be
severed for his misdeeds. Then with a
smile, he ordered the fingers to be removed at the wrist.
AI-Djamal's sentence was carried out
the following morning. As he slowly
bled to death, the man hurled a final
curse in his own tongue at those present
at the grisly spectacle. The dying man's
curse of revenge against his killers was
heard by Thanatos, one of the most
powerful Immortals in the Sphere of
Entropy. Thanatos returned AI-Djamal's
raging spirit from death to inhabit the
severed hand of his old mortal body.
As a hand druj (see RC/207), the dark
side of Al-Djamal's spirit pursues revenge
against his murderers and the despoilers of
the Ylari noble's tomb while serving
Thanatos's ultimate purpose: the spreading
of death and destruction. The entropic
Immortal has also granted Al-Djamal's
spirit special power to animate the two
mummies from Valkner's Ylari exhibit to
assist in its vengeance (see the "Hand
Druj" sidebar and "The Final Confrontation" for additional details of this power).
The hand druj is a very powerful and
complex monster. The DM should read the
sidebar detailing this spirit and its abilities before trying to run this adventure.
Problems: Ylari PCs and Valkner's
Morals
Because of the dubious manner in
which the curator obtained his Ylari
artifacts and the wild fiasco following
the visit of the unfortunate Mr. AI-

DUNGEON

29

THE HAND OF Al-DJAMAl

Djamal , Va lkner is leery of hi ri ng PC s

wh o a re obviously of Yla r i descent. If

the PC party includes a lone Ylari.

Valkner will still h ire the group but
keeps tabs on t he Ylari PC using ESP
spells and a crystal ball w it h cla ira u
di en ct' that h e keeps at his home. P art ies in cl udi ng multiple Ylari PC s are

too much of a t hre a t to vetkn er, and

the cu r at or s im ply won't hire t hem for
this mi ss ion .

With a little work , however, an enterprising DM could turn Va lk ner 's r,;fusa l

to hire t he PCs into an adventure Itself.

Such a scena rio should run more or less
along th e following guidelines, wit h
Valkne r as t he main a ntagonist:
1. The PC s receive a nd a nswer

Valkner's summons . Upon reaching the

muse um , the party is met by the curato r who takes one look at them and,
spotti n g t he Ylari PC s, says "Oh, I'm
sorry. I've already h ired someone else
for the job:' Valkner can even throw
dirty looks at the Ylari heroes if the OM.
80 desires.
2 . If the heroes dec ide to investigate
the reason for Valkner's strange (or
downright rude) behavior, they ~ight
learn the particulars of the Al-Djamal
incide nt fr om any decent source of goesip (a n innke-eper, taver n patron, or
ca na l-side entertainment troupe memo
ber). If t he PC s pay the entrance fe-e and
begin to examine the Ylari exhib it in
any detail, Valkner u se s his ESP spe lls
and crystal ball with cla iraud ience to
spy an the party and learn the extent of
t heir inquisitiveness (or k nowledge)
about the or igin of hi s Ylari artifact s.
3. If the Pes see m close to discoverin g
t hat h is artifacts are in fact st olen (or if
the Pes simply don 't seem to be going
away), t he curator m ight hire as sassins
from the Glantri City Thugs' Guild
(GAZ 3, page 37 ) to eliminate the s n ~p
ing adventurers. The OM. should deci de
the number and hit dice of the thugs,
making the encounter challenging but
not nece ssarily lethal for the Pes.
4 . If the Pes survi ve the thug assaul t,
some kind of sho w down with Valkner
shou ld follow . When the PCs confront
Valkner, the curator tells them the
.....h ole truth about how he acq u ir ed the
tomb artifacts. Glaundro will afTer each
PC 1,000 gp to remain si lent . If the PCs
refuse to be bribed, the curator is likely
to use his magic wand to teleport to the
Thugs' Guild and ask for a better se t of
ase asaina to deal with the persistent
pest s that hound him.

30 Issue No. 44

H and Druj
Armor Class: -4
H it Dice: 14 ..
Hi t Poin ts : 60
Move: 90' (30')
THACO:8
Attacks: u p to .I, see below
Damage: See below
Save As: F14
Mor al e: 11
Intell igence: 14
Ali gnmen t : Chaotic
XP Value: 5,500
Reference: RCf207

Moneter Type: Undead, Ench anted

(Very Rare).
Th e hand dru j a ppears to be a human
hand severed a t t he wrist. It shrivels
a nd turns black as it slowly continues to
decay. Th e hand's primary means of
movement is magical flight, but it can
also crawl about on its fingertips in a
grotesque spi de rlike manner at the rate
of 30 ' per t urn 00' per round).
A dru j is a type of spirit, an undead
entity that inhabits the body (or body
part) of another. Like all spiri ts, a druj
becomes invisible and nearly powerless
at dawn but rega ins its strength once
t he sun has set. This type of undead is
ext reme ly po.....erful and has a number
of special de fenses and attack forms . It
ca nnot be hurt by wea pons of less than
+ 2 encha ntme nt and is im mu ne to all
first - to t hird-level spells. A druj ca n
automatica lly se nse invisible creatures
(treat as a perm anent detect invisible
spell).
.
A druj is highl y poisonous, an d Its
ve ry essence contaminates all cons um.
able items (including normal a nd iron
rations normal a nd holy water, a nd
even m~gical potions) brought wit hin
30' of the spirit. Spoiled goods are ren o
dered useless but not poisonous. Similarlv aU living plants and small insects
.....ithin 30 ' of a spirit are immediately
paralyzed by the being's unholy aura
and will perish if the spirit remains
stationary for more than an hour. As a
result, a dr~ is unaffected by plant
control and insect plague spe lls.
As one can plainly see , a druj is formi dable merely moving from place to
place. Wh en it goes on the offensive, the
spirit becomes a truly aweso~e o~J>O:"
neut. A hand dr uj can attack Its victims
eit her physica lly or with a variety of
spell-like powe rs (or in both ways,

.....hen it splits its essence; see below ).

A h and druj attacks by grabbing hold
of its intended victim (usua lly around
the throa tl and squeezing the life out of
its prey. The ini ti a l grab inflicts 1-4 hp
damage. In su bse quent rounds. damage
is equal to the victim's armor class
(ignor ing Dexterity and shield bonuse sl
plus 1-4 additional points. In the case of
a nega tive armor-class rating, the etranglehold causes only 1-4 hp damag~ per
roun d, In trut h , few individuals d ie
from the druj's strangling hold, they
per is h from the spi rit's deadly poisonous
to uch. For each r ound spent in a hand
dr uj'a death gri p, the victim must make
a success ful Saving T hrow vs. Poison or
die instantly. The OM may allow PCs to
make a Strength check eac h round to
break free from the druj's grasp (in
place of an Attack Roll or ot her action I.
Instead ofa physical attack , a druj
can create any of the following clerical
spell effects at ..... ilI once per round (as if
a 16thlevel cleric>: darkness, si lence IS'
radiu s, cau se disease, animate dead, and
finger of death (the reversed form of
raise dead). This particular druj's an i
mate dead po w er is unique in that it can
be used only on mummified corpses; the
e nt ropic Immortal Thanatos .....anted the
spirit to have some special minions to
assist in it s destructive rampage, and
Valkner's mummies seemed to be the
perfect candidates for the job. Besides,
mu mmies are favo red minions of Tha n atos, as the evil Im morta l himself often
takes the form of a winge d m u mmy
wearing black robes and ca rryi ng a
wicked scythe, The druj ca n a ni ma te up
to two lifele ss mu mm ies per round us ing this ability (see " The F in a l Confrontation " for more deta ils regarding this
powerl.
.
. .
Once per nigh t the dr uj can split Itself
in to four identical essences. Typically,
thre-e of the hand spir its attack with
their deadly poisonous touch while the
fourth druj essence attacks from a di stance with spells. If the spell-cast in g
essence is slai n, one of the surviving
essences immediately inherits this
magical po.....er. Each of the four essences has the full hit-point total of the
original druj. Because a druj can split
itself only once per night, a divided druj
usually refrains from re-uniting its
essences until the following dawn.
The hand druj may be Tu rned normally by a cleric if it has not yet split ~t~
essence. lf t he spi rit has already divided

THE HA ND O F ALDJAMAL

itself, a successfu l Turning a tte mpt

reunucs the druj essences for lrl4 + 1
rounds; subsequent Turning attempts
and results are handled normally.
The dividing/reuniting aspect of a druj
creates so me rules problems (especially
in regard to the epi rit.e hit-point total ).
Some practical rules are provi ded below
to address. these problems. Each rule is
followed by descriptive examples.
1. When a druJ splits its essence, each
essence has the s lime game s ta tist ics as
the origi nal druj, with the same hit point total as the original druj had at
the moment of s plitting.
Example: The hand druj in th is edventun:' bas 60 hp. When it splits, it creates
four identical essences with 60 hp each. If
this druj were hit for 10 hp damage prior
to splitting , ea ch of its essenoea would
have only 50 hp . The druj can use healing
magic 1.0 raise an essence's hp total to the
original 60 points, ho.....ever, N'(' "The
Final Confrontation" for more details on
the spirit's ability to heal itse lf.
2. If a divided druj's essences are
forc ed to reunite through clerical Turning, add the hit-point totals of all the
essences and divide by the number of
essences the PC s have been battling
(initially four, but possibly fewer if the
druj is forced to reu n it e more t han once;
see the note at Rule 3). Round any fraction to the nearest whole number. T he
re su lt is the new hit-point to tal or the
reunited druj ,
Emmnle: The 60.h p druj has spl it into
four essences with 60 hp each . One
essence is hit and reduced to 50 hp, the
second is down to 30 hp, the third has
20 hp, and the fourth is slain. The part)'
cle r ic s uccessfully Tu rns t he sp ir-it,
forcing it to reun ite its essences. Adding
the four essences ' hit-point totals we get
100 (SO +30 +20 +0). Dividing this tolal
by four tt he number of essences t he PCs
were fighti ng pr ior to the druj's recombining), we get 25 . The reunited druj
now has 25 hp.
3 . When the duration of the forced
reunion of a druj's essences expires, t he
spir it wi ll agai n div ide itself, Each
surviving essence ha s the same number
of h p as the pre-split druj (as per Ru le
1), Any essence previously reduced to 0
hp does not reappear th at nig ht,
Example: T he druj in t he example
following Rul e 2 must r eu n ite for
Id4 + 1 rounds and has 25 hp. Let's
8SllU8\e that the PCs fai l to injure the
spirit further while its essences are

reunited. When the duration of the

forced rec ombining ends. the druj again
splits itsel f rin to t hree 25hp essences;
the essence that the PCs reduced to zero
hit poin ts is tempo rarily eliminated).
4 . Healing magic cast on on e of a
druj 's es sences affects that essence only.
Hea ling magic cast on an "uns plit" or
forcibly reunited druj affects all rema ining essences. Essences reduced to zero
hit points ca nnot be healed.
Example: Our hypothetical druj now
consists of three 25.hp essences. The
s pir it ca st!'! 25 h p of healing magic on
on e of its essences. Now its three parts
now have 50 , 25, and 25 hp. Had the
s pir-it cast the same cu rative spell on
it self before s plitti ng, the druj would
have 50 hp, and each of its post-split
essences would also have 50 hp. See
" The Final Confrontation" for detail s
on the spirit 's ability to he al itself.
5. In order to kill a dr uj , the singular,
u nited s piri t or all four of its essences
must be slai n in one ni ght. A druj t hat
survives until daw n regains all eliminate d essences when it regains its
powers the following evening.
Example: Our hypothetical druj currently has th ree es sences (50, 25 , and 25
hp J. The heroes eliminate both 25-hp
essences, hut the other one heals its el f
up to the original druj's 60-hp limit. The
heroes have taken qu ite a bit of damage
themselves by this time, so they decide
to retreat and finish off the druj t he
next ni ght.
Just be fore da wn , the lone rema ining
essence " recombines" (even though
there aren't any other s urviving ee sences, the DM should remember that
the 60hp survivor is merely an ClIllCnce
it se lf, a nd not the druj as a whole).
Using the formu las from Rule 2, we get
the following res ults; 60 +0 + 0
(+0)=60; 6013 =20 (three be ing the
number cr essences Lhe PCs wer e la st
battling; one WM slain prior to the
dr uj 's forced recombin ingt,
The druj is down to 20 hp-badl y battered but not yet beaten. not by a long
shot ! A few healing s pells lat er, t he
spi ri t is buck to 60 hp. When it goes
looki ng for the Pes a ga in the followi ng
night, t he revitalized druj will have a
full complement of fou r 60. hp essences,
and the ba ttle can begin a new .

The PCs nee d not be Ylari to take

exception to some of the curato r 's
actions or opinions. Valk ner 's morality
might prove objectionable to on e or
more of the PCs and bring them into
con flict with the m useum curator. If h is
hired hands di scover that the artifa cts
a re st ole n and confront him , Valkner
will attempt to negotiate some equitable resolu t ion . lf hi s back is to the wall,
however, Valkner m ight very well tum
to the " t h ug solut ion" detailed above.
Al thou gh it is unlikely, t he PCs may
try to join forces with the hand druj to
battl e Val k ner and recover the Yls ri
artifac ts. Al-Djarnal's spirit a ppro ves of
such a pl an, if the heroe s ca n find a way
of conve rsing with the mouthle ea spirit.
A speok with mon sters spe ll should
create a telepat hic link with the druj.
Be ad vi sed . however, that a spirit is a
vengeful. unmerciful killing machine.
Once Va lkner a nd the ot he r muse um
employee s are sl ain, Thanatos's deadly
minion takes its appetite for de struction
into the streets of Glantr i Ci ty, cla iming
a horribl e toll ofi nnocen t lives. PC
clerics could be pu nished by t heir Immortal patron s for helpin g the spi r it
(a nd Thana tos, indirectly), or might
ev en be ordered to make rest itution by
hunti ng down the h and druj and ending
it s de adly rampage.

Vol kne r's Museum 01 Worldly

Wond ers
Glaundro Vllikner's mu seum is a stately
four-story sto ne ed ifice located in the
Entertainer s' Quarter of Glantri City
(se e the accom panying map). The museum is no t mapped out in its entirety, as
most of the adve ntu re's action t a kes
place in only on e or two areas of the
building. An outline of the museum's
sh a pe and size is provided, however,
complete with detailed maps of the
Ylari ex.hibit (located on t he third floor)
a nd the Restoration Dep artment (in the
basement). Also, a few notes on the
museum and it s contents are prov ided
below for DMs who wish to el aborate on
this scenario or make Valk ne r's Museum of Worldly Wonde rs a permanent
fixture in their campa igns.
Admiss ion to the mu seum costs 1 gp
for adulta, 3 sp for children und er 13,
and 5 ep for st udents of t he city's Great
Sc hool of Magic. Of course, G1aun dro
will not charge the PC s ad mission when
they are in the museum to investigate

DUNGEON

31

THE HAND OF AL-DJAMAL

Valkner's Museum
of Worldly Wonders
10:

1 square =
Ylari Exhibit
(3rd Floor)

.the murders. If the heroes are successful

in defeating the hand druj and its mummy minions, the grateful curator will
allow the PCs free admission for all
future visits they make to his museum.
The building's first and second floors
are dedicated to local Glantrian exhibits, including displays about magic.
The featured exhibit here is "The Elemental Planes: Facts, Theories, and
Conjecture:'
The museum's third floor contains
several exhibits of artifacts from all
over the Known World. Current displays here include a collection of ceremonial costumes and weapons from the
tribes of the Atruaghin Clans, a breathtaking model of the famous coral castle
of the Kingdom of Ierendi, and the Ylari
exhibit that plays a central role in this
adventure.
The top floor of the building is an art
gallery that contains a wide range of
paintings, sculptures, and other pieces
of artistic genius. The basement is divided into a number of storage rooms
plus the Restoration Department, where
the museum's artifacts are cleaned,
touched up, and put back together.
Valkner has hired the services of a

32 Issue No. 44

magical security company to protect his

museum from theft. All items on display in the Museum of Worldly Wonders
have been treated with a special enchantment that allows the wizardpresident of the security firm to
pinpoint the location of any object removed from the premises. This enchantment may be negated, however, by a
successful dispel magic spell against
30th-level magic, so the system is far
from fail-safe.
None ofthe items in Valkner's museum have been given a gp value. The
PCs are supposed to be helping the
curator solve his problem, not robbing
him blind. Even if the PCs do succeed in
stealing valuable pieces from the museum, it should prove very difficult for
them to find a fence who deals in
museum-quality artifacts.

Day One: Valkner's Mummies

Valkner asks the PCs to examine the
mummies as soon as possible. He requests that they refrain from using fire
or explosive spells (like fireball and
lightning bolt) against the mummies, as
he doesn't want other pieces of the Ylari
exhibit damaged (or his entire museum

burned to the groundl). The curator tags

along to watch his hired hands in
action, but does so from a safe distance.
The centerpieces of the Ylari display
are the two gold- and gem-inlaid sarcophagi propped against the northeast
wall, but a variety of valuable urns,
scepters, masks, and other trinkets are
featured in display cases and tables
nearby. Unless, by some amazing coincidence, one of the PCs is an expert in
ancient Ylari artifacts, nothing short of
a lore spell should indicate that these
items are from the tomb of the Nithian
queen Nennaya-Sherat and not from
some other burial site, as Valkner has
suggested.
When the PCs open either sarcophagus, they behold an ancient, ragged,
mummified figure with its arms crossed
before it. The mummy doesn't attack
until it is physically touched; then it
reaches out stiffly and tries to kill the
person who disturbed its rest.
Mummies (2): AC 3; HD 5 + 1 **; hp
40 each; THACO 14; MV 60' (20'); HAT 1
touch; Dmg 1-12 plus disease; Save F5;
ML 12; INT 6; AL C; XP 575; RC/195.
Anyone viewing a mummy must
make a Saving Throw vs. Paralysis or
be paralyzed with fear until the mummy is out of sight (this effect is negated
by a remove fear spell). The touch of a
mummy infects its victim with a rotting
disease that prevents all magical healing and reduces normal healing to 10%
of the normal rate. This malady can be
treated with a cure disease spell.
These undead can be damaged only by
fire, holy water, spell attacks, and magical weapons, all of which do only half
damage. They are immune to all sleep,
charm, and hold spells, as well as poisons and gases.
Clerical Turning attempts against the
mummies must initially be made
against the mummies' hand druj liege
(a spirit). If a cleric succeeds in this first
Turning attempt, he breaks the druj's
control over the mummies. The bandaged monsters hesitate for a moment
but then resume their attack. Further
attempts at Turning the monsters are
handled normally. See RC/217-218 for
full details on undead lieges and pawns.
Barring a horrendous streak of bad
luck, the PCs should have little difficulty
disposing of the mummies. If the PCs
defeat the mummies in hack-and-slash
fashion (leaving behind the undead's
shattered corpses), Valkner praises their
efforts and tells them that he'll have

THE HAND OF AlDJAMAl

someone "clean up the mess." Unless th e

PC s have reason to believe that a gr eater
threat st ill remains within the museum
tperha pe because of an un usually ineffective cler ical Turning attempt, for exampie), the curator pays.out their reward
money a nd wishes the heroes good luck in
the ir fut ure endeavors.
If the adventurers ask for permission
to in ves t igate the museum fur t he r,
Valkner grants t hem their wish hut
insists that t hey leav e the premises at
closing time. The heroes will probabl y
find nothing of interest. Th e hand druj
is inv isible and hiding in a mou se hole
in the Restor ati on Departm ent in th e
basement of th e museum. The follo wing
morning, howev er, the a dve nture wi ll
bei,rin anew.

Da y Two: Anot her Murd er

At s unrise , the PCs are again summon.
ed to the muse um by ve lkner 's se rvant
J onas . " Another murder," is a ll the m an
will tell the heroe s as he take s them to
t he muse um.
The cura to r, wearing a look of grim
shock a nd disbelief, greets the PCs at
the door. He leads t he group to a sm a ll
room in t he mu seum's ba se ment. The

door to this chamber reads "Restoration

Department." In the midd le of t he floor
lies a moti onl ess body.
"Th at 's Ramos Tendlebur, t he he ad of
this dep artment;' Valkner say s. " He's
bee n str ang led, just like the two guards
th e other night. Ramos stayed late las t
night , fixin g up some im portant artifacts so they could be put on di splay."
If the PCs completel y annihilated th e
two mummies during t heir battle with
t he un dead on the prev ious day (via
cleri cal Turning Destruct ion or through
a di s integ rate spell . for example).
Valkner 's reference to important ert ifact s is in consequ ential to this adventure. If, howeve r, the party defe ated the
cr eat ures with physica l attacks , the
im porta nt artifacts that the un fortunate
Mr. 'Iendlebur wa s restoring for exhibi.
t ion were the tw o mu mm ies .
In such a case, Valkner tries to j ustify
the restorati on of the mummies as "importa nt for the scie nti fic and archeologi ca l com m unit ies of the world ." He al ec
cl aims to have test ed the mummies
wit h a bar rage of detecti on spells before
or dering t hat t he battered corpses be
touched u p and put back on display, If
the PCs conduct their own magical

testing of the corp ses, a ll resul ts are

neg ative . Spea k with the dead spells
a lso fail , as t he corpses ha ve bee n dead
for cen turies and have no memories of
th eir r ecent acti vities as undead creatures. The hand druj itself, not ita mummy minions, kill ed Thndlebur.
If Va lkner is aware th at the PC party
includes 8 cleric , he offers the party a n
additional 1,000 gp if their cleric will
r aise h is dear fr iend and associate fro m
t he dead.
Us ing a raise dead or speak wit h the
dead spell to get 'Iendleb ur's version of
the incident provides vagu e details of
his death. Th e man cla im s to hav e bee n
working diligently on his proj ect when
he se nsed 8 presence behind him. He
turned arou nd, only to he seiz ed by the
throat in a viselike grip. He die d in sta ntl y a nd neve r saw h is killer.
The PCs might r ightl y wond er how
the m an cou ld turn to face h is killer a nd
then be stra ngl ed to deat h without even
ca tch ing a glimpse of the mu rde rer. In
tr uth, Tend lebur di ed from t he druj's
poisonou s to uch; his th ros t was cru sh ed
by the h and of AI-Dja ma l after the man
was al re ady dead.
Not know ing wha t else to do, a troubled

DUNGEON

33

THE HAND OF AL-DJAMAL

Curator Valkner asks the PCs to stay in

his museum overnight. Of course, he
offers to triple their reward money. If the
mummies' corpses are still lying around
and the PCs demand that Valkner destroy
them once and for all, the curator reluctantly agrees to have the ancient cadavers incinerated immediately.

The Final Confrontation

The hand druj makes its move against
the PCs shortly after midnight. The
druj's attack strategy depends on how
completely the heroes dealt with its
mummy minions the previous day. An
assortment of possible tactics for the
spirit is provided below.
Mummy Minions
If the bodies of the two mummies are still
in the building, the hand druj uses its
special animate dead power to revive
them. The spirit then orders the mummies to seek and destroy the PCs, following its minions at a distance as they move
to attack the heroes. If possible, the druj
remains hidden from sight while the
mummies battle the adventurers, reanimating the undead creatures each
time one is vanquished (see below for full
details). If discovered, the druj splits its
essence (see sidebar) and attacks, using
the other tactics outlined here.
Because these mummies have taken a
previous battering at the hands of the
PCs, they have only half their original
hit-point totals (20 hp each). As before,
the mummies must initially be Turned
as spirits to break the druj's control
over them.
When a mummy is reduced to 0 hp, it
falls lifeless to the floor. The next round,
the druj uses its animate dead power to
revive the monster. The revitalized
mummy has half the number of hit
points with which it started the previous battle (round fractions up). Thus,
when a 20-hp mummy is slain, the druj
immediately re-animates it, creating a
10-hp monster. Each time a mummy is
re-animated, the druj regains control
over it, so PC clerics must again Turn
the bandaged undead as spirits. If the
druj remains undiscovered by the PCs,
it will re-animate its mummy pawns
twice before engaging the heroes itself.

Spirit-ual Healing
The spirit's finger of death power (the
reverse of a raise dead spell) can obvi-

34 Issue No. 44

ously be used to eliminate opponents.

What may not be so obvious, however, is
that this same power can be used by the
spirit to heal damage inflicted on it by
the heroes. Finger of death, when cast
on an undead being with 10 HD or
more, actually cures 3dlO hp damage
(see the spell's description, RC/38). Because mummies fall below the 10-HD
requirement, the druj cannot use this
power to heal its undead pawns.
It is to the druj's advantage to cast
healing magic on itself when its essences are united, so the healing will
affect all its essences (see the examples
of Rule 4 in the "Hand Druj" sidebar).
It will also attempt to heal individual
essences that drop below 30 hp.
Silence is Golden
Because the druj doesn't need to speak to
utilize its spell-like powers, it is unaffected by silence 15' radius spells. As a result,
it is highly advantageous for the druj to
surround itself with silence spells (perhaps even cast on the druj itself or its
separate essences). In such a scenario, the
druj will still be able to use its own spell
powers while PC spell-casters will be at a
decided disadvantage.
Fight or Flight
The battle with the druj should be a challenging struggle for the PCs. If the spirit
is holding its own in combat, it fights to
the death. If the PCs are beating it decisively, however, the druj attempts to flee,
perhaps under the cover of magical darkness. The spirit hides and licks its wounds
(probably in the mouse hole in the Restoration Department). After healing itself,
the druj will engage the PCs again the
following night.

PCs Abandon Ship

The PCs may well find that they aren't
strong enough to defeat the druj during
their initial confrontation with the
spirit, especially if they've used up a
number of spells and other resources
battling the resilient mummies. In such
a case it would be wise to flee. The druj
(and its mummy pawns, if any remain)
will pursue the PCs throughout the
museum but will not leave the building.
The druj doesn't want to stray too far
from the Ylari artifacts that are the
very cause of its existence. If the heroes
escape from the museum, they can heal
themselves, rememorize spells, and

again challenge the spirit of Al-Djamal

the following night. Of course, the druj
will also heal itself and be at full power
for the rematch.

Concluding the Adventure

If the heroes eliminate the druj, Glaundro Valkner pays their promised reward
and heaps praise and thanks on them.
He tells the PCs that they are welcome
to drop by his museum any time-free of
charge-and offers them an opportunity
for future employment (he's currently
organizing a dinosaur-hunting expedition to the Thanegioth Archipelago and
can use all the help he can get). An
inventive DM can create any number of
new adventures by having Valkner send
the PCs to the ends of the Known World
searching for museum-quality artifacts.
If the PCs fail to destroy the druj and
decide that the hand spirit is out of
their league, Valkner gives them half
the promised reward money (or less, at
the DM's discretion), but only after the
PCs have told him everything they've
learned about the spirit's attacks, defenses, and strategies. The curator then
hires another party of adventurers that
succeeds in finally putting to rest the
vengeful spirit of Al-Djamal,
If the players enjoyed battling a monster as powerful and complex as the
hand druj featured in this adventure,
the DM is directed to the entry entitled
"Fyrmont 6: Even Mummies Stretch
Their Legs" on pages 211-212 of the
Poor Wizard's Almanac. It seems that
the tomb of Queen Nennaya-Sherat had
another mummified guardian in it-a
bandaged, lichlike creature called
Shma-Uai. This monstrosity has all the
abilities and spell-casting powers of a
21st-level clericallich plus the additional asset of being able to polymorph itself
into the form of any typical human at
will.
Shma-Uai's sworn duty is to track
down and slay anyone who has either
entered the tomb of Nennaya-Sherat
(Valkner's on the list) or handled any of
her grave-goods (didn't some of the PCs
open the sarcophagi to get at the mummies inside on day one of this adventure?). If the DM feels up to the
challenge of role-playing another ultracomplex monstrous foe, here's the perfect guy for the part, and he'll be
heading in the heroes' direction in the
not-too-distant future.
Q

Thd says: "I got the idea {or thi s ndoenture

iohile hiking flew the real Dove Dale, in
England's Derbyshire Dales District. I
apologize for the liberties [ have taken with
the local geography and inhabitants."

"Dovedale" is a

D&D~

adventure for 23

player characters of levels 1-3, or one

elven PC of levels 45, for a total of at

least 4 levels. The adventure demands

th e use of stealth, so if there are multiple PCs, at least one of them should be a
thief or a halOing. All the PCs should
be either Lawful or Neutral.
"Dovedale" emphasizes role-playing,
humor, and creative nego tiating. This
advent ure is short and relatively simple

to complete.

For the Pla yer Characters

Read or paraphrase the following to the
players:

DOVEDALE
BYTED JAM ES THOMAS ZUVICH

If the drought doesn't

get you, the goblins will.
Artwork bY Tony OiTerliui

10 Issue No. 46

The Dovedale district is one of the

man y small farmi ng areas nestled in
the foothills of a long mountain
ran ge. The district takes its name
from the narrow wooded valley
known as Doveda le . The like-named
Dovedale River flows out of t he dale
and provides water for the many
farms in the area. T he Dalewold
forest skirts the northwest edge of
the valley.
The farmers of the Dovedale dis trict have a problem: It is midsummer, and the river has suddenly dried
u p. A small t rickle of water rema ins,
but not enough. Without water, most
of the farmers' crops (wh ich rely on
irrigation) a re doomed to fail. The
locals are convinced that the abrupt
dro p in t he river is yet another evil
plot of a tribe of wicked gohlins that
live in the steep, winding dale. It 's
only a matter of time, they say, before the goblins issue a long string of
unrea sonable demands in retu rn for
restoring the river.
The farmers spend much oftheir
time standing around and grousing
that someone should do something.
However, none of the farmers have
volunteered to go sort out t he goblins .
The local far mers' cooperative has
offered a lOO-gp reward to anyone
brave enough to go up the Dovedale
a nd force the goblins to restore the
ri ver. You have learned that interested
parties should a pply to Mrs. Cogs, the
leader of the cooperative.

DOVEDAl E

For the DUNGEON MASTER"

Th e farmers' complai nts are partially
correct; the goblins r ea lly are respon sible for t he rive r drying u p. However, t he
inconvenience to t he local far mers is

merely a side effect of the goblins'

scheme. Th e rea l reason why t he gob.
lins sabotaged the river has to do wi th
the gobl in chiefs pa ssion for fis hing.
F or t he last few years, Ch ief Gravel-

beak ha s been trying to catch the t r-ickiest fish in the Doved ale River : Sa lvel
t he Talk ing Trout. So far, t he quickwitted Salvel has avoided ca pture.
Gravelbeak 's con ti nua l failure to

catch Salvel finally drove hi m t o conside r desperate m ea su res. Gravel bea k

(usin g impeccable gobli n logic) reasoned
t hat it would he easier to catch Salve l if
t he r iver di d not h ave as m uch water in
it. So t he gobli n chie f a nd his m isfit
family laid t heir plans a nd ca ptured t he
sou rce of the riv er: Unda t he River
Fairy. Normally, Unda (a ni xi e) maint ains the spring that is the sou rce of t he
Dovedale River. When U nda wa s taken
away, t he spri ng dwindled an d fin ally
d ied out. The mighty Dovedale River
quickly withered to a slow, anemic
trickle.
R unning the Adventur e
If "Dovedale" is bein g used as a firstti me advent ur e, the OM could give the
P Cs backgrounds as brave young persons from the sur rou ndi ng area. Th e
PCs could be in habit ants of t he village
of Ashbourne, or one of the P Cs coul d be
one of Mrs. Cogs 's nu merous children
(see area 4). lf t he PC s hav e backgr ou nds as local s, ea ch has heard 1-4
rumors associated with Ooved a le (see
sidebar, page 13). Mor e t han one PC
may know the same rumor.
If the PCs are wandere rs in search of
advent ure, start the adventure in
Ashhourne. The phra sing of the introducti on should lea d t he PCs to contact
Mrs . Cogs , the lea der of the fa rmer's
cooperati ve. Sh e will su pply the PCs
wit h so me information t ha t sho uld
spark the PCs' interest in talking to t he
loca ls about the Dovedale goblins . Th e
PCs sho uld spend some ti me tal king to
Ashbour ne 's citizens, aski ng the loca l
sheep farmers abo ut t heir exp eriences
with the gobl ins , and in qu iring at t he
Inn-on-the-Pea k . Ferreti ng out these
bi ts of infor ma tion a nd scra ps of old
legen ds will pro vide an abu ndance of
role -play ing opportunities. PCs who

ski p t his chance to gather inform atio n

on their foes will regret t heir m istake.
The adven ture begins in earnest once
t he PCs have fin ished gath er ing information and finally ve nture in t o goblin
terr ito ry : the t wistin g canyon of t he
Dovedale its elf. The PCs have a chance
to gather a dditi ona l information whe n
t hey encounter Salvel the Ta lk ing
Trout. PC s who r us h righ t into th e
goblin lair wi\l have difficult y com pleting the adventu re.

Do vedal e District
1. Ash bour n e . Ash bou rn e is a sm all
fortified far m ing village located a bout
th re e m iles southeast of Dovedale. Beca use of its proxim ity, Ashb ourne is
cons idered to be part of the Oovedal e
ar ea. Th e Dovedale River flows past
Ash bou rn e . Th e vill age has a farmer 's
m ar ket , a bakery, a dry goods sto re, a
brewery, a ch urch , seve ra l passable
in ns, a nd a cou ple of boa rding hou ses.
Som e of the vill agers ma y h ave old
family ar rnur a nd wea pons for sal e, but
such it ems will cost at least twice the
pr ices listed in the Ru les Cyclopedia
(pages 62 and 67 ).
The DM ca n use the descript ion of any
small vill age to flesh out Ashbou rne.
T he village of Gr inley Crossi ng, detailed in " Pearlm an's Curiosity "
(DU NGEO N!' Maga zine .f32), woul d
serve admirably. In thi s case, " Dovedale" can be used as a logical precursor
to " Pearlman's Curiosity."
The text below outlines t .....o NPCs who
live in Ashbourne. The DM should prepare several additional NPCs for the PCs
to question while they are in Ashbourne,
along with a listi ng of which rumors each
NPC has heard. lfthe PCs as k around for
informati on in Ashbourne, they can hear
1-4 rumors per day.
If the PCs spend more th an a few
hours in Ash bourne, a bu m accosts
them in t he village square. T he bum is
Ian McNeill , the town drun k , who begs
for money to buy a drin k . If t he PCs
talk wit h Ian, he tells them about h is
encou nters with Salvel the Talk in g
Trout (see r um or n ). Ia n h ints to t he
PC s that he knows a great deal about
the Doveda le gobli ns (he does not, bu t
that will not st op him from making up a
few sto ries), hopin g to get t hem to bu y
h im a dri nk . The inh abit ants of
Ashbourne ri b Ian fie rcely about his
" speak ing fish " stories.
I an Mc Ne ill , town drunk: AC 10: HD

1 -1 (MJ: hp 3; MV 120'(40 '); .fAT 1;

Dm g by weapon type ; Save NM; ML 4 ;
AL N; 5 7, 110, W6, D 8, C 9, Ch 12;
XP 10 ; dagger.
Ian 's one great talent is hi s ability t o
make u p who ppi ng great fibs wit hout
foret hought or prepar ation . H is stor ies
a re sufficientl y entertainin g that th e
townsfolk prov ide h im wit h enough
money to mai ntain h is self-dest r uct ive
habit . Ia n's widely ren owned t al ent for
ma kin g up stor ies is the main reason
why nobody believes his tales a bout
Salve! the Talking Trout.
F io n n a o f Ashbourne, Ma yor: AC
10; H D 1 (M); hp 7; MV 120'(40'); KAT 1;
Dmg by weapon typ e; Sa ve Fl ; ML 9;
AL L; 5 12, I 13, W 13, 0 9, C 12, Ch 14:
dagger, short sword , spea r, long bow.
Mayor F ion na is a strong, dyn a mic,
red-hair ed, 40.ye ar-old woma n who
doesn't take lip from anybody. She is
apt t o thump troublem a ker s on t he
head firs t a nd sort out the det a ils later.
Besides being the mayor of Ashbourne,
F ionn a is an officer in the local m ilit ia .
She can provide clear directions to Mrs.
Cog s's farm , and the PCs will hear rumol' .f8 fro m he r.
2. Inn-on-the-Pe ak. Th e Inn-on-t hePeak is a qu a in t cou ntry inn , catering
pr im ar ily to the loca l sheepher der s and
fa rme rs. Th e in n sits on t he to p of a
sma ll hill amid a sm a ll st and of oak
tr ees. A narrow country la ne bordered
by 3 'tall sto ne walls winds it s way
through the t re es to t he top of t he hil l.
T he Inn-on -the-Peak is fam ous for two
thin gs. Th e first is the r ich, da rk ,
mu sty-smelling bee r that Hal the in n keep er bre ws in his cell ar. Th is beer is
kno wn throughout t he region as " H al's
Old Singular." Second, the inn's exteu.
si ve rose garden s are rep ut ed to be the
most beaut iful gardens for hundreds of
mile s. In t he su m mer, the In n-on-t hePea k a ttra cts a number of ri ch visitors
from Ash hourne , who come out to sa mple t he ru st ic life , get pa mpered and
well fed by Ha l's excellent cook, and
spend a few eve ning s wa lk ing in t he
in n's beautiful rose ga rdens.
But t he rose gardens are suffer ing
t his summer. Th e in n's well is fed by the
Doved a le River. Now that the river is
dry, the well has also petered out .
The Inn-on-t he-Peak has a tot al of 12
wa rm and comfo rtable r ooms . At a ny
tim e, 3-12 (l d l 0 + 2) of t he rooms are
filled . A room rents for 10 sp per ni ght
(inclu ding meals). Ea ch room is fitted

DUNGEON

11

DOVEDALE

Dovedale Area
N
13

--

D ale w o ld
5

ION

. .,.....-.

Tor's Clou d
P e ak

1,367'

lh. mile between points

250'

Miles

.,
", -- ,
,,

a sm all hearth for a peat fi re, a d resse r,

a mi r ro r, a closet, a wr it ing desk , and
several comfortable ch airs. H ot baths
a re av ailable at an addit ional cost of 1

ep. Boa rd ing for horses or simila r

mounts costs 4 sp per ni ght.
The in n' s la rge com mon room serve s
a s a pub. A warm, fragrant pea t fire
h eat s the room. The pub has a low ceil-

ing, which create s a dim inter ior where

pale blue pipe smoke wafts am ong the
hand-carved ra fters. Any one who st a nds
taller t han 5'6" had better learn to

12 Issue No. 46

I"'

_ /

'l-~'

"
with two la rge beds wit h stra w-stu ffed
mattresses a nd goose down comforters,

.
.
t--

To A shbou rne
3 mi les

duck. Over stuffed wing-back chairs and

couches are spread throu ghout the
room , along wit h t ab les for chess, backga mmon, and che ckers. During the
eve ni ng, 11-30 (l d20 + 10 ) loca ls gather
in the com mon room.
The PC s can he ar 1-4 of the rumors
and leg end s abo ut Doved a le per eve ning
spe nt goss iping in the inn's pub . The
pub patr on s repeatedly ment ion the
100 gp reward in a pat heti ca lly tra nsparent effort to encourage the PCs to
exp lore t he dale.
Ol d Man Krimble: AC 10; HD 1 - 1
(M); h p 4; MV 90 '(30 '); NAT 1; Dmg by

weapon type; Save N M; ML 8; AL L; S

8, I 10, W 12, D 10, C 10, Ch 10; dagger.
K rimble is a stoo ped a nd weathered
old graybeard, conv er san t with most of
t he lore a bout the local area. He is a
regular feature in the inn's t ap room. If
t he players are beginners and need a
little prodd ing in t he right di rection,
Krimble ca n suggest that the PCs interview some of the loca l far mers a bout the
gobli ns . This wi ll provi de the PCs with
t he opportunity to lear n more of t he
info rmation contai ned in the " Rumors
and Infor mat ion" sidebar.
Hal the Innke epe r : AC 10; F2 (M);
hp 10; MV 120'(40'); NAT 1; Dm g by
wea pon type; Save F2 ; ML 9; A L L ; S
12, I 11, W 11, D 9, C 13, Ch 14; short
sword, club.
H a l is a thi n, wiry, hard-working
mi ddle-aged man. He is a n officer in the
loca l militia and a we ll-respected businessman in the Dovedale area.
Sh ep, old sheep dog: AC 7; HD 1 (S); hp
7; MV 60'(20'); NAT 1 bite; Dmg 1-3;Save
FI ; ML 7; lN T 4; AL N; CC/30 IDog),
Shep is a ret ir ed sheep dog . He is very
old and suffers from art hritis, so he
moves quite slowly. He spends most of
his time lying in fro nt of t he fire in the
common room . From his position by the
fire , She p keeps up with loca l events
and happen in gs.
If the PCI' h ave a ,~pcak with animals
s pell, they can talk with Shep, who will
rela te t he ta le of ho w he a nd his fello w
sheep dogs tangled with a pa ir of d ire
wolves that live in the Dal ewold forest.
Shep also knows t hat the goblin chief is
named Grave lbeak, and t hat Stinkfoot
is the only other gobl in who can ri de the
dire wolves. At t he OM's discretion,
Shep may know a few further de tails.
Anyt hi ng that the PCs learn from Shep
is in ad dition to the rumors related by
the other patron s at the inn.
Yea rs ago, Gravel bee k's greatgrandfather bullied hi s family into
buildi ng a secret t unnel leading into the
Inn-on-the-Pea k's bee r cell ar. It t ook the
goblins several years to finish build in g
t he tu nnel, but the resul t was worth it.
The Oovedal e goblins h ave been pinc hing beer from the cellar for generations
no w, They are ve ry ca reful to control
their greed; t hey steal only from kegs
that are already ope n and take on ly a
ga llon or so at a time. T he losses a re
barely not iceable, sma ll enough th at
Hal wou ld never t hi nk to mention them
in casual conversatio n . Ha l has attributed t he losses t o spillage, and perhaps

DOVEDALE

a little bit to the cook and t he stable

han ds sneak ing a few pin ts on the side,
wh ich he does not mind.

If the PCs as k Hal if they can search

his cellar (per ha ps after they find the
beer kegs in t he Goblin Beer Cell a r,
area 9), Hal will let t hem in. The PCs
have no rma l ch ances to find the se cret

door, which is carefully blended int o the

br ick wall behind on e of the many wine
racks in the cellar. The t unnel ex it is
hidden under a large stump in a cops e
of trees on the north side of the hill .

3. Tor's Cloud P eak. Thr's Cloud peak ,

elevation 1,370', se rves as a local la nd mark. The peak is one mile northwest of
th e Inn-on-the-Peak. Dozens of sheep
graze on the lower rea ches of its grassy
slopes . Tour ists often climb to the su mmit
duri ng th e warm summe r mont hs, dodging the sheep as they go. From the top of
t he peak, the view of the surrounding
countryside is spectacul ar.
T here is a l -in -lO chance per day of a
fr ea k storm striking the top of 'Ice's
Cloud. Roll ld 12 to de term in e t he hour
of the day when t he storm s trikes. Ea ch
storm la sts ld6 + 1 t ur ns. The storm
delivers a deluge of h a il stones, ra in ,
a nd fie rcely howl i ng wind. An yone
caught in the storm t akes 1-3 hp da mage pe r turn . There is no shelte r on t he
peak, and getting down to safety t akes
fou r turns. Someone wi t h cli mbing s kill
can get off the peak in t hree t ur ns .
If a ny of t he PCs has danger se nse
skill or mo untain s urviv a l sk ill (see Re,
pages 83 and 85), t he OM should sec retly m a ke a check before t he PCs go u p
t he mou ntain. If the sk ill ch eck sueceeds, a nd a storm is going to strike the
peak that day, tell the pla yer that hi s
PC feels ap prehensive a bout climbi ng
the mountai n .
4. Mrs. Cogs's Farm. Mrs. Cogs owns
a large, prosperous farm on a hilltop to
the wes t of Oove da le. She is a h ard
worke r, an excellent cook (her pies always win blue ribbons a t t he annual
fair), and the lead er of t he loca l far me rs'
coope rative. Her farm boasts a la r ge
house, several ba rns , m a n y acres of
grazing land, and several h und red
sheep. Mrs . Cogs has six ch ild re n, who
help he r run t he farm : Be n (6), Bridge tt
(7), Ka t h y uoi Kevin (12 ), P a rs iva l (16 ),
and Petra (6).
Mrs. C o g s: AC 10 ; HD 1 -1 (M); hp 6;
MV 120'(40'); NAT 1; Dm g by weapon
t y pe ; Save NM; ML 9; AL L; S 9, I 9 ,

Rumors and Information

The PCs can hear the following rumors
in t he Dovedale area. In some cases, only
a particular NPC will know th e infor mation, as noted below . Each NPC will
repeat rumor II and a lso knows one
other rumor from the list.
1. " A tribe of nasty goblins lives in the
Dovedele. That's why everyone a voids
the place. There are at lea st {30 /50190 j of
th e monsters." (Pa rtia lly true; there a re
only nine goblins.)
2. "If you find the goblin's ch imney,
you're right near their fron t door. I heard
that from my gr a ndpa ppy, who used to go
play checkers with the goblin chief."
<True. Old Man Krimble (ar ea 2) makes
this claim. He has told this story many
times over the years. The other locals
thtnk he is merely hragging.)
3. "A good fairy maintains th e Dovedal e
River. Without her, t he river would cease
to flow. She lives near a beautiful spring
that's the source of the river." tTrue)
4 . "T he gobli ns have a secret la ir in
Ooveda le." <True)
5. "Without water, our farms will wither
and die. Without traffic on the river,
Ashbourne will become much poorer, and
the Inn-on-the-Peak will be unable to
maintain its fa mous rose ga rdens." (True r
6. " A big, ha iry spider shouted a t me
while I was gathering mu shroom s i n the
Dalewold. It leap t out fr om behind a tr ee
and yelled, 'Pu t that down!" IFalge. Mrs .
Cogs's youngest daughter, Br idgett,
makes this claim. but she ha s an extremely act ive imaginaticn.}
7. "Speaking-Fish Weir is located right at
the mouth of Dovedale. It's called that
because Ian McNeill swear s that a ta lking
fish lives there. Of course , everyone knows
that Ian is utterly daft." (True. No one in
t he Doveda le area believes Ian , but he's
telli ng the truth. Ian has talked with
Salve! the Thlking Trout severa l ttmes.I
8. "Ben Cogs is a quiet child, but he's a
troublemaker. He's a lways filching th ings,
lying, and pulling mean trick s on the other
children. Just last week he pushed Susie
into a mud puddle a nd stole her lunch.
Whenever Ben does somet hing bad, the
shameless lad refuse s to take respcns lbility." (False. Ben Cogs is a well-behaved and
truthful youn g man. Ben gets in trouble
because Grabbe the goblin disguise s him self as Ben and pulls pranks on the locals.)
9. "I ca me across t he gobli n chieftain
fishing on the river one evening. We
kicked back for a whil e, swa pped some
fish stori es. That gobli n chief. he 's quite
a skilled and knowledgeable fisherman ."
(Tr ue. A fa r mer tells th is story at the
Inn-cn .the-Peak .)

10. "T he goblins have a secret entrance

to their home, on top of'Ibr's Cloud
Peak." (False)
11. "Fre ak storms someti mes hit the top
ofThr 's Cloud Peak. It can be sunny an d
clear one moment, then the next minute
the wind starts whipping ice and rai n
down on your head. The storms have killed
quite a few people over the years, mostly
foolish tourists." (True. Uthe Pes grow up
in the Dovedale area, they automatically
know thi s piece of information.)
12. "T he stor ms on Tbr's Cloud Peak
are ca used by an insane air-elemental
trapped in a rune circle on top of the
mountain ," (Fa lse, unless the OM wants
this rumor to be true.)
13. "Them goblins, they's fai rly sluggis h durin g the day. Gets up to most of
their mischief in the evenings and a t
night," (True.j
14. "Once or twice a year, a goblin ride s
out of the Dale wcld on a great sla vering
wolf and steals one of my sheep. And it
seems like every tim e I turn around. those
na sty goblins are stealing my fresh-baked
pies and cookies otrthe windowsill," (Tru e,
Mrs. Cogs tell s this tale.)
15. "There are three larg e stone columns
in the midst of t he Dalewold. They've been
called The Three Gian ts for as long as I
can remember, but I don't recall why."
(True. Mrs. Cogs or an y other sheep fanner
within three miles of the Dcvedale can
impart t his information.)
16. "Long a go, in the time of my gr eatgreat -gr a ndfa t her; a powerful druid lived
in the Dalewcld. She's gone now , but her
influence on the la nd remains. If she
wer e st ill here, she 'd sort th ose gobl ins
out in short order," (Tr ue)
17. "T he Oal ewold is a dangerous
pla ce, wit h wolve s and spiders and pant hers a nd bears running through the
woods. I'd av oid it, ifI were you, espe cially after dark ." (Pa rtially true; there
are wolve s and spiders in the Dal ewold.j
18. " 1 heard t hat the gobli ns a re goi ng
to demand a payment of 1,000 gp and 40
shee p in order to restore t he river.
Greedy little bastards." (Fa lse)
19. "T he goblins mu st have a new
chief. The old chief, he never did a nyt hing like th is before." (Fa lse )
20. "There are wolves in t he Dalewold.
t hat's true. But I doubt that they have
anything to do with the goblins. That Mrs.
Cogs, she's a silly old woman and probably
just imagined the whole t hing. Or maybe
she's just making excuses for th at rotten
little kid of hers. !'False. The PCs hear this
rumor from one of Mrs . Cogs's poorer
neighbors: a bitter, lazy old farmerJ

DUNGEON

13

DOVEDALE

W 13, 0 9, C 12, Ch 13.

Mr s. Cogs is a la rg e, busi nesslike
woman with a no-nonsense attitude
about runni ng her farm.
P a r sival a nd Petra: AC 7; HD 1 (M);
hp 6 each; MV 120 '(40 '); 'AT 1; Dmg by
weapon typ e; Save Fl; ML 8; AL L; S
12, C 13.
Mrs. Cogs's oldest children are mem bers
of th e local militia. Th e twins have leather armor and are proficient with th e short
sword, dagger, spear, and long bow. If this
adventure is being conducted as a solo
ad venture, the DM ma y allow th e PC to
recrui t Pereivel and Petra.
The PCs can get directions to Mrs.
Cogs's farm from any NPC in Ashbourne,
al though Ian McNeill 's directions might
be a bit in coherent. If the PCs climb to
the top of the hill to talk with Mrs. Cogs,
she invites them in for a chat and give s
them herb al tea and lemon cookies. Mrs .
Cogs talks with the PCs for a maximum
of three turns, after which she must get
back to work.
Mr s. Cogs's fa rm is t he closest fa r m to
Dovedale, so sh e is u sed to th e gobli ns
and th eir con ni vi ng tr icks . Mr s. Cogs
confi r ms that the farmers' cooper ative
has put up a lOO.gp rew ard for re storing
the ri ver. She em phasizes th at the PCs'
mission is to re store the river, not n ecessar ily kill t he gobli ns. The gobl ins ha ve
a lon g h istory of coexisti ng with the
Doveda le local s, and in some situ at ions
being friendly (se e rumors 112 and 69).
The farme rs don't want to start a bloodfeu d wit h th e gobli ns .
Mr s. Cogs also tells the PCs rumors
1114 a nd 1115. At the end of their con versati on, Mrs. Cogs informs the PCs that
some of the local farmers ga ther in t he
evenings a t the Inn -on-the-Peak ; th e
party might be abl e to get some more
informa tion there.
If given a chance , six-year -old Ben solemnly swears to the PCs that he is not
t he one who keeps doing bad things. Ben
explains that one ofthe goblins living in
the Dovedale looks exact ly like him. Th e
goblin does bad t hi ngs (such as stealing
pies from windowsill s and pushing
small er childre n into mud -pu ddles) and
then Ben gets blamed for it. Ben clai ms
that he has spoken with this goblin several ti mes and tried to get him to stop ,
but the goblin ju st laughs and runs away
to pull yet another prank. Ben h as tried
to explain this to othe rs, but no one believes him. If Mrs. Cogs catches Ben
telling this story to th e PCs, she scolds
him for fibbing and se nds him to clean

14 Issue No. 46

out the cow barns.

Mrs. Cogs 's farm is simila r to t he
other farms in th e area, which are
space d severa l miles apart in an a rc to
the south and west of Doveda te. None of
the other farms a re qu it e as well off as
Mr s. Cogs's farm. Th e loca l farms inclu de: Han son, Bist ern , Llam, Sharplowe, Th or p, Ba ley Hill, Rav en's 'Ibr,
St. Bertram's Well , H illend , Blore Ha ll ,
and St a ndlew .
5. T he Dalewo ld . The Da lewold is a
forest located on t he nort hwest edge of
the Doveda le. This stand of oak s, elms ,
maples, and poplars cove rs sever al
square miles. Sparse und er growt h fills
the open areas beneath t he fore st canopy. The Da lewold teems wit h animal
life , es peci ally sparrows, robins, grouse,
qua il, a nd rabbits . The fore st also h as a
boun tiful supply of be rr ies and m ushrooms, incl uding truffles, tu ffets (la rge
toadstools), a nd ch anterelles.
For eve ry h our that t he PC s spend
wa ndering in the Da lewold , an enc ounter t akes pla ce on a roll of 1 on l d6 .
Cons ult the " Dalewold Ra ndom En counters" sideba r on pa ge 15, but u se
discretion . Some of th ese enc ou nters ca n
be extr emely deadly and are unsuitable
for beginnin g P Cs. The PCs h ave a 10%
chance per encounter to st um ble into a
mon ster 's lair, in wh ich case the "num ber appearing " in the encoun t er sh oul d
be ma ximum. La irs are not a ssi gned
any specific location in the Dalewold.
Low-leve l PCs should not stumble
across a monster lair.
6. S peaking-Fish Weir. When the
Pes re ach t his point, r ead or paraph rase t he following to t he player s'
A wei r of la rge, loosely piled boulders stretches across th e Doveda le
River. It looks as ifit might be possible to cross t he river by ste pping on
t he to ps of t he moss-covered stones.
A 50'-dia meter pool has formed behind t he weir. In nor mal ti mes , the
pool would be m uch larger an d
deep er, but the water has retreat ed
to show crac ked mu d a lon g t he
ba nk s . No w that the ri ver has been
reduced to a trickl e, the pool is only
2' deep at its deep est poin t. Colorful
gravel li nes th e bottom of t he pool.
Ru sh es and willows, many of the m
droo ping in the artificial drought ,
grow alo ng th e banks. Two 6' t all , 2'
diameter stone pillars stand at the

top of the pool, one on either side of

th e rive r. A na rro w foot path winds
its way th rough the grass a nd reeds
up the side of t he pool and al ong t he
east side of the river. The footpath
goes righ t by one of t he st one pillars.
Th e sto ne pillars are carved with
pictographs and sym bol s indica ti ng that
th e Dovedale is the territ ory of Gravelbeak the Goblin Chief. When a PC get s
within 10' of the pool or one of the st one
columns, Salvel t he trout st icks hi s
snout out of t he water and squirts a
nonblinding st ream of water at one of
the PCs . Th is is Salver s way of attractin g attention .
Once Sal vel ha s the PCs' attention, he
int roduces h im self, apologizes for getting t he PC wet , and asks who th e PCs
are . By th e ti me h e talks to the PCs,
Sal vel will have used hi s detect evil
abil ity ; if t he PCs are evil. he will not
speak to them. Salvel th en asks t he PCs
wha t they are doin g in the Dovedale. If
t he P Cs tell Salve! that they are goin g
to see k the goblin s, re store the river, or
si milar comme nts, read or paraph ra se
t he following to t he players. This mater ial is presen ted as a monologue by
Salvel, hut it 's more likely to be a conversatio n bet ween h im and t he PC s.
You r comment about the awful state
ofthe r iver appears to h ave piqued
Sa lve l's in te rest. Hi s sh immering
sca les gli nt in t he dim su nlight as he
swi ms close r.
"The ri ver is low because the goblins
ha ve captur ed Und a the River F airy:'
says the fish. " If you want to restore
the river, you' ll have to rescue her
from their secret lair. Th e goblins
captured Unda about a wee k ago.
They've kept her ali ve; I would have
felt it if she died. They're trying to
catc h me, too, but I've managed to
avoid them so far. I've been trying to
find someone to go into the goblin lair
a nd rescue U nda, but you're the first
likely prospects th at I've encountered .
" If you go up the r iver, past the
three stone giants, you 'll find a tall
weeping willow that the goblins have
chewed on . Th e entra nce to t heir
t u nnel s is in a sh all ow ca ve near
that tree. I' ve ma naged to find out
t h at m uch, over t he years , by watc h ing the m from the river."
Any PC with fish ing (h unt ing) sk ill

DOVEDAlE

can identify Salvel as a rainbow trout.

although he is an unusually large speci men. If the PCs ask Salve! more questions. he knows a few things that may
make the PCs ' task somewhat easier.
For instance, Salvel kno ws the names of
some of the gobli ns [DM's discrerien],
which may be of some use to the PCs .
Selvel'e information is accurate, for the
most part. although he does not know
that t he real reaso n the goblins kidna pped Un da was to make it easier to
catch h im . If the PCs as k why t he goblins chew on t he tree, Sa lvel responds
that he t hinks it has somet hi ng to do
wit h cle anin g their teet h .
Over t he years, Salvel has teased
Gravelbeak fiercely. Sa.lvel's favorite trick
is to wait until Gravelbe ak gets in an
aw kward position as he wades along th e
river. For example, Salvel may wait until
Gravelbeak has both his feet on sli ppery
rocks. Salvel then swims up , lea ps out of
the water, slaps Gravelbeak on the face
with his wide silver tail, and then swims
away while Gravelbeak splutters and
desperately windmills his arms in an
attempt to maintain his precarious bal .
ance. Salve! takes great delight in teasing
Gravelbeak and his family.
S alvel the Talking Trout: AC 6; H D
2 + 2* (S, 3' long); hp 12; ~IV swim
180'(60 '); 'AT 1; Dmg 12; Save F4; ML
9; INT 13; AL L; XP 35; N ew Mon ster.
Salvel can detect evil in a SO' radius .
He can a lso s pit a stream of water u p to
30' that h its as a 4 HD monste r. Anyon e
struc k by t he jet of water is blind ed for
13 t ur ns. Sa lvel s pe a ks fish, Co mmo n,
and goblin.
In t his region of t he world, so me anima ls ca n s peak a nd understa nd speech.
The long-de pa rted druid m entioned in
r u mor 116 granted some of t h e animals
in t he area t he powe r to speak. The
power has manifested itself i n a t leas t
one fish in every generation ever since
t hat time. The talking a n im als in the
area tend to be the leaders of the ncrmal animals.

7. Small Ca ve. Small caves riddle t he

Dovedale's 200'talilimestone walls.
This cave is only o ne example. Caves
are located 30'-40' up the side of the
cliff-face. The narrow and twisting
caves go back about 30'. but h um a ns
can go in only about 20' before the stone
walls close in . The caves are empty
except for some ra t her bar baric goblin
graffiti (writte n in Common; gob lins do
not ha ve t heir own wri tte n language).

Dalewold R andom Encounters

0120 Jumping s pi ders. la rge (120):
AC 8; HD 1 + 1* (2' diamett>r); hp 4 each;
MV 60'(20'), web 120'(40'); 'AT 1 bite;
Dmg 1 plus poison ; Sav e Yl ; ML 7; ll'.'T
0; AL N; XP 25; RC 206 (modified Giant
Crab Spider).
The spiders norm ally lICtlttle along in
the trees and drop on their prey, trailing
a safety-line of webb ing behind them.
The spider's poison does 4d4 hp damage.
at a rate of Id4 hp per round. A saving
throw ve. poison ( + 2 bonus) for half
damage is allowed. The spide rs have
sca ttered their treasure in t he bushes
nea r t heir lair. The treasure consists of:
two suits of chain mail (20 gp), two short
swords (5 gp ), t wo daggers (2 gpl, a Iante rn {S gp l, 4 gp o10 ep, 27 ep. a white
cotton bonnet. a pai r of children's shoes,
a s ilver spoon (2 gp). and a small wooden
bowl (2 epj.
2135 Ba ron Ieonbeak, talking owl:
AC 6; HD 1/1- (8); hp 3; MY 9'(3'), fly
120'(40 '); I AT 1; Dmg 1; Save NM; ML 8;
INT 10; AL X; XP 6; New .
Baron Ironbea k ma y trail t he PCs if
th e)' en ter t he Dalewold a t night. As
long as the PC s do not ma ke any bostile
moves, he re mains friendly. If t he Pes
bribe him with a mouse or ot her tidb it,
Baron Ironbeak tell s t he PCs t ha t one of
the goblins flies around a t night on a
giant bat.
35-40 Greet the Spring's Wann Wind,
treant : AC 2; HD S* (1.); hp 49; MY
60'(20'); IAT 2 branches; Dmg 2d&2d6:
Save FS; xn, 9; !NT 11; AL L; RC 209.
The treant of t he Dal ewold is an IS'
tall maple. All encounters with the
t rea nt occur at a distance of 30 yards or
less. Beca use t he treant closely re sem bles a normal tree, it s urp rises on a roll
of 13 on Id6. Blunt weapons inflict only
1 hp damage per hit (plus magic and
strength bonu ses ). The treant ca n e nimate any two trees wit hin 60' to move at
3OUO') and fight ali t reant.s.
The treat a pproac hes t he PCs ifthey do
not light a fire wh ile t hey a re in the
Da lewold. The- t rea nt kno ws abou t t he
dire wolves but is not bothe red by their
presence beca use the wol ves beh a ve
themselves while th ey are in t he Dal ewold and neve r kill more t han t hey can
ea t. If the PC!! talk with t he trean t . it
can confirm t ha t a powerfu l druid used
to dwell in t he Dalewcld (if th e Pes ha ve
heard rumor IIBl.

40-55 Sti rges (110): AC 7; HD 1* (S );

MY 30UO').fly 1BO'IBO'}; I AT 1; Dmg

Id3 ; Save F2; ML 9; txr i. AL N; XP 13;

RC 208.
A successful hit means the etirge has
attached. it.&elf to its vict im, sucking for
Id 3 hp damage until the victim is dead.
A flying stirge gains a bon us of + 2 on ita
first attack roll against an y one opponent due to ita speedy attack. Th e sti rges
have a lair in a small ca ve deep in t he
Dovedale. The PCs can find the la ir if
t hey spend Id6 + 2 days searchi ng for it.
The stirges ha ve t wo crystals in th eir
lair, whic h they picked up beca use t hey
glittered. Th e crystals a re gar nets, a nd
would be worth 100 gp ea ch ifcut an d
polished.
55 70 Hor lleOie s, giant UO3Q): AC 6;
HD Ii. (8); hp 1 each; MV fly 120'(40');
'AT 1 (per 10 horseflies); Dmg 12 plus
confusion (per 10 horseflies); Save NM;
ML 10; tNT 1; AL N; XP 6; New.
These giant flies weigh abo ut two
ou nces each. Th ey attack men. cattle,
horses, s heep, and just about anything
else that mov es. The horseflies sw irl
a round in a great cloud, causing eonfu .io" in their victims. There must be at
least 10 horseflies to confuse or da mage
one cha racter. Characters who become
confused suffer a - 2 penalty on their
attack rolls and saving throws, and
ca nnot cast spells (sa ve vs. spells for no
effect).
For example. if1 3 horseflies attack a
group of3 PCs. the horseflies can confuse
and a ttack only one of the PCs per
round. As soon as the PCs kill 4 of t he
horse flie s. t he rem aining ni ne cannot
attack effectively. Do not use more than
20 horseflies when running t his encou ater unless you a re confident t ha t the PCs
ca n t hi nk or some clever way to esca pe.
Th e horsefli es do not have a lair.
7180 Boar. wild (1-6): AC 7; HD 3(M ); hp 21, 17.14. 13.11.9; MV 90'(30');
'AT I tusk; Dmg 2d4; Save F2 ; ML 9;
tNT 2; AL N; XP 50; RC 162.
Wil d pigs hide in the brush and charge
out at their victims. A pig that has 20
yards to charge before reaching its prey
can infl ict double damage. If the PCs
come across just one wild pig , it is 8 bedtempered boa r (hp 21) that attacks i m mediately, chargi ng from a mb ush.
8 100 Sparrows Ud20 +20 >. robins
(1d20 + 201, grouse (ldl0 +5 1. q uail
Ud10 + 51. and rabbits (ld6). One of these
creatures pope out of the undergrowth.
startled by the PCs' passage. The creature
may in turn startle the PCs.

DUNGEON

15

DOVEDALE

~~:~
For example, "Fishbelly wuz heer:' "H umum tak baths:' "Reel goblins ride Wolfs,"
and "Elfs taste grate/lea filing :' The D~t is
encouraged to think up other examples.
8. The T hree Giants. Halfway up the
dale. the PCs come across three 25' tall,
10' diameter granite columns. The rough.
surfaced granite columns are quite out of
place in the norma l limestone formations
of t he Dovedal e. The columns are lin ed up
all in a row, and all of th em seem to be
leaning slightly forward.
The three columns are really giants
transformed to sto ne . The columns look
exactly like natural stone columns;
there are no visual clues to their real
nature. If anyone uses a know align ment spe ll here, the columns radiate
Chaos. A dete ct evil spell reveals that
the columns are also evil. Unda the
River Fairy knows what the statues
really are and will try to stop anyone
who is so foolish as to try to return
them to flesh.
The columns originated over a hundred years ago , when three evil hill
giants rampaged through the Oovedale
region. The greedy giants wreaked
enormous havoc on th e ecology of the

16 Issue No. 46

area and used the Oovedale goblin tribe

as slaves. Finally, the giants' excesses
incurred the wrath of the legendary
druid of the Dalewold. With the cooperation of the enslaved goblin tribe, she
lured the giants out into the open and
wor ked a mighty enchantment th at
turned t he terri ble giants into stone.
Th e Doved ale goblins know this st ory
and h av e passed t he t al e of their liberatio n down th ro ug h generatio ns. The
Dovedale gobli ns ha ve great status with
other goblin tri bes because t hey managed to throw off the yoke of the ev il
giants, even though they did have help.
Chief Gravelbeak and his family will do
everything in their power to prevent the
colu mns from being tampered with or
restored to life .
The T hree Gi ants: AC 4 j HD 8; hp 56
each; MV 120 '(40 '); 'AT 1 weapon; Dmg
2d8; Save F8; ML 8; tNT 7; AL C; Size L
(12 ' tall); XP 650 each, RC 179.
The giants throw rocks (r ange 30 /601
100 ) for 3d6 hp damage. Each hill giant
wears clothing made of uncured animal
sk ins. Each giant has a huge club, a
spear, and a bag contai n ing 2d6 )( 100
gpo These items were turned to stone
along with their owners. One of the

giants can speak goblin, and another

can speak Common . If their en chantment is ended, the giants are apt to
attack anything in sight.
9, Goblin Beer Cellar. This small
stone building shaded by tall elms lies
mos tl y u ndergrou nd. Onl y it s peaked
shale r oof sticks out abo ve ground. A
well -worn footpat h leads from t he main
trail u p to t he bu ildin g, where 3'wide
stairs lead down to a stout oak door. A
huge iron padlock (made by Grevelbeekt
holds the door shut. No matter what t he
weather, the inter ior of the beer cellar is
a lways cool a nd dark.
The cella r contains four 30.gallon beer
barrels and three five-gallon wine barrels. Two of the oldest beer barrel s h ave
marks indicating that they are the
property of the Inn-on-the-Peak ; the rest
of the barrels are unmarked. The goblins sto le the two marked barrels fr om
the cellars of the inn when they first
completed their secret tunnel, years
ago . One of the marked barrels is empty, and the other is half-full of Ha l's Old
Si ngular (valu e 40 gp ). The three un marked barrels are full of in credibly
vile goblin-brewed beer. Only on e of the

DOVEDAlE

wine barrels is full (va lue 8 gp ), 'Iechnically, the half-barrel of Ha l's Old Singular beer should be returned to the
in nkeeper. si nce it is stolen pro pe rty. If
the Pes ret ur n t he barrel to Hal, he
gives t hem a reward of 10 gpo Less am.
bitiou s PCs cou ld just tell H al where
the ba rrel is and let him r etrieve it.
Note that a full bee r barrel weig hs
about 275 lba. and a full wine barrel
weighs abou t 45 Ibs.
Gravelbeak has t he on ly legit imate
key to t he beer cellar. St rongar m.
Grav elbea k'e son and t he gobli n smi th.
h as a crude copy of t he k ey, wh ich he
made wh ile Gra velbeak wa s out fish in g
one eve ni ng . St ro nga rm's key ha s an
80% cha nce of opening the lock. If th e
key fai ls to open the door, it bends in
the lock and Stro ngarm must spe nd 14
days repa iring the key before he ca n
ma ke another attem pt.
Strongarm and his brothers sneak into
th e beer cellar from time to time and
have a few pints of'beer when they thi nk
Grevelbeak is not watching them. Gravel beak is well aware that his sons foray
into t he beer cellar, but he feels that their
sneaky beha vior is appropriate for young
goblins. Gravelbea k will nol complai n as
long as his sons do not overindulge.
10, Gobli n Lair. Th e Dovedale gob .
lins are a very clever and talented clan.
Th ey have in habited the Doveda le for
as long as Ash bourne has existed , so a ll
the gobli ns a re familiar wit h t he a rea .
Th e gobli ns rea lly like t heir hom e a nd
will do their best to defend it, includin g
killing int ruders if they have to.
However; ift he goblins are in cont rol of
the situation, t hey will attempt to take
pri soners to be held for ransom, especia lly
if the Pes have backgro un ds as Dovedale
locals. The goblins have ma naged to
coexist with their neigh bors for many
years, a nd they kn ow that peace (a nd
relative prosperity) will not last long if
they start killi ng lots of people .
As another option. if the goblins capture
the Pes. th ey could try to make the PCs
into !IOUp. Everyone knows that leek s are
an essential ingredient in any proper
haUling lor human. or elf, etc.I stew. Un fortu nately, the goblin pantry is fresh out
of lee ks at the moment, so Chief Gravel.
beak will have to send his son Grabbo out
to steal some from one of'the surrounding
farms. Whlle the goblins are ga thering
ingredients for their soup, the PCs could
get a cha nce to escape.
Remem ber th a t goblins are noct ur nal.

This tribe normally sleeps from 8:00 A-M.

to 4:00 ex, although they always post a
guard. The adve nture ass umes that the
PCs enter the caverns sometime during
the goblins' sleep cycle. If the PCs ente r
the goblin lair during the waki ng cycle.
adjust goblin responses accordi ngly.
l OA. Willo w Tree.Jf the PCs have
spoken to Sal vel. read or paraphrase the
following inform ation to the players when
the PCs reach this part of Dovedale. If the
Pes have not spoke n with Sal vel, roll to
detect secret doors for each PC. If the PCs
have heard rumor 12 , th ey each get a + 1
on the roll . If th e check succeeds, leave
ou t any mention of Sa lvel when reading
th e following to the pla yers.

