dm map 1 - freegobbi.free.fr/scenarii/cm2 - death ride.pdf · tower lake river road trail mountain...

DM MAP 1 BARONY OF TWOLAKES VALEScale: 1 square = 1 mile

KEY:Village

Castle

Tower

Lake

River

Road

Trail

Mountain

Forest

Swamp© 1984 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

DM MAP 2 SKULLHEIM STRONGHOLDScale: 1 square = 10 yards

© 1984 TSR, inc. All Rights Reserved.

Bastion

DM MAP 3 SKULLHEIM CASTLEScale: 1 square = 10 feet

SECOND FLOOR THIRD FLOOR

4b 3c

2c

DUNGEON

KEY:

Door

Double Doors

Secret Door

Trapdoor in Floor

Trapdoor in Ceiling

Spiral Staircase

Dais

Portcullis

Battlement

© 1984 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Bastion

Companion Game Adventure

DEATH'S RIDEby Garry Spiegle

Editor: Tim KilpinCover Artist: Jeff EasleyInterior Artist: Jeff EasleyGraphic Designer: Ruth HoyerMaps: Diesel

Distributed to the book trade by Random House, Inc., and in Can-ada by Random House of Canada, Ltd. Distributed to the toy andhobby industry by regional distributors. Distributed in the UnitedKingdom by TSR UK Ltd.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS and D&D are registered trademarksowned by TSR, Inc.

© 1984 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in U.S.A.

This adventure is protected under the copyright laws of the UnitedStates of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use ofthe material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without theexpress written permission of TSR, Inc.

TSR, Inc.POB 756Lake Geneva,WI 53147

TSR UK Ltd.The Mill, Rathmore Road

Cambridge CB14ADUnited Kingdom

TSR, Inc.

ISBN 0-88038-117-5

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE: HOW TO RUN THIS ADVENTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2THE BARONY OF TWOLAKES VALE: DOMINION O U T L I N E . . . . . . . . . . 5SKULLHEIM CASTLE: KEEP OF C L U E S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8WESTLAKE ROAD: PEASANTS' WARNINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2KORBUNDAR'S LAIR: HOME OF THE DEATHSTONE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3MIASMA SWAMP: JOINING THE HAMMER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9HIGHPASS TOWER: WIZARD'S SHOWDOWN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0GOLLIM VILLAGE: BATTLE OF THE UNDEAD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3TEMPLE OF THE STARS: GATEWAY TO DEATH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 5EPILOGUE: MAGIC, MONSTERS & WEAPONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6

New monster. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

New magic items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27New weapon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS: SUPPORTING PLAYERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 8Skullheim characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Highpass tower characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29Gollim village characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Temple of the stars characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

PREROLLED C H A R A C T E R S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1

LIST OF PLAYING AIDS

Players' Map: The Barony of Twolakes Vale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32DM Map 1: Barony of Twolakes Vale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .inside coverDM Map 2: Skullheim Stronghold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .inside coverDM Map 3: Skullheim Castle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .inside coverDM Map 4: Korbundar's Lair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15DM Map 5: Highpass T o w e r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16DM Map 6: Gollim Village . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17DM Map 7: Temple of the Stars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Table 1: Wandering Monster Terrains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Table 2: Wandering Monster Encounters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Table 3: Barony of Twolakes Vale Villages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Table 4: Normal Troop Postings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Adventure for character levels 15-20

9118

PROLOGUE: HOW TO RUN THIS ADVENTURE

A cloud of death hangs over the land, as anunlikely trio of evildoers orchestrates a reignof terror over the tiny Barony of TwolakesVale. Because of these fiends' actions, hordesof undead have escaped through a gatewayfrom the Sphere of Death, laying the peace-ful lands of the barony to waste and terroriz-ing its citizens. Can the undead be stopped?

Death's Ride is an adventure designed foruse with the D&D® Companion Set rules.Six player characters, levels 15 to 20, maytry to stop the undead horde now pouringforth from Twolakes Vale. The party shouldinclude at least one high-level cleric, as thisadventure showcases the new undead crea-tures from the Companion set.

How toUse This Adventure

You can run this adventure over a course ofseveral game sessions. Several weeks of timemay pass for the characters before the adven-ture is resolved. Allow the characters plentyof time between encounters, as they face newundead creatures and a large blue dragon;they'll probably need the time to rest andheal.

Keep in mind, though, that 15th level orhigher player characters are quite powerful.You must take care to balance their encount-ers, making sure their opponents are strongand challenging enough. Pay particularattention to the effects of new spells, as theycan completely change an encounter's out-

come.Some player characters may want to lead

large bodies of troops, retainers, or hirelingsin this adventure. Don't let too many charac-ters get caught up in this, as it can bog yourgame down in a mire of details. Encourageyour players to concentrate on their owncharacters. If a character still wants to lead alarge body of men, use the War Machinerules from the Companion Set.

Introducing the Barony

The Barony of Twolakes Vale is detailedthroughout this adventure. If you want, youmay introduce your characters to the baronybefore actually starting the adventure. Forexample, you may have the characters passthrough the barony while on their way to

another adventure, such as tracking down amarauding band of hill giants. Such an intro-duction establishes the barony in your cam-paign world and makes this adventure moreinteresting.

Awarding Experience Points

A six-character party should gain a total ofabout 750,000 Experience Points during thisadventure. Most of these points will beawarded based on the treasure the charactersrecover. Since most of the treasures' cashvalue will be returned to the barony to help itrecover from the invasion of the undead,experience should be awarded based on whatthe characters find, not on what they keep.

Each character may also reap a "king'sreward" of up to 50,000 gp, plus any healingor restoration the character may need.

The amount of treasure characters may findin a specific area is given in each encountersection.

Encountering Undead

The clerical turning ability will be importantto the party's success. Remember that in nor-mal turns, undead forced to flee will return in1-10 rounds.

Almost all the undead creatures in thisadventure come from the Sphere of Death, anarea either among or beyond the outerplanes. The sphere is rumored to be thesource of Death and Entropy, and at leastpart of it is malignantly evil.

Note that the Sphere of Death is not pre-

cisely an outer plane, so a character using aweapon that has a special bonus against crea-tures from other planes gets no bonus withthe weapon if he uses it against a creaturefrom the Sphere of Death.

Controlled undead: Under certain condi-tions (10% or less on random encounters),intelligent undead creatures can control otherundead. An undead can control anotherundead of half its hit dice or lower (for exam-ple, a wraith can control a ghoul, or anyweaker undead).

If an undead has the ability to summonother undead, it can then automatically gaincontrol of other undead. Otherwise, the con-trolling undead must be within 60 feet and bein sight of the weaker undead to gain control.Use the Cleric Turning Undead Table todetermine if the stronger undead gains con-trol (count the stronger undead's hit dice ascleric levels, ignoring any hit point plusses).If an undead tries to gain control of anotherundead during combat, the attempt is consid-ered a combat action.

Effects of controlling undead. An intelli-gent undead creature can control twice its hitdice in creatures. An intelligent undead caneven set up a chain of control. For example, aspectre might control 12 wights, who eachmight control 6 skeletons. Such control is tel-epathic; the controlling undead can see andhear through the controlled undead. Controlis total, so even if the controlling undeadgives its underlings suicidal orders, the con-trolled undead obey without hesitation. Therange of control over undead is 24 miles (onehex) per hit die of the controller. The effectlasts until the next full moon. A controller canalso release controlled undead singly or ingroups at will.

Turning controlled undead. When charac-ters try to turn controlled undead, the attemptis made against the controller. If the attemptfails, the controlled undead are unaffected,even if they would normally be turned ordestroyed. If the attempt succeeds, the controlover the undead is broken, but there is noother effect. If a character makes a second suc-cessful attempt at turning a previously con-trolled undead, the undead is then turned ordestroyed. Where there are multiple levels ofcontrol, the turn attempt is resolved onlyagainst the controlled undeads' immediatesuperior.

Wandering Monsters

Because there are so many undead roamingthrough the barony, travel there is extremelydangerous. When the characters are resting,check normally for wandering monster

2


encounters. When characters are traveling,make a check once each game hour. Roll 1d6and consult Table 1 to see how terrain affectsthe chance of encountering wandering mon-sters.

TABLE 1CHANCE OF ENCOUNTER

Terrain TypeMonsters Encountered

on a Roll of

mountains,swamp

forest, hillsinhabited,

clear

4-65-6

6

When you have determined that the charac-ters encounter wandering monsters, roll 1d20on Table 2 to determine the type of monsterencountered. If you want the characters toencounter a flying monster, roll 1d8. You canalso create your own wandering monsterencounter.

TABLE 2WANDERING MONSTER

ENCOUNTERS

12345678

9-1011121314151617181920

Insect SwarmFlying HydraeWraiths/SpectresVampireApparitionBansheeGhostKorbundarSkeletons/ZombiesGrab Grass*ManscorpionsHill GiantsGhoulsWights/MummiesRevenantOdic*Vision*/Shade*Poltergeist*Druj

* Indicates a stationary monster. If the encounterisn't appropriate, replace with manscorpions (inswamp) or hill giants (anywhere else). Grab grass isfound only in swamps.

Wandering undead: In this adventure, thecharacters may encounter many moreundead at one time than usual. Adjust thenumber of creatures encountered to fit theparty's size, power, and location.

Korbundar: If characters encounter thiscreature (see the Korbundar's Lair sectionfor details), the dragon makes one aerial pass,using only its breath. This encounter shouldharass the characters, but shouldn't causeserious damage. Also, don't let the characterskill the dragon.

Manscorpions: These creatures are usuallyfound in the swamp, although charactersmay encounter them in roving bands. Theyare tough, treacherous, and highly intelli-gent. These creatures may often try to out-smart the characters. For example, they mayfalsely surrender in hopes of luring the char-acters within range of their tails.

Note that in all monster statistics given in thisadventure, "WR" stands for Wrestling Rat-ing.

Adventure BackgroundStart the adventure by having King Ericall ofNorwold ask the characters to investigate theloss of communications with a distant moun-tain dominion, the Barony of Twolakes Vale.(A king from one of your own campaigndominions may make the request. Back-ground on King Ericall is given in Compan-ion adventure CM1.)

The barony, which is ruled by Baron SirMaltus Fharo, has sent no taxes, caravans, ormessages in several months. A small body oftroops sent by the king to investigate has notreturned. At this time, Ericall doesn't havethe resources to send a large body of troops,so he is asking the characters to go to the bar-ony, find out what's wrong, and if possible,restore contact. The king gives the charactersa royal warrant and permission to act in hisname.

Sphere of Death

The problem in Twolakes Vale is actuallymuch more serious than Ericall realizes. Thedevelopments there threaten to overtake all of

Norwold, as well as the empire of Thyatis. Asecret gate to the Sphere of Death has beenopened in Twolakes Vale, and unspeakablehorrors are emerging and spreading outwardfrom the barony.

It's up to the characters to determine whoor what opened the gate. They must alsoclose the gate forever.

The characters learn about the gate andthe creatures that opened it through a seriesof adventures that take place in the barony.These adventures can occur in any order youwish, so you must know the backgroundmaterial well. Although the characters couldprobably succeed in this adventure by usingonly their combat skills, you should occasion-ally hint at the undercurrent of greater cam-paign events while the adventure is beingplayed.

The characters should not actually enterthe Sphere of Death in this adventure; theirgoal is to close the gate. Twolakes Vale holdsonly an inflow portal from the sphere. Con-sider any character who actually reaches theSphere of Death as killed (or at least removedfrom the campaign until other characters canlaunch a formal rescue operation).

Undead creatures, many never before seenby the characters, are emerging from theSphere of Death into the barony. Other crea-tures, such as liches and nightshades, havealso used the portal from the sphere to enterthe campaign world. No matter how thisadventure turns out, there will be plenty ofundead around to keep life interesting for along time!

The Deathcloud

As the characters approach the barony, theysee a mysterious black cloud hanging over theland. The cloud has shrouded the entire bar-ony in a horrible, endless night, and is slowlyblighting all it covers. Also, the deathcloud isgrowing, threatening to envelope the landsoutside the barony.

emanates from a strange magi-

Die Roll Monster

3


cal item called the deathstone, which camefrom the Sphere of Death. The deathstone isthe key to the adventure, as the characterscan't close the gate to the Sphere of Death(even with wish) unless the deathstone is bro-ken.

The bottom of the deathcloud comes nocloser to the ground than 50 feet. The clouddoesn't enter caves, houses, or buildings.Because the cloud causes a perpetual night,the characters have a hard time seeing wherethe cloud originates.

