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ver18,000years ago manyof themen in China dedicatedtheir life to the study ofphilosophy. And thenapplied it to a war toend all wars .

The country wasplagued by a bandithoarde known as theYellow Scarves. Whoamassed a power noone had yet to conquer.Fact is, no one couldassemble a force strongenough to destroythem.

In Destiny ofan Emperor, yourchallenge is tochange thecourse of historyforever. For thegood of China.And the world .

This full scale,role playingadventure gamefor the NintendoSystem will putyou deep in thethroes of thatwar.

The action isas real as it getsthanks to the discoveryof authentic documentsdetailing the era .

Characteristics of 180 war-lords have been simulatedbased on the renownedtext of Sanquozhi Yanyi.

Even 20th centurystrategists are destined tospend hours, even days oneach game. And when youtake a break to philosophizeon your next action (if youcan pull yourself away) you

In the mountains,rebels await behind

every tree.

can actually save up tothree histories exactlywhere you've left off.

You can put yourselfin the place of Liu Bei,dedicated to raising an

army for the restorationof the dynasty. Or GuanYu, an exceptionally

skilled warrior,match for athousandsoldiers andworshippedas a god .

But nomatter whoyou are, it

will be hard to win thewar against Zhang Jao,the deadly leader ofthe Yellow Scarverebels and founder ofthe Tai Ping sect . Not tomention the most feared

1990 CAPCOM USA, INC. Destiny of an Emperor is a trademarkof Capcom USA. Inc. Cap- is aregistered trademarkof Capcom USANintendo andNintendo Entertainment System are trademarks ofNintendo of America. Inc.

Chinesewarlord ofall, Lu Bu,destinedto be atraitorbecauseof hisgreatstrengthand courage .

You'll use everystrategic cell in yourbrain to fulfill yourconstant requirementsfor weapons, food andmanpower. You'll giveimportant commandsthat could mean yourlife, and the life ofyour armies. And intrue Chinese tradition,you'll engage in battle

again and again to defendyour honor. An honorcertified by an oath signedin blood .

When all is said anddone, there will be roomfor only one Emperor.Whether or not that willbe you is your destinyalone .

Licensed by Nintendo'for Play on the

NintendoEntertainment

SYSTEM'

Fill out and mail the subscription card in this issue.If the card is missing, write to:

Subscriptions :DUIYGEOW AdventuresF.O. Box 111Lake Geneva, WI 53147

DUNGEON is a trademark of TSR, Inc . °1990 TSR, Inc . All Rights Reserved.

Shaking Things Up

ADVENTURES FOR TSR ROLE-PLAYING GAMES

Last issue I talked about some ofthe changes we've been mak-ing in DUNGEON Adventures-changes for the better, wehope . The inclusion in issue #25 of an adventure for theMARVEL SUPER HEROES" game drew a strong responsefrom readers, with the vote about evenly split between those infavor of including modules for other TSR games and those whowould prefer to keep DUNGEON magazine exclusively forD&D°/AD&D° material .This issue we shake things up again, and again invite your

comments . John Terra (who wrote "Rank Amateurs" in issue#22) has given us "Operation : Fire Sale," a TOP SECRET S.I .-adventure set in the constantly changing political climate ofGermany. By the time you read this, East and West Germanyshould have come even closer to becoming one country (all-German elections are scheduled for December) . We promisedJohn that next time he can write about a less-volatile area ofthe world (want to tackle the Persian Gulf?) .In response to requests for very short encounters that can be

dropped into your campaigns without much fuss, we've in-cluded "Deadfalls on Nightwood Trail," the first of a new two-page feature . We'd like to have a catchy name for this feature(we've been calling it "The Mini-Module"), so here's yourchance to win fame and fortune-well, at least a nice prize .Send us your suggestions. The idea we like best will becomethe feature name, and the person who submits the winningidea will receive a set of four ceramic mugs emblazoned withboth the DUNGEON Adventures and DRAGON° Magazinelogos .This issue's quote was submitted by Bill Birdsall of Platts-

burg AFB, New York.

Vol . V, No. 2

COVER: Artist ScottBurdick's coverillustration shows thateven a powerfulmage can losecontrol whenlycanthropy mixedwith possessionbecomes"Nine-Tenths of theLaw."

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1990 ISSUE #26

The Readers

LETTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Paul F Culotta

THE INHERITANCE(AD&D1~1 game, levels 1-3) You'vejust inherited a castle! All it needs isa good cleaning out . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

John Terra

OPERATION : FIRE SALE(TOP SECRET/S.I .TM game) InGermany, NATO has moreintelligence leaks than the BerlinWall had bricks . Your job is to plugjust one of them . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Steven Smith CARAVAN GUARDS(D&D@ game, levels 6-8) Beware ofcheerful-and long-fanged-employers! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Jay Ouzts DEADFALLS ON NIGHTWOODTRAIL(AD&D game mini-adventure, levels3-4) Your best foot forward couldwell be your last .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Craig Barrett

THE CURSE AND THE QUEST& Christopher

(AD&D game, levels 4-8) What's theKederich

top prize in this grim relay race?Your lives, of course . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Willie Walsh

NINE-TENTHS OF THE LAW(AD&D game, levels 7-10) The evilwizard had a fail-safe plan forsurvival . It worked perfectly-almost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

PUBLISHER : James M. Ward ART DIRECTOR:EDITOR : Barbara G . Young Larry W SmithASSOCIATE EDITOR : CARTOGRAPHER : Diesel People could survive their natural trouble all right if itRoger E . Moore TYPESETTING : TSR weren't for the trouble they make for themselves .EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS: Graphic Arts Services Ogden NashDale A . Donovan SUBSCRIPTIONS :Joseph M . Nowak Janet L . Winters

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strive for dominance over the other yetthey s-, it work to acommon end, to serve the Queen ofDarkness in her effort to subjugate the World ofKrynn. Dragon and dark knight soar through thethickness of rain4aiden clouds, moisture clinging totheir scale armor, in search of the devout worshippersof Paladine, defiers of their evil purpose. The Highlord spots his mortal enemy and levels his lance.Plunging through the cloud deck below, he attacks!

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to-5o5 DRAGONLANCE Mmmture -tiuma s S-e" Dragon.

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looks to the sky in search of the enemies of Krynn. Aminion of the Dark Queen astride a Red Dragonemerges from the fold of a black cloud. Huma raiseshis fist in challenge screaming his outrage for thescourge of his beloved world then beckons his friendand mount, the Silver Dragon, to rise up into the heav~ens andcarry them to battle . Shrieking like a thousandhawks, the Silver Dragon leaps skgward, anxious totest its talons against the armor and lance of its foe.

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ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, ORAGONLANCE and FORGOTTEN REALMS are trademarks ownedby and used underlicense from TSR, Inc .

LETTERSMoonmelons Demystified

I am writing to tell you about thegreat job you are doing with the maga-zine . I have no complaints about thenew cover, and I think that havingdifferent types of adventures in themagazine is a great idea .

I have just one question . On page 26of issue #25 ("Of Kings Unknown"), youstated in the second paragraph that"The effects of the moonmelon are per-manent . . . unless magically cured by aheal spell ." In the same paragraph yousay " . . . they [the alterations] are allpermanent whether harmful or helpfuland cannot be altered by heal spells ."Like, whoa, did I miss something?

Jay WestBramalea, Ontario

You didn't miss anything, but wedidn't make the point clear. The effects ofmoonmelons on the parents who eatthem can be cured by a heal spell beforethey produce moonoffspring. Once thesemutated offspring are born, their altera-tions are permanent and cannot be curedby heal spells .

So Start Writing!First of all, congratulations on an

excellent job so far! I enjoy DUNGEON°Magazine immensely. Judging by thequality of the published scenarios, yourselection criteria have proven to behighly successful . However, pleasing allthe people all the time, obviously, doesnot happen, as evident by the lettersyou print . I wish to say something to allthose readers who complain that youare not publishing enough of the typesof modules they wish to see .The good folks at DUNGEON Adven-

tures can only publish the qualitydungeons (emphasis on quality) thatthey receive . So don't ask those hard-working folks to print what they haven'treceived . Instead, ask your friends,neighbors, and especially other readers

4 Issue No . 26

to submit more of the types of dungeonsyou wish to see published .

I hope this message will help to allevi-ate some of the same old replies youhave to write every other month.By the way, I would like to see more of

. . . the same high-quality material youhave been publishing for the past fouryears .

Wayne M. KalliomaaLancaster, California

See, every once in a while we do pub-lish a noncritical letter.

Yes, Sir, That's My BabyNone of my friends believe that my

mom is the editor of DUNGEON Maga-zine because you have a different lastname than I do . You have to print some-thing that proves that you're mymother.

Gloivglobe Coverup

Your daughter,Sarah Deer

Yes, that's my kid-red hair, freckles,and all.

I found a few points of contention withthe module "In the Dread of Night"(issue #24) by Anne Dupuis . I noted thatit had boxed descriptions (I'm highly infavor of them), but there is a problembeginning with room 5 . The last sen-tence of that description reads, "Thereis no glowglobe here." This description,to be read to the players, explains thefunction of the strange globes in theprevious rooms. It is doubtful that thePCs would have discovered by this timethat the only function of the globes wasto provide light. Instead, the party mayview them as scrying devices, sources ofheat, traps, etc . By revealing the name(and thus the function) of the globes,part of the mystery has been banished .Additionally, the boxed text for room 6mentions a portable glowglobe, reveal-

ing to the party that the globes can beportable .

It may be tedious for the DM to say"another of the strange glowing spheresis perched atop the counter," but thatprovides much more realism .Moving along to "A Hitch in Time" by

Willie Walsh, I have only one complaint(which is ever so rare, as Mr. Walsh'swork is very impressive) . My complaintis that there are too many sudden-deathtraps in the module . Granted, in thesetting generally assumed by AD&D°adventures, the possibility of death isvery real . But I highly frown on eventswhich consist of "saving throw or die"situations . Players have worked longand hard on their characters, slowlybuilding them up in power and equip-ment . It can ruin a game when oneunlucky die roll ends everything on thespot . I am not totally against suchevents, but the frequency of them inthis adventure makes it unplayable inmy campaign . I counted seven :the youth statue (not death, but com-plete uselessness is close enough), thevenerable statue, the ledges (falling anddrowning are risks), the repulsion door,box F in room 9 (equivalent to a cloak ofpoisonousness), box G (not even a saveon this one!), and box G again if theheart is destroyed . This last is evenmore unreasonable in that the deathcannot be reversed, "even by divineintervention." While divine action inmy campaigns is very rare, a deity'spower should be able to reverse anyevent, should the characters manage toconvince one to listen .

I sincerely thank you for includingadvertising in DUNGEON Adventures .I'm sure you'll get many commentsfrom readers who are upset that you"ruined" the magazine by includingadvertising, but I am acutely aware ofthe rising costs of printing, and amgrateful that you chose to allow adver-tising instead of increasing the price.

Continued on page 15

DUNGEONT (ISSN 0890-7102) is published bimonthly by TSR, Inc . 201 Sheridan Springs Rd ., Lake Geneva, WI 53147 . The mailing address for all material except subwiptsan orders uF

DUNGEON, PO. 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, S35 in US. funds for surface mail delivery to

any 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 orVISA credit cards . Send subscription orders with payments to : TSR, Inc., PO . Box 5695,BostonMA02206. 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, PO. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147 . For a copy of the current mail-order catalog, write

to 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 . DUNGEON

welcomes 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 be

reproduced from it in whole or in part, without first obtaining written permission from the publisher.O designates registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc . T' designates trademarks owned by TSR, Inc . Most other product names are trademarks owned by the companies publishing those

products . Use of the nameof 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., PO . Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147 .

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They are the shadow government thatcontrols America. Within their files arethe keys to adventures and secrets that

can change the Possibility Wars .Available at Waldenbooks andfine hobby stores .®, T"' 6s 0 1990 West End Games. All Rights Reserved.

BY PAUL F. CULOTTA

Artwork by Ken Widing

THEINHERITANCE

You just got a castle! Andnow for the bad news . . . .

Paul is a lieutenant colonel in the ArmyNational Guard assigned to the Penta-gon (which inspired the military organi-zation ofthe hobgoblins in this adven-ture) . He is also an attorney and an avidAD&D® game player and DM. Paul'swife, Shari, and son, Todd, playtest hismodules with help from the cats, Booand Sasha, who chase the dice that rolloffthe table .

"The Inheritance" is an AD&D adven-ture for 6-8 characters of levels 1-3(about 13 total levels). The well-balancedadventuring party should contain atleast two fighters (one preferably aranger) and one cleric . One of the charac-ters should have no other relatives ex-cept a long-lost uncle (or other relativewho has been missing for a while).The adventure can be adapted to any

game world but is written for theFORGOTTEN REALMS" fantasy set-ting . The DM can use FR1 Waterdeepand the North and FR5 The SavageFrontier to add flavor and suitable ran-dom encounters . If another setting isdesired, the DM can choose any largecity within a week's ride of a mysteriousforest .The stakes involved in this module

are high for a low-level party ; the char-acter who has no other living relativeshas inherited a small keep from a long-lost uncle . To realize the inheritance,however, the keep must be seized froman unfriendly band of hobgoblins . More-over, the uncle specialized in illusionistmagic, and the keep itself has its shareof challenging traps and obstacles.(Note : Hereafter the deceased is re-ferred to in the text simply as "Uncle ."During the course of the adventure, theDM should assign an appropriate nameconsistent with the PC's background.)

Adventure BackgroundThe adventure starts in Waterdeep,with the PCs looking for adventure. Ata suitable time, one of the PCs notices aguard posting an official proclamationin some public place :

NOr1CELer,al Notice is heReby riveN that,UNleSS the last kNOWN l7eiRS of [DMinserts name recognizable by one ofthe PCs as Uncle] come fontl7,

his keep and all possessiONS slhallescheat to the LoRbs of WatenbeepfoneveR without aNy fURthenclaims by sait) lheiRs . Claims must befilet) No latER thaN two weeks fROMthe bate of this Notice, and thePRovisioNs Of the Will fulfillet)WithiN 30 bays . PeRsoNs claimiNCr tobe heirs shoult) apply to the PONOR-able COURt Of the UndensirNeb.

Dateb this

bay ofHanqnove Seedius, Maqisten ofWatenbeep

As indicated on page 17 of FRl Water-deep and the North, a magister is one ofthe judges who administer the laws ofthe City (there are no lawyers). Accord-ingly, Seedius's court should not bedifficult to find ; the DM should place itsomewhere within the Castle Ward ofWaterdeep . Likewise, it should not bedifficult for the PC heir to prove hisrelationship to the deceased (the magis-ter may suggest that the PC secureofficial birth and death records main-tained by one of the temples, for exam-ple). The DM should make this part ofthe adventure a good role-playing oppor-tunity for the players .After lineage has been established,

Magister Seedius relates the following :

"Your uncle's body was brought intotown by a group of merchants fromthe North who discovered it alongthe road just south of Red Larch . Heapparently died from an arrowwound . The only possessions on hisperson were a dagger, a pouch with20 gold pieces, a pen, an empty inkpot, and an old bill of sale ."The merchants found his body

sitting against a large rock, where heapparently wrote out his will on theback of the bill of sale . When he ranout of ink, he finished it with his ownblood . That makes it a holographicwill, one written entirely in thehandwriting of the deceased, and it islegally acceptable even though it isnot witnessed ."The will's conditions are some-

what unusual, but they are legallybinding on the heirs of the estate. Ifthe conditions are not fulfilled, thekeep and all its possessions becomeforfeit to the Lords of Waterdeep . Youhave only thirty days before I must

make my final judgment on the es-tate . I will now read the will . Pleaselisten carefully to ensure you under-stand what must be done."

LAS? WIf-P OFI, [DM insert Uncle's full name], lie

dyingfrom afoul arrow. Invaders came in thenight, assaulted my keep by surprise, and killedall my retainers. these monsters were similar toorcs butfought more fiercely and had in theirservice a large, red-eyed beast that threw mymen-at-arms about like toys . I barely got outmy secret door, but not before one of the crea-tures shot me in the back .

I leave all my property, both real and per-sonal, to any living heir who avenges me byridding my wonderful home ofthese foul creatures

no later than 60 days after my death. It is mydirection that this be done by my heir withouthelp from any but his or her closest companions,so that my heir may prove worthy of the treasureI leave behind and which I trust the monstershave notfound.Avenge me!

"I haven't been able to find outmuch about your uncle . He was arecluse who dabbled in illusionistmagic . A couple oftimes a year, hewould go into Red Larch for supplies .He married a woman from that town,but that is all that is known abouthim. Apparently, he was in goodstanding with the Lords of Water-deep, because the archives hold arecorded deed from the Lords to thedeceased, dated some five years ago .The deed granted him a tract of land10 miles wide by 10 miles long, cen-tered on the southernmost point ofKryptgarden Forest . The keep wasbuilt by a band of dwarves from theNorth and is somewhere in that area,but exactly where no one is sure ; thedwarves have long since departed .Good luck on your quest!"

For the Dungeon Master

As the magister has implied, Uncle wasan illusionist . Some years ago, he savedthe life of one of the Lords ofWaterdeepand was rewarded with a grant of land,money, and the commissioning of amodest keep . The deceased eventuallyfound a wife in Red Larch and took herto the keep, but otherwise kept to him-

The Keep

THE INHERITANCE

self. The wife died two years ago inchildbirth, and the baby with her.Two months ago, a raiding patrol of

the Lostafinga hobgoblin tribe (see side-bar) discovered the keep and mounted asurprise assault at night. Moving qui-etly, they negotiated the moat obstaclesand, with the help oftheir pet (a giantcarnivorous ape), they quickly got overthe walls and overcame the watch. Unclebarely managed to escape through asecret door just after a hobgoblin arrowcaught him in the back .For several days Uncle wandered

toward Red Larch in search of aid, butthe arrow wound took its toll . Just be-fore he died, he wrote out his last will .After the body was found and broughtinto Waterdeep, it was cremated .The main hobgoblin tribe has not

moved into the keep but uses it as anoutpost from which to mount raidsagainst any caravans or merchants thatwander by. The keep is currently heldby a contingent of 21 hobgoblins andone ape . The tribe's chieftain, safelylaired in Kryptgarden Forest, rotates anew troop ofhobgoblins to the keepevery 40 days to patrol the southernpart of the forest . Since the troops arerotated, there are no hobgoblin femalesor children in the keep . Also, the mon-sters have not discovered the maintreasure that the deceased left behind .The DM should allow the PCs to make

any necessary preparations but shouldenforce the terms ofthe will strictly-the heir and his party have only 30 daysto get to the keep, get it cleaned outwith no outside assistance, and get backto file proof oftheir conquest. Proof cantake any number offorms (bringingback the hobgoblin standard, makingsworn statements before the magisterand a cleric with a detect lie spell, etc .)

Travel to the keep should not be muchof a problem until the adventurers turnoff the main road and head towardKryptgarden Forest (see Waterdeep andthe North map) . From then on, the DMshould check four times a day for arandom encounter (twice during day-light and twice at night) . There is abase 1-in-10 chance on each check for arandom encounter. The DM can use the"Temperate Rough or Hilly" encountertable found in the Monstrous Compen-dium, Volume Three, or substituteencounters of his own .

THE INHERITANCE

0 village-./ of Ampf)ail

_h5ancnaQHamlet of

ttassaiarltan-A

TE EEPAIND THE NORTH

The keep itself is about a half mileinside Kryptgarden Forest in the mid-dle of a clearing atop a small hill . Theclearing is about 250' in diameter, andthe keep is square with walls about 100'long and surrounded by a moat . Nomain building or wall towers can beseen, but there is a gatehouse in themiddle of the southern wall . At thegatehouse is a drawbridge that is cur-rently raised .From the forest, the PCs should be

able to see the walls and gatehouse aswell as several humanoid figures patrol-ling along the walls . If the PCs view the

The Hobgoblin Troop

northwest corner, they can see threespears planted, tips out, in the keep sideofthe moat ditch . PCs who climb treesto get a better look can see the standardin the courtyard and can also see thatthe moat appears empty. They may alsoview any other additional activity theDM wishes to improvise (e.g ., a chang-ing of the guard, a small hobgoblinfetching water, etc .).

The particular troop of hobgoblins cur-rently assigned here is the second group

of Lostafingas to occupy the keep (theones that conquered it were rotated toother duties). It is under the commandof Lieutenant Julla (hp 19), who wasrecently commissioned by his sub-chief.This is Julla's first assignment as alieutenant, and he wants to do well . Hesuspects that the keep's owner musthave had more treasure than was foundand believes that it must be somewherein the living room or study (areas 21 or22) . Thus, he has put those rooms offlimits to everyone else in the troop.Julla knows that if he can find the trea-sure he will win great honor with hissub-chief. Julla is vain, arrogant, andunrelenting in battle . He wears a neck-lace with 15 fingers on it (from 10 hu-mans, one half-elf, and four orcs) .Julla is assisted by his two sergeants,

Smut and Cheff (hp 15 each). Theycarry out his orders grudgingly becausethey believe that the lieutenant is aninexperienced greenhorn who could getlost with a map and a lodestone . Theyalso resent Julla's order that puts partofthe keep off limits, and they suspectthat he wants to find the missing trea-sure himself. Both sergeants are ambi-tious and, in time of battle, it would notbe surprising if Lieutenant Julla died attheir hands (50% chance if the battle isgoing the hobgoblins' way) . Neithersergeant will betray the troop, however.Smut has a necklace with 25 fingers (12human and 13 orc), and Cheff has anecklace with 22 fingers (14 human, oneelf, two half-elf, and five orc).The rank-and-file troops are bored

with manning the keep . They are suspi-cious of Lieutenant Julla's orders andthey wonder why they haven't been outon more patrols to find loot (as well asfingers!) . This morale problem worksagainst the adventurers, however, be-cause the hobgoblins consider a fight awelcome change of pace . They will plowright into a melee and not surrender(it's the Lostafinga way, after all).Veterans of the troop use nicknames

(assigned by the sergeants) for eachother. These nicknames are based onsome habit, appearance, or deed . Realnames are used for the rookies until thesergeants come up with a fitting nick-name . Sergeants and officers are alwaysreferred to by rank and real name .One trooper with no nickname is

Grinkle (Int 10, hp 4), a poor excuse ofa wimpy hobgoblin who was made awarrior only due to his father's influ-ence with the chief. Julla uses Grinkle

as an aide to fetch his food and drinkand to clean up after him . More infor-mation about Grinkle is found in thedescription of area 18 . Grinkle has anecklace with one finger on it (from ahalfling), and most of the troop believethat he got that as a gift from his father.

There are many fell creatures in thesavage frontier ofthe ForgottenRealms, and not the least among themare the hobgoblins of the Lostafingatribe . For many years they have dis-rupted the land near the northern andcentral parts of Kryptgarden Forest byambushing trade caravans, driving offsettlers and woodsmen, and attackinganyone unfortunate enough to encoun-ter them . The tribe, ruled by a hugehobgoblin chieftain named Shar-Kee,numbers around 500 males, 400 fe-males, and 600 children . Highly disci-plined and well-organized, theLostafingas are ruthless in battle anddo not surrender.The Lostafingas are distinctive in

dress, appearance, and tactics . Survi-vors (there are few) of ambushed cara-vans report that these hobgoblinsachieve complete surprise becausethey paint their skin and armor withcolored pigments that blend with thenatural terrain . Thus, a peacefulwoodland may suddenly erupt with afrenzied surprise attack of snarlinghobgoblins and well-trained rampag-ing carnivorous apes (the tribe has 20of these creatures) . The only hint ofsuch an ambush is the dead silencethat surrounds the hobgoblins' posi-tion (the birds and other animals havefled the area).The name "Lostafinga" comes from

the exploits of one Gar-Nu-Kee, adistant ancestor of the current chief.According to tribal legend, Gar-Nu-Kee led the tribe on its trek from themountains of the far north to a prom-ised land revealed to him by Maglu-biyet, god of the hobgoblins . Uponarrival in Kryptgarden, the tribe wasaccosted by a huge ancient greendragon (named Krazel) and her threechildren . The dragons demanded regu-lar hobgoblin sacrifices to satisfy theirhunger in exchange for the tribe's

Grinkle speaks Common and carries hisfamily's third-best long sword.Rat-Nose, Chowhound, and Snurt

(hp 7 each), the troop's three archers,are tough soldiers who take their jobseriously. They are well disciplined andare the most likely to object to criticism

The Lostafinga Hobgoblin Tribe

right to live in the forest .Even though refusal meant certain

annihilation, Gar-Nu-Kee bravelystepped forward and told the dragonthat its demand was foolish since hob-goblins were tough, stringy, and tastedawful . Furious, Krazel knocked downthe insulting hobgoblin, told him thatshe would be the judge of that, and thentook a nibble-Gar-Nu-Kee's left pinkyfinger. It tasted as bad as he had pre-dicted, and the dragon spat it out andreleased him . Gar-Nu-Kee then negoti-ated an arrangement with Krazelwhereby they would live in harmony byproviding mutual security, with thehobgoblins providing "tasty" (i .e ., non-hobgoblin) sacrifices to the dragonsfrom time to time .Based on this legend, the hobgoblins

took the name "Lostafinga" for theirtribe in honor of Gar-Nu-Kee's courage,cunning, and sacrifice . They alsostarted the ritual of severing the leftsmall finger from a dead foe in the be-lief (encouraged by the tribal shamans)that doing so transports the soul of thedead one to Maglubiyet for service as aslave for eternity. Because of this prac-tice, all Lostafinga warriors carry asmall hand axe in addition to theirnormal weapons.Females hobgoblins learn to mummify

these severed forgers and make neck-laces of them . These are worn openly,because the more fingers a warrior hason his necklace, the higher esteem(called "spug" by the hobgoblins) he hasfrom his peers . Unusually large fingers(such as from giants, ogres, etc .) are notworn but are pickled and displayedproudly in hobgoblin lairs . There arefew ofthese curios for obvious reasons .Legends are based largely on truth,

and there is some evidence to the Losta-fmga legend . There have been occasionalreports of green dragons seen aroundKryptgarden Forest . The Lostafingas

THE INHERITANCE

of their superiors . Most of the othertroopers resent this attitude and thinkthat the archers are trying to get extrafavors . Rat-Nose gets his name from hisparticularly long and sensitive nose . Hehas a necklace with eight fingers (sevenhuman and one orc). Chowhound's name

have never demanded ransom for anycaptives . Heavily armed contingentshave gone into the woods but only onelone survivor has come out . He wasinsane and incoherently raved aboutthe jaws ofthe "big, green worm."Adventurers who brave the depths of

Kryptgarden Forest are likely to findout how much of the legend is true andhow much is not . One thing is certain :the Lostafingas and their allies willprovide stiff opposition .Lostafinga hobgoblins differ slightly

from those listed in Monstrous Com-pendium. They are organized intotroops of 22 hobgoblins, each of whichincludes a lieutenant and two ser-geants. A troop on an independentmission usually also includes a carniv-orous ape and its handler. Five troops(a company) are commanded by a sub-chief. They are all ruled over by Shar-Kee, the chief ofthe tribe .Hobgoblin trooper : Int 8 ; AL LE;

AC 5; MV 9; HD 1 + 1 ; THACO 19 ;#AT 1 ; Ding by weapon type ; SZ M;ML 12 ; XP 35 ; MC .Hobgoblin sergeant : HD 1 + 1 ; hp

9 ; Ding by weapon type (long sword);XP 40 ; other statistics as for hobgoblintrooper.Hobgoblin lieutenant : AC 4 ; HD 2 ;

THACO 19 ; #AT 1 ; Dmg by weapontype (long sword, whip) ; SA +2 ondamage rolls due to strength ; XP 45;other statistics as for hobgoblinsergeant .Hobgoblin sub-chief: Int 9 ; AC 3 ;HD 3 ; hp 16 ; THACO 17 ; #AT 1 ; XP65 ; other statistics as for hobgoblinlieutenant .Shar-Kee (chief): Int 10 ; AC 2 ; HD

4; hp 22 ; THACO 17 ; #AT 1 ; Dmg byweapon type (long sword +2, morningstar +1); SA +3 on damage rolls dueto strength ; XP 175 ; banded armor+2; other statistics as for hobgoblinsub-chief.

THE INHERITANCE

is the result of his habit of looting foodbefore treasure . His necklace containsfour human, one gnome, and three orefingers. Snurt, the rookie, is still knownby his real name . He does not have anecklace but is anxious to earn his firstforger.The archers can attack twice per

round with their long bows (Ding 1-6/1-6) or can close to attack once per roundwith their long swords (Ding 1-8) . Theydon't carry treasure about with them .The infantry troopers are Boar-

Breath, Strong-Thrust, Scratchy,Deathstar, Smasher, Lucky, Fumble-foot (hp 7 each), Bear-Killer, Ringo,Backtalk, Jurmane, Slyfund, andGar-Nuuk-Ko (hp 6 each). These areJulla's shock troops, the bad guys whowade in after the archers have warmedup the opposition with afew arrows. Forall of the sergeants' faults, they havetrained these infantry hobgoblins intovery good fighters with halberds andmorning stars. They have also startedthem training with the archers to im-prove their skills .The infantry troops are fairly well

disciplined (except for Backtalk) al-though they have suspicions and doubts

1 0 Issue No. 26

about Lieutenant Julla. They pridethemselves on bravery and being"spug" (the hobgoblin equivalent ofmacho). As a result, fights break outevery now and then. Although great atfighting and looting, they are not thebest housekeepers . Except for the rook-ies, each has a necklace with 2-8 fingersof various types (one of Bear-Killer's is afinger from ablack bear paw) .Monkey-Love (hp 8), the ape handler,

got his nickname from the great care hegives Redeye, his carnivorous ape. Anyhobgoblin whomakes a crack aboutMonkey-Love's pet runs the risk of be-coming the object of a spontaneousgame of "toss the hobgoblin." No oneexcept a naive rookie would ever teaseMonkey-Love. The infantry troops agreethat, if Monkey-Love had to make achoice between feeding Redeye and therest of the troop, he would feed the ape .Monkey-Love hasa necklace of ninefingers (six humanand three ore) andhe also wears a belt of 50 fingers fromenemies that Redeye has slain in battle(33 human, 12 ore, one elf, one dwarf,and three half-elf) . He carries a well-used morning star.The huge ape, Redeye, got his name

not from his appearance (although hiseyes are red), but from the time thatChowhound slipped him asmall tun ofwine from alooted caravan (Monkey-Love had been knocked unconscious inthe battle). The troop took great glee atthe ape's antics until Monkey-Lovecame to, and then it took both Smut andCheff to pull him off Chowhound. Ittook Redeye and Chowhound two daysto recover (the ape from his drink andChowhound from his lumps) .Redeye (carnivorous ape) : Int low; AL

N; AC 6; MV 12 (9 in trees) ; HD 5; hp36; THACO 15; #AT3; Ding 1-4/1-4/1-8 ;SA throw victim into pit (see details atarea 13); SD +2 bonus to surprise ; SZ L;ML 11 ; XP 175 ; MC .The DM should note that, in addition

to the hobgoblins' listed weapons, eachcarries the ritual hand axe (Ding 1-6/1-4).

Hobgoblin Defense Plan

Since hobgoblins have infravision andcan fight without penalty in daylight,they go on alert and attack at any boldapproach by the adventurers. There isvery little cover or concealment for ahidden approach . Presumably, the PCswill remember Uncle's words in the willabout his secret door and look for it

instead of entering through the maingate .Only avery strong party of adventur-

ers will succeed in a direct assault,because the hobgoblins have a gooddefense procedure. In the event that thePCs try to assault the keep, a gongalarm sounds in the gatehouse. Use thedescriptions ofthe ground level andupper level of the keep and rouse thehobgoblins in the sequence indicatedbelow (monsters from the lower level allemerge from area 7) :

Round 1. Three armored hobgoblinsin area 6 awaken the other nine thatare sleeping. Lieutenant Julla, in area19, gets a saving throw vs . spells . If theroll is successful, he comes out of histrance . If not, he gets another roll eachround until he saves or the fight on theupper level quiets down . Ifhe comes to,he will arrive two rounds after he isfreed from the mirror's curse.Round 2. The three armored hobgob-

lins from area 6 come out and go to thewalls.Round 3. No hobgoblins arrive in this

round.Round 4. Grinkle (area 18) arrives.

Grinkle hides in shadows or darknessand will throw his lot in with the sidethat gains the upperhand . The nineother hobgoblins from area 6 havedonned their armor andcome out.Round 5. Monkey-Love andRedeye

(area 13) arrive along with Backtalk(area 15).Round 6. If the PCs are not on the

walls, the portcullis is raised and thedrawbridge lowered. Julla leads most ofthe hobgoblins and the ape out of thekeep to destroy the party.Round 7. The two sergeants from area

21 arrive .

Upper Level

1 . Perimeter Wall. Rat-Nose andChowhound patrol the 20'-high walls.They are quite alert, and nothing lessthan invisible characters can approachthe wall without detection. The wall isblock masonry, built up 4' above thelevel ofthe walkway. Set into the north-ern wall is a 15'-tall smokestack thatemits smoke from area 6 andthe lowerlevel fireplaces . If they are attackedwhile behind the walls, the hobgoblins'armor class is reduced to 3.

2. Gatehouse. This 20'x 40' roomabove the entry to the keep is mannedby Snurt, who observes the approach tothe drawbridge at all times. During theday, adventurers can see smoke comingfrom the small chimney of this struc-ture ; at night, faint light shinesthrough the window slits. Like the twosentries on the walls, the hobgoblinhere is alert. If intruders are detected,Snurt clangs a metal gong inside thegatehouse to alert the rest of the troop.He also keeps a pot of oil simmeringandready to pour down the murderholes located directly above the draw-bridge (Dmg 3-18 to those in the 10'x20' below, save vs . breath weapon forhalf damage). If attacked by someoneoutside the gatehouse, Snurt's armorclass is reduced to 1.

Ground Level

3. Moat . The moat is 10' deep . Itdrops off steeply on the forest side, butthere is a gentler slope on the side near-est the keep . The moat appears empty,but Uncle implanted numerous heavyspears tips out in the embankment, andthen made them invisible . Three ofthese spears are visible in the north-west corner of the moat, where thehobgoblins first tried to sneak in. AnyPC moving up the far side toward thewall has a 1-in-4 chance of running intoa spear (1-in-2 chance ifrunning) andtaking 1-6 hp damage . Anyone knockedor pushed off the wall has a 1-in-3chance of hitting a spear in addition tothe 2d6 hp damage from the fall .

4. Drawbridge and Portcullis . Thedrawbridge is presently up and theportcullis is down . The drawbridge issolidly built of wood and can be openedor dosed by awheel and chains at loca-tion 4A . The portcullis is made of ironbars and car. be raised or lowered by thewbee : arc I-.ams at location 4B .

5. Stable . This once held Uncle'slivistock, but now all that's left is onesorry-looking pony on the verge of star-ration- An animal friendship spell willautomatically work with her. The onecart remaining in the stable is in goodoperating condition.

Guard Barracks. Successful lis-ceaing at the door reveals mutteredtalking and snoring. A dozen hobgoblintroopers share this room furnished with

bunk beds, a table and chairs, and afireplace. Theroom is in disarray. All ofthe beds are unmade; the floor hasn'tbeen swept in along time ; and weapons,shields, and other junk are strewnabout. Nine,of the hobgoblins are sleep-ing, and three (Deathstar, Lucky, andJurmane) are sitting at the table play-ing some game with sticks, bones, andstones . These three are fully armoredand awaiting their shift on guard dutyon the wall. The others have removedtheir armor and are sleeping soundly.

If the adventurers burst in, the hobgob-lins are automatically surprised. Thesleeping ones wake up after the initialround and grab the closest weapons athand . All the hobgoblins fight fiercelyand will not surrender. Unarmored hob-goblins have an armor class of 10 .

If alerted by the guard in the gate-house, the three armored hobgoblinsspend one round waking the other nine,then go outside to man the walls. Thenine remaining hobgoblins take threeadditional rounds to buckle on theirarmor, grab weapons, etc., before emerg-ing to assist .Searching through the hobgoblins'

belongings yields a total of 30 gp and121 sp .

7. Well Room. Stairs going down tothe lower level (area 14) take up thewestern part of this 25'x 25' room . Inthe southeast corner is a 4'-diameterwell with abucket and rope nearby. Thewell shaft goes down 60' to a pure un-derground spring . The door in thenortheast corner leads out to the court-yard (area 9).