A large weep ing willow on the bank of

the r iver spreads its bran ches over the
dry riverbed . The tree is visibly drooping from the lack of water. Scars and
cuts mark the tru nk and branches of
t he tree where the goblins have
chewed on the bark. The goblins have
also decorated the tree trunk with all
sorts of horrible graffiti and carvings.
A rope swing hangs list lessly from one
of t he bra nches.
Salvel's words about the gobli n
doorway appear to have been correct.
On the eastern wa ll of t he dal e.
about 20 ' u p, you ca n see t he openin g
to a cave. The tra il lea ding u p to the
ca ve shows signs of hea vy use .
The swing will support anyone who
weighs less than 100 Ibs. lf any greater
weight is placed on it, t he swing breaks as
it swings out over the dry riverbed, sending whoever was on it plummeting to the
ground. The fall cause s 1-6 hp damage.
PCs who take time to rea d the graffiti
carved into th e willow tree can determine
that several generations of goblins have
carv ed their initials into the tree.
lOB, Front Door. Wh en the PC s
enter this cave, read or paraphrase the
follo wing to t he players:

Gob lin footprints go right up to the

back w all of the eave and just stop.
Wh en you stand st ill for a moment,
you c..n hear someone snori ng. Th e
sound seems to be comi ng fro m behind the wall.
The gobli ns h ave grow n complacent
ove r the years; clearly the re is much
traffic in t he vici ni ty of t heir " secr et "

doorway. Th e goblins take turns guardin g the front door. If t he PCs approach
dur ing t he day, a goblin named Fishbelly is asleep at the guard pos t. As long as
the PCs do not make noise s loud er t han
normal speech in side the cave, Fi shbelIy will not wake u p. even if the PCs
open the front door. If the PC s nab the
sleepin g guard, they can negotiate with
Gr ave lbea k to trade Fishbelly for Unda
the nixie. Gr avelbeak will grind h is
teeth, throw a terrible tantrum, and
cur se for sev eral min utes, bu t in the
end he will a gr ee to the trade.
If the PCs make a loud noise, P iehbelIy w a k es up (one r ound), looks out
th rough a cr ack in t he rock to make
sure he wa s not dream ing (one round),
and sou nds the alarm (t h ird round after
the noise). Fishbelly t he n runs into the
maze (area IOD ),
An yone se arc h ing for secret doors in
the ca ve ha s a + I bonus to find a sma ll
sto ne kn ob set in a recess that only
human-sized (or sma lle r) hands ca n
reac h into. Twist in g the kn ob cause s a
wid e stone door to quietly swi ng ope n . A
small crac k in the rock n ear the knob
goes all the way through to the interior
of the cave a nd allows the guard to look
into the outside portion of the ca ve
without be in g see n. Th e snoring soun d
is m uch louder nea r the cr ack in the
stone . If t he Pes ma nage to get the door
open wit hout makin g a loud noise a nd
wa king Fi shbelly, rea d or paraphrase
t he followin g to the pla yers:
Th e fa lse sto ne wall swings away on
silent h in ges to reveal a se micircu lar
interior chamber. This narrow roo m
is warmed by a firep lac e at one end,
beside which lies a ne at pile of peat
br ick s. Th re e small woode n chairs
are drawn u p to the hearth, in wh ich
a low peat fir e bu rn s. A goblin clad
in sca le ma il is asleep in one of the
chair s. A foot-long metal mallet is
slowly slippin g out of his fingers . A
large iro n triangle h angs from a
chain fastened to the ceili ng.
l OCo C himney. The goblins have converted this l SO'tall rock spire into a vent
for their ca vern system. It is possible to
climb to the top of the spire; thieves ma y
add 10% to their chance to climb wal ls,
si nce there are many handholds. Even
people wit hout skill in climbing walls ca n
climb the sp ire, if they are not wearing
armor and th ey make a Dexterity check
with a - 4 penalty.

DUNGEON

17

DOVEDAl E

At t he top of t he spire, thin smoke

from the peat fir es below wafts ou t of a
2 '-diameter ve nt hole . A halOing could
cli mb into the hole, bu t no one larger.
The passage goes st raight down for
100', the n bra nches. Th e right branch
leads to t he fireplace in the fr ont door
guardroom (area lOB ), and the left
branch leads to Bigdom e Cavern (a rea
to EI. Small shafts a lso lea d to Ha ggy
the herbalist's roo m (area 10L), the
smi thy (a rea 10K), and various ot her
pla ces th roug hout the goblin lai r. Th e
sm aller shafts are too con st ri cted to
perm it pa ssa ge .
From t he top of the spire, it takes
th ree turna t o climb down in side the
sh aft to the fro nt door, and four turns to
reach Bigdome Cavern . Anyone who
cli mbs down t he ch imney takes 12 hp
da ma ge per turn from the detrimental
effects of smoke inha lation.
This chimney is mostly a ventilation
shaft. The va rious fires in t he gob li n
lai r ve nt t heir smoke t hrough separate
chimneys with better draft. Th e gobli ns
use this chim ney to prom ote ai rflow in
t he lair, and divert so me smoke into it
to disco urage u nwanted visi to rs.
10 0 . Ma ze . Wh en t he PCs enter the
mare, read or paraphrase the following
to the players:

Th e dark tunnel ahead of you divides

into smaller tunnels going in a dozen
different directions. The crisscrossing
tunnels form a amfusing maze, with
no sign of which .....ay to proceed. The
tunnels vary in size from full-sized
passages to 3~ -diameter holes. In the
sha dows at the limit of your torchlight,
you catch fleeting glimpses of the
scurrying shapes of large rodents.
Th e floor of the maze of t un nels is
riddled with pit s to fall in and loose
rocks to twist an ankle on . If the PCs
have a light source, they are in no danger offall ing into a pit or otherwise
h ar min g them selves. For each turn
spent wandering in t he dark , roIl l d6. A
result of 1-2 indica tes t hat the lead PC
has fall en into a pit 160% chance, 16 hp
damage) or t w isted a n ankle on a loose
rock (40% chance, 1 hp dama ge). Pa rtie s
using infr avision ha ve ha lf t he chance
ofinjuring themselves in the dark .
The tw ist ing intersections ofthe
t unnel s forms a confusing labyr-inth.
The m aze of t unnels is n ea rl y impossible to navigate for those who do not
kno w the .....ay, and it is impossible to
map. T he goblins k now thei r w ay
around t he tunnels very well, so t h ey
have no prob lems navigati ng the
maze. PCs .....ho ve nt u re into the maze

without a guide have an 8011 chance

of' becoming lost. Any PC who has
caving skill (Re, page 83 ) can make a
skill check with a - 4 penalty to avoid
becoming lost. The chance of becoming
lost ap plies whet h er the PCs are going
into or coming out of t he gobli n lair.
If the PCs become lost in the maze,
the goblins have a 40'k chance (l-4 on
I dI O) per hour to di scover that someone
has invaded their home . If someone
stumbles around in t heir maze for
hours, t he gob lins wiIl certa inly notice.
Two to eig ht hours after t he PCs become lost, a gi ant black rat slowly approache s the PCs, carryi ng a piece of
white clot h clenched in its teeth , The
rat's nam e is Greasyfur, and it can
speak Comm on . Greasyfur offers to
gu ide t he PCs t hrough the maze, for a
fee. The creat ure ini tially asks for sufficient food to fee d a giant r at for a week
(about one day 's worth of human ratio ns), but he will settle for a sandwich
and some shiny baubles. Greasyfur will
also lead the PCs out ofthe goblin tunnels for t he same fee . If the Pes makeany hostile moves toward him, Greasyfur turns and disa ppears into one of the
small t u nnels of the maze.
GreB!Syfur (giant rat): AC 7; HD Ih (St.
hp 2; xrv 120'(40'). swim 6{)'(2O'); ' AT 1
bite; Dmg 1-3 plus disease: Save NM; ~IL
8: UIT 10; A L N; XP 6; HC 201.

The Dov edal e Gob lins

Un less note d, e ach go bli n ha s the
follow ing statistics: AC 6 ; HD 1 - I ;
MV 90 '(30'): NAT 1 weapon ; Dm g by
weapon ty pe; Sa ve N M; ML 7 (9 w it h
chieO; INT 9; AL C; SZ Small (4'
t am; XP 5 ; - I penalt y to attack
rolls in br ig ht li ght; HC 180.
Eac h of t h e gob li ns h a s the follo wing eq ui pme nt: scale m ail , sho r t
sword, d a gger, light crossbow, four
crossbow holts, spear. All t h e gobl ins
speak Common and goblin.
Ch ief Gravelbeak : HD 2-- ; hp 12 ;
Save F2 ; ML 9 ; I 12, W 13; XP 30;
keys to beer cellar and Unda's cage .
Skills: fishing, weaponsmithing, ride
dire wolf, leadership.
Gravelbeak has spent enough time
above ground that he no longer has
the -I penalty to attack roll s in
bright light. In the late evening a nd
early morning, he ca n often be fou n d
near the Dovedale R iver.

18 Issue No. 46

l\Iereko o : AC 10; HD 1 + 3 - - (Shaman 4); hp 9; Dmg by spell or weapon

ty pe; Save C4; Size S (3' 6" talll; W 14;
XP 23; gold ring (worth 15 gp) . Skills:
ce remony, healing. Spells: cure light
wounds, ligh t, bless.
Merekoo is Orevelbeek'e wife . She
d resses in the black hooded garments
of the goblin clergy.
Bigno se: hp 7. Skills: tracking ( + 2),
hunting.
Bignose earned his name because his
nose is at least 8 ~ long and 4 ~ wide .
He tracks bis prey by sniffing out
trails, much as a dog does.
Fish bell y: hp S. Skills: fishing,
swimm ing, acrobatics.
Fishbelly is very pale a nd is the only
goblin that can swim, hence hi s name.
Grabbo: bp 4. Skills as 1'2: OL 2W ,
IT 15':I-, RT 15%, CW 88%, l1S 25Ci-,
HS 15%, PP 25%, HN 35'10, double
damage w it h beckstab, di sguise k raftl.
H a gg)': hp 4: XP 7. Skills: read and

....-rite Common and gobli n, deception,

herbalism tpoisonsl.
Ha ggy use s poisoned cr ossbow bolt s.
The poison causes an ext ra 16 hp
damage (sa ve vs. poison at +2 for half
damage, minimum 1 hp j.
Stinkfoot: hp 5. Sk ills: ride di re
wolf, cheating.
Stinkfoot has big smelly feet . and he
never ta kes off h is socks or boots. The
OM may wish to ru le that Stinkfoot
ca nnot surprise opponents, because of
h is unusually potent a nd offensive
body odor.
Stro n ga rm: HD 1 + 1- ; hp 9: Dm g
by weapon type + 1; L'I;T8; Su e ~f (S'
tall); XP 19; hammer, ke y (copy) to
beer cellar. Skills: a rmor-ma ki ng,
blacksmithing, m ining.
S w oop : hp 3; INT 13; Size S (2' tall);
XP 15. Skills: animal training, aerial
rid ing (giant bat ).
S w oop is not a m ember of the tmmediate family. He is Merek oo's ne phew.

DOVEDAlE

Any lone PC who strays from th e

paths normally used by t he goblins will
be attacked by Gre asyfur's cousin giant
rats (lNT 2, XP 5). The r at s will no t
attack groups of t hree or m ore pe ople
under any circumsta nces . Th ese giant

rats do not speak and cannot help the

PCs leave the maze.
If the PCs get luc ky and do not be come lost , they stumb le into Big do me
Cavern (area E) after 4-6 (l d3 + 3) turns.

If the PCs force Fishbelly or bribe

Greasyfur t o gui de them, passage

through the maze t akes only one t urn.

toE. Bigdome Cav ern . When th e

PCs enter thi s cavern, read or pa r aphrase t he following to the players:
You are in a cavern t hat is at least 50'
high and 120' in diameter. Flickerin g
shadows caused by the dim fire burning in the central fire pit cloak the
upper reaches of the cavern. Several
tunnels lead off to other are as . A few
ledges perch high on the cavern's
walls. Off to the side of the central fire
pit , a large iron birdcage is sus pended
about 10' off the floor by a chain that
disa ppears into the dark shadows
cloaking t he ceiling. A small, blueskinned humanoid hu ddles miserably
on the floor ofthe iron cage.
This la rge nat ur al caver n serves as
the main gobli n living qu a rters. If
Fishbelly sou nded the alar m su ccessful Iy, the gob lins are waiting to amb ush
the PCs h ere . The goblins kee p U nd a ,
the river spir it, in the iron cage, t o lu re
the Pes into rush in g into the caver n .
Th e goblins wait until t he first tw o PCs
e nter the cave, the n rel ease a roc k on a
wire. T he roc k swings down like a pendulu m and strik es a nyone st ill in the
entryway for 3d6 hp da ma ge (attacks as
4H D monster). All P Cs in t he path of
the rock a re considered to ha ve AC 10
for t h is attack, u nless t hey h ave Dext erity bon uses. A sav ing t h row vs. para lyzation for h al f damage is all owed.
Haggy, the tribe's herbalist, occupies
the lower ledge (area 10F ). Swoop, the bat
trainer, and one of h is bats sit on the
upper ledge (are a lOG). The remai ning
goblins (and their two dire wolves ) hide in
the side passages. Gravelbeak's wife,
Mere koo, stays out of hand-to-hand cornbat and use s her spells to the goblin's best
adva ntage. A straight fight betwee n th e
Pes and the goblins should be short and
bru tal, and it should end with most of the

Pes either dead or capt ured.

If the P Cs ha ve not alerted t he gobli ns
to t heir pres enc e, Bignose is t he only
gob lin in Bigdome cav ern. Bignose sits
in a comfortable ch a ir by t he fire pit ,
nomi nally guarding Unda. In t his case ,
Unda will have been si ngi ng to Bigncse.
Unda's slow, liqu id song ha s made
Bign ose dream of being asl eep on the
banks of a pea ceful ri ver, so t he PCs
will ha ve a + 2 bonus t o surprise t he
gobli n. If Bigno se ma nages to shout an
a larm, the ot her goblins arrive in 14
r ou nd s. Gravel beak comm a nds them.
Unda 's ca ge hangs from the ceiling by
a stout iro n chain. Th e cage is abo ut 4 '
high and 3' in d ia met er. Gravelbeak
and his son Strongarm forged the cage,
then Merek oo engraved the heavy
met al bars with my stica l runes to ke ep
Unda fro m escapin g and to prevent he r
from us ing he r ma gi c. A winch, located
n ear the pass age to area lOG, raises
a nd lowers the iro n birdcage. A large
padlock fastened to t he winch keeps it
in its current positi on . A similar pad lock hold s the ca ge door shut.
Strongarm ma de these padlocks, wh ich
are so well made that they are worth 50
gp each . Gravelbeak has the only keys
to the tw o padloc ks.
If a figh t occu rs in Bigdome Cavern,
Und a helps the PCs in a ny way th at she
can , eve n if all she ca n do is shout ad vice a nd e ncourage ment. Unda kn ows
th at Gravel beak h as the keys to t he
winc h and the ca ge, and she tells t his to
the PCs at the earlie st opportunity.
Unda is weakened fr om the st ress of her
ca ptivity, so she ca n not help t he PCs by
cas ting spells or using her innate magic. Wh en rel eas ed fr om the cage, Unda
will be too weak to walk, so one of t he
PC s will have to ca rry he r. For t una tely,
Unda is very small and light (20 lbe.,
200 en ). Unda will beg the P Cs to r et urn
her to he r spring as qu ick ly as possible,
so that she can regai n her strength and
restore t he r iver.
Unda t he r iver fairy (ni xie); AC 7 ;
HD 1 * (S, 2' tall); hp 11; MV 120' (40 '),
swim 120 '(40 '); I/AT 1; Dmg 1-4 (swor d)
or 1-3 (arrow); Save E1 or C4; ML 6;
INT 13; AL N; RC 197; Spell s as 5thlevel druid: detect danger, cure light
wounds; speak wi th animals, obscu re.
Unda ap pears as a small, beauti ful
woman with light blue ski n, fins, and
webbing between her toes and fingers.
U nda is invisible while she is in the wate r ( - 6 to armor class ). She can cast a
water breathing spell on a humanoid once

per day. This form of the spell lasts 24

hours. Because of her du ties as a river
fairy, Unda also has the innate ability to
detect evil in a 50-yard radius. She speaks
Common, elve n, fish, and nixie.
Unda uses a small tride nt in h and -tohand combat, although she also has a
small sho rt bow. Any creature struck by
one of U n da 'e arrows mu st make a saving throw vs. poiso n or fall asleep for
16 hours.
Nor ma lly, a ni xie may sum mon a
gi ant ba ss for a id in times of danger.
Unda use s this power t o sum mon
Salvel, the talking t rout , when she
needs help. Unda has never used her
cha rm ability because five more nixies
are r equ ired and t he re are no ot her
ni xies in the Doved a le Ri ve r.
Und a has more powers t ha n a nor m al
nix ie because she looks afte r a la rge
area alo ne. Her ex tra power s were
gr a nted to the Doveda le River ni xie
many years ago by t he long-de parted
dr uid, a nd have bee n passed down from
mot he r to da ug hter thro ugh severa l
n ixie generations.
10F. Lo w e r Le dge. The gobli ns h ave
dropped a ro pe ladder from this ledge ,
wh ich is 30 ' above the main floor. If the
alar m has bee n sou nded, H aggy perc hes
on t he ledge (th e rope ladder pulled u p),
wa itin g for an opportuni ty to use her
poisoned crossbow bolts. Wh ile she is on
t he ledge, H aggy has a -6 adjustment
t o her ar mor class vs . missil e a ttacks
from the cav ern floor (AC 0).
lOG . Up per Le dge. A small tun nel
opening on the m a in floor of Bigdome
Ca vern provid es access to th is h igh
led ge, which is 60 ' above the floor. On ly
a halflin g or goblin can get th rough this
sma ll t un nel. Ifthe alarm ha s been
sounded, Swoop a nd one of h is bat s wait
on t he led ge for a chance to " swoop"
down and wreak ha voc. As long as they
rema in on the ledge , Swoop a nd his bat
h ave a - 6 adjustme nt to their ar mor
class (AC 0). See area 101 for more informa ti on on Swoop and the bat s.
l OR, Wolf De n . Gra velbe ak's family
supports two dire wolves. Th e dire
wolves spe nd most of t heir ti me in the
Dalewold preyin g on r abbits, quail, and
Mrs. Cogs's sheep, but t he y have also
been known to attack the occasional
unwary sheephe rder. Th e wolves spend
most of their ti me (90%) outside in the
Da lewold; they sit in the cav e only if

DUNGEON

19

DOVEDAlE

Goblin Lair
Area 10

1 square = 10'

' .. mil..

to"";1

-.
...

-':::;::;:::t:.J.',{.~
_
...,mil..
. l OSto

100 Feet bet wee n poin ts

the weather is extreme ly foul, or

Gr avelbea k or Stinkfoot h as called

hanging on pegs in the back of the cave.

U nless the a larm h as been sounded,

them in (lo%). If the wolves a re outside

when the alarm is sounded, t hey return
in one turn. The wolves get in an d out

Stinkfoot is here cleaning out the cave,

of the cave by way of a narrow tunnel.

which runs a half mile nort h and comes

125 ; He 212 .

west wa ll . A nearby footlocker contains

eight bra nd-new pairs of socks (never
used), three bars of soap (never used,
although one has a bite taken out of itj,
four cloves of garlic, a deck of ma rked
cards, three pa irs of loa ded dice, 6 gp, 8
sp, and 3 ep.

Grabbo sometimes disguises the wolves

as sheep 80 they can sne ak in with MI"lI.
Cogs's flock. The sheep disgui ses are

101, Bat Ca v-e. Th is dark cave is t he

headq uarters for the gobli n ai r force ,

out in a pile of boulders and brush.

Dire w o lves (2r. AC 6: HD 4 + 1 (M );
hp 23; MV 150 '(50 '); 'AT 1 bite: Dmg
2d4 ; Save F2 ; ML 8; INT 4; AL N; XP

20 Issue No. 46

which is also his bedroom. He sleeps on

a pile of twigs and grass against the

current membership: one . The cave is

40 ' above the level of the corridor belc......
A ladder located behind the secret door
provides access. The ca ve has a secret
door to the outside as .....ell , .....hich is
disguised as part of the cliff-Ieee. The
10.....ide by 6 '-high opening is 60' up the
side of the cliff. A winch located in the
cave opens the secret door.
The cave has to be high up on the cliff
.....all so t hat the bats can get up airspeed
when they are carrying Swoop. The
most serious limitation to the goblin air
force is that it can operate only at night.
However, t he ai r force has one major
advantage: all of it s flie rs a re "stealth"
un it s. Swoop has n-ained two bat s so
t hat he has a bac ku p if one of the bats is
inj ured or not feeling well.
Gi ant hat s (2): AC 6; HD 2 (M); hp 15,
9; MV 30 '(10 '). fly 180 '(60'); 'AT 1 bite;
Dmg I d4 ; Save Fl ; Size M (5' long, 25 '
wingspan ); ML 8 ; INT 5; AL N: XP 20:
RC 159.
Alt hough the bats are blood drinkers.
they are w ell fed and will not attack on
eight. The bats love to eat fruit and can
he bribed not to sou nd the alarm by
throwing an apple or pear to each. The
giant bats will attack if Swoop is threatened. in any way.
Swoop sleeps here with his furry,
flying charges. H is wooden cot is covered. with several dirtv blankets. His
gear consists of a leather flying jacket
(li ned with lambs' wool), a leather flying helmet, a spare set of goggles, saddie s, flight lines, sa fety li nes. several
spare sets of metal fittings , a signal
horn. flight bag, 25 gp, 30 sp. 45 cp, a
si lver lucky cha r m (for flyi ng) wor th 5
gp , flig ht boots, and two white silk
sca rves (3 gp eac h).
IOJ. S lee p ing Quarter s . Grabbo.
F ishbell y, and Bignose have t heir quarters in th is cavern. There are two spare
beds, in case the goblins have visitors
from other goblin clans. Each bed has B
large footlocker beside it . A 3')( S' plank
table occupies the middle of the room.
The floor is covered by a 6- -deep layer
of dirt, shredded paper, dirty clothes.
discarded bits of food. and other un sanitary debris.
Grabbo's footlocker contains 4 gp, 13
sp. 21 cp, and an assortment of wig s,
makeup, clothes, and accessories. The
footlocker also contains a mask that
looks exactly like Ben, Mrs. Cogs's
youngest boy. Grabbo often disguises
h imsel f as Ben and performs all sorts of

DOVEDALE

mischi ef around Mrs. Cogs's fa rm and

in Ashbourne. Grabbo knows t hat Ben

gets blamed for t he trouble he causes,
an d that is a t least half the Cun.
Bignoee'e footlocker contains a n a ssortme nt of a nimal pa ws and feathers .
fOUT mink pelts (10 gp each), 14 gpo27
sp, and 30 cp.
Fishbelly's footlocker contains 15 gp
worth of fishing lures. a pair of hipwaders, and a jar of rotten trout eggs.
Anyone wh o opens the jar must make a
saving throw va. poison or gag and retch
for the next turn, during which time the
unfortunate person has a -2 penalty to
all attack rolls. A lOgp opal is hi dden
among the eggs.

10K. Workshop and Smithy. Gravel.

beak's oldest son , Strongarm, spends
most of his time in the smit hy. The
room is very h ot and lit only by the
ever-present ruddy glow of the forge .
Strongarm keeps the workshop neat
and tidy, which is unusual for a goblin.
All the tool s are carefully arranged on
the walls. and the metal stock is sorted
according to type and grade. Strongarm
has quite a re putation in gobli n circles
as a fine smit h. He is a la rge goblin,
and hi s constant wor k at the forge has
made him ab normally st ro ng .
In a corner of t he smit hy, Gravelbe a k
has a workbenc h devoted to h is fis hing
hobby. The surface a nd the drawers are
filled with fishi ng gear: lures, shi ny
spinners, lead si n ke rs, floa ting lines,
sinking lines, bobbers, flies, knives,
tools, vises, worm hook s, egg hook s,
mu lti-color ed feat hers for fly-tying ,
th read, a nd wax. Th e accum u la te d
fishing gear is wort h a total of 200 gpo
Gravelbea k still has not had any luck
catc hing Salvel; the fish is just too wily
and clever. However, Grave lbea k has a
backup plan that, whe n coupled wit h the
lowered river, just might succeed. In one
comer of the bench, a delicate fly-tyin g
vise holds an exquisite fly fash ioned wit h
a razor-sharp hook of the finest steel. The
hook is hidden beneath golden thread.
gold-dust impregnated wax, eyes ma de of
ruby chips, and the softest, rarest, most
delicate golden-colored peacock feathers
available. The fly is 80 beautiful that it
will tempt Salvel. In nonnal times. even
without the lowered river, Gravelbeak
would have a l in-20 chance per day of
catching Selvel with this fly. With the
lowered river, Gravelbeak has a 1-in-8
chance per day of catching Salvel, because food is scarce in the drought-

stricken rive r. Gravelbeak has spent the

last several days work ing on the fly, and
it will be re ady to use in one more day,
afte r the wax sets. The gorgeous fly could
fetch as much as 150 gp from a collector:
Gravelbeak does most of his fishing
duri ng the early morning and late evening hours. This is the best time to go
fis hi ng , and he does n't mind ge tting u p
a little early, or staying u p a little late,
in order to indulge in his beloved hobby.
Gravelbeak sometimes gets up in the
mi ddle of t he day to go fishing, if it is
cloudy outside .
10 L. H aggy's Room. H aggy the herbalist is t he only daughte r in the goblin
family. Her paren ts are quite proud of
her talents. H aggy developed an interest in he rba lism at the tender age of
se ven, when she baked her first batch of
poisoned cookies for her brothers. Luckily, none of he r brothers died , but to th is
day not one of th em will eat anything
that H aggy has prepared.
The tools of her t rade fill H aggy's
room fro m corner to corner: knives,
mortar a nd pestle, pounding block s,
hammers, stone mixi ng pots contain ing
poisons in various states of production,
glass stor a ge jars containing noxiou s
su bst ances . pots and pa ns , a small
stove, an d a k itchen grater, H aggy di st ills most of h er poison s from mu sh rooms that she gath ers in the Dalewold.
Th e Doveda le gobli ns t rade Haggy's
poi son s and Strongarm's sm it h work to
ot h er goblin tribes for things t hat t hey
need and want. Th ere are four via ls of
fmis hed poison (3d6 hp damage; save va.
poison for half da mage) in Ha ggy's
workshop , whi ch could be sold to an
unscru pulous person for 50 gp ea ch.
A woolen sock hidden under the pillow
on Haggy's bed contains 20 gp, 17 sp, 34
cp, and a poisoned need le. The need le will
pri ck anyone who reaches into th e sock ,
causin g the unfortunate trespasser to
t urn purple, quiver, froth at the mouth,
and fina lly fal l into a deep sleep for 1-4
hours (save vs. poison for no eITect). Haggy put the needle in her sock as a trap for
her pryin g brothers.
10M . G r a velbeak and Me r e k oo 's
Roo m. The northern part of this room
is given over to sleepi ng quarters for
Gravelbeak and his wife, Merek oo. The
spacious room has obviously had a con siderable amount of wor k put into its
finishing. All the stone walls a re
smooth and polished. Th e floor has bee n

lev eled a nd t iled with heavy, re d-vei ned

granite. All the chinks and cracks that
would normally make a cave subject to
dra fts have been sealed, makin g the
room a cozy place.
The chief goblin and his wife sleep in
a large, com fortable, fur-covered bed in
one corner of the room. A bearskin rug
(worth 80 gp ) lies on t he floor near the
bed. Gravelbeak's great-great grandfat her killed the bear. and the rug has
been keeping bare goblin toes off the
chilly sto ne floor ever since.
Beneath the bed, a secret trapdoor is
carefully disguised to fit into the pattern of the floor ; a PC must roll to detect secret doors. The trapdoor opens to
reveal a 3 ' x 3' x 3 ' cubbyhole that con tains a potion of healing , a bag containing 100 gp worth of gold flakes and
n uggets (th e fruits of Strongarm's mining skills), two golden cups (religiou s
items worth 25 gp each), 80 gp, 140 sp,
and 43 cp.
When Merekoo left her fami ly to become Gravelbeak's wife, she promptly
appropriated the southern alcove of this
room as a shrine to the goblin deities.
Merekoo decorated the shrine in the
traditional goblin fashion: floor-lengt h
black drapes, black granite altar, black
wax candles, and several pa intings of the
goblin deities, most ly done in differe nt
sh ades of black . Mer ek oo was tr ained by
her mot her to be a sham an, and now she
serves as the family shaman for the Dovedale goblins . Merekoo spends most of her
free ti me in the shri ne, kn eeling in prayer to the various goblin gods that have so
blessed her fa mily.
ION, B ack Do or. T he goblins' back
door is hidden under a 3'-tall boulder in
the m iddle of a cow pasture hal f a m ile
east of Dcvedale. The boulder requ ires
an open-doors roll to move (a 5 or 6 on
Id6 for most ch aracters, 46 for
St rong ar m t he gobli n). Only gobli nsi zed or sma ller creatures ca n wr iggle
down this n arrow. m uddy t u nnel. A
hal fli ng coul d fit in the tunne l, or poss ibl y a small elf with a min imum of clothing. It takes at least an hour to
negotiate the narrow, twisting tunnel
from the cow pasture to where it eonnects to the main goblin tu nnels. Th e
goblins use th eir bac k door for emergencies only.
11. The P a inted Bridge. A small
bridge arches across the Dovedale River.
The footb ri dge is I ' wide and 30 ' lon g. A
Contjnu9d on page 49

DUNGEON 21

DOVEDAlE
Continued from page 21

3'-wide section in the middle of the

bridge supports a well-worn sitting
ben ch. The bridge is painted a flery
shade of red, with small pa inted waterflowers dotted all over its surface. Despite it s light construction, the bridge is
st urdy enough to support even an ogre,
if one should attempt to cross. The
bridge's beauty is marred only by a few
gobli n chew-marks on the east side, a nd
a number of half-hearted attempts at
graffiti, including, "Ha h hah stupid
fairy, we cot you," and " Th is bridge
tastes terrible."
Unda built this bridge many years
ago . for three reaso ns. It's pretty, and it
aid s foot tralTic in case a nyone wa nts to
come see her. U nda'a original theory

was that the bridge would also kee p the

goblins from wading in the stream
when they wanted to cross the river.
Every time the goblins waded across the
river, it wa s a minor catastrophe, especially when Stinkfoot cr ossed, because
he never took a bath . The gobl ins
stirred up the mud at t he bottom and
foule d the water. The fish complained to
Unda about the stench, and various
sensitive water- plants would just curl
up and di e. However, much to Unda's
di smay, the goblins wade across the
river anyway. Th ey refuse to use the
br idge because " It's an ugly little fairy
bridge for wimpy girlie-men."
12. S p ri n g Roc k . This spring is the
only remaining water source for the
Dovedale Rive r. Without the ti ny
spr ing, the Dovedale River would be
utterly dry. The water from th is spring
comes out of a 6" -diameter hole on t he
top of a roughly spherical Hr-diameter
boulder. The resulting stream is 3 ' wide
and 6" 8" deep, a mere trickle compared
to the normal flow of the Doved ale Riv er. Above this point the riverbed continues on, dry as a bone.
If the PC s have rescued Unda a nd try
to put her in this spring, she tells t hem
that this is the wrong place. H er spring
is much larger, and it is farther up the
dal e.
The walls of the Dovedale a re not as
steep here as they are in the rest of t he
dale. The walls are climbable, although
the muddy slope is still quite steep. The
ascent takes about four turns. Anyone
with climbing sk ill s ca n make the ascent in half this time. Anyone who
climbs the wa lls of the Dovedale is
coated in mud and slime by the t ime he
reaches t he top.

13. Unds 's S pring. When the P Cs

reach t his area, rea d or paraphrase t he
following to t he players'
You have reached what must be the
source of the Dovedale River, at least
in normal times. The high wa lls of the
dale close about you, steep and gray.
The walls surround a 30'-diameter pool
shaded by taU willows and lithe mapies. The pool is evidentl y qu ite deep,
but the water level has visibly
drop ped. Vou can see whe re wate r
normally flows out of the pool and into
the riverbed of the Dovedale River, but
now that channel is dry. Nestled
am ong the trees on t he east side of th e
pool is a tiny two-story cottage of wh ite
stucco, complete with a rai led porch
and a brick chim ney. The cottage appears to be built for someon e who is no
more than 2' tall.
The pool is in dee d the source of t he
r iver. Although the pool appears to be
small and shallow, it ex tends down
more t ha n 200' through tortuously
win ding caves to a deep, pu re undergr ou nd aquifer. Unda h as t o per for m
daily maintenance on the sp ring or it
becomes choked and clogged, cutting off
t he water supply.
Th e house beside t he pool is Unde's
home : too small for a h um an or an elf,
although a very sho rt and very slim
halfling might be able to squeeze in.
Th e cottage is ou tfi tted with everything
th at a well-to -do human might ha ve in
an expensive hom e. Th e furnit ur e is
made from expensive woods, t he plates
an d cu ps ar e ma de of fine bone china,
the dwarven-made silverwa r e is re a l
silver, t he floor-ha rp in the corner is
beautifull y m ade a nd well tuned , t he
decor ations are tastefu l and sub dued.
Th e layout of t he cot tage is left to the
DM's imaginatio n.

Co ncl Ud ing the Ad ventu re

When the PCs rescue Un da from
Gravelbeak's iro n cage, sh e is too wea k
to wa lk or cast spells. Unda tells t he
PCs that they m ust return her to her
pool, at the far end of the Dove dale
(area 13). lf the gobli ns a re ch asing the
PCs, they continue the chase as t he PCs
ca rry Unda up t he path to t he pool. The
PCs can simply lower Unda into t he
water once t hey reach the pool.
Once Unda is in the pool, t he surface
of the pool begi ns to bu bble a nd frot h .
Th e water level quickl y r ises, and with-

in mi nutes after U nde's return, wat er

begins boiling down the dry channel of
the Doved a le River. The river will be
restored to its norma l flow with in hours
after Unda retur ns to the spring. Five
rounds after she retu rns to h er pool ,
Unda will be restored enough to join
a ny combat between the PCs and the
gobli ns . Unda stays in t he water and
shoots t he goblins wit h her specially
ma de bow. She cannot cas t spells until
sh e has r ested in her pool for at least
eight hour s.
After the PCs return Unda to her
pool, the river fa iry urges them to stay
by the pool for a day. At the end of t his
ti me, Unda gives t he PCs sever al ma gi.
ca l berries as a r eward for resc uing her
from the wicked gobli ns. Llnda cast her
cure light wounds spe ll on the blackberry vines that grow near he r home . The
spell caused Id6 + 1 blackberries to
become ma gical. Each berry cu res 1 hp
when eaten. Unda cast the spell twice,
so the P Cs wil l get 2d6 +2 berries. Each
berry la sts one month, after which time
it become s non magical. Unda also gives
eac h PC a kiss on t he fore head, instill
ing them wit h "the luck of the fairies."
Each PC gets a + I bon us on all saves
for t he next month.
If the P Cs restore the Dovede te to its
norma l h ea lthy flow, the local farmers
give the PCs the 100-gp reward. The
OM should award a bon us of 150 XP to
eac h PC. If the PCs also get the golden
flyaway from Gr avelbeak , thus ensuring Salvel's safety, the OM should
award an ad ditio nal lOOXP bonus to
eac h PC. If the PCs di scover Grabbe's
impersonation of Ben Cogs and manage
to clear Ben's reputation, eac h PC
should get an a dditional 25 XP.
This module pro vides hooks for sev eral further adventures. It is possible to
deve lop a running feud between the PC s
and the Doveda le goblin t ribe. Will the
gob lins attempt to reta liate against the
PCs for rescu ing Un da and thwarting
their carefully laid scheme to capture
Salvel? Adventur es could also be based
on the Th re e Stone Giants (Where was
their lair? Wh at happens if someone
turns the m back into flesh? ], t he dan ger ous wolves in the Dalewold, and the
secret goblin tunnel leading in to the
In n-on-t he-Pea k's beer cellar.
n

DUNGEON

49

Chris writes: " This is my sixth appearance in D UNGEO.'V"~ Adltent ures and
my first attempt at a D&D" adve ntu re.
In a way, uiritiru; " Them Apples" was
lik e walking down the lees-treoeied road.
I felt like an ad ven turer explori ng neur
g round. I'm just tha nkful! di dn 't encoun ter any h ill gian ts along the way."
"Them Ap ples" is a D&D adve nture
de signed for 4--8 pla yer c ha racters of

leve ls 13 (abou t 12 total levels ). Most of

the PCs should be La wful in ali gn ment .

THEM APPLES
BY C HRISTOPHER PERKINS

It takes just one to spoil

them a ll.

32 Issue No. 48

though a variet y of classes a nd races is

recommended . To run this adventure,
t he OM nee ds on ly the D&D Rules
Cyclopedia (Re ).
Alt hough the possibility for combat
exists, t he party 's succes s will re ly more
on ingenu ity than swords ma nship . Th e
antag onists in this module ca n easily
devasta te a lew-level party. For this
rea son . suggestions for award ing noncombat experience points are gi ven at
t he conclusion of the adventure.
Th is ad venture is designed for a generic 0 &0 set t mg, but it ca n be easily
inserted into t he K nown Wor ld or a ny
other wilderness campa ign with few
adjustments. (T he OM running a
Known World ca mpai gn might consi der
usin g t he Fi ve Shires town of Weeeskalot as t he sta rt ing point for the adventu re.) With a few statistical conversions,
this adventu re ca n even be used by 0:\15
running low-level AD&O' campaigns.

Ad venture Backgro und

The village of\"listil is known for on ly
two th ings: am iable halflings and tasty
red apples. The 10 or so haUl ing families who occupy Wistil tend their or chards with proud d iligence, nurturing
the fine st so il in the coun try to grow the
best apples t hey can. Visitors who frequent Wist il never leave without purchasing ba sk et fuls ofth e delicious fr uit .
often by the ea rtload.
Alth ough the halflings of Wi!ltil work
very hard to maintain their reputation as
the finest ap ple growers in the kingdom,
this does create some problems for the
idyllic halfling community. Various other
apple growers in the region (including
neighboring halfhng shi res) ha ve become
env ious cr Wisti l's reputation. Despite
elTorts to mimic Wist i1's methods for
planting and nurturing, these competing
orchard o....-ners often find themselves
producing fruit that pales by comparison.
Their apples lack the plumpness. taste,

THEM APPLES

and overall luster of Wistil apples. Some

of the more determined rivals have actually stolen earth from Wistil, believing it
possesses some magical secret, only to
discover that the earth alone does not
guarantee a fine crop.
The halflings of Wistil are quite willing to reveal their "secrets" to growing
splendid apples: techniques that include
planting posies at the base of each tree
in the spring, singing to the apples as
they begin to ripen, and allowing joyful
children to climb and frolic among the
boughs. For most other orchard owners,
however, such techniques have proven
both arduous and (if you'll pardon the
pun) fruitless.
One rival in particular has become so
incensed with the halflings over the last
several years that he is willing to destroy
Wistil's entire crop just to ruin the halfling village's fine reputation. This rival is
a disgruntled human orchard-keeper
named Yulin Nell. Yulin's small orchard,
located several miles from Wistil (near a
human town called Keswig), has steadily
been losing business because its apples
are smaller, duller, and less tasty than the
ones found in Wistil. Customers would
rather pay 1 gp for a basket ofWistil's
apples than 1 sp for two baskets of Yulin's
apples.
Yulin realized long ago that he was
neither brave enough nor ingenious
enough to engineer a plot against the
halflings of Wistil by himself. His devotion to apple-growing didn't win him
many clever friends, either. All he could
do was spend his evenings complaining
over a mug of ale at his favorite tavern
in Keswig.
A Friend In Need
Two months ago (while drowning his
sorrows in a tankard of ale), Yulin encountered a young elf who fancied himself an adventurer. After Yulin
explained his problem, the elf promised
to help the discouraged orchard-keeper
get back at the halflings who ruined his
business. A fortuitous happenstance?
Yulin seemed to think so.
Yulin does not know that his elven
ally is actually a polymorphed wooddrake: a green-scaled, man-sized dragon
capable of assuming demihuman form
(elf or halfling only). The wooddrake is
extremely Chaotic, causing trouble
wherever it goes. It sees Yulin's thirst
for vengeance as a way to get the poor
orchard-keeper in trouble, and an ex-

cuse to wreak havoc among the halflings of Wistil.

The wooddrake, in its elf disguise,
promised Yulin its services for a hefty fee
of 20 gpo Yulin, though far from wealthy,
reluctantly parted with the money (which
would otherwise have been used to drink
himself into oblivion).
Combining Yulin's coins with its own
assortment of pickpocketed funds, the
wooddrake visited Keswig's local
thieves' guild and bought a decorative
flask of poison. The wooddrake then set
out for Wistil, altering its appearance to
resemble a cheerful halfling. The polymorphed wooddrake had no trouble
securing a job tending the apple trees.
After several days of careful village
surveillance, the drake crept out into
the orchard one night and doused the
roots of six apple trees with the poison.
It then discarded the empty flask before
returning to its room in the house of a
local family.
Wistil's Blight
The halflings ofWistil became suspicious of sabotage one month ago, when
six of their apple trees began displaying
symptoms of a mysterious ailment. The
nature of the ailment is still unknown
to the halflings, although they suspect
poison. This theory was all but confirmed when the village sheriff discovered an unusual-looking flask lying in
the bushes near the poisoned orchard
only days after the initial poison symptoms were detected. The flask was carefully crafted into the likeness of a green
dragon (ironically, much like the wooddrake in appearance), but its former
contents could not be identified.
Even in the vastness of the orchard,
the poisoned trees are readily visible.
The apples (not yet ripened or edible)
have fallen off, the leaves have turned
dull black, and the bark has faded to a
pale ivory hue. The halflings have applied all their nurturing skills to no
avail. The poisoning, though limited to
only six trees, has the entire village up
in arms. The very sight of such wretched trees could damage Wistil's fine
reputation or, by sheer presence, make
the other trees in the orchard "unhappy" (or so the halfling farmers profess).
Some concerned villagers suspect that
the poisoned trees are actually an omen
forecasting an end to their way of life.
Believing their trees (and reputation)
to be in jeopardy and lacking the skills

to nurse the afflicted trees back to

health, the villagers organized a party
of six halflings to consult with the
druids of Gelwen Grove, a small and
reclusive coven situated in the depths of
Thistlewood (a forest some 25 miles east
of Wistil). The leader of the halfling
band, Roland, was given two money
purses (each containing 75 gp) in the
event the druids requested payment for
their assistance. The halflings, of
course, were unaware that treasure
holds little importance among druids.
The Druids and the Giant
The halflings arrived in Gelwen Grove
without incident. The druids listened
patiently to the halflings' plight and
were quick to identify the nature of the
malady. They gave the friendly halflings six small wooden flasks of antidote
to treat the ailing trees (one potion per
tree). When the druids declined to accept the halflings' money, Roland and
his friends happily departed for home.
On the way back to Wistil, the halflings
had the misfortune of meeting a hill giant
on a hunting foray. Awedby the giant's
immensity, the halflings quickly fled, but
the giant easily outran them. The giant,
Brufnu by name, hurled a heavy net over
the fleeing wee folk, snaring five of them,
including Erol, who was carrying the
potions. Only Roland managed to avoid
capture. He tried to hold the giant at bay
with his sling, but Brufnu was undaunted. The giant hoisted up his netful of
halflings, slung the catch over his shoulder, and sauntered back to his house in
the hills.
Roland pursued the hill giant, peppering Brufnu with sling stones. The giant,
irked by Roland's tenacity, grabbed the
bold halfling and hurled him 60'
through the air. (Five halflings make a
fine meal; six is a stomach cramp waiting to happen.) Roland was seriously
injured and could not pursue the giant
any farther. He limped back to Wistil,
struggling with the loss of not only his
friends but also the druids' potions.
Roland's Return
With bleary eyes, Roland described his
encounter with the giant to the assembled halflings. When one of the villagers asked Roland why he didn't bribe
the giant with the 150 gp he carried,
Roland burst into tears; the idea simply
hadn't occurred to him.
The Chaotic wooddrake revelled in

DUNGEON

33

THEM APPLES

fulund "ext remely dangerous " ap ple

gr ower named Yu lin Nell to poison
w tst tl's apple orc hards. Foster ing enmity is, after all, the wooddrake'a favor ite
pa stime.

Beg inning the Ad venture

this une xpecte d turn of events and

immediately suggested t hat a ne w party
be eent to re trieve the stolen potions
and m issing halflin gs, knowin g full well
the carnage that would result. The
ot he r villagers viewed t he situation
wit h no less urgency, unaware or the

wooddrak e's wish to foster more chaos.

They did not . however, wish to endanger
any more halOing lives. Whe n it was
proposed th at the village hire a band of
profe ssionals to locate and penetrate the
giant 's lair. t he woodd rake sa w yet
a no the r opportu nity to increase chaos
a nd co nfusion .

34 Issue No. 48

The wooddr ake, in its hal lling disguise,

in tends to follow the bold ad ven turers to
the gian t's lai r, whe re it hopes to sti r up
more trou ble (and prev ent anyone from
re tri eving t he druids' poti ons).
The drake is a pract iced thief. ad ep t
at m ak in g thin gs d ifficu lt for those
a rou nd it . Th e wooddrake does not like
combat and su rre nders irnmsdiataly if
cor nered a nd attacked. Like most good
pra nksters, the wooddra ke lik es to take
credit for its mi sd emea nor a a nd eventually wants to be captured . What be tte r
time to tell everyone tha t it 's actually a
fr eela nce t hie f who was hired by a spite.

T h is adventure dea ls primarily with the

party's att em pt to pe net rate the hill
g ia nt's la ir. Lucki ly for th e party, Br uf;
nu is not hom e whe n t he Pes first arrive. (See " The Hou se on t he H ill" for
deta ila.) Th e wood drake is an adde d
complic atio n t hat the PCs mu st ev e nt u a lly conten d with. Ho.....ever. befo re t he
adv ent ure can begin . the PCs mu st be
in the vici nity of Wisti l. Maybe the PCs
lire j ust pa ssin g t hrough. or perhap s th e
loca ls have posted notices requesting
thei r services.
If the OM .....ish es, the PCs could st roll
into Wistil j ust a s poor Roland ret urns
wit h news of the hi ll giant's ambush.
The PCs .....ould then overhear the villa ger s (and the wooddrake ) wre stli ng
with th e noti on of an orga nized rescu e.
The villagers wou ld be most grateful if
t he Pes volunteered to hel p them. Sreti stics for t he vill a gers a nd the wooddra ke are giv en in aren A. (See "Wisti l
a nd the Wilderness." )
The villagers do not know where the
mara uding giant lives tthey presume he
dwells in the hills). bu t Rola nd can descri be th e place where he an d th e other
halfllngs wer e attacked : a gully filled
with statues. (See area B.) Brufnu's d welling is, in fact, located at area G.
Un like the deceitful woodd ra ke , the
halfiings of Wisti l are Law ful. If the
Pes succeed in rescui ng the five mi ssing halflfnga. the village will gla dly pay
them the 150 gp previously set aside for
t he druids . For each dr ui dic pot ion
retur ned intact. the village will pay
a nother 50 gp (hence if a ll six fla sk s are
retr ieved. t he pa ym en t is a whopping
300 gpJ. The trou blesome woodd ea ke
will try de spera te ly to kee p these p0ticns from reach ing the vill age.

WistU and the Wilderness

For ev ery six hours the party spen ds in
the wild erness. t he DM should roll for a
random encou nter. T here is a l -in6
chance of a n encounter occurring;
consult the " Ra ndom Wilderness Encounte rs" ta ble if a 1 is rolled. Random
encounters should be nonlet hal; t he DM
is encouraged to modify encounters that
mig ht prove too difficult for weak parties.

THEM APPLES

A. Village of wisttl .
N l'slled among t he gI'Hi'I8Y h ills is t he
vi llaJ.,te of Wistil, a halfli ng community
we ll k nown for its cozy hlbipitality and
it" wondrous a pple orch ards. The vil-

lage proper is nothing more than u

collection of burrows with small doors.
hand-woven welcome mats, a nd brick
chimneys. The orchards, ....-it h thei r
perfect row s of apple trees , st retch

across the hillsides and valleys as far

as the eye can see. Several stout folk
CRn be see n in the orchards. carefully
tending t he earth and t rees with vanous impleme nts.
The villa ge consists of 10 burrows, one
per family (t he ty pical halfling family
consists of I d6 +4 individuals. plus guests

and hoarders). Most of the halfli ngs, ineluding the childre n. spend their days
tending the orchar ds. Only the bousewives and village elders remain near the
burrows. At night, most nf the halflings
retire to thei r homes (except Id4 + I members of t he vil lage militia assigned to
guard t he orcha rds agai nst t he de predations of wil d dflb'8, raccoons, and ot her

mischie vous a nirnalat

The S heriff of Wist il is a ro tund, fort hright halOing named Gneegin Furfoot.
G nee gin's j ob is to protect. Wistil's famllies and orc ha rd s, in t ha t order. He
commands the village gu ard, cur re nt ly
co mposed of se ve n male halfl in gs incl uding Roland, his se rgea nt. G neegin
dee ply regrets not sendi ng a fu ll militia
esc ort w ith t he halflings to Ge lwe n
Grove , but he feared furthe r a t tempts to
poison the orch ards a nd wante d hi s
mili ti a close by.
If t he PCs ask to see t he poisone d
tree s for the ms e lves, Sheriff Gneegin is
more than happy to lea d them i nto the
orcha rd where t he six aili ng t rees a re
located, Unfort u nate ly, o nly a d r u id
posse sses the k now led ge to fashion a n
antid ote for the poison , tl n the D&D
sy ste m . a dru id is a s pec ialized cleric of
9th level or h igh er.)
G nt'4;'",rin Furinot , hatning sheriff; AC
7 (5 ag-ainst large crea tu res); H4 ; hp 18;
MV 90'130'); ' AT 1 w eepon: Dm g by
weapon type; SA + 1 to a ttack rolls wit h
missiles. + 1 initia ti ve bon us; Save H4;
l\.lL 10; AL L; SZ S; S 12, Ill, W 12, D
12, C 13, Ch 14; RC/182 ; lea t her armor,
s mall woode n s hie ld (usually kept in
burrow), short sword, sli ng (30 stones),
drago n-shaped fla.~k (found in the (lrchard;
t h is container once he ld t he poiso n).

Rol a n d Wic kthic ke t . ha lfling se rgean t: AC 5 (3 agai ns t la rge-sized err-atureo; 113; hp 3 112 at fulll; S A + 2 to
a t tac k rolls wit h missiles; Save H3; ~lL
10 (8 if Gneegin is sla in); S 13, 1 9, W 10,
D 13, C 11, Ch 12; ot he r sta te and eq uipment same as Gm"t'gin.
Roland s ustai ned da ma ge fro m t he
hill giant and greatly a ppreciates any
he aling the Pes offer.
lI alnin R" mili ti a (6): AC 6 (4 a ga in st
la rge cre at u res); H2 : hp 8 each: Save
H2; ML 10 (8 if G neegi n is s lain ); othe r
sta te same a s Gneegin ; leat he r a rmo r,
sm a ll woode n s hie ld , s hort sword, da gge r. tili ng (20 sto nes).
No r m al halOi ngs (6 71: liD 1-1; hp -l
(a d ults), 3 (a doles ce nts) , 2 (child re n);
Save HI ; ML 8; ot her eta ta sa me as
Gn eegtn: t ypica lly una r med (251'f carry
da ggers or kn ives),
B . Stat ues i n t he G ull)'.
A shallow st rea m flows along th~
bottom of a roc ky ravine a hea d of you.
A few shade trees grow alo ng the top
of t h...gu lly, and se ve ra l rocky outcroppings can be seen in th e area , hut your
atte ntion is lmrnedia tely drawn to th e
dozen or more statues in t he vici nity,
Some of t he stat ues are huma noid ;
others are carved in the likenesses of
wild animals.
The s tat ues are not carved; th ey a re
peo ple and a nima ls turned to sto ne by a
pair of cock a t rices t ha t once lai red here.
The cockatrices h av e s i nce depa rted ,
leaving be hi nd 13 stat ues: four humans,
tw o hobgoblin!!, t wo halflings. om'
d warf. a nd t he rest a nim al s (a dee r; t wo
wolves, a nd a mu le). Th e re is no treas ure to be foun d around the sta t ues.
Th is is where the halnings en countered t he giant. PCs searchi ng the are a
have a l -i n-6 chance of finding 1-2 pol .
ished el ing sto nes belonging to the halfli n g Roland. The gi a nt is nowhere to be
found, but PC s wit h tra ck in g s kills may
attempt to follo w t he giant's foot prints
to area F. A skill check is re quired each
hour to locate a nd con tinue to follow t he
hill gia nt 's t rai l.

C. T btstlew oud.
You ha ve entered a de nse forest of
mi xed decid uou s t rees. Th e woods
are teeming wit h a ll ma n ner of wild life, from s mall ga me to a nnoyi ng
clouds of iIl&'Cts, The trees create a

R andom w ild e r ne s s E nco u nters

mul!I (8)
I Oil heetle : AC 4; HD 2; hp 8; MY
120'(40'1; -'AT 1 brtre plus special; Dmg
Id1i plus s pecial; SA oil s pray; Save F I ;
ML 8; INT 0; AI. N; SZ M; XI' 25; RC1160.
This black beet It' burrow ~ up from the
earth a nd sq uirts its blist t'"r Ln g oil a t one
of the PC". (Victim e u eeks III -2 until II
cure lisht wound~ spell ill ('a~ t or 24 hours
have p,ulsed _J
2. Gn" Us u-s e AC 5: HD 2; hp II ea ch :
xt v 9O'c3O'); ' AT I ; Dmg by weapon type
+ 1; Save F2; ML 8; I~17 ; AI. C; SZ L;
XI' 20; Re i180; s pea r; 2dlO cp each . Th ese
hunters a re tak ing II sla in deer back 10
their lair in the t ulle. They a ttack only jf
they ou tnu mber the pC s; otherwise, they
steer c h-ar,

3. Harpy: AC 7; HD 3; hp 13; MY
60'120'), ny 150'(50'); 'AT 2 elawsl J weepon plua s pecia l: Dmg ld-lild4/1d6; SA
singing charm; Save F6; ML 7; INT 7; AL
C; SZ ~L XI' 50 ; RCJ182. The harpy hall a
nest somewhere i ll th e hills. She attllch
WIth her claws and a wooden club.
4. II n h ~ o h li n s (2- R ): AC 6; un I + I; hp
6 each: MV 90 '130"); _AT J; Dmg by wealJ'"
on tyJ>t!; &!\e fol ; ML 8; L'iI O; AL c: SZ
~l ; XI' 15; RCIIl'!5; long sword, short oow,
six arrows, 2Asp. There's n 30't chance
that these !lohgoblin:; are restin g among a
cluster of boulders and an.' not immediatel }- visible. The s" hunters attack the
Pes on lIight .
5. Hobher fIi {'!i (161; AC 6; HD 2; hp i
each ; ~ I\' 90'(30'1, n} 18{l' tOO'); #AT 1
bite; Dmg IdS; S av e F1 ; ML 8; I~'T 0 ; AL
N; SZ S; XP 20; RC1202. These devious
insect e nre hi ding in the s hady boughs of
a tree . They descend and attac k the part y
wh en t h.. PC8 come with in 10'.
6. Sl i r~ e s (l -4 l: AC 7; 110 I; hp 4 t'Rch ;
MV 30'110'), l1y 180'(60'); 'AT 1; Dmg
Id3; SA blood dra in, +2 to lit ta ck roll ll on
mitral attack; Sa ve f2 ; "IL 9; I~'T I; AI.
x. SZ s . XP 13; RCI2D8. Tht,,,,, ravenous
hunters attac k th, PCs on sig ht. The se
sti rges are black and resemble ravens
from II distance
7 . Th nuL AC 6; HD 3; hp 16; MV
120'140"); 'AT 2 claws or 1 wea p on: Dmll"
Id3/l d3 or by weapon type; SA touch
causes paral)'sill; S D regenerate s 1 hp .
round ; Save F:i; ML 10; I~'T 6; AI. C; SZ

M; XI' 65 ; RC1209; long sword, The n ,'ll ll

50"" cha nce tha t thi s vile crea ture is
accompanied by 1-6 hobgoblins. ISe e 1-1.)
The thoul has orders from II distant hobRobli n chief to kidna p som .. worthy sla ves
and bring them hack to the hobgoblin lair.
8 . ,""ni H'S12-8 \: AC 7: HD 2 +2 ; hp 9
each ; ~f\' 180'(60'1; 'AT 1 tJlt...; Dmg IdS;
Sav F I; ML 8 i6 if half ar,' slaini; INT 2;
AL )/ : ~7.l\I; XP :.!5; aczna. These rnaraudt' r.l will not attack unl{'$ th ey ou t
numl...r the PC party.

DUNGEON

35

TH EM APPLES

thick canopy overhead, allowing only

thin ribbons of light t o sli p t hrough .
Sever al paths can be seen wending
their way through the forest.

The druids of Gelwen Grove are responsible for safeguarding these woods. They
do not. object to periodic hu nting or carefully te nd ed campfires, but they react
strongly to trespassers who de liberately
or recklessly endanger t he loca l fauna
a nd flora. Adventurers who hack down
trees or set parts of t he forest ab laze will
be visited by an incensed coven member.
(See area 0 for statistics .) The druid demands the party's imm edi ate de parture;
if t he PC s inci te a con frontation, the
druid will ret alia te. seeking aid from
other coven mem bers or nearby forest
denizens (such as a trea nu,
Anyo ne capable of communica ti ng
with t h e na t ive wildlife ca n easily obain
dir ect io ns to Gelwe n Grove, the ho me of
the dr uids, It's poss ible that t he PC s
may try t o ac quire mo re a ntidote fr om
t he dru ids rather than steal back the
fla sk s taken by the giant,

D. Gel w e n Grove.
Through the trees. you spot a st ra nge
circular cle ari ng a bout 20 ya rds
ahead of you. As you dra w closer to
the si t e, you notice the clearing is
cov er ed with gr ass of a n even heigh t .
T he tall trees t h a t surrou nd the 90 '
wide clearing form a dome-sh aped
ceiling of lea ves overhead. The clearin g's perimeter is m arked with a
se ri es of woode n stakes jutti ng out of
the ea rth. The 4 '-high st a kes are
wrapped in ivy a nd t ied ofTwith
sprigs of mistletoe . N ot hin g see ms t o
occupy the cle a ri ng at this time.
T his is wh e re Thiarl ewood's d ruid ic
coven meets. If t he PC s enter t he clea rin g, t he dr u ids a rrive in 14 rounds,
ha ving been al erted. by t he nearby wi ldlife to the pr esence of t respassers. Each
of the s ix druids in the coven lives in a
small hovel or ca bi n deeper in t he
woods. These N PC s are far too powerful
for the part y to defeat. They are very
wise and always prepare their defen s ive
spells pri or to meeting s trangers.
The ring of ivy-....Tapped st a kes radiates
as magical if a detect magic spell is emit.

Any align ed cre ature t hat e nters th e

clearing is surrounded by a faint aura
(illumi na tes a 5' ra dius). Lawful crea t ures
radia te a blue aura, Neutral creatures a
white aura. an d Chaot ic creat ures a green
a ura. Th e druids use th ese au ras to determine a trespasser's likely beha vior. All
common fore st denizens (including in sects) re main outs ide th e ring unless t he
dru ids dee m ot herw ise.
Whe n t he cove n of d ru ids fin a lly assemble s, the leader, Lief, ask s t he part y
its reason for coming. If the PCs cla im
to need more a ntido te for Wi stil's sick
trees, Lief fla tly declines to provide it
for them . Th e ever-neut ral d ru ids ha ve
already performed a helpful service to
the halflin g village and a re not bound
by e t hics or moral s to pr ov ide continued
ass istance. If t he PCs revea l th at the
fir st ba tch of pot ion s wa s stolen by a
gia nt, Lief sim ply s ha kes h is head and
gi ves th e PCs rou gh direct ions to the
gia nt's la ir. The dru ids know very little
a bout t he gia nt exc ept t hat he used to
hunt in t he woods (u nt il the dr uids
drove him ou n. He got his re ve nge by
building his home ou t of logs from the
d ru id's wood s, so t he dru ids don't m ind
se nd ing trouble hi s way

T h e Woo ddra ke
The wocddrake has been in Wistil for
several weeks and boards with one of
t h e smaller halfling familie s. To t he
other villagers, the wooddrake is known
by the name Ha ppy Summers. Hap py is
a brazen little ha lfling with blond hair,
blond chin whiskers, a nd a mischievous
gleam in hi s dark , beady eyes . He usuall y walks a round with a green cloak
ove r his s houlde rs and some tim es wears
a wreat h of twigs and thistles on his
he ad (n ot a popular custom in Wist.il).
Ev en when disguised , the wooddrakc
cannot resist playin g pr a n k>! on othe rs.
These pranks are u su ally benign,
though its penchant for pickpocketing
can be irkso me. The ot h er half'lings
consider Ha ppy a live ly addition to
their communi ty ; no one s uspects him of
pois oni ng the apple trees.
The wooddrake t ra ils the par ty all the
way from Wist.ll to Brufnu's house,
hoping to foil their pla ns at some point.
At first, the drake tries to remain detached from the PCs, using it s ke en
se nses to follo w t he party's track s, O nce
outside the village, it ca n pulymorph
it self into an elf to better keep up. In
this form , the wooddrake appears as a
s li m male elf named Ke t h , with blond

36 Issue No. 48

hair, piercing green eyes . an d a Y<Ty grin.

If t he PCs take notice of t he wood drak e prior to fin ding the giant's lair,
the wood dr-ake confronts the part y as
either a sk illed elf tracker or a curious
halfl ing villager eager to help his captu red frien ds .
Whe n the PCf! finally arrive at the
hill giant's la ir, t he wooddta ke asks to
join them. The cr ea tu re does everyt hing
it ca n to instigate a confronta tio n between the house's occupa nts a nd t he PC
party. For instance, t he wood dr a ke
might shout some lew d comme nt just as
the PC s attempt to quietly enter the
house. If the PCs are especially toterant, the wood dra ke might. try somet h ing blatant, like "acciden tally"
t r ipping a heavily armored adventu re r.
(The sou nd of clattering armor would
certainly attract somcune's atte ntio n.'
The Dr-.l is encouraged to be a s insidious
and t roub lesome as possible when play.
ing t h is chaotic creature.
If attacked, t he polymorphed wooddra ke
q uickly surrenders. If threatened or interrogated, the wooddrake admits to poison .
ing the orchard and claims that it was
given a poison flask by Yulin Nell with
the purpo se of ruining Wistil's good repu-

tatio n for a pple gro wi ng . The wood.

d rake tells all sorts of con vincing lie s to
paint Yuli n as a r ut h less villain . when
in t rut h he 's quite harmless.
The wooddr a ke tries to keep its polymorpiung ability secret but may change
its shape to loosen bonds or reappear as
other >JPCs. If the pa rty continues to
attack it, the wooddrake flees, changing
to its na tural form and using its win ga tn
get away if necessary. (Wooddrakes cannot remain airborne for long.I The dr a ke
reappears in 3d4 turns, pursued by 2d4
hobgobli n hunters whom it has purposely
a nnoyed a nd led toward the Pes' location.
See the Rand om Wildern ess Encounters
table for hobgoblin statistic s.
wooddrake : AC 0 f6 in demihuman
form); lID 4; hp 22; MV 120'(40 '), fly
30'( 10'); fiAT 2 clews/J b ite; Dmg Id 2/
1d2!1d8; SA thief abilities (as Stb-level
Lhiefl; SO immune to first- to fourt hlev el spells, ptJlymorph a t will (elf lind
hal fling forms only); Save :\18; ~l L 8;
INT 10; AL C; SZ 1\1; XP 225; RC/I 73 .
T he wcod drake carries no wea pons
and cannot fly in demihuman form. A
protection (rom evil spell will keep the
wooddrake at bay.

THEM APPLES

lfthe PCs are foolish enough to attack

the coven, the druids reply w it h clubs
and spe lls. The druids can also call on a
resident trea nt to lend assistance.
LifO!: AC 6: 01 2: hp 45: MV 120HO'r,
IAT 1; Dm g by spell or weapon type:
Save 01 2; ML 11; AL N ; S 9. I 13. W 18.
n 15. C 13, Ch 14 : leather armor, cl ub .
Spells: cu re light wounds, detect dan ger, locate. predict wea ther; heat ml'tal,
hold person , obscure, wa rp wood; growth
ofan im al. hold an imal, protection from
poison, strikinR; ronirol tem perature 10'
radius, plan t door, summon animals;
insect plag ue. tru es ight; cu realt.
Druids (5): AC 7: 01 1 (Roset hc rn),
010 IErthmor and Ivy ), 0 9 (El wood and
Acacia ); hp 40 , 33 , 32, 29 , 23; Sav e 09
11; W 17; XP 2,700, 2,500 rx 2),2,300
( x 2 ); other sta te similar to Lief.
Spells: cu re light wou nds, detec t danger, locate , pred ict u-eather s; hold perron, resist (ire , snake charm, warp
wood: growth ofanimal, protec tion from
poison , striking; speak with plants,
sti cks to snakes , summon animals:
insect plague s, pass plan t". O nly
Rosetbor n. Erthmor, and IV)- can cast
spells with one asterisk. Roset horn is
t he on ly druid who can cast spells
marked with two asterisks.
Trean t : AC 2; HD 8; hp 36 ; ~l V
60'(20 '); I AT 2 branches; Dm g 2d6/2 d6 ;
SA a ni mate t rees; S D blunt weapons
infl ict 1 h p only (plus magic and
Strength bo n uses); Save F8; ML 9 (11
whe n defending druids); INT 11 ; AL L;
5Z L; RCI209 .

Wistil and the Wilderness

-I

~.

. ~.

E. H ill Giant's H ovel.

Built atop an otherwise desolate hlll is
large but primi tive dome made of
rocks and boulders mortared together.
The hemispherica l buil ding has one
apparent entrance, a 12'-high ope n
portal. Smoke belches forth from a
smaller hole in the domed ceiling.
II

T his r emot e site is whe re Br ufnu t he

h ill gia nt s pe nds most of this advent u re. T h is. ho vel is not his home, how ever. A female h ill gian t named
Me veg dwe ll s here. H er m a te , J a il.
wa s slain by adve nt u r ers years ago, so
~I e veg lives alone. Brufnu des pe r at el y
wants to win xt eves'e affec tio ns . H is
reasons for courting t he ug ly wido wgia ntess are give n in " T he House on
t h e H ill" section.
Me veg is roasting an or e for Br ufn u.
Altho u gh she follows a vegetarian d iet,

Miles

,J:;..0 X;
Meve g is trying to be a good hostess for
her admirer. She gets rea II)' irked when
human and demih uman vermin enter
her la ir. and she beats them with her
huge wooden spoon until t hey leave.
Any intruders who dare rema in are
clubbed se nseless and then discarded
outside li ke garbage. If Brufnu is
present, he will assist.
:\Ie\-eg's hovel is 40 ' in dia meter a nd
25 ' h igh . A large pile of dusty furs
se rves as the giantess's bed. Under the
fu rs is a 5 ' x 3' x 2' wooden tru nk con ta ini ng 2.052 cp , 1,322 ep, 258 gp , three
gem s (50 gp each), and two poti ons Ie/as-

tici ty a nd fortitude) in cherub-sh a ped

ceram ic j ars. Other furn ish in gs in t he
hovel include a n B'cdiameter fire pit
with a n iron spi t: pri mitive cooki ng
im plements; and a basket of wild lettuce. beets and carrots.
If th e Pes are foolish enough to try to
search th e hove l. use Brufnu's and
Meveg's statistics as provided on page 43.
F, Ne aring the Ho u se.

Atop a d ist ant hill. you see a large

building with smok e issui ng from its
tall chi mneys. A footpat h ed ged wi th

DUNGEON

37

THEM APPLES

pretty white stones starts here and

meanders up the hillside to the mammoth building ahead of you.
The pretty white stones that decorate
the path to Brufnu's house were placed
there by Reynid and Veiga, Brufnu's
twin daughters.

G. Brufnu's House.
This immense house is obviously
proportioned for a giant, although
it's certainly large enough to house
more than one. The building has no
apparent windows and is made of
horizontal wooden logs expertly
plastered together. The path of white
stones ends in front of a 14'-high
iron-bound wooden door set into one
corner of the house. The door handle
is 7' off the ground. Except for the
house and a few patches of wild
grass, the hilltop is bare.
One hour after the party arrives at
the giant's house, Brufnu leaves area E
and makes his way home. For reasons
described in "The House on the Hill:'
Brufnu is joined by the giantess Meveg.
Ordinarily, it would take Brufnu no
more than two hours to make the return
trip home. However, he's just gorged
himself on roasted ore and has been
conscripted to lug Meveg's hefty treasure trunk. As a result, the return time
is lengthened by one hour. Hence, the
PCs have only four hours to rescue the
halflings and obtain the druids' potions
before the two adult giants arrive.
Brufnu, a naturally gifted carpenter,
built this large house for himself and
his family years ago. He's very proud of
his achievement and considers himself
far smarter than the average hill giant
(as indeed he is). The front door is not
locked. Like all doors in the house,
however, it requires an Open Doors roll
to open (PCs with exceptional Strength
get a bonus to this roll). Normally, a
door can be opened on a roll of 5 or 6 (on
Id6). All doors are made of 1'-thick, 14'high solid oak.
PCs can also enter Brufnu's house by
climbing down the chimneys into areas
3, 4, 6, or 7. Those of human size or
smaller can be lowered down the chimneys without getting stuck. However,
all the chimneys except the one leading
to Brufnu's bedroom (area 4) have fires
burning at the bottom. A thief can

38 Issue No. 48

climb up and down the chimneys without the aid of ropes, grapples, or other
apparatus if he makes a successful
Climb Walls check.
The walls of Brufnu's house are made
of solid 2'-thick wood logs. Scaling the
outside walls of the house requires
thieving skills or climbing equipment.
The height of the house (not including
the gently sloped, slate-tiled roof) is 20'.
Moving across the weatherworn roof
tiles requires a Dexterity check at + 2.
Anyone falling off the roof and hitting
the ground (the result of a failed Dexterity check) suffers 2d6 hp damage.
Innovative PCs can enter the house by
digging a tunnel under the log walls.
The ground upon which the house sits is
rocky and hard. Digging a narrow, oneperson tunnel to the building's interior
requires a minimum of nine hours of
work for one person. Only three PCs can
work on the tunnel at one time. (Hence,
three people can excavate a narrow
tunnel in three hours.)