Characters beneath the cloud can see a dis-tance of only 120 feet during daylight hours.At night, vision is reduced to 0 feet. Thecharacters can never see normally when theyare within the cloud. Infravision cannot pen-etrate the cloud, but a truesight spell worksnormally (for example, a cleric standing onthe ground could see 120 feet into the cloud).Deathcloud vision effects extend into theethereal plane.

Any character who enters the cloud itselftakes 10 points of damage for each round he isin the cloud. If the character makes a savingthrow vs. spells, he takes only 1 point of dam-

age. A protection from evil spell completelyblocks the cloud's damage effect.

The Unholy TrioThe Atlantean mage Wazor, acting in concertwith an evil cleric, Ulslime the Chaosar, cre-ated a gate to the Sphere of Death. The clericUlslime made a pact with a being from theSphere of Death that allowed for the openingof the gate through which the new and horri-fying undead now creep.

The creatures from the Sphere of Deathgave Ulslime and his companions (the mageWazor, and Korbundar the dragon) the death-stone that has created the deathcloud. Kor-bundar, a large blue dragon, has beenentrusted with the deathstone, and guards it inhis lair on the island in the center of Westlake(the deathcloud originates, then, from thisisland). All three of these NPCs have beenmade immune to the deathcloud's effects.They are also immune to the effects of undead.

The creatures from the Sphere of Deathalso gave Ulslime two powerful magic items:a scroll of portals and a rod of the wyrm.

Together with new creatures called deathleeches (which came through the gate to servethe trio), Ulslime has taken over the barony.The Baron Maltus Fharo was possessed by aghost (via its magic jar ability); his castle thenfell to Ulslime and his evil minions.

Encounter OverviewEach of the major encounter areas isexplained below. Remember that it's not nec-essary for the characters to experience theseencounters in any set order.The Barony of Twolakes Vale: This sectionoutlines the makeup of the barony before theinvasion of the undead. You can use this sec-tion as a model for developing other baroniesin your campaign.

Skullheim Castle: This section outlinesSkullheim Castle, which is Baron Fharo'sstronghold. Allow the characters to playthrough these encounters with a minimum ofguidance. The characters will probablyinvestigate, and then raid or attack the castle.

While investigating, the characters shouldlearn of the deathstone. They should also dis-cover that the only known way to destroy thestone is by smashing it with a magical itemcalled the hammer of life.

Westlake Road: This section outlines whatcharacters learn by investigating in the vil-lages that are connected by this road.Korbundar's Lair: This section outlinescharacters' encounters on the small island inWestlake on which Korbundar the dragonmakes his home. The deathstone is locatedhere.Miasma Swamp: This section outlines anarea that was once filled with rolling wood-lands and large ponds. The characters mayfind the various parts of the hammer of life inthis area.Highpass Tower: This section describes thetower that guards the pass to the eastern sec-tion of Twolakes Vale. Wazor the mage makeshis home here, along with several powerfulguards.Gollim village: This section outlines a smallmining village that is under siege by Ul-slime's evil minions. Some remnants ofBaron Fharo's forces are still holed up here.The characters must try to help the villagersescape the clutches of the undead.Temple of the Stars: This section outlines aruined mountain temple that is now the homeof Ulslime. The gateway from the Sphere ofDeath is located here.

4

THE BARONY OF TWOLAKES VALE: DOMINION OUTLINE

You can use the information givenbelow when you create baronies foryour campaign. Note, however, thatTwolakes Vale is almost twice as rich asan average barony with an equal popu-lation.Ruler: His Excellency, Sir Maltus Fharo, Baron

Strongholds: Skullheim Castle, Highpass Tower,Gollim Tower

Population and Economy

TABLE 3BARONY OF TWOLAKES VALE VILLAGES

Dominion Expenses

Villages

AlicorBolConnaDublaEandoFraggi

GollimSkullheim

No. ofFamilies

1002525505075

15025

Industries

fishing/farminglogging/farminggourmet fish/farmingfishing/farmingfishing/farmingfishing/farming

(some logging)lead mines/farmingfarming

Population and Industries:

Village Families Industry

AlicorBolConnaDublaEandoFraggi

GollimSkullheim

1002525505075

15025

fishing/farminglogging/farminggourmet fish/farmingfishing/farmingfishing/farmingfishing/farming

(some logging)lead mines/farmingfarming

Royal taxes (20%):Tithes (10%):Specialist costs:Troop costs:

Total

To Treasury:

1,900 gp/month950 gp/month

1,875 gp/month3,100 gp/month

7,825 gp/month

1,675 gp/month

Dominion Income

Standard income:Tax income:Resource income:

LoggingFishingGourmet fishLead

Income = 500 x 8:

Subtotal:Total: 9,500

5,000 gp/month500 gp/month

(x1)(x2)(x2)(x3)

4,000 gp/month

9,500 gp/monthCash: 950

5


Barony troopsThe Barony of Twolakes Vale has 220 foot soldiersand 70 horse soldiers. This can be considered oneforce and is assigned a Basic Force Rating (BFR)according to the War Machine rules in the Com-panion Set.

Troops BFR Class BR Number

Baronial 99 Good 121 290

Armory

20 crossbows 150 shields100 cases of 50 leather armor

30 bolts 20 chain armor50 silver bolts 10 plate armor

100 javelins10 two-handed 2 swords +1

swords 12 bolts +215 bastard swords 1 shield +130 longswords50 shortswords Stables:50 daggers15 battle axes 50 warhorses, light20 hand axes 40 warhorses, heavy10 maces 25 horses, draft

100 spears 12 mules50 lances 12 carts, two-wheeled

6 wagons, four-wheeled

Troop BreakdownNo. of

troops Pay per/officers month

Crossbow troops 60/2 4 gp

Light foot soldiers 100/3 2 gpHeavy foot soldiers 40/1 3 gpLight horse soldiers 40/1 10 gpHeavy horse soldiers 30/1 20 gpBoltmen (light foot soldiers) 20 2 gpArtillerist 1 750 gpOfficers 8 variableArmorers 6 100 gpSmiths 2 25 gp

Military Notes

All Heavy Horse and part of the Light Horse willalways be in the castle.

All horse, light foot, and heavy foot soldierscarry shields of ironbound leather.

All horsemen use longswords. All swords carriedas secondary weapons are shortswords. Light footcarry longswords, heavy foot carry shortswords.

One officer is required per 40 men. The baronpays twice normal for type, and officers are usuallyat least one level above the troops' average level.Some of the castle and barony staff serve as offi-cers, adding the officer pay to their incomes.

Ballista crews (boltmen) man the various artil-lery pieces and are commanded by an artillerist,but are otherwise considered light foot.

One armorer is required per 50 men. One smithis required per 50 mules or horses. The number ofspecialists given here are the minimum needed formilitary requirements.

Peasant foot soldiers are armed with spears andshields. Peasant bowmen are armed with shortbowsand daggers. Additional peasants are armed withimprovised weapons.

Total AC Weaponspay

240 gp 5 heavy crossbowshortsword

200 gp 6 longsword dagger120 gp 4 shortsword spear400 gp 6 longsword lance600 gp 2 longsword lance40 gp 7 shortsword

750 gp 7 shortsword100 gp variable as troops600 gp 9 shortsword50 gp 9 shortsword

6


Baronial Troop Postings

TABLE 4NORMAL TROOP POSTINGS

CastleTowerAlicorBolConnaDublaEandoFraggiGollim

HH LH HF LF

30 20 40 80— 10 — —_ _ _ _— — — —

— — — —— — — —

— — — —— 1 — 20

CB

4010——

—

——10

BM PF*

20 10

— 60— 10— 10— 30— 30— 50— 100

PB*

15

40151520202550

small and so far from the king's court. The baronalso wanted a sage, but couldn't find one at anacceptable cost.

There are four squires in the household, butthey are receiving board and training in return forfavors from theirdirect cost.

Barony Positions

BaronyPosition

Magistrate2 Sheriffs10 Provosts6 Wardens

Total

local households. There is no

Cost

200200200120

720

Total 30 40 40 100 60 20 300 200* Not a standing force, but can be called if necessary.HH = heavy horse LH = light horseHF = heavy foot LF = light footCB = crossbowmen BM = ballista crewsPF = peasant foot PB = peasant bowmen

Barony StaffAs the Barony of Twolakes Vale is rather small, thebaron has used his Charisma to install personalretainers in positions of authority (which signifi-cantly cuts his costs!).

Specialist Positions

HouseholdPosition

SeneschalMagistChaplainSteward3 Smiths

Cost***

1,00075

Total 1,075

The seneschal position is held by a lesser noble, theBaronet Guy of Brad, an old adventuring comradeof the baron. Like most of the baron's personalfriends, he has a special arrangement throughwhich he receives favors (like free curing) andoccasional access to barony funds, all in lieu of amonthly income.

Because the barony is so small, the steward alsodoubles as a reeve.

The smiths are those required to tend the bar-ony's stabled mounts.

The barony has no herald, again because it is so

The magistrate is the local law. There should be atleast one magistrate per 1,000 families. A verypoor baron could perform a magistrate's functionshimself by spending about one week per monthhearing cases.

The sheriffs also receive special benefits from thebaron instead of cash.

A provost should be provided for every 50 fami-lies in a barony.

One warden serves as a local watch officer foreach village. In the village of Skullheim, the bailiffsrotate this responsibility.

Castle Positions

CastlePosition Cost

MarshallCastellanGuard Captain4 Bailiffs 80

Total 80

The castellan and guard captain positions could becombined in a poor barony.

The bailiffs, like the wardens and other officialsof the barony, can double as military leaders intimes of war.

Total Specialist Cost

Type Cost

HouseholdCastleBarony

107580

720

Total 1875

7

*

*

*

SKULLHEIM CASTLE: KEEP OF CLUES

Skullheim Castle, the stronghold of BaronMaltus Fharo, is located in the village ofSkullheim in the southern end of the Baronyof Twolakes Vale.

If the characters investigate this strong-hold, they may discover that:* the castle was surprised and taken

quickly by undead.* a high-level cleric apparently led the

attack on the castle.* a wizard and dragon were also involved

in the attack.* the cloud that hangs over the barony is

produced by an item called the death-stone.

Don't allow the characters to learn the loca-tion of Korbundar's Lair or the Temple ofthe Stars while they are adventuring in thisstronghold, however.

Note that almost all treasure has beencleaned out of the castle and taken by theundead to Korbundar's lair. Any treasurethat remains is listed in the encounter key.

Castle BackgroundMap 1 shows the location of Skullheim Castlein relation to the rest of the barony. The castlesits on an island bordered by the river thatflows southward from Westlake. The island isliterally only a few yards wider than the cas-tle's outer walls; the river flows in a ragingtorrent along the castle's west wall. Charac-ters cannot swim across this river. They cannavigate the river on the eastern side of thecastle with some difficulty.

To the south of the castle, the streams joininto a river that flows peacefully out of thebarony.

Several warehouses and wharves, locatedonly a few hundred feet from the castlegrounds' main entrance, lie at the southernend of the island. These warehouses make upthe northern end of the major trade route thatleads into Twolakes Vale.

Approaching the Island

Use DM Map 2 as the characters approachthe castle area.

If characters approach along the river, theysee the wharf area first. The low, outer castlewall looms behind it. The deathcloud hangsheavily over the entire area, casting an omi-

nous pall over the land.Small boats, which the characters can use

to reach the island, are moored along the riv-erbanks in this area. If characters investigatethe warehouses in the wharf area, they findthat all are deserted.

Entering the Castle Grounds

Use DM Map 3 for a closer view of theSkullheim Castle.

The characters may be familiar with thegeneral layout of the castle's outer walls andinner bailey, but they aren't likely to knowmuch about the castle's interior. The outerwall is designed to slow attackers and keepsiege machines and magic-users at bay; thereare not enough men posted at the castle todefend this wall.

The gates and portcullises in each of thegatehouses are open, although the castle'sdefenders may close them if they have time.The inner wall defenses are bastions ratherthan full towers; characters find little of inter-est there.

Monster Defenses

Within the castle, Ulslime has posted a smallforce of manscorpions and hill giants that is

supposed to stop anyone trying to enter thestronghold. You may manipulate this mon-ster force in any way you wish, including useof the War Machine rules.

For example, the manscorpions could be intwo groups, some hidden in the outer gate-house and the rest behind the inner gates.When the party gets halfway across the outeryard, the manscorpions can attack from twodirections while the giants hurl boulders fromthe battlements. The manscorpions' lairsshould be in the inner barbican towers.

Hill Giants (4): AC 4; HD 8; hp 55 each;MV 120' (80'); #AT 1 weapon; D 2-16,3-18 with missile; Save F8; ML 8; AL N;WR 27; XP 650 each

The hill giants have 10,000 gp in mixed trea-sure. You may decide where this treasure islocated.