8. Midden. In the southern part ofthis 25'x 25' room is a stone ledge withthree apertures for dumping waste. Thesmell here is very bad.

9. Courtyard. Thecourtyard is pavedstone with grass growing between thecracks . One paving stone at the centerof the yard has been torn out, and anugly standard has been planted in theground . It is a dirty mustard-yellowcloth banner emblazoned with a pictureof a grisly, hairy hand that is missingits pinky finger. This is the troop stand-ard of the Lostafinga tribe. Taking itback to Waterdeep and showing it toMagister Seedius will serve as proofthat the conditions ofthe will have beenfulfilled.

THE INHERITANCE

UNCLE'S KEEPUpper Level N1 square =10'

Mausoleum and Lower Level

10. The Mausoleum. East of the keepand about 500' into the forest is anotherclearing that contains a small stonemausoleum with no windows and onedoor. South ofthis building are a smallshrine to the goddess Mystra and twograves . The door of the mausoleum ismade of heavy wood andboundwithsilver bands and hinges . It is also lockedwith a large iron lock, and someone haswritten on the door in hobgoblin: "KeepOut! Danger! This means you, stupid!"Inspection of the tombstones on the

graves reveals the names of Uncle'swife from RedLarch and that of a child.The dates of death are the same.

In the northeast corner of the mauso-leum is a massive stone coffin that atone time was apparently boundby sil-ver bands; they are nowbroken open .The lid to the crypt is propped againstthe crypt itself. In the northwest cornerare some pieces of rusting armor, abroken halberd, and some bones. Hidingbehind the coffin is a ghoul.

If the door to this room is enteredafter sunset, the ghoul inside immedi-ately emerges and attacks, fighting

DUNGEON 11

THE INHERITANCE

UNCLE'S KEEP

Ground Level

N

1 square =10'

Exposedspears

3=

until destroyed . If before sunset, itwaits until someone in the party comesup to the coffin before attacking. Theghoul will not leave the mausoleumduring daylight hours .Ghoul: Int low; AL CE; AC 6 ; MV 9;HD 2; hp 16 ; THACO 19 ; #AT 3 ; Dmg1-3/1-3/1-6 ; SA paralyzation; SD im-mune to sleep and charm spells ; SZ M;ML 12 ; XP 175 ; MC.The ghoul was a particularly evil lord

of Red Larch who was buried alive bythe town's citizens hundreds ofyearsago . In his wickedness, he became aghoul . After one escape, the ghoul wasrecaptured (via a web spell), and thecitizens built this place for him to suffereternally.After taking the keep, the hobgoblins

found the mausoleum and investigated .When they broke the silver bands hold-ing the stone coffin lid in place, theghoul burst out and the hobgoblins fledin terror (all but one who was para-lyzed ; it is his remains that decorate thenorthwest corner) . The silver bands andhinges were enough to keep the ghoulbehind the door, and the hobgoblin sub-chief who conquered the keep orderedthe door locked (the original silver lock

had been smashed open) .The silver bands are worth 15 gp

each, and the hinges and bands on thedoor are worth 20 gp each . The ghoulhas no treasure, and its crypt is empty.

11. Secret Entrance. Just south ofthe mausoleum is a small shrine to thegoddess Mystra on a stone pedestal .Close inspection ofthe 4'-diameter ped-estal reveals a few drops of dried blood .The pedestal can be moved aside easilyto reveal a shaft going straight down;built into the side of the shaft is awooden ladder. This is Uncle's secretescape, and the blood stains are his . Theladder is sturdy and goes down 50' .

12 . Tunnel. At the bottom of the shaftis a tunnel that goes due west . Thetunnel walls, floor, and ceiling are ofshored up with timbers every 10' . It is5' wide and 8' high . After 650', thetunnel stops abruptly at a masonrywall . There is a secret door here (auto-matically found due to the many cluesand evidence) that leads to area 13 . Thedoor pulls open toward the PCs . Suc-cessful listening at the secret door (-5%chance due to the thickness of the wall)

reveals indistinguishable talking andgrunting .

13. Pet Room. This is a 30'X 30' roomseparated into two halves by a 10'-widepit . Two boards lie across the pit like abridge, joining the two sides . On thewest side of the pit, a hobgoblin is pet-ting the head of a large ape that is con-tentedly munching on a piece of meat .The hobgoblin, Monkey-Love, is sur-

prised automatically. The PCs and Red-eye, the ape, should roll for surprisenormally (the party will not be sur-prised if one of the PCs successfullyheard noises ; the ape gets a +2 bonus toits roll). The PCs may try to knock thehobgoblin or ape into the pit in thecenter of the room, doing so on a suc-cessful to-hit roll on AC 10 plus a suc-cessful open doors roll (hobgoblin) orbend bars roll (ape) .

If Redeye hits with both hands, hewill not bite the victim or inflict rend-ing damage . Instead, he automaticallythrows the PC into the pit . Beingknocked or thrown into the 20'-deep pitinflicts 2-12 hp damage . The monstersfight to the death ; they know they aretoo far away from their comrades to gethelp . Neither Monkey-Love nor Redeyehas any treasure .On the west side of the room is an

unlocked door. The pit can be crossedsafely using the boards laid across it asthey are quite strong and thick .Uncle built this room so that he could

cross, knock the boards into the pit, andthen escape through the secret doorwhile any invaders were delayed. Thisworked well except that, when the hob-goblins invaded, he was shot in the backwith an arrow before he reached thisroom . Since the invasion, the hobgob-lins have retrieved the boards from thepit and use the room to keep Redeyesafely in place . Redeye can jump the pitwith a 60% chance of success (80% if soordered by Monkey-Love).

14 . Intersection Corridor. This30'X 20' corridor has an open archwayin the south wall . Beyond the archway,a staircase leads up to the ground floorofthe keep (area 7) . Wooden doors in thewest and north wall are unlocked .There are sconces in the walls for hold-ing torches, but they are empty. Listen-ing successfully at the northern doorreveals muttered hobgoblin cursingfrom area 15 .

O

5 6

_V9 I _

~7 8A B o 0 0

15. Dining Room. This is a largefeasting and dining room . Piled on the30'-long table and stacked on the floorare heaps of dirty dishes, cups, spoons,leftovers, and the aftermath of a fren-zied food fight . A lone cursing hobgoblinis busy collecting dishes in a pile . Heturns at the sound ofthe door and tossesthe dishes aside . Pulling out a morningstar, the creature shouts something inhobgoblin as he attacks . Those whounderstand the hobgoblin languagehear him say, "Oh, good, I didn't wantto do the dishes anyway!"This hobgoblin is Backtalk. True to

his name, he angered Sergeant Smutand was given the job of cleaning thedishes . He welcomes the opportunity tovent his frustration on the adventurers .He has no treasure .Although Uncle was a recluse to the

outside world, he did live in style, andhe always remembered his servants'birthdays with parties in this room . Thefloor ofthe fireplace is covered with athick layer of paper ashes . The door inthe northeast corner is unlocked, and nonoise can be heard from the other side .There is also a secret door in the north-west corner that leads to area 20 .

16. Kitchen. This room contains theusual fixtures and implements. Like thedining room, it is a mess . Other thanthe hobgoblins' garbage and dirty potsand pans, there is nothing of interest inhere . An observant character might seethat there is a considerable amount ofash from paper in the fireplace, sincethe hobgoblins use books from the study(area 22) for kindling . There is an irondoor in the west wall that is very cold tothe touch .

17 . Freezer. The temperature in hereis below freezing . Hanging from hooksare the carcasses ofvarious creatures .Uncle once befriended a wandering druidand persuaded him to cast a controltemperature spell to bring this roombelow freezing. He then used a perma-nency spell from a scroll to create a per-manent freezer to preserve foodstuffs .

18 . Connecting Corridor. This longcorridor is lit by torches in sconces . Ithas doors on the west, east, and northsides. A hobgoblin is sweeping up thehallway. When he sees the adventurers,he drops his broom, raises his hands, andcries out in Common, "Hey! I give up!Don't shoot! Don't hurt me! I surrender!"

UNCLE'S KEEPLower Level

This hobgoblin is Grinkle, the wimp ofthe hobgoblin troop . His father dis-owned him and, through connectionswith the chief, placed him in the troop"to make a real hobgoblin out ofhim"(Grinkle has always resented this) . Inany fight he will hang well back whenthe fighting gets fierce, for he has al-ways believed that brains can accom-plish more than brawn. Hence, whenconfronted by the PCs, he is not aboutto fight except in self-defense .Grinkle's surrender is genuine . If he

isn't treated roughly, he can tell thePCs about Lieutenant Julla in area 19and that the two sergeants are snoopingaround farther north. He does not knowabout the trap in area 20 or what lies inareas 21 or 22, since these rooms wereput off limits (except that there were alot of books somewhere in that area thatburned well in the dining room andkitchen) . If promised an opportunity tojoin the party (and he will suggest this),Grinkle reveals the number of hobgob-lins upstairs. Since the troop arrived atthe keep, Grinkle has been waiting onLieutenant Julla hand and foot and hasbeen the butt ofjokes from the othertroopers . He therefore feels no loyalty to

THE INHERITANCE

N

0

1 square =10'

his fellow troopers .The DM may allow Grinkle to stay

with the party indefinitely as an NPC .If so, it should become apparent thatGrinkle's talents are in thieving, sneak-ing, talking, and (surprisingly) cooking,but not in fighting. Despite these skills,no amount of effort short of magic candisguise him to look like anything but ahobgoblin . Grinkle can serve as anapprentice to a thief.No noise is heard from the northern

door. A successful listener at the west-ern door hears a guttural humming.Neither door is locked .

19 . Master Bedroom. This room isfurnished with a large, comfortable bed,a chest of drawers, a chest, and an easychair with hassock. The bed linens aredirty and stained, and dirty cups anddishes are scattered about . Standingbefore a mirror mounted on the south

'wall is a large hobgoblin holding a pieceof cloth . The hobgoblin is staring at hisreflection in admiration and hummingcontentedly.This is Julla, the hobgoblin lieutenant

in charge ofthe troop . A few hours ago

THE INHERITANCE

TRAPDIAGRAMArea 20

r4 f=_==t

he pulled offthe cloth covering Uncle'senchanted mirror. This mirror causesthe viewer to become enamored withhimself unless a saving throw vs . spellsis successful . Julla is tremendouslyvain, and he missed his save miserably.He stands totally oblivious to anyonecoming into the room as he smootheshis eyebrows, adjusts his hair, andwipes crumbs off his lips . Uncle wouldleave the mirror uncovered wheneverhe was out of the room as a trap forwould-be thieves .Any attack will bring Julla out of his

trance, and he will fight hard and to thedeath, bellowing for Grinkle's assist-ance (no luck there!). An initial backattack by the PCs will automaticallysucceed, as will any reasonable methodused to slay Julla.The lieutenant carries a pouch with

25 gp and two keys . One key opens thelock to the mausoleum (area 10) . Theother opens the chest in this room.There is nothing of interest in or

around the bed, chair, hassock, or chestof drawers . The mirror cannot be re-moved from the wall without breakingit (and if several adventurers are af-fected by the mirror, another PC may

14 Issue No . 26

have to do just that!). The chest containsa broken silver lock, 400 sp and twogems (each worth 150 gp) . The silverlock is from the mausoleum and worth10 gp . At the DM's option, there mayalso be a letter, written in hobgoblin,from Julla's commander (a sub-chief),giving Julla orders and instructions .Such a letter might lead to interestingfollow-up adventures .

20. Illusionary Trap Room. This isan oddly configured room as there is aTshaped pit dividing it into three parts .The southwest and southeast cornersare 10' square ; the northern section is10'X 20' . These three floor sections areconnected by stout-looking boardsbolted into the floor. Iron angle bracesbolted into the sides of the pit and thebottom of the boards make the boardsvery stable . On the far north wall is aclosed wooden door. Resting against thewall are two additional boards .

If an adventurer looks down into thepit, he can see that it is about 20' deep .There is a brownish-red stain on the pitfloor under the boards.The middle 3' of each board is a per-

manent illusion created by Uncle toprevent intruders from reaching hisinner sanctum . The outer ends oftheboards test just fine, but when someonereaches the middle, there is nothing butempty space and the pit below . Thebrownish-red stain on the floor is fromthe first hobgoblin who tried to crossover via the boards . After this accident,Lieutenant Julla put all areas north ofthis room off limits to the rest ofthetroop, as it is obvious that this trapmust be guarding something valuable .The two boards leaning against the

wall on the other side of the pit arequite sturdy and were used by Smutand Cheff, the two hobgoblin sergeantssearching in area 21 . The door to area21 is not locked . Successful listening atit can pick up muffled sounds of anargument.

21 . Living Room.

This ransacked room is lit by thetorches held by two arguing hobgob-lins in the northeast corner. Theroom's once-luxurious sofa, chair, andhassock have had their stuffing tornout . Pictures and tapestries havebeen ripped from the walls andthrown about .

One hobgoblin is saying to theother (in hobgoblin) "I'm telling you,something's here, Smut!"The other replies, "And I'm telling

you, there's nothing here:'

The two hobgoblin sergeants, Smutand Cheff, are both ambitious and havefigured that Lieutenant Julla put thispart ofthe keep off limits so that he canfind all the treasure (and get all thecredit) himself. They are holding aninvolved discussion in which Cheffcontends loudly that he has found some-thing that looks like a secret compart-ment . Smut, on the other hand, ishaving second thoughts about disobey-ing orders and is anxious to get backbefore they are caught . Thus, if the PCstake reasonable precautions to enterquietly, they may hear further details ofthis argument and will surprise the twosergeants automatically. When thehobgoblins notice the adventurers, theythrow down their torches, pull out theirswords, and attack . The sergeants eachhave 5 gp . They fight to the death.All of the furniture, tapestries, and

other items in the room have been ru-ined in the search for Uncle's treasure .There is a secret door in the northeastcorner (Cheff spotted it) that leads toarea 23 .

22 . Study. This is another ransackedroom, with ruined pictures and otheritems scattered about . There is also adesk that has been reduced to splinters .The built-in bookcases that line theroom area empty ; Uncle's library hasbeen used to start fires in the kitchenand dining hall . A successful check forsecret doors, however, reveals a smallsliding wall panel . The recess behindthe panel holds a scroll (containing thespells wall offog, magic missile, andTasha's uncontrollable hideous laughter,all at 8th level) and a wand ofparalyza-tion with six charges .

23 . Treasure Room. This small roomappears totally empty except for a pairof metal gauntlets in the middle of theroom . There is also an invisible un-locked chest in the northeast corner.The chest is covered with contact poisonthat has weakened over time (save vs .poison at +4 or die, unless one is wear-ing the gloves or similar protection) .

Continuedon page 36

Continued from page 4

As a last comment (more like a query),I have always wondered howyou reviewmodules once they reach your desk . Iassume you and/or your staff read themthoroughly, but is there more? Do youhave groups around Lake Geneva play-test them? Is there a "crack team ofplayers" who dutifully sits for days onend reviewing manuscripts? Or do youhave aresident wizard who has thespells detect quality and revise alwayson hand?

Alan GrimesKansas City, Missouri

Some modules are playtested by theirauthors and others aren't. We use thecombined gaming expertise ofthe staff toread through adventures for both read-ability and playability. If the authorincludes a strange game mechanic, wemay spend a lunch hour playtesting partof an adventure to-work out the kinks,but that's very rare . We simply don'thave the time to run every adventure wepublish, so we value your feedback . It isinvaluable to other DMs who plan to runmodules from DUNGEON Adventures .

Marvel Pros and Cons

I recently received issue #25 andwasamazed to find a MARVEL SUPERHEROES"' game inside! I think that'sgreat! I was wondering if youweregoing to include Teenage Mutant NiniaTurtle adventures in your magazine (ifyou get any) .

I would also like to congratulate PaulMay on his adventure, "The StandingStones of Sundown." The vrock was apretty powerful enemy.

If you print my letter, please print myfull address.

Kai Hardy57 Kuder

Akron, Ohio 44303

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Ithought the day would never arrive thatDUNGEON Magazine would startprinting modules for theMARVELSUPERHEROES game . Issue #25proved me wrong.For years I could only find Marvel

adventures at my bookstore, and thenonly if I was lucky. My players (whoseMarvel characters had not been used inmonths) were even more excited than I

was. So we decided to try the adventurethat very night, even though a meetingwasn't scheduled for almost aweek .We all loved it . One of my players

told me that "Hellfire Hostages" wasthe best thing he'd ever seen in yourmagazine . Well, I don't actually agreewith that, but I can say that I woulddefinitely like to see more adventuresfor Marvel characters in DUNGEONMagazine.

I was, however, very disappointed tosee that you've stooped to the level ofusing outside advertising . I was aboutto send you a letter ofpraise for avoid-ing it for so long. Then you gave in .Why? It's not as if you need the moneyor something. We subscribers pay for 63pages of TSRrole-playing games. Print-ing advertisements cheats us of this.Also, do you have any specific formats

for the writing of solo adventures? Yourwriters' guidelines give no clues aboutthis .Please thank John Blumen for me.

His cover painting for issue #25 wasawesome. And if you do print this letter,please include my full address. Thanks .

Chris Moulthrop110 Cottonwood Lane

Coraopolis, Pennsylvania 15108

The inclusion of advertising inDUNGEON Adventures is a businessdecision, not an editorial one. We planon bringing you at least the same num-ber ofpages ofadventure as always .We've addedpages to this issue to makeroom for the advertising, so that itdoesn't take space away from the text.Solo adventures can be written two

ways . Adventures for one DM and oneplayer should be written in our standardformat, with sections for the DM, for thePC, etc. Solo adventures meant to beplayed by only one person generally aredesigned in the numberedparagraphformat (see issue #20, "White Fang").Adventures in this format should besubmitted with a flow chart so that wecan follow the plot diversions graphi-cally. Ifyou can devise some other way toproduce a solo adventure, send us aproposal. We're always willing to trysomething new.

I'd like to congratulate your fine ef-forts on a fantastic RPG magazine! TheMarvel module in the September/October issue (#25) was great! AllenVarney did a superb job, and I would

enjoy seeing Marvel modules more oftenin future issues .

Joshua KlosChicago, Illinois

I am thoroughly disgusted with you.Your publication of a MARVEL SUPERHEROES module is a waste of goodmagazine space. Not long ago, the read-ers were arguing about whether D&D©modules should be included in the mag-azine, and nowyou put in an entirelydifferent gaming system! One moduleper issue isn't enough material to help aMarvel campaign anyway, so pleasedon't publish another Marvel module .After all, the name of the magazine isDUNGEON, not HERO. Please printmy address if for some reason you printthis completely negative letter.

Oliver Homann117 Ridgeland Rd .

Tallahassee, Florida 32312

I just received my copy of issue #25and, upon seeing that it included some-thing other than D&D andAD&D mod-ules, was compelled to write to you.Last August I came across acopy ofyour magazine in a store and found theconcept of several small, well-writtenmodules in one issue of abi-monthlymagazine to be excellent. Upon findingthat it also contained nothing otherthan D&D and AD&D game modules,and wouldn't print anything else,I became an instant subscriber. Sincethen, I have attempted to gain as manyof your back issues as possible but be-came appalled that you were switchingto AD&D 2ndEdition. Nevertheless, Istill found your publication to be a greatsource of cheap, well-written modules.When I found that you arenow print-

ing non-D&D andnon-AD&D modules, Ifelt I had to write and tell you that Idisagree. DUNGEON Magazine is pur-chased by people whoplay D&D andAD&D games andfew play anythingelse . My players and I all have our budg-ets strained just trying to buy those few1st Edition manuals we never got before.We don't, and probably never will, haveenough money to convert to 2nd Edition.Nowto find that some of my money is tobe spent on games that neither I noranyone else in my group plays or couldafford to play is horrible . Your magazineis so good and so widely purchased

LETTERS

Continued on page 56

OPERATION :FIRE SALEBY JOHN TERRA

Secrets : Get 'ern whilethey're red hot .

Artwork by Jim Holloway

This is John's second adventure inDUNGEON° Magazine, and it has spe-cial significance for him. His free-lancedebut was a pair of TOP SECRETarticles for DRAGON° Magazine, so in asense he's come full circle. Ifhe writesany more TOP SECRETIS.L" adven-tures, he promises to pick a locale thatdoesn't have big political changes occur-ring every other day. John's gaminggroup, the RPGA- Network club knownas "The Valiant Thirteenth Regiment,"play-tested this adventure . They suc-ceeded, though two PCs died and onewas captured.

"Operation : Fire Sale" is a TOPSECRET/S.I . adventure for 4-S agents .Though the adventure can be run usingnewly created agents, it is best suitedfor PCs who have gone on at least twoprevious missions . It is strongly recom-mended that the team contain PCs whohave at least fourth-level skill in En-glish, German, and/or Russian.The Administrator should have a copy

of TSAC1 G4 File: Guns, Gadgets, andGetaway Gear, which details the variousguns and cars mentioned in this adven-ture . The TSAC5 Commando source-book gives additional information onsome of the military skills and advan-tages that are not listed in the basic set .The basic monetary unit of West Ger-

many is the deutsche mark, or Germanmark (abbreviated DM). The exchangerate for marks to American dollars maybe checked by the Administrator priorto running the adventure, but a value of$1 = DM 2 may be assumed instead .

Espionage AgenciesThis adventure can be run using agentsfrom a fictitious agency such as Orion,or agents from a real espionage agency.For those players who want a non-Orionfictitious agency, consider the following:ICICLE (Intercontinental Commission

on Investigations, Counterterrorism,and Law Enforcement) is an extremelysecret organization based in Coventry,England . Founded by five wealthy,retired NATO spies, ICICLE is primar-ily a pro-Western organization, thoughthe founders were wise and experiencedenough to realize that sometimes eventhe good guys don't act in their ownbest interests . Therefore, ICICLE'smain goal is to protect the West andNeutral nations in spite of themselves,and to make sure that the world isn't

blown up by the West, East, or sometoaaligned power.This often puts ICICLE at odds with

Western as well as Communist agenciesAD&D` game fans should picture theForgotten Realms' Harpers, but in the20th century!) . Though ICICLE is aworld-wide network, it does not have anabundance of power or personnel inevery nation . In fact, its resources arespread rather thin, and agents usuallyhave little backup . This doesn't bothertruly skilled agents, since many feelthat the mere knowledge of havingbackup at their disposal makes themsloppy in their missions .Very few people outside of ICICLE are

aware of the group's existence . One ortwo high-placed officials in ScotlandYard, the FBI, Mossad, Interpol, andNATO have good relations with ICICLE .The KGB, GRU, CIA, and French Deux-ieme Bureau are aware that there issome free-lance spy agency interveningin the world and do not like it one bit .

Players' BriefingIt's a rainy Monday morning, the firstday of October, in Coventry, England .Your team is gathered in your head-quarters' briefing room awaiting yournext mission . The wait is not a long one,for into the room strides your case offi-cer, an attractive young Americanwoman in her mid 20s . She carries afolder under one arm and clutches asteaming mug in her other hand . Youknow her only by her codename,"Cousin ." Cousin flashes you all a tight,polite grin and sits down, opening thefolder. Her whole bearing speaks ofsomeone who is all business, and darngood at it ."Good morning to you all . I hope that

you're ready for something that re-quires finesse and guts . In fact, themore finesse you show, the less yourguts will show, if you get my drift."Now, as you know, the advent of

glasnost and perestroika has brought aconsiderable thaw in East-West rela-tions . One result of this is the recentlyaccomplished reunification of Germany."While the reunification is a good

thing, it has resulted in a nation that,as far as defense secrets are concerned,leaks like a sieve . Though this situationwill be rectified in time, the spy organi-zations of the U.S.A ., U.S.S.R ., Britain,France, and Germany are taking advan-tage of the chaos and going into a last-

ADVENTUREminute feeding frenzy, trying to scoopup as many secrets as possible beforethings clamp down . Everyone's activelypicking up any tidbits that they can gettheir hands on, thus the codename ofthis mission is Operation: Fire Sale ."One particularly disturbing dilemma

is a steady flow of mid-level NATO andU.S . military secrets trickling intoSoviet hands . This has been going onsince before the reunification . The con-fusion of reunification hasn't helped thesituation any."The German Army-the Bundes-

wehr-has informed us of the presenceof one such leak in their midst, thoughthey cannot pinpoint exactly where it is .The Bundesnachrichtendienst, or theBND for short-that's the West GermanFederal Intelligence Agency-has veri-fied the complaint, saying that the leakhas been going on for at least the pasttwo months . Confidential sources tracethe leak to the northwestern quarter ofGermany, with Bremen as a likelycandidate ."The BND, acting on its own, has

come to us for help. With the all-German elections slated for early De-cember, the competency ofthe presentWest German government must not becompromised . The elections are sup-posed to determine the political futureof Germany, which by implication in-cludes united Germany's fate as far asNATO is concerned . A major spy scan-dal could result in Germany isolatingitself from NATO, and at worst, leaningtoward the Soviets . This cannot be al-lowed to happen ."As it stands, the Soviet Union has

already declared that it will not opposea united Germany in NATO if that iswhat the German people want . Thesight of a democratic West Germanytripping over itselfwith spy scandalsmay undermine public confidence aswell as give the Soviet Union a goodexcuse to oppose Germany's NATOmembership ."After consulting with the West Ger-

man president, the BND, and someconfidential sources in the Bundeswehr,we have decided to send a group of non-Germans, outsiders who would not berecognized in the German intelligencecommunity, to take care of the leak.This, people, is where you come in."Cousin pauses to take a sip of tea andreview the contents of the folder. Yourpictures spill out as Cousin makes a fewnotations on a piece of paper inside the

folder."You will take a shuttle helicopter

from Coventry to the RAF base atLeeds . Once there, you will catch amilitary flight aboard an RAF NimrodEarly Warning airplane to the Bundes-wehr's NATO base at Bremen . It is asmall, rear-echelon base that combineselements of air power and infantry.Report to Major Augustus Manneheim,base commander. You will be at hisdisposal . The major is the only personon the base who knows who you are andwhy you're coming. He is your tempo-rary case officer, so work with him anddo what he asks ."You need not worry about smuggling

intelligence equipment and armamentsthrough customs, since you're travelingbetween NATO bases . Once you stepoutside the base into Bremen proper,however, you're in big trouble if theregular authorities catch you with anyillegal equipment . This is a low-profilemission, with recommended minimalproperty damage or loss oflife and limb .Take what you need, but be carefulwith it ."Do not divulge your identity to any-

one unless Manneheim tells you so . Heknows you by your photographs andcodenames, not by your real names oreven by your usual working aliases ."There is an ICICLE safe house in

Bremen, but make contact only in a direemergency. They use a bookstore astheir front, and their phone number is254009 . Call them before trying to findthe place ."Despite the fact that "only' mid-level

secrets are leaking, this mission is im-portant . Things in Europe are changingvery fast, and we don't want to seeGermany slip away from us . MissionDispatch gives this mission a Yellowstatus : Urgent but low risk ."Take care, and good luck . And of

course, should you get caught, everyonewill deny any knowledge ofyou or yourmission . No back up, no prisonerexchanges ."With a final tight grin, Cousin gets up

to leave . When she reaches the door, sheturns to you . "Oh, I almost forgot . Yourplane departs in 45 minutes . For thoseof you who don't have equipment, you'dbetter hustle down to Outfitting . Buttake it easy, will you? Travel light ."

Ar[p ST=/5

-Ir

r

ADVENTURE

OutfittingEach PC is cleared to check out onepistol, eight clips of ammunition, asilencer, a pen radio, and any necessarysurveillance equipment. Fake IDs andpassports are available .Outfitting will not give PCs grenades

or explosives . Requests for submachineguns, shotguns, or rifles are not auto-matically granted . The likelihood ofgetting such a weapon is a percentageequal to five times the PC's skill level inthe requested weapon . Thus, an agentwith submachine gun skill at level fourhas a 20% chance of getting one .PCs may purchase equipment out-

right or sign for it . All equipmentsigned out must be returned in thesame condition it left, or the PC pays150% of the item cost .

Administrator's Briefing

Major Manneheim is the leak . He isbeing blackmailed by Major IgorDzerzhinsky, a KGB operative .Dzerzhinsky is a rogue agent, and thisoperation has not been sanctioned bythe Soviet premier.

It appears that Dzerzhinsky was put

in charge of mid-level KGB espionageoperations in the German area a decadeago . During that time he did hisjobwell, using whatever methods wereneeded in order to accomplish his goals .When glasnost rolled through Eastern

Europe, the order came from on high toclose down the operation, at least forthe time being . Dzerzhinsky, feelingthat glasnost and perestroika would notlast, dismantled only some ofhis opera-tions, keeping his most prized "leaks"in place . Igor believed that even if theCold War never resumed, he could makesome use of any information gathered .A year ago, Dzerzhinsky's foresight

paid off when his agents obtainedhighly confidential information aboutthe West German government. Thedocuments described certain industrial-ists who were bribing government offi-cials to slow down the reunificationprocess in order to give West Germancorporations time to make a profit fromthe process, or at least to get a headstart against corporations that had notpaid bribes .Other documents dealt with political

dirty tricks that had been committedagainst minor West German politicalparties, or that would be used in thefuture to assure the ruling party's posi-tion in the new Germany.It did not matter that these docu-

ments compromised only a few ofthepoliticians in power. If word ever gotout, it would undermine popular confi-dence in the current government. Thislack of confidence would certainly affectthe all-German elections slated to beheld in the first week of December. Theresulting backlash could put a Commu-nist government in the new unitedGermany and even keep Germany outofNATO, perhaps bringing the countrycloser to the Soviet Union.Therefore, Dzerzhinsky decided to put

the information to good use . Using hisespionage network, he researched thebackgrounds of dozens of top-rankedWest German military officers .Dzerzhinsky dug deep and found a per-fect target, Major Augustus Manne-heim, a loyal West German officer whois strongly devoted to Germany. Unfor-tunately, Manneheim's family helped tofinancially support the Nazis in 1936,and a few ofManneheim's relativeswere members of the Nazi party. Man-neheim's career would be ruined if thesefacts came to light .Dzerzhinsky used Manneheim's fear of

seeing his beloved Germany becomeCommunist, as well as the German ma-jor's family secrets, to force Manneheimto send him mid-level classified informa-tion on a regular basis . Manneheimrealized that leaking such nonessentialinformation was the lesser of two evils .After all, what was worse? A few Ameri-can and British secrets turned over tothe Russians, or a united Germany thatwas non-NATO and Communist to boot?The secrets stolen thus far include blue-prints and performance data for fighteraircraft, designs for air-to-air missiles,and specifications for tanks .The following prominent Germans

figure in the scandal . An asterisk afteran entry means that the person in ques-tion knows about the existence of MajorDzerzhinsky's list .-Major Augustus Manneheim,Bundeswehr*

-Heinrich Gundberg, President ofKMW Motorwerks*

-Albert Kiel, Ministry of Defenseofficial

-Friedrich Ganz, BND official-Colonel Johann Lofgren, Bundeswehr-Admiral Albert Von Spee, Kreigsmarine (German Navy)

-Otto Prussian, Senior official in ma-jority party

-Manfred Brandt, One of West Germa-ny's top spies*When NATO superiors noticed the

leak, Major Manneheim put on quite aconvincing act, feigning outrage andconcern and demanding that somethingbe done soon . The major thought thattypical Ministry of Defense red tapewould delay such an investigation for along time .The major outsmarted himself, how-

ever. His act was so good that NATObecame alarmed at the leak andlaunched an immediate plan to rectifythe matter. Thus, the major now findshimself the unwilling case officer for agroup of outside agents (the PCs) .What's worse, he has to actjust as gungho to these outsiders as he did to hissuperiors when he complained about theleaks .Major Manneheim will attempt to

frame Lt . Johann Deitrich as the leak .Deitrich is the major's trusted aide,though the young man has no idea whatis going on . Should the ruse fail, Man-neheim will enlist the aid ofthe Exter-minators, a world-wide assassinationservice, to remove the PCs .

.2!,Ar[p,R

ADVENTURE

Some events will occur regardless ofthe PCs' actions . The following timeline will aid the Administrator in plac-ing the action chronologically. Someevents may not happen if the PCsinterfere significantly.

Monday, October 1st7:00 A.M . : Manneheim arrives early at

the NATO base and plants thestolen plans in a secret compart-ment in Deitrich's desk .

10:00 A.M . : The PCs touch down at theNATO base in Bremen and attend abriefing by Manneheim (see "Touch-down in Bremen") .

11 :00 A.M . : The briefing ends .11 :30 A.M . : Manneheim leaves the base

and goes to the Two Lions restau-rant after disguising himself.

11 :45 A.M . : Deitrich leaves the base forlunch and goes to the Two Lions.Manneheim arrives at the TwoLions, drops off the plans in themen's room, and leaves to get somelunch elsewhere .

12 :00 Noon : Deitrich arrives at theTwo Lions, orders lunch, and usesthe men's room . Martin, the courier,arrives at the Two Lions for lunch .

12:15 PM. : Martin uses the men's roomand retrieves the package that Man-neheim has hidden .

1:00 PM. : Martin leaves the Two Lionsand drives to Hamburg . Deitrichreturns to the base .

2:00 PM . : Manneheim meets with thePCs for their progress report .

4:00 PM. : Martin exchanges briefcaseswith Rolf, the courier. Three KGBagents watch Rolf

4:15 PM . : Martin heads back to Bre-men . Rolf catches the train toBerlin. Manneheim leaves the basefor home . Deitrich goes to his ownquarters on base .

4:45 PM . : Rolfs train arrives in Ltibeck.The first three KGB agents disem-bark, and the second KGB teamgets on .

5:00 PM . : Manneheim arrives home .Deitrich leaves the base by cab andgoes to the Wursthaus, a Bremenrestaurant, to meet his fiancee,Joanna .

Time Line

5:30 PM . : Deitrich arrives at the Wurs-thaus and dines with Joanna . MajorManneheim has dinner at home .

7:00 PM . : Rolf arrives in Berlin, dropsoffthe briefcase in a station locker,then takes a cab to the Hotel Re-publik . A second KGB agent teamwatches the lockers from the loungeand awaits the pick-up . Martinarrives at home (area G). Deitrichand Joanna walk to the cinema .

7:30 PM. : Rolf arrives at the HotelRepublik . A female KGB agentretrieves the briefcase from thelocker using a spare key, then drivesto Soviet embassy. The second KGBteam follows her in a separate car.

8:00 PM . : Both KGB cars arrive at theSoviet embassy. IndustrialistHeinrich Gundberg leaves his officeand drives to Manneheim's house.

9:45 PM. : Deitrich and Joanna take acab from the cinema to Joanna'sapartment . Gundberg arrives atManneheim's, gets information onthe PCs, then goes back home .

10:00 PM. : Joanna is dropped off at herplace . Deitrich retains the cab andheads back to his base quarters .Manneheim goes to sleep .

10:30 PM . : Deitrich arrives at his quar-ters and goes to bed . Gundbergarrives home .

Tuesday, October 2nd7:00 A.M . : Manneheim leaves home for

the base . Gundberg leaves for hisoffice .

7:30 A.M . : Deitrich reports for duty.Gundberg arrives at his office .

8:00 A.M . : Manneheim arrives at thebase. Martin arrives at work at theKMW factory and calls Gundberg(his boss) to confirm the drop's suc-cess . Gundberg instructs Martin tokeep a low profile .

9:00 A.M . : Gundberg calls Manneheimto tell him that the drop went well .

11:45 A.M . : Manneheim and Deitricheat together in the mess hall .

12:00 Noon : Gundberg goes to theBierhaus for lunch, meets Extermi-nator Marina Sanderson, and givesher the PCs' photos and DM150,000 .

12:15 PM. : Marina leaves the Bierhausand goes to the Hotel Preussen .

12:30 PM. : Marina arrives at the HotelPreussen .

1:00 PM . : Everyone is back at work .2:00 PM . : The PCs have their daily

briefing with Manneheim.3:00 PM . : The briefing ends . After the

PCs leave, Manneheim calls Gund-berg and arranges to meet him fordinner. If the PCs told Manneheimthat they suspect Gundberg or thatthey think Deitrich has been set up,Manneheim tells Gundberg to givethe assassins the go-ahead to killthe PCs . If this happens, Gundbergcalls Marina and gives the go-ahead.

4:00 PM . : Manneheim leaves for home .Deitrich leaves the base by cab andmeets Joanna at the Two Lions .Gundberg leaves for Manneheim'shouse .

4:15 PM. : Deitrich meets Joanna at theTwo Lions .

