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ADVENTURES FOR TSR ROLE-PLAYING GAMES JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1991 ISSUE #27

COVER: The arrivalof adventurersinterrupts a lesson in"The School ofNekros." Tom Miller'scover shows thenecromancerMephista and theskeletal red dragonfrom whom she islearning lost spells.

"If I Made Games For TSR ..."At the 1990 GEN CON® Game Fair, two editors from TSR'sGames Department (Anne Brown and Andria Hayday) con-ducted seminars to learn what gamers think about TSRproducts. I've just received a long report detailing what thegamers who attended these sessions had to say, and I couldn'thelp but wonder how these preferences match with those ofDUNGEON Adventures readers.

Here are three suggestions that the GEN CON conventionparticipants wanted to see in TSR products:

1. "More visual aids and player handouts for adventures"(maps, notes from NPCs, menus, wanted posters, just aboutanything that the DM can hand to the players). While we can'tadd loose items to DUNGEON Magazine (and I know you hateto cut up your issues!), we have been trying to include more ofthese sorts of things; see the deck of many things in issue 19,for example. What other kinds of visual aids and handoutswould you like to see that you think would be possible to in-clude in DUNGEON Magazine's format?

2. "Make the modules more DM friendly." The DMs at theseminars asked for anything that will cut down their prepara-tion time and make games run more quickly. This includedsuch things as monster-statistics tables, more complete statis-tics, more subheads to direct the DM through the text, etc. Tothis list, I would include boxed text (on which we've had quitea debate in the past). For longer adventures with lots of mon-sters, we've used summary tables. Do you like these? In whatother ways can we make DUNGEON Adventures more DMfriendly?

3. "Add more flavor to adventures, particularly more com-plete personalities for NPCs, and more detailed settings." Ihope you've noticed that I insist on personality for NPCs andeven monsters. And I look at each dungeon, castle, tavern, andtown with an eye toward how functional it is for the creatureswho live there. How are we doing in this regard? Does the

Continued on page 38

Vol. V, No. 3

PUBLISHER: James M. Ward ART DIRECTOR:EDITOR: Barbara G. Young Larry W. SmithASSOCIATE EDITOR: CARTOGRAPHER: DieselRoger E. Moore TYPESETTING: TSREDITORIAL ASSISTANT: Graphic Arts ServicesDale A. Donovan SUBSCRIPTIONS:

Janet L. Winters

The Readers LETTERS 4

Charles TARFIL'S TOMBNeverdowski (D&D® game, levels 10-14) A simple

cleric has a complicated vision—andyou've become part of it 8

Roger E. Moore JUGGERNAUT(AD&D® game, levels 4-7) Meet agoblin who has the best (anddeadliest) toy around 20

Ted JamesThomas Zuvich

COURIER SERVICE(AD&D game, levels 3-6) Only twothings are certain: taxes . . . anddeath 24

Craig Barrett BRIDE FOR A FOX(AD&D Oriental Adventures game,levels 4-8) Treachery so deep thateven the villains can't find thebottom 40

Lisa Smedman THE SCHOOL OF NEKROS(AD&D game, levels 6-12) Thehalflings loved their river until itfilled up with dead things. That'swhen they called you 54

Faire shields, gay steedes, bright armes be my delight:

Scan, OCR & proofing by Zenobia, ver 2(has some slight corrections)

Those be the riches fit for an advent'rous knight.The Faerie Queene, Edmund Spenser

Tina Sparkles

LETTERSMoney Talks—Loudly

I finally feel compelled to respond toone of the many criticisms I have heardvoiced over the years concerning boththis magazine and DRAGON® Maga-zine. Readers are constantly complain-ing about the amount of magazine spacedevoted to advertising, the most recentcomplaint being in the Letters section ofDUNGEON® issue #26.

Here is some clarification from anavid gamer who also happens to be anaccountant. TSR, Inc. is first and fore-most a business enterprise. As such itexists to make money. The company haspeople and bills to pay. The fact thatthis business has the integrity to begenuinely concerned with the welfare ofits consumer public and attempts tobring us its products at the lowest possi-ble cost is a fantastic bonus but notnecessarily a requirement.

There are two methods by which apublication makes money: the pricecharged for the product, and incomefrom advertising revenues. Therefore,the primary ways to increase revenue(whether for the company's benefit or tocover rising production costs), are toincrease advertising sales and/or toincrease the sale price of the magazine.We have been fortunate that TSR man-agement has most often desired to dothe former and rarely has resorted tothe latter. It should be clear that thereis a direct and opposite relationshipbetween the price of a magazine and theamount of advertising therein. By in-creasing the advertising space sold, thecompany can cover rising productioncosts without resorting to a price in-crease. It has also been my observationthat, with increased advertisements,the magazine has typically increasedthe number of pages per issue to main-tain the amount of space devoted togaming material.

It has been my experience that thesepublications have continually improvedin quality over the years to become the

excellent magazines they are today, andI am sure they will continue to growand improve into the future. However,in order to do so, it will always be neces-sary to insure that the bills are paid,and I hope TSR, Inc. always will chooseto sell more advertising over raising theprice of these extremely enjoyable andinformative magazines.

As a final note, I am very much infavor of the new plastic mailing bagsused for the magazines. I know they arenot as environmentally beneficial as thepaper ones, but I've just gotten fed upwith having my magazine arrive withtorn pages and frayed edges.

Debra L. MaxwellSeattle, Washington

Going Monthly?I disagree with Chris Moulthrop (issue

#26) who wrote that using outside ad-vertising in DUNGEON Magazine wasa form of cheating us. All the ads you'veprinted so far seem perfectly legitimate.The product I sent for was inexpensive,arrived quickly, and did everything thatwas promised.

With all of these other changes goingon, I'd very much like to ask when, ifever, is DUNGEON Adventures goingmonthly? DRAGON Magazine has hadthis advantage for longer than I canremember. We're all tired of waiting twolong months for five or six moduleswhich can be played in one month'stime.

Mike KinolNome, Alaska

We've had several discussions hereabout the feasibility of producingDUNGEON Adventures as a monthlymagazine. I have so far been reluctant tosuggest this because I don't feel that thevolume and quality of adventures wereceive is sufficient to fill a monthlymagazine. I want to keep the qualityhigh, even if you have to wait a bitlonger for each issue.

Down With Moonmelons!I'm a Dungeon Master running a low-

level AD&D® campaign, and I recentlyran "Of Kings Unknown" by RandyMaxwell (issue #25). Randy deserves ahearty round of applause! The players inmy group were shocked to see orcs withhorns, antlers, and eyestalks wreakinghavoc on their hapless PCs. In fact, whenthey found the melons from whence theorcish oddities originated, they destroyedthem all in disgust, thus never collectingthe 100 gp per moonmelon.

Dylan BlackNo Address Given

Perfect Since #1I don't understand it at all. For over

four years now, you guys have given therole-playing world a special treat at avery affordable price. Each and everymodule you print is outstanding, themix of different types of adventures youpresent is fair to everyone, and thecover and inside artwork are like noth-ing else. Yet, in every issue, I see com-plaint after complaint about yourmagazine, and I'm sick of it.

It seems that every time you decide totry something new, whether it's perma-nent or for just a couple of issues, theletters come pouring in. Oh, sure, thereare always a few nice people who com-mend you for the innovation, but thereare always many more negative, oftencruel remarks demanding that youpublish only a certain type of game.Take the MARVEL SUPER HEROES™adventure you printed in issue #25, forexample. Just because you thought anexperiment with a different type ofgame system would be nice (and it was),everybody had to write in and tell youhow much they hated it.

I am truly sorry that you receive somany of these awful letters, and canonly imagine how seeing them ruinsyour day. Your magazine has been per-

DUNGEON® (ISSN 0890-7102) is published bimonthly by TSR, Inc. 201 Sheridan Springs Rd., Lake Geneva, WI 53147. The mailing address for all material except subscription orders isDUNGEON, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147; telephone (414) 248-3625.

Subscriptions: Subscription rates via second-class mail are as follows: $18 in U.S. funds for six issues sent to an address in the U.S. or Canada, $35 in U.S. funds for surface mail delivery toany other address, and $52 in U.S. funds for air mail delivery to any other address. Prices are subject to change without notice. Payment in full must accompany all subscription orders. Paymentshould be by check or money order, made payable to TSR, Inc., or by charges to valid MasterCard or VISA credit cards. Send subscription orders with payments to: TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 5695,Boston MA 02206. The issue of expiration of each subscription is printed on the mailing label for each subscriber's copy of the magazine. Changes of address for the delivery of subscription copiesmust be received at least six weeks prior to the effective date of the change, in order to assure uninterrupted delivery.

Back issues: Limited back issues of this magazine are available from the TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop, P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147. For a copy of the current mail-order catalog, writeto the above address.

Submissions: All material published in DUNGEON becomes the exclusive property of the publisher, unless special arrangements to the contrary are made prior to publication. DUNGEONwelcomes unsolicited submissions of written material and artwork; however, no responsibility for such submissions can be assumed by the publisher in any event. Any submission accompaniedby a self-addressed, stamped envelope of sufficient size will be returned if it cannot be published. Please write for our writers' guidelines before sending a module to us; send a self-addressed,stamped envelope (91⁄2" long preferred) to: Module Guidelines, DUNGEON, TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147.

DUNGEON is a registered trademark for the TSR role-playing adventure periodical published by TSR, Inc. All rights to the contents of this publication are reserved, and nothing may bereproduced from it in whole or in part, without first obtaining written permission from the publisher.

® designates registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. ™ designates trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. Most other product names are trademarks owned by the companies publishing thoseproducts. Use of the name of any product without mention of trademark status should not be construed as a challenge to such status.

©1990 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.Second-class postage paid at Lake Geneva, Wisc., USA and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to DUNGEON, c/o TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147.

4 Issue No. 27

Tina Sparkles

LETTERS

fect since issue one, and I hate to seepeople put down a good thing. Keep upthe good work.

P.S. When are you going to print an-other solo adventure? I haven't seen onesince issue #20.

Barb BrkovichPittsburgh, Pennsylvania

We do get lots of mail praising ourefforts, and I try to be fair in printingboth the nice and the negative mail. Iencourage our readers to express theiropinions about the magazine, both goodand bad. An editor can't afford to let themail ruin his or her day. Besides, we toomust send out negative mail (rejectionletters), which we hope the recipients donot take personally.

As I've said before, we'll print soloadventures when we receive some.

Thanks for ChangesStandard TSR modules can get quite

expensive for the low-budget DM.DUNGEON Adventures is an excellentsource for inexpensive, well-writtenadventures. This is the reason I pur-chase your magazine, and I commendyou on a fantastic job.

I used to subscribe to DUNGEONMagazine until I started receiving myissues in not-so-good shape due toMother Nature (those brown sacks don'thold up so well in the rain). After hear-ing news that you have switched toplastic wrappers, I've decided to resub-scribe. I want to thank you for thechange.

Another change I want to thank youfor is the inclusion of adventures otherthan for D&D®/AD&D games. I thoughtthe printing of the MARVEL SUPERHEROES (issue #25) and the TOPSECRET/S.I.™ (issue #26) adventureswas an interesting idea. Even though Idon't play these two games, it still givesme newfound hope that you might in-clude a STAR FRONTIERS® adventure(hint, hint).

As a last word, I would like to thankthe writers, artists (great work on thecover of issue #26, Scott), Barbara,Roger, and the rest of the DUNGEONstaff for a great job.

Jeffrey J. HanshawOoltewah, Tennessee

Fantasy Triumphs!There were many arguments in issue

#26 both for and against the inclusion ofother TSR games in the pages ofDUNGEON magazine. Well, I must castmy vote against their inclusion. This isnot because I am close minded aboutthese games, but I have very little timeto play RPGs, and I prefer the AD&Dsystem to the others.

Consider that, until you published theMARVEL SUPER HEROES module inissue #25, a creative DM willing to putin a little extra work could have con-verted any of the modules in thesepages to suit his own system and cam-paign world, even if they were solo orOriental modules. These other games,however, cannot be converted and arepractically useless to those runningsome type of D&D game. Thus, for thosewho play the D&D or AD&D games, themagazine no longer retains its fullvalue.

On the other side of the coin, you havethose who play these other TSR gamesgetting a module for their particulargame once every few issues. Would it beworth their money to buy a DUNGEONmagazine for one module? My guess is

no. So, unless you have the time toenthusiastically embrace all the TSRgame systems, you're essentially wast-ing your money.

Finally, I don't know how high a valueyou place on a single subscriber, but ifyou continue to print these modules,you will lose this one.

Greg HickmanCollinsville, Illinois

As of the end of October, the tally ofletters about non-D&D/AD&D modulesstands at 19 for including these inDUNGEON Adventures, and 36 againstpublishing them. We enjoyed hearingfrom all of you and are sorry that wehave space to publish only a representa-tive sampling of your letters.

Publisher Jim Ward and I have dis-cussed this question at length and havedecided that, for the present time, wewill not publish any further non-D&D/AD&D adventures. As I stated in issue#25, this was something of an experi-ment. In the end, our thinking ran muchlike that in Greg Hickman's letter: Add-ing one adventure per issue for otherTSR game systems won't really gain usnew readers, and we certainly don'twant to alienate our loyal readers. Ω

Mug ShotsWhen Dan Killoran sent us his recent change-of-address notice, we couldn't be-lieve that he really lives on Dungeon Avenue, so we asked for proof. Dan mailedus the photo reproduced above and prompted yet another idea for a contest.

If you see other amusing indications of role-playing transplanted into the realworld, grab your camera and send us a snapshot. We'll publish the best for youramusement, and those readers whose photos are chosen for publication will eachreceive a mug with the DUNGEON Adventures and DRAGON Magazine logos.All photos submitted become the property of TSR, Inc. and DUNGEON Adven-tures, and cannot be returned.

6 Issue No. 27

Tina Sparkles

Mug Shots When Dan Killoran sent us his recent change-of-address notice, we couldn't believe that he really lives on Dungeon Avenue, so we asked for proof. Dan mailed us the photo reproduced above and prompted yet another idea for a contest. If you see other amusing indications of role-playing transplanted into the real world, grab your camera and send us a snapshot. We'll publish the best for your amusement, and those readers whose photos are chosen for publication will each receive a mug with the DUNGEON Adventures and DRAGON Magazine logos. All photos submitted become the property of TSR, Inc. and DUNGEON Adventures, and cannot be returned.

TARFIL'S TOMBBY CHARLES J. NEVERDOWSKI

He died a good man.He'd like to stay that way.

Artwork by Tom Baxa

Charles wrote "Tarfil's Tomb" in hisspare time while studying electricalengineering. A recent graduate, he iscurrently seeking employment in the realworld. This module is dedicated to thememory of Jeff Burns, who introducedCharles to the D&D® game in 1981.

"Tarfil's Tomb" is a D&D® game adven-ture for Expert-level characters. It isdesigned for a resourceful party of 5-7characters of levels 10-14 (around 70total levels). This adventure is set in theD&D Known World, starting in the cityof Kelvin and proceeding eastward ontothe Nameless Moor, in the Grand Duchyof Karameikos. Several monsters in thisadventure, such as the beholder and thebanshee, have been taken from theD&D Companion Set. The D&D gameaccessory GAZ1 The Grand Duchy ofKarameikos may be useful in setting upthe background, but it is not required.The adventure may easily be placed ona moor or in a swamp nearly anywherethe DM wishes.

For the Player CharactersRead or paraphrase the following infor-mation to the players at the start of theadventure:It is early autumn, and you have re-cently arrived in the city of Kelvin, astopover on your long and arduous jour-ney southward. After a successful sum-mer adventuring in the north, you havedecided to spend the winter months in amore hospitable climate.

Unfortunately, the weather for thepast 10 days has been poor. You enteredthe mountains expecting a comfortablechange from the grueling late-summerheat of the lowlands, but chilling windand lashing rain made your trek overthe Black Peaks extremely unpleasant.You entered the city longing for a hotmeal, a warm bath, and a soft bed.

You have been in Kelvin for severaldays now, with the weather showinglittle sign of change. With your suppliesrestocked and your mounts well rested,you anxiously wait for the weather tochange so that you can continue yourjourney. As comfortable as the SilverLadle Inn has been these days past, youstill find yourself ready to push on.

Your fourth evening in town finds youall gathered around a heavily ladentrestle at the Ladle, gloomily awaiting abreak in the weather as you take longpulls from your flagons of ale. As you

8 Issue No. 27

TARFIL'S TOMB

ponder a trip to the seedier section oftown for another night of city life,dreading the long tramp through themuddy streets, you notice someone soodd looking as to stand out from thecrowd in the expensive establishment ofthe Ladle.

Your attention has been attracted by apale, bespectacled little man in a muddygray cloak and sandals. A small metal-lic holy symbol that represents theChurch of Traladara dangles around thegangly man's neck.

Upon entering the common room, thelittle man scuttles up to the proprietor,who greets the odd looking man as"Brother" and asks him how he may beof service. The muddy man replies bytaking the barman by his sleeve andpulling him toward a quiet corner of theroom.

As the pair draws away, the smallman begins to speak furtively, gesturingrapidly with his hands. The innkeepergives the man his full attention. Whenthe little man finishes, the owner giveshim a curt nod and motions toward yourtable. The little man peers at youthrough his spectacles for a second,bows to the larger man, and inchestoward your table.

Clasping his hands in a most suppli-ant manner, the small man introduceshimself as, "Ivan Sumanov, your hum-ble servant."

"The gracious innkeeper," thescrivenly looking man continues, "hastold me that you are adventurers ofsome renown, and by appearances I dobelieve that he spoke most truthfully ofyou. It is to my extreme good fortunethat I have found you here, as I havenever before had need for the services ofthe likes of yourselves." The small manpauses for a brief second to allow him-self a breath and then continues.

"I have a story that must be told and,although I am but a lowly novice of theChurch of Traladara, I implore you to atleast hear my story before passing judg-ment upon me."

The man glances suspiciously aroundthe room and takes a seat. Then, push-ing his spectacles up his nose, he beginshis tale.

"Three days ago I had a dream. Notjust an ordinary dream, you see, but avision. I say 'vision' because it con-cerned happenings that none of the wisemen of Karameikos are aware of, yetthese events are of great concern anddispleasure to the divine patrons of this

land. Even the foul weather of latestems from the displeasure of reveredHalav.

"I went to Bishop Pyotrevich, thePrelate of the Church of Traladara herein Kelvin. I spoke to him of my visionand my firm belief of its validity. HisGrace spurned me, saying I shouldn'twaste my time or his with such fantasy,telling me that I was forbidden to pur-sue the matter further at risk of beingexcommunicated from the church formy blasphemy. Although I did not un-derstand his anger and denial, I stillfear acting against his word. Just to actagainst his will is sin, so you must seehow imperative it is that you believe meand help right the wrongs being done,as I dare not risk approaching anyonewith my story ever again.

"But I stray from my purpose. As Isaid earlier, it has been two days since Ihad this dream. In my vision I saw awarrior—actually, the spirit of a long-dead warrior. He was running towardme across a wide, grassy plain. He worea breastplate of bronze, and upon hishead was a gilded helm with a horsetailplume. He carried a long spear and helda large round shield of embossedleather.

"This warrior spoke to me in an ar-chaic tongue, yet his voice was pure andangelic, and I understood him clearly.'Greetings, disciple of Halav,' thegleaming warrior said. 'I require the aidof a mortal, and my lord has bade that Iseek you, as you are destined for great-ness in his service.

" 'I am Tarfil, Warlord of Clan Tarvon,vassal to King Halav. Two millenniaago, I was slain upon this field.' As hewaved his arm out across the plain, Icould see two great armies locked in apitched battle. Bronze-armored men andtall, jackal-headed beastmen choppedand stabbed at one another in a chaotic,churning melee.

" 'We won the field that day long past,though I and many of my companionsnever lived to see our victory,' the man inmy vision said. Again he waved his arm,and the scene changed. Now only menmoved about, picking out the woundedfrom the dying and the dead. The warriorcontinued, 'The men labored long, layingtheir slain comrades in turf-coveredmounds and building huge pyres to burnthe carcasses of the beastmen.

" 'My own bones still lie within thetallest of those barrows, a moundmarked only by seven pillars of granite.

The army marched off to join our lord inthe final battle, and the barrows now lieforgotten upon a windswept moor.

" 'A fortnight ago, evil entered myresting place and now torments me inthe spirit world. Even now I am pursuedby fell beasts summoned by one whochants binding spells over the dust thatwas my body in life. He desires to en-snare my soul for some evil but un-known purpose.'

"Suddenly, I heard an eerie bayingand, looking out across the plain, Icould make out four black shapes racinglike the wind across the swaying grass.

" 'They come,' the spirit said. 'I havetarried far too long, for the beasts againdraw near.

" 'Awake, disciple of Halav, for inyour dreams these fell creatures ofdarkness may steal your soul. Awakeand aid me!'

"Tarfil turned away, and with thegrace of the swiftest deer boundedacross the plain, leaving his pursuersfar behind. Even as he fled, I turned tosee more clearly the beasts that pursuedhim: great, fiercesome hounds, black asjet, with gaping maws and glowingyellow eyes.

"I awoke in my bed, with the vision ofthose ghastly beasts etched in my mem-ory. As I lay there pondering the eventsof my sleep, I could faintly hear thedistant baying of hounds.

"Since that night I have slept ill. Ihave labored ceaselessly, searchingthrough ancient scrolls and forgottentexts, looking for some clue to the loca-tion of the spirit-warrior's tomb. Then,last night, as I prayed for guidance, acertain scroll I had missed was revealedto me. Written upon it in a nearly inde-cipherable text was a description of thebarrows I sought and their location. Ibelieve the battlefield that Tarfil spokeof is somewhere on the nameless moorto the east, where the River Volagaflows down from the Wulfwolde Hills."

Brother Sumanov shows the adventur-ers a rough map (see The UnnamedMoor map).

"Why the Immortals would choose oneso unworthy as myself to be their in-strument, I cannot say. I know not whatevil you may encounter, but I must begyou to journey to Tarfil's tomb and freehim from his torment. I have neitherthe ways nor means to do so myself,though I would give my life to save hissoul. Please, noble ones, go with all ofmy prayers."

DUNGEON 9

TARFIL'S TOMB

Ivan Sumanov: AC 10; C2; hp 8; #AT1; Dmg by weapon type; MV 120' (40');Save C2; ML 7; AL L; W 18, Ch 14. Ivanis unarmed and unarmored at the timeof this meeting, and has only a curelight wounds spell memorized.

For the Dungeon MasterIvan Sumanov is an adept in theChurch of Traladara in Kelvin, and hasbeen contacted in his dreams by a spiritfor reasons detailed later. Ivan waschosen because he is destined to rise togreatness in the service of the ThreeImmortals. However, he has far to go tomeet his destiny. Luck should always bewith Ivan, and the DM should go togreat pains, short of divine interven-tion, to prevent Ivan's death. Anyonewho insists on harming him, however,will be inflicted with a subtle but pow-erful curse: All Traladarans coming intocontact with the assailant will have afeeling of uneasiness and distrust, evenif they have been lifelong friends. Thedegree of this uneasiness and distrust isproportional to the Traladaran's piety.Also, members of the Cult of Halav canactually see the curse as an evil auraand will secretly try to cause the cursedperson trouble or harm at every turn.Only the undertaking of a grand quest(beyond the scope of this adventure) willallow some redemption in the eyes ofimmortal Halav and undo the effects ofthe curse.

In spite of Bishop Pyotrevich's strongreprimand, the prelate is simply ex-tremely paranoid about his position inthe church, as he obtained it morethrough manipulation and politics thanby piousness. The suggestion that theImmortals might send dreams to a nov-ice instead of to himself causes thebishop to react rather vehemently. Afterall, he is only human.

All that Ivan told the PCs is true, butthere is a good deal of information thathe does not possess.

The spirit warrior was a Traldar chief-tain slain in battle against gnolls 2,000years ago and lain in a barrow near theVolaga River. Recently, however, an evilpatriarch by the name of Annakarrentered the barrow.

For the past fortnight, Annakarr andhis followers have been chanting an evilspell of binding. The knowledge to castsuch a spell was a gift, in the form of anancient tome of power, from the Chaoticbeings they worship. The casting of the

spell requires a great amount of powerand energy but, if successful, will giveAnnakarr control over the soul of thespirit warrior, bringing the warriorback to life in a form similar to that of aghost. This warrior-ghost would becompletely under Annakarr's control,forced to do whatever evil deeds arecommanded of it.

Once Annakarr has control of thewarrior, he plans to raise an army ofUndead and Chaotic monsters and putthe Traldar spirit at their head. Anna-karr feels that the Traladaran peasantsaround Kelvin would never have thecourage to resist one claiming to be thespirit of their ancestor. Thus, Annakarrcould force them to accept him as theirleader, making Kelvin a new strongholdfor the forces of Chaos.

Journey to the BarrowsAfter the PCs meet Ivan Sumanov andaccept his mission, they must decide ona path to the barrow grounds. If theyask about the moor, people will tellthem that it is indeed most treacherous.Danger, both natural and otherwise,abounds. Marked paths are few, andmany of these lead nowhere or directlyinto treacherous bogs. Seemingly solidground offering safe passage may turnout to be a sucking morass capable ofswallowing a rider and his mount in amatter of minutes, leaving no trace oftheir passage. As for the denizens of themoor, the Traladaran peasants speak ofwerewolves and trolls, flying dragonscome down from the Wulfwolde Hills tohunt, and strange flickering lights thatlead the unwary into the fatal bogs.

Should the PCs seek a guide, they aredirected to the taverns near the easterngate of the city. Few people know thewinding paths of the moor, and fewerstill willingly tread its paths.

Near the east gate, the party is toldabout a man named Sergei Mishev, aTraladaran man known to wander themoor at times. "Look for Sergei at theGrinnin' Bear," the party is told.

Within the dim confines of the Inn ofthe Grinning Werebear, the PCs findSergei Mishev speaking quietly withseveral Traladaran miners. Sergeiseems a simple man, with weatheredfeatures and thick, graying hair.

Sergei Mishev: AC 2; F7; hp 36; #AT1; Dmg by weapon type; MV 120' (40');Save F7; ML 8; AL L; S 15, W 14, D 16.Sergei wears scale mail +2 and carries

a long sword +1, +2 vs. lycanthropes, asilver dagger, a long bow, and a quiverwith 11 silver arrows, eight arrows +1,and an arrow of lycanthrope slaying.

When the party approaches Sergeiabout guiding them across the moor, hedemands that they give him a full ex-planation of the purpose of their jour-ney. He has no desire to lead a band ofthrill-seekers on a foolish treasure hunt;he has done that before and returnedalone.

If the PCs truthfully explain theirexpedition, Sergei will quickly agree toguide them. Sergei has a great deal ofcommon sense and is very capable ofguiding the party across the moor toTarfil's tomb. He is a devout follower ofthe Traladaran church and will gladlyserve revered Halav. All he asks inpayment is a magical item or two thatwill make his future journeys across themoor a bit safer, and a small portion ofany treasure for provisions and dona-tion to the church.

Sergei was a sheepherder living onthe eastern border of the barony untilseven years ago when his farm wasburned and his family butchered by aravaging band of werewolves. He hassince labored upon the moor, huntingcreatures of Chaos and trying to givesome protection to the farmers and peatdiggers who eke out a living on the edgeof the vast moor.

If the PCs do not seek a guide, theywill find it hard going on the moor. Thenormally poor terrain is made evenworse by the inclement weather of late.If the PCs consider traveling by river,they find that the many days of rainhave turned the Volaga into a ragingtorrent. No river captain is willing topilot a boat for them, and any smallcraft they might buy would be of littleuse against the dangerous current.

If the adventurers opt to travel byhorseback, they may skirt around themoor to the north or south for a day, orthey, may strike directly eastwardacross it. Either way, the trip by horse-back will take two full days. The sametrip on foot will take four days. Travelacross the moor is slow going, and skirt-ing the moor takes the party well out ofits way. Thus, the routes balance out,with the trip taking the same amount oftime no matter which route is chosen.There are no practical shortcuts, aseven flying is made hazardous by thestorms. If Sergei is leading the party, hecrosses the river at Kelvin and travels

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along the southeast border of the moorduring the first half of the trip.

Although the western third of themoor is claimed by Baron Kelvin aspart of his dominion, the area claimed issparsely populated by herdsmen andpeat diggers dwelling in small, isolatedvillages of wattle and daub huts. Thisarea is only slightly less dangerousthan the eastern portion of the moor.

While the party travels across the moor,the DM should try to play up the atmos-phere created by the foul weather and thenature of the moor itself. Nights upon themoor are cold and wet. The days aremiserably humid when it isn't rainingand miserably chill when it is. Insects,mud, mist, wind, and fog all affect travelon the moor; working these into the de-scription of travel can add to the atmos-phere. The PCs will see very littlesunlight on their trip to the barrow.

Travel on the moor without a guide isextremely hazardous. For every twohours of daylight during which theparty travels on the paths, there is al-in-20 chance that the lead PCs willstumble into a well-disguised bog. Thischance takes into consideration thosethat a wary party saw and bypassedalong their route; a careless partyshould be penalized accordingly. Therate at which the trapped characterssink and subsequently drown is left tothe DM's discretion. If any of the PCswander around or try to travel at night,the chance of falling into a bog becomes1 in 6, checked every turn.

Check for wandering monsters everyfour hours; an encounter occurs on a 1on 1d12. Three encounter tables aregiven; the DM should choose the appro-priate table for the path taken.

At the halfway point in the journey(the first night by horseback or thesecond night by foot), when the party iscamped on the moor, only the followingencounter occurs. If the party is on foot,roll normally for wandering encountersduring the first and third nights.

Werewolf AttackAt midnight on the evening when thePCs reached the halfway point of theirjourney, as a thick fog rolls across thesodden moor and the full moon glim-mers a deep orange in the southeasternsky, a long howl breaks the silence ofthe night. If Sergei is with the partyand not on guard, he awakens immedi-ately and strings his bow. If on guard,

he quickly rouses the PCs and tellsthem to prepare for an attack.

Soon thereafter, more howls soundfrom several directions around the en-campment. From the distance comes ashort yipping bark. In another direc-tion, rustling noises emanate from athicket of heather only yards from thecamp. Suddenly, from yet another direc-tion in the darkness, a great dark shapehurtles upon the adventurers.

It is a huge wolf with gleaming fangs,its sable coat glistening in the dampnight. The wolf crouches in the center ofthe camp for a brief second, snarlingviciously, then leaps upon anyone stand-ing (or lying) nearby. Within seconds,the campsite is overrun by wolves of allsizes. The pack seems to be directed bya huge she-wolf of unnatural propor-tions, with a thick silver coat and enor-mous fangs.

This werewolf pack consists of 10normal wolves, six dire wolves, andnine werewolves. The werewolf with 30hp is the pack leader, who attacks as a5-HD monster and adds +2 to damagerolls. This is Valeria, Sergei's sister. Itwas she who betrayed her kin and slewthe rest of Sergei's family.

Wolves (10): AC 7; HD 2 +2; hp 16,14, 13 x 3, 12 x 2, 11, 10, 9; #AT 1 bite;Dmg 1-6; MV 180' (60'); Save F1; ML 8or 6; AL N; XP 25; BD/39.

Dire wolves (6): AC 6; HD 4 +1; hp30, 25 x 2, 23, 20 x 2; #AT 1 bite; Dmg2-8; MV 150' (50'); Save F2; ML 8; ALN; XP 125; BD/39 (Wolf).

Werewolves (9): AC 5 (9); HD 4*; hp30, 29, 26 x 3, 24, 22 x 2, 20; #AT 1 bite;Dmg 2-8; MV 180' (60'); Save F4; ML 8;AL C; XP 125; BD/33 (Lycanthrope).

The great she-wolf is viciously cun-ning, directing the pack with snarls andbarks from a hillock or rock outcroppingnear the edge of the campsite. Valeriapits the weaker wolves against horsesor sleeping characters, and sends thewerewolves against any points of strongresistance. She avoids facing a strongPC but will not hesitate to strike theweak or to strike from behind.

If Sergei is with the party, he uses hissilver and magical arrows to help any-one hard pressed by the fangedonslaught. If Sergei was not with thePCs when they left Kelvin, he joinsthem now, having been hunting thisband of werewolves for several nights.He runs howling into the encampment,

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Encounters En Route to the Barrows(Roll 1d6)Northern Route Eastern Route Southern Route(Hills) (Moor) (Forests)1. Patrol: 3-18 horsemen 1. 5-20 bugbears 1. 2-24 elves

(plus horses)2. 1-4 mountain lions 2. 2-16 ghouls 2. Caer Wedgewood3. 3-30 bandits 3. 1-8 trolls 3. 3-18 sprites4. 3-30 gnomes 4. 3-18 wolves 4. 1-4 treants5. 2-16 hippogriffs 5. 1-8 spectres 5. 2-8 black widow spiders6. 1-6 hill giants 6. 2-12 ogres 6. 1-4 dryads

Bandit: AC 6; HD 1; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; MV 90' (30'); Save T1; ML 8;AL C; XP 10; BD/25.

Black widow spider: AC 6; HD 3*; #AT 1 bite; Dmg 2-12 plus poison; MV 60'((20'), in web 120' (40'); Save F2; ML 8; AL N; XP 50; BD/38 (Spider, giant).

Bugbear: AC 5; HD 3 +1; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon type +1; MV 90' (30'); SaveF3; ML 9; AL C; XP 75; BD/27.

Caer Wedgewood (druid): AC 9; D9; hp 31; #AT 1; Dmg by spell or weapontype; MV 120' (40'); Save C9; ML 10; AL N; W 16, C 15; quarterstaff; DM's choiceof spells. Wedgewood is a cleric who has attained 9th level and is beginning histraining as a druid. He has been living and meditating in the forest for a monthnow, but no high-level druid mentor has yet appeared to him.

Dryad: AC 5; HD 2*; #AT special; Dmg nil; MV 120' (40'; Save E4; ML 6; AL N;ER/48.

Elf: AC 5; HD 1*; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; MV 120' (40'); Save E1; ML 8 or10; AL N; BD/30. These elves are traveling to the wedding of a relative and haveno knowledge of Tarfil's tomb.

Ghoul: AC 6; HD 2*; #AT 2 claws/1 bite; Dmg 1-3/1-3/1-3 plus special; MV 90'(30'); Save F2; ML 9; AL C; XP 25; BD/30.

Gnome: AC 5; HD 1; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; MV 60' (20'); Save D1; ML 8or 10; AL N; BD/30. This group of gnomes have left their overcrowded village andare scouting a site for a new town. They have no interest in ancient human war-riors and know nothing about tombs on the moor.

Hill giant: AC 4; HD 8; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; MV 120' (40'); Save F8;ML 8; AL C; XP 650; ER/50 (Giant).

Hippogriff: AC 5; HD 3 +1; #AT 2 claws/1 bite; Dmg 1-6/1-6/1-10; MV 180' (60');flying 360' (120'); Save F2; ML 8; AL N; XP 50.

Horseman: AC 7; F1; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; MV 120' (40'); Save F1; ML8; AL L; leather armor, sword, dagger. This patrol from Kelvin is investigatingreports of a bandit gang operating from a base in the Wulfwolde Hills.

Horse, riding: AC 7; HD 2; #AT 2 hooves; Dmg 1-4/1-4; MV 240' (80'); Save F1;ML 7; AL N; ER/51.

Mountain lion: AC 6; HD 3 +2; #AT 2 claws/1 bite; Dmg 1-3/1-3/1-6; MV 150'(50'); Save F2; ML 8; AL N; XP 50; BD/27 (Cat, great).

Ogre: AC 5; HD 4 +1; #AT 1 club; Dmg by weapon type +2; MV 90' (30'); SaveF4; ML 10; AL C; XP 125; BD/35.

Spectre: AC 2; HD 6**; #AT 1 touch; Dmg 1-8 plus double energy drain; MV150' (50'), flying 300' (100'); Save F6; ML 11; AL C; XP 725; ER/56.

Sprite: AC 5; HD 1⁄2*; #AT 1 spell; Dmg nil; MV 60' (20'), flying 180' (60'); SaveE1; ML 7; AL N; BD/38.

Treant: AC 2; HD 8*; #AT 2 branches; Dmg 2-12/2-12; MV 60' (20'); Save F8;ML 9; AL L; ER/56.

Troll: AC 4; HD 6 + 3*; #AT 2 claws/1 bite; Dmg 1-6/1-6/1-10; MV 120' (40');Save F6; ML 10 (8); AL C; XP 650; ER/56.

Wolf: AC 7; HD 2 +2; #AT 1 bite; Dmg 1-6; MV 180' (60'); Save F1; ML 8 or 6;AL N; XP 25; BD/39.

firing silver arrows as he comes. If noneof the party members slay the pack'sleader, Sergei saves his arrow of lycan-thrope slaying until he gets a clear shotat his sister. Then he screams, "Valeria,I do this for you!" and looses his arrow.The shaft pierces the great silver wolfin the ribs, and it falls to the groundwith a shuddering howl.

After the PCs slay or drive off the restof the pack, they find Sergei holding abeautiful woman in his arms, caressingher long hair and singing softly. Wipinga tear from his eye as he looks up atthem, he says, "It was necessary, so shewouldn't kill again." Then, taking hisdead sister in his arms, he walks a shortdistance from the campsite and quietlyburies her. If any of the party memberstry to follow him, he insists that he beleft alone.

About an hour later, Sergei returns tothe camp. If Sergei was not previouslywith the party, he joins them here, offer-ing to guide them on the same terms asif the party had met him in Kelvin.

If the party's horses were slain in thewerewolf attack, the trip will take twodays from this point. The party shouldarrive at the barrow grounds at dusk onthe last day of their journey.

The Barrows on the MoorRead or paraphrase the following to theplayers as the party approaches thebarrows:

Ahead of you, rising from the steamyfens of the gray-green moor like smallislands, are the mounds of which Ivanspoke. Through the mist and fog, youcan make out four or five mounds,some topped with great pillars ofstone, others with only thick tufts ofgray-green grass. No trees or bushesgrow on the mounds. Only aroundtheir bases does the gorse and heathercommon on the moor grow thick. Asmall stream meanders among thegrave-mounds; upon its banks growshort, stunted trees.

As you move closer, you can makeout more shapes looming in the mist,perhaps 20 mounds in all.

As you near the first barrow-mound you hear, not far off, a long,mournful wail. In the darkeningtwilight ahead, Sergei freezes in mid-step. Slowly he turns, and you seethat his eyes are wide and filled with

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fear. "Sasmirella," he mutters, andcollapses to his knees, shaking andmuttering prayers to the Immortals.