Manscorpions (9): AC 1; HD 8*; hp 42each; MV 240' (80'); #AT 2; D 3-18/1-10+ poison; Save F8; ML 10; AL C; WR 25;XP 1,200 each

The manscorpions have 20,000 gp in trea-sure. You may decide where this treasure islocated.

Manscorpion Cleric: HD 8*****; hp 45;MV 240' (80'); #AT 2; D 3-18/1-10 + poi-son; Save C8; ML 10; AL C; WR 25; XP2,300

This creature will use silence spells to hinderenemy spellcasters.

If the characters decide to bypass the cas-tle, you may have the monsters attack any-way. You might also have Korbunda swoopdown from the deathcloud to surprise thecharacters. If you have the dragon attack theparty, make sure the encounter does no morethan weaken and harass the characters.

Entering the Castle

Characters may enter the castle eitherthrough the main doors, or through anunsealed trapdoor in the southwest tower.The windows and arrow slits are either shut-tered or too small for any character to getthrough. Of course, characters above level 15will probably have several ideas how they canget into the castle.

Encounter Key1. NORTHWEST TOWER

la. First floor: This 20-foot-diameter roomcontains a large bed, clothes racks, and extraarmor of leather and mail. Swords andshields, hanging between candle sconces,decorate the walls. Broken stools, chests, and

8

torn clothing are strewn about the room.A skeleton in plate armor lies along the

room's north wall. The skeleton is that ofBagamar, the Bailiff of the Northwest Tower.There is no treasure in this room.

1b. Second floor: Broken chests, weapons,silver coins, and torn clothing are strewnabout this room. A massive four-poster bedstands near the north wall.

The bodies of two men lie twisted on thefloor. Both are unarmored.

This room was the living quarters ofHeinrich Altmark, Castellan of Skullheim.He was killed in battle outside the keep whenit was invaded.

The two bodies on the floor are deathleeches (see the New Monsters listing in theEpilogue for details). They attack the charac-ters soon after they enter the room, trying togain surprise, if possible.

The coins on the floor are worth 50 gp.

Death Leeches (2): AC 7; HD 8*; hp 55, 50;MV 240' (80'); #AT 1 + special; D 1-10/round; Save F8; ML 10; AL C; WR 25;XP 1,200 each

1c. Third floor: Weapons, clothing, armorscraps, and broken furniture litter this room.The skeletons of several guards, dressed inchain mail, are scattered about on the floor.

A heavy set of wooden steps leads to ametal trapdoor in the roof. A metal latch barsthe door. This door opens onto the upper bat-tlements.

2. NORTHEAST TOWER

2a. First floor: Chests, weapons, wall hang-ings, and a massive bed decorate the room.Broken statues litter the floor.

Sarrad, Bailiff of the Northeast Tower,lived here. He collected rare and beautifulstatues that he kept in chests. The most valu-able pieces are now in Korbundar's lair.

2b. Second floor: Heavy drapes and silk dec-orate this room, which is littered with bro-ken, empty chests. Most of the furniture isalso broken.

Roderick Ironrod, Guard Captain to thebaron, lived here. Roderick, who was well-known for his courtly and military ability,was the last fighter killed in the attack of theundead. He was actually struck down by thebaron during the fighting in area 10.

2c. Third floor: This guardroom has obvi-ously been ransacked. Four bodies in chainmail are sprawled on the floor.

Ulslime turned the four guardsmen hereinto zombies. They attack as soon as charac-ters enter.

Zombies (4): AC 4; HD 2; hp 9 each; MV60' (20'); #AT 1; D 1-8; ML 12; AL C;WR 8; XP 20 each

3. SOUTHWEST TOWER

3a. First floor: A skeleton, dressed in leatherarmor and holding a whip in its hand, lies onthe floor here. Broken chests, smashed furni-ture, and torn clothing are strewn about. Arack along the west wall holds six whips.

Lemas, Bailiff of the Southwest Tower,lived here. He was an expert with whips.

3b. Second floor: Fine drapes, beautiful car-pets, and carved wooden chests are scatteredabout this room. A small chest lies broken inthe west corner. Most of the furniture hasbeen smashed.

Jarred, Chaplain of Skullheim, lived here.He was in the village of Gollim with the Bar-onet Sir Guy when Ulslime took the castle.

3c. Third floor: This guardroom wasdestroyed by fire during the attack. Charredwood and bits of cloth are all that remain.The trapdoor leading to the roof is open.

4. SOUTHEAST TOWER

4a. First floor: Hanging weapons andshields line the walls of this room. A beautifulset of full plate armor lies in disarray againstthe wall. Along the southeast wall, a hugemirror hangs above a small bed, which holdsa skeleton.

Mogus, Bailiff of the Southeast Tower,lived here. He was a simple man and had fewpossessions. His most prized possession, amirror of life saving still hangs here (see theNew Magic Items section for details). If char-acters cast detect magic on the mirror, theimage of Mogus appears in it. If characterssuccessfully cast dispel magic against 20thlevel magic, the mirror restores life and formto the skeleton: Mogus appears in the flesh.

You may use Mogus as a source of informa-tion for the characters.

4b. Second floor: This room is empty.

4c. Third floor: This room is empty.

5. GREAT HALL

Banners, wall candles, hangings, andexpensive carpets adorn this huge hall.Tables and benches are stacked along thewalls. A great wooden throne, restingupon a dais, stands along the north wall.

A man dressed in plate armor andshield stands on the throne, his sworddrawn. Ten men in leather armor, armedwith bows and shortswords, surround thedais. The men in leather begin movingstiffly toward you.

All ten bowmen are death leeches. Theyattack as soon as characters enter the hall,changing form as they charge.

The armored man on the throne is BaronFharo. Wazor seized his mind with a magicjar spell and betrayed his castle to Ulslime'sforces. Wazor then gave the baron to a cha-otic ghost that serves Ulslime. The ghost usesits own magic jar ability to hold the baron.

The ghost remains on the ethereal plane,appearing as a bundle of rags with a black,glowing candle beside it. If characters hold,or free the baron, the ghost leaves the etherealplane and attacks the nearest character.

The baron does not leave this hall. Heattacks any character who comes withinrange. (See the Non-Player Characters sec-tion for details on Fharo.)

Death Leeches (10): AC 7; HD 8*; hpeach; MV 240' (80'); #AT 1 + special; D1-10 round; Save F8; ML 10; AL C; WR25; XP 1,200 each

Ghost: AC -2; HD 14****; hp 65; MV 90'(30'); #AT touch/gaze; D age 10-40 +paralysis; Save F14; ML 10; AL C; ecto-plasmic net, magic jar, +2 weapons to hit,save vs. turn; spell immunities; XP 5,150

9

40

SKULLHEIM CASTLE: KEEP OF CLUES

If characters rescue the baron, he is friendlyto the characters and gives them any informa-tion that he can.

6. STEWARD'S ROOM

Beautiful hangings, carpets, and a shortbed decorate this room. Numerous candlesconces, alternating with silvered mirrors,line the walls. Several broken chests liescattered about the room.

Suddenly, a cockatrice appears frombehind a chest and flutters franticallytoward you, rolling its eyes and cluckingwildly.

Ammylar, Steward to the Baron, was seizedhere. Wazor cursed her to take the form of acockatrice. Distraught and mistreated by thecastle guards, Ammylar rushes toward anyopen door. Although her touch doesn't turnanyone to stone, her bite still causes 1d6points of damage. A remove curse spellrestores her completely.

Ammylar: AC 6; NM; hp 4; MV 90' (30')/180' (60') flying; #AT 1; D 1-6; SaveNM; ML 5 (8 in human form); AL L

Even when Ammylar is in cockatrice form,her mental attributes are still human. If char-acters kill the cockatrice, Ammylar regainsher original form. If revived, however, shereturns to cockatrice form until the curse isremoved.

Ammylar knows that a dragon, cleric, andwizard are working together to destroy thebarony. She also knows that an item known asthe hammer of life will destroy somethingcalled the deathstone. She can tell the charac-ters that the hammer was broken up by thewizard and given to the manscorpions. Sheknows that the dragon has the stone. Shehasn't actually seen either item.

7. MARSHALL'S ROOM

Hundreds of weapons, almost all in perfectcondition, clutter this otherwise normalroom. Most are adorned with precious metalsand jewels. Various pieces of armor are alsoscattered about here.

Amanda of Alexis, Baileymaster and Mar-shall of Skullheim, lived here. Her prowessand ability with all known weapons allowedher to hold these positions, even at a youngage.

Using the last charges on her ring of safety,Amanda was able to escape to the nearbymountains during the invasion. You candecide where she is located now. See the Non-Player Characters section for more detailsabout Amanda.

The weapons collection here is worth10,000 gp.

8. KITCHEN

Large fireplaces line the west wall of thisroom. There are plenty of pots, pans, andutensils here, but there is no food. Dust anddirt cover everything.

The small staircase along the north wallleads down to the dungeon.

9. BARON'S BEDROOM

Draperies, chests, clothes racks, silver candlesconces, and a huge, wooden bed adorn thisroom. Two large silver mirrors flank a paint-ing of the baron on the north wall. The roomappears to have been searched, but not ran-sacked.

Ulslime stays here when he visits the castle.He keeps about 6,000 gp of mixed treasurestored here.

10. COUNCIL CHAMBER

A large, richly carved wooden table, sur-rounded by ornate, highbacked woodenchairs, dominates this room. Motionlesshuman figures, dressed in robes andleather armor, are seated at the table, fourto a side and one at each end.

Heavy draperies line the walls; severalchests are pushed up against the draper-ies.

This room was the baron's and seneschal'sworkroom. The chests contain the recordsand details of the barony.

The ten men in the chairs are actuallydeath leeches that are truly dead. If charac-ters touch or disturb the figures, they crum-ple and return to their original forms. Thenthey begin to rot rapidly away.

Behind the drapes along the west wall is theskeleton of Roderick (see area 2b).

11. MAGIST'S ROOM

The door to this room is burned andtwisted from its frame. An enormous messof materials litters the floor here. Glass,clay shards, wood, stone, and metal frag-ments lie all over. Everything in the roomhas been broken 6r tossed about.

This room was occupied by the MagistMaryan. Wazor and his apprentices carefullysearched this room, and then just as carefullydestroyed it. Wazor placed a cursed scroll(your choice) in the mess. Any character whopicks up the scroll uncovers and acti-

vates a symbol of fear. Both are 25th levelmagic.

If characters carefully search the debrishere, they find a fragment of parchment thathas the following note written on it:

" . . . disturbance lies . . . ward, I am . . .it. It is as if the fabric of the world . . . rippedasunder. I will ask the baron if I may . . .though I do not yet have enough knowledge

12. TREASURY

The metal door to this room stands twistedand bent from its frame. Empty shelves linethe walls; a few coins of copper, silver, andgold lie about the floor.

The barony's treasure was stored here.Most of it has been given to Korbundar bythe undead. The inner walls of this room aremade of 1-inch-thick lead.

13. GUARDROOM

A few benches and a table lie overturned inthis guardroom. Eating utensils, plates, andgoblets are scattered about. A few swords,daggers, and shields also lie here.

14. GUESTROOM

This richly-appointed room has been ran-sacked, and most of its furnishings have beendestroyed.

Sir Guy, the seneschal, stayed in this roomwhen he visited the castle.

15. STABLE

A horse skeleton stands in each stall of thisstable. These skeletons are neither mobilenor undead. Stacked bales of straw and sacksof grain lie in the southeast corner of thisarea.

16. TACK ROOM

Rows of saddles, stacks of leather hides, brid-les, horse barding, blankets, tanning materi-als, and workbenches fill this room.

17. ARMORYThe metal door to this building is blocked bya metal crossbar. See the "Armory" listing inthe Barony of Twolakes Vale section for a listof this room's contents.

18. SMITHY

Forges fill the eastern half of this building.Armor, partially finished weapons, and metalbars of iron and lead are scattered throughoutthe room. The room is dark, and the forgesare cold.

10

19. BARRACKS

Long rows of bunks line the walls here. Manyskeletons lie in twisted poses throughout theroom. Weapons and armor lie scatteredabout.

Most of the baron's soldiers were caught bycloudkill spells released by Wazor. A few ofthe soldiers escaped the east and took refugein Gollim.

20. STOREHOUSES

These buildings contain large supplies ofgrain, cheeses, hardbread, wines, and othertypes of food.

21. WELLHOUSE

This building contains a well and cistern.The water is fit to drink.

22. BARBICAN

Two large, 25-foot-tall towers flank a gatewayhere, which is barred by two huge, iron port-cullises. Both gates are currently up.

23. OUTER STABLES

There is nothing of interest here.