5:00 PM. : Gundberg and Manneheimarrive at Manneheim's house simul-taneously. Martin leaves the KMWfactory for home . If Gundberg gavethe go-ahead, Marina and Olaf leavethe Hotel Pruessen and head to theVon Tirpitz Hotel, where the PCsare staying.

5:15 PM. : Marina and Olaf stake outthe Von Tirpitz Hotel . Assassina-tions will be attempted betweennow and midnight .

6:00 PM . : Deitrich and Joanna take acab to her apartment . Martin ar-rives home and eats supper.

6:15 PM . : Deitrich and Joanna returnto her apartment to work on wed-ding plans and address invitations .

9:30 PM . : Gundberg leaves for home .Deitrich leaves by cab for the base .

9:50 PM . : Deitrich arrives at the baseand turns in. Manneheim goes tosleep .

10:30 PM. : Gundberg arrives at homeand prepares for bed . Martin fallsasleep .

SEMIAADVENTURE

Touchdown in BremenThe following information should beread or paraphrased to the players :

Your military flight goes well and,before you know it, your teamtouches down at Bremen Air ForceBase. The presence of tanks and jetstogether indicates that the base isjointly run by the West GermanArmy and Air Force .As soon as the plane comes to a

halt, a sergeant escorts you to thebase headquarters . The weather ischilly, and a cold drizzle is falling .Once inside the building, the sergeantleads you through an entry area, thenpasses through an outer office thatcontains a young lieutenant hard atwork, and finally into the office ofMajor Augustus Manneheim .The gray-haired major smiles at

you and offers seats to the group . Hetaps his intercom and barks, "Dei-trich, some refreshments for myvisitors . . . schnell!" After he gets acrisp acknowledgement, the majorsits down, grins again, and interlockshis fingers on the desk top as he

20 Issue No . 26

addresses you ."Guten Morgen . I am Major Augus-

tus Manneheim, commander of thisarmy-air base . Apparently, I am nowyour-how do you say?-case officer.Very well . Let us begin ."First of all, accommodations have

been arranged for you at the VonTirpitz Hotel . Each room sleeps two ."Second, we have taken the liberty

of renting two Audi 5000S autos sothat you may get around town easily.They are parked outside this build-ing . Here are the keys .

"Finally, I expect a full reportevery day at two o'clock in the after-noon sharp! You will report to me,and only to me, in person . Thismeans all ofyou . There is much atstake here, and I will not tolerateany laziness, and . . . ah, here isDeitrich!"Manneheim's speech is interrupted

by the young lieutenant who wassitting in the outer office . The mansmiles shyly as he brings in a largetray with coffee and apple strudel .He turns smartly and walks backoutside .

"That was my aide, Deitrich . Anice young man, though he does notsay much . He is to be wed in a fewmonths, so I suppose the plans andthe financial matters are weighingon his mind."The major takes a cup of coffee and

shakes some brown powder into it . Theair smells of cinnamon. After taking asip and savoring it, he continues ."Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Laziness.I do not tolerate it . I want aggressiveseeking of clues and suspects ."During the daylight hours, you

may move freely about the basecourtesy of these special passes . Atnight . . . well, all I can say is thatterrorists enjoy infiltrating militarybases, and our sentries are trained toshoot first . You know the routine, eh?"Perhaps I can help you get started

in your investigations? I received ananonymous telephone tip statingthat we should look for a man namedMartin who wears a green scarf andeats lunch at the Two Lions pub .Make what you will of that . Now, arethere any questions before I send youon your way?"

NATO

MEN '0 1EN AND VICINITY

Base - SlainQStation

.... . ... . . . . ... . ... . . . . ..--_: Hp

-~Gundberg,s house, 1 hour

Manneheim'shouse, l hour

KMWfactory, 10 min.

0

\^\ MEN 5 min . city driving

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

BremenN

AirportdG ,~ .t .

C:0D

Ar[p

ADVENTUREAccording to Manneheim, the tip

came in yesterday. If any PCs ask aboutDeitrich, the major says that the youngman has worked for him for about twoyears and has proven reliable, thoughhe has an annoying tendency to eatlunch off base . This bothers Manneheimbecause he likes to have Deitrich withinshouting range in case something needsdoing right away.

If there are no more questions, Man-neheim drops some heavy hints that thePCs should leave and perhaps checkinto their rooms.Actually, Manneheim is in bad straits.

He is slated to make a drop-off today,and there is no way to change the time .After the PCs leave, Manneheim makespreparations to leave the base at 11:30A.M. and drive into Bremen. Before hegets into the city, he pulls off the roadinto a wooded area and disguises him-self in a brown wig with graying side-burns, gray moustache, and horn-rimmed glasses . A well-worn graytrench coat rounds out the ensemble .His disguise complete, Manneheim

drives to the Two Lions and drops offthe latest set ofplans (drawings andspecifications for the AMRAAM air-to-air missile) in the men's bathroom . Theplans are wrapped in brown paper andhidden in the wastebasket . This done,the major heads off to the Wursthaus(area C), a competing restaurant, forlunch .

The Von Tirpitz Hotel(Area A)

The PCs have a block of rooms, eachsleeping two . The hotel is of upper-middle class quality and features anunderground parking garage . Therooms are not bugged.

The Two Lions(Area B)

The Two Lions (Zwei Luven) is a modestlittle pub and restaurant located inBremen . The busiest times are from11 :30 A.M . to 2:30 PM., and from 5:00 PM .to midnight .When the PCs first enter the restau-

rant, they are met by the host or hostesson duty, who directs them to the right ifthey desire food, or to the left for thebar area if only drinks are desired .The bar area has subdued lighting

and provides a cozy ambiance . The baritself has 10 stools . Many small tables,each with four chairs, are crammed

THE TWO LIONS

in tight rows in the rest of theroom . Entry to the bathrooms isthrough the bar area . The major,whether disguised or not, sometimessits at a bar table for a few minutes toenjoy a cup of coffee with cinnamon . Asa rule, the major's duties bring him intoBremen three times a week in the latemorning . When disguised, he comes inonce every two weeks .The east section of the building con-

tains the dining area and kitchen .Though a little brighter than the bararea, the restaurant is cozy and taste-fully decorated with antique beer steins,coats of arms, old swords, and the like .Dinner and lunch are served here dur-ing the previously mentioned hours .

If the PCs pick up on Manneheim's tipand go to the Two Lions looking forMartin, the man with the green scarf,they will see him as well as LieutenantDeitrich enter the pub at noon (thoughthey do not walk in together). Deitrichuses the bathroom after he gets histable in the restaurant section. Martinalso sits in this section . Five minutesafter Deitrich leaves the men's room,Martin enters the bathroom and getsthe package, tucking it inside his rain-

Area B

coat's inner pocket (he later transfersthe package to the briefcase he has leftin his car) .After lunch, Martin gets into his car

and drives off to Hamburg while theoblivious Deitrich goes back to the base .The two men give no hint of knowingeach other, which makes sense, sincethey don't!If any waiters or waitresses who work

the 10 A.M . to 6 PM. shift are asked forinformation, and at least DM 20 is paidout, the PCs will eventually find aserver named Greta, a very attractiveand observant young woman in herearly 20s . Greta mentions that Lt . Dei-trich comes to the restaurant up tothree times a week . As for the man inthe green scarf, he comes in about twicea month .

If any ofthe PCs prompt Greta formore details, she says that she alwaysknows when the man with the greenscarf will come in, because before hedoes, an older man with thick glasseswho is always bundled up in a raincoatcomes in and orders a cup of coffee anda spice shaker of cinnamon . The manorders nothing more, nothing less .Greta thinks that the man is perhaps

_;� ,

;T~

/5.1r--ADVENTURE

Major Augustus ManneheimSTR INT REF WIL CON MOV DEX40 62 48 67 73 51 55

Sex: Male

Race: WhiteNationality : German

Born: 1946Advantages: Acute Hearing, Ambi-

dexterity, Musical Ability, Toughness,CommandDisadvantages : Deep Sleeper, Ego

Signature (drinks coffee with cinna-mon), Short-winded, Vision Impair-ment (2) (glasses)

Skills : Basic Firearms, Rifle (5),Submachine Gun (4), Pistol (5), HandGrenade (2), Basic Heavy Weapons,Basic Melee, Boxing (4), Cryptography(2), Interrogation (4), Stealth (3), Sur-veillance (3), Acting (4), Driving/Automobile (5), First Aid (2), MusicalInstrument (3), Radio Operator (3),Area Knowledge (Northwest Germany)(5), German (5), English (5), Russian (3)Equipment: 9-mm Mauser Parabel-

lum automatic pistolCar : Maroon Audi 5000SMajor Augustus Manneheim stands a

little shy of 6' tall. His close-croppedhair is gray, as are his eyes . The majoris a spit-and-polish military man whoseuniforms have such sharp creases thatyou could cut tomatoes on them.Manneheim serves in the West Ger-

man Army as the commander of a rear-echelon NATO base in Bremen . He is aloyal German and views the leaking ofsome mid-level secrets as a small priceto pay for the security of his homelandfrom collapse into Communism andSoviet influence . Manneheim iswracked with guilt about his role inthis affair, but he has rationalized thathe has no choice.The major is fond of playing the

piano and drinking coffee laced withcinnamon .

Lieutenant Johann DeitrichSTR INT REF WIL CONMOV DEX56 64 76 66 52 60 70

Sex : Male

Race: WhiteNationality : German

Born: 1963Advantages : Attractive Appearance

(1), Fearlessness, StaminaDisadvantages : Night BlindnessSkills : Basic Firearms, Pistol (4),

Rifle (3), Submachine Gun (2), GrenadeLauncher (3), Basic Heavy Weapons,

22 Issue No . 26

Basic Melee, Boxing (4), Oriental Mar-tial Arts (5), Concealment (3), Stealth(3), Radar (4), Photography (3),Piloting/1-engine (3), Swimming (4),Area Knowledge (Bremen) (4), BasicLiberal Arts, History/PoliSci (5), Ger-man (5), English (3), Russian (3), Polish(3), French (2)Equipment : 9-mm Walther P-38 auto-

matic pistolJohann is a nice young man, 6' tall,

with steel blue eyes, square jaw, andblond crewcut. He is a dedicated officerin the Bundeswehr and serves as MajorManneheim's aide, a job he takes veryseriously. In fact, Johann respects themajor tremendously and is fiercelyloyal to him. Johann is a Germanpatriot .Johann is quite naive and is oblivi-

ous to his superior's antics . He is headover heels in love with his fiancee,Joanna . They plan to be married infive months .

Martin GneiseneauSTR INT REF WIL CON MOV DEX38 42 22 40 32 40 32Skills : Basic Melee, Knife (2),

Driving/Automobile (4), German (5)Equipment : Hunting knifeCar : Powder-blue 1969 VolkswagenMartin is 5'9", average build, in his

40s, with thinning brown hair andmuddy brown eyes . He loves wearing along green scarf.Martin is a foreman at KMW Mo-

torwerks and has been given the task ofcourier by his top boss, Heinrich Gund-berg. Martin does not know that he iscarrying military secrets, but he has asneaking feeling that whatever he iscarrying is illegal . The large amount ofmoney that Gundberg pays him morethan compensates for any built on Mar-tin's part .

Rolf WeisbadenSTR INT REF WIL CONMOV DEX28 52 38 30 51 40 45Skills : Basic Firearms, Basic Melee,

German (5), Russian (4)Rolf is a cut-out (a non-agent hired to

do an espionage-related task) oftenused by the KGB for European couriermissions . He is a man in his 30s with aslight frame, mousy brown hair, andhorn-rimmed glasses . Rolf is not a

hero ; he just does this for the money.If Rolf is searched, the PCs find a key

with the number 42 printed on it . Thiskey opens a locker in the Berlin trainstation . Rolf does not know who picksup the briefcase ; he is supposed tobring the case to the locker, then go tothe Hotel Republik, where his bosseshave reserved him a room for oneweek. His fee is DM 20,000 .

KGB AgentsAnatoly, Boris, Cara, Dmitri,Edward, Frederik, GeorginaSTR INT REF WIL CON MOV DEX70 60 80 70 75 65

70Skills : Basic Firearms, Pistol (4),

Submachine Gun (3), Basic Melee,Oriental Martial Arts (4), Boxing (3),Concealment (3), Cryptography (4),Disguise (3), Interrogation (5), Lock-picking (2), Shadowing (3), Stealth (2),Surveillance (4), Driving/Automobile(4), Driving/Motorcycle (3), First Aid(2), Photography (3), Radio Operator(2), Scuba Diving (2), Social Chameleon(3), Swimming (2), Throwing (4), BasicScience, Russian (5), German (5), En-glish (3), Polish (2)Equipment: Silenced 9-mm Stetchkin

pistols, pen radios, lockpick setsCar: Black 1970 four-door sedans of

Soviet manufacture . The KGB keepstwo AK-47s, 100 rounds of ammuni-tion, a first-aid kit, and other suppliesin the trunk . (These cars are availableonly in Berlin .)These agents include two teams of

three agents that protect Rolf at differ-ent points on his journey, and one fe-male KGB agent who picks up thebriefcase in the Berlin train station .These agents are specially trained forsuch missions in this part of Europe .If anyone intercepts the courier or

tries to take the briefcase, the KGBagents move in swiftly. If the PCs arein a public place, the KGB agents actlike local law-enforcement officials andwhisk the PCs to a waiting car or se-cluded spot . Once their privacy hasbeen secured, the KGB agents elimi-nate the nuisance .These agents are hard-line Soviets

who dislike glasnost and follow MajorDzerzhinsky. They take orders onlyfrom him .

an obsessive lunatic, someone who has aroutine that he follows fanatically.Greta wants to be a writer, so she isalways speculating about what hercustomers are really like .

En RouteFrom the restaurant, Martin drives hislittle Volkswagen onto the Autobahn,making his way to Hamburg. The triptakes three hours. During the ride,Martin places the plans in a bullet-proof, combination-locked briefcaseDifficulty 50).Martin drives to the Hamburg train

station andparks his car. He enters thestation and goes to the platform thatfaces Track 12, where atrain bound forBerlin will soon leave.When Martin reaches the platform, he

sits next to a raincoat-clad man readingDer Spiegel. The stranger has a brief-case that looks exactly like Martin's .The briefcases are on the floor, side byside . When the train arrives at theplatform, both men get up, each takingthe other's case . The newspaper reader,a cut-out named Rolf Weisbaden (seesidebar), boards the train. Martin takesRolfs empty case, goes back to his car,and heads back to Bremen .Three KGB agents, wandering the

train station, also board the train. Theyhave been assigned to act as Rolfs un-seen escorts, running interference forRolf against possible enemies (the PCsleap to mind). The agents will spend theentire trip in the observation car, appro-priately enough . The KGB team ismade up oftwo men and a woman.The train consists of an engine, five

passenger cars, a dining car, and anobservation car (in that order). Thepassenger cars are made up of individ-ual nonreserved compartments, eachcompartment holding four people .

If the PCs try to sit in Rolfs compart-ment, he politely expresses his desire tobe left alone, suggesting that the PCsfind another compartment. PersistentPCswill make Rolf nervous, causingthe manto leave the compartment andwalk into the observation car. This is asignal to the KGB agents that some-thing is wrong, since Rolf has ordersnever to leave his railway car.

If the PCs tail Rolf into the observa-tion car, Rolf makes a little hand ges-ture as each PC comes into the car. Thisshows the KGB who to deal with . PCsusing Observation on Rolf make their

ADVENTUREchecks at half their INT scores .Half an hour after the train leaves

Hamburg, it reaches the city of Lubeckon the West German side of the West-East border. Though the two Germanieshave one currency, and travel restric-tions have been lifted, there are stilltwo separate governments until theDecember elections. As a result, there isstill a customs post here, though it is amere formality, and passing throughcustoms is ridiculously simple .The three KGB agents have spent lots

of time in West Germany, and theystand a chance ofbeing identified byWest German authorities . Therefore,they get off at Lubeck . AnyPCs whotake no measures to conceal firearms orsurveillance devices stand a 30% chanceof being discovered, arrested, and de-tained for at least 48 hours, duringwhich time they will be extensivelyinterrogated .A second KGB team boards the train,

taking the same positions as the firstteam . These three men have alreadycleared customs. Rolf has the samearrangement with them .The train eventually pulls into Berlin,

stopping at what was once East Berlin'smain railroad station at 7:00 PM. Rolfdetrains, walks to the coin-operatedbaggage lockers, and places the brief-case in locker 42 . He then hails a caband departs for the Hotel Republik,where he will stay for one week . Thesecond KGBteam also leaves the train.The lockers are watched from a dis-

tance by the three KGB men. Undertheir gaze, afemale KGB agent with aduplicate key opens the locker andtakes the briefcase, driving away in ablack four-door sedan with diplomaticplates . The male agents follow her at asafe distance (six car lengths) in a simi-lar car. Both vehicles drive to the Sovietembassy and are admitted to the com-pound. Theplans are handed off to aKGB captain who is loyal to MajorDzerzhinsky. At this point, theAMRAAM plans are beyond recovery.Should the PCs attempt to get the

plans out of the locker, the KGB agentsmove in to deal swiftly with the inter-lopers, out of sight of any bystanders.

If the PCs have followed the route allthe way to the Soviet embassy in (East)Berlin andnow wish to go back to Bre-men, the next train leaves at 9:00 PM.,arriving in Hamburg at midnight. Thetrain goes on to Bremen, arriving thereat 1:00 A.M . .

Investigating the BaseTrue to Manneheim's word, the PCshave unlimited access to all of the basefacilities . However, there is nothinghere of any consequence except for theheadquarters building that houses themajor's office.All of the windows and interior doors

have locks (Difficulty 40) and circuitalarms (Difficulty 20). The front doorhas astout lock (Difficulty 70) and avery good circuit alarm (Difficulty 50).

1. Entry Area. This room has nicecarpeting, several sofas for visitors'comfort, anda counter. A gate in thecounter allows access farther into theoffice . As a rule, there are four GenericSoldiers (see Administrators Guide,page 23) here on daytime duty, and twosoldiers at night. Each is armed with a9-mm Walther P-38 automatic pistol anda nightstick.Behind the counter are a small desk,

intercom system, typewriter, telephone,and alarm button . There is nothing ofinterest in the desk. The alarm buttonalerts personnel in Communications andSecurity, who respond in five seconds.

2. Deitrich's Office. A large desk isplaced against the west wall . Threechairs against the north wall are forvisitors waiting to see the major. Thedoor from the reception area is locked atnight. The door in the north wall leadsto aprivate bathroom shared by Dei-trich and the major.Atop the desk are a typewriter, blot-

ter, intercom, phone, digital clock, anddesk lamp. The only non-Army-issueitem on the desk is a photograph of astunning youngwoman with long blondhair. Written in German are the words"To my dearest Johann . All my love-Joanna."The desk is locked (Difficulty 45),

denying casual access to the two sets ofthree drawers and the middle drawer.The drawers contain papers pertainingto the routine operation of the base . The-middle drawer holds two appointmentbooks, one for the majorand one forDeitrich . Johann's book is filled withmushy references to scheduled dateswith Joanna . Also tucked in the bookare several invoices for various weddingexpenses, furniture, etc. It appears thatthe couple are planning an average-sizewedding, nothing too extravagant.

BREMEN NATO BASEHEADQUARTERS1 square =10'

Each PC who gives the desk a thor-ough going-over must make an Observa-tion Check. Any who pass the check seea tiny corner of white paper stuck underthe desk's middle drawer. This is a clueto the secret compartment under thedrawer. A letter opener, pen knife, orother thin, sharp metal object will beneeded to pry off the panel that coversthe secret recess .The recess contains a (phony) Swiss

bank book with a balance equal to DM2,000,000 (DM 100,000 deposits arelisted every two weeks for the last fivemonths), a matchbook for the Two Lionspub, a photocopy of schematics for theF-18 Hornet, and a short typed letterthat reads :

Johann :From now on, make copies ofdesired plans rather thantaking them outright . NATOis getting suspicious .

I . D .Major Manneheim planted this evi-

dence in Deitrich's desk . Deitrich is noteven aware that his desk has a secretcompartment! Manneheim forged theletter, using the typewriter in his ownoffice . A PC who wishes to compare the

24 Issue No . 26

print with various typewriters on thebase must make an INT Check at -20in order to accurately ascertain whichmachine produced the letter.Johann and Joanna are in love, loyal

to each other and to Germany, and haveno involvement whatsoever in this case.Deitrich is being duped by the very manhe admires most in the world. As aresult, Deitrich will refuse to believethat Manneheim is guilty of any wrong-doing, thus the PCs will have greatdifficulty ensuring the lieutenant'scooperation .Johann's base quarters holds no in-

criminating evidence, nor does Joanna'sapartment (area E) . Johann does noteven have a Swiss bank account .

3. Major Manneheim's Office . Thisroom is a nicely furnished and carpetedoffice with a huge old desk . A sofa andtwo chairs are provided for guests . Alocked filing cabinet (Difficulty 25)stands in the northwest corner. The doorfrom Lieutenant Deitrich's office is al-ways locked at night . A second door inthe east wall leads to a privatebathroom .Atop the desk are a blotter, telephone,

desk lamp, intercom, and typewriter (themachine that Manneheim used to forgethe note found in Deitrich's desk) . Thedesk's lock has a Difficulty Rating of 50,though there are no incriminating docu-ments in any ofthe drawers (the major istoo smart for that). The middle drawerholds a letter from the BND, dated lastweek, that tells Manneheim a group ofagents is slated to arrive at the begin-ning ofthe month to investigate thesecurity leaks . The letter is accompaniedby the PCs' photos and codenames .The only other thing of interest is the

major's phone list . The home and worktelephone numbers of industrialistHeinrich Gundberg (one of the nameson the blackmail list mentioned earlier)are listed in the book.The filing cabinet contains personnel

records of everyone on the base, includ-ing the major. The records all appear tobe in order and list home addresseswhere applicable .

4 . Communications and Security.This door is never locked. The room isalways manned by four Generic Soldiersand contains radar screens, radio equip-ment, and alarm monitors for the head-quarters . There are two phones and oneintercom on one of the control panels . Ifan alarm sounds, three of the soldiersrespond, and they have orders to shootfirst . Besides the usual pistols, theseparticular soldiers have M-16 assaultrifles and walkie-talkies .

5 . Arsenal . The door is always locked(Difficulty 75) . The arsenal holds 505 .56-mm M-16 assault rifles, 50 9-mmWalther P-38 pistols, and 200 rounds foreach weapon .

6 . Cryptography. The base uses thisroom for intercepting and decoding non-NATO radio messages . Two GenericSoldiers are always here on duty, at-tending the computers and radio moni-tors . The door is always locked .

7 . Personnel. The room is mannedonly during the day by five GenericSoldiers . It contains five desks and awhole wall full of locked filing cabinets(Difficulty 20) . The base uses this roomas the administration and personneloffice to track manpower and materials,and it is consequently a resounding borefor investigating PCs . The door islocked at night .

8. U.S . Attache. The door is locked atnight. This spartan office belongs toCaptain Tyler "Red" Huring, U.S . AirForce representative for the base . Cap-tain Huring is a tall, slim man in hisearly 30s, with red hair, freckles, and aprominent Texas drawl.Captain Huring's desk is locked (Diffi-

culty 20) and contains nothing unusualexcept for a half-written letter ad-dressed to his wife, Stella. The lettertells how Huring feels about Manne-heim, Deitrich, and Germany in gen-eral . Huring considers the major a"stuffy old gasbag," andDeitrich a"dumb, naive sucker who is alwaysbroke." Germany, in his opinion, isboring, and he hates soccer. Apparently,Huring is not enjoying his stay.Huring lives in the officers' quarters

on the base and is innocent of anywrongdoing . His only offense is his badattitude .

Other LocationsThe Safe House(Area H)Hidden in the cellar of a Marxist book-store is a 10-room safe house belongingto the PCs' organization. The facility isrunby Wilhelm, a young agent. PCscan reach the safe house only after theyhave called the telephone number andgotten directions .The safe house contains food, medi-

cine, fresh clothes, spare pen radios,passport-forging equipment, and 20silenced 9-mm Walther P-38 pistols,each with 32 rounds of ammunition .As a last desperate resort, Wilhelmcan

also lend the PCs a run-down truck thathe uses for the bookstore. Wilhelm willnever accompany the PCs on missions .Truck: Max Spd 50, Acce15, Handl

-30, Brake 20, Prot -40, #Pass 8,Range 200.

Manneheim's House

The major lives in a very comfortablemanor house that has been in his familyfor generations . He lives alone and doeshis own cooking, hiring someone to do athorough housecleaning every twoweeks.Manneheim has a gun collection in a

display case . The collection includes a9-mm Luger pistol, a .22 Galil semiauto-matic rifle, a 9-mm Schmeisser MP-40submachine gun, and an AK-47 assaultrifle. Each gun has 100 rounds of am-

munition stored in a separate drawer inthe lower section of the display case .

IfManneheim is confronted with proofof his deceptions (Interrogation skillneed not be used), the Administratormust make aWILcheck for the major.Should the major fail his check, hecoolly says the following:

"Yes, I stole the secrets and passedthem on . But don't you see? I had todo it! I am being blackmailed bysomeone in the KGB, someone whohas access to certain secrets that, ifrevealed to the German public, couldsway the all-German elections inDecember to an unfavorable conclu-sion . The new united Germany couldvery well fall into the Soviet sphereof influence. Of course, NATO mem-bership for the new Germany wouldbe an impossibility if that happened!

"I had to opt for the lesser of twoevils. What's a few mid-level Ameri-can secrets when compared to thefuture of my Fatherland?

"Still, I am glad the truth is out. Ihave come to hate myself andwhat Ihave done . You must believe me, ifthere was anotherway out, I wouldhave taken it."When word came that you people

were arriving to investigate the leak,I realized that I had to cover myself.Deitrich, the naive fool, was such aneasy target-so trusting . Of course,he had no idea what was going on."

If, when confronted by the PCs andtheir evidence, the major rolled a 95-99on his WIL check, he failed in a bigway.All of the pressure, anger, sadness, andshame of what he has done comes to ahead . His speech is the same but islaced with many expressions of griefincluding crying, wringing his hands,and banging his head against the wall .

If Manneheim made his initial WILcheck, he denies any involvement andtries to reach his guns in order to getthe drop on the PCs. He may do this bymaking a pretense of having to tend tosomething in the house.

If, after Manneheim's confession, thePCs ask who is blackmailing him, theymust use Interrogation skill . If the PCsmake their check, then Manneheimmust make another check, this one athalf his WIL score. If he fails, the majortells the PCs that Major Igor Dzerzhin-sky, stationed at the Soviet Embassy inBerlin (the section formerly knownas

East Berlin), is behind the operation.Dzerzhinsky, the major believes, is partof an anti-Gorbachev faction thatwishes to bring back heavy Soviet influ-ence to Eastern Europe . He even specu-lates that the KGB major is actingoutside his authority.

If Manneheim is asked to divulge theentire scheme, another Interrogationcheckmust be made . If the PCs makethe check, another half-WIL checkshould be made for the major. If Manne-heim fails his check, he reveals thesmuggling route, the conspirators,everything .Manneheim is sure that the blackmail

information is stored at the Soviet Em-bassy in Berlin . There is a major East-West friendship reception to be held atthe embassy on October 9th. Perhapsthe PCscould come up with some way ofgetting in?

Heinrich Gundberg's House

Gundberg lives in an opulent mansionin suburban Bremen . He has a maid, acook, and four handymen-bodyguards(function as Generic Soldiers) . Each isarmed with a .45 M-1914 automaticpistol and a nightstick . The entire stafflives on the grounds. Gundberg himselfhas a 12-gauge shotgun, but if he isfaced with more than one gun-wieldingPC, he will back down .

If Gundberg's guards are neutralizedand the man is confronted with his partin the crime, he claims to have no knowl-edge of what the PCs are talking about.Thus, an Interrogation check must bemade by the PCs. If the check is success-ful, Heinrich immediately crumples intoa snivelling heap and says :

"I confess! I hired the Exterminatorsto kill you! They have been so usefulto me in the past to get rid of compe-tition, and surely you know howtough it is to be manufacturing auto-mobiles now? If it isn't automobilecommercials that don't show the car,it's commercials with some mantelling outrageous lies . Let's not evenmention the Japanese! Andwhatabout this Fahrvergnugen nonsense?Ijust can't take it anymore!"The KGB got wind of my past, ah,

business practices and threatened togo public with my name as well asthe names of government officialswho had things to hide. I am a majorsupporter ofthe current coalition,

Ar[p SUnEV, 1

II

ADVENTURE

Heinrich GundbergSTR INT REF WIL CONMOV DEX30 60 30 40 33 45 45

Sex : Male

Race: WhiteNationality : German

Born: 1940Advantages: Mechanical Aptitude,

Photographic Memory, Wealth (3)Disadvantages : Cowardice, Greed,

Lechery, Overweight (1), Short-winded

Skills : Basic Firearms, Pistol (2),Shotgun (2), Driving/Automobile (5),Sailing (3), Social Chameleon (2),Basic Liberal Arts, Business/Economics (5), Basic Science, Ger-man (5), English (2)Equipment : 9-mm Walther PP

automatic pistolCar : Silver KMW 87b "Stuka," a

horrible knock-off of the BMW M5. Ithas the same performance stats asthe BMW, but if the KMW ever ex-ceeds 80 MPH, it has a cumulative5% chance of breaking down per 15minutes of 80 + MPH speed . Checkthe Vehicle Crash Table, page 86 ofthe Players' Guide . Slowing down tobelow 80 MPH, then speeding backup to over 80 MPH "resets" the car,and the determination begins againat 5% .A bald man with brown eyes,

Heinrich is 5'6" tall and weighs 200lbs . He smokes Cuban cigars anddresses expensively.Heinrich is the president of Kubel-

wagen Motorwerks, the companythat produces the KMW a flawednewcomer to the auto market . He isa ruthless weasel of a man who cher-ishes money above all else . Heinrichdoes not care how he gets this money,which is what got him in trouble inthe first place : the Soviets picked upinformation that Heinrich used theExterminators to wipe out a competi-tor in the automotive market .In regard to this whole espionage

affair, Heinrich is rapidly losing whatlittle nerve he has . He wants theExterminators in place very quicklyin order to wipe out any snoopingPCs. In fact, he has already commis-sioned the Exterminators to kill Ma-jor Dzerzhinsky in the event ofHeinrich's or Manneheim's capture .

26 Issue No . 26

and if it fell, so would I ."I did what I had to do. What any

good businessman would do . I cut mylosses and helped Manneheim smug-gle the secrets out . One of my factoryforemen, a man named Martin,proved to be reliable and his silenceeasily bought . I will testify, any-thing! Just don't beat me up!"

The only thing that Gundberg will notconfess to is a fail-safe measure that hehimself has instituted, without Manne-heim's knowledge . If Gundberg or Man-neheim are implicated in the leak, theExterminators have standing orders tokill Major Dzerzhinsky at the diplo-matic reception in Berlin on October9th . The only way that the PCs couldpossibly find this out is if they use truthserum on Gundberg and ask him i£ hehas any other contracts in the workswith the Exterminators .A search of Gundberg's house, a proc-

ess that takes two hours, reveals evi-dence ofextensive unaccountablefinancial transactions, a ledger listingall of the secrets sold to the Soviets, anda list of all the blackmailed men (see"Administrator's Briefing"). As a bonus,there is a phone number that enablesGundberg to contact the Exterminators .This could be a major break in the effortto penetrate of this mysterious assassin-for-hire organization .

The Exterminators

Swedish nationals Marina Sandersonand Olaf Erikson are two top Extermi-nators who have dealt with HeinrichGundberg in the past . When Manne-heim told Gundberg about the PCs'upcoming investigation (and afterGundberg regained his composure), theindustrialist thought it prudent to havethe two hired killers "on station" incase their services were needed .On Tuesday, Marina meets Gundberg

for lunch at the Bierhaus (area F) andreceives the PCs' photos, descriptions,and hotel location, as well as the usualfee . Marina goes back to her hotel roomto wait for the signal to proceed.The two assassins are staying at the

Hotel Preussen (area D) under thenames Marja and Bjorn Larsen . One ofthe duo is in the room at all timesawaiting Gundberg's call .Gundberg makes the call if Manne-

heim gives the go-ahead, and the major

will do so if he finds out, through thePCs' daily reports, that they eithersuspect Gundberg or are convinced thatDeitrich was framed .The Exterminators' tactics are simple .

They leave the Hotel Pruessen in theirrented car and drive to the PCs' hotel tostake out the place . The assassins try toeliminate any PCs that leave the hotelin small groups . Marina enjoys killingpeople in deserted locales, so if she andOlaf see the entire team move out, theyfollow in hopes of catching their targetson a lonely stretch of road, or even onthe Autobahn .Should these tactics fail, the killers

take the direct approach. After mid-night, Marina and Olaf sneak into thePCs' rooms and attempt to kill them intheir sleep, concentrating on one roomat a time .Since Marina and Olaf are high-

powered assassins and worthy foes . TheAdministrator should play them veryintelligently. The killers are hoping tolive to see another day, even ifthismeans retreating; they are not suicidal .Consider each killer to have five LuckPoints .

Concluding the Adventure

The PCs should be able to crack thiscase ifthey think clearly and role-playwell . There are two basic ways to wrapup the adventure .First, the easy one . If the PCs report

back to their superiors with their find-ings, the major confesses his role in theaffair and turns over temporary com-mand to Lieutenant Deitrich . The PCsare put on a flight back to England,where they can make a full report .Once the PCs' superiors have been

briefed, higher-ups talk to the U.S . StateDepartment and the British ForeignSecretary, who in turn talk with theirSoviet counterparts, dropping heavyhints about the fate ofeconomic aid tothe Soviet Union being tied to the fate ofthe sensitive information . The Sovietsexert the proper amount of authority andstop the rebellious KGB faction. MajorDzerzhinsky escapes capture, goes un-derground, and plots a horrible andpainful revenge on the PCs .The second option is tougher. After

informing their superiors, the PCs aresent to Berlin to recover the blackmailinformation during the party at theRussian embassy. The PCs will have todress up in tuxedos and evening gowns,

and make witty conversation with diplo-mats, all the while looking for away toget to the embassy's upstairs officeswhere the information is secured.Major Dzerzhinsky is at the party, as

are media representatives from all overthe world. Major politicians from theU.S.A ., Soviet Union, and Europe arealso in attendance. Finally, Marina andOlaf attend the party (if they are stillalive) in order to kill Major Dzerzhin-sky. The Administrator will have to

Marina Sanderson

STR INT REF WIL CONMOVDEX66 82 90 74 82 74 86

Sex: Female

Race: WhiteNationality : Swedish

Born: 1962

Advantages: Ambidexterity, Attrac-tive Appearance (3), Eye-Hand Coordi-nation, Fearlessness, Light Sleeper,Sensuality, Stamina (1), Toughness (2),Wealth (2)Disadvantages: Allergies (cats) (3),

Ego Signature, Enemy (PCs' organiza-tion) (4), Greed, Lechery, Unmistak-able Feature

Skills : Electronics (4), ComputerTechnician (4), Crossbow (2), KnifeThrowing (3), Basic Firearms, Pistol(5), Rifle (5), Sniper Rifle (5), Subma-chine Gun (3), Shotgun (2), BasicHeavy Weapons, Basic Melee, Knife(4), Fencing (3), Boxing (4), OrientalMartial Arts (5), Concealment (4),Demolitions (4), Disguise (2), Forgery(3), Interrogation (4), Lockpicking (5),Pickpocket (3), Shadowing (5), Stealth(3), Surveillance (4), Tracking (1), Act-ing (3), Climbing (3), Driving/All vehi-cle types except Tank (4), Fine Arts (4),First Aid (3), Lip Reading (3), Para-chuting (2), Photography (2), Piloting/1-engine/Multi-engine/Helicopter (2),Radio Operator (3), Sailing (3), Skiing(4), Sleight of Hand (3), Social Chame-leon (4), Swimming (4), Throwing (4),Basic Liberal Arts, Anthro/Psych/Soc(4), Basic Science, Chemistry (5), Swed-ish (5), English (4), German (3), Rus-sian (3), French (2)Equipment: 9-mm M-40 automatic

pistol, 7 .92-mm Type D BrowningSniper Rifle with nightscope, knife, 2oz . plastique in face-powder compact,timer-detonator disguised as watch,

design the embassy and the reception'sschedule and guest list .