After several moments of shaking andpraying, Sergei gradually regains hiswits. A remove fear spell will immedi-ately banish the fear. As soon as he ishimself again, Sergei explains his terror:

"Two years ago, while I was out onthe moor alone, I encountered a ban-shee who has wandered the moor foryears. I had never encountered any-thing as fearsome as Sasmirella andstill haven't. She almost killed me!That encounter aged me 10 yearsand gave me this gray hair before mytime."

No matter what the adventurers try,Sergei refuses to continue on with theparty. He'll wait here, he says emphati-cally. Besides, he led the party to theburial mounds, and someone must staybehind to watch the horses.

As Sergei leads the horses towardthe shelter of a small copse ofstunted trees, he turns to say, "Be-ware Sasmirella. She smells theblood of living souls and knows youdraw near."

Leaving Sergei Mishev behind, youenter the area of mounds under which,you assume, are interred the remainsof the ancient warriors killed in thebattle with the beast-men.

Some of the mounds, however, aremarked by squat pillars of weatheredgranite, the size and number ofstones proportional to the height andgirth of the mound on which theystand. It is this observation thatbrings you to the tallest moundamong the barrows, one marked by aring of seven huge pillars of lichen-covered granite.

The mound ahead of you is 15' highat its flat, grassy top. The greatstones stand 10' high and form a ringapproximately 25' in diameter, thewhole mound being 75'-80' wide atits base.

For an instant, you see what ap-pears to be the pale figure of amaiden in shimmering white stand-ing between two of the pillars. But asquickly as you notice it, the figuredisappears.

The ghostly figure is the bansheeSasmirella, who walked out from be-hind one of the stones and thence intothe Ethereal Plane.

Sasmirella (banshee): AC - 3 ; HD13****; hp 57; #AT 1 touch/1 gaze; Dmgage 10-40 years/paralysis; MV 60' (20');Save special; ML 9; AL C; XP 5,150;CD/32 (Haunt).

The evil patriarch, Annakarr, talkedher into guarding the entrance to theviolated barrow from any other in-truders. She will not leave the ring ofstones to attack the party, as they haveno other way into the barrow thanthrough the hole made by Annakarr.She waits on the Ethereal Plane as theadventurers advance up the mound.

If anyone in the party walks up themound, or if the party splits up to goaround the mound, Sasmirella tries toget the attention of one of the malecharacters. She materializes next to oneof the stones near that character so thatonly he notices her. Then she ducksbehind a pillar and re-enters the Ethe-real Plane. To the male character whosees her, Sasmirella appears as she didin life, as a stunningly beautiful elfmaiden. However, any female charac-ters who are close enough to see Sas-mirella see her in her true form, as willany helpless male character foolishenough or bold enough to follow her intothe standing stones alone.

If any male character attempts tofollow Sasmirella into the stones, hefinds himself alone in the circle, withSasmirella nowhere to be found. Sud-denly, Sasmirella erupts out of theground at the character's feet in hertrue form, a grotesque corpse with hol-lowed eyes and a gaping mouth! (Sas-mirella is really coming "up" out of theEthereal Plane.) Unless the character isin the Ethereal Plane as well, Sasmirel-la's attack surprises him on a roll of 1-5on 1d6. Sasmirella strikes at the charac-ter and uses her gaze attack beforebeginning to weave her ectoplasmic net.If the character's companions rush tohis aid, Sasmirella uses her second wailattack (the first was the wailing moanthe adventurers heard out on the moor).Everyone in range must make a SavingThrow vs. Spells or age 10-40 years. Seethe Dungeon Masters Companion, pages32-33, for details on the effects of ahaunt's aging attack.

Sasmirella fights fiercely to defendthe entrance to the tomb, but if thingsgo badly against her, she uses her final

wail attack and flees to the EtherealPlane so that she may continue tohaunt the moor.

Once the PCs defeat Sasmirella (ei-ther destroying her or driving her off),give them the following information:

The top of the mound is relativelyflat, covered with the thick, coarsegrass common on the moors. Thestone pillars are cracked and weath-ered, covered with brown and graylichen. None of them bear any dis-tinctive marks.

If the PCs carefully search the area,they can find a potion of ethereality andan emerald necklace valued at 5,000 gpcraftily hidden in a clump of grass be-side one of the standing stones. Thesewere gifts from Annakarr for Sasmirel-la's service. The PCs may use the potionto send someone into the Ethereal Planeto rescue any party members ensnaredin Sasmirella's ectoplasmic net.

In the approximate center of the bar-row top, a gaping hole plunges downinto darkness. Torchlight at the mouthof this 4'-diameter hole reveals a roughtunnel descending into the barrow at a

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50° angle. The sides of the tunnel are ofloose, damp earth, making descent byanyone without climbing ability sheerfolly. The earth-walled tunnel seems togo down for 8' before passing through 6'of jagged rock. Past this point, the tun-nel appears to open into a chamber ofindiscernible proportions. Those peeringdown into the darkness can make outjumbled stone blocks 20'-25' below.Infravision provides even less informa-tion, showing only that all below is coldand motionless. A light spell shows thePCs little more. Dropping a torch orsimilar light source briefly illuminatesthe layer of stone that forms the ceilingand then the jumbled blocks on the floorbefore it is quickly extinguished in adark pool of water on the floor of thechamber.

By attaching a rope to one of thestanding stones, the PCs should havelittle trouble climbing down into thechamber below.

1. Entry Chamber. The followingdescription should be given to the play-ers when their characters enter thebarrow:

You stand in a damp, domed chamberapproximately 20' in diameter and12' high at its highest point. Thefloor is earth, and a small pile ofjumbled stone blocks lies in a shal-low pool of water beneath the gapinghole in the ceiling. Small woodendoors with ornate bronze hinges facenorth and east. To the south, a 5'wide by 5' high passage slants up-ward. The northern door is lockedwith a shiny metal padlock of unu-sual design, having two keyholes.The western portion of the chamberis shrouded in impenetrabledarkness.

Deathly silence commands thebarrow, except for the occasional softtap of water falling into the poolfrom the outside.

The darkness hiding the westernquarter of the chamber from view iscaused by a continual darkness spell.Annakarr cast this spell to hide thosewho guard the entry into the barrow.

After the PCs have had a moment toglance around the room, Annakarr'stwo guardians step out from theshadows of the spell. The two guardiansare bone golems, each with four swords.

Bone golems (2): AC 2; HD 6*; hp 54,

50; #AT 4; Dmg by weapon type; MV120' (40'); ML 12; AL N; XP 500; ER/50(Golem). These creatures may eachattack up to two opponents and areimmune to fire, cold, and electricalattacks.

If the PCs dispel the darkness, theycan see a small, wooden door identicalto the ones facing north and east. Butthe door in the western wall stands halfopen. There is nothing of value in thischamber.

After the party defeats the bone go-lems, the adventurers hear the fainthowl of a lone wolf out on the moor.Thoughts of Sergei out on the mooralone may creep across their minds.

2. Original Entrance/Dead End.This short passage slants noticeablyupward and ends in a wall of rough rockset with now-dusty mortar. If the PCsspend a few minutes removing blocksfrom the wall, they find a small metalchest shoved into a narrow hole in theearthen wall behind the rock. If the PCsshow even the slightest incentive instudying the chest, they realize that itdoes not show any signs of age or decay.It hardly seems possible that it couldhave been placed here 2,000 years ago.The space in which the chest iscrammed, however, is too small to openthe lid, so the chest must be removed toopen it.

Behind the chest, coiled in the dark,lie three pit vipers. Unless the PCs arespecifically watching for somethingbehind the chest, they are automati-cally surprised by the serpents lashingout as the chest is being lowered to theground.

Pit vipers (3): AC 6; HD 2*; hp 12, 10,15; #AT 1 bite; Dmg 1-4 plus poison; MV90' (30'); Save F1; ML 7; AL N; XP 25;BD/37 (Snake).

The starving vipers have beencrammed in the hole for several daysnow and want only to make a hastyescape. The snakes strike out from thehole at the first opportunity, then try tomake a break for the entry chamber asthey continue to strike at anyone theypass. Serpents that are cornered willcontinue to strike until slain.

Once the vipers are dealt with, thePCs can get on with examining thechest, which was put here by Annakarrto distract and harm the unwary. It islocked and trapped with a poison needle(Save vs. Poison to avoid death in 2-5rounds).

The chest is filled with a dozen largerocks and a batch of yellow mold that,after being jostled around as the PCslowered the chest to the ground, burstsforth a huge cloud of spores that fillsthe entrance.

Yellow mold: AC not applicable; HD2*; hp 14; #AT spores; Dmg 1-6 pluschoking spores; MV 0'; Save F2; ML notapplicable; AL N; XP 25; BD/39.

3. Western Tomb. This room and theentire length of passage leading to it,including part of the entry chamber(area 1), are under the effects of a con-tinual darkness spell. As the PCs battlethe bone golems in the entry chamber,the creatures within this room are set-ting up their trap.

If the PCs dispel the magical darknessso that they can view the contents ofthis chamber, they see the following:

The narrow passage beyond thesmall door is short and slopes gentlydownward. At its end is a domedchamber slightly smaller than thechamber through which you enteredthe barrow. In the center of thechamber are two stone slabs, eachabout 6' long, 3' wide, and 2' high.Upon each of these slabs lies thedusty remains of a body dressed intattered cloth. The corpses wearancient-looking tarnished bronzebreastplates, and their heads arecovered by great helmets. Warpedand decayed shields cover their feet,and each clasps a short bronze swordat his breast. All around the cham-ber lie huge vases and urns, rottingchests, and several ancient weapons.

Straddling the stone biers is aninky figure: a stunted, vicious-looking man-thing with an evil grim-ace and long bony claws. Throughthe creature, you can vaguely makeout the far wall of the room.

As you look upon this horrifyingsight, a wispy, chilling mist begins toswirl about the room.

This room currently houses a motleyband of Undead, followers of Annakarr.The creature straddling the stone slabsis an apparition that, to Annakarr'sglee, had been haunting the barrow forseveral decades and was quite willing tojoin the patriarch. Annakarr quicklyput the apparition in command of therest of his Undead entourage. Hidingbehind and beneath the various con-

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tents of the tomb are the tortured soulswho were attracted to (or doomed within)Annakarr's Temple of Chaos. These crea-tures include eight wights and twowraiths, one of which (hp 25) hides in ahuge urn near the doorway, putting himbehind the party if they enter the room.The two figures lying on the slabs aremummies, ready to rise to the attack.

Apparition: AC 0; HD 10***; hp 53;#AT 2 claws; Dmg 3-8/3-8; MV 180' (60';Save MU10; ML 10; AL C; XP 3,000;CD/35 (Phantom).

Wights (8): AC 5; HD 3*; hp 20 (x 2),18, 17, 16, 15, 14 (x 2); #AT 1; Dmgenergy drain; MV 90' (30'); Save F3; ML12; AL C; XP 50; BD/39.

Wraith (2): AC 3; HD 4**; hp 30, 25;#AT 1; Dmg 1-6 plus energy drain; MV120' (40'), flying: 240' (80'); Save F4; ML12; AL C; XP 175; ER/57.

Mummies (2): AC 3; HD 5 +1**; hp33, 25; #AT 1 touch; Dmg 1-12 plusdisease; MV 60' (20'); Save F5; ML 12;AL C; XP 575; ER/54. Do not forgettheir paralyzing fear effects.

As the party enters this room, theapparition begins the creation of itsdeadly mist, which will fill the chamberand a good portion of the entry hallwithin one round (maximum extent: 10'high, 20' radius). Everyone within theroom or several feet into the entry tun-nel must make a Saving Throw vs.Spells or be entranced, standing help-less before the swarm of undead. Thoseremaining within the mist must saveeach round until the mist vanishes in12 rounds. As soon as at least one PC isentranced, the apparition materializesand attack the helpless adventurer.

When the apparition materializes, themummies sit up from the slabs and thewights and wraiths rise up from theirhiding places among the shadows anddebris.

The undead will not pursue the partybeyond the door of the chamber. Shouldthe PCs venture into the room underthe effect of the magical darkness, theundead attack will come in much thesame fashion but without the theatricsand the PC's knowledge of their fate!

The room is filled with rotting chestsand large clay vessels, all filled withlong-decayed foodstuffs and molderinggarments. The remains of an ancientchariot stand among the wreckage.Upon the wall hang six crossed battleaxes of a viciously hooked design, andfrom one of these hangs a silver key ona leather thong. This is one of the two

keys that are required to open the spe-cial padlock to the northern tomb. Onthe floor beneath the battle axes sits achest that contains the skulls of eight ofthe gnoll-beastmen.

If a party member carefully searchesaround the stone biers, he notices thatthe earthen floor of the chamber hasbeen disturbed near the head end of thesouthern slab. If the slab is pushedaside or overturned (requiring a com-bined strength of 50 or more), the ad-venturers discover the monsters'treasure cached in a small hole. Thefollowing items are located there: a

small electrum wolf's-head brooch(worth 1,000 gp); a plain platinum armband (worth 2,000 gp); an ornate goldand platinum crown, crafted in the formof intertwined oak leaves (worth 10,000gp); a wand of magic detection (20charges); a scroll of creation; and threepotions (green dragon control, undeadcontrol, antidote).

4. Eastern Tomb. If someone in theparty successfully listens at the door tothis tomb, he hears faint, deep-throatedlaughter. After the PCs open the door,describe the following scene to them:

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From the doorway, torchlight flickerson the walls of the short passage thatslopes down into a chamber of indis-cernible size. Harsh voices and vul-gar laughter echo up from the roombelow.

When the party has traveled the shortcorridor, give the PCs the followingdescription:

Two smoldering torches illuminate achamber somewhat smaller than theentry area. The center of the roomcontains three stone slabs uponwhich sit four brutish warriors withshaggy hair and wild eyes. All thewarriors are clad in plaid kilts andleather vests.

The center of attention seems to bethe largest of the warriors, every bitof 7' tall, who is sitting on the cen-tral slab, holding up a giant rat byits tail, and teasing it with the pointof a dagger. Two warriors are sittingon the northern slab, each with abattle axe in hand and a bastardsword nearby. The fourth warrior sitson the southern slab, toying with atwo-handed sword. A second sword isstrapped to his back.

If the PCs draw any attention tothemselves when they look into thisroom, the largest warrior looks up fromhis sport. "I grow tired of battling ro-dents. Are there any among ye worthyof a fight?" he challenges. With that hehurls the rat at the PCs and grabs twohefty maces from beside him on thestone bier. This is the signal for all fourwarriors to leap to the attack withbloodcurdling screams.

The four warriors are actually mujinamercenaries hired by Annakarr. Themujina fight ferociously and will pursuea weakened party to the barrow top ifthe PCs leave them some means bywhich to climb out.

Mujina (4): AC 4; HD 8*; hp 58, 50,45, 43; #AT 2 weapons plus special;Dmg by weapon type plus fear; MV 120'(40'); Save F8; ML 9; AL C; XP 1,750;CD/34.

The only items of value in this roomare carried by the monsters. Of the twoarmed with sword and axe, one wears ajewelled arm band valued at 3,000 gp,and the other has a pouch containingfive gems (1,000 gp (x 2), 500 gp (x 2),100 gp). The third mujina has a bag of

holding that contains 5,000 gp in goldcoin, plate, and bars. The largest of thegroup bears the second key required toopen the north door in area 1. This keyis gold and is strung on a leather thongaround his neck. His dagger is a dagger+2/+4 vs. Undead.

5. Antechamber. As mentioned ear-lier, the door to this chamber is lockedby a very powerful and quasi-magicalpadlock. The lock was crafted by a long-dead dwarflike race, and the knowledgeand power to make such a lock is nowlost.

This lock has two keyholes and can beopened only with the two keys found inareas 3 and 4. Without these keys, en-trance to Tarfil's tomb is impossible.Besides, if the PCs are too weak to de-feat Annakarr's hench-creatures andattain possession of the keys, how couldthey possibly hope to overcome thebeings behind this door?

The lock is immune to any thief'sattempt to pick it, although trying to doso has no ill effects. This special padlockempowers whatever it locks (in this casethe door, hinges, frame, and all) withthe equivalent of 750 hp of resiliency.This strength is by no means perma-nent. It is in effect only while the lock isattached and properly fastened. In addi-tion, the lock is immune to the effects ofknock spells and any other magics ex-cept a wish. As said before, only the twokeys may open the lock. If someonedecides to take the lock, it may be soldfor 5,000 gp or more if the right buyercan be found. Those interested in such alock include wealthy nobles and mer-chants, dwarven craftsmen of greatskill, and powerful mages. Of course,the powers of the lock are not reproduc-ible, nor are copies of its keys. If noth-ing else, it could provide an adventurerwith a very safe way of protecting hisvaluables, providing that he doesn'tmisplace the keys.

Once the lock is open, the door swingsopen easily. When the PCs enter thechamber beyond, read the following tothe players:

The room beyond the padlocked dooris dimly illuminated by two lanternswhose wicks have been trimmed verylow. You stand on the landing of ashort flight of stairs that leads downto the floor 10' below. The oval-shaped room is 15' wide and 20' long,

with a 20'-high ceiling. Hovering inthe center of the room near the farend, about 10' off the floor, is ascaled, sphere-shaped creature ap-proximately 4' in diameter, with agaping maw, one huge eye, and amultitude of short stalks sproutingin a ring around its top.

The grinning monstrosity is a be-holder who has allied itself with Anna-karr to further its own twisted ends.Annakarr placed it here to act as a finaldefense against any intrusion in hiswork.

Beholder: AC 0/2/7; HD 11*****; hp50/20/12; #AT 1 bite plus special; Dmg2-16 plus special; MV 30' (10'); SaveMU11; ML 12; AL C; XP 5,100; CD/28.

The monster immediately attacksanything that enters the room. Themonster tries to hold a position in thecenter of the room, about 10' or 12' offthe floor, and uses as many of its eyes aspossible against the intruders. If thebeholder's safety appears severelythreatened, and if someone attempts toparley, it may offer to allow the party topass in exchange for 5,000 gp in gems ortwo scrolls or potions. If the party ac-cepts such terms, the beholder asks thatthe items be put in a pouch or sack. Itthen takes up the parcel in its mouthand leaves the tomb. The beholder cer-tainly doesn't feel it owes Annakarr itslife.

This room is filled with chests, coffers,and urns, most of which are brimmingover with copper and silver (30,000 cpand 19,000 sp). There is also one largeurn containing 2,000 gp. A rack ofweapons, containing mostly rustedspears, swords, and axes, stands againstthe west wall. One spear, however, bearsno sign of its age except the ancientcarvings engraved in its haft. It is aspear +3, returning.

6. Tarfil's Tomb. Beyond the ante-chamber guarded by the "sphere ofmany eyes" lies the final (?) restingplace of Tarfil, warlord of the ancientTraldar. Double doors covered withbronze plate bar entry to the chamberin which Annakarr and his minionswork the spell to bind Tarfil's soul totheir evil will. Etched into the bronze ofthe doors are runes in the tongue ofancient Traldar that read: "Herein liesTarfil Tarfun's son, who fell glorious inbattle and rests in everlasting peace

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amongst the gods." Carved in bas-reliefon either side of the portal are stonefigures, warriors in horse-tail-plumedhelmets, holding short swords at atten-tion before their breastplates. The boltto the doors is unfastened, but the doorsthemselves have been enchanted with ahold portal spell, cast at 11th level.

If the PCs have no magical means topass beyond these doors, it will require200 hp of damage to destroy the doorsby hammer and axe, though axes usedwill be quickly blunted by the bronzeplating and severely impaired for use inbattle. If someone successfully listens atthe doors, he can hear a monotonouschanting. As the party member listens,the chant begins to increase in intensityand pitch. Shortly thereafter, the soundbecomes discernable by everyone in theantechamber. The spell being castwithin is approaching its climax.

Even if the PCs must break down thedoors, the chanting will continue. Anna-karr is too close to his goal to stop now.When the adventurers enter the room,either by overpowering the magics onthe doors or by battering their waythrough, give them the followingdescription:

The room beyond the bronze doors issmoky and dimly lit by several lan-terns and two large candelabra hold-ing thick black candles. The ovalchamber is 30' long and 20' wide.Five feet inside the doors, wide stonesteps lead down 3' to a lower level ofthe floor. The ceiling height is ap-proximately 12' where you stand and15' on the main floor.

Standing at the top of the stairs arethree grossly fat, grim-faced men,each bearing a huge pole axe raisedmenacingly above his head. The fatmen are dressed in leather jerkinsand breeches, but are dirty and reekof filth. On each of their faces youcan see an evil leer, their teeth seem-ing almost tusk-like in the dim light.

Beyond these monsters, six hu-mans stand chanting in a half circlearound an open sarcophagus, theirattention fixed upon a maroon-robedman holding aloft a blood-red candlein one hand and an ancient tome inthe other. Above the sarcophagus, aswirling, sickly green mist is rapidlyforming. Another man, dressed inlong robes covered in glyphs, is ges-turing dramatically. Just as you

enter, a wall of translucent ice formsat the foot of the stairs, shooting uptoward the ceiling and sealing offmost of the chamber.

Regardless of how long the PCs havespent elsewhere in the barrow, theyenter Tarfil's tomb just as the spell ofbinding nears success. The three crea-tures at the door are devil swine whohave been enlisted by Annakarr to fightfor Chaos.

Devil swine (3): AC 3 (9); HD 9*; hp46, 45, 42; #AT 1 gore or weapon; Dmg

2-12 or by weapon type; MV 180' (60'),human form 120' (40'); Save F9; ML 10;AL C; XP 1,600; ER/48.

When the party enters the room, thedevil swine are in human form, buteach round thereafter one of the swinedrops to the floor and transforms into ahuge hog. Each devil swine may makeup to three special charm person attacksper day, with the victim saving at - 2 .

The man in the glyph-embroideredrobes is Cargilon Darkbringer, a wizardwho has been watching the PCs througha crystal ball since they entered thebarrow. Knowing that they were about

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to enter the chamber, he began castinga wall of ice spell to prevent the partyfrom disrupting the incantation.

Cargilon Darkbringer: AC 1 (withring and shield); MU 11; hp 30; #AT 1;Dmg by spell or weapon type; MV 120'(400; Save MU11; ML 10; AL C; I 17;XP 2,700. Cargilon possesses a dagger+2, a crystal ball, a ring of protection+ 3, and a potion of healing. He has justfinished imbibing a potion of sight andcasting shield and detect invisible spellson himself, as well as casting the wall ofice spell and a protective spell on Anna-kar the Conquerer (see following).Cargilon has the following spells memo-rized: charm person, magic missile (x 2),invisibility, continual darkness, web,fireball, lightning bolt, confusion, poly-morph other, feeblemind, teleport.

Gathered around the sarcophagus areAnnakarr and his followers. For nearlya fortnight they have worked in shifts,two or three at a time, invoking thepowers of Chaos to bind Tarfil's soul.While not chanting the incantation,they prayed, ate, and slept, never leav-ing the tomb. As Tarfil's spirit began toweaken, they gradually increased theintensity of their chant until all sevenof them joined in 20 hours ago, focusingtheir combined power against the Trala-dar warlord. Now the five lesser clericsare exhausted, not being powerfulenough to sustain their physicalstrength, and have a gaunt look aboutthem. Lodigris the Wicked, a Chaoticlama converted to Annakarr's beliefslong ago, has retained much of hisstrength due to his faith. Still, onlyAnnakarr bears no sign of physicalstrain, having drawn a great deal of hispower directly from the Tome of Bind-ing Souls, a powerful relic of Chaos.

Lesser clerics of Chaos (3): AC 3;C3; hp 15, 12, 10; #AT 1; Dmg byweapon type; MV 60' (20') from exhaus-tion and encumbrance; Save C3; ML 11;AL C; XP 50. These clerics wear platemail beneath their robes, and each isarmed with a mace +1. Although theirweakened condition has no effect ontheir combat abilities due to their reli-gious fanaticism, none of them has thepower left to cast spells. Each wears aplatinum chain worth 200 gp.

Elders of Chaos (2): AC 2; C6; hp 32,25; #AT 1; Dmg by spell or weapon type;MV 60' (20') from exhaustion and en-cumbrance; ML 11; AL C; W 16; XP725. These men are not quite as drainedas their lesser brethren, and they still

have the ability to cast some spells. Thestronger of the pair wears plate mail +1and bears a staff of striking with 20charges. He has a cause light woundsand a fear spell available. The otherwears plate mail and a ring of protection+ 1, carries a snake staff and can castcause light wounds and hold personspells. These men each wear large goldholy symbols (Chaotic) valued at 1,000gp apiece.

Lodigris the Wicked, lama of Chaos:AC 1; C8; hp 36; #AT 1; Dmg by spell orweapon type; MV 60' (20'); Save C8; ML11; AL C; S 16, W 17; XP 1,750. Lodi-gris has plate mail +2, a mace +3, anda potion of giant strength. He also hasthe following spells at his disposal:light, hold person, silence 15' radius,poison, finger of death. Lodigris has aruby necklace valued at 900 gp and akey to the iron chest near the back ofthe chamber.

Annakarr the Conqueror, patriarchof Chaos: AC - 2 ; C13; hp 50; #AT 1;Dmg by spell or weapon type; MV 60'(20'); Save C 13; ML 12; AL C; I 17, W18, C 16; XP 3,250. Annakarr wearsplate mail of gaseous form +3 andwields a mace of slowing +3. He alsowears a ring of spell turning and isunder the effect of a protection fromnormal missiles spell recently cast uponhim by Cargilon Darkbringer. Anna-karr has the following spells available:cause fear (x 2), cure light wounds (x 3),hold person (x 3), bless, blight, continualdarkness (x 2); curse (x 2), poison, cureserious wounds, cause serious wounds,cure critical wounds (x 2), barrier (x 2).Annakarr wears a jewelled pendantworth 5,000 gp and four finger ringsvalued at 1,200 gp, 500 gp, 250 gp, and50 gp. 'The Conqueror' is Annakarr'sself-given (and somewhat premature)title.

The round after the PCs enter thechamber, the three lesser priests breakoff from the incantation, as it is in itsfinal stages and they are no longerneeded for its completion. As soon asthe wall of ice is destroyed, they rushthe party. On the following round, thetwo Elders break off as well, as doesLodigris on the round thereafter. Oncethe PCs have entered the chamber, theonly way to reverse the spell before itscompletion is by slaying Annakarr, anoccurrence his followers are willing togive their lives to prevent.

For the first three rounds, the PCsmay notice that the green mist is thick-

ening, swirling with greater andgreater intensity. On the fourth round ittakes the form of a man, emanating aluminous green light that floods thechamber with an unwholesome emeraldhue. Floating above the sarcophagus,the spirit appears just as described byIvan Sumanov, with the presence andbearing of a man who in life possessedgreat strength and a powerful personalaura.

As he takes shape, Tarfil looks at thePCs, and upon his face they may see alook of tragic sorrow, as though thespirit already felt great remorse for thewrongs he must commit against human-ity. But as the adventurers continue tobattle the minions of Annakarr, a dra-matic change comes over the counte-nance of the spirit that was TarfilTarfun's son. The look of sorrow shifts toa menacing grimace, and evil seems topermeate the air of the chamber, magni-fied by the sickening emerald glow.

Annakarr speaks words of greatpower. On round five after the party'sentrance, the Traldar ghost raises hisspear and charges the strongest lookingwarrior in the party, running across theair as though it were soft turf. Fromthis point on (round six and beyond),Annakarr is also free to join the melee.

Spirit of Tarfil, warlord of ancientTraldar: AC - 2 ; HD 14; hp 75; #AT 2;Dmg 4-14/4-14; MV 120' (40'); Save F14;ML 12; AL C; XP 3,500.

Tarfil appears much as he did in life,dressed in the helmet, breastplate, andgreaves of his ancient civilization andcarrying his great spear and leatheredwarboard. The fighter whom Tarfil'sspirit has marked for single combatmust make a Saving Throw vs. Spellsevery round or be affected as if by a fearspell. Tarfil ignores all others until theone he has challenged lies slain. (OtherPCs who attack Tarfil at this time neednot make Saving Throws.)

All the agents of Chaos in this roomfight to the best of their abilities, usingspells aggressively and sparing no mag-ical items. Annakarr has come too far inhis grand scheme and will not see itruined now by a handful of would-beheroes.

In order to control Tarfil, Annakarrmust stay alive and retain possession ofthe Tome of Binding Souls. He fightswith the book grasped in one hand andhis mace in the other. Should anyonemanage to wrest the book from Anna-karr, the spell is broken. Treat such an

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attempt as a wrestling attack (PlayersCompanion, pages 6-7), giving Anna-karr the initiative to strike first withhis mace each time (he has a wrestlingrating of 10). To take the book awayrequires beating Annakarr by 10 ormore on a wrestling roll. If the PC beatsAnnakarr by less than 10, however, heneeds best Annakarr by only 8 on hisnext attempt, provided that Annakarrdoes not hit the PC with his mace beforethe PC attempts his next wrestling roll.

Should the tome be taken from Anna-karr, Tarfil's spirit howls with delight.Tarfil immediately attacks Annakarr,ignoring his previous opponent. Anna-karr fights back desperately, but he nolonger has any magical power over thespirit and is no match for Tarfil in bat-tle. Upon the death of Annakarr,whether by Tarfil's spear or at thehands of the PCs, Tarfil's shade fadesaway, looking extremely satisfied andsmiling at the PCs, even if they are stillengaged with Annakarr's followers.

Should the spell be broken and all

three of the higher-level clerics slain,Annakarr's minions run for the surface,hoping to escape with their lives. OnlyLodigris will give no quarter, fighting tothe last. If, of the high-level clerics, onlyLodigris lives, he attempts to rally theother human clerics. Cargilon will casta continual darkness spell and flee byteleporting away should the battle lookhopeless.

If Tarfil's spirit is banished and theChaotic priests are being soundlybeaten, Annakarr screams curses at thePCs and vows to hunt them down alongwith their families and friends to seethat they all die horrible deaths. Then,screaming hysterically for his minionsto slay the PCs in the name of Chaos,Annakarr transforms into a gaseouscloud and flees the barrow, determinedto someday be avenged.

Near the rear of the chamber is a smalllocked iron chest, to which Lodigris hasthe key. It is trapped with four poisoneddarts and contains a clerical scroll withthree spells (raise dead fully, restore,

cureall) and 1,000 pp. This is Annakarr's"traveling money." Also in the chamberare several chests partially filled withrations, and three casks, one containingwine and two filled with water. All thecasks have been broached, but the foodand water are palatable and the wine isexceptionally good.

Leaving the BarrowWhen the PCs finally exit the barrow,they are greeted by a pale dawn, theyellow sun just peeking over the easternmountains. To the west, they see Sergeileading their string of horses along thesmall brook. He stops at the base of themound, saying, "M'lords, I knew that yewere successful, for the dark clouds thathave hung over the land for weeks sud-denly boiled and churned and racedaway to the south, leaving behind thisbeautiful dawn. I deem you have done agreat thing for Traladara today."


The Tome of Binding SoulsBound in demon hide, this item is asmall, thick book roughly 9" high, 6"wide, and 11⁄2" thick. It strongly radi-ates a pulsing aura of evil, noticeableeven without magical detection. Itsworn pages of thin flesh are coveredwith strange sigils and glyphs. Merelylooking at the tome's evil writings willcause any non-Chaotic being to take3-18 hp electrical damage and make aSaving Throw vs. Spells or go insane.The form that this insanity takes isleft for the DM to decide, but requiresthe casting of a cureall spell by a clericof 18th level or higher to dispel. Anynon-Chaotic being who retains thebook in his possession for more thanthree days will suffer from a vile rot-ting disease, as that caused by amummy, with no save allowed. Thecuring of this effect requires the cast-ing of a cure disease spell, also by acleric of 18th or higher level.

The tome is a relic that contains theknowledge and power to ensnare thesoul of a deceased being and bind it toone's will. The captured soul manifestsitself in a form similar to that of aghost, except that its hit dice are equalto that which it possessed in life. Thisspirit-ghost is completely under thepower of the tome's user.

The tome is written in an archaicform of the Chaotic alignment lan-guage and can be fully understood onlyby a Chaotic cleric of at least 10thlevel, although such a cleric may thenpass on some of this knowledge toothers. These followers can then addtheir power to the cleric's own to in-crease the strength of the incantation.

The casting of the incantation re-quires that the spell be cast over theremains of the soul's former body, andthat the caster know the spirit's name.Success of the incantation begins at abase 1% chance, rolled once every 12hours of the incantation. This chance ismodified by the following: For everylevel of the spirit, subtract 2%. Forevery level of the caster (and those ofany assistants chanting at the same),add 1%. Lastly, add 1% for each 12-hour period in which the incantationhas been in progress.

Should the incantation be inter-rupted or halted at any time, all prog-ress made to that point is lost, and anynew attempts to ensnare the soul beginat the base 1% chance again. Also,should a 99% or greater (unmodified)chance be rolled in any ensnaringattempt, the soul eludes his pursuers(fell hounds from the Abyss) andbreaks the spell's hold. This has the

same effect as breaking off theincantation.

Once ensnared, however, there islittle hope for the spirit, as the powerof the tome quickly binds it to a mate-rial form from which escape occursonly when its new form is destroyed orwhen the caster loses control of thetome. This doesn't mean that thecaster must sleep with the tomeclutched to his breast, but it does re-quire that the book always be in aplace of the caster's choosing andaccessible to him.

Should the caster lose control of thetome, the spirit becomes free to directall its energies toward the death of itscaptor, attacking until destroyed or thecaster is killed, at which point thespirit is allowed to return to its finalplane of existence.

The tome is immune to normal andmost magical destruction, such asburning or ripping. It must be de-stroyed by some special means, such asbeing thrown into a particular volcano,perhaps on the Elemental Plane ofFire, or by immersion in the acidicblood of some huge ancient blackdragon. The particular means of thetome's destruction are left to the DMand could provide an exciting anddangerous quest.

DUNGEON 19

JUGGERNAUTBY ROGER E. MOORE

Traffic is sometimes veryheavy at night.

Artwork by Jim Holloway

Roger E. Moore is the editor ofDRAGON® Magazine and offered towrite a two-page mini-adventure. Wemay give him another chance.

"Juggernaut" is an AD&D® 2nd Editionscenario for 5-8 characters of 4th to 7thlevel (about 33 total levels). The playersshould be willing to find unique ways ofdealing with a dangerous problem thatcould overwhelm them in direct hand-to-hand combat. This brief scenario maybe dropped into any ongoing campaign;it takes place along a wilderness stretchof a major overland trade route. The"Adventure Background" may bechanged to reflect the circumstances ofthe current game campaign, thus con-necting this encounter with a settingalready involving goblins.

Adventure BackgroundSub-chief Konkar looked down at thecarved marble object he had pulled freefrom the still-smoking ruins of thechest. His eyes ran from the stench ofburned flesh and baked leather, theremains of the overeager goblins whohad unlatched the chest before the sha-man could check it for the usual clevermagical traps. The explosion had blownall the doors loose in this section of thedungeon and reduced the scouting par-ty's numbers by three. Not that weneeded the weak and the stupid amongour numbers anyway, reflected Konkar,turning the sooty object over in hisdark-red hands.

The object appeared to be a statuetteof some remarkable beast: a massive,thick-bodied, four-legged creature thelikes of which Konkar could scarcelyimagine. It seemed to have a long noseor arm projecting from its face, withhuge teeth or horns to either side of thenose. A demon, no doubt, he thought.Dizaker will want to see it. He'll alsowant to take it away for "further study,"and I'll finally have an excuse to cut thatarrogant shaman's hands off at thewrists. Considerably cheered, Konkarstrode from the smoke-filled room andleft his troops to their thorough andemotionless looting.

He found Dizaker at the entrance tothe newly discovered dungeon complex.The pile of bodies tossed to the side ofthe entryway showed that now six moregoblins had fallen victim to the variouscharms of this old tomb. Dizaker's eyesnarrowed when he saw the sub-chief

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approach with the smooth marble carv-ing in his hands, and the shaman heldout a yellow-green palm to take it.

Konkar laughed. "The hands thatgrasp are the hands that keep, Godser-vant. This will make a fine souvenir ofour visit, a charm that doubles as awhetstone. Perhaps you could polish itfor me when you have the time."

A muscle twitched in Dizaker'sscarred right cheek. "You lack respectfor your betters, Sub-chief. Your forayinto this worthless ruin has cost us overa handful of warriors, lives that couldhave been better spent slaying humanvermin. We were sent here to find newlands for our people, not to waste timeand blood looking for treasure. Givethat worthless trinket over and finishyour duties."

The smile on Konkar's face pulledback until all of his daggerlike teethcould be seen. Yellow flames burned inhis eyes. "You will breed with dwarvesbefore you take this prize from me," hesaid slowly. "This is a statue of a de-mon, and it will be my own. And youlack respect for your betters, Godser-vant. Your place is to support me, not togive me orders."

"I'll give you orders when I see fit!"shrieked Dizaker, showing all of hisrotting fangs. His fingers wrappedthemselves around the leather-bandedhilt of his stone-headed mace. "I servethe Lord of the Depths and Darkness,the Mighty One who is our creator, nota petty officer who sends his goblinsaway to be slain on a whim!"

Weeks of frustration and hatred boiledover in an instant. Konkar whirled andset the marble statue aside on theground. In the same motion, he pulledhis sword free and faced Dizaker, hisbrick-red face swollen with rage. Thedozen or so goblin soldiers who haddrawn closer to hear the argument nowpulled back from harm's way, still stay-ing within earshot to catch every detailof this long-expected and too-long-delayed showdown.

"When you get to the Hells," Konkarroared, "tell them you were sent thereby Konkar!" Gripping the sword withboth hands and scorning his shield,Konkar whipped his blade over his headand lashed out at the shaman. Heknows only one spell, Konkar thought,and the coward probably picked one toheal his wounds. He'll need it—anddozens more.

The shaman was equally fast, how-

ever, and his mace blocked the down-ward slash of the sword. Splinters andsparks flew from the weapons as theyclanged and flew apart. Konkar twistedhis grip and brought the sword back,and again Dizaker blocked the str ike-but something else was happening. Theshaman now looked at Konkar—no, hewas looking behind Konkar—with openterror, backpedaling for all he wasworth. Konkar advanced. A pitiabletrick from a wretch of a Godservant!

"Great Lord of Darkness!" howled theshaman, dropping his mace and fallingbackward over a stone. The fool tripped!But he's not faking his fear, the sub-chiefrealized suddenly. Konkar was alsosuddenly aware that all of his goblinsoldiers were screaming now, and theywere all looking behind him, too, point-ing with round, wide eyes and drawnweapons.