24. OUTER BARBICAN

If you want, this barbican can be manned.There is nothing unusual here.

25. OUTER WALLThis low wall is about 15 feet high: it lies 200yards from the main castle.

26. INNER WALLThis wall is 20 feet thick and 20 feet high. A5-foot-wide battlement runs along the top ofthe wall.

Dungeon Key

This dungeon was used mainly as a storagearea, although prisoners were occasionallykept here as well.

27. GUARDROOM

Stairs lead down from the castle kitchen (area8) to this room. A wall rack along one wall

contains several manacles, as well as spearsand swords.

This room is dark, although three torchsconces line the walls. A large lock hangs onthe iron gate. The keys are hanging on thewall nearby. The opening leads into a cave(area 32).

28. SECOND GUARDROOM

A skeleton, dressed in leather armor andholding a shortsword and buckler, lies crum-pled on the floor near the bars here. Thebarred gate to the east is closed, but notlocked.

29. HALLWAYFive metal doors line the east wall of this hall-way. All are closed and barred from the out-side. A latched peephole is cut into each door.The peepholes can be opened from the out-side.

The door along the west wall is made ofwood.

30. STOREROOM

The heavy, wooden door to this room islocked. The room contains casks and barrelsof food and ale. Dry rot has attacked most ofthe food, making it hardly fit to eat.

31a-d. MONSTER CELLS

Ulslime has turned these cells into traps byplacing a monster in each cell. Wazor has castillusions on the peepholes of cells 31a, 31b,and 31c. If a character looks through thepeephole of any of these cells, he sees a trea-sure trove in the cell. This illusion concealsthe monster that is actually living there.

If characters open a cell occupied by amonster, they can throw food and keep themonster at bay long enough to close the celldoor.

If a character looks into 31d, he must makea saving throw vs. turn to stone before find-ing out what is inside.

Zombies, created from the castle staff, usethe food from area 30 to feed these monsters.Ulslime doesn't know the food is going bad.

Choose a monster at random from the listbelow for cells 31a, 31b, and 31c. A basilisklives in cell 31d.

Basilisk: AC 4; HD 6+1**; hp 33; MV 60'(20'); #AT 1 bite/1 gaze; D 1-10 + petrifi-cation; Save F6; ML 9; AL N; WR 21;XP 950

_______MONSTER LIST_______

Manscorpion: AC 1; HD 8**; hp 30; MV240' (80'); #AT 2 at -4; D 3-18/1-10 + poi-son; Save F8; ML 10; AL C; WR 25; XP1,200

The manscorpion mistakes the characters forother manscorpions, unless they give them-selves away. The monster speaks first, incommon.

Carrion Crawlers (3): AC 7; HD 3+1 *; hp 16each; MC 120' (40'); #AT 8; D paralysis;Save F2; ML 9; AL N; WR 15; XP 75each

One crawler perches above the door, auto-matically surprising anyone who enters thecell.

Insect Swarms (3): AC 7; HD 3; hp 15 each;MV 30' (10'); #AT 1 each; D 2 hp each;Save NM; ML 11; AL N; XP 75 each

The swarms are mainly concentrated on agiant-sized humanoid skeleton, which isclean. The insects eagerly attack anyone whoopens the door, however. They have eaten thehill giant who used to be kept in this cell.

32. CAVE

This cave is still under construction. Tools liescattered about the floor here. Eight zombiesare slowly digging at the west wall.

The zombies attack as soon as they spot thecharacters. Two poltergeists are also here,each controlling four zombies. If a clericmakes a successful turn attempt, four of thezombies pause, and then press forward (theyare no longer controlled). If a cleric tries toturn again, ask which group he is trying toturn. If he turns the same group a secondtime, he probably destroys them.

The poltergeists also attack the charactersas soon as they enter the cave. They hurlrocks and mining tools.

Zombies (8): AC 8; HD 2; hp 9 each; MV90' (30'); #AT 1; D 1-8; Save F1; ML 12;AL C; WR 13; XP 20 each

Poltergeists (2): AC -1; HD 12****; hp 66each; MV 60' (20'); #AT 2 missiles; Dvariable + age 10 years; Save F12; ML 11;AL C; WR 31; ectoplasmic net; +2 weap-ons to hit, save vs. turn, spell immunities;XP 4,150 each

11

WESTLAKE ROAD: PEASANTS' WARNINGS

Blocks of yellow clay pave parts of this roadas it leads north from Skullheim into thebarony. If characters follow this road north,they come to the village of Alicor, which sitson the southern shore of Westlake. A largeisland rests near the center of Westlake, butcharacters cannot see it, as it is nearly 3miles away. This island is the home of Kor-bundar the dragon.

The Peasants' TaleThe peasants who live in Alicor are fright-ened and are unwilling to say much to thecharacters. They will grudgingly give foodand shelter, however, to any badly woundedcharacters. If the characters stay in Alicor,the peasants hurry them indoors as quickly aspossible.

If characters ask about the undead inva-sion of Skullheim, one old man comes forth totell the characters what the peasants know.

"Not many survived, I can tell you that. Afew got away, and took off to the east, byboat. There weren't many boats left, either.This huge, blue dragon—biggest I everseen—came swooping out of that cloud upthere and torched most of the boats . . .turned them to cinders!"

The peasants explain that the dragon keepsthem from fishing in the lake; they are forcedto eke what they can out of the blighted fieldsthat surround the village.

If characters ask for more informationabout the dragon, the peasants talk about itssize and power; they claim it appears withoutwarning, screaming out of the black cloud toterrorize them. (The more this sounds likesuperstitious babble to the players, the bet-ter.)

If asked, the peasants also tell the charac-ters that they think the dragon comes fromthe north. If characters ask about the islandin the center of the lake, the peasants knownothing.

Investigating the Island

If the characters decide to investigate theisland in the center of Westlake, they mustfigure out a way to get there. The charactersmay carry boats from Skullheim Castle (therapids between Alicor and Skullheim are toodangerous to be navigated). The charactersmay also construct their own rafts, but theyshould take care to keep their work concealedfrom the dragon.

Allow the players to come up with theirown solution to this problem; if it sounds rea-sonable, allow it.

Once characters set out for the island, go tothe Korbundar's Lair section.

Following the Lake RoadIf the characters go on to the village of Bol,they find that the peasants there act much thesame as those in Alicor. The peasants advisethe characters to continue on the lake road,because the swamp land between Bol andConna has been infested with giant monsterswielding huge poleaxes. The road near thelake, they say, is firmer and safer.

If the characters go on to Conna, go to theMiasma Swamp section.

If the characters go to Dubla, theyencounter more helpless peasants. These vil-lagers tell the characters about a great dragonthat flew in from the south, destroyed theirboats and told them that Skullheim Castlehad been taken over by Lord Ulslime.

The Dubla village elders went north to theoutpost tower in Highpass two months ago toget help from the garrison there, the peasantsexplain, but they haven't returned.

The peasants tell the characters that thebest way to get to Eando, Fraggi, and Gollimis by the Highpass road; the terrain off-roadis very rugged and dangerous, and has beengetting worse. When the characters reachHighpass Tower, go to the Highpass Towersection.

If the characters go on to Eando or Fraggi,they find the same situation: isolated, leader-less peasants who have been terrorized by ablue dragon. The peasants in these villageshave been allowed to fish along the shore ofEastlake, however. In both villages, peasantswho have strayed too far into the woods havebeen slain by giants or some other terriblebeasts. The peasants also claim that spirits ofthe dead walk the vale by night.

Make sure that the characters don't stum-ble onto the trail that leads to the Temple ofthe Stars when they are in Fraggi. They canonly learn of this trail while in Gollim.

From Fraggi, characters can safely reachGollim by land. If characters take precau-tions to keep from being spotted by thedragon, they can travel to Gollim by boat.When the characters reach Gollim, go to theGollim Village section.

12

KORBUNDAR'S LAIR: WESTLAKE ISLE

Korbundar is the large blue dragon that hasjoined forces with Ulslime and Wazor to ter-rorize the Barony of Twolakes Vale. Kor-bundar protects the deathstone thatgenerates the deathcloud.

In exchange for Korbundar's help,Ulslime has created a large number ofundead to help build the dragon's lair, whichis located on a small island in the center ofWestlake. Korbundar intends to build a newhoard on this island, starting with some ofthe barony's treasure.

Encounter Key(Use DM Map 4.)

Korbundar's island, which lies in the centerof Westlake, is roughly 350 feet square. Dirtand rock have been piled into a mound thatrises up from the center of the island. All butthe southern side of the island rises up tosheer, 100-foot-high cliffs.

The land at the southern end of the islandgently slopes up from the water. The landsurrounding the cliffs that face out to the east,north, and west is strewn with huge bouldersand thick, gnarled vegetation.

1. SOUTHERN TREES

At the southern end of the island, six treesstand before a beautiful marble staircase thatleads up to an ornate cave entrance. Threepairs of matched statues flank the stairs. Thestatues at the bottom of the stairs are jade, thenext two are gold, and the two closest to thecave entrance are marble. A marble and jadearchway frames the cave opening.

The six trees are massmorphed flyinghydrae. They return to normal form andattack as soon as character passes the marblestatues, or as soon as any character attacksthe trees. If the characters are careless, thehydrae most likely attack from the rear just asthe statues along the staircase are activated(see area 2).

Hydrae (6): AC 7; HD 6; hp 48 each; MV120' (40')/60' flying; #AT 6, 3 if swoop-ing; D 1-10 each; Save F6; ML 11; AL N;WR 21; XP 525 each

Each of these creatures has six heads. Thehydrae are not protected from the death-cloud, so they are careful not to fly into it.Wazor has charmed hydrae, and they obeyKorbundar's orders to attack or withdraw.They obey no other commands.

2. SIX STATUESThe statues that line the marble stairway areactually living statues. The jade statues arejade-covered crystal statues that attack assoon as any character sets foot on the stairs.These statues do not stop attacking until allcharacters are off the island. The jade on thestatues cracks and falls off in worthless shardsas these creatures move to attack.

The golden statues are actually iron cov-ered with a thin coat of gold.

Each pair of statues attacks only after thenext lowest set along the stairway is destroyedor halted, or if attacked first by the charac-ters.

Crystal (jade) statues (2): AC 4; HD 3; hp23, 15; MV 90' (30'); #AT 2; D 1-6/1-6;Save F3; ML 11; AL L; WR 15; XP 35each

Iron (gold) statues (2): AC 2; HD 4*; hp 34,22; MV 30'(10'); #AT 2; D 1-8/1-8 + spe-cial; Save F4; ML 11; AL N; WR 17; XP125 each

Rock (marble) statues (2): AC 4; HD 5*; hp40, 35; MV 60' (20'); #AT 2; D 2-12/2-12; Save F5; ML 11; AL C; WR 19; XP300 each

3. ARCHWAYCarefully bed runes mark this marble andjade archway.

A symbol of discord, placed by Wazor, pro-tects this archway. The rest of the inscription,which may be translated with a spell or by athief, reads: "Here lies the Guardian of theGate."

The symbol completely seals the archwayagainst passage—walking through the archallows no saving throw against the effect. Asaving throw is allowed against the effect ifthe symbol is touched or read by a characterwho can cast magic-user spells or by a thief oflevel 10 or higher. If the saving throw suc-

ceeds, the character recognizes the symbol asa high-level magical ward. Unless the charac-ter is familiar with the spell, however, theexact nature of the ward cannot be deter-mined. The symbol's effects are permanentuntil dispelled against 25th level magic.

In play, assume that any dispel magicattempt is successful (but roll secretly any-way). As this symbol will probably have char-acters attacking each other, this is a goodplace for unaffected characters to use thewrestling system. Encourage it.

4. ENTRANCE CHAMBERThe walls of this chamber rise 70 feet to arough ceiling. The smell of carrion fills theair; it is strongest at the cave opening to theright of the archway.

Jumbled piles of statues, draperies, silks,and satins lie about the chamber. Utensils ofbrass, copper, and silver are also scatteredabout.

If characters do not immediately move toinvestigate or guard the opening to the rightafter they enter this area, they lose first roundinitiative to the undead that swarm from thatopening (area 5) to attack.

This room was to contain Korbundar'slesser treasures. The items that are here noware worth a total of 5,000 gp.

5. UNDEAD ROOMThis rough-hewn room contains nothing buta foul, intense smell and dozens of undead!

These undead are Korbundar's laborers.They clamber toward area 4 when the char-acters enter that chamber.