If the PCs failed Operation: Fire Sale,the repercussions depend on how badlythey performed. If the PCs were caughtby the KGB andtaken prisoner or shotin the streets, a huge diplomatic disas-ter occurs . Germany is in badshape aspopular opinion turns against NATO,whom the Soviets accuse of sending theagents . Germany's tipping into theSoviet sphere of influence is inevitable .

Olaf Erikson

The Exterminators

garrote in belt, pen radio, lockpick set.Both guns have silencers.Car: Rented tan Audi 5000S that she

shares with Olaf Marina and Olaf keeptheir big guns and other supplies in thetrunk.Standing 6'1" tall, with long blonde

hair and very pale blue eyes, MarinaSanderson is quite a striking woman.She is one of the Exterminators' mostdeadly agents and is called in on verydelicate or difficult assassinations .Marina hates cats with apassion and

leaves a calling card at each ofher jobsshowing acat silhouette inside a redcircle with a diagonal slash. She livesthe typical, decadent jet-set style of lifeand supports this lifestyle by doingpricey work for the Exterminators.

Clearly, Marina stands no chance ofwinning any awards for her personality.She is a cold, heartless killer whousespeople and disposes of them once theyare of no further use to her. Olaf is hertrusted partner who shares many of thesame interests that she enjoys .

STR INT REF WIL CON MOV DEX90 50 50 60 90 70 50

Sex: MaleNationality : Swedish

Race : WhiteBorn : 1963

Advantages : Athletic Ability (2), At-tractive Appearance (2), Fearlessness,Mechanical Aptitude, Sensuality, Stam-ina (2), Toughness (4), Wealth (2)Disadvantages : Clumsiness, Deep

Sleeper, Enemy (PCs' organization) (4),Gambling, Greed, Lechery, TraumaticFlashbacks (flying tennis balls) (4)

Skills : Basic Mechanic, Aircraft Me-chanic (3), Electronics (3), ComputerTechnician (4), Basic Firearms, Pistol

If the failure was more low-key, suchas not cracking the mystery of the leak,the PCs are recalled to their headquar-ters and given a healthy dose of verbalabuse. Their next mission will be to actas security for the British Foreign Sec-retary when he attends the diplomaticreception at the Russian embassy inBerlin on October 9th, giving the PCs asecond chance to redeem themselves .

(4), Sniper Rifle (5), Submachine Gun(3), Shotgun (2), Basic Melee, Knife (3),Boxing (4), Wrestling (5), Concealment(4), Demolitions (3), Interrogation (3),Shadowing (4), Stealth (1), Surveil-lance (3), Climbing (3), Driving/Automobile/Truck/Motorcycle/Boat/Snowmobile (3), Horsemanship (4),Piloting/1-engine (4), Scuba Diving (3),Skiing (5), Social Chameleon (4),Swimming (4), Throwing (5), BasicScience, Engineer/Civ/Elec/Mech (3),Swedish (5), English (5)Equipment: 9-mm M-40 automatic

pistol, 7.62-mm Type D Browningsniper rifle with night scope, knife,pen radio, lockpick set. Both gunshave silencers.Marina's partner Olaf is 6'3" tall,

with wavy blond hair, tanned complex-ion, and blue eyes . He is an extremelymuscular man. Marina uses Olaf asbrute force, though he does have sub-tle assassination skills .Olaf was once a tennis pro, but his

career came to an abrupt end when ahigh-velocity tennis ball struck him onthe left temple, causinghim to careenheadlong into the spectator stands . Hesuffered severe head trauma resultingin a slowing-down ofhis reflexes and abitterness toward anything related totennis .Olafs association with Marina

makes him as high a priority as Ma-rina on the PC organization's mostwanted list . He has no sense ofhumorand is quite an arrogant boor. Olafdrinks too much for his own good andexhibits an almost bizarre fondness forFinnish vodka. His secret desire is tomeet West German tennis stars andbeat them up .

0

DUNGEON 27

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©WILBERn90

CARAVAGUARDSBY STEPHEN J . SMITH

The heroes get to kicksome bhut.

Artwork by Ronald Wilbur

This is Stephen's third DUNGEOIWadventure. He has also written "TheBane ofElfswood" (issue #21) and"Hrothgar's Resting Place" (issue #25).After wracking our collective brains fora catchier title for this module ("NoBhuts About It," "Bhut Wait-There'sMore!" etc.), we decided to leave wellenough alone (except for the teaser line) .

"Caravan Guards" is a D&D° ExpertSet adventure designed for 6-8 playercharacters of levels 6-8 (about 50 totallevels) . A variety of character classes,including at least one magic-user or elf,will be useful .

For the Dungeon MasterThis short adventure can be run whilethe PCs are returning home from an-other quest or are traveling to a distantplace . The scenario described in thismodule should take place along a mer-chant trail through a dark and danger-ous forest . If the DM's campaign is setin the Known World of the D&D ExpertRulebook and Gazetteer series, a goodsetting for this adventure is the Daro-kin Road, in the great forest betweenthe cities of Darokin and Selenica .As the PCs ride along the trail, they

overtake a small merchant caravantraveling in the same direction . ThePCs are greeted in a friendly but warymanner by the merchant leader, whointroduces himself as Sir Bryan Derban.Derban then tries to hire the adventur-ers to help guard his wagons, explain-ing that he is carrying a mysteriousitem that his evil halfbrother, Malcolm,would dearly love to get his hands on .Malcolm, Sir Bryan continues, hasobtained the services of an accom-plished wizard and a small force ofogres . This evil alliance has alreadyclaimed the lives of several of Bryan'scaravan guards . The merchant leaderoffers a tidy sum of gold to hire the PCsas replacements .

Ifthe PCs accept Sir Bryan's offer, theyget to know Bryan's other guards betterand are soon called upon to defend thewagons from two threats : a hungry chi-mera and a band of bugbears.Then, during their first night of guard

duty, the PCs get a big surprise : SirBryan and his seven original caravanguards turn into wild-eyed, savage man-eaters . The adventurers must fight fortheir lives to avoid becoming their em-ployer's dinner.

Meet the Bhuts

Sir Bryan and his retinue are bhuts,unusual humanoid monsters similar inmany ways to lycanthropes and undead .During the day, bhuts look andact likenormal humans . But with the setting ofthe sun, their skin becomes scaly, theirhands become claws, their hair growswild, and they transform into toothy,savage man-eaters .Like undead monsters, bhuts are

immune to sleep, charm, and hold spells(as well as all poisons and gases), andthey make no noise while moving .Bhuts are not undead, however, andcannot be Turned by clerics . They canbe hit by only magical weapons andspells, anda single hit from a blessedweapon will slay abhut instantly.In combat, bhuts attack with their

two claws and chilling bite . Anyonebitten by abhut must make a SavingThrow vs . Paralysis or be numbed for1-4 rounds . Numbed creatures alwayslose initiative in battle and suffer a -2penalty to all to-hit rolls .Bhuts radiate a potent aura that

makes them immune to the effects ofdetect evil and know alignment spells . Infact, all know alignment attempts aredistorted by this aura, and the bhutsregister as Lawful . These schemingcreatures often live near human settle-ments to obtain their meals. To avoidarousing suspicion, bhuts usually as-sume some innocent guise such asmonks, gypsies, or even travelingmerchants.All the bhuts in this adventure have

the following common statistics :Bhut: HD 7 +2** ; #AT 2 claws/1 bite

(in bhut form); Save F10; ML 10 ; AL C;CC/33.Other statistics are variable and ac-

companythe description of each mem-ber of the caravan. These "NPC"descriptions list the bhuts' monsterstatistics as well as the statistics fortheir human forms [in brackets]. Thebhuts fight as 7th-level fighters duringthe day, with the exception of Sir Bryan,who attacks as a 7th-level magic-user.Even while the bhuts are in humanform, they still cannot be harmed bynonmagical weapons or attacks.When these creatures assume their

normal (monster) forms, they attack as7-HD monsters using their claws andteeth. The only exceptions are "Ogre,"who always attacks with his belovedtwo-handed sword, and Sir Bryan, who

casts suitable spells before engaging thePCstooth and nail . Upon completingtheir transformations, the bhuts' armorclasses drop to 4 (even lower for thosewith Dexterity bonuses and Sir Bryanwith his ring ofprotection +1), as theirskin grows scaly andtough. The bhutsshould retain the bonuses and penaltiesfrom their human ability scores when inmonster form .SirBryanDerban : AC 3 [8]; hp 33 ;

MV 120'(40'); #AT 2 claws/1 bite [1weapon or spell] ; Ding 1-4/1-4/1-6 plusspecial [by spell or weapon type]; S 10,116, W 11, D 12, C 16, Ch 13 ; spells:light, magic missile (x 2), detect invisi-ble, ESP, dispel magic, hold person,polymorph other; dagger

Sir Bryan is the leader of the bhuts,and he acts as the leader of the mer-chant caravan in this adventure. He isof average build and is quite handsomeand charming, having black hair and amoustache, friendly blue eyes, and areassuring voice. In keeping with hiscover as amerchant, he tends to wearcolorful, expensive clothes.Though he is also a 7th-level magic-

user, Sir Bryanhides his abilities untilthe bhuts attack the PCs. Sir Bryanloses the memory of any uncast spellsonce he changes into bhut form, so hemust rememorize spells every morning.His spell book is hidden in a secretcompartment in his wagon. In additionto his memorized spells, Sir Bryan'sspell book contains the following spells :read languages, read magic, ventrilo-quism, knock, wizard lock, water breath-ing, wall offire. He also owns twomagical items that he wears on hisperson . An amulet vs. crystal balls andESP hangs from his neck at all times,and he wears a ring ofprotection +1 onhis right index finger.Eric Tramble: AC 4 [7] hp 36; MV

120'(40'); #AT 2 claws/1 bite [1 weapon];Dmg 1-4/1-4/1-6 plus special [by weapontype]; S 12, 113, W 13, D 10, C 10, Ch11 ; leather armor; sword.Eric is second-in-command to Sir

Bryan, and he acts as Bryan's closefriend and trusted advisor. He isslightly shorter than Bryan and hasshort, curly brown hair. His quiet per-sonality does not mean that he is shy.Gord Crestkill: AC 3 [4] ; hp 47 ; MV

90'(30'); #AT 2 claws/1 bite [1 weapon];Dmg 2-5/2-5/1-6 plus special [by weapontype]; 514,110, W8,D13,C13,Ch11;chain mail armor, sword +1 .Becton Crestkill: AC 4 [5] ; hp 48; MV

CARAVAN GUARDS

90'(30'); #AT 2 claws/1 bite [1 weapon];Dmg 2-5/2-5/1-6 plus special [by weapontype]; S 13, 111, W 13, D 10, C 15, Ch11 ; chain mail armor, sword +1 .Gord and Becton both appear to be

capable fighters in their early twenties,and they claim to be brothers (Bectonseems to be the older). Both have brownhair (though Gord's is lighter) and arequiet but civil toward the PCs. Thebrothers share an interest in weaponsand armor, and will gladly compare ordiscuss arms with any PC fighters .Sir Rickinson DeNorland: AC 4 [5];

hp 40; MV 90'(30'); #AT [1 weapon];Ding 2-5/2-5/1-6 plus special [by weapontype]; S 13, 19, W 9, D 12, C 13, Ch 15 ;chain mail armor, sword.This blonde-haired, blue-eyed fighter

is a ladies' man through and through.He is always courteous to women andwill slavishly cater to the desires of alady he finds particularly beautiful.Because of his constant pursuit of mem-bers of the opposite sex (and because hetends to devour his lady-friends whenhe meets them in bhut form), the othercaravan members have nicknamed him"Wolf."Lornal Westhill: AC 4 [5] ; hp 41 ; MV

90'(30') ; #AT [1 weapon]; Dmg 2-5/2-5/1-6 plus special [by weapon type]; S 13,112, W 12, D 10, C 14, Ch 6; chain mailarmor, sword.Lornal is a bitter individual who

never has anything good to say aboutanyone else . For the most part he ig-nores the PCs, but he may make anasty, sarcastic comment if someonemakes a mistake in combat .Petri: AC 1 [2]; hp 34; MV 90'(30') ;

#AT [1 weapon]; Ding 1-4/1-4/1-6 plusspecial [by weapon type]; S 11, 111, W10, D 18, C 10, Ch 12; chain mail armor,sword, three throwing daggers, shortbow, 12 arrows .Petri is the clown of the group. He is

short (5'4") and has awild tuft of brownhair atop his head. Petri is always smil-ing or talking, and as a result he some-times gets on the nerves of his fellowtravelers (Lornal in particular) . Quick,energetic, and dexterous, Petri is anaccomplished juggler and has also beenknownto play an occasional practicaljoke. Petri is the caravan's lone archer,but he is deadly accurate with his shortbow."Ogre" : AC 4 [5]; hp 55 ; MV 90'(30');

#AT 1 weapon ; Dmg by weapon type ; S18, 13, W 7, D 9, C 16, Ch 6; two-handed sword +1, chain mail .

DUNGEON 31

CARAVAN GUARDS

Ogre is a giant of a man (6'10", 320lbs .), as his name implies. He is also nottoo bright and has trouble speakingclearly, with the exception of a fewwords ("kill," "break," "smash," and"dinner"). Ogre is neither gentle norrefined . He can be quite destructivewith his magical two-handed sword +1,which he uses even in bhut form.

The Bhuts' CaravanSir Bryan's caravan has traveledthroughout the Known World for years,seldom remaining in one area for morethan a week or two . Typically, the bhutsride into a town posing as merchants,grab a quick bite to eat, and then qui-etly slip away. They also obtain quite afew meals consisting of the fellow trav-elers they meet on the road .Occasionally, the bhuts set up an

extended operation in a larger city.During these operations (most of whichare contrived by Sir Bryan), the bhutspresent themselves as gypsies, pilgrims,a troupe of entertainers, or travelingscholars (Ogre doesn't do very well atthis one). The cocky bhuts seem to darethe local authorities to uncover theirgruesome misdeeds . Only once were thebhuts tracked down, and they dined onsheriff that night .The caravan itself consists of two

medium-size roofed wagons, each ofwhich is drawn by four sturdy drafthorses, and six war horses that thecaravan guards ride . Under normalconditions, Eric and another bhut (usually Sir Bryan or Petri) drive the wag-ons while the remaining six bhuts serveas mounted guards .The two wagons serve different pur-

poses. One carries the merchant bhuts'trade goods, currently 40 bulky bundlesof common animal pelts and hides andfour bundles ofprecious furs (fox andgiant weasel). Each bundle ofcommonfurs has a value of 15 gp and an encum-brance of 400 cn . Each parcel of pre-cious furs is worth 500 gp and has anencumbrance of 500 cn . This wagon alsocontains four two-man tents and a dozenwarm blankets . At night, the bhuts whoare not on guard duty sleep in the backof this wagon .The second wagon is Sir Bryan's pri-

vate property, and the PCs will not beallowed inside . It contains two comfort-able down mattresses (one for Bryanand one for his assistant, Eric); twolarge chests (securely bolted to the

wagon floor); a large sack containingEric's spare clothes ; a crate of iron ra-tions (enough dried beef to feed eightpersons or bhuts for four weeks) ; a bar-rel of drinking water; and a variety ofother common items . The two chestscontain Sir Bryan's expensive wardrobe(2,500 gp value) and the bhuts' dis-guises : clerical robes and holy symbols,clown outfits, gypsy clothing, and thelike . These disguises have a value of750 gp, but finding the proper buyersfor these outfits should prove to be aformidable challenge for the PCs .There is a secret compartment in the

floor of the wagon beneath Sir Bryan'smattress (treat as a secret door) . Hiddentherein is the bhuts' treasure : a largesack containing 27 sp, 315 ep, and 89pp ; a second sack with 585 gp ; a smallbag that holds four 500-gp pearls ; andSir Bryan's spell book (see his characterdescription for a list of the spells in thisbook) .Sir Bryan's wagon contains something

else of note . Hanging from the ceilingare two large metal birdcages, andperched inside one is a colorful bird . Ifpresented to the right buyer, this rarebird could fetch a price of 100 gp . How-ever, this bird is actually a polymorphedcaptive of the bhuts (see the "Conclud-ing the Adventure" for the identity ofthis prisoner) .When the bhuts attack a group of

victims and there are too many to eat inone sitting, Sir Bryan uses his poly-morph other spell to turn one of theiropponents into a turtle or some otherharmless, slow-moving creature. Thecaptive is then placed in a birdcage untilthe following morning, when Bryan castsa second polymorph spell on the victim,turning him into a bird, which the bhutskeep well fed until they're hungry again .At this time Sir Bryan casts a dispelmagic spell, and the bhuts enjoy theirsupper. Prisoners who resist the secondpolymorph spell into a bird are kept in acage until nightfall . Sir Bryan thendispels the polymorph spell and the otherbhuts dig in .

For the Player Characters

Having seen no one along the trailfor quite some time, you almost feel asense ofrelief when you spy a smallmerchant caravan traveling in thesame direction as yourselves on theroad ahead . As your group draws

nearer, you see that the caravanconsists of two roofed wagons, each ofwhich is drawn by four draft horses .Six men on horseback, most of whomwear metal armor, encircle thewagons .When the men spot you, they halt

the wagons and begin trotting backdown the road, either to greet or tointercept you. The guards stop about10 yards away, their hands restingon the hilts of their swords . One is ablack-haired man with a neatlytrimmed moustache, wearing a flow-ing blue shirt that waves like a flagin the wind, clean brown pants and apair of shiny black boots ; he appearsto be the leader. He edges his chargerforward a bit, his hand raised beforehim in greeting ."Hello, my friends!" he calls out in

a pleasant tone . "I am Sir BryanDerban, owner and leader of thiscaravan . Who might you be, andwhere might you be headed?"

Derban chats with the PCs in afriendly manner, trying to learn wherethey are headed . He then informs thegroup that his caravan is also travelingin that same direction, though probablyto a different destination (depending onwhere the DM decides to run this ad-venture in his own game world) . SirBryan's objective in this encounter is toconvince the adventurers to stay withhis caravan, even if only for the night .At first, Derban simply asks the PCs

if they would like to travel with hiscaravan, stating that he and his mencould use some companionship on thislonely trail . Ifthis straightforwardmethod fails, Sir Bryan makes the fol-lowing plea to the PCs . Should the PCsstill not wish to travel with the cara-van, there will be no adventure .

Sir Bryan's Plea

A troubled look clouds up Sir Bryan'shandsome face . He sighs aloud, shak-ing his head, and then announces,"My friends, I have not been entirelytruthful with you, and for this I ammost sorry. I would have endangeredyour lives-and under the guise offriendship! I am afraid that my recentproblems have affected my judgment."You see, although your compan-

ionship would be a pleasure

during our travels, that was not theonly reason I asked you to join us .You look like accomplished fighters,something that I can sorely use atthis time . Perhaps you would beinterested in staying on with us for awhile if I paid you? Well, first let metell you my story."In my wagon I am carrying

something-a family heirloom-thatmy half-brother Malcolm decidedought to belong to him . Malcolmhired the services of an evil wizardand a small army of ogres . For thepast two weeks he has been pursuingmy caravan . I have lost severalguards to the ogres and the spells ofthe wizard, but fortunately my eliteguard corp" -he smiles and gesturesat his surrounding men- "is stillintact ."Sir Bryan pauses momentarily, as

if weighing his words carefully. Atlast he says, "I am not accustomed tohiring strangers as mercenaries, butthese are strange times and I feel Ican trust you . And," he adds with aweak smile, "I'm afraid I may notreach my destination without assist-

ance . Would you be interested inselling your services to me?"

Derban offers the PCs 1,000 gp each ifthey agree to accompany him all theway to his destination (whatever lie hetold the adventurers earlier) or 500 gpeach ifthey travel only part of the waywith the caravan . Since Sir Bryanknows he won't be paying the PCs any-way (one way or the other, the alliancebetween the caravan members and thePCs will end that night!), he can behaggled into offering the PCs an addi-tional 500 gp for their services . This isthe limit, however, for the bhuts don'twant to tangle with a bunch ofadven-turers who can be hired only for anastronomical amount of gold; such agroup's fighting skills might prove wor-thy ofthe price they ask!Sir Bryan says nothing more about

the mysterious "heirloom" that he iscarrying (there is no heirloom ; it's sim-ply a part of Sir Bryan's false story),and under no condition will he allow thePCs inside his wagon . If the adventur-ers seem suspicious of Sir Bryan's storyor his secret cargo, the merchant leader

CARAVAN GUARDS

shrugs and says that he cannot revealthe object or its hiding place untilMalcolm is defeated and the PCs provethemselves worthy of his trust .

Events Minor and Major

The Injured GuardShortly after hiring the PCs, Sir Bryanasks if anyone in the party is a healer(cleric). He explains that during the lastattack on the caravan, an ogre managedto stab one ofhis guards (Becton) in thefoot, nearly severing his little toe . Hewould appreciate it greatly if the clericcould heal Becton (any cure lightwounds spell will suffice) . AlthoughBecton can still ride with the otherguards, his wound prevents him frombeing quick and steady on his feet. Ifhealed, Becton thanks the cleric with a250-gp onyx, saying, "I would like todonate this to your merciful order, HolyOne." The PC cleric then has a friend

The DM should run the following eventsin the order presented . Some of theseevents require combat, while otherssimply serve to further introduce theother caravan guards to the PCs .

CARAVAN GUARDS

for life (or at least until nightfall!) .In truth, Becton received his wound

from one of the bhuts' recent victims.Ironically, he now wields the magicalsword that injured him .

The Wolf Stalks His Prey

Shortly after Sir Bryan hires the adven-turers, Sir Rickinson "the WolfDeNorland begins romancing the fe-male PC with the highest Charismascore . He begins with the introduction,"Sir Rickinson at your service, mylady," and constantly hounds his ad-mired PC with more such chivalrousnonsense . By mid-afternoon he will beso forward as to say (pick one), "Theway you use that wand with such grace/The way you daintily wield your crush-ing mace/The way you finger thatdagger of yours/In your bulky metalarmor/ . . . You really look good!"Should the object of Sir Rickinson's

desires not return his affection, thechivalrous guard will direct his lovingattention to another female PC (if one ispresent) . Sir Rickinson doesn't give up ;the DM should make sure that Sir Rick-inson picks out a particular female PCto be the object of his affection duringthe adventure (whether she wants to beor not!) . If there are no females in thePC party, Sir Rickinson will sulkthroughout the adventure .

Chimera Attack!

Rays of midday sun filter through thetreetops as the caravan crawls slowlyalong the trail . The guard named Petripulls three apples from a small sack andbegins to juggle the fruit on horseback .In the middle of his act, Petri tosses oneof the apples to Gord, who catches itwith a smile and lobs it back . Petritakes Gord's return toss smoothly andkeeps right on juggling . He proceeds toflip an apple to Becton, Rickinson, and arandomly determined PC, always catch-ing the return throw in perfect synchwith hisjuggling.With a mischievous twinkle in his

eyes, Petri turns his glance towardLornal, the dark-spirited guard, andsays, "Come on Lornal, join the fun!"Lornal raises one arm, motioning for

Petri to throw him an apple . Upon re-ceiving Petri's toss, however, he chuck-les meanly and promptly rolls the pieceof fruit in front of his mount . As hishorse halts to sniff the offering, a horri-ble screech fills everyone's ears as a

monstrous three-headed form swoopsdown through the branches overheadand attacks!The swooping three-headed monster is

a chimera . It attacks a randomly deter-mined PC the first round of combat andanyone within range of its three headsin subsequent rounds. Although bhutsare normally immune to nonmagicalattacks, the chimera's dragon-headattacks (bite and breath) are strongenough to cause them damage (theydon't yet know this, believing that theyare immune to its bite). The bhuts avoidfrontal assaults in hopes that the PCswill finish the monster off, which alsoavoids the clumsy problem of having abhut be attacked but not be wounded .Chimera: AC 4; HD 9** ; hp 56 ; MV

120'(40% flying 180'(60'); #AT 2 claws/3 heads plus breath ; Dmg 1-3/1-3/2-8/1-10/3-12 plus 3-18 ; Save F9 ; ML 9 ; ALC; ER/47 . There is a 50% chance eachround that this creature will use itsbreath weapon, a cone of fire 50' longand 10' wide . The chimera can breathefire up to three times per day.

Ogre Shows His Stuff

About an hour after the chimera attack,Sir Bryan orders the caravan to haltnear the bank of a trailside stream .This quick break allows the PCs andthe other guards to refill their water-skins and stretch their legs a bit . As thePCs mill about, a tremendous snappingsound comes from the woods nearby.Although the adventurers may thinkotherwise, the caravan is not underattack . After a few dramatic seconds,Ogre emerges from the underbrushdragging an enormous fallen tree limbbehind him . The huge man promptlybreaks the thick branch across his kneeand then, noticing that everyone islooking at him, mumbles, "Duh . . . justgettin' duh firewood ."

Bugbear Bandits

Late in the afternoon, the caravanrounds a bend only to find the trailblocked by a fallen tree trunk . Unlessthe PCs immediately voice suspicions ofa possible ambush here, they will besurprised by a volley of arrows fired by10 bugbear archers, while another 10bugbears burst from the surroundingforest to engage both the PCs and thebhuts in hand-to-hand combat . Amongthe bugbear foot soldiers is their leader,Lord Tangulwizkers, who fights with his

magical sword +1, +2 us. spell-casters .Due to their great strength, bugbears

get a + 1 bonus to all hit and damagerolls . It should be noted that LordTangulwizkers (with his magical sword)is the only bugbear capable of damagingthe bhuts . The other bugbears strikeand shoot at the bhuts, but their blows(though they tear at clothing and ar-mor) draw no blood from their foes .Afterward, the bhuts tend to imaginarycuts and bruises, blessing their marvel-ous "luck:'Lord Tangulwizkers : AC 5 ; HD

3 + 1 ; hp 23 ; MV 90'(30'); #AT 1 (magi-cal sword) ; Dmg by weapon type ; SaveF3 ; ML 9; AL C ; BD/27 .Bugbears (10 archers, 9 foot soldiers) :

hp 15 (foot soldiers), 11 (archers) ; #AT 1sword or arrow ; Dmg by weapon type ;other statistics as per Lord Tangul-wizkers . Each bugbear carries a sword .The archers (who use long bows) usetheir swords only if forced into meleecombat.Each bugbear carries a small pouch

containing 3-24 cp and 3-18 sp . In addi-tion to this spare change, Lord Tangul-wizkers's pouch also holds a large topazworth 750 gp .As the great tree is being cleared from

the path, Sir Bryan sees a chance toenhance the credibility of his story bysuggesting that the bugbear raidersmay have attacked under the orders ofhis brother Malcolm . By interrogatingany captives or by using a speak withthe dead spell on a vanquished foe, thePCs should be able to learn that thebugbears were not in league with SirBryan's evil half-brother (who is a fic-tion, anyway) .

Man-Eaters in the Moonlight

Shortly before sunset, Sir Bryan givesthe order to halt the wagons and set upcamp for the night . Once the horses aresafely secured, Ogre builds a fire andPetri prepares a generous pot of rabbitstew . Sir Bryan invites the PCs to jointhe feast, and if the PCs accept the offerthey can enjoy a tasty meal in the jovialcompany of the other guards . All thecaravan members partake of the rabbitstew (although Lornal constantly com-plains about Petri's choice of ingredi-ents), so overly suspicious PCs can layto rest their fears that the stew mightbe drugged or poisoned. None of themen eat too much, however. They aresaving their appetites for the evening's

real main course .After the meal, Sir Bryan asks the

PCs ifthey would mind doing a share ofthe night watch duty. Since he is thecaravan leader and is responsible for allthe important decision-making, Derbanadds with a roguish grin, he is excludedfrom this duty. He also suggests that PCspell-casters (who need their sleep toregain spells) be exempt from guardduty. Sir Bryan can offer the PCs a pairof two-man tents and some blankets ifthey need them .Allow the PCs to organize the night

watch schedule as they see fit ; the sevenNPC guards will go along with any fairsystem. Normally, the guards divide thenight into three four-hour shifts, withtwo men working each shift and the oddman getting the night off. The PCs maysuggest four or more shorter shifts oropt for more guards per shift. It doesn'treally matter what the PCs plan beyondthe first shift, however, for it is at thistime that the bhuts will attack .The caravan members can exercise a

limited amount of control over theirtransformation into bhuts . The men candelay their change into bhut form for upto three hours after sunset . When thethree hours have passed, however, theyautomatically transform into bhuts .They must then retain bhut form untilthree hours before daybreak, at whichtime they may change back to humanform ifthey so desire . At dawn, how-ever, bhuts automatically resume theirhuman appearance .The actual transformation from hu-

man to bhut (and vice versa) takesabout 30 seconds (3-4 rounds in gameterms) . The bhuts have developed aclever scheme to synchronize theirchange into monster form and signalthe start oftheir ambush .All bhuts not picked for the first shift

of guard duty split up and pretend toprepare for sleep : Sir Bryan climbs intohis wagon (accompanied by Eric, if he isnot on guard duty) while the otherbhuts pitch a couple of tents . Theseremaining bhuts spread themselves outthrough the camp as best they can,some crawling into the tents whileothers hop into the back of the secondwagon.Shortly after everyone has settled in

for the night, Petri kicks off a series of"Good nights," signalling the othercaravan members to begin the changeto bhut form . At the end ofthis humor-

ous exchange of pleasantries, Sir Bryanunleashes a scream of terror. Once thePCs rush to Bryan's wagon to see what'swrong, the other bhuts emerge fromtheir quarters and attack. Sir Bryandelays his transformation long enoughto ensure that he can cast a few spellsat the PCs before he becomes a bhut .The following boxed text gives an

account of the bhuts' ambush . Shouldany of the bhuts with a speaking part inthis episode be on guard duty with thePCs, he casually turns his back to themwhile delivering his lines (and changinginto bhut form!) .

Darkness envelops the camp, and thechirping and humming of hundredsof insects fills the night air. Over thissoothing chorus you suddenly hearPetri's voice call out, "Good night,Gord!"You hear a soft chuckle and then

Gord's voice answers, "Good night,Petri . And good night to you, Ogre."A loud grunt, snort, and a contentedsigh are the only replies ."G'night, Gord," comes Becton's

voice, "and good night Petri, Ogre,Eric, and to you, good Sir Rickinson."Rickinson, in turn, rattles off his

own eloquent "Good nights" to ev-eryone in the camp, his voice grow-ing hoarse in the process . Ifhe isenamored of a PC female, he ends hislengthy discourse by adding, in avery raspy but poetic tone, "Andpleasant dreams to that very specialsomeone whose radiant smile isbrighter than the mid-day sun,whose lovely [blue, brown, or green]eyes are deeper than [Lake Amsorakor the Malpheggi Swamp; the DMshould use substitutes if his cam-paign is not set in the D&D KnownWorld] and 10 million times morebeautiful, and whose voice is evensweeter than that of a fair elvenprincess who gargles honey . . .""Quiet, you fools ;" Lornal inter-

rupts with a gruff bark, "before youdraw every monster within 10 milesto us like moths to a flame!"An immediate silence falls over the

camp as the other guards grasp thewisdom in Lornal's words . The quietis short lived, however, for suddenlya piercing screech of terror eruptsfrom Sir Bryan's wagon, spookingyour horses and sending an icy chillracing down your spines .

CARAVAN GUARDS

The following boxed text assumes thatthe PCs immediately rush to investi-gate Sir Bryan's scream . Allow the PCsto interrupt your reading of this text ifthey ask questions or take some otheraction . If any PC has witnessed aguard's change into bhut form, this partof the ambush will not take place; in-stead, a wild free-for-all is likely toensue.

You and your friends find Sir Bryanstanding alone just outside hiswagon. His eyes are bugged out infear, and his beard and moustacheare badly disheveled . He looksaround wildly and shouts, "The wiz-ard! The wizard! The wizard Malcolmhired . . . was in there . . . in mywagon . . . standing over me . . .standing over me, saying-" andBryan begins to mutter strangewords and phrases that sound like amagic spell .

Sir Bryan has two rounds in which tocast spells before he completely trans-forms into a bhut . He begins with a holdperson spell cast against four randomPCs, then uses his polymorph other spellagainst a PC spell-caster, ifpossible .While Bryan is casting his spells, the

other bhuts engage the adventurers inmelee combat. Some bhuts attempt totake on particular PCs : Gord and Bec-ton battle any fighter who has a nicesword or impressive armor (they get toclaim these spoils if the bhuts triumph).Petri tries to match his speed againstthe quickest PC (probably a thief), andLornal attacks any PC who has beenparticularly cheery during the adven-ture . Sir Rickinson, needless to say,directs his attention toward the femalePC he has been courting . He leaps ather, a wild look in his eyes and a toothygrin on his face, and with a dramaticgesture toward the moon overheadgrowls, "R-r-r-romantic, isn't it?" Hethen begins stalking his beloved, addingin a hungry tone, "You look good to-night, my lady. R-r-r-real good!"

Combat NotesThe bhuts' statistics appear in the"Meet the Bhuts" section of the module .The DM should adjust basic bhut statis-tics for the special abilities of the indi-vidual bhuts . For example, Gord gainsbonuses for his high Strength and Dex-terity scores but suffers a penalty for

CARAVAN GUARDS

low Wisdom . Therefore, the DM shouldadd the Strength bonus to Gord's clawdamage (Strength does not increase abhut's bite damage) and apply a -1penalty to his Saving Throws vs . magi-cal spells . Dexterity bonuses are al-

Continued from page 14

The chest becomes visible whentouched. Inside it is a short sword +1,three arrows +3, five darts +5 (usableonly by a wizard-class character), apotion of extra-healing, a ring ofprotection +2, 500 pp, 850 gp, and fivegems (values 3,000, 1,000 ( x 2), 500, and300).

Concluding the AdventureIf the adventurers are unsuccessful indriving the hobgoblins out in time, thekeep and its belongings will escheat tothe Lords of Waterdeep. The Lords sendout a full company of men-at-arms andcavalry with siege engines to retake it,and they succeed. The adventurers willhave to find riches and glory elsewhere.

If the PCs are successful, Uncle'snephew or niece receive the title"Squire of South Kryptgarden" along

36 Issue No . 26

ready figured into the armor classstatistics listed for each bhut .

Concluding the AdventureIf the PCs defeat the bhuts, they mayrifle through the bhuts' wagons, claim-ing any treasures they find . The wagonsthemselves are valuable, should theadventurers think of selling them . SirBryan's wagon, complete with livingquarters and a secret compartment, isworth 1,000 gp . The second wagon isworth around 700 gp .The bird hanging in the cage in Sir

Bryan's wagon opens several possibili-ties for further adventure. As explainedpreviously, this bird is actually a poly-morphed captive of the bhuts. The iden-tity of this captive is left for the DM todecide, but three possibilities, based onthe people and lands described in theD&D Gazetteer series, follow .Fredrikka of Dovehold (9th-level Glan-

trian sorceress) . This younglady re-cently graduated from the Great Schoolof Magic in Glantri City andhas sincebeen traveling throughout the KnownWorld in search ofadventure. Her par-ents rule the obscure barony of Dove-hold in a wooded valley of theWendarian Ranges far to the north.Returning Fredrikka to her home wouldprovide the PCs with a wearyingamount of travel, but this would be theleast of their problems . Clerics are out-lawed in Glantri and are routinelyexecuted when discovered . Dwarvesandhalflings traveling through these lands

with adeed to the keep and land . Thisrelative is summoned before one of theLords ofWaterdeep, who demands fealtyand explains to the PC that there is acondition to the deed : the land's newoccupant must keep the area clear ofmonsters .