The House on the Hill

Most hill giants are brutish, stupid,
uncivilized barbarians. Brufnu, however, is an exception. Although he's
huge and ugly, he's not as crude, unrefined, or ill-tempered as one might expect. He understands the meaning of
words like courtesy, diplomacy, and
restraint.
Brufnu wasn't born this way; Uthag,
his mate of 13 years, worked very hard
to domesticate him, transforming Brufnu into a veritable "model of decency:'
Brufnu worshiped Uthag and built his
hilltop house to her exact specifications.
Unfortunately, as it often happens,
Uthag left Brufnu two years ago for
another hill giant. (Barbarism does
have its appeal, after all.) Left behind
were the house, the laundry, and two
daughters named Reynid and Veiga.
For his daughters' sake, Brufnu tried
very hard to retain his domestic lifestyle. He endeavored to stay clean, for
one thing. While the other hill giants
engaged in bloody raids, Brufnu limited
himself to big-game hunting. Yes, he
raided the occasional merchant caravan, but only when he needed more ale
or other supplies. Nevertheless, getting
by without Uthag has proven quite
difficult, and Brufnu is slowly becoming
more inclined to let old habits resurface.
Only Brufnu's ogre-sized daughters
(15-year-old twins) prevent their father

from reverting to his savage ways. They

are spitting images of their mother,
similar to Uthag in many ways except
one. Neither Reynid nor Veiga can cook.
Although they have tried desperately to
please their father using Uthag's old
recipes, their meals always taste like
dirt. After several bouts of indigestion,
Brufnu decided it was time to pursue
another mate. Meveg, a recently widowed giantess, seemed an ideal choice.
Had Brufnu not been "domesticated:'
he would have taken his heavy club,
clobbered Meveg on the head, and
dragged the unconscious giantess back
to the house to become his mate. However, Brufnu was too civilized for such
behavior. Over the last several months,
he's been trying to woo Meveg into
becoming his wife (and he's been getting
a few decent meals in the process).
Having been married once herself,
Meveg understood what marriage
meant to most female giants: virtual
slavery. Naturally, she had many reservations. Despite her aloofness, however,
she became enamored with Brufnu's
gentle manner. (Her previous mate was
intolerably primitive.) Swayed by Brufnu's ardent courtship, Meveg decided
she would consider his proposal.
In truth, Brufnu doesn't love Meveg at
all. In fact, he finds Meveg rather slowwitted and dull, not to mention repulsive.
She is, however, an excellent cook. AI
though she is not desperate for a mate,
Meveg has agreed to accompany Brufnu
to his house for an extended visit. She is
looking forward to getting to know Brufnu and his family better, but all Brufnu is
looking forward to is Meveg's cooking,
particularly Halfling Ii la Meveg, one of
Brufnu's favorite dishes.
The Halflings
Brufnu was out hunting when he stumbled on the halflings of Wistil. Despite
his initial inclination to leave the halflings alone, the malnourished Brufnu
finally decided to seize them. (Uthag's
lessons in civility and compassion were
no match for Brufnu's grumbling stomach.) The five captured halflings have
been confined to the kitchen (area 7)
pending Brufnu's return with Meveg.
The Druids' Flasks
The six wooden flasks containing the
druids' antidote have been placed on a
shelf in Brufnu's bedroom (area 4). The
halflings were gracious enough to

THEM APPLES

divulge th e cont ents of the flas ks. giv.

ing Brufn u no exc use to taste them. PCs

who try to retrieve the flask s will u ndoubtedly have to deal with Kitty, Rey nid a nd Veiga 's pe t pussy cat factua lly a

la rge mount ain Iionl. Kitty usually

sleeps in Br ufnu's bedcha mber,

Brufnu's H ouse
AreaG

N
I

' \ -

1 square - 5'

T he H o u se In te r io r

\ ~,

Brufnu'a hou se has no windows, renderi ng its cha mbers pitch bl ack wit hou t
ill umination . Fortuna tely, sev er al torch

holders hav e bee n cur ved into t he walls.

12' above t he floor. Some of t he tor ches
a re lit . (See text a nd m ep.) The ent ire
house is filled wit h th e odor of torch
smoke. and rooms cont aining lit torches
tend to be ra ther hazy (a lthough not
hazy eno ugh to im pa ir vis ion ),
Everything in Brufnu'a house is tailored
to the giant'a aize. Brufuu sta nds 12' tall .
tw ice the height of an average human
male. Hen ce , most of t he house 's furnishings (with s om e notable exceptions, like
the bearskin rugs) are at leas t t....i ce th e
" nonnal" site (double the height, width,
etc.), Some ite ms found inside the house
(ale barrels and tre as ure chests, for exa mpie) wer e stolen from hum an or demihu man merch ant caravans a nd are sized
appropri ately.
Most of t he r ooms hav e shelves nea tly
carv ed into the wa lls. These shelves,
like the torch holders , are 12' above the
floor. Th e ce ili n g rafters a re 20 ' abov e
t he floor. The floor itself is dirt cove red
wit h u neven sla te ti les (that ca n easily
be pried out or lift ed a way).

T he Co lor M ap
Included with this adv enture is a ful l.
color map of Brufnu 's house . The map is
mea nt to be used in conjunction ....-ith
D&D minia tures or paper cut-outs. With
the map laid out flat, cover each room of
th e house with a piece of pape r cut to the
proper site. As the PCs peer into or enter
each room, rem ove the appropri ate piece
of pa per. Na turally, anyon e without a
light source or infrev ision should not be
allowed to see a room's interior un less the
chamber is lit .

Inside Bruln u 's Hou se

1b free the halfl ings a nd retr ieve t he
druidic pot ions, the PCs m ust ove rcome
or outsm art Rey nid a nd Veiga . AI
t hough t he you ng giantesse s are adolescents, t hey are not afraid of st ra ngers
a nd are bruta l tow a rd intruders.

o~

s-,- f~

/'

'.' .... i::::.. ,,,,",?

":i ," ". "

If the PCs are joined by the wooddr ake,

their intrusion will probab ly be detected.
The weoddrake is not afraid to ente r the
house. Once it does something to at tract
the giants' attent ion ("H mm, what does
/.h is do?"--CRASH ~-"Ooops." ), the wooddrake wi\l either hide, flee, or revert to its
true form an d seek refuge in the rafters.
If the PCs re fuse to a llow th e troublesome
creature insi de Brufnu's house , the wooddrake has other clever met hods of wreaking havoc. It mig ht wait un til all th e PCs
have ente red the building before re verting to its true fonn , flying up to th e roof,
and shou ti ng some playfully dangerous

!'J:~
1

remark de....-n eac h of the chi mneys.

C'Hey, you st upid giants! There 's int.ruders in yer honsel")
1. E ntra n ce lI all.

Beyond the gia nt-sized door lies a

smoky L sh aped h all . Th e floor is
t iled wit h flat chu nks of slate, the
wooden wa lls a t e bare, a nd th e a rea
is ill um inated by t hree la rge tor che s
pla ced alo n g t he sout hern wall , 12'
01T the floor. An opening in the western wa ll is blocked by a heavy cur tain of se wn a nimal h ides.

DUNGEON

39

THEM APPLES

Beyond the western curtain is Brufnu's cloakroom (area 2). Heavy wood
doors lead to the giant's trophy room
(area 3) and bedroom (area 4). See area
G for details on interior doors.
The torches that illuminate this hall
will continue to burn for two hours
before they must be replaced. (Extra
torches are stored in area 5.)
2. Cloakroom. PCs without infravision will require a light source to see
the contents of this chamber.
The curtain conceals an unlit chamber
filled with a variety of odors, most of
them attributable to torch smoke or
unwashed clothing. Three large iron
hooks are nailed to the north wall 12'
off the floor. Hanging from one of these
hooks is a large huntsman's cloak made
of goat hide. Fastened to the south wall
at a height of only 9' are three more
hooks, with a smaller cloak made of
wolf fur hanging from the nearest one.
At the far end of the room are two pairs
of deerskin boots designed for largerthan-man-sized individuals.
The huntsman's cloak (belonging to
Brufnu) reeks of blood and sweat. The
smaller wolf-fur cloak is used by Reynid and Veiga. The boots belong to the
ogre-sized sisters as well. An unlit
torch juts out of the east wall near the
entrance. There is nothing else of
value or interest here.
3. Trophy Room.
A large fire crackles in the hearth of
this huge chamber. Other than the
fire, there are no lights, although
two unlit torches jut out of the east
wall. Your attention is immediately
drawn to the various animal heads
mounted on wooden plaques on the
walls, 12'-15' above the floor. Two
large bearskins lie on the floor under
a pair of cluttered, l'-deep shelves
carved into the thick log walls. Carefully cut logs have been stacked next
to the southern door, and two cracked
stone chairs of huge size and an
equally giant table occupy the middle of the chamber. A large ale stein
of beaten copper sits atop the table.
Between the fireplace and a curtaincovered doorway, a barrel of large
spears stands in front of a heavy rope
net that hangs on the wall.

40 Issue No. 48

Any audible noise in this chamber

(including normal speaking voices and
clanking armor) has a 40% chance of
attracting Kitty's attention. (See area
4.) If the wooddrake is present, it makes
enough noise on its own to alert the
giants' pet. (The wooddrake then hides
or retreats.) The mountain lion enters
through the curtain in the west wall
and attacks any intruders she sees. The
lion's roar, not to mention the sound of
battle, is 75% likely to attract Reynid's
attention (area 7). Reynid alerts her
sister in area 6 before investigating the
disturbance.
The mounted animal heads are some of
Brufnu's trophies. Starting with the north
wall and moving clockwise, the animals
are: mountain lion, moose, ogre, bugbear,
mountain goat, giant lizard, thoul, stag
and grizzly bear. There is nothing unusual about the heads.
The bearskins are in poor condition
and cannot be sold. The items on the
shelves are more of Brufnu's trophies.
Various skulls (belonging to humanoids
and demihumans) sit beside animal
teeth and antlers. Several items were
taken from terrified merchants: a small
ebony centaur statuette (worth 2 gp); a
silver-studded leather gauntlet (worth
10 gp); a dagger with a 75-gp gem set in
its pommel; an electrum-plated tinderbox (worth 25 gp); a l' x l' x l' wooden
box with a protruding crank and a
spring-loaded puppet stuffed inside
(worth 35 gp to an interested buyer);
and a 3" -diameter glass orb that
changes color at the holder's whim and
explodes for 2d6 hp damage if shattered
(10' blast radius; save vs. death ray for
half damage). The magical orb is worth
100 gp intact.
Brufnu's five-gallon ale mug (worth 2
gp) is empty. The barrel next to the
fireplace holds six large spears (usable
by giant-sized beings only) and four
human-sized spears. One of these is a
spear + 1 taken from a slain caravan
guard. The net hanging on the wall is
the same one Brufnu used to snare the
halflings and is weighted with 16 fistsized rocks. (It weighs 250 lbs.) When
used by a giant, this 16' x 16' net can be
thrown up to 60' away, ensnaring 1-3
human-sized targets or double the number of smaller-sized creatures. Treat all
targets as AC 9, then apply Dexterity
modifiers. Victims are entitled to a
saving throw vs. death ray at - 3 to
escape the net.

4. Brufnu's Bedroom. PCs without

infravision require a light source to see
the contents of this chamber.
This huge, unlit bedchamber contains

several items of interest. The only piece

of furniture is a monstrous bed of chiselled stone nearly 15' long and at least
10' wide, heaped with layers of animal
skins and furs. Carved into the wall
above the bed is a long shelf cluttered
with mugs and other containers. Four
unlit torches sit in holders on the north
and west walls. A bearskin rug lies on
the floor between the bed and the fireplace. A pile of animal skins is heaped
in disarray on the floor at the foot of the
bed. Near this pile there is a large (7'long, 5'-high) wooden trunk. Against
the north wall are four normal-sized
trunks of various design. Curtains sewn
from animal skins cover the exits in the
north and east walls.
If the adventurers haven't roused
Kitty, the mountain lion is sleeping
atop the heap of skins at the foot of
Brufnu's bed. PCs who enter this room
without first rendering themselves
silent or invisible have an 80% chance
of waking the lion. (Kitty's a light
sleeper.) If the wooddrake is present,
it deliberately does something to
awaken the lion: coughing, scuffing
its feet, or dropping something. Any
loud noises in this area have a 75%
chance of alerting Reynid in area 7.
After Reynid warns Veiga in area 6,
they both come to investigate.
The 7' x 3 1/2 ' X 5' trunk near Kitty's
bed is locked, and Brufnu carries the
only key (around his neck). Thieves
attempting to pick the lock receive a
+ 10% bonus. (The mechanism is quite
simple.) Inside are six wolf furs (worth
10 gp each). Beneath the furs are several of Brufnu's more valuable acquisitions: a medium-sized shield + 1, a large
sack of 566 gp, another large sack holding 15 chunks of purple quartz (worth
10 gp per chunk), a silver-horned helmet (45 gp), and two solid silver dryad
statuettes (worth 70 gp each).
The smaller wooden trunks are unlocked and weigh 40-50 lbs, each. Trunk
#1 holds 2,195 cp; trunk #2 contains
1,486 sp; trunk #3 holds 1,113 ep; and
trunk #4 contains 45 pieces of fake
jewelry (worth 1-4 gp each).
Brufnu's bed is 5' high and made of
several poorly fitted blocks of solid
stone. The 12' high shelf above the bed

TH EM APPLES

holds Brufnu 's collection of al e mugs (15

in all. sized for humans; none of them
are particularly valuable). Also on t he
shelf are t he six woode n flas ks contai ning the druid ic anti dote to the poison
a ffec t ing Wist il's ap ple t re es. Each flask
is plugged wit h a cor k , a nd a ll are qu ite

du rable. The flasks are tie d togethe r

wit h a 5'!ength or rope . (Th e rope is
t ied i n a knot around the neck of each
flask .) H uman-s ized c ha r a cters can
ba rely reac h t he shelf by sta nding on

t he bed. Th e pes receive ex peri ence

points for recove ring t hese potions intact. (See "Concl uding t he Ad venture ." )
Kitt y , moun ta in lion : AC 6: H D 3 +2;
hp 24; MV 150 '{SO'); ' AT 2 clawe/I bite;
Dm g Id3!ld3/1d 6: Save F2; ML 9 (in
lai r); I!\'T 2; AL N; SZ 11; XP 50 or special (see "Concluding the Adve nture" );
RC1163.
If K it ty fails a morale check, she immediately withdraws to t he kitchen
(a rea 7).

5 . Storage Room. PCs without infra vision will need a li gh t source t o se e the
conte nts of t his r oom.

Tv.o curtains ma de of sewn a nimal

skins cove r the exits of this dark
stor age room . In t he corner between
the tw o cu rt ained doorways rests a
pa ir of norm al-si zed wooden barrels.
J utti ng out of the wall to the west of
the barrels is an unlit torch. The
rema in de r of the wa ll space is taken
up by I5 '-high wooden shel ves loaded
with com mon supplies a nd foodst uffs.
Need less to say, va rious aromasboth plea sa nt and u npleas a nt-till
t his cha mbe r.

If Reynid has not bee n alerted to Intruders, the PCs can hear he r cleaning
up the kitc hen (a rea 1). She h as a 75'1
chance of hearing a ny lou d noises inside
the storeroo m. If she sus pects intru ders,
Reynid fetc hes her sister and they bot h
explor e the room .
The follovving items are stored on th e
lowest shelves (l'.s' above the floor): three
10' x 12' wool blankets, three norm al sized lanterns (wit hout oil), a 2'/;(\uare
wooden box cont a ining 175 nails, six
large sacks (empty a nd folded ), and three
pairs of giant-sized leather boots.
The following items are ke pt on t he

middle shelves (6'-10' abo ve the floor ):

t hree sacks of grain; two sacks of flou r:
32 clay pots containing herbs, grasses,
garlic, and other seasonings rsome mild I)' poiso nous); two heavy clay jugs (empty }; and three kegs of pote nt -smelli ng
apple cider.
Finally, here a re t he items st or ed on
the hi gh est shelv es (11' 15' abov e the
floor ); t wo normal-sized fla sks of oil
(both half-full), 15 large torches, a giantsized ma lle t with an iron head , t hre e
human-sized lon g swords, and a sack of
20 iro n spikes.
Th e t wo barrels sit ting on the floor
con tai n all'. Brufnu acquired them fro m
a ge nero us mercha nt whom he encountered during a hunting expedition.
6. Daughte r s' Be droom. If alerted to
int ru ders, Veiga is hi din g behind t he
chamber door, hoping to su rprise a ny
Pes who e nter without an inv itat ion .
Open ing th e door reveals a spacious
firelit chambe r containing two 10'-long
wooden beds covered wit h a nima l
skins and furs . The beds Ila nk a large
blazing hearth . Th anks to th e fireplace

DUNGEON

41

THEM APPLES

and the single burning torch set into

the north wall, this chamber is unpleasantly warm and smoky.
Shelves have been carved into the
wall above each bed, and stacked on
these shelves are a number of odd
items. Other furnishings include a
large table, a proportionately sized
chair, and twin wooden trunks with
the letters "V" and "R" (one initial per
chest) etched into their sides and front.
Unless she is summoned by the thunderous voice of her sister, Veiga is sitting on the southernmost bed with her
legs outstretched, sewing a tunic out of
strips of cowhide and using sheep's wool
for thread. If the PCs confront her in
this room, she either fights with the
torch (ld6 + 2 hp damage, plus 1d6 hp
fire damage each round) or punches
them with her fist (ld6 + 2 hp damage).
She would prefer to arm herself with a
blunt instrument taken from the
kitchen. (A rolling pin would be her
first choice, since it inflicts 2d4 + 2 hp
damage.)
Like her sister, Veiga is waiting for
the return of her father. She just finished tidying up her room, as well as
her father's bedroom and trophy room,
in anticipation of Meveg's arrival.
When not working around the house,
Veiga dreams about long, romantic
liaisons with young male hill giants.
The shelves above the girls' beds are
stacked with dolls (many of them homemade), small mirrors, bottles of perfume
(obtained from merchant caravans by
their father), and items of jewelry made
from teeth and bone (worthless). A large
mistreated teddy bear lies slumped
under the furs of Reynid's bed.
Neither of the trunks (41/2' x 3' X 3 1/2')
is locked. Aside from the usual articles
of primitive clothing, the trunks contain
a few items of value. Inside Veiga's
trunk, the PCs can find a jewelled comb
(human-sized, worth 145 gp), an
amethyst-studded silver tiara <Veiga
uses it as a bracelet, worth 450 gp), and
a large sack of 593 sp. Reynid's trunk
contains a small hourglass on a fine
electrum chain (worth 150 gp), a pouch
holding three cut garnets (worth 100 gp
each), and a small sack of 180 ep.
Veiga, young hill giantess: AC 5; HD
4 + 1; hp 24; MV 90'(30'); HM 1; Dmg by
weapon type +2; Save F4; ML 10; !NT 6;
AL C; SZ L; XP 125 or special (see "Concluding the Adventure"); RC/198 (Ogre).

42 Issue No. 48

Veiga has the same red hair and toothy

grin as her sister, but she is more eventempered and contemplative than Reynid.
Nevertheless, she doesn't like humans
and demihumans, and will crush them
like she would a pesky spider.
7. Kitchen. If Reynid has not been
warned of intruders, PCs listening at
the door have a 1-in-6 chance of hearing
the young giantess as she hurriedly
tidies up the kitchen (before her father
returns with Meveg). Thieves may use
their Hear Noise ability instead.
The air in the kitchen is stale,
smoky, and warm. Various unpleasant cooking odors fill your nostrils as
you survey the room's contents. The
room is lit by three torches and a
dwindling fire in the hearth. Occupying the middle ofthe room is a high
table with three large chairs (one
slightly bigger than the other two). A
fourth chair rests between two 7'high work tables. One table has been
cleaned off, but the other is cluttered
with dirty dishes. Each work table
has storage space below, closed off
with a pair of large wooden doors. A
broomstick has been shoved through
the iron door handles of the doors
below the northwest table.
Neatly carved into the walls are
four long shelves lined with jars,
dishes, and common kitchen utensils.
A 4' -deep barrel sits on its side in the
southeast corner.
If she hasn't been alerted, Reynid is
standing on the northernmost chair,
organizing the jars on the overhead
shelf. <Reynid stands 9' tall, and the
shelves are 12' high.) PCs who have not
been detected can take advantage of
Reynid's preoccupation. The young
giantess is humming a nursery rhyme
to herself, although she periodically
shouts some disparaging remark about
"young male giants" to her sister in
area 7. (The sisters have reached a very
fickle age.)
If she detects the PCs, Reynid shouts
to her sister and seizes the nearest pot
or rolling pin (2d4 + 2 hp damage). She
then attempts to club the PCs into submission or drive them from the house.
She will not negotiate for the halflings'
release. If Reynid fails her morale
check, she retreats to area 6 and barricades the door.
The five captured halflings are

trapped inside the barred storage area

beneath the western work table. If they
hear intruders, the halflings pound on
the doors, alerting the PCs to their
whereabouts. The halflings are very
grateful to any PC who releases them,
and they show their gratitude by leaving the house as fast as their little feet
can take them. They are not skilled
fighters, although they will defend
themselves if cornered.
The work table positioned next to the
hearth holds a variety of iron and clay
pots, numerous rags, and a wooden
washtub (a 3' diameter bucket) with a
slate scrubbing board.
The shelves are cluttered with clay
jars of spices, mushrooms, herbs and
various natural preservatives. The
kitchen is filled with utensils that can
be used as makeshift weapons. The
barrel lying in the southeast corner has
a primitive wooden spigot sticking out
of it; the barrel holds cheap ale (10
gallons remaining).
Reynid, young hill giantess: hp 25;
other stats identical to Veiga in area 6.
Reynid inherited her mother's flame-red
hair and morbid sense of humor. Her
narrow build, toothy smile, and insolence come from her father.
Terry, Tod, Erol, Valerie, and
Walter, halflings: AC 7; HD 1 -1; hp 5,
4 (X 2),3,2; MV 90'(30'); HAT 1; Dmg by
weapon type; SA + 1 to attack rolls with
missiles; SD + 1 initiative modifier;
Save HI; ML 4 (8 normally); INT 11; AL
L; SZ S; XP see "Concluding the Adventure"; RC/182.

The Bigger They Are ...

The following text may be read or paraphrased to the players when Brufnu and
Meveg arrive (four hours after the PCs
reach the house).
The ground shudders underfoot as
two huge giants come into view. The
giants both stand about 12' tall, but
the female is much heavier. She
studies the house carefully, like a
concerned investor rather than a
guest, trying to determine whether it
suits her needs. The male giant is
panting heavily. With one hand he
grasps the handle of a large and
weighty trunk. In his other hand he
holds a club. His round potbelly
protrudes from the rest of his body,
and his mouth is packed with yellow
teeth.

THEM APPLES

Brufnu, hill giant: AC 4; HD 8; hp 51;

MV 120'(40'); NAT 1 weapon; Dmg 2d8
(club); SA hurl boulders for 3d6 hp damage; Save F8; ML 8 (10 if angered; see
below); INT 9 (above average); AL C; SZ
L; XP 650; RC/179; club, key to trunk
(area 4) worn around neck.
Meveg, hill giantess: hp 40; ML 8;
INT 7; other statistics as for Brufnu.
Unlike most giants, Meveg doesn't
like to throw boulders and will not use
this form of attack.
If the PCs inflicted damage on Brufnu's daughters or their cat, the giant
grabs his hunter's net from area 3 and
tracks the party down. (He's a skilled
huntsman and possesses tracking skill.)
If Brufnu has not yet offended his
would-be mate, Meveg remains at the
house to protect Brufnu's family from
further harm (at least until Brufnu
returns). PCs who are captured by Brufnu are clubbed to death.
If the PCs were careful not to harm
Brufnu's family, the giant will not pursue them, nor does he consider the theft
of his halfling captives or the druids'
potions cause enough to instigate a
confrontation. If, however, the PCs
made off with a sizable amount of Brufnu's treasure, the giant will track them
down and demand the return of his
possessions. (He is civilized and tolerant
to a degree.)
If Brufnu returns home to find the
adventurers in his house, he commands
them to surrender their valuables and
depart, assuming they haven't ravaged
his home and harmed his family. "Valuables" include the captured halflings,
though Brufnu can be lulled into letting
the PCs keep the druids' potions if the
adventurers behave cooperatively.
Once the PCs have been dealt with,
Brufnu turns his attention to Meveg.
After introducing the giantess to his
daughters (and showing off his many
hunting trophies), Brufnu escorts
Meveg into the kitchen. He points to the
halflings and says, "Now you cook deez
for me!" Meveg, incensed by Brufnu's
sheer gall, delivers a solid right hook to
his jaw and storms out of the house,
vowing never to return. The dazed Brufnu casts off his civilized veneer and
retaliates by clobbering Meveg with his
club. Irked by Brufnu's display of barbarism, Meveg delivers a well-placed kick
that stops Brufnu in his tracks.
With her treasure chest in tow, it
takes the injured Meveg 3 1/2 hours to
reach her hovel (barring any interfer-

ence from the PCs or the wooddrake).

Brufnu, hunkered over and massaging a
swollen jaw, follows Meveg as far as the
outside door before retiring to his bedroom to contemplate a means of redeeming himself.
While Brufnu rests, Reynid and Veiga
attempt to prepare Halfling Mignon for
their father's dinner. Unless the PCs act
quickly, the halflings will be cooked
(poorly seasoned and charred to a crisp)
and devoured!

Concluding the Adventure

Once the PCs leave Brufnu's house
(with or without the halflings and antidote flasks), they must still contend
with the antagonistic wooddrake. If the
PCs recovered the druids' potions, the
wooddrake uses its thieving abilities to
relieve the party of these items and hide
them. If the PCs take suitable precautions, the wooddrake will simply leave.
It returns in 1-4 hours, having lured
wandering monsters in the party's direction (roll once on the Random Wilderness Encounter table).
Whether or not the wooddrake is still
with the party, the DM should check for
random encounters as the PCs make
their way back to Wistil. (See "Wistil
and the Wilderness:') If the adventurers
injured or killed members of Brufnu's
family, they may have to face the"outraged hill giant. For the sake of game
balance, the DM has the option of saving any encounter with Brufnu until
the PCs are better equipped to defend
themselves (unless the DM likes a good
slaughterfest).
PCs who return to Wistil with the
halflings and potions will be named
guests of honor at a great picnic feast.
An impromptu ceremony is later conducted in the poisoned orchard. Six
village children are selected to pour the
flasks of antidote onto the roots of the
sickly trees. The others watch as the
trees slowly begin to regain their
health. Within hours, the trees are
completely cured of their affliction.
If the wooddrake has been taken captive by the PCs, it confesses to poisoning the apple trees. The creature claims
to work for Yulin Nell, a ruthless competitor. The halflings are too gentle and
forgiving to retaliate against Yulin
themselves, but they wouldn't mind if
the PCs paid Yulin a visit and asked
him (nicely) to stop poisoning their
orchards.

If the PCs decide to visit Yulin Nell,

.they find him at his home near Keswig,
tending his meager orchard. Yulin is a
self-pitying middle-aged man with a
sour outlook on life. He is not, however,
a threat to the party or the halflings.
He admits to giving an elf 20 gp to
cause some trouble in Wistil, but he has
yet to hear any news from the elf. (In
fact, Yulin thinks he was cheated by the
elf.) When asked to justify his behavior,
Yulin claims he was drunk at the time.
If the PCs intimidate him, Yulin promises to leave the halflings ofWistil
alone.
Yulin Nell, human: AC 9; HD 1-1;
hp 5; MV 120'(40'); NAT 1; Dmg by
weapon type; Save Normal Man; ML 6;
AL N; S 10, 19, W 7, D 12, C 10, Ch 6;
XP 5; RC/197; knife.
If the wooddrake survives this adventure, it continues to cause trouble in the
future. If necessary, it will use all its
guile and natural thieving skills to
escape the party, only to return at a
later time. The DM can use this chaotic
creature as a frequent antagonist in an
ongoing campaign.
Awarding Experience
Players who rely entirely on swordplay
to complete this adventure are likely to
see their characters squashed like bugs.
Brufnu and his clan are worthy opponents for mid-level PCs, let alone a
whimpering bunch of 1st-3rd level ones.
The PCs are encouraged to be resourceful and should be rewarded for their
good ideas.
Here are the suggested party
experience-point awards for completing
story objectives:
-Identifying the wooddrake as the
culprit responsible for poisoning the
apple trees: 200 XP (only if the PCs
figure this out by themselves).
-Each druidic potion recovered intact: 100 XP.
-Each halfling returned alive to
Wistil: 150 XP.
-Overcoming or subduing Reynid,
Veiga, or Kitty without killing or critically wounding them: double their XP
value.
n

DUNGEON

43

Gary and Lu era both live in Lo ndon ,

where Lu cya is the ass istant ediror of
Gam es and Puz zles , a Br itish magazine
coveri ng all areas of ga m ing from chess
to role-playing. Tn 1993 , Luera was the
European AD&lY' champion and won a
tr ip to the 1994 GEN CON!; game (ai r in
the USA. Gary is a computer ga mes
designer for Argonaut S oftware. the
creators ofSta rfox for the Su per Ni ruendo Entertain ment S y stem . He is currently working on a major ad venture ga m e
for Microsoft due for release in late 1995 .
T M origi nal draft of th is ad vent ure was
th e European Open Competition at Euro
GEN CON game fair in 1992.

THE OBJECT
OF DESIRE
BYGARY O 'CONNEll AND lUCYA SZACHNOWSKI

Who ha s won the heart

of a beholder?

"The Object of Desire" is a D&D!' edventure wTitten in the trad ition of th e A rabian Nights. Thi s adventure is inte nded
for a party of 4.6 predominantly goodaligned PCs of levels 5-8 (about 35 total
levels), including at lea st one cleric
(whom the DM should try to keep ali ve, if
possible, for much of th e advent ur e).
Th e scenario be gins wit h a sea voy age
betw een tw o caliphates. The PCs should
be on good te rms with one ofthe ruling
caliphs or ha ve been recommended by a
former patron of high status. Within
this modu le, the ca lipha tes are ca lled
Susan and Samarkand , but the OM may
substi t ute different cities a nd ot her
pat rons to suit the campa ign .
Many of the NPCs in th is scenario use
Arabic-st yle weapons such as the scimita r (a medium-le ngth curved sword ) and
the j ambiya (a cu rv ed double-edged
da gger). The OM should use st atist ics
for a normal sword and a normal dag ger
respectively. Most hu ma ns wear light
arm or or no armor due to the intensity
of the heat in th is region . Anyt hin g
heavier than leat her a rmo r in curs an
attack penalty of -1 per poin t of armor
class lower than AC 7. Shields do not
add to the penalty.
Several of the creatu res enc ountered
in this adven tu re are more full y descr ibed in the Creature Catalog, but
enough information is gi ven he re t o r un
the adventure.

For the Pla yer Ch aracters

Al'fWorlr. by Da vid ocv

26 Issue No. 50

The PCs begin the ad venture in the

Caliphate of Sasa n , whe re they a re
asked to u nderta ke a most deli cate
mis sion for Caliph Farouk . If' the PC s
are not yet acqu ainted wit h the ca liph ,
they have been recommended to him by
a for mer patron.

THE OBJECT OF DESIRE

You have been commissioned by

Caliph Farouk of Sasan to escort his
niece, the lovely Princess Yasmin,
and her dowry west to Samarkand.
There she will marry her beloved
Prince Harith, to whom she has been
betrothed for several years. As the
caliph cannot attend the wedding,
due to many pressing matters of
state, he wishes to entrust Yasmin's
safety to people he can rely on. Yasmin will be accompanied by her
maid, Fatima, and the caliph's own
cousin and vizier, Mustafa al-Wazah.
The voyage will take about five
days and nights along the coast of
the Algarin, an inhospitable stretch
of burning deserts that only the
foolish or the desperate would travel
across by land. You have been granted the use of the caliph's own dhow
and must be vigilant for pirates and
hostile sea monsters that are known
to trouble this region.
The Caliph's Dhow
The caliph's dhow is a 70/-1ong, 20/-wide
ship with two masts and a crow's nest.
The prow is decorated with a magical
figurehead that can run up the sails on
command. With this assistance, the ship
needs only a small crew: only four on
this voyage, plus the captain. The dhow
carries a six-man skiff for going ashore.
The captain's cabin (the only cabin on
the ship) has been prepared for the
princess, and the captain will rest with
his men. A cot has been brought in for
Yasmin's maid. Hammocks for the PCs
and crew are strung in the hold, above
the ship's stores: two weeks' firewood,
food and water to last 14 people a
month, a chest with the captain's navigation instruments and charts, a spare
sail, and plenty of hemp rope. On deck,
a 4/ x 6/ fish locker holds nets and three
barrels of fish.
Jamil, captain: AC 5; F4; hp 20; MV
120' (40/); /fAT 1; Dmg by weapon type;
S 16, I 11, W 9, D 15, C 14, Ch 12; Save
F4; ML 9; AL L; leather armor, shield,
scimitar.
Rachim, first mate: AC 8; F1; hp 7; MV
120/ (40'); /fAT 1; Dmg by weapon type;
D 14; Save Fl; ML 8; AL L; scimitar.
Kassim, sailor: AC 9; hp 5; other
statistics and equipment as Rachim.
Omm; cook: AC 9; O-level human; hp 4;
MV 120/ (40/); /fAT 1; Dmg by weapon
type; Save Normal Man; ML 8; AL L; club.
Ali, cabin boy: AC 8; hp 2; D 14; ML 6;

AL N; jambiya; other statistics as Omar.

Setting Out to Sea

For the Dungeon Master

The PCs are awaiting the arrival of

the princess at the caliph's dhow.
Read or paraphrase the following to
the players when they are ready to
begin the adventure:

Once upon a time, the handsome Sultan

Firouz al-Algarin had a wondrous magical mirror that could show him his
heart's desire and, on command, transport him to the place where it lay. Gazing into the mirror, he saw Aurelia, the
daughter of a powerful mage. Such was
her beauty that he fell in love with her
at first sight. He used the mirror to visit
her, and she reciprocated his love.
Unfortunately her father, Nazir alAzrad, was as evil as he was powerful.
When Firouz convinced Aurelia to elope
with him, Nazir followed the couple to
the sultan's court. There he found the
two lovers about to be wed and flew into
a dreadful rage. He slew the cleric
about to marry the lovers, and used his
potent magic to transform Firouz into a
beholder. Finally, he turned on his
daughter and in his rage transformed
her into a crystal statue, which he teleported to his hidden fortress.
Firouz was unable to cope with the
shock of seeing his beloved so badly
used, on top of his own transformation
into such an abhorrent creature. He lost
all memory of what he once was and
became, in truth, a fearful monster. He
used his terrible gaze against all who
came near him. Soon his magnificent
and thronging court was but an empty
reflection of what it had once been, with
the beholder as lord of nothing.
Following some unconscious yearning,
the beholder turned his eyes to his magnificent mirror, but his heart had grown
mean and shallow with his madness,
thus limiting the range of his vision.
For many weeks he saw nothing, until
at last a beautiful nomad woman was
revealed to him. Responding to some
deep feeling of loss, the beholder captured and charmed her and kept her as
a beautiful object to gaze upon. Years
passed and the woman's looks began to
fade. The beholder again used his mirror to seek out the fairest in the land;
once another woman was secured, he
petrified his former love to preserve her
remaining beauty forever. Many years
went by, and the beholder's halls filled
with statues as his heart grew lonelier.
The caliph's dhow passes the coastline
of the desert of Algarin, where the beholder's palace lies, just as Firouz gazes
once more into his mirror to seek a new
and beautiful companion.

It's a fine morning and many ships

are in the harbor, which bustles with
noise and activity. Swaggering sailors
and hunch-shouldered porters, sunbronzed travelers and street-grimed
urchins, fat-bellied traders and thinribbed beggars, all go about their
business amid the throng. The air is
filled with the sounds of haggling, the
cries of sea gulls, and the creaking of
rope. Supplies are being loaded
aboard your ship: barrels of salted
fish, meat, and dried fruit together
with skins of water and wine.
You are waiting on the quayside
when Princess Yasmin arrives with
much pomp and ceremony, carried on
a veiled litter borne on the shoulders
of four strong men. The litter is accompanied by a haughty man
dressed in the robes of a vizier, a
plump maid, and four guards carrying a large chest containing the
princess's dowry. The litter and chest
are set down in front of the ship.
One of the bearers parts the curtains of the litter, revealing the beautiful Princess Yasmin. Her clothes are
finest silk and her face is obscured by
a veil of shimmering gold that emphasizes her deep-brown eyes.
Princess Yasmin is 17 years old, beautiful, demure, and faithful to her true
love. She has had a very sheltered upbringing and is the perfect princess.
During the voyage, she will spend much
of the time in her cabin with her maid.
She does not feel it is appropriate to
talk more than necessary with those of
low station such as the crew-perhaps
even the PCs. As soon as Yasmin has
boarded the ship, the guards bring her
dowry aboard, then return to the palace
along with the bearers who carry her
empty litter.
The haughty man introduces himself
as Mustafa al-Wazah, vizier and cousin
of the caliph. Mustafa announces that
he will accompany the PCs to chaperon
Princess Yasmin. He asks where the
princess's cabin is situated and orders
the PCs to place the large chest there.
Mustafa then demands to be shown his
own cabin and is most offended that he

DUNGEON

27

THE OBJECT OF DESIRE

has not been allocated one. It would not
be appropriate for him to share Yasmin's cabin, but the PCs could rig up a
tent on the deck if Mustafa insists on
separate quarters.
The vizier is an arrogant and pompous
fool of high authority but little actual
ability. He is a diplomatic envoy to
Samarkand as well as the princess's
chaperon. The PCs will probably learn
to despise him.
The large chest containing Yasmin's
dowry is gold-plated, weighs 75 lbs., and
has two carrying handles set with fire
opals (total value 5,400 gp), The chest
has three steel locks of fine quality
( -15% to thieves' open-locks rolls), and
Mustafa holds the keys. Each of the
three locks was made by a different
craftsman and requires a separate openlocks rolls to unlock.
The chest holds two pouches, each
containing 150 pp; a third bag containing 42 gems (100 gp ( x 15), 250 gp
(x 15), 500 gp (x 10), 1,000 gp, 1,200 gp);
and 13 loose pieces of jewelry (total
value 8,810 gp). PCs who dare open the
chest without Yasmin's permission will
be dealt with harshly.
Princess Yasmin: AC 8; O-level human; hp 4; MV 120' (40'); NAT 1; Dmg
by weapon type; Save Normal Man; S 9,
112, W 15, D 15, C 11, Ch 17; ML 9; AL
L; unarmed.
Fatima: AC 9; hp 3; ML 7; jambiya;
other statistics as Yasmin.
Mustafa aI-Wazsh: AC 8; M2; hp 7;
MY 120' (40'); NAT 1; Dmg by spell or
weapon type; S 9, I 16, W 11, D 13, C 10,
Ch 10; Save M2; ML 3; AL L; jambiya.
Spells: charm person, floating disc.
Litter bearers (4): AC 9; hp 6 each;
S 14 ( + 1/ + 1); AL N; jambiya; other
statistics as Yasmin.
Guards (4): AC 6; F2; hp 12 each; MV
120' (40'); NAT 1; Dmg by weapon type;
D 14; Save F2; ML 10; AL L; leather
armor, scimitar.
Many people have gathered for the
spectacle of Yasmin's departure, among
them a filthy beggar who steps forward
and persistently entreats the PCs for
money. The beggar is of indeterminate
age, wears only a loincloth and sandals,
and carries a small wooden bowl. The
vizier takes the man's mere presence as
an insult and demands that the beggar
be flogged for his impudence. Yasmin's
departing guards move in to seize the
beggar, but the PCs can persuade Mustafa not to carry out his threat.
The beggar is Mahmoud, a local mys-

28 Issue No. 50

tic. He offers the PCs a cryptic prophecy,

as either thanks or reproach depending
on his treatment. The ragged man
closes his eyes and intones, "Do not let
your eyes deceive you. Much evil is but
madness or folly, and desire but a prison
for the soul."
The mystic then limps off and is lost
in the crowd. PCs trying to catch up to
the beggar are unable to distinguish
him from the myriad of other faces in
the horde of spectators.
Mahmoud: AC 6; Mys4; hp 20; MV
150' (50'); NAT 1; Dmg Id6 + 1; SA heal
self, awareness; Save Mystic 4; ML 11;
AL L; unarmed.

The Voyage
While the ship is under way, someone
must always man the tiller, which is
situated over the cabin. Close maneuvers such as docking must be handled
by an experienced sailor. All the crew
except Ali are sufficiently skilled. Wind
and weather conditions will be favorable for the entire journey, allowing the
ship to make good headway. Read the
following to the players to set the scene:
With good wind in her sails the dhow
heads south, skimming the coast as
gulls follow her wake. The sky is clear,
and there is a light swell in the sea.

accuses a thief PC of stealing them.

Mustafa claims that:
"While I was dying on deck, that
felonious dog was rifling through my
belongings and stealing my best silk
slippers! My best, mind you! They
were a present from the Queen of
Shebal-a ruler who knew my worth.
I demand justice!"
It will take a lot to convince Mustafa
that the PC he has accused is innocent.
The slippers are misplaced inside Mustafa's luggage, but he will not readily
allow anyone to search his possessions
unless the PCs are very diplomatic.
A supper of spiced meats and bread is
served on deck at sunset (although the
princess eats in her cabin). Mustafa
objects to the quality ofthe food, although everyone else finds it excellent.
There are no other planned events until
the following afternoon. At that time,
read or paraphrase the following to the
players:
The journey continues uneventfully
the next morning. Th the west, you
can make out the inhospitable cliffs
of Algarin. The princess takes a
stroll around deck in the morning,
often glancing toward Samarkand
and her true love.

Vizier Trouble

Snakes Alive!

The passage would be smooth were it

not for Mustafa. Almost as soon as the
ship leaves port, Mustafa claims that he
is feeling seasick. Although he looks
perfectly healthy, he groans and complains incessantly about the motion of
the ship and demands that a cleric in
the party cure him. He insists that the
PCs do something to stop the vessel's
rocking. If the party's cleric has not
received a cure disease spell, the vizier
berates him loudly, shouting, "You selfish priest! You only thought to look
after yourself, while I writhe in agony
with a djinni in my belly!"
The princess does not feel it is her place
to involve herself in the affairs of an older
member of her family. She keeps out of
any arguments. If a PC asks her to intervene, she says, "It is not my place to
reprimand my father's vizier:'
After a couple of hours, Mustafa recovers naturally as he gets his sea legs,
by which time he has found something
else to complain about. Now he is unable to find his best silk slippers and

During the late afternoon, a 20'-long

giant sea snake approaches the ship
(2-in-6 chance of spotting it from the
crow's nest). The snake slithers up the
ship's figurehead and onto the deck. The
princess screams and flees to her cabin
as soon as the snake rears its head.
After the snake takes 40 hp damage, it
slips back into the sea and swims away.
Giant sea snake (1): AC 6; HD 10*
(L); hp 55; MV 90' (30'); NAT 1 bite; Dmg
2d4 plus poison (death in Id4 + 2 turns
unless save is successful); Save F5; ML
7; INT 2; AL N; XP 1,750; RC/204
(modified).
The mere sight of the snake sends the
princess to her cabin for the rest of the
day. She will allow no one inside except
Fatima and female PCs of high station.
Bird of III Omen
Soon after the sea snake incident, a
raven approaches the ship and makes a
nuisance of itself. Read or paraphrase
the following to the players:

THE OBJECT OF DESIRE

A black bird with shiny feathers and

a sharp black beak swoops across the
deck from the starboard bow. It caws
loudly and insistently, circling the
mast. After a while, it perches high
in the rigging and continues to caw.
The raven lands out of reach but only
a few feet away from the crow's nest. It
is possible to climb the rigging to the
bird's location, but it hops from perch to
perch at the PCs' approach. The raven
remains for half an hour or until caught
or scared off. If offered food, the bird
lands on someone's shoulder and stays
with that person for the rest of the day.
This is an ordinary raven and is interested only in fish. Feel free to encourage
whatever misinterpretation the players
want to put on the creature: odd behavior, listening to conversations, etc.
Raven: AC 8; HD 1/4 (S); hp 2; MV fly
330' (110'); NAT 1 (peck); Dmg 1; Save
Normal Man; ML 5; INT 2; AL N; XP 5;
CC/86.

Kldnappedl
Throughout the day, the ship continues
to hug the coastline, carefully avoiding
the cliffs and offshore reefs that make
the coast of Algarin hazardous. Hidden
from view behind the cliffs lies the
palace of Firouz the beholder. As the
party's dhow continues its westward
trek, the beholder gazes into his mirror
of desire (see sidebar) and sees Princess
Yasmin in her cabin. Entranced by her
beauty, the beholder sends three of his
gargoyles to cause a diversion while he
uses the powers of his mirror to kidnap
Yasminhimsel(
Firouz's gargoyles approach underwater from the cliffs several miles away.
Having no need to breathe, and using
their wings for propulsion, they may
remain undetected until they surface
beside the boat. The setting sun's reflection on the water partially blinds the
lookout, giving anyone in the crow's
nest only a 1-in-8 chance to spot the
gargoyles before they emerge. Read or
paraphrase the following to the players:
A gray-winged creature with stony
skin erupts from the foam in front of
the prow, and two more burst out of
the sea on either side. Flicking their
wings, they swoop toward the deck,
claws outstretched to attack.
The gargoyles' sudden appearance has a

2-in-6 chance to surprise those on deck.

Neither Captain Jamil nor his crew can
hurt the gargoyles; the seamen have no
magical weapons. Mustafa wastes the
first round. His mouth falls open but he
utters nothing; he merely points ineffectually at the ugly monsters. When he comes
to his senses, the vizier tries to charm a
PC to protect him.
Gargoyles (3): AC 5; HD 4** (L); hp
26, 23, 19; MV 90' (30'), fly 150' (50');
NAT 2 claws/1 bite/1 horn; Dmg 1d3/1d3/
1d6/1d4; Save F8; ML 11; INT 5; AL C;
XP 175; RC/178. Spells or magical
weapons are required to hit gargoyles.
They are not affected by sleep or charm
spells.
This attack is intended to keep the
party distracted while the beholder
makes his bid to kidnap the princess
from her cabin. Seconds later (but in the
same round), a brilliant flash of light
surrounds the princess and blinds anyone watching her (save vs. spells or go
blind for 1-10 rounds; blindness for only
one round on successful save). Princess
Yasmin screams and immediately vanishes, replaced by a ball of scintillating
light that flies out of the ship ignoring
all physical impediments. Only those
not blinded by the flash see the sphere
shooting toward the northern cliffs like
a comet.
The beholder appears in the flash but
cannot be seen through the intense
light. (See sidebar on page 34 for details.) Though a few PCs may be able to
see the course of Firouz's ball of light,
no one can catch up with it-it moves at
incredible speed. The gargoyles remain
behind for three rounds or until one of
them is destroyed. Then they flap off
toward the northern cliffs following the
same course as the ball of light. If the
PCs were blinded or too distracted to
notice the radiant sphere, the party can
easily follow the gargoyles. If the PCs
pursue by magical flight, they can follow the gargoyles all the way to Firouz's
palace and avoid the perils of the "Sea
Caves:' Proceed directly to "The Qal'at
of Firouz al-Algarin,"
If the PCs follow the ball of light or
the gargoyles by boat, read or paraphrase the following to the players:
You sail on as the sun sinks beneath
the horizon. Ththe north lies a jagged, rocky coastline. In the last evening light you can see waves
crashing over hidden reefs just below
the surface. From the pattern of the

waves, you can make out extensive

coral beds that will be hazardous to
navigate in the failing light.
The coast is very rocky; approaching at
night with no light but the stars would be
perilous. Jamil is very reluctant to continue. He insists on dropping anchor here
until dawn. If the PCs insist that the ship
press on, they soon hear the dhow's hull
scrape the rocks and feel the ship shudder
as it runs aground on a reef. It will take
several hours' work to free the boat,
which must be done before the tide goes
out or the dhow will capsize as the water
level lowers.
If the PCs decide to use the skiff, they
can inch through the reefs to the lagoon
beyond, provided they have at least one
skilled seaman on board. (Jamil and
Rachim will volunteer.) Once they reach
the lagoon, the PCs can use intense
light sources (such as a hooded lantern
or continual light spell) to see the black
shingle beach (area 1).
Jamil will insist that at least two able
seamen remain on board the dhow.
Mustafa will not accompany the party
to the shore. He generously offers to
guard the dhow, saying, "This sort of
exploration is best left to professionals.
Nevertheless, I am willing to let you go,
since it is your fault the princess was
kidnapped:'

Sea Caves
1. Shingle Beach. Beyond the reef, a
clear lagoon with a narrow, blackpebbled beach lies hemmed in by high
cliffs. In better times, Sultan Firouz
moored his boats here. The cave complex that extends into the cliff was
excavated for easy access to the beach.
Read or paraphrase the following as the
PCs approach the beach:

A thin strip of black shingle beach

slopes from the looming cliffs to the
clear water of the lagoon. You can see
the gaping mouths of five dark caves
in the cliff face. Half a dozen rotten
wooden posts stand in two lines from
one of the cave entrances to the sea,
and a few rusted metal rings have
been driven into the cliff wall.
The beach runs along the shoreline for
67 yards, and is 17 yards wide from the
sea to the cliff. As the PCs pull up their
skiff, eight giant crabs scuttle out of the
caves to attack.

DUNGEON

29

THE OBJECTOF DESIRE

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Sea Caves
1 square" 10'

Giant c r a bs (8): AC 2; HD 3 (Ll; h p

20 , 17 ( x 2), 16. 15, 12,10,9; MV 60'
(20 '); ' AT 2 pincers; Dmg 2d612d6; Save
F2; ML 7; INT 2; AL N ; XP 35; RC/ l64 .
Afte r t he cr abs are d ispensed wit h,
the PCs can examine the clifT or the
caves. Thieves or mystics can dete rmine
t hat the 400 '-high d iffface is sheer;
only t ho se with the ability to climb
walls wou ld have a chance of ascending
sa fely. (PC s with mou ntaineering skill
an d the prope r equipme nt may also
scale t he cliffs.) Anyo ne who climbs to
the top of t he cliff sees a fiss ure a bout
85 ya rds fr om t he cli ff face . A r oug hhewn staircase r ises up from t he sea
ca ves t hrou gh thi s na tu ral fissure. Also
visible from the cliff top is a t win towered structure located several miles
to t he no rt h .
2. Fi ve Cave Mo u ths. Th e cave en trances are slippery and lead downward
into a dank , water-filled cavern (area 3).
Th e pa ssa ge th at the posts lea d to has
been artificially straightened .
The dank, seaweed-clogged tu nn el
slopes down for some distan ce. Salt
water trickles down t he wall s a nd

30 Issue No, SO

ga t hers in pools on the slippery,

u neven Floor. At first you are an kle
deep, but it seems you will soon be
u p to your wai st in dank, foul smelli ng br ine .
3. Ghou l Cav e . After 60 ' th e tunnels
converge in one large cha mber where
three ghouls lu rk . Th e ghouls are t he
remains of pirates who died in a st orm ,
which washed the ir dyin g bodies and
the treasure che st the y clu ng to into the
cav e. They were turned into ghou ls by
t heir gre ed a nd now feed on an y carrion
th at is swept into the caves or left by
t he cra bs, which they tolerate a s food
providers. As th e PCs en ter t he ghouls '
abode with a light source, read or para phra se t he followin g to the players:

Th e tunnel open s ab rupt ly into a

vast, echoing , pa rt ially submerged
cavern. Despite t he presen ce of a
lig ht sou rce, t he roof is lost in gloom
and you cannot see below th e sur face
of t he wai st -deep murky water. At
the far end of th e cave, you ca n j ust
make out stone ste ps rising from the
water into darkness.

Su ddenly, three h ideou s humanoid

figures lu nge out of the water. The
dim li ght barely reveals th ei r r otten
a nd disfigured flesh. Tatters of clot hin g h ang on their tw isted bodies.
Th ei r lee ring mouths reveal horribly
sharp teeth a s their taloned fingers
claw the air.
Fighting waist-d ee p in water on slippery stone pen ali zes eac h PC's attack
roll s by -1. The ghou ls' greed is so
st rong that th ey will brea k free of a ny
cler ical tur ning as soon as someone
a pproaches with in 5' of the t reasure
chest. Th e chest lies u nde rwater on the
bottom step leading to area 4.
G hou ls (3): AC 6 ; HD 2* (M); hp 14,
12, 11; MV 90 ' (30'); ' AT 2 cle wezt bite;
Dmg Id 3/l d3/I d3 plus paralysis ; Save
F2; M L 9; INT 3; AL C; XP 25; RC/178.
Th e iro n-bound sea che st is made of
har dwood; its lock h as r uste d solid .
Beca use it is full of br ine and treasure,
the chest is ver y heavy, weighing 500
lbs. out of the water. It contains 512 gp
fr om var ious cou nt r ies; 40 assorted
semiprecious stones (30 gp each); a gold
ring of truth ; t wo clea r, odorless, sweet-

THE OBJECT OF DESIRE

tasting potions of super-healing; a dagger +]; and a waterproof case containing a magical scroll with the spells
detect magic, locate object, and protection from evil]0' radius.
4. Eyes in the Dark. If the PCs climb
the stairs toward area 5, read or paraphrase the following to the players:
The carved steps lead upward out of the
water. Fifty feet ahead, you see a rustencrusted metal gate through which
you glimpse a pair of red glowing eyes.
The gate is locked and cannot be
picked due to centuries of corrosion. The
lock can be forced open with a combined
total of 30 Strength points. The glowing
eyes are actually a trick set in area 5.
5. Disused Guardroom. This large
room was once used by Sultan Firouz's
guards. It contains a stone bench and a
few rusted hooks on the walls. None of
this is immediately visible, because the
room is pitch dark. The glowing eyes
disappear the instant any light is
brought to the metal gate. The eyes are
just magical paint and were put on the
wall to deter unwelcome visitors. The
eyes have no effect apart from the glow.
If the PCs want to rest in this room,
they will not be disturbed. The only exit
from the room is a stone door set into
the west wall. Beyond the stone door, a
set of rough-hewn stairs zigzag up
through a natural fissure to the top of
the cliff (area 6).
6. Cliff Top. When the PCs reach the
cliff top, either through the fissure from
area 5 or up the cliff from the beach,
read or paraphrase the following to the
players:
Looking back toward the water, you
can see your dhow moored safely in
the lagoon. Youcan just barely see
Mustafa supervising Ali, who is moving the vizier's largest trunk into the
princess's cabin. Inland, as far as the
eye can see, lies the parched desert.
The only feature breaking the monotony of the wasteland is a twin-towered
building several miles farther north.

The Qal'af of Flrouz ai-Algarin

There is nothing but barren desert for
many days' walk in any other direction
except toward the distant towers. This
must be the destination to which the

princess was carried. As the party approaches Firouz's qal'at, read or paraphrase the following to the players:
The building is surrounded by a high
white wall over which you spot a
green, domed roof flanked by two dull
white towers. As you draw nearer, you
can see that the whole structure is
rather dilapidated. Shards have fallen
from the marble walls, and the green
roof seems to be badly tarnished copper. Younotice that you are walking
over the vestiges of a small village
worn down to its foundations by the
ravages of time. As you cross the
parched ground, winged creatures rise
up from the tops of the towers and flap
toward you.
These are two gargoyles (hp 20, 17)
plus any that survived the attack on the
ship. They take two rounds to enter
melee range, and approach from different sides to avoid area-effect spells. The
gargoyles attack until destroyed.
The Story Unfolds
The PCs arrive at the palace hoping to
rescue Princess Yasmin, only to find her
trapped in the company of the beholder
sultan, Firouz al-Algarin. Although the
party could confront the beholder and
attempt to wrest the princess from his
clutches, there is a way to save Yasmin
without harming the cursed Firouz.
A benevolent ghost will offer to help
the PCs rescue the princess. (See area 5
of the qal'at.) The ghost, a former servant of Firouz, believes it knows the
secret to restoring the sultan's humanity. Contained within the palace's eastern tower are notes detailing the
process for preparing a potion that will
restore the sultan's sanity. The ghost
wrongly believes that the potion will
also transform Firouz back into a human being, when in truth the potion
will restore only his human mind.
Once the PCs have found the necessary ingredients (see area 12 of the
qal'at) and concocted the potion, they
must find some way to administer it to
Firouz (preferably without his knowledge). Years of existence as an eye tyrant have made Firouz a dangerous and
unbalanced creature. The beholder
dislikes the presence of outsidersexcept, of course, the women he brings
through his mirror ofdesire.
The company of Yasmin has distracted
Firouz and made him unusually pleas-

ant. He does not anticipate any retaliation for the princess's abduction and has
made no effort to post guards, other
than his gargoyles. The PCs should be
able to enter and explore Firouz's palace
without the beholder being aware of
their presence.
The PCs must act quickly, however,
for the cursed sultan has already made
plans to wed Princess Yasmin. If the
PCs restore Firouz's sanity, the sultan
will call off the wedding and seek to
make amends. He also asks that the
PCs help restore the life of his beloved
Aurelia. Yasmin, feeling pity for the
beholder, will ask that the PCs help to
undo Firouz's curse by tracking down
the villain responsible. (See "The Fortress of Nazir al-Azrad" for details.)
Qal'at Grounds
1. Entrance. An open archway leads
into the courtyard surrounding the
twin-towered palace. Above the archway, a chiseled message reads:

"Let it be known that this qal'at and

the court of Sultan Firouz al-Algarin
are cursed by the wizard Nazir alAzrad, whose anger is mighty and
whose vengeance is eternal:'
PCs who make a successful Intelligence check at -10 may have heard
something about Nazir. However, all
they know is that he was a mage of
awesome power and evil reputation who
was rumored to live in the remote interior of Algarin about five centuries ago.
In contrast, the legacy of the sultan's
rule is common knowledge to those who
live in this part of the world. Firouz and
his ancestors ruled Algarin for hundreds of years. Centuries ago, Algarin
was a vast, seemingly endless stretch of
land that incorporated the territories
now referred to as Sasan and Samarkand. Its vastness has diminished with
the passage of time.
2. Courtyard.
You find yourselves in a courtyard of
baked earth that, unlike the land
outside, is streaked with sand.
Ahead, double doors of tarnished
copper stand ajar. Between the archway and the doors is a dried-up fountain. A stone sculpture of thrashing,
open-mouthed water elementals
forms its centerpiece. Barren gardens

DUNGEON

31

THEOBJECTOF DESIRE

Qal'at Gr ou n d s
1 sq ua re 20 '

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fill the open areas inside the walls.

Inside the wall , at the southwest

comer, st a nds a group of worn sto ne
sta tues: three men in fighting st a nce
and one who ha s fallen to his knee s
in prayer. 'Ib the right. near the base
of the wall, lie s the broken st at ue of

a man with his left arm outstretched.

The statues are the petrified remains
of adventurers who ca me here many

years ago and encountered the beholder.

The stone ha s been eroded by the elements, and the victims cannot be restor ed by any means short of a wi8h.
The three fighte rs wore studded lea th-

er armor, tunics, baggy pants, and turbans. They bore sh ields and brandished
sci m it ars. (On e of the weapons has

snapped off at the hilt.) The kneeling

figure wa s a cleric. petrified in the act
of call ing for divine intervent ion that
never came. By his side. half buried in
the sand. is a wooden staffof str iking
(21 ch arges). The cleric dropped the staff
before he was petrified. Because of its
magical nature, the staff ha s not deca yed over the years. The broken man
in the southeast corn er was a thief who

32 Issue No, 50

was trying to cli mb over the wall wh en

the beholder caught him.
3. C u rsed Fou ntain. Th is founta in
was once the site of a spring that trrtgated the palace and the surrounding
lands. However, Nazir wedged a ma gi cal black gem (marked with the sigtl of
a glowing white flame ) into t he neck of
the fountain to curse the spring. The
fountain is now a magical tra p. If anyone comes within 30' of it , re ad or paraphrase the follow ing to the players:
AB you cross the courtyard, sand explodes from the mouths of the strange
creatures that make up its centerpiece.
The sand billows into the air and covers the courtyard instantly, Before the
grit has settled, three humanoidshaped mounds of sand with crude
features rise up to attack.
These are desert ghosts. Despite their
name, these elemental creatures are not
undead and cannot be turned by a cleric .
Although they inflict 5d8 hp electrical
damage per successful attack, desert
ghosts also lose I d4 hp every time they
successfully strike a target (12 hp if the

victim makes the saving thro w). On a roU

of 19 or 20, the desert ghost blinds its
victim (-4 to hit ; + 4 AC penalty; save
ve. dragon breath indicates the PC a voided the blinding dust). Th e victim re mai ns
blinded until the send is washed out .
Desert ghosts are immune to sleep,
charm, and !wid spells. They are harmed
by only metal weapon s, althou gh PCs
attacking with metal melee weapons
suffer 13 hp electrical damage per suecessful attack. Metal-tipped missile wea pons infl ict only half damage on the desert
ghosts, but cause no electrical damage to
the user. The creatures are impervious to
normal fire , suffer minimum damage
from magical fire (l hpldie ), but suffer Id8
hp damage per flask of wate r. Electrical
attacks actually increase their hit points
by the am ount of damage that the attack
would have inflicted , but reg ardl ess of the
electrical " inte nsity:' they cannot exceed
their maximum allotted hit points.
Dese rt gh osts (3): AC 3; HD 5 " (L);
hp 28, 25. 23; MV 120' (40'); 'AT 1
tou ch; Dmg 5d8 (IdS per HD; ha lf if
save va. spells is success ful); Save F5 ;
ML 10; TNT 5; AL N ; XP 425 ; Ce128.
u the party can remove the gem that
curses the spring, the desert ghosts disaipate. The gem (worth 500 gp) can easil y
be seen down any of th e sculpture's
mouths. It can be dislodged with a suecessful remove-traps roll, a remcoe curse,
or a knock spell. The gem has no magical
properties if removed from the fountain.
Destroyin g th e fountain by smashi ng it
with magical weapons will also end the
curse. Pure water bubb les up from the
spring as soon as the curse is lifted .
Q al ' at I nte rio r
4. E ntrance .
The tarnished copper doors open onto
an unlit passage, at the end of which
you can see a white glow diffused by
a fil igree scree n of geometri c patter ns woven in fine sil ver wire . Th e
de licate screen appears to be un to uched by the decay that pervades
the exterior ofthe structure.
As you approach, you see that t he
screen curves to the left and right ,
with a dim corridor running along the
perimeter. Arched doors are set into
the scree n just opposite the entrance
passage. By peering through the fine
lacelike wire pattern, you can see that
the screen encloses a richly appointed
circular room.

THE OBJECT OF DESIRE

Except for the double doors, the beholder's t hro ne room (ar ea 5) is completely enclosed by the filigree screen.
Th is ornamental mes h of intertwined
silver wire blocks visi on except when
peered through from close u p; the
scree n cannot be parted or lifted without excessive force, and not wit hout
damaging it. The corridor th at encircles
t he central cha mber allo ws access to the
t win t owers. The bronze door s leading
to the towers are u nloc ked.
If t he party ma kes noise in th e circula r h a llway, the occupant ofthe center
room will dism iss the disturbance as
being caused by the gremlins in the
k itchen . (See ar ea 7 of the qal'at.) If the
n oise is excess ive , t he a nnoyed sultan
may investigate (50% chance),
5, Throne Room, Behind t he door
and screen lies the sultan's throne
room . The door in t he scree n has a fancy
sil ver lock that is currently secured. As
soon as the PCs get close enough to see
t hrough t he filigree, read or pa ra phrase
the followin g to the players:
Your eyes are immediately drawn to
the huge spherical monster currently
resting on an enormous pillow near
the cente r ofthe room. A beautiful
woman whom you've never seen before
gently pats its brow with a damp cloth
and feeds it figs from a large seashell.
The monste r's central eye is closed
tightly. It appears to be rapt in pleasure as rivulets of water trickle down
ita bulbous hide. Its other 10 eyes,
each affixed to a ru bbery stalk, stare
toward a gilded cage in which Pr incess
Yasmin languishes.
The floor of the room is covered
with sil k cushions a nd pillows. Near
t he ea ste rn wa ll, a h uge golden goblet sits atop a small circular ta ble . A
large glowing crystal suspended on a
chain fro m the ceili ng illuminates
t~e room, two keys-o ne gold, one
Silver- hang from this crystal. A
5'-dia meter circu lar hole is visible in
the ceiling, 30 ' above. A lar ge gilt fra med mirror is fixed to t he far wall.
The monst er is Sultan Firouz aIAlgarin, the beholder. His mirror of
desire h an gs on the north wall behind
hi m. (Only th e sultan can use this magi cal ite m; see the sidebar for details.)
Th e seashell is a horn ofplenty from
wh ich F trouz and his wives feed . It is
capa ble of producing food and dr ink for

The Qal'at of
F irou z al-Algarin
1 square "" 10'

Fourth
Level
N

.-

Third
Level

Second
Level
9

Gr ou n d
Level
10

Basement
20 people a day. The glowi ng crystal
(l00 gp :--alue) has a continual ligh t spell
cast on It. The golden key ha nging from
the crystal opens Yasm in's gilded ca ge.
Th e silver key opens t he filigree door t o
the room. Th e goblet resting on th e
sultan's ta ble iewortb 2,500 gp o
Before the PCs declare the ir actions
for t he round, read or pa raphrase the
following to the player s:
The monster speaks to Pr incess Yaamin wh ile glancing mou rnfully towa r d t he woman standing dutifully

by his side. "Princess Yasm in, look

upon my devoted wife, who has been
faithful to me these past five years.
Now, unh appily, she h as betrayed me:'
Th e woman serving him frowns in
bewilderment and ask s, " How ha ve I
offended you, my beloved ?"
Without hesitation, the st a lk over
hi s centra l eye gazes toward her.
" You ar e no longer the fairest in t he
la nd." With that, a violet beam
shoots forth from t he small eye and
she is t urned t o sto ne. The beast

DUNGEON

33

THE OBJECT OF DESIRE

sighs deeply and rotates to face Yasmin, opening his large central eye
and saying, "Tomorrow at sunrise
you shall be my new bride:' A mome~t later, another eye nonchalantly
emits a blue beam that levitates the
statue of the beholder's former beloved through the hole in the ceiling.
If the PCs seem prepared to charge to
Yasmin's rescue, insert the following
encounter just before the party does
something rash:

The Mirror of Desire

This 15 /-tall, 10 '-wide silver mirror
set in a gilt frame radiates strong
alteration and divination magic.
Only the mirror's rightful owner can
activate its magical properties; anyone else looking into the mirror sees
a normal reflection. Ownership cannot be stolen, it must granted. If the
previous owner dies without bequeathing the mirror to another, it
loses all enchantment.
The mirror was originally created
by a djinni pasha as a wedding gift
for o~e of Sultan Firouz's ancestors,
and It has been passed down through
the family ever since. Even when he
is restored to his true form, Firouz
will not give away the mirror of
desire. It is an heirloom he holds in
trust for his children and his children's children.
Once per day the mirror allows its
owner to view his heart's desire. This
cannot be just a whim but the one
particular thing he wants for himself
more than anything else in the
world. Depending on the individual
this could be anything from fabulou's
riches to true love. By stepping into
the mirror, the owner and up to 10
others, if he so wishes, will be transported as a ball of light at incredible
speed (MV 540 ') to the object of desire. The mirror will also transport
them back, but only if they successfully obtain their goal. Thus, there is
some risk involved as the travelers
will not necessarily know where they
are, what guards the object, or how
to attain it. Merely being in the
presence of your heart's desire does
not guarantee getting it, as Firouz
well knows.

34 Issue No. 50

Suddenly, an apparition of a thin,

stoop-shouldered man steps out of the
wall in front of you, barring your path
into the beholder's chamber. The ghost
beckons soundlessly with ink-stained
fingers and backs along the east corridor, motioning for you to follow.
This is the ghost of the sultan's scribe,
Khalid bin Varzakh. Khalid is mute and
can beckon and signal with his hands
only. Being Lawful, the ghost does not
attack but tries to lure the party to the
library (area 12 of the qal'at) to show
them how they can save his master. If
the PCs try to attack the beholder Khalid's ghost appears right in front of
them and shouts a soundless "NO!"
while waving its arms. If the PCs persist in their combative actions or refuse
to follow him, Khalid attempts to possess a PC and force the party to the
library. The ghost will not attempt to
age anyone but might paralyze PCs who
behave aggressively.
When he thinks the party will follow
~halid enters the east tower, disappea;mg through the doorway down the corridor. He ascends the stairs to the library
and leads the PCs to the book on the
desk, which he points at until they
decipher its contents.
Khalid bin Vanakh, ghost: AC -2;
HD 14**** 00; hp 70; MY 90' (30'); NM
1 touch/1 gaze; Dmg age 1d4 x 10 years!
paralysis (paralysis lasts 2-8 rounds);
Save M14; ML 10; !NT 14; AL L; XP
?,500; RC/182 (Haunt, ghost). The ghost is
immune to attack from + 1 or lesser
weapons and is immune to all spells.
If the PCs ignore the ghost and attack
the beholder, Firouz retaliates with what
in beholder terms, is some restraint.
'
Firouz initially tries to slow them all
telekinesing any PCs who are not aff~.
He flies out of melee range and uses his
flesh to stone rayon the first person to
hurt him seriously. Firouz is feeling generous because he is to be married and
wishes to have guests. If all else fails, he
attempts to charm the PCs to prevent
them from attacking him again.
Firouz has already charmed Princess
Yasmin. If the PCs try to rescue her, she
rushes to the beholder and wraps her
arms around the sultan, claiming that
she loves him. The beholder's charm and
other eye effects are cast at 20th level.
Sultan Firouz al-Algarin (beholder):
AC 0 (body), 2 (central eye), 7 (eye

stalks); HD 11***** (M); hp 50 (body),

20 (central eye), 12 (eye stalk); MV 30'
(10'); NAT 1 bite plus special; Dmg 2d8
plus special; Save M11; ML 12; INT 16;
AL C; XP 5,100; RC/160.
6. Connecting Corridors. These two
short corridors are set off with doors at
either end. A door in the east wall of
each corridor leads to spiral stairs going
down and up. Khalid's ghost leads the
party up to the library on the second
floor of the east tower (area 12 of the
qal'at), As t~e PCs approach the stairs,
they hear VOIces from below.
Basement

7. Kitchen. A pack of 10 gremlins

took up residence in the basement many
years ago, and the beholder tolerates
them as servants. Their leader is a
shaman (a clerical spellcaster) but is not
expecting combat and has not memorized any offensive spells. The gremlins
usually live off scraps from the horn of
plenty (see area 5 ofthe qal'at) but
sometimes forage outside. At the moment, they are trying to make a wedding c?,ke. The shaman, who is the only
gre~lm who can read even slightly, is
reCItIng the recipe from a large book.
As you near the bottom of the steps,
you can hear a scratchy voice speaking very slowly in faltering Common.
"Add dah mel-ted ingrudants... dah
dates ... eggs ... jin-jur ... an' beat
well." This is followed by a series of
dull thuds and ill-tempered snarls,
then, "No! Cake! Cake!"
You peer around the bottom of the
stairs and see a scene of utter chaos.
Ten small green-skinned humanoids
are milling around a large kitchen.
One of them is standing on a stool in
the middle of the room, reading from
a large open book and waving a ladle
around like a wand. Several more of
the creatures are stirring a large pot
on a table while others are whacking
each other with wooden spoons. A fat
one sits in a corner, stuffing his face
with figs from a bowl, a bottle of red
wine by his side. All of the creatures
are plastered in sticky brown goo.
"Not dee wine!" screeches the one on
the stool as he hurls his ladle, hitting
the fat one between the eyes and making him spit out a shower of figs.
"Dat's fur dah Eye-ball's weddin'!"