Death Leeches (10): AC 7; HD 8*; hp 40each; MV 240' (80'); #AT 1 + special; D1-10/round; Save F8; ML 10; AL C; WR25; XP 1,200 each

Ghouls (10): AC 6; HD 2*; hp 9 each; MV90' (30'); #AT 2 claws/1 bite; D 1-3/1-3/1-3 + special; Save F2; AL C; WR 13; XP25 each

Skeletons (10): AC 7; HD 1; hp 4 each; MV60' (20'); #AT 1 weapon; D weapon type;Save Fl; ML 12; AL C; WR 11; XP 10each

Zombies (10): AC 8; HD 2; hp 9 each; MV90' (30'); #AT 1 claw; D 1-8; Save Fl;ML 12; AL C; WR 13; XP 20 each

6. DEATHSTONE ROOMA large rock, weighing at least 500 pounds,lies in the center of this room. The rock lookslike a massive chunk of coal.

This deathstone is false and has no value.

13

It doesn't detect as evil. If characters move ordestroy the rock, all characters within 20 feetof it are exposed to a symbol of death.

A secret door in the north wall of thischamber leads to area 7, the location of thereal deathstone.

7. SECRET ROOM

A large rock, which looks like a huge piece ofcoal, rests on the floor in the center of thisroom.

This rock is the real deathstone. It isintensely evil and radiates an invisible death-cloud effect on any character within a 10-foot-radius of it (this effect appears as blacksmoke if a character casts a detect invisiblespell).

The deathstone is guarded by a shade,which has a 90% chance to surprise the char-acters as it moves out of the wall to attack. Itsfirst victim must make a saving throw vs.death or die immediately.

Shade: AC 0; HD 11****; hp 70; MV 120'(40'); #AT 1 dagger; D 3-12; Save Til;ML 9; AL C; WR 30; fear, save vs. turn,needs magic weapons to hit; XP 3,500

No attack of any physical or magical natureother than a blow from the hammer of life,has any effect on the stone. For a character toproperly strike the stone with the hammer, hemust stand within the invisible deathcloudemanating from the stone and strike at anArmor Class of 10. A single hit destroys boththe deathstone and the hammer, and leaves agiant black, 3-inch-diameter opal (worth3,000 gp).

Any character who takes the opal is imme-diately cursed (no saving throw), and loses 10hit points from his maximum hit points for as

long as he keeps the stone. The opal allows itspossessor to control up to 50 hit dice ofundead (for purposes of turning, the charac-ter has a clerical level equal to half his currentlevel).

The curse of the opal is transferred as soonas the owner gives it away (the 10 lost hitpoints are immediately regained).

8. KORBUNDAR'S CHAMBER

Great wall hangings adorn this cavern,giving it an air of decadent luxury. Bluescales from Korbundar's hide are scat-tered about crushed piles of silk and vel-vet. Boxes, chests, urns, bottles, and othertreasures are also tossed about this room.

If the characters are in pretty good shape,you can have Korbundar confront them here.

Korbundar has no defenses set up to pro-tect the treasures in this room. There are,however, two secret exits. In the southwestcorner of the ceiling, Korbundar has covereda 30-foot-square opening with a permanenthallucinatory terrain spell. In the southwestcorner of the chamber, the dragon has placeda huge stone slab that, when moved, opensonto a tunnel that leads into Westlake.

The dragon does not allow himself to betrapped inside his own cave; he uses one ofhis escape routes if such a situation rises. Hethen unleashes devastating breath spellattacks on the party. The dragon flees if he isin serious danger of being killed.

If the characters are badly wounded, youshould tell them that this chamber is whenthey enter. If you want, Korbundar can con-front the characters somewhere else on theisland.

Korbundar: AC -2; HD 16+3*****; hp 90;MV 120' (40'), 300' (100') flying; #ATup to 12 at +2; D 3-30 + 4 bite, 1-8 + 2 other;Save F27; ML 9; AL N; spells cast as a16th level magic-user; XP 6,100Korbundar's breath dimensions are 150feet by 5 feet.

SpellsFirst level: detect magic, magic missile,

read magic, shield, ventriloquismSecond level: detect evil, invisibility (x2),

mirror image, phantasmal forceThird level: dispel magic, lightning bolt,

water breathing

Korbundar is intelligent; he uses all his wits,cunning, and power to defeat the characters.He uses his spells (listed on page 29 of theDungeon Masters Companion: Book Two)freely. He won't fight to the death unless cor-nered.

If you don't want to use the spells listed,assume that Korbundar has a scroll with thespell anti-magic shell, which he uses beforeattacking.

The undead from the Sphere of Death havemade Korbundar immune to the effects of thedeathcloud; the dragon can see clearly in it.In addition, Wazor has cast a permanencespell and haste spell on Korbundar.

The treasure that Korbundar has stored isworth a total of 120,000 gp. There are also2d4 potions and four magical items takenfrom dead NPCs. Maryan's slate of identifi-cation is here; an antidote potion is sitting onit. As soon as a character picks up the potion,the slate reveals what the potion is.

If characters already have some means ofidentify magic while on this adventure, donot include the slate of identification in thisarea.

14

DM MAP 4 KORBUNDAR'S LAIRScale: 1 square = 10 feet


DM MAP 5 HIGHPASS TOWERScale: 1 square = 10 feet


Scale: 1 square = 20 feet

KEY:Door

Double Door

Arrow Slit

Battlements

Spiral Staircase

Trapdoor in Floor

Trapdoor in Ceiling

Trapdoor in Floor and Ceiling

Statue

Torches

Palisade Barricade Fields Slag Trees Contour line

DM MAP 7 TEMPLE OF THE STARSScale: 1 square = 10 feet

KEY:1 - Altar to the Stars2 - Chair3 - Temple of the Stars4 - Vortex (incoming)5 - Arras

© 1984 TSR. Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MIASMA SWAMP: JOINING THE HAMMER

Swamp BackgroundThe very land itself in the Barony of TwolakesVale has paid a heavy price as a result of theevil trio's reign. The deathcloud that hangsover the land is slowly killing off plant andanimal life, as well as turning the shallowlakes near the village of Conna into swamps.

As these lakes transformed, water spilledout onto the land, and strange vines andplants crept forth to strangle the area's trees.The once fertile area is now damp, cold, andmisty.

No word has come from the village ofConna since the coming of the cloud. Thepeople who lived there were either killed ordriven off into the mountains by maraudingbands of manscorpions, which were broughtto the barony by Wazor. Now the village isdeserted; all that remains is a single clue,scrawled in blood upon the village elder'shut: "The Destroyer that Preserves lies apartin No Land."

This clue, which was written by Wazor,means that the hammer of life can be foundsomewhere in the swamp (see New MagicItems for details on the hammer). The ham-mer has been broken into three parts; eachpart is protected by some kind of guardian.

Each guardian is given as an encounter inthe swamp. You may place a guardianencounter in any hex of the swamp that youwant.

As characters explore this area, try to playup the mysterious and desolate nature of theswamp.

Moving Through the Swamp

Use the normal movement tables from theExpert set when characters are exploring theswamp. The cold, gray fog that shrouds theswamp limits visibility to a range of 10-100feet. Anything over 30 feet away appears onlyas a shadowy form.

Truesight and detect invisible spells bothwork normally in this fog.


1. THE FIRST GUARDIANS

As characters enter the hex containing thefirst guardian, describe the area as a mistygrassland dotted with rock outcroppings andvine-covered trees.

This guardian force is made up of ninemanscorpions and a manscorpion cleric.

Manscorpions (9): AC 1; HD 8; hp 40 each;MV 240' (80'); #AT 2; D 3-18/1-10 + poi-son; Save F8; ML 10; AL C; WR 25; XP1,200 each

This group of creatures has one potion of Hy-ing and one potion of fire resistance. Two ofthe creatures drink these potions beforeattacking.

Manscorpion Cleric: AC 1; HD 10; hp 55;MV 240'(80'); #AT 2; D 3-18/1-10 + poi-son; Save C10; ML 10; AL C; WR 29;XP 3,700

This creature carries a wand case that con-tains the haft of the hammer of life.

2. THE SECOND GUARDIANS

As characters enter this hex, describe to theman open, fog-shrouded area with land thatfeels fairly dry and solid. Just before theencounter, the characters hear a mournfulbellow. Seconds later, another bellowanswers. The characters can't tell how faraway these sounds are.

The characters are about to be attacked bytwo gorgons. Roll for surprise normally.

Gorgons (2): AC 2; HD 8*; hp 50, 40; MV120' (40'); #AT 1; D 2-12 or petrifica-tion; Save F8; ML 8; AL C; WR 25; XP1,200 each

The largest gorgon wears a studded collar.The biggest stud on the collar is the pommelof the hammer of life. When a charactertouches the haft of the hammer to the pom-

mel, the parts instantly fuse.

3. THE THIRD GUARDIAN

This encounter should take place in a lowarea of the swamp. The footing here is treach-erous, as the tall grasses conceal pools ofwater. As characters explore this hex, the airturns sharply colder, frost crackles on thegrass, and pools shimmer with a thin coatingof ice.

A hydrax that lives here acts as guardian ofthe hammer head.

Hydrax: AC 2; HD 12; hp 60; MV 60'(20'), 180' swimming; #AT 2 or special;D 1-10/1-10; Save F24; ML 9; AL L; WR33; detects invisible creatures at will, cancast detect magic, dispel magic, ice storm/wall, water to ice, and web three times aday (each) as a ninth level magic-user;immune to first and second level spells,and fire-based air-based attacks do doubledamage; attacks earth elemental creaturesbefore all others; XP 3,700

The hydrax carries the head of the hammer oflife on its back, imbedded in a block of ice.

The hydrax can ambush the party by wait-ing until a character steps or slips into a poolof water, and then freezing the character inbefore the action starts. The character shouldhave a chance to free himself and get backinto the action.

When characters touch the free end of thehammer haft to the head, the two instantlyfuse.

19

HIGHPASS TOWER: WIZARD'S SHOWDOWN

Highpass Tower is the northern outpost ofTwolakes Vale. It guards the winding roadthat runs through the barony. Wazor and hisretainers use this tower as their base ofoperations.

Wazor has been busy gatheringinformation about the characters ever sincethey began investigating the barony. If he isattacked, his first concern is to escape safely.Make sure that the characters do not kill orcapture Wazor in this encounter!

Wazor BackgroundWazor is a high-level chaotic magic-user andpersonal emissary from the High Council ofMages of Atlantis. He is the prime mover ofthe events in the barony. Neither of his part-ners knows of his other connections. Thecharacters should not recognize Wazor bysight or reputation.

Wazor has cast detect invisible and flyspells on himself and made them permanent.

Approaching the TowerEthereal Approaches

The solid walls of the tower appear as a darksubstance that, if touched, has the consist-ency of thick goo. The lead-sheathed labora-tory (area 5) appears as a solid cube, thoughits normal entrances appear as hairlinecracks, if characters search carefully forthem. Remember that spells cast on the ethe-real plane do not affect objects or creatures onthe material plane.

A beholder that Wazor bribed patrols theethereal tower site. The beholder won't fightto the death, and may even negotiate if thecharacters are too strong to defeat.

Beholder: AC 0/2/7; HD 11*****; hp 53;MV 30' (10'); #AT 1 bite + special; D 2-16 + special; Save Mil; ML 12; AL C;WR 31; XP 5,100

Tower Defenses

Wazor prepares to test the characters as theyapproach the tower. His goal is to find outhow strong the characters are. He doesn'tcare about keeping the tower. He does realizethat his minions are vulnerable to long-rangespells, so he will organize his tactics to neu-tralize any ranged attacks.

Wazor has posted two disguised lesserefreeti on top of the tower to prevent entryfrom above. The efreeti have been madeimmune to the effects of the deathcloud (the

tower stretches several feet into the cloud).The efreeti use their full abilities, particularlytheir illusions and walls of fire, to protect theupper battlement (see area 6 for details onthese creatures). If the characters try to drivethrough the tower's front doors, these efreetiswoop down to attack.

Hill giants guard the ground floor, andWazor's retainers guard the tower's mid-levels.

Once Wazor is certain that the charactersare not an allied force, he starts testing them.He opens by casting either a fireball or light-ning bolt (whichever is most effective)through an arrow slit in the tower. Next, hegoes undercover, waits for 4 rounds, and thendrops a dispel magic on the largest group ofcharacters (or on any characters who are fly-ing nearby). Wazor then lets his minions bearthe brunt of the characters' attack, though heis not above picking off stragglers, if he cando so unnoticed.

Wazor probably uses cloudkill and dissolvespells against characters who are outside thetower entrance. He uses all magical itemsand spells at his disposal to destroy anyintruders. If he finds himself in really hotwater, Wazor uses his ring to escape. OnceWazor leaves the tower, he's out of the adven-ture.

For Wazor's statistics, see the Non-PlayerCharacters section.