He whirled, braced for an attack fromthis new threat or from the cowardlyshaman. The blood in his veins frozewhen his gaze fell upon the statuette—at least, it must have once been thestatuette. Now it was growing.

Never run! was the first thought thatflashed though the sub-chief's mind.Never run from anything! Yet he shooklike a newborn worg cub as the blackmarble carving arose to the size of agreat dog, now a horse, now to a mightyshape that towered above him like theLord of the Depths and Darkness him-self. The demon was covered with blackshaggy hair, and all of the features ofthe original statuette were now re-vealed in their horrific glory. Two gianthorns that could each spit a worg stuckout from the monster's face over itsmouth, and a snakelike limb coiled anduncoiled itself between them.

Abruptly the monster stopped grow-ing at a fantastic height. It looked likeit must weigh as much as a mountain.A thick animal odor drifted from it. Themonster turned its head and fixedKonkar with a tiny, gleaming black eye.

*You have called me to life* came aslow, alien voice inside Konkar's head.*What is your command?*

For perhaps half a minute, the sub-chief said nothing. His fingers achedfrom the grip on his useless sword. Hestudied the creature, examining it andwaiting for any move. And he digestedthe demon's words with growingawareness.

Slowly Konkar straightened his back.The tip of his sword fell until it touched

the ground. The goblin carefully clearedhis throat before he spoke.

"You obey me," he said, making it halfa question.

*Yes. Unto death. * The demon's tinyeye blinked calmly.

Wild emotion began to grow insideKonkar. He almost stepped back. It wastoo much to believe. His own demon!Konkar turned and glanced at histroops, the few who had not run away.And his gaze fell on Dizaker, whocrouched on the ground with his bonyarms raised over his head in a cravengesture.

Konkar looked back at the demon."You obey only me, demon!" he saidmore loudly. "You will always obey onlyme! I am your master!"

The monster's black eye seemed towink. *Yes, for as long as you own thestone. *

Konkar turned again to look at histroops. More were filtering back now,weapons still raised but their fiery eyesfixed solidly on their sub-chief.

"I have subdued this demon!" shoutedKonkar, raising his arms over his head."It is now my demon!" He glanced atDizaker's terror-filled face, then lookedback at the shaggy monster and pointedat the shaman. "And I now commandyou to slay this traitor!"

The massive head nodded once. *Asyou wish. * The titanic beast shifted,then moved forward. It stepped slightlysideways to avoid the sub-chief, thenstrode like a walking mountain towardthe trembling shaman.

"NOOOOO!" Dizaker howled. Hestruggled to rise. "I am the Godservantof the Lord of the Depths! I am his—"The shaman's sudden terrorized screammade even Konkar's blood run cold. Thescream cut off abruptly with the soundsof bones snapping, many bones at once.The distant echoes of his death cry hungin the silence that followed.

After many long minutes, a goblinwarrior raised his weapon into the air."All hail Konkar, master of demons!"he cried shrilly. "All hail Konkar!"

A ragged shout went up, then a louderone, then one stronger and louder stilluntil wild shrieking and cries of victoryrebounded from hillside to hillsideacross the land.

In the midst of it all, Konkar lookedwith wonder and pride at his demon—and, after a time, he began to think ofsome plans.

DUNGEON 21

JUGGERNAUT

Konkar the ConquerorTwo months have passed. Konkar'soriginal orders to scout for caves andruins suitable for goblin colonizationhave been abandoned. Now he concen-trates on exploiting the powers of hisnew magical item—a marble mastodon(a figurine of wondrous power, as per theDMG, page 168). The figurine's com-mand word is the shouted Commonword, "Conquer!" (from which Konkar'sown name was derived). Mental com-munication with the beast has revealedall of its powers to him, but Konkar haspassed along little of this knowledge tohis underlings. His command over hissmall group of goblin soldiers is abso-lute (after all, a demon arrives at themention of his name), and they willgleefully obey him even at great risk oftheir lives. The goblins are now forbid-den to use the name "Konkar" whenaddressing or speaking of their sub-chief; they simply call him "Sub-chief."

Konkar is currently focusing on at-tacking and destroying some of thetrade traffic along a major but poorlypatrolled caravan route, striking fromthe dungeon tomb mentioned earlier(see "Further Adventures"). His origi-nal force of goblins and worgs is supple-mented once per week by the marblemastodon in animal form, with whichhe strikes against small caravan en-campments and travelers. Larger cara-vans and military patrols are notbothered. A few humans and elves haveescaped the surprise attacks and havereturned to civilization to warn of thisthreat, but their stories are somewhatconfused given their circumstances.

Konkar's tactics are simple. Worgsand worg-riding goblins scout the high-way from cover at night in search oflikely victims. When a suitable encamp-ment is spotted, the rest of the lair iswarned by one or two scouts while theothers continue to monitor their vic-tims' progress. Konkar leaves thedungeon with his troops and has hismarble mastodon turned into animalform, after it has been placed under aheavy rope net on which his troops willride (see "The Juggernaut & Crew").Once enlarged, the mastodon waitswhile the goblins tie the net securelyaround it and climb aboard. Then theentire group sets off for the attack. Oncethe battle is done, the ruined camp issearched, prisoners are slain, weaponsare collected, and the goblins return to

their dungeon in triumph. Only a fewtimes has an attack been called off;Konkar has been careful to select onlyeasy victories to keep his troops happyand relatively safe so far. He plans forbigger takings in the future, however.

Players' BackgroundThe most obvious way to involve thePCs in this adventure is for them to becontacted and hired by a local baron ormerchant prince, or a representativethereof. Several small wagon trainshave recently been overrun by a force ofgoblins and wolves while the formerwere camped out at night. Among theattackers was a titanic black beast onwhich some of the goblins rode, a mon-ster so huge that it crushed whole wag-ons beneath its feet and flung horsesand riders aside with its arms.

The DM should create many exagger-ated accounts of the monster's attacks,adding in lots of vivid details. Masto-dons should be unknown in this area ofthe campaign, and their size andstrength should be beyond most people'simaginings. However, such attacks arenot consistent, and some caravans havereported no attacks whatsoever, thoughall have heard the howling of wolvesnearby at night.

The PCs might join a small caravan orset up their own, but with no real valu-ables in the wagons. They might alsoset out for the wilderness in secret ifrangers and thieves are among theirgroup, hoping to track and ambush thegoblins.

The PCs might also meet the goblinswithout any warning at all if the partyhappens to be camped by the highwayon a moonless evening. Normal chancesfor surprise should be rolled. The gob-lins and worgs are trained to movequietly (no surprise penalties or bo-nuses), and the mastodon (like all ele-phants) moves much more quietly thanone would assume, right up to the pointwhen the goblins charge in for theattack.

The Juggernaut and CrewThe goblins of this heavy assault forcehave several unique features. First,when on patrol they communicate witheach other in the worgs' language: acollection of barks, yips, snarls, andhowls that almost no one else speaks.Worg-speech is limited in many re-spects, but it communicates concepts

regarding combat, warnings, and forma-tions reasonably well. Second, thesegoblins always gain a +2 bonus toavoid being surprised when on patrol,as they use the marble mastodon onlywhen planning an assault (so they al-ready expect trouble).

Marble mastodon: Int semi; AL N;AC 6; MV 15; HD 12; hp 96; THAC0 9;#AT 5; Dmg 2-16/2-16/2-12/2-12/2-12; SDimmune to sleep and to certain otherspells as if it had a wisdom of 25; radi-ates protection from normal missiles toall within a 10' radius; SZ L (10' atshoulder); ML 20 (special); XP 7,000;MC (elephant) and DMG/168, withvariations.

In its normal form, the marble masto-don is a smooth black statuette ofvaguely elephantine shape, the size ofan outspread human hand. When placedon the ground and a special commandword ("Conquer!" in Common—or"Konkar!") is uttered, the figurinerapidly grows within one round to itsfull mastodon size. It then obeys simpleverbal commands given within a 90'radius by its owner. The figurine weighs6 lbs. and makes all saving throws aseither metal or rock crystal, whicheveris better (DMG, page 39).

In animal form, the marble mastodonlooks exactly like an exceptionally power-ful specimen of mastodon—a monster thatvirtually no one in this campaign area islikely to have seen. At best, an experi-enced adventurer would think of it as ahuge, black, shaggy, small-eared ele-phant. However, prolonged observationand the attempted use of certain combattactics will reveal that this creature isunusual in a number of ways.

The monster can be observed over afew hours time to never eat, sleep, orrest. It always seems to be exceptionallywell behaved and obedient (a qualitythat is not immediately obvious when itis attacking, though it never spooks orjumps at sudden stimuli), and it has noimmediate reaction to fire except toavoid stepping in it. The monster moveseasily through darkness, as it has infra-vision out to 90'. When not engaged inmelee, the mammoth can be seen tocalmly tolerate large numbers of goblinstugging on its fur, climbing onto its back,slapping and petting it, and playing withits trunk (although the goblins havelearned not to poke the mastodon withsharp objects, as this earns a slap withthe trunk for 1-3 hp damage). Finally,there is a 5% chance per hour of observa-

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tion that a goblin will be seen to throw arock at the shaggy beast; the rockbounces off but has absolutely no effecton the monster's attitude. The goblins(except for Konkar) have not figured outthat the creature's innate protection fromnormal missiles defense extends 10' outfrom its hide, thus protecting them frommissile fire within that radius.

If destroyed in statuette form, themarble mastodon becomes forever use-less. If slain in mastodon form, thefigurine permanently loses 1 HD (8 hp)from its total but can be reused. Afterhaving been slain for the 12th time, themastodon reverts to statuette formforever. If the user of this device is slainwhile it is in statuette form, anyone elsemay pick up the device and use it nor-mally. In mastodon form, the deviceresponds to only the person who acti-vated it. If the user is slain while thedevice is in mastodon form, the masto-don becomes confused (as per the wizardspell confusion) for 12 rounds; treatreactions of "act normally for oneround" as "attack nearest creature forone round." After this time, it reverts tostatuette form and will not work for oneweek.

Konkar the goblin sub-chief: Int 10;AL LE; AC 5; MV 6 (on foot); HD 1+1;hp 8; THAC0 19; #AT 1; Dmg byweapon type; SA +1 to hit ground tar-gets from mastodon (but -1 to hit whenmastodon is moving); SZ S (41⁄2' tall);ML 12; XP 35; MC; 10 javelins in con-tainer on his back, short sword, daggerin each boot.

Konkar is a goblin who's found thebest goblin toy of all: It's big, it's magi-cal, it crushes his enemies, it's com-pletely loyal, and it fits right under hispillow at night. Best of all, it respondsto his own name! It's a toy with whichhe intends to eventually slay the cur-rent goblin chief in the home lair, seiz-ing the position for himself. He isferociously protective of his marblemastodon and is very aware of howmuch power and influence it has givenhim among his fellow goblins, whobelieve that Konkar was chosen by thegods for greatness.

Konkar has gone a little crazy withhis toy and will revert to childish be-havior when he rides on its back. Inbattle he screams wildly, clutching themammoth's fur with one gnarled handand flinging javelin after javelin in hisexcitement ( - 1 to hit when mastodon ismoving). He will grab a pike or some

throwing axes from other goblins anduse those once the javelins run out.Grant him a +2 bonus to saving throwsvs. mind-affecting spells (see PHB, page17) under combat conditions.

Goblin mastodon-riders (13): Intlow-avg; AL LE; AC 7; MV 6 (on foot);H D 1 - 1 ; hp 7 (x 2), 6 (x 3), 5 (x 4), 4(x 3), 3; THAC0 20; #AT 1; Dmg byweapon type; SA +1 to hit ground tar-gets from mastodon (but -1 to hit whenmastodon is moving); SZ S (4' tall); ML10; XP 15; MC.

These riders wear studded leatherarmor but cannot use shields, since theymust always have one hand free withwhich to hang on to the mastodon's furor netting. Three goblins use light 12'-long pikes to stab at anyone gettingclose to the mastodon; the pikes aredirected to either side and to the rear ofthe beast. These goblins ride 10' abovethe ground and so are difficult to attackin hand-to-hand combat.

The other 10 goblins each carry anassortment of 1-2 clubs, 1-2 throwingaxes, and 2-5 daggers each, with an-other 3-18 clubs and 2-12 throwing axesstrapped to the netting so that they canbe easily freed for combat. The clubs,

axes, and daggers are all hurled atopponents as the mastodon charges intoa camp or caravan. Note the usualrange penalties for hurled weapons andthe previously noted penalty for attack-ing from a moving mastodon. Thesegoblins are not given to subtlety andwill shriek up a storm when an attackbegins.

Worg mounts (8): Int low; AL N(E);AC 6; MV 18; HD 3 + 3; hp 26, 25, 22,21, 18 (x 2), 17, 15; THAC0 17; #AT 1;Dmg 2-8; SZ M (5-7' long); ML 11; XP120; MC (wolf).

The worgs and their riders serve asscouts and escorts for the mastodon andits riders. Two worgs travel about 100yards in advance of the rest of thegroup, which travels around the masto-don in formation. One worg travelsahead and one behind the mastodon by30'. Two worgs travel, one to eitherside, by the same distance. The worgshave exceptional senses, giving them a+ 2 bonus to avoid being surprised.Though they are a bit leery of the mas-todon, the worgs have sense enough toleave it alone.


DUNGEON 23

COURIERSERVICEBY TED JAMES THOMAS ZUVICH

Neither rain, nor snow,nor tricky foes . . .

Artwork by Steve Schwartz

Ted works as a sage for a very large Alu-minum Dragon in Seattle, Washington.He would like to thank his play-testers;his wife, Eilidh; and John Dawson forhelp during the writing of this adventure.This is Ted's first publication inDUNGEON® Adventures ("and I'mdamn glad to finally make it!").

"Courier Service" is an AD&D® 2ndEdition adventure for 5-8 player charac-ters of levels 3-6, with at least 25 totalparty levels. The PC group should con-tain a ranger; a cleric or druid wouldalso be very helpful. The party shouldbe either neutral or good in overalloutlook, or the major NPC in this ad-venture will not have anything to dowith them. The adventurers shouldhave horses, ponies, mules, or similarpack animals as well as equipment foradventuring in a winter environment.This adventure makes use of the op-tional nonweapon proficiency system inthe AD&D 2nd Edition rules. The heal-ing, direction-sense, and weather-senseproficiencies are particularly useful.

This adventure assumes that a typical5th-level PC has few magical items. Asa guideline, each magical item in theparty should have an experience pointvalue of 750 xp or less. Representativeitems include scrolls, potions, and +1weapons. The DM should be able toadapt this feature to a more conven-tional style with a minimum of effort.

"Courier Service" gives the PCs achance to earn the gratitude of a power-ful NPC, and it provides a way for theDM to ease the PCs into a highly vola-tile political arena. The DM can easilyadapt the feud between the major NPCsof this adventure to fit the politicalsituation of any campaign.

For the Dungeon MasterOne of the most often-cursed laws of thenation of Volkrad is the one specifyingthat each citizen must deliver his an-nual taxes to the Tax Office in the capi-tal city (also known as Volkrad) bymidnight, December 31st. In outlyingcommunities, people usually deal withthis awkward (and rigidly enforced) lawby giving their tax money to the army,which then transports it to Volkrad. Inthe frontier city of L'Trel, which is hun-dreds of miles from Volkrad, the dead-line for giving tax money to the army isseveral months before December 31st.

Under Volkrad law, it is possible to

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avoid paying taxes, albeit only tempo-rarily. Until recently, when a personwas granted lord status (the equivalentof being knighted) he or she was alsoexempt from taxation for a period of fiveyears. Three months before this year'sdeadline for giving tax money to thearmy, however, the period of exemptionwas reduced to three years.

Three years ago, X'Celsiah Mia ofL'Trel (see sidebar) was given the honor oflord status. Because of a miscommunica-tion with her accountants (possibly causedby an unfriendly outside agent), LordX'Celsiah was unaware of the change inthe exemption period until just before thearmy tax deadline, and consequently didnot have enough money in liquid assets topay her taxes. Delay followed delay, butfinally (November 9th) Lord X'Celsiahhas enough money to pay her taxes. Heronly problem is finding a way to deliverthe money.

X'Celsiah must find someone willingto journey the 370+ miles to Volkrad inthe middle of winter. Most of the localmercenary companies are either tooexpensive or not reliable enough, andwould probably refuse to make thedangerous wintertime journey anyway.Nor does X'Celsiah have enough peoplein her service to send out her own re-tainers for the three to four months theround-trip journey will take.

After listening to advice from herretainers and contacts (who suggestthat the PCs are reliable, trustworthy,and might be interested in this sort ofjob), X'Celsiah decides to approach thePCs with her problem.

To further complicate matters, X'Cel-siah has several enemies in positions ofpower, people whom she's alienated inher past. The two most persistent ofthese are Lord Rhet Corsuhn, a wealthyplayboy from L'Trel, and Lord Ira Sar-vice, a corrupt civil servant in Volkrad.These two men will do just about any-thing to humiliate X'Celsiah, and hercurrent tax difficulty provides themwith a perfect opportunity.

Midnight MeetingTo start the adventure, read or para-phrase the following to the leader of thePC party (or to the party as a whole, ifthe text is modified slightly):

Earlier in the day, a messengerasked you to meet with Lord X'Cel-siah Mia at midnight in a park not

far from your dwelling. The invita-tion specified that you come alone.Ordinarily, you never would haveaccepted such an invitation, but yourcuriosity got the better of you. X'Cel-siah is a figure of legend: the DragonGeneral, the army officer responsiblefor the death of the red dragon Cin-nabar three years ago. The offersounded interesting enough that youagreed to the meeting—after takingthe precaution of telling your friends,of course.

Now it is just a few minutes untilyour midnight rendezvous. As youshuffle down the ice-slicked path, youspy a lone figure sitting on an icypark bench. When you approach, thefigure stands, displaying the grace-ful, catlike movements of a longtimewarrior. It is a woman, dressed forthe frigid weather in long woolencoat and a heavy scarf; a long swordhangs near her right hand. A plait ofthick black hair reaches nearly toher waist. After introducing herselfas Lord X'Celsiah, she takes a deepbreath and launches into her reasonfor summoning you to this cold

and dismal park."Well, then, on to business. I've

word from the street that you andyour friends are reliable sorts andavailable for hire on rather delicatemissions. I've got one for you. Howwould you like to deliver my taxesthis year? I need them delivered tothe tax offices in Volkrad by mid-night, December 31st. I'll pay yourgroup 1,200 gold pieces for deliveringthe taxes and returning with myreceipt. And I'll give it all to you inadvance. That way I can claim thedelivery fee as a deduction on mytaxes.

"We can sign papers if you want,but I'd prefer just to shake hands onit. I need you answer right now, as Iwould like you to leave soon afterdawn. What do you say?"

It is past midnight, so it is alreadythe early morning of November 10th.The journey from L'Trel to Volkradtakes at least a month, even in thesummer when the weather is cooper-ative. The unpredictable winterweather in the mountains has killedmore than its fair share of people

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over the years. Because of theweather, the army does not patrol theOvermountain Highway in thewinter, which means that the high-way becomes a magnet for trouble.You feel hesitant about answering foryour companions, but the pay soundsgood. You consider your reply.

X'Celsiah may answer a few morequestions, such as "Why do you want tohire as to deliver your taxes?" (the PCs

were available, and what she has heardof their reputation indicates that theyare trustworthy), or "Why don't youhave your retainers do it?" (see "For theDungeon Master").

If the PC bargains shrewdly, X'Cel-siah may increase her original offer byas much as 200 gp. If the PC insists onmore money than this, or delays toomuch, X'Celsiah simply walks awayand the adventure ends here. X'Celsiahis desperate to send someone off withher tax money as soon as possible, so

the DM should pressure the PC for afast answer.

If the PC agrees to the mission, X'Cel-siah tells the PC to "get your compan-ions ready and meet me outside myhouse at dawn (7:15 A.M.), ready for theroad. I'll have your payment ready." Shegives the PC directions to her house,bids the PC a cheery "good night," andwanders off into the darkness.

Major NPCsLord X'Celsiah Mia: AL CG; AC 6;

MV 12; F12; hp 139; THAC0 9; #AT3/2; Dmg by weapon type; S 16, D 14, C18, I 13, W 15, Ch 16; ML 16; has hadarmor spell (17 points) cast on herperson, long sword +3, dagger, longbow, short sword, spear; proficiencies:riding (horse), endurance, running,heraldry, etiquette, read/write Com-mon; age 42; height 6'2"; weight180 lbs.

On any issue related to war, warfare,or the military, consider X'Celsiah tohave genius-level intelligence (18).X'Celsiah has waist-length black hair,dark olive skin, and jet-black eyes.

Lord X'Celsiah Mia began her careerin the army as a private, at the age of13, and earned her way into general'srank through her sheer military ge-nius. Although all officers in theVolkrad Army are promoted from theranks, promotions are usually given tothe offspring of lords and former armyofficers. X'Celsiah was neither ofthese, so she ended up fighting thesystem for her entire career. She re-tired from the army three years ago,just after she and her troops killed thered dragon known as Cinnabar.

X'Celsiah was assigned the task ofslaying Cinnabar (a wyrm of greatpower) by a faction of lords and mili-tary leaders who did not like her "up-pity ways." Neither she nor themembers of her unit were expected tosurvive the mission. X'Celsiah's troops(a force of 100 elite army fighters, all2nd or 3rd level) spent 14 months pur-suing Cinnabar through the hills andmountains of Volkrad before theybrought the monster to bay. Less thana quarter of her troops survived thefinal confrontation.

Lord Rhet Corsuhn: Statistics forRhet are purposely omitted, becausethe PCs should not meet him duringthe course of this adventure. The DMshould feel free to develop a profilethat suits his campaign.

Rhet is a master shipbuilder with alarge business based in L'Trel. In addi-tion to being a thoroughly hedonisticplayboy and lout, Rhet has many con-tacts and friends among the seedy, wildelements of L'Trellian society.

Rhet attempted to win X'Celsiah'shand in marriage for several years, butshe continually refused his advances.A few months ago, X'Celsiah discour-aged Rhet from pursuing her furtherby humiliating him in a practice com-bat. Rhet has been using his manycontacts in L'Trel's underworld to tailX'Celsiah for the last two weeks (priorto November 9th), to find a way to takeexquisite revenge on her.

Lord Ira Sarvice: AL LE; AC 6; MV12; M9; hp 20; THAC0 18; #AT 1; Dmgby spell or weapon type; S 8, D 11, C10, I 17, W 15, Ch 14; ML 8; XP 3,000;has had armor spell (17 points) castupon him, dagger +1; spells: hypno-tism, read magic, shocking grasp, un-seen servant, forget, glitterdust,misdirection, delude, suggestion (x 2),improved invisibility, shout, false vi-sion.

Lord Ira Sarvice has been Volkrad'sdeputy tax minister (an appointedposition) for the last 20 years. Ira'sposition has allowed him to slowlyintroduce elements of corruption intoVolkrad's government. He is also aleader in the mafia-style thieves' guildof Volkrad, although his membershipin the guild is one of Volkrad's mostcarefully kept secrets.

Ira does not like X'Celsiah at all. A

few years ago, X'Celsiah and Ira clashedover the funding of some of X'Celsiah'sproposed army projects. One of the pro-jects would have interfered with Ira'sembezzlement schemes, so he used hisinfluence over Volkrad's budget to elimi-nate the mission. X'Celsiah managed toget the funding restored by bringing thematter to the attention of the tax minis-ter himself, Lord Hiram Parma, who isan old friend from her army days. Thus,X'Celsiah earned Service's undyingenmity.

On top of this, although Volkradsociety as a whole is not male chauvin-istic, Ira is. He considers X'Celsiah tobe a boorish, crass, cheeky, ill-educatedupstart who is not aware of her proper(subservient) place in society.

Lord Hiram Parma: AL LG; AC 5;MV 12; M7; hp 19; THAC0 18; #AT 1;Dmg by spell or weapon type; S 10, D10, C 8, I 14, W 17, Ch 15; ML 14;armor spell (15 points), ring of protec-tion + 1; spells: comprehend lan-guages, light, message, unseen servant,ESP, knock, levitate, dispel magic,tongues, detect scrying.

Lord Hiram is the tax minister forVolkrad, a position that he has held forthe past 10 years. He is nearly 90years old but is very hale and heartyfor his age. It is not generally knownthat he is a mage, which is the way heprefers it. Hiram started out hisdecades-long career in the governmentof Volkrad as a clerk in the army andslowly worked his way up. Hiramknows X'Celsiah from her time in thearmy, and he thinks highly of her.Hiram is a friendly, open-minded manwho does what he can to interject alittle leniency and justice into theharsh (and sometimes corrupt) taxsystem of Volkrad.

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For the Player CharactersWait until after running the "MidnightMeeting" scenario to give the playersthe following information. The DM mayalso wish to provide some backgroundon Volkrad's tax laws and any informa-tion about X'Celsiah that he feels wouldbe common knowledge.

Either read this section aloud or givethe players a copy:

The nation of Volkrad is ruled by aCouncil of Lords selected from thegeneral populace on the basis ofexemplary service to Volkrad. Gain-ing lord status is roughly equivalentto being knighted. Every 10 years,the lords elect 10 of their number tofunction as the ruling council ofVolkrad. The council governs as itsees fit, appoints various people tofill government positions, and settlesmatters of national law.

Volkrad is a sparsely populatednation with widely scattered villagesand cities. A vast, nearly impenetra-ble mountain range known as theDividing Mountains splits the coun-try into two sections, tenuously con-nected by the OvermountainHighway. The relatively young cityof L'Trel (pronounced lah-TREL)holds sway over the northern sectionof the country. The southern half isdominated by the ancient capital cityof Volkrad. In the 370 + mile journeybetween L'Trel and Volkrad, theOvermountain Highway passes di-rectly through the villages of Nalv,Grace, P'Arte, Fidirth Ridge, Wath,and K'Pass.

As an aid for travelers, Volkrad'sarmy maintains a series of sheltersalong the length of the Overmoun-tain Highway. In the valley areas ofL'Trel and Volkrad, the shelters areusually spaced about four milesapart. This spacing corresponds to aquarter-day of travel during thewinter. Along the hilly, low-mountainareas between the foothills andWath, the shelters are also spacedevery four miles, which represents ahalf-day of travel in the winter. Inthe high-mountain areas of the road,between Wath and K'Pass, the shel-ters are spaced every two miles,which is also a half-day of wintertravel.

The roadside shelters are of verystandardized construction. Each

shelter includes a common room witha large fireplace, and a barn forhorses (or other animals). Some ofthe shelters have wells or cisterns fordrinking water.

The army does not patrol the sec-tion of the highway between Wathand K'Pass during the winter, but itdoes see to it that each shelter isrepaired and stocked with firewoodbefore patrols cease. These stocks ofwood could save the life of someonewho absolutely must travel the Over-mountain Highway during thewinter season.

The code of conduct for the sheltersis chiseled in Common into the stoneslab above the fireplace of each of theshelters. The code reads as follows:

1. Make room. Deny no man shel-ter from a storm.

2. Leave this shelter in bettershape than you found it.

3. Cut and stack new wood.4. Shelter vandalism is a hanging

offense.

A Change of HeartAn hour after the PC leader returnshome after accepting X'Celsiah's offer ofemployment, a loud knock comes at thedoor. A deep, obnoxious male voice asksby name for the PC whom X'Celsiahtalked to. Read or paraphrase the fol-lowing to the players:

The loud, disruptive knocking con-tinues, now accompanied by an uni-dentified male voice demanding tospeak to [leader PC]. One of youopens the door, revealing a tall, gan-gling man in Lord X'Celsiah's livery.The man states that he has a mes-sage from X'Celsiah. A look of con-centration crosses the man's face ashe rushes through the words: "X'Cel-siah here. Sorry for the inconven-ience, but it looks as if I won't beneeding you after all. Here's 25 gp tomake up for your trouble. I'll contactyou again if anything else comes up."His message finished, the man handsyou a heavy bag, turns on his heel,and swiftly departs.

The local thieves' guild naturally hada spy placed in the park to overhear theconversation that took place betweenX'Celsiah and the PC. Once Lord RhetCorsuhn heard from his contacts about

X'Celsiah's situation, he hired this man(through the thieves' guild) in an at-tempt to throw the PCs off. If this sub-terfuge delays the PCs' departure (andX'Celsiah's plans) by even a day, Rhetwill consider his 25 gp well spent.

Make a proficiency check for any PCin the group with either the heraldry orthe local history proficiency. If the checkis successful, inform the PC that some-thing about the man's uniform is "notquite right." Alternatively, if the playerwho met with X'Celsiah in the parkasks if there is anything odd about themessenger, make an intelligence check.If the check is successful, tell the playerthat something about the messengerseems wrong.

If the PCs attempt to give chase to thefalse messenger, he quickly disappearsinto the night. He is a very slippery fishto catch and does not know who hiredhim, only that his superiors told him todeliver the above message.

Thieves' guild messenger: AL CN;AC 8; MV 12; T4; hp 11; THAC0 19;#AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; D 16; I 12;Ch 10; ML 16; short sword; move si-lently 95%, hide in shadows 85%; profi-ciencies: disguise, jumping, read lips.

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At X'Celsiah's HouseIf the PCs get suckered into Rhet's trapand do not go to X'Celsiah's house inthe morning, the adventure ends here.X'Celsiah quickly hires another merce-nary group to take her tax money toVolkrad.

If the PCs do show up at X'Celsiah'shouse in the morning, they find herwaiting for them on the front step alongwith several of her retainers.

X'Celsiah first introduces herself toall the PCs, then gets down to business.She gives the PCs two items: a heavymetal scroll tube with screw-cap ends;and a small, unlocked wooden chest.The scroll tube is engraved with X'Cel-siah's coat of arms and runes that read,"To Lord Hiram Parma, Volkrad TaxOffice, Payment in Full for Lord X'Cel-siah Mia's Taxes."

Read or paraphrase the following tothe players:

After placing the heavy metal scrolltube and the small wooden chest inyour care, Lord X'Celsiah issues thefollowing orders. "You are to person-ally deliver the message tube con-

taining my taxes to Lord HiramParma by midnight, December 31st.Late fees on my taxes will amount to20 gold pieces per day. Use the 200gold pieces contained in the woodenchest to pay any necessary late fees,and you are welcome to keep theremainder. The absolute limit for thedelivery is January 10th. If youmake the delivery after this date, myscribes tell me that I will owe morethan 26,000 gold pieces in back taxesand fines. Please do not be that late.When you have completed the deliv-ery, return here with the receipt.There is no reason for you to rushback, but do not dawdle in Volkrad.Even though I have paid you in ad-vance, I expect the complete missionto be carried out.

"You'll find Lord Hiram in theminister's office at the Volkrad TaxOffice. He's an old, skinny, white-haired man with a salt-and-pepperbeard, bad taste in clothing, and asmile like sunshine. That should beenough of a description to allow youto recognize him. Just to be safe, Ihad a mage contact Lord Hiram last

Overland Travel Rates

Section Rate Miles DaysL'Trel to Foothills 16 60 4Foothills to Nalv 8 48 6Nalv to Grace 8 48 6Grace to P'Arte 8 30 4P'Arte to Fidirth Ridge 8 66 8Fidirth Ridge to Wath 8 18 2Wath to K'Pass 4 30 71⁄2K'Pass to Volkrad 16 70 41⁄2

370 42

This chart lists the movement rates for the various stretches of the Overmountain Highway.The "Rate" column is the party's movement rate in miles per day. The "Miles" columnshows the distance between the various villages and landmarks along the road. The "Days"column shows how many days it will take the PCs to cover the distance between the pointsat the listed movement rate. This chart contains information any ranger would know; youmay show the chart to the player of any ranger PC.

The times and rates given here assume that the party has a base movement rate of 12,and that everyone in the party wears snowshoes while walking. Wearing snowshoes reducesa person's base movement by one-third, to a movement rate of 8. If someone in the partywalks without wearing snowshoes, cut the movement rate shown on the chart in half. Be-cause of the adverse traveling conditions, the maximum movement rate along the highwayis 8, even if the PCs have mounts with a base movement rating greater than 12.

For more information on overland travel, the DM should review pages 123-125 of the DMG.In addition, the PCs will probably elect to try force-marching at least once during this adven-ture, so please review the section on force-marching on page 120 of the Player's Handbook.

night and tell him that you werecoming, so he should be on the look-out for you.

"The message tube is magicallylocked so that it will open only formyself and Lord Hiram. It containsenough gems, coins, and other smallvaluables to pay the taxes owed. Itried to make it as light as possible.

Two servants come out the frontdoor and set another wooden chest onthe steps while X'Celsiah continuesto speak. "As you can see, I also haveyour payment, in advance, as I prom-ised. This chest contains 1,200 gp invarious valuables. If you prefer, Icould give you mounts and suppliesas part of your payment. My animalsare all battle trained and very reli-able. To tell the truth, I prefer thatyou take at least part of your pay-ment in this fashion."

The message tube that contains X'Cel-siah's taxes has a special 9th-level wiz-ard lock spell placed upon it (it will openautomatically for Lord Parma). As X'Cel-siah told the PCs, the wooden chest con-taining their payment contains 1,200 gpin assorted valuables. The exact contentsof the tube and the chest are left up tothe DM. Each of these two items has anencumbrance value of 15 lbs.

There is nothing to prevent the PCsfrom taking their payment, hiring ahigh-level mage to open the messagetube, and waltzing off with all themoney. However, the PCs would firsthave to find a mage willing to risk theenmity of X'Celsiah (remember, thetube is engraved). When X'Celsiahfound out that the PCs had betrayedand robbed her, she would use her influ-ence to make sure that the PCs wouldnever get another contract in the nationof Volkrad. In all likelihood, X'Celsiahcould convince the army to declare thePCs as outlaws (and the mage whoopened the message tube) and place alarge price on their heads.

If the PCs accept X'Celsiah's offer ofalternative payment, she can give themlight war horses (no more than five),mules, ponies, saddles, and trail food aspartial or full payment. All of X'Cel-siah's animals have a +2 morale bonusbecause of their training, and have closeto maximum hit points. The animalsare worth twice the Player's Handbookvalue, per the "high-spirited horse" ruleon page 36 of the Dungeon Master's

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Guide. Other items of equipment givento the PCs are of normal value. Oncenegotiations about the form of paymentare settled, read or paraphrase thefollowing to the players:

Once all of your supplies are settledand you are ready to set off on yourlong journey, X'Celsiah comes to youwith a few final words. With a grinthat does much to hide the worrythat you know she must be feeling,the warrior-woman says, "I wish youall good luck and a swift journey. I'mputting a lot of faith in what I'veheard about you. Do me this favor,and I'll see to it that you are repaidin kind."

The Overmountain HighwayPlease review and become familiar withthe following information before at-tempting to run the section of the ad-venture that deals with the PCs'journey from L'Trel to Volkrad.

Several things will remain constantduring the PCs' journey along the Over-mountain Highway. Traveling condi-tions are fairly predictable: 2'-3' of snowon the road at all times, sub-zero tem-peratures, high winds, and hilly terrain.It will snow for several hours each day.This type of snow has no affect on travelrates (see "Overland Travel Rates"),unlike the snowstorms discussed in theWeather and Random Encounters table.

Another constant is the presence ofpeople. Although traffic is sparse thistime of year, the PCs will encounterpeople on the highway every day or so:merchants, soldiers, trappers, and otherwanderers. The DM should take care tomention both the weather and the trav-elers along the road.

As an aid to the flow of game play, theDM should make a calendar of the per-iod from November 10th to a few dayspast December 31st. One such calendaris shown in the sidebar as an exampleonly; the DM should make up his owncalendar. Roll all random encountersbefore play begins and mark them onthe calendar. The dates of the variousset encounters should be marked on thecalendar as well. By using the move-ment rates shown in the OverlandTravel Rates table, and by keepingtrack of any delays caused by theweather or monster encounters, the DMcan determine whether the PCs arrivein Volkrad on time.

Although the weather conditions alongthe highway are harsh, the PCs will notbe affected by the weather under normalcircumstances, assuming that they dressin warm, insulating furs and water-resistant clothing. However, the lightsnow, heavy snow, high winds, and bliz-zard results on the Weather and RandomEncounters table do present dangers tothe PCs. If the PCs travel in these typesof weather, they can be affected by hypo-thermia. During each check interval(listed in the table), each PC must makea constitution check or take 1-6 hp dam-age. If the check is successful, the PCtakes half damage but always at least 1hp. Horses, ponies, and other beasts arealso susceptible to hypothermia andmust save vs. death magic when makinghypothermia checks, since they lackconstitution scores.

If a character or animal takes 50% ormore of his base hit points in hypother-mia damage, he must make a systemshock roll or immediately fall uncon-scious and begin losing 1 hp per roundthereafter. Even if the system shock rollis successful, the character developsfrostbite. One part of the body "dies"and eventually rots and falls off when

thawed. Frostbite affects the extremi-ties first; ears, fingers, toes, lips, andcheeks are especially vulnerable. TheDM should decide what part of the char-acter's anatomy is affected by frostbitebased on his judgment of what area ismost exposed to the weather.

Curative spells function normallywhen used to repair damage caused byhypothermia. Spells such as resist coldrender the character immune to hypo-thermia for the duration of the spell. APC with the healing proficiency cansave frostbitten extremities by makinga successful proficiency check.

Because of the strain imposed by theadverse traveling conditions, the PCscannot recover hit points during thisadventure except under very specialconditions. The PCs can recover 1 hpper day (maximum) if they stay in ashelter for a full day (24 hours). Theymust light a fire, get complete bed rest,and be tended by someone with thehealing proficiency. Because of thisruling, spell use will be the primarymeans used to recover hit points. Thisrestriction also makes the monsterencounters many times deadlier thanthey would normally be.

Example Calendar

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DateNov 9Nov 10Nov 11Nov 14Nov 15Nov 16Nov 20Nov 23Nov 24Nov 26Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 7Dec 8Dec 11Dec 12Dec 14Dec 15Dec 16Dec 17Dec 21Dec 22Dec 24Dec 25Dec 28

EventX'Celsiah contacts PC leader (night)PCs leave L'Trel; The Bandits (encounter 1)High winds; PCs stop and lose one dayPCs reach foothills (adjusted for lost day)The Wolf (encounter 2)Clear dayPCs reach Nalv (encounter 3)PCs reach Isig Chasm Bridge (morning; encounter 4)Clear dayPCs reach Grace (afternoon)Heavy snow; lose one dayPCs reach P'Arte (afternoon)Blizzard hits at end of day (encounter 5)Blizzard clears and PCs can move onRandom monster encounterPCs reach Fidirth Ridge (afternoon)Heavy snow; lose one dayPCs reach Wath (evening)Random monster encounterRandom monster encounterThe Roaring Dragon (encounter 6)Heavy snow; lose one dayPCs reach K'Pass (morning)Heavy snow; lose one dayRandom monster encounterPCs reach Volkrad (afternoon)

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Weather and RandomEncountersTo determine random encounters, roll 1d6once per day. A roll of 1 or 2 indicates anencounter occurs. When an encounter isindicated, roll percentile dice and consultthe table below.