THE OBJECT OF DESIRE

The grem li ns will not attack 8 wellarmed party, preferring to back away
from a fight unless they outnumber the
PCs by three to one. They are rather
irritable and insolent, and are not above
hurling cake batter at PCs who provoke
them. If chased from the kitchen, they
cover their escape by throwing lumps of
batter and cooking ute nsil s.
The gremlins can eas ily be bribed
with food or treasure, or fooled into
thinking the PCs are guests of the beholder. Speaking in stil ted Common. the
shaman can provide accurate information about what lies in the west tower
and the ma in building. The gremlins
have never been in th e sultan's bedroom
(area 18 of the qal'at } because of " da b
metal man" (iro n living statue), No r
have they entered t he east tower, becau se t hey are scared of " dab eee-thru
man" (Kha lid's ghosl).
The only ex its from the kitchen a re
the ea et and west stairwe lls. a door in
t he south wall that leads to t he eerva nts' quarters (area 8 of t he qe l'et),
a nd a door in the north wa ll that leads
to th e larder (area 9).
Abu. gremlin s bama n : AC 7; HD
It. t t (5); Shaman4 ; hp 11; M V 120'
(40'); 'AT special; DIng special or by
spell type ; SA ch aot ic au ra ; Save E1;
ML 12; !NT 9; AL C; XP 275; RCJ18l.
Spells: CUrt! ligh t wo undl, ligh t, hold
pe rson.
Gremlins (9): HD It t (5 ); hp 4 ea ch;
IAT special; Dmg special ; Save EI ; XP
16; other statistics a s for Abu . None of
these gremlins can cast spells.

8. Servants' Quarters. The gre mlins

sleep here on old sacking a nd brok en
cote that are poorly mended with bite of
old rope . The narrow rectangular room
is very untidy, but th e gre mli ns clea n it
out regula rly -on the " Eye-ba ll's"
orden-IIO it does not smell too bad .
There is nothing of value here.
9. Larder:. This small pantry is lined
wit h shelves. most of whi ch are bare.
The lowest shelf holds a few sacks of
stale flour. dried fruit, salt, and coffee.

10. Refuse Pit. Continuing down the

east stairwell from the kitchen, the PCs
find the stairwell blocked by an unlocked
wooden door barred from thi s side. Beyond the door. the stairs cont in ue spiralling downward for 20', ending at a
4'-diameter, 10'-deep circular pit. The pit
oontains a green slime, the qal'at'a waste

disposal system. At one time the slime

was kept in check by regular burning, but
the gremlins have been less than diligent
in this task and the pit is no..... full of
slime. The stairs below the door are slippery with kitche n refuse thrown down by
th e gremlins, who are not keen on getting
near the slime.
Anyone not taking precautions (such
as moving slowly or securing a ro pe)
mu st make a Dexter ity check to avoid
sli pping down th e stairs into th e gree n
sli me. A rope handrail once made t he
stairs safe r and easier, but the gremlins
removed it long ago to mend their cots.
Green slime: AC can always be hit ;
HD 2" 0..); hp 14; MY 3' II '); ' AT I ; Dmg
special; Save F1; W. 7; INT 0; AL N; XP
30; RC/18l. Green slime cannot be
harmed by any aUackA except fire or cold.

East Tower
The party will be safe here as none of
th e qal' at's curren t inhabita nts ever
enter. The gr emlins are afraid ofthe
ghost, a nd the beholder is too big and
needs nothing from here any way.
II. Chapel.

Within this disused chapel are sev eral vases of deied-u p flowers. The
walls are decorated with faded. holy
writing. and on th e far side of the
room two gold rings rest on a cush ion
atop an altar. Dust a nd cobwebs are
everywhere.
The holy wri ting r ad iates a faint
magical aura . Th is is th e blessing re quired to mak e t he mag ical potion that
will restore the beholder's sa nity. (See
" The Story Unfold s," " Pre pari ng the
Potion;' and area 12 of the qa l'at for
details.) The chapel st ill holds the t wo
gold wedding r ings (500 gp each) intended for the sultan and Aurelia . PC clerics
may suspect that the room was set up
for a weddin g service, although no one
has ente red here for a very long t ime.
12. Library.
As you ente r this room lined with
bookshelves, your attention focuses
on a seated human skeleto n collapsed over a book on a large desk in
the middle of th e lib rary. Next to th e
sku ll, the sk eleton's bony hand rests
on an overt urned glass ink bottle. A
wide pa tch of ind igo has spr ead from

DUNGEON

35

THE OBJECT OF DESIRE

In sorrow I must relate herein the tale oj my master, Sultan 'Firouz al-7llgarin. flhis tale
began the night my master peereJ through his magical mirror anJ behelJ a woman oj such exquisite beauty that his heart 10ngeJ to be with her. flhrough the suiface oj the mirror he was transporteJ to her presence, traveling across the Vast, moonlit Jesert like a shooting star.
flhefair laJy :Jlurelia returneJ with 'Firouz that Very night. Her arrival brought much happiness anJ reverie to the sultan qal'at. 'Few were surpriseJ at the haste with which their marriage
was arrangeJ. HoweVer, the next Jay Juring their weJJing, all revetie was shattereJ with the
suJJen arrival oJ:Jlurelia father, Nazir al-:JlzraJ, who curseJ :Jlurelia for betraying him anJ
JamneJ 'Firouz for stealing his Jaughter. In his rage, Nazir useJ his magical stqf{ to tran.{[orm
the sultan into an eleven-eyeJ monster anJ slew the holy cleric about to marry the couple. 'Finally he turneJ upon his Jaughter anJ changeJ her into a statue oj purest unliving crystal. With
blinJing Jury he vanisheJ, taking his Jaughter from the sultan sight forever.
My master was Jriven maJ by the shock oj his own tran.{[ormation anJ beholJing that oj his
beloveJ. His memories were jarreJ from him, anJ he useJ the fearsome powers oj his eyes to
Jestroy all who stooJ before him. flhe court became an empty reflection oj its former self, leaving
'Firouz as 10rJ oj nothing.
When the Jestruction enJeJ, he turneJ his eyes to the magnificent mirror, anJ a beautiful
woman from a nomaJic tribe was shown to him. :Jl prisoner oj his own feelings oj loss anJ regret,
he useJ his mirror to capture her anJ charmeJ her with his power. He kept her as his wife until
her looks were surpasseJ by another, at which time he immortalizeJ the nomaJ woman remaining
beauty in stone.
flhus I fear the centuries will pass as the sultan tires oj his concubines, petrifies them, anJ
takes new ones. 'But as his hall fills with statues, his heart will grow lonelier. Now, oj all his
true frjenJs, only I, his scribe, remain. I hiJe in my library where the sultan never Ventures anJ
have spent my time searching for some remeJy for his curse nchantment. I believe a cure is
possible, though I myself am unable t ect it, . e the pone s re be
the ceremony be
y abilities.
flhe cure re

flhe e
this i

the vial over the right-hand page of

the tome. The ghostly man who confronted you earlier stands over the
desk and points to the book.
The ghost is Khalid, and the book
contains the scribe's account of the
events involving Sultan Firouz's transformation. The scribe managed to remain at the court covertly, as the
beholder rarely left his throne room.
Through his researches in the library,
Khalid managed to discover the recipe
for a magical potion that might undo
the sultan's curse. However, he did not

36 Issue No. 50

realize that the potion would restore

only the sultan's mind and not his form.
From Khalid's notes, the PCs may make
the same mistake.
The potion is made by placing the
pearl from Firouz's chain of office (located in the sultan's bedroom, area 18 of
the qal'at) in a golden goblet like the
one found in the scribe's bedroom (area
14). The goblet must be filled with water taken directly from its source (like
the water from the cursed courtyard
fountain in area 3 of the qal'at), Once
the goblet has been filled and the pearl
added, a cleric must recite the holy

blessing written on the chapel walls

(area 11 of the qal'at) to complete the
ceremony.
Because Khalid was not a cleric, he
could not complete the ceremony himself, which is why he recorded the correct
procedure in his ledger. Unfortunately,
he died of old age just as he completed
his task, spilling an ink bottle over the
last page as he collapsed on his desk. In
his anguish at this final blunder, he
refused to pass on and has haunted the
qal'at ever since.
The DM should photocopy the page of
Khalid's book reproduced here, and
hand it to the players when the PCs
examine the tome.
The drawer in the desk is locked. If
the PCs manage to open it, they find
some blank, yellowed vellum; a small
box of sand; another box containing a
fine white powder (chalk); a stylus; a
magnifying glass with an ivory handle
(worth 100 gp); and a silver skull cap.
The skull cap is a magical helm of reading (Re, page 240).
If the PCs spread chalk over the inkstained page, then blow the excess
away, some of the chalk will remain in
the stylus indentations, allowing the
PCs to read the ruined script. The obscured text reads as follows:
The cure requires the following
ingredients:
The pearl from the sultan's chain
of office. I believe this is still in his
bedchamber, where it is guarded by
the iron statue.
Pure water. The evil wizard Nazir
al-Azrad has cursed the fountain in
the courtyard so it now produces only
sand. I do not know how to repair the
fountain and have to collect dew in a
copper dish for myself.
A golden goblet in which the
water and pearl must be placed.
The blessing on the walls of the
chapel must be read over the goblet
and ingredients by a holy cleric. If
this is done correctly, the pearl
should dissolve completely into the
water.
The potion must be administered to
the sultan. Although I do not know
how he can be persuaded to drink it,
the elixir may be removed from the
goblet and placed in some less obvious container without affecting its
potency.

THE OBJECT OF DESIRE

Once the PCs have read the complete

text, Khalid's ghost fades away.
There are no magical tomes anywhere
on the shelves. The books are all accounts of court proceedings, inventories,
and tax returns. However, one of the
early entries in a red volume labeled
Royal Acquisitions states that the fountain in the courtyard was erected above
an underground spring of pure water. A
later entry contains a description of the
iron living statue constructed to guard
the sultan's quarters (see area 17 of the
qal'at), as well as the procedure for
building others of its kind. Such information may be worth something to a
wizard or sage in Sasan or Samarkand.
PCs searching Khalid's skeleton will
find a key that opens both of the chests
in area 14 of the qal'at.
13. Guest Bedroom.
You enter what was obviously a bedroom. It contains a canopied bed, an
ornate dresser, and a large wardrobe.
The once-fine silk draperies are faded
and decayed. Dust covers the floor.
Aurelia stayed here for a few hours
before her ill-fated wedding to Firouz.
The wardrobe contains a dusty but
unfaded purple silk dress studded with
amethysts and moonstones (worth 8,000
gp), which Aurelia had been wearing
the night she eloped with Firouz.
14. Bedroom.
A room crowded with furniture lies at
the top of the spiral stairs. There
doesn't seem to be enough room for the
two low beds, two padlocked chests, a
worn desk, two chairs, and shelves
cluttered with dusty bottles, a chess
set, vases, and a tarnished silver oil
lamp. Everything is dusty and faded.
This is the chamber shared centuries
ago by Khalid the scribe and Abdallah,
the sultan's cleric (who was killed by
Nazir during Firouz and Aurelia's wedding ceremony). Two of the bottles still
contain oil for the lamp, but the rest are
empty. The key to both chests can be
found in area 12 of the qal'at.
The scribe's chest holds a robe, paper,
quills, and a small brass key that opens
the desk drawer in area 12. The cleric's
chest contains vestments, candles, flint
and steel, a golden goblet (worth 1,000
gp; one of the items needed to prepare

the beholder's sanity potion), and a

bottle with a 2" -long metal crescent tied
to its stopper with string. (See area 17
of the qal'at for details.) The bottle
contains a potion of super-healing.
West Tower
15. Reception Room.
This room looks as though it has
been looted. The dozen tattered and
broken chairs that are left are faded
and covered in cobwebs and dust.
There is nothing of value in this room.
The gremlins have taken (and probably
broken) everything else.
16. Bedroom. This room also shows
signs of looting. There is a bare bedstead
and an unlocked, empty chest. Everything is strewn with cobwebs and dust.
17. Firouz's Living Quarters. The
spiral stairs do not reach the top of the
west tower but stop at the third floor.
Read or paraphrase the following to the
players:
The spiral stairs end here, opening
onto the small foyer of a once lavishly appointed living room. Another
doorway can be seen at the far side of
the room, but in front of it stands an
8'-tall iron statue, its arms crossed
menacingly.
The thick dust that covers everything suggests that the room has not
been used for years. A dining table is
flanked by two ornate wooden chairs
with faded cushions. A fine carpet
covers the floor beneath the table
and a divan whose original color can
no longer be determined.
The statue is an iron living statue. If
the PCs approach the statue, it puts out
a hand to stop them. PCs standing within 10' of the statue can notice a 2" -long
crescent-shaped indentation in its forehead, the only mark on its otherwise
perfectly smooth body. A PC who obtained the metal crescent from area 14
of the qal'at can approach the statue
and place the crescent into the statue's
forehead. This causes the statue to step
aside and allow that person (and no one
else) to pass through the doorway safely.
The statue attacks only if someone
comes within 5' (except any PC in possession of the metal crescent). Determined adventurers can reach the next
level by scaling the outside of the tower,

although they must circumvent the bars

on the bedroom window to enter area 18
of the qal'at. The statue's only task is to
guard the doorway.
The doorway opens onto a narrow flight
of stairs that curls up to a locked door.
Iron living statue: AC 2; HD 4 * (L);
hp 28; MV 30' (10'); NAT 2; Dmg Id8/
Id8; Save F4; ML 11; INT 7; AL N; XP
125; RC/208.
18. Royal Bedroom. The lock on the
door leading to the sultan's bedroom
may be picked with normal chance of
success. A knock spell will also permit
entry. If the PCs manage to see inside
the room, read or paraphrase the following to the players:
Although this room is also covered in
dust, you can tell that it was once the
master bedroom. A wardrobe of dark
mahogany stands beside a large bed
draped with a faded but fine-quality
silk cover. A small table with a chair
beside it stands beneath a barred
window overlooking the parched
gardens. Lying on the table are a
jeweled short sword and a golden
chain from which hangs a crescent
amulet inset with a pearl.
The amulet is Sultan Firouz's chain of
office. The pearl is needed to make the
potion to restore the sultan's mind. The
sword is a short sword +2. PCs searching the wardrobe find nothing but faded
and fragile silk robes, baggy pants, and
long strips of cloth (turbans).
Attic
19. Harem. The old harem occupies the
top floor of the main building. The beholder now uses this area to store the statues
of his former wives. A hole in the floor
(disintegrated by the beholder) drops 30'
to the throne room below. A locked secret
door gives access to the harem from the
sultan's living quarters on the third floor
of the west tower (area 17 of the qal'atr If
the PCs enter, read or paraphrase the
following to the players:
You see a large, unlit, circular room
with no windows. The floor and
walls are decorated with striking
geometric mosaics. There is no furniture, just rows of statues of beautiful women. In the southeast corner
of the floor, a gaping hole opens to
the throne room below.

DUNGEON

37

THE OBJECT OF DESIRE

If the PCs look through the hole, they

see the beholder Firouz gazing lovingly
at Princess Yasmin,
There are 15 statues in this chamber.
Stone to flesh spells may be used to
restore these women to life. If such
magic is beyond the party's ability, the
only way to restore the women is to
undo Nazir's magic and reunite the
sultan and his betrothed. (See "Concluding the Adventure" for details.)

Preparing the Potion

Firouz's transformation was accomplished
using Nazir's staff and is treated as a
36th-level spell. The potion is specifically
tailored to cure Firouz's curse and is far
more potent than a generic dispel magic
spell. The potion is guaranteed to restore
the sultan's sanity if correctly prepared
and administered.
Once the PCs have collected the
proper ingredients, they must prepare
the potion. First they must put fresh
water into the golden goblet, then add
the pearl from the sultan's chain of
office. A cleric must then read the blessing from the chapel while holding the
cup. As the cleric intones the blessing,
the pearl will dissolve. The ritual takes
one turn to complete.
Once the ritual is concluded, the party
must find a way to get the beholder to
drink the potion. He must swallow at
least half the elixir for it to be effective.
This can be achieved by diluting the
bottle of wine in the kitchen with the
potion. The gremlins can easily be distracted while this is done; they will not
place a guard in the kitchen while they
are asleep unless the party has been
persistently aggressive toward them.
The Wedding
The beholder never sleeps. He spends
the entire night gazing at Princess
Yasmin. The gremlins wake up just
before dawn and carry their sorrylooking cake upstairs, along with the
bottle of wine. When the gremlins reach
the throne room, they shuffle in and
place the cake and wine down before the
beholder. If the sultan was previously
aware of the PCs, he expects them to
attend as guests.
Abu, the gremlin shaman, is to conduct the wedding ceremony. He thinks
it would be better to give the "Eyeball" a drink of wine first to keep him
in a good mood and make him more
likely to forgive Abu for mistakes.

38 Issue No. 50

The shaman commands one of the

other gremlins to pour the wine. As
the PCs watch, read or paraphrase the
following to the players:
One of the beholder's servants shakily pours the bottle of wine into the
huge golden goblet on the table. The
beholder turns to Yasmin as a beam
of bluish light shoots from one eye
and strikes the gold key hanging
from the light crystal. She gazes at
him adoringly as he levitates the
gold key from the crystal and unlocks her cage. Yasmin steps out and
rushes to him, throwing her arms
around him lovingly.
"A toast to us:' he proclaims, levitating the golden goblet to his monstrous lips and drinking deeply. The
beholder blinks rapidly, wobbles up
and down, and whirls uncontrollably
before landing heavily on a large
cushion.
When he comes to rest, the sultan's
mind has been restored to sanity but his
body remains unchanged. The effect of
the potion lasts long enough to cushion
his mind against the shock of realizing
what he has become and done. He feels
extreme remorse for his actions and is
now quite embarrassed by the attentions of Princess Yasmin, who still
clings to him adoringly.
Firouz thanks the party for restoring
his mind but confesses that he cannot
free Princess Yasmin from his charm,
nor can he transform his petrified wives
to flesh. He has forgotten how to use his
eye-beams, and his ability to fly is erratic. Firouz could never bring himself to
strike Yasmin (which would dispel the
charm), but for the moment her affections are far from troublesome. Firouz is
more concerned about the fate of his
beloved Aurelia.
The party can try to free Yasmin from
the effects of the beholder's 20th-level
charm using a dispel magic spell. If
they succeed, Princess Yasmin realizes
what has happened but feels sad for the
cursed sultan. An incurable romantic,
she is eager to see Firouz restored to
human form and reunited with his longlost love. If the PCs are unable to free
Yasmin and suggest that the beholder
attack the princess to break the charm,
Firouz opens his mouth widely, revealing massive teeth, and points out that a
single bite could kill her.

Ending the Curse

Firouz asks the PCs to help him save

Princess Aurelia from her evil father
and to find some way to undo Nazir's
curse. The beholder can elaborate on
the information that the PCs gained
from the scribe's notes and tell them a
little more about Nazir al-Azrad. He

knows nothing of Nazir's past except

that Aurelia feared him, and that he
lived in a rock fortress deep in the desert of Algarin. He insists that Aurelia is
not evil like her father. Any hope of
rescuing her hinges on the PCs' exploration of Nazir's lair. Firouz does not
know whether or not Nazir is still alive,
but he suspects that the evil sorcerer
has found some way to prolong his life.
Firouz can transport himself and the
PCs to Nazir's lair using his mirror of
desire, although the PCs cannot use the
mirror without him. He cautions the
party that the mirror will return them
only if he attains his heart's desire (the
fair Aurelia). He is anxious to set out
but does not mind waiting until the PCs
are fully prepared before they embark.
He will permit them to borrow whatever items they might find useful from
his qal'at.
When the PCs are ready and Firouz
looks through his mirror, they see only
a vast rock surrounded by sand. Firouz
tells them that the fortress lies within
the rock and presumes that Nazir must
have hidden the interior from scrying
since the elopement.

The Fortress of Nazir ol-Azrod

Centuries ago, the sorcerer Nazir alAzrad was a philosopher seeking wisdom
in the desert. There he found a colossal
rock of unnatural stone. While sheltering
in a deep cave in the rock, he discovered a
mass of magical crystals formed around a
single brilliant white flame. He studied
the White Flame for many days until he
determined that, although it radiated no
heat, it was kept burning by the power of
the crystals.
It was this strange relationship between the crystals and the White Flame
that became the basis of his power. (For
more information on this relationship,
see area 17 of the fortress.) Nazir found
that if he entered the Flame and bathed
in its brilliant light, any cut or bruise
he had taken was cured. Indeed, the
White Flame seemed to cure even the
ravages of time. After a while the
Flame grew dim, and Nazir had to find

THE OBJECT OF DESIRE

.~

some way to replenish the crystals. He

had learned that the crystals contained
the essence of life itself. If he found a
way to renew that essence, he would be
immortal. Thus Nazir began his descent
into evil and the mysteries of the
Flame. In time, he came to view all life
as less important than his own, and he
began to think of innocents as mere
receptacles of life essence to be fed to
the Flame.
Later, he invited a few evil outlaws to
become his personal guard and share
the benefits of the Flame as a reward.
He promised them a chance to get reo
venge against a society that had rejected them. They willingly murdered,
abducted, and stole, secure in the
knowledge that as long as they returned
to bathe in the Flame, they would be
immortal. Th ensure the outlaws' loyalty, Nazir planted a magical peach tree
that bore addictive fruit and made sure
his guards ate their fill. (See area 3 of
the fortress for details.)
Arrival at Nazir's Fortress

!II.
~

!/

You step through the mirror and

emerge into searing desert heat.
Directly in front of you is a vast and
strangely smooth black rock about
one mile across and half a mile high.
In every other direction, sand dunes
stretch to mountains on the distant
horizon.
Embedded in the rock directly in front
of the party is a narrow opening disguised as solid rock by a hallucinatory
terrain spell. Firouz remembers that
there used to be an entrance through a
crevice in the rock, but he cannot see it
now or remember exactly where it was.
If they walk directly up to the rock
and examine it by touch, the PCs can
find the passage easily. The rock is over
three miles around, but the party will
find no other entrance at ground level
and no tracks but their own. If the PCs
are really stuck, Firouz might accidentally focus his anti-magic rayon the
area concealed by the hallucinatory
terrain spell while practicing with his
eyes.
The passage through the rock is far
too narrow for the beholder to enter.
Firouz chooses instead to levitate over
the rock. He recalls that Nazir has an
observatory at the top of his fortress
and believes that he will be able to
enter there. However, he is still too

unsure of his powers to risk carrying

anyone with him. If the PCs insist,
Firouz will try to lift someone, but he is
not strong enough to fly with a passenger. If the PCs ask the beholder to use
his eye-beams, Firouz makes an earnest
attempt, but the results are less than
successful. He accidentally slows people
and disintegrates nonliving objects (not
peoplel), Now that Firouz has been
restored to his human mind, he has
truly forgotten how his beholder powers
operate. The PCs must either scale the
rock themselves (with a 50% penalty to
their climb-walls and mountaineering
checks due to the rock's smoothness) or
venture into the tunnel.
1. Rock Entrance.
The passage is narrow, dark, echoing, and cramped. Although it seems
to be hewn from a natural fissure,
the floor is suspiciously smooth and
straight. Several feet into the crevice, the path is interrupted by a deep
pit.
At the rock face, the crevice is 18"
wide. Fourteen feet into the tunnel, the
floor drops away abruptly to a 15'-deep
pit. The pit replaces 25' of the tunnel
floor in a wide arc, preventing the party
from jumping across. The PCs can brace
themselves between the walls, edging
their way across the pit with a successful Dexterity check. The pit was dug
here to prevent animals from wandering into the fortress, as evidenced by
the carcass of a lizard lying at the
bottom.
Nazir has not sealed off this tunnel in
case he needs an emergency exit. Beyond the pit, the tunnel widens to 5'. It
twists and turns, sloping gently upward
for about half a mile to end at a locked
doorway.

chimera attacks for the duration of the

spell (three turns) or until it is killed. It
will not leave the room and does not
have enough room to fly.
The chimera cannot strike PCs pro'
tected by anti-magic shells or protection
from evil spells, although PCs protected
by the latter are still subject to its
ranged attack (breath weapon). The
chimera reappears each time the PCs
reenter this room, but it does not regain
lost hit points automatically. Once the
chimera is slain, Nazir must recast his
spell to prepare another guardian for
this chamber.
The copper door on the far side of the
room is unlocked and opens onto a set of
steps that rises to area 3.
Chimera: AC 4; HD 9** (L); hp 50;
MV 120' (40'); NAT 6 (2 claws/3 heads!
breath); Dmg Id3/1d3/2d4/1dlO/3d4/3d6;
Save F9; ML 9; INT 6; AL C; XP 2,300;
RC/164. The chimera can breathe fire
only three times per day (50% chance
per round of combat).
3. The Poison Garden. The steps
lead up 100' through a rough-hewn
tunnel and out into a huge garden concealed from above by a hallucinatory
terrain spell. Read or paraphrase the
following to the players:

Beyond the door is a 40' x 30' room

with a copper door on the far side.
The floor is a mosaic of red and yellow geometric patterns, and the bare
rock walls are as smooth as marble.

Youstep out of the tunnel and into a

huge, flourishing garden open to the
sky but surrounded on all sides by
rock. Exotic black flowers cling to
the arched entrance and fill the air
with spicy perfume. In the center of
the garden, a beautiful woman reo
clines at the base of a tall peach tree
laden with fruit. A path leads from
the stairway entrance to the tree,
and three other paths lead from the
tree to doors in the rock face.
The garden is alive with colors: red
poppies, purple foxflowers, dark blue
nightshade, and white hemlock.
Exotic scents with the underlying
tang of mold fill your nostrils. As you
look around, you spot the slithering
forms ofsmall snakes amid the folio
age. Two human gardeners stand on
the paths and lethargically tend the
plants using long hoes.

The floor is a magical trap. When

anyone not wearing one of Nazir's rings
of returning (see the sidebar on page 45)
steps into the room, he or she triggers a
create any monster spell that conjures a
chimera in the center of the room. The

The woman is a lamara named 'Iamarind who is using her powers of illusion
to make her snakelike lower body look
like a pair of human legs. She has
charmed the gardeners and serves Nazir because he has promised her immor-

2. Guardian Room.

DUNGEON

39

THE OBJECT OF DESIRE

tality. Any male PC looking at Tamarind must save vs. spells at - 2 or be

completely charmed. She commands
charmed PCs to stay with her and rest
while their compatriots continue to
explore. The lamara will attack the
party only in self-defense, if they damage her garden or snakes, or if they try
to take away anyone she has charmed.
If necessary, she directs her victims to
fight for her.
Tamarind speaks in a low, melodious
voice, asking the PCs why they have
come. She graciously offers them peaches from the tree, assuring the PCs that
the fruit is wholesome and thirst
quenching. She allays their suspicions
by taking a big bite out of one of the
peaches, knowing that she is immune to
the peaches' magical effect.
The peaches look inviting but are
dangerous. They taste delicious, but just
one bite requires a save vs. poison.
Failure to save slows the victim for 1-3
hours, after which the victim must
make a Wisdom check or desire more of
the fruit. Tamarind takes advantage of
this addiction, hoping the PCs will
return so she may attempt to charm
them again.
The exits from the garden lie at the
cardinal points of the compass. If the
PCs resist Tamarind's attempts to
charm them, she will try to trick them
by sending them through the north door
(on Nazir's instructions), hoping that
they will fall for the traps in area 14 of
the fortress.
Tamarind (lamara): AC 4; HD 8* (L);
hp 35; MV 120' (40'); IIAT 1 tail/illusion;
Dmg 3d8 (constriction damage each
round); Save M8; ML 9; INT 14; AL C;
XP 1,200; CC/67. Tamarind is immune
to normal weapons and to hold and
charm spells.
Adnan and Rashid (gardeners): AC
9; O-level humans; hp 4 each; MV 120'
(40'); IIAT 1 hoe; Dmg 1d4; Save Normal
Man; ML 6 (12 while charmed); INT 8;
ALN.
The gardeners were both captured by
Nazir's men and have been charmed by
Tamarind to tend her garden. They
know nothing important but will attack
the party if Tamarind orders them to.
The snakes of the garden also obey
Tamarind's commands, but Nazir has
enchanted the paths so that the cobras
do not stray onto them.
Each snake can spit a stream of venom up to 6' away; the victim must save
vs. poison or be blinded. Blindness is

40 Issue No. 50

permanent until a cure blindness spell

is cast or the venom is thoroughly washed out (with a successful healing skill
roll). Any PC who stumbles off the path
may be bitten (Dmg 1d3); the victim
must save vs. poison or die in 1-10
turns.
Spitting cobras (40): AC 7; HD 1*
(S); hp 3 each; MV 90' (30'); IIAT 1 bite
or 1 spit; Dmg 1d3 plus poison; Save F1;
ML 7; INT 2; AL N; XP 13; RC/204
(Snake).
4. Training Hall. Four stone steps
lead down to a large training hall. Positioned around the room are targets,
dummies, and a quintain (a crosspiece
on a post used for weapons training).
Stacked on one side of the room is a pile
of blunt wooden practice weapons. All of
the equipment is in good repair but
bears the marks of years of use.
Four doors lead out of this area, three
in the north wall and one in the south.
5. Armory. The door to this room is
locked. If the PCs enter, read or paraphrase the following to the players:
You see a small arsenal stacked with
weapons of all descriptions, and
various other pieces of equipment,
most of which look like training gear.
The weapons in the armory are short
swords, scimitars, jambiyas, and several
black blowpipes each inscribed with a
white flame. None of the equipment is
magical, although all of it is of good
quality. A pair of large padded metal
clamps lies atop a wheeled cart. This
equipment is used for moving the fragile crystals between areas 14 and 17 of
the fortress.
6. Laboratory. The door from the hall
is locked. If the PCs enter, read or paraphrase the following to the players:
A large stone slab occupies the center of this laboratory, the walls of
which are lined with shelves containing ingots of copper, iron, and lead as
well as various bottles, vials, tools,
and instruments. Upon the slab lies
the disassembled components of a
large metal monster.
The materials on the shelves can be
identified as equipment used for alchemy, metalworking, and stonecutting.
One of the bottles contains a potion of

invisibility. The rest hold various alchemical ingredients including corrosive acid (the exact effects of which are
left up to the DM).
The partially disassembled construct
on the slab is a mek that Nazir purchased from a contact who deals in
exotic goods. The wizard has been slowly disassembling the creature while
making notes on its construction. He
hopes to someday be able to create more
such monsters. In its current condition,
the mek is merely a 7' torso with arms.
Its chest lies open, revealing numerous
gears and wires connected to a piece of
clear crystal about the size of a hen's
egg.
Although it appears inert, the mek
tries to clutch at anyone who gets within arm's reach. Its breath weapon has
been deactivated, and it cannot move
faster than it can drag itself by its
arms. The mek can use only one arm to
attack, as it needs the other to balance
itself.
Incomplete mek: AC -4 (shell), 0
(exposed components); HD 6 (M); hp 30;
MV 12' (4'); IIAT 1; Dmg 1d6 x 10; Save
F13; ML 12; INT not ratable; AL L; XP
275; RC/192 (modified).
7. Forge. The door from the hall is
locked, but the door leading from area 6
is unlocked. Both doors are warm to the
touch. When the PCs open either door,
read or paraphrase the following to the
players:
Waves of heat assail you as you open
the door to a forge. Your attention is
drawn to a 10'-wide pit in the middle
of the floor, a pit that radiates a redhot glow. The pit is ringed with a
brass chain spiked to the floor. Above
the pit, a small crucible for metal
ingots is suspended from a winch.
The room is hot but bearable. The
temperature inside the pit, however, is
scorching. Anyone climbing into the pit
without protection from fire sustains
1d8 hp damage each round.
An efreeti named Myrage is magically
bound into the 20'-deep hole. He has
been forced by Nazir to serve as a forge
and is extremely angry about it. He sees
the party as a means of escape and will
offer information in exchange for his
freedom. Myrage knows the following:
Nazir imprisoned him here many
years ago and forces him to heat his
forge. The sorcerer is currently using

THE OBJECT OF DESIRE

the forge to construct replacement parts

for a strange machine. Nazir's disassembled mek is in the laboratory next door.
Nazir's power comes from a magical
white flame charged by crystals.
A band of ruthless men serves the
sorcerer. They all wear black rings with
white crystals that give them safe passage through Nazir's defenses.
'Ib free the efreeti, the PCs must
break the brass chain that binds him to
the pit. He cannot do this himself. A
descent sword blow is sufficient to cut
the chain.
Myrage will not fight Nazir directly,
because the mage has threatened to
trap him in a bottle and make him
serve for eternity. If the PCs try to bargain further with the efreeti (demanding wishes, for example), he pretends to
agree but breaks his word the instant
he is free. Myrage tells the PCs they are
lucky he does not incinerate them and
promptly returns to the elemental plane
of Fire.
Myrage, lesser efreeti: AC 3; HD
10* (L); hp 58; MV 90' (30'), fly 240'
(80'); NAT 1 fist; Dmg 2d8; Save F15;
ML 12; INT 14; AL C; XP 1,750; RCI
174. The efreeti's spell-like powers are
described fully in the Rules Cyclopedia.
8. Connecting Corridor. This corridor is lit by continual light stones embedded in the walls and has four
unlocked doors leading from it. The hall
is otherwise empty.
9. Dormitory. This room is lit by a
continual light stone in a wall bracket.
The large area contains several bunk
beds and chests filled with the personal
belongings of Nazir's men. Four men lie
on the bunks, having just eaten from a
bowl of peaches on a small table. A few
pits from consumed fruit lie on the floor.
The men are all addicted to the peaches and, having just eaten some, are
slowed. (See area 3 of the fortress for
details.) They ask the PCs who they are
and offer to share the peaches with
them. However, if they perceive that the
PCs are a threat to themselves or Nazir,
they will attack. Nazir's men are armed
with short swords and are each wearing
a magical black ring inset with a white
flame-shaped crystal.
Nazir's followers (4): AC 9; T7; hp 28
(Shakim), 26 (Elan), 25 (Pachi), 22 (Sahid); MV 120' (40') or 60' (20') while
slowed; NAT 1; Dmg by weapon type;
Save T7; ML 11; INT 9; AL C; XP 1,250;

42 Issue No. 50

ring of returning, short sword, blowgun,

10 poisoned needles (save vs. poison or
be paralyzed for 3d4 turns).
Thanks to frequent bathing in the
White Flame, these men are immune to
attacks with nonmagical weapons.
10. Mess Hall. The door opposite the
dormitory opens into a large room with
a long wooden table and 14 wooden
chairs. The symbol of a white flame
decorates the north wall.
11. Kitchen.
A young but haggard woman is
kneading bread. The room also contains a selection of dried and fresh
food, some cutlery and plates. The
woman looks up at you and screams,
running into a corner to cower.
The woman is a nomad called Sahra.
She was captured by Nazir's men last
year and works out of fear. Her scream,
though audible, does not attract the
attention of Nazir's men across the hall.
If the PCs calm her down, Sahra can
relate the following information:
Four of Nazir's followers are resting
in the dormitory. Nazir himself is in his
observatory. (Sahra can describe the
layout of Nazir's private quarters and
those of his men.)
Nazir and his followers are indestructible.
The crystal disk in the Chamber of
the Flame is used for magical transportation, but only Nazir can make it work.
Nazir himself insisted that she wear
a black ring set with a white crystal
flame at all times on pain of death. (She
does not know what it does but will
refuse to remove it for fear of Nazir's
retribution.)
Sahra's ring is one of Nazir's rings of
returning and allows her to get past the
crystal living statues (area 16 of the
fortress) to serve Nazir his meals. She is
too frightened to help the party actively
but can be coerced into making an escape from the complex.
Sahra al-Arazani: AC 9; O-level human; hp 2; MV 120' (40'); NAT 1; Dmg
by weapon type; Save Normal Man; ML
4; AL N; unarmed.
12. Bathroom. An unlocked door
leads to a rough-hewn stone chamber
with a wooden stool and a basin of clear
water. Two doors lead off to a tiled sauna and privy. Nothing here is valuable.

13. North Corridor. The doors from

the garden open into an unlit 20' -wide
corridor that leads to a stone door. Two
invisible stalkers are bound to this
corridor, stationed here to prevent prisoners from escaping. The stalkers have
been instructed to attack anyone not
wearing a ring of returning (see the
sidebar on page 45) who tries to leave
area 14 and return to the garden.
Invisible stalkers (2): AC 3; HD 8*
(M); hp 30, 27; MV 120' (40'); NAT 1
blow; Dmg 4d4; Save F8; ML 12; INT
11; AL N; XP 1,200; RC/187.lfthe PCs
cannot detect invisible things, the stalkers surprise them on a roll of 1-5 on Id6.
14. Trap Chamber. The door leading
back into area 13 is not visible from
inside this room; it is chiseled to blend
into the surrounding stone. Springs
built into the stonework close the door
automatically in one round unless the
portal is held open. Locating and opening the door again requires a successful
roll to detect secret doors.
Nazir has cast several illusions in this
chamber to fool intruders and lure them
into traps. When the PCs enter this
area for the first time, read the following to the players:
This 40' -square chamber is lit by
many small, brightly glowing crystal
shards suspended from the ceiling by
silver chains. Four arched doorways
stand in the east wall. One is ajar,
and through it you can see shelves of
books. Another door is covered by a
curtain of beads, the third has heavy
metal studs on it, and the fourth is
open to reveal a long tunnel with
light at the far end. A passage of
plain, unmarked stone leads down
several steps in the west wall.
The four arched doorways along the
east wall are illusions hiding four deep
alcoves. The illusions are:
Illusory room A: The half-open door
leads to a vast library with bookshelves
as high as the ceiling.
Illusory room B: This door is sturdy,
studded, and not locked. Beyond the
door, a 10' x 30' room holds a choice
selection of armor and weapons.
Illusory room C: In the 20'xl0' room
beyond the bead curtain, two women
can be seen: a swaying belly dancer
with her back to the door, and a woman
sitting cross-legged while playing a
stringed instrument.

THE OBJECT OF DESIRE

Illusory room D: Beyond the open

doorway lies a tunnel to the outside.
Light is visible at the far end.
None of the rooms beyond the arched
doorways actually exist. Only the passage that leads to area 15 is real.
When a PC enters an illusory room
the door disappears, trapping the adventurer within a hollow crystal. (The PC
passes through the outer shell of the
crystal via a special one-way passwall
spell created by Nazir.) Everyone outside the alcove can see the illusion drop,
replaced by another illusion of a solid
stone wall. PCs who successfully disbelieve the illusory stone wall can see
their comrade trapped within a 9'-high,
5'-wide crystal prison. Nauseating blue
gas fills the crystal in three rounds,
freezing the occupant in stasis. The
crystal prison (AC 5) can be broken by
10 hp damage from a single attack.
Each alcove contains its own crystal
prison. These are identical to the crystal
prisons found in area 17 of the fortress.
The crystal shards that illuminate
this chamber are real and have continuallight spells cast on them. There are
12 crystals, each worth 100 gpo The
silver chains from which these crystals
hang are worth 125 gp each.
15. Cell Block. This passage runs for
80' and is lined with narrow prison
cells. These are all empty unless the
DM wishes to detail occupants relevant
to further adventures. Nazir places
captives within these cells, where he
questions them until they outlive their
usefulness. He then unlocks their cell
doors and allows them to escape to the
trap chamber. There, the different illusions entice the former prisoners to trap
themselves within the crystal prisons,
which links their life force to the White
Flame. (See area 17 of the fortress.)
16. Guarded Corridor.
The doors open onto a 40'-long corridor with two pairs of crystal statues
facing each other along the walls.
The figures are finely depicted warriors with their arms folded across
their chests. Each hand holds a sharp
crystal scimitar. At the far end of the
corridor, an eerily lit vaulted chamber can be seen.
These four crystal living statues
guard the Chamber of the Flame (area
17). They have instructions to attack

Area 17
Side View

anyone in the corridor who is not wearing one of Nazir's rings of returning or
who is not escorted by at least two others wearing these rings.
Crystal living statues (4): AC 4; HD
3 (M); hp 15 each; MV 90' (30'); NAT 2;
Dmg 1d6/1d6 (fists) or 1d8/1d8 (crystal
scimitars); Save F3; ML 11; INT 7; AL
L; XP 35; RC/208.
17. Chamber of the Flame.
You stand just inside a huge, 100'wide octagonal room. The walls are
lined with row upon row of tall crystals, most of which seem to have
people trapped inside. Coiling around
the middle of the room, a spiral
metal ramp disappears up into darkness and down into a circular pit.
White light flickers from below and
is refracted around the chamber by a
10'-wide crystal disk suspended directly over the pit between four stone
walkways.
The metal ramp spirals upward to a
height of 100', going past nine levels of
crystal prisons (40 prisons per level,
except the first level, which has 35).
About two-thirds of the crystals are
occupied; the remainder are waiting to
be moved to area 14 of the fortress.
The crystal prisons contain people and
creatures captured by Nazir's followers.
While they are trapped, their life energy is gradually fed to the White
Flame. The prisoners are all in stasis
but exhibit the effects of hideous diseases and deformities. Any victim not
rescued within a day of imprisonment is
permanently linked to the Flame and is
beyond recovery by any means short of
a wish. If any of the crystals here are
smashed, the bodies inside disintegrate
into a vile, odorous sludge.

The spiral ramp descends into the pit

and ascends to the mage's living quarters above. If the PCs approach the pit,
read or paraphrase the following to the
players:

In the center of the 15'-deep, 50'diameter pit burns a bright white

flame. Outcrops of natural crystal jut
unevenly from the floor and walls
around it. In front of the flame stands
a badly wounded man in torn, bloodstained desert robes. As he steps into
the flame, ecstasy dances across his
face, and all his wounds are healed. He
steps out refreshed. Two other men in
white desert robes and armed with
bows stand beside the flame.
All three men are more of Nazir's
guards, armed with short swords and
short bows. They recently returned from
a raid and were using the Flame to heal
their wounds. If the PCs made a lot of
noise before entering the room, such as
engaging the crystal living statues in
combat, the guards are vigilantly scanning the edge of the pit with raised
bows, ready to shoot. If the party entered quietly, the PCs might be able to
surprise the guards.
The guards are immune to nonmagical weapons after years of exposure
to the White Flame (see below) and will
try to heal any wounds during combat
by reentering the Flame. If the fight
becomes desperate, one of them will
stand in the Flame to negate any damage he takes instantly. (Only one person
at a time can enter the Flame.)
If captured, Nazir's men refuse to be
helpful because they do not believe
that Nazir can be defeated. They boast
about their master's power and say
that the party cannot offer them more
than he does.

DUNGEON

43

THE OBJECT OF DESIRE

Nazir's followers (3): AC 9; T7; hp 26

(Faran), 25 (Kharaj), 21 (Mahib); MV
120' (40'); NAT 1; Dmg by weapon type
(ld6); Save T7; ML 11; INT 9; AL C; XP
1,250; ring of returning, short sword,
short bow, 10 arrows each, empty poison
bottle, 150 gp in pouch (Faran only).
18. Connecting Corridon The ramp
curves through a hole in the roof and
enters a long corridor that is softly lit by
glowing crystals. Four copper-bound doors
lead off, and at the far end of the corridor
a flight of stone stairs leads upward.
19. Nazir's Private Chambers.
This magically lit chamber is furnished with a large desk, a cupboard, a
woven rug on the floor, and a patterned tapestry on one wall. On the far
wall, to the left of a plain door, a narrow shelf holds a pair of silver goblets
and a wine bottle. A small monkey is
sprawled asleep on a comfortable
stuffed chair. An empty bottle lies on
the floor beneath the chair.
The monkey is Salim, Nazir's apprentice until the mage polymorphed him 20

44 Issue No. 50

years ago as punishment for breaking a

crystal prison. Salim was instructed to
guard the wizard's private rooms but was
tempted by a bottle of potent wine and is
now drunk. He can speak if the PCs wake
him. If the PCs can convince Salim that
they are powerful enough to defeat Nazir,
he will be helpful. Depending on his treatment (threats will gain little, promises to
turn him human again will be better
received), he will reveal some or all of the
following information:
He is not a familiar, so it will not
benefit the party to kill him.
Nazir's power comes from the white
flame that is fed by the crystals.
Nazir gets very angry if any crystals
get broken.
Under the rug, there is a safe with a
horrible trap on it. (He does not know
the exact nature of the trap but will
make lurid guesses.)
Nazir is currently in his observatory
at the top of the stairs.
Nazir keeps a crystal statue, the
likeness of his daughter Aurelia, in the
observatory. Salim does not know what
became of Aurelia, although he suspects
she died many years ago.
The command phrase to open the

observatory door is "tahrik min qad"

(meaning "moving through flame").
The desk contains an ink well, a quill
pen, a small bowl of sand, and a ledger
bound in black leather with a white
flame embossed on the cover. This book
holds Nazir's accounts, commissions,
and payments for the last four or five
centuries.
The cupboard is locked and holds half
a dozen robes, a cheese-wire garrotte, a
vial of cobra venom (see area 3 of the
fortress), a blow pipe with six needle
darts + 1, and a jambiya + 1. All the
items have a white flame emblazoned
on them.
Under the rug, a hidden compartment
contains a wizard locked safe protected
by an explosive trap (5d4 hp damage to
all within 5'; save vs. breath weapon for
half damage). The safe contains Nazir's
spell books, a small box containing 300
pp, and an essay (written by Nazir)
explaining the relationship between the
White Flame and the crystal prisons. If
the PCs can read the essay (which takes
two hours), they can learn all the information about the White Flame in the
sidebar on this page. The DM must
decide whether the PCs are disturbed in
the course of their reading.
The spell books contain all of Nazir's
memorized spells plus 3-30 (3dl0) levels
of spells chosen by the DM. If anyone
other than Nazir opens one of these
books, it magically teleports away courtesy of a programmed teleport any object
spell.
Salim (polymorphed monkey): AC 7;
M2; hp 7; MV 120' (40'); NAT 1; Dmg
1-2; Save M2; ML 6; INT 13; AL C; XP
25. Spells: light, ventriloquism. Salim is
presently too drunk to cast spells but
will sober up in two hours.
20. Nazir's Bedchamber, This
20' x 30' room contains a luxurious
canopied bed. On a low table by the bed
stands an oil lamp and an incense burner. There is nothing here of value, and
the bed is too cumbersome to be worth
carrying down the ramp and out of the
fortress.
21. Aurelia's Chambers. Behind the
locked door is a blank stone wall. Behind the wall lie the dusty private quarters of Nazir's daughter, which the
wizard sealed off with a 5'-thick wall of
stone in his rage at her elopement.
Aurelia's chambers contain lavish
furnishings covered with dust and cob-

THE OBJECT OF DESIRE

webs. None of the rooms' contents are

magical or particularly valuable.

'"

22. Dining Hall. An unlocked door

leads to an impressive dining room with
a polished wooden table and elaborately
carved chairs. An expensive rug (worth
5,000 gp) lies on the floor, and four tapestries (500 gp each) hang on the walls.
The room is otherwise empty.
23. Bathroom. An unlocked door
leads to a tiled chamber with a sunken
bath. The two doors in the south wall
lead to a sauna and a privy.

.'"
!

24. Odd Stairs. From the bottom,

these stairs appear to be normal (albeit
long). As the PCs ascend, it seems that
either the stairs are getting bigger or
the PCs are getting smaller! This is
merely an architectural optical illusion,
for the steps do increase in size (width
and height). Any PC who makes a successful Intelligence check should realize
the true situation.
A pressure pad on the middle stair
activates a silent alarm that can be
heard only in Nazir's quarters (areas 19
and 20) and the observatory (area 25).
The alarm warns Nazir of visitors and
alerts him to scry on this location and
prepare appropriate spells.
At the top of the stairs, 30' -tall double
doors open on a command phrase
("tahrik min qad") but can also be
forced open by a knock spell or three
successful open-doors rolls in the same
round.
25. Observatory. Unless he has been
drawn elsewhere, Nazir is indeed in his
observatory. The course of the final
encounter will vary depending on the
party's prior actions. Here are the
possibilities:
If the PCs snuffed out the Flame,
Nazir is weakened (possibly stunned if
the PCs come here directly).
If Nazir has been alerted to the PCs'
presence by the alarm on the stairs or
some other means, and has a few rounds
to prepare, he will cast the following
spells by the time the PCs arrive: ESp,
mirror image, fly.
If the PCs have been so discreet that
opening the observatory doors is the
first indication Nazir has of their presence, he has time to cast only a mirror
image spell as the doors open.

In any case, Nazir is unaware of the

beholder's location. He does not know
the sultan is coming unless the party
inadvertently reveals his presence, and
Nazir cannot visualize the beholder well
enough to scry him. (He saw the beholder only once, briefly, when he polymorphed him centuries ago.) However,
the observatory is obscured by a hallucinatory terrain spell from the outside,
making it difficult for the sultan to find.
In addition to the powers afforded to
him by the White Flame, Nazir also
used a powerful ritual to place his own
heart within his daughter's statue. This
renders his body indestructible unless
his heart is returned to his body or the
statue is destroyed. In game terms,
Nazir takes damage normally, although
the White Flame has rendered him
immune to nonmagical weapons. However, he cannot die and functions normally at negative hit points despite
showing all the wounds inflicted on
him. Based on the situation, read or
paraphrase the following to the players:

You see a vast observatory with a

domed ceiling of clear crystal panels.
Facing you from behind a large marble table are five identical bearded
men in black robes with golden sashes. Each of them holds a crystalheaded staff in one hand, while the
other hand rests on the hilt of a jambiya tucked at his waist. A black
ring with a white flame adorns the
right forefinger of each man. Directly
behind the quintet of wizards is a
clear pink statue of a beautiful
young woman in a bridal gown.
Within her chest beats a heartshaped red light.
A giant spyglass on a tripod points
upward at a cloudless sky. A low,
glass-fronted bookcase sits against
the opposite wall, and a crystal ball,
star charts, maps and gauges lie on
the table. On the floor are several
silk cushions and a fine rug, an incense burner and a bowl of fruit.

The White Flame

will use his crystal ball to see what has

happened. When he realizes that inThe White Flame gives out no heat, but
truders are in his fortress, he will quickbathing in it cures wounds, disease, and
ly prepare to meet them. Smashing all
poisoning by passing these effects on to
of the crystals will permanently extinthe occupants of the crystal prisons.
guish the Flame, but such a project
Years of exposure to the Flame attunes would take 1-4 hours, make tremendous
a person to it, arresting the effects of
noise, and bring Nazir down on the PCs
aging and conferring invulnerability to
with a vengeance.
nonmagical weapons. Centuries of continued action by the Flame creates the
The Crystal Disk and the
crystal outcrops around the pit. These
Rings
of Returning
eventually grow big enough to act as
crystal prisons, such as the ones in area The crystal disk suspended above the
14 of the fortress, and are then moved to Flame is a teleportation device conthe recesses in the walls of this chamber structed by Nazir. It is unaffected by
nonmagical weapons and can withstand
or other rooms as Nazir requires.
Since Nazir relies on the power of the 40 hp of magical damage before being
Flame for his continued existence, he
destroyed. Only Nazir himself can actican be weakened by extinguishing the
vate it and command the disk to teleport
Flame. Since the Flame is fed by the life anyone standing on it to any location he
can see or scry. He has fashioned sevenergy stolen by the crystal prisons,
putting a crystal prison into the Flame eral rings of returning that he and his
effectively creates a magical "feedback" followers wear. The rings are black with
as the Flame tries to restore energy and a white flame-shaped crystal. By rotatdrain it at the same time. This stress
ing this small crystal, teleportees wearcauses the crystal prison to explode
ing a ring can return to the disk from
after 1-3 rounds of exposure and snuffs anywhere they have been sent. In addiout the Flame for 1-4 hours. As soon as tion, many of the magical defenses in
the Flame goes out, Nazir immediately the fortress (areas 2, 13, and 16) are
loses four levels and is stunned for 1-4
designed to allow free passage to anyturns. When he recovers his senses, he
one wearing a ring of returning.

DUNGEON

45

THE OBJECT OF DESIRE

Eye, the Jury

Nazir's Fortress
Areas 18-25
20

21

1 square = 10/

.-

22

The statue is Firouz's beloved Aurelia.

Five centuries ago, Nazir cast a flesh to
stone spell on her, changing her to a
rose quartz statue. Her fragile form (AC
10; hp 10) has been tightly enclosed in a
permanent force field. She is wearing a
ring of wishes on the ring finger of her
left hand. (The ring belongs to Nazir,
who keeps it safe on her finger while he
wears his other two rings. There is only
one wish left in the ring.) The red light
within Aurelia's chest is her father's
heart. If she is shattered, the wizard
will die instantly, but the DM should
discourage this because the beholder
will go mad if he sees his love in fragments. If Firouz is present, he will protect Aurelia as best as he can using his
eye-beams, whether or not he has control of them.
The bookcase is wizard locked. The
books cover a variety of subjects including astrology, history, fabulous beasts,
and so; the collection is worth as much
as 2,500 gp to an interested sage. The
crystal ball is the magical item of the
same name, the rug is a flying carpet,
and the spyglass is nonmagical (worth
1,000 gp). A lever on the wall behind
the statue opens a section of the dome
and creates an opening in the permanent force field that protects the
structure.
The bearded man is, of course, Nazir
al-Azrad (seen in the company of his
mirror images). Although he could probably kill the party outright, he would
rather recruit them to his service or
feed them to his crystals. Unless the
PCs have weakened him, he behaves
reasonably and points out their inability to harm him. He readily lies and
makes false promises to get the party on
his side. If the PCs insist that he restore
Aurelia, he claims that he regrets

46 Issue No. 50

what he did in anger and has spent

years trying to turn her back. This is a
lie, for he still resents his daughter's
betrayal. If Nazir cannot persuade the
PCs to join him, he wants to capture
them to power his crystals.
Nazir al-Azrad: AC -1; M19; hp 50;
MV 120' (40/); 11M 1; Dmg by spell or
weapon type; S 13, I 18, W 17, D 16, C 15,
Ch 14; Save M19; ML 11; AL C;
XP 19,425; staffofpower (34 charges),
jambiya +2, bracers ofdefense AC 4, ring
ofprotection +3, ring ofreturning, efreeti
bottle (currently empty; see area 7).
Spells: charm person ( x 2), light, magic missile ( x 2), ventriloquism; detect
invisible, ESP, invisibility, mirror image, web; dispel magic, fly, haste, hold
person, slow; confusion, dimension door,
polymorph other (x 2), polymorph self;
feeblemind, hold monster, magic jar,
telekinesis; disintegrate, flesh to stone,
geas; power word stun, teleport any
object; force field, polymorph any object.
In combat, Nazir tries to incapacitate
rather than kill. He uses spells to keep
the PCs from reaching him while he
bombards them with spells to immobilize them. If hard pressed, he will use
his ring of returning to retreat to area
17 and cure his wounds in the White
Flame. He will not leave his fortress or
allow the PCs to remain in his observatory for long.
If the White Flame has been snuffed
out, Nazir's statistics change as follows:
Nazir al-Azrad (if weakened): M15;
hp 35; S 8, C 11; Save M15; ML 8.
Spells: charm person, light, magic
missile ( x 2), ventriloquism; detect invisible, ESp, invisibility, web; dispel magic,
fly, haste, hold person; confusion, dimension door, polymorph other, polymorph
self; hold monster, magic jar, telekinesis;
flesh to stone, geas; teleport any object.

The DM should arrange for the beholder

to arrive at a suitable time, either when
Nazir is trussed and bound or if the PCs
are about to be defeated. It has taken
Firouz some time to find the observatory, as it is hidden by illusion. (Whether
he finds it deliberately or accidentally is
up to the DM.) On the way, he has been
practicing his gaze abilities, especially
his anti-magic ray.
If the PCs have defeated Nazir, Firouz
appears outside the dome and calls to
the adventurers to let him in. Once
inside, he instantly recognizes Aurelia
and begs the party to do something to
help her. While his heart is protected
inside Aurelia's statue, Nazir cannot be
intimidated into revealing how Aurelia
can be freed. Allow the party time to
come up with the idea that the beholder's anti-magic ray can remove the
spell. If the PCs are stumped, Firouz
threatens to disintegrate Nazir unless
he cooperates. When Nazir claims that
his death will only insure Aurelia's
destruction (a lie), Firouz changes his
mind and cannot be convinced to harm
the wizard. Even if he did want to harm
the wizard, Firouz has spent so much
time practicing his anti-magic ray that
he has not yet mastered his other eyebeams.
If Nazir has incapacitated most of the
party and it looks as if the PCs will lose,
Firouz appears outside the dome, directly behind Nazir, and fires his antimagic ray through the glass, dispelling
the protective force field around the
structure. The beholder's rays are refracted by the crystal dome, hitting
random targets but missing Nazir. If the
PCs have been magically incapacitated,
the rays will free them. If the PCs let
the beholder in, Firouz floods the observatory with his anti-magic ray to
prevent Nazir's escape. Otherwise, the
beholder must first use his disintegration ray to make a hole in the dome
(which may take some time), giving
Nazir time to use his dimension door
spell or magical ring to escape. After
healing himself in the White Flame,
Nazir returns to destroy the intruders,
taking out the beholder first.

Heart's Desire
If Firouz fires his anti-magic ray before
Nazir escapes, read or paraphrase the
following to the players:

THE OBJECT OF DESIRE

As the strange light from the beholder's central eye touches the statue,
the red heart-shaped light within it
winks out. The figure shimmers as it
is transformed into a beautiful
raven-haired woman. At the same
instant she swoons, Nazir shudders,
clutching his chest.
Nazir is now vulnerable and will feel
any damage he has taken. If he has
already been reduced to negative hit
points, he collapses to the floor and dies
immediately. If he survives his daughter's "awakening:' he realizes the danger he is in and begs for mercy. He warn
the group that Aurelia will revert to
crystal as soon as the beholder's antimagic ray ceases to fall on her-which is
true. Nazir is vengeful and untrustworthy. The DM must decide if he keeps
any promises he makes to the PCs,
based on how well the players role-play.
Both Aurelia and Firouz can be permanently restored to their true forms
using the ring of wishes on her finger.
The one wish remaining must be properly phrased, something like, "I wish
the enchantments Nazir al-Azrad placed
upon Aurelia and Firouz were forever
revoked:'
Alternative Ending
Some DMs might prefer the following
ending to using the ring of wishes as a
solution. Although unorthodox, this
ending fits the style of the Arabian
Nights:

...

The beholder deactivates his central

eye-beam, and his beloved instantly
recrystallizes. Firouz hovers over the
statue of his beloved, a tear welling
in his huge eye. The tear rolls down
his monstrous face and falls onto the
crystal. From where the tear fell, the
statue begins to revert to flesh, and
in a moment the beautiful Aurelia
steps down from the statue's base. A
look of surprise crosses her face for
an instant. Then she looks into the
wide eye of the beholder, whispers
"Firouz," and kisses him gently. In a
flash of light he is transformed into a
handsome young man.

Concluding the Adventure

As soon as Firouz's heart's desire has
been obtained, the room starts to spin
and the PCs, Firouz, and Aurelia are

transported back to the sultan's palace.

They appear in the throne room, in
front of the mirror of desire, to the astonishment of Mustafa who is reclining
on the pile of cushions while being
fanned by a pair of gremlins as a third
feeds him grapes. Mustafa recently
plucked up enough courage to follow the
party, and somehow managed to impress the gremlins after charming their
shaman. They have decided that he is a
powerful sorcerer and, since the "Eyeball" has gone away, have become his
servants. With his new band of faithful
followers, Mustafa is now even more
puffed up with pride. He admonishes
the party for leaving Princess Yasmin at
the sultan's palace alone. The PCs will
have to deal with this situation as they
see fit, but Firouz will do his best to
appease the presumptuous vizier.
Princess Yasmin is now free of the
sultan's charm, and Firouz suggests a
double wedding for himself and Aurelia
and Princess Yasmin and her beloved
Prince Harith. The ex-brides of the
beholder are also restored when the
curse is lifted. They are most grateful to
the PCs for freeing them and beg to be
escorted back to their homes.
If Nazir survives and escapes the
party's clutches, he may return to trouble the PCs in the future. But that is
another tale.
The Rewards of Chivalry
If the PCs succeed in undoing Nazir's
curse and reuniting the lovers Firouz
and Aurelia, the DM should give the
party a story award of 10,000 XP. However, if the PCs defeat Nazir by destroying Aurelia, they should get only half
this amount. The destruction of his
beloved drives Firouz mad (again), and
the PCs should receive no experience for
the ensuing fight with the beholder. For
the rescue of Princess Yasmin, the party
should receive 5,000 XP. Lastly, for
escorting the beholder's brides safely
back to their homes, an additional 1,000
XP may be awarded (more if the DM
decides to turn this into a full-blown
adventure).
The PCs will encounter nothing else
on their trip to Samarkand, where
Prince Harith eagerly awaits the arrival of his beloved Yasmin. If the PCs tell
Harith about their ordeal, he rewards
the party with the princess's dowry once
the wedding has taken place. Firouz is
also eager to reward the PCs, although

he has little to offer them at this time.

With his former sultanate in ruins, he
is happy to spend his days with Aurelia
in Sasan or Samarkand, far from the
desolation and dark memories of his
former palace (although he will not
leave his mirror of desire behind). This
leaves the qal'at open to a variety of
monsters seeking sanctuary from the
scorching desert of Algarin. The PCs
may wish to explore the qal'at again at
a later date.
If the PCs obtained one or more of
Nazir's rings of returning, they may be
able to teleport to Nazir's fortress and
use the White Flame as a source of
healing or rejuvenation. However, the
rings immediately lose their power
when Nazir dies. If he survives the
adventure, Nazir may destroy the crystal disk in area 17 of the fortress, just to
keep the PCs from returning to his
Q
lair.

BACK TO THE BEACH

Continued from page 24

Beach of White Sand:

The antiquarians may be glad the
matter of the crabmen has been settled,
but they may still require an escort or
guards for their second visit. When they
arrive, newer finds may present themselves, perhaps buildings not yet uncovered from the sand dunes. (What
became of the goldsmiths and silversmiths that attracted the pirates to the
monastery?) Or the PCs may find the
hull of a beached ship buried by wind
and waves years before. (Weren't winter
visits by pirates dangerous in uncertain
weather conditions?)
The visitors may also be menaced by
sahuagin who land here in a large
underwater craft to hunt crabmen.
Apart from aiding the Tribe against
their enemies, and protecting the king's
men, the adventurers might need to
rescue slaves held in the craft before the
poor unfortunates are carried to their
deaths in the sahuagins' home far beneath the waves.
Q

DUNGEON

47

THE

.~

At the start of play, provide eac h PC

with one randomly determined rumor
by rolling IdlO and cons ul ti ng the " Rumors" sidebar. Each PC should have
heard a different rumor. If the heroes
exp ress an interest in learn ing even
more abo ut the Witch of Wind crag before embarking on their expedition, the
DM may allow them to hear one or two
additional r umors from a typical NP C
source (an innkeeper, vill a ge elder, or
traveling merchant).

For the Dungeon Master

Kyrrak's Lair
1 square '" lO'

High on a hilltop, a mountain

of trouble
BY STEPHEN J . SMITH

"The Witch of Windcrag" ill a D&W' SideTrek designed for a party of 4-6 player
characters, levels 23 (about 12 total levels). Th e OM will need onl y the Classic
DUNGEONS & D RAGONS~ Rules and Adventures Book <DO) from the boxed game
or the 0&0 Rules Cyclopedia (RC ) to run this short encounter. The OM can detail

the sett ing for any gam e world or campaign .

For the Player Chara c ters

Since you were a child , you've heard stor ies about the Witch of Windcra g. Your
parents mu st have warned you a thousand times. " St ay in t he yard or the witch

will swoop down out of the clouds and carry you otTfor her dinner," or "If you
don't go to bed right now the witch will come and turn you into a bat. Then you
can stay up all night-every night!" You've gro wn up hearing a wide array of
tales about the my steriou s old spellcaster rumored to dwell in a cliffside cave on
Windcrag Mountain. The only consiste nt detail in these sto ries is the location of
t he witch's abod e, 80 you and your friends are mounting an expediti on to
investigate her lair and discover the truth about this legendary figure .

42 Issue No. 51

Of all the rumors presented in th e sidebar, 17 comes close st t o t he tru t h . The

Witch of Wind crag is actually a harpy
named Kyrrak . Most of the other ru m ors are the wild speculations of imagi native locals, but some of t he rumors
hint at the true nature of t he Witch of
Windc rag. The referen ces to a "giant
eagle:' for example , probably came from
ind ividuals who ca ught a qui ck glimpse
of Kyrrak flying near the mountain a nd
mi stook her for a great bird of prey.
Kyrrak is not a typical harpy; she is a
Srd -level woken {a mon ster spellcas ter
capable of usi ng magtc-u serrelf spellsl.
She is else qu ite shrewd and kn ows
better than to prey heavily on humans
in the Windcrag area. Kyrrak ha s heard
h orror st ories about those particularly
na st y and aggr essive h umans ca lled
"adventurers" and wants not hing to do
with them. She feed s mainly on the
fauna that inhabit a forested valley
north ofthe mountain . Still. she ha s an
occasi onal cra vin g for hum an fles h a nd
someti mes attack s and kills lone tra velers, hiding their remains when sh e
has finished feast in g.

'WITCH OF WINDCRAG
approach their goal, read or paraphrase the following to the players:
A narrow ledge crawls up the sheer,
100'-high cliff face and ends at the
dark mouth of a cave. After negotiating this climb, you find yourselves at
the entrance to the witch's dwelling.
The overwhelming stench of offal and
carrion comes from the pitch-black
cave, and over the howling of the wind
you hear a faint tinkling sound.
1. Kyrrak's Security System. The
strange tinkling noise the PCs hear at
the cave entrance becomes louder as
they proceed deeper into the cave. The
sound comes from a line of wind chimes
strung just inside the entrance to Kyrrak's lair as a crude alarm. The string
of chimes-hanging 1 1/2' off the
ground-stretches across the entry passage and has been treated with an invisibility spell. Unless the chimes are
detected, the first rank of PCs to enter
the lair walks right into them, and their
jangling reverberates throughout the
cave. Each PC must roll a Dexterity
ability check or trip over the line of
chimes and sprawl to the floor. Those
who fall must then make Strength
checks or drop any weapon, torch, lantern or other items they are holding.
If the PCs blunder into the harpy's
alarm, the jangling chimes and falling
bodies will alert Kyrrak to the intruders. She serenades visitors with her
charming song. If claimed and cleaned
by the adventurers, the fine porcelain
chimes are worth 100 gp (the harpy got
them from a merchant she attacked
near her mountain).

2. The Chamber of Bones.

The stench that assails your nostrils
as you enter this vast, dark chamber
is nauseating. The entire floor is
covered with bones, dung, and other
refuse. Two passages opposite the
entry tunnel lead deeper into the
mountain. The northern passage,
however, is located atop a rocky shelf
20' above the cavern floor.
The bones are the remains of small
forest animals, although a few human

and demihuman bones can be found

intermingled with the others. There is
nothing of value on the cavern floor.
This chamber does contain a cunning
trap set by the harpy. The southern,
ground-level tunnel leading to area 3
seems passable but is blocked by a huge
spider web rendered invisible by one of
Kyrrak's spells. (The spider that spun
this web dwells elsewhere on the mountain and is not present. See "Kyrrak's
Tactics" for details.) If this hazard is not
discovered (with a detect invisible spell
or by probing with a 10' pole, for example), the first rank of PCs taking this
path blunders into the web and is
trapped (treat as a web spell).
If the party circumvented the chime

alarm at area 1, Kyrrak (who sits in her

nest at area 3) becomes aware of the
PCs if anyone speaks above a whisper
in area 2 or if someone stumbles into
the web trap. Intruders are promptly
greeted with a welcoming song. The
crooning harpy uses her mesmerizing
song to lure charmed victims down the
ground-level tunnel into the waiting
web. When at least one PC is snared in
the web, Kyrrak flies through the elevated northern passage to engage the
remaining intruders.
The PCs may reach the passage atop
the ledge by using magical flight or
levitation. A thief who makes a successful Climb Walls roll may also scale the
rough, dry cliff. A stout stalagmite sits

Rumors (Roll 1d10)

1. The witch dwells on Windcrag Mountain because she specializes in air-based
spells. She doesn't like to be disturbed
and sometimes hurls intruders off the
mountainside with magical gusts of wind.
2. The witch is an evil, sadistic, cannibalistic savage. She devours children and
waylays lone travelers to obtain their
blood for vile rituals and experiments.
3. The witch is actually a learned sage
and will research any question posed to
her-for a price. Some say that this
price is monetary (ranging from a single
silver piece to a thousand gold coins).
Others maintain that the price is more
sinister (from an ounce of the inquirer's
blood to his very soul).
4. The witch was once a beautiful and
talented bard in a distant land. The
queen of that realm, envious of the
bard's radiant face and melodious singing voice, ordered her court wizard to
place a curse on the woman. This curse
transformed the bard into an ugly old
hag with a hoarse, croaking voice. Now
this cursed lady dwells alone in a cave
on Windcrag Mountain, learning the
secrets of spellcasting in the hope that
she can one day undo the spell of the
evil queen's sorcerer.
5. The witch is actually part sorceress
and part brigand. She attacks lone
travelers and even small caravans for
loot to pay for the strange magical reo
search and experiments that she con-

ducts in her mountainside lair. The

witch is also said to kill some victims
for their blood.
6. The witch is actually a shapeshiftera lycanthrope-and can turn into a giant
eagle. This explains why she dwells in
her aerie atop Windcrag Mountain. When
encountered in human form, the witch is
a kindly old woman. When in her eagle
form, however, the witch's demeanor is
unpredictable and she sometimes attacks
innocent humans.
7. The witch isn't even human. She's a
hideous, evil, man-eating monster with
wings and razor-sharp teeth and claws.
8. The ugly old witch is actually a beautiful young sorceress who used her magical powers to rob a king's treasury in
some distant land. She uses spells of
illusion to give herself the appearance of
an old woman and sometimes creates
huge phantasmal eagles to drive away
intruders. Much of her plundered wealth
still lies stashed in her mountain cave.
9. The witch has a pet giant eagle that
guards her cave and does her bidding. A
few folks claim that this eagle does good
deeds (such as warning travelers of
impending thunderstorms), but most
people state that the bird attacks and
devours anything it meets.
10. Ding-dong, the witch is dead! Her
ghost and pet giant eagle still haunt her
mountain roost, however, guarding the
deceased spellcaster's magical treasures.