If the DM feels that giving low-levelPCs a keep oftheir own is too grand agesture, then the Lords of Waterdeepmight opt to put the keep in trust,stationing armed soldiers there until theinheritor has gained sufficient personalpower to warrant giving the keep back(if the Lords of Waterdeep are soinclined).Avenues for additional adventures

and role-playing are endless. Someideas are as follows:-Thirty days after this adventure, the

chief of the Lostafinga tribe sendsanother troop of hobgoblins to relievethe one that was on duty, and the

might find themselves coveted for magi-cal research by amad wizard or two.(See GAZ3 for more details about thePrincipalities of Glantri) .Ahmed Al-Hussain ofKirkuk (5th-

level fighter) . Ahmed is a handsome,well-tanned warrior from the village ofKirkuk in the Emirates of Ylaruam. Heis most thankful for being rescued bythe PCs and offers to throw a greatparty in their honor ifthey accompanyhim to his desert home . Such a celebra-tion could be used to introduce the PCsto the Ylari customs of coffee-drinkingand storytelling. Kirkuk is described indetail in GAZ2 The Emirates of Yla-ruam, which also includes a number ofadventures within the village's walls.Aldan Volstrake (5th-level fighter/3rd-

level merchant). Aldan is a friendly,brown-haired manwith an outgoingpersonality and a silver tongue . His waywith words and ability to put people atease with his pleasant speech is an es-sential asset for someone in his line ofwork . A former adventurer, Aldan in-vested his wealth into his own business,the Volstrake Mercantile Trading Com-pany based in the city ofSelenica in theRepublic of Darokin. If the PCs enjoyedtheir one-day stint as caravan guards forSir Bryan, Aldan can offer them similaremployment protecting some of his wag-ons. See GAZ11 The Republic ofDaro-kin, for more information on themerchant character class and hints forrunning merchant- and caravan-basedadventures.

adventurers mayfind the keepreoccupied when they get back .-Thieves or otherNPCs in Waterdeep

hear of the PCs' success and try tosecure the keep for themselves .-The Tree Ghost barbarian tribe

decides that their ancestral totem ishidden in Kryptgarden Forest, and theywant to use the keep as a base ofoperations for their search .-The PCs decide to further fortify and

inhabit the keep ; settlers and the meansto provision them must be found.-The annual real estate tax bill arrives

andmoney must be raised to pay it .Whatever course the campaign takes,

the adventurers will find the taking andsecuring of Uncle's keep a greatplatform for taking off into moreadventures in the savage northernfrontier of the Forgotten Realms.

By mail, send a check, money order, or Visa/Mastercard number and signature.

Please add 10% for shipping and handling .13y phone. (309) 452-3632 between 9 a.m . and 5 p .m. Central time .

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SINCE 1973GDWG A M E S

P.O . Box 1646Bloomington, IL 61702-1646

NAME THIS FEATURE! (see Editorial)

BY JAY OUZTS

DEADFALLSto do anything, and even then he didn'twork very hard or very long. Now, how-ever, he was on his own .Pondering his fate, Snarrak wandered

along a trail frequented by trappers andhunters. Suddenly, he found himselfentangled in a net dropped from thetrees above . Before he could react, anettercap leaped onto him from a largeoak tree, knocking him prone .Snarrak, more annoyed than threat-

ened, immediately assumed giant formand ripped the net to shreds . Thiscaught the ettercap completely by sur-prise . After all, he was expecting hisvictim to be merely a small, weakgnome . Before the ettercap could act,Snarrak slammed his assailant's bodyagainst a tree trunk, nearly knockingthe ettercap unconscious .Snarrak yelled loudly and drew his

broad sword as he moved closer to thestunned ettercap and prepared to smitethe creature in the neck. At that point,Snarrak noticed out of the corner of hiseye that a giant spider, the ettercap'spet, was closing in for the attack .

Still nursing a few wounds from hisskirmish with the elves (he had been hitby a stray arrow and, while fleeing, hadtripped over a log and skinned hisknee), Snarrak didn't want to tanglewith two venomous creatures at once .Not only was this far too dangerous, butit was also far too much work . Thus, hedecided to ask for a truce .Not knowing the ettercap's tongue,

Snarrak tried sign language . He showedthe peace sign, which the ettercap un-derstood . The badly injured creaturechirped and screeched something to hispet, and the spider halted its advance .Using a combination of voice inflec-

tions and sign language, Snarrak ex-plained to the ettercap that a net wasnot the most effective trap, especiallyagainst large creatures like spriggans .Snarrak, having some knowledge oftraps himself, drew crude diagrams ofpits, snares, a crossbow trap, and adeadfall (a trap that drops a heavyweight on its victim) .Judging from the way the ettercap

pointed at the diagram and made glee-ful chirps, the deadfall seemed to fasci-nate him . Thus, Snarrak began to helpthe ettercap construct a deadfall, using

Ettercap's Shelter

Spriggan's Shelter

1 square = 2'

Enjoy your trip . The monsterscertainly will.

"Deadfalls on Nightwood Trail" is an AD&D© 2nd Edition adventure for 3-6characters of 3rd or 4th level (a total of about 15 total levels) . The party shouldinclude a variety ofraces and classes, and the presence of a thief would be helpful .This adventure can be inserted in any campaign at any time the player

characters are traveling along a trail through a dark, temperate forest. The namesof specific places can be changed to make the adventure compatible with anycampaign setting .

Adventure BackgroundSnarrak, a spriggan with a nasty temper, was traveling with his clan in theNightwoods, looking for a merchant caravan to rob or a trapper to torment .Suddenly, the group was ambushed by an elite regiment ofthe Frezalian ElvishCommunity Forest Patrol . One by one, his companions fell victim to the elves'arrows and spells . After several minutes ofcombat, Snarrak realized the battle waslost . To protect himself, he fled deeper into the Nightwoods .Throughout his life, Snarrak had relied on his comrades to do most of the work,

especially leaving tasks of hard labor for others to do . He stayed in the back of thepack, allowing his companions to handle most ofthe fighting, too . Only when therest of the clan threatened him with bodily harm did Snarrak bother to lift a finger

ON NIGHTWOOD TRAILa section of log about 3' in diameter asthe killing weight . (Actually, the etter-cap did all the work; Snarrak justshowed him how to do it .)Once the trap was constructed, the

ettercap (who had quite an aptitude forrigging deadly traps) began making afew modifications . He lined the bottomof the weight with several sharpenedbones, on which he gnawed to coat withhis own deadly venom . Finally, he con-vinced the giant spider to cover theweight with its sticky webs so that thevictim could be reeled in for the kill .Later, they constructed a second dead-fall just beyond the first to increase thechances of success .The trap worked like a charm and

soon claimed its first victim, a humanthiefwho had fled into the woods toavoid apprehension by the authorities .Snarrak agreed to give the spider andettercap first choice of cuts of meat if hecould have the victim's valuables . Nothaving any use for treasure, the etter-cap agreed.Thus, the three sinister beings forged

a profitable alliance . To Snarrak, it isheaven on earth. He is now able tospend his time doing the things he lovesmost : sleeping and brooding over histreasure . The trap provides him with adecent meal each day and an occasionalpiece of treasure with a minimalamount of work on his part . Sure, theettercap gets on his nerves from time totime, and the language barrier makestrying to communicate with him diffi-cult ("Why can't that stupid spider-lover learn the Common tongue?") .Nevertheless, it's a small price to payfor such a carefree lifestyle .Despite Snarrak's annoying laziness,

rank body odor, and exceptionally loudsnoring, the ettercap values the alliancein turn . The spriggan knows a greatdeal more about certain intelligentraces, such as gnomes and humans,than does the ettercap . Furthermore,Snarrak's strength allows him to liftlarger prey than the ettercap can move.Of course, the ettercap isn't foolishenough to trust the spriggan completely.Each night, he and the spider taketurns keeping watch in case the sprig-gan should decide to try somethingsneaky.

The Trap

While traveling through theNightwoods, the PCs stumble across thedeadfalls . Each PC who enters a squarecrossed by a trip wire has a 4-in-6chance to spring the trap . When thetrap is sprung, the weight drops onanyone standing within 2' of the centerof the wire .The trap may be detected by a thief

who is deliberately searching for trapsin the area, but a -40 penalty is ap-plied to his percent chance to detect it(the trap is outdoors and is not the sortthat thieves are skilled at finding). Itmay also be found by a priest's detectsnares & pits or find traps spell, or bymagical devices that locate traps of thissort . In any event, the chances thatanyone in the group will be searchingfor the trap is virtually nil under nor-mal circumstances .Should the party manage to avoid the

trap, Snarrak and his partners attack ifthey outnumber the PCs . Otherwise,they fight only in self-defense, prefer-ring to wait for something else to springthe trap .Those characters unfortunate enough

to be hit with the weight take 1d8 + 10hp damage . Furthermore, each victimmust make a saving throw vs . the poi-son that coats the sharp bones protrud-ing from the weight . Failure to saveresults in death in 1-4 turns .Next, a dexterity check on 4d6 must

be made to avoid being stuck in thewebs that cover the weight . Those whofail this check can break free from thewebs in one round for every point ofstrength less than 19 . Those who makesuccessful checks are still stuck but canbreak free in half as much time . PCswith 19 or higher strength scores areunaffected by the sticky webs .When the trap is sprung, the ettercap

pulls the weight up (along with anystuck PCs) at a rate of 5' per round . Hecan pull up any creature weighing lessthan 180 lbs. without assistance fromthe spriggan. Meanwhile, Snarrak, whobegins the adventure in his tree insmall form, scares any PCs who are nottrapped, then fires at them with hislight crossbow in the next round .The giant spider, who has been wait-

ing in its webs, attacks any free PCs onthe ground . Although its intelligence islow, it knows how to avoid springingthe second deadfall trap . If all the freePCs have been killed or driven away,the spider attacks any living PCs stillstuck in the traps .In subsequent rounds, the spriggan

uses shatter and affect normal firesspells if such would be useful . Other-wise, he fires his crossbow until he runsout of quarrels . At that point, he leapsto the ground and assumes giant form,engaging PC survivors in melee . Theettercap, once he has pulled up anytrapped PCs, climbs down and assiststhe spider in fighting on the ground .He, too, uses extreme caution to avoidtripping the second deadfall .Snarrak (spriggan) : Int average; AL

CE; AC 3 (5) ; MV 9 (15); HD 4 (8 +4) ; hp24 (48) ; THACO 17 (11) ; NAT 2 ; Dmg byweapon type (by weapon type +7); SAspells, thief abilities ; SD assume giantsize (see statistics in parentheses) ; SZ S(L) ; ML 15 ; XP 1,400 ; MM2. Snarrak isarmed with a light crossbow and abroad sword . He wears a ring offeatherfalling on his right hand and carries aquiver containing six crossbow bolts athis left side .Ettercap : Int low ; AL NE; AC 6 ; MV

12 ; HD 5 ; hp 29; THACO 15 ; NAT 3 ;Dmg 1-3/1-3/1-8 ; SA poison ; SZ M; ML13 ; XP 975 ; MC.Giant spider : Int low ; AL CE; AC 4 ;

MV 3, web 12 ; HD 4 +4 ; hp 24 ; THACO15 ; NAT 1 ; Dmg 1-8 ; SA poison ; SZ L ;ML 13 ; XP 650 ; MC (spider) .

The Lairs

The odd allies live in treehouses builton wooden platforms held together bythe ettercap's own silky strands andsmall bits of spider web. Each of thepartners has a small treehouse made ofwood, mud, and webs to provide shelterfrom the elements . The ettercap's homeis a cramped structure measuring only4' wide, 5' long, and 5' high . A pile ofleaves, upon which the ettercap sleeps,covers the floor of the dwelling. Severalold bones and animal parts have beenshoved into the corners, giving the placethe putrid stench of decaying flesh .

Continued on page 54

DUNGEON 39

THE CURSEAND THEQUESTBY CRAIG BARRETTAND CHRISTOPHER KEDERICH

A cursed book leads youon a quest you can'tignore .Artwork by Stephen F. Schwartz

Craig tells us: "This project was theproverbial meeting ofgenius with ge-nius, which at times can be explosive.Since I was neither of the geniuses inquestion, it was interesting to watch Kitargue with himself. In spite ofall that,the adventure did manage to get com-pleted anyway."Kit claims to be a refugee from the

Twilight Zone whose current mailingaddress is in the Colorado mountains.While not as volatile as his more apoca-lyptic friends, he approves ofthe stock-piling ofrare vintages and importedmythologies . His ranch is a mobile dan-ger zone inhabited by three malevolentbut lovable dog-wolfhybrids. Thismakes the conducting ofan AD&D®game at his residence interesting, to saythe least.

"The Curse and the Quest" is anAD&D© adventure for 4-6 characters of4th to 8th level (about 30 total levels) .The party must include at least oneplayer character who is a cleric withhealing spells (and preferably healingpotions), and a mage of at least 6th level(the read magic spell is vital). The partyshould be capable ofrapid overlandmovement. It will be convenient if theparty includes sufficient henchmen orfollowers to bring the total up to eightmembers . A ranger or a druid would behelpful .This adventure takes place on the

western slope of a high mountain range,within one day's march of Mount Yv-vivor and the Vale of Yvvivor. Theweather is generally mild, but chilly atnight due to the altitude . The DungeonMaster should limit cloud cover, sinceit's important for the PCs to be able toaccurately determine the phase of themoon . Three days after the night theadventure begins, the moon will be full ;ifthe PCs have not completed the ad-venture within two days after that, theyhave virtually no chance of survival .In locating this adventure in his own

campaign, the DM should keep in mindthat the Vale of Yvvivor is not isolated,but it is wild, remote, and nearlyforgotten .One final warning : This adventure is

not for players who are easily distractedor who have difficulty keeping theirattention centered on their goal .

For the Dungeon MasterMt . Yvvivor, in the Vale of Yvvivor, isone of those rare places where the chan-nels of power from many worlds inter-sect . At midnight on the five primarydays of a full moon, a Focus of thesepowers is formed, and the very essenceof magic is called forth . During thesefive days it is possible to create magicalitems of enormous power, with compara-tively little difficulty (see "The BlankPage" for details) . However, the effectsof the Focus make the casting of magicspells difficult (see "Magical Effects ofthe Focus" for details) .Specific descriptions of the Focus and

the magical route used to reach it aregiven in the sections titled "The BlankPage;" "The Swamp and the Island,"and "The Focus."So difficult and dangerous is the Fo-

cus to use, however, that only a fewmagical items have ever been completedthere . The most powerful ofthese-andthe most deadly-is the Book ofBloodcreated by the 28th-level mageAgrackan Akarias and cursed by the30th-level mage Dylihos of Djerdan (inrevenge for Agrackan's betrayal of him).As a result of Dylihos' curse, the BookofBlood brings doom to all who touch it,and only when the book is destroyed inthe Focus itself will the doom be ended .Fearful hands have carried the booktoward its final destruction for decades,in a grim kind of relay race . Now, theend ofthat race is almost in sight, forthe last possessor of the book managedto carry it within a day's march of Yv-vivor before he was killed.

For the Player CharactersRead or paraphrase the following to theplayers :

It is late in the evening, the end of along day's travel . Despite tales ofmarauding bandits heard at the lasttown, three days behind you, nonehave been encountered so far in yourjourney. The heavy forest has provedfree of dangerous monsters. The onemajor disappointment is the roaditself, called a highway by the towns-people but really little more than amountain track. Even so, you havelearned from the occasional travelingmerchant that another town (offeringlittle better hospitality than the last)is three days' march ahead of you .

A little offthe road to the east is asmall deserted glen sheltered bytrees and bushes, with a brook run-ning nearby. This appears to be aperfect camp site, protected by na-ture against casual observation.

If the PCs enter the glen, read thefollowing to the players :

Beside the stream, you find whatlooks like a human skeleton, badlydismembered and several weeks old.The clothes are in shreds, but not farfrom the skeleton is a half-hiddenleather satchel . In the dim light, ascatter of silvery coins is visible, andthe remnants of a war hammer thatlooks as though lightning had struckit several times.

The BookInside and scattered around the satchelare 30 silver coins, and in the satchel isa large book . If any of the PCs touch thebook, the party members feel a chill asif a cold breeze had suddenly blown overthem.The book is Agrackan's Book ofBlood.

Embossed on its cover is a silver circlecontaining a bastard sword pointedupright . The name Agrackan is writtenin goldjust above the circle . The bookhas a strange musty smell ; any fighterwill associate the smell with that ofrotting flesh . Anyone who touches thebook with hand or glove or gauntlet,and any companion within 20 paces ofthem at that moment, receives the curseof the shimmering wrath (see sidebar).

If anyone opens the book without firstspeaking the name of Agrackan, thespell written on the inside front cover ofthe book is immediately activated (vam-piric touch, cast at 4th level, for 2-12 hpdamage). This spell will operate when-ever the book is improperly opened .Because the book was created at the

Focus, it can be destroyed only in themanner described in "The Dream" andcannot be damaged in any other way.Thus, attempts to tear a page (no mat-ter how much strength is employed) orto burn any part ofthe book (even withmagical fire) will fail .A warning is written on the first page

of the book, in the margin, in non-magical script and in a handwritingdifferent from Agrackan's . The warningtells of the need to say Agrackan's name

THE CURSE AND THE QUEST

before opening the book and explainingthat Agrackan has written explosiverunes in the inside back cover of thebook . These runes "wander" throughthe book at random each time the bookis closed, and there is a 10% chance thatthe runes will be present in any particu-lar spell being read, even if that spellhas been read before without harm .Obviously, since neither the book nor itspages can be damaged, the explosion ofthe runes will not harm the book in anyway. The runes can explode only threetimes per day.Written in the book in magical script

are the following spells, each in Agrack-an's handwriting : hold portal, contactother plane, conjure elemental, trap thesoul, Serten's spell immunity, chainlightning, enchant an item, gate, reincar-nate, speak with dead (a wizard versionof the 3rd-level priest spell), binding,demand, group succor (a wizard versionof the 7th-level priest spell ; this spelloperates for anyone touching the wizardat the time it is activated), shapechange, fly, water breathing, enchantedweapon, dispel magic, Rary's mnemonicenhancer, pass wall.The spell on the last page, however, is

not in Agrackan's handwriting . Thecurse ofthe shimmering wrath (see side-bar) wrote itself into the book as a con-sequence of Dylihos's dying curse . Thisspell was pronounced by Dylihos afterAgrackan captured and tortured him tomake him reveal all his magical knowl-edge, and is Dylihos's revenge againstanyone who uses the book in which thatstolen knowledge is recorded . This spellis possible (for mortals) only as a deathcurse by a 25th-level or higher mage,for it concentrates all the wizard's magi-cal power and all of his life-force intothis single act . The spell also requiresaugmentation by a source of great magi-cal power, such as a Focus.In the very center of the book is one

page, both sides of which are apparentlyblank, that will not respond to any readmagic spell .Each page of the book is a permanent

scroll of magic (usable once each dayand each day renewing itself), and usa-ble without risk of spell failure (see theAD&D 2nd Edition Dungeon Master'sGuide, page 145) . This is, after all, effec-tively an artifact and not a scroll .All spells are written at the 28th-level

except the curse ofthe shimmeringwrath.

THE CURSE AND THE QUEST

The Dream

The DM may describe a general mood offoreboding that envelops the glen as thePCs settle down for the night. At mid-night, all party members(awake orasleep) have the same dreamlike vision :

Yousee the sword on the book's coverrise up in midair and swell to fullsize . Avoice emanates from thesword:

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: AnyFREQUENCY: Summoned only by the curseORGANIZATION : SpecialACTIVITY CYCLE: AnyDIET : NilINTELLIGENCE: NonTREASURE : NilALIGNMENT: NeutralNO. APPEARING: 1 the first day, 2 the second day, 4 the third day, 16 the fourth

day, 256 the fifth day; on the sixth and later days, the attacks are nonstopARMOR CLASS: 4MOVEMENT: 12HIT DICE : 4THACO: 14NO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6 (electric shock)SPECIAL ATTACKS: Shadow chills for 1-4SPECIAL DEFENSES : Unaffected by cold,

magicMAGIC RESISTANCE : NilSIZE : MMORALE : SpecialXP VALUE: 175

These entities are combined nonliving energies created from the Negative Mate-rial plane and the elemental plane of Lightning. Resembling shadows filled withshimmering points of light, they often go unnoticed until they coalesce into man-size but. irregular forms just before attacking the victims specified by the curse ofthe shimmering wrath of Dylihos.The wraths attack by touch, with a maximum of three wraths attacking a size-Mcreature at atime, each dealing 1-6 hp electrical damage regardless of armor orclothing . Normal weapons can hit a wrath, and every hit point of damage a wrathinflicts lowers its own hit points by the same number until the wrath is dissi-pated. In addition, using a metallic weapon to touch or strike awrath causes 1-6hp damage per touch to the attacker.

If enough light (the equivalent of full daylight) exists for a wrath to cast ashadow, anyone who is touched by the shadow of a wrath suffers 1-4 hp damagedue to cold, regardless of armor or clothing . The wraths are unaffected by cold orelectrical attacks and cannot be turned (as undead), nor will a dispel magic spelleliminate them . When confronted with protective spells andwards such as shield,protection from evil, wall offorce, wall ofiron, etc., or with physical barriers, thewraths simply become ethereal until the barrier is penetrated (movement at halfspeed) or circumvented, then coalesce into manform and attack once more .Wraths are nonintelligent, and their only tactic is to embrace their targets. The

wraths continue to appear on schedule, pursuing their victims anywhere throughthe material planes until the victims are destroyed.

42 Issue No . 26

Shimmering Wrath

"Hear nowthe voice of Lamnian,who in his foolishness came to layhands on the Book ofBlood and wasdoomed ."Dylihos of Djerdan it was who

created the curse ofthe shimmeringwrath to defend the Focus of Ery-hil'n, where magic creation is dan-gerously simplified . He haddiscovered the Focus and howto use

electricity, clerical turning, dispel

it by working in conjunction with hisassociate, Agrackan Akarias, and hethought they were agreed that itshould be defended against unwiseuse. But Dylihos's reckoningwasflawed, for he did not understand theambitions of Agrackan."Agrackan drugged Dylihos in an

unguarded moment and took Dylihosto the distant citadel of Geryzag,Agrackan's own lair. There, by tor-ture, he drew from Dylihos each ofhis powerful secrets in turn . ThenAgrackan set about to capture hisrival's very power. From Dylihos'sbody would be constructed the terri-ble Book ofBlood: His skin wouldserve for binding; the crushed pow-der of his bones would make thestark-white pages; from his bloodwould be made the ink. Thus, theessence of his magic would be boundinto the book . This done, Agrackanplanned to return to the Focus andthere enchant each page of the bookas a permanent scroll of magic (touse once each day andeach day re-new itself)."But Dylihos was not yet dead, and

Agrackan in his arrogance boasted ofhis intentions once too often. Withhis dying breath, Dylihos summonedall his mystic strength and pro-nounced the curse ofthe shimmeringwrath (which he had already pre-pared to guard the Focus itself), thatno being should ever touch the BookofBlood and live ."Agrackan knew it not. He slew

Dylihos and completed the book atthe Focus as he hadplanned. But theplanar gateshadopened . At noon ofthe day after the book was com-pleted, the first of the mindless entit-ies, a shimmering wrath, appearedand attacked Agrackan . Agrackandestroyed it by his magic. Though hethen searched for some clue to thestrange creature's origin, he foundnone ."Onthe second day, at noon, two

wraths arrived andwere destroyedas the first hadbeen. On the thirdday, four came . On the fourth day,sixteen."Desperate, then, Agrackan cast

about for the source of the wraths'summoning and discovered that itwasthe Book ofBlood itselfl He thuslearned of the doom Dylihos hadprepared for him. Before the power of

that doom, Agrackan was helpless,for on the fifth day, 256 wraths came .He did not see the sixth day."A thieftook the book from aban-

doned Geryzag, whence Agrackan'sfear-stricken servants had alreadyfled. Since that day, any who havetouched the book have sufferedAgrackan's fate ."Yet there is hope, for I have dis-

cerned the end of the curse and Iplace this quest upon you: Go to theVale of Yvvivor, below the crest ofMount Yvvivor, within two nightsbefore or after the full moon . Therefind the Focus of Eryhil'n. Once youhave reached that place, lay the bookwithin the Focus and pronouncebackward the name of the man whomade it : Agrackan's it is ; Nakcarga'sit shall not be! In that moment thebook shall be destroyed, and thecurse shall be removed from you andplaced within the Focus, so thatanyone who comes to the Focus afteryou will suffer the curse ."Pray, when you hear these words,

that the Vale is close and the fullmoon is at hand-as it was not forme . Pray that those who have bornethis curse and this quest before youhave carried the book within reach ofyour goal at a time propitious foryour survival ."This much aid I can give you:

Ask, `Where is the Focus?' and theSword ofLamnian will point yourway. If mage you be, know that thesword is part of a medallion set uponthe cover of the book and bears thepermanent enchantment ofMorden-kainen's sword . Remove it before youdestroy the book and it shall be yourreward, if life is not enough."When you round the tip of Mt .

Yvvivor and the ruins on its flankare in sight, read the blank page inthe center ofthe book and follow theinstructions thereon ."Go! Delay not! And may the gods

be your friends ."

The sword goes back to the cover ofthe book, and the vision ends. All thePCs sleep soundly until dawn.

The Sword ofLamnianAs previously described, Lamnian put apermanent enchantment ofMorden-kainen's sword into a medallion andmagically placed the medallion upon

the front cover of the Book ofBlood. The"miniature platinum sword with a gripand pommel of copper and zinc" (2ndEdition Player's Handbook, page 185)has been implanted into the medallionitself; A mage need only hold the bookor the medallion to operate the sword .The medallion/sword has no charges assuch but can be used as a sword onlyonce per day (duration 22 rounds, basicchance to hit at 11th level ; Lamnianwas a 22nd-level mage) .As a guide, the sword points out the

most direct route to the Focus (withoutregard to intervening obstacles) and canbe used as often as desired, though thisattribute of the medallion will disap-pear once the book is destroyed . TheDM should keep track ofthe party'slocation relative to the Focus for thispurpose . (The Focus is in the hexmarked "8" on the area map.)

The Journey to the Focus1. The Game Trail . Ifthe PCs choose

to ignore Lamnian's warning and do notfollow the quest (a saving throw shouldbe allowed, as per the PH, page 224),the DM is free to destroy them at hisleisure . The shimmering wrath shouldbe ideal for the purpose .At dawn, the sword points the PCs

eastward through the forest . A shortdistance from the glen, a game trailleads in the right direction . This part ofthe forest is thickly overgrown, andmounted travel through it is impossible .Even on the game trail, the intertwin-ing branches makes mounted travelawkward at best (for movement ratessee the DMG, pages 124-5 .) Ifthe PCskeep to the game trail, they should beable reach the edge of the plateau (area2) before they must next make camp .The first shimmering wrath appears

without warning 1-4 hours after noonon this day. The wrath attacks thecursed party member who is farthestfrom the main body ofthe party (DM'sdiscretion) . A scout, for example, shouldbe attacked before someone in the maingroup . If the party has kept together,anyone on the outer fringe ofthe groupmay be attacked first . If anyone has leftthe party in order to avoid the curse,the defector should be attacked first .This procedure should be followed on allsucceeding days, with the number ofwraths increasing each day as specified.Consult the chart on page 101 of theDMG to determine ifthe PCs have

THE CURSE AND THE QUEST

random encounters during the marchthrough the forest . If an encounter isindicated, roll 1d10 and see the ForestRandom Encounters table .

2 . The Plateau's Edge. When thePCs come to the end of the game trail,they find themselves at the edge of along drop-off to the valley below .

The game trail ends at the edge of aplateau. The forest has thinned here,and you can see some distance ahead .Below you is a small river valley, andacross it is a high mountain thatrises steeply. You can see that thewestern slope of that mountain isguarded by sheer cliffs that appeardangerous, perhaps impassable, fromthis distance . To the south the moun-tain extends out of sight, but to thenorth it appears to curve away fromyou, as though opening a gap or passon that side .The descent from the plateau is

marred by jumbles of rocks (some ofwhich are boulder sized) and patchesof loose gravel interspersed withheavy brush . The only good descentappears to be a continuation of thegame trail .One hundred yards to your right,

several boulders sheltered by treesoffer what appears to be a good camp-site for the night. A sentry on theboulders will be able to see above thetrees and across the valley.

The mountain across the valley is Mt .Yvvivor, part of a rugged mountainrange . Since the march through thethick forest will have been tiring, it isprobable that the PCs will reach thispoint around dusk and will decide tocamp . If they look across the valleyduring the night, the PCs will be able tosee lights flickering along the westernramparts of Mt . Yvvivor, as thoughsentries or patrols were making theirrounds by torch-or lantern-light .

3 . The River. Ifthe PCs descend fromthe plateau by the game trail, it takestwo hours to reach the valley floor, andthe PCs must lead their mounts . How-ever, ifthe PCs decide not to use thegame trail, the time taken for the de-scent triples . In this case, for every 10minutes off the trail, each member ofthe party (including animals) mustmake a dexterity check on 1d20 . Any-one who fails a check takes 1-6 hp fall-

DUNGEON 43

THE CURSE AND THE QUEST

ing damage. If any animal's cumulativedamage during this descent comes tomore than 25% of its total, the animalhas broken a leg and (in lieu of a curespell) must be abandoned . Good PCswill put a gravely injured animal out ofits misery. Thirty minutes after com-pleting the descent, the PCs shouldreach the river.

The valley floor is covered by a mod-erate forest that presents little ob-struction between you and the river.There is plenty ofcover along thegame trail, however, and only a rela-tively short distance between theslope and the river.Where the game trail meets the

river, there appears to be a wateringplace where boulders give both coverand observation perches . Tracks inthe mud of the riverbank show thatmany animals have used this water-ing place . The water is fresh andcold, but along this flank of Mt . Yv-vivor the river has a wide channeland is neither deep nor swift .

If the PCs take the game trail to theriver, they encounter three giant wea-

sels at the watering hole .Giant weasels (3): Int animal; AL N;

AC 6 ; MV 15 ; HD 3+3; hp 21, 18, 15 ;THACO 17 ; #AT 1 ; Dmg 2-12 ; SA drainblood (on melee round after successfulbite, for 2-12 hp damage per meleeround) ; SZ M; ML 10 ; XP 175 ; MC.These weasels are very hungry and

immediately attack the first party mem-ber who appears . Since weasel pelts sellfor 1,000-6,000 gp, the PCs may want torecover the pelt if they make a kill(DM's discretion for how long that willtake).Just a few yards north of the watering

hole is a convenient ford . The watercomes up to a human's knees, andmounts can be led across without haz-ard . Because of the slippery rocks on theriver bottom, anyone who attempts toride across the ford has a 50% chance ofbeing thrown when his mount slips .On the east side of the river, tracks

show that a mounted party has beenhere recently ; any ranger or druid cantell that last night a party of men cameto the ford but did not cross . From thetracks, the party numbered six. Oneperson, who wore military-style boots,dismounted .

If the PCs consult the Sword ofLam-nian for directions, they travel due eastfrom this point, through light forest . Ifthey move rapidly, in 90 minutes theyreach a road. Although very old andlong neglected, the road is usable .Tracks indicate that heavy and lightwagons have passed this way since thelast rain, with at least 50 persons in thenorthbound party.

4 . The Monument. A dozen yardsinto the trees on the east side of the oldroad is an old black obelisk, sufficientlyhidden by foliage so that it is difficult tosee from the road . The inscriptions areintelligible to any PC who reads dwar-ven script .

On the western side of the obelisk,the inscription reads : "To the greaterglory of King Raphgadarn, son ofPerimond Mountainbreaker, lord ofthe Dwarves of Yvvivor. Any whocome to his palace on the crown ofMount Yvvivor will overlook greatmagic!"On the south side of the obelisk,

the inscription reads : "TheseDwarves of Clan Yvvivor died while

bearing the gifts of the gods-weapons and armor kissed by the fireof Yvvivor Vale-to their brothers-in-arms in the war against the drowand the red dragons. Remember theirnames." There follows a list of over70 names.On the north side ofthe obelisk is a

stylized picture-map, showing MountYvvivor andthe Vale of Yvvivor. Theshape of Yvvivor is distinctive, indi-cating the viewpoint of someonestanding north of the mountain . Theroute north around the tip ofMountYvvivor into the Vale of Yvvivor isclearly displayed in the picture. Thepicture also shows acastle high onthe eastern side of the mountain, anda templelike structure behind it .On the east side ofthe obelisk, the

inscription is much cruder than thoseon the other three sides, as thoughthe hand that wrote this was lessskilled and used poorer tools: "Wesinned and paid the price for oursins . Clan Yvvivor is ended. Takewarning and beware the Vale ofYvvivor. By the hand of Deghnaror,son ofRaphgadarn :'

When the PCs have finished examiningthe obelisk, they hear a rustling amongthe trees. Ifthey investigate, they seethe figure of a man scurrying away.Landris Slackmind: AL CG; AC 10 ;MV 12; R10; hp 68 ; THACO 11 ; NAT 3/2;Dmgby weapon type ; S 11(13), D 12(15), C 16, 15 (10), W 15 (14), Ch 4 (9) ;ML 7.The statistics in parentheses are for

Landris in his prime-but he's no longerthe man he was, having been badlyinjured by amage long ago. He has theappearance of avery old manwith uglyfacial scars. However, he's still tough.Events of recent days have broughtforward memories of the past, and he'sbadly disoriented and frightened .Some weeks ago, anewcomer, Duke

Karl of Charthur, invaded the area ofMt . Yvvivor. An arrogant, greedy manwith dreams of empire, the dukechanced upon word of a very old dwarfnamed Nagathorn who was drinking inthe taverns of Charthur and boasting ofgreat magical power once possessed by alost dwarven clan . The duke had Na-gathorn brought to the palace and ques-tioned, and became convinced that atleast a portion of what Nagathorn saidabout Clan Yvvivor was true . Late last

year, an expedition wasorganized byDuke Karl, to be led by himself since hetrusted no one else to discover and re-turn with powerful magical devices. ButMt . Yvvivor is marked on few maps,and Nagathorn's memory had crucialgaps . It wasn't until two weeks ago thatDuke Karl's expedition came up the oldroad to Yvvivor.Eager to find magical treasures, Duke

Karl made a pretense of scouring thearea for possible defenders, missed theobelisk entirely, and finally set up campat the site of Raphgadarn's ruined cas-tle, on the crown of Yvvivor (area 7 onthe map). Duke Karl's patrols did, how-ever, manage through sheer luck to layhands on Landris. He wasbrought tothe duke and severely questioned beforehe was dismissed as a crazy old manwho knew nothing. When Landris es-caped, it wasn't thought important to goafter him.Now, Landris has found the PCs. He

is frightened ofthem though intriguedby their presence . But his nerves giveway and he attempts to run north and alittle east, to lose himself in the thickforest at Yvvivor's base . If the PCs at-tempt to capture Landris, the DMshould have the old ranger lead them amerry chase.

If the PCscapture Landris and areharsh in interrogating him, all they'llget is confused babble :

" . . . don't want me no more . . . nouse . . . Duke don't want me . . .Damn his magic eyes! . . . gimme adrink o' ale . . . Water! Cold riverwater! . . . tell the Duke I won't tellthe Duke I won't tell . . . fools climbmountains . . . fools climb mountains. . . Curse the mages! Curse allmagic!"

If the PCs are gentle with Landris andcoax him, particularly if they have goodwine to share, in 1-4 turns he calmsdown and is willing to talk . He doesn'thave much to tell them about the Focus(except some babbling about "magic inthe vale . . . magic in the vale . . . don'tgo there"), but he tells them everythinghe knows about the duke . (At the DM'sdiscretion, Landrismay tell the PCseverything said about the duke in thissection.)Due to magical torture that Landris

underwent years ago, only a limitedwish spell will cure him. (Landris suf-fered at the hands of a master illusion-

THE CURSE AND THE QUEST

ist, who used the hidden monsters of theranger's own subconscious to tormenthim until his mind and body rebelledfrom the horror.) Even if the PCs areable and willing to cure him, Landris isunable to tell them much more thanbefore and is unwilling to accompanythem or aid them materially.When Landris senses the PCs are

satisfied-or when he deteriorates intopure shivering fear (after 2-8 turns ofrough interrogation if the PCs areharsh with him)-he starts whimpering,". . . let him go now . . . let him gonow . . :'If the PCs give him a chance,Landris breaks free from them andboltsdue east toward the thick forest at Yv-vivor's base. He will not accompanythem willingly.There is a 25% chance that the PCs

will be discovered by one of the duke'smounted patrols (check every sixthturn). The patrol is making a slowsweep of the old road west of Yvvivor. Ifno encounter occurs, the patrol passeson, going north along the road . Thepatrol consists of one officer and fivetroopers, all mounted.The officer has received explicit in-

structions from the duke : Any intrudersin the area are to be taken prisoner, ordestroyed if they resist . If the PCs arecaptured, they are taken directly to theduke's camp (area 7), where the dukeinterrogates them at once .Officer: AL LN; AC 6; MV 12 ; F3 ; hp

16 ; THACO 18; NAT 1 ; Dmg by weapontype ; ML 12 ; XP 65 ; ring mail, lance,short sword, dagger, shield, treasuretype M.Troopers (5): AL N; AC 7; MV 12 ; Fl ;

hp 5-8; THACO 20; NAT 1 ; Dmgbyweapon type; ML 12 ; XP 15 ; leatherarmor, lances, short swords, daggers,shields, treasure type K.Horses, medium (6): Int animal ; AL

N; AC 7; MV 18 ; HD 2+2; THACO 19 ;NAT 3; Ding 1-6/1-6; SZ L; ML 7; XP 65;MC .