1. STABLETwo massive, wooden doors bound with ironlead into the first floor of the tower. A power-ful stench fills this room, which is litteredwith straw, bones, scraps of food, and othertrash. A spiral staircase leads from the back ofthe room up to the second floor.

This area was once used as a stable. Eighthill giants, which serve as part of Wazor's

guard force, live here now. They attack thecharacters on Wazor's command (for exam-ple, immediately after Wazor casts dispelmagic).

Hill Giants (8): AC 4; HD 8; hp 58, 55, 44,43, 39, 33, 31, 30; MV 120' (40'); #AT 1weapon; D 2-16; Save F8; ML 8; AL C;WR 25; XP 650 each

2. LIVING QUARTERSChests, bunkbeds, tables, and chairs furnishthis room. Wine bottles, food, and weaponslie scattered about on the tables. There is alsosome magic equipment lying on one of thetables.

Two statues of mages stand against thenorth wall.

Codocus, Wazor's guard captain, liveshere, along with four guards and two ofWazor's assistants.

The two assistants have read scrolls con-taining statue spells, and are standing alongthe north wall. They try to surprise the char-acters when they attack.

See the Non-Player Characters section forthese NPCs' statistics.

These NPCs have made an arrangementwith Wazor to have their bodies recovered ifthey are killed. Ulslime's minions will try torecover the bodies if Wazor's cannot, so it'slikely that these NPCs may be turning upmore than once.

If characters defeat these NPCs, theyreceive a total of 2,400 Experience Points.

3. STOREROOMThis room, which is slightly smaller than thetwo below it, holds two staircases, one lead-ing up and one leading down. An iron door,barred from the inside, leads out of the northwall. This door leads to a lower battlement.

Large.cases of food, cloth, and other itemsare stacked in this room.

4. KENNELCages of live rabbits and birds line the northwall of this room. Four stalls, each housing ahellhound, line the south wall. The hounds,which Wazor considers his pets, attack anyperson not accompanied by Wazor.

Hellhounds (4): AC 4; HD 6; hp 40, 33, 26,22; MV 120' (40'); #AT 1 bite or 1breath; D 1-6, breath 6-36; Save F6; ML9; AL C; WR 21; detect invisible within60 feet, 75% chance per round; XP 725each

5. LABORATORYMagic equipment of all kinds clutters this

20

room. There are some pieces of furniture andclothing strewn carelessly about. Six equally-spaced arrow slits are cut into the walls of theroom. A wooden ladder leads up to a trap-door in the ceiling.

Crude lead sheathing covers the walls,floors, and ceiling of this room. Wazor placedthis sheathing here to prevent magical spy-ing.

Unless the characters confronted him else-where, Wazor is in this room when charactersapproach the tower. If characters makeWazor flee, they receive 5,000 ExperiencePoints.

If the characters search this room afterWazor has left, they find a sealed scroll case.If the player characters have played the CM1

adventure, they recognize the seal as that ofAtlantis. The case contains a scroll that has asingle close gate spell on it.

Characters should also find about 100,000gp worth of treasures stored here. These trea-sures were looted from various barony trea-suries and from major NPCs throughout thebarony. You may also want to have the char-acters find a few minor magical items thatonce belonged to now-deceased NPCs.

Wazor has prepared one final surprise foranyone who has invaded his tower. When heleaves, he triggers a wish that levitates theentire top three floors of the tower 200 feetinto the deathcloud. The top tower battle-ment rises just above the top of the death-cloud. If the characters who are stranded are

either unable or unwilling to leave, they mustwait for the tower to levitate back down to itsoriginal position, which doesn't occur foranother three days.

6. TOP BATTLEMENT

Two efreeti, disguised as large, iron torchesthat burn with a fierce flame, guard this topbattlement. If characters try to get to the topof the tower, the torches transform intoefreeti. The efreeti leave when Wazor flees.

Lesser efreeti (2): AC 3; HD 10*; hp 42, 31;MV 90' (30'), 240' (80') flying; #AT 1fist; D 2-16; Save F15; ML 12; AL C;WR 29; create objects, illusions, wall offire, pillar of flame, invisibility; XP 1,600each

21

GOLLIM VILLAGE: BATTLE OF THE UNDEAD

Gollim is a small mining village nestled inthe hills southwest of Eastlake. Its leadmines are the barony's most valuableresource. Sir Guy of Brad, Baron Fharo'smost trusted friend, serves as Baronet ofGollim and lives here with a garrison in asmall tower.

Gollim BackgroundAfter the fall of Skullheim, Jarred the Chap-lain and de Hallus the Sheriff led the rem-nants of the barony's army to Gollim. Theminions of Ulslime are now loosely besiegingthe village. In fact, a sort of routine has beenestablished: as long as the villagers don'tstray too far from the village, the evil forcescontent themselves with the occasional raid.Ulslime's forces can wait; the village isalready in dire straits and can expect no helpfrom the king.

Originally, the villagers had taken shelterin the palisaded grounds that surround thebaronet's tower. Now, however, the influx ofrefugees from other villages has forced themto begin fortifying blocks in the village. Tomake matters worse, the tower grounds wereinvaded by a vision, which was attracted by amassive raid that the villagers defeated onlywith great difficulty. The vision has driventhe barony's forces into the poorly fortifiedvillage itself, where they have been feverishlybuilding makeshift barricades.

Arriving at the Village

The forces of evil will have to attack quicklyand savagely to deny the characters thishaven. Adjust the strength and number ofmonsters given to match the size and strengthof the party and villagers. For example, if thecharacters have brought additional retainers,you should increase the number of evil forces.

During the action here, the characters willlearn from Sir Guy that the gateway to theSphere of Death is located in the Temple ofthe Stars, which is located several milesnorthwest of Gollim.

Assaulting the Tower

If the characters want to try to take the baron-et's tower, you can run the encounter as ashort adventure. The vision there is protectedby two vampires who harass the characters

with rats and bats in an attempt to preventeffective turning. The vampires won't attackopenly if they can avoid it.

Vision: AC 0; HD 12***; hp 70; MV 0; #AT6; D 1-8; Save C12; ML 12; AL C; fear onsight, howl each round, save vs. turn; XP3,500

Vampires (2): AC 2; HD 9; hp 50, 40; MV120' (40'), 180' (60') flying; #AT 1 + special;D 1-10 energy drain; Save F9; ML 11;charm, regenerate, XP 2,300 each

The Battle for Gollim

Use DM Map 6 when the characters enterGollim to assist in its defense. Both Sir Guy'sand Ulslime's forces are listed below so youcan use the War Machine rules to run thisbattle.

Battle Ratings are given for these forces,but you may obtain more accurate BattleRatings by using the standard rating system.Check the Basic, Expert, and Companionrules booklets for individual monster statis-tics. You can also use the War Machine ruleswhen forces that don't include the playercharacters are fighting over a section of thevillage.

Gollim Military Force

Sir Guy of Brad (level 14)Jarred, cleric (level 17)Saxus de Hallus (level 8)Sir Cellar of Iron (level 6)Magistrate Glyndon (level 4)Wardens (four, each level 2)

(See the Non-Player Characters section fordetails on these characters.)

Garrison forces: 10 crossbowmen, 10 lighthorse soldiers, and 20 light foot soldiersBaronial army remnants: 10 light horse sol-diers, 10 heavy foot soldiers, 20 crossbow-men, 20 light horse soldiers, and 30 light footsoldiers.

The total number of trained troops is 130.For the purposes of using the War Machinerules, all defending cavalry fight dismounted,as light and heavy foot soldiers, respectively.

Gollim peasant militia: 150 militia, armedwith spears, AC 8; 50 militia, armed withbows, AC 9

Total force: 330 soldiers and militiaBattle Rating: 89

Ulslime's War Forces

Revenant (leader, HD 18)20 manscorpions10 hill giants6 spectres (controlled by revenant)18 wights (controlled by revenant)70 zombies (controlled by spectres)100 skeletons (controlled by wights)

Total force: 225Battle Rating: 68

If Korbundar is still alive, he may also aidUlslime's forces in this battle. You may alsoadd any other still living creatures fromSkullheim and Highpass Tower to this battle,if you wish.

The revenant can easily replace casualtiesamong the undead, but the hill giants andmanscorpions are much more difficult toreplace. For this reason, the revenant is likelyto throw masses of low-level undead at thedefenses and save the best creatures for thesurprise blows. Since there are several high-level clerics in Sir Guy's forces, the reve-nant's tactics become quite costly.

The village can be divided into differentdefensive sectors, with a separate battlefought for the control of each one. The char-acters may then fight where they choose.Encourage the players to devise specialdefenses and strategies to help defeat the evilforces.

If the characters help to successfully defendthe village, they earn a total of 15,000 Experi-ence Points (adjust upward as you see fit for aparty made up of more than six characters).If the village defense is unsuccessful, thecharacters earn half that amount of Experi-ence Points.

There is no treasure in the village of Gol-lim.

The characters may decide to seek thehammer, the deathstone, the gateway to theSphere of Death while the evil forces arebesieging Gollim. If this happens, set up atime limit for the characters. If they return tothe village within the time limit, its people aresaved.

23

GOLLIM VILLAGE: BATTLE OF THE UNDEAD

Role-playing the Battle

If you decide not to use the War Machinerules for this battle, the outcome could bedetermined based by the player characters'actions.

If you run the battle this way, assume thatthe characters are at the decisive point in thebattle and attack them with a challengingforce of evil creatures. If the characters winthe battle, the attack fails.

If the characters lose, the surviving villageleaders scatter, and any surviving charactersmust carry on with their mission unaided.The characters are then also responsible forthe expense of rebuilding the village.

The Extended Siege

The following outline gives a series of sce-narios for players who want to experience alonger siege. You can add to or change the listif you want. If the final assault fails, the siegeends.

Direct assault: A wave of undead hurls itselfagainst the walls, trying to break through thedefenses. The attack ends when a certainfraction of the attackers are destroyed.

The raid: The besiegers learn where theplayer characters stay, and send in a strikeforce to kill them in their sleep. Simultaneousstrikes could be made against the NPCs.These strike forces should probably be madeup of manscorpions and high-level undead.

The supply run: The last attack leads to sus-picions that magical scrying is being used.There is enough lead in the storage sheds bythe mines to sheath several rooms with lead,which would prevent any sort of magical spy-ing on councils. The party organizes andleads a group to bring back several wagons oflead from the mine.

The diversion: An attack on the south wall isused to draw off the defenders. A secret forceof undead, walking on the bottom of the river,suddenly emerges to attack the weakly-heldnorth wall.

The tunnel: The attackers secretly dig undera fortified block and surprise the defenders,seizing a group of buildings and pouring intothe village. The characters must then fighttheir way back into the houses and seal theopening. To prevent the characters frommerely burning the attackers out, have astrong wind blowing toward the rest of thedefenses.

The sally: A powerful enemy concentrationis located. The PCs organize and lead a sneakattack to break it up before a devastatingassault can be launched against the barri-cade.

The breach: The defenders' makeshift bar-ricades (or palisade, if they have retreatedinto the tower) become the target of anundead assault. The creatures attack withaxes, ropes, and other tools to pull away andtear down the defenses.

The trap: The hill giants throw rocks andbaskets of vipers (made by Ulslime) at thedefenses, in an attempt to lure the defendersout (the NPC leaders favor an immediatesally, if this occurs). If the characters refuse,role-play the confrontation as casualtiesmount. If the characters still stand firm afterthe NPCs have argued three times in favor ofattack, the hill giants give up. If the defend-ing forces do go out, the attackers hit themwith a huge assault (at a minimum of 2-to-lodds in hit dice).

The final assault: The entire force attacksthe weakest section of the defenses. The reve-nant, as well as any other strong creatures,join in this attack. If the characters werefooled by the trap, this attack probably worksvery well.


Many of the areas shown on DM Map 6 aretypical for a village this size. The areas keyedbelow are those that might relate specificallyto the battle for Gollim.

1. WARLORD'S TOWER

This is a typical stone tower, 40 feet high and30 feet in diameter. The first floor is the greathall, the second floor is guard quarters, thethird floor is made up of private and guestchambers, and the fourth floor is the baron-et's private chamber.

2. BARBICAN/GATE

This structure, like the rest of the palisade, ismade of wood. The palisade wall is 20feet high.

3. INNER BAILEYThis area holds horse stables, a smithy, andseveral storage buildings.

4. WOODEN WATCHTOWERS

Each of these crude towers is covered by ablockhouse and a 10-foot by 10-foot fightingplatform.

5. DAM

If the characters destroy this dam, they mightbe able to break up an attack on the east bar-ricades, especially if they time the destructionright.

6. LEAD MINE

There are no undead here. Characters maybe be able to use this area as a hiding place.