DUNGEON 43

THE WITCH OF WINDCRAG

on the ledge, ~nd a rope may be tied to

the rock formation and lowered to those
below.

THE CENTER-OF-THE-WORLD

harpy's influence by a dispel magic spell Continued from pege 21

(treat the harpy's song as 3rd-level mag- gem ofinsight (worth at least 5,000 gp),
ic), the use of another charm person
When the adventurers encounter
spell on the victim, or through the
Tundra, she has only days or perhaps
death of the controlling monster.
3. Kyrrak's Roost.
hours to live. This great wyrm is at less
Next, Kyrrak tries to cast her sle~p
than
peak physical and psychological
The floor of this cavern is littered
spells at the party in the hope of gamcondition. Being at death's door halves
with bones and dung, but not nearly
ing a quick victory. Regardless of the
her regular + 12 damage bonus with
as profusely as in the previous chamoutcome of this spell, she then attacks
physical attacks. She also suffers from a
ber. At the eastern side of the roomthe party from a distance with her bow
skin disease that causes her scales to
on a rocky shelf 15' above the
and arrows. The harpy is shrewd
fall off. This disease, and generallethfloor-rests a huge bird's nest built
enough to target unarmored magicargy caused by the hot environment,
from straw, grass, and small tree
users. If she remains in her nest, PC
invokes a + 5 penalty to her armor class
branches.
missile attacks against her suffer a - 2
and renders her vulnerable to normal
penalty to hit because the nest provides
missiles. Lung problems make Tundra
Kyrrak is resting here in her nest, if
her with some cover. The harpy may
cough
uncontrollably when she exerts
the PCs successfully bypassed the invisalso choose to attack with her bow while herself, making her breath weapon
ible chimes at area 1 and then climbed
hovering near the cavern ceiling (out of
erratic. Each round presents a 10%
the 20' cliff at area 2, using the norththe range of melee attacks) but cannot
chance for Tundra to accidentally spew
ern passage to reach area 3. She immecast spells while hovering. If melee
her breath weapon in whichever direcdiately notices the PCs when they enter combat is unavoidable, Kyrrak attacks
tion she faces. Because she can breathe
the cavern and attacks (See "Kyrrak's
with her dagger and rear talons. She
frost only once every three rounds, the
Tactics:') Human and elven PCs can
saves her invisibility spell for a quick
result in any other round is merely dry
easily make the 10' leap from the north- escape.
hacking. Senility and loss of concentraern ledge to the cavern floor, but
If the harpy fails a morale check, she
tion result in a 20% chance of failure
dwarves and halflings must roll a Dexflies from her lair and heads straight for
during spellcasting. In her weakness,
terity check or suffer 1-4 hp damage
a small nearby cavern. Kyrrak returns
Tundra can no longer fly, but may make
from the jump.
home six turns later leading a giant
wing-assisted jumps up to 30'. She
Kyrrak (Srd-level harpy wokan): AC
black widow spider held in thrall by her speaks the language of evil dragons and
7; HD 3** (M); hp 18; MV 60' (20'), fly
ring ofanimal control. After directing
can communicate with intelligent crea150' (50'); THACO 17; NAT 2 talons/1
the spider to attack, the harpy joins the
tures via telepathy.
arrow or dagger plus special; Dmg 1-4/1- fray herself. If she fails a second morale
4 (claws)/16 (arrow) or 1-4 (dagger) plus
check, Kyrrak decides to fly north and
Concluding the Adventure
charm; Save F6; ML 7; INT 7; AL C; XP search for a safer lair.
65; DD/83, RC/182. Spells: sleep ( x 2),
If the party slays Tundra, she utters a
Spider, giant black widow: AC 6;
invisibility. The song of a harpy charms
HD 3* (M); hp 15; MV 60' (20'), web 120' dying curse: "Know ... that you have
all listeners who fail a Saving Throw vs. (40'); THACO 17; NAT 1 bite; Dmg 2-12
slain ... a daughter of Fulverm. The
Spells.
curse of my kin ... upon you...." The
plus poison; Save F2; ML 8; INT 0; AL
Kyrrak is armed with a dagger
DM may decide whether this threat is
N; XP 50; DD/93, RC/206. Anyone bit(strapped to one of her birdlike legs) and ten by this arachnid must make a Savreal or a twisted wyrm's final lie.
a short bow with 20 arrows. She also
Though the PCs find no elephant
ing Throw vs. Poison or die in one turn.
wears a ring of animal control on her
ivory, they do gain the remains of many
right index finger and an amulet of
dragons. These could be sold to a wizard
Concluding the Adventure
protection from sleep spells around her
or kept for magical research. JenkinOnce Kyrrak has been slain or driven
neck. This latter item protects its wearson's contract ensures that he has no
off,
the
victorious
PCs
may
search
her
er from up to three sleep spells per day.
legal right to anything the PCs find
lair for hidden treasure. The harpy
that is not connected with elephants,
keeps
all
her
wealth
stashed
in
her
nest
Kyrrak's Tactics
although he may try to insist otherwise
in area 3. Her treasure trove consists of
when
he finds out about what is really
The harpy's first action when confrontthree large sacks filled with coins. One
inside the volcano.
ed by intruders is to sing her charming
sack contains 587 cp; another holds 336
Now that the PCs have learned the
song. She then either lures her ensp and 210 ep. The last is filled with 357 location of a dragons' graveyard, they
thralled victims into the web trap at
gp and 125 pp, a pair of silver bracelets
might stake out the area. How long will
area 2 or orders them to protect her
engraved with elven runes (worth 50 gp
it be before another Progeny of Fulverm
from the attacks of their "deluded"
each), and a thick gold chain with a
nears natural death and comes to the
friends (those who resisted her song).
dragon's head pendant inlaid with pearl
Center-of-the-Worldfor
final rest?
Q
Charmed PCs may be freed from the
eyes (value 1,500 gp).
Q

44 Issue No. 51

Chris writes: "Michael Scott designed an

amazing poster map for my adventure
"Them Apples" in issue 1148. When I
heard that DUN GEONl' Magazine had
another one of Michael's maps in
inventory- but no adventure to accompany
it-Ijumped at the chance to write a module around the map. The task proved far
more challenging than I imagined . . . and
I have a pretty good imagination.'"

"Elexa's Endeavor" is a D&D~ advent ure designed for 4-6 pl aye r characters

of level s 4-7 (about 30 tot al leve ls). At

least one thief and one magic-user (or
elf) is requ ir ed, and the party should be
predominantl y Law ful in alignment.
The nu mb er of magical items in the

party should be relatively low (about 6-8

ELEXA'S
ENDEAVOR
BY CHRISTOPHER PERKINS '

"Have fun storming the

castle"
Artwork by cnc rne Porke r
Poster mop by M ich ael Scali

38 Issue No. 53

items total, pr efer ably minor ite ms or

wea pons). The Du n geon Master will
need a copy ofthe D&D R ules Cy clopedia (RC) and t he Creature Catalog (CC).
DMs wishing to adapt this adventure for
their AD&~ campaigns are encour aged
to read the K arameiJros: Kingdom ofA duenJureboxed set. Most of the monsters in
the D&D Creature Ca1alog now appear in
th e AD&D MYSTARA setting; the revised statistics for these monsters are
given in the MYsrARA MONS'IROUS
COMPENDIUMappendix.
Although this m odule is designe d for
a generic D&D setting, th e DM shoul d
change th e names of people and places
to conform to hi s own campaign.

Adventure Syn opsis

Wh ile staying in the quaint rural town
of Keswig , the P Cs are approached by a
troubled young woma n named Elexa
J ustheart. Elexa has just returned from
t he Gal hanor Crusades-a war foug ht
against gia nts and humanoids in the
distant Galhan or Mou ntain s. After
serving six mont hs as a cleric in a seri es
of major battles, she re cently arrived
h om e to find her uncle's castle occupie d
by evil br igands.
El exa's Uncle H ark on own s the ti tl e
to most of the land south of Keswig. His
sm all, lakes ide kee p was, until rec ently,
m aintained and garrisoned by fou r
demos magen . These bei n gs wer e idea l
protectors, requiring n either slee p nor
sust en ance. U nfortu na tely, their la ck of
per son ality made t hem poor companions, a nd when E lexa left for the war,
Har kon felt lonely in hi s small castle .
His wife , Kate, died many years ago,
and Harkon had no ch il dren to keep

ELEXA'S ENDEAVOR

-,

hi m company. In his isolati on , he and

the mage n were un prepared to deal
with t he br iga nds.
Five adve ntures-tu r ned-bri gands
curren tly occupy Harken's keep. They
hav e decided to m ak e t he castle t heir

headquarters for fu ture exploits in t he

region while waitin g for t he rest of their
hand to arrive. The ot her brig ands are
en route from a distant city, wh ere t hey
successfully helped on e of their leade rs
escape im prisonment.
Elexa suspects her uncle is held in t he
castle dungeon, but she is ill -equip ped to
deal with the brigands alone. She does
not know how ma ny bri gands hold the
keep, or about the re inforcements on the
way. The brigands within the castle have
agreed to release Harkon in exchange for
a ran som of 5,000 gp (money Elexa does
not have). Even if E lexa could pay the
ransom, the treacher ous brigands have no
inte ntion of honor ing any agreement with
her.
The PCs must sneak into the ca stle
and rescue Elexa'a uncle befo r e the
brigands h arm h im . The keep is bu ilt on
the edge of a lake and h as only on e
prominent entrance. Moreover, t he
brigands have used a scroll ofdefense (a
uni que ma gica l it em they found in the
castle) to create a magical sh ield around
the structure, effectively barring intr usion. J arrow, the wizard who created
the scroll and the castle's m agical
guardia ns, never imagined th at it
might fall int o evil hands .
Elexa t hinks J arrow m ight be in cline d to lend assistance and provid e a
way to negate the scroll's effect . At the
very least , he may offer to help t he PCs
enter the castle unnoticed and rescue
Harkon from the br iga nds' clutches .
Unfortunately, J a rrow the wiza rd is
no longer alive. H is tower is in tact, but
its conten t s are guarded by magical
constructs. If the PCs overcome th e
guardians, they can retri ev e several
useful items fr om Jarrow's tower, including his crystal ball, several potions,
and a rod of cancellation (the on ly de vice capab le of negating t he magical
sh ield arou nd H ar ken's keep ).
The brigands have enough food and
drink to sustain them for a week, but
Ele xa ha s no desire to let them hold t he
castle that long, for fear they may harm
her uncle. Though the keep is filled
with books an d items of senti mental
val ue to Hark on and h is niece, E lexa
has little t o offer the P Cs as a reward
except a few family heirl oom s.

For the Plover s

The adven ture begins when E lexa J ustheart ap proaches the PCs. Rea d the
following t ext:
Wh ile vis iti ng th e r ur al town of
K eswig, you are me t by a young
woman wearing ch ain ma il and a
wh ite t aba rd. Emblazoned on her
tabard is a green wr eath, t he symbol
of a clerical order. The woman is
yo ung but haggard, a nd her sunken
eyes are dark with mystery. As she
ap pro aches, you noti ce a sl ig ht lim p
in her stri de . From th e flecks of gr it
on her armor and clothin g you assume she has seen battle.
"Sorry to tro uble you," she says. " I
was told that 1 mig ht find adventurers
her e. My name is Elexa J ustheart. 1
am a cleric of the Healing Order."
" I have returned from the Crusades at Gulh anor onl y to learn th at
brigands have se ized my u ncle's
castle a nd t ake n h im cap tive. J have
neith er t he m on ey nor t he de sire to
pay t heir ransom. I need som eone to
help rescue my un cle and h is ca stl e
from the in vaders' clutches. I wa s
told you might be inte res ted "
If the PCs express no inte rest in helping
Elexa, she apologizes for dist urbing them
and leaves . ~ far as she is concerned.
they were her best hope for success.
A retired maso n named Ha ldred approaches the PC s and , having overheard
t he ir convers a tion, repri ma nds t he
party for turning away a cleric of the
Hea ling Order. All t hree of t he ma son 's
sons are fighters in t he Crusade s, and
all owe their lives to the clerics of th at
order. H a ldre d offers the pa rty 750 gp to
help E lex a J usth eart. If they st ill refu se
to h elp, H ald r ed leaves in disgust .
If the PC s agree to help Elexa save
her uncle and h is castl e, a look of r elief
crosses her face . Rea d or paraphrase the
follow ing:

" Alt hough I have no m oney to pay

yo u, my uncle's ca stl e con t ains many
family heirl ooms, and I wou ld part
wit h a few of t he m. Your willingness
to hel p is m ost appreciated . I will not
forget t h is show of generosity, nor
will my u ncle."
Elexa was raised by her uncle after
her parents died . She beg an preparin g
for t he cle r gy at Uncle H ar ken 's behest ,
after Elexa's a unt, a lso a cle ric , died.

Ele xa joined the Crusades six months

ago. Aft er three months of tending the
k ing's ar mies, she wa s free to r eturn
home . Inste ad, she el ect ed t o r emain on
t he march . Thre e months later, El exa
was injured at t he hands of a fire giant
and was dism issed by t he kin g's gen eral, wh o did not wish to see her
har med further.
E lexa J u stheart (hu ma n cle ric ): AC
3 ; C5 ; hp 24; MV 90' (30' ); TH ACO 17;
# AT 1; Dm g by weapon type; S 11, I 13,
W 17, D 14 , C IS , Ch 15; ML lO;AL L;
ch ain ma il + 1, mace + 2, holy sy mbol,
clerical scroll (cure light wou.nds x 3).
Sk ills: bravery (W), cere m ony (W), healing (I + 1) , n ature lor e (I).
Spells: cure light wou nds ( x 2), bless,

know alignment.
Elexa is 20 years old with fair skin and
dar k hair. She stands 5'10" tall, with a
slight build, a kind face, and gentle manner. Her limp is a constant reminder of
t he fir e giant's brutal ass ault.
E lex a will accompany t he party for
the remainder of the adventure. H er
healing sk ills may prov e inval u able,
especially if the ad ventur in g party
lacks a cle ric .

To th e Castle
H arken's ca stl e is 20 miles south of
Keswig, almost a day 's journey by foot .
The PCs m ust t raverse t he hills and
wil d pastures but ha ve no dange rous
enc ounters along the way.
As the PCs r each t he t op of a grassy
knoll. they see the castle for th e firs t
time. Rea d th e following:
El exa gu ides you to the top of a grassy
k noll. "I use d to pla y here as a child ,"
she sa ys. "From he re , you can see the
whole of my uncle's land."
The kn oll is surrounded on three
sides by trees and pastures. To th e
south you see a small lake nestled in
a valley. A castle of moss-covered
st one sits on the edge of the misty
lake . " There it is;' says Elexa . " My
uncle has lived t here all his life ."
The castle looks several hundred
years old. A single tower rises in its
south ern corner, and the roof is covered
by a weather-worn battlement. On
closer inspection , you notice that the
castle sits atop a crag, about 20' from
the lak e shore. The castle's drawbridge
has been pulled up, and thin plumes of
smoke are rising from the roof.
" I' m no t sure how many brigands

DUNGEON

39

ElEXA:S ENDEAVOR

are inside:' says Elexa. "but one is a

woman. She promised t o release my
uncle if I pay a 5,000 gp ransom, but
I doubt sh e will honor he r word.
Assuming my uncle still liv es, the
brigands are prob ab ly holding him in
t he cellar. There's an old dungeon
down there-a ves tige fro m the cas tle's prior owners."
Five brigands are ho led up in the
castle, led by a ruthles s thief named
Malvir a Dalan t. They are awaiting the
arri va l of th e rest of their band- t he
reinforcements led by Malvira's consort,

who recently br oke out ofjail.

PCs may take this opportunity to study

the castle. Elexa can describe the interior

in detail and will even draw floor pla ns in
the dirt if t he PCs as k. Included with this
adven ture is a poster map of Herkon's
castle, whi ch the DM may unfold and use
as a players' aid when the PCs are ready
to make their attack.
The drawbridge and t he t win pcetcullises (in area 1) ca n be r aised and lowered only from the ar mory (area 8).
Eve n if those obstacles a re overcome,
enter in g t he ca st le may be more diffi cult than expected , as Elexa hast ily
points out:
"Years ago, a wiza rd named J arrow
cre ated four magen to he lp maintain
the keep and protect it agains t intrusion . Th es e magical guards req u ired
nei th er food nor sleep, and the ir
loyalty was absolute. As a fu r ther
precaution, Jarrow gave my uncle a
magical scr oll. Th is scroll, when
read, creates an im penetrable sh ield
around the castle, com pletely barring
entry. On ly t hose inside the cas tle
when the scr oll is in voke d may pass
thro ugh the inv isible sh ell wit hou t
harm; others cannot.
"Somehow the brig and s managed
t o enter th e castl e without alerting
t he magen. I su spect the bri gands
later found Jarrow's scroll an d activated it . So far as I k now, t her e is no
way t o enter the castle while t he
shield protect s it ."
Give the player s a few moments to
st udy the poster map or a roughly drawn
sketch ofthe castle interior (Elexa's
sketch). If the Pes perfann a closer re connaissance ofthe buil ding 's exterior, describe it in detail. The bri ga nds are
expecti ng Elexa to return , with or with-

40 Issue No. 53

out the ransom money, but they are not

keeping a careful watch . They are convinced the castle is impre gnab le.
PCs intent on explor ing t he castle
closely should be warned th at t he quiet,
secl uded pa sture and the la ke t end to
amplify sounds. PCs hoping t o sneak u p
t o t he castle mi ght provoke a flock of
egrets to flutter up fr om the lak esh ore.
The bir ds' noise is enoug h to al ert t he
bri ga nds, as are the sounds of clankin g
armor and hushed voices. Th ieves wh o
make a successful Move Silentl y roll
may approach th e cas tl e undet ected.
T he Invisible Shield
The invisible sh ield enclosing th e keep
becomes a sh immering force field when a
detect invisible spell is cast. The force field
prote cts only against the incursions and
attacks of outs iders. Cre atures in side th e
keep when the scroll is first invoked can
move and hurl things through the barrier.
The y can even leave the castle and reo
turn, passing through the barrier as if it
were not there.
Th e t hin, in visible sh ield fits Ca st le
Justheart like a sheath; the gap betw een t he shield and the castle walls is
less th an an inch th ick . The shield does
n ot cover t he roof (so rain can fill t he
castle's reservoir du ring a seigel, but it
does enclose the south to wer a nd the
door leading t o the roof. PCs ca n land
on t he roof without touchin g the sh ield.
Unfortu na t ely, the roof pro vides no
entrance to the k eep (un less the PC s
smash their way t hroug h the stonework ). Of cour se, adventur er s in gaseous form can fly up t o t he r oof an d
ente r th e castle t hro ugh the tiny gap
between the shield a nd t he castle wall s,
but t hey are subject t o sev eral limi tati ons (not t he lea st of wh ich is the inabili ty t o ca rry equ ipment) .
The shield is a vari atio n of the 8t hlevel force field spell (see t he RC, page
57), altho ugh J arr ow has modified t he
spell so that it mol ds itsel f arou nd t he
t arget structure. Spells, missiles, wea pon attacks, and m ost oth er attacks simply bounce off-even d ispel m agic h as
no effect on the shield. Two sorts of
spells ar e effectiv e: teleport and di meneion. door spells ca n bypass the shield,
and d isin tegrate spells can destroy aecti ona of t he force field.
Th e shield cannot be turned on and off
at the cas ter's leisure. Once in place, it
remains until the actua l scroll from
wh ich t he spell was cast is to rn or

dest royed. (Whe n the othe r br iga nds

finally arrive at Castle J ust h eart , t he
brigands in side t he castle will be for ced
to dispel t he sh ield, but P Cs may not
want t o wait that lon g.)

To the Wizard's Tower

Befor e attempting an assault on t he
castle, E lexa sugg est s th at th e PCs visit
J anow, t he wizar d who lives in the h ills
to the west . Read the follow in g text :
"The wizard J arrow invented the
magical barrier, and he wa s a good
friend who used to visit us often . I
r em emb er he and Uncle Harkon
always played chess together. The
gam es would la st for days, a nd wh en
my u ncle won he would parade
aro und t he cas tle lik e a squire who'd
just won a joust in g contest."
"Uncle H arkon knew J arrow before I was born. From wh at I k now,
t he wiza rd was in debted to my uncle
for som e service, th ough they ne ve r
spoke of it . I believe Jarrow will he lp
u s rescue my un cle from the br igands' clutches. At the very least , h e
may len d us magi cal a id for ou r
qu est. H is crysta l ball, for instance,
would let us see the brigands' every
move. J anow might also know a way
t o negate t he barr ier surroun ding my
u ncle's keep."
"J arrow lives about five miles west
of here. I'm sure I can still find my
way to his tower; but the terrain is a
little treacherous, so we'd best be
careful."
The journey to Jarrow's remote tower is
mor e perilous than the trip to Harkon's
castle. Use some or all of the following
en counter s as the party makes its way
through the woods and brambles.
The Chevall

Wh en the party reaches the woods west

ofthe castle, r ead the followin g:
You come to the edge of a dense woodland. Just as you prepare to enter the
forest, you glimpse a strange shape
partially hidden among the trees. The
creature realizes it has bee n seen and
steps forward. Although it appe ars to
be a man, its lower torso is that of a
horse . The creature has an arrow
nocked in its bow but does not m ake
any threate nin g gestures. "A che va ll, "
whispers Elexa in awe .

ELEXP:S ENDEAVOR

The Wo o d s
1 Inch =1 Mile

~
Werewolves' Path
.. . . .. .... . . . . , . . . . . , Gluindil's Path

.... ..... .. .. .. ... - - - .. . Elexa's Path

Koom dawr's P a th

N N

.....
Werewolf
.

L air.

...... __ ...
~~<z~i'i

....

.-,

. . N

,."

. ....

. ".'

"'-- "':

.
.:

o
I

0.5
I

.,...." ." 0

..

, .... 0'
~

..

\
\

...............
"......
... .............'.
. . .. .. . . ..

".'-"T"':~~

Killer Trees

Miles

The h alf-horse cr eature is indeed a

chevall, and a lthough chevalls resemble

centaurs, they can assume the form of a
normal horse at will . This particular

chevall, Koomdawr by name, prefers hi s

centaur form while in the wilderness.
Like all chevalls, Koorndawr despises
wolves and other predators. He recently
chased a werewolf out of the forest, injuring the creature with three magical arrows. Koomdawr is scouting the forest's
edge for signs of the wer ewolf or his arrows. The cheval! can tell whether the PCs
are werewolves once they come within 60'.
(His sense of smell is extraordinary.)
The chevall does not attack u n less
provoked. He knows the exact location
of Jarrow's tower but hasn't seen t he
wizard in a long time. Koomd awr will
gladly guide the P Cs to Jarrow's to wer
in exchange for a gift of arrows, sweet
foodstuffs (such as fresh fruit ), or ju st
plain courtesy. He will be especially
pleased by any gift of magical arrows.
If the PCs accept Koomd awr's offer, he
will guide them through the woods
usi ng the qu ickest a nd safest rou te h e
kn ows. If the PCs continue their trek
alone, Koomdawr will respect their
wishes and as k th at they gr ee t Jarrow

on his behalf.
Koomdawr, cheval1: AC 5; HD 7*;
hp 39; MV 180'(60 '); /IAT 2 h oovesll
weapon; Dmg 1d6/1d6/by weapon; Save
F 7; SZ L ; ML 9; INT 12; AL N; XP 850;
CC/21. Short bow, 15 arrows + 1. The
statistics given are for Koomdawr's
cen taur form.
The H unted
As th e party mem ber s continue their
tr ek through t he woods, t hey happen on
some stra ngers Read t he following text:
Up ahead, you see four green-robed,
dru idlike figures walking single-file
through the brush. The leader is leaning heavily with the aid of a roughshod cudgel. The druid at the back of
the line looks much youn ger than the
others and is eating a ri pe apple.
The approaching figu res are not
druids but werewolves wearing druids'
robes. They are look ing for one of their
com r ades wh o was ch a sed away by the
chevall. If Koomdawr is with the party,
he will recognize the werewolv es by
their smell; h e will un leash a small
flu rry of arrows without warning and

chase the "druids" into the depths of

t he forest. Neither the fleeing werewolves nor the chevall return.
If Koomdawr is not present, the werewolves greet the PC s warmly and offer
to gu ide them th rou gh the woods, to
keep the party fr om straying into danger. If they are accepted as guide s, t he
werewolves will lead the PCs directly to
their hidden la ir (a r iv er side cave)
where three more werewolves wait.
Ne ither the PCs nor Elexa should notice
the slight change in r oute, since t he
riverside cave is close to the beaten
path. If the PCs seem distrustful, the
werewolves try to allay t heir sus picion s
wit h pleasant chatter. Failing that, t hey
attack and attempt t o gain sur pr ise .
Werewolves (4 or 7}: AC 5 (9); HD 4*;
hp 30, 27, 23, 24, 20, 19, 17; MV 180' (60');
NAT 1 bite; Dmg 2d4; Save F4; SZ M;:ML
8; !NT 10; AL C; XP 125; RC/l90. The 30hp werewolf, Rachdar, attacks as a 5-HD
monster and adds + 2 to his damage rolls.
In animal form, the werewolves can be
harmed only by magical or silver weapons.
The werewol ves' cave is filled with the
bones of slain prey, which hid es t heir
treasure: a sack of 112 gp, an antidote
potion of the weakest type (RG, page 232),

DUNGEON

41

a potion of guseous form , and a snort

sword +2. Neither potion is labeled.
The Copse of Evil Trees
If Koomdawr gu ides t he PCs, this encounter will not occur. Otherwise, read
t he foll owing as the party enters a
dense section of woodland:

An old footpath meanders through this

section of the woods. The trees look
much older with their knotted limbs
and faded leaves , and you see no signs

42 Issue No. 53

of wildlife. Even the flowers refuse to

bloom in this part ofthe forest.
The forest west of Harken's castle is
home to many strange creatures, but
perhaps the strangest is a shargugh
named Gluindil. Gluindil is magically
tied to the forest, and he lends his
strength to the woods. Shargugh are 3'
tall humanoids with wild, matte d-brown
hair and tangled beards. They can trans-port themselves up to 600 yards through
trees five t imes/day. When h idden among
the trees, Gluindil is 90% u ndetectable.

At one time, the woods were home to a

mated pair of shargugh, but Gluindil's
mate wa s k ill ed when she wandered
into a copse of carnivorous, killer trees.
As a result, the su rrounding woodland
h as lost its vitality. Th e plants and tr ees
still grow but bear no fruit or flowe rs .
Nothing new will grow here for another
six years unless a druid casts a remove
curse on the.land to r estor e it s fertility.
The misch ievous Gluindil approaches
the party unseen, using his ability to
inst antaneously transport himself
through the trees. Using his Pick Pocket s
(85%) and Move Silently (85%) abilities,
Glu indil tries to ste al something valuable
from the PCs, such as a ma gical dagger or
a purse. He transports a safe distance
away with the stolen item, laughing at
the PCs while hidden in the shrubbery.
The shargugh leads the PCs to the killer
trees, hoping that the party will dispatch
the arboreal antagonists. Gluind il does
not speak any langua ge other than his
own and has difficulty communicatin g by
any other means. If the PCs slay the
killer trees, Gluind il will happily guide
them to Jarrow's tower by the safest
route.
Glu indil, sh a r gugh: AC 7; HD 3* ; hp
15; MV 150 '(50'); NAT 1 bite or weapon ;
Dm g Id4 or by weapo n ; Save E6; SZ S;
ML 7; INT 10; AL N; XP 50; CC/92.
The kill er trees are indist inguish able
from normal trees. If the PCs stumble
into the copse , the trees lash out with
their branchlike t ent acles. They are
relentless and fight until des troyed.
Each of the killer trees' lim bs attacks
as a 6-H D m onste r, and any hit inflicting 5 hp damage or mor e against a limb
will sever it . Victims who cannot cut
free are dragged in to the tr ee's mouth
the following round and bitten for 3d6
hp damage.
Killer trees (4): AC 5; HD 6; hp 43,
38,35,31; MV 0' ; NAT 4 li mbsll mo uth;
Dmg 0 each/3d6; Save F3 ; SZ L; ML 12;
INT 1; AL N; XP 275; CC/64.

Ja rrow's To wer
Read or paraphrase the following when
the PCs reach Jarrow's t ower:
F urther ahead, t hrough t h e tr ees,
you ca n see a peculi ar st ru cture built
atop a r ocky knoll. The tower w idens
at the to p, and the walls are encrusted with gr een moss, giving t he structure a passing resemb la nce to a large
mushroom .
However, the t ower 's pecu liar

ELEX,o;S EN DEAVOR

appeara nce is not what astou nds a nd

fr igh tens you. Perched on the tower's
flat r oof is a fearsome, three-h eaded
dragon with wic ked horns an d bluebl ack sc ales!
Elexa t akes a moment to point out
that J arrow was known for his skill a t
casting illusions. Althou gh feywings
(three-headed dr agons) once hunted in
the near by wilderness, t hey are just a
legend now . It is no t unlike J ar row to

cast such a n ill us ion to deter othe r

monsters from approaching the tower.

octagonal wooden table with a finely

cr afted chess set placed upon it. A
delicate glass globe suspended above
t he table glows br ightly, illu minatin g th e entire chamb er. A well-worn
ar mchair with matching footstool
rests in one cor ner, nestled betw een a
sha pely wooden cloak r ack and brass
pipe holder. The pipe holder is an
ash-filled ur n secur ed to a br ass
t ripod. Six pipes of various sizes
hang from t iny bras s rings around
t he holder 's circumference.

2. Wizard's Pawns.

J ar row's chess set is carve d from wood

a nd is not part icula rly valu able (30 gp
for the complete set). The pipe urn and
t ripod are worth 100 gp collecti vely;
more importantly, a spare key to Jarrow's bedroom (area 6) is buried in the
urn 's ashes. Two fine cloaks hang on t he
cloak rac k, though neit her are ma gical.
The parlor is lit by a continua l light
spell cast inside the globe ha nging
above the table. PCs casua lly search ing
t he room will discover four chess pieces
(pawns) lyin g on the floor near the t ao
ble. Ca rcful ins pection of th e chess board
reveals that all 32 pieces are in play.
The four fall en pa wns are extra pieces.
If any of th e fallen pawns are touched,
a ll four immediate ly trans for m int o
demos magen . Mage n resemble sexless,
h a ir leaa huma ns wit h skin the color and
tex t ure of hardened can dle wax. Each of
the demos magen has darrow's ma gical
insig nia pa int ed on its forehead, and all
of the m wield swords. Jarrow create d
sim ilar beings to guard Har kon's castle,
but they were sla in by the bri gand s.
The magen have orders to attac k all
intr uders and will constr ue t he party's
una nnounced ent rance as a n int rusion.
If t he PCs flee J arrow's tower, the magen will not pursu e. They simply rema in in this cha mber, standing idle
with their swords in hand. When magen
are slai n, they explode in a dazzling
pyrotechni c display, leaving nothing
behind but colored smoke .
Demos magen (4): AC 7; HD 3+ 2; hp
22, 19, 16, 15; MV 120'(40'); IIAT 1
weapon; Dmg ld8 or by weapon; Sa ve
F4; SZ M; ML 12; INT 9; AL N; XP 50;
CC/73. All magen , including tho se in
areas 4, 7, and 8, ar e im mune t o charm
and fear spells.

Two padde d couches face each oth er

in the middle of t his rectangu lar
room, a nd bet ween t hem sits a n

3. Se cret Ladder. Beyond t he secr et

door, a wooden ladd er has been affixed
to one wall. The ladder climb s up t o

Unfortunately, t he feywi ng atop J ar-

row's tower is r eal. Whe n the PCs a pproac h t he castle, it will spot th em a nd
h iss loud ly before gliding to attack. The
creature is t oo stupid a nd aggressive to
retreat; it figh ts to t he deat h.
The feywing was responsible for J a rrow's demise . It swooped down on him
while he was s urveyi ng the count rys ide
from hi s tower roof. Jarrow's re mai ns
can be found on the rooftop (area 10).
Fcywing: AC 4; HD 7 + 1; hp 44; MV
60' (20'), fly 180' (60'); NAT 3 bites or 3
horns (or comb ina tion); Dmg 2d4 (bites)
or Id10 (horns); Sa ve F7; SZ L; ML 9;
INT 4; AL C; XP 450; CC/39.
1. Ent r ance. The door to J errow's
tower Is made of stu rdy iron-bound oak
and has been wizard rocked a t th e 17th
level of ability. PCs may use knock
spells to gai n entry to the tower, hut
only a auocessful dillpel magic will per manently un do .Iarro w'a wizard lock.
Beyond the doorway is an unlit, 20'
long corri dor with an other oak en door
set into the far wa ll. Neatly burned into
the surface of the door is a pecu liar sigit
shaped vaguely lik e a "J." In the ceiling
above the door are several sma ll mur der
holes.
The PCs may pass beneath the murder holes safely, but one of J errow'e
guardian constructs is wa tching t he
adven turers throug h the murder holes
(see area 4 for it s statistics). The conetruct does nothing but watch the intruding party.
The door leading to Jarrow's parlor
(area 2) is unlocked. The aigtl on t he
door is J arrow's insignia.

Jarrow's Tower
1 Square '" to'

-t+t--

-,

~r:-

- ~ .

_.

First Floor

[1-j- +
.

..

Ff-I ... ~
_

Second Floor

+++
1

_o~:-

1--

- %I~

19

Third Floor

-H-j-t

- 00

--j-

~--- H-

--

Roof

DUNGEON

43

1=

10

r-

El EXA'S ENDEAVOR

Jarrow 's bedro om (area 6) a nd was in-

tended for use as an escape route in an

emergency.
4. Kitc hen. At on e en d of this ki tchen
stands a circu la r wooden ta ble surrounded by t hr ee chai r s. A few clay
di shes a nd a bask et of stale muffins sit

on the tabletop. At t he ot her end of t he

kit chen sta nds a r ect angular work table
covered with pots, dishes, and other
cu linary items. Severa l cooking implements hang in the blackened hearth
be hi nd the work t a ble, and a pair of
unlit la nterns dangle from t he k itchen's
ceili ng. Light filters in through two
sle n der windows.
Hidd en in t he shadows of the northeast niche (above a rea 1) is a galvan
magen . It discharges a bolt of static
electricity at the first intr uder it sees; it
can us e this method of attack only three
times/da y. Th e magen is ar med with a
swor d for melee attacks.
Ga lv a n magen: AC 3; HD 5 *; hp 24;
MV 120' (40'); NAT 1 weapon or ligh t .
ning bolt; Dmg 3d6 (save vs. dragon
breath fur half damage) or 1d8 (sword);
Save F5 ; SZ M; ML 12; TNT 9; AL N; XP
300; CCn3. See ar ea 2 for immunities.

5. Pant ry. The walls of this 10' x 10'

pant ry ar e lined with wooden shelves ,
st acked with various foodst uffs, jar s,
and kitchen suppl ies. On the floor rest
four small ca sks , and an old broom
leans ag a inst one wall.
PCs sear chi ng the shelves find a sac k
of flour, a bowl of eggs, thr ee stale past ry cr ust s, a small sack of dried apples,
a half-filled jar of rasp berry je lly, a jar
of dr y but edible mushrooms, a ba g of
roots, eight jars of spices, six oil flasks,
22 wax candles, a rolling pin , an d severa l recipes scra wled on scrolls.
Hidden among the jars of spices is a
potion of bug repellent (RC/232), whil e
mixe d in with t he re cipe scroll s is a
scroll of equipment (capa ble of creating
a wizard's ha t , a sprig of wolfsbane, a
pai r of boots , a 10' ladder, a torch, and a
50' rop e with a grapple). The r agged
broo m is actually a dancing broom, a
u n ique magical item that J arrow cre ated to swee p by itself. The br oom cannot fly bu t will clean the floor of an
entire room whenever th e command
word "Bereaul" (et ched on t he broomst ick) is uttered.
6. -Iarrow's Bedroom. Th e door to
this room is locked. A spare k ey is htd .

44 Issue No. 53

den in the parlor (area 2), but t he door

may be open ed by a thief making a
successful Open Locks roll. A knock
spell will also open the portal.
Tiny motes of du st dr ift slowly ab out
t his unlit chamber. A comfortable bed
r ests bet ween two windows against t he
west wall. Under th e sou th win dow
st a nds a desk with a matching wooden
chair, and crouched atop th e desk is a
large stuffed r at wit h glassy eyes . Next
to the rat is a small wooden puzzle-cube
and a sil ver tr ipod with a crystal ball
n estled in it.
A dusty lant er n hangs from the ceiling, and a throw rug made from bug bear hide covers th e mi ddle of t he floor.
A wooden t ru nk with Jarrow's eigil
burned into its lid sits in t he far corner.
The st uffed rat on J arrow's desk is
harmless, and th e puzzle cube is no
more than an interesting diversion. Th e
desk drawer contains a pair of birch wood spectacles (75 gp), 89 gp in a pouch
of security, a velvet bag containing six
prisms (15 gp each) , a scroll of protection
from lycanthropes, and a quill of copying. Th e crystal ball on the desk is genuine and can be used to spy on the
brigands in Harkon's cas tle. The crys tal
ball's silver tripod is worth 150 gpo The
candlestick is nonmagical.
The lantern hanging from the ceiling
is actually a lamp of long burning. Jarrow's trunk is wizard locked shut (at
17t h level) and conta ins his nonmagical,
neatl y folded apparel. Hidden in a secret compartment in the trunk's lid is
J arrow's rod of cancellation. The P Cs
will ne ed t he r od t o dispe l th e invisible
sh ield around Ca st le J ust hcart.
7. Lib r ary. Hanging between th e windows on the south wall is an exquisite
tapestry of a uni corn sta nding on a rocky
mountain bluff. Opposite the ta pestry,
against the nort h wall , stands a tall,
sculpted bookcase packed with lar ge
tomes. A handsome green carp et lies on
the floor in front ofthe bookshelf.
The library's collect ion covers archi t ect ure , a lche my, engi neering, law,
mathematic s, and spe Ucraft. Among the
books is a tom e titled T he Text ofth e
Magenmaker; which details the expensive and exhausti ng process of fabr-icatin g magen of all ty pes . Only a wizard of
10th level or higher can understand this
text, an d only those of 12th level or
higher can app ly its formulas . Opening
the book summons two scales magen,
which immediately attack all intru ders

pr esent . When a sca los magen touches

it s vict im, the target creature is teleported 1d20 x 100 yards in a r an dom
direc tion (no save) . The magen inflict no
damage with t his attack and will n ot
telepo rt anyone holding the magical
t ome or one of J arrow's epellbcok s (see
below), preferring to use t heir short
swords instead.
S calos magen (2): AC 7; HD 4 + 2*;
hp 19, 18; MV 120' (40'); HAT 1; Dm g
special or 1d6 (short swor d); Save F5 ; SZ
M; ML 12; INT 9; AL N; XP 200 ; CC173
(magen, var iant). See area 2 for special
immunities.
Th e Text ofthe Magenmaker is worth
5,000 gp to an interested buyer. On
an other shelf ar e darrow's th ree
spellbooks, each one bou nd and lock ed .
Th e k eys were lost when the feywi n g
devoured J arrow, so th e lock s must be
either picked or magically opened . The
books may be trapped with feeblemind
or polymorph other spells at t he DM's
discretion.
Spellbook 1 contains all Ist - and 2nd level spells listed in t he RC. Spellbook 2
conta ins all Srd- and 4th- level spells
listed in the RC. Spellbook 3 contains
the 5th and Sth -level spells an imate
dead, cloudkill, contact other plane,
dissolve. feeblem in d, hold monster; magic jar; passwall, teleport, wall of stone,
woodform; anti-magic shell, disintegrate, projected image, etoneform, wall
of iron, and weather control.
8. Laborato ry. Two unlit lanterns hang
from the ceiling of this 20' x 40' chamber.
A large rectangular table occupies much of
the floor space: its entire surface is cluttered with beakers, clay pots, retorts, and
other alchemical equipment. A mahogany
cabinet with two doors stands against the
east wall, between a pair of curtai ned
windows. The cabinet's doors ar e both
engraved with J arrow's insignia. A fireplace is built into the south wall , with a
stack of wood beside it.
Waiting in the room are t wo caldron
magen and a hy pnos magen, created
a nd r endere d inv isible by J an-ow . All
three look ident ical a nd h ave Jarrow 's
sigil painted on their fore hea ds . When
the PCs en ter th e room, each magen
dr inks a poti on of invulnerability given
to them by Jarrow (impr oving their AC
and saving t hrows by 2). On th e second
round, t hey become vis ible and attack .
The party must make a Sur prise roll
with a - 2 penalty.
Caldron magen (2): AC 5 (3 wit h

ELEXIl;S ENDEAVOR

poti on); HD 4* ; h p 22,17; MV 120' (40' );

HAT 1; Dmg iaio. Save F4; 5Z M; ML
12; INT 9; AL N; XP 125; Ce/73. Caldron m agen have el ast ic limbs that
wrap arou nd their victims and secrete
aci d for Id l 0 hp dam a ge each round.
H y pnos magen : AC 7 (5 with potion);
HD 2* ; hp 13; M V 120' (40' ); NAT 1;
Dmg special (charm person once per
round ); Save M2; SZ M; ML 12; INT 9;
AL N ; XP 25; Ce/7 3.
H ypnos magen h a ve no physical attacks but can cas t charm person once
per round . P Cs cha rmed by t his par ti cular magen are or dered to drop t heir
weapons and le a ve the castle immed iately (assuming t hey h aven't been
sei zed by t he other m agan). T he charm

is permanent until the hypnos magen is

kill ed or t he magic is d ispe lled.
The st or a ge cabinet is w izard locked
at the 17th leve l of ability. If it is
opened, the PC s fin d its she lves lined
with bot t les and jars of color ed liquids.
Many ar e ine rt h erb a l concoct ions or
sa lves. H owever, se veral m agical potions are hidden among the harmle ss
liquids; the pot ion s are label ed in a
scri pt fam ili ar to all wizards as animal
control, an tidote (two of each type, see
Re, page 232 ), climbing ( x 2), d iminution ( x 3), elasticity, flying ( x 2), gaseous
form ( x 2), healing (x 5 ), h um an control,
invisibility, luck, poison ( x 2), polymorph self, and water breathing ( x 2).
J arrow never wrote down the r ecipes for
his concoctions, so no not ebooks are
stored in the cabinet.
Th e wor kt able apparatus is fairly
ordinary. Scattered am ong the beakers
and utensils are r oots and herbs t hat
serve as basi c in gredient s for many
poti ons . I' Cs search in g the table find a
slate of identificatio n t hat magic-users
can use to ident ify magic items , inc luding t he items in J arrow 's t ower (see Re ,
page 241 for spe cifics ).
9. Secr et Corridor. Th is bent, dusty
corr idor is illuminated by li ght filtering
in through the windows along the outer
walls. At t he wes tern end of the h a ll a
wooden ladd er leads to a tr ap door in
the ceiling. The unlocked t rap door
la a da up to the r-oof (a f p.R 10).

10. Rooft op . T he r oof of Jar row 's

tow er is wide, fiat , a nd covered wit h
pebble -sized st ones. A 3'.high stone
chi mn ey pokes ou t from the r ooft op, a nd
a 4'.high crenelated wall encloses t he
peri meter. Th e view of t he surrounding

woods is qu ite astoundi ng .

Assuming the PCs ki lled th e feywing,
the only thing they find on the roof are
the grisly re mains of Jarrow the wizard.
Only his right hand and right boot were
not devoured . I n.rrow's ring ofmemory is
still on t he th ird finger of the severed
h an d (the ri ng lets a spellcaster recall one
mem orized spell/day ). Elexa has seen this
ri ng before and recogn izes it immediately
as J arrow's. H is boots were ma gical boots
of eluenkind, but the left boot h as long
since dissolved in the feywin g's gut. The
right boot is useless alone.

Returni ng to the Castle

With the horrifying discovery of Jarrow's half-eaten corpse, Elexa is justi fiably withdraw n on the tri p bac k to
Castl e J usth ea rt . Luckily, the jou rney is
without incident, provided the PC s
ret ur n to H ar kon 's castl e before the
bri gands' reinforcements. Th e briga nds
are not sched uled tc a rrive for a week,
but this could cha nge depen din g on how
t he party handled t he perils of J arrow's
tower. If t he PCs spend se ver al days
r ecuperating , t heir return to Ca stle
Justheart could he se r iously del ayed.
Statistics for t he a pproac hing- br igands are giv en in " The Brigand s Ar
rive " section. Allow the PC s to sta ge at
least one assault on t he castle befor e
t he reinforcem ents arrive.
If t he P Cs ha d a re la ti vely easy time
a t Jarrow's tow er, insert the following
encounter on the ret ur n trip to Castle
J ust heart. Th is encou nte r is opt ional
and shoul d not be used if hal f the party
was killed or seri ously wou nde d
figh tin g darrow's guardians.
The Wild Archers
As the ad ven turers m a ke t heir way
through the woods, the y are attacked by
six archer bus hes t hat have uprooted
themse lves and stan d with in 10 ' of the
party's path. Watch in g t he archer bushes from the t re es are th ree vicious wood
imps. Th e imps have learned th at the y
can steal treas ur e from wandere r s once
the arche r bushes fin ish devouring
t hem. Th e imps have al so learned th at
Rndine t.h p. ir own ro i!'.On .('oRt.p.d

Rrrow~

helps the archer bu sh es dispatch their

prey more quickly.
Th e ret urn trip to Castl e J ustheart
has bee n uneventful so far, al though
you ca utiously re trace your steps
th rou gh the woods t o avo id m eet ing

any more monsters. Sud de nly, you

are in the m idst of a flurry of thorny
darts sh ooting out of the nearb y
shru bbery.
The party is su rpr ised on a roll of 14
on Id6. Th e archer bu shes remain et ati onary until one or more of th e P Cs
fall , at which point t hey close in for t he
feast . As soon as the archer bu shes
u n leash t heir thorns, the wood im ps fire
thei r small poisoned arrows . PCs struck
by the wood imps' arrows mu st make
sa ving throws vs. poison at + 2. PCs
fai lin g the sa vin g thr ow take a n addit ional l dB hp dama ge and become alug gish for 2d4 rounds. Sl uggish PC s suffer
a - 2 in it ia tive penalty and move at
h alf spee d until the poison wears off.
If the wood im ps are di scovered. they
flee into the woods. If pursue d, th e creatures will whistle for their m ounts, a
trio of huge wood spid ers. The wood
imps flee ifthey fail a Mor al e check;
t he y command t he spide rs to attack if
thei r Mor ale holds.
Archer bush es (6): AC 7; HD 2*; hp
14, 12, 11. 9, 7, 4 ; MV 3' (1 '); NAT 1
thorn spray; Dmg Id4 per spray (hit s
mu ltiple tar gets, ma xim um 3 !:iprlJ.Ys/
day ); Save F l ; SZ S; ML 12; INT 0; AL
C; XP 20; CC /lI .
Wood imps (3): AC 6 ; HD 3/4 (l d6 hpj;
hp 5, 3, 2; MV 90 ' (30'); NAT 1 bite or 1
arrow; Dmg 1d3 (bit e) or Id4 (arrow);
Sav e Nor ma l Ma n ; SZ S; ML 7; INT 10;
AL C; XP 6; CC/1I2 . Each wood imp
ca rries two poisoned arrows and six
normal arrows.
H u ge wood spiders (3l: AC 6; HD
1 + 3*; hp 9, 8 , 8; MV 120' (40 '); NAT 1
bite; Dmg Id6 + poison ; Save Fl ; SZ S;
ML 8; INT 2; AL N; XP 19; CC/101.

Justheart Castle
J ustheart Castl e is r ough ly 90' sq ua re
a nd 75' high . The poster map included
wit h th is m odule shows all six level s.
Starti n g in the lower center of th e
poster ma p a nd moving clockwi se, the
levels are t he cellar, ground floor, znd4th floors, and roofto p. Th e cardin a l
points of the compass appear on the
r ooftop a s ornaments.
Th e ca stle wa s built ove r 150 years
a go by a barbarian h untsman na med
Deremon. Durin g a night of drunkenn ess, Deremon stagger ed off the rooft op,
struck his he ad on a rock, and drown ed
in the lake. Deremon 's mantle was
in herited by h is son Calde r, a ruthless

DUNGEON

45

ElEXA'S ENDEAVOR

a nd power-hungry man who built a

dungeon in the cellar a nd used its gri sly
i nstr ume nts on t respas sers.
Ca ldor wa s slain by barbaria ns. and
when he died h is la nds were for feited to
the crown. T he k in g chose to gi ve t he
land a nd castle to the J ustheart fam ily

in exchange for loya l service, a nd t he

fiefdom has remained the irs eve r si nce .
Th e dun geon in the ce llar is nothin g
more tha n a memory of darker days.
Th e castle's chapel is a fairly recent
construction. It was built by Harken's
father for th e women in t he fa mily, all
of whom were pr act icing clerics of t he
Or der of Yar el1a , an Im mortal dedicated
to hun te rs and lost souls. Harkon en couraged hi s ni ece Elexa to continue t he
tradit ion . In fact , he initially opposed
ber joining the ki ng 's Heali ng Ord er.
However, Elexa 's ded ication to duty
quick ly won Harkon over, and he never
again qu estioned her ca lling.
Eleaa'a departure for the Crusades
left Harkon a lone in the castle. He
never had much use for town life , a nd
only his fr ie ndshi p with Jarrow kept
him from going mad during t he mont hs
of Elexa'e abse nce.
Brigand Ba n e
About two wee ks ago , Harkon rose one
morning to t he so und of hum an voices
outside his castle. When he pee red out
h is window , he saw five poorl y dress ed
people approac hi ng t he draw bri dge .
One of them, a you ng woman resembling Ele xa , a ppeared se ri ousl y wounded , a nd the other fou r appealed to h im
for aid. The brigands claimed they were
shepherds w ho had been a mbushed by
orcs whil e tendin g the ir flock .
Harkon or dere d his dem os magen to
lower the cas t le's drawb ridge and raise
the portcullise s. He cou ld not bear to let
the youn g woman die a t h is doorstep,
and he knew Elex a kept some hea ling
pot ions in the k itchen . On ce they were
invited insi de, the br iga nds qu ickl y
se ized contr ol of the castle. Th ey bran.
dish ed the weapons t hey h ad hidden
u nder t heir she pher ds ' ro bes, and
H ark on found himself at swordpoin t.
Jarrow's m egen r ushed out to defend
Harkon bu t were defeated and vanished
in to smoke. Th e br igand leader (t he
woman feigninR: injury) ordered H arkon
be taken to t he castle dungeon , whe re
h e h as rem ai ned ever since. Th e brig.
ands feed h im and keep h im healthy
because h e is worth more to t he m alive

46 Issue No. 53

than dead. Th ey h ave no compunctions

about killing him, however, if t hey are
threatened .
Sev era l days after the keep was secured, Emistil (an el f brigand ) fou nd
J arrow's scroll of defens e in Ha rkon's
desk . After determin ing the scroll's
power, the elf u sed it to create the invi sib le shield that now encloses the castle.
With t h e sh ield in plac e, t he brigands
ha ve beco me lax in their efforts to
gu ard a gainst in trus ion .
Malvira Dalant (human thieD: AC 4;
17; hp 27;),IV 120 ' (40'); IAT 1; Dmg by
weapon type ( x 2 damage with successful
backstab); S 9, I 16, W 10, D 18 , C 14, Ch
14; Save 17;),fi. 8; AL C; XP 850; Thief
skills: OL 45%, IT 40%, RT 38'1:,CW
93%, MS 48%-, HS 35%, PP 50%, liN 58%;
black leather armor, ring of seeing, dagger
+ 2, poti on of invisibi lity.
A life of hards hi p and ill treatment
has turned th is once starry-eyed gi rl
into a ruthless , serpent-hearted villei ness . Mal vira Dalant is t reacherous, fou ltempered, and sadistic (perfect qualit ies
for a brigand leader ). She is actually
seco nd-in-comm a nd of the brigand gang ,
but her superio r (a nd conso rt) h as not
yet arrived at t he castle. She in tends to
dispose of him eventually a nd take
control of the band, bu t for now she is
biding h er ti me.
Mal vira's ring, taken fro m a slain
merch ant , enables h er to see through
illusions (sim ilar to a cleric's truesigtu
spell), F or example, the r ing a llows her
to see in vis ible P Cs and discern tr ue
targets fro m m irro r im ages. Her potion
of invisibil ity is rese rved for escapes or
backsta b attem pts.
Emistil Darkeyes (elf): AC 4; E4 (see
below); hp 24 ; M V 120 ' (40 '); NAT 1;
Dmg by weapon type; S 14 ( + I ), I 18 , W
9, D 16, C 17, Ch 11; Save M9 (see below); ML 7; AL C (for merly N ); XP 725;
scale armor, short sword, short bow, 16
arrows, three arrows ofpe netrating . two
arrows ofstunning, spe llbook (contains
a ll the spells below plus read m agic a nd
detect m agic).
Spell s (a s sth-level m agic-use r): charm
person, m agic missile, shield; invisibi lity, mirror im age, wizard lock; h aste,
ligh tn ing bolt, pro tection from normal
m issiles; ice storm, po ly morph self; rereport: Em istil saves his teleport spell for
escapes, taking Ma lvira wit h h im if
possible. He rarely casts h is higherlevel spells for fear of drawing suspicion
from h is fellow bri gands (see below).
Emistil is the most mysterious of the

bri gands. His manner ca n best be described as cheerful, even when he's shooting an arrow through someone's skull.
Th e elf has not always been like this;
when he first joined the brigan ds, he was
sinister and rather disquieting. But sev eral months ago, during a botched attempt to plun der a wizard 's lair, Em istil
was possessed by the wizard 's lifeforce
(thanks to a magicjar spell), The wizard,
seeking a new life, made transition permanent by destroying the receptacle
holding Emistil's lifeforce. The wizard,
Feyram , thus trapped himself inside the
elfs body.
FeyramlEmistil thoro ughly enjoys h is
new li fe as a br igand. He 's qu ite content
to take orders r ather than give t hem,
and he a dmires Malvir a for her sheer
ca priciousne ss .
Oceertc Marca d e (human figh ter ):
AC 4; F5; bp 36; ),tV 120' (40' ); I AT 1;
Dm g by weapon type; S 16 ( + 2), 1 12 , W
8 , D 12, C 14 , Ch 9; Save F 5; ML 9; AL
C; XP 400; chain ma il + I , bastard
sword (wit h a 25(}'gp ge m se t into its
dr a gon-shaped pommel), light crossbow
+ I , 25 quarrels, pouch containing four
cut ge ms 0 00 gp ea ch ).
Octario was second in line to a great
inh eritance, but was disowned after he
tri ed and failed to murder his older brother. 'Ib avoid paying for his crime , Octario
stole his father's sword and set out on h is
own , and he has been hunted by his
brother ever since. Octario joined the
bri gands for protection and has risen
through th e ranks quickly. H is swor dsmanship and arrogance ar e legendary,
and he genuinely believes he ill destined
to lead the bri gands some day. H is onl y
fear is facing his brother again.
Octario's pouch of gems was taken
from Har kon 's desk . For all his nob le
conceit , Oct ario is nothing more t h an a
scou ndrel a nd petty th ief.
Yan k Kelve (human thieO: AC 5; T4;
h p 15; MV 120' (40'); NAT 1; Dmg by
weapon type ( x 2 damage with backstab); S 12, 1 10, W 11 , D 16, C 10, Ch 6;
Save T4; ML 5; AL C; XP 125; Th ief
skill s: OL 30%, IT 25%, RT 25%, CW
90%, MS 35%, HS 24%, P P 35%, H N
45%; leather armor, short sword, light
crossbow, 18 qu arrels, pouch holdin g 5
pieces of stol en jewelry (50 gp eac h), t wo
vial s of poison (see below).
Yarik is a lazy and cowardly villain
with little regard for the welfare of cchers. H is only ambition is to become rich
and live like the fat. gold -to uting merchan ts he sees on city streets. Yarik has a

ELEXA:S ENDEAVOR

morbid sense of humor and little sense of

personal hygiene. His thin bui ld and oily
black hair give him a distinct ive. ratlike
appeara nce . He dips his qu arrels in lethal
poison (Rave va, death). Each vial is good
for five applications.

Party
Arrives
Bere

Bald Bol amy (h uman fighter ): AC 3;

F3j hp 17 (24); ' AT 1; Dmg by we a pon
type;S 18 (+ 3), 1 5. W9, D 10, C 12. Ch
9; Sa ve F3; ML 8; AL C; XP 50 ; pl at e
ma il, sword, dagger.
Ba ld Bolarny is so n am ed because of
his lack of ha ir. Although not particu larly bri gh t , he ha s proven h imself
reliable in combat , whic h is what the
brigands need . Bolarny discover ed a
suit of plate mail in the castle arm ory
that fit him perfectly an d now wears the
suit despit e the fact that it has the
Justheart family crest (a red griffin on

an amber background ) emblazoned on

its chest plate .
Bolarny fea rs Ma lvira a nd follow s her

orders to the best of his ability. He is

not evil but lack s the selt- wil ! and de te r.
minati on to t h ink for h imself. Although
he main tai ns a rough-an d-tumbl e exte rior, Bolarny enjoys m usi c a nd ta king
care of sma ll dom estic an ima ls. H e
speaks ofte n about the puppies he
raised as h unti ng dogs in h is youth . H is
current hi t points reflect wounds he
su ffered in the fight wit h Harken's
demos magen .
Where the Brigands Are
The briga nds are not con fined to any
one area of t he kee p. J u st h eart Ca stle is
re latively sm a ll. and the brigand s are
accustomed to moving fr om room to
room whe nev er it su its them. Th e brig.
ands do not necessarily sleep at night;
t heir sleepin g patterns are errat ic a nd
difficult to predict , dependin g on their
mood, t heir gambli n g, and t he ir bickerin g. They never re st at t he sa me tim e.
The PCs may meet the bri gands j ust
abo ut a nywhere, al though they are
seldom gathered in one pla ce. (Bei ng
cooped up in t he castle has m ade t hem
irritable.) Below a re the areas where
they are most likely to be encou ntered if
no alarm has been sou nded:
Malvi ra habitually paces around the
fourth floor balconies (areas 14 and 15 ).
When she wa nta privacy, she withdraws
to Elexa's former be-droom (area 16),
whi ch she has declared off lim its to a ll
the ot her bri ga nds. Some times she
checks on the elf, because she kn ows
abo ut his preoccup at ion wit h reading

Jarrow's
Tower

o
I

200
I

Feel

(something she abhors). Sh e a lso checks

on H ark on from ti me to ti me.
Em istil ca n usually be foun d in
Harkon'a bedroom (area 10) reading his
spe llbook or one of t he volu mes from
H arken's privat e collection .
Oct ario and Bola rny like to play
chec ke rs (using cbeee pieces) in the
comm on r oom (ar ea 9). Th ey al so engage in mock battles, u sually in the
commom roo m or the meet ing hall (areas 9 or 13). Occasionally th ey exp lore
the armory (ar ea 8), and they h ave been
gi ven t he task of operati ng the win che s
for t he portcullise s a nd dra wbridge.
Yarik spe nds m ost of his t ime in the
ce llar, tau nting poor Ha rkon in the
dungeon (area 7 ) or sa mpling t he vertous ales and wines in t he cellar (area 6).
Occasiona lly he lounges in the meeti ng
hall (area L3), pick ing a t his di rty nails
with a k itc he n kn ife. He r arely slee ps.
J arrow's Ma gi c Items
If t he PCs were successfu l at J arrow's
tower, they shoul d ha ve fou nd at least
one magical item to u se a gainst
Harken's ca pto rs. Th e s late of identification in J arrow's labora to ry will hel p
PCs identify items that are not labeled

or ot herwise familiar. A few of t hese

m agical items and t heir poss ible u ses
are reveale d below :
Rod ofc:ant:llalron: Thken from J arrow's bedchamber, the rod can be used to
dispe l the invisible shield surrounding
Castle J ustheart. Thuching the rod to th e
shield dissolves the barrier instantly but
permanently dr ai ns t he rod of magic. The
effect is very discreet , so the brigands
may not know the shie ld has collapsed
until the PCs are upon them. The tricky
part is getting close enough to the shield
to touch it with the rod.
Crysta l ball: Th is item h as obviou s
use s if the party contains a magic-user
or elf who ca n eery with it. Elexa can
describe three of the brigands (Ma lvira
Da lant, Octario Ma rcade, a nd E mist il
Darkeyes ) in sufficient detail to permit
successfu l scry in g.
Antidote potions: These pot ions help
the PC s counter the leth al poison on
Yari k's cr ossbow quarrels. They may
a lso be u sed with t he poison pot ion in a
scheme to poll ute the castle's water
rese rvoir (see below).
E ntrance and escape potions: Pes ca n
use the potion of clim bing to scale t he
castle wal ls. the di m in ution potion to fit

DUNGEON

47

ELEXAS ENDEAVOR

through the 8lTOW slits, the elastU:ity

potion to squeeze under the drawbri dge
and through th e portcullises bars or
through the 8lTOW slits, the potion of
polymorph self to assume the form of a
bird or spider. or the potions of water
brrothing to walk along on the bottom of
the lake and approach the castle unseen.
Detennined PCs could fly up to the roof.
drink water breathing potions, and swim
thro ugh the plumbi ng with the aid of
diminution potions . (The " Mu ltiple Po.
tions" ru le in t he
page 232, prevents
PC a from imb ibing more than one potion
at a time, but the DM may overlook the
rul e in favor of letting the players explore
an interesting opt icn.)
Potions for special pu rposes: Clever
PCs might pour the poison poti ons into
the r eserv oir on the roof and later adm in ister antidote to the polluted wa te r
su pply. This is a slow a nd uncertai n
wa y of dea li ng with the brigands;
t hough usefu l in a long-ter m siege. the
poison may i na dvertently harm
Hark en . On ce Harken is found , the Pes
could ensure h is safe departu re by giv ing h im t he pot ion of gaseous form. The
potion of animal control ca n be used on
the egrets to either command their
silence during a preemp t ive strike or
create a disturba nce while the Pes
sneak into the castle . A PC wh o drinks
the potio n of human control can com.
m and one or more of the brigands to
leave t he castle, turn against h is fellows, or lower t he drawbr idge.
'Ih :t ofthe Mag en mnker: Th is magical
tome from J a rrow's library (a rea 7) is of
spec ial interest to FeyramlEm ist il,
because he has heard of Jan ow a nd h is
magen constructs. The elf m ay ask
Ma lvira to accept the tome as r a nsom
paym ent for H arkon, claimin g it can be
sold for at least 5,000 gp o(Malv ir a , who
d islikes books, will be to ugh to persua de.) Of course, Emistil woul d con sider se lli ng the to m e only after careful
study. Fortuna te ly, he lacks the level
and experi ence to full y u nd erstand Oet
a lone use ) the to me .

Re.

Gro und Floor

1. Castle Drawbridge. The brigands
plan to keep the drawbridge raised until
their cohorts arrive, bu t clever Pes may
trick them into lowering the drawbri dge
prematurely. Fooling the brigands is a
difficult task, however, since they are
natural ly paranoid and wary of deception .
Th e drawbridge is not hel d sh ut by

48 Issue No. 53

the invisible shield surroundin g the

castle and m ay be 10weM (regardless of
whe ther the shield is in place). However, the shield cover-s the entrance into
the castle, barring entry.
The 20'-long dra wbridge is j ust the
right length to span the water separating the castle fr om the shorelin e. Beyond the drawbridge are two
portcullises, and beyond them are a pair
of he avy oaken doors that are barred
from the inside. The doors ca n wit hstand 100 hp damage before sundering,
and the portcullise s ca n be raised wit h a
combined strength of64 . However, t he
murder holes in t he ceiling abov e th e
portcu llises and the t wo guard stations
on eit her side of the entr ance make
such feats ri sky at best.
If the bri gands are alerted to invaders,
one of the archers will position himself
inside the guard station closest to the
tower. PCs who approach the drawbridge
or force their way into the area between
the two portcullises will be shot .

2. Entrance Foy er. This dark chamber is tiled with polished slabs of red
marble. Suspended from the ceiling is
a n iron chandelier wit h se veral unlit
candles in its holders. Directly across
from the castle entrance are three alcoves , each containing a su it of armor.
The empty suits clutch swords and
maintain a constant watch over t he
chamber. Two archways lead to a larger
chamber beyond , and a narrow passage
to the south leads to the tower staircase.
The three suits of armor have bee n
weld ed at the joints to keep them erect,
so the armor ca nnot be wor n . Th e
swords may be r emoved a nd u sed as
weapons but are not m agical.
3. Dining H all. Two huge tables and
two iron chandeliers dominate this
75 ' x 35 ' chamber. Th e ropes suspending
t he chandeliers are t ied to hooks along
the northeast wall . A raised white marble
platform at one end of the chamber holds
a cloth-covered table and eight comfortab le chairs. Unlit torc hes are mounted in
the walls above the platform.
The J u.stheart family once held banquets
in this hall Before his wife died. Harkon
held great feasts and invited the families
of all the farmers and shepherds who lived
on his land. He also hosted hunters' banquets, although it has been yean since he
filled the room with merrymakers,

4. Kitc h en a n d Pantry. A large table

occupies most of the k itch en floorspace.
Items set on the table include se ve ral
loaves of baked bread, an oven stick for
removing the bread, an unlit candle in a
clay candle holder, a cleaver, and a few
knives. Along t he walls are several
jugs, a few Ilour- sacks, two fir eplaces ,
and a water basin with a fa ucet embed.
ded in the wa ll above it. Right near the
entrance to t he dining room is a simple
h oistin g a pparatus pla ced atop a hole
t hat dro ps down into the cellar.
Th e hoist is used for brin gin g barr els
up from t he cellar (area 6). F ir st , an
indi vidual must go in to t he cellar a nd
t ie a r ope around a barrel, which must
th en be hauled up by someone pull in g
on the rope in the ki tchen .
The fa ucet abov e the wa te r basin has
a handle r ather t han a pump , a luxu ry
not a ll PCs may immediately u nderstand . Th e faucet sometimes needs
t igh tening, wh ich expla ins the wrenches and pliers on the k itc hen table . Tu rning t he handle spills wa ter into the
basin . The water piped is t hrou gh th e
castle's interio r walls from the rooftop
reservoir. The basin is used for both
preparing food and was hing di shes.
The jugs near the wa ter basin are all
em pty, but t he one ne xt to t he nour
sacks contains brine (u sed fOTcook ing
and preserving).
An iron-bound door leads to a small
pa ntry. Th e she lves are clu ttered with
jars of sp ices a nd pr eserv ed foodstuffs,
as well as ea t ing utens ils and dis hes
(enou gh settings for sev eral dozen
guests) . There is noth in g of part icular
value here.
Cellar

5. Ca stle WeD. The only feature in this

dark, dirt-floor chamber is a mess-covered
well in th e north corner. A rickety wooden
door is set in the nearby wall.
When the rooftop reservoir is empty, thi s
well serves as the castle 's water supply.
The water is not as fresh or clean as the
rainwater in the reservoir, so it is used
only during droughts and sieges.
6. Storage Cellar. Th is cold , da rk
room is filled with barrels and food
sacks. A circular stone platform occupies the north cor ner of the room , and
two barrels, both moist wit h condensation, stand on t he platform.
The two barrels on the platfor m a re
filled with ale , the other s with wine,

ELEX,6;S ENDEAVOR

vinega r, and a n emergency supply of

water. The sacks conta in flour, sugar,
and spices.
Directly abo ve t he circu lar platform is
the appa ratus for th e k itchen hoist (see
urea 4). A rope with hooks attached to it
dangles thro ugh t he hole in th e cei ling.
7. Ca stle Dungeon. Harken
,Justhe art will cull out for hel p th e moment th e PCs en ter this room .

Beyond a nar row archway iRa da mp

and filt hy cha mber filled with tools
frnm u dar ker era . From the ent ra nce
you ca n see a ramshackle tor ture
rack in the cen ter of th e room an d a
spiked iron cage h anging from th e
ceilin g'by r usted chains. Other devices from stone dag gers to thu mbscrews, vises to hummers, are strewn
about as well . Half bu ried in the dir t
a re the akele tons of t wo ind ividuals
who met their en d here yea rs ago.
The dungeon is ill um ina ted by fiery
embers bu rn ing' in a pair of cyli ndr ical
stone tubs. Hot poke rs ar c bu ried in th e
embers, and th e light is br igh t enough
to revea l th e four cells ut the fa r end of
the room. Rusted ir on ba rs seal each
cell, t hough only unu nppears occup ied.
Locked insi de t he sout hern cell is
Uncle Bar kan . He is frightened an d
fatigued becuuee t he bri ga nds (pnrt.icu larlv Yar ik) have been th reatenin g to
tort ure him with burning emhers and
red-hot pokers . So fa r they have done no
more th an t h reate n th e old ma n.
Hu rkon J u st h e nr t (retired h uman
fighter) : AC 9; F3; hp 11 (18 at fum;
MV 90' (30'); #AT 1; Dmg by weap on
type; S 12. I l l, W 12, D 9, C 9, Ch 11;
Sa ve F3; ML 6 ; AL L; XP 1,000 (for
rescue); unarmed .
Harken's cell door is locked with a
ru sty by stur dy padlock t hat is difficult
t o pick ( -lO'};, to thi eves' Open Locks
rolls) but ea sy to smash wit h a hea vy
blu~t weapon. Emistil h as cast a pr o~ectI ve spell on the lock so t hat touching
it cau ses a shr ill voice to scream " The
prisoner is esca ping!" three times. Th e
sound is loud enough to be h eard by
anyone in the cellar or on th e gr oun d
floor. Th e spell , similar to th e AD&D'"
gam e's m ag ic mout h spell , is one of
Emistil's own devising.
The inst rument s of tort ure sh ou ld not
~ n tere s t Law ful PCs too much . Nothing
In the r oom is magic al or va lu able.