Ifthe PCshave successfully interro-gated Landris or capture and interro-gate one of the patrol, they learn thatthe only good way to enter the Vale ofYvvivor is to go north around the tip ofthe mountain . If they decide to go north,see "The WayNorth:" If not, the SwordofLamnian continues to point to theeast.

5. The Western Cliffs . If the PCsdecide to go due east, it takes them atleast three hours of marching through

THE CURSE AND THE QUEST

Forest Random Encounters

1 . Ankheg (1-6) : Int non ; AL N; ACoverall 2, underside 4 ; MV 12, bur-row 6 ; HD 1d6+2 ; THACO 16-12 ;#AT 1 ; Dmg 3-18 (crush) plus 1-4(acid) ; SA squirt acid ; SZ L-H; ML9 ; XP 175-1,400 ; MC . The ankhegsattempt to ambush the PCs from1d6+4 feet underground, rising upafter the PCs have passed to attackfrom behind . If a ranger or druid ispresent with the party, make awisdom check (+ 1 to wisdom pereach five levels of the character) todetermine if the ranger or druiddetects the ankhegs during theapproach to the ambush . The PCgroup has a 10% chance (+5% perlevel of all rangers and druidspresent, cumulative) of findingtraces that lead to the ankhegs'lair, one mile south of the ambush .The lair contains type C treasure .

2 . Giant ants (5d10 + 10) : Int animal ;AL N; AC 3 ; MV 18; HD 2 (workers,90%) or 3 (warriors, 10%) ; THACO16 ; #AT 1 ; Dmg 1-6 (workers), 2-8(warriors) ; SA warriors have poisonsting ; SZ T; ML 9; XP 35 (worker),175 (warrior); MC. The PCs encoun-ter a column of ants that are in theprocess ofdismembering a deadperyton and carting the pieces awaytoward their lair. The column blocksthe PCs' line of march ; if the PCsattempt to fight their way through,the ants attack them . Otherwise,the ants ignore them . If the PCsattempt to follow the column to theants' lair, after one hour the antslead them south into dense under-brush through which the PCs cannotfollow . If the PC group attempts tocircle north around the dead mon-ster, to regain its line of march, ithas a 15% chance of getting lost for1d10+2 turns (-1%/level of allrangers and druids with the party,cumulative), after which it regainsits line of march .

3 . Harpies (1d4 + 1): Int low; AL CE;AC 7; MV 6, fly 15 (C); HD 7 ;THACO 13 ; #AT 3 ; Dmg 1-3/1-3/1-6or 1-3/1-3/weapon; SA singing andcharm; SZ M; ML 14 ; XP 1,400 ; MC.The harpies attempt to charm andlure to their deaths as many partymembers as possible . The harpiesare far from their lair, which the

46 Issue No . 26

PCs have no chance to find .4 . Wild boars (1-12): Int semi ; AL N;AC 7 ; MV 15 ; HD 3+3; THACO 17 ;#AT 1 ; Dmg 3-12 (3d4); SZ S (3' atshoulder); ML 10 ; XP 175 ; MC. Onlyone boar is male (hp 25), but he's ina foul temper and attacks the PCsimmediately.

5 . Hill giants (1-3): Int low ; AL CE:AC 3 (5) ; MV 12 ; HD 12 + 1-2 ;THACO 9 ; #AT 1 ; Dmg 1-6 or byweapon type (2-12 + 7) ; SA hurlingrocks for 2-16 hp ; SZ H; ML 14 ; XP3,000 ; MC . These well-fed adult hillgiants are in an unusually goodmood . If the PCs appear tired orwounded or are outnumbered, thegiants attack the party immediately.Otherwise, they demand a toll of 2gp per party member before lettingthe adventurers pass ; they willaccept 1 gp per person member. Ifthe party gives them less (or noth-ing), the giants turn sullen andfollow the party for 1-4 hours, hop-ing to find a convenient chance toattack without suffering harm them-selves . The giants carry no treasure .

6 . Giant spiders (1d4 +2): Int low;AL CE; AC 4 ; MV 3, web 12 ; HD4+4; THACO 17 ; #AT 1 ; Dmg 1-8 ;SA bitten victims save vs. poison ordie ; SZ L (12' diameter) ; ML 13 ; XP650 ; MC; treasure type C . Thisencounter occurs only while theparty is moving ; otherwise treat as"no encounter." The spiders lurkabove the game trail, hidden in theintertwining branches . They dropdown and attack the last person inline, hoping to carry the body offbefore the other adventurers re-spond. If this fails, the spiders fleefrom a counterattack. The spiders'lairs are high in the trees, and thesticky webs guarding them fes-tooned with the bones of the spi-ders' victims . The spiders willdefend their lairs desperately.

7 . Bugbears (2d6 +4): Int low toaverage; AL CE; AC 5 (10) ; MV 9 ;HD 3 + 1 ; THACO 17 ; #AT 1 ; Dmg2-8 (2d4) or by weapon type ; SAsurprise, +2 to damage ; SZ L; ML12 ; XP 120 ; MC. These bugbearsare in the process of butchering apair ofwild cattle when the PCsfind them . The PCs have a 30%chance (+5% per level of anyranger or druid with the party,

cumulative) of detecting the bug-bears before being detected . If thePCs detect the bugbears first, theadventurers can attempt to circlearound the monsters and avoid theencounter (with a chance to get lost,as for giant ants), or they can at-tempt to ambush the bugbears . Ifthe PCs destroy the bugbears, rollfor treasure types J, K, L, and M.

8 . Stag beetles (2-12) : Int non; AL N;AC 3; MV 6 ; HD 7 ; THACO 13 ; #AT3 ; Dmg 4-16/1-10/1-10 ; SZ L; ML 13 ;XP 975 ; MC . These beetles arelooking for food and attack the PCsimmediately. The PCs have a 25%chance (+5% per level of anyranger or druid, cumulative) ofdetecting the attack 1-6 roundsbefore the beetles arrive .

9. Pixies (5d4) : Int exceptional ; AL N;AC 5; MV 6, fly 12 (B) ; HD 1/2 ;THACO 20 (16) ; #AT 1 ; Dmg byweapon type ; SA spell arrows,cause confusion by touch ; SD invisi-bility, spells ; MR 25%; SZ S; ML 11 ;XP 270 ; MC. Naturally invisible(becoming visible at will), the pixiescarry dagger-sized swords and finebows with arrows +4 . The pixiesdislike humans, having beenabused by them in the past. If evenone of the PCs is a human, thepixies will try to hasten the partyout of their territory, shepherdingthem for 1-6 hours, helping them ifsomething delays them, and harass-ing them if they attempt to stop .

10. Wild cattle (5d10+20) : Int semi ; ALN; AC 7; MV 15 ; HD 1-4 ; THACO16 ; #AT 1 ; Dmg 1-4 ; SA stampede ;SZ L ; ML 4 ; XP 15-120 ; MC . Some-thing has spooked this small herd,and it's stampeding along the gametrail toward the PCs. On a 1-3 on1d6, the herd is approaching thePCs from behind; on a 4-6 on 1d6, itis approaching from the PCs' front.The sound of the stampede is muf-fled by the forest, but the PCs havea 50% chance to detect the stampede1-3 rounds before it arrives . Any PCcaught without cover when thestampede arrives has a 50% chance(minus twice his dexterity) ofbeingtrampled ; roll 2d4 for any PC tram-pled to determine how many cattletrample him (for 1-4 hp damage peranimal) .

heavy forest to reach the base of thecliffs that are Yvvivor's western ram-parts. This section of Yvvivor has notbeen investigated by the duke becauseit's infested by several small ogre clans,and there's a 20% chance that the PCswill encounter an ogre clan when theyreach the base ofthe cliffs . This chanceincreases by 5% for every hour the PCsremain at Yvvivor's base .Ogres (2d6+6): Int low; AL CE; AC 5;MV 9; HD 4+ 1 ; THACO 17; #AT 1 ; Dmg1-10 or by weapon type ; SA +2 to dam-age; SZ L; ML 12; XP 175 (leader 420,chieftain 650); MC.The ogres appreciate the danger of the

duke's forces and make a point of stay-ing out of his way. If the PCs encounterthem, the ogres attack merely to drivethe PCs back and stop once the PCsbegin to retreat. With the constantdanger of the duke's men, the ogre'sdon't want to make anyone too angry.

If the PCs decide to climb Mt. Yvvivor,it will take them 2-12 hours to discoverthat the cliffs really are impassable.

The Way North

Ifthe PCs decide to go north from themonument, the old road is in goodenough condition that the PCs can ride,and even foot movement is at the mostfavorable rate (see page 125 of theDMG) . However, ifthe PCshave not yetmet the duke's six-man patrol (see area4), there is a 50% chance that the patrolwill detect them on the road and imme-diately attack .

If the PCs go north, their dailyencounter with the shimmering wrathswill probably occur during this sectionofthe journey. (At the DM's option, theForest Random Encounters table cancontinue to be used during the treknorth.)

If the PCs decide not to risk the oldroad, they can travel through the woodsparallel to the road . East of the road,the woods are a light forest (reduce thechance of encountering the patrol toonly 25%). West of the road, the woodsare a moderate forest (reduce the chanceof encountering the patrol to only 15%).Close to the foot of Yvvivor, the woodsare a heavy forest (reduce the chance ofencountering the patrol to only 5%). Themarching rate will depend on the cur-rent condition of the PCs and the areathrough which they choose to travel .When the PCs begin to curve around

north of Yvvivor (DM's discretion on

exactly when that is), roll for encounter-ing the second patrol that the dukekeeps in the area . Use the same statis-tics and encounter chances as for theearlier patrol .

6. The Half-Elf. When the PCs maketheir next night's camp, they encounterthe half-elf mage/thief Elamurix .Shortly before dark, Elamurix ap-

proaches the PCs' camp, giving plentyof warning of his approach. Keeping tohalf-truths so that a detect truth spellwon't catch him in an open lie, heclaims to be exactly what he is, atreasure-hunter come to find the laststronghold of Clan Yvvivor, which he'slearned about through ancient writings(a half-truth) . He offers to accompanythe PCs, to give them the benefit of hisknowledge and his skill, and to splitany proceeds with them (true-providing he gets what he wants) .He won't tell the PCshe's been watch-

ing them through a crystal ball for twodays, and he certainly won't voluntarilytouch the Book ofBlood under any cir-cumstances, although clever PCs mightfind away to trick him into touching it,to tie his fate to theirs . If Elamurixtouches the book, he is attacked at noonof the following day by a single wrath,and the sequence of the curse beginsafresh for him.Other than this, Elamurix knows a

great deal that he'll reveal gradually inorder to gain the PCs' confidence . Heknows what the Focuses are, and thatthe gods conceal them from mortals(what use is divine power if mortals canmanufacture items with equal powers?) .Even "evil" gods like the Nordic Lokiand the Egyptian Set abide by the pol-icy ofkeeping the Focuses a strict se-cret. The Focus of Eryhil'n, however,wasdiscovered by ancient humans whobuilt a Stonehenge-like monumentaround it and raised a temple on themountain overlooking it . Later, thedwarves annihilated those humans, andthe Citadel of Raphgadarn was con-structed near the temple.Elamurix also knows that the

dwarves attempted to use the Focus forthe creation of magical items. After aperiod of initial success, the power ofthe Focus proved uncontrollable and thecitadel and Clan Yvvivor were de-stroyed in a violent explosion some 300years ago. At that time, two dwarves ofthe clan were absent . They were De-ghnaror, Raphgadarn's son, who re-

THE CURSE AND THE QUEST

turned to Yvvivor and inscribed thefourth side ofthe obelisk, and Na-gathorn, an emissary to Raphgadarn'shuman customers. Nagathorn is DukeKarl's prisoner (see area 7) .Elamurix keeps secret the fact that he

met Deghnaror by chance. Over a per-iod of years, he made apoint of becom-ing the dwarf's "friend" and slowlydrew the story of Yvvivor out ofhim.Elamurix intended to bring Deghnarorto Yvvivor, to help in ferreting out thesecrets of the Focus. But Deghnaror waselderly and in poor health. He diedbefore the journey could begin, but notbefore telling Elamurix that threedwarvenweaponsmiths were trapped atthe Focus when the disaster occurred,and that one of the weaponsmiths car-ried a marvelous magical item that mayyet survive. This item is what Elamurixwants for himself (see "The ThreeDwarves").Elamurix therefore came to Yvvivor

alone. In the course of the journey, hehappened to meet one of the bearers ofthe Book ofBlood (but avoided beingcaught by the curse himself), and thushas first-hand knowledge of what hap-pens to someone beset by the curse. Buthe also learned how important the bookmight be in unraveling the secrets ofthe Focus, since the book was createdfrom the knowledge of the only twopowerful mages whoever managed topenetrate those secrets. For that reasonhe has kept the book under observation .

If the PCspermit Elamurix to jointhem, he'll be a loyal and valuablemember of the party. He knows aboutthe hazards of the Vale and will avoidpersonal danger as much as possible . Hewill help the PCs as much as he can,but he won't run great risks on theirbehalf and will be prepared to abandonthem should their presence prove con-trary to his self-interest .

If the PCsrefuse to let Elamurix gowith them, he'll accept the rebuff withapparent good grace. He'll follow themat a distance, keeping track of themwith his crystal ball.Elamurix, half-elf. AL CN; AC -1;

MV 12 ; T12/M7 ; hp 60; THACO 15 ; #AT1 ; Dmgby spell or weapon type ; S 12, D18, C 16, 118, W 10, Ch 10 ; ML 15; XP9,000; dagger, short sword.Proficiencies : sling, dagger, blind

fighting (others chosen by DM).Thief skills : PP 50%, OL 75%, FT

65%, MS 70%, HS 70%, DN 60%, CW90%, RL 65%; backstab: +4 to-hit modi-

THE CURSE AND THE QUEST

fier, x 4 damage multiplier.Spells : burning hands, charm person*,

dancing lights, detect magic*, featherfall*, friends, magic missile*, readmagic, sleep, darkness 15' radius, detectinvisibility*, forget, knock*, know align-ment*, locate object, misdirection, clair-audience, clairvoyance, dispel magic*,fireball, hold person *, suggestion, charmmonster, confusion*, dimension door.(Spells marked with an asterisk arecurrently memorized ; the rest are in hisspell book . The DM should add to ordelete from these spells to suit his ad-venture's needs) .Magical Weapons and Items : bracers

ofdefense AC 3, boots of elvenkind, slingofseeking +2, potion of extra-healing,potions of healing (x 3), crystal ball.Elamurix has been using this ball tokeep track ofthe Book ofBlood, and ofthe PCs, ever since the PCs discoveredthe tome . Since the crystal ball is usedby Elamurix to scry the book and itsvicinity rather than the party or any ofits members, any chance the PCs mayhave to detect the scrying throughspells or devices should be reduced by90% .

The Blank Page

When the PCs round the tip of MountYvvivor and come in sight of the castle,writing appears on the blank page inthe center of the Book ofBlood. The DMshould use his own discretion in decid-ing exactly when this occurs .

If the PCs have forgotten about theblank page, and if Elamurix is with thePCs, the DM may use the half-elf toremind the PCs to look at the centerpage of the book . If the PCs haveforgotten, and if Elamurix is not withthe party, the PCs have a seriousproblem .Here's what the formerly blank page

now says :

When the ANCieNt ONES fOUNU thedoor to the Focus, they erectedtheir sacred stones and prayed totPOR God (Whose name isforgotten In time, it was revealedto them the tRUtP of the Focus andthe means for approaching it.KNOW this, then: When YOU have

finished an item and are preparedto cast UPON it ME Enchant an itemspell, do not cast teat spell butMcRely take the item t0 the FOCUS

48 Issue No . 26

and it will be as if that spell hadbeen cast.

WhenYOU have

en-chanted an item with the spellsReQUiReb to Create the effect youdesire and aRE ready to cast thepermanency spell UPON it, d0 notcast teat spell but merely take theitem to the Focus and it will be as ifteat spell had been cast .But beware lest you perish . You

must follow the steps ReQUiRebwhen you approach the Focus.New magic is not possible so closeto the Focus of magic; only teatalready contained Within magicalitems such as this book will serveyou .All this was KNOWN to the ANCieNt

ONES . All this was leaRNeD by thedwarves Of YVViVOR, WOO thenslew the ANCieNt ONES t0 retain thesecret for tnEMSeIVES. Yet thedwarves fait) the PRICE for theirgreed and arrogance, for tPCYsought to channel the POWER Of theFOCUS itself to their forges ThePOWER they tapped was too great,and it slew them in tURN, for itgushed forth in strength beyondmortal ken .Read this and learn, and beware .I Mite tPCSC WORDS in my Book

of Blood that all posterity mayKNOW that I speak the tRUtP.HERE, then, are the iNStRUCtiONS

given t0 the ANCieNt ONES by tPCiRGod, as moi0ifieb by the author oftots book:

1 . The Focus operates ONIY onthe five primary days of the fullMOON: the two days before thefullness the day of fullness, andthe two days after.2 . to the

dwarvencastle

over-looking the Vale OfYVViVOR, to thetemple behind the castle, and tPGRecast the SUCCOR spell .

3 . On the days named, go iNtO theVale and stand MOtiONlesS beforethe floating door Until the nameappears, tPCN speak the name.4 . ENtCR the CORRIDOR .5 . While 1n the CORRit)OR, cast the

hold portal spell .6 . Cast the gate spell .7 . Approach the net) light to cre-

ate magical items.s . Approach the black light to

destroy magical items.

9 . Touch the ONE who activatesthe SUCCOR spell or be left behind .By the hand of Agrackan AkaRias .

At this point, the PCs should know togo next to the temple on Mt . Yvvivor,located behind the ruined dwarvencastle (see area 7 and "The Temple") .However, if the PCs decide to go directlyto the Focus, the sword will guide themto area 8 (see "The Vale ofYvvivor") .

7. The Duke's Camp. The easiestway to reach the ruined castle is tocontinue to follow the old road, whichclimbs the eastern side of Mt . Yvvivorusing a series of steep switchbacks (useone-quarter standard road movementrate when climbing the switchbacks) .Since the duke's patrols use this routeregularly, the PCs will notice unmistak-able signs of heavy traffic along thisroute . However, the duke has two sen-tries always on watch at the top of theswitchbacks . During the day, the sen-tries are virtually certain to see anyoneclimbing the switchbacks . At nightduring the full moon, there is only a50% chance that someone climbing theswitchbacks will be detected .The safest way to reach the ruined

castle is to climb the side of Mt . Yv-vivor, which is scalable on the east(when climbing the steep slopes, use the"steep foothills" rate from page 125 ofthe DMG). The slopes are forested, andthere is little chance of the PCs beingdetected if they approach in this man-ner. (At the DM's option, the ForestRandom Encounters table may continueto be used until the PCs actually reachthe duke's camp.)When the PCs arrive at the camp,

read the following to the players :

An expeditionary camp is set withinthe ruins of the old dwarven citadelthat was constructed near the an-cient temple. These ruins are a sceneof complete destruction. Shattered asif by an immense explosion, the stubsoffour forge chimneys jut above pilesofrubble . Only parts of three wallsremain to be seen ; the east side ofthis "palace," where the dwarvenking had his great hall, has tumbleddown the mountain and nothingremains of it . West of the main ruinsis the caved-in head of a mine shaft .

On the east slope, below the oldhall, the road comes up the mountainin a series of hair-pin switchbacks togive limited access . At the top oftheswitchbacks, 12 wagons are lined upin two rows, with 20 tents (includinga double tent with a guarded coachparked next to it) pitched in haphaz-ard fashion just south of the wagons .Some men have tossed their blanketsunder the wagons rather than sleepin tents . The horse lines are on thesouth side of the camp near the oldroad entrance . There has been noattempt at camp discipline, and la-trines have been dug among thejumbled hillocks above the old palacehall .

This is Duke Karl's camp. His partyconsists of three personal servants, fivebodyguards, six officers, 50 troopers,and 20 teamster/porters (who do most ofthe camp work) . The bodyguards, ser-vants, laborers, three officers and atleast 25 troopers are always in camp.Two of the troopers are on watch at thetop ofthe switchbacks . Any officers andtroopers not currently in the camp areout on patrol or hunting (the duke feelsno need to patrol the Vale, since hebelieves there's nothing importantthere) . Assume that one patrol consist-ing of an officer and five troopers is outat any one time (as per the patrol de-scribed in area 4) . Subtract any soldiersencountered on patrols from the totalsgiven for soldiers in the camp, given inthe following paragraphs .Parked near the duke's double tent is

his personal coach, which is unlockedbut always guarded by two sentries .Within it are the duke's personal be-longings and his treasury (which healways keeps under his direct controlbecause he doesn't trust anyone). Thethree small treasure chests contain2,000 gp and 4,000 sp (each chest holds2,000 coins of one type) .Even though the duke is looking for

magical weapons, he doesn't trust wiz-ards and has none with him. Instead, heowns a marvelous long-haired, tan-colored cat named Prince . It's said thata long-dead, incredibly powerful magefound a way to cast the spells detect eviland detect magic with permanency onthis cat and then fed him a potion oflongevity so enhanced that the cat isvirtually immortal . Prince meows dis-tinctively when he detects either magic

or evil (in intent, not in alignment) inboth persons and items . He may knowwhether he has detected evil or magic,but his meow does not distinguish be-tween them . The duke traded a strate-gic fortress to obtain Prince .Also in the camp is Nagathorn, a very

old dwarf, who is chained by the neck tothe central pole of Duke Karl's tent .Nagathorn is feigning loss ofmemoryabout the magical weapons of Yvvivor.This isn't difficult because, as far as heknows, there aren't any magical weap-ons left at the ancient dwarven site .If the PCs are captured, the duke

THE CURSE AND THE QUEST

won't spend much time with them.Shortly after the duke begins the inter-rogation, one of his soldiers bursts in toreport that the laborers have just stum-bled on a trapdoor in the center of theruins . It leads, by carved stone stairs,down into darkness. The duke immedi-ately goes to investigate, telling anofficer to have the PCs securely boundand placed under guard .The trapdoor leads to an underground

storage space for completed but not-yet-magical weapons . There are 50 spearsmade of a gleaming, steel-like alloy, 15crossbows made of the same material,

THE CURSE AND THE QUEST

20 two-handed swords, and 300 metalbolts for the crossbows. All these arefinely made but lack wood or leathergrips. All were meant for humanuseand are so well made that when theperishable parts are properly replaced(a competent weaponsmith is required),they will each have anonmagical + 1 tohit.Duke Karl of Charthur : AL LE; AC

0; MV 12; 0-level; hp 5; THACO 20 ; NAT1 ; Dmgby weapon type ; S 11, D 9, C 10,114, W 8, Ch 13 ; ML 7 (commands butavoids combat); XP 65 . The duke wearsornate and impressive full plate armorthat has been badly weakened withdeeply inlaid gold on an old ivory sur-face (AC 3) . He carries two daggers buttends to avoid combat, letting his min-ions deal with threats. He always car-ries a pouch of assorted gems (two gemsworth 1,000 gp each, 15 worth 500-800each). He also has a ring ofprotection+3, a ring ofhuman influence, andonevial each of the following potions: extra-healing, vitality, treasure finding (theduke distrusts the identity ofthis po-tion). He never lets these magical itemsleave his person . The duke is clever butegotistical ; he likes flattery, but years ofcourt intrigue have taught him never tolet his guard down, and at least one

Magical Effects of the Focus

If the PCs travel south into the Valeof Yvvivor, they will enter a zonewhere proximity to the Focus inter-feres with the use of magic.Within a half-mile radius of the

Focus (within the hex it occupies),the power of the Focus floods themind of a wizard or cleric with suchstrong magical impressions thatfresh magical spells (from the mindor from scrolls) cannot be cast . Onlypreviously cast spells (e .g ., those inmagical items) can be used withinthis radius of the Focus. "Natural"magic (e .g ., a druid's ability tochange shape) is unaffected .Within a 11/2-mile radius of the

Focus (the hex occupied by the Focusand the six hexes adjacent to it), thepower of the Focus makes the use ofmagic haphazard. In this zone, anyfreshly cast magical spell has a 50%chance of failing to work . (The DM,at his own discretion, maychoose toallow a "failed" spell to work buttamper with its effects.)

50 Issue No . 26

bodyguard will always be close to him.Nagathorn: AL N; AC 10 (under a

heavy cloak, nearly naked) ; MV 6;0-level; hp 6; THACO 20; NAT 1; Dmg byweapon type; S 12, D 7, C 14,1 10, W11, Ch 8; ML 8. Nagathorn's dominantemotion is fear ofthe duke . He willcooperate with anyone who offers to freehim but will not willingly risk theduke's wrath by protecting or aiding theduke's enemies. If Nagathorn gets freeand things start going badly, he'll bailout at the first available moment .Prince: Int animal ; AL N; AC 6; MV

5; HD 1-1; hp 7; NAT2; Dmg 1-2/1; SArear claws for 1-2; SD gains +2 to sur-prise and +1 to be surprised; SZ T; XP15 ; MC (Mammal, small, house cat; notethat this entry and the one for "wildcat" are incorrect in MC, so see alsoMM2, "Cat") .Officers (6 total): AL LN; AC 6; MV

12 ; F3; hp 16; THACO 18; NAT 1; Dmgby weapon type ; ML 12 ; XP 65 ; lance,short sword, dagger, shield ; treasuretypeM.Troopers (50 total) : AL N; AC 7; MV

12 ; Fl; hp 5-8; THACO 20 ; NAT 1; Dmgby weapon type; ML 12; XP 15 ; lances,short swords, daggers, shields; treasuretype K.Bodyguards (5 total) : AL LN; AC 5;

MV 12; F4 ; hp 15-35; THACO 17 ; NAT 1 ;Dmgby weapon type ; ML 15 ; XP 175;hand axes, short swords, daggers,shields, treasure type M.Servants (3) and Laborers (20) : AL N;

AC 10 ; MV 12 ; 0-level; hp 1-5; THACO20; NAT 1; Dmg by weapon type ; ML 7;XP 7; knives, treasure type J.Horses, medium (61; two per wagon,

one each for duke, bodyguards, officers,and half oftroopers): Int animal ; AL N;AC 7; MV 18 ; HD 2+2; THACO 19 ; NAT3; Dmg 1-6/1-6 ; SZ L; ML 6; XP 65 ; MC.

The Temple

When the PCs approach the templebeyond the dwarven citadel, read thefollowing to the players:

South ofthe ruined castle, a little tothe west and on a slightly higherlevel, stand the ruins of an ancienttemple . A largely intact square foun-dation supports a circular stand ofnow-shattered stone columns. Theremnants of the roof lie in piles ofrubble between the column bases. Inthe very center is a circular depres-sion from which the majority ofthe

rubble appears to have been clearedat some time in the past .Below the temple, the eastern

flank ofMt . Yvvivor slope steeply(but in scalable stages) down towardthe forested floor of the valley.

The temple is still a holy place despiteits ruined condition. If a succor spell(from the Book ofBlood) is cast here, itwill bring the PCs back to the templewhen it is activated. Other than thisresidual holiness, there is nothing spe-cial about the temple .Once the PCs have visited the temple

and cast their succor spell (see "TheBlank Page"), they should make theirway into the Vale . The Sword ofLam-nian will continue to point them towardthe Focus. If the duke knows of theadventurers' presence, he will pursuethem with half his immediately availa-ble forces (leaving the rest to guard hiscamp).

The Vale of Yvvivor

The Vale of Yvvivor is a heavilyforested, glacier-carved valley be-tween two mountain peaks. The onlyeasy access is via the old road thatcomes down from the north. On thesouth, the Vale is enclosed by a high,rugged arm of Mt . Yvvivor, whichreaches around to join with theequally forbidding mountain on theeast of the Vale. Between these twomountains is a drainage basin with aovergrown, nearly stagnant lake inits center. On the north side, a smallbut swift stream carries away theoverflow of the lake and curves awaynorth and west to join the river onYvvivor's western side .

As long as the PCs stay on the road,they run no risk of random encounters.As soon as they enter the forest, how-ever, the Vale Random Encounters tableis used. The DM can continue to use theVale Random Encounters table in theswamp, since it is liberally dotted withsmall islands.

8. The Swamp and the Island .When the PCs reach the border oftheswamp, read the following to theplayers:

One mile (one hex) from the lowestcontour of Mt. Yvvivor is the edge of

Roll 1d12 for each hex the PCs enter(and don't forget the shimmeringwraths!) . If the PCs attempt to avoidan encounter generated by this table,in all cases they have a 15% chance ofgetting lost for 1d10+2 turns (-1%per level of any ranger or druid withthe party, cumulative), after whichthey regain their line of march . TheSword ofLamnian will always pointtoward the Focus, of course, but if thePCs are lost, the sword is assumed tobe pointing into impassable terrain(thickets, deep ravines, quicksand,etc .) .

1 . Giant mantis (1): Int non ; AL N;AC 3 ; MV 6, fly 12 (D) ; HD 10 ;THACO 11 ; #AT 1 or 2 ; Dmg 2-12 or3-12 ; SA 75% chance to surprise ;SD camouflage ; SZ L ; XP 1,980 ;MM2/83 . The mantis is lying inwait for suitable prey, and there isa 75% chance it will recognize thatthe PCs are too dangerous and notattack . In that case, the PCs have a25% chance to detect the mantis asthey pass it ( + 1% per level of anyranger or druid with the party,cumulative).

2 . Wild tiger (1-4) : Int semi ; AL N;AC 6 ; MV 12 ; HD 5+5; THACO 15 ;#AT 3 ; Dmg 2-5/2-5/1-10 ; SA rearclaws 2-8 each ; SD surprised onlyon a 1 ; SZ L; ML 9; XP 650 ; MC.These tigers are hunting for preybut have fed recently and are notdesperate enough to attack a reso-lute defense, particularly if the PCshave any pole arms . If their firstattack does not yield immediateresults, the tigers harass the PCsfor 1-6 turns and then go huntingelsewhere . If a tiger receives morethan 30% damage, however, it be-comes enraged and attacks furi-ously until killed . The other tigerswatch all the while for any chanceto seize and drag away prey.

3 . Giant wasps (1-20): Int non ; AL N;AC 4 ; MV 6, fly 21 (B); HD 4;THACO 17 ; #AT 2 ; Dmg 2-8/1-4 ; SApoison and paralysis ; SZ M; ML 9 ;XP 420 ; MC. The PCs have discov-ered a huge wasp hive, with a 30%

Vale Random Encounters

chance (-1%/level of any ranger ordruid with the party, cumulative) ofdisturbing the wasps . If the waspsare disturbed, they attack reso-lutely until the PCs are at least 50yards from the hive, after which thegiant insects discontinue the at-tack . If the PCs return, the waspsattack again immediately.

4 . Giant porcupine (2): Int animal ;AL N; AC 5; MV 6; HD 6 ; THACO15 ; #AT 1 ; Dmg 2-8 ; SA shoot quills ;SD quills ; SZ L; ML 10 ; XP 650 ;MC. These porcupines are feastingin the middle of the trail and haveno intention of being driven off(treat their morale as 10 for thisencounter, on the assumptionthey've discovered a particularlydelectable treat of some kind). IfthePCs come within 30', the porcu-pines give a warning for one roundbefore attacking. They will vacatethe trail only if they fail a moralecheck .

5. Giant skunk (1): Int animal ; AL N;AC 7; MV 9; HD 5 ; hp 32 ; THACO15 ; #AT 1 ; Dmg 1-6 ; SA, SD squirtmusk; SZ M; ML 9; XP 270 ; MC.When the PCs discover this skunk,it is already angry as a result of aprevious encounter with a largerpredator. The PCs have a 30%chance (+1% per level of anyranger or druid with the party,cumulative) of detecting the skunkbefore it detects them . Ifthey fail,the skunk attacks (musk squirt) oneround after it detects them, unlessthey retreat first (roll for initiative) .

6 . Megalo-centipede (1d4+1): Intanimal ; AL N; AC 5; MV 18 ; HD 3;THACO 17 ; #AT 1 ; Dmg 1-3 ; SApoison ; SZ M; ML 9; XP 175 ; MC .Just ahead on the trail, the PCs seea deer being attacked by onemegalo-centipede . The adventurershave one round in which to checkfor other megalo-centipedes in thetrees above (50% chance, + 1% perlevel for any ranger or druid withthe party). In the following round,the megalo-centipedes attack fromabove.

7 . Wolves (2-20) : Int semi ; AL N; AC7 ; MV 18 ; HD 2+2; THACO 19 ; #AT1 ; Dmg 2-5 ; SZ S; ML 10 ; XP 65 ;MC . A wounded stag, closely pur-sued by the wolves, bursts acrossthe trail amid the party. The PCshave a 5% chance per level of anyranger or druid (cumulative) ofdetecting the event before it occurs,with 1-6 rounds of warning . Thewolves arrive one round after thestag and will attack any PCs intheir path.

8 . Will o'wisp (1-3): Int exceptional ;AL CE; AC -8; MV fly 18 (A) ; HD9 ; THACO 11 ; #AT 1 ; Dmg 2-16 ; SAelectrical attack, masquerade asartificial light ; SD effective invisi-bility ; MR most magic ineffective ;SZ S; ML 17 ; XP 3,000 ; MC. ThePCs may mistake these for shim-mering wraths, depending on howthe DM presents them .

9 . Mantrap (1-2): Int non ; AL N; AC6 ; MV nil ; HD 4-9 ; THACO nil ; #AT2-5 ; Dmg 1 hp per round ; SA fasci-nation; SZ L-G (4' per HD) ; ML 12 ;XP 270-2,000 ; MC . If this encounteroccurs during the day, the PCs havea 5% chance per level of any rangeror druid (cumulative) to recognizethe plant's odor before anyone canbe charmed. If the encounter occursduring the night, treat as "noencounter."

10 . Stirges (3d8) : Int animal ; AL N;AC 8; MV 3, fly 18 (C); HD 1 + 1(attack as 4-HD creatures) ; THACO17 ; #AT 1 ; Dmg 1-3 ; SA blood drain ;SZ S (2' wingspan) ; ML 8; XP 175 ;MC. Small colonies of stirges breedin the swamp and fly about in smallclouds . Because of their distinctivesound, the PCs will have 1d6+2rounds warning of their approach.

11 : No encounter.

12 : No encounter.

DUNGEON 51

AND THE QUEST JEST

THE CURSE AND THE QUEST

a shallow, cold-water, high-mountainlake that is so clogged with vegeta-tion, sand bars, and ridges ofrockthat it's virtually a swamp . The wa-ter of the swamp is knee high to ahuman, so that walking through itpresents little difficulty. The SwordofLamnian continues to point to themiddle ofthe swamp .

The Sword ofLamnian points to thetop of a low hill in the center of a largeisland in the middle of the swamp . Ifthe PCs reached this spot from two daysbefore the full moon to two days afterthe full moon, and climb to the top ofthe hill, read the following to theplayers :

On the top of the hill is a circle of 12great dark stones, each 15' from baseto crown . Three of the stones are stillstanding, but the others have fallenoutward from the center as thoughtoppled by a great explosion .In the center ofthe circle is a spot

of bare ground 10' in diameter whereno vegetation grows . Floating 6"above this barren ground is an

52 Issue No . 26

8'-high door frame whose lower edgeappears to taper into nothingness .

NOTE : If the PCs have not reachedthe Focus within the specified span ofdays, the door cannot be seen and thereis nothing anyone can do to make itappear. The PCs will have no way toreach the Focus or to destroy the bookuntil the next full moon .The doorway is intangible ; looking

through it is like looking through awindow . Any being who steps throughthe opening will notice no special sensa-tion and will produce no results .However, if anyone stands motionless

before the doorway for one round, hesees a word in his native language form-ing above the doorway : Eryhil'n, thename of the Focus .

Ifthe PC who sees the name pro-nounces it, read the following to theplayers :

A long, blank-walled corridor ap-pears before you. It appears tostretch away from you for 100', andat its end is another doorway filledwith gray mist .

If a PC steps into the corridor, he canwalk unhindered to the far doorway-but the moment he steps through thatdoorway, he finds that he's exiting ex-actly where he entered just a few mo-ments before .