Weather results apply to the whole day.Do not roll on this table on days with afixed encounter, as the encounter descrip-tion covers the weather conditions. Cer-tain creature encounters will occur onlyin specific areas as noted in the encoun-ter description. Each creature encounteris intended to be used only once duringthe adventure, although the orc/ogreencounter can be reworked and usedagain. Reroll if a duplicate monsterencounter is indicated.

If the DM wants more realism and canhandle a few more details, he can roll1d10 to determine the hour of the travel-ing day during which bad weather starts.This may allow a party to get to the nextshelter before a snowstorm hits, thusgaining time over the journey. For exam-ple, the DM has determined that a heavysnowstorm will hit the PCs on the 7thhour of the traveling day. A PC whomakes a successful weather-sense profi-ciency check can advise the others thatthey should be able to make it to the nextshelter before the storm hits.

The following abbreviations have spe-cial meaning when used in this table:MV = effect on movement rating.V = effect on all types of vision.Lost = base chance of becoming lost. Ifthere is a ranger in the party, the chanceof getting lost is reduced by 2% per levelof the ranger (cumulative for multiplerangers).

01-14 Light snowstorm: MV x 1⁄2, Vx 1⁄2, Lost 20%. Roll hypothermiasaves every five hours.

15-22 Heavy snowstorm: MV x 1⁄2, Vx 1⁄4, Lost 30%. There is a 50% chancethat heavy snow becomes light snowon the next day. Roll hypothermiasaves every five hours.

23-32 High winds: MV x 3⁄4, V x 3⁄4.The winds drive loose snow around infierce gusts; sometimes the wind chillfactor increases to deadly levels. Roll3d10 + 20 for the wind speed in milesper hour. Roll hypothermia checkshourly, with a -1 penalty per 5 MPHabove 25 MPH of wind speed.

33-35 Blizzard: MV x 1⁄4, V x 1⁄4 Lost50%. Duration: 1-3 days; 30% likely tobecome light snow the day after theblizzard stops. Wind speed is 2d10 + 30MPH. Roll hypothermia checks everyturn and apply the penalties for highwinds as above. If this result is indi-cated more than once during the ad-venture, treat the encounter as heavysnow instead.

36-45 Clear day: The day is mild withclear, bright blue skies and lots ofsun—perhaps too much sun. Any PCwho does not cover his eyes mustmake a wisdom check or become snow-blind for 1-3 days. Snow-blindnessduplicates the effect of having a lightspell cast in one's eyes: -4 to all at-tack rolls and +4 to be hit by anyopponents.

46-50 White pudding: Int nil; AL N;AC 8; MV 9; HD 9; hp 48; THAC0 11;#AT 1; Dmg 7-28; SA 50% likely to bemistaken for ice or snow; SD immuneto acid, cold, poison; lightning andblows from weapons divide it intosmaller puddings; dissolves animal orvegetable matter in one round; SZ M;ML special; XP 4,000; MC (puddings,deadly).

This encounter occurs only if theparty is in the high-pass area betweenWath and K'Pass. The pudding is hunt-ing by the trail in the hope of finding ameal. Because it resembles a snow-bank, it has a +4 to its surprise roll.

51-63 Orcish scouting force: Orcs andtheir associates often prowl along thehighway during the winter, looking forthe opportunity to waylay any groupthey outnumber. This group (of 15 orcsand one ogre) has hidden itself in asmall copse of trees to the side of theroad. The force gains a +1 on itssurprise roll. If the surprise succeeds,the orcs fire a volley of two arrowseach, aiming for unarmored PCs first.The orcs then ditch their short bowsand run forward through the snow toengage in melee combat.

Even if surprise is indicated, how-ever, there is a 30% chance that theogre charges forth too soon, spoilingthe ores' aim. The ogre's charge doesnot negate the surprise, but it doesprevent the orcs from shooting morethan one arrow each at the PCs, be-cause the ogre crosses their field of

fire. This is an extremely stupid (andstrong) ogre.

The Volkrad Army offers a 2-gpbounty on pairs of orc ears, which thePCs can collect at any army garrison.This bounty should be common knowl-edge to the PCs. Every orc carries 1-6sp and 1-10 cp in orcish coinage. Theorcs also have a snow-sled (hidden inthe trees) that they use to carry vari-ous disgusting food items and 150 gpworth of furs and hides: deer, beaver,wolf, otter, muskrat, elk, etc. The ogrewears a badly mangled gold braceletworth 10 gp for its gold content, not itsworkmanship.

Orcs (15): Int avg; AL LE; AC 6; MV9; HD1; hp 5 (x 2), 6 (x 3), 7 (x 4), 8(x 5), 9; THAC0 19; #AT 1; Dmg byweapon type; SZ M; ML 13; XP 15;MC; ring mail, shield, axe, short bow.

Ogre: Int low; AL CE; AC 5; MV 9;HD 4 +1; hp 30; THAC0 14; #AT 1;Dmg 2-12 (as 18/00 strength withnormal weapons); SZ L; ML 13; XP175; MC. This ogre was raised by theorcs as a sort of heavy infantry. Hewas taught to use a giant, cruellyspiked tree branch as a club, and he isnow quite expert in its use. The ogre'sblows have a 30% chance of stunningman-sized or smaller creatures for 1-4rounds. If the ogre gets a "stun" re-sult, his opponent is batted into theair and lands l'-20' away. Whilestunned, the unfortunate victim has a- 2 penalty on all attack rolls.

64-68 Cave bear: Int semi; AL N; AC 6;MV 12; HD 6 + 6; hp 40; THAC0 15;#AT 3; Dmg 1-8/1-8/1-12; SA hug; SZH; ML 8; XP 650; MC.

This encounter occurs only betweenNalv and K'Pass. The cave bear maynot attack the PCs if they do notbother him. If the PCs disturb him,the bear attacks ferociously, display-ing his less-than-pleasant temper. Ifthe bear rolls an 18 or greater to at-tack with his paw, he hugs for anadditional 2-16 hp damage.

69-78 Eagle Rider: This encounteroccurs only between Nalv and K'Pass.Sol the Elf is an eagle rider and scoutfor a tribe of elves that lives in themountains. If the party has troublewith the orc/ogre encounter, the DMmay wish to merge the two encountersso that Sol and his giant eagle,Killsoft, can help out the PCs. Other-wise, Sol is merely curious abouttravelers along the highway. He may

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direct Killsoft to "buzz" the PCs,skimming low enough to let the PCsfeel the breeze of their passage. If thePCs make no hostile moves, Sol even-tually lands and talks with the party.Both Sol and Killsoft are curiousabout anyone daring enough to travelthe highway during the winter.

Sol the elf: AL CG; AC 3 (5); MV 12;F5/M5; hp 25; THAC0 16; #AT 1; Dmgby spell or weapon type; SA +1 to hitwith bow or long sword; SD infra-vision 60'; MR 90% resistant to sleepand charm spells; S 14, D 16, C 10, I17, W 12, Ch 14; ML 15; elven chainmail, long sword, long bow; spells:dancing lights, feather fall, phantas-mal force, wall of fog, glitterdust,locate object, invisibility 10' radius.

Killsoft (giant eagle): Int avg; ALN(G); AC 7; MV 3, fly 48 (D); HD 4; hp27; THAC0 15; #AT 3; Dmg 1-6/1-6/2-12; SA dive; SD cannot be surprised indaylight; SZ L; ML 13; MC. Killsofthas a limited form of telepathy thatallows him to communicate with mostintelligent creatures.

79-83 Troll Raider: This encounteroccurs only between Nalv and K'Pass.On a night with heavy snow, a trolland his winter wolf companion care-fully sneak up on the PCs' shelter,gaining a + 2 on surprise rolls. Thetroll and wolf burst into the barn areaof the shelter, and the troll uses hissurprise segment to kill one of theriding or pack animals, using an oldlong sword to chop the animal in half.The raiders then flee into the night,carrying half of the carcass with them.

Both the troll and the wolf can moveat full speed under these conditions,because they are well adapted to thewinter environment. If the PCs at-tempt to follow, their movement rat-ing should be penalized for bothdarkness (x 1⁄2) and heavy snow (x 1/3).

Troll: Int low; AL CE; AC 4; MV 12;HD 6 +6; hp 41; THAC0 13; #AT 3;Dmg 5-8/5-8/5-12; SA can attack multi-ple opponents; SD regeneration; SZ L;S 18 (92); ML 14; XP 1,400; MC.

Winter wolf: Int avg; AL NE; AC 5;MV 18; HD 6; hp 37; THAC0 15; #AT1; Dmg 2-8; SA frost; SD immune tocold-based attacks; SZ L; ML 13; XP975; MC.

84-92 Military Patrol: This encounteroccurs only in the section of the Over-mountain Highway between L'Trel

and the foothills and between K'Passand Volkrad. Army patrols usuallynumber 10 or more and are led by asergeant (F2 or F3). Every citizen ofVolkrad serves at least three years inthe army, at a young age. These sol-diers are all young (between 14 and 20years old), fresh, and eager.

Soldiers (10): AL any N or G; AC 4;MV 9; F3 (x 1), F1 (x 5), F0 (x 4); hp23, 8 (x 5), 6 (x 4); THAC0 18, 20; #AT1; Dmg by weapon type; ML 14; chainmail, shield, short sword, long bow,dagger, spear.

93-98 Blink dogs (4-16): Int avg; ALLG; AC 5; MV 12; HD 4; hp varied;THAC0 17; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SA attackfrom rear 75% of the time; SD telepor-tation; SZ M; ML 12; MC.

On an exceptionally cold night, apack of blink dogs (a mountain varietysimilar to the plains-dwelling blinkdogs described in the Monstrous Com-pendium) blinks into the roadsideshelter to spend the night with thePCs. The dogs are intelligent and canrespond to human communicationnonverbally. If threatened, the packblinks out. This encounter can behighly entertaining if the DM takesthe time to role-play the part of thedogs.

99-00 Ice serpent: Int animal; AL N(E);AC 4; MV 18; HD 9; hp 45; THAC0 11;#AT 2; Dmg 2-12/3-12; SA +3 to sur-prise, constriction; SZ G (45' long, 1'diameter); ML 16; XP 2,000; MC(snake, giant constrictor, variant).

This encounter occurs only betweenWath and K'Pass. The ice serpentattacks twice in a round, once with abite and once with a lash of its tail.The tail-lash can send man-size orsmaller creatures flying through theair for great distances. Instead ofusing its normal bite/lash attacks, theice serpent can opt to constrict its preyfor 3-12 hp damage per round. If usingits constriction attack, the serpentdoes not need to roll to hit each round.

Ice serpents are covered in white fur,to match the snowy realms where theylive. The coloration of the serpentgives it a greater than normal chanceto surprise opponents. The fur of iceserpents is much prized for makingwarm, waterproof garments thatprotect the wearer from extremelycold weather. The fur can be sold forup to 40 gp per square yard.

Set Encounters1. The Bandits. This encounter oc-

curs when the PCs are about 10 milesaway from L'Trel, on the same day thatthey leave. If the PCs left when X'Cel-siah asked them to, it should be theafternoon of November 10th.

A group of bandits hired by RhetCorsuhn (through a thieves' guild inter-mediary) is hiding around a corner inthe road, ready to ambush the PCs. Thebandits are actually a mercenary com-pany from L'Trel, but their leader some-times accepts contracts on the shadyside of the law. Their primary missionis to get the scroll tube that holds X'Cel-siah's taxes, but the bandits are notaverse to taking anything else the PCshave of value as well.

Because of their careful preparations,the bandits gain a + 4 bonus to surprisethe PCs. If the bandits do not surprisethe PCs, the consequences are left to theDM to decide. If the PCs are surprised,read or paraphrase the following to theplayers:

What a dismal way to start a jour-ney. Wet sleet falls constantly, soak-ing everything and making you coldand miserable. You slog along theroad, battling to maintain your bal-ance on the thin coating of icy slush,but the distant mountains to thesouth never seem to get any nearer.At least here in the lowlands you aremaking relatively good time. Sud-denly, as you come around a cornerin the road, a loud, hoarse shoutcomes from high up in a tree. Youhave just enough time to curse your-self for your inattention to the dan-gers of the road when leather-cladmen, at least a dozen in number, riseout of the trees in front of you andsend a flight of black-shafted arrowswinging your way.

A lookout is stationed high up in a fir-tree above the position marked A on theBandit Ambush map. Ten bandits arecrouched down on the ground near A aswell, behind the 4'-high stone wall.

The second-in-command for the ban-dits and 11 other bandits are hiding inthe trees and bushes near position B.

A mage, the bandit leader, and threebandits who serve as bodyguards for themage are hiding at position C, which is15' farther back in the trees than posi-tion A.

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BANDIT Area 1AMBUSH1 square = 5'

The lookout watches the PCs come upthe road and shouts when they reachthe position marked X. Once the look-out shouts his warning, the bandits at Aand B stand up and begin firing arrowsin an attempt to catch the PCs in acrossfire.

The bandits aim for the PCs' mountsfirst, to prevent the PCs from ridingaway. After that, the bandits aim forany obvious mages or clerics in order toknock out the PCs' spell power. Thebandits fire two arrows each during thefirst round. After this, bandit tactics areleft to the DM.

The bandit mage has many usefulspells (consider the effects of a slowspell cast into the middle of the PCgroup, or the effects of an enlarge spellcast upon the bandit leader) for an am-bush situation.

The bandits will use the cover pro-vided by the 4' wall and the trees andbushes for as long as possible beforeengaging the PCs in melee combat.Remember that the bandits' mission isto rob the PCs, not necessarily to kill ormaim them.

If the bandits defeat the PCs (or getthem to surrender), they rob the adven-

turers, tie them up, and leave them inthe bushes. The bandits then return toL'Trel and promptly disappear in itsseedy underworld.

If the PCs defeat the bandits andmanage to capture any of them for ques-tioning, none of the rank-and-file ban-dits know who hired them for therobbery attempt. The bandit leader isthe only one who knows anything, andhe must fail a morale check by three ormore points or he will refuse to answer.The commission came to the banditleader through a friend in the L'Trellianthieves' guild; even the leader does notknow who really commissioned therobbery. If the PCs can convince theleader to talk, they may be able tracethis attack back to Rhet by finding thethieves' guild contact.

If the PCs capture any bandits, theysoon encounter an army road-patrol (seeRandom Encounters Table for typicalstatistics and composition) that willgladly take charge of any prisoners. Theleader of the patrol recognizes several ofthe bandits as wanted felons and in-forms the PCs that there is a 300-gpreward for the bandits. The PCs mustclaim the reward within 30 days, inL'Trel, or it will be forfeited to the army.Tell the PCs that the army takes atleast three days to verify identities ofcriminals before it pays out any rewardmoney; let them decide if they want todelay long enough to return to L'Treland press their claim.

Bandits (25): AL N; AC 6; MV 12; F1or F0; hp 8 (x 11), 6 (x 14); THAC0 20;#AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; ML 15; XP35; studded leather armor, shield, shortbow, short sword, dagger, 1-6 gp incheap jewelry, rings, etc.

Second-in-command: AL N; AC 6;MV 12; F2; hp 16; THAC0 19; #AT 1;Dmg by weapon type; S 16; ML 15; XP65; studded leather armor, shield, shortbow, short sword, dagger, 62 gp in goldjewelry.

Bandit leader: AL N; AC 4; MV 12;F5; hp 34; THAC0 16; #AT 1; Dmg byweapon type; S 18/07, Ch 15; ML 15; XP175; chain mail, shield, long sword(worth 45 gp), short sword, dagger, 6 gp,25 gp in rings.

Bandit mage: AL NE; AC 4; MV 12;M5; hp 15; THAC0 19; #AT 1; Dmg byspell or weapon type; S 10, D 16, C 10, I15, W 12, Ch 14; ML 15; XP 975; armorspell (13 points), dagger, potion of gas-eous form, 20-gp glass prism (for readmagic spell), 50-gp pearl, 6 gp; spells:

charm person (x 2), enlarge, light, readmagic, forget, levitate, slow. For thisshort trip, the mage has left her spellbook in her quarters in L'Trel.

2. The Wolf. This encounter occurs inthe evening, just as the PCs are ap-proaching one of the roadside sheltersabout three days travel (24 miles) beforereaching the mountain village of Nalv.Read or paraphrase the following to theplayers:

Today's trek was long and difficult.This shelter must be abnormally farfrom its fellows, because you pushedhard during the afternoon and youare just now reaching the shelter.Although it is not fully dark yet, thetemperature is already well belowzero. As you stumble along in thenumbing cold, the outline of theshelter ahead serves as an incentiveto hurry.

There must be someone in theshelter already; a thin wisp of smokeis coming out of the chimney. You areabout 150' from the humble stonebuilding when you hear strangesounds are coming from the shelter.A low-pitched, evil-sounding growl-ing noise fills the freezing night air,coupled with occasional cursing andswearing in the Common tongue.

Inside the shelter, a ranger namedHarkone is doing his best to defendhimself from the malicious attentions ofa werewolf. The werewolf is toying withHarkone, prolonging the fight. Harkoneis having a hard time keeping the hugeblack werewolf at bay, because his onlyweapon usable against the werewolf is asilver crossbow quarrel, and he has onlyone. He is currently using the quarrelin his hand, jabbing it at the wolf (thequarrel does 1-2 hp damage when usedas a hand weapon).

If the PCs are cautious, they cansneak up to the shelter without alertingthe werewolf; it is intent on its fightwith Harkone. Show the players thefloor plan of the Roadside Shelter.

If the PCs try to save Harkone, thewerewolf's first reaction is to attemptescape. The door to the barn is open,and it tries to run out this way. The wolffights only if the PCs block its escape.

If the PCs manage to save Harkone,he expresses his gratitude and talksfreely with the PCs. Harkone explainsthat an hour or so after he reached the

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shelter, the door opened and a shaggy,dark-haired man came in. Harkone didnot like the look of him, but the code ofthe shelters states "Make room," so hedid. Harkone suspected that the manwas a bandit, so he faked going to sleep.As soon as the wolf-man was convincedthat Harkone was asleep and that noone else would be coming into the shel-ter, he changed to his wolf-form andattacked.

If the PCs explain their mission toHarkone, he offers to guide them alongthe Overmountain Highway as far asWath. Harkone is very familiar with thehighway. If the PCs accept his offer andallow him to travel with them, Harkonemanages to shave two days off the PCs'journey time.

The werewolf had some belongingswith him. Searching through theseitems reveals the following: a longsword (worth 10 gp), a long bow (100gp), some spices (25 gp), a bearskin coat(75 gp), 12 gp, 22 sp, 18 cp, and a jadebelt buckle (27 gp).

Harkone: AL CG; AC 7; MV 12; R2;hp 20 (15 after werewolf attack);THAC0 19; #AT 1 or 2; Dmg by weapontype; S 15, D 10, C 15, I 10, W 14, Ch12; ML 13; studded leather armor, shortsword, light crossbow, dagger, silverquarrel; proficiencies: tracking, setsnare, direction sense, read/write Com-mon, riding (horse).

Werewolf: Int avg; AL CE; AC 5; MV15; HD 4 + 3; hp 31 (28 after fight withHarkone); THAC0 15; #AT 1; Dmg 2-8in wolf form; SA surprise; SD silver or+1 or better weapon to hit; ML 13; XP420; MC.

3. The Village of Nalv. Nalv is ahighland town with a civilian popula-tion of 1,500 and an army garrison thathouses more than 500 soldiers duringthe winter. Nalv serves as a rendezvouspoint and winter shelter for trappers,mountain men, and the occasionalranger. The nature of its populationmakes Nalv the center of the fur tradefor the nation of Volkrad. Prices in Nalvare generally high (at least 10% overPlayer's Handbook prices), and onlycommon items are available. The PCscan negotiate with the quartermaster ofthe army garrison for armor, armorrepairs, weapons, and pack animals.Such items and services cost at leasttwice the normal price.

The other highland towns along theOvermountain Highway (Grace, P'Arte,

Fidirth Ridge, Wath, K'Pass) fit thesame pattern as Nalv, varying slightlyin population and price of supplies. TheDM should use the description of Nalvas a template for the other towns alongthe way.

If the PCs are interested in finding aplace to stay in Nalv, its dour-but-friendly inhabitants quickly informthem that the Ice Serpent is the onlyinn in town. The Serpent's dim, smoky,noise-filled interior holds off-duty sol-diers, drunken trappers, silent moun-tain men, whispering villagers, and theoccasional tribal elf or clan-dwarf.Sleeping rooms at the Ice Serpent cost 7sp per person per night; a space in thecommon room is 4 sp per night. Theseprices includes dinner.

If the PCs wish to stay at the Ice Ser-pent, they must deal with its bartender/owner, a balding, extroverted mannamed Marcus. Marcus is a retiredarmy captain, and his favorite subject iswhy his inn is called the Ice Serpent. Itis named (as Marcus proudly points out)for the three stuffed ice serpent headsmounted above the bar. The ice serpentswere killed by the army (Marcus led apatrol that killed one), and the headswere donated to the tavern.

Ice serpents are huge, white-furredsnakes that sometimes haunt the passbetween Wath and K'Pass. Marcustends to expound at great length on thevarious aspects of the serpents, espe-cially about the legendary hair-restoring properties of ice-serpent liveroil.

Marcus: AL CG; AC 10; MV 10; F6;hp 41; THAC0 15; #AT 1; Dmg byweapon type; S 12, D 10, C 9, I 13, W15, Ch 16; ML 15; short sword, club,dagger.

4. Isig Chasm Bridge. The IsigChasm Bridge is 20 miles away fromthe village of Nalv, or about two and ahalf days travel. The bridge is an impor-tant (and vulnerable) part of the Over-mountain Highway, so a permanentarmy garrison is stationed in a nearbyfort. As the PCs approach the bridge,read or paraphrase the following to theplayers:

which grows in intensity as youapproach the Isig Chasm. The Isigriver valley extends all the way toNaka's Ocean and runs straight for agood deal of that length. A fierce,howling wind blows down off theDividing Mountains, funnelled andchanneled by the walls of the chasm.

The turnoff to the small army fortthat guards the bridge falls behindas you trudge on, and eventually thebridge itself comes within sight. Awoman in an army uniform comesout of the guardhouse beside thebridge as you approach. Severalother people remain inside the smallsilver-granite building. The womankeeps a tight grip on the woodenrailing that runs along the guardpost, and you notice a rope aroundher waist connects her to somethingsturdy inside the guardhouse. Evenso, she stumbles several times as thefierce winds contrive to lift her offher feet. The bridge gates are shut,and the narrow bridge surface iscoated with a thick layer of ice.

Today's weather has been truly hell-ish. Snow comes down in fits andstarts, and the temperature is wellbelow freezing. Conditions are aggra-vated by the ever-present wind,

Private Baker (the woman coming outof the guardhouse) waves the party to astop about 50' from the edge of thechasm and shouts over the wind, "Thebridge is closed down for as long as thewind lasts. We shut it down earliertoday after a soldier got blown off." Thebridge looks very unsafe. Great gusts ofwind blast out of the chasm, batteringthe PCs even where they stand. The Isigriver is frozen beneath the bridge, morethan 800' below.

After giving the PCs a few minutes toabsorb the situation, Baker recom-mends that the PCs stay at the innadjacent to the garrison, at least untilthe wind dies down a bit. The Soldier'sArm's Inn is a clean, efficient, army-runhostel located two miles back up theOvermountain Highway, off the smallturn-off that leads to the army fort. Thehostel makes a great deal of money thistime of year, because the fierce winterwinds can shut down the bridge for daysat a time. A night's lodging costs 5 spper person for a room, including meals.A berth in the common room costs 3 spper night, also including meals.

If the PCs elect to stay at the Soldier'sArms, the wind delays the PCs for twodays before it dies down enough tomake the bridge safe to cross.

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Baker and her companions will let thePCs cross immediately, if they insist.The soldiers loudly disclaim any respon-sibility for whatever happens to theparty. Baker does not even charge thePCs the normal 1 sp per head toll, say-ing, "Anyone crazy enough to cross thatbridge deserves a break."

The DM should allow the success ofany reasonable scheme for crossing thebridge. Someone with the mountaineer-ing proficiency can easily rig up a ropeharness to convey PCs and animalsacross the bridge in relative safety. Orthe DM could allow rogue characters touse their wall climbing ability. Obvi-ously, if the PCs try to simply waltzacross the bridge, the wind (gusts up to100 MPH) will blow them off to theirdeaths. Anyone who attempts to fly orlevitate across the chasm takes 2-8 hpbattering damage from the wind duringthe crossing. A saving throw vs. Paraly-zation for half damage is allowed.

Soldiers (5, including Baker): AL NG;AC 6; MV 12; F1; hp 7; THAC0 20; #AT1; Dmg by weapon type; ML 14; studdedleather armor, shield, short sword, shortbow, dagger.

5. The Blizzard. On the third dayafter the PCs leave P'Arte, a blizzardhits the Overmountain Highway in thevicinity of the PCs. The blizzard strikesin mid-afternoon. (Please review theinformation on blizzards found in theRandom Encounters table.)

Normal procedure for traveling alongthe highway is to stop at a shelter for anoon meal and rest. When the PCs stopat noon on this day, roll a proficiencycheck for any in the party with theweather-sense proficiency. If the check issuccessful, inform that PC that "a bliz-zard is going to hit this area sometime inthe next 3-6 hours." Since it typicallytakes 4-5 hours to cover the distancebetween shelters, the PCs may want tostay here to ride out the blizzard.

If no one in the party has the weather-sense proficiency (or a suitable spell), donot give the PCs any warning about theimminent blizzard. Storms, blizzards,and snow can strike with lightningspeed and little or no warning along thehighway!

If the PCs proceed after the noon reststop, the blizzard hits when the PCs arehalf a mile from the next shelter. Thereis no warning. One minute the weather

is cloudy with a few flakes of snow(standard), and the next minute thewind picks up and great gusts of snowhowl down out of the sky.

It will take the PCs four turns tocover the remaining distance to theshelter. The wind speed is 40 MPH, soeveryone in the party must make fourhypothermia saves (one every turn)with a - 3 penalty to each roll. Thechance of getting lost is 30% (ratherthan 50%) because of the short distanceinvolved. If someone with the directionsense ability makes a successful profi-ciency check, the PCs will not get lost.

Once it hits, the blizzard lasts the restof that day plus two more days. Theweather clears up on the morning of thethird day, and the PCs can move on (seethe example calendar). This encounterdrives home the deadly nature of thewinter weather along the highway.

6. The Roaring Dragon. The sectionof the Overmountain Highway betweenWath and K'Pass is confined to a nar-row, high-altitude pass. The surround-ing mountains tower thousands of feetabove the road through the pass. Al-though the road itself is classified as

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"low mountain" terrain, the elevationis still extreme (see pages 123-125 of theDMG). If any combat (from randomencounters) occurs in the pass, the PCssuffer a -1 penalty to all combat rollsbecause of the elevation.

When the PCs are about 10 miles (twoand a half days hard travel) past Wath,read or paraphrase the following to theplayers:

The elevation of the pass makes bat-tling through the snow an immenselydifficult task. It is only mid-afternoon,and already your limbs protest theirlimits and scream "enough!" At leastit isn't snowing, and the sun occasion-ally peeks its way through the clouds.Suddenly, far above you near thepeaks of the tall mountains thattower above the pass, you see adragon! The magnificent white beastswoops and dives through the air, justvisible through gaps in the cloudcover. For a moment you simplywatch in admiration; the dragon lookstruly beautiful, a creature at home inits element.

With a dawning sense of alarm,you watch as the dragon banks to-ward one of the snowy slopes aboveyou. The white beast turns and fliesroughly parallel to a huge, tenuouslybalanced snowbank. The dragoninhales with a visible effort, then letsout an earsplitting roar. Secondslater, in answer to the dragon's call,a deep bass roar booms down themountainside. The dragon hascaused an avalanche, and now thou-sands of tons of ice and snow arebarreling down the mountainsidetoward your current position!

The PCs have 1d3+1 rounds to pre-pare for the onslaught of the avalanche,which is a small one despite its fear-some appearance. Anyone (or anything)that gets hit by the avalanche takes 2-20 hp damage (save vs. paralyzation forhalf damage). If any PCs or animalstake damage from the avalanche, get-ting them dug out, cleaned up, and pastthe now-blocked pass delays the partyfor half a day.

If the PCs ask (quickly!), the DMshould tell them that there is a naturalformation nearby that will serve toprotect them from the avalanche. If thePCs react immediately, they can all runbehind a boulder (about 30' in diameter)that is located nearby. If the PCs do not

ask about possible cover, assume thatthey are too flustered to take a lookaround and assess the situation.

If the PCs take cover behind the boul-der, the front wave of the avalanchecrashes down around them just as theyreach its leeward side. The PCs getburied up to waist height (3') in thesnow that spills around the sides of theboulder, but this snow is loose enoughthat no one will have a problem gettingout. If the party takes refuge behind theboulder, they can move on without anysignificant delay.

The culprit behind the avalanche isan old white dragon known as Weiss-hammar. After causing the avalanche,Weisshammar gains a few thousand feetof altitude, then circles around to watchthe fun. Weisshammar does not attackthe PCs after causing the avalanche; hewas just having fun. He is also veryleery of attacking anything on the Over-mountain Highway; this caution whichis one of the reasons why he is an olddragon. Weisshammar lives in an icecave far up one of the mountain gla-ciers. The DM is free to develop detailson his lair if necessary.

Weisshammar (white dragon): Int 7;AL CE; AC - 3 ; MV 12, fly 40 (C), bur-row 6, swim 12; HD 15; hp 92; THAC0- 3 ; #AT 3 plus special; Dmg 1d6+8/1d6+8 / 2d8+8; SA fear (30 yards), spell-like abilities, create avalanche, breathweapon; SD special; MR 20%; SZ G (77');ML 15; XP 11,000; MC.

VolkradThe circumstances surrounding thefinal delivery of X'Celsiah's tax moneyare intentionally left somewhat vague.The DM can make the actual deliveryas easy or as challenging as he desires.The scenario outlined below gives theDM a starting point but certainly doesnot touch on all the difficulties the PCscould have during their stay in thecapital city of Volkrad.

Volkrad is a sprawling port city on thecoast of the Unbandig Sea, near themouth of the Tieglen River. The city hasa population of roughly 80,000. Com-pared to L'Trel, Volkrad is an enormousmetropolis, so it will be very easy forthe PCs to get lost in the byways andfar-flung districts of Volkrad.

The Tax OfficeThe PCs will not be able to find the taxoffice by themselves; they will have to

ask a few of Volkrad's notoriously un-friendly inhabitants how to find it. TheDM can give the PCs a little hassleabout finding the office if he wishes, butif the PCs have done well up to thispoint, they probably deserve a break.

Volkrad's tax office is a multistoried,almost palatial building made primarilyof marble. During the day, people run inand out of it in droves, and the tempodoes not slow down much at night.From December 25th to January 10th,the office is open to the public from 5:00A.M. to midnight, seven days a week.During all other times of the year, it isopen from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Mondaythrough Friday.

In order to gain entrance to the taxoffices, the PCs must check their weap-ons at the door. The guards are verythorough and demand that the PCs di-vest themselves of all weapons. Peoplesometimes get a little upset in this build-ing, and catastrophe could result if theguards let so much as a dagger slip by.

Guards (6): AL any N or G; AC 5,;MV 9; F2, F1 (x 5); hp 15, 7 (x 5);THAC0 19, 20; #AT 1; Dmg by weapontype; ML 15; chain mail, spear, shortsword, dagger.

Confrontation with IraAfter the PCs clear the minor hurdle offinding and gaining entrance to the taxoffice, read or paraphrase the followingto the players:

After having a little trouble findingthe tax office, things start goingsmoothly for once in this accursedjourney. The sealed message tubebearing Lord X'Celsiah's engravedseal is like having a magical wand. Asimple wave of the tube causes thevarious minor functionaries to gothrough an abrupt change of atti-tude, from surly and taciturn tocheerful and overly helpful. A bab-bling young man guides you deepinto the building, through severalimpressive offices that he assuresyou are "just waiting rooms." Fi-nally, in an out-of-the-way back corri-dor, you come to a heavily carveddoor labeled "Hiram Parma, TaxMinister." The eager fellow opens thedoor for you and gestures for you tostep inside.

The office inside is spacious, beau-tiful, and opulent. The room is keptwarm by a large marble fireplace

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that dominates one wall. A windowof crystal-clear glass covers anotherwall, revealing a view of the streetfar below. A small door in one wallevidently leads to a closet or perhapsa washroom. A painfully thin, im-maculately dressed, white-haired oldman with hawklike features isseated behind a massive oak desk.He does not look up when you enter,even though your armor clinksloudly and the thump of your bootsreverberates throughout the entireroom. Finally the man looks up, butonly when your young guide breath-lessly spills out, "My lord, thesepeople are here to deliver Lord X'Cel-siah's taxes!"

The man behind the desk pusheshis chair back and stands, a slowsmile spreading across his face."Good to see you! I didn't expect youthis soon. Frankly, when I heard ofX'Celsiah's predicament, I expectedthe weather to slow you down morethan it evidently did. Well done!Have a seat, and I'll see about get-ting you a receipt."

The introductory paragraphs aredeliberately worded to give the playersseveral false impressions. The introduc-tion suggests that the man behind thedesk is Lord Hiram Parma. However,the man is actually Lord Ira Sarvice,the deputy tax minister of Volkrad. Thesmall door really leads to Lord Hiram'sinner office. As the deputy tax minister,part of Ira's job is to sit in the outeroffice and deal with mundane mattersso that Lord Hiram is not unnecessarilybothered. Ira sometimes does his job alittle too well. Astute players will besuspicious of this set-up, since the de-scription of the man behind the deskdoes not quite match the description ofLord Hiram that X'Celsiah gave to thePCs.

Playing out this part of the adventurerequires the DM to use a very delicatetouch. The DM must give the playersenough information so that, if they areclever, they can determine this is notLord Hiram, but the DM must alsomake sure that he does not give thisfact away. If the DM feels that the cluesin the description for this encounter areinsufficient to make the PCs paranoid,perhaps X'Celsiah could warn the PCsat the beginning of the adventure to "becareful of Lord Hiram's deputy minister.

He's a snake."Lord Ira was told by Lord Hiram to

look for the PCs arrival in connectionwith the delivery of X'Celsiah's taxes.Ira has realized that if he can get X'Cel-siah's money away from the PCs, hewill have an ideal opportunity for re-venge. Once Ira has the money in hishands, he will see to it that the officialcopy of the receipt is "accidently"burned with the trash, removing allofficial record of X'Celsiah's payment.Then the message tube containing themoney will "accidently" be placed on aback shelf under a pile of junk.

As a result of Ira's scheme, Volkrad'sbureaucracy will count X'Celsiah asdelinquent in paying her taxes. She willthen be fined 26,000 gp (double theamount she would have owed over thelast three years, if she had not beenexempt), more than enough to exhaustall of her cash reserves. Even if the"mistake" is uncovered a few monthslater, Ira will plead that it was an inno-cent error, and the damage to X'Cel-siah's finances will be irreparable.

Ira has thought of several schemes totrick the PCs into giving him themoney. Ira's first tactic is to simply letthe PCs assume that he is Hiram. Iranever actually says that he is Hiram,but if the PCs assume that he is, do notdo anything to correct their mistake! Ifthis simple tactic fails, Ira makes somesort of diversion (dropping a pen on thefloor and scrambling under the desk torecover it, etc.) and uses one or more ofhis suggestion spells to suggest to thePCs that they should give him the mes-sage tube containing the tax money.The DM should come up with severalother ways for Ira to deceive the PCsinto giving him the money. Ira is asmooth, utterly ruthless master of de-ception, so it should be very difficult toactually catch him doing anything ille-gal or telling any actual lies. Ira has alegitimate-sounding excuse for every-thing he does. ("I'm sorry I tried to casta spell on you," he'll say, "but LordHiram would have my hide on the wallif I let him be disturbed right now. I'mjust trying to do my job.")

If everything fails and the PCs findout that he is not Hiram, Ira stillrefuses to let the PCs see the tax minis-ter. Ira has one final ploy. If he can getthe PCs to stay at the Lion's Pryde Inn(see encounter description), he can havethem robbed. He tells the PCs, "I can'tpossibly let you in to see him today.

Why don't you come back tomorrow?He's very busy, and he'd literally killme if I let him be disturbed. Here's avoucher to stay at the Lion's Pryde Innfor a few days. It's on us." If the PCsarrive on (or after) December 31st, theDM will have to change this ploy.

The PCs can easily bluff their waypast Ira and get to see Lord Hiramdirectly. One of the easiest ways is tosimply make as large a disturbance aspossible. Eventually, guards (see thestatistics at the beginning of this sec-tion) will show up to see what all thefuss is about. Lord Hiram then pokeshis head out of the small door leading tothe inner office and gruffly inquires asto what is going on. At this point, Iraknows he is defeated and he backsdown. The PCs have just made a realenemy, though. Inventive PCs will comeup with a myriad nonviolent ways toget past Ira, once they determine thathe is not Lord Hiram.

Meeting with Lord Hiram ParmaOnce the PCs bluff their way into theinner office or otherwise get in contactwith Lord Hiram, he spends a few min-utes looking over X'Celsiah's tax forms.After a short time he expresses satisfac-tion and gives the PCs a receipt to takeback to X'Celsiah.

Hiram has a good laugh over anyconfrontations the PCs had with LordIra and acknowledges that his deputyminister is a cad of the vilest kind. LordHiram does not have any choice abouthaving Ira as his deputy minister (Iraand Hiram are both appointed by theruling Council of Lords), so Hiram triesto keep him too busy to do any damage.This tactic also allows Hiram to keep awatchful eye on Ira's doings.

The Lion's PrydeThe Lion's Pryde is a small luxury innlocated in one of the finest sections ofVolkrad. Lord Ira Sarvice is the ownerof the inn, although this is a carefullykept secret. Not even the head inn-keeper knows who actually owns theinn. Ira gives orders to the innkeeper byrelaying them through several people.