Secon d F loor
8. Armo ry. Th is open area is fille d
with ite ms of particular interest to
figh ters. Disassembled suits of armor
ha ve been neatl y arran ged in racks and
in alcoves. Th e th ree tables along one
wall are cluttered wit h ga untlets,
breastp lates, helme ts, and weapons.
Among th e weapons an d pieces of ar mor
a re 15 iron-bound ches ts, four stools,
and a light ballista. Also visible are the
,,:inch mechanisms for both th e portculHees and cas tle dr awbridge.
Harkon Justheart is, among other
things , a skilled ar morer. Althou gh he
outfitted his magen guar ds, he usually
fashions ar mor just to alleviate boredom.
Although he is self taught and un able to
~ake magical armor, h is work is impreasive. The armo ry contains enough piecemeal armor to complete four suits of plat e
mail, 12 suits of chnin mail, and five suits
of ban~cd mail. The only things missing
ar e shields. All su its of armor are sized
for male hu ma ns, and man y of the chest
plates have th e J uatheart family crest
pa inted on them.
Of the 15 trunks in the armory, two ar e
opened and empty, plundered by Octaric
a nd Bolarny; the two chests tu cked under
the tables were empty to hewn with .
Thr ee of the closed trunks conta in several
hu ndred light crossbow quarrels; three
more contain heavy crossbow bolts by th e
dozens. Of th e remaining five chest s, one
holds 12 short swords; another contains
eight pair of gauntlets; another holds 24
daggers ; a fourth contains torches; and
the fifth holds chain mail mesh and loose
armor plates .
Apa rt from th e li ght ba llist a, the
other weapons stored in th is room include a hea vy crossbow, a ligh t crossbow, a broad sword, 16 normal swords
a nd tw o spears. A keg near t he n arro w
western door (leading to ar ea 10) cont ai ns a fine black powder. This is gun powder, alt hough the br igand s ha ven 't
figu red th is out yet. Harkon bought the
keg from a passing traveler who needed
to li ghten his horse's load. If ignite d,
the keg explode s for 12d6 hp da mage
(60 ' blast radius, save vs . dragon breath
for ha lf damage).
. 9. Comm on Ro om . Th is la rge room
mostly emp ty. 'Ibrch ea placed in
brackets a long the wa lls illuminate t he
chamber well enou gh to see a pair of
t ables at one end. Th e lar ger table h as a
game board and dagger lying atop it .
IS

Pe rhaps the r oom's most notable fea tu re, however, is it s stone forge. Nex t to
the forge is another t able made of et ur
dy oak, and this table suppor ts an an vil
and ironworki ng tools. Addit ion al tools
lea n against the wall behind the t able.
A la~g~ pa il of water sit s ne arby .
This I S where Ha rkon fas hions his
ar mor. In fact , an unfinished chest plate
a nd backplate st ill lie atop t he northern
corner t able . Th e forge is used t o heat
t he metal, and the pa il of water is used
for cooling .
Th is room is large enough to house a
castle garrison, but Harkon never sa w
much use for gua rds. (J an ow's demos
mug en seemed ed equa te .) The ga me
board on t he lar ge t able is act ua lly pa rt
of a chess set. When J a rr ow the wizard
paid a visit , Bar kan would cha llenge
hi m to a game of ches s. Lat ely, however
Octario and Bolarny have been using ,
t he ches sboa rd to play checker s. The
da gger atop the tab le wall taken from
t he armory (Are a 8) by Oct ario. It is not
magica l, a nd neit h er are any of
Harkon 's tools. Th e ba rr el in th e west ern corner (by the lar ge table) cont a ins
several gallons of dri nkin g wuter.
10. Harkon's Q uarters. Red marble
til es cover t he 000 1' of this comfortable
room. Th e on ly furnishings arc a lar ge
desk with severa l items on it , a comfort abl e chair, a four -post er bcd , an d a book~ ase . Th e room is lit by t orches placed
m sconces.
The item s atop Ha rk en's desk inclu de
a map of the realm, a n av igator's compa ss, a quill pen, a candle stic k, a bottle
affine wine, and a furled scroll. The
furl ed scroll , formerly t he scroll of defense , is now blan k. By reuding the
scr oll, E mistil knowing ly activated the
invisible barrier designed to protect
Har k on'a castle from invasion. Tearing
th e scroll in ha lf or destroying it completely dispe ls t he bar rier perm anently.
The desk drawer conta ins several
~heafs of paper, a few quills, a jar of sepia
ink, an d the J usth earl seal. The seal is
shaped like the .Iustheart family crest
(depicted on the 0001' of ar ea 13). E mistil
keeps his epellbook stashed in the drawer.
Harken's private collection of books
includes volumes on such diverse subjects as history, law, astronomy, ar chit ecture, and heraldry. None of th e
volumes ar e magical or especially velu~bl~ . How~ver, a pouch conta ini ng 50 pp
18 hid den Ins ide a hollowed-out book
ti tled The Root of Evil.

DUNGEON

49

ElEXA:S ENDEAVOR

Ca stle Justheart
17

Fourth Floor

Rooftop

..
I'

o
o

11

I
1

12

I."
Cellar

'Ihtrd Floor

9
10

o
Second Floor

50 Issue No. 53

Ground Floo r

ELEXA'S ENDEAVOR

T hi rd Floor
11. Bathing Ch a m ber. This nicely
adorned chamber fea tures a ra ised bath
made of tar-se uled wood. The pool is
filled wit h water t hat flows from a
spigot on t he nearby wall . A barrel
und er t he spigot ca tc hes the water.
Betwee n the ba rrel a nd the pool is a 3 '
tall candlest ick of e ngra ved gold .
Cabinets have been built into the
room's three alcoves. and a handsome rug
covers part of the 1100r. A huge fireplace
spans the southern wall, a nd a padded

leather chair sits in front ofthe hearth.

The spacious bathroom is joi ned to the
chapel (a rea 12) for reasons unknown.
(One may speculate that worshipers of
Yarella are not known for their mod .
esty) Water for the bat h cornea from the

inte rior walls of t he castle. which in

turn are filled by water from the rooftop
reservoi r. (See area 17 for det ails.)

The cabinets in the alcoves contai n

towels and soap. The green ru g is a
fa mily he irloom a nd is worth 500 gpo
Th e golden candlest ick , another he ir loom, is wort h 1,200 gpo
12. Chapel. This rega lly appointed
chapel is in pristine condition. The
room's If-sha ped ba lcon y is supported
by eight marble pill ars. Comfortable,
padded ben ches in the center of t he
room face a da is of bl uish marble , upon
whic h rests a n altar of polished wood
draped in wh it e sa tin clot h. A ceremoni al goblet (75 gp) and bowl of bea ten
bronze (50 gp) rest on t he altar. Th e
ba lcony 12' over head is enclosed by a n
iron railing (see a rea 15).
13. Gath e ring H all. Thi s room's most
pro min en t featur e is the great cres t
painted on the floor. It boldly depicts t he
Justheart family emblem: a red griffin
rampant, painted on a n amber backgro un d and topped by th e great helm of
the kin gdom. A soari ng wooden balcony
encloses the great ha ll on three sides,
supported by four sculpted pill ars. An
iron cha ndelier hangs in the middle of
t he room, but its candles a re melted
stu mps and cannot be lit.
The chamber itself is fu rnished w it h
an assortme nt of tables and comfortable
cha irs, and a large fire burns brightl y
in the hearth. H an ging on t he wa lls are
several animal heads a nd banners
sporting the J us thea rt fa mily colors.
For all its grandeur, there is little of
value in this great h all. During t he

cas tle 's hey day, guests spent their

n ights cha tting or sleeping here.
Two staircases lead up to the balconies
that surround the chamber (see area 14).
F ourth Floor
14. B al co ni es.

Cluttered bookshelves span t he walls

of this great balcony, whi ch al most
circles the ent ire fourth floor of the
castle.

A collecto r of books, Harkon has fil led

his castle with more volumes tha n he
can possibly read in a life time. Many of
the volumes w ere loaned to him by
Jarrow and deal with topics suc h as
herbalism, botany, literature, m athematics, symbology, anthropology, a nd
mythology. 10 the latter subject,
scholars ca n find am ple material on t he
feywing dragon the PCs met at Janow's
tow er, plus facts on a host of other mon sters indig enous to the r egion .
Buried among t he volumes in t he
north ern bookcase is one of J a rrow's old
spellbooks, tucked in he re for sa fekeeping. Th e tome h as no ti tl e but bears
J arrow's distinctive " .T' insignia. IPCs
who visited J arrow's tow er recognize it
immedi ately]
Th e book contains the following spells
plus any others the DM wishes to add:
analyze, detect magic, /wid portal, ligh t,
read languages. sleep; detect invisible,
ESp, kTWCk, leuitate, web; clairvoyance, f1y,
infravision, inuisibility 10' radi us, protection from normal m issiles; contusion;
dimension door, massmorph; polymn rph
other; contact outer plane, and pas swalL
15. Chapel Balcon y. This red-r iled ,
U vahaped balcony enclos es the ch apel. A
painted iron railing guards agai nst
accide ntal fa lls.
16. Elexa's Be d ch amber. Although
it is Dot indica te d on the poste r map,
the door to t his chamber is trappe d to
deter unwa nte d intr uders, including
other br igands . Ma lvi ra strung a wire
inside the door; opening the door more
than I ' Gu st enough room for Malvira to
squeeze through ) tri ps the wire, which
fires a crossbow rigged near t he bed .
The crossbow bolt strikes the interlope r
for 2d4 hp damage. The trap is difficult
to detect and disarm from outside the
r oom ( - 25% to a th ieves' F ind and
Remove Traps rolls).
This chamber is lit by a pa ir of le n-

terns sus pended from t he ceiling. The

room contai ns a comfortable bed with a
wooden ca ndlest ick beside it , a clutter ed
t able, a padde d leather cha ir, a nd t wo
chests. A golden bal ance h as bee n
knocked from the table and lies on the
floor by the chair.
For merly Elexa's bedchamber, this
room now se rves Ma lvira's needs. The
items on the table include an open jewel ry box , a cler ical scroll (wit h th e spells
rerrww curse and speak with the dead,
each cast at 6th level], letters fro m
H arkon to Elexa, a n engraved coppe r
plate with matching mug (worth 45 gp
for t he pair ), and a book t itled Tales
from th e Faerie Realm (one of El exa's
favo rite bed ti me books). The bala nce
t hat Malvi ra accidentally knocked to
the floor is worth 300 gp o
The chests contain some of Elexa'a
clothing, much of it messed up during
Malvira's thorough searc h of the contents.
One chest holds a sack containing 110 gp
and 10 pieces of jewelry taken from
Elexa's jewelry box (total value 1,450 gp).
Many of these items were passed down
through the J ustheart family. Malvira
has stored them here un til she plans to
leave. Elexa will be heartbroke n if her
jewelry is lost , because so much of it has
great senti mental value .
Rooft o p
17. R eservoir.
Th e roof of Castle J ust heart is flat
stone, bleached by t ime and enclosed
by a low crenelated wall. Looking out
over the edge you see a fin e m ist
cove rin g the lake and a thick fog
rolling in from the dis tant vall eys.
Th e roof it self has several u n ique
features, not the lea st of wh ich is the
circular water reservoir in its cent er.
Th e 5'-deep res er voir is h alf-filled wit h
ra inwater, and its in ner ring ha s tw o
va lves designed t o let the r ainw ater
flow down in t o the castl e. Another in te rest ing featu re is t he set of four rueted metal sy mbols sec ured to the castle's
corners , each indicat ing a cardinal point
of the compass.
Th e reservoir is actually part of t he
roof, a nd the com pass symbol s are bolted and cannot be removed ea sily. The
tw o va lves in the reserv oir's in ner r ing
are ope ned and closed by turning t he
faucets in the k itchen (area 4 ) and the
bat hroo m (area 11). Water collected h ere
pours into special holdi ng cells

DUNGEON

51

ELEXA'S ENDEAVOR

wit hi n t he cas tl e's in terior walls, and

from there is carried t o its int ended
dest ination . Alt hou gh clever, the plum bing sys t em is not wit hout its drawbacks.
P Cs may not ice irregular dampness on
t he interior wa lls where water is stored,
and occasion ally small debris finds its
way int o t he re servoir and filters down
into the plumbing. Thin wire mesh in
t he pipel ine he lps filt er out some of the
debris, but cannot eli mi nate t he finest
sedimen t.
Th e in visible shield encapsulates the
ent ire sou th to wer, preventing outsiders
from openi ng t he door to the stairs.
However, t h e door can be opened by
those inside th e castle when the scroll of
de fense wa s activated.

The Brigands Arrive

The PCs have one week t o oust Malvira

and he r fell ow brigand s from Castle
Justheart before th e others arrive. If
the PCs are suc cessful, they ca n fortify
the keep before Mandrake Oskellos and
his cohorts appear (see below). Ma n drake, unwilling to bes iege the cas tle,
will withdraw aft er vowing reve nge .
If the party fails to brea ch the castle's
in vis ible shield before t he brigands

52 Issue No. 53

arr ive, Ma lvira and her cohorts will be

forced to di.s pel t he sh ield to a llow Man drake a nd t he others insi de . Either
Malvira or Em ist il tears t he scroll of
d efense in ha lffsee area 10), a nd t he
shield dissipates instantly.
The arriving bri ga nds r ide on st olen
horses. If t he PCs are near the cas tl e
when they arri ve, read or paraphrase
the follow ing ted:
Several figures on horseback appear
on the top of a nearby knoll. Numbering at least two dozen, they survey the
surroundings for a momen t before
galloping down the hill side to the
castle. As the riders dr aw near, you
can tell they are not soldiers. Most are
dressed in dirty leat her armor and
look ill-kept and unshaven.
Th e brigand leader is a brawny, bearded man named Ma ndrake Oskellos. He
is Malvir a's consor t , alt hough their
rel ations hip is based more on respect
t han love. Mandrake was to be hanged
for st ab bi ng a militi a se rgeant , bu t h is
men bro ke him out of j ail. Mandrake
rides h is gr eat black mare all the way
to the castl e drawbridge.

Mand r ake O sk ello s (human fighter);

AC 6; F8 ; hp 54; MV 120' (40'); NAT 1;
Dmg by weapon type; S 18 ( + 3), I 11, W
10 , D 14, C 13, Ch 15; Save F8 ; ML 10;
AL C; XP 725 ; leather armor, bastard
swor d, sh ort sword , 62 gp in pouch .
Mandr ak e's armor and weapon s were
confiscated by the city aut hor it ies, so he
is wearing simple leather armor and
carries a borrowed sword. Mandrake
didn't t ake his imprisonment lightly; he
plans to exact revenge on the aut horities who imprisoned him by dis rupting
trade routes around that particul ar city.
He has come to Castle J u st h eart t o
m ake plans with Malvira and see k
sanctuary from bou nty hunters. H e
intends to remain until his food supplies
run out or the authorities track him
down.
Vackra Dargoth (dwarf); AC 5; F 5;
hp 39; MV 60 ' (20 '); NAT 1; Dm g by
weapon ty pe; S 17 ( + 2), I 8, W 7, D 11,
CIS, Ch 9; Sav e F5; ML 12; AL N; XP
175 ; chain mail, battle axe.
Vackra is a fea rless dwarf who follows
Mandrake's ord ers with delight . He is
n ot afraid t o die in battle, and many of
his evil cohorts believe he has a death
wish. For all h is blu ster, Vackra is not

ElEXA'S ENDEAVOR

comfortable wi th ho r ses and pr efer s t o

rid e on t he back of Mandr ak e's steed.
Elubith (gno H woken); AC 5; HD
2d6 + 12; hp 19; #AT 1; Dmg by spell or
wea pon typ e; Save M4; SZ M (7' t all); L
B; tNT 12; AL C; XP 125; Re/180; wand
offear(l2 ch ar ges), club, bone necklace.
Spells: magic missile, slueld; entangle,
web.
Elubith betr ayed h er t ribe by sh owi ng
the brigands a secret way into the gnoll
lair. The brigands decima t ed t he gnolIs
and stole a ll of t heir t reasures, e xce pt
the wan d afrear t hat Elubith was allowed to keep as her re ward. Elubith's
loyalty is to h er sel f. If t he brigands are
on the verge of defeat, she will betray
them a s well .
Parast Shargul (human cleric); AC 9;
C3j hp 12; IIAT 1; Dmg by weapon ty pe;
S 10, 1 9, W 14 , D 11, C 9, Ch 10; Save
C3; ML 6; AL L; XP 50; h oly sy mbol,
mace, wolfsb an e. No spe lls memorized.
P arast was ca ptured by the bri ga nds
and forced to u se his healing s pells to
help them. His deity h as since taken
away a ll of Parast'a spells, but the cleric
continues to help t he br igands with hi s
healing skill. H e is afraid of dying a nd
is too cowa rdly t o flee unless he is certain the brigands ca nnot follo w him. He
will fight in self-defense. If the br igands
are all slai n or dri ven off, P arast will
thank his saviors and join them as a
healer.
Parast does not have his own hor se
but rides with the gnoll wok an Elubith .
Human brigands (20): AC 7; H D 1;
hp 6 each; MV 120 ' (40'); #AT 1 weap on ;
Dmg by weapon; Save F 1; ML 8; IN T
11; AL C; XP 13; RC/193; le ather armor,
sword, short bow, 18 arrows, dagger,
2d6 sp ea ch.
These brigan ds are the real wor kers
in Mandrake 's band. They are generally
considered "canno n fodder" by their
leaders and are easily replaced .
Riding horses (22); AC 7; HD 2; hp 9
eac h; #AT 2 hooves; Dmg Id4/1d4; Save
Fl; SZ L; ML 7; INT 2; AL N; XP 20 ;
RC1185. These animals wer e st olen fro m
a ra nch and are bra nded. PCs wh o take
t he trouble to retur n the steeds recei ve
a 50 gp reward per ho rse.

Malvira a nd Emist iJ are likely ca nd ida tes, particular ly if Emist il cast his
teleport sp ell . Harkon and El exa Justheart m ay nee d pro tectors for some
tim e to come.
H arken will be distraught by the
ne ws of J arrow's death and upset by
any theft of items from the dead wiz ar d's tower. Howev er, he will let the
pilfering pass if one or more PCs are
spellcasters who m ight benefit fr om
J arrow's kn owledge. Harken can offer
the PCs a 50 pp reward for ridding h is
ca stle of brigands, as su m in g the money
h as not already bee n t aken (see area
10). H e can also provide the PCs with
several sui ts of fine -quality armor (see
area 8 of the castl e). Harkon al so invites
the PC s to consid er the ca stle th eir
" second home." His onl y real tr ea sure is
h is ni ece, whom he is overjoyed to see
alive and well . (If El exa wa s killed in
th e course of th is adventure , Harkon
will be devastated and t oo h eartbroken
for words.)
Harkon is more than willing to repair
t he PCs' armor befor e t he y set out on
their next adventure . The PCs must
spend several weeks at Castle Justheart
while Hark en does hi s wor k , just long
enough to hear several of H arken's t all
tales, anyone of whi ch could lead t o
further ad ventures. El exa will r ecount
her exper ience as a cler ic in the Cr usades, after which noble PCs m ay wish
t o join t he King's Legion and take up
arms against the giants and h umanoids
of the Gu lhanor Mountains. E lexa will
not join the P Cs on t he ir quest, electing
inste ad to rema in by her uncle's side. n

Conclud ing th e Adventure

Once Castle Justheart is restored to it s
rightfu l owners and t he brigand t hreat
is allayed, the adve nture is over. H owever, any brigands who escaped death or
ca pture will return to exact reve nge .

DUNGEON

53

Chri s's most recent offer ing is the third

in a tri logy of D&Ir' scenarios. He tells
us that h is own players are con vin ced
that Dyrk th e R ed cap is evil incarnate.
"Redcap's Rampage" is a D&I}'! edven tu re designed for 2-5 player characters of
levels 1-3 (a bout 8 totallevelsl. The party
should contain a variety of character
classes, including at lea st one magic-user
and one cleric. Spells like protection from
evil and iktect invisible, a nd religious
ite ms suc h as holy water a nd holy symbols will be particula rly useful.
The OM should have a copy of the D&D
R ules Cycloped ia (Re). Th e major antagon ist featured in this modu le is fu lly described in t he Creat ure Cata log (CC).

Ad ven ture Backg rou nd

EDCAP'S
AMPAGE
BY C HRISTOPHER PERKINS

The invisible enemy

Artwork by M ic ha e l SCott

34 Issue No. 54

Six month s ag o, the residents of

Lu skwald he ard rumors from pa ssing
merchants of a possible goblin incursion
into the region . New s fro m th e nearest
city confirmed specu lations that goblin
tribes were ma ssing in the distant hills.
Worried about the future of his sma ll
community, th e Laird of Lu sk weld commissioned a sto nemason a nd severa l
ca rpenters to re build a damaged keep
two miles nor t h of the village . The old
keep, neglected since the last gobli n
invasion 10 yea rs ag o, cou ld be rebu ilt
a nd defe nded at min imal expense.
When the villagers got new s of a gobli n
adv a nce, t hey could retreat to th e security of th e k eep's th ick stone walls.
The repair cre w worked for weeks
restoring t he keep's falle n walls, while
wa iting nervously for the fir st goblin to
show its ugly head. For t he fir st sev era l
days the restoration proceeded accord ing to schedule, but in t he week s that
followed seve ra l "accidents" led many
to believe the keep wa s cu rsed or haunted. The firs t incident wa s dismissed as a
mere mishap: a secti on of Floor colla psed
beneath t he stone mason, se riously inju ring h im . Unable to continue his
work, the mason left a n ap prentice in
charge of rest orin g the outer walls.
Most of t he workers blamed the accident on rotten floorboard s, wh ile a
ha ndful beli eved some th ing more sin ister wa s respon sible .
But the colla pse d floor wa s j ust t he
first of many unfortunate incidents.
Over a period of severa l days, fa ll ing
blocks of sto ne st ru ck cre wmen, na ils
pierced their boot s, and u nsteady scaf

REDC AP 'S RAMPAGE

folding se nt m ore than one worker t um bling to the wound . At the sam e time,
ru mor s t ha t t he ke ep wa s hau nted bega n circ ula ti ng am on g' the cr ew . The
kee p's re storat ion was term i nat ed altoget her when, ju st four week s into t he
re pair schedul e, a n entire sec ti on ofthe
scaffold collapsed, k illing one wor kma n
and inj ur ing t hree others . A s tu dy of
the wreckage r evea led t hat th e scaffold

had been sa bot aged; someone or someth in g had deliberate ly sawed t hrough
three s upport beams.
Th e Laird of Luskwald tried to convince

the workers that the keep was an important bast ion ag a inst the gobli n hordes,
but the crewmen were adamant about
sta ying away from th e hau nted ruing,
cla iming the site had "a life of its own ."
Fortunately, several bands of brave ad venturers rsent from the distant cit ies)
pu t a qu ick end to the gro wing gobli n
threat , a nd with t he village of Lu skwald
spa red, the laird aba ndoned h is effort to
rebuild the fallen keep. However, the
hau nt ing did not end.
In the pa st week three of Luskwa ld's
villagers have di ed , each t he vi ct im of a
gr isly assassi n wh ose identity remai ns
a mystery. Se veral citizens h a ve heard
or seen pec uliar t h ings over t he la st
several days, lead in g them to believe
that Lu skw a ld has been cursed , or
worse , rava ged by angry spiritsper haps sent by a greater evil that
dwells wit h in t he r u ined keep! The laird
doesn't bel ieve such non se nse , although
he isn 't getting m uch sleep at ni ght .
Beyond a ny dou bt , some t h ing is stalking t he peopl e of Luskw al d .. . a nd
everyo ne is afraid.

For the Dungeon Master

In a se nse , t he wor kers were correct
whe n they sa id the ru ined ke ep had " a
life of its own." F or yea rs, the keep has
been home to a maligna nt little creature ca lled a redca p , a hateful a nd r eo
elu sive cou sin of the brownie. Redc ap s
des pise h um a ns and their like, infl ict ing harm for no ap pa r ent rea son other
than con tempt . (See sidebar for detaif s.)
Thi s particular redca p, Dyrk by name,
was once the obedient servant of a scheming shadow elf named Eneivan. Th e da stardly Eneivan, a nnoyed by one of Dyrk's
snide comments, carved out the redcap's
tongue and used it to ma ke a potion of
inuisibility; The ag onized Dyr k fled
Enei va n's cave and nursed his terrible
wound and his even more terrible anger.

After months of wai tin g for Eneivan to

lower his defen ses, Dyrk ret urned an d
sliced off Eneiven's nose with one of the
wizard's own da ggers. Dyrk ca ught
Ene ivan's blood in his cap, staining it
cr imson, and fled the scene, see ki ng refuge in the ruined kee p outside Luskwald,
m ile>; from Ene iva n's abode.
The ill -tem pered red ca p was a ngry
when the workmen from Lu skwald
arrived to up set it s tr anqu il home . Using h is power of inoisibility to move
abou t un noti ced , Dyrk wea kened t he
floorbo ards beneath the ca reless sto nema son , push ed heavy sto nes on to un wa ry passer s-by, drove a r ust ed dagger
throug h a poor wor km an 's boot , and
sawed t hrou gh t he beams of the scaffolding. As pla n ned, t he work m en left ,
convi nced the ke ep wa c; h aunted.
The red cap's ra mpage mi ght have
en ded right t hen if nothing els e had
agitated him further. As t he la st of the
wor kme n prepared to leave, t he evil
brownie not iced tha t his hat was mi ssing. Dyrk fra nti ca lly sea rched th e keep
for the missing hat. Unable to find his
t rea sured belon gin g, the ir ate redcap
conclude d that one of the work m en
must have sto len it .
The redcap followed t he workers back
to the vill age , where he took up reeide nce in one of Lu skw a ld's cotta ges .
That ni ght , out of sheer malice , he
killed the cotta ge's lon e occupa nt (the
village glaz ier) then tor e t he place apart
look ing for h is hat. Und a unted by h is
fa ilure to find the ca p, Dyrk moved to
t he next cottage to continue hi s ev il
ra mp age , leaving chaos and ca rnage in
h is wa ke.
Unknown to the redcap , the mi ssing
h at is still in the keep . The evi l brown ie, dist ract ed by the prese nc e of the
work me n from Luskwa ld , threw it on
t he ground during on e of hi s temper
tantrums and for got a bout it . The blood soa ked cap was la ter tak en by one of the
rats t hat in fests t he ru in s.
Th e mi schievou s ra ts in habi t ing the
ke ep are under the control of tw o wererats nam ed Anton and Kr istof. The
wererats ar rived on e wee k ago un der
the cloa k of n igh t a nd entere d t he ruins
u nnoticed in t he ir a nim al form. The
wererat s ordered the keep 's reside nt
ra ts t o scour t he rui ns for treas ure. The
rats gathered a few tri nkets of questio nable va lue (incl ud ing t he cr imso n ca p,
wh ich they m istook for a sm a ll pouch).
The werer ats are u naware that the ca p
belon gs to Dyrk; in fact , they a re u n-

a wa re of the redcap's ex istence. AI

though Dyrk has kill ed m any of t he rat s
for food, he has never bot h ered to m ake
h imself visi ble to the m . (The rats know
the redcap only by h is pun gent smell.)
The werer ats prefer t heir natural ro o
de nt forms a nd li ke w ise rema in incon spicuous. Dyrk has been too preocc upied
la t ely to imagi ne Anton and Kr istof a s
a nyth ing other tha n large r ats . The
vengeful brown ie, in his u ne ndi ng
searc h for t he cap, con tinues to slay
in nocen t villager s a s he scours
Lu skwald for hi s " stolen" possession .
The laird has concluded th at outsid e
help is nee de d to stop the sinister and
mysterious menace that has beset his
peaceful village.

Arriva l in l uskwal d
T he PCs arri ve in Lu sk wa ld two nights
after Dyrk comm it s hi s second m urder.
Rea d or paraphra se the foll ow ing when
t he adventurers fi rst app roach the
vill age :
Dar k clo ud s loom menacingly over
the grim, r ai n-drenched hamlet of
Luskwald. The set tl ement is little
more than a cluster of weather -wor n
cottages s urro u nde d on all sides by
solem n, dense ly woode d hill s. Rivers
of m ud flow betwee n t he wood-fra me
hou se s. T he ho uses se em unfriendly,
as if they were unwilling to relinqui sh som e dreadfu l secret. T hey also
share on e other odd sim ilar ity. El ick ering in the window of each teneme nt is a scowling pu mpk in , it s
in na rds carved out and filled with
candlel ight.
The villagers of Luskwal d are superstiti ous and wary of strangers by nature.
The frightful jack -o'da ntems are intended
to scare away the "evil spirits" that have
beset the comm u nity. The villager s do not
open th eir doors to strangers (especially
the heavily-armed PCs).
The PCs ca n seek she lte r in two places:
the local inn (area I) or th e home of
Donovan Vane k, the laird (area 4). The
PCs meet Vanek re gardless. If he is not
hiding in h is house , the laird is at th e inn
enjoying the compa ny (a nd protec tion) of
the local in nkeeper. Whe n he spots the
adventurers through a window, Vanek
qu ickly races to the front door, unbolts it ,
a nd ushers th e party in .
" Our vill age is cursed!" exclaims
Vanek on mee t ing the adventurers. If
the Pes ask the la ird what he mea ns,

DUNGEON

35

REDCAP'S RAMPAGE

Vanek ment ions somethi ng about "the

murders " and immedi ately as ks the PCs
insi de, lockin g the door behind them.

The Laird's Ta le
If the P Cs seem willing to listen, Vanek

recounts t he followin g tale of events in

Lu skwald:
"Lus kwal d is beset by a menace ... a
te rrible and myste rio us menace. Ezner
Mourne. the village glazier, was found
dead in his cottage two mornings past,
lyin g in a pool of blood a nd broken
glass. Two others have died since: a
pair of local woodsmen named Karn
Ironstar and Bryn Bellowforge. Both
wer e murdered in their sleep, and all
t hree victims had thei r t hroats slit.
Words were scrawled in blood in each
of the victims' homes , but we cou ld not
decipher their meaning. I be lieve the
message warns of more de aths to
come. Onl y you can help us sto p the
evil-before it is too late. Please , you
must help us!"
If the PC s agree to h el p Vanek and hi s
vill ag e, th e laird offers them whatever
he ca n afford. If the PC s req ue st monetary paym en t , Vanek promise s to give
the m up to five 100 gp garnets once the

Dyr k t h e Redcap
Dyrk, like most redcaps, appears as a
gnarled old browni e with sharp, protruding teeth. tangled gray hair, and bloodshot
eyes filled with hatred and malice. He is
equipped with a blood-caked pikestaff
(Omg Id6), a sharp knife (Dmg Id4), a
wand of trap detection (10 charges), and a
ring of safety (negates two failed saving
throws). The latter two items were taken
from the lair of Eneivan, Dyrk's fonner
master. Hanging from a string around
Dyrk's neck is another "gift" from
Eneivam the shadow elfs shrivelled nose.
Dyrk's brief service to Eneivan yiel ded
an additional reward: the redcap learned
how to write. However, his writing skills
are very limited. and Dyrk is a poor
speller. He occasionally leaves bloodscrawled messages and warnings near
the remains of slain victims. The messages left in Luskwald reflect Dyrk's
desire for the safe return of h is cap .
Whether the PCs understand Dyrk's
messages is a nother matter.
The redcap is mute and thus remains
silent for most of the adventur e. Hew-

36 Issue No. 54

evil in Luskwald is overcome. (Vanek

keep s the gems hidden in his house .)
Otherwise, Vanek pays them with horses
(from area 2) or supplies (from area 3).
Vanek believes that the murde rs in
Lu skwald are so mehow rel ated to the
pec uliar eve nts in th e old keep north of
the vill age . Th e vill age h as bee n
fr aught with ill luck ever since repa irs
to th e old keep began . If t he Pes choose
to save Lu sk wald fro m its "curse,"
Vanek relates t he information in t he
Adventure Back ground concer ning
th ose events. He suggests that the Pes
begin their quest in the village itself.
where clues concer ni ng t he nature of
the "c ur se" may be re vealed with ca reful explorat ion of the vict ims ' homes.
If the P Cs want to question the in dividu als d irectly involved in the r ebuilding of the ke ep, Vanek says he
h ir ed ou t -of-town st on emasons (since
Luskwald h a s none), but the remaining crewmen a re a ll Luskwaldians:
H ans Bellinek (a rea 7). Gu sta v a nd
Justin Orlesky (ar ea 10), Erne a nd
Homm Shyndle (a rea 11 ). Karn Ironstar a n d Bryn Be ll owforge (a rea 17 ;
both now dead ), E zekiel Devek (area
19 ), Dol and Mirkla r and hi s t wo a pprentic es (area 20).

ever, Dyrk has perfected a aeries of

u nca nny noises (ghastly howl s, childlike screams. crea k ing door s and
squeaky floorboard s) designed to terrorize a nd confound pot ential victims.
Dyrk will use these noi se s to lure un su spect in g vict ims into spec ially ri gged
traps. On other occasions, Dyrk mi ght
use the sound of a scream in g woman or
crying child to lure victims out of their
homes. or at the very lea st trick them
into opening a lock ed door or window
(allowing the inv isibl e redcap t o enter).
If the Pes destroy Dyrk's cap (and
Dyrk learns of their actions), the redcap will not rest until every member of
t he party is dea d. If the Pes prove too
tough or evasive , the redc ap will unleash his fury on the poor villagers of
Lu skwald in stead.
Capturing the redca p will prove especially difficult given the magical items in
Dyr k's possession. The redcap uses these
items to detect and circumvent booby
traps if he sus pects an area is unsafe. As
a precaution. the redcap usually emp loys
his wand when he enters a building for
the first time. Dyrk can also render

The following sections describe t he

village of Lu skwald and the ruine d
keep . Th e Pes a re free to travel back
and forth between the vill a ge a nd the
r ui ns. If the P Cs retrieve Dyrk 's m issing cap, they ca n coax t he r edca p into
leaving t he vill a ge a nd r eturning to the
ruins (once t hey ide ntify the redcap as
the murderer ). If the PCs ca n not locate
the redcap's ha t (or are obliv ious t o its
importance). they m u st find some way
to sna re or slay the m ena cing bro wnie
before he kills more innocent vill agers.

Explorin g the Vil lage

Luskwald is a small com muni ty of20
buildin gs, most of the m re sidences . In
their search for Luskwa ld 's elu sive
a ssa ssin. the Pes will undoubte dly
want to explore ma ny of t hese h ou ses
for signs of the redcap or clues to his
wh ereabouts. Th e bu ild in gs and their
occup ants are described below in more
detail. Two basic floor plans are a lso
included, enabling the DM to stage
multipl e confro nt at ions wit h th e mu rde rous yet evasive villain.
Three of Luskwa ld 's bu ildings have
unique floor plans: the loca l inn (area
I), the trad ers' h all (a rea 2) a nd t he
general sto re (area 3). All other buil dings are described only in the text.
himself invisible at will , even wh en
attacking. He remains invisi ble most of
the t ime, unless he wants to terrorize
his victim(s) with a momentary appearance. Th date, only one person in
Lu skwald has seen th e redc ap (see area
14.) Attacks made agai nst th e in visible
brownie are -4 to hit.
Dyrk isn 't invincible, of course. He is
vul nerable to se vera l items, including
proper ly employed holy symbols, water,
and certain spells. Clerics can hold the
redcap "at bay" with a holy sym bol;
the chance of succes s is lO%/Ievel of the
cleri c: holding the sy mbol. Similarly,
Dyrk will not attack the recipient of a
protection from evil spell . Holy water
inflicts 2d4 + I h p damage to the red cap
per vial, and Dyrk has never encountered holy water before (though holy
water smells repugnant to hi m , and he
won 't touch it voluntarily).
Dyrk (redcap): AC 7; HD 2; hp 14 ;
MV 120 ' (40' ); IAT I weapon or 2
scratc heall bite; Dmg by weapon type
or 1d2l1d2l1; SD inv isib ility; Save H2 ;
ML 8 j INT 12; AL C ; SZ s, XP 250
(story awa rd) ; CC/17 (brownie).

REDCAP'S RAMPAGE

Most of Lusk wal d's reside nts are O

level humans with the follow ing st atist ics; AC 9, hp 1- 6; M V 120' (40'); IIAT 1;
Dmg by weapon type ; Save Normal
Man; ML 6; INT va r ies; AL L. Exceptio ns are no ted in the text.
Finding Dyrk

To determine where in Lu sk wald t he

r edcap is h iding at a ny given time, roll
I d20. (For exam ple, a roll of 11 means
Dyrk is cu rrently occu py ing area 11.)
The redcap changes location at least
once eac h night (sometimes m ore) in his
sea rc h for his cap. k illing some occu pants while merely terrorizing others.
As a general rule , the redcap attacks
only t hose who seem unable or illequipped to defend themselves; Dyrk is
not foolish enough to risk inj u ry in a
direct confrontation.
Most of Lusk wald's residences provide
ma ny hiding places for t he r edcap. Dyrk
ca n conceal hi mself beneath loos e floorboards, within hollow wa lls, amo ng
ceiling rafte rs , under tables , in wa rdrobe s, and behin d furn it ure. Th e r edcap
ca n also take advantage of se vera l
means of entrance and egres s (holes in
thatch or t ile rooftops, ope n ch im neys,
narrow cracks in walls, u n lock ed win dows) but is carefu l t o scope out a ll
possibili t ies before stay ing in a given
area for a ny le ngth of ti me. If a house

affor ds no easy escape, Dyrk som et imes

cre ates one by carving a "mouse h ole"
in an outside wall using his pik estaff.
The Cat Brigade
While exploring Luekw ald , the PC s
notice some peculiar behavior from t he
vill a ge cats (six in a ll). T he ca ts are
searchi ng for the re dcap and , at t imes,
can be seen in small pac k s, sk ulk ing
aro und bui ld in gs or conferring silentl y.
Their odd behavior ca n be attrib uted to
H azel Glaghorn (area 14), who is us ing
the cats' keen feline se ns es to track
down the "evil" t ha t h as plagued
Lu ak wald.
A cleric or dru id may com m unicate
with the cats using a speak with an im als spell . The cats clai m they are
hu nting t he "bad smell." (Th ey h ave
nev er act ually seen the re dcap.) So far,
Dyrk has mana ged to elude the m.
Village Rumors
Many of the NPCs in Luskwald are pri vy
to rumors regarding the "evil spirit"
inhabiti ng their com munity. (See "Rumors in Luskwald" sidebar.) However,
most residents are hesitant to speak openly about the "evil" in Luskwa ld, fearing
rep risal. Players will need all their roleplaying skills to coax informat ion out of
these terrified townsfolk.

Encounter A reas
1. The D ragon's Flagon,

The village inn is a rain-drenched

single-story stru cture with few windows, adjoining stables, and a large
wea ther-worn crest painted. on the
front wal l. Th e crest depicts a green
dr agon , its wings u nfolded, clutching
an a le tankard with two fearsome
claws.
Luskw a ld's in n is ru n by a retired
dw arf a dve nturer n am ed Coryston
Dalnor, and h is hu man wife , Penelope
(h p 4). Like m any dwarves, Coryston is
ra ther set in hi s ways, often scoldi ng
Penel ope for bei ng "invent ive" and
doin g t hi ng s di fferentl y. It 's du ring
these arguments that Pene lope's shar p
wit eme rges, us ually putting Coryston
in his pla ce.
Penel ope's pets are a domesticated. pair
of blink dogs named Wink in and Blinkin.
(Those who have never seen a blink dog
usually m istake them for normal dogs.)
She also owns a black cat named Nod.
The animals have keen senses and can
find the redcap by scent or sound.
The Dal nors usually charge 1 sp per
person for a meal at their inn . One tankard of ale costs 3 cp, or two tankards for
5 cp. A bed for the night costs another 2
sp, whi le stable re ntals are 5 sp per night.

Rumors in Luskwald (Rollld l OO)

0 1- 07 Th e ru ined keep is ha unted by

the ghosts of slain goblins.
<False)
08-15 I h ave heard the sou nd of ba bies crying in the night, some t im es ri ght outside my door!
(True; see " Dyr k the Redc ap"
sidebar)
16-23 It was a m ist ake to r ebuild tha t
old keep! An yone wh o sets foot
w it h in the ruins is cursed for
life . (False)
24- 31 Eerie li ghts ha ve been se en
floating aro u nd the old kee p at
n igh t ! (False, but see "Concludin g the Adve nture")
32-39 Hazel Glaghorn is a witch , and
her " House of Spir its" is precisely that! She is responsible for
the evil that pla gues Luskwald!
(Fa lse, but Bee area 14)

40-47 Someone or somet hi ng del iberately sabotaged our effort to

rebuild the fallen keep. Whatever dwells there does not like
intruders. (True)
48-55 Gobli ns are h iding in the
dungeons of the keep! They're
stalk ing the vill agers on e by
one , unt il no one in Lu skwald
remains to stand agains t them .
(False)
56-63 Th ere wa s treasure hidden in
that old keep. Som eone in
Luskwald took something that
didn't belong to them, a nd all
of us a re suffer ing for it! (F a lse)
64-71 Karn and Bryn (area 17) fou nd
something terr ible wh ile hunting in t he woods . and it followed t hem back here to
Lu skwald. (Fal se)

72-79 The laird knows more about

the keep's h isto ry than he 's
telli ng. He knows the na tu re of
t he fiend t hat pro wls
Lu skwald! (False)
80-87 Beware the shadows! Assa ssin s
are stalking Luskwa ld , usi ng
t he village as a train ing
groun d to hone their evil sk ills.
(Fal se )
88-95 Lu skwald is bese t by a madman. He makes stra nge noi se s
in the night, trying to lure
u ns uspecting victims ou t of
t heir homes. (Fa lse )
96-00 Several of the villagers h ave
been possessed by ev il spirits
from t he r uined keep . They are
the ones h au nt in g Luskwald.
(F alse)

DUNGEON

37

REDCAP'S RAMPAGE

Co ryston Dalnor (dwarf); AC 8 (7 with

shield>; Dw3: hp 22 ; MV 50 ' (20' ); /lAT 1;
Dmg by weapon type +2; S 16 ( +21+2), I
9 , W 11, 0 15, C 17, Ch 12; SO infravision; Save Dw3 ; ML 10 ; AL L; war
ha mmer, shield , knife, key to strongbox in

area lb, the private bedroom .

Winkin and Blinkin (bli nk dog s): AC
5; HD 4 '"; h p 16 , 13; MV 120 ' (40'); IIAT
1 bite; Dmg Id6; SO bli nk ing; Save F4;
ML 6 ; l NT 9 ; AL L; SZ S; RC1162.
Nod (domestic ca t): AC 7; HD Ih ; hp 3;
MV 15 0' (50 '); 'AT 3; Dmg 11111 -2; S D
r ake with rea r claws for 1/1 ; Save Normal Ma n; ML 5; INT 4; AL N ; SZ S; new
monster.

f. Stable. This adj oining str uct ure

houses the in n 's stable s. No horses a re
currently kept h ere , and all five sta lls
are clean. Se vera l bales of hay ar e
stor ed in the loft above the stalls. and a
ladder h angs on the wall near the st able
doors. The PC s can u se the ladder to
climb up to t he loft if t hey wish to explore the area, but n othing unusual
lu rks among t he hay.

a . Trading C ham ber. The wa lls of

t his chamber are decorated with banners representing tow ns hips a nd cities
in t he vicini ty of Lu sk wa ld. The decor is
a ppropriate given the room 's function:
this is where traveling merchants come
to exchange their wares. The space is
taken up by a la rge oaken table and six
im pressive chairs. three positioned on
ei the r side .

g. Outhouse. This r amshack le bui ldin g contains tw o separ ate stalls concealed behind ragged cu rtain s. Th ere is
lit tl e else of in terest.

b . Sleeping Quarters. Though

Skaldar and Vaxalt sleep her e, the
chamber al so ser ves as a ma keshift
k itch en . Clues to t he room 's dual role
are provid ed by the two tr unk s of foodstuffs against one wa ll , t hEt k eg of wine
in the corn er, an d the array of pot s and
pans hanging on the walls near th e
fireplace . Two beds are pushed aga inst
t he wa lls, one for each brother.

2. Traders' Hall.
a . D ining R oom. This cozy chamber
is lit by lanterns suspended from the
rafters. Four circular tables occupy the
floor space, and a la rge ale barrel
stands in one cor ner. Dinner guests may
re fill th eir tank ards h ere , simply by
twisting the barrel's brass spigot. Coryston keeps me ntal track of how much ale
hi s guests consume and keeps extra
barrels in the kitchen.
b. Private Bedroom. This is wh ere
Coryston and Pene lope sle ep. Th eir bed
is h ea ped with furs and rests next to a
corner fireplace. A three-drawer cedar
dresse r stu ffed with clothing stands
next to the door. The bottom dr awer ha s
a secret com partment cont ain in g a
locked ir on stro n gbox. The box contains
Coryston's wea lth (145 gp , 462 sp, and
608 cp).
c. Ki tchen. Cluttered cupboards an d
shelves line t he kitchen walls. A table
occupies the middle of the floor, a wa sh
ba sin stands near the outside door, and
a large stew pot h angs above t he ern bere of a corn er fire place. Ne xt to t he
d ining r oom door st an d two u nopened
ba rrels of ale. U nknown to Coryston
a nd Penelope, Dyrk h as carved a large
ra t hole (large enou gh to squeeze
through, a nyway) in the back wall of
the inn, leading to the interior of one of
P enelope's cupboards.
d. Guest Rooms. Each of these r ooms
contains two comfortable bed s and two
wooden storage tru nks (both un locked ).
e. Storage C loset. Thi s 5 ' x 5 ' r oom
contains cleaning supplies a nd dini ng
utensils.

38 Issue No. 54

The walls of this bui lding are in

desperate nee d of paint, yet the
stru cture itself se ems to have weathered t he pa ssage of time. Above t he
main door h a ngs a sign that reads
"Luskwald Traders ' Guild." The
guild actually cons ists of tw o buildings: t he trade-hall and an adjo ining
stable sealed by a pair of heavy
wooden doors .
Housed within this structure are t he
offices of Lu sk wald's " t raders' guild: '
wh ich has tw o me mbers, Skaldar a nd
Vaxalt Larimi l. Skaldar acquires items
from local craftsmen and trades them
on their behalf (for a modest profit ),
wh ile Vaxalt specia lizes in t he acquieiti on of items that would interest h is
fellow Lu sk wa ldian s.
Skalda r is a large. friend ly man with
a se rious mind for bu siness. H is shorter
but heftier brother, Vaxalt, has little
pat ien ce for custo mers who di cker over
price. Bot h ar e prepa red to defend t hemselves against any menace, from irat e
customers to m ur derous misc rea nts like
Dyrk the red cap.
Skaldar Larimil (hu ma n m a le): AC
8 ; F2 ; h p 12; MV 120 ' (40'); tAT 1; Dm g
by weapon type + 2; S 17 ( + 2). I 13. D
13 , Ch 13; Save F2; ML 9; AL L; short
sword , pou ch containing t wo gems (50
gp each) and 36 gp o
Vaxalt L arimil (human male ): AC
7; M2 ; hp 6 ; M V 120 ' (40 '); tAT 1; Dm g
by spell or weapon t ype ; I 16 , W 14 . D
16 ; Save M 2; ML 6; AL N; dagger.
wand of mag ic detection (21 charges).
ring of memory (stor es on e extra magic
missile spe ll). key ri ng. Spell s: ana -

lyze, magic mi ssile.

c . Vaxalt's Office . This room is wel lkep t and ni cely appoi nted. Vaxalt's desk
is bare, al though the top dra wer is filled
with ink jars and parchment (used for
dr awing up contr act s). Th e bottom
drawer is locked a nd contains a sac k of
250 sp and a pouch of 12 assorted gems
(6 x 10 gp , 3 x 50 gp, 3 x 100 gp). Along
one wa ll of t he office are th re e glass
cabinets that Vaxalt normally keeps
lock ed. Displayed wit hin the cabin ets
a re items of cu ri ous but nonmagi ca l
na ture: elegant carpets. ad venturing
gear (including a fair selection of well
crafted wea pon s). bolts of silk and sa tin,
stack s of paper, fine leather clothing.
exotic la mps. jars of rare spices and
herbs, a nd ot her curiositi es.
d . Skaldar's Offi ce. Th is office is
messy and cluttered. The walls are covered wit h shelves and pegs used to display various sample items acqu ired from
the village craftsmen: wood carvin gs from
the local woodcarver, horseshoes from the
local blacksmith , barrels from the local
cooper, bird houses and boxes from the
local carpenter, shoes and boots from the
local cobbler. and the like.
e. Stable. The Larimils are also horse
traders and keep t heir stables wellstocked with fine m ou nt s: five healthy
draft h or ses , two r iding horses . and one
pony. Th e anima ls are restl ess dur in g
ra in sto rms a nd are in n eed of exercise.
With the cu rrent threat to Lu sk wa ld,
Skaldar has been reluctant to let t he
horses ou t .

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REDCAP'S RAMPAGE
Skaldar keeps a small wagon in the
stable. A wooden ladder leads up to a hay.
filled loft bui lt atop the stables . If Dyrk
uses either the loft or the wago n as a hiding place, he causes the horses some distress (and draws the brothers' attention),
Draft horse s (5): AC 7; HD 3; hp 18
each; MV 90 ' (30'); NAT 1 bi te; Dm g Id3;
Save F 2j ML 6; INT 2; AL N; SZ L; ReI
185.
R id ing horses (2): AC 7; HD 2; hp 13
eac h ; MV 240 ' (80'); /IAT 2 hooves; Dmg
Id4l1d4 ; Save F l; ML 7 ; INT 2 ; AL N;
SZ L; Re /I S5.
P ony: sa me as riding horse except; hp
10; M V 210' (70' ),

3. Dalagae's Provisions.
The village store is a dark and forebod ing st ructu re , even though lante rns h ang on either side of the
entrance. A sign that reads " Dalagar's Provisions" swings gently
above the portal.
BrynzolfDalagar (hp 5) is t he proprie to r of t his establishment a nd liv es here
with his wife Lorel (hp 4) and their
t hree daughters (hp 2 each). The doors
to t he sto re are barred shut, the window
sh utters are locked, and the family ha s
confined itself to the kitchen (a rea c). If
t he redcap fin ds h is way insi de , Brynzolf u n lock s the back door and r ushes
his fam ily off to the neighboring in n .
Brynzolf se lls common foodstuffs a nd
dry goods, including farming impleme nts, wine, and clothin g. H e buys
some of his supplies fro m the Larimil
brothers (ar ea 2), wh ile other suppli es
are ac quired fro m visiting caravans .
a . Store. Shelves line d with sacks and
jars of foodstuffs occupy m ost of this
a rea, a lthough t here is room enough for
a long cou nter a lon g the south wall
(near the st or age room).
b . Storage Chamber. T he wa lls of
t his locked room a re li ned wit h shelves
and cabine ts, eac h packed with nonperishable farming and household supp lies. Several of the tools (pitc hfor ks,
shovels, hoes, etc.) ca n be u sed as makesh ift weapons if the need arises.
c. Kitc hen. Th is k itc he n is furnished
appro priately. Brynzolf and his fa m ily
are often found h ere , slee ping on a pad
of furs an d blankets t aken from their
bedrooms or keepin g each ot her

44 Issue No. 54

company around t he kitchen table.

Bry nzolf keeps the bac k door lock ed for
protection.
d . O uthouse. A pool of mud surro u nds this weather-beaten shack .
T here is nothing of in terest her e, un less
t he re dcap uses the out house as a hiding place.
e. Master Bedroom. Th is is where
Bry nzolf a nd Lor el usu a lly sleep. Th eir
bed, st ripped of bla nkets, rests against
the fa r wall .
f. Girls' Be d roo m. Thr ee sma ll cots
occupy t his cha mber. There is also a
4' x 2' x 2 ' toy chest resting against one
wall . Th e chest, fashi oned by a loca l
carpenter, is filled to the br im wit h
doll s. If t he redcap is se a rch ing for a
place to hid e, he may bury hi mself
a mong th e dolls in the toy box , perhaps
passin g himse lf off as a doll if he
choose s to become vis ible.
4. Vanek Residence.

Three steps lead up to the front door

ofthis well-kept hou se. Mou nted on
the door is a brass plaque etc hed
with the word s " Donova n Ya nek ,
Laird of Lu sk wa ld." A sinis te r pu mpkin scowls through the front window
of t he residence with sin iste r, candle.
lit eyes.
Th e door to Donovan Yanek's house is
a lways locked . If t he PCs have already
met t he laird at t he loca l inn (area D,
he is not he re . Otherwise, Donovan is
h iding in his st udy (area b). If the PC s
k nock at the fro nt door, Donovan (h p 4)
answe rs on ly after ar ming hi mse lf with
a fir eplace poke r and spying on t he PC s
through the fro nt window.
The laird ha s an ill -tem pered ca t
n a med Ir ksom e (hp 4; se e area 1 for
statistics). If it se nses Dyrk 's prese nce,
it hisse s and growls.

the desk , it s back fa cin g the door. Two

tall book case s (filled with histo r ical
indexes, lega l doctrines, and volumes
perta in in g to n atu ra l phil osoph y and
music) sta nd again st t he north wa ll.
c . Co nservat ory. An ex quis ite ly
cr afted harpsich ord rest s in one cor ner
of the room , wh ile in a nother corner
sta nds a n iron cook in g st ove (seldom
u sed , since Yanek prefers to eat hi s
meal s at t he local inn). The bu st of a
fa mous bard rests on a marble ped estal
near t he window, a lm ost as if the bust
were enjoyi ng th e view . If t he bu st is
removed from the pedest a l, a hollow
compartment is re vea led. Th is is where
Yane k sto res h is wealth: a pouch of five
100 gp gar nets (whic h Yanek offers to
the PCs as payment for their se r vices)
a nd another pou ch hold in g 162 gp o
d . Bedroom. A large bed occupies
most of this 15' square room. Other
furni shings in clude a ceda r wardrobe
and matching dresser, bot h filled with
t he laird 's clothin g.
5. Grinstaff Re sidence .
Th e sign hangin g above the door of
t his house is sha ped like a loaf of
bread . Eviden tly, t his is t he residence of Lu sk wa ld's baker.
Th e vill age baker, Na di a Gri nstaff (hp
3) li ves here wit h her neph ew, h is wife,
a nd their tw o children . Na dia is a n
elderly but spirited woman who bakes
t he most wondrous a nd tasty rhubarb
pie s to be found a ny where. She contin ues to run her bu siness despi te rece nt events in Lu skw a ld .
Nadia 's nephew, Pete r (hp 5), has held
m any jobs. He worked eight years as a
scr ivener a nd is now composi ng hi s own
book of poetry. H is wife Anabelle (hp 4)
full y endorses his artistic pursuits.
Th eir ch ildr en, Johann a nd Cara (hp 2,
1), are restl ess a nd eage r to be allowed
outside .

a . P arlor. It em s of intere st in t h is
r oom include a cedar wine cabinet (fully
stocke d), a pair of leather ar mcha irs, a
cushio ned sofa, a wooden coat rack
(posit ioned near t he fro nt door ), and a
pil e of wood by the fir eplace. A portrait
of Laird Yane k hangs above the mantle.

Th is weather -worn residence sits in a

qua gm ire of mud a nd r a in wa ter. You
ca n see the fli cke ring eye s of a .lacka-lantern through the fro nt window.

b . Study. A large oak de sk r est s beneath the window of this room. A tall
yet sl ender chair has bee n tucked u nd er

Th e village weaver, Tristan Talb ut (hp

5), lives here with hi s wife Meg (hp 4)
a nd I fi-year-old son Tri stan J r. (hp 6).

6. Talbut Residence.

REDCAP'S RAMPAGE

Tristan's SOh does not share his parents'

belief that restl ess spirits have de -

scended on Luskwald . He beli eves

Luskwald has been overrun by thieves
and as sa ssins and would like nothing
better t han to take on the cu lprits himself. Not su rpr is ingly, the young Tristan
wants to be an adve nt urer when he gets

older; his fat her ha s quashed young

Tristan's ambitions . maintaining that
his SOD will learn the trade of weaving
and continue the family bu siness. PCs
who en courage Tristan's adventuring
ambitions m ay find themselves saddled

with an additional follower when they

leave tow n; Tristan has been waiting
for an opportunity to run away and

prove his mettle to the world .

7. Bellinek Resid ence.

This hou se seems especi a lly grim,
perh aps the r esult of its dark wood
frame. A boot-shaped sign swings
listl ess ly above the front door.
Luskwald's cobb ler, Otto Bellinek Ih p
5), lives he re with this two sons, Hans
and Karl (hp 4 each). Despite his Hm ited materials, Otto creates some of the
finest footwear found a ny wh ere in the
rea lm. His sh oes are tailored to fit their
wearers, yet the price for hi s handiwork
is moderately affor dable .
Karl, Ott o's younger boy, inten ds to
follow in his father's footsteps. H a ns, on
the other hand, has no interes t in cobblin g; for the last three years, he's been
an apprentice of the local carpenter
(area 20). Several weeks ago, Hans was
injured while workin g at the ruined
keep. Someone or some t hi ng drove a
rusted dagger throu gh hi s len foot , and
he still walks with the aid of a cr utc h .
8. Kerwig R e si d e n ce.
Hanging on t he fr on t door of this
well-tended re sidence are se ve ral
sprigs of ga rlic and wolfsbane tied
together in a bundle . Wind chi mes
dan gle fro m t he hou se 's eaves , tinklin g and wh istlin g in the wi nd. A
gr imacing pumpkin with firelit eyes
sits in the window.
Th e local herbalist, Molly Ke rwig (h p
4), live s here with her tomcat Mortimer
Ihp 3; see area 1 for statistics) and her
brother Winston (hp 5). Winston wa s
born wit hou t a rms and use s a special
set of mouth tongs that enable him to

grasp relatively light items by biting

down on a clam p. All the door ha ndles
in Molly 's ho use were fash ioned by the
loca l carpe nter so Win sto n could open
them wit h his feet.
Molly is a n expert he rbalist. H er
natural pot ion s heal Id4 + 1 hp dama ge
each and ar e relatively in expensive to
prep are (10 gp each ). Her persona l ethics forbid h er from ma kin g poisons a nd
other detrimenta l concoctio ns. Win ston
is caut iou s around strangers a nd protective of Molly. In h is spare t ime, he
paints pictures (holdin g the brushes in
his teeth).
The presence of " evil spir its" in
Lu skwald h as tro ubled Molly and winston deeply, and they remain confined to
their hou se.
9. Dalcu s Reside n ce .
The sound of barkin g dogs- large
on es - echoes from this re sidence. A
ca nd lelit pumpkin lights every window of the house .
The village ch andler, Emily Dal cu s
(hp 3), lives here wit h t wo la rge dogs.
Emily makes ca ndles for all occasion s

and has no trouble keeping her many

jack-ot-lanterns lit (six pumpkins in all).
She fears for her safety, and even the
presence of the hounds ca nno t qu ell her
dread. If t he redcap decides to pa y a
visit to Emily 's home , the presence of
her t emperamenta l hounds keeps Dyr k
at bay.
Dog s (2): AC 7; HD 1 + 1; hp 7 each ;
MV 150' (50 '); KAT 1 bite; Dm g Id6;
Save F l ; ML 8; INT 3 ; AL N; SZ M; new
monster.
10. O r lesky R esi d enc e .
This simple house is on e of t he few
residen ces in Luskwald wi th a porch.
This well-m ad e addi t ion gives the
h ou se a di stinct appearance , de sp ite
t he fact tha t the hou se itself is a s
dar k and dreary as the bu ild ings on
eit her side of it.
A j ack -ot-lantern grima ces m enacin gly
t hrough on e of the fr on t windows of thi s
residen ce. The ho use is occu pie d by the
village woodcarv er Gusta v Orlesk y (hp
7), h is wife Brigit (hp 5), and their son
Justin (hp 5). Gu st av t akes pr ide in all

DUNGEON

45

REDCAP'S RAMPAGE

of Justin 's accompli shmen ts a nd full y

endorses Just in 's apprenticeship to the
local carpent er (area 20).
Gustav and hi s son wer e a mong th ose
commiss ione d to rebu ild t he ruined
keep north of Luskwa ld. Gu sta v was
injured wh en a bloc k of stone fell on h is
shou lder. but hi s wounds were minor.
Justin barely a voided injury (he wa s
within a hai r of having an en tire scaffold fall on top of hi m ).

11. Shyndle Residence.

Moun ted a bove the door of thi s house
is a h alfke g, be neat h whi ch are
pa inted the wor ds " Shy ndle's Barrei works: ' The residence itse lf appears well -lit and occu pied .
This house belon gs to the ha lfling
cooper BargHn Shy ndle a nd h is tw o
nephews, Erne and Hcmrn , both of
whom are serving 8 S appr en tices . Al thou gh their house is si zed for humans,
the fur n itu re is built for halfl in gs.
Both of Barglin'a nephews wor ked on
the ruined keep, but neither were hurt
in the events that took place during the
keep's reconstruct ion . If Oyrk en ters the
h ouse, Barglin use s his short swor d to
h old the " fiend" a t bay while hi s nep hews bolt tow ard the inn.
Bargli n , Erne, and Homm Shy ndle
(m ale h alflings ): AC 7 (5 ve. la rge opponents); HI; hp 5 , 3 ( )(2); MV 90' (30' );
IAT 1; Dm g by weapon type; SA + 1 to
hit with m iss iles; Save HI ; ML 8; AL L;
SZ S; sh ort sword (Barglin on ly).
12. Morgyr R e s idenc e .
Pounded into t he front la wn of this
property is a handsomely ca rved
wooden sign wi th t he word s " Vill age
Mender-Open All H ours" painted
on it. The house is m issing a few
shingles and shu tters.
Ylandra Mor gyr, t he vill a ge " mender;' is a young woman li ving a lone a nd
the proverbial a pple of many a ge ntle.
man's eye. She is skept ica l of r u mors
concerning " evil spi rits" in Luskwald
and fears that he r village is beset by a
cr azed lu natic . She is su spicious of
str a ngers and casts her detect evil spell
on PC s wh o approach her house .
Ylandra Morgyr (fe male human): AC
8; C3 ; hp 13; MV 120' (40'); I AT 1; Omg
by spell or by we apon ty pe + 1; S 15
( + I ), I 12, W 16, 0 14, C 9, Ch 15; Save

46 Issue No. 54

C3 ; ML 8; AL L; ma ce, holy sy mbol,

t hree via ls of holy wa ter, cleri ca l scroll
(cure light woun ds )( 2). Spells: cur e
ligh t wounds, detect evil.
One of the sm aller room s in Ylandra's
house h as been converted into a "hospi t al ," complete wi th a patient's bed a nd
locked medi cine cabine t . In side t he
medicine cabin et a re ni ne pot ion s; t hree
he aling potions made by Moll y Kerwig
(see area 8), t hree magica l heali ng po t ions, and three antidote potions (one
each of fir st t hree ty pes, see Re, page
232 ).
13, KarseU Residence,
This sim ple hou se, it s windows sh ut tered tight , sta nds alone a mid a
t angle of weeds. A pumpkin patch
gr ows on t he sout h side, but most of
the la rger pumpk ins are gone .
The pumpkin patc h gr owi ng next to
the house is wild a nd the town sfolk
h av e t aken most of it s crop, leavi ng
only the sm a lles t pump kins behin d. The
occupants of the house don 't mind; Frederick a nd Osten Karsell are h un t ers,
not pu mpkin growers. Prior to the red cap's r ampa ge, t he burly Ka rsell brot hers (hp 6 ea ch) spent a lmost eve ry
waking moment hunting in the woods
or dr inking a t t he loca l t av ern . Lately,
ho wev er, they 've been shut up toget her
in t he hou se , a nd pro lon ged enclosu re
ha s made them u nea sy and qui te mi serable .
The interior cham be r s of the ho u se
a re a dor ned w ith a ll ki nds of hunt in g
troph ies . Behind the hou se is a s m a ll
shack t hat serves as a n out ho u se . If
the redcap decides to su r prise the
h un ters, it hid es insid e the sh ac k and
a m bu shes the h un ters when they a re
mo st vu lnerable .

ampl e supply of more e xotic elixirs

(none of t hem magica l). S he a lso owns a
h uge st ill , a clattering, ca cophonous,
contraption easily m ista ken for a gi ant
meta l m onster.
H a zel G laghorn: AC 9 ; M5; h p 12;
MV 120 ' (40') ; tAT 1; Dm g by spell or
weapon type; Save M5; ML 6; INT 17;
AL N; dagger, ring of animal control.
Spe lls: charm person , detect magic , ESp,
in visib ility; clairvoyance. Hazel's
spellbook conta in s t hese spells plu s
analy ze, read lanf(ua!!l's, read magic,
sleep, ventr iloquism ,' detect invisible,
locate object, w izard lock; and light n ing
bolt.
If the PCs spea k to Hazel, t hey ca n
acquire some usefu l infor ma t ion rega rd ing the "evi l" in Lu skw a ld. Ha zel owns
a pa ir of ora nge cats n am ed Ra pscall ion
a nd Ragam uffin (hp 3 each; see a rea I
for st atistics) a nd use s clairvoyance
spells to pee r t hrough t heir ey es . Usin g
th is scry ing tec h nique, H azel has
peeked inside he r nei ghbor s' hou ses,
includin g t he nearby hom es of Dyrk 's
rece nt victims. By ch a nce , she ca ug ht a
glimpse of a sneeri ng: " leprec haun" two
n ights ago (in area 17). She sa w t he
lepr ech aun searching: t he workmen 's
house wi th a knife in it s hand . Hazel
lost track of the mysterious m iscreant
when , qu ite unexpectedly, it t urned
in visible. Usin g: he r ring of an imal control, H azel h as been using t he vill age's
feli ne popu lation to scour Luskwa ld for
signs of t he wretched red ca p.
H azel is greedy, and PC s hop in g t o get
infor mation from h er m ust pay for it .
Du ring payment negotia tions, H azel
use s her ESP spell to determine wha t
valuable s each PC posse sse s. In t he end,
she se ttles for a monetary paym en t of
100 gp but wou ld much rather obtain a
m inor ma gical item (pot ion, scro ll, or
r in g).

14. Glaghorn R e sid ence ,

15. R ulda r R eside n c e and Smithy,

A cu ri ous si gn hangs abo ve the doorway of th is modest residence. It reads

" House of Spir it s ." Gi ven the my st iqu e of t his eer ie little vill a ge , yo u
ca n on ly im agine what k in d of "spirits" lurk with in .

The roof of th is mode st hou se seems

to h av e been repl ac ed recentl y, as
ev idenced by its weather-worthy
appearance . The hou se itsel f is covered with creepe rs a nd ivy. Sta ndi ng
t o one side of th e r esi dence is a
sm aller ston e bu ilding with a large
stone chimn ey.

A wack y mi ddl e-aged woman na med

Hazel Glagho rn lives in th is house , a nd
the spir its she sells are not of the u ndead va riety. On t he contr ary, locked in
her st or eroo m are several va riet ies of
wine, numerous ke gs of ale, and an

Gharon Ru ld ar, the vill age black sm ith

(hp 5), lives here with hi s daughter
Ma ldra and his son Br am Ih p 4 each),
and all three are acco mplished black -

REDCAP'S RAMPAGE

smiths. Gharon se ldom wor ks in t he

smithy any more, preferri ng to spe n d

his time chatting at t he local inn .

Maldra and Bram a re t he ones usually
seen poundi ng iron and steel- making
horseshoes, nails, iron ri ngs, and eel-

trops. Their pr ices a re very reasonable,

but they do not fas h ion wea pons an d
ar mor.
Tn light of recent eve nts, the Ruldars

shut down the smithy an d locked themselves in side t heir hou se . Gh aron has
the flu and spends mo st of his day s in
bed, te nde d by h is car ing ch ildren .

The floors a round the front a nd ba ck

doors of t he ho use a re cove red with
caltro ps (8 useless defense agains t the
vigila nt re dca p).

16. Glarier's Residence and Shop.

Ezner Mourne, the village glazier, was

Dyrk's fir st victim. The in visible red cap
knocked on the front door, waited for
Ezner to ope n t he portal , t he n slip ped in
unnoticed. Dyr k terroriz ed. t he old man
for seve ral hours before finally doin g
him in. Ezner was foun d pinned beneath a fa lle n shelf, covered in splintered glass. He ha s since bee n buried.
(along with t he victims fro m area 17) in
a nearby woodland plot , but the wreck age in side his hou se re mains.
a. Kitc hen and Living Area. Every
piece of furn itu re in th is room h a s been
knocked ove r, pu lled down or smashed
to bits. At the DM's di scretion, observant PCs might notice tiny footpr ints
next to a spill ed bag of flour.
b . Display Room. The floor of this
room is covered with broken glass. Th e
walls are li ned with wooden di splay
shelves , sev eral of wh ich have been
knocked over. On ly a few glasses and
dishes rem ain u nbro ken a mids t the
thous ands of sha ttered pieces.
c. Gla ssworks, In one corner of thi s
room sta nds a m et al sto ve used for
heating and mold in g glass. The redcap
left th e h ouse by climbing u p the eto vepipe to t he roof with t he ai d of h is pikestaff. Anyone st udyin g the stove
inte rior has a l in 6 cha nce of not ici ng
little footpr ints in t he ashes of the
furnac e.
d. Bedroom. Th is room's conte nts are
in utter disarray. Many of Eener 's perso nal belongings He scattered on the floor,
including a spilled pouch of 112 sp.

Written in blood on the side of Ezner 's

dr esser is the following warning:
GIVHAT MIN E K EEP OU T
Dyrk meant to wr it e, " Give m e my
h at. It's mine . Stay out of my keep." but
because of his li mited writing sk ills, his
warning is mu ch more myster ious t ha n
intended.
17, Workmen's H o m e. This is the
h ome of Dyrk 's second and third victims , and has the sa me layout as the
Vanek reside nce . Ka r n Ironst ar a nd
Bry n Bellowforge wer e com missioned to
help rebuild the ruined kee p, and both
were fou nd in bed with their throats
cu t . Their bodies were buried t he mor-ning afte r they died in the sa me woodland cemetery where the vill age glazier
now rests.
The redcap entered the house by pry ing
hack a loose wa llboard in the den (area a).
After searc hi ng t he den for his m issi ng
cap (and not finding it), Dyrk crept into
the bedrooms (using his pikestaff to pull
down the door handles), kill ed the two
hun te rs , and thoroughly searc hed each
chamber (again, find ing nothi ng).

a . Den . T he w alls of this room a re

covered with h un ti n g t ro phies. Scatt ered a cro ss the floor are a deck of
cards, 12 sp a nd 42 cp, a nd ot he r m iscellaneous it e ms be lon gi n g to the
h un te rs . PC s who ca refull y sear ch the
room may not ice t he loosened wallboard th r ough wh ich the r ed cap e nt ered (a nd left ) t he house .
b . Kitchen. A broken table lie s in t he
center of this room. Vario u s jars a nd
food sa cks lie broken and empty on the
floor, their contents cr ea t ing a m u lticolored car pet.
c. Karn's Bedroom. This room con t a ins a blood -soaked bed, a n overtu rn ed
t ru nk , a nd a bea rsk in ru g. Th e str aw
stu ffing in side t he mattress has been
strewn ac ros s the floor alo ng with the
contents of K arn's trunk: pieces of hi de
armor, two wooden ca ndlesticks, a
pouch containin g t wo 20gp ge ms and
16 sp. a heavy crossbow a nd se vera l
broken bolts. Pes who se arc h t hese
items ca refu lly have a l in6 chance of
noticin g two very sm all bloody
ha nd pri nts on one of t he candlesticks.