7. PEASANT HUTS/SHOPS

As many of these buildings are organized intoblocks with courtyards, Sir Guy's forcesshould be able to fortify and defend each areaindividually.

24

TEMPLE OF THE STARS: GATEWAY TO DEATH

The characters cannot find this temple orthe path to it unless they have receivedinstructions from Baronet Sir Guy while inGollim. (If you want, characters may get theinformation from another similar NPC.)

The temple was built by a group ofhermit-clerics, but was abandoned when thebaron claimed and began to settle TwolakesVale. The superstitious peasants have alwaysavoided the site, so Ulslime found it an idealplace to create the gate to the Sphere ofDeath.

Approaching the TempleThe road that leads to the temple windsthrough the great eastern mountains of thebarony. It is a long and torturous trail withhideous creatures. At least it never leads intothe deathcloud.

Use the Random Encounter Tables fromthe Expert set when characters travel thisroad.

The temple lies just beyond a sharp bend inthe trail, and swings around to hug the baseof a great mountain. The temple itself is setinto a cliff. The ground just before the templeis split by several huge fissures, but the trailwinds safely to the left of them. The temple ismade of white marble that shines faintlythrough the thick gloominess of the mountainair.

Ulslime is standing on a rocky platform 30feet up the wall of another cliff, watching thecharacters as they approach the temple. Hisperch, which lies southwest of the temple,holds a small altar.

If the characters don't go into the temple,Ulslime attacks. First he sends a drolem froma nearby fissure to attack characters. Thecreature looks just like Korbundar.

Drolem: AC -3; HD 20*****; hp 84; MV120' (40'), 240' (80') flying; #AT 2claws/1 bite or breath; D 2-12/2-12/11-30;Save F10; ML 12; AL N; WR 49; seesinvisible within 60 feet; immune to fire,cold, gases, spells of first through fourthlevel, mind-affecting spells, and weaponsof less than +3; XP 7,750

The drolem's death weapon is a 20-foot-

square cloud (make saving throws vs. dragonbreath or die).

If Ulslime's drolem appears to be losing thefight, the cleric begins casting spells as quietlyas possible. (See the Non-Player Characterssection for details on Ulslime.)

If the battle is going against him, Ulslimeuses all his resources to escape. Thecharacters don't encounter him anymore inthis adventure, although they may meet upwith him again in a later adventure.

If the characters slay Ulslime or force himto flee, they earn a total of 5,000 ExperiencePoints.

Exploring the Temple(Use DM Map 7.)

If the characters have been weakened or areat low strength, you should probably reducethe severity of this encounter. Read thefollowing boxed text to the players when thecharacters enter the temple.

The temple is shaped like a huge dome. Arow of huge marble pillars supports theroof. A great throne stands before eachpillar, facing inward. A dais, upon whichrests an ornately carved throne, sitsagainst the north wall of the temple. Amarble altar behind the throne, and alarge, black curtain hangs behind thealtar.

An ancient skull, its two terrible eyesstaring out at you, rests on the altar.Slowly it begins to rise upward, and as itdoes, its eyes float out toward you!

The skull and eyes are actually three druj.These creatures guard the gateway to theSphere of Death, and only attack characterswho remain in the temple. The charactersmust defeat these creatures before they canclose the gate.

Druj (3): AC -4; HD 14****; hp 80 each;MV 90' (30'); #AT 4; D poison; SaveF14; ML 11; AL C; WR 37; immune tofirst through third level spells; need +2 orbetter weapon to hit; spoils any foodwater, and potions within feet; castsanimate dead, cause disease, darkness,finger of death, and silence (15-footradius) at will at 16th level; XP 5,150 each

Each part of a druj does not cast spells; a drujonly casts one spell, whether it is combined ornot.

Unless specifically stated otherwise by a clerictrying to turn the druj, the skull is the firstpart affected by a turn. It floats down behindthe altar, while each eye splits into fouridentical eyes. Six of these eyes whiz towardthe characters (using gaze and physicalattacks), while the other two float upward outof melee range and cast spells.

If a cleric's turn attempt is successful, onedruj recombines for 2-5 rounds. A secondsuccessful attempt has the normal effect.Keep careful track of which druj is beingturned. Remember that the skull can alsosplit and attack.

Once all the druj have been defeated, thecharacters find the gateway to the Sphere ofDeath. It's located behind the black curtain.

The gateway is actually a 20-foot-diametervortex that is filled with a thick, black, greasymaterial. The slime wells toward the rims ofthe vortex, then eddies away. A powerfulstench of death and decay rises from the gate.

The slime in the vortex is cold to the touch.Any character who touches it must make asaving throw vs. spells or lose one level. Anyitem put into the black slime corrodes androts as if it were put into black pudding.

If the characters have destroyed thedeathstone, they may close the gate witheither a close gate or wish spell.

If the characters close the gate, Ulslimeflees on his drolem. If the characters don'tclose the gate, Ulslime puts the drolem onguard here permanently. He doesn't attackpersonally.

The deathcloud that hangs over the baronydissipates 4 hours after the gate is closed.

The temple contains 25,000 gp in treasurethat Ulslime had moved here for safekeeping.

25

EPILOGUE: MAGIC, MONSTERS & WEAPONS

Ending the AdventureThis adventure ends when the charactersclose the gate or leave the barony. If the char-acters have succeeded at stemming the tide ofundead, they should receive enough to gainat least one level of experience. Try not togive them too much cash or magic—at thislevel of play, the most important result of theadventure is the impact on the campaignworld.

For example, if the characters have suc-

ceeded, they should have greatly reduced thenumber of undead in the area, therebydecreasing the chances that they willencounter undead in later adventures. If thecharacters fail, the undead problem couldgrow worse; the creatures could even begin toform armies. If this is the case, don't developthis threat too early. The best campaigndevelopments do not force the pace of play.

If the players report back to the king beforeclosing the gate to the Sphere of Death, theking sends them back with specific orders to

close it. If necessary, he also sends the appro-priate scroll with them.

If you want, one or more player charactersmay be given the barony as a reward at theend of the adventure. The characters couldthen spend their monetary reward on restor-ing the barony to its original state (see TheBarony of Twolakes Vale section for details).

If Baron Fharo is still alive, the king maychoose either to promote or banish him,depending on the circumstances.

New MonsterDeath Leech

Armor Class:Hit Dice:Move:Attacks:Damage:No. Appearing:Save As:Morale:Treasure Type:Alignment:Wrestling Rating:XP Value:

78*240' (80')11-10 per round1-4 (2-8)Fighter: 810nilChaotic251,200

In its natural form, a death leech looks like alarge, flat, translucent amoeba that shimmerswith a variety of pale colors. Eight whipliketendrils, each averaging 3 feet in length,extend from the sides of its body.

The death leech can polymorph itself toappear as any undead (of vampire strength orweaker) that has a physical form. The leechcan duplicate any equipment, armor, andclothing that the undead has, although itcan't use any of it. This mimicry is an inbornability that doesn't detect as magical.

When it attacks, the death leech changes toits natural form while moving, writhing hor-ribly at a speed of up to 120 feet per turn.Once it has changed, it can then move at thegreater rate given above. It attacks by wrap-ping around and immobilizing a victim, andthen using its tentacles to drain hit points.

When rolling to hit, a victim has an ArmorClass of 9 (minus any magical adjustmentsfor the victim's armor).

If the death leech successfully hits, itimmobilizes the victim and drains 1d10 hitpoints per round. Victims who make a savingthrow vs. Spells take only half damage forthat round. Once a death leech has made a

26

EPILOGUE: MAGIC, MONSTERS & WEAPONS

successful first attack, subsequent damage isautomatic. Also, half of the damage inflictedon a death leech is also suffered by the victim.

A death leech that's killed while in poly-morphed state retains that form untiltouched. Then it crumples to its natural formand immediately rots away.

Death leeches come from the Sphere ofDeath, and are turned as special on the cleri-cal turn tables. Death leeches often serveintelligent creatures of Chaos.

New Magical ItemsHammer of Life

This magical item was produced by a greatcleric many centuries ago. It is an iron ham-mer with a head, haft, and pommel that canbe separated by a dispel magic spell vs. 36thlevel magic. No Chaotic creature can touchthe hammer when it's assembled; the crea-ture's hand passes through the hammer. Inthe hands of a Neutral character, it is a warhammer +1.

In the hands of a Lawful character, thehammer is a +2 weapon that has the ability tocast one cure all spell per day. Magical runesthat explain this function appear on the haftwhen a detect magic spell is cast on the ham-mer.

Any Lawful or Neutral character may usethis hammer to destroy the deathstone in thisadventure. The hammer is destroyed whenthe deathstone is destroyed.

Mirror of live saving

This massive (but fragile) mirror is capable ofstoring the life energy of its owner. Its dimen-sions are 5 feet by 4 feet.

If the mirror's owner is killed within 60 feetof the mirror, he can choose to place his lifeforce in it. While a life force is in the mirror, adetect magic spell reveals the owner's imagein the mirror.

If any fragment of the owner's body isbrought within range and a dispel magic spell(effective against 20th level magic) is cast onthe mirror, the owner's body is completelyrestored and its life force returns. A life forcein the mirror can also be released by smash-ing the mirror (as long as a fragment of theowner's body is nearby).

Potion of superheating

This potion is exactly like a potion of healing,except that it cures 3d6+3 points of damage.The entire potion must be drunk at one time.

New WeaponBallista

A ballista is a siege weapon that looks like agiant crossbow mounted on a heavy stand orcatapult base. It fires a javelin-sized missile300 yards (heavy ballista—360 yards) in adirect line to any target within range. A lightballista should be operated by two men; aheavy ballista should be operated by fourmen.

Like catapults, ballistae fire as fightershaving a level equal to the number of men inthe crew. A light ballista fires every thirdround if manned by two men, and every sixthround if manned by one. A heavy ballistafires every fifth round if manned by four,every eighth round if manned by three, andevery tenth round if manned by two.

A creature struck by a light ballista bolttakes 2d6 points of damage, and a creaturestruck by a heavy ballista bolt takes 3d6points of damage. The bolt from a light bal-lista does no structural damage, but a heavyballista bolt does 1 point.

Two men can carry a light ballista, but it isusually mounted on a can or disassembledand packed on a mule for traveling long dis-tances. The heavy ballista, if moved at all,must usually be pulled on a wheeled cart by ateam of pack or draft animals.

Ballistae are sometimes mounted on shipsof catapults, reducing carrying capacity by4,000 and 8,000 cn. They can fire flamingbolts which are similar to pitch shot, but doonly 1-3 points of hull damage. Such boltscost 10 gp each.

A light ballista costs 100 gp, and a heavyballista costs 150 gp. Ballista bolts cost 1 gpand may be used with either type.

27

NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS: SUPPORTING PLAYERS

These characters are listed by encounterarea. Those marked " * " are deceased.