If the PCs follow Ira's suggestion andstay at the Lion's Pryde, Ira orders(through a relay involving several peo-ple, of course) his section of the localthieves' guild to rob the PCs of X'Cel-siah's tax money. Remember that this isa well-organized, guild-backed robbery

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attempt. The DM should feel free tomodify the actions of the robbers inresponse to PC actions. The robbers doeverything they can to cover up the realreason for the robbery and to hide thefact that Ira ordered it.

When the PCs check in for the night,the manager gives them a fine, sumptu-ous suite of rooms (the DM is free todevelop a map if he desires). Ira's peoplethen begin to watch the PCs from adja-cent buildings and from within the innitself (thieves' guild people work in theinn as bellhops, maids, etc.). The thieveswait for a good opportunity to rob thePCs. Ideally, they are waiting for a timewhen most of the PCs are out of theirrooms and away from the tube. Such anopportunity may arise when the PCs goto dinner. If all else fails, the robberswait until night, when most of the PCsare asleep.

If the players state that the PCs takea good look around the hotel and thesurrounding buildings, the DM maywish to assign a small chance that theyspot the watchers. Allow thieves the useof their ability to find traps in order todetect the watchers.

To cover the real intent of the robbery,several people (in cooperation with therobbers) posing as merchants, or trad-ers, move into the rooms adjacent to thePCs' suite. When the robbers moveagainst the PCs, these "merchants" arealso robbed. This ploy should serve todisguise the fact that the robbers arereally interested in only X'Celsiah'smoney. The PCs may be suspicious, butthis decoy will serve to convince thelocal police that it was a normalrobbery.

When the robbers decide to maketheir move (DM's judgment), they intro-duce sleeping gas into each PC's roomthrough the crack under the hall door.Everyone in the PCs' suite must savevs. poison or fall asleep for 1d20 +20rounds. A successful save means thatthe PC detected something amiss andmanaged to hold his breath. A PC cancontinue to hold his breath for a num-ber of rounds equal to his constitutionscores divided by three. If the PCbreathes again, he must save vs. poisonagain, this time with a -4 penalty. Fiverounds after the gas is first introducedinto the room, it dissipates and becomesharmless. At this point, the robbersenter the room.

Each of the thieves carries a loaded

crossbow. Their first action is to subdueany conscious PCs. Then they tie andgag all of the PCs. Four of the heaviesthen stand guard over the PCs whilethe others help the thief-in-chargesearch the room. If the PCs hid X'Cel-siah's tube carefully, it will take therobbers 1-10 rounds to find it. The rob-bers also take any other valuable itemsthat they find (DM's discretion), in orderto disguise the intent of the robbery.

If any of the bound and gagged PCswiggles too much, the guards discour-age them by motioning with their cross-bows. If the PC continues to move, theguards shoot to kill. The inescapabledeath rule (page 75 of the DMG) applieshere.

After the robbers leave, the PCs canbegin extracting themselves from theropes. Roll against half of each PC'sbend-bars/lift gate ability, or allow acharacter with the rope-use proficiencyto work himself loose in 1d10 +10rounds. Otherwise, it takes three turnsto wiggle free of the ropes.

Thief-in-charge: AL LE; AC 8; MV12; T6, hp 24; THAC0 18; #AT 1; Dmgby weapon type; SA special; ML 15; XP975; leather armor, short sword, lightcrossbow. The thief's first crossbowquarrel is poisoned (save vs. poison forhalf damage or take 6-36 hp damage).

Heavies (7): AL N; AC 8; MV 12; F2;hp 15, 14, 12, 9 (x 2), 8, 7; THAC0 19;#AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; ML 14; XP65; leather armor, short sword, lightcrossbow.

Concluding the AdventureIf the PCs successfully deliver the taxmoney to Lord Hiram on or before theDecember 31st deadline, the DM shouldconsider awarding a 2,000-xp bonus (tobe split among the PCs).

If the PCs meet (or beat) the deadline,Lord Hiram sponsors new tax legisla-tion at the next meeting of the Councilof Lords. This legislation grants taximmunity for life to anyone of lord sta-tus who is also recognized as a hero ofthe realm. After the new tax law passes,X'Celsiah is given a lifetime exemptionfrom taxation. X'Celsiah uses themoney that she would have spent onpaying taxes to complete her greatestwork, a military text titled "Observa-tions of the Long Campaign." TheVolkrad military schools quickly adoptthis work as a standard text. Years fromnow, the insights offered in the text

allow Volkrad to repel a massive orcinvasion.

If the PCs' mission is successful,X'Celsiah will be very grateful to theparty and will prove to be a valuablecontact. The DM can use X'Celsiah tofeed the PCs information about futureadventures. X'Celsiah will also be morethan willing to provide PC fighters withlevel training, either for free or at agreatly reduced cost. Lord HiramParma of Volkrad can also be used tointroduce new adventures. Perhaps hehas a dangerous mission of a delicatenature that he dare not assign to themilitary.

The PCs will also make at least twonew enemies if they succeed in theirmission. Lord Rhet and Lord Ira areprimarily interested in making X'Cel-siah miserable, but they may shift someof their energies toward the PCs. Bothof these NPCs are dangerous, not somuch because of their personal prowessbut because of their extensive connec-tions and wealth, and the number ofpeople at their command. Also, al-though Rhet and Ira do not know eachother now, they are likely to meet atsome time in the future and discovertheir mutual hatred of X'Celsiah andthe PCs.

If the PCs fail in their mission (deliverthe taxes after January 10th, or not atall), X'Celsiah will be very displeasedwith them and will not hesitate to telleveryone in L'Trel the tale of how theyfailed her. The hardship brought on bypaying the fines and back taxes willprevent X'Celsiah from writing herrevolutionary military textbook. It is upto the DM to decide on any furtherconsequences of the book's absence.Perhaps the nation of Volkrad will fallto the invading orc hordes after all.

Presumably, the PCs will return toL'Trel along the Overmountain High-way. Along the way, there are manychances for side adventures. The moun-tain villages of K'Pass, Wath, Grace,Nalv, P'Arte, and Fidirth Ridge makeideal tie-in points for many of the shortadventures found in DUNGEONAdventures. Ω

DUNGEON 37

Continued from page 2

detail help you set an atmosphere, ordoes it simply take up space?

Some other items on the gamers' wishlists were: mini adventures (we'vestarted a new section for this); guide-lines for awarding experience points(we've added XP as a statistic for each"bad guy," but we could be doing moreto reward good role-playing); solo adven-tures (we've probably discussed this todeath); one-on-one adventures (I'll printthem if you'll write them); low-level andhigh-level adventures (mostly I getmodules for levels 3-8).

Did the convention participants re-flect your views, or are there otheritems on your "wish list" forDUNGEON Adventures? Write and letme know.

This issue's quote was sent in by Dan-iel B. Cordez of Little Neck, New York.

Mail from the Gulf

Dear Dungeon,

I have a sad story to tell you. A few ofmy friends and I have been deployedto Saudi Arabia, part of the 1st Ma-rine Expeditionary Force. Unfortu-nately, we didn't bring any gamingmaterials with us. Would you please(pretty please) print my address inyour magazine. DMs wanted! Anygamers interested in running a pen-pal game for a few Marines who are inSaudi Arabia, please write!

Semper Fi!Cp. Don W. PetersonCo. "A" 3rd AA BN

HQ PLTFPO San Francisco, California

96608-5522

I'm sure Don and his buddies wouldlike to hear from any of our readers,even if you can't help run a game bymail. Even a postcard would surely bewelcome.


Shortly thereafter, as the mountedPCs near the edge of the barrowgrounds, they see a lone figure standingnear a small tree beside the bank of thestream. Sunlight reflects off the war-rior's bronze armor and the plumedhelmet he holds in the crook of his arm.A great shield and spear lean againstthe tree.

"Greetings, heroes," the warrior says."I have been granted this brief stay onyour world to give you my thanks."Tarfil then moves to each member of theparty and gently lays a hand upon hisshoulder. To the living, his touch hasthe effect of a double strength restorespell, or a cureall spell for anyone whohas lost no experience levels. If anymembers of the party died in the bar-row, Tarfil's touch will raise dead fully.After he has touched each party mem-ber, Tarfil places his hand upon Sergei'sshoulder, saying, "Guide well, traveler,"and gives Sergei a scarab of protection.Any other character who lost no levelsand needed no curing will also receive ascarab of protection.

Having said his thanks, Tarfil bows tothe party, takes up his spear and shield,and says, "Farewell, adventurers. Mayyou all find high places amongst thegods!" With that, Tarfil leaps away,running at first across the moor, thengradually up into the sky. With a briefflash of light, the ancient warrior disap-pears from the mortal world.

Concluding the AdventureIf the PCs destroy Annakarr and hisfollowers and obtain the Tome of Bind-ing Souls, they must decide what to dowith the book. Annakarr's other fol-lowers (those he left behind at hisstronghold in the mountains) will scat-tered without his guidance, but the DMmay decide to have some vengeful lieu-tenant learn of his leader's demise andplague the party at a later time. Theescape of Cargilon Darkbringer willhave little effect on the party, as he wassimply a hired rogue mage and will notconsider the party members as enemiesshould they meet again.

If Lodigris or the two elders escapeafter the party's success, they will even-tually seek retribution. But the escapeof Annakarr will be of most concern tothe party, as he meant every threat heuttered when he fled the barrow. All

thoughts of conquest will be set aside in

TARFIL'S TOMB

his desire for revenge, and Annakarrwill spare none of his diverse resources,including several spies based in Kelvin.

If the PCs flee the barrow after failingto defeat Annakarr, they may be askedat a later time to help stave off Anna-karr's Undead army. Baron Kelvin mayask them to lead a force of mercenariesagainst Annakarr in battle on the mooror in the mountains. Or perhaps anembarrassed Bishop Pyotrevich willsend them to Annakarr's mountainstronghold to free Tarfil at the requestof the Immortals.

If any of the PCs were captured byAnnakarr in the tomb, they are takenback to the patriarch's stronghold forsacrifice in the Temple of Chaos as grat-itude for the mission's success. Thisleaves the defeated party some, albeitbleak, hope of escape.

If the PCs successfully defeat Anna-karr and return to Kelvin, there will beno official recognition of their accom-plishment unless they bring Annakarrback in chains. However, should theadventurers pass through Karameikosagain in the next year or two, they mayhear a Traladaran minstrel singingabout a noble band of heroes whothwarted the aims of Chaos, dealingterrible justice upon an evil patriarchnamed Annakarr the Despised. TheKarameikan nobility and prelacy mayhave ignored the PCs achievements, butwith the help of a Traladaran com-moner named Sergei Mishev, word oftheir deeds has spread and been put tosong.

Many years later, Ivan Sumanov willrise to wield much power in the Churchof Traladara, as he truly has beenmarked for greatness by the ThreeImmortals. Ivan will become a veryinfluential person in Karameikos, andthus a good person with whom to be onfavorable terms. Ω

The Oops FileThere is an error in the map of CaerThome, Level Four, on page 58 ofissue #25. There should be a smallspiral staircase that gives access toroom 58. The placement of this stair-case can be seen in room 47 on theprevious map (page 57).

38 Issue No. 27

Ω

Tina Sparkles

JUGGERNAUT


Goblin worg-riders (8): Int avg; ALLE; AC 6; MV 6 (on foot); HD 1 - 1 ; hp 7,6, 5 (x 3), 4 (x 2), 3; THAC0 20; #AT 1;Dmg by weapon type; SA charge onworgback (+2 to hit, double damagewith light lance, MV 27 for one round,but with - 2 to opponent's initiative andAC loss of one point); SZ S (4' tall); ML10; XP 15; MC.

Worg-riders wear studded leatherarmor, use small shields, and carryspears that are the equivalent of lighthorse lances (5 lbs., speed 6, 1d6/1d8 or2d6/2d8 if used while charging). Eachgoblin also carries a short sword. Incombat, they are charged with keepingwarriors away from the mastodon anddisabling spell-casters as quickly asthey can be found.

Free worgs (12): statistics as perworg mounts; hp 25, 24, 21 (x 2), 20, 17(x 2), 16,15 (x 2), 14, 13, 11. These worgact as regular soldiers. Their mission isto leap into combat and attack all foesimpartially, not worrying about anyother goblins or worgs unless a call forretreat is given. They also scout aroundas the goblin juggernaut sets out for araid, looking for areas of potential trou-ble and communicating this to the gob-lins and other worgs.

Handling the Problem

It is obvious that a mastodon loadedwith goblins, backed up by worgs andgoblin cavalry, is a very tough customer.Direct combat with the monster is possi-ble for high-level groups, but otheradventurers might want to think ofsneakier ways of eliminating thisannoying situation.

Obvious tactics include picking off theworgs, mounted worgs, and worg-ridersin small batches using missiles orspells. Ambushes, traps, and illusionsmay be used to divide or misdirect thegoblins and worgs. Especially carefulPCs such as rangers and thieves mightbe able to track the goblins back totheir local dungeon lair after a battle,staging an attack when the goblinsleast expect or are prepared for it.

Goblins have relatively few hit points,and a single fireball would clean all ofthem from the mastodon in a moment—with the result that the mastodon ap-pears to go wild for a short time beforevanishing from sight (having turnedinto a statuette again). The DM might

wish to save this encounter for a timewhen no fireball-toting wizards arepresent, but even a clever mage mightfind the worgs difficult to handleprior to the main combat.

Further Adventures

Assuming that the goblins are defeatedand the marble mastodon is seized, themost obvious questions are: Where didthese goblins come from, and how didthey get a mastodon? A ranger might beable to track the goblins back to theirlair (discovering, of course, that themastodon's footprints abruptly ceasepart of the way back!). Konkar and histroops are currently staying in thesmall hillside dungeon system wherethe marble mastodon was found, severalmiles from the trade route. A map isprovided of this lair, about which theDM should keep a few points in mind:

—The dungeon is an old tomb withonly a few corridors and rooms, now allthoroughly explored by the goblins. Theoriginal traps have all been sprung, butthe goblins have reset two of the pittraps in areas they don't frequent. Theyhave also covered the single dungeonentrance with brush and tree limbs toprevent its easy discovery (a roll fordetecting concealed doors is required byan elf or half-elf, or a ranger must makea successful tracking roll).

—There is no obvious place that amonster the size of the mastodon couldenter the tomb (it is always reduced insize when Konkar takes it inside).

—Living arrangements are crude inthe extreme, though Konkar does havea rough sort of bed assembled from clothand debris from destroyed wagons.

—A total of 2,000 gp of treasure can befound in the lair, most of it in the formof trade goods, armor, weapons, tools,and loose coins (as designed by the DM).No other magical items are present.

—A dozen goblins and four worgsremain at the tomb as guards duringthe times when Konkar is out raiding.The statistics for these guards may betaken from those in the section, "TheJuggernaut & Crew."

—The being originally buried in thetomb might now be Undead and mighttake a dislike to anyone, goblin or hu-man, whom it finds dismantling its"home." This being might still be en-tombed but slowly becoming more ac-tive, preparing an attack on theintruders.

Captured goblins are fiercely loyal toKonkar if he has not yet been slain. Thegoblins refuse to talk except to unceas-ingly curse their captors and threatenthem with hideous deaths at the"hands" (or feet) of the "demon," aboutwhich they say nothing else. The use ofESP or charm person spells shouldproduce some accurate but confusinginformation for the PCs (the goblinsbelieve that the mastodon really is ademon, and battle memories tend to begreatly exaggerated). Remember thatgoblins are cowardly, treacherous,crude, and somewhat stupid.

It should become obvious that, giventhe lack of females and young in thelair and given its spartan conditions,the goblins must have come from alarger lair elsewhere. Tracking downthis home lair would be a tricky opera-tion given its distance (a minimum of15-20 miles is suggested). The DM canthus connect this encounter to any gob-lin or humanoid stronghold, such as"Tallow's Deep," from DUNGEON®

issue #18.Any goblins who escape the PCs will

flee the area, heading back for the homelair (although they will make someeffort to scout the PCs briefly after abattle to get a better idea of who theirenemies are). The goblins will informthe home lair's chief of the existence ofKonkar's device (which they, of course,had planned to bring to the chief as agift all along). It is then a certainty thata major raiding party (if not an army) ofgoblins and humanoids will swiftly setout to recapture the marble mastodon.Word of the device will spread like wild-fire among other humanoid and mon-ster tribes in the region and, eventually,among human and demihuman thievesand treasure hunters—all with predicta-ble results. Ω

The Oops File

The map of the Hellfire Club on page19 of issue #25 was printed with anerror. On the First Floor, the diago-nally shaded area that is over theKitchen should be moved so that theright edge of the shaded area touchesthe west wall of the Kitchen. Thisshaded area denotes the second flooroverhang above the east side of theBallroom.

DUNGEON 39

BRIDE FORA FOXBY CRAIG BARRETT

This web of deceit snaresvictim, hero, and villainalike.

Artwork by Jim Holloway

Craig sends the following advice forreaders who would like to sell adven-tures or articles to DUNGEON® Adven-tures or DRAGON® Magazine: "Writewhat you would like to read. Write withthis in mind: If you had not written thearticle or module, would it be worth thecost of an issue for you to read this piece?If you regularly read and enjoy thesemagazines, you know the kind of mate-rial they print. If you have any talent atall, and if you write with this in mind, Ibelieve you will sell. Be warned, how-ever, that a painful level of self-honesty isrequired."

"Bride for a Fox" is an AD&D® Orien-tal adventure for 4-6 player charactersof levels 4-8 (about 30 total levels). Oneof these characters should be a shu-kenja; at least one should be a samuraiof 5th level or higher, thus immune tofear. All should be capable of riding.Vital equipment should include at leasttwo flasks of sake and one magical ring(of any kind). The PCs should also haveweapons to defend themselves againstairborne attackers, and should have atleast one + 3 magical weapon. It will beconvenient if the party includes enoughhenchmen or followers to bring thegroup's total up to eight members.

This adventure takes place in the T'uLung province of Ausa, beginning in thecity of Chunming in the Shin District,but can be easily set in any similarlyplaced city in any civilized nation ofKara-Tur. The Kara-Tur: The EasternRealms boxed set is useful but not nec-essary for play.

For the Dungeon MasterFive years ago, the merchant MahTehwa made a bargain with the huhsien O-me-sa (whose current lair wasnot far from Jengse village, northwestof Chunming): If the hu hsien helpedTehwa's business to prosper, the mer-chant would give his daughter to the huhsien when she was 15 years old. Al-though O-me-sa was one of those rarehu hsien whose second form is that ofan attractive teenage boy rather than amaiden, Tehwa had the distinct impres-sion that he wanted the girl for some-thing other than the obvious reasons.This didn't deter Tehwa from makingthe bargain.

Over the years, Mah Tehwa's businessprospered greatly due to O-me-sa's re-ward spells. When his daughter, Mah

40 Issue No. 27

BRIDE FOR A FOX

Su-liang, approached her 15th birthday,a message arrived from O-me-sa withinstructions to have the girl ready todepart at dawn on the fateful day.

The timing could not have been worsefor Mah Tehwa. The elderly Prince Wanhad seen the girl and become attractedto her. By adroit maneuver, Tehwa hadarranged for Su-liang to be married toPrince Wan, giving Tehwa much honorthrough a connection many steps abovehis own station. Prince Wan was also ina position to arrange for Tehwa to re-ceive highly valuable trade concessions.If Su-liang were surrendered to O-me-sa, these important plans would beruined. Not only that, Tehwa wouldhave to explain the girl's disappear-ance—and Imperial law imposed a pen-alty of death by torture for bargainssuch as Tehwa had made.

But Tehwa had already decided tocheat the hu hsien. Three months beforeSu-liang's 15th birthday, he visited acenter of the local slave trade. There hefound and purchased a slave girl namedKui-lo, of approximately Su-liang's ageand appearance. Since then, Kui-lo hasbeen his daughter's companion andmaid—and, much to Tehwa's delight,the two girls have become close friends.

The morning after O-me-sa's messagearrived, at the start of Su-liang'sbirthweek, Tehwa brought Kui-lo to hisprivate study and told her a long andinvolved story—utterly false—about howan ancient secret of family shame hadfallen into the hands of a hu hsien. Inorder to preserve his family's honor,Tehwa would have to turn Su-liang overto the hu hsien. But, he said, Kui-lo hadit in her power to save her new friend, ifshe would take her place. The young,impressionable slave had no will to fightTehwa's persuasiveness and agreed toimpersonate Su-liang when O-me-sa'semissary came to collect the girl.

So far as Tehwa was concerned, hisplan was working perfectly, for he hadlittle fear that the hu hsien would con-cern himself with news of princely wed-dings. Once Su-liang's birthweek ended,she could wed Prince Wan. However,unknown to him, Su-liang had adopteda balcony beneath the roof as her pri-vate mediation place. By a trick ofacoustics she heard the entire interviewwith Kui-lo. Believing Tehwa's story tobe true, Su-liang determined that ifanyone must be sacrificed for the sakeof the family's honor, it must be her, notKui-lo.

Thus, at dawn on her birthday, it wasSu-liang (suitably attired as if to be abride, but masked to hide her identity)who rose first and presented herself toO-me-sa's emissary.

Shortly after Su-liang left her father'shouse, Kui-lo (whom Su-liang had ar-ranged to be delayed by other servants)presented herself to Tehwa's servants,and Tehwa quickly learned of the mis-take. He immediately made plans totake Kui-lo after the emissary and ex-change the two girls, explaining that amistake had been made. Tehwa knewall this girl-switching might look likesome kind of treachery to O-me-sa, butwhat choice did he have? If Su-lianginexplicably disappeared, the Princewould institute inquiries, and if thatbrought out the truth of Tehwa's bar-gain, the merchant could quite literallyend up as dog meat. He had to recoverSu-liang at all costs!

Tehwa sent for his steward, Meng, andordered Meng to go into the city andhire a half-dozen adventurers to serveas bodyguards for a short period of time.He intended to recover Su-liang, "if Ihave to go all the way to Jengse." Mengwas to follow on his heels with the ad-venturers. Tehwa's orders weren't clear,though, and Meng was left believingthat Tehwa would wait for him beforeleaving—and that it was Kui-lo who'dbeen stolen.

For the Player CharactersThe DM should read or paraphrase thefollowing to the players:

Last night you took rooms in the Innof a Thousand Swords. Being earlyrisers, as befits adventurers, at dawnthis morning you're in the inn's com-mon room. Suddenly, without cere-mony, a thin man in an expensiverobe enters. He looks around as if topry the secrets out of every corner.When he sees no one else adventur-ous looking in the inn, he comesimmediately to your table and saysto you:

"Gentlemen, are you available foremployment? I have a contract tooffer, 10 tael to each of you for twodays' service."

"Before dawn this morning, a slavegirl was stolen from my master, themerchant Mah Tehwa. He desiresthat the girl be returned to him im-mediately. The contract I offer is torecover this girl at all costs, beforeher abductors reach their destina-tion, which is less than a day's jour-ney from here. If you bring her backto my master's house by dusk tomor-row, you will each earn 10 tael andperhaps a bonus. Are you willing toundertake this contract?"

The House of MahIf the PCs ask any questions about thecontract (such as why the girl is so im-portant, or why Mah Tehwa doesn'treport the theft to the city magistrates),the man tells them:

"My master will answer all questions.If you are not satisfied, you will be freeto refuse the contract."

If the PCs want to get their mountsfrom the inn's stables before leaving,the man says:

"Please do not trouble yourselves. Mymaster desires to see you at once. If youaccept the contract, fresh mounts willbe provided." If the PCs do not agree tothis, he tells them: "Very well, I regretthat you do not wish to accept this con-tract," and leaves immediately unlessthe PCs reconsider quickly.

If the PCs accept the contract, thethin man tells them:

If the PCs express interest, the mancontinues:

"My name is Meng. Please comewith me now."

Meng guides you through the citydirectly to Mah Tehwa's house nearthe southwestern city gate. Thisearly in the day, no one bothers youor even pays you much attention.The Mah house is large but modestlooking from the outside. A clean-shaven deferential servant opens thefront door. As Meng stalks past theservant, leading you into the wideentrance hall of the house, yourguide says:

"Inform the master that I havereturned with the bodyguards herequires."

The servant, with a servile bow,replies, "Meng-sama, the master hasalready left."

Meng stops abruptly, and it's obvi-ous that he's surprised and upset by

DUNGEON 41

BRIDE FOR A FOX

this announcement. His voice isharsh as he interrogates the servantin front of you.

"Left? When? With whom?Answer!"

The servant is cringing now. "Anhour ago, sir. Two personal servantsaccompanied him, and four ware-house guards, and a woman of thehousehold—Kui-lo, I think."

Meng's agitation visibly increases,and he makes no effort to hide itfrom you.

"Impossible!" he says. "Kui-lo wasstolen last night. It must have beensomeone else. Who?"

The servant, very low, whispers,"Su-liang?"

Meng's eyes narrow. You hear himsay, very softly, "Not. . . possible."Meng turns to you and says, "Themaster has decided to precede us. Imust therefore offer you my master'scontract on my own authority. Willyou accept the contract?"

If the PCs agree to Meng's contractterms:

If the PCs question him, Meng will bevery guarded in his answers. They willget a stock answer if they ask the fol-lowing questions: Why is this slave girlso important? Who took her? Where isshe being taken (and how do you know)?Why aren't the authorities involved?

Meng's answer: "That is the affair ofmy master, Mah Tehwa. You must askhim. The best thing is to mount andfollow my master at once."

If the PCs ask how much oppositionthey'll have to face, Meng replies:

"Whatever lies between us and per-haps the village of Jengse, to the north-west. Now tell me: Will you accept thecontract, or must I look elsewhere?"

If the PCs bargain, Meng will increasethe pay offered them in increments oftwo tael per PC to a maximum of 20tael per PC (and a promise they cankeep any loot taken during the adven-ture). At that point, Meng loses hispatience and says:

"Tell me at once! Do you accept thecontract or not?"

If the PCs refuse Meng's final offer, hedismisses them. If the adventurersattempt to watch the house or followMeng when he leaves, they will fail—the house is extensive, and Meng willleave by a hidden door to consult withhis true master after the PCs are dis-missed. In this case, the adventureshould end at this point.

Meng commands the servant to runto the stables and see that the horsesare saddled and ready. He leads youthrough the house by silent corridorswhere the doors are all closed, untilyou come to a makeshift arsenal. Onracks against the walls are a dozenjavelins, four naginatas, one heavyand two light crossbows, an openchest of quarrels for the crossbows,two daikyus, five quivers containingnormal arrows, and six throwingaxes. There are also a dozen closedbut unlatched flat boxes. Meng tellsyou:

"This is the arsenal of my master'sguardsmen. Please examine theweapons and select any you believeyou will need. I will return in amoment."

If the PCs examine the weapons, theyfind that they are of good quality butunexceptional; none are magical. Theopen chest contains 50 crossbow quar-rels. Each quiver contains 20 arrows.Four of the closed boxes contain 10arrows each, each box with one kind ofarrows: armor piercing, frog crotch,humming bulb, and leaf head. The fifthbox contains a dozen shurikens. Thesixth contains four uchi-ne (small jave-lins). The seventh contains 20 tetsu-bishi (caltrops) and a mesh sack forcarrying them. The eighth box containsthree parangs. The remaining fourboxes are empty, but indentations intheir felt linings show they once con-tained katanas.

Examining and selecting weaponsshould take a little time. When the PCsare finished—or immediately if any PCshould discourteously decide to exploresome of the house—Meng returns,dressed in expensive riding leathers.

Meng asks if the PCs are ready to go.When they are:

Meng leads you through other silentcorridors and out into a dusty stableyard. Here the grooms have horsessaddled and ready, one for each ofyou. The horses are good but unre-markable, with nothing to choosebetween them. Meng mounts his ownhorse and, as soon as you aremounted, leads you out by the stableyard gate.

It is still early in the day, and no onepays any attention to you as you ridethrough the streets to the southwest-ern gate. The gate has just opened toadmit local tradesfolk from thenearby farms. The gate guards sim-ply watch as you ride through.

Meng is a traitor, a spy planted inTehwa's household by Yu Po, a rivalmerchant prince. When Tehwa sentMeng into the city after adventurers,the steward immediately went to Yu Poand told him as much of the story as heknew. Meng does not know aboutTehwa's bargain with O-me-sa, but hedoes tell Yu Po that Tehwa mentionedthe village of Jengse. Yu Po is delightedto learn that Tehwa is exposing himselfwith only a few guards. He dispatchesMeng with orders to do as Tehwa in-structed: to find adventurers in the city,hire them, and join Tehwa—but doeverything possible to delay Tehwa. Inthe meantime, Yu Po will assemble aband of assassins to follow and destroyTehwa. If the PCs accept Meng's con-tract, the DM should keep in mind thatthese assassins are following the party.

Meng (human): AL N; AC 10; MV 12;Bus 3; hp 25; #AT 1; Dmg by weapontype; SA ki power (+ 2 levels) once perday for one turn; S 10, D 11, C 9, I 15,W 9, Ch 10; ML 13; XP 270; proficien-cies: weaponsmith, armorer, bowyer,stewardship. He now wears expensiveriding leathers with no armor value. Hecarries a dagger in a belt sheath, an-other in his right boot, and a stiletto ina sheath on his left forearm (hidden bythe sleeve of his silk shirt). On the sad-dle of his horse is a case containing ashort horseman's bow and a quiver of 20normal arrows. In his purse he carries1,000 ch'ao and 150 tael.

Horses, medium: Int animal; AL N;AC 7; MV 18; HD 2 +2; THAC0 19; #AT3; Dmg 1-6/1-6/1-3; SZ L; ML 5; MC.Each horse has a standard riding saddle(and blanket), bit, bridle, and small sad-dle bags, but no barding. One horse isprovided for Meng and one for each PC.

Out of the City

Meng leads you a short distancealong the high road southwest to-ward Ka Han and Chempka. He thenturns and circles north to intercept

42 Issue No. 27

BRIDE FOR A FOX

the track that leads northwest fromthe city toward a branch of theE'sang Yi hills that reaches out inthe direction of the coast, north ofChunming. This is clear country,much of it farmland, with no mili-tary patrols to be seen. Meng leadsyou at a rapid pace.

Meng wants to join up with Tehwa asquickly as possible, in order to findways to delay Tehwa for Yu Po's assas-sins. He won't, however, push the horseshard enough to ruin them. At optimumspeed, it will take the PCs approxi-mately half a day to reach the edge ofthe E'sang Yi hills (19 or 20 miles). Ifthe PCs try to push harder than this,there is a chance that a horse will giveout or come up lame (see the AD&D 2ndEdition Dungeon Master's Guide, page123).

If the PCs require remounts, they canpurchase them at certain villages alongthe way. Meng will stand the cost out ofthe cash he's carrying, but bargainingwill take 1d6 +4 turns—a serious delay.All villages are small farming com-munities. The tracks connecting them

are merely traveled paths across thecountryside. Only Kangsun andTsengdo are large enough to have rid-ing horses for sale. If the PCs ask aboutTehwa's party, the villagers have noinformation but advise against goinginto the hills. Strange flying creatureshave been seen there recently.

1. Ambush in the E'sang Yi Hills.When the PCs enter the hills, their pacewill be reduced (see the DMG, page 125,values for rolling hills).

After leaving the agricultural plainnorthwest of Chunming, you enter awide pass that leads directly into theE'sang Yi hills. Two miles into thatpass you come upon a fork in thetrail, with one branch leading duenorth and the other leading south-west. Beside the fork you find awounded warrior lying proppedagainst a small boulder, a short bowin one hand and arrows lined up onthe ground close by, ready for use.Not far from him you can see thecorpses of several kenku. Three havebeen killed by arrows and naginatas,while four others appear to have

been felled by powerful lightningstrikes.

Meng dismounts beside thewounded man and addresses him byname, speaking loudly enough foryou to hear:

"Akemu! What happened here?"Akemu bows his head but is too

badly injured to try to rise. Hiswounds appear freshly bandagedthough without much skill, asthough he'd done it himself.

"Meng-san," he says, and gesturesat the kenku corpses. "These crea-tures ambushed us without warning.We killed some, and the others fledwhen the master threw lightning atthem from his ring."

Meng turns to you. "This man isone of Mah Tehwa's guards. He cangive us more information. Akemu!Why did the master leave withoutwaiting for me to return?"

"I don't know, Meng-san," Akemusays. Though weariness masks muchof his emotions, you can see from hisexpression that he has little respectfor Meng. "The master commandedme, with three other guardsmen, two

DUNGEON 43

BRIDE FOR A FOX

servants, and Kui-lo, to accompanyhim in pursuit of the stolen slavegirl. He took no more guards fromthe warehouses for fear of thieves."

"Kui-lo!" Meng exclaims. "Are youcertain?"

"Yes, Meng-san.""But Kui-lo is the stolen slave

girl," Meng corrects him."No, Meng-san," Akemu tells him.

"I don't know who was stolen."Meng thinks about that for a min-

ute, obviously very troubled, beforetelling Akemu, "Go on."

Akemu continues: "We made goodtime until we came here. As I said,the flying creatures attacked withoutwarning. Only the master's magicalring drove the creatures off, or wemight all be dead. I was too badlywounded to continue, so the masterleft me here and continued on, say-ing he would come back this way."Akemu gives the distinct impressionthat he's glad he didn't have to goany farther, and he doesn't trustTehwa to come back for him.

"Which way did the master go?"Meng demands.

Akemu points southwest and Mengnods, as though this merely confirmswhat he already suspected.

"And the ambushers?""They flew in that—" Akemu

starts to point due west, then stopsabruptly. "They are back!" he ex-claims.

To the west, already close andskimming just over the hills, a num-ber of kenku can be seen approach-ing in a wide arc.

O-me-sa, who does not trust MahTehwa, set this band of kenku to watchthe track from Chunming, with ordersto attack anyone who appears to bechasing Su-liang. After attackingTehwa's party, they have been rein-forced and are on watch again. Whenthe kenku saw Meng talking with thewounded Akemu, they assumed thatMeng's party is also chasing Su-liang.The kenku attack immediately and willdo all they can to turn the PCs back,but will retreat after taking 25%casualties.

Hereafter, at any given time, the PCsmay notice that they're being followedby flying kenku, who maintain a dis-crete distance but persist in keepingthem in sight and are a constant threat.

If it appears that the PCs need strongeropposition, the kenku can be used toattack the PCs at any stage of the ad-venture.

Akemu (human): AL N; AC 7; MV 12;Bus 1; hp 1 (7); #AT 1; Dmg by weapontype; SA ki power (+ 2 levels) once perday for one turn (used); S 12, D 15, C 12,I 10, W 15, Ch 11; ML 11; proficiencies:naginata, weaponsmith, armorer, bow-yer. Akemu's naginata is broken, but heretains his bow (12 normal arrows) andkatana; he wears leather armor.

Kenku (3d4 +6): Int avg.; AL N; AC 5;MV 6, fly 18 (D); HD 3; #AT 3 or 1; Dmg1-4/1-4/1-6 (claws and bite) or by weapontype; SA magic missile (3rd level) onceper day; SD shape change; MR 30%; SZM; ML 13; XP 650; FF/56. These bipedalhumanoid birds are all 4th-level thievesand expert fighters armed with quarter-staves and katanas. They can shapechange once every 30 days (with a maxi-mum of seven days spent in the newshape) and have a 50% chance of pass-ing for human (with a 5% chance ofsuccessfully impersonating Meng,Akemu, or any PC). They do not speak,but communicate telepathically amongthemselves. They will not attack any-one who's not following Su-liang(Akemu, for example, is safe once he'sleft behind). The kenku do not carry anytreasure.

2. The Ruined Temple. After leavingthe site of the ambush, if the PCs go inthe direction Akemu indicates, theyreach a ruined temple after travelingfour miles down the road.

The southwest trail leads youthrough the hills, but the ruggedpath winds so that at no point canyou see more than half a mile ahead.After about three miles, you come tothe northeastern lip of a small valley,a kind of cup in the hills.

Below you is a ruined temple. Itappears to have once been setagainst cliffs to the west, but at somepoint in the past those cliffs fell,burying much of the monastery andreducing other parts to rubble. Youcan see activity around the remain-ing portions of the temple. It soonbecomes clear that half a dozen hillgiants are hunting for somethingamong the ruins.

West of the temple, the debris ofthe fallen cliffs will make any ap-proach to the temple difficult and

time consuming. On the north, theterrain favors a stealthy approach.From your present position, you cansee a route by which you can quicklyreach the north gate without beingobserved. On the east and south theterrain is more open, and any ap-proach has a chance of being detectedby one of the giants before you reachthe temple.

If the PCs decide not to circle aroundthe temple and not interfere, they willlose Tehwa's trail and not be able to findit again. Tehwa has been pinned downin the ruins by the hill giants. Themerchant and his party would haveskirted the temple, turning northwestat this point, but they were frightenedinto the temple ruins by the suddenattack of the giants.

If the PCs decide to avoid the giants,Meng should advise them to find outwhat the giants are hunting among theruins, for he suspects it might be one ofTehwa's people. Since he is in effecttheir employer until they find Tehwa,the PCs ought to agree. If the PCs over-rule him, the DM should let them wan-der indefinitely among the hills,without encounters, until they tire andreturn to Chunming. A - 2 honor pen-alty is imposed for the improper socialbehavior of disobedience.

If the PCs return to the temple afterthis, the DM must decide if they canstill rescue Tehwa. Under no circum-stances should the PCs be allowed tofind O-me-sa or Su-liang without firstfinding Tehwa; if they do get to Jengsevillage without first finding Tehwa, itwill be only after O-me-sa has alreadyaccomplished his purpose and Su-liangis dead.

If the PCs decide to investigate theruined temple, they may make theirfinal approach from any direction theychoose. From the north or west, the PCscan reach the temple without beingobserved by the giants, but any ap-proach from the east or south has a 25%or 15% chance (respectively) of beingdetected by one of the giants before thePCs reach the temple.

When the PCs reach the temple, thegiants and Tehwa's people are at thelocations indicated by the circled lettersshown on the Area 2 map. On the eastside of the temple, near the northern-most gate on that side, the two S's andthe H indicate where two of Tehwa's

44 Issue No. 27

BRIDE FOR A FOX

servants and one horse were killed bythe giants. Two of Tehwa's guardsmen(indicated by circled B's, for bushi) havetaken refuge in one of the monks' cells,where the giants haven't yet investi-gated because of the cramped space.Two terrified horses are trapped in oneof the larger rooms, where a giantherded them and is keeping them con-tained (fresh meat!) until Tehwa's peo-ple are hunted down.