DUNGEON

47

REDCAP'S RAMPAGE
c. Br yn's Be d roo m. A blood-soaked.
dwarf-sized bed re sts against one wall of
this room. Next to the bed lies an over -

turned wooden ches t , its cont ents scat t er ed acro ss the floor: pieces of leather
armo r, a torn hunter 's cap, a n emptied
w ine skin, a pair of bearskin gloves, six

iron spearhea ds, a nd a spille d sack of

125 cp . A s mall t able has also been

overtur ned, a long wit h the la nter n that

once stood atop i t . (The la nte rn is
smashed and useless , and the la ntern's
spill ed oil is a fire h az ard .)

After killi ng poor Bryn a nd searching

his belongings, the frust rated Dyrk
cl imbed onto th e he adboard a nd scr awl-

ed a messa ge on the wall above t he bed.

The warning, written in th e dwarfs

blood. is as follows:

GlVHAT ORKIL
Dyrk's act ua l intent was to write
" Give me my hat. or die." Inste a d, a
corrupt ion of "Give hat or kill" is wh at
the message conveys.
18. Eregauld Residence.
A rain-Filled birdbath stands on the
front la wn of t his well-tended residence . A sign su spended above t he
door reads "Er ega uld's Pottery &
Claywork s." A clay, ca ndlelit pumpkin peers through every glass pane.
The vill age clayworker, Lorna Eregauld (hp 4), lives here wit h her six
young chi ldre n (t hr ee boys and three
girls, hp 2 (x 3), 1 r x 3) a nd her cat,
Ichabod (hp 4, see a re a 1 for st atis t ics).
Lorna has take n precautions to ensure
her family's sa fety and refuses to answer her front door. She constantly
carries a light crossbow but is understa ndably hesit ant to use it. Besides,
she ha s only one bolt .

Zandor (hp 2). Ezekiel's elder son,

Voltan , was cr ushed beneath a collapsed
scaffold wh ile helpi ng to repai r the
ruined keep north of the villa ge. Th e
Devek family has spent the last several
week s mourning Voltan's death and are
terrified by current events in Luskwal d.
Ezekiel wants to leave the village but
cann ot afford to buy horses from t he
local traders to pull t he cart th at sits in
his front ya rd.
Ezekiel is a n expert wagon builder
(part icular ly wagon wheels, which he
sells whenever mer chants visit
Lus kwald ). He also collabor ate s with
Dola nd Mirklar (area 20) on a variety of
bu ilding project s that req uire more th an
one carpenter, inclu ding doomed projects like the ruined keep .
20. Mirklar Residence.
A solid, well-kept porch embellishes
the front of thi s house . The windows
have all been shuttered, giving this
otherwise qua int r esidence a n unwelcome appea rance.
Dola nd Mirkl a r, a ca rpe nte r and roofer (and lately the town's coffin builder
a nd gravedigger), occupies this house . A
fru ga l busine ssman, Doland (hp 5) can
afford to be choosy about his jobs; his
nam e st ands for quality just about anywhere in the realm. Although he has no
fa mily, Dolan d sha res the house with
two orp ha ned a pprentices, Angus (hp 6)
and Tim mel (hp 3). He has two other
ap pren ti ces, Hans Bellinek and Justin
Orlesky, who live wit h their fa milies in
the village. (See areas 7 a nd 10.)
Both of Doland's res ident appre ntices
sustained slight injuries while working at
the keep: Angus put his foot through a
na il jutting out of the floor, and Timmel
had a chunk of rock dropped on his head.

The Ruined Keep

19. Devek Residence.
An old horse-drawn cart sits in the
front yard ofthis residence, its wheels
mired in mud. The house itself is a
proud testament to its builder, standing against the elements wit hout the
slightest sign of wear. A candlelit jackc'dantern sneers through one curta ined window.
Ezekiel Devek (hp 5), a ca rpente r and
wagon maker, lives here wit h his wife,
J ezebel (hp 3), and t heir youngest son,

48 Issue No. 54

The roa d between Luskwald and the

rui ns is muddy a nd r ar ely tra veled.
Read or paraphrase t he following as the
party approaches the ruined keep for
the first ti me:
Two miles north of Luskwa ld lie th e
ruins of a falle n keep. The ivy.
covere d st ructure is partially obscured behind the skeletons of dead
trees . Both the ga te house and t he
keep itself show signs of collapse,
and one of the courtyard wall s ha s

completely crum bled. The roofs t iles

have peel ed a way from th e rooftops,
leavin g plent y of holes for the rain to
trickle through .
PCs explori ng the ruins encounter a
few unpleasa nt surprise s: Anton and
Kri stof (th e werer ats) a nd their rodent
minio ns. The were rats know nothing of
the redcap's existence; they hav e
clai med t he keep for t hemselves with no
know ledge of its prior inhab it an t. The
lycanthropes are currently in the pla nning sta ges of a scheme to terrorize poor
Lu skwald . For now, t hey are enjoying
sanctuary within t he ruins.
The Wererats' Wiles
Th e wererats are devi ous and cowardl y,
preferring to avoid direct confrontations
whe n they are outnumbered. They have
no such qua lms about attacki ng a soli .
tary victim. If more t ha n a single PC
arrives at th e keep, the wererats try to
frighte n t hem away or dispa tch them
one at a t ime.
An t on a nd Kr isto f usually remain in
r at for m, so they ca n mingle wit h
t hei r fello w roden t s a nd move about
the ruins mor e ea sily. Th e PCs ma y
suspect the pre sence of wererat s give n
t he sheer nu mber of common rats
within the ruin s. Th e DM should not
a llay these suspicions, since t he pr es.
ence of eve n one lyca nthrope is usua lly enough to instill fear in a
low-level party.
The werer ats ar e virtua lly impossible
to surp rise . As soon as the PCs are
detected by t he keep's ord in ary rats, t he
were rate are warned of t he party's presence. In man y respects , t he werer at's
tactics are similar to t he redcap's. Bot h
Anto n and Kristof are masters of sabota ge, using their weapo ns a nd sk ills to
weaken floors, set up trip wires, and
stage several untimely "accidents."
They are complete ly fam ilia r with the
layout of th e ruins and ret reat to a safer
locat ion if inju red.
Dyrk's cr imson cap is kep t with the
were rats' ot her " t r easur es" in area
15. Th e PCs need t o r ecove r t his ite m
a nd r et urn safely to Luskw a ld with it.
If Anton a nd Kr istof a re captured or
cornered , the werer a t s gla dly excha nge the ca p (a nd t heir t r easur e) for
their lives.

REDCAP 'S RAMPAG E

Anton and Kri stof (wererats): AC 7 (9

in human form); HD 3*; hp 16, 11; MV
120' (40'); tAT 1; Dmg Id4 (bite ) or by
weapon; SA surprise, lycanthropy; SO
silver or magical weapons to hit (animal
form only); Save F3; ML 8; INT 10; AL C;
XP 50; He /1oo (lycanthrope); short sword.
Anton and Kristof are not harmed by
wolfsbane but are repelled by the sight
of a dead rat. (T hey m ust make a mo-

rale check or retreat in fear.) When in

animal form , the wererats store their
weapons in ea sy-to-access hiding places,
such as the dining hall (area 5), the
kitc hen (area 8), or th e bed room (area
12).
PCs who can speak with animals m ay
question one or more of the keep's r esi dent rats. The r at s are not exactl y
friend ly, but they speak with PC s
grudgingly and cautiously, sus pect ing a
trap. Alt hough nominally under the
wererats' com ma nd, t hese vicious little
heath ens gladly r eveal the loca t ion of
th e cap in excha nge for food. They do
not, however, assi st the Pes in the sa fe
recovery of the cap.
The rats, lik e t hei r master s, have
never seen Dyr k . However, they 've
smelled the redcap (and fallen prey to
him on seve ral occasions whe n Dyrk
was hungry). The rodents associate
Dyrk's blood -soaked cap wit h " th e t hing
th at kills ra ts;' but they h ave no id ea
wha t th e " t h ing" is.
Normal r ats (36 total): AC 9; HD I
hp j MV 60' (20 '), swim 30 ' 0 0 '); fiAT I
bite/pa ck; Dmg Id6/pack ; SA disease;
Save Norm al Man; ML 5 ; INT 2; AL N ;
XP 2; RC120l. Th ese r avenous creatures
roam in packs of six.
Gia n t r ats 02 tot al ). AC 7; H D 'h; hp
4 ( x 4), 3 r x 4), 2 ( x 4); MV 120 ' (40 '),
swim 60 ' (20'); KAT 1 bite; Dm g Id3; SA
disease ; Save Normal Man; ML 8; INT
2; AL N; XP 5; RC/20l. These gi an t
specimens usually hu nt in fours.
Ground Floor
1. Entrance Doors .

A muddy pat h lea ds to an arched

entra nce in which two wooden doors
sta nd splinte red and agape. Although
ruined by the ravages of war and time ,
th e doors are still affixed to their
rusted iron hinges.
The doors tear free of their hinges if
moved, ca usi ng Id4 hp damage to a ny
nearby PCs. A successfu l Dexterity
check at + 2 negates damage.

2. Cr u m b led G ua r d house .
Most of this sect ion st ill lies in ru in s,
a nd the thic k wa lls that once r eo
pelled the gobli n hordes have been
redu ced to piles of rubble by the
passage of time. A broken door lies
amidst t he crumbled stonework,
wh ile the collapsed rem ain s of an
up per level ca n be seen abov e .
T he repair crew from Luskwald never
reached this fallen section of the keep,
though plans a nd materials to rebuild
this a rea ha d bee n a rranged . T he PCs
can climb up to th e second floor of the
gate hou se by sta nding on the r ubbl e or
using ropes. Climb ing up t o the second
floor in eit her man ner has a 2-in-6
ch ance of furth er colla psi ng t he floor
above. If t he floor does coll apse , anyone
underneath m ust make a Dexterity
ch eck to a void Id6 hp damage from
fa lling floorboards a nd de bris.
3. Rebuilt Gua r d h ouse .
Several of this chamber 's wa lls show
signs of rece nt repair. H uge holes
h ave bee n replac ed with solid br ick work , and piece s of wood that have
fa llen from the ceili ng lie neatl y
stacked on t he floor. Through a hole
in the ceilin g, you ca n see the upper
level of the gate house.
Many of the floorbo ards in the second
story of th e gate house are too weak to
support much weight. Over th e years,
steady rains pouring through the holes
in the ga te hou se roof h ave contr ibuted
to the slow rot of the floorboard s. PCs
attempting to climb through the hole in
the ceili ng pull more of the floor down ;
those who fa il a Dexterity check t um ble
down with it.
4. Co u rtyard.
The keep and its crumbling gate hou se
are joined toget her by sto ne wa lls,
forming a courtyard about 35' wide.
Th e south wall has a lmost ent ire ly
collapsed , leavi ng nothing but scattered piles of ru bble. The north wall ,
still intact but crumbling, has a broken scaffold leaning against it. A set of
iron-bound doors lead into the keep ,
and a stone st ai rcase leads up to the
second floor of the gate house.
T he door s leading into the keep are
barred shut from the inside. PCs m ust

in flict 40 h p damage to break down the

doors.
Th e wr eck ed sca ffold wa s left behind
by Lu skwald's re pai r crew a fte r Dy rk
sabotaged it , collapsing the westernmost sect ion. Th e crew never began
work on the crumbled sout h wall, whic h
fell during th e la st goblin incur sion .
Thi s area is well-traversed by rats . Th e
rode nts creep along the tops of walls and
aro und pile s of rubble, waiting for a signal from the were rats to attack.
5. Main H all.

Littering the floor of thi s dark, undeco rated hall are the bones of sever al hu m anoid creatures wh o died
here many years ago. To the south, a
wooden door h angs loosely on its
hinges. To the north you see an ascen din g sta ircase.
The bones are a ll tha t's left of t he
keep's human defenders a nd goblin
assailants. Although there are no va luabies hidden a mong th e remai ns, the
wererats sometimes hide t heir short
swords u nder piles of bone s before assum ing rat form . If Anton and Kristof
a re currently in rat form , there is a 30%
chance their swords a re here.
6. Dining Room.
Standing in t he middl e of this dreary
chamber is a large oa k din in g tabl e
t hat has barely withstood the passage oft ime . A wrought .iron chandelier still hangs above the t able, and
three chair s have also endured . Th e
others cha irs lie in spli nters on the
floor. Pa rt of the ceiling has collapsed
near the outer wall , leavin g a la r ge
p ile of debris .
Dyr k deliberately weakened t he ceil in g near the outer wa ll . The stonemason who fell t hrough surv iv ed t he
unexpect ed plunge, but he wa s too in jured to conti nu e r epairs. The floorboards t hat Dyrk weakened ha ve a ll
been broken ; PC s can clim b up th ro ugh
the hole with out fear of fu rt her collapse .
7. Ba r r a cks .
The shattere d remain s of severa l cots
lie strewn on the floor ofthi s damp,
unlit chamber. Holes that once penet rat ed t he ou te r wall have si nce bee n
repaired.

DUNGEON

49

REDCAP 'S RAMPAGE

Ruined Ke ep

Second Ffoor

On e squa re = 5'

9. G ate House, Up p e r Leve l. A nton a nd Kr istof have r igged a c ro s s bow tra p in th is area . Th e h ea vy
crossbow is positioned to fire at t he
first person t o wa lk throu gh t h e door.
Th e bo lt (T H ACO 18 ) in fli cts 2d4 hp
da m a ge . Th e trap can be detected and
d isa r med n ormally, a n d the crossbow
may be u sed a s a weapon .
The roof of t h is buildi ng is riddl ed
wit h holes, all tr ick ling water. Years
of exposure to t he elements h ave all
but dest roy ed the interi or of t his
upper st ory. There are no
furnishin gs- j ust pools of water,
wa rped floorboards, broken weapons,
and more holes.

Grou nd Floor

15

--

Cellar

The re maining floorboa rd s above

areas 2 a nd 3 a re weak a nd onl y the
bridging sect ion di rectl y above a rea 1 is
not at ri sk of sudden coll apse. PCs who
st ay close to the wa lls are safe ; t hose
wh o venture close to the collapse d sect ions of floor have a ba se 10% cha nce of
falling t hrough (sustain ing Id6 hp damage). This chance in crea ses by 1% for
every 10 Ibs. of weight a pplied.
10. Upper H allway

.L

.J -~=

11

12

Tattered tapestrie s h ang from th e

wa lls of th is corr idor, but t heir design s a re faded from yea rs of ne glect
and decay. The floor ha s collapsed
nea r t he outer wa ll , leavin g a jagged
opening to the ch a mber bel ow.
Despite t he gaping hole , the floor in
t his hallway is safe to wa lk on . Th e
t apestr ies a re worthless but qu ite heavy
(500 cn each).

Second Floor

t t . Bedc h a m ber.
Th is room is a favorite gathering place
for the keep's rats; the dampn ess su its
them. Several rat-sized holes in the base
of the eastern wall lead to the kitc hen .
B. Kitchen.

Th e floor of this chamber is litte red

with the rema ins of several broken
sh elves and tables. Strewn a long the
base of a repaired section of wall are
the sunde red rem na nts of an old
fireplace . A h ea vy iro n cauldro n
rests in the corner beh ind t he door.

50 Issue No. 54

This room is guarded by six normal and

four giant rats . Th e rats swarm any PCs
who open the concealed trap door in the
floor (see below). If Anto n and Kristof have
assumed rat form, there's a 50% chance
that the ir swords are hidden inside the
cauldron behind the door. If forced to retreat to the cellar, they seize these weepOM.

The trap door to the cellar is concealed

WIder a pile of ru bble. Th e wooden door
can be opened easily with its iron pull-ring
and is neith er locked nor trapped. Openi ng
the door reveals a wood ladder descend ing
20' into the ground .

A large bed frame stands a ga in st the

south wa ll of t h is room. H angi ng on
the wall next to the firepla ce is a
torn t apest ry depicting a n armored
k night . Beneath the tapestry sits a
heavy oak trunk with talon like feet.
Th e tr unk measures 4 ' x 2' x 2 ' a nd
weighs 220 lb s. It is not locked but is
la rge enou gh for a werera t to h ide in , if
t he need a rises; othe rwise it's empty.
The ta pestry h a nging above the trunk
is worthless.
A PC se a rch ing the fireplace has a 1
in6 cha nce of finding a secret compart-

REDCAP'S RAMPAGE

ment beneath the mantle. Hidden inside the compartment is a sword + 1 .

This encha nted wea pon was once the

property of Lord Manxom, the la st castellan of the keep . Manxom died defending the keep, an d his loya l squire
return ed the sw or d to its hiding place,
fearing the weapon m igh t fall in to h umanoid hands. The PCs ca n use t his
weapon to harm the wer er ats .
A secret door in the south wall opens
into a dark cor ridor; t he door m ay be
found at t he usual odds. If the wererats
were forced to retreat to the secret room
(area 13), at least one of t hem is lurki ng
behind this sec ret door, wait ing to
strike.
12. Bedchamber. This room con tai ns
an opene d (nor ma lly sec ret) door leading to the secret room (a rea 13). If t he

wererat s are forced to retreat to t he

secret room , they close t he secret door
behind them.

Piles of k indling are al l t ha t 's left of

the bed a nd desk t ha t once fur nished
this chamber. Carved into the bed 's
broke n head board are some barely
legible wor ds. A bronze shield shaped
like a dragon's head hangs above t he
room's blacke ned fireplace.
The words ca rved into t he he adboa rd
are a warning fr om t he redcap to all
intruders who would dare enter h is lair;
KE EP MIN E BWAR E lKILL
The wererats are ill it erate, so they are
unable to grasp t he significa nce of
Dyrk's warning.
The shield above t he fire place is m a gi.
cal and bestows a constant resist {ire
spell on its bearer. However, the shield
is fastened to the wa ll by a hi dde n latch
that can be ope ne d only by a thief making a success ful find t raps a nd ope n
locks roll .
If Anto n and Kristo f hav e assu med
rat form, t her e is a 20% chance t hey
have hidden t heir swords inside t he
fireplace for safekeeping. They seize
thes e weapons before retreating to area
13. Other than t he swords a nd shield,
the re 's littl e worth t a king fr om t his
chamber.
13. Secret Room. Two secret doors
lead into this chamber. Th e r epa ir cre w
from Luskwald found t hem on ly after
an hour of close scrutiny. Th e wererats

were lu cky and a rrived to find one of

the secret doors left ope n .
If t he PCs pu rsue them throu gh the
keep, the werera ta hid e behind the
secret doors, hoping to gai n su r prise. On
a roll of 1-4, their opponent is su rprised .
This room shows sig ns of recent
repair. Sturdy wooden beams support
t he dam aged r oof, a nd most of the old
floor boards h ave been replaced.
Chun ks of rubble that once cons ti t uted a fireplace have been pil ed
agains t a r ebu ilt sect ion of wall. Th e
room is unfurn ished.
An t on a n d K r istof kee p a p a ir of
li g ht crossbows in this chamber. Both
weapons are loaded a nd ready to fi re .
Tw elve cr oss bow bolts lie strew n in
one cor ner, if the were rats requi re
more amm uni t ion.
Cellar
14. Storage R oo m ,
Th e wa lls of th is cold. dar k cha mber
a re lined with bro ken shelves. A few
empty kegs a nd sma shed crates litter
t he floor, alo ng with small hea ps of
r at droppin gs and loose ti mber.
This area is a gathering place for ra ts
(bot h normal and giant var iet ies) , and is
strewn with odd bits of bone, cloth, a nd
other item s that the rats h ave bro ught
here. T he chamber sme lls like a garbage pail.
Th e r ats have orders t o attack a ny
creature other than a werera t who tr ies
to cross this room (to a rea 15). Th e r ats
swarm a single target , deli ver ing relatively massive amounts of dam age with
repeated bit es (ld6 hp per pa ck of six) .
An yone bitten by a rat has a 5% chance
of contracting a disease t hat takes h old
in 2d6 turns. Th e victi m is allowed a
Saving Throw vs. Poison; if the saving
t h row fails, the vict im may die in 1-4
days (l-in-4 chance) or be bed ridde n for
one month , un able to adventu re . A cure
di sease im mediately rid s t he victim of
t he afflic t ion. Attack s directed at t he
swarming r ats have a 50% ch ance of
ha rm ing t he r ats' victim as we ll. (Da mage is split equally betwee n t he victi m
a nd t he rodent s.)
If Anton and Kr istof were for ced to
retrea t to the cellar, they are a lso
presen t (in the ir na tural r at for ms). If

the fig ht goes poorly, t hey retr ea t to t he

well (a rea 15), assu me human form, and
bolt the door behind t hem.
15. We r e r ats ' Wel l. Th e door to this
roo m is u su ally left open so t he wer erats ca n enter it in ra t for m. Th e portal
can be close d and locked fro m the inside, a lt hough thieves h ave norma l
chances to pick the lock .
A 5'd iameter well descends t hrough
t he floor of this da mp chamber. Th e
sto ne led ge su rrou ndi ng th e well is
covered with phosphorescent green
moss tha t casts a du ll li ght on t he
room's glistening wa lls. Att ached to
the well is a rusted iro n winch. A
r ope , no doubt attached to a bu cket,
plu nges th rough the well's dark
ori fice .
The were rat s keep a pair of da ggers
hidden behi nd t he edge of t he well, just
in case t hey lose their short swords. Th e
moss tha t grows on the sides and top of
the well is a natural phenomenon and
does not radi ate m agic when a detect
magic spell is cast.
If forced in to this cha mber, the wererats prepare to make their fi n al stan d
(in human or r a t for m , wh ichever is
m ost adva ntageous). If they fa il a
m orale ch eck , t he we re rats eit he r
sur re n de r or try t o escape. T hey will
not di e to protect the ir t re asure (see
b elo w).
Th e well is 40 ' deep bu t fill ed with 10'
of m ild ly poisonous wa ter. An yone who
swallows water fro m the well mu st
m ake a Saving Throw vs . Poison or
suffer a - 2 penalty on all attac k rolls,
ab ili ty chec ks, a nd saving t hrows for
2d6 tu rns. A wooden bucket is indeed
attached to t he end of the ro pe , suspended a few feet ab ove the wa ter le vel. T he
buc ket contains t he wererats' accumulated t reasure , and lower in g t he bucket
into t he well soa ks the t reas ure bu t
ot herwise does it no har m. Th e wererats' t reasure in cludes 39 gpo 92 sp, 245
cp, an elec trum dragon 's head medallion
(worth 150 gp), a gold earr ing set with
three small agates (45 gp ), a silv er plated bel t buckle (7 sp), a silver spear
tip (5 gpl, a magi cal earri ng (see Re.
page 238), a steel cloa k pin (5 sp), th ree
pieces of gob lin bone je wel ry (2 sp eac h ),
a nd a platin um signet ring bearing t he
dragon-crest of Lord Manxom (50 gp)
wrapped in a tiny, blood-soa ked " bag"
(actua lly the red cap's h at).

DUNGEON

51

REDC A P'S RAMPAGE

A nyo ne who t akes Dyrk 's tooth is the

reci pient of a curse that persists as long
as t he t ooth remain s in the PC 's posse ssio n. The PC is regarded unfa vorably by
a ll Law fu l creatures in his presence.
La wful NPCs neither t rust nor associate with the affected indi vidual u ntil
t he t ooth is discarded. Ancien t folklo re
says t hat redcap's teeth may be used to
make poti ons; whether such sto ries
h ave any sh re d of t ruth is for the DM to
deci de.
Donova n Vanek and the su rviving
citizens of Lus kwald rejoice if the PCs
successfully deal with the redcap. Triu mphant PCs are given their promised
reward, and Lu sk wa ld re turns to its
prior, peaceful state. If Dyrk or t he
wererats survive, t he DM can use these
chao t ic NPCs as recurri n g villains in
fut ure adve ntures set near Lu skw a ld.
The ru ine d keep ca n be t he setting for
countless more adventures. Th e r u ins
could become a la ir for roving bands of
goblins, a ha unt for evil wyrds (Ce,
pages 115-116) or the sin ister sanctuary
of a n ev il , traveli ng cleric a nd hi s undead servants. The PC s find the keep
and nearby Luskwald bountiful sources
offurther adve nture-once they've put
an end to t he re dcap's ra mpage.
n
Lord Ma nxom (the keep's k n ig htpro tector) died during the la st gobli n
incursion , bu t his fa mily lives on in
some distant city of the DM's choosing.
Th ey pay well (up to 250 gp) for the safe
return of Manxom's fa mi ly ri ng . A PC
who intends to retu rn the heir loom m ay
consult with N PC s in Lu sk wald (pe rhaps Laird Vanek ) regar ding th e locatio n of t he Ma nxom fa m ily es tate.

Concludi ng the Adventure

lf th e PCs recover Dyr k's missing cap,
they must ret urn with it to Lusk wal d.
Tracking down the redcap sho ul dn't be
too difficul t ifthe PC s openly decl are

th ey have the cap in t heir possession.

For ever cautio us, Dyrk continues
th reateni ng t he people of Luskwald
u ntil h is ca p is left in an unguarded
place where Dyrk feels he can snatch i t
wit hou t fea r of reprisal. The redca p ca n
rem ain invisible an d, on se izi ng h is h at,
render it invisible as well . Once he
regain s his cap, Dyrk a bando ns
Luskwald and returns t o the keep .
The PC s may deci de to use Dyrk 's ca p
as ba it to snare the evil redcap. Dyrk
ha s se veral ite ms t hat make such a feat
problematic. (See "Dyrk t he Redca p"

52 Issue No. 54

sidebar.) Th e longer the PCs hol d Dyrk's

ca p, t he more fr ustrated and dangerous
Dy rk beco mes. No matter how ince nsed
h e becomes, the red cap never charges
h eadlong in to a battle with the PCs, b ut
he may threaten to k ill more villagers if
the P Cs withhold his prized possession.
If t he PCs foun d the redcap 's hat bu t
fa iled to grasp its im portance , t hey may
ha ve left it in the keep. If t he redcap
le arns that his cap is st ill in the keep,
he returns to the ruins to confir m t h is,
bu t re turns to Lu skwa ld in anger if he
fa ils to fin d it . Whether or not he finds
hi s ca p depends on where the P Cs tell
him to look ; ifthe PCs pro vide its exact
location, Dyrk fin ds t he cap without
much diffic u lty. If t he PCs do not giv e
Dyrk its exact loca tio n , the re dcap has a
10% cumula tive cha nce per hou r of
find ing it . However, if he h as not found
it wit hin t hree hou rs, Dyr k becomes
fr ustrate d a nd re turns to the vill age
see k ing revenge.
If the PC s manage to k ill Dyrk, t he
h ideou s little brow nie ex plod es like a
firec racke r, leaving nothi ng behind but
a few shr eds of clot h , two small ir on
boots, and a burnt (but intact) wand of
trap detection . Am id t he r edcap's m ater ia l remains lies a sing le split to ot h .

MAYTHE

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7bny writes: -After abandoning tJu:

AD&lJ'f game for wargames and atbletia. I W(U reintroduced to it by my college roomma te, Chris Quinn. Thi$
oo wnlure is dedicated to ChrU, my
woIUkrful girlfriend Meg, and our dcg.
fuel. Please wnu me with any romments about Iht! adventure at 2745 29th
Street NW UOO. Wash ington, DC 20008.

VOYAGE
OFTHE
CRIMPSHRINE
BYTONY ROSS

Up the river
A.rtwofk by C.H. &.men

58 Issue No. 59

-Voyage of the Crim psJr.rine- is intended

for a party of 4-6 PCs ofleve ls 3-6
(about 20 total leve ls ). Th e a dventure is
set in the Kingdom of Karameik08 in
the M YSTAlL\ campaign world and
refers to places from the KAR.ulElKOS~:
J(j1llldom of AdwntU1l! box eet, Whi le
that set is useful. it is not necessary to
run this adventure. The ecenarjc can
easily be adapted to an y land with naviga ble ri vera, and if 80 desired, gnomes
can be replaced by ano ther ra ce.
As much of the action takes place in
and around a riv er. the DM should
carefully review the rul es on pages
120--122 of the PHB on swimming,
holding one's breath. diving, and surfacing . The rules on page 79 of the DMG
concerning underwater movement,
vision. ligh t, combat, and magic are cru cial. The UBe of the optional rules on
specific eneum.brance on pages 7~79 of
the PHS is strongly recommended. as
are the optional non-weapon proficien cy
rules. PCs will benefit by having the
swimming nonweapon proficiency and
magical items such a s a ring of tree
action or helm of underwater action.

Adventure Bac kg ro und

Since the independence of Kera meikoa
was declared in AC 1006, the gnomes of
Clan Fiddleswithsticks in Highforge
have been laboring, with th e aid of several powerful members of the School of
Magecr aft in Kra katos, to build a vesse l
capable of navigating the rive rs of
Karameikos. The craft was intended to
su pplement and perhaps replace the
annual Gnome Caravan as th e way for
the gnomish clans (a nd eventually all
merchants) to distribute their raw and
finished goods across the kingdom.
After many discarded blueprints and
prototypes, a viable design finally
emerged . With financial backing from
Clan Hilltopper and the Merchant's
Guild of MirToa, a mighty riverboat
named the Crimps hrine was built and
put to the test. Over the last severa l
mon ths, the migh ty behe moth has gone

THE WRECK OF THE CRIMPSHRINE

up an d down th e riverw ays of

Karam eikoa.. carrying cargo and paasengera with previously unthinkabl e speed.

Adventure setup
The PCB, even if new to Karam eikce,
should be aware of th e CrimpshriM, as
news of it has spre ad throu gbout the
Kingdom a nd even beyond. The
CrimpshriM has rapidly become the
tran8portation of choice for those who
can afford to cin:umvent the rigors of
road travel. and the carrier of choice for
merchants who find it cheaper than
caravana in many caaes. At some point
in thei r adventuring, the PCs will
doubtless desire to travel aboard this
vessel, if they haven't already, at which
point this adve nture begins.
It is beat that the PCB have bee n
aboard the CrimpShriM several times
already and are accustomed to it as a
part of the larger campaign setting.
With minimal revision, OMs can eet
"The Sea WoW WUNGEON" .4clwnturrs
.55) on board the CrimpshriM as an
introdu ction to the craft. If th e PCs
don't express a desire to try out the
CrimpshriM, they can be lured aboard
by any number of mean s: free passage,
th e need to get somewhere fast , as
bodyguards for some important personage, etc. If the PCs resist a ll th e OM's
attem pts to bring them aboard , th en
they aren't worthy of being called
adventurers! The PCs should be on
board th e CrimpshriM as it emba rks on
a two-day trip to Seragrad, a sma ll fortified frontier town situate d where th e
Castella n River a nd Highreach River
branch off from each other. Seregrad is
ofte n used as a ba se of operations for
those seeking adventure in th e wild ,
unmapped foothi l1s of t he re gion.
TheTrip
On the first da y the CrimpshriM

departs Kelvin at exactly dawn ( 6 A.M.)

and moves swiftly (a ver aging 4 mph )
south down the Hillfollow River (which
is known to th e Traldar as th e River
Shu tturgal), which is between 500 and
7SO' 8CJ'Osa. The tin t hour of the voyage takes them past the well-tended
lands of the Ba rony of Kelvin to the
east an d th e rolling Highforge foothills
to the west . After a nother hour, the
CrimpshriM slows to p888 under the
dra wbridge of th e massive bridge link ing the northern and sou thern segments of the King's Road . Ha lf an hour

la ter, the Windrush River (e. k.e. th e

Foamfire River ) can be seen joining the
HilIfollow directly to the West . At
roughly 9 A.M. the Crim pshrine ehu dden and squeals as the ship's ca ptain
ma ne uven the craft for the sharp tum
to the northeast t hat will take the
Crim pshriM up the Castellan River
(a.k.a. River Volaga) to Se ragrad. Until
this point, the land s are cultivated and
small settlements can be seen scattered alo ng the shores. In these morning hours, many passengers have collapsed in their cabins to get some sleep
or to get used to the riverboat's motion.
Some people will be out on the decks
enjoyi ng the trip and PCs may be able
to gossi p about the latest new s and
rumors if they wish.
After turning into th e current of the
lesser Castellan River, the CrimpslariM'l
progress is slowed. to 3 mph. The wellte nded woods of the Barony are to the
south. and there are several smaUIOS'ging camps that are currently uninhabited on the banks there . On the northern
banka, th ere are no settlements or cultivation of any kin d. There are no bridges
connecting the shores of the Castellan
river, which is roughly 350 ' acrose in
meet pla ces. The CrimpsMM travels
some 30 miles u priver over the course of
the day, during which the PCs can
explore th e ship, gamble, fish, or do
whate ver they desire.
Note that the motion of the rive r disrupts any attempt to st udy or mem orize spells unless the PC ha s th e seamanship non- weapon proficien cy.
Normal re ading require s a success ful
Constitution check each hour to av oid
motion sickness. Any prosperous (or
gullible) looking PCs a re approached
by Marsatlus, who at te mpts to enga ge
them in conversation about their past
deed s. His goal is to lea rn en ough
about the PC to deci de if he or she is
worth pursuing as a mark for one of
his cons a t some point . These idle
hou rs are ideal for t he DM who wishes
to introduce new rumors or NPCs to
the campaign. The OM sho uld be sure
to establish wha t all the PCs are doing
(a s nonchalantly as pcesiblel ) because
as dusk is falli ng at around 7 P.M., a
catastrophe occurs.
The Wreck
A sawyer (a d rifti ng log, bobbing vertically u p and down in the water) pierces
through the hull of the Crimp shriM

directly below th e juggernaut's tra ck in

area A. The construct is jarred off its
track and smashes through th e side of
the hold with its harness still attached ,
destroying much of the intricate gearwor ks. The massive gas h in the hold
causes the boa t to take wa ter and begin
to sink rapidly. The eailors on du ty in
the "engine"'room quic ltly soun d th e
alarm, a lerting all passengers (except
for those in the deepest slumber). When
the CrimpshriM starts to sink, the PCs
have 5 rounds to act before the boat is
completely under the cold, dark water.
In that time they may wis h to rescue
their possessions, get off the ship, or
help with the evacuation.
Unless they have an inordinate
amount of poeeeeetens, assume that
each PC can gather up all of their clothing and gear and get off the boat before
it sinks. Remember that books (including spe ll books), maps, and any other
paper items will be ruined by submergence in water un less somehow wa terproofed. Other items su ch as armor,
composite bows, bowstrings, mus ical
ins truments an d deli cate equi pment,
will be damaged to varying degrees by
th e exposure to the water.
Getting off the boa t is relatively simple; the PCs need only race to a railing
a nd dive into th e river to avoid being
trapped inside the boa t as it sinks.
Some PCs, however, may wish to try to
get in one of the few lifeboa ts . Two
lifeboa ts are lowered to the bow and
two to the aft. Due to the cha os on th e
deck of the boat, any PC trying to
re a ch a lifeboat win have to spend 2
rounds gett ing there. At that point the
OM should pa ss the player a note re adin g: "A.8 the mighty Crimp shri M ehudders benea th your feet, you rapidly
realize that not everyone is going to
make it off before it sinks . The ra ils a n!
crow ded with women , children and
elde rly pa ssengen trying to make it to
the lifeboa ts next to you."'The PC
sho uld re alize a t this point th at there
a re many who need the lifeboats far
more than he. Any lawful or good
aligned. PC who elbow s his way onto
one of the lifeboats at this poin t should
rece ive a severe expe rie nce poin t
penalty for this action. Good and/or
lawful PCs who help passengen into
the lifeboats shoul d receive 50 XP for
every passenger they sa ve. Up to four
passengen can be transferred to each
lifeboat ea ch round. PCs who elect to
aid paesengera escape must make 8

DUNGEON 59

THE WRECK OFTHE CRIMPSHRINE

Dexterity check each round or they a re

knocked overboard by the surging
crowd. Barring magical escape (flying,
leoitating, etc.), the PCs will likely end
up in the river.
+ PCs without the swimming non weapon proficiency cannot swim to
shore, but can only dog paddle in place
a nd hope to be rescued . If a ny of these
PCs are carrying enough weight (clot h.
ing, gea r, etc.I to reduce their movement ra te (See Tabl e 48 on page 78 of
the PHB) they will start sinki ng un til
they divest themselves of enough gea r
to become unencum bered (ru les for
shedding armor a re on page 76 of the
PHB, specific weights of various pieces
of a rmor ca n be found on page 128 of
PLAYER'S OPTIoN": Combat and
7hctk.). PCBcan mai ntain themselves
above water for a number of hours
equa l to their Constitution ( 88 per
page 121 of the PHB ), however, the
leisure ly current will carry t hem down
river at 1.5 mph.

60 Issue No. 59

+ PCs with the swimming nonweapon proficiency can easily make it to

shore, which is only 100 yards away. It
is possible for proficient swimmers to
rescue non-proficient swimmers by
locating them in the water and ewimming to shore dragging them at 113
their normal swimming ra te.
Any PC who does not mak e it ofT the
Crimpsh rine when it slips un der is in
serious jeopardy. PCs still on the
Crimps hrine shou ld roll for surp rise , if
unsurprised they can gulp enough air
to hold their breath up to K their
Constitution in roun ds. If surprised,
they can only gulp enough air to last a
number of rounds equal to Y. their
Constitution. Th e CrimpshriM sinks a t
a rate of 40' per roun d before coming to
rest some 150' un derwater. PCs on the
deck must make a Dexterity check to
get free from the ship each roun d, once
free., they can surface 88 per the rules
on page 122 of the PHB Pea unfortunate enough to still be in a room may
move at K their normal movement rate

to get out to the decks, then must make

a Dexterity check, as above. If a PC ca n
no longer hold his breath and starts to
inhale water, he passe s out and must
make a success ful system shock check
each round or die. Any PC with the
healing nonweapon proficiency who can
te nd to a drowned PC within 6 rounds
of death can revive the drowned PC to
one hit point by ma king a proficiency
check at a -6 penalty.
The DM can add an excellent hook
for a future advent ure by having an
unknown, drowning passen ger hand
over a key/tokenljeweVscrollcase or
gurgles a message, asking a PC to
deliver it to someone before slipping
under the water to his death. A subseque nt adventure can involve the PCs'
invest iga tion of t his mysterious passenger an d the item or messa ge, then
their a ttempt to delive r it to the person
specified for a reward. The rest is up to
the DM. Few adventurers, however, will
pass up an opportunity to deliver a
simple message for great re ward.

THE WREC K OF THE CRIMPS HRINE

The Aftermath
Assuming the PCs all escape the
Crimpshrine's demise more or less
intact and manage to locate each other,
they will find themselves amongst a
group of shivering survivors somewhere in the middl e of the feared,
unnamed moor east of Kelvin. Of the
43 passengers and crew headed to
Seragrad, 17 have survived the wreck.
The DM sho uld flesh out the survivors
before running the adventure, including deciding which of the notable NPCs
(see sidebar) survived. Table 70 of the
DMG can be used to quicltJy ge nerate
some of the basic traits of the survivors. As might be expected, Captain
Prominentus and much of the crew
went down with the Crimpshrine trying to help pagsengers escape to safety
and are missing. Thus, there are no
-Ieaders- among the survivors... except
the PCs. As hardy adventurers, the
PCs are th e natural candidates to lead
the survivors to the safety of eivilieation. Depending on the range of th eir
exploits in Karameikos, the PCs may
even be kno wn as heroes to some of the
passengers. The survivors of the wreck
are mostly a dispirited lot, most having
lost friends or family in the devastating wreck, as well as valued possessions. Bonus experience points should
be given to a ny priest or pa lad in PC
who spends tim e comforti ng a nd consoling the survivors. The PCBshou ld
realize that wit hout someone to take
charge, many of these people might not
reach safety before dying of exposure
or despair. Thus th e PCs a re faced with
th e tas k of escorting a large grou p of
defenseless civilia ns across the moor
and to the safe ty of Kelvin. PCs who
wish to trave l on th eir own should be
msde aware of th e helpless state of th e
survivors. Good-aligned PCs should
have moral qualm s about leaving the
survivors to fend for th emsel ves.
The wreck site is 30 miles eas t of
Kelvin in the middle of the great
unn am'ed moor. There is only one obvious route back to Kelvin : d ue west
aC1'088 t he moor. This route takes a
minimum of eight days (moving at
roughly four miles a day) as the group
is slowed down by the few surviving
gnomis h crewmen as well as the you ng
and elderly who are not used to or
healthy enough, for prolonged marches. The riverbank cannot be followed
with any safety due to the numerous
sinkholes, bogs, and quicksand pits in

the a rea within a mile of the rive r. If

the PCs aren't aware of t his, one of t he
survivors ca n tell them of these hazards. OMs should be prepared to
imp rovise any other routes the PCs
wish to follow.
A major difficulty the PCa face is getting lost. The OM should make a secret
check once per day to see if the PCs
become lost . The base chance for this is
50% due to the featureleeenese of the
moot'. This chance is modified by -51lo if
one of the PCs has the direction sense
nonweapon proficiency. If there is a PC
who can levitate or ny, the group gets a
10% bonus for being able to spy distant
landmarks and mark their positi on.
Chances are good that the PCs will
become lost, so the OM should be prepared to calculate how much longer the
trek will be prolonged by such an error.
Enough food and provisions wash
ashore from the wreck to feed the
entire grou p of survivors and the PCs
for five days, if rationed. PCs with the
h unti ng proficiency should be allowed
to spe nd a good portion of each day trying to su ppleme nt the ra tions. Each day
without food lowers Strength,
Cons titution, and Dexterity by 1 point,
to a minimum value of 3.
Starting on the secon d night, the
group of survivors is followed by a
werewolf. He stays far behind the
group, catching up to them each night,
a tte mpti ng to sneak into the camp to
kill and drag away one of t he sma ll survivors (pre ferably a gno me or child ). He
continues th is attempt once each night
until he is se rious ly wounded or kill ed ,
or unti l the grou p is within t wo days of
Kelvin. Thi s pred ator may prov e very
difficult to thwart, de pending on what
gear the PC s lost in the wreck.
Wer ewolf: INT 9; AL CE; AC 6; MY
15; HO 4+3, hp 24; THACO 15; _AT 1;
Dmg 2-8; SA surp rise; SO + 1 or silver
weapon to hit; MR nil; SZ M; ML 12; XP
420; MMI240. The werewolf has bee n
roaming th e moors for several years
since his fannstead was overrun by
were wolves. In huma n form he is a
surly, rugged Traldar h un ts man named
Pyto r with no notable possessions.
On the sixth day, when the group has
probably run out of food and stomachs
are rumbling, they encounter a giant
badger. This huge, furry fellow is one of
the many oddities who wander the vast
moor. If killed and properly dressed, he
can provide enough meat to feed the
entire group for two more days.

Giant Badge r: INT non; AL N; AC

4; MY 12, Burrow 6; HO 6+6, hp 45;
THACO 14; _AT 3; Dmg 1--611-612- 12;
MR nil; SZ L (12 ' long); ML 9; XP 420;
MM1241 (modified).
If these enco unters aren't challenging
enough, the PCs could run into a small
band of Iron Ring Slavers who have
secret camp in th e middle of the moor.
Alternatively, if the PCs are too weak ,
the DM may wish to have one of the
survivors be an NPC adve nturer who
was meeting up with some companions
in Seragrad. If the PCs are totally 100t
and starving, they should be "reeeaed"
by Cemmendur, a patrolling ranger who
will lead them back to Kelvin and feed
them from his food caches (after all, it
isn't vel')' heroic to die in the middle of
a moor, wandering around in circles).
Ke lvi n
When the PCs and survivors reach the
safety of Kelvin, the PCs are hailed as
heroes by the townspeople (less so if
they were led to the gate by a helpful
ranger ). The Church of Traladara offers
to shelter and feed the survivors.
That evening, as they are re laxing in
front of a wann fire place , The PCs are
approached by one of the survivors, an
elderly Tralda r woma n named Fiona
who lives in Kelvin. She says t hat she
is a sorceress whose traveling spe llbooks were locked in a warded trunk
t ha t went down in the wreck of the
Crimpshrine . She offers the PCs a
reward of 500 gold roya ls for recovering her trunk from the depths, a nd
offers to ou tfit the n with potions of
water breathing to facilitate this (a old
friend of hers who is a n alchemist lives
in Kelvin ). She is too wea k to tra vel or
lead a recovery effort herself, as she is
still su ffering after her familia r
d rowned in th e wreck.
Regardless of the PCs' reply to her,
Fiona spreads rumors among th e other
survivors th a t the PCs are going back to
sa lvage ite ms from the wreck. The next
day the PCs are besieged by survivors of
the wreck who beg them to retrieve personal items from the wreck an d to
search for signs of their loved ones . Clan
Fiddleswithsticks joins in, offering to
pay the PCs 250 gold royals to survey
the wreck and ascertain what might
have caused the accide nt With all these
entreaties and incentives, the PCs
should feel compelled to return (cautious OMs will have ma de sure that one

DUNGEON 61

THE WRECK OF THE CRIMPSHRINE

of the PCs lost a prized po8lle88ion in

the wreck). Fiona still otTers them the
potions, and , if the PCs have no mean s
of producing magical light , she also otTer
to lend each of them a one-inch diameter silver ball that h8ll been enchanted
with a continual light spell.
Kelvin is a relatively la rge city (population 20,000), and the PCs should be
able to find any equipment they desire
at reasonable prices (including more
magical potions at the DM's discretion).
Fion a: AL NG; AC 10; MY 12; M 6;
hp 17;THACO 19; . AT 1; Dmg by
weapon type; S 8, D II, C 11, I 15, W
13, Cb 12; ML 12; Spells : currently
none; N\\'P: pottery 11, readlwrite
Thyatisn IS, readlwrite Tralda r 15,
religion (Traldar ) 13, spellcraft 15.
Fiona suffered a great shock an d
etrese when her familia r drowned in
the wreck, 118 a res ult she currently has
no spells memorized. She won't be able
to memorize any until she can get her
traveling spellbooks back or re turns to
her home in Mirros where her master
epellbooks are.
The J ourney Back

Th e trip back to the site of the wreck

should take considera bly less tim e, as
the PCs a ren't slowed by t he survivors.
The OM may wish to place several
encounters for the PCs 8S they cross
the moor, which is well known as a
home to strange a nd te rri ble crea tures.
Predators who might have steered
clear of the large group of survivors
might be more willing to test a small
group , such as the PCs. If the PCs
killed the werewolf who stalked them
earlier, his pack, ha ving found his
remains, may wish to take reven ge on
the next grou p of humans who come
through. The moor is a strange area,
and encounter possibilities a re only
limited to t he OM's ima gination.
It may be th at the PCs wish to hi re
a sailboat to re turn to the wreck site ,
in which case they can hire Gry gor the
Boatma n to ferry them to site and
bri ng t hem back. Th is journey will take
ten days there an d seven back, coating
five gold royals per day (it is a hazardous jou rney for small craft ). There
is a 15% each day of the journey of
lind ing a corpse from the wreck.
Priests who recover bodies a nd see
the m buried wit h a n appropriate
prayer should receive 150 XP per body.
Good or lawful PCs (except for thieves )

62 Issue No. 59

who loot the dead should be penali zed

250 XP per body.
Whichever route the PCa ta ke, they
will be followed by Kristos, an age nt of
the Kelvin Thieves Guild . Unless the
PCa stop and actively search for someone following them, they do not spot
him (whichever route they use ). If the
PCs do spot him an d atte mpt to capt ure
him, he claims to be the nephew of one
of the wreck victims on his way to
recov er his uncle's silver medallion, a
family hei rloom. If the PCs search him
he claims that anything they find (like
his poison) is to protect himself against
the foul denizens of the moor. Gene rally,
he tries to bluff his way out of wha tever
the Pes accuse him of. He has been
instructed by his superiors to follow the
PCs to the site an d pilfer t he mOllt valuable object8 they recover, He starts a
day's journey behind the PCs and
begins spying on their activities a day
after they a rri ve a t the wreck site. He
waits a nd wa tches as the Pell go underwater once an d return. If it looks like
they've recovered some valuables, he
wai ts for t hem to descend again before
sneaking into their camp a nd rifli ng
through everything. If the PClllea ve a
guard or two, he tri es to a mbus h them
using his light crossbow a nd poisoned
bolts. If that fail s he likely must fight
them, although he'd prefer not to. His
instructions are to remain until he's
gathered at least 500 gold royal s worth
of treasure before leaving. How long he
stays depends on what the PCs bring
up from below and leave at camp. If
captured, Kristo s re veals nothing about
his guild and goes peacefully to Kelvin
to face justice (he knows he11be bribed
out of jail with in a few mont hs).
Kris to s: AL NE; AC 6; MV 12; T6; hp
27; THACO 18; t#AT 1; Dmg by weapon
type ; SA backstab; SO Hide In
Shadow s; S 9, DIS, C 12, 1 14, W 11, Ch
13; ML 12; PP 55%, OL 25%, FIRT 35%,
MS 70%, HiS 70%, DN 15%, CW 60%,
RL 0%; studded. leather armor, light
crossbow, short sword +1. NWP: alertness II, appraising 14, boating 12, rid ing (land) 11, tattooing 15, tracking 9.
In addition to the a bove, Kristo s has
been outfitted with a bag of holding, a
fWs k ofessence of da rkness, a nd five
doses of contact poison th at instantly
causes sleep unless a eucceeeful sa ve
vs. poison is made.
The terrain aroun d the crash site is
fairly level an d covered in heath, with
trees being few an d far between. Th e

damp soil descends slightly as it nears

the river, wher eupon it gets quite
muddy. The riverbanks are covered in
reeds, driftwood, frogs, an d debris from
the wreck.
The

Crimp.hri~

The Crim psh rine is a three-decked

riverboa t powered by a jugge rna ut
(M MII 71) in its hold. The construct
rotates endlessly aro un d a small,
banked track while attac hed to a massive stee l harness, The juggernaut's
motion provides power to the elaborate
system of gears and pulleys that rotate
the gia nt paddl es mounted on the sides.,
propelling the boat through the water.
Th e gears and paddl es. as well as the
boat's desi gn, are all of gnomish origin,
while th e notion of using a magical const ruct to provide the power was the
School of Magecraft's contribution. Th e
design of t he Crim pshrineiJ propulsion
is a secret closely gua rded by a select
few Clan Fiddleswithst icks members
a nd high-ranking wizards in the School
of Magecraft. The blueprints are in a
very stout sa fe in the Clan'll headquarte rs in Highforge. As one might suspect.
however, such a n ambitious design is
inherently dangerous.
Th e Crimpetuine runs from dawn to
du sk (usua lly around 13-15 hours per
day ) at a rate of 3 mph . (plus or minus
current, which is generally Ya mph on
the rivers of the Kingdom). In the
ea r ly eveni ng hours, the an chor is
drop ped . Then the gearworks an d
machinery in the engine room a re
inspected for damage, a nd a ny necessa ry repairs are made.
Captain Proboscis Prominentus
(a.k.a . Big Nose) is a middle-aged
gnome who was one of the principal
designers of the Crimp shrine. He
rarely min gles with the passengers,
preferring to stand watch in the wheelhouse to keep an eye on things. He is
somewha t in awe of his crea tion and
can someti mes hardly believe his fortune at being a ble to rule the rivers. In
public a nd on duty he dresse s in a
cris p white cotton uniform, with the
Cla n Fiddleswithsticks device embroidered in gold thread . He is rarely without a corncob pipe overflowing with
Five Shires tobacco clenched between
his tee th. His crew consists of 10
gnomis h crewmen, along with his officers, First Ma te Dribblears, Pu rser
Gastronom, a nd Steward Pepe.

THE WRECK OF THE CRIMPSHRINE

The areas of th e CrimpshriM are

described 88 they a ppear both before
and after the wreck . Before the wreck,
the riverboat is in generally excellent
repair, with polished wood , gleaming
brass fitti ngs and trim, and imported
glass windows everywhere. Text in gray
boxes descri bes the ship after the
wreck. Note that the areas below decks
are always totally u nlit , as only the
gnome crewmen are supposed. to be
down there .
There is always one merrow (hp 28)
patrolling the waters around the
sunken boat. Unless the PCs have
some way of approaching wit hout
using light, he spots the m 85% of the
time and swims u p to a rea L to warn
the rest of the tribe. If he can warn th e
tribe , the merrow from areas B. C, an d
G swim out within 1d4 rounds to
engage the PCs. The merrow in area L
join those in area J and wait one tu m.
Uno merrow have returned to report
victory, the chief leads the tribe out of
area J to search the area .
A. *Engine" room. The doors leading
into this area are always locked with
two superior locka; each one is -40% to
pies. This massive area is crammed full
of machinery that is beyond th e comprehension of the PCa. (PCs with th e engineering non-wea pon proficiency who
stu dy the machine ry for one week can
attempt a proficiency check to under stand the basi cs of how it works ). Gears,
levers, pulleys, an d a ll manner of contrapti ons make th e room impenet ra ble
to a~yone larger than a gnome (gnome,
halflmg, and dwarf PCs u nd er 200 lbs.
can manage to move a round). There a re
always two crewm en on duty in here
while the ship is moving.
This room is a mess of broken mach in ery that would take a great dea l of
time to clear before the PCs could
move through it. However, if the PCs
approach this part of the CrimpshriM
from the exterior, th ey see a large hole
in the side and ean see the path
caused by the juggernaut smashing
through the gearworks. If they follow
this path, th ey can find a log jammed
through the bottom of the hold , jutting
through the juggernaut'a track. The
juggernaut has lodged itself in the
riverbank some 40 yards away from
the sunken Crimpshrine.. It is undamaged by the wreck, and it con tinues to
spin futilely in th e mud .

Notable NPC Passenge rs

Lucretius of Inirros is a well-known
gambler whose presence dom ina tes the
gaming tables of th e Crimpshrine. As
far as Captain Prominentus is concerned, he is free to run the ga mi ng
hall, as long as the gnomes get their
cut. He is conversant with all the
known games of chance of the a re a. His
pa rticular favorite is the Glantrian
game of spottle (see "At the Spottle
Parlor," DUNGEON Adventu res 1H2 for
rul;s),.which has been gaining in pcpulanty m rece nt years. He ean a rra nge
for any ga me the PCs wish to ind ulge in
and can rou nd up prospective players
for eve n the most high-stakes games.
He will not allow a ny kin d of game
wh ich involves inju ry to man or beast,
a lt hough arm wrestling is tolerated.
Lucretius: AL NG; AC 8; MY 12; 0leve l; hp 7; THA CO 20; 'AT 1; Dmg by
weapon type; 1 17, W 13, Ch 15; ML 13;
ring of protection +2, hand crossbow
stile~to in boot . NWP : appraising 17:
gammg 19.
Marsallus Atbenos is the a lias of an
earnest, well-dressed young man of
:rhyatian origin. He ha s found t hat the
rich who typically bu y paaaage on th e
Crimpshrine often make good marks for
his various cons. Depending on how
prosperous the Pes look, he may try to
~Ik o~e .or more of them into investing
m a mmmg venture in the Cruth mountains, cropland development in the
~arony of Lul n, or in a timber operation
m the Dymr ak Fore st. He carries a
wide array of imp ressive looking (a nd
fak e) docu ments a nd contra cts. He will
not t ry im med iatel y to whee d le a ny
gold out of his ma r ks, pre ferring to
sche dule meetings with them in the
larger cities, where he ean properly
divest them of their royals.

B, Cargo bold. This is where all

commercial cargo and mou n ts are held
during the journey. A large ha tch
allows access to the deck , and a gearand-pulley elevator facilitates the loading and u nloading of cargo. It is curre ntly filled with 23 hones a nd 17
mules, most of which are tagged for
sa le in Seragrad. Other eargo includes :
20 easks of ale (ea ch worth 20 royals,
or gp ), 18 crates of Volori red wine (150
gp each) , two crates of Shire tobacco
(500 gp each). fou r bolts of fine doth

Marsallua: AL NE ; AC 8' MV 12 83
hp 15; THACO 19; .AT 1; Thng by'
,
weapon type; S 9, 0 14, C 8, I 16, W II ,
Ch 17; ~fL 1.0; Spells : jump, wall of fog;
NWP: disguise 18, forgery 18, infcrmatio n ga theri ng 17. If the Comple~
Ba rd's Handbook is used, Marsallus is a
ch~ ~l~ta n, with a ll the related special
a bilities.
Yuri the Magnificent is an entertainer
whom the eapta in allows to perform on
the decks of the Crimpshrine in
ex~ange for a portio n of his ea rnings.
He IS a youthful-looking Traldar man
who dresses in colorful , embroidered
TJ:aIda r vests and ha ts , and baggy pa nts .
HIS performances ten d to feature tumbling, as well as Tr alda r dan cing, signmg, a nd storytelling. In inclement
weather, he stays insid e and dons the
costume of a gypsy fortune teller
Yurl: AL CG ; AC 6; MY 12; o-ieveI; hp
8; THACO 20; tAT 1; Orng by weapon
type;S 13,.D 16, C 13,1 8 , W 9,Ch 11;
ML 12; kmfe. NWP: dancing 16 fortune
telling II , singi ng II, storytelli~g 13,
tumbling 16.
Ol eaginous Michelangelo ta. k.a.
Fat Mike) is th e ea rnest gnomish barkeeper who keeps the mugs of the passengers well stocked. The large gnome
bust~es be~ n d the long bar all day
servmg drinks. He usually is too busy
to tal~ and swap rumors, except very
ea rly IR the evening. His prices tend to
be considera bly higher than dry lan d
taverns, but th ere are no other options
for 30 pa ssengers . In addition to a lcohol, he is ,:",ell -sto<:ked in root beer, ginger-~le , milk, and grape juice.
Mic helangelo : AL LG AC 9 MV 6'
o-Ieve l; h p 5; THACO 20; itAT 1; Dmg by
weapon type; S 10,0 14, C 10, I 9 , W 9,
Ch 11; ML 11; cutlass und er bar.

(175 gp each ). two crates of arms and

a rmor (400 gp each), 10 crates of fresh
fruits and vegetables (25 gp each), one
ease of fine lea ther goods ( 600 gp ), and
other.mundane eargo of the D ~rs
choosing. To the aft t here is an
u nlocked tool and supply closet
crammed full of gears, s prings, and
other equipme nt needed to make
repairs. The doors to the crewmen's
qu~ rters are usually ke pt unlocked ,
while the doors to t he engine room are
always ke pt locked (see area A ).

DUNGEON 63

THE WRECK OFTHE CRIMPSHRINE

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SP!:- -

Forward

One square - 5 fed

The merrow have ra nsa cked t he

cargo hold . The ale, wine , clot h,
leather, tobacco , and foodstuffs are a ll
dissipa ted or destroye d. The merrow
have been feasting on t he t ra ppe d
hor ses, and bit s and pieces of rotting
horseflesh float gruesomely through
t he hold a long wit h pieces of clot h
and leather.
There are three merrow (h p 27, 28 ,
29) in th e cargo hold wre stling ove r a
particul arly succulent piece of mea t ,
th ey have a 4in-10 chance of being
surp ri sed by th e PCs (u nless pre viously alerted). The fir st Merrow
woun ded below half his hit points
tries to swim out to ar ea I or L to
warn the chief or priest. If that rou te
isn't open , he tries to make his way to
area C to summon rei nforcements.
C. Crew q uarters. Thi s common
room is strung willy-nilly with hammocks. Th ere are a few small personal
footlockers and tables strewn about. At
any given ti me, four off-duty gnome
crewmen a re in here playing cards, eating, or slee ping.

64 Issue No. 59

This room bas bee n ransa cked a nd

cleared out . The cre wmen's pe rsonal
t rea sure ha s been adde d to the tribe's
hoard in area 1.. There is a lone merrow (hp 26) in here trying to fa sh ion
the hammocks into nets . He a tte mpts
to trap t he first three PCs with th e
three nets he ha s fini shed, then
at tac ks the remai nin g PCs.
D. L UIUry s taterooms. These two
rooms look out over t he a ft of the
Crimpshri ne. The four-po ster doubl e
bed s and furn ishings are to hum a n
scale and are quite comfortable compared to the regula r rooms.
The wind ows to th ese rooms ha ve
been smashed by th e merrow. Th e
rooms ha ve been ra ns a cked and a ll
furni sh ings destroyed. A sma ll purse
containing 16 Thyatian emperors (pp)
lies overlooked amidst the me ss . A
silver-and-ja de cameo worth 100 gp is
also am ong the debris.

E. Regular rooms. The gnomi sh

designers forgot that th e larg e races
don't enjoy being cooped up, 80 they
design ed everything facing inward a nd

neglected to put in window s of any

k~nd . The close quarters an d th e smoky
011 la mps make the rooms quite stuffy,
regard less of the season. Also, the
rooms are too small for most nongnomes. Each room contains a bed, a
foots tool, a nd a stou t foot locker. Th e
doors have poor qu ality locks (+15% to
Open Locks ). The pu rser a nd ste wa rd
ea ch have master keys t hat unl ock a ny
footlocker or door on the ship. The room
marked with an X contains Fiona 's
waterp roofed t runk, whi ch is locked
with an excellent lock (-20% to Ope n
Locks) and t rapped with a needle coated with Type D poison .
If the PCs open the chest and search
through Fiona 's belongings, they find a
sma ll sa mpling of spell componen ts
(via ls of sulfur, mercury, sa nd, feathers,
dead spiders , etc.) and the spellbook..
Unfort uns te ly, if the PCs open the
spellbook, it vanishes in a puff of smoke
that obscures vision in a 5' radius but
causes no damage. The book has been
ins tantly klepomd to Fiona's borne in
Mirroa (by means of a contingency spell
cast by a powerful wizard friend of
Fiona ). Obviousl y, if the chest is ope ned
underwater, th e spellbook is ruined .

TH E WRECK OFTHE CRIMPSHRINE

----- .

Three-quarters of th e rooms have

been left alone. ot he r than havi ng t he
doors smas hed in . The merrow found
the se rooms too sma ll to search eas ily.
Any gear th e PCs left behind re ma ins
where they left it . In the untouched
rooms, th e footlockers re mai n mostl y
unopened. If searched, each room
yields 1-1 0 royals and 5-50 crown s
(Bp ). In addition, each room has a 15%
of having some min or piece of je welry
(worth no more t han 35 gp).

F. Heads. These tiny privies are

washed out four times a day. They discharge into the river through sma ll
ehutee.

G. Trencherman's HaIl. Thi ll large

room is named after the Ye88el"s cook,
Horatio Trencherman, who considers it
his pereenal fief. He becomes extremely
angry at any disturbances in th e dining
ball, charging out of th e kitchen with a
heavy rolling pin. demanding to know
who is shewing such disrespect for his
cooking . Breakfast, lunch. and dinner
are all included in the fare .
This room is a mesa of noating furniture, too large to drift out of the doors.
Broken diahware a nd discarded tableware litter the floor; One merrow (h p
3 1) searches the floor for valuables.
Unless the PCs are using no light and
remain totally silent, he cannot be
surprised and tries to swim behind
the PCs to attack.
H. Galley. The gall ey is rul ed by the
cook (see area G ) who chases a nyone
out who does not belong. In a ddition to
the sta ndard fare, th e kitch en serves
small, simple meals to those who prefer
to eat in the Floating Anchor.
The galley has been completely looted .
All foodstuffs have either been eaten
or ruined by the merrow. Most of the
cooking gear still lies on the floor,
except the kn ives. which have been
salvaged by th e marrow,
L Foredeck. Passengen are free to
roam around on th e decks as they like.
The decks are kept free of I~ tools
and gear. The hatches to the cargo hold
are kept secure during the trip. Here is a
small, unlocked. brass-fitted trapdoor
that leads to th e crew quarters.

)
I;.

ii
,
.'.
J . The Floating Anchor, This large
space looks out over the aft of the
Crimpshrine . Tabl es line t he win dows as
many passengers like to sit and drink.
watch ing th e coun trys ide drift by. In
additio n to drinking. a grea t deal of
gam blin g takes place here. Michelangelo
works th e bar 16 hours a day. as t wo
servers scuttle between the various
tables, keeping tankards full . Lucre tius
oversees the gaming tables. which run
from noon to 2:00 A.M. Marsallus is
often in here trolling for marks.
This area has been cleared of furniture and most of the windows have
been sma shed. The merrow have
stashed their sacks of treasure under
a large mass of kelp they ha ve piled
behind the bar. It totals 1,653 sil ver
pieces (mostl y crone, hut also some
Thyatian eeteriue and Darokinian
tendrid), 1.217 gold pieces (mostly
royals, hut Iucina and traders as
well) , two elega nt gold candlesticks
studded with star rose quartz (worth
250 gold royals ea ch ), an elega n t
engraved waterproof scroll case con taining old Traldar religious writings
(worth 300 royals to the Church of
Traladara) and any other documents
the OM wishes to use as hooks for
futu re adventu re s. The hook could

bea treasure map ( Bee "Ttie Moor

Tomb Map in D UNGEONAdventures
t13) or a joum al lea ding to a magical
~W?rd (see MHrothgar's Resting Place"
tn Issue *25 ). The merrow chief (hp
46 ) is here with four attending merrow Ih p 27, 32, 34, 34). They attack
the PCs on sight and do not make any
morale checks until the chief is slain.
The Merrow in area L arrive in two
rounds once fighting breaks out.

K. Padd le w heels. These wheels,

powered by the juggernaut, are what
propels the Crimpshrine through the
water. They have been covered with
wood sidi ng to prevent any curious or
careless passengers from getti ng
ma ng led in th em.
The two large wheels nave been oevutated by the wreck. AB the riverboat
hit th e bottom, one was wrenched completely off its axle and now lies off to
th e side while the other has bent back
into the ship 88 it rests on a boulder.
Note: The doors lea din g to the wheelhouse and officer quarters are alwaYI
locked .

DUNGEON 65

THE WREC K OF THE CRIMPSHRINE

Upper Deck
One tqUUII -

lUi

Ii eo-

Forward

reel

The merrcw have broken tHe locM on

these doors .
1.. Whe e lhouse. This area houses
the controls used by the captain to re gulate the jugge rn aut's efforts a nd to
steer the boat. Various maps a nd
charta of the riverways of Karameiko s
line the wall s.
:rhe merrow priest nas installed tlie
tribe's crude stone idol of Pa nzuriel
on the pla tform where th e cap tain
used to stand. The wheel has been
torn off by t he merrow, who believe it
to be some type of idol. The merrow
priest (h p 33) is her e with a n attenda nt merrow (hp 25), going through
some minor rituals. If the PCs a re
stealthy (i.e. no light or sound) , the
merrow ca n be surp rised; oth erwise
they swim through t he windows,
br eaking th em (a nd getting cut for
2d4 dam age) and make for area J to
ga the r rei nforcements. The maps and
charta are ruined and illegible.

M. Offic e r's Quarte rs. These roo~s

are the private quarters for the captain,
purser, a nd stewar d. They are qui te
small for human sta ndards, and the
doors a re only four feet high. The rooms
are comfortably a ppointed with rugs,
and furniture.
~ese rooms liave also been ransa cked
for va luables, and several beds of kelp
a re scattered about.

66 Issue No. 59

Salvage Operations
The potions of waur breathing that the
PCs have been equipped wit h each contain three doses a nd allow the PC to
oper ate underwater for at lea st one
hour plu s 1- 10 rou nd s per dose. PCs
with the swimming nonweapon proficiency may swim a s per the rules, nonswimme rs will have to sink and walk
a long the riverbed. All non-swimming
moveme nt is halved as per the slow
spell due to the resistance of the wate r.
While descen ding may be very ea sy,
ascending will be difficult if t he PCs are
trying to carry items. If thei r moveme nt
r ate would be re duce d as per Tabl e 48
of the PHB, th ey cannot simply float to
the top. Unless ropes or some other
a ppa ratus is used, the PC will ha ve to
leave enough weight behind so that
they are unencum bered. Accurate time
keeping is ess ent ia l due to th e limited
dur ation of the potions. Rem ember to
give t he PCs only imprecise es timates
of how long they've been underwate r
since they won't ha ve any method for
kee ping time.
The deep , dark waters make nonnal
vis ion impossible at the bottom. In
addition to the murky waters, the PCs
will be di sturbing the silt that has set tled in a nd a round the wr eck , cre ating
clouds of silt wh ich further limit vision.
The e nchante d silver balls Fiona
offere d the PC s will ill umi nate a 15 '
rad ius, any encha ntments the PCs pro duce will only ligh t half the area t he y
normally do. Light sources are visible

up to three times from the distance

they illuminate, making surp rise difficult to a chieve (e.g. a PC holding an
enchanted silver ba ll can see 15 ' , but
his lig ht ca n be seen by a merrow 45 '
awa y). In fravision is also limited to
half its norm a l effectiveness. There will
be many odd sha dows and dark forms
cre ated by the unu sual inte raction of
light, water, silt and the wreckage, the
DM should make a mple use of th e lack
of visio n to make the wreck eerie and
disturbing. Obviously norm a l ma pping
will not be possible for t he PCs, and it
is possible that t hey may get confused
a nd t urned around in the darkness.
Clever PCs will trail a len gthy rope in
order to be able to quickly trace their
way ou t ofthe wreck.
Sound carries abou t four times farther und erw a ter t ha n in open a ir. Any
talk among the PCs carries mu ch farther than they in tend. Simply walking
around the wreck causes noises that an
be heard throughout the a rea , although
they may not necessaril y be pin-pointed . If the PCs talk within 50 ' of the
wreck, the merrow are alerted and stop
whatever t hey are doing to listen and
prepare for intruders. Thus the descriptions of th e vario us a reas on the wreck
given in the sideba r may be different
depe nding on the PCs ste alt h.
All PCs suffer a +4 pen alty to initiative and a -4 attack penalty when
engaged in un derwater melee. Only
piercing weapo ns are effective in underwater combat, weapons that inflict
sla shing or bludgeoning are use less in
un derwater combat. If the PCs don't
already kn ow this, the DM should have
an NPC mention it in passing before ,
they leave Kelvin. The lack of visibility
ma kes the PCs particularly vulnerable
to the merro ws' charge attack.
Merrow (13): INT 9; AL CE; AC 4;
MY 6, Swim 12; HD 4+4, THACO 16 ;
#AT 3; Dmg 0-510--510-7 ; SA surp rise,
swimming charge; SD camouflage; MR
nil ; SZ L; ML 11; XP 420; MM1272.
Grak -Ch u, Merrow Priest of
Panzuriel: As normal merrow, but also
has th e following spell s on hand: cause
fear, cause serio us wounds, da rkness;
hold person, spiritual spear (a s per spiritual hammer, only substitute spea r).
ML 13; XP 650; MM1272.
Truk.Pa. Merrow Ch ie f: As normal
merro w, only HD 6+6; ML 13; XP 975;
MMI272.