The Focus

The shimmering wraths will continue toattack the PCs on schedule, even whenthe adventurers have entered thecorridor-and even when they'vereached the Focus .Any person who enters the corridor

has an odd and unsettling visual sensa-tion, as though the corridor and itssingle door were constantly moving inand out of reality. The only way to getbeyond the simple one-door corridor isto step into the corridor and cast a holdportal spell from a magical item or fromthe Book ofBlood. When the spell iscast, the "in and out of reality" sensa-tion stops and the single door disap-pears . The corridor now appears to goon forever with no end in sight .The corridor has become a mobius

strip, and anyone in the corridor at thistime is now walking along that strip .No matter how far in either directionthe PCs walk along this corridor, theywill never come to its end .The DM will find it easiest to explain

this situation to his players if he actu-ally makes a mobius strip for demon-stration . Simply take a long strip ofpaper, make a single half-turn in thestrip, and fasten the two ends together.You now have a one-sided strip of paperwith one edge and no end. You canprove this by drawing a line down themiddle ofthe strip . The line will returnto its starting point after traversing theentire strip .Once they are in the doorless corridor,

the PCs can reach the Focus by castinga gate spell (from a magical item orfrom the Book ofBlood). No destinationneed be named ; any gate spell cast inthe doorless corridor will take the PCsto the Focus, no matter what destina-tion is specified .When the PCs have cast the gate

spell, refer to the floor plan of the Focusand read the following to the players:

You find yourselves in the midst ofwhat appears to be a great void,standing on a ring-shaped platformthat surrounds a sparkling pillar ofred light. At the opposite side of the

ring, the platform makes a dizzyinghalf-twist that would make it into asecond mobius strip except for theramp directly before you that leadsto the pillar of light . At the far end ofthe ramp, a 20'-wide walkway actu-ally surrounds the pillar of light.Lying at the intersection of the

ramp and the platform are the bodiesof three dwarves dressed in fine linentunics, with woolen trousers andornate leather boots .

The pillar of light is the Focus itself.Seen from where the PCs are firststanding, the pillar is bright red thoughthe light is not offensive to the eyes nomatter how close the PCs come to it .The Focus is approached from this posi-tion for the creation of magical items .To destroy magical items, however,the PCs must walk around the platform,traverse the half-twist, and return tothe ramp directly "below" where theyfirst stood. Seen from this position, thepillar of light is a glowing black in color.The Focus is approached from this posi-tion for the destruction of magicalitems.Any item placed in the pillar of light

(either the red or black side) floats inmid-air as long as it is left undisturbed.Within the Focus there is no gravity norany temperature . If any PC puts hishand into the Focus, he does not noticeany sensation at all ; the power of theFocus has no effect on living tissue .In order to destroy a magical item, a

key phrase must always be spoken . Ifthe PCs have been paying attention,they know the word that will cause theFocus to destroy the Book of Blood (see"The Dream") .

The Three DwarvesThe three dwarves' bodies have appar-ently been mummified by long exposureto the Focus, but their clothes are muchthe worse for the passage oftime . Theirbelts have deteriorated and their pursesare in shreds, but in the remnants ofthe purses are 16 gp and two gems(1,000 gp and 2,100 gp), 24 gp and onegem (3,100 gp), and 40 gp and two gems(1,200 gp and 2,200 gp) . All threedwarves wear ordinary daggers with nomagical value . The DM may rule thatsome or all of the gems have receivedthe effects of an enchant an item spelldue to their long exposure to theFocus-they can be presumed to be pure

Floor Plan of the Focus

items (see pages 87-88 ofthe DMG),while the coins and daggers are not andshould not be given any magical value .On the hand of one dwarf is a ring of

protection from charm poisons (see scrollof protection from poison for effects ;duration is for as long as the ring isworn). This ring is specifically designedto counteract the effects ofthe mantrapplant .Around the neck ofone dwarf, on a

silver chain, is an amulet ofprotectionagainst stirges that will prevent stirgesfrom coming closer than 30' to thewearer.In the hand of one dwarf is a dwarven

throwing hammer +2 . Beside him is adwarf-sized shield of fire resistance +2(as the potion) with twice normal resist-ance against the breath of a red dragon .On the floor near the dwarf with the

amulet is a magical ring oflongevity.This is the item that Elamurix hascome for. A diamond is mounted on it, inwhich the name "Phoenix" (in dwarvenrunes) is engraved . For every day thering is worn, the wearer experiencesonly one hour's aging.However, unknown to Elamurix, the

ring has a side effect : For every day it's

THE CURSE AND THE QUEST

worn, the wearer loses a portion of hisability to feel emotions . After a thou-sand days, the wearer is unable to feelany emotions at all-neither desire norfear nor love nor hate, nor any interestin adventure or knowledge or treasure .The effect is enduring, so that even

after the ring is removed the loss ofemotion remains . Ifthe ring is removed,however, the effect can be reversed bycasting one dispel magic spell for every50 days the ring was actually worn . Ifthe ring was worn the full thousanddays, it would require 20 dispel magicspells to completely reverse the effectsand to restore full emotional capacity.The primary value of this ring is to a

high-level wizard, who could use it tocounteract the aging effects of majorspells . A secondary value is to make thewearer immune to fear and emotion-based spells to the same degree that hisemotions have been numbed by the ring(for example, if the ring has been wornfor 500 days, the wearer would have50% immunity but also would be 50%unlikely to have any interest in trea-sure or adventuring) .The dwarves had enchanted the ring

oflongevity and had brought it to the

THE CURSE AND THE QUEST

Focus to make the enchantments per-manent (which has happened during theintervening time, of course) when thedisaster struck : Clan Yvvivor was de-stroyed, and during the catastrophe thevital succor spell that would have res-cued these three dwarves was lost.Since the only way for anyone to leavethe Focus is by activating a succor spell,and since the spell has to be cast beforeentering the mobius corridor, anyonewho fails to take that precaution will bepermanently trapped at the Focus. Thethree dwarves were trapped here andstarved to death because no one came torescue them.

If Elamurix is still with the PCs, hewill do anything necessary in order toget the ring oflongevity. If the PCs arewilling to let him have it, he will con-tinue to be a loyal member of the party.But ifthey refuse to let him have it,he'll attempt to steal the ring and thesuccor spell object while the PCs areconcentrating on destroying the book,and will attempt to activate the succorspell by himself (leaving the PCs tostarve at the Focus) .

Concluding the AdventureBefore destroying the Book ofBlood, thePCs should remember to remove themedallion from the cover if they want tokeep the Sword ofLamnian . Ifthey

Continued from page 39

A few feet away from the ettercap'sshelter are the giant spider's webs . Theremains of several birds and insects arestill stuck in the strands . Also stuckhere is the body of a recently killedgiant dragonfly, the skin of which isworth 600 gp per square foot (this is asmall specimen, yielding only foursquare feet ofskin).Snarrak, the spriggan, must remain

in small form while in his lair in theopposite tree, for none of the platformsare strong enough to support his giantform. Snarrak's treehouse is the samesize as the ettercap's . It is spaciousenough when he is gnome size, in spiteof the fact he is a terrible housekeeper.

forget to do this, the medallion will bedestroyed with the book .In order to destroy the Book ofBlood

and thus rid themselves of the curse ofthe shimmering wrath (and complete thequest Lamnian has put upon them), thePCs must follow the instructions Lam-nian gave them in the dream and theinstructions given on the blank page inthe book .The PCs should approach the black-

light form of the Focus, lay the bookwithin the Focus, and pronounceAgrackan's name backward :"Nakcarga!" Placing the book withinthe red-light form ofthe Focus has noeffect at all .The moment that it enters the black

light, the book vanishes and the PCsare instantly freed ofthe curse oftheshimmering wrath. If any wraths are inthe process of attacking at that mo-ment, they immediately cease attackingand begin to fade, vanishing within oneround .Remember, however, that the curse is

now placed upon the precincts of theFocus, and anyone who comes to theFocus after the PCs leave will suffer theconsequences of the curse (see "TheDream") .When the PC who holds the succor

spell object activates it, the spell trans-ports him and anyone touching himback to the temple behind the ruined

The dusty, dingy blankets on which hesleeps haven't been washed in years,and they reek of spriggan perspiration .However, Snarrak never brings foodinto this area, so the little house doesn'tsmell nearly as rank as the ettercap'sshelter. A rope ladder made of ettercapstrands connects the spriggan's treewith the ettercap's .In the corner of Snarrak's house near-

est the ladder is a locked strongboxcontaining 65 gp, 24 sp, 19 cp, a garnetworth 100 gp, a gold ring worth 75 gp, aset of earrings worth 50 gp, a scroll withthe wizard spell enlarge, and a set ofthief's tools . A human-size set of leatherarmor +2 is hidden under the blankets .

dwarven castle on the slopes of Mt .Yvvivor.

Ifthe PCs fail to follow Lamnian'sinstructions on how to destroy the BookofBlood in the Focus, the shimmeringwraths will continue to attack themuntil the PCs are destroyed .If the PCs have failed to provide them-

selves with a succor spell to rescue themfrom the Focus (or if the spell is misusedor stolen), they will remain there untilthey starve (or until someone comes torescue them, if anyone has the interestand ability to do so) .If the PCs destroy the Book ofBlood

and succeed in returning to the temple,they must make their own way down offthe mountain and out of Duke Karl'sclutches (if he's still alive) . The difficul-ties they face in doing this will dependon the situation they left behind themwhen they entered the Focus .Since no one actually hired the PCs to

undertake this mission, no one's goingto reward them for succeeding . How-ever, between the Sword ofLamnianand the loot taken from the corpses ofthe three dwarves at the Focus (if noth-ing else), the PCs should receive ade-quate compensation for their troubles .They should also be thankful to be aliveand should keep this adventure in mindthe next time they're tempted to exam-ine the belongings of some strangeskeleton .

Concluding the EncounterThe ettercap and the giant spider fightuntil slain or until all PCs have beentrapped, killed, or driven away. This is,after all, their home, and they have noplace to flee . Snarrak, on the otherhand, won't fight so valiantly. If he isreduced to fewer than 10 hp, or if theencounter seems to be going badly forhim, he flees into the woods at the firstopportunity.

Jay Ouzts hasjust started law school atTulane University, where he won't havemuch time for role-playing games.

An unlikely love born in the ashes of destruction.

IRONHELM,on sale now and

Amidst the catastrophe sweeping the continent of

Volume Three, FEATHEREDMaztica, Erix, the former slave girl, and Halloran,

DRAGON, available in April 1991 at allthe legionnaire, flee enemies on all sides. Both

fine hobby and book stores .have chosen their destiny. . .or so they think!

As the gods tear at the True World, Erixunwittingly becomes abeacon of hope amongst therising clouds of chaos.

VIPERHAND is the second novel in the excitingMaztica Trilogy. Douglas Niles, best-selling author,has written the newest epic saga set in theFORGOTTEN REALMS' fantasy world.

Look for Volume One in the Maztica Trilogy,

FORGOTTEN REALMS' and theTSR logo aretrademarks owned by TSR, Inc .°1990 TSR, Inc . AllRights Reserved .

TSR, Inc.

LETTERS

Continued from page 15because it is a great source of cheapadventures . It also prints only these,whereas DRAGON° Magazine printsoccasional modules for any RPG andplenty of gaming articles for all RPGs .

If you want to print modules for otherRPGs, expand the length of your maga-zine, use the same strict guidelines andtough reviewing, and find some way tolower the cover price . Even ifthesethings are done, I would still be againstmodules for non-D&D/AD&D games,but at least I would know you hadn'tbeen pressured into publishing modulesfor other games and using up potentialD&D/AD&D module space when youdon't have enough room to publish allthe modules you currently receive forthose games.

Allan J. CleavelandFayetteville, Arkansas

I'd like to clear up two misconceptionsin Allan's letter. DRAGON Magazine nolonger publishes any RPG adventuremodules, only the occasional stand-aloneboard game. Also, we aren't overflowingwith D&D and AD&D modulesjustwaiting to be published. We have enoughmid-level AD&D adventures for severalissues, but it's always a scramble to fillthose issues with a well-balanced mix ofadventures. We could use more low-leveland high-level adventures .None ofour writers are employees ofTSR. Their work isjudged by the samestandards we use for everyone (ask WillieWalsh how many ofhis proposals I've

rejected!). The best way to fill upDUNGEON Magazine with the types ofadventures you like is to send them in .

First, I would like to express my de-light at the continuing overall excellentquality of your publication . "Jo" Phila-gios's comment in issue 25 concerningthe expansion of her campaign worldcertainly applies to mine as well . I alsoam thankful for the second index, asflipping through my well-thumbed stackof DUNGEON Magazines in a searchfor inspiration is quite time-consuming(though very interesting).

I do have a complaint concerning theexperimental MARVEL SUPERHEROES game adventure . That is, endthe experiment . I understand that youguys are trying to serve the payingpublic as best you can, but I thought thegeneral idea was that DUNGEON Ad-

56 Issue No. 26

ventures would serve the D&D-relatedworlds, not their comic-book cousins. Iliked "Hellfire Hostages" even lessthan those ghastly solo modules, whichat least were still set in a D&D-typemultiverse . The magazine is doing fineas it is, and whatever "newer world"you set out to find, I hope it can still bereached by a teleport spell .Also, what's with the plastic wrap-

pers? Are they biodegradable? I canbear the brown wrappers if it helps theenvironment .

Daniel CordesLittle Neck, New York

We've had years ofproblems with the"plain brown wrappers" that were usedto mail out both DUNGEON Adventuresand DRAGON Magazine. They didn'tprotect the magazines at all, and werefrequently delivered without the maga-zine inside! The plastic wrappers aren'tbiodegradable but they may be recycla-ble, depending on the areayou live in.

I want to commend you on deciding toallow other TSR game adventures to beprinted . I cannot wait to run yourMarvel adventure, "Hellfire Hostages"(issue #25) . I really hope this means youwill be printing more adventures for theMARVEL SUPER HEROES game. Iwould also like to see some adventuresfor the TOP SECRET/S.I. game sys-tem . I enjoy playing these other gamesas well as the DUNGEONS & DRAG-ONS© game, and it is hard to constantlycreate new adventures for my players.Please print my address so I can talk toother fans of the MARVEL SUPERHEROES game .

Shawn Welker1630 S . Gabriel River Cir.Sugarland, Texas 77478

I've been a subscriber to DUNGEONAdventures since its inception and havealways appreciated its continually ex-cellent level ofresource material for theD&D and AD&D games . This is what Iunderstood the magazine to be when Ioriginally subscribed to it, and this iswhy I maintain my subscription .Then your staff decided to broaden the

scope of the magazine to include otherTSR games, devoting a large portion ofyour limited page space to an adventurefor the MARVEL SUPER HEROESgame . This would be fine, except that itdetracts from the space available for theD&D and AD&D material, the reason I

subscribe to DUNGEON Adventures .While this may be addressing the

needs of some of the more vocal readers,I for one feel betrayed. I subscribed to amagazine promoting itself to be a collec-tion of adventures solely for the D&Dand AD&D games . Now, having re-cently renewed my subscription, I feelI'm stuck having bought a year's worthof magazine that I'm not sure I reallywant anymore .Perhaps the majority of the readers do

want material for other TSR games. Ifthis is the case, I'll concede that I'm inthe minority and bow out gracefully. If,however, the majority of the readerswant a magazine covering the samematerial it was supposed to cover, I trustyou'll revert to the original format .

Roger TroutPortland, Maine

As a faithful reader of DUNGEONMagazine, I was appalled when I openedthe September/October 1990 issue tofind a MARVEL SUPER HEROESadventure inside .

I do not feel that MARVEL SUPERHEROES adventures are in sync withthe nature or character of DUNGEONMagazine . If I want a Marvel adven-ture, I will read a Marvel comic .Please do not include another adven-

ture ofthat nature in DUNGEON Mag-azine, as it would seriously detract frommy enjoyment of the magazine .

Gunnar SwansonChapel Hill, North Carolina

This is only a representative samplingofthe feedback we've received on issue#25's MARVEL SUPER HEROESadventure. Part Two of the experiment isthe TOP SECRETIS.I. adventure, "Op-eration : Fire Sale," in this issue. I expectwe'll get even more letters during thenext month or so .Please be assured that every letter is

read by both the editor and the publisher(heck, we don't even have a secretary) .The only way we'll know what you wantis ifyou let us know . We can'tpromise toplease everybody, but we want to give allour readers the best value around inrole-playing adventure.

MARVEL SUPER HEROES is a trademark of theMarvel Entertainment Group, Inc . All Marvel charac-ters, names, and the distinctive likenesses thereofare trademarks of the Marvel Entertainment Group,Inc . ®1990 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. AllRights Reserved.

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NINE-TENTHSOF THE LAWBY WILLIE WALSH

Expect a surprise whenyou open a magic jar.

Artwork by Kevin Ward

58 Issue No . 26

Willie thanks those who took the time towrite him, and he invites readers, near orfar, to comment, criticize or chat by writ-ing him at 30 Aongus Lawn, Tallaght,Dublin 24, Republic ofIreland. An Inter-national Reply Coupon will ensure aresponse. This module is his tenth toappear in DUNGEON Adventures ."Nine-Tenths of the Law" is an AD&D©scenario for a party of about five playercharacters of levels 7-10 (about 45 totallevels). A wizard, priest, and rogueshould be included in this number, withthe balance ofthe party made up ofwarriors . AD&D 2nd Edition rules areused in describing character classes andtheir abilities and spells, but the AD&D1st Edition game may be used with alittle conversion .The adventure is set in the city of

Wysos, which was designed for thismodule, but it could be set in any largetown or city ofthe Dungeon Master'sown design. Investigation is favoredover combat in most ofthis scenario, sothe PCs should have alignments tend-ing toward good .

Adventure BackgroundTwenty years ago, the mage Artanal wasbesieged by hostile forces led by thegovernor of the Citadel ofWysos, a freecity from which Artanal had fled whenits citizens grew tired of his evilschemes . In the course of the siege, theservants of the mage fled or were slain,leaving Artanal to prepare his last, des-perate defense against the city troops .The final battle was fought furiously

in the deepest dungeon of the mage'sfoul lair until, with many enemies slainaround him, the magician gave onemighty shout and fell lifeless to thefloor-a victim, it was thought, of hisown arcane magic . His conquerorsburned his body, lest his death befeigned and he might rise again . Intriumph, the survivors returned ladenwith gold and silver from the treasuriesofthe hidden dungeon, and the worldheard no more ofArtanal .No more, that is, except for rumors

whispered in the citadel . It was saidthat not all the wondrous items of themage's hoard were recovered by thegovernor, who had left them hidden forhis own use should he be in need ofmoney in some unforeseen difficulty.Indeed, survivors of the siege had sup-posed that hidden rooms existed in thewreck, but they cared little at the timefor tackling the horrors likely to be

guarding them. Eventually, after yearsof speculation, a party of citizensequipped themselves for a long adven-ture and sought the fabled treasure ofArtanal's hoard . They were not disap-pointed . The secret room was guardedby a golem, and several of their numberwere slain . They returned with a hugefortune in gems and jewels and rosehigh in the ranks of the city with theirwise investments and generous dona-tions . The city prospered and grew fromtheir patronage, and today (two decadesafter Artanal's demise) is stronger andricher than ever.

For the Dungeon MasterSuch is the tale of Artanal the Mage asit is told in the Citadel of Wysos . Asmight be expected, however, it is not thefull tale .Artanal was wily and cast about for a

means of escape from his fate, but foundnone until, in the end, he had to make adesperate choice between life and death .In the last moments ofthe battle, heused a magicjar spell to transfer his lifeforce into a specially prepared gem hehad stored behind a secret door in therumored hidden treasury. There hewaited as his body was taken away anddestroyed.Time passed as the mage reflected . If

the hoard was never found, it was possi-ble he would remain trapped thereforever. He considered the guardiangolem standing by the door. His lifeforce couldn't be exchanged with that ofthe monster, due to the golem's magicresistance . The mage must wait, andwait he did, still inside the gem.As slowly as the movements ofthe

stars through 20 years, so time passedfor Artanal in his prison. His hatred andfear grew to threaten his sanity. Wysoswould pay when he escaped. He wouldburn the city to the ground. He wouldplague its ruins with creatures from theLower Planes . He would personally-Artanal sensed a presence . Someone

was approaching at last! He stirred andreached out . The golem was activated,and the mage felt the life depart fromone, then another of the intruders . Intheir midst was a strong life force,though Artanal felt something oddabout it . With only that merest doubt,Artanal attacked. He lodged in the bodyof a man from Wysos, reveling in thefeel of musty air in real lungs, the tautsinews and strong muscles beneath the

armor of a fighter. Around him, the dustof decades lay thick on tarnished silver.He turned toward the melee betweenthe man's companions and the golem,opened his mouth to command the mon-ster, and suddenly knew no more.When Artanal's mind again became

aware of his surroundings, he foundhimself lying naked by a river in thesunlight . Artanal gently tested his newbody. It responded perfectly when heraised an arm, lifted a leg, and rolledover onto his back. The mage siftedthrough the mind and found no trace ofthe life force of his host . So the transferhad gone smoothly after all! But howdid he get here, and where had hishost's armor gone to? Awkwardly butwith growing confidence the mage sat,then stood up. A backpack lay nearby,its contents seemingly intact . He rum-maged through, found clothing, and putit on . At the bottom ofthe backpack,under rations that the mage devouredmore from nostalgia than from need,was a leather bag . Inside was a pile ofgems and a note :

Nerick-Greetings!We thought that, on account of your change, we'dleave you to your own devices for tonight. Wefollowed your trail after the business in thedungeon, just to see that you were all right .There food enough to get you back and some

clothes. Don't feel we've run out on you-it's justthat this werewof thing is getting a bit scary . Yourgear is under the bush. No hard feelings.

Germad

Aghast, Artanal sat Nerick's body-hisnew body-down slowly and read thenote again . A werewolf! No wonder hecouldn't remember what had happened!The stress of the magicjar transfer andthe encounter with the golem musthave been too much for his host's sys-tem, and he'd changed there and then .Of all the people to choose! But if thechange had come on, even after a suc-cessful transfer of the man's life force tothe magic jar, then the body Artanaloccupied was diseased, not the life forceitself. This needed thinking about .Grimly, Artanal hefted the backpack

and looked about. The pile of gear thathis erstwhile companions had leftnearby looked too warlike for themage's tastes, but he nevertheless tookthe bright long sword and a dagger-thelatter showing signs of some magicalenchantment-for show and for protec-tion . Even ifhe'd wanted the armor, itsstraps and bindings were broken. He

NINE-TENTHS OF THE LAW

toed it back under the bush and madefor the hilltop . From there he got hisbearings and returned to his lair tomake a cursory inspection of his ruinedtreasury, knowing the adventurerswould by now have emptied it . Therewas a small nook they'd missed, how-ever, and Artanal removed the contents .If he was to get rid ofthis disease, or ifhe was to get a fresh host body ifthedisease wasn't curable, he'd need torecover the gemstone holding Nerick'slife force . Some spell books and a priestwould prove useful, also . To find thestone, he'd need to find Nerick's com-panions . If he guessed correctly wherethey'd go to dispose of their loot andboast oftheir deeds, he'd find them inWysos . For the first time in 20 yearsArtanal smiled . Seeing a familiar land-mark, he set out confidently toward itand the road that he knew led to thecity beyond .

The Heroes Get InvolvedThe PCs may be passing through theCitadel of Wysos when Artanal returnsthere, or they may be regular visitors orresidents of the city. The DM shoulddecide how best to explain their pres-ence in Wysos, depending on whetherthe module is run independently or aspart of a larger campaign .

Initially, the mage enters the city indisguise to avoid someone recognizingNerick and trying to approach him . TheNerick/Artanal partnership is soonfirmly established in secret places oncefrequented by the mage but as yet un-discovered by the city authorities .The PCs become involved when

they're hired by a temple official toconduct the seemingly simple task oftracking down a man named Nerick .Because this is a city adventure and

the person the PCs are looking for doesnot stay in one place, flexibility isneeded in running this scenario . Themage may be one step ahead of the PCs,or he may be uncovering information ata similar or slower rate than the adven-turers . The adventure should build upto an encounter with Nerick/Artanal atthe Municipal Museum, where he hopesto obtain his magic jar gemstone . In theevent that he escapes from the PCsthere, Artanal's bolt-hole (one ofthemagician's former lairs) is detailed for aclimactic ending to the adventure .It doesn't matter if the adventure is

run over a period as short as a game

DUNGEON 59

NINE-TENTHS OF THE LAW

week or over several weeks. In the lat-ter instance, the mystery may be inves-tigated while the PCs are between otheradventures . However, events follow abroad pattern that always begins withthe PCs being asked to track downNerick for a fee, and should end with aclimax in which the adventurers mustface the mage in a combat situation.The guts of the adventure-the searchby the mage for information leading tothe gemstone, the meeting with Germad(and his murder), and the theft ofthespell books from Certimfil's study-mayfollow any logical order the DM desires,based on what clues and rumors thePCschoose to follow .The PCsbegin their involvement

when approached by Okinar, a priest ofSefar, a local deity. Read or paraphrasethe following boxed descriptions to theplayers:

There are few restrictions on trav-elers coming into the Citadel of Wy-sos, as you learn on paying anominal 5 gp per head at the gates toobtain a year's citizenship . Thetownhas outgrown its boundary walls,and houses have begun to spring up

to the south along the banks oftheCirdon River. Builders are still pro-hibited from constructing dwellingsagainst the outer face of the old forti-fications, in the interests of securityof the inner city. The military bent ofthe authorities continues to be sus-tained, as evidenced by the presenceof regular patrols of militia andguardsmen, and the maintenance ofthe strong fortifications around thegovernor's hall and the tower of thetax collector. Noteworthy buildingsinclude the Municipal Museum andthe Temple Precinct, which housesthe seven cults of the local gods .While strolling in this area, your

path is blocked by a group of templeslaves carrying a sedan chair.

Carried in the sedan chair is the clericOkinar, aprominent member of the cultof Sefar, a locally worshiped lawful-neutral deity. Okinar is hiring profes-sional adventurers today, and the PCsare the first group he has encounteredsince leaving his temple .

The slaves lower the sedan chair tothe ground, and one of them stepsforward. He shows his outstretchedhands in a gesture of friendliness,then beckons animatedly, seeminglywanting you to approach more closely.

All eight of the slaves are deaf-mutesand unable to communicate their mas-ter's business verbally. If the PCs ap-proach, they find a tall, well-built butlavishly dressed individual sitting impe-riously behind silk curtains in the chair.

Inside the carriage is amiddle-agedmanwhom you judge to be a cleric ofsome high level. He smiles an unat-tractive smile and asks if he mightspeak with you for a few moments.

Some days ago, Okinar was ap-proached by a man calling himselfNerick and was paid 2,000 gp in gems,up front, to cure this Nerick of lycan-thropy by casting a remove curse spell.To be effective, the spell must be cast onthe night of a full moon (or the nightimmediately before or after), when theman is in wereform . By bad luck, thepriest had not finished preparation for

this lengthy spell casting when thecreature escaped the confines ofthetemple of Sefar, wounding Okinar andkilling several slaves . Okinar hashealed himself and fortunately is notinfected with the magical disease afflict-ing Nerick .Okinar wishes to track down Nerick to

complete the casting ofthe spell, as adivination indicated he should do, ifat allpossible . His cult has decided that since,it was Okinar's responsibility to ensurethe casting of the spell was carried outsafely, it is also his duty to pay for re-placement slaves from his own coffers anduse Nerick's excess payment to hire ad-venturers to track down the man (thespell cost 1,200 gp to cast, but Nerick paid2,000 gp to influence the priest) .Therefore, though in an ill temper,

Okinar offers 800 gp to the party to locateNerick and return him to the temple.Given a choice, he'd have the local au-thorities track the man down for free, buthis superiors have made him take thiscourse of action as a lesson in humility forhis carelessness in allowing the lycan-thrope an opportunity to escape.The PCs may haggle if they wish, but

the priest won't budge from 800 gp . Hewill seek another, less greedy, group ofadventurers if the PCs won't work forthe offered fee . In this case, the PCsmust come across Nerick's doings someother way, possibly as the Nerick/Artanal combination seeks to furtherthe mage's ambitions, or the werewolfcontinues to stalk the city.

Ifthe PCs decide to ferret out Nerickfor the priest, he indicates that paymentfor delivery of the man will be made atthe Temple of Sefar. Okinar describesNerick as a powerfully built man ofaround 190 lbs . and 30 years of age,with short, graying black hair and anoticeable scar over his left eye . Okinarcomments on Nerick's apparent fitness,too, indicating that he may be (or mayonce have been) an athlete, a soldier, ora guardsman .Okinar: AL LN; AC 10; MV 12 ; C12 ;

hp 69 ; THACO 14 ; #AT 1 ; Dmg by spellor weapon type; S 17, D 17, C 16, I 14,W 18, Ch 13 ; ML 11 ; spells : bless, com-mand, cure light wounds (X 4), light,protection from evil, detect charm, holdperson (X 2), know alignment, slow poi-son, speak with animals (X 2), call light-ning, continual light (X 5), remove curse(X 2), cure serious wounds (X 4), curecritical wounds (X 2), speak with mon-sters, animate object. Okinar is usually

unarmed, but he now frequently carriesa mace +4 in case he meets Nerickagain and is forced to defend himself.Temple Slaves (8) : AL N; AC 10 ; MV

12 ; 0-level humans; hp 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (X 4);THACO 20; #AT 1 ; Dmg by weapon type(unarmed ; won't fight unless charmed);ML 6 .

In Search of NerickThe PCs are left much to their owndevices while conducting the seeminglystraightforward task of looking forNerick . They may choose to either splitup to spread their resources, or sticktogether to act as a unit .The Wysos Rumors table allows for

either method. Information may begathered by casual chatter with NPCs,palm-greasing, calling in old markers,or a host of other ways one might expectto employ in a well-populated city.

It's assumed that the PCs are inter-ested in following up on these bits ofinformation in the next few areas andNPC descriptions. In all but area 1(which Artanal has no interest in visit-ing), two descriptions are given . The firstbox describes the relevant NPC(s) beforeNerick/Artanal pays a visit; the seconddescribes the area or person(s) if thefugitive has been there before the PCs .

1 . Nerick's Old House.

The house you're directed to behindthe squat Tower of the Tax Collectoris a small, one-room dwelling thatappears to have once been quitecomfortable in comparison to theother houses on the street . Now,though, the paint is flaked and oddshingles are missing from the sag-ging roof. Rough steps lead up to aniron-studded door.

Ifthe PCs knock on the door, they areanswered by a thin, tired woman whopeers around the door at them suspi-ciously. This is Cindal-Nerick's wife-who believes him dead . She has notseen him since he left for Artanal's lairthree months ago and will not be welldisposed toward news that he's aliveand at large in the city, especially sinceHurot, her current lover, has moved intothe house in the beliefthat Nerick issafely out ofthe way. Cindal is not toowell off at the moment, having lost herjob as serving wench at the Black Liontavern in the past fortnight (and

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Hurot's attitude toward work leaves alot to be desired). PCs offering moneyfor information are sure to be well re-ceived and asked indoors to share the

Wysos RumorsRoll 1d6 to randomly determinerumors heard by the PCs, or chooserumors as desired . All rumors on thistable are true but may not be com-pletely so.

1 . Nerick is a name not heard inWysos for a couple of months . He wasan adventurer, a fighter who failed toreturn from a wilderness trek 10weeks ago. Naturally, it was pre-sumed he was dead-so many adven-turers end up that way, after all .2 . Someone searching for Nerick

might ask for his wife, who serves atthe Black Lion tavern near the gates ofthe city (Nerick's wife no longer worksthere, but the landlord may direct thePCs to her house; see area 1).3 . The mage Certimfil, who lives in

a large house (area 3) on the southbank of the Cirdon River, used toknow Nerick . In fact, word has it thewizard was a member of Nerick's oldadventuring group . If anyone wouldknow of Nerick's likely hiding places,an old friend like Certimfil might .4 . Nerick left town to abandon a

nagging wife named Cindal, who'ssince taken up with a no-account,would-be trader named Hurot . Theyshare a shack (see area 1) behind theTower of the Tax Collector-an ironiclocation, since Hurot never paid apenny of tax in his lifetime. If Nerickwas in some kind of trouble, hemight seek out Cindal .5 . Nerick is remembered for his

large collection of exotic weaponrygathered from foreign lands . Heseldom carried fewer than threeweapons, and one of these was sureto be exotic . If he's back in town,he'll try to retrieve his collectionfrom his house behind the Tower ofthe Tax Collector (see also rumor 4).6 . The last report of Nerick was

that he'd fallen prey to some form ofdisease that his companions wereloath to bring back to the citadel .Talk had it that they either slew himor abandoned him in the wild . Ger-mad, who's Captain of the Watch, ledthe party in whose company Nerickadventured.

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GERMAD'S QUARTERSArea 2

N

1 square = 3'

couple's meagre meal .Hurot is a small, weak-willed man

who once aspired to become a trader inmercantile products . When he discov-ered that work and willpower wereneeded in larger quantities than hecared to invest, his expectations less-ened . He's no hero but will stand up toanyone he feels is insulting Cindal-everyone but Nerick, of whom he has analmost paranoid fear. He doesn't realizethat he has no reason to be afraid ofNerick, who could not care less aboutCindal and Hurot's liaison . Hurotdreads some nasty revenge, but Nerick(when himself) will treat the wholeaffair with indifference .

Inside, the house is damp, but someeffort has been made to keep it clean .Furnishings consist of a single tablewith twin bench seats and a large, sur-prisingly luxurious bed . Weapons andoddments of martial gear are displayedabout the walls . PCs rolling their intelli-gence or less on 1d20 notice telltale dustoutlines of several weapons that nolonger hang in their accustomed places .Cindal and Hurot claim to know nothingabout Nerick's return, and they are notlying . The empty spaces do not mean

62 Issue No . 26

D

that the fighter retrieved any of hisprecious possessions recently. Instead,the answer is more mundane : Cindalpawned or sold some of the weapons tobuy food for herselfand Hurot.Weapons remaining include an arque-

bus (with neither shot nor powder), along blowgun loaded with a rusted nee-dle, a heavily carved club of some foreigntribal design, a harpoon made from ob-sidian, a light crossbow with 12 quarrels,and a heavy battle axe . The more exoticweapons from Nerick's past campaignsseem to have all been disposed of, possi-bly because they'd fetch more money.Cindal knows that Germad, the Cap-

tain of the Watch, was a crony ofNerick's . She's been trying unsuccess-fully to get him to pay compensation toher for the loss of her husband since hisdisappearance-and she's stepped upher demands since the loss of her ownincome from the Black Lion . She tellsthe PCs that Germad must have knownall along that his old pal would be backin town, so perhaps they should seekout Germad if they want to locateNerick . Cindal can direct the party tothe captain's quarters with no difficulty.Cindal and Hurot: AL N; AC 10 ; MV

12 ; 0-level humans ; hp 3, 5 ; THACO 20 ;#AT 1 ; Dmg by weapon type (unarmed) ;ML 9 (5 in presence of Nerick) .

2 . Captain Germad's Quarters . Thefirst boxed description should be used ifthe PCs are encountering Germad beforeArtanal/Nerick has paid him a visit .You find Germad's quarters to be asimple, military-built billet housenear the gates to the Governor's Pal-ace. The house is made from dressedstone, with windows one can tightlyshutter from the inside . A thin wispof smoke rising from a small chimneyon the tiled roof indicates the likeli-hood that someone's at home .