The rest of the giants (indicated bycircled G's) have spread out through thetemple in search of Tehwa's people.Tehwa himself (circled T) is in the west-ernmost of the larger rooms, where afallen roof gives him a chance to scram-ble up and out over the debris shouldthe giants locate him. Kui-lo (circled K)is trapped in the remaining centraltower, unable to move because of thegiant near the tower (who has not yetlocated her). The last guard (bushi) is inthe ruins of the main temple hall,where two giants are playing cat-and-mouse with him before closing in forthe kill.

All the rooms in the monastery areempty of furnishings, having been sys-tematically stripped at the time thecliffs fell and in subsequent decades.The monks' cells are reasonably intactexcept where the falling cliffs crushedthe westernmost of them and broughtthe roof down on that side. The largerrooms just south of the monks' cells arealso largely intact. The inner templehall and the main temple hall are incomplete ruin, with only fragments oftheir outer walls still standing butplenty of debris in their interiors. Kui-lo's tower is reasonably intact, with acentral circular stair leading up fivestories to a flat, walled-in roof (whereshe is now cowering in fear). Each storyconsists of a single open room that occu-pies the entire floor. The other twostructures indicated on the east side ofthe temple map have been entirelygutted by fires many years in the past.The remaining walls of the temple areintact as indicated.

If the PCs can rescue Tehwa, he willbe greatly pleased—but only if Kui-lo isalso rescued alive and unharmed. Inthat case, he congratulates Meng for hisgood work and offers a substantial re-ward to the PCs (twice whatever Menghas agreed to pay them), payable whenthey all return to Chunming. Tehwa isfrantic to continue the pursuit of Su-liang at the fastest possible pace.

If Kui-lo dies or is badly injured,Tehwa will be furious but will want tocontinue the pursuit anyway; no extrapay will be offered. If Kui-lo is alive butinjured, Tehwa will want to take heralong if she can be moved at all.

Hill giants (6): Int 6; AL CE; AC 5;MV 12; HD 12 +1-2; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 orby weapon type (2-12 + 7 for oversizedclubs); SA hurl rocks for 2-16 hp dam-age; SD 30% chance to catch thrownrocks; SZ H; ML 13; XP 3,000; MC.

The giants do their best to kill every-one they find in the temple. If the gi-ants suffer 50% casualties, they try toescape unless final victory appearsclose. They carry no treasure.

Mah Tehwa (human): AL LE; AC 3;MV 12; Bus 6; hp 48; #AT 1; Dmg byweapon type; SA ki power (+ 2 levels)once per day for one turn; S 9, D 15, C12, I 17, W 10, Ch 15; ML 13; XP 650;proficiencies: weaponsmith, armorer,bowyer, horsemanship, etiquette, for-gery, wakizashi.

Tehwa has two magical items withhim: bracers of defense AC 5 (obtainedfrom his foreign merchant contacts; hisdexterity and bushi skills lower this toAC 3) and a ring of lightning (as a wand

of lightning, "lightning bolt" effect). Hedoesn't know how many lightningcharges are left in the ring (there are 12now, and it can be recharged), and heintends to conserve the ring as much ashe can. He won't use it against thegiants unless he or Kui-lo is in mortaldanger. The DM should preserve enoughcharges for Tehwa to be a serious threatto the PCs if he's still alive and free atthe end of the adventure. He carries awakizashi (a weapon of quality, +1 tohit, nonmagical) and a normal dagger;he also carries 1,500 ch'ao and 250 tael.

Kui Lo (human): AL LG; AC 10; MV12; 0-level; hp 3; #AT 1; Dmg by weapontype; S 10, D 15, C 16, I 13, W 12, Ch16; ML 9. She has two gold rings worth50 and 75 tael, pearl earrings worth 100tael each, and two bracelets worth 10tael each, all supplied by Tehwa. Shecarries a stiletto in a small sheath in-side her left sleeve and is dressed simi-larly to Su-liang. She will not talk tothe PCs any more than she can help,and will not betray any of Su-liang's orMah Tehwa's secrets.

Guards (3): AL N; AC 7; MV 12; Bus1; hp 7 each; #AT 1; Dmg by weapontype; statistics as for Akemu; ML 12;

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proficiencies: naginata, weaponsmith,armorer, bowyer. These guards arearmed with katanas, naginatas, andbows (2-20 arrows remaining each); eachwears leather armor.

Horses, medium: Int animal; AL N;AC 7; MV 18; HD 2 +2; THAC0 19; #AT3; Dmg 1-6/1-6/1-3; SZ L; ML 5; MC.

The DM should decide whether thePCs can get the two horses the giantshave penned inside the temple. If so,these horses will be badly frightenedand will need gentle handling beforeanyone can mount them. In addition tothese two horses and the dead horse,

Tehwa's original party had five morehorses. If the DM feels the party needsadditional mounts, he may rule thatthese horses were freed but stayed nearthe temple when Tehwa's party wasattacked by the giants. Even if the DMallows the PCs to discover one or moreof the loose horses, they will not be easyto capture.

If the number of horses is inadequateto mount the entire party, the PCs willhave to make the best arrangementsthey can for continuing the pursuit.Any horses that are ridden by two peo-ple at once suffer the same effects as if

they were ridden at twice the normalmovement rate while ridden in thismanner (see the DMG, page 123).

3. The Bridge. If the PCs fail to res-cue Tehwa, treat this encounter as ifthey had refused to investigate theruined temple. If Tehwa is dead, Mengwill consider his orders from Yu Po to befulfilled and will want to return toChunming. If Kui-lo survives, she isunlikely to speak in the presence of anystrange men, and in any case knowsnothing about where Su-liang is beingtaken. Without Tehwa, any furtherpursuit is hopeless. (Meng, if coerced,could lead the PCs to Jengse village,but not to where Su-liang is really beingtaken.)

If the PCs rescue Tehwa, he leads theparty northwest from the ruined templetoward Jengse village (Tehwa has beenthis way before, and so is very certain ofwhere Su-liang is being taken). If Mengis still alive, he attempts to delay theparty at every opportunity. The DMshould play Meng's part to the hilt andgive him every reasonable opportunityto delay the party. For example, beforeleaving the temple, he advises Tehwa tolet the party rest for a couple of hours.If he can, he interferes with any effortto recapture Tehwa's surviving horses.

When the PCs reach the "Jengse" hexon the Shin District map, go to theJengse Valley Map. The party entersthis map from the southeast corner.

A little over 21⁄2 miles northwest ofthe ruined temple, you pass betweentwo hills and find your way blockedby a deep gorge spanned by a narrowsuspension bridge. The bridge is un-suitable for horses, and it will beimpossible to get them across at thispoint. Tehwa dismounts and com-mands:

"We will proceed on foot from here.Get your gear ready. One of you finda place to tether the horses. We willbe coming back this way."

While the rest of you do the work,Meng stands with his fists on hiships, studying the country on theother side of the gorge. When you areready to cross, he says:

"I've been this way before. We mayhave trouble crossing. One of youstand ready on this side with yourbow to cover us."

Tehwa draws his wakizashi.

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If there are enough survivors in theparty, Tehwa may order two archers tocover the crossing. If possible, he willorder one of his guards or a PC to pre-cede him across the bridge.

The moment the first person reachesthe north side of the bridge, the group isattacked by keches who are hiding inthe trees and among the bushes on thenorth side of the gorge. The keches havedeliberately waited until the party is asvulnerable as possible before showingthemselves. The keches have been sentto guard the bridge by O-me-sa (who hasenlisted them with bribes and cowedthem with threats), and it won't occur tothem to cross the gorge to get at thePCs, or to destroy the bridge. If the PCscan kill 50% of the keches, the remain-der withdraw and let them pass.

Meng, however, will attempt to cutthe bridge in order to trap the partyagainst the gorge when Yu Po's assas-sins arrive. If challenged, he'll give thefeeble excuse that he's trying to saveeveryone from the keches. The DMshould play this as an opportunity forthe PCs to become suspicious of Mengand perhaps even to guess that Meng isa traitor. If Meng has already begun to"look over his shoulder" (see "The Pur-suit"), the PCs may even guess that anew enemy is coming up behind them.However, it's possible that Meng canpersuade the PCs that he's just inexpe-rienced in this kind of combat, and theepisode will pass. If the PCs are alert,they can stop him before much damageis done. If the bridge is destroyed, thesheer sides of the gorge prevent the PCsfrom climbing down one side and up theother.

Approximately 500' southwest of thebridge are six great cables that thekeches have woven from forest vinesand stretched across the gorge for theirown use. These are visible if the PCsclimb the hill south of the bridge. If thePCs attempt to cross the gorge on thesecables, the keches will fight them des-perately (unless they have already suf-fered 50% or greater losses) but will notattempt to cut the cables (which areimportant to them and were difficult tomake).

Getting Kui-lo across the gorge bythis route presents a problem, though,since she's terrified of heights. The PCswill have to show some imaginationhere, since Mah Tehwa will not allowher to be left behind. One way to get heracross is to blindfold her, then tie her to

the back of the strongest man presentand let him take her across.

The distance to the bottom of thegorge is 60'. Anyone falling into thegorge suffers 6d6 hp damage from thefall (see the DMG, page 72, for furtherdetails on falling damage). The gorge'sbottom varies from hard rock to softmud in the center (where a smallstream trickles through), and the pre-cise damage from a fall is left to the DMand should depend on the needs of hisadventure. If the PCs have a rope, theycan try to rescue a fallen companion.Without a rope, the walls in the imme-

diate vicinity are unscalable, and thefallen PC will have to make his waydownstream (northeast) until he finds aplace where he can climb out (DMoption).

Keches (15): Int avg; AL NE; AC 4;MV 15, 6 climbing; HD 5; #AT 3; Dmg2-5/2-5/1-6; SA -5 to opponents' sur-prise rolls; SD camouflage (reducedchances to be tracked, 50% chance tomove silently); SZ M; ML 12; XP 650;MC (GREYHAWK® supplement).

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The PursuitYu Po's assassins are following thePCs as rapidly as they can. SinceMeng told Yu Po that Tehwa's desti-nation is the village of Jengse, theyknow where Tehwa is going, so Mengdidn't have to leave a trail for themto follow. However, if the DM wantsthe PCs to guess that trouble's com-ing from behind, he may have Mengstart "looking over his shoulder" inanticipation of the assassins' arrival,beginning at the ruined temple (area2). Since it took Yu Po some time toassemble his assassins and they werelate in starting out, they should notcatch up to the PCs until after thebridge is reached. Like the kenku,the assassins can be used to applyextra pressure on the PCs, at theDM's option. One possibility is todelay the arrival of the assassinsuntil O-me-sa is caught. After de-stroying O-me-sa, the PCs must pro-tect Tehwa and Su-liang from theassassins—and then have to faceTehwa himself! Under the right cir-cumstances, this would make a veryinteresting climax.)

The assassins are a motley group,the best that Yu Po could call to-gether at the spur of the moment.Their instructions are quite simple:Kill Tehwa and anyone with him(except Meng, of course).

Assassin captain: AL NE; AC 8;MV 12; Bus 3; hp 25; #AT 1; Dmg byweapon type; SA ki power ( + 2 levels)once per day for one turn; S 15, D 12,C 13, I 14, W 12, Ch 10; ML 14; XP175; leather armor, shield; proficien-cies: naginata, weaponsmith, ar-morer, bowyer. The assassin captaincarries a katana, a short bow, 20normal arrows, three daggers, twostrings of fen (200 total), and a stringof yuan (75).

Assassins (8): AL N; AC 7; MV 12;Bus 1; hp 4-7 each; #AT 1; Dmg byweapon type; statistics as for Akemu;ML 13; XP 65; proficiencies: nagi-nata, weaponsmith, armorer, bowyer.Each assassin carries a naginata, ashort bow, 20 arrows, 1-3 daggers,and 1-6 strings of 100 fen; each wearsleather armor.

Horses, medium (9): Int animal;AL N; AC 7; MV 18; HD 2 +2;THAC0 19; #AT 3; Dmg 1-6/1-6/1-3;SZ L; ML 5; MC.

4. Spider Webs.

On the northern side of the gorge,the track forks again, one branchleading southwest and the othernorth. The hills around you arethickly wooded. Stretched betweenthe trees, you can see great webssuch as giant spiders might spin.

Tehwa tells you: "We follow thenorthern track from here. And stayout of the trees!"

If the PCs walk between the trees, thespiders drop on them, attempting toseize the party as prey. As long as thePCs are on the track, the spiders won'tattempt to attack them until they reachthe spot marked "4" on the map, wherewebs bracket the trail. At this point,particularly aggressive spiders mayattack the party from two or three direc-tions simultaneously. This decisionshould be based on the present condi-tion of the party and the degree of oppo-sition they've faced so far. Particularlylucky PCs can expect to be tested at thispoint. If, however, the PCs have beenhard pressed, the DM may prefer to letthem pass without a spider attack.

Giant spiders (1d4 +2): Int low; ALCE; AC 4; MV 3, web 12; HD 4 +4;THAC0 15; #AT 1; Dmg 1-8; SA bittenvictims save vs. poison or die; SZ L; ML13; XP 650; MC.

The spiders' lairs are high in thetrees, and the sticky webs guardingthem are festooned with the bones ofthe spiders' victims. The treasure to befound in the spiders' lairs will vary, ofcourse, but in each lair the PCs canexpect to find 50-100 tael, two or threegems (valued at 10 to 100 ch'ien each),an art object such as a small silk paint-ing or a brooch (worth 10-100 ch'ien),and a single magical item (perhaps adagger +1, a wakizashi +1, or a ki-mono of protection +1— see cloak ofprotection in the DMG, page 164), allmixed in with a lot of useless junk. Ifmore than one lair is raided, the DMshould keep in mind that this is a rela-tively remote rural area, so few of thespiders will have accumulated a size-able store of treasure.

5. Dwa's Tree.

the clearing is a single tree. Stand-ing near the tree, looking due west,is a humanlike creature with clawedhands and the feet of a bird. No oneelse can be seen.

Tehwa motions for everyone to bestill and whispers:

"Quiet, now. He's dangerous, andwe must take him alive! Threaten todestroy the tree and he willsurrender."

The track curves around to the west.About 2,500' beyond the fork, youcome to a long, open clearing in thewoods. A third of the way into

The creature is Dwa, a bajang, andthis is his tree. Dwa's life force is tied tothe tree, and if it is destroyed he willinstantly die.

Tehwa is perfectly aware of who andwhat Dwa is. Dwa is the emissary thatO-me-sa sent to get Su-liang. Originally,O-me-sa tried to bargain for Tehwahimself to deliver Su-liang here, butTehwa refused. Dwa is here when thePCs arrive, but O-me-sa has alreadytaken Su-liang away.

A threat to destroy his tree will easilyforce Dwa to betray O-me-sa's destina-tion and his purpose in wanting Su-liang. The trick will be to take Dwa bysurprise and to establish the threat assoon as possible. Tehwa's ring of light-ning will be an excellent tool for thispurpose, and Tehwa will use it tothreaten Dwa if the PCs don't have anappropriate weapon of their own. (Atthis point, Tehwa won't care if Dwareveals the whole truth to the PCs.Even without Dwa, very soon the ad-venturers will know too much to beallowed to live. The penalty for makinga deal such as Tehwa made with O-me-sa is death by torture, and he will notrisk any chance of betrayal.)

When the PCs arrive in the vicinity ofhis tree, Dwa's attention is fixed on thedirection O-me-sa took Su-liang. He isalso tired from the journey fromChunming today (he left Chunmingwell before dawn and pushed hard withSu-liang in order to get here quickly).He therefore has only a 10% chance ofdetecting the PCs before they get to histree, or a 25% chance if the PCs make alot of noise getting through the giantspiders (the DM should adjust thesechances to suit the circumstances.)

Dwa (bajang, lesser spirit): Int high;AL CE; AC 2; MV 12; HD 6; hp 30; #AT2; Dmg 1-4/1-4; SA spells, poison; MR10%; SZ S; ML 12; XP 2,000; OA/116;spells: (three times/day) curse, omen,divination, fate, ghost light, wind

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breath, steam breath, transfix; (once/day)ancient curse. Dwa can change shape atwill to a small wildcat. Anyone struckby a bajang must save vs. poison orsuffer — 1 on all hit and saving rolls for2-7 rounds (effect is cumulative).

What Dwa SaysIn return for a promise not to destroyhis tree, Dwa will tell the PCs every-thing he knows about O-me-sa, includ-ing as much as the DM wants to revealconcerning Tehwa's bargain with the huhsien. (Dwa knows nothing about Kui-loor how Tehwa intended to give her toO-me-sa in Su-liang's place. If the PCsget this information, it will have to befrom Tehwa or Kui-lo.)

The PCs may interrupt the followingdialog and question Dwa on their own.In this case, Dwa can answer the PCsdirectly.

"My master took Su-liang that way,"Dwa tells you, pointing west throughthe trees, "to an ancient tomb. Hedoesn't want her for what youthink."

Tehwa doesn't look surprised atthis statement. He glances at you ina calculating way before he says:

"Why does he want her, then?"Dwa answers, "The doc cu'o'c who

protects Jengse village keeps a magi-cal ring in an old tomb. A renegadewu jen made the ring centuries ago,to give the wearer immunity to anykind of electrical attack. The Em-peror of Shou Lung, who feared thevengeance of the Thunder God ifsuch a thing were perfected withinhis domain, had the wu jen assassi-nated. But the ring wasn't destroyed,and many years ago my master dis-covered its existence.

"My master is terrified of thunder-storms, because the Celestial Em-peror often sends the Thunder God topunish hu hsiens for their wicked-ness. This ring would be an excellentdefense, which is why my masterwants it. But the doc cu'o'c's powercomes from electrical force, so the doccu'o'c won't let the ring go to anyone."

"You lie," Tehwa growls. "Everyoneknows that a doc cu'o'c keeps its trea-sures on the Astral plane." He pointshis ring of lightning at the tree.

Frightened, Dwa answers quickly,"The ring's power is to dissipate

electricity into the substance of thisplane, so it can never be taken toanother plane. I swear it!"

"Then why doesn't your master justcall his kenku and keches and takethe ring?" Tehwa demands.

"My master . . . is not brave," Dwalifts his ugly head, "and he does nottrust others like he trusts me. Hedoes not want too many to know hewants the ring, for fear the CelestialEmperor will learn of it."

Tehwa shakes his head impatiently."What has this to do with mydaughter?"

Dwa answers, "My master, by dili-gent research, learned of a contactpoison that will kill a doc cu'o'c. Butit is a very difficult poison to use.Only human flesh makes it active.That is why my master made hisbargain with you five years ago, totake your daughter. She is perfect forhis plan: protected in a stable envi-ronment, beautiful, kind, and with anurse who could be bribed. You do notknow it, Tehwa-san, but for these fiveyears that nurse has been feeding

Su-liang magical herbs that createthe poison within her system, feedingthem to her very slowly so as not toharm her. By now her system is sofilled with the poison, which is harm-less to a human, that if the doc cu'o'conly touches Su-liang he will be para-lyzed at once and will die within anhour if the antidote isn't used.

"My master will send Su-liang intothe tomb after the ring. She will cer-tainly obey him, for you have givenher to him. If she can get the ringwithout attracting the doc cu'o'c'sattention, well and good. If not, thedoc cu'o'c won't hurt her because sheis good. Since my master willthreaten your life if she doesn't bringhim the ring, she will persist and thedoc cu'o'c will have to lay hands onher to turn her away. When the doccu'o'c is dead, my master willdispose of Su-liang, too."

Tehwa is agitated by that threat."Exactly where is the tomb?" hedemands.

"Go west along the track," Dwasays, "and take the northern fork."

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If any of the PCs asks about the anti-dote to the poison, Dwa tells them, muchamused, "It is sake. Who would believe ahu hsien's weakness could save a doccu'o'c?"

Tehwa tells you, "Follow the track, ashe instructs." He motions you to gowest and north, then says to Dwa,"Your tree is safe, but if you betrayme you are doomed."

Tehwa waits until everyone haspreceded him along the track, thenfollows. After a few yards, he abruptlyturns and sends a bolt of lightningfrom his magical ring to destroyDwa's tree. When the tree splits andfalls, Dwa too falls dead.

occurs, use the bell to protect Su-liang. I worked for months to arrangeher marriage. Save her! I charge youwith that mission above all otherpurposes!"

If the PCs challenge Tehwa for thistreacherous act, he tells them, "We don'tneed a foul creature like that waitingbehind us. He might have followed toattack us, or he might have found a wayto ambush us when we come back thisway."

The Northern Fork

Soon after passing the fork in thetrack, you find the nature of the coun-try has abruptly changed. The land ismore "pacified" in appearance, asthough you had crossed an actualborder. No spider webs are visible onthis side of that invisible border.

"The doc cu'o'c defends this area,"Tehwa says.

When the track's northern forkcomes out of the hills, you can see apond and a cistern where the vil-lagers of Jengse have improved andbuilt up the natural spring. The aque-duct they've built over many centu-ries leads away to the south and west,taking the water to their fields. Be-yond the cistern is an ancient tomb,almost hidden among trees andbushes.

Tehwa tells you, "My daughter Su-liang has a magical bell, a familyheirloom. I looked for it this morningand it was gone, so she must havetaken it with her. She may know thatit is a magical protection againstspirits, but I have told no one that itrequires command words to make itfunction. Now you must know, forthis bell may save her. The commandis 'House of Mah.' The bell will pro-tect just two individuals. If the chance

If Kui-lo is still with the party, sheshould certainly hear this instruction.

6. The Ancient Tomb. By the timethe PCs reach the ancient tomb, O-me-sa's plan has already worked. Su-liang,sent to the tomb to get the ring, wasstopped by the doc cu'o'c. When the doccu'o'c touched her to turn her back, thepoison paralyzed him. Su-liang, stunnedand under great stress, dropped to herknees in tears, and O-me-sa went pasther to enter the tomb and retrieve thering. This happens just minutes beforethe arrival of the PCs, so that O-me-sa isstill in the innermost chamber of theancient tomb. Su-liang and the fallen doccu'o'c are just outside the southern en-trance to the tomb. The tomb itself isempty of all items other than the ring,having been thoroughly looted in thecenturies since its construction.

O-me-sa, however, did not come herealone with Su-liang. He is accompaniedby his bodyguards, four giant wolf spi-ders who stand guard at the four cornersof the tomb, hidden among the trees andbushes (the DM should arrange the pre-cise placement according to how the PCsdecide to approach the tomb).

O-me-sa controls these spiders with hisring of spider control. The spiders try toprevent anyone from entering the tomb,and attack on O-me-sa's command. Atthe DM's discretion, some of the kenkumay also have followed the PCs this farand will attack to support O-me-sa, theirerstwhile master. The DM should use asmany kenku as the situation requires,while still giving the PCs a fair chanceof victory.

Tehwa will be in a rush to get to thetomb and rescue Su-liang before O-me-sakills her. He won't have much patiencewith any attempt at stealth by the PCs.Tehwa is also painfully aware that onceO-me-sa has the ring of protection fromelectricity, he will be immune to the ringof lightning, so Tehwa hopes to arrivebefore that happens. Once Tehwa has Su-liang, he will withdraw immediately,having no further concern about the doccu'o'c or O-me-sa's new ring. Su-liang,however, will want to do something tohelp the doc cu'o'c, since she has a sense

of responsibility for his fate. If he isrevived, she will take great care not totouch him again.

O-me-sa, once he has the ring of protec-tion from electricity, will be determinedto destroy Tehwa, Su-liang, and anyoneelse who could possibly let the CelestialBureaucracy know that he has the ring.He will not rest until all witnesses aredead, and he is willing to expend all ofhis spiders (and kenku, if any arepresent) to that end. However, he willnot show himself to the PCs in his hu-man form. If the fight goes against him,he can retreat, to return later as a hu-man and claim to be one of the villagerswho's been caught in the fighting. Obvi-ously, this trick will fool neither Tehwanor Su-liang, but it might work againstthe PCs.

If Kui-lo is still with the party, she willconcentrate on finding a way to give Su-liang the code word for the small bell,hoping to use the magic to save herfriend.

O-me-sa (hu hsien, lesser spirit): Intgenius; AL CE; AC 7; MV 15; HD 6; hp40; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6 or by weapon type;SA drains life force from fascinated vic-tims (one experience level/day); SD + 3or better weapon to hit, heals 2 hp/hour,immune to fire, half damage from coldattacks (saving throw applicable); MR50%; SZ M; ML 14; XP 4,000; OA/122.

O-me-sa's true form is that of a fox, buthe is one of those rare hu hsien whosesecond form is an attractive teenage boy(Ch 18, Co 25) rather than a humanmaiden. Even in human form he retainshis tail. He can use the following spells:(at will, once/round) become invisible,polymorph self, disguise, chameleon,know history, hypnotism, read magic,comprehend languages, ventriloquism,apparition, ESP, hypnotic pattern; (once/day) possess, servant horde, major crea-tion; (three times/week) reward orancient curse. When in human form, thehu hsien's 25 comeliness gives him thepower of fascination. O-me-sa's weak-nesses include suffering double damagefrom electrical-based attacks, greatlyfearing thunderstorms, an inability toresist wine, and reversion to fox formwhen intoxicated. He has a ring of spidercontrol (see ring of mammal control inthe DMG, page 148, for basic effects). Healso has three vials containing potions ofevil dragon control, tengu control, andvitality.

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Su-liang doesn't know that more thanone magical ring will cancel each other ifworn, but she does know that O-me-sawill instantly put on any magical ringthat comes into his possession, since thehu hsien immediately examined herthree rings (but not her bell) when Dwabrought her to him. If the DM decidesit's necessary, she can give this informa-tion to the PCs when she has a chance.

Su-liang (human): AL LG; AC 10; MV12; 0-level; hp 5; #AT 1; Dmg by weapontype; S 9, D 17, C 14, I 15, W 10, Ch 16;ML 9; three gold rings (200, 150, 100tael), pearl earrings (worth 250 taeleach), two bracelets (worth 20 tael each),stiletto in a small sheath inside her leftsleeve. She is dressed in bridal silks. Su-liang's heirloom is a palm-sized, hand-held bell of protection (OA, page 134), asmaller version of the large type of bell.This bell creates a barrier sufficient toprotect only two persons, and the magicworks only when the command word isspoken (not just when the bell issounded). Su-liang doesn't know thecommand words.

Huge spiders (4): Int animal; AL N;AC 6; MV 18; HD 2 +2; hp 18, 15, 12, 10;THAC0 19; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SA 30' leap,

poison, surprise; SZ M; ML 8; XP 270;MC.

Doc cu'o'c: Int genius; AL CG; AC- 3 ; MV 24; HD 10; 75 hp; THAC0 11;#AT 2; Dmg 1-8/1-8 plus special; SAaxe, spells; SD hit only by + 3 orgreater weapons; MR 70%; SZ M; ML15; MC (Kara-Tur appendix); spells:(once/day) cure diseases, remove paraly-sis, cure blindness, oath, remove curse;(three times/day) control weather, be-come astral; (at will) become invisible,detect invisibility.

The doc cu'o'c normally appears ashalf a man standing on one leg andcarrying an axe in his one hand (he'scollapsed and has dropped his weaponat the moment). He can see invisibleobjects and spirits at all times. The axeinflicts electrical damage equal to thedoc cu'o'c's current hit points when itstrikes; a successful save vs. spells re-duces the damage by half. The poisoneddoc cu'o'c will die five turns and fiverounds after the PCs arrive at the tomb,unless he is revived with a drink ofsake; if the sake is administered, he willbe restored to full power in 1-6 rounds.

The ring of protection from electricitythat O-me-sa wants has the power to

make the wearer immune to all electri-cal attacks (of any kind) and all associ-ated effects. When the PCs arrive at thetomb, O-me-sa is in the tomb's inner-most chamber and already has the ring.

The Final DangerIf the PCs succeed in destroying O-me-sa and his spiders (and kenku), and ifYu Po's assassins haven't yet appeared,now would be a good time for them toarrive. If the PCs have taken considera-ble damage, they may be hard put tostop the assassins. If the doc cu'o'c hasbeen revived, however, he will willinglyaid them. See "The Pursuit" for assas-sin statistics.

Once all other dangers are dealt with,the PCs face a final danger from MahTehwa, who will attempt to kill them inorder to silence their knowledge of hisbargain with O-me-sa. If any of Tehwa'sguards are left, they will help him. Inthis situation, the doc cu'o'c will protectwhoever gave him the sake but other-wise will stand aloof from "humanaffairs."

DUNGEON 51

BRIDE FOR A FOX

Concluding the Adventure

Once O-me-sa and Mah Tehwa are dead,the revived doc cu'o'c will first restorethe ring of protection from electricity tothe tomb, then offer the PCs rewardsfrom his lair on the Astral plane: a vialof potion for each of them (roll on Table89, DMG page 135). The doc cu'o'cknows with perfect accuracy what eachpotion does and will tell the PCs. If aharmful potion is rolled (poison, forexample), roll again until a beneficialpotion is obtained. The doc cu'o'c willalso instruct the PCs on how Su-liang (ifshe has survived) can be purged of thepoison in her system, a long and tediousprocess requiring 12 successive doses ofpotions of extra healing, given at one-week intervals. The doc cu'o'c will notbe concerned with any other magicalitems the PCs may have won, only withthe ring of protection from electricity.

If any of the PCs have survived, it canbe presumed that Mah Tehwa is dead,since he will not stop attacking themuntil he is killed. Therefore, if Su-lianghas survived, the time limit of return-

ing her to Chunming before the nextnight no longer applies, but the PCswill still be honor bound to see her (andKui-lo, if she survives) returned safely,since that was their original contract.When they return the two girls to theMah house, Tehwa's surviving relativeswill take custody of them. Su-liang'smarriage to Prince Wan is out of thequestion now that Tehwa's connection toO-me-sa is revealed, but Tehwa's rela-tives will be just as happy that thedictatorial Tehwa is dead and will re-ward the PCs in accordance with whatthey were promised (even if they are"late" getting Su-liang back). Any bo-nuses Tehwa or Meng promised themwill be paid, but the ring of lightning,the bracers of defense AC 5, Tehwa'swakizashi, and the bell of protection willhave to be properly returned. If the PCsfoolishly left any of these in the JengseValley, they'll have to go back and getthem.

If Tehwa survives and is subdued—anextremely unlikely event—he should bereturned to Chunming and turned over

to the nearest provincial magistrates forpunishment, for having had dealingswith O-me-sa. If this is done, his rela-tives will consider him as good as deadand will reward the PCs as describedpreviously, expressing disgust atTehwa's perfidy.

It is possible (though unlikely) thatMeng will survive the adventure. Hissurvival, however, is immaterial to theconclusion of the adventure, since hisorders from Yu Po concern only Tehwaand not the PCs or Su-liang. As men-tioned before, the survival of Tehwa andthe survival of the PCs are mutuallyexclusive. If Tehwa survives he will killMeng, either because Meng knows toomuch or because it's obvious that he's atraitor. If the PCs survive, Meng willhave no reason to oppose them (al-though they may have a harsh word tosay to him).

If Su-liang dies, no matter how therest of the adventure turns out, the PCswill get no reward from Tehwa or any-one else. Ω

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND CIRCULATION

Title of publication: DUNGEON® Adventures Date of filing: 1 October 1990Publication no.: 0890-7102 No. of issues published annually: 6Frequency of issue: Bimonthly Annual subscription price: $18.00Complete mailing address of known office of publication: DUNGEON® Adventures, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147Complete mailing address of the headquarters of general business offices of the publisher: TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva

WI 53147Publisher: James M. Ward, P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147Editor: Barbara G. Young, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147Owner: TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147Known bondholders, mortgages, and other security holders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of bonds, mort-

gages, or other securities: None

Extent and nature of circulation

Total no. copiesPaid circulation

1. Sales through dealers and carriers2. Mail subscriptions

Total paid circulationFree distribution by any meansTotal distributionCopies not distributed

1. Office use, left over, etc.2. Return from news agents

Total

Average no. copies eachissue during preceding

12 months

32,891

23,2189,375

32,593106

32,699

—192

32,891

I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete.

Actual no. copies of singleissue published nearest

to filing date

34,102

24,2009,390

33,590109

33,699

—403

34,102

James M. Ward, Publisher

52 Issue No. 27

Tina Sparkles

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND CIRCULATION Title of publication: DUNGEON® Adventures Date of filing: 1 October 1990 Publication no.: 0890-7102 No. of issues published annually: 6 Frequency of issue: Bimonthly Annual subscription price: $18.00 Complete mailing address of known office of publication: DUNGEON® Adventures, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147 Complete mailing address of the headquarters of general business offices of the publisher: TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147 Publisher: James M. Ward, P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147 Editor: Barbara G. Young, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147 Owner: TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147 Known bondholders, mortgages, and other security holders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages, or other securities: None Extent and nature of circulation Total no. copies Paid circulation 1. Sales through dealers and carriers 2. Mail subscriptions Total paid circulation Free distribution by any means Total distribution Copies not distributed 1. Office use, left over, etc. 2. Return from news agents Total Average no. copies each issue during preceding 12 months 32,891 23,218 9,375 32,593 106 32,699 — 192 32,891 I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete. Actual no. copies of single issue published nearest to filing date 34,102 24,200 9,390 33,590 109 33,699 — 403 34,102 James M. Ward, Publisher

THE SCHOOLOF NEKROSBY LISA SMEDMAN

The students are dying tostudy here.

Artwork by Ruth Thompson

Lisa has been playing the AD&D® gamefor nine years, and her gaming articleshave appeared in DRAGON® Magazine.She is an editor and journalist whoorganizes science-fiction conventions inher spare time. Lisa offers us an adven-ture that is a blend of horror and humorand gives as her excuse: "I like to havepun with words."

"The School of Nekros" uses theAD&D® 2nd Edition rules and is de-signed for 4-6 characters of levels 6-12(about 45 total levels). Ideally, the partyshould include a thief, a priest withanti-poison capabilities, elven charac-ters (for their immunities to paralysis),and wizards, preferably of the illusion/phantasm or enchantment/charm magicschools, which are opposed to the necro-mancy school of magic.

Alternatively, the DM might like torun a high-level thief through this mod-ule as a solo adventure solely for per-sonal gain. If so, the encounter with theNPC student in "The Graveyard"should definitely occur, giving the thiefan opportunity to gain information tohelp him pass for one of the students atthe school.

Many of the student necromancers atthe School of Necros enjoy using thecantrip spell in ways that suit theirindividual personalities. To preservethis flavor, the names of these favoritecantrip effects, as given in UnearthedArcana, have been included for eachstudent. The spell cantrip, however, istreated as a first-level spell with varia-ble effects, as per the AD&D 2nd Edi-tion rules.

For the Player CharactersSomething is rotten in the Shire ofDenmock—and it's starting to smell.

The first halflings to get a whiff of thetrouble lived in the village of WillowWhisp (named for the fireflies thatflicker in the willows at the edge of theRiver Sticks). From these willowbranches (the "sticks" that give theriver its name), the halflings of WillowWhisp weave the baskets that consti-tute the bulk of their trade with the"big folks."

About a year ago, strange thingsstarted happening to the Sticks River,which flows past Willow Whisp and onthrough the length of the Shire of Den-mock. One morning, the halflings woketo find a dark muddy stripe down the

54 Issue No. 27

THE SCHOOL OF NEKROS

middle of their river. After a time, how-ever, they paid it no heed, thinking theriver had merely acquired silt fromheavy rains upstream.

But a few months ago, bits of rottenmeat began appearing in the river. In amatter of days, the river water acquireda strange taint. The prudent began toboil their water before drinking it.

Just three weeks ago, a strange-looking carcass was found stuck in themill wheel of Willow Whisp. The wheelhad crushed much of the corpse, anddecomposition had already set in. Butthe halflings could see that the body,although it appeared human, had thehead of a dog, the feathers of a bird, andthe tail of a reptile.

Day by day the problem only grew.Strangely twisted skeletons, some withchunks of rotting flesh still clinging totheir bones, washed up on the banks ofthe river. Occasionally, an intact corpsecould be seen floating downstream(none of the halflings were braveenough to pull these to shore). TheRiver Sticks, once clear and clean, cameto be called the "River Stinks."

Five days ago, a band of the bravesthalflings returned from a journey up-stream into the wild lands. They hadreached the source of the River Sticks, amighty waterfall that pours out of acave halfway up the steep escarpmentthat marks the edge of the shire. After adifficult journey along a narrow path tothe top of the cliff, the halflings cameupon an overgrown open space thatappeared to have once been a burialground of the big folk. But the head-stones were tumbled over, graves weredisturbed, and the forest beyond seemeddark and menacing.

Just as the halflings were working uptheir courage to see if any of the con-tents of the graves had somehow gotteninto the river, huge black birds loomedout of the sky, swooping down uponthem. The frightened halflings turnedand fled in a mad scramble down thecliff face.

Now the halfling explorers have re-turned to Willow Whisp with their taleof eerie graveyards and horrible blackbirds. The halfling villagers—none ofthem true adventurers—have put out anappeal far and wide for heroes to findand eliminate the source of the pollu-tion of the river, which now is beginningto waft its foul odors throughout thelength of the Shire of Denmock. Worstof all, the willow trees at the edge of the

river are dying, and the basket-weavingbusiness seems doomed. Demoralized,many of the halflings in Willow Whispare packing their belongings, boardingup their homes, and preparing to set outfor cleaner ground.

You have answered the call for heroes.The halflings don't have much to offerin return for this service and are hopingthat you have come to their aid foraltruistic motives. For it is clear thatsomething must be done or the villagewill become a ghost town, and the onceprosperous halflings will become impov-erished refugees. What little the re-maining halflings can offer, however,they have posted as a reward: title to asmall plot of land in the village, and aguarantee of aid and welcome whereverhalfling folk are to be found. The peopleof Willow Whisp only hope these areincentive enough.

For the Dungeon MasterThe problem faced by the halflings isindeed originating from the area of theancient graveyard. But the problem liesmuch deeper than the graves' molder-ing occupants.

Unbeknownst to the halflings down-stream, a pair of powerful, evil wizardsnamed Morphias and Mephista, whospecialize in necromancy, have relocatedtheir school of the arcane arts to a sitedirectly under the graveyard. Theywere drawn to the site when theylearned years ago from grave robbersthat the skeleton of a very special an-cient red dragon lay buried there, farbelow the human graveyard.