This tribe of merrow ha s been

attracted by the corp ses floa tin g down

THE WREC K OFTHE CRIMPSHRI NE

river. They have been busy feasting and

searching the wreck for shiny treasure
for their grumpy chief who has
declared the Crimpshrine their new
home. He is feeling some what surly, as
the tribal priest ha s claimed the most
interesting area (L) to house the shrine
to Paneu riel (see page 90 of Monster
MytJwlogy). Natura lly th e Merrow will
not ta ke kindly to a ny interlopers who
try and invade their newfound home
an d will fight to the death un til the
chief and priest are kill ed. Once the
chief and priest a re kill ed, th e merrow
must mak e mora le checks or they flee.
The merr ow have overeaten in t he la st
several days a nd are r ather lethargic;
thus, th ey all suffer a - 1 to th eir
THACO an d damage (this is reflected in
the statistics above). In seve ral days,
three of the warriors will swim down
river 10 miles to gather u p all the
females and children and bring th em to
their new lair.

Concluding the Adventure

Obviously if the PCs are aueceasful in
their salvage, they will have made a
numbe r of friends. In addition to the
survivors, the gnomes of Clan
Fiddleswithsticb and the School of
Magecraft: will be very pleased with the
PCs for their help in surveying the

wreck, They may wish to hire the PCs

another salvage attempt. If the PCa
in the future to clean up after ot her
discovered a treasure map or a mystedisasters of their making.
rious journal (see page 62 ) or received
If they've recovered her chest, Fiona
the cryptic message (as suggested on
may be amenable to teaching a PC wizpage 64), a future adventure is already
ard a spe ll or two. However, if they've
n
in the work s!
opened her chest and her spe llbook has
telepcrted away, she refuses to pay
,.c.. fi""'/
t~e.m a nd treats them with great susl,-'~
~
_ "
picicn.
-'-/(
'
Depending on what happe ned
.' ~.~.... , .
;;:;
with Kri stos, the PCs might be on J,' :. :~. ,' ''~ ~:.
th e blackli st of the Kelvin Thi eves ~):;:' :
'I ~
Guild. Alterna tively, if Kri stos is (~:.~ ... , I . t .:
successful, the PCs may wish to
~ ~; . ...; ;;
investigate the mat ter and take on th~ v~'
thieves gui ld, which would be the start
of a long campaign of intrigue.
If the PCa had to be rescued by the
ra nger Cemmendu r on their way to
Kelvin, he may call u pon them in the
future to aid him in some task.
Despite the wreck, the gnomes will
not be deterred. Wit hi n a year they
launch a second riverboat, TM LooJroat
(fea turing a reinforced hull), for which
the PCs receive lifetime free passes if
they are still in the area and proved
helpful. If the PCa are initially unsuccessful. the OM may wish to have the
Clan Fiddleswithstick.s gnomes summon Clanbrother Kilinin with his diving bell (see "Whitelake Mine- in
D UNGEON Adventures _18 ) to aid in

IiF"v .

DUNG EON~7

Dragon

November 1981

The

CREATURE

of

RHYL

A Basic D&D adventure by Kevin Knuth

Background for players

The country of Rhyl has been beset
nearly every night for many years by a
large, terrible creature that flies out from
the mountains near the city of Asereht.
The creature soars over farmland, picking up livestock or an occasional unfortunate farmer and carrying the victim
back into the mountains. After the creature appears, the early-morning air in
Asereht is unusually cold and misty.
Nearly a year ago the creature broke
through the wall of King Namrehs castle
and carried off the kings son, Prince
Laechim, along with a large amount of
the royal treasure. Since that incident,
which did not seem like the act of an
unthinking creature interested only in
food, King Namreh has suspected that
the creature is somehow under the influence of the mad magician Astylis, who is
believed to reside in the mountains in a
vast complex at least two days away on
foot from Asereht.

After the creatures raid on the castle,

King Namreh ordered his army to search
the mountains and discover Astylis complex. The soldiers made two forays into
the mountain wilderness, but each time
were harassed and eventually driven
back by goblin raiders. Since the failure
of the second assault, the king has taken
to commissioning small parties of mercenaries and adventurers, sending them
into the mountains with promises of
great reward upon the completion of the
rescue mission, and hoping that a small
body of searchers will be less likely to
attract the goblins attention along the
way.
For reasons which the king has never
found out, none of these rescue parties
has ever returned to Asereht. Your party
is now attempting to be the first.
The trek through the wilderness has
been, amazingly enough, uneventful. No
goblins, and little else of note except for
some harmless wildlife. Some members

37

of the party are beginning to wonder

what did cause the other missions to fail
if it wasnt the goblins and the wilderness. Finding Astylis residence was a
simple matter; the skeletons and possessions of some of those who had gone
before were littered through the mountain passes like a trail. And Astylis, if he
was inside, was making no attempt to
discourage intruders. The entry to the
complex, as well as the stairway leading
up to it, is found to be free of traps and
unlocked.
Your mission, as prescribed by the
king, is to go to Astylis complex (so far,
so good), rescue Prince Laechim plus
the royal sceptre and crown and the Rod
of Cancellation and Medallion of ESP
that were also taken, and kill the fearsome creature that seems to be under
the wizards control. After taking one last
look around at the outside and hoping
you will see it again soon you turn
toward the entrance and step inside.

Dragon

The

Vol. VI, No. 5

CREATURE

Notes for the Dungeon Master

This adventure, designed for use with
the D&D Basic Set rules, can be played
by as few as two or three characters or as
many as half a dozen. Some of the rescuers can be first-level characters, but a
strong party would probably include at
least one third-level spell-caster or a pair
of non-spell-casters (fighter types) of at
least second level.
The structure of this module provides
an opportunity for the Dungeon Master
to embellish the environment with more
detailed descriptions of empty areas,
and perhaps introduce a few new challenges for a formidable party. (For instance, the trip through the mountains
doesnt have to be uneventful....) In some
places, it may actually be necessary for
the DM to fill in particulars at the players
request. For this reason, anyone intending to DM this adventure for a party of
player characters should read the text
thoroughly to develop a feel for the
places where imagination and ingenuity
might be needed.

on the floor in front of the door is a green

circle.
Area B: Ahead of you is a large fire pit.
You cannot see what is beyond it. (The
fire pit is an illusion and when anything
touches it, it will disappear.) Painted on
the floor is a red circle.
Area C: Painted on the floor in front of
the wall is a blue circle.
Area D: You see a long corridor leading into the darkness. (The corridor is an
illusion. After the party advances 10 feet
east into the corridor, they will fall into a
pit. When they fall into the pit, the illusion disappears and each member will
suffer 1-4 HP damage from the fall.)
Painted at the bottom of the pit is a large
yellow circle. The pit is 30 feet deep, 20
feet long and 10 feet wide.

of

RHYL

1. Entry Hall: As you enter this room

you see a doorway in the center of the
north wall. To the right of the door is a
passageway that seems to angle off toward the northeast. Lining the east and
west walls are sconces which hold the
remains of burnt-out torches. On the
east and west walls are hung shields
bearing the image of a dragon. Above
the doorway on the north wall is a pair of
crossed swords. Against the west wall is
a wooden bench.
2. Storage Room: This is a small room
containing four chairs, a bench and a
round table. On the table, covered with a
thick layer of dust, is a wooden box of
nails, a hammer, 30 feet of rope and a
lantern. Next to the table is a large box
filled with scrap wood.
3. Guest Room: Against the northwest
wall are two beds, their canopies yellowed with age and laced with spider
webs. Next to each bed is a nightstand.
On one of the nightstands is a lantern
and an hourglass. There is nothing on
the other nightstand. Against the southwest wall is an empty chest of drawers.
There are two doors on the southeast
wall.

Standard dungeon features

All doors in this complex are eight feet
in height, four feet wide, and one foot
thick. All doors are made of oak. All walls
are two feet thick unless otherwise indicated on the map. The corridor ceilings
are 10 feet high.

4. Guest Room Closet: Except for a

shelf and some pegs in the wall, the
closet is empty.

Wandering monsters
In the upper level, roll for wandering
monsters every three turns. An encounter occurs on a 1 in 12. Then roll d4,
treating a roll of 1-2 as 1 and 3-4 as 2:
1) 1-3 goblins (HD:1-1; #AT:1;
D:1-6; AC:6; SA:None).
2) 1-3 giant rats (HP:1-4; #AT:1;
D:1-3; AC:7; SA:Anyone bit has a
5% chance of contracting a serious
disease).
In the lower level roll for wandering
monsters every two turns. An encounter
occurs on a 1 in 6. Then roll d4:
1) 1-7 goblins (HD:1-1; #AT:1;
D:1-6; AC:6; SA:None).
2) 1-5 giant rats (HP:1-4; #AT:1;
D:1-3; AC:7; SA:Anyone bit has a
5% chance of contracting a serious
disease).
3) 1 shrieker (HD:3; #AT:0; D:O;
AC:7; SA:Emits a piercing screech
which has a 50% chance of attracting other wandering monsters).
4) 1-3 giant ants (HD:2; #AT:1;
D:1-6; AC:3; SA:None).

5. Guest Room Closet: In this closet is

a chest which is empty, a shelf and some
pegs in the wall.
6. Privy: This room is empty. Along the
east wall is a trench which slopes from
either side toward the center. In the center is a hole in the floor about one foot in
diameter.
7. Stairway: A stairway descends 30
feet into darkness. Lurking at the bottom
of the stairs are two goblins (HP:6,6;
#AT:1; D:1-6; AC:6; SA:One has a +1 war
hammer).
8. Guard Room: This is a small, irregularly shaped room. There are beds against the north and southwest walls,
each with a blanket, a mattress and a
pillow. There is a chest of drawers, which
is empty, located against the northeast
wall. There is a lantern on one a nightstand next to the bed on the north wall.
There is a door on the south wall.
9. Guard Room Closet: In this closet
there is a shelf lying on the floor. There
are pegs in the wall, from which are hung

ASTYLIS COMPLEX
Upper level
Area A: Before you is a door. Painted

38

Dragon

November 1981

a blue robe and a leather pouch. (In the

leather pouch is a Giant Strength Potion.)
10. Guard Room: This is a small, irregularly shaped room. There are beds on
the north and southeast walls. Next to
one bed is a nightstand with an hourglass on it. (Concealed in the sand at the
bottom of the hourglass is a +1 Ring of
Protection.) In the middle of the room is
a large round table and four chairs.
There is a small chest of drawers against
the south wall, which contains trousers,
a cap, underclothing and a robe.
11. Guard Room Closet: In this closet
is an empty shelf and a suit of leather
armor hanging on a peg. On the floor is a
locked chest. (The chest contains a gold
medallion worth 50 gp, a gold ring worth
5 gp, and in a secret compartment
which must be searched for 5 platinum pieces.)
12. Guard Room: This is an irregularly
shaped room. Against the south wall is a
bed with a pillow, a blanket and a straw

mattress. Next to the bed is a nightstand.

Against the southeast wall is an empty
chest of drawers. On top of the chest of
drawers is a lantern and an hourglass. In
the middle of the room is a round table
with six chairs. (Under the mattress on
the bed is a +3 Sword vs. Dragons.)
13. Guard Room Closet: In this closet
is a single chest on the floor and a leather
pouch hanging on a peg. The pouch is
empty. (In the locked chest are two gold
medallions worth 50 gp each, a jewelled
armband worth 20 gp, and in a secret
compartment 20 platinum pieces.)
14. Guard Room: This is an irregularly
shaped room with beds on the northeast
and south walls. Each bed has a mattress
and a blanket. (Under the bed on the
floor along the south wall is a +1 Shield.)
15. Guard Room Closet: Besides an
empty shelf and some empty pegs in the
wall, the only thing of note in this closet
is a large locked wooden box on the
floor. It is also empty.
39

18. Diamond Room: This is an octagonal room, 30 feet from side to side. The
walls, ceiling and floor are constructed
of shining white marble. There are four
identical doors to the room, including
the one through which you entered. In
the center of the room, facing the way
you entered, is a gold-colored statue of a
human fighter holding a sword raised
above his head in his right hand. Its eyes
are of clear crystal and there is a bright
green light emanating from them.
Shortly after entering the room, you
notice that the green light in the eyes of
the statue fades and turns to red. A few
seconds later the red light fades and
turns to blue, then to yellow, then to
green and red and so on.
After the players enter this room, the
entire diamond-shaped section, which
includes Rooms 8 through 16, begins to
slowly rotate. As the section rotates, the
doorway at Area A rotates as well, contacting in sequence corridor B, then C,
then D, then A again, and so on. The eyes
change color according to the corridor
the doorway is facing out onto, matching
the colors of the circles in each of those
corridors. The rotation will be noticeable
to the players, but since they are near the
center of the rotation, their ability to
move about will not be greatly hampered. They will be unable to stop the
rotation, except by the method described
below, but it will not be harmful to them.
Note: The statue does not rotate.
The rotation will stop as soon as one of
the party members succeeds in opening
one of the four doors. (How to accomplish this is described below.) The doorway which started out being at the end of
corridor A will end up in front of one of
the four corridors, and the statues eyes
will glow with the color of the circle in
that corridor. The stopping point of the
doorway is determined randomly by rolling d4: 1 is A; 2 is B; 3 is C; and 4 is D.
(Note: The only access to the diamondshaped section is the single doorway. If
the party reaches the lower level of the
complex by a means other than the elevator in this room, the chamber below
will be empty and there will be no way of
causing the elevator to operate from the
lower level.)
If party members examine the statue
closely, they will notice a small groovelike separation around its neck. The
statues head can be turned to face any
door in Room 16. (All doors in the room
are locked from the inside after the party
enters and cannot be opened by any
means unless the head of the statue is
turned to face the desired door. However, any of the four doors to Room 16 can
be opened from the outside.)
A similar groove-like separation can
be seen around the statues right shoulder. The right arm of the statue can be
pulled downward by one character with
a strength of 17 or more, or by two char-

Dragon

Vol. VI, No. 5

Upper Level
Stairs up

Door

Stairs down

Secret door

40

Dragon

November 1981

41

Dragon

acters with a combined strength of 25 or

more pulling together. Accomplishing
this action is the last step in the process
that turns Room 16 into an elevator
which goes down to the lower level of the
complex.
To begin the operation of the elevator,
the doorway of the diamond-shaped section must be facing corridor B, and must
be held in that position by keeping the
door to Room 16 which points in that
direction open. (To accomplish this, players must stop the rotation at the right
time, open the proper door, and devise a
means of keeping that door open. The
passage will shut and lock if the door is
not secured in an open position. After
that preparation, pulling down the right
arm of the statue will cause the elevator
to descend. The arm will move down at
any other time when sufficient strength
is applied to it, but nothing else will
happen if the elevator has not been
activated.)
17. Menservants Quarters: Against the
south wall are two beds, each with a pillow, mattress and blanket. Next to each
bed is a nightstand. On one of the nightstands is an hourglass, and on the other
is a lantern. In the middle of the room is a
large round table with four chairs. On the
table are two small leather pouches. In
one of the pouches is a gold ring worth 5
gp, and a small vial filled to the top with a
clear liquid. This is a Haste Potion. The
other pouch, which is empty, is a Bag of
Devouring.
18. Menservants Closet: On the wall is

Vol. VI, No. 5

a small shelf. Hanging on pegs on the

wall are three robes and a black cloak.
19. Maidservants Quarters: There are
two beds against the south wall and
another against the east wall. Each bed
has a blanket, a pillow and a straw mattress. There is an empty chest of drawers
against the west wall. On top of the chest
of drawers is a comb, a silver mirror
worth 15 gp, and a lantern. Hidden under
the chest of drawers is a small wooden
chest (with a simple lock) containing two
gold earrings worth 5 gp, a necklace
worth 20 gp, and a bracelet worth 25 gp.
20. Maidservants Closet: On the east
wall of the closet is a shelf on which there
is a metal comb. Hanging on the south
wall on pegs are two coats and a robe.
21. Cooks Quarters: Against the east
wall are two beds. Each bed has only a
mattress. In the middle of the room is a
table and four chairs.

In the southeast corner of the room are

the remains of a goblin. Around its waist
is a wide leather belt with a small leather
pouch. In the pouch is a ring worth 5 gp.
24. Pantry: On the west wall is a shelf.
In the southeast corner of the room are
four sacks of flour.
25. Banquet Room: Against the north
wall is a throne. In the middle of the room
is a 40-foot-long table with 30 chairs.
26. Worshiping Room: Located against
the south wall on a stone pedestal is a
gold-colored statue of a demon god. In
front of the statue is a prayer rug. Engraved in the walls are unholy symbols
and writings. Behind the prayer rug is a
kneeling bench. In the northwest corner
is a sacrificial altar. Hanging on the wall
above the altar is a golden, jeweled
dagger worth 100 gp. Against the east
wall is a table on which there is an incense burner and a candelabra with 13
candles.

22. Cooks Closet: This room is empty.

23. Kitchen: In the southwest corner is
a firepit over which hangs a large iron
cauldron. Along the north wall is a long
table with a drawer. In the drawer are
spoons, forks, and knives. On top of the
table is a tray, a plate, some moldy food
and a butcher knife. Above the table are
cupboards which contain plates, bowls,
mugs and two trays. There is a lo-footlong table in the middle of the room. On
the table are some bones, dried bread
and an empty jar.
42

27. Astylis Storage Room: This is a

triangular room. Along the east wall is a
30-foot-long table. On the north wall is a
shelf. Below the shelf are three large
boxes. The first box is empty. In the second box are some candles, a tinderbox,
two flasks of oil, a torch, and some scrap
wood. In the third box is a crucible, a pair
of tongs, a ladle, a funnel, two bowls, an
empty flask, and a brazier. In the northwest corner is a large iron cauldron. On
the table is a balance with weights, two
beakers, three empty scroll tubes, and a

Dragon

November 1981
pair of tweezers. On the shelf is an empty
jar, a roll of wire, a measuring spoon, and
a humanoid skull.
28. Astylis Laboratory: There is a 40foot-long table against the west wall. In
the northwest corner of the room is a
large iron cauldron hanging from the
ceiling over a firepit which is 10 feet in
diameter. The pit contains a large amount
of ashes. There is a small shelf on the
east wall. Standing on a small pedestal in
the southeast corner is a large stuffed
griffon. Scattered about on the table are
an alembic, a small burner, some glass
tubing, a measuring spoon, a wooden
stirring rod and a waterclock. Next to the
burner is a candle stub and a mortar and
pestle.
A shelf on the east wall holds seven
bottles. One contains a clear liquid which
is pure ethyl alcohol. A slight taste of this
will intoxicate anyone with a constitution of 10 or less for 1-10 turns. Anyone
with a constitution of 11 or more will
have a 50% chance of intoxication for 1-6
turns. Anyone who drinks the entire contents of the bottle will fall unconscious
and will have a base 50% chance of dying
from alcohol poisoning. The chance of
surviving increases by 5% for every point
of constitution above 10, but a character
who survives will still be incapacitated
for 5-10 turns.
Another of the bottles contains a thick,
red liquid (human blood). Another bottle
is filled with a clear, odorless liquid (water). Another contains a yellow powder
(sulfur). The other three bottles on the
shelf are a Gaseous Potion and two Healing Potions.

pestry depicting a magician and a large

white dragon.
30. Astylis Bedroom: There is a bed in
the southeast corner of this room with a
straw mattress, a pillow, and a blanket.
Next to the bed is a nightstand on which
stand an empty mug, a spoon, and a kerchief. Leaning against the nightstand is a
wooden cane. Against the north wall is a
chest of drawers containing kerchiefs,
two cloaks, underclothing, a cape and a
hat. In the middle of this room is a round
table with two chairs. On the table is a
lantern, a quill, a bottle of ink, and a
parchment showing what appears to be
a map or floor plan:

and a small cage. Inside the stuffed owl

is a +2 Dagger vs. Goblins and Kobolds.
In the pouch is a flask of oil, 50 feet of
rope, a bud of garlic and one iron spike.
LOWER LEVEL
32. Corridor: Walking toward you are
three goblins (HP:3 each; #AT:1; D:1-6;
AC:6; SA:None).
33. Corridor: On the west wall of this
corridor is what appears to be a portion
of some strange rune-like writings:

(DM: These are fragments of the words,

Beware Dragon.

31. Astylis Closet: In the closet is a

large unlocked wooden box on the floor
and pegs in the wall. Hung on one of the
pegs is a spacious leather pouch. In the
box is a stuffed owl, a humanoid skull,

29. Astylis Study: Against the north

wall is a bookshelf. On the bookshelf is
an old, faded book and an onyx idol. The
book contains notes and sketches which
appear to be plans for some sort of elevator system. In the southwest corner is a
three-drawer desk with a chair behind it.
On the desk is a lantern with scented oil,
a pile of papers, an hourglass, a quill,
and a bottle of ink. Partially concealed in
the pile of papers is a Ray of Enfeeblement Scroll. In the top drawer of the desk
is a quill, some papers and a Wand of
Fireballs (3 charges). In the middle drawer is a piece of chalk, a quartz crystal, a
scroll tube, and a vial filled with a grayish
liquid. If the vial is opened the liquid
vaporizes, filling the room with sleeping
gas. The characters must each make a
saving throw vs. poison or fall asleep for
1-6 turns. The bottom drawer is empty.
In the southeast corner of this room is
a fireplace. lmbedded in the wall next to
the fireplace is a golden lions head with
a silver tongue. If the tongue of the lion is
pulled away from the wall, the fireplace
will pivot and face the desk, exposing a
secret passageway.
Hanging on the east wall is a vast ta43

34. Torture Chamber: In this room are

five goblins (HP:6,6,5,2,2; #AT:1; D:1-6;
AC:6; SA:None). They are torturing two
dwarven fighters, one in a stock in the
center of the room. and the other on a
rack in the southwest corner. In the southeast corner is a firepit. Next to the firepit is a brazier in which two branding
irons are being heated. In the northeast
corner is a table. On the table is a knife, a

Dragon
whip, a pair of thumbscrews and a vise. If
the stock is examined closely, the shape
of an octagon can be seen engraved into
its front surface.
35. Dungeon: Fastened into the north
wall are five pairs of chains. Chained by
the wrists in the northeast corner is the
corpse of a man wearing a royal robe.
(This is Prince Laechim.) Beneath the
body, lying on the floor, is a gold-colored
ring which is a +1 Ring of Protection.
Roughly engraved on the floor next to
the body is a symbol of a human figure
with a raised arm holding a sword. Beneath the arm is an arrow pointing downward. In front of the man-figure is a circle
drawn in blood. There are four 10x10foot cells along the south wall, all empty
and open.
36. Under construction: This is a room
that appears to have been recently dug
out of rock. Standing between the entrance and the exit is a goblin (HP:7;
#AT:1; D:1-6; AC:6; SA:None). In the
southeast corner are two wooden boxes
filled with food, two pickaxes, a hammer,
50 feet of rope, a tinderbox, three flasks
of oil, six torches, and a leather pouch.
Inside the leather pouch are 150 gold
pieces.
37. Stream: Ahead of you is a swiftly
moving stream 15 feet across and appearing to be about 10 feet deep. (A

Vol. VI, No. 5

character with strength of 16 or more
can swim across, if unencumbered, without coming to harm. A character with
strength of 15 or less, or any character
who attempts to swim across while wearing armor and gear, will have a chance of
being swept downstream and, unless
rescued in time, will end up in Area G.
The chance of successfully swimming
across the stream for such a character is
equal to his strength x 5 expressed as a
percentage; i.e., a 50% chance for a
character of 10 strength.) The stream
runs through a tunnel in the wall of the
corridor and out another tunnel in the
opposite wall.
38. Dead-end Chamber: A minotaur,
having heard the approach of footsteps
in the section of the maze near this
chamber, has retreated to this area and
is lying in ambush. The minotaur (HP:20;
#AT:3; D:1-6; AC:6; SA:None) will attack
immediately as soon as a party member
rounds the last turn before the dead end.
39. Dead-end Chamber: At the end of
this twisting corridor is a nest of 5 giant
rants (HP:4,3,3,2,1; #AT:1; D:1-3; AC:7;
SA:5% chance of contracting serious
disease).
40. Creatures Lair: This is an enormous chamber that has been carved or
blasted out of the surrounding rock.
Area E: Lying here is a sleeping white

44

dragon (HD:6; HP:24; #AT:2 claws and 1

bite; D:1-6 claw, 4-24 bite; AC:3; SA:
Cold breath weapon which does 4-24 HP
damage if saving throw not made, 2-12
HP damage if saving throw is made). Beneath the dragon, visible if it is awakened
and rises from its resting place, is the
body of a man in sorcerors garb presumably the magician Astylis himself.
Around the dragons sleeping place, intermingled with the bones of cattle and
humanoid figures, is a great amount of
treasure. The horde consists of 500 pp,
350 gp, 4 gems worth 100 gp each, and
all four of the items the king wants returned: a sceptre worth 180 gp, a crown
worth 150 gp, a Rod of Cancellation, and
a Medallion of ESP.
Area F: This is a large tunnel in the
ceiling of the cavern. It goes up 350 feet
and comes out on the side of a very steep
cliff. The dragon uses this tunnel for its
exit and entrance into the cavern.
Area G: This is the stream that passes
through the corridors of the northern
portion of the lower level. The dragon
uses this for drinking water, and occasionally fishes an easy meal from the
rushing waters.
Area H: These are large columns of
rock which were not completely cleared
away when the chamber was excavated.
Many of the barriers are large enough to
provide one or more characters with a
place of refuge from the dragons breath
weapon.

Adventurers seek an elusive elf who holds

The

SWORD of JUSTICE

D&D game adventure designed by Jon Mattson

The Sword of Justice is an adventure
module for use with the DUNGEONS &
DRAGONSgame. Although it specifies
the names of certain towns, areas, and
people, the DM can easily modify these to
suit a particular campaign. The Basic and
Expert rulebooks for the D&D game will
be required for the adventure.
This adventure has ideally been designed
for a balanced party of 4-6 characters, each
of 1st or 2nd level. The fewer the characters
available, the higher their levels should be.
Although these characters need not be of
any particular classes, it is suggested that
the party be lawful in alignment (for reasons which will become obvious in the
adventure background). Having at least one
dwarf or elf in the group could also prove
very helpful.
The Dungeon Master is advised to read
the entire module thoroughly before attempting to run the adventure, as the events
have been laid out in the approximate order
that they would naturally occur. It is essential that the referee have a good grasp of the
story line so that the adventure will flow
smoothly and logically.
INTRODUCTION FOR PLAYERS
Rather than simply reading the following
information aloud to the players, the
Dungeon Master is advised to play out the
situation, taking the parts of the mayor and
other non-player characters as they are
encountered. In this way, he can also add,
delete, or modify any information he deems
necessary, based on his own campaign and
the characters actions.
Our brave adventurers have been seeking
employment and missions worthy of their
growing reputations for some time now.
Their travels have brought them little for
several weeks. Finally, upon entering the
thriving village of Farstead, they see a
curious poster plastered over several of the
walls of the local shops and inns:

46 D ECEMBER 1984

The Judges Inn is owned and operated

by the mayor and judge of Farstead, Clayton Miles. He is a large, burly, middle-aged
man, bald except for tufts of gray hair over
his ears. His heavy drawl reveals his peasant upbringing, but he has a keen mind in
matters related to justice, and his wisdom in
such matters is well known throughout the
area.
Judge Clayton is a 4th-level fighter, AC
9, HP 23, STR 11; INT 16, WIS 18, DEX
10, CON 12, CHA 16. He carries a dagger
out of habit, and rarely uses any other
weapon. He is lawful, as are most of the
inhabitants of Farstead.
Once the characters explain why they are
here and Clayton is satisfied with their
credentials, he will tell them the following
story. Three weeks ago, the village magician, Eorl Flan, was found dead in his
home, obviously a victim of foul play. The
only suspect was Falrik Moondance, a
reclusive, eccentric elf who lived at the edge
of town and who had a running rivalry with
Eorl. Falrik was quickly arrested and
brought to trial to determine his innocence
or guilt.
Mere hours into the trial, it became
apparent that no decision could be quickly
reached, based on the meager evidence
against the elf. While Falrik might have
committed the crime (he was a fair swordsman and Eorl was slain by a sword or similar weapon), this possibility clashed with
Falriks known personality and tendencies.
Judge Miles wanted to find out the truth of
the matter. He decided that the situation
warranted the use of the villages most
prized treasure: Annacon, the legendary
Sword of Justice a magical weapon said
to be able to determine the truth of any
mans words. If a lie was told in the
swords presence, it would shine with a blue
glow.
The judge had instituted the use of Annacon some years ago; before then, the
weapon had been kept locked in the village
treasury (magical weaponry was scarce in
this area). Annacon ensured that justice
prevailed, and often just the knowledge that
it would be used was enough to bring out a
criminals immediate confession.
Judge Miles thought that Falrik would be
pleased with this decision; he believed in the
elfs innocence and thought the sword would
prove it. Surprisingly, this decision had
quite the opposite effect. Falrik became
nervous and panicky at the idea, and many
people assumed that this reaction proved his
guilt.

Clayton Miles refused to jump to conclusions, however, and insisted that the test be
performed in his courtroom the next day as
decreed. His decision did not sit well with
many of the villagers; though they did not
care much for Eorl Flan personally, they
respected him for his power and for the
protection that his presence gave the village.
The atmosphere in the village grew increasingly tense and angry throughout the rest of
the day and the night that followed.
When court was called into session the
next day, Falrik seemed to be composed and
took his seat without resistance or outward
nervousness. Spectators began muttering
among themselves that perhaps the elf was
innocent after all, and everyone seemed to
relax a bit now that the threat of Falrik
becoming violent was not in evidence. Then
the judge appeared from within his private
rooms, holding the sword (in its scabbard)
before him. After a short ceremony, he
handed the sword over to the bailiff, who
began to move closer to Falrik. Suddenly,
the elf jumped from his seat with the look of
a cornered animal, spoke the words of an
arcane spell, and vanished into thin air. A
moment later, as the courtroom was exploding in shouts and screams, the Sword of
Justice leaped from its sheath as if of its own
accord and flew toward the courtroom exit,
shining with a bright blue light. In the
ensuing confusion, the invisible Falrik
escaped with the sword and fled from the
mob of enraged villagers.
Posses were formed within the hour to
hunt down the fugitive elf. The furious
townspeople now believed that Falrik had
not only stolen their most prized possession,
but had also certainly killed Eorl, perhaps
just so that he might get a chance to get his
hands on the sword. The whole episode
became a devious plot which grew no less
diabolical in the re-telling. Nevertheless, for
all their furor, the villagers were unable to
find the elf. Only one party of hired bounty
hunters spotted him and shot arrows uselessly after him before he escaped them.
Clayton Miles suspected that there was
more to the elfs actions than the townspeople had guessed. The most incongruous fact
was that Falrik had been able to hold and
carry the sword: many legends about Annacon said that it could only be held by those
who were pure of heart. If Falrik was indeed guilty of murder, the sword wasnt
living up to its legends. Yet if he was innocent, why had he run away when the sword
could have proven this beyond a shadow of
a doubt?

These and other questions weighed heavily on the judges mind. He began to question villagers and collect evidence to solve
the case on his own (such procedures having
gone out of fashion with the advent of Annacon's use). Eventually he discovered that
Falrik had not killed Eorl. The culprit was
found to be the brawny local watch captain,
who confessed to the crime when he was
confronted with Claytons suspicions. Apparently, Eorl had cheated the captain by
purposefully making him a faulty love potion with which the captain had hoped t o
attract the affections of a local beauty. The
woman was repelled by the captain, and it
was the magician (who had also had his eye
on the young girl) and not the captain who
became the target of her admiration. The
watchman stormed over to Eorls house in a
fit of rage; in the ensuing brawl, he drew his
sword and killed the crooked conjurer.
While this explained one mystery and
absolved Falrik of blame, it did not explain
Falriks theft of Annacon and his disappearance. A peddler friend of Judge Miles told
of seeing an elf matching Falriks description in the vicinity of an old mansion a
days journey from town. Judge Miles has
sworn the peddler to silence on the matter,
and no one else has heard the rumor.
Judge Miles wishes the characters to go to
the mansion, find Falrik, and bring him
back alive if possible, since his innocence is
now certain. Equally important, they must
bring back the sword Annacon. He is also
curious as to why Falrik ran off with the
sword and would like this information if
possible. He warns that bringing Falrik
back unharmed might prove to be very
difficult, since the elf has already been shot
at once by bounty hunters. Should the
characters find Falrik, they are to present
him with an official pardon signed by Judge
Miles, absolving the elf of guilt in the wizards murder.
Clayton has dug into the village treasury
and come up with a reward of 200 gp if
Falrik is brought back alive and basically
unharmed, plus 300 gp more if the sword is
brought with him. Information as to
Falriks exact whereabouts or why he ran off
is worth 25 to 50 gp (depending on the
quality of the information) if the party of
adventurers can do nothing to bring the elf
or the sword back to town.
If the characters agree to this, Clayton
will describe the location of the mansion,
noting that Falrik has probably had time to
fortify the place to some extent. He will be
hesitant to say much more, not wanting to
deter characters from the quest. If pressed,
he will mention that the mansion once
belonged to a mysterious magic-user named
Kanos and that people now avoid the place
because it is rumored to be haunted. With
that, he will send the characters off and
wish them good luck.

FALRIK AND ANNACON

Falrik Moondance is a rather eccentric
elf. While he is quite bright and goodnatured, he is also rather impulsive. His

appearance is youthful, but he gives the

impression that he is much older and wiser
than he seems at first glance. He is fairly
suspicious, almost paranoid, and he panics
easily. Often he does things which seem
quite clever (in a twisted sort of way) but
are bound to be misinterpreted by others at
the moment he acts. His impulsiveness and
short-sightedness do not make his deeds
logical in a conventional (that is, lawful)
sense, but he is very cunning and has an
intuitive grasp of the smartest thing to do
in most situations.
Falrik does not like being a fugitive, but
he likes the idea of being executed even less.
He has certain knowledge about Annacon
which might help to save him (see below),
but he doesnt think that the villagers will
believe him. He is stubborn as well as cautious and suspicious, so it will prove quite
difficult to get him to believe that his pardon is not some sort of trap.
Basically a peaceable sort, Falrik will
avoid combat as much as possible. He will
not attempt to physically harm anyone who
is not attacking him, preferring to harass,
confuse, and frustrate them into leaving
him alone. The DM should carefully consider what spells he and the sword have
available when deciding on Falriks tactics
inside the mansion. Charming characters
with the sword, for instance, is one possibility, as is going invisible and hiding if in
danger of being found out.
Falrik Moondance is a lawful 3rd-level elf
(9,642 xp) with silvery hair and goldcolored eyes. He stands 5' 4" tall and
weighs 104 lbs.; he is 263 years old. His
statistics are: STR 15, INT 17, WIS 7,
DEX 17, CON 15, CHA 14, HP 18. He
has AC 2 from armor, dexterity, and magical bonuses, has a +1 to hit and damage in
combat, and has a +2 bonus with missiles.
Falrik speaks common, the lawful tongue,
elf, orc, hobgoblin, gnoll, halfling, and
pixie. He carries three spells at all times:
hold portal, ventriloquism, and invisibility
His current possessions include: Annacon
(see below); a bow +1; a chainmail suit; a
ring of protection +1; a quiver with 20 arrows (4 of them with silver arrowheads); a
pack with his rations, water, spellbook, and
tinderbox; and his prize, a wand of illusion
with 12 charges.
Annacon is a longsword +2 with charm
person ability. It has an intelligence of 8 and
an ego of 6 (total Will Power: 14), and
possesses two primary powers: it will detect
lies spoken within 10 of the person holding
it, and (unknown to the villagers) it will
detect elves within a 10 radius.
Unfortunately, both abilities cause the
sword blade to glow with the same blue
color as brightly as a light spell, and therein
lies the problem: Falrik, knowing from tales
told among the elves in this region about
the latter ability of the weapon, realized that
the sword would glow in his presence because he is an elf. He feared that the villagers, not knowing this, would probably
assume that he was lying or that the sword
was indicating that he was the killer.

The duration of the blue glow of the

sword varies from a mere 3 seconds (in the
case of the detect lies power) to potentially
infinite (for as long as an elf remains in
detection range). The villagers are not
aware of the latter fact, since Annacon has
never been used as a lie-detector against
an elf.
Annacon is lawful in alignment and so
will damage non-lawful wielders. Falrik, in
his intuitive way, hoped that his ability to
carry the sword unharmed would prove his
innocence, or at least plant a seed of suspicion about his guilt.
The elven legends about Annacon say it
was forged by a dwarven weaponsmith and
a human wizard ally about three centuries
ago. At that time, the elves and dwarves of
this region were fighting a war against each
other over the damage that dwarven surface
mines were doing to local forests and wildlife. The battles were settled long ago,
though some slight hostility between the two
races still exists.
Any player character elf or dwarf who
hails from this area of the campaign lands
will have a 5% chance per point of intelligence of knowing about Annacons elfdetecting powers from old legends, and he
may make the same deductions that Falrik
did. After all, the sword can determine the
truth of any mans words, including
dwarves and the like, but the elf-detecting
power makes it useless for telling if an elf is
lying or not.

THE MANSION OF KANOS

Forty years ago, a powerful magic-user
known as Kanos the Wizard built a large
mansion several miles from Farstead. While
he was friendly enough in his own way, he
was a suspicious man with an odd sense of
humor, and he planted several unusual
tricks and traps his home for uninvited
intruders like thieves and curio-seekers.
In time, the rich and unusual home became well known throughout the surrounding countryside perhaps too well known,
for it eventually attracted visitors of a most
unfriendly sort. A band of brigands broke
into the mansion one night, trying to make
Kanos part with some of his wealth. They
met instead his wrath. No one knows exactly what happened in the ensuing battle;
only a single bandit escaped, crying to his
captors that Kanos had used mighty magic
that consumed himself as well as the brigands. Neither the wizard nor his uninvited
guests were ever seen or heard from again,
and no human dared enter the house for
fear of its traps.
Since that time, several malicious creatures have taken up residence in and
around the abandoned structure and occasionally raid the scattered farms in the area
for food and petty amounts of loot. The
mansion is slowly falling into ruin from lack
of upkeep; all of the windows are broken
out, though the walls and floor are still
sturdy.
Popular belief also has it that the place is
haunted. The local people fear it, and the
DRAGON 47

mansion is just far enough from town to be

comfortably avoided by the local watch
patrols and militia (who dont wish to become involved in a siege of a haunted
building).
Falrik, not believing the haunted
house stories, decided to use this information to his advantage. Using various devices, skills, and powers of his own, he
slipped into the mansion and past its denizens to find his own little niche there. In the
days after he arrived, he set up several traps
and spy posts to protect himself.
The monsters who live in the mansion
have grudgingly accepted Falriks presence,
primarily because he leaves everyone alone
and because none of the intelligent monsters
feel confident enough to try to kick him out;
the few that did met with Annacons wrath
or Falriks sorcery. Falriks wand of illusion
has been particularly useful in scaring off
monsters and would-be explorers. Though
the wands charges have steadily decreased
with no way to replace them, the elf feels
relatively secure in his stronghold.
The mansion is a brisk one-day march
from Farstead (20 miles), through terrain
ranging from cultivated fields to light forest.
The area within a half-mile radius around
the mansion is covered with dense forest,
and the vegetation has begun to encroach
on the seldom-used road and property.
Small groups of goblins; kobolds, and minor monsters have been spotted by hunters
several times in the area, particularly during the night hours.
If characters explore the terrain around
the mansion, they have a chance of encountering some of the local wildlife and
residents of the area. Roll a d6 three times
per game day, at mid-morning, sundown,
and midnight; a roll of 5 or 6 on the die
indicates an encounter has occurred, and
the specific encounter is referenced on the
following chart by a d8 roll:
Die roll encounter
1
1-3 kobolds (associated with
Thulins band in the mansion
(see area 26 below)
1-2 wolves
2
3
1-2 wild boars
4
Animal herd (deer)
5
1-2 goblins (not associated
with any other band)
6
Insect swarm
7
1-2 stirges
2-5 human hunters from Far8
stead (fighters of levels 1-4,
heavily armed, wearing leather
armor and riding light horses)
The kobolds and goblins will usually
attack any parties they meet unless seriously
outnumbered; even then, they may attempt
an ambush or try to pick off stragglers. The
hunters will be relatively friendly but cautious, sharing some general information on
the region with adventurers but revealing
little about themselves or any wealth they
may carry. None of them will join an expedition into the mansion, as they care little

48 D ECEMBER 1984

for adventuring (hunting, theyll say, is

safer).
The mansion stands atop a small hill
surrounded by trees growing wild from lack
of care. Just to the east, a small river bordered by trees and deep banks flows swiftly
by toward the south. The house itself has a
barren look about it, and it looms like a
dark sentinel before the characters as they
approach its ruined gate.
Note that there should be no chance of
the player characters discovering the secondary entrances (areas 26 and 30). Both
are well hidden and difficult to reach.
A description of the mansion follows,
keyed to the maps on pp. 49, 51, and 52.
1. Well
This ancient well is unexceptional, but a
trick magical spell (similar to the
AD&D games magic mouth) has been
placed on it. When anyone comes within
10 of the well, a voice will be heard from
inside it shouting, Help me! Help! Im
drowning! The voice will repeat this
phrase every time someone comes near the
well again. The well drops thirty feet down
to an eight-foot deep pool of very cold water; anyone dunked in it for more than a
minute will lose 1 strength point and 1-3
dexterity points per turn for 1-3 normal
turns; strength and dexterity scores will not
drop below 3 in any event. Swimming and
drowning rules are on p. 27 of the D&D
Expert rulebook. At the bottom of the well
lie 14 sp, but nothing else is of interest here.
2. Cloakroom and entrance hall
This area is basically uninteresting (see
room 15, adjacent to it, however). Racks
for hanging cloaks line the walls on either
side, but they are all empty. One hook is
tilted to one side and revolves freely, but it
will do nothing if manipulated (it isnt a
trap or a secret-door spring).
Falrik will begin his surveillance of the
party at this point, using the peepholes from
area 15. Due to the small size of the holes,
only a 1% chance exists of any character
noticing one, and this may only be rolled
for if the character is actively searching the
area for traps or secret doors.
3. Servants room
This area is actually two rooms, divided
by partial walls and a moldering curtain.
A. Cooks room: This room contains a
battered bed, a dresser with three drawers,
a small table, and two chairs. On the north
wall hangs a painting of a country fair with
a large gray castle in the background. The
picture is worth about 50 gp, but is quite
heavy to carry around (300 cn). A crab
spider lurks on the east wall above the
curtain. It will not usually attack unless it
can gain surprise (on a 1-4 due to its
chameleon-like powers if the group enters
through the west door, or on a 1-5 if they
enter through the curtain). The dresser
contains some old clothing and odds and
ends. The bottom drawer has a purse which
contains 12 sp and 3 gp. A careful search of

the room will reveal a small pile of goblin

bones (a victim of the spider) in the southeast corner; hidden among them are 6 sp
and 1 gp.
Crab spider: AC 7; HD 2; HP 8;
THAC0 18; DAM 1-8 plus poison (save at
+2 or die in 1d4 turns); MOR 7; EXP 25.
B. Butlers room: This room is similar to
A, (above); it contains a sunken bed, a
small dresser, a table, a small desk, and two
chairs. It is unexceptional except for one
locked drawer of the desk, which contains
some yellowed papers (records, inventories,
etc.) and a small box with 8 sp and 4 gp.
4. First guest room
This is the largest guest room, the chamber of Kanoss most favored visitors. Not
surprisingly, it has now lost much of its
finery; the bed is sunken and slashed, and
the remainder of the furniture a small
table, a three-drawered dresser, a cabinet,
and two chairs is in little better shape.
Searching the room will reveal nothing
except smashed ornaments, dust, cobwebs,
and similar rubbish. The drawers of the
dresser have long ago been looted of anything they might have held.
One turn after the room is entered, an
eerie wailing sound will be heard emanating
from the cabinet. The sound is part of a
magical trap Kanos set in the cabinet to
discourage intruders when he had no current guests. Should anyone open the cabinet
(before or after the wailing starts), a brilliant flash of light will burst from it; anyone
viewing it must save versus spells (the
opener saving at -2) or be blinded for 2-8
turns. This will work any number of times
that the cabinet is opened.
5. Statue
In the center of the hallway intersection
stands a statue of a gargoyle facing area 2.
While the statue is not unusual in most
ways, its eyes are of note: due to their
craftsmanship, they will appear to follow
any viewer as he moves in front of the
statue. In addition, if Falrik is watching the
characters from area 15 the first time they
encounter the statue (see below), he will use
his wand of illusion to make the statue
appear to animate and attack the group.
Attacks on the illusion do not, of course,
affect the statue, and it will reappear
undamaged when the illusion is dispelled.
The DM should decrease the charges left in
Falriks wand if this tactic is used.
6. Second guest room
This guest room is occupied by four
hobgoblins, who are sitting around, gnawing on the remains of a stirge and loudly
discussing plans to travel on to the west
within a day or so. Increase the partys
chances of listening and surprise by +1.
Each hobgoblin has 2-8 gp and 31-50 sp,
shoved in shoulder pouches with tribal
symbols on them (withered trees engulfed
by flames). The largest hobgoblin also has a
gold ring (550 gp value) with the same
symbol engraved on it. The room is similar

to the first guest room (area 4 above): it

contains a ruined bed, a smashed dresser, a
table, and two comfortable, if rather old,
chairs, as well as a lot of rubbish (bones,
webs, sticks, dust, etc.).
Hobgoblins: AC 6; HD 1+1; HP 9, 6, 7,
6; THAC0 18; DAM 1-8 with longswords;
MOR 9 (8 if the leader dies); EXP 15 each.
7. Kitchen
This room does not appear at all unusual
at first glance. It contain tables, counters,
and cupboards. A meat cleaver is lying on
one table, and two chipped plates sit on
another. The cupboards are mostly open
and have been thoroughly looted all that
remains are a few scraps of very inedible
food and some broken cooking utensils
(including a large iron pot on the floor in
the northwest corner). The one thing of
note is in the center of the room where a
large stone table sits with a seemingly wet
surface. The moisture is, in fact, a grey
ooze, as anyone who gets too close will
quickly realize. All other inhabitants of the

mansion strictly avoid this room.

Grey ooze: AC 8; HD 3; HP 22;
THAC0 17; DAM 2-16; MOR 12; Hit
only by weapons and lightning; EXP 50.
8. Dining room
This large hall contains a very long table,
surrounded by eight chairs and an especially large thronelike seat at the head of the
table. All are in very good condition, although somewhat dusty. Closer inspection
will reveal that the place at the head of the
table is set with a gold plate (100 gp), eating
utensils (80 gp total), as well as a crystal
goblet (200 gp), also covered with dust.
The reason no looters have had the nerve
to take these will quickly become apparent.
After half a minute, a spectral man dressed
in formal clothing will come in through the
north door and walk over to stand beside
the head of the table. The sight of the man
causes fear (as per the cleric spell) in all
viewers. No amount of talking or yelling
will get the mans attention, and anyone
who attempts to touch or attack him will

find that he is insubstantial and cannot be

harmed. He is a minor phantom and cannot
be dispelled in any way, even by a cleric.
Should the party take the plate and utensils,
the phantom will simply smile and vanish,
his obligation to wait for his masters dinner
no longer-binding.
9. Library and study
This room obviously once housed a magnificent collection of tomes, scrolls, journals, and similar written works, as attested
by the many bookracks present, particularly
in the western half of the room. However,
virtually all of these treasures have been
stolen, ripped to shreds and cast about,
burned, or otherwise mutilated. The bookcases in the northwest corner show signs of
extensive burning. A careful search of the,
debris scattered there will reveal a thin bone
scroll tube, somewhat charred, which contains an intact scroll of sleep, continual
light, and dispel magic spells. The furniture
in the eastern half of the room has fared
somewhat better. A small table is here, as

DRAGON 49

well as a desk and three chairs (toppled

over, but in good shape). The desk has two
drawers; one has been smashed open, but
the other is not locked and opens freely.
Within it is another scroll tube with a large
F on it. This is another trap left by
Falrik; inside the tube is a cursed scroll that
Falrik bought from a wizard long ago.
Examining the scroll will paralyze the
reader for 2-12 hours (or until a dispel
magic is used on the individual), with no
saving throw.
10. Living room
This room is unexceptional in most respects, except for its occupants five
stirges, which have a nest concealed in the
shadowy southeast corner of the room. The
stirges roost here during the day, flying out
of one of the broken windows to go hunting
at night.
The room contains some ruined furniture
(a sofa, chairs, and a small table), several
chipped and broken statuettes (a lion, a
maiden riding a unicorn, a wolf, and lots of
unrecognizable rubble, all worthless), and a
dried-up fountain with only a couple of
inches of scummy water pooled at the bottom. The fountain is the landing spot of
anyone who falls through the pit trap in
room 17 (east); it contains the remains of a
previous human victim, complete with rusty
chainmail and longsword. A pouch hangs
on the skeletons belt and contains 12 gp,
26 sp, and 3 pp.
The stirges nest in the southeast corner
contains the remains of previous victims
(mostly rats, kobolds, and the like), including a human skeleton in leather armor. This
one has a belt pouch which holds 16 gp and
a small ruby (80 gp value), and has a quiver
full of arrows. Most arrows are warped with
moisture and age (including two silvertipped ones), but four of them are in perfect
condition (each is an arrow +1). The skeletons bow is nowhere to be found.
Stirges: AC 7; HD 1; HP 7, 6, 5, 5, 3;
THAC0 19 (17 on first roll); DAM 1-3
plus automatic 1-3/round thereafter; MOR
9; EXP 13 each.
11. Lavatory
This room acts as the lavatory for the
mansion and contains several toilets and
wash basins; a large water-tank and a hugebathtub stand in one corner. The tank is
nearly dry, holding only a few inches of
stagnant water with a greenish slime floating on it. The slime is harmless.
12. Third guest room
Like the other guestrooms, this one contains a ruined bed, a broken table, a
dresser, and two torn and battered chairs. A
skeleton is propped up against the east wall,
attached to the door by a long string. Opening the door will cause the skeleton to move
forward and shake menacingly, although it
is not, of course, truly animated another
trick of Falriks.
Unfortunately, the prank is a doubleedged one. Hiding in the room is a large

50 D ECEMBER 1984

pack of 13 giant rats. They will attack intruders who enter the room to examine the
eastern skeleton, gaining +2 to surprise if no
precautions have been taken. The dresser,
being unusually sturdy and heavy, is still
intact and locked. It contains the former
occupants possessions, including a belt
pouch with 12 sp, 7 gp, and a tiger eye gem
(worth about 40 gp).
Giant rats: AC 7; HD 1/2; HP 2 each;
THAC0 19; DAM 1-3; MOR 6; EXP 6
each. Note the 5% chance of catching a
disease from a bite if the victims save versus poison isnt made.
13. Trophy room
This large room contains a number of
souvenirs from Kanoss days as an adventurer, all in good, if somewhat dusty, condition. The reason for this rooms orderliness
will soon become apparent to would-be
looters: a minute or so after the room is
entered, a silver dagger enchanted long ago
by Kanos will detach itself from one wall
and begin attacking intruders of its own
volition! Any hit scored upon the dagger
will cause it to drop to the ground and stay
there for two full minutes; if the intruders
are still present at the end of this time (or if
they try to pick up the dagger at any time),
the blade will rise and take up the attack
again. Only leaving the room will cause it
to cease attacking and return to its wall
position; a dispel magic will cause it to fall
to the ground for one minute for each level
of the caster.
The other souvenirs include a black
dragons head, a pair of gargoyle wings, a
well-crafted (and non-magical) staff, a huge
ogres club, the skull of a cave bear, the
skeletons of a kobold, a goblin, an orc, a
hobgoblin, and a gnoll lined up side-byside, a small black box on a pedestal, and
the battleaxe, chainmail, and shield +1 of a
powerful evil fighter whom Kanos defeated.
The small black box is of particular
interest. Kanos kept it as a curio, having
recovered it from an old tomb; apparently it
was enchanted with random spell effects for
some unknown reason by an ancient wizard. It is made of a glassy, micalike substance, but cannot be chipped or removed
from the pedestal, although it does not seem
to be part of the pedestal or connected to it
in any way. Anyone who touches it will
experience some unusual effect. Roll a d6
and check the following table:
1-2: The person feels a strong chill and
suddenly keels over, paralyzed for 1-4 minutes. However, for each minute spent paralyzed, the character will be healed of 2 hit
points of damage.
3-4: The character feels a warm sensation
flow through his or her body and gets a little
dizzy. The character must save versus spells
or fall asleep for 1-3 minutes.
5: The character loses the use of one
sense (roll 1d6: 1-2 is sight; 3 is hearing; 5
is smell; and 6 is touch). This effect lasts for
3-30 minutes.
6: No effect.
Multiple attempts to touch the box are

possible; however, add 1 to the die roll for

each additional attempt by the same person
after the first try, and always consider a
modified score of 6 or more as 6.
Dagger: AC 4; HD n/a; HP n/a;
THAC0 14; DAM 1-4; MOR n/a; EXP 0.
14. Store room
This room contains a large number of
crates, casks, barrels, and so on (in which
are stored various rotted, decayed, or driedout foodstuffs), as well as a few pieces of old
furniture, some broken and some almost as
good as new, but very little in between.
One barrel has contents which have not
spoiled but are very well aged: a very potent, magical wine, which will reduce the
drinkers wisdom score to 3 for 21-40
rounds thereafter (no saving throw). The
drinker will behave in the most foolish and
irresponsible manner possible during this
time, discharging any of his magic spells
and casting treasure away at a whim. All
advice will be disregarded.
Falrik will be watching any characters
here from his peephole in room 16 on a
75% chance otherwise, assume that he is
already in the cellar (see below). If he is
present in room 16, he will use his spells,
the charm power of Annacon, and his wand
of illusion as appropriate in an attempt to
ward off intruders. If this is unsuccessful
and the party attempts to enter any of the
secret doors in the room, he will flee into
the cellar. Mark off any charges used from
Falriks wand.
15. Secret corridor
It is uncertain why Kanos had this corridor built, but it is entirely likely that he
used it for the same thing that Falrik is now
doing; that is, spying on guests or intruders. The walls of this area are lined with
tiny peepholes to allow sight into areas 2
and 5, as well as the corridor outside rooms
10, 11, 12, and 13. Area 15 is thickly carpeted, so Falriks movements within here
will be completely silent.
Falrik will be waiting in this room near
area 2 when the adventurers arrive; he has
been anticipating pursuit since his escape
from the village. Any noises in the areas
surrounding room 15 will draw his attention. He will keep the group in sight for as
long as possible, attempting to hinder their
progress with his hold portal or ventriloquism spells or, more often, his wand of
illusion. He has a special trick for area 5
(see number 5 above), but in most other
cases he will create an illusion of a monster
to attack the party; the monster type is up
to the referee, and need not be a logical
one (i.e., a small dragon or chimera may be
created). Of course, illusions of very large
or unlikely creatures may allow the victim a
bonus of +1 to +3 when saving against them.
Should anyone enter area 15, Falrik will flee
into the cellar if he has not already done so
(see below).
16. Secret stairwell
This room is essentially empty: Falrik

will likely have fled into the cellar by the

time the party reaches it, and no monsters
or treasure are here. The stairs lead down
to the cellar (areas 21 to 29). A pit trap 10
deep is also present, doing 1d6 points of
damage to anyone falling through it. Falrik
is aware of the trap. The only other object
present is an old chair in the southeast
corner beside the peephole.
THE TOWERS
Areas 17 through 20 comprise the eastern
and western towers of the mansion and can
only be reached via the appropriate staircases, as indicated on the map.
17. Observatory stairwells
These two rooms contain stairways leading from the ground floor up to their respective towers, as well as several large broken
windows which give an excellent, if now
somewhat dismal, view of the estate. The
rooms are otherwise empty. The room in
the eastern tower has a pit trap covered by a
rug, which Kanos set long ago (see map for
location). The trap empties into the fountain in room 10. At one time, the water
would have cushioned some of the fall;
however, the fountain has now dried up, so
the damage sustained is the usual 1d6.
18. Laboratory
This room is in fairly good shape, though
it is obvious that some explorers have entered the room in the past. The only signs
of current occupation are a few abandoned
stirge nests and droppings: the northernmost window has been smashed open,
allowing the entrance of these tenants periodically. The room contains furniture and
equipment typical of a lab, including two
large tables (one with a large green stain on
it), three chairs, a desk for writing (with
parchment, a quill, and a dried-up inkwell),
racks of glassware (test tubes, beakers, and
flasks), a small ovenlike contraption, numerous candles and stubs, two cabinets
filled with various jars of ingredients (blood,
bone powder, wood chips, metal filings,
chemicals, etc.), and a large empty cage.
One of the cabinets is locked and appears
to be made of glass; however, it cannot be
smashed open even by sword or mace
blows. The lock is so complicated that two
successful lockpicking rolls must be made in
succession by a thief in order to open it.
The cabinet contains four vials of colored
liquid containing two doses each: holy water
(clear), acid (pale green), a potion of healing (pale blue), and poison (bright red).
The acid will do 1d6 damage per round to
exposed flesh, or 3d6 damage if swallowed;
the drinker must also save vs. poison or
die). The poison is rather weak, so saving
throws made against it (if it is swallowed)
are at a +2 bonus, failure indicating death in
ld6 rounds.
19. Blasted chamber
This room was originally Kanoss living
chamber and study. It was also his last
battlefield, as the appearance of the cham-

The towers
Scale: 1 square = 5 feet

ber will testify. It is almost totally empty

and devoid of detail now, save for a number
of charred bones and two blackened stumps
of wood (perhaps the broken remains of a
staff). All of the northwestern corner, in
particular, is taken up by a dark blast
crater. Kanoss final magic obviously took
not only himself and the brigands with it,
but much of the rest of the area as well. Any
commotion here has a 30% chance per
round of attracting the occupant of the
adjacent bedroom (area 20).
20. Kanoss bedroom
Most creatures in the mansion avoid this
area, since room 19 (above) gives them an
eerie feeling; however, one creature, too
stupid to be bothered by it, has proven to be
the exception and has gone so far as to
make this room its lair. A giant lizard,
similar to a giant gecko but slightly larger
(six feet long), stays here and will attack
anything that dares to intrude into this
room (or the adjacent living chamber, as
noted above).
The room itself is a typical bedchamber,
although somewhat richer than the guestrooms found downstairs: it contains a large
bed (in fairly good condition), a small
nightstand, a dresser, and a footlocker. The
dresser contains only old clothing and was
rifled through some years ago; the locker
has been broken open and has suffered a
similar fate it contains only a few more
pieces of old clothing, an empty purse, and
a small brass key.
The looters were not especially thorough
in their search, however, and missed the
trap door which the key opens on the floor
in the northwest corner of the room. Characters will notice the small keyhole in the
floor on a 1 in 6 chance, 2 in 6 for elves (+1
to chance if actively searching). The trap
door opens into a long, thin compartment;
however, opening the compartment will
release a cloud of gas in a five-foot radius.
All within the cloud must save versus poison
or fall asleep for 2-8 normal turns.
Inside the compartment is a locked box
containing 150 gp; a gold brooch (worth
about 700 gp, because of its excellent craftsmanship); and a staff of striking with 10
charges remaining.
The only other objects in the room are
the scattered remains of some of the lizards
previous victims (mostly giant rats and
adventurers).
Giant lizard: AC 5; HD 4; HP 26;
THAC0 16; DAM 1-8; MOR 9; EXP 75.

THE CELLARS
Areas 21 through 29 comprise the cellars
beneath the mansion and can only be
reached via the staircase in room 16 or the
hidden tunnel at area 30.
21. Central chamber
This large room is unexceptional in most
respects, being more of a connecting hallway for the surrounding corridors than
anything else. It contains only rubble and
some old human, goblin, and animal bones
the latter accumulate more noticeably
the further west one gazes. Just as the characters enter the room, they will see an elf
(Falrik) flee through the west corridor over
the rubble.
This is, in fact, an illusion, and it is saved
against at a -2 penalty due to its logical
appearance (unless the situation does not
allow this). A save against the illusion
means the characters in question notice that
Falrik makes no noise at all when crossing the rough debris, and his footing is
abnormally sure and steady as if what
the character was seeing was somehow
unreal.
The referee should make the saving
throws for the characters to avoid arousing
suspicion. The real Falrik will be hiding in
the east exit (assuming he hasnt been
caught and is still being pursued) and will
flee to area 29 if the group enters the chamber for any reason.
22. Unfinished crypt
Kanos originally planned for this chamber to be a burial crypt, but it was not
finished before Kanoss death. No coffins
are present, though two large biers have
been constructed and an assortment of
stone-cutting and finishing tools lie about
on the dusty floor. The door to this chamber
is partially open, and twelve giant rats have
made their nest here.
One of the biers contains a secret compartment, which may be detected by someone checking for traps or secret doors. The
compartment contains a thin volume of
legends and tales; some of the passages have
been marked by Kanos as possibly indicating the presence of sizable treasure hoards.
The Dungeon Master may develop several
adventures based upon the legends in this
book if characters show an inclination to
explore this matter further. The legends
may involve lost dragon lairs, bandit hideouts, shipwrecks, and so forth. Some adventures developing from this may have to wait

DRAGON 51

The cellars
Scale: 1 square = 5 feet

until the player characters are of higher

level, but this gives the group something to
look forward to.
Giant rats: AC 7; HD 1/2; HP 2 each;
THAC0 19; DAM 1-3; MOR 6; EXP 6
each. Note the 5% chance of catching a
disease from a bite if the victims save versus poison isnt made.
23. Food storage room
This room once contained Kanoss more
extravagant stores: valuable wines, rich
meats and delicacies, rare intoxicants, aged
spices, and other delectable items. Very
little now remains, most having been
spoiled or looted long ago by men and
monsters. The rooms only furnishings are
broken barrels and crates, many with enticing labels on them. Four giant rats are
sniffing about here at the moment. Unless
the player characters reaction is particularly hostile, the rats will not attack unless
provoked or cornered.
Giant rats: AC 7; HD 1/2; HP 3 each;
THAC0 19; DAM 1-3; MOR 6; EXP 6
each. Note the 5% chance of catching a
disease from a bite if the victims save versus poison isnt made.
24. Tool room
This room contains several pieces of
equipment and a large number of tools,
mostly for mining, excavation, and construction (picks, shovels, hammers, etc.).
These are mostly intact and in good condition, but are covered with a thick layer of
dust. Any particular item that the adventurers might look for is 80% likely to be
present, if reasonable. (Hammers are reasonable, but lances are not, and no magical
items are present.)

52 D ECEMBER 1984

25. Lair of the ogre

Prior to Falriks arrival, Vorlagh the ogre
was the undisputed master of the lower
chambers. Now the two have an uneasy
truce, neither wishing to test the others
strength in mortal combat. Vorlagh is not at
all pleased with the arrangement, and he
will be unfavorably disposed toward other
intruding up-worlders i.e., -2 on
reaction checks. Should he be questioned
somehow, he knows that the stinkin elf
lives to the east. He has also gained some
knowledge of the mansions contents and
environment, since he has lived here for
many years, but might not offer such information willingly.
The room has furnishings befitting its
occupant: a crude pallet-bed of straw, an
old footlocker, some scraps of unidentifiable
ogre-food, and a lot of rubbish and old
bones. The footlocker is locked and has a
poison needle trap on it. A 50% chance
exists of hitting it if a small catch isnt released when the lock is opened (save versus
poison or die in 1 round). It contains 800
sp, 200 gp, and two pieces of jewelry, a
silver ring (350 gp) and a platinum bracelet
(800 gp), wrapped in a dirty cloak of the
elvenkind.
Vorlagh prefers to enter and leave his
chamber using the tunnel to area 26; he is
aware of the exit at area 30 and has debated
about trying to set a trap for Falrik there,
but hasnt gotten around to it yet. He will
only divulge this information if charmed.
A pit trap that Vorlagh easily avoids sits
in the entryway to the room, and characters
have the normal chances to detect it as any
other trap. The 10 deep pit (1d6 damage)
contains a few minor pieces of rusted armor,
some small broken weapons, and a lot of

dirt and debris. A pouch may be found

under some of the dirt which contains 35
gp, a sapphire (500 gp), and a ring of protection +1.
Vorlagh: AC 6; HD 4+1; HP 26;
THAC0 15; DAM 1-10; MOR 10; EXP
125.
26. Ogres escape tunnel
Kanos had several escape tunnels from
his mansion planned, but only two were
fully excavated by hired miners prior to his
death. This tunnel extends for 1200 feet to
the northwest of the mansion, exiting in a
densely forested region. No chance exists of
the adventuring party finding the tunnel
exit without first having gone through the
tunnel itself. The tunnel is littered with
trash and debris, and is at most 10 wide
and 12 high.
A small chamber at the end of the tunnel
forms the lair of a small group of bandits
who work for Vorlagh: a large goblin and
live kobolds. Thulin the goblin is large and
exceptionally cunning; under his direction,
the little group of raiders has prospered,
looting and pillaging nearby homesteads
and passersby. Vorlagh lets the bandits stay
here unmolested and backs them up on
bigger raids, and they give him a few choice
items of the booty. The bandits are 25%
likely to be away on a raid if anyone checks
the end of the tunnel. If present, two of the
kobolds will always be on guard while the
others rest. The small chamber contains
some straw pallets, two chairs, a small
table, and a locked chest containing the
group treasure of 176 sp, 33 ep, and 1 gp.

In addition, each kobold has 7-10 cp, and

Thulin has 5 sp and 1 gp.
Thulin will use some of his loot to bargain for his life if it comes to that, but he
will always try to save some and gain the
upper hand.
Thulin: AC 6; HD 1-1; HP 7; THAC0
19; DAM 1-6 with shortsword; MOR 9;
EXP 10.
Kobolds: AC 7; HD 1/2; HP 4,2,4,3,3;
THAC0 19; DAM 1-4 with daggers; MOR
7 (or 9 while Thulin leads); EXP 5 each.
27. Storage room
Kanos deposited much of his unwanted
furniture and the less spectacular of his
accumulated souvenirs in this room. Because the door is particularly thick and is
locked in three places, this area has withstood even the ogres heavy tamperings.
The DM may draw up a long list of large
items that fill this room, making some of
them mundane (an overstuffed sofa that
needs mending) and some bizarre (a lamp
made from a stuffed constrictor snake) and
some both magical and bizarre (a wyverns
skull that quotes elven poetry, or a cursed
sword that causes the user to see illusions
constantly after a certain period of time).
Keep in mind that Kanos, as noted above,
had an odd sense of humor and liked collecting strange and unusual artifacts.
28. The cage room
This room is Falriks last line of defense
before fleeing to his lair. It is basically
empty, containing only a bit of rubble and a
chain connected to the north wall with a
loop on it, rather like a leash. It is possible
that Kanos may have used it to keep vicious
animals as guards, pets, or specimens.
When characters enter the room, they will
see Falrik standing on the eastern side with
Annacon in hand, ready to defend himself.
This is another of Falriks illusions. The elf
is peeking through a peephole from area 29
into area 28. The DM may roll the characters saving throws versus the illusion to
avoid arousing suspicion.
Unbeknownst to the player characters, a
huge cage hangs over the area to the east (as
indicated on the map), which Falrik will
drop on them if the characters advance
toward the illusion or into the correct area.
The cage will allow a 3 wide space around
it when it falls, so anyone not caught in it
may move around it toward area 29. A
character near the edges of the cage when it
falls is allowed a saving throw versus wands
to avoid being struck by the cage; failure to
save indicates the character takes 2-12
points of damage. Each character who must
save also has a 50% chance of ending up
trapped inside the cage itself. The group has
a collective 1 in 6 chance of noticing the
cage in its hiding spot on the roof before it
is dropped.
If the group is caught, Falrik will then
walk out from his hiding place in area 29,
apologize to the characters (Im truly
sorry, but I will not face the executioner just
to save a motley group of bounty hunters),

and then go back to his room in the north

and prepare to leave the mansion for good.
Should some of the characters manage to
get past the trap, he will flee into area 29
casting hold portal on the door behind him
if he still has the spell memorized. Should
the characters be trapped, they will begin to
starve one day after their rations run out,
losing 1 hit point per day until dead, unless
the DM brings in someone or something to
rescue them. Falrik will have fled the area
by then, and the mission will be a write-off.
The characters may attempt to lift the
cage or bend its bars enough to get out. The
chance of success, rolled on 1d6, is equal to
the combined strength scores of all characters making the attempt divided by 18
(round fractions off to the lowest whole
number) i.e. a combined strength total of
65 would allow a 3 in 6 chance of success.
29. Falriks haven
This room has been Falriks home for the
past few weeks and contains a rough straw
bed, a small table, a chair, and a small sack
with clothing, rations, and water. A purse
may be found under the bed with 3 pp and
5 gp. When the group enters the room,
Falrik will have heard them coming and will
have cast invisibility (if available) on himself. He will then flee out the eastern door.
The door leads to a tunnel which travels
south and a little east to area 30 (below). If
the group has some means to catch him
quickly, they may do so here, but Falrik will
not listen to reason or promises of freedom.
Otherwise, the party will have to follow him
to area 30.
30. The hidden tunnel
The tunnel from room 29 eventually
comes up and out of a huge, hollowed-out
boulder surrounded by dense forestation (as
noted on the map); the rock rests 10 over
the river below. The exit is covered by a
permanent illusion placed there by Kanos.
If not being chased, Falrik will be careful
to remove his chainmail suit and all heavy
items and lower them to the riverbank from
the rock with his rope before he himself
dives into the water. He will then automatically be able to escape the mansion, a process which should take only 20 minutes.

If hard pressed and desperate, Falrik will

overlook the fact that he is wearing chainmail when he jumps into the river. Because
of his armor and his general panic, he will
quickly begin to flail about in the water,
trying to stay afloat while he is carried
downstream to the south.
Falrik will then be washed ashore about a
hundred feet downstream and will survive
the ordeal, though he will be exhausted and
unable to escape further until he has rested
for 1-4 hours. If the party catches him at
this time, he will finally be subdued (rather
like a drowned rat) and will go with them
back to Farstead, resigned to his fate. The
pardon will not lift his spirits; he will still be
suspicious and suspect that he is being led
to his doom.
Epilogue
Should the characters get Falrik and
Annacon back to Farstead safely, the mayor
will officially apologize to the elf and absolve him of all blame in Eorl Flans murder. Falrik will finally accept the truth of his
pardon, and he will haltingly explain his
reasons for taking Annacon, demonstrating
the swords elf-detection and lie-detection
powers to everyones satisfaction. Though it
will be a while before the local people fully
trust him, he will grudgingly be taken back
into the community.
Finally, of course, the player characters
will receive their rewards. A bonus of 500
gp will be given to the party if they managed to slay the ogre and his bandits at the
mansion and offer proof of this; the reward
will be devalued accordingly if some bandits
or the ogre still live. Additional offers for
the characters to remain in town, join the
local militia or watch, or even for a strong
fighter-type to replace the watch captain
(now safely jailed in another city). Other
rewards or offers may be made as the
Dungeon Master desires.
All characters should get normal experience for this adventure, plus experience for
the reward money, if applicable. In addition, each surviving player character should
receive the following bonuses:
Entering cellar area: +50 xp.
Returning Falrik alive: +150 xp.
Returning Annacon to villagers: +100 xp.

DRAGON 53