Skullheim Characters

Sir Maltus FharoBaron of Twolakes Vale

Lawful 22nd level fighter

Strength 14 Dexterity 15Intelligence 13 Constitution 15Wisdom 12 Charisma 17

Armor Class -5 Hit points 75

Wrestling Rating 9

Weapons: sword +3, healing

Armor: plate armor +3; shield +3; armbandof absorption, absorbs any magic spell offirst through fifth level, using one chargeeach time—five charges left—notrechargeable

Equipment: boors of wall walking, allowwearer to stand or walk on any verticalsurface as if it were flat

Treasure: coronet and jeweled equipmentworth 4,000 gp

Amanda of AlexisMarshall of Skullheim Castle

____Lawful 15th level fighter____



Wrestling Rating 13

Weapon: sword +2, +4 vs. bugs

Armor: chain armor +3; shield +2

Equipment: potion of superhealing; ring offire resistance

*Roderick IronrodCaptain of the Guard of Skullheim

_____Lawful 9th level fighter



Wrestling Rating 15

Weapon: sword of regeneration + 2, curesthe wielder 1-3 hit points each time ithits an opponent

Armor: plate armor +1; shield +2

Equipment: potion of fortitude; potion ofsuperhealing

* Heinrich AltmarkCastellan of Twolakes Vale

___Lawful 8th level fighter

Dexterity 17Constitution 17Charisma 9

44

Strength 13Intelligence 10Wisdom 11

Armor Class -2 Hit pointsWrestling Rating 9

Weapon: bastard sword +1Armor: banded armor +2; shield +1

Equipment: potion of fire resistance; potionof speed

* BagamarBailiff of the Northwest Tower

Neutral 6th level fighter

StrengthIntelligenceWisdomArmor Class

11 Dexterity 1310 Constitution 1212 Charisma 6

3 Hit points 30

Wrestling Rating 4

Weapons: two-handed sword; dagger +1Armor: banded armor

Equipment: potion of strength

*MogusBailiff of the Southeast Tower

_____Lawful 4th level fighter____

Strength 17 Dexterity 14Intelligence 12 Constitution 12Wisdom 11 Charisma 11Armor Class 2 Hit points 30

Wrestling Rating 5

Weapon: two-handed sword

Armor: plate armor

*SarradBailiff of the Northeast Tower

_____Neutral 6th level fighter_____


Armor Class 1 Hit points 40

Wrestling Rating 6

Weapons: sword +1; dagger +2

Armor: plate armor; shield

*LemasBailiff of the Southwest Tower

_____Lawful 6th level fighter


Armor Class 2 Hit points 28Wrestling Rating 6

Weapons: whip +1; crossbow and six bolts+2; sword; dagger

Armor: plate armor

*Alar, *Boli, *Culli, *DarseSquires to Baron Maltus

Lawful fighters (levels 1-4, respectively)

All ability scores: 12Armor Class: anyHit points (respectively): 8, 10, 12, 14Wrestling Rating: AC +1

1Ammylar

Steward of Skullheim_____Lawful Normal Human

Strength 9 Dexterity 15Intelligence 11 Constitution 10Wisdom 7 Charisma 17Armor Class 8 Hit points 4

Wrestling Rating 9

Equipment: none

*Maryan of HallsMagist of Twolakes Vale

Neutral 13th level magic-user


28



Weapon: wand of lightning (12 charges)Armor: ring of protection *2Equipment: rod of inertia; slate of identifica-

tion; potion of dreamspeech; potion offreedom; poison antidote (all types, oneuse)

SpellsFirst level: charm person, detect magic,

hold portal, magic missile (x2), readmagic

Second level: continual light, ESP, invisi-bility, mirror image, web

Third level: dispel magic (x2), fireball, fly,lightning boh

Fourth level: charm monster, dimensiondoor, polymorph other, watt of fire

Fifth level: cloudkill, conjure elemental,magic jar, teleport

Sixth level: anti-magic shell, disintegrate,stone to flesh

*Father JarredChaplain of SkullheimLawful 17th level cleric

StrengthIntelligenceWisdom

Armor Class

14 Dexterity 1312 Constitution 913 Charisma 13-4 Hit points 43

Wrestling Rating 13

Weapon: mace +3

Armor: plate armor +2; shield +2; ring ofprotection +2

Equipment: ointment of blessing (x2); salveof healing (x3); scroll of three spells (firstthrough third level)

SpellsFirst level: cure light wounds, detect evil,

detect magic, light, protection from evil,remove fear

Second level: bless, find traps, hold per-son, resist fire, silence (15-foot radius),snake charm

Third level: continual light, cure disease,remove curse, speak with dead, striking

Fourth level: cure serious wounds, dispelmagic, neutralize poison, sticks to

. snakesFifth level: commune, dispel evil, insect

plague, raise deadSixth level: find the path, speak with mon-

sters, word of recallSeventh level: raise dead fully

*Saxus de HallusSheriff of Twolakes Vale

_____Lawful 8th level fighter_____



Weapon: sword +1, +2 vs. chaotic opponentsArmor: plate armor +2; shield +1Equipment: potion of healing; potion of

invisibility

*Glyndon of AwkMagistrate of Twolakes Vale

_____Lawful 4th level fighter____


Armor Class 1(6) Hit points 16Wrestling Rating 11

Weapon: silver swordArmor: plate armor; shield (normally wears

leather armor)

Equipment: potion of ESP, scroll of protec-tion from magic; ring of truth

*Andro, *Buhrt, *Cerhon,*Damon, *Ehryll, *Flahr,

*Garet, "Hals, *Ihnle, *JarleProvosts of Twolakes ValeLawful 1st level fighters _

All ability scores: 12Armor Class: 7Hit points: 3 eachWrestling Rating: 8Weapons: shortsword, daggerArmor: leather armor

Kahrli, Lum, *Malle, Nobson,*Ostler, Pugh

Wardens of Twolakes Vale____Lawful 2nd level fighters

All ability scores: 12Armor Class: 7Hit points: 4 eachWrestling Rating: 8Weapons: shortbow, daggerArmor: leather armor

Wazor the CunningEmissary of Atlantis

Chaotic 24th level magic-user



Wazor has a permanent fly and detect invisi-ble cast on himself.

Weapon: staff of power (16 charges)Armor: ring of protection +2

Equipment: displacer cloak; ring of spell

Highpass Tower Characters

storing: holds word of recall to Atlantis(used for escape in sticky situations)

Potions: blue dragon control, elementalform, human control, undead control

Scrolls: scroll of any three spells (firstthrough third level); cursed scroll; pro-tection from all elementals

SpellsFirst level: charm person, hold portal,

light, magic missile (x3), protectionfrom good

Second level: continual light (x2), detectmagic, mirror image, phantasmal force,web, wizard lock

Third level: dispel magic (x2), fireball,haste, invisibility (10-foot radius), light-ning bolt

Fourth level: confusion (x2), polymorphother, polymorph self, wall of fire, wiz-ard eye

Fifth level: cloudkill, dissolve, magic jar,passwall, teleport

Sixth level: anti-magic shell, death spell,disintegrate, invisible stalker (x2)

Seventh level: lore, reverse gravity (x2),statue

Eighth level: explosive cloud, mind bar-rier, permanence

Ninth level: maze, meteor swarm

29


PorgosApprentice to Wazor

Chaotic 6th level magic-user___



Wrestling Rating 12Equipment: potion of ESP; potion of gas-

eous form; ring of invisibility

SpellsFirst level: magic missile, protection from

goodSecond level: phantasmal force, webThird level: dispel magic (x2)

DhakkaApprentice to Wazor

Chaotic 3rd level magic-user



Wrestling Rating 11

Equipment: wand of cold (four charges)

SpellsFirst level: magic missile (x2)Second level: phantasmal force

Marco de CodocusGuard Captain to WazorChaotic 8th level fighter

Dexterity 13Constitution 13Charisma 6

Strength 17Intelligence 10Wisdom 11


Wrestling Rating 9

Weapon: bastard sword +2 of cursing, threecharges, bestows a curse (if desired) oneach hit

Armor: banded armor +3; shield +2

Equipment: potion of superheating; potionof luck

Dhurla, Lahrs, Mahl, RhysGuards to Wazor

____Chaotic 2nd level fighters____

All have Strength scores of 13; all otherability scores: 11Armor Glass: 4Hit points: 12 eachWrestling Rating: 5Weapon: swordArmor: banded armor; shieldEquipment: each has one potion— heroism

(x2), giant strength, strength, respec-tively

Sir Guy of BradBaronet and Seneschal of Twolakes Vale____Lawful 14th level fighter____



Wrestling Rating 10

Weapon: sword +2, +3 vs. spellcastersArmor: plate armor +2; shield +3

Equipment: five eggs of wonder, potion ofin vulnerability

Sir Celtar of IronSheriff of Gollim &

Sergeant Marshall of the Baronial Guard_____Lawful 6th level fighter_____


Gollim Village Characters

Armor Class -2 Hit points 48Wrestling Rating 10

Weapons: sword +1; dagger +2, returns whenthrown;

Armor: banded armor +2; shield

Equipment: potion of healing

Temple ofthe Stars Character

Ulslime the ChaosarChaotic 20th level cleric


Armor Class


1 Hit points 85

Wrestling Rating 25

Weapon: mace

Armor: plate armor; shield

Equipment: rod of the wyrm (chaotic);scarab of protection; scroll of portals

SpellsFirst level: cause fear (x2), cause light

wounds, detect magic, protection fromgood, purify food and water, resist cold

Second level: bless, find traps, hold per-son, resist fire, silence (15-foot radius),snake charm

Third level: cause blindness, continualdarkness, speak with dead, striking

Fourth level: animate dead, cause seriouswounds, dispel magic, poison

Fifth level: cause critical wounds, insectplague, raise dead, truesight

Sixth level: animate objects, barrier,cureall (x2)

Seventh level: holy word, raise dead fully,restore

30

PREROLLED CHARACTERS

If your players don't have high-levelcharacters, they may use the prerolledcharacters given below. Each descriptionincludes notes on background, but youshould encourage the players to addpersonality details to these descriptions.

Only the bare minimum of equipment andarmor has been listed for these characters.Make sure that each of these characters hasthe following:

* 200,000 gp in gems, jewelry, or coins* 4-9 potions* 1-2 magical rings* 1-2 miscellaneous magic items* 1-4 loyal henchmen, if the player wants

When necessary, use dice to determine howmany of the above items a character has. Todetermine which items a character has, youmay roll randomly on any of the lists in theD&D® Basic, Expert, or Companion rules.If, however, you use only the Companionlists, reroll all results that would give thecharacters items found only in theCompanion rules. Give the new items outduring the course of play.

Even though these characters come fromdifferent parts of the world, you may tell theplayers that these characters haveadventured together in the past, or that theyhave met and become acquainted on thejourney to Norwold.

Fergus the JustifierLawful 18th level fighter

Brogahn of the SteppesLawful 18th level fighter

Weston the TallLawful 10th level thief


Armor Class

157

12-5

DexterityConstitutionCharisma

Hit points

17141060


Armor Class

159

15

-4


Hit points

1116

764


Armor Class

127

160


Hit points

169

15

46

Weapons: sword +3; longbow +2; 20 arrows+2

Armor: plate armor +3; shield +2

Fergus is a wandering warrior from thekingdom of Vestland. He has traveled most ofthe civilized lands, and has made asubstantial fortune. He established his ownbarony in the Great Land Rush, and sworefealty to King Ericall. Fergus recentlyreceived an urgent summons from the king,and quickly left for Alpha.

Geoffrey of HeldannLawful 18th level cleric




Weapon: mace +3, +5 vs. undead

Armor: plate mail +3; shield +3

Equipment: scarab of protection

Geoffrey has spent most of his career helpingthe poor and sick in his native HeldannFreeholds. As he grew in power, he waschallenged more and more often by the evilforces that had tracked him down. Because ofthis, he left his ancestral home for the newlands of Norwold. He, too, has beensummoned by the king.

Weapons: war hammer +3; shortbow +1; 10arrows +2; dagger +1

Armor: plate mail +4; shield +2

Brogahn is an imposing figure with broadshoulders, a scowling face, and a huge blackbeard. Upon realizing the warlike council ofhis native Ethengar Khanate was beginningto view him as a threat, Brogahn set out forNorwold. Brogahn has found that carving abarony out of the wilderness is difficult, buthe prizes his relative independence.Curiosity rather than fealty has brought himto the court of the king.

Claransa the SeerLawful 18th level magic-user



Weapons: two daggers +4; staff of wizardry

Armor: ring of protection +2; displacer cloak

Claransa wasted no time setting up a per-sonal library and laboratory once she settledin Norwold. Her responsibilities as wizardand administrator have kept her busy sincethe founding of her new home. Even so, whenthe king summons, the wise obey. Besides,Claransa secretly misses adventuring withher friends.

Weapons: sword +3; two daggers +2

Armor: leather armor +3; ring of protection+2

Weston the Tall is a well-traveled adventurer.He has seen most of the cities and lands in thecivilized world. He has a habit of arriving in anew area with a full purse and highexpectations, only to leave a month or twolater, just ahead of a pack of city guards andirate merchants. He hasn't been quite sosuccessful running a dominion either, but hispurse is still full and the locals aren't ready tohang him (yet!).

Quillan Elm-Grower______Lawful 10th level elf_______Strength 10 Dexterity 18Intelligence 13 Constitution 11Wisdom 12 Charisma 9


Weapons: sword +2; longbow +3; 10 arrows+1; 5 arrows +3

Armor: chain mail +4; shield +3

XP: 1,600,000

Quillan, originally from the forest ofAlfheim, came to Norwold looking forexcitement and his northern kinfolk. He hassuccessfully accomplished all this, and hascarved himself a niche in one of the northernelven communities. He has been back tohuman lands from time to time, andoccasionally carries important messages tothe king of Norwold. He also keeps in touchwith his human friends, and has becomeespecially interested in the advanced tech-niques his friends have developed.

31

THE BARONY OF TWOLAKES VALEPLAYERS' MAP

Scale: 1 square = I mile

© 1984 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.9118XXX1501

CU

T T

HIS PA

GE

FRO

M T

HE

BO

OK

LE

T. G

IVE

TH

IS MA

P T

O T

HE

PLA

YE

RS W

HE

N T

HE

IR C

HA

RA

CT

ER

S EN

TE

R T

HE

BA

RO

NY

.

dm map 1 - freegobbi.free.fr/scenarii/cm2 - death ride.pdf · tower lake river road trail mountain...

Documents