The wizards have smoothed down andfinished off some upper caverns oncehollowed out by the river, furnishingthem as classrooms and residentialquarters. In the course of constructingtheir new academy with dig and trans-mute rock to mud spells, the necroman-cers dumped earth into the under-ground channels of the River Sticks(causing the brown muddy stripe in theriver). Now, the necromancers use theriver as a natural disposal system forthe carcasses that are the by-products oftheir students' experiments in magic.

The School of Nekros, as the necro-mancers call their academy, was relo-cated to this area because this is thehome of the red dragon Flagros. Once anormal living creature, today she restsin her lair, alive but in a living skeletalform, incapable of casting magic but

with powerful secrets locked in herskull, awaiting the day she can returnto a normal existence.

Centuries ago, Flagros was the victimof one of her own spells, a reversed airto flesh spell (see sidebar, page 56) thatshe had taught to an ungrateful wizard.Still an animate, living creature, thenow-skeletal dragon at first terrorizedinnocent people in the surroundingcountryside but soon learned how vul-nerable she was without flight, spells,or breath weapons to protect her. Aftera humiliating defeat in which a party ofadventurers almost killed her, Flagroscrept off to her cavern; a rock slideeventually sealed the entrance. She hasbeen in a sulk ever since.

While Flagros has retained her excep-tional intelligence even while skeletal,she is unable to cast spells on her own.Like any other creature affected by areversed air to flesh spell, she can stillthink, but the special portion of thebrain that allows a being to cast magi-cal spells is missing while she is inliving skeletal form. Also missing arethe dragon's vocal cords and the fleshystructures (such as lungs and wingmembranes) with which she could pro-duce her breath weapon and with whichshe could fly. While she can still moveand can magically see and hear, she isthus mute—both in terms of speech andspell-casting.

The wizards hope to learn the spellsthis dragon once knew, many of whichwere lost to humans over the interven-ing centuries since Flagros's disappear-ance. Both Morphias and Mephista arein communication with Flagros, whoscratches the words and instructions forher spells with a skeletal claw in thehard floor of her chamber.

In return for learning her spells, thetwo deans of the School of Nekros havesigned a pact with Flagros (a pact thatMorphias, at least, will honor untodeath) to reclothe her in flesh, using theancient dragon's own powerful spells.Little do they realize that Flagros is sobitter toward humans that she will goon a killing spree once restored—andthat her first victim will be the nearestwizard!

The resolution of the halflings' prob-lems lies in the destruction of the evilschool and of Flagros herself. While shecannot be turned (because she is nottruly undead), the skeletal Flagros will,if the situation looks bad enough for

DUNGEON 55


Spells of the School of NekrosThe School of Nekros specializes inteaching spells that have a dualisticnature; it teaches both the power topreserve and restore life—and to takeit away.

The specialty spells taught at theSchool of Nekros (drawn from theAD&D 2nd Edition Players Manual)include:First level: cantrip, chill touch, detect

UndeadSecond level: spectral handThird level: feign death, hold Undead,

vampiric touchFourth level: contagion, enervationFifth level: animate dead, magic jar,

summon shadowSixth level: death spell, reincarnationSeventh level: control Undead, finger of

deathEighth level: cloneNinth level: energy drainAdditional necromancer spells fromDRAGON® Magazine ("Arcane Lore,"issue #148, and "The Savant," issue#140) include:Fourth level: empath (#148), life force

transfer (#148)Fifth level: life steal (#140)Sixth level: vampire dagger (#148)Eighth level: exchange (#148)New spells developed for this module

include:Second level: see through other eyesFourth level: brainkill, air to flesh

(reversible)All of the students encountered in theSchool of Nekros are specialist wizards.As such, they are opposed to the magicschools of enchantment/charm andillusion/phantasm. When a necroman-cer is casting spells within his spe-cialty, victims must save at a -1penalty. And when the specialists atthe School of Nekros save againstnecromancy spells, they do so with a+1 bonus.

See Through Other Eyes (Divination)Level: 2Range: 90 yardsComponents: V, SDuration: 1 round/level of casterCasting time: 2Area of Effect: 1 creature per probeSaving Throw: None

By means of this spell, a wizard canlook through the eyes of any livingcreature within range. If the wizardknows a specific creature or person iswithin range, the spell can be made totake effect upon that specific creature.Otherwise, the wizard will find himselflooking through the eyes of any crea-ture within range, determined ran-domly.

The creature thus affected will expe-rience nothing to indicate that a spellis acting upon it and will remain incontrol of is own actions. (In otherwords, the wizard cannot force thesubject to look at something, and takesa chance as to what he will see.) Look-ing through another's eyes gives thewizard all of the visual capabilities ofthat creature (e.g., infravision).

Brainkill (Necromancy)Level: 4Range: TouchComponents: V, SDuration: PermanentCasting time: 1 roundArea of Effect: 1 creatureSaving Throw: Neg.A wizard using this spell, which oper-ates much like a forget spell, can per-manently burn from the memory ofany one creature all knowledge ofeither a specific place or person, or atime period of up to one year (the spell-caster chooses the deserved result). Thespell works on any intelligent creatureby destroying a portion of its brain if itfails a saving throw vs. death magic,leaving it with selected gaps in mem-ory. For example, a person thus af-fected might be completely unable toremember details of a place; the name,appearance, or any traits of a person;or might have a one-year blank in hismemory. This lost knowledge can neverbe regained except by a wish.

Air to Flesh (Necromancy)(reversible)Level: 4 Range: 10 yardsComponents: V, SDuration: PermanentCasting Time: 5 rounds per each

original hit dice of creature to bemade/unmade skeletal

Area of Effect: 1 living (not Undead)creature

Saving Throw: NoneWith this spell, a wizard can clothe inflesh (a term that includes muscles,inner organs, brain tissue, etc.) anyone being turned into a "living skele-ton" by the reverse of this spell, restor-ing the body to its original appearanceand abilities (dead skeletons simplyturn into dead bodies). The spell mayalso be reversed, to vaporize the fleshfrom any one living creature, leaving itan animated special skeleton as de-scribed in area 1A and area 5 (see"living skeletons"). As an animatedskeleton, the individual thus affectedcan be controlled as per an Undeadcreature, but since he is not truly un-dead he cannot be turned. These livingskeletons can magically see and hearbut cannot talk or cast spells.

The effects of this spell may be ne-gated by casting first a remove cursespell and then a dispel magic spell. Nosystem-shock roll is required.

56 Issue No. 27


her, turn and claw her way up and outof her cavern to the surface, destroyingmuch of the magic school above in theprocess (see area 11 for details). She willthen flee the area entirely for distant(and safer) lands.

A School for NecromancersThe School of Nekros caters to predomi-nately evil wizards of all alignments;lawful, neutral, and chaotic charactersexist in an uneasy alliance under oneroof. Some of these are novice students,and some are more experienced practi-tioners of the magical arts. All havedifferent motivations for studying the"dark arts of the dead." Some would usethis power to wither the living and toraise the dead to do their bidding. Oth-ers would use their powers to restorelife—for a hefty fee, of course. All areeager to study the ancient, newly redis-covered spells that can be learned onlyat this academy (see sidebar).

The deans of the school are the twinsMorphias and Mephista. Born under aperfect half moon on the fall equinox,one is dark skinned and one is fair, twohalves of a whole.

Morphias, a lawful-evil wizard, isdark both in complexion and in histemperament. He will stand by anyoath, especially that made to Flagros(whom he trusts) but is brooding be-cause he fears that his sister, a neutral-evil wizard, may break her oath. Like asky filled with dark storm clouds, Mor-phias is quick to anger; only his lawfuloaths keep his temper in check.

Mephista has pale white skin set offby raven-black hair, and she is said toshun the light of day. Like the moon,she is cool and aloof. Of neutral-evilalignment, she regards her brother'soutbursts with contempt and would notbe averse to opposing him—for his owngood, of course. But deep down, sheloves her brother and would never doanything to seriously harm him.

Both twins appear eternally youngand have been resurrected many timeson earlier adventures. Some of theirstudents believe the pair to be vam-pires, but in fact they are ordinarymortals. (The PCs, however, can be ledto believe the vampire story.)

Their servant (a permanent residentof the school) is Meresger, an older-appearing woman who wears her gray-ing hair pulled back in a bun under ablack lace net. Meresger speaks only

when absolutely necessary and loveskeeping poisonous creatures as pets.Aware that Morphias or Mephista willalways restore her to life (should hermagical items fail to save her from thevenom of her pets), she uses these crea-tures as weapons against those in theoutside world who would do her ill.

A lawful-evil wizard in training,Meresger is devoted to the twins andacts as a mother to them, their parentshaving long since died. Always guard-ing their safety, she is quick to actagainst anyone whom she thinks posesa threat to the twins. They are, afterall, her "fountain of youth," and she isgetting on in years.

Initiates to the School of Nekros mustundergo a terrifying test (held in area 4)before becoming students of the darkarts. Before their studies can begin,they must prove their trust (and loyalty)by allowing a master of necromancy tokill them—and then restore them to lifethrough raise dead spells, cast from aring of spell storing. The ring is chargedby a 15th-level priest from the sphere ofnecromancy who lives in a distant city;he casts spells into the ring in exchangefor treasure and spells from the twins.(His statistics may be invented by theDM as necessary.) Students must makethe usual resurrection survival rolls.Those who fail their rolls are foreverdead (they are deemed "unworthy"),and their bodies are disposed of.

This ritual is an integral part of theschool; the blood collected is used infurther magic working, and the ritualitself is a ceremonial occasion. At theritual's successful conclusion, the stu-dent is given a new name and beginstraining.

Once accepted by the academy, stu-dents wear hooded robes of black velvet.Each student is also given a silver-plated bone ring with a skull's head setwith diamond chip eyes. This must beworn on the little finger of the lefthand. The inside of the band of theserings bears the inscription: "Deathabove all."

These rings of Nekros give a +5 tosaving throws vs. poison when worn.They also have the same effect as apermanent control undead (7th-level)wizard spell and are useful in control-ling the special skeletons found in thisadventure.

Wearing the silver skull rings, how-ever, is mildly painful. On the inside ofeach ring are tiny barbs that draw a

drop of blood as the ring is pushed ontoa finger. This effect allows the anti-poison properties of the ring to directlyinteract with the bloodstream. Whileharmless in itself, the prick of the ringsand the drop of blood may trick PCs intothinking twice before wearing thesepotentially helpful rings.

Morphias and Mephista can easilyidentify true students of the School ofNekros by means of an invisible markon the palm of each student's left hand.This black half moon (put there by thesecond-level wizard spell wizard markupon acceptance by the school) will bereadily observable through a detectmagic spell. Should outsiders try todisguise themselves as students, thismark serves as a litmus test for theirauthenticity.

Journey to the SchoolThe DM should roll twice per day andonce per night for random encountersbetween the halfling town and thegraveyard, using tables for inhabitedforest areas.

The Cliff FaceAfter a three-day journey up-river, thePCs reach the 200'-high escarpmentthat marks the edge of the Shire ofDenmock and the beginning of the wildlands above. The River Sticks poursforth in a cascade from about 100' upthe cliff face, surging out of a narrowcave. About 30' to the right of the cavemouth is the closest approach of a paththat switchbacks up the cliff face. Theclimb up the path to the heights aboveappears to be a relatively easy one,although the slopes beside the trail lookunsafe.

Attempting to cross from the path tothe cave mouth requires mountaineer-ing skills. There is no clear trail, andthe rock face is crumbling. Should thePCs gain access to the cave mouth, theyfind inside it a narrow and very slipperyledge just above the surface of the rush-ing water. It is possible to follow thisledge back to a point under the disposalpit used by the academy, but a slip andplunge into the river results in a PCbeing hurled down the waterfall for10d6 hp damage on the rocks below. (Aslip off the ledge occurs unless a PCmakes a dexterity check on 1d20.)

Those who make it to the farthestreaches of the cave see a 60' high shaftleading upward, cut into the rough

DUNGEON 57

stone face of the ceiling of the cave.Climbing up this 10'-wide shaft is possi-ble with a dexterity check on 2d8, al-though the walls are slippery with mudand blood. The top of the shaft is sealedoff by the trapdoor in area 1A. Thetrapdoor opens down into the shaft, anda spring device keeps it shut from be-low. (The trapdoor can be easily openedby making a strength check on 1d10.)

The Graveyard

door in one side. Once a gloriouslycarved repository for the dead, thetomb now is pitted with age.

Reaching the top of the escarpment,you see before you the ancient grave-yard. It is a chaotic mass of tumbledgrave markers, partially excavatedgraves, twisted vines, and overgrowngrass. The graves occupy a clearedarea about 500' across, at the edge ofwhich are the dark trees of a forest.At the far edge of the graveyard, around metal pipe about 6" wideemits a plume of black smoke and anoccasional spark. In front of the pipeand a bit to the left stands a squaretomb, perhaps 20' x 20' in size, ofwhite and pink marble, with a heavy

The chimney from which the smoke isrising leads down into the kitchen of theacademy (area 5). It is filled with hot,choking smoke.

While in the graveyard area, the PCsare attacked by 2-8 giant ravens. Thesebirds try to drive intruders from thearea but will not pursue once the PCshave climbed back down the cliff, norwill they fight to the death. These rav-ens, while they are sometimes used bythe wizards, are not under their control.They are longtime inhabitants of thegraveyard.

Giant ravens (2-8): Int low; AL N; AC4; MV 3, fly 18; HD 3 +2; hp 19 each;THAC0 17; #AT 1; Dmg 3-6; SA 10%chance victim loses eye in attack; SZM-L (6'-10' wingspread); ML 10; XP 270;MM2.

There is also a 50% chance that thePCs will encounter an academy studentwho is returning to the graveyard alonga path through the forest. This encoun-ter would be a fortunate one, for it could

allow the PCs to learn some of thesecrets of the school before attemptingto enter.

Proditor is a student at the School ofNekros. A small man with brilliant redhair and pale skin, he dresses in expen-sive, embroidered black clothes andwears lots of gold rings (2-8 rings, aver-age value 50 gp each). He has a twitchin his left eye that causes him to appearas if he is winking at the party.

Proditor: AL CE; AC 10; MV 12; W2;hp 7; THAC0 20; #AT 1; Dmg by spell orweapon type; S 10, D 12, C 12, I 16, W16, Ch 14; ML 15; XP 175; ring of Ne-kros, dagger, belt, wineskin, six ironrations, 20 sp.

Proditor, a 2nd-level wizard specializ-ing in necromancy, has memorized thefollowing spells: chill touch; protectionfrom good (which he casts upon himselfif first alerted to the presence of theparty); burning hands (which he willdirect at the nearest threat if attacked,in an attempt to set clothing and hairafire).

Proditor has high aspirations. Hewants Flagros, the skeletal dragon, allto himself and doesn't care whose down-fall he causes to attain this goal. Hewill readily betray anyone, either thetwins or the party, to gain sole posses-sion of Flagros. But he will be carefulnot to let the party interfere with hisgoal by destroying the dragon. Instead,he will use them to weaken others atthe school, sending the PCs in first andfollowing at a safe distance, only tobetray the party at its weakest moment.

If questioned, Proditor might tellstrangers the proper combinationneeded to gain safe entrance to theSchool of Nekros (for details, see "Out-side the Tomb"). He might also revealinformation about the routines of theinhabitants of the School of Nekros if hefeels this will further his aims.

It should be obvious from the schoolschedule (see sidebar, page 60) that thePCs will need some method of knowingwhat time it is—and a DM willing tokeep careful track of time. Fortunately,all of the routines are announced byMeresger by the sound of a gong (thegong is located at the statue in area 2).Wake-up time is six gongs. Breakfast isa single gong, lunch is two gongs, andsupper is three. The call to the lecturehall in the "13th hour" of the night isannounced with 13 gongs.

The DM should take careful note of

58 Issue No. 27


THE GRAVEYARD

the time the PCs enter the School ofNekros and the time that they entereach area. Adjust the descriptions in theadventure in the following ways asapplicable: If it is just before or after ameal or lecture, students will be filingthrough the school's central hallway. Ifjust after wake-up, they will be stand-ing in line for the washroom (area 6). Ifit is mealtime, most of the students(2-12) will be gathered in the kitchen,and if a lecture is in progress, almostevery student (3-12) will be in the lec-ture hall. Of course, there will alwaysbe a few students who don't feel likeeating with the others or who are cut-ting class, just as there will always be afew suffering from insomnia or cram-ming for exams in the middle of the daywhen everyone else is asleep. Hence,the random encounter tables for theschool itself.

Outside the TombThe door of the tomb is of bronze, greenwith age but still strong. It is lockedwith a keyhole in dead center. Abovethe door is the inscription "EternalRest." A braided, black silk rope hangsat one side of the door. Unlike the tomb

itself, the rope is new.The door has a normal lock. The three

copies of the skull-headed key thatopens this door are in the possession ofMorphias, Mephista, and Meresger.Each takes the key when leaving theschool.

The door is not trapped and can beunlocked from either side. Pulling therope rings a bell down below in theschool. Students identify themselves bya series of three rings, a pause, andthree more rings. When this signal isheard below, one of the students isgiven a key and sent to open the door(roll on the Random Encounters chart todetermine which student answers thedoor).

Strangers who do not know the codebut ring the bell will instead be care-fully scrutinized by Mephista (her sta-tistics can be found at area 11), whoteleports to the interior of the tomb anduses her see through other eyes spell (seesidebar for details) to look through theeyes of a raven and see who is at thedoor. If she sees hostile-looking stran-gers, she may marshal the forces of theSchool of Nekros to attack.

Inside the TombThe inside of the tomb is bare except fora small stone altar against the far wall,upon which three silver bowls rest. Onledges to either side of the door lie themoldering, almost skeletal remains ofhumans.

The necromancers have left the bodiesof this husband and wife intact to pre-serve the original appearance of thetomb which is actually the entrance tothe School of Nekros. The dead aredressed in moldy clothing that crumbleswhen touched, and still have their origi-nal jewelry: gold wedding rings (worth50 gp each) a silver pendant of a uni-corn (50 gp value), and a plain goldbracelet (100 gp value). Unless it isdaylight when the tomb is entered, thePCs will be attacked by two Undeadthat rise up out of the bodies.

Wraiths (2): Int 11; AL LE; AC 4; MV12, fly 24 (B); HD 5 +3; hp 28 each;THAC0 15; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SA energydrain; SD silver or magical weapons tohit; SZ M; ML 15; XP 3,000; MC.

The students at the School of Nekrosare usually able to control these wraiths(unless the wraiths make their savingthrows) by use of the rings of Nekros. To

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really play it safe, some students willpass through this area only by day.

The bowls (which have been glued bythe necromancers to the altar so they donot spill when it is moved) contain thebrown, crumbling remains of rosepetals. Entrance to the School of Nekrosis gained by pushing a hidden button atthe base of the altar, which allows it tobe easily slid to one side, revealing theflight of stairs below. A correspondingbutton is found in plain sight on thewall near the top of the stairs. Pushingthis button causes the altar to slideback into place—or to slide open forthose leaving the school.

The School of Nekros1. False Hall of Skulls.

At the bottom of the flight of stairsleading down from the tomb you seea long hallway, 10' wide and 130'long, with a door at the far end. Oneither side of the hallway, the wallsare filled with long rows of woodenshelves that hold skulls of everyshape and description. Every inch ofshelf space is filled, and a smallbrass plaque is set on the shelf beloweach skull.

Just beyond the bottom stair, fac-ing you, is the gilded, life-sizedstatue of a woman in clinging robes.Her arms are raised as if to embrace,and on her head is a headdress in theshape of a scorpion. Carved lettersmark the base of the statue.

Unless the PCs enter this area be-tween the hours of 6:00 A.M. and 2:00P.M., they will also see the following:

At the far end of the hallway, asmallish, blonde man with a droop-ing moustache and wearing blackrobes is directing two skeletons whoare carrying between them a vaguelyhumanoid corpse slung in a blanket.The skeletons wear sword belts withlong swords strapped to their hips.

If the party has been relatively quiet,a roll of 1-2 on 1d6 indicates that thisnovice wizard is surprised. However, assoon as he has recovered, he sends theskeletons in to attack the party beforeeither fleeing (if possible) or castingspells.

This black-robed figure is Timor, astudent of the School of Nekros. Not aparticularly brave person, he is oftenteased by other students and usuallywinds up with the dirty jobs like corpsedisposal. (In this case, he is grumpybecause one of his fellow students in-formed on him after he killed one ofMeresger's pet spiders.) It is rumoredthat Timor panicked at his ritual kill-ing when trying to gain entrance to theSchool of Nekros and thus was almostnot accepted by the school.

When the party encounters him, Ti-mor is in the act of directing the dis-posal of a very mangled, headless elvencorpse, its body magicked into strangeconfigurations. Timor knows the dan-gers of the trap at area 1A and willavoid it at all costs. He will attempt tofight his way back through the party sothat he can alert the others in theschool below. If this proves impossible,he will flee up the stairs to the surface,using his ring of Nekros to force theskeletons to attack. If all else fails and

Normal Schedule of the School of NekrosMidnight-6:00 A.M. (13 gongs): Classes in session in lecture hall (area 4)6:00 A.M.-2:00 P.M.: Most students asleep in their rooms (area 9).2:00 P.M.-2:30 P.M. (six gongs): Morning routines2:30 P.M.-3:00 P.M. (one gong): Breakfast in kitchen (area 5)7:00 P.M.-7:30 P.M. (two gongs): Lunch in kitchen (area 5)1:00 A.M.-1:30 A.M. (three gongs): Dinner in kitchen (area 5)Between the hours of 3:00 P.M. and midnight, students are spread throughout theacademy in small groups, studying in the library (area 7), resting or writing spellsinto their spell books in their rooms (area 9), practicing the mixing of spell compo-nents in the laboratory (area 10), or having a quick snack in the kitchen (area 5).The adventure assumes that this is the time period in which the PCs are ventur-ing through the school. If not, the DM should adjust the placement of studentsand staff to suit the time of day.

death appears certain, Timor will leapthrough the trapdoor at area 1A to takehis chances in the river below.

Timor, student: AL NE; AC 8; MV 12;W1; hp 4; THAC0 20; #AT 1; Dmg byspell or weapon type; S 9, D 10, C 13, I16, W 16, Ch 8; ML 6; XP 120; ring ofNekros, ring of protection +2, dagger.

Timor, a 1st-level wizard specializingin necromancy, has the following spellsmemorized: chill touch; hold portal(which he will use to close behind himwhatever door he flees through, eitherthe secret door or the door of the tombabove).

The skeleton servants are a new typeof monster: living skeletons. They wereboth once human fighters who havebeen transformed by a reversed air toflesh spell. They are used for much ofthe heavy work at the school.

Living skeletons (2): AL LN, N; AC7; MV 12; HD 3, 2; hp 19, 11; THAC017, 19; #AT 1 each; Dmg by weapon type(sword); S 17, 15; D 13, 12; C 15, 12; I10, 3; W 12, 10; Ch 12, 9; SD cannot beturned; MR nil; SZ M; ML 14, 12; XP nil(not enemies); new.

If not controlled by Timor, these crea-tures will stop fighting and may evenaid the party. (For a full description ofthe fate that has befallen these NPCsand their current abilities, see the air toflesh spell in the sidebar.)

The words at the base of the statueread: "Mighty Selket, protector of thedead." The statue is in fact just that—astone statue covered with a very thinsheet of gold foil. But one round afterPCs have set foot in the hallway at thebase of the stairs (if Timor is not en-countered here), a panel in the back ofthe base opens up to release four small-ish giant scorpions.

Giant scorpions (1-4 babies): Int non;AL N; AC 3; MV 15; HD 3 +2; hp 20each; THAC0 17; #AT 3; Dmg 1-6/1-6/1-4; SA poison sting; SZ S (2' long); ML15; XP 270; MC. Each of these creaturesis about the size of a very small dog.

The scorpions will immediately at-tack. The only way to avoid this attackis by pulling the tail of the scorpion onthe statue's head within one round ofentering the hall—which Timor willalready have done if he has been en-countered here. This locks the scorpion-releasing mechanism (with a loud click)for two turns. Pulling the tail two ormore times immediately releases 1-8scorpions instead of 1-4.)

The brass plaques beneath each skull

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are engraved; each lists the name andrace of the skull (e.g., "Thomas Trum-peter, Human"). The skulls themselves,however, are only plaster copies of thereal thing. This hallway is, in fact, alure for intruders. The real "library ofskulls" lies below. There is nothing ofvalue to be found by searching thishallway.

1A. Disposal Trap. At the far end ofthe hallway lies another trap. The dooris real and is locked, but beyond it liesonly a dead-end hallway lined with aseries of false doors. The PCs are un-likely to learn this fact, however.

The final 10' x 10' section of the hall-way is a trapdoor, used as a garbage-disposal system by the inhabitants ofthe School of Nekros. Hauling corpsesand trash up here is one of the students'least desirable chores, one assigned as apunishment to those who cut classes,fall asleep during lectures, or otherwisedisobey the rules of the academy.

When 10 lbs. or more of pressure isplaced upon it, this trapdoor swingsopen to dump whatever it holds down ashaft that leads to the River Sticks.(Observant PCs may see a little driedblood on the trapdoor where corpses fordisposal have landed.) Any PC fallingthrough the trap must then (assuminghe doesn't sink from the weight of hisarmor) swim and scramble to gain theslippery cave ledge before being sweptout into the waterfall and over the cliffface for 10d6 hp damage on the rocksbelow. A PC can reach the ledge safelyif a dexterity check is made on 1d20.

The students use this pit to dispose ofthe gory results of botched necromanticspells into the river below. And just incase anyone should try to gain entranceto the school by climbing up throughthe pit, there is an additional trap.Some 11' from the false door (and 1'west of the trapdoor itself) is a forcefield that affects living creatures aswould a reversed air to flesh spell. Any-one passing west through the force fieldwill turn into a living skeleton.

The transformation occurs as follows:All flesh is instantly vaporized, and thePC loses the ability to talk and castspells. The PC, however, is still in fullcontrol of his actions and can think, see,and hear as before. He retains all equip-ment and can continue to play out theadventure.

The force field works only upon thosetraveling west along the hallway. It can

neither reverse nor augment its owneffects. To avoid it, students on disposalduty simply toss a corpse through theforce field onto the trapdoor.

The force field's effects on creaturesmay be dispelled through the consecu-tive casting of remove curse and dispelmagic spells. Otherwise, the effects arepermanent until removed by an air toflesh spell. The force field itself may beremoved by the casting of a dispelmagic spell against 18th-level magic.

PCs affected by this trap who agree tofaithfully serve the school for one yearreceive a promise that they will bere-clothed in flesh by Morphias throughthe air to flesh spell. Until then, suchcharacters are subject to control byanyone who wears one of the pinkierings of the School of Nekros.

1B. Secret Doors. A secret door openonto a flight of stairs leading down. Atthe base of the stairs, another secretdoor leads to the real Hall of Skulls(area 2).

Once the PCs have entered the realHall of Skulls at the bottom of thestairs, they are inside the School ofNekros. Check once each round forrandom encounters, unless it is betweenthe hours of 6:00 A.M. and 2:00 P.M.-during which time the majority of theinhabitants are likely to be asleep.During these hours only, check for ran-dom encounters once each turn as perthe Wandering Encounters chart.

2. The Hall of Skulls.

adorn the base of the statue.A bell hangs from the ceiling at the

west end of the hallway, mounted agood 8' above the floor and 20' fromthe end wall.

You see a long hallway, 10' wide and130' long, with a total of nine moredoors along its walls. On either sideof the hallway, the walls are filledwith long rows of wooden shelvescontaining more skulls of everyshape and description. Every inch ofshelf space is filled, and a smallbrass plaque is set on the shelf beloweach skull. The shelves are inter-rupted at intervals by a series ofwooden doors.

At the eastern end of the hallway,facing you, is the gilded, life-sizedstatue of a woman in clinging robes.Her arms are raised as if to embrace,and from them hang a brass gongand a padded mallet. On the head ofthe statue is a headdress in theshape of a scorpion. Carved letters

This hallway is similar in appearanceto the false hall of skulls (area 1), withthe following changes: the statue ofSelket does not release scorpions and isat a different place in the hall; the gongis engraved with the words "Awakenthe Dead"; the skulls are real; there aremore doors. The bell is activated manu-ally by the black silk rope in the tombabove, and magically by the unauthor-ized opening of the secret back door ofthe wardrobe in area 3.

The hallway may contain wanderingmonsters (including students). The DMshould roll to determine if anyone orany creature is present as soon as thePCs enter the hallway. Depending onthe time of day, the hall may also con-tain students queued up at the door tothe washroom (area 6) or rushing to orfrom a meal in the dining room (area 5)or a class in the lecture hall (area 4).(See Normal Schedule of the School ofNekros for details on daily routines.)Students immediately attack any obvi-ously hostile intruders.

Even if a check on the WanderingMonster table produces no results, thereis a further 20% chance (if it is betweenthe hours of 2:00 P.M. and midnight) that2-3 students (determine students atrandom from student wizards not yetencountered) are at the west end of thehall in front of the door to area 3, busyplaying a game that has been forbiddenby the deans of the school. On a roll of1-2 on 1d6, the group is not immediatelyaware of the party and the PCs see thefollowing:

At the west end of the hallway, agroup of humans in black robes isclustered in front of a door. As youwatch, one peers through a peep holein the door, then jumps back with ascream and nervous laughter. Theothers thump the person on the backand exchange coins.

For details on the game the studentsare playing, see the door peephole trapdescribed in area 3.

These students attack and attempt tospread the alarm if the party is hostile.Otherwise, they approach with caution

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while one runs off to find the deans orMeresger.

The shelves lining the walls of thishallway contain Morphias's andMephista's private collection of skullsfrom around the world. There is at leastone skull from just about every sentienthumanoid race known, each neatlylabelled with a bronze plaque on theshelf below. The skulls are consulted bythe necromancers when they wish togain information from the Undead. Theyare animated through an animate deadspell, clothed in flesh with an air toflesh spell, and consulted by Mephista,who picks up their thoughts with herESP spell. In effect, they constitute anUndead "library" for the twins. There isa 10% chance that a skull may haveaccidentally been replaced on its shelfwith flesh still intact by a carelessstudent.

3. Bedroom of Morphias andMephista. This room has a locked doorwith a tiny round peephole at about theright height for a human to look into. Inaddition to a normal, deadbolt lock, thisdoor contains two traps. The first is a

needle trap in the handle (save vs. pa-ralysis at - 4 penalty or suffer paralysisfor 1-10 rounds). The second trap isfound in the peephole itself.

Looking out through the peepholefrom the room is possible, but trying tolook into the room has the followingresults: For the first 12 seconds, theperson looking through the peepholesees an illusion of the thing he mostfears. Then, in the 13th second, a jet ofacid is emitted from the peephole, doing1-4 hp damage and blinding one eyeunless the person makes a save vs.poison, in which case the eye is merelyweakened and vision goes blurry for afew moments. The blindness is perma-nent unless a heal spell is cast on theeye.

The students like to play with thispeephole, to see if they have the stam-ina to look upon the things they mostfear, and the timing and speed to pullaway just before the jet of acid shootsout of the hole (this is the possibleencounter mentioned in area 2).

Once the door is open, read or para-phrase the following to the players:

Wandering EncountersRoll Encounter For stats see Encountered yet?

(1d12) (check if yes)

This 30' x 30' room is lit by a dimpurple light that seems to come fromeverywhere and that casts weirdshadows. The room contains twofour-poster canopy beds, each withblack velvet curtains pulled tightaround it. A huge, ornately carved,inlaid wooden table is flanked by twochairs carved out of bone. Beside anhourglass filled with gold dust, aglowing white orb sheds light on thepapers scattered across the table. Ahalf-eaten apple sit nearby.

The walls are draped with blackvelvet curtains showing embroideredand painted scenes of tombs, pyra-mids, and battlefields filled withcorpses. On a dressing table besidethe bed nearer the door sits a woodenhead on which a black wig has beenplaced. Beside the wig are a broochand earrings (150 gp value each). Awardrobe at the back of the room isslightly open; black robes hang in it.

If it is between the hours of 6:00 A.M.and 2:00 P.M., Morphias (if not alreadyencountered elsewhere) is sleeping inthe bed farther from the door. At anyother time of day, he is sitting at thetable reading. Morphias deals harshlywith intruders and immediately attacksany who appear to be hostile.

If Morphias is awake and reading atthe table, add the following:

A young man of dark complexion andjet-black eyes is sitting at the far endof the long table, reading by the lightof the orb. He is dressed in robes ofblack velvet embroidered with metal-lic purple dragons, and a tiny silverkey hangs on a chain around hisneck. He looks up as you enter,frowns when he realizes you are notstudents, and mutters a few quickwords.

Morphias has no interest in talking tointruders. He will call for help and thentry to immobilize the PCs for later in-terrogation by casting magic missileand summon swarm spells to keep theparty busy while he casts a time stopspell.

Morphias, dean of the School of Ne-kros: AL LE; AC 6; MV 12; W18; hp 40;THAC0 15; #AT 1; Dmg by spell orweapon type; S 10, D 12, C 10, I 17; W17; Ch 15; ML 16; XP 12,000; potion ofhuman control, potion of extra healing,

62 Issue No. 27

1-2 living skeletons (1-2) areas 1 & 5 3-4 poisonous spiders (1-4) area 8 5-6 centipedes (1-4) area 8 7-8 small scorpions (1-4) area 8 9-10 poisonous snakes (1-4) area 8 11 Roll percentage dice:

01-33% = Meresger area 8 34-66% = Morphias area 3 67-00% = Mephista area 11

12 students (1-4). Roll 1d12 again to see which student(s) are encountered.Reroll if student(s) have already been encountered. Delete students en-countered here from the rooms where they would otherwise be found.

Roll Student Normally Sleeps in Encountered yet?(1d12) found in (if daytime) (check if yes)

1 Laridum area 5 area 9A 2 Redux area 5 area 9I 3 Feralis area 10 area 9B 4 Vado area 10 area 9E 5 Sicarius area 6 area 9G 6 Carmen area 7 area 9L 7 Malignus area 7 area 9F 8 Timor area 1 area 9J 9 Cadaver area 9C area 9C 10 Origo area 9K area 9K 11 Impavidus area 9M area 9M 12 Balatro area 9M area 9M

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ring of regeneration, ring of protection+4, ring of Nekros, a skull-headed key(in his pocket) that unlocks the door ofthe tomb above (see "Outside theTomb"), and a tiny silver key on a chainaround his neck, which unlocks thechest in the laboratory (area 10).

Morphias, an 18th-level wizard spe-cializing in necromancy spells, has thefollowing spells memorized: alarm,cantrip (exterminate), chill touch, detectmagic, hold portal, magic missile, detectgood, knock, spectral hand, stinkingcloud, summon swarm, wizard lock,dispel magic, feign death, fireball, fly,lightning bolt, protection from good 10'radius, air to flesh, dig, dimension door,enervation, minor globe of invulnerabil-ity, wizard eye, animate dead, cloudkill,dismissal, fabricate, magic jar, trans-mute rock to mud, death fog, death spell,enchant an item, move earth, Bigby'sgrasping hand, control Undead, powerword stun, spell turning, clone, mindblank, permanency, energy drain, timestop.

Seeking to preserve and protect hisschool, Morphias will not use his moredestructive spells but will attempt totrap or kill hostile persons withoutdestroying anything valuable. Givenenough casting time, he will use histime stop spell to freeze the fighting anddeal with the intruders on his ownterms.

The items immediately visible in thisroom are all mundane ones except forthe orb, which is simply a round whiterock with a dimmer than usual contin-ual light spell cast on it. The purplelight filling the room can be eliminatedby simply speaking the word "dark-ness" and can be restored by speakingthe work "light." The command"brighter" increases the amount ofpurple light, while "dimmer" has theopposite effect.

Morphias and Mephista store theirtreasure and spell books behind thesecret false back of the wardrobe. Thisback is easily removed once discovered,but anyone who does so without firstpushing a secret button in the handle ofthe wardrobe's front door triggers atrap. With a slight hissing sound, thistrap releases an odorless, colorless gasthat puts everyone within 10' of thewardrobe to sleep (treat as a sleep spell)unless a saving throw vs. poison ismade (at a -4 penalty). Simultaneously,the school's bell (unless already dis-abled) starts to ring an alarm.

Once the false back of the wardrobe isremoved, read the following:

Inside the secret compartment at therear of the wardrobe you see a chest,a broom, and 18 books bound in darkpurple leather. Moving gold lettersflicker along the spines of the books,and on the spine of each book is ablack half moon.

Unless this half moon mark is firsttouched by a person with the school'swizard mark on his palm, any of thesemagic texts inflicts increasing electricaldamage per each six seconds touched orheld (half damage if the handler iswearing stout leather gloves). The pro-gression per six-second time period is:First period 1d4 hp damageSecond period 1d6 hp damageThird period 1d8 hp damageFourth period 1d10 hp damageFifth period 1d12 hp damageSixth period 1d20 hp damageThe progression continues for the sev-enth through 12th period with two diceof each type, then three dice of eachtype for the next six periods, etc.

Would-be thieves may not get this far,however. As soon as anyone attempts totouch or reach anything in the secretcompartment of the wardrobe, he isattacked by special shadows summoneddirectly from the Negative Materialplane. One to four of these shadowsmaterialize for each person who reachespast the back panel of the wardrobe,and they materialize only the first timea person reaches in. The dim light inthis room is designed to aid the shadowsin their attacks. Morphias andMephista control the shadows throughtheir control Undead spells.

Unlike regular shadows, which arehumanoid shaped, these shadows areshaped like lions. Otherwise, they at-tack and move like regular shadows.They are summoned from the NegativeMaterial plane when any object (e.g., anarm, a stick, a rope, etc.) forms a linkbetween the interior of the wardrobeand the secret chamber beyond its backwall, and they emerge with a roar (oth-erwise being 90% undetectable). Thisone-way passage can be negated by adispel magic spell.

Shadows: Int low; AL CE; AC 7; MV12; HD 3 +3; hp 21 each; THAC0 17;if AT 1; Dmg 2-5; SA strength drain; SD+1 or better weapons to hit; immune tosleep, charm, and hold spells; MR spe-

cial; SZ M; ML 18; XP 650; MC.Inside the false back of the wardrobe

are a broom of flying and the spell booksof Morphias and Mephista. The chestcontains 1,000 gp, 540 sp, 13 whitechalcedony stones (worth 50 gp each)carved in the shape of skulls, a blackscarab pin of carved jet that is actuallya scarab of death, and a scarab pin setwith a blue star sapphire that is actu-ally a scarab of protection.

Finally, a secret trapdoor in the baseof the wardrobe opens to reveal a nar-row, winding flight of roughly cut stepsthat leads to the lair of the skeletal reddragon (area 11).

4. Lecture Hall. If it is between thehours of 6:30 P.M. and 11:30 P.M., thelecture hall will likely be empty; readthe following:

This room is lit by hooded lanterns,is semicircular in shape, and is con-structed in the fashion of an ancientGreek theater. Carved into the rockitself are tiers of stone seats; stairslead up to the higher seats.

At the front of the room, a semicir-cular floor area is paved with blackand gold tiles. At the center of this isa round, raised dais of black stone.The top of the dais is carved withgold-lined channels that direct fluiddown into the four gold skull-shapedpots on the floor.

The wall between the two doors tothe hallway is smooth and white. Atthe back of the room, at the level ofthe top row of seats, is a strangebrass object covered by a black cloth.A small wooden box sits nearby.

The white wall is a screen upon whichimages are projected. The brass lanternunder the cloth contains a stone uponwhich a continual light spell has beencast. This stone projects its lightthrough a lens at the front of the lan-tern. Painted squares of glass sit inslots in the nearby wooden. If a paintedglass square is placed in the "magiclantern," an image of one of the steps ofa necromancy spell is projected on thescreen at the front of the room (the DMmay decide which spell the slides show;a label to this effect will be found on thelid of the box).

The gold pots are each worth 300 gp.This lecture hall is where magic is

taught and sacrifices to the gods andgoddesses of death are performed. It is

DUNGEON 63


SCHOOL OF NEKROS Side View

also where would-be students are testedby being killed and then brought backto life. The ritual involves stabbing theprospective student with a dragon-toothdagger as the other students stand in acircle, hands clasped, and chant. Thedead novice is then brought back to lifethrough a raise dead spell, then ismarked with the invisible wizard markhalf moon.

If it is between the hours of midnightand 6:00 A.M., there is a 25% chancethat this ritualistic admission ceremonyis being performed on the promisingnew student Impavidus (see area 9M).Morphias is present, leading a group of3-12 students. (This assumes that nei-ther Morphias nor Impavidus have beenencountered elsewhere. If either hasbeen encountered, the ceremony maynot be going on. In addition, when ran-domly determining the studentspresent, remember to omit those al-ready encountered elsewhere.)

If a ritual is not going on between thehours of midnight and 6:00 A.M., theneither Morphias or Mephista (50%chance for each) is teaching a class of3-12 students, using the slide projector.)

If it is between the hours of 6:00 A.M.

and 6:30 A.M. or 11:30 P.M. and midnight,students are filing out of or into thisroom (1-6 are inside. Either Morphias orMephista is also present on a roll of 1 on1d8.).

5. Kitchen. Read the following to theplayers, unless it is time for one of theschool's three meals of the day. OmitLaridum and Redux if they have al-ready been encountered elsewhere:

A huge wood-burning stove occupiesthe southeast corner of this room. Inthe center of the room there is a longtable with 16 chairs around it. Thetable is set with black plates, blackglass goblets, and cutlery made ofbrass and bone. Black candles sit insilver candlesticks at the center ofthe table, and the room is lit by lan-terns on the walls. In the southwestcorner, a bucket hangs on a rope froma wooden cross beam over a well.Large barrels line the west wall.Shelves on the south wall containfoodstuffs. A pile of wood sits nearthe stove. Four skeletons bustleabout the room, adding kindling to

the stove, stirring pots of bubblingstew, and adding a centerpiece ofwhite lilies to the table.

Sitting at one end of the table,eating a snack of bread and cheeseand drinking a blood-red liquid, are aman and a woman in black velvetcloaks. He is a stout, deceptivelyjolly-looking man with only a fringeof brown hair on an otherwise baldpate. She is a woman with longbrown tightly curled hair, and strik-ing eyes—one green and one blue.Beside her, resting against the table,is a staff carved with ivy patterns.They are facing the door and noticeyou immediately as it opens.

The cooks and servants are specialskeletons who once were two neutralhuman priests, a dwarven fighter, and ahalf-elven thief. All fell victim to theforce field trap (area 1A) in the FalseHall of Skulls, and now are serving theschool for one year in the hope thattheir bodies will be restored to them (apromise the school will keep, but onlyafter wiping all knowledge of that yearfrom their minds through the brainkillspell). These living skeletons will notfight unless attacked, and may evengive aid to PCs who present the possibil-ity of returning them to normal. Theseskeletons cannot speak or cast spellsbut can see, hear, think, and controltheir own actions (when not being con-trolled by one of the rings of Nekros).They cannot be turned.

Living skeletons (4): AL NG, LG,NG, N; AC 7; MV 12; P3, P4, F2, T9; hp20, 24, 14, 43; THAC0 20, 18, 20, 16;#AT 1 each; Dmg by weapon type; SD asper racial characteristics, cannot beturned; ML 10; XP nil (not enemies);new.

The two students having a quicksnack between meals are Redux andLaridum. The barrels contain water andblood-red wine.

Laridum may look slow and harmless,but he is surprisingly agile and hasmuscles of steel beneath his expansivebelly. He would have made an excellentfighter, but his keen intelligence ledhim to study magic instead.

Laridum, student: AL LE; AC 8; MV12; W5; hp 18; THAC0 19; #AT 1 or 2;Dmg by spell or weapon type (uses twodaggers at once); S 18, D 16, C 12, I 17,W 17, Ch 10; ML 10; XP 975; two dag-gers, ring of invisibility, ring of Nekros.

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Laridum has chosen his spells eitherbecause they inflict pain or becausethey are good "fighting spells." But,like many bullies, he'll run if the goinggets really rough, using his ring of in-visibility to aid him. He has memorizedthe following spells: burning hands,chill touch, magic missile, protectionfrom good, shield, Melf's acid arrow,pyrotechnics, spectral hand, Melf's min-ute meteors (x 2). An ambidextrouscharacter, he fights with matchingblack daggers.

Laridum suspects (wrongly) that Re-dux is a neutral-good priest in disguiseand would love to expose her as such tothe twins. Whenever he finds her alone,he questions her subtly on her motivesbehind coming to the School of Nekrosand is trying to catch her out inconversation.

Redux, in fact, must tread warily. Theonly nonevil student at the School ofNekros, she is true neutral in align-ment. (Her nonevil alignment wasmissed when the twins cast a detectgood spell; it did not pick up her neu-trality.) She has measured the risks oflearning the powerful restorative spellsthe school has to teach—risks both toher person and her soul—but has de-cided they are worth it. She will notperform evil acts on her own initiativebut will fight to protect the knowledgethe school offers.

Redux, student: AL N; AC 7; MV 12;W2; hp 12; THAC0 20; #AT 1; Dmg byspell or weapon type; S 11, D 13, C 18, I16, W 18, Ch 17; ML 12; XP 175 (nil ifshe is attacked first); staff, cloak ofprotection +3 (observant PCs may no-tice that her cloak is an extremely darkblue rather than true black), periapt ofwound closure, ring of Nekros. Reduxhas the following spells memorized:cantrip (change), hold portal, jump.

If it is time for either breakfast,lunch, or supper, 2-12 students areseated at the table for a meal. In addi-tion, there is a 10% chance (rolled oncefor each) that Meresger and either Mor-phias or Mephista (but not both twins)will be dining with the students.

6. Washroom.

This small room contains a toilet(basically just an outhouse-style seatwith a cover) and a carved stonewash basin of black marble. Besidethe toilet sits a black stone carving of

a mushroom, about 6" tall. The roomsmells sweet, like incense. The doorlocks from the inside with a simplesliding bolt.

The hole under the toilet opens into anarrow shaft that leads down to theriver below. The mushroom is a magicalitem, a 'stool of sweet smelling. It willpurify the air in any one room, overcom-ing all other odors. If the magical mush-room is removed, the washroom willbegin to smell.

If it is between the hours of 3:00 P.M.and midnight, the washroom is occupied(if Sicarius has not already been en-countered elsewhere). The PCs mustforce the locked door to get inside, atwhich time they see:

Washing her hands at the basin is awoman whose black robes match theebony hue of her skin. She jumps,startled, as the door opens, and youcan see that her hands are covered ina sticky white substance.

The woman washing her hands isSicarius, a promising student who hastraveled from a distant country to jointhe School of Nekros. A close friend ofMalignus (see area 7), she shares withhim a love of poison. But where he iscareful with his venom, she courtsdeath at every turn. Secretly in lovewith Morphias, she yearns to have himresurrect her once more. Ultimately, shewould like to die with him and dwellwith him in the land of the dead.

Sicarius has just come from the labo-ratory, where she has been mixing uptoxic substances; the white gluey stuffis contact poison, disguised to smell likemedicine, and it is starting to make herhands tingle. The school ring saved herfrom death, but she is finding it hard towork with numb hands.

Sicarius, student: AL NE; AC 6; MV12; W6; hp 19; THAC0 19; #AT 1 or 2;Dmg by spell or by poison (not currentlycarrying a weapon, but uses both handsat once); SA poison; S 13, D 18, C 10, I16, W 16, Ch 10; ML 20; XP 1,400; ringof Nekros.

If attacked, Sicarius tries to smearPCs with the contact poison. Since it isdiluted now by water, the save vs. poi-son is at a +4. She carries no othermagical items and has few possessions,due to her firm belief that she and Mor-phias will soon dwell in the land of the

dead together—and no longer in need ofanything but each other.

One of the keenest students at theschool, Sicarius has the following spellsmemorized: cantrip (change), chill touch,comprehend languages, message, protec-tion from good, knock, protection fromcantrips, spectral hand, clairaudience,hold undead, vampiric touch.

7. Library.

This room is filled with shelves con-taining a multitude of books. Fromthe ceiling hang a dozen silverchains, each suspending a glass skullthat glows with a steady yellowlight.

Some of the books on the shelvesare old, with cracked leather bind-ings, while others appear quite new.One shelf, fronted with glass doors,contains a row of nine exquisitebooks bound in black leather withgold titles along their spines. Theglass doors are locked with a press-button combination lock. Armchairsare positioned around the room.

The glass skulls have a simple contin-ual light spell cast on them and areused to illuminate the room.

If it is between the hours of 2:00 P.M.and midnight, add the following, omit-ting Carmen and/or Malignus if eitheror both have already been encounteredelsewhere:

In the armchair nearest the door sitsa beautiful young woman whosewhite-blonde hair is braided withbrilliant red feathers at the end ofeach braid. Resting against her fore-head and hanging from a thin silverchain is a black stone, and lying onthe floor beside her is a dragon-headed quarterstaff. Across theroom, an older man looks up from aheavy tome he has been studying.His eyes are the thinnest of slitsbehind round wire-rim glasses, andhis receding hairline has given him ahigh forehead. Both he and thewoman are wearing black velvetrobes. Bone-hilted daggers rest insheaths at their hips.

This is the library of the School ofNekros. Studying in it are the studentsCarmen and Malignus.

Carmen has come to the School ofNekros seeking to further her knowl-

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edge of dragons; the book she was read-ing deals with using dragon bones andteeth as spell components. Her primaryconcern is that the books in the libraryand Flagros herself not be harmed—atleast until Carmen has had a chance touse them fully.

Carmen, student: AL LE; AC 9; MV12; W3; hp 9; THAC0 20; #AT 1; Dmgby spell or weapon type; S 10, D 15, C10, I 17, W 17, Ch 15; ML 12; XP 270;dagger, quarterstaff +1, ring of Nekros,dagger, jet stone on silver chain (50 gpvalue).

Carmen is a 3rd-level wizard specializ-ing in necromancy. She has the follow-ing spells memorized: color spray, magicmissile (using either one at a distancefirst), chill touch, detect invisibility,spectral hand.

Malignus has also come to the schoolto study, but his area of interest is poi-son, and the book he is reading concernsthe preparation of poisons. A violent, ill-tempered older man, he would just assoon fight with his poisoned weapons asuse his spells. These poisoned devicesinclude a hollow dagger containingenough venom for four stabs (save vs.poison or die); a glass vial of contactpoison (save vs. paralysis or lapse into acoma for 1-4 days) in the breast pocketof his robe, ready to be thrown; and acheap-looking, snake-shaped brass cloakpin, a prick from which will cause death(save vs. poison). Believing each of hisvictims to be a pleasing sacrifice to thegods of evil, he is happiest when killingand is known to smile only in battle.

Malignus, student: AL NE; AC 6; MV12; W6; hp 17; THAC0 19; #AT 1; Dmgby spell or weapon type; S 15, D 18, C10, I 16, W 16, Ch 5; ML 14; XP 2,000;ring of Nekros, poison dagger, vial ofcontact poison, poison brooch.

Malignus is a 6th-level wizard special-izing in necromancy who has the follow-ing spells memorized: chill touch,enlarge, magic missile (x 3), protectionfrom cantrips, spectral hand, strength,clairaudience, sepia snake sigil, vam-piric touch.

Among the mundane books of thelibrary, the PCs can find tomes on suchtopics as anatomy and dissection, medi-cine, acupuncture, herbal lore, the col-lection of spell components, mummi-fication, tomb construction, poison,burial practices of various races, godsand goddesses of death, prophecies ofhow the world will come to an end,tanning and taxidermy, and flower

pressing. All are marked, in the fashionof library books, with a black half moonon the bottom of the spine. Touchingany mundane text results in 1-4 hpelectrical damage per touch or per sixseconds held. School of Nekros studentsare immune to this effect, however; thebooks "recognize" a student by theinvisible half moon on his left hand,which must be pressed to the half moonon the book's spine before touching anyother part of the book.

The combination push-button lock onthe glass-fronted cabinet has nine but-tons, numbered 1 through 9. To success-fully open the lock, any combination ofnumbers adding up to 13 must bepressed. When the numbers total pre-cisely 13, the lock clicks open. If num-bers adding up to less than 13 arepushed, and 10 or more minutes pass,the lock resets to a total of zero. But, atthe precise moment that the totalpasses 13 (without adding up to exactly13). the following occurs: A cloud ofpurple gas flows out of holes in thebottom of the bookcase, filling the li-brary within 12 seconds and putting tosleep all it engulfs. (This is a contactgas and does not need to be inhaled;save vs. Paralyzation; effects as per asleep spell.) The gas dissipates in 10minutes. Breaking or forcing the glassdoors has the same effect.

The black and gold books are refer-ence spell books—each also marked withan electrified half moon—used by thestudents who study at the school. Eachcontains necromancy spells of a particu-lar level (see the sidebar list of necro-mancy spells available at the school fordetails).

8. Chamber of Meresger.

Standing before the mirror, lookinginto it with a critical eye, is an el-derly woman whose graying hair ispulled back in a tight bun under ablack lace hair net. Crawling on thewoman's shoulder is a hairy blackspider the size of a human fist.

This 20' x 20' room contains awooden chest at the foot of a brassbed with white skull bedposts. Thebed is neatly made with black sheetsand blankets. On one wall hangs afull length mirror, and a plush redthrow rug covers the center of thefloor. Against the north wall are fourlarge pottery urns, covered withperforated lids. Beside them sits twosmall wicker baskets from whichcome rustling and clicking noises.

Unless Meresger has been encoun-tered elsewhere or is sleeping, also readthe following:

This is the bedroom of Meresger, "shewho loves silence," servant to Mephistaand Morphias and keeper of the snakesand other poisonous beasties that in-habit the corridors of the School of Ne-kros. The pet on her shoulder is herparticular favorite—a baby giant blackwidow spider, newly hatched, which shehas named Perfidus, after the husbandMeresger murdered years ago.

Meresger, servant: AL LE; AC 10;MV 12; W2; hp 7; THAC0 20; #AT 1;Dmg by spell or weapon type; SA poi-soned dagger (+ 2 save vs. poison or die);S 13, D 10, C 18, I 16, W 17, Ch 11; ML18; XP 420; poisoned dagger, periapt ofproof against poison +4, scarab vs.golems, ring of Nekros, skull-headed keyto the tomb above the school.

Meresger fights like a corneredmother cat, using an envenomed dagger.She has the following spells memorized:cantrip (spider), chill touch, magicmissile.

The urns (from left to right) containthe sleeping beasties Meresger feedsand cares for as pets:

Urn 1: Centipedes, giant (2-24): Intnon; AL N; AC 9; MV 15; HD 1⁄4; hp 2each; THAC0 20; #AT 1; Dmg nil; SApoison; SZ T; ML 6; XP 35; MC.

Urn 2: Snakes, poisonous (1-3): Intanimal; AL N; AC 6; MV 15; HD 2 +1;#AT 1; Dmg 1; SA poison; SZ S; ML 8;XP 1/5; MC.

Urn 3: Scorpions, small (1-12): Intnon; AL N; AC 5; MV 9; HD 2 +2; hp 20each; THAC0 19; #AT 3; Dmg 1-4/1-4/1;SA poison sting; SZ S; ML 0; XP 175;MC.

Urn 4: Spiders, large (2-20): Int non;AL N; AC 8; MV 6, web 15; HD 1 +1; hp5 each; THAC0 19; #AT 1; Dmg 1; SApoison bite; SZ S; ML 7; XP 120; MC.

Meresger often lets her pets out toroam throughout the school, where theymay be encountered by adventurers aswandering monsters. (Many of the stu-dents despise her pets and kill themsurreptitiously; punishment for suchacts is corpse disposal duty.)

If attacked within this room,Meresger tips over an urn (determine at

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random, rolling 1d4) so that her petscan aid her in battle.

The wicker baskets (ironically, madeby halflings!) contain insects and ro-dents that Meresger feeds to her pets.The chest contains Meresger's personalbelongings; there's nothing special here,just a few robes and trinkets. The mir-ror, which is a mirror of inner beauty, isthe only magical item in the room. Itsonly magical property is as follows: If aPC stands before it and chants: "Mirror,mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest ofthem all?" the mirror presents an X-raypicture of the PC, showing only theskeleton.

9. Student Dormitories. These smallrooms are designed to house one studenteach. If it is between the hours of 6:30A.M. and 2:00 P.M., the students will besleeping in the following rooms (unlessthey have already been encounteredelsewhere): 9A Laridum; 9B Feralis; 9CCadaver; 9D empty; 9E Vado; 9F Ma-lignus; 9G Sicarius; 9H Balatro; 9IRedux; 9J Timor; 9K Origo; 9L Carmen;9M Impavidus.

Between 2:00 P.M. and midnight, mostof the rooms will be empty; the studentsare elsewhere in the school, studying,eating, reading in the library, or experi-menting in the lab. During these times,read the following description for anyempty rooms (all of those except areas9C, 9H, 9K and 9M):

This 10' x 20' room contains a coffinfitted out as a bed with padding andblankets, a plain wooden chest forbelongings, a black velvet robe hang-ing on a peg, a brazier that gives offsmoky red light, and a stool beside asturdy table. On top of the table areglass containers of black, purple, andgold ink; black quill pens; and sheetsof vellum.

The vellum is made from human skinand sometimes bears tattoos. Most ofthe sheets are blank, but some maycontain half-finished spells.

Each of the chests has a secret falsebottom where the spell books of thestudents (made up of the bound vellumsheets) are kept when not in use. Todetermine which spells a book has, theDM should note whose book it is, in-clude all of the spells listed for thatcharacter, and add others that seemappropriate to a wizard of that levelspecializing in necromancy. But please

note: There is a 10% chance that any ofthe necromancy spells in these bookshas been incorrectly copied and thuswill backfire if used as written.

There are 1-4 miscellaneous items tobe found in each room. Roll 1d20 todetermine which items are found:

1. a bone dagger2. 1-4 empty potion vials (still la-

belled)3. a portrait of a succubus4. a copper ring5. a glass figurine of a snake6. a crudely sketched map of the

school7. a practice wand (not magical)8. a stuffed black cat9. a pewter goblet

10. a ball of string11. a pair of tweezers12. a tinder box13. a clove of garlic14. a last will and testament15. 1-4 black candles16. a pair of dice, loaded to always

come up "snake eyes"17. a bottle of blood-red wine in a crys-

tal decanter18. a chunk of cheese

19. a romance novel20. an embroidered scabbard for a

dagger

9C. Cadaver's Room. This roommatches the general description forstudent rooms given previously. Afterreading the boxed text at area 9, con-tinue with the following:

In the coffin lies a very pale, auburn-haired man. His hands are folded onhis chest, and a lily rests betweenthem. Below the flower, a clove ofgarlic lies on the smooth black velvetof his robe. He is extremely thin andlooks a little blue in the cheeks. It isimpossible to tell if he is dead oralive.

This is Cadaver, a student so namedby the twins due to his appearance andto his ability to sleep soundly and heav-ily through almost any disturbance.Indeed, the PCs can clomp through theroom, making all the noise they want—he wakes up only 5% of the time!

Cadaver, student: AL LE; AC 9; MV12; W2: hp 6; THAC0 20; #AT 1; Dmgby spell or weapon type; S 8; D 9, C 10,

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I 17, W 16, Ch 12; ML 12; XP 175; ringof protection +1, ring of Nekros.

Cadaver, a 2nd-level wizard specializ-ing in necromancy, has the followingspells memorized: chill touch, protectionfrom good, shield.

The garlic and lily have been placedon Cadaver by Balatro (see area 9M) asa practical joke. In Cadaver's chest arepotions of diminution, healing, andgaseous form, the latter of which heplans to use to turn Balatro's jokearound on him by pretending to reallybe a vampire.

9H. Balatro's Room. After readingthe general description of a student'sroom, continue with the following:

A leather belt hangs on a peg besidethe robe. A curious brass bottle sitsnext to the quill pens and vellum.Scuttling across the floor is a whiterat wearing a collar from whichhangs a tiny, tinkling brass bell.

The brass bottle is an eversmokingbottle. Under his pillow, Balatro hashidden a silver flask of curses. In thesecret compartment of the chest, inaddition to Balatro's spell book (writtenentirely in pig Latin) is a bag of tricks.The belt on the wall peg is of tooledleather that has been marked with aseries of circles ("male" and "female"symbols) and is a girdle of femininity/masculinity. While some of these itemsare hidden, many are deliberately leftunconcealed; Balatro is just waiting forsomeone to find them and use them!The rat is Balatro's pet, and is namedTwinkles (the name is carved into thestudded leather collar). Balatro will killanyone who harms Twinkles.

Twinkles the rat: Int animal; AL N;AC 7; MV 15; HD 1⁄4; hp 1; THAC0 20;#AT 1; Dmg 1; SZ T (1' long); ML 3; XP 7.

9K. Origo's Room. In addition toreading the standard description of astudent's dormitory room, add thefollowing:

Sitting on the stool, her back towardthe door, is a young woman withshort black hair and broad shoulders.The sleeves of her black robe arerolled up, and you can see blacktatoos of skulls snaking up her armsas she sits writing with a white quillpen on vellum.

This is Origo, the first student to cometo the School of Nekros. A brilliantpeasant girl who left the farm to findadventure, she fell in with a bad crowdand her evil tendencies increased. Origois a "teacher's pet" who can do nowrong, and of whom Sicarius (see area4) is extremely jealous.

Origo, student: AL NE; AC 10; MV12; W3; hp 11; THAC0 20; #AT 1; Dmgby spell or weapon type; S 17, D 12, C18, I 16, W 16, Ch 17; ML 15; XP 270;dagger, ring of Nekros.

Origo has memorized the spells chilltouch, continual light, sleep, see throughother eyes, and spectral hand. She fightswith a dagger, and the tattoos on herarms are a permanent record of herdead victims; each skull has a series ofthree numbers (e.g., 12/24/1066) underit, marking the date of the kill.

9M. Impavidus's Room.

The sound of laughter comes frombehind this door, which is open a fewinches. Listening, you can hear twomale voices.

Peeking inside the door, the PCs see astandard student dormitory room (seedescription at area 9). On top of thetable, in addition to the other itemsnoted, is a cage containing a pigeon.

Sitting on the stool and leaning overthe table is a young, extremelycomely man in black robes. Althoughhis back is toward the door, he hasturned slightly to his right so thatyou can just see the edges of his curlyblack beard from where you stand.Leaning against the table at whichhe is writing is a heavy metal staff.To his right stands a man whoseshaved head is already showing ashadow of hair. Resting on the stand-ing man's ears is a gold headband.One of his eyes is covered with ablack patch.

The bald man is extending hishand to the younger man (who isdoing his best to ignore him) andsaying, "C'mon Impavidus, shake myhand! C'mon! C'mon! I promise it'snot loaded this time. C'mon—whatare ya, scared or something?"

If you leave quietly, they might notnotice you.

be necromancer who arrived at theschool of Nekros today. He is busilywriting a letter (which he will send bycarrier pigeon, after the twins havecarefully scrutinized it) to one of hismany lovers, and the text is full of ro-mantic clichés and boasts. Confidentthat he will pass his initiation ritualwith ease, and absolutely fearless ineverything he does, Impavidus is goingthrough the usual hazing that Balatrodishes out to any new student who willtolerate him. The sleeve of Impavidus'snew black robe is charred, and his pa-tience is about to wear thin.

Impavidus, student: AL LE; AC 7;MV 12; W0; hp 5; THAC0 20; #AT 1;Dmg by weapon type; S 14, D 17, C 12, I16, W 16, Ch 18; ML 16; XP 15; staff.Impavidus knows no spells and has notyet been given a school ring.

Trying to trick Impavidus—a secondtime—into touching his hand, a finger ofwhich has a firefinger cantrip cast uponit, is the student Balatro, the chaotic-evil joker of the student body.

Balatro, student: AL CE; AC 9; MV12; W7; hp 20; THAC0 19; #AT 1; Dmgby spell or weapon type (unarmed); S 11,D 15, C 10, I 16, W 16, Ch 7; ML 12; XP2,000; ring of Nekros, wand of wonder.

Balatro, most powerful of the studentwizards at the School of Nekros, has thefollowing spells memorized: chill touch,cantrip (x 4: grease, hairy, ravel, spill),ESP, protection from cantrips, spectralhand, stinking cloud, delude, dispelmagic, feign death, contagion, poly-morph other.

Willing to risk anything for a laugh-preferably at someone else's pain andexpense—Balatro collects strange andwonderfully tricky magical devices andalways goes armed with his wand ofwonder tucked into his belt. He hascome to the School of Nekros to learnsuch wonderfully amusing spells aschill touch, feign death, and contagion.Extremely fond of casting cantrips, hewas almost expelled for using a scratchspell on Mephista during a lecture. Thepatch over his eye comes from playingat the peephole in the door to the twins'room (area 3). He has no weapons asidefrom a rubber dagger and a collapsibletin dagger; he insists upon fighting withonly magic. The headband he is wearingis worth 100 gp.

The younger man—whose looks areindeed perfect—is Impavidus, a would-

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10. Laboratory.

This 20' x 20' room is fitted out as alaboratory. Long wooden tables arefilled with beakers, vials, stopperedbottles, and lidded ceramic bowls. Alocked, heavy iron chest sits in onecorner of the room.

If it is between the hours of 2:30 P.M.and midnight, and if Feralis and Vadohave not already been encounteredelsewhere, add the following:

Sitting on stools, working together atone of the benches with their backsto you, are two figures in black robes.One is a slender woman with grayhair and overly large ears. She isworking with quick, nervous move-ments. The other, a blond man stillin his teens, is visibly angry andcursing over a beaker that is emit-ting noxious green smoke.

The woman, hearing the door open,calls over her shoulder, "Sicarius, isthat you? Come quickly! We needyour help!"

The pair are two 1st-level students.The woman, Vado, began to study magicwhen her strength started to fail herafter a long life of crime. Prior to com-ing to the School of Nekros, she was thelover of a vicious bandit leader. So cal-lous was Vado that she gladly wentalong when he looted the village whereshe grew up, all for revenge against thetownsfolk who teased and called her"Mouse" as a child due to her overlylarge ears and quick actions. Vado hasmany nervous gestures but has trainedherself to be cold as steel underneath.

Vado, student: AL NE; AC 9; MV 12;W1; hp 4; THAC0 20; #AT 1 or 2; Dmgby spell or weapon type; S 6, D 15, C 12,I 16, W 16, Ch 6; ML 13; XP 120; twodaggers, ring of Nekros.

Vado, a wizard specializing in necro-mancy, fights with throwing daggersthat are strapped to her arms under herrobe. She has the following spells mem-orized: cantrip (dampen), chill touch.

The man, Feralis, has a temper thaterupts at a moment's notice. A brilliantalchemist even at his young age, hisconcoctions often fail due to his impa-tience. At all times he carries two po-tions of extra healing, necessary forwhen his experiments go awry.

Feralis, student: AL NE; AC 10; MV12; W1; hp 7; THAC0 20; #AT 1; Dmg

by spell or weapon type; S 13, D 9, C 15,I 17, W 16, Ch 13; ML 12; XP 120; dag-ger, ring of Nekros. Feralis, a 1st-levelwizard specializing in necromancy, hasmemorized the spells cantrip (warm)and color spray.

While many students refuse to workin the laboratory with Feralis, Vado haschosen to do so as a test of her bravery,while the now-absent Sicarius (see area4) does so because she embraces death.

(Note: There is a 10% chance that theexperiment the two wizards are work-ing on will violently explode, doing 1-4hp damage from flying glass to every-one in the room.)

Inside the chest are various gems(diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires,black pearls and quartz crystals), 1-4 ofeach type, grouped by type in neatlytied black velvet bags. A further bagholds a tiny grinding wheel, and itsinside is dusted with mixed grindingsfrom various gems. Like the otherthings to be found in this room, thesegems are material components used inspell-casting.

The beaches and shelves hold a widerange of spell components including: batfur, crystal beads, miniature shovelsand buckets, tiny bells, rolls of finesilver wire, oranges and lemons, blackpowdered paint, scraps of red cloth,feathers, glass rods, incense, iron dag-gers, a small drum, candles, smallleather bags, chunks of bone, and ram'shorns. The jars and vials on the variousshelves hold: powdered bone, saltpeter,powdered gems, rotten eggs, bat guano,sulphur, blood, dung, clay, sand, lime,soil, powdered pineal glands, brassshavings, bitumen, spider webs, andhoney.

11. Lair of Flagros, the RedDragon.

A narrow, winding stair cut roughlyinto the rock leads deep into theearth. The stairs and walls are wetwith seeping moisture, and a dullroaring can be heard behind the wallon one side. It is possible to walkonly in single file along the stairs,and you cannot see where you aregoing.

The narrow, sometimes low-ceilingedstairway has been made more menacingby a series of permanent darkness, 15'radius spells cast along its length. Mor-phias and Mephista are used to travel-

ing the staircase and have no difficultywith it. But each PC, walking on slip-pery steps in darkness, must roll a dex-terity check on 1d20 or slip and fall,possibly knocking PCs below them off oftheir feet (each PC below must roll adexterity check on 1d12 to move asidein time). A tumble down the steps isgood for 1-6 hp damage.

Unless she has been encountered anddefeated elsewhere (the DM reallyshouldn't let this happen but shouldsave her for this encounter), Mephista isin the area at the bottom of the stairs. Ifshe has been encountered, the DM couldsubstitute a student (select a student atrandom by rolling 1d12 on the Wander-ing Monsters table, ignoring those whohave been encountered elsewhere; besure to give the student a good motivefor being here!).

The passageway opens at last onto a80' x 50' rough cavern in which theskeleton of a huge, 50'-long dragon—obviously unearthed long after herflesh rotted away—lies upon dis-turbed soil. A wide crack in the ceil-ing near the base of the staircase isfilled with large chunks of stone. Theskeletal dragon shifts slightly, and athin trickle of dirt falls from it.

If the party has made a noisy arrival,Mephista is alert and ready for poten-tial attack. If, however, the PCs havethe element of surprise, read the follow-ing also:

A figure in black robes is bent low,watching as the skeletal dragonscratches arcane symbols into thefloor of the cavern with a claw. Be-side the human is a piece of vellum,an ink pot, and a quill pen.

Mephista immediately attacks in-truders who are obviously not part ofthe school. There is a slim chance, ofcourse, that fast-talking PCs withenough knowledge will be able to con-vince her that they have come to applyas new students. Otherwise, the battleis immediately joined, with Mephistaseeking to protect the dragon at all cost.

Mephista, dean of the School of Ne-kros: AL NE; AC 10; MV 12; W18; hp33; THAC0 15; #AT 1; Dmg by spell orweapon type; S 9, D 12, C 9, I 18, W 17,Ch 9; ML 16; XP 12,000; dagger, scarabof protection, pipes of pain, ring of suste-nance, ring of Nekros, ring of spell stor-

DUNGEON 69

ing (three fifth-level raise dead spells;not worn). In her left pocket she carriesa skull-headed key that unlocks thedoor of the tomb above. The tiny silverkey that unlocks the chest in the labora-tory (area 10) is on a chain around herneck.

Mephista, an 18th-level wizard spe-cializing in necromancy, has the follow-ing spells memorized: burning hands,cantrip (sour), detect magic, light, protec-tion from good, shield, continual light,glitterdust, protection from cantrips, seethrough other eyes, spectral hand, web,clairvoyance, hold Undead, monstersummoning I, spectral force, vampirictouch, wraithform, brainkill, contagion,plant growth, remove curse, shout, wallof ice, animal growth, avoidance, dis-missal, distance distortion, summonshadow, teleport, death spell, ensnare-ment, lower water, stone to flesh, banish-ment, finger of death, power word stun,teleport without error, clone, perma-nency, sink, energy drain, power wordkill.

The bulk of Flagros's treasure wasstolen long ago; it was from the thievesthat Morphias and Mephista learnedthe location of the ancient dragon's

bones. The thieves first reached thedragon's lair through the narrow fissureleading upward to ground level, anopening that has since been blocked offwith large chunks of stone. Disturbingthe rocks above is one way to get out,but it is also the way to bring a fewheavy stones crashing down upon any-one below, for 2-12 hp damage witheach disturbance.

Extremely observant players (or thosewith a kind DM) could find the follow-ing treasure, overlooked because it fellinto a crack and was later covered byrubble: 1,044 cp, 1,785 sp, 3,837 gp, and1-12 gems worth 50-500 each.

Flagros is (or was) a venerable reddragon. Although her skeleton is ani-mated, she is not Undead and thus can-not be turned. As mentioned previously,she cannot fly, use spells, speak, or useher breath weapon. She has the abilityto detect invisible objects, but no otherspecial visual talents.

Flagros, skeletal red dragon: Intexceptional; AL CE; AC - 1 ; MV 9,burrow 6, jump 3; HD 19; hp 99; THAC0- 5 (5 with +10 to hit); #AT 3; Dmg1d8 + 10/1d8 + 10/3d10 +10; SA kick andtail slap, fear aura (- 2 save); SD save

as 19th-level warrior, immune to fireand heat; MR 55%; SZ G; ML 18; XP21,000; MC (Dragon, Red, with changesdue to skeletal form).

Due to her exceptional intelligenceand memory, Flagros is able to use herclaws to scratch out instructions thatenable Morphias and Mephista to learnand use the spells that the dragon onceknew. Because these spells are ancientand not currently in circulation amongwizards, this information is extremelyvaluable to the twins. They have swornan oath to use Flagros's air to flesh spellto restore her body to her once she hastaught them an agreed upon number ofspells.

While Flagros does not take her pactwith the twins seriously, she does needthem to restore her fully to her originalform through the air to flesh spell shehas taught them. Thus, she is carefulnot to annoy or attack either the twinsor their students. Only after she is afully fledged red dragon once more willshe betray them—after all, it was hu-mans who stole her treasure, wasn't it?

If Mephista is killed and the PCsstand a good chance of defeating Fla-gros, read the following:

With a great clattering of bones, theskeletal dragon twists suddenly andsmashes a clawed hand into theceiling. In moments, rocks and dirtrain down upon you as she franti-cally claws her way to the surface.The earth trembles below, it is diffi-cult to remain standing, and dustand noise fill the air. The screams ofyour companions are the last thingyou hear as the ceiling comes crash-ing down upon you.

Everyone in the cavern takes 2-24 hpdamage from falling debris. Anyonesuffering 10 or more hp damage in thecave-in is deemed to have been trappedby rubble and, if unaided, must make astrength check on 1d20 to free himself.The PCs can escape at this point byclimbing up through the rubble to thesurface.

Those still trapped face further dan-ger. Because Flagros claws her way tothe surface through the undergroundriver, water begins to pour into thecavern. While most of the PCs shouldeasily be able to climb to the surfacebefore the entire school is flooded, any-one pinned by debris and unable to freehimself will drown. As the rooms of the

70 Issue No. 27


school fill up with water, any light,loose items are swept away to turn uplater downriver.

Any inhabitants of the School of Ne-kros alive at the time Flagros claws herway to the surface take damage andrisk being trapped and drowned asdescribed above. Those who survive thisdamage can also crawl up to the sur-face. Should they have the strength,surviving necromancers may attack thePCs in the rubble scattered across thegraveyard. Most, however, will flee;there is a flat 75% chance that eachsurvivor simply turns and runs as soonas he is above ground.

Concluding the AdventureDriving Flagros away and mopping upthe remaining evil wizards will effec-tively accomplish the goal of this adven-ture. The twins (if they survive) willfollow Flagros, Meresger will follow thetwins, the surviving students will scat-ter, and the school itself will have been

destroyed as the skeletal dragon clawsher way up through it and the riverwater rushes in.

Of course, the survivors might bear agrudge against the party and mighteventually return (once healthy andable) in subsequent adventures to taketheir revenge upon the PCs.

Should the PCs be defeated by theinhabitants of the School of Nekros,they will be taken prisoner and strippedof all valuables. The unlucky will bekilled and raised over and over again inpractice sessions by students. The luckyones (those with a kind DM) will insteadbe subjected to one year's imprisonmentas a living skeleton, then upon releasewill suffer erasure of all knowledge ofthat year through a brainkill spell.They will then have their flesh restoredand will be blindfolded, taken somedistance from the school, and releasedto wander without equipment or weap-ons in the woods below the bluff.

Whatever method the PCs use todefeat the inhabitants of the School of

Nekros, they will presumably want toreturn to Willow Whisp to announce thesuccessful conclusion of their quest. TheDM should roll as usual for wanderingmonsters in forest. There is a 50%chance that any of these random wilder-ness encounters along the way back toWillow Whisp is with a lone survivor ofthe School of Nekros (determined atrandom from a DM-generated list ofsurvivors).

Back in Willow Whisp, the party willbe welcomed with joy and much celebra-tion. The halflings reward the partywith a grand feast of whatever the re-maining halflings can scrounge up(including several very fine bottles ofwine). The PCs are also each given a"key to the city," made by the villageblacksmith, that identifies them asfriends of all halflings. Finally, theadventurers are offered a "perpetualwelcome" of one month's free food andlodging per year in Willow Whisp forthe rest of their lives. Ω

DUNGEON 71

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