Germad is Captain of the Watch andresponsible for the security of the larg-est inhabited section of the city. An-other body ofmen is responsible for thedefense ofthe area encompassing theGovernor's Palace and the area of theTower of the Tax Collector.The position ofcaptain is one that

Germad secured recently, on his returnfrom the exploration of Artanal's lair. Itis rumored that he bought his way intothe rank with money found on that par-ticular adventure . (As it happens, thisrumor is true but doesn't bear any conse-quences for this particular adventure .)Germad is a man of action who also

savors the pleasures of the flesh, as canbe seen by the comfortable way he hasfurnished the once-severe billet house .The captain is at once surprised and

concerned by the news that Nerick isallegedly in Wysos, particularly if thePCs recount the tale told them byOkinar. Germad's concern is both per-sonal and professional, for he believedNerick dead, and no report of a lycan-thrope at large has come to him fromthe Temple of Sefar (which report it isthe priests' civic duty to make). It issoon obvious that the captain has noknowledge of the present whereaboutsof Nerick, though he can relate thefollowing facts to the PCs :Germad was the leader of the party

that located the secret treasury ofthedead mage Artanal . The others includedNerick, a fighter; Bundane, a thief;Certimfil, a mage; and Kernin, a priest .Bundane and Kernin were slain in thefight with Artanal's guardian golem,and Germad and Certimfil were left tofight it alone when Nerick's lycan-thropy-which they hoped to cure from

proceeds of the adventure-got the bet-ter of him and made him run wildthrough the hills . After defeating thegolem, the remainder of the party fol-lowed Nerick's trail and left him cloth-ing and his share of the treasure,thinking he'd follow them to the city.He never showed up . When he failed toshow up after several months, theypresumed he was dead.Germad can tell the PCs that Nerick's

wife still lives in the city, as does themage Certimfil (on the outskirts oftown, across the Cirdon River) . He sug-gests that Nerick might have contactedone of these two, as he's certainly notapproached Germad .The interior of the house is softened

by hanging tapestries and athin butserviceable carpet . A partition madefrom newer materials than the mainstructure divides the building into tworooms. An efficient stove heats the roomthat serves as both kitchen and livingroom . The small bedroom's furnishingsinclude a bookcase and a chest holdingitems of clothing.Germad, Captain of the Watch: AL

NG; AC 0 (8 at home); MV 6(12 athome); F8 ; hp 68 ; THACO 13 ; #AT 3/2;Dmgby weapon type ; S 18/53, D 16,C 17, 115, W 15, Ch 18 ; ML 15 . Onduty, Germad wears plate mail andcarries a shield-unusual for a cityguardsman, but Germad didn't get to bepowerful by being careless . He possessesa long sword +2.Use the following boxed description if

the PCs come to the house after Artanalhas been there.

You find Germad's quarters near thegates ofthe Governor's Palace . Thestone structure is seemingly a con-verted military billet house, judgingby other buildings nearby. You noticethe heavy door is slightly ajar, andthe interior ofthe house looks darkand quiet.

Germad's bloody corpse is sprawled onthe floor near the doorway. Thebody iscovered with knife wounds, many ofwhich are in its back . The house hasbeen ransacked, though it's difficult todetermine if anything is missing. Thefollowing areas provide items and cluesof possible interest to the PCs.

2A. Kitchen andLiving Room. Thedoors to the kitchen cupboard (whichsits across from the sofa almost in the

center of the house) are thrown wide,and the shelves are bare of foodstuffsand utensils alike. Artanal took theprovisions and utensils for his own use,having heard a rumor that Okinar hashired people to find Nerick . It may be awhile before he dares obtain items nor-mally, so this theft will tide him over fora few days .The rest of the room is upended in a

peculiar way. Athief PC of any level is50% likely to recognize the faked natureof the ransacking: items aren't siftedthrough in search of valuables. Only thearea immediately in front of the stoveshows signs of the struggle betweenGermad and his assailant, but a trail ofbloodstains leads to the front door.The mage arrived in his current guise

of Nerick and succeeded in persuadingGermad that he was truly the missingfighter. Germad was further tricked intorevealing the location of the gem thatArtanal used for his magicjar spell,after which the mage took advantage ofan unguarded moment to set upon Ger-mad, mortally wounding him. He thenattempted to duplicate the effects of arobbery by turning over everything inthe rooms. He washelped by the solid-ity of the structure of the billet house,which muffled the noise of the meleeand ransacking and so prevented theneighbors or passersby from detectingthe trouble.

2B. Bedroom. The chest in the north-west corner is a sturdy, iron-boundwooden case and is unlocked. Though thechest has been opened and apparentlyrummaged through, a small bag of 57 gpin the pocket of a carefully folded coathas not been removed. The mage ne-glected his role as thief in his haste tomake things look realistic. Some otheritems discarded as superfluous by Antanal are also in the chest: a finelysharpened nonmagical dagger, ahelm oftelepathy, and a magical short sword +2 .The contents of the bookshelf on the

east wall have been carelessly sweptonto the floor. One of the two ceramicbookends has been smashed. Rulebooksfor the city watch, biographies offa-mous fighting men, a guide to sword-making . andan illustrated guide toarmor types are representative subjectsfrom the scattered volumes. One item ofinterest is a book whose uneven hand-written style indicates adiary; it istitled Journal and Memoir of Germadthe Fighter.

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Apart from accounts of battles withmany human and nonhuman foes in far-flung lands that occurred many years inthe past, the author also relates newsabout his more recent doings . The latestentry reads:

. . . Received some disturbing news this day. Itseems likely that Nerick has returned to Wysos, aspeople representing Okinar of Sefar have beenasking about him in the city . His lycanthropy mustbe taking control. 1 must alert the watch to be onthe lookout-my old companion must be takendead or alive before it's too late . . .

An entry from eight weeks previousreads as follows:

. . . Certimfil wanted to either tie Nerick up orslay him while he slept, but I dissuaded him ."Let him have a chance;' I said. He had been

a fine companion once and was owed that chance . 1filled his pack with food as well as gems fromArtanal'sfoul lair and left a hurried note .We came to the citadel at dusk of the following

evening, and the gates then being closed, we stayedat the mage's home by the river. It was a strainedaffair at best, for the matter of Nerick lay heavilyon our minds . I regretted abandoning Nerick, andharsh words were said between Certimfil and me sothat we divided the treasure and parted with nofarewells in the morning . I kept the shining gemmyself, and I doubt f Certimfil even saw it . 1 maysell it separately, as a curiosity, though its innerlight is quite attractive . Perhaps I'll keep it mysef

An entry from a week later reads:

. . . I sold the gems for a good price-far morethan I'd expected-so I felt guilty again aboutNerick not sharing in our good fortune. Each timeI look at the curious gem I'm reminded of Nerick,who has failed to return to the citadel. Weshouldn't have left him! I know it's no more thanan attempt at easing a guilty conscience, but I'mgoing to donate the special gem to the MunicipalMuseum instead of either keeping or selling it .Given Certimfil's attitude, I'll not show it to himnow. He's retired to studies of his own, so I mayas well concentrate on my own ambitions . . .

There follows mundane material out-lining Germad's purchasing ofthe cap-taincy of the watch, for the mutualbenefit ofboth Wysos andGermad, andthe efficient and diligent way in whichthe fighter attended to his duties . Thediary finishes with the reported reap-pearance of Nerick in the citadel.What the PCs make of these excerpts

is up to them . They may presume thatNerick is motivated by revenge, for hiscompanions left him alone in the wilderness, or their attention may be drawn

DUNGEON 63

NINE-TENTHS OF THE LAW

ME

NMI

No I

NMINMI

Jr

fin

CERTIMFIL'S HOUSE

Area 3

toward the curious gemstone (actuallythe magic jar) that Germad donated tothe museum . They may also wish to paya call on Certimfil (see area 3) .

3. Certimfil's House.

It's easy to find Certimfil's house, asit's the only dwelling constructed onthe south bank of the Cirdon River.The house is made up of three con-nected buildings, each with its ownexit . Apparently, the mage uses eachsection for a different purpose, as oneemits a decidedly chemical odor, an-other is surrounded by heaps of ashand slag, and the third is barred andshuttered from within . A large chim-ney rises from the rear of the house .

There were three small houses hereonce, but Certimfil purchased all threeand converted them to his own uses .There is little of anything one wouldassociate with a normal dwelling inside,for Certimfil makes use of all availablespace for his studies, except for a smallbed in a corner. He gets his meals at aneatery across the river.Certimfil is a taciturn individual who

prefers his magical studies to most com-pany. He'll welcome fellow practitionersofthe magical arts, though, so PC wiz-ards may be more useful in dealing withCertimfil than other classes. If a PCsuggests swapping a spell with Certimfilin return for information, allow a 50%chance for the mage to accept the pro-posal, providing the PC meets any cost ofthe rewriting of the spell(s) .The mage never liked Nerick, and he

made no bones about it . Being of ex-tremely practical bent, Certimfil sawthe inclusion of a known lycanthrope inthe adventuring party as absurdly dan-gerous since no one could predict hisbehavior. And indeed, two ofthe partydied while Nerick was off somewhere inwereform and unavailable to fight thegolem . In addition, there was no guar-antee that Nerick's fellow adventurerswould not eventually become his vic-tims . Only Germad's intervention per-suaded Certimfil that the fighter shouldbe given another chance .On the PCs' first visit (assuming An

tanal hasn't paid a call already), Certim-fil knows nothing of where the partymight locate the fighter. Because of thebad feeling between himself and Germad

over Nerick, Certimfil wasn't given anopportunity to examine the shininggemstone in the division of the treasure(Germad coveted it and slipped it into apocket before leaving the mage's lair)and knows nothing of its existence. Hesuggests the adventurers try to locateNerick at his old house (area 1) or atGermad's quarters (area 2).Certimfil the Mage: AL LN; AC 6 ;

MV 12 ; M9; hp 30 ; THACO 18 ; NAT 1 ;Dmg by spell or weapon type ; S 17,D 18, C 15, 117, W 13, Ch 14 ; ML 14 ;spells : hypnotism, magic missile (X 3),alter self, fog cloud, Tasha's uncontrolla-ble hideous laughter, fly, infravision,phantom steed, dig, dimension door,passwall.

If the PCs arrive after Artanal hasalready been there, use the followingboxed description :

Certimfil's threefold house is well lit,but sounds of shouting can be heardfrom inside . As you approach, a dooropens and the mage exits in a highlyanimated state .

All of Certimfil's spell books havebeen stolen, leaving him with onlythose spells he has memorized . He's justa tad less than hysterical, especiallysince he's been paying the thieves' guildprotection money against such a possi-bility. Unfortunately, he's not coveredby any more useful "insurance." In thecircumstances, he could do with somehelp, and he indicates that the PCs maybe the recipients of a 3,000-gp reward ifthey return the books safely to him .The following sections describe the

rooms in Certimfil's house after thetheft has occurred .

3A. Study. The only concession tocomfort in this, the largest of Certimfil'srooms, is the simple bed in the southwestcorner. Six large bookcases, a desk, and achair are the other furnishings . Thecontents of the shelves are now in disar-ray, with gaps showing places fromwhich the various books and tomes con-taining valuable spells have been taken.Certimfil habitually wizard locks all

doors and windows in the house, andadds the additional safeguards of heavydead bolts in case of failure of his magi-cal protections . Only the door connect-ing with the laboratory (area 3B) hashad its wizard lock protection dispelled.The PCs may note, or be told by Cer-

timfil himself, that only the more valu-able writings have been taken . Thoughthis doesn't amount to more than a signthat the burglary was carried out bysomeone who knew what he was lookingfor, the DM should allow the adventur-ers to reach this conclusion for them-selves . Certimfil was asleep at the timeof the robbery and can offer no clues .A ranger, or a PC with tracking profi-

ciency, may attempt to search the floorfor clues if he declares he is doing so . Ifother PCs have been in the room already, the roll is made at a penalty of-5 on the die . If a successful roll ismade, the PC detects a set of muddyprints, made by a barefoot human, lead-ing back and forth from the connectingdoor to the laboratory. Prints have beencarefully erased in area 3B .

3B . Laboratory. Though the outerdoor to this chamber is still locked, thewizard lock on the connecting door to thestudy has been dispelled. Inside, the odorof chemicals and strange, noxious sub-stances is almost overpowering . Furnish-ings include three heavy workbenchesalong the wall to the southeast ; a handpump near the outer exit ; a long tableagainst the northwest wall ; a largedrainage sump for waste materials inthe northwest corner; and a rack of finecrystal flasks, beakers, and oddly shapedcontainers against the southwest wall.Anyone following the trail of prints

from area 3A discovers that the trailhas been purposely erased from thefloor of the laboratory. Spell componentsof different types adorn the tables andrack, though an inventory of Certimfil'sgoods will show that components formany (but not all) of the spells stolenfrom the study are also missing .A PC carefully examining the drain-

age sump must successfully pass hisdetect secret doors roll (if he is an elf orhalf-elf) to notice that the grille in thebottom of the sump is slightly offsquare, as if it had been removed andthen carelessly replaced . A PC who isnot an elf may roll his intelligence scoreas a percentage to notice this . This isthe entrance that the thiefused to by-pass Certimfil's other barriers . A 4'-diameter pipe leads underground to thenorthwest, emerging above the CirdonRiver. Tracks of booted and bare feetmay be found here and there on theriverbank. The bare footprints corres-pond with those the PCs may havefound in the study. The boot marks are

about the same size .Artanal removed his footwear before

climbing up the pipe to gain access tothe house . He used his one remainingdispel magic spell to eliminate the wiz-ard lock on the connecting door. Then hestole those spells and components herecognized from having learned success-fully before, after which he left via thedrain and retrieved his footwear.

3C . Forge. Both doors to this area arewizard locked . The large forge fire in-side is surmounted on the outside ofthebuilding with a high brick chimney. Alarge bellows is connected to the fur-nace in the eastern corner. Oppositethis, in the southern corner ofthe room,is a crate of charcoal . An anvil withtypical tools rests near the connectingdoor to the study.Certimfil conducts various experi-

ments here, though none seem to havebeen carried out recently. The furnace isbanked but warm. Outside, ash and slagare dumped near the door. There are nosigns of disturbance anywhere in thisroom .

Thieves' Guild RumorsIfa PC thief decides that a visit to con-tacts in the local thieves' guild mightprove profitable in recovering Certimfil'sspell books (or if he doesn't think of this,and the DM decides to have the guildquestion him), the DM should allow thethiefto pick up the following information :The guild is both surprised and angry

that the home of their "good friend"Certimfil was burgled . In fact, the guildwould be most anxious to locate thefreelancer who had given the "honestcitizens of Wysos" such an ill-deservedreputation .Should the PCs ask about any sight-

ings ofNerick, either in connection withthe recovery of the missing spell booksor in their continued search for thefighter, the following guild-based ru-mors from operatives about the citymay be gleaned for the not unreasona-ble fee of 50 gp a rumor.To assign rumors randomly, roll 1d6

and consult the Thieves' Guild Rumorstable :

1 . A man fitting Nerick's descriptionwas seen in a hostelry across the riverfrom Certimfil's house yesterday. Heasked questions about the mage's recentpast . In particular, he asked about Cer-

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timfil's adventuring days .2 . Nerick was heard in the Black Lion

tavern asking for news of a fighternamed Germad, and specifically askingwhat Germad had done with any trea-sures he retrieved from Artanal's lair.3 . Nerick visited all the jewelers and

gemcutters in town, asking those whohad dealings with Germad if they hadpurchased a certain glowing gemstone .Nerick was prepared to pay a great dealof gold to buy the gemstone from itscurrent owner.4 . Nerick approached the curator of

the Municipal Museum and requestedto be allowed access to the uncatalogedgemstone that had been donated to themuseum by Captain Germad of theWatch . He was refused on the groundsthat he must wait to see the exhibit onpublic display, just like everyone else .5 . A thief named Somblet met Nerick

last week and hailed him as an oldfriend . The fighter was evasive anduneasy, and didn't seem to recognize thethief. Somblet remarked that he didn'tseem like the old Nerick at all . For onething, he wasn't visibly armed, thoughSomblet detected a dagger hidden in hisrobes .6 . Someone fitting Nerick's descrip-

tion was seen a night back walkingalong the bank of the Cirdon Rivercarrying a bulky parcel . He was dressedin robes and unarmored, which is to-tally out of character for the fighter.

A Visit to the MuseumThe adventurers should now beequipped with the following pieces ofknowledge :-Nerick is definitely in the city.-He's armed and dangerous .-He's suffering from lycanthropy.-He's acting very strangely in compari-son to his normal self.-He's probably responsible for the mur-der of Germad .-He most likely stole Certimfil's spellbooks .-He has an interest in acquiring accessto the gem that Germad donated to theMunicipal Museum .

Logically, the next port of call for theinvestigating PCs is the museum and itsnew exhibition of the Shining Gemstone .

4 . The Municipal Museum . Themuseum is a large building near thelbmple Precinct of the city. Its largedouble doors are seldom used and are

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kept securely locked from the inside .Entrance to members of the public maybe gained between the hours of 11 A.M .to 4:30 PM., using the side entrances .Briefly, these are the important areas ofthe museum :

4A . These side entrances afford accessto the interior of the building .

4B. This exhibit of exotic birds anddried plants is contained in airtightdisplay cases with oval glass covers .

4C. These cases contain old coins andwooden tallies once used in the citadel .The coins are equivalent to 500 gp inmodern money (they're still serviceableif liberated from their glass-topped con-tainers), but the tallies are worthless .

4D. The northern exhibit is a smallstuffed brownie . The southern exhibit isa wax mock-up ofa head, wearing afancy helmet of an antique design onceworn by guardsmen in the citadel .

4E . The northern exhibit is a moth-eaten replica of a carpet offlying that

the first governor of Wysos was said tohave owned. The other exhibit is a goodcopy of his alleged magical lamp .

4F. The 14 small displays along theeast and north walls contain differentminerals and odd rocks. The stones areall curious specimens because of theircolor or shape but have no commercialvalue .

4G . The case in the corner is largeand contains a tableau of a stuffed ogreeating a wax model of a goblin. Theogre is showing signs of moldiness .

4H. This single display is of shells andpearls . It is executed in fine detail andwith vibrant colors to replicate a sea-shore setting. The pearls are worth atotal of 100 gp .

41 . The smaller displays are of mili-tary decorations. The larger case holdsthree suits ofplate mail worth about300 gp each . These are real museumpieces, in all senses of the phrase .

4J . These three cases show artifactsdug up when a new town well was exca-vated . These items ofpottery and every-day use are from a period of habitationprior to the laying down of the founda-tions of the citadel .

4K. The three stuffed tigers in thiscase were originally given to a governorof Wysos as hunting beasts by a foreigndelegation . They all died of a strangemalady a few days after arriving in thecitadel .

4L. The larger case holds an egg ofspherical shape, about 2' in diameterand allegedly from a dragon (it's from asea turtle-a big one!) The smaller caseshold a variety of eggs from local domes-tic and wild creatures .

4M. These four cases display stuffedreptiles including a python, some poi-sonous members of the snake family,and an iguana.

4N . This is the desk where the cura-tor, Gerfeld Blim, spends much of histime asleep . Few people visit the mu-seum, as there's always something bet-ter to do in Wysos, so he sleeps to avoidboredom . It's only when there's a newexhibit like the Shining Gemstone that

visitors usually come and he's requiredto be awake.Slow-moving, low-talking, and sleepy-

eyed, the curator is a stickler for therules and enforces them rigidly when-ever he can. He opens the museumpunctually at 11 A.M . and closes itstrictly at 4:30 PM.Blim can confirm the rumor about

Nerick having visited the museum withthe intention ofpurchasing the gemstone .He reports that his visitor returned yes-terday (the day thenewexhibit opened),looked only briefly at the exhibit, andglanced impatiently at the small crowd ofonlookers before stamping out again,muttering to himself.The curator was near the exit and

thought he heard Nerick mutter some-thing about ". . . tonight . . ." and ". . .getting smells . . ." In fact, Artanalmuttered, "It's safe here . Do the housetonight. Getsome spells ."Gerfeld Blim : AL LN; AC 10 ; MV 12 ;

HD 0-level human; hp 4; THACO 20 ;#AT 1; Dmgby weapon type ; ML 9.

40. The Shining Gemstone . This isthe new exhibit that all the fuss is about.It's a well-cut ruby with a slight flaw inits center shaped like a clenched fist .Thegem shines brightly even when inshadow, and some observers have fan-cied it flickers sometimes, too. The rubyholds the life force of Nerick, but only acharacter possessing a magicjar spellwill recognize the gem for what it is .

If anyone casts a dispel magic spell onthe gem (the base chance is 50%+/- 5% per level difference betweenthe caster's level and Artanal's),Nerick's life force is forced out of thegemstone . IfArtanal (in Nerick's body)is not within 120 yards at the time,Nerick's essence has nowhere to go andhe dies . If the mage is within range, thelife force of the fighter returns to itsbody, while Artanal's life force isshunted back into the gem.

If someone casts a dispel magic spell onArtanal, his essence is driven out ofNerick's body and back into the gem-stone-if within 120 yards of the stone.Chances ofsuccess are the same as thoseshown above for casting the spell on thegemstone . If outside the 120-yard rangewhen forced out ofNerick's body, themage dies . As a reciprocal effect,Nerick's life force will also be killed ashis body is outside the spell's range.

If Nerick's body is within range andproper transferral occurs (Nerick's life

NINE-TENTHS OF THE LAW

force to his ownbody ; Artanal's life forceto the gemstone), there will be a timelapse of 1-4 rounds plus one round perlevel ofthe caster who dispelled themagic before either Artanal or Nerickcan act, due to disorientation . Artanalmay attempt a magicjar attack from thegemstone if anyPC or NPC is withinrange after the time lapse has passed.

If the gemstone is broken and the hostbody and trapped life force are notwithin 120 yards of each other, both lifeforces die. Ifwithin range, Nerick getshis body back and Artanal dies, leavingNerick with a lot of explaining to do .See pages 169-170 of the AD&D 2ndEdition Player's Handbook for full de-tails on this spell .

A Meeting With a StrangerShould the PCs stake out the museumor hide inside, their patience will berewarded with a visit in the dead of thenight by a person fitting Nerick's de-scription . He artlessly forces the lock onone of the doors and slips inside .With him, attempting to hide in the

shadows ofthe street outside, is an ironcobra. If anyPCsfollow the mage in-doors, the monster sneaks up behind

them to attack (with surprise, if it suc-cessfully hides). If all the PCs are in themuseum, the monster remains hiddenoutside to act as a rear guard if Artanalseeks to escape from a melee with theadventurers.Iron cobra: Int non; AL N; AC 0; MV

12 ; HD 1; hp 8; THACO 19; #AT 1; Ding1-3; SA poison (save at -2 or die) forthree consecutive bites; SD unaffectedby mind-based attacks, immune to web,half damage from normal weapons, hidein shadows 49%, save vs . spells as 12th-level wizard ; MR special; SZ S; ML 20;XP 120; FF/52.

In the museum, Artanal attempts toget near the gem and steal it . If the PCsdon't hinder him, he leaves the prem-ises and makes for his hideaway at area5. The adventurers may meet him therefor a final confrontation.

If the PCs challenge Artanal in themuseum, he resorts to using those spellshe's successfully learned from Certim-fil's spell books. The next few para-graphs briefly describe his tactics .When Artanal enters the museum, he

has already cast an infravision spell, sohe can detect any non-invisible creaturewithin 60 yards that gives off unmasked

MUNICIPAL MUSEUM Area 4I ~ I

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I I I1111111 fill 11111 11111 1111111111

101 L.1##=N=#### 1 square = 2'

NINE-TENTHS OF THE LAW

body heat . Additionally, he has cast astoneskin spell to protect against armedwatchmen . This gives him protectionagainst 1d4+6nonmagical attacksbefore the spell ends. The non-detectionspell he's also cast is in operation as heenters the museum.

If attacked, Artanal retaliates imme-diately by casting magic missiles at upto five targets within view-includingthose he can see with his 60-yardinfravision .On the next round, Artanal can use a

telekinesis spell on a character weighingup to 3001bs ., if he wins initiative andthe target fails a saving throw vs .spells . The target must be within 120yards to be successfully attacked, anddamage from impact with floor or wallsequals 1d6+3 hp . Spell-casters sohurled lose any spell about to be cast.In the next round, Artanal attempts to

cast a fear spell . Anyone in the area ofeffect who fails a saving throw vs . spellsflees the building in panic, running attop movement rate for 12 rounds .

If adversaries are present in the nextround, the mage attempts to cast achaos spell within his 60-yard rangeand in a suitable area. If successful, the

68 Issue No . 26

mage makes good his escape if unhin-dered (not necessarily with the gem inhis possession). If unsuccessful in rout-ing the PCs, he prepares a magic mis-sile spell to cover an escape attempt inthe following round.For every round of combat with the

PCs, there is a 15% cumulative chancethe mage will turn into his wereformand attack in an insane rage (assumethe change brings himto full hit pointsin werewolf form if he's been damagedto a point below this figure). If Artanalloses 50% or more of his hit points inwereform form, he tries to escape .Artanal (human form): AL CE ; AC 6;MV 12 ; M12; hp 70 (or 57 in his ownbody); THACO 17 ; #AT 1; Ding by spellor weapon type ; S 17, D 18, C 17, 118,W 12, Ch 17 ; ML 15 ; XP 7,000; spells :armor, hypnotism, magic missile (x 2,five missiles per casting), fog cloud,locate object, misdirection, Tasha's un-controllable hideous laughter, fly, infra-vision (used), non-detection (used),vampiric touch, detect scrying, fear,illusionary wall, stoneskin (used), ani-mate dead, chaos, magicjar, telekinesis,geas . Artanal carries a magical dagger+1 for use when all else fails .

Artanal (werewolf form): Int average;AL CE; AC 5; MV 15 ; HD 4 +3 ; hp 27 ;THACO 15 ; #AT 1 ; Dmg 2-8; SA surpriseon 1-3; SD hit only by silvered or magi-cal weapons, heal 10% to 60% of woundsat end of change ; SZ M; ML 12 ; XP 420;MC (lycanthrope). Treat the werewolf'sstrength as 19 for purposes of combat ifthe PCs attempt to net or grapple him.

If Artanal is SlainIfthe PCs kill Artanal's host bodywithin 120 yards of the gemstone, themage will be forced back into the stoneand helpless for 1-4 rounds . Nerick's lifeforce will depart, having no body to callits own. The PCs may subsequently berecipients of a magicjar attack from thegemstone .What happens after this is up to theDM. The mage will have no spell compo-nents for his memorized spells if hesuccessfully obtains a fresh body from aPC . Perhaps the adventure will con-tinue with the mage "hijacking" one ofthe adventurers and trying to escape .In no event will Okinar pay out 800 gp

for adead body, although the city offi-cials may be interested in paying reward

money if the PCs get Okinar to verifytheir story ofkilling a lycanthrope .Otherwise, the adventurers might findthemselves accused of murder. If theycan prove the body is that of a lycan-thrope (it inconveniently changes back tohuman form after death), they may beeligible for an 800-gp reward from thecity authorities .

If Artanal is CapturedIf the PCs succeed in capturing the fugi-tive, allow them to carry off "Nerick" toOkinar's quarters in the Temple of Sefar.The priest will pay them their reward forthe safe return ofhis client. Okinarproceeds to complete the ceremony thatcures Nerick's body of lycanthropy, afterwhich Artanal is free to go .What the PCs do about Germad's mur-

der and the theft of Certimfil's spellbooks is up to them . If the PCs do notpursue these matters, Artanal will havea free rein in plotting his revenge on thecity-a situation beyond the scope of thisadventure but possibly involving thePCs at a later date .Though now cured of his lycanthropy,

krtanal may still choose to steal thegei "stone in order to preserve it frompossible destruction and his immediatedemise . This might involve the PCs inyet another investigation .

If the adventurers insist on havingNerick tried as a murderer or thief, themage may be brought to court (or mayescape before his trial) and so become atrue enemy ofthe PCs .

If Artanal EscapesThe adventure continues! Ifthe mageescapes his encounter in the museum (orlater custody), the adventurers maydecide to pursue him across the city. Inthis event, allow a fair pursuit acrosstown, finishing at the mage's hideout(area 5) in the city. The climax is reachedin a final confrontation with Artanal inhis bolt-hole .

If the PCs cannot follow due to incapac-itation, or somehow lose Artanal in thechase, they can find his new lair throughthe intervention of the thieves' guild,who by now have had enough of Nerick'sdoings (actually Artanal's doings, ofcourse) and want him out of the way. Asthe guild considers the PCs "neutrals;"the adventurers can be given the job ofdealing with him, taking whateveraction they want against the fugitive . Inreturn, the guild gives the PCs informa-

ARTANAL'S LAIR

Area 5

tion from its spies about Nerick's hide-out, and will train a PC thief up to hisnext level for half the regular fee (as-suming he has sufficient experiencepoints to progress) . Refer to the CitadelofWysos and Artanal's Lair maps whenreading the following descriptions.

5. The Shack . This wooden structureis the last in a long line of similar build-ings in a very seedy part of the city. TheDM may crowd 3-12 poverty-strickenNPCs into each shack . These poor soulsare unlikely to either aid or hinder thePCs in their activities . Most are mem-bers of the thieves' guild, and a report ofthe adventurers' presence in the areawill be at guild headquarters within halfan hour. No one will alert the authoritiesfor fear of awkward questioning .

Inside, the shack contains a singletable, chair, and candle . Food takenfrom Germad's kitchen is in a sack nearthe stuffed rag mattress . Beneath themattress is a concealed trapdoor to ashort tunnel leading to Artanal's secretlair beneath the city. If PCs are in hotpursuit, the mage will scoot down hereto lie low for a while or prepare a suit-able reception in his own surroundings.

If the adventurers have found the placethrough another means, the mage willbe relaxing in his lair, studying hisstolen spell books .

5A . Tunnel .

513 . Cesspool.

NINE-TENTHS OF THE LAW

The trapdoor opens into a rough-hewn tunnel that winds northward .All is quiet except for the infrequentplops of dripping moisture .

If the adventurers enter the tunnel,they'll have no difficulty in smelling thecesspool at area 5B.

The tunnel comes into what lookslike a natural cave but which has theunmistakable odor of a cesspool . Alarge waste pipe set high into thenorth wall of the cave disgorges astream of sewage in a gurglingsplash . Ominous shapes move aboutin the pool of semi-identifiable mess .

The cave holds water from naturalseepage in the rocks above . The rate ofdrainage of the pool is fairly constant,so buildings on the surface uses it as a

NINE-TENTHS OF THE LAW

convenient waste disposal site, whileArtanal uses it as a convenient moat. Inthe 4'-deep semi-liquid pool live sixwhite alligators that subsist on thewaste and an occasional unwise rat .Artanal uses a skiff to cross the pool ifhis flight spell has been expended . Thealligators don't bother the skiff, butanyone foolish enough to swim or wadethrough the noisome gunk is fair game .Alligators (6) : Int animal ; AL N; AC

5 ; MV 6, swim 12; HD 3; hp 8, 6 (x 2), 3 ;THACO 17 ; #AT 2 ; Dmg 2-8/1-12 ; SAsurlsi ::",e on 1-3 ; SZ L ; ML 9 ; XP 65; MC(crocoo ? le) .Like the (now stuffed) tigers in the

museum, these creatures were pre-sented to a high-ranking official of Wy-sos . Being an unwanted gift, they wereflushed down a convenient drain . Inorder to conserve energy, they do notever leave the pool .

5C . Artanal's Skiff.

A small wooden skiff with a long polethrown down beside it is beachedhere in a spreading pool of wastewater. To the north, a boulder halfblocks the exit tunnel heading east .-JIf the PCs are in pursuit of the mage,

he hurriedly pushed aside this stone asa lure to the PCs before exiting the cavevia the secret door in the west wall .Otherwise, the stone blocks the escapeof the ice lizard (see area 5D) that Ar-tanal created from experimenting withthe bag of beans he owns .Not everything in Artanal's lair out-

side the city was discovered by the origi-nal raiders, nor by Germad's group . Themage recovered his bag of beans and hiswand oflightning from the wreck andwill use both in his defense against thePCs . Two beans have already beenplanted and watered; a patch of brownmold and an ice lizard await the PCs inthe next cave .

5D . Cold Cave.

The tunnel forks around a pillar ofrock . The two branches open into alarge cave .

As the PCs enter this area, they growcold and their torches begin to die (theinitial effects of the brown mold). TheDM should check for surprise . If thePCs are surprised, the ice lizard thatlives in this cave gets a free attack with

70 Issue No . 26

its breath weapon . If the PCs are notsurprised, roll normally for initiative .Brown mold : Int non ; AL N; AC 9 ;MV 0; HD nil ; hp nil ; THACO 19 ; #AT 0 ;Dmg nil ; SA freezing ; SD absorb heat ;SZ S ; ML nil ; XP nil ; MC (mold) .Ice lizard: Int low ; AL CE; AC 1 ; MV

9, fly 15 (C) [as white dragon : 12, fly 40(E); HD 3+3; hp 14 ; THACO 17 ; #AT 3 ;Dmg 1-6/1-3/1-3 ; SA spells, cold breathweapon; MR 80% except vs . charm andhold spells (normal MR, -2 on savingthrow) ; SZ S; ML 15 ; XP 650 ; FF/52 ;spell-like powers : can polymorph selfinto the form of a juvenile white dragontwice per day for two hours each time(note spell limitations on abilitiesgained), cast sleep and fear twice perday each .The ice lizard is in its polymorphed

white dragon form when the adventur-ers arrive at the cavern . If it wins sur-prise or initiative, it uses its frostbreath weapon, delivering 2-16 hp dam-age to all in the cone's 70'-long area ofeffect . The monster may breathe up tothree times per day, with saving throwsapplicable to affected characters . Thefact that it consistently does 2-16 hpdamage per attack with its breathweapon may make the PCs wonder ifthey are actually fighting a whitedragon or some form of illusion. A bigdragon, after all, would be expected towreak more havoc .The adjustments in attack forms and

hit points are unique to this creatureand are not entirely the same as thosefrom regular polymorph spells. Exceptfor its consistent breath weapon (using anumber range instead of basing damageon hit points or hit dice), the creatureactually becomes a white dragon for allintents and purposes . Due to its magicalnature, however, it cannot be subdued.In the second round of combat, the

creature attacks with a claw/claw/biteroutine .In the third round, it casts a fear spell

as if cast by a 7th-level wizard (theminimum level needed to cast fear,which is an innate ability of this mon-ster) . Anyone failing a saving throw vs .spells turns and flees for seven rounds .See page 157 of the AD&D 2nd EditionPlayer's Handbook for the chance ofdropping any held objects .

If any undefeated PCs remain in thefourth round, the monster casts its sleepspell as a 7th-level wizard (the hit die ofthe monster, in this case) . This spell is adesperate measure, as characters of 4th-

level and above will be unaffected .If both sides are still engaged in the

fifth round, the creature breathes againfor 2-16 hp damage .In the sixth round, it melees with

claw and fang attacks .In the seventh round, it casts fear

again . The DM (who should have theidea by now) should use individualjudgment for attack forms in subse-quent melee rounds .This monster may be slain by deliver-

ing 15 hp damage to it in ice lizard formor 51 hp damage in dragon form . Due toits summoned nature (having been acquired through a bag ofbeans), the icelizard has no accumulated treasure,though it may have some by the end ofthe adventure-if the PCs are carryingany.

5E . Trapped Stairway.The tunnel abruptly opens onto awooden stairway that climbs brieflyup to a landing 10' above . A pair ofdouble doors stands closed at the rearofthis landing, while an opening intoanother corridor can be seen headingwest from the top of the stairs .

If the PCs fail to detect the trap on thetopmost stair, allow a 50% chance percharacter (based on the marching order)of triggering the false doors at the top ofthe stairs . A barrel-shaped bouldershoots out from a ramp hidden behindthe doors to strike anyone still on thestairs . Damage to everyone on the stepscaught by the roller is 4d6 +6 t :p (it'svery heavy) but may be reduced by halfif a character rolls his dexterity score orlower on 1d20 .

5F. Wizard's Bolt-hole . This cave hasbeen crudely outfitted as a laboratory.Three tables hold many of the spellcomponents stolen from Certimfil, andhis spell books are heaped on the tablenearest the wooden throne in the north-west corner. Beside the throne is a col-lection of unstoppered flasks, eachcontaining a wet, peaty mixture . Twoalcoves hold depleted barrels and kegsof poor-quality food . The alcove nearestthe exit contains a special keg coveredand filled with yellow mold.Yellow mold: Int nil ; AL N; AC 9;MV nil ; HD nil ; THACO 16 ; #AT 1 ; Dmg1-8 ; SA poison spores (save vs . poison ordie); SD affected only by fire ; MR 20% ;SZ M; ML nil ; XP nil ; MC (mold) .

Artanal is in this cave awaiting thearrival of pursuers, if he's fled here toescape the PCs. Even if he's unaware ofpursuit, he'll be alerted to intruders bythe springing ofthe trap at area 5E . Ifnot much time has passed since the PCslast encountered the wizard, his spellsmay still be depleted from the lastencounter. If time has given Artanal anopportunity to relearn his spells, theywill be identical to those already shownon his spell list (see "A Meeting With aStranger" for Artanal's statistics) .Artanal keeps a wand oflightning

and a bag of beans in this hidden lair.He'll use these to full effect in his finalconfrontation with the PCs .The wand may be used from a dis-

tance, at an initiative modifier of +2, todeliver a lightning bolt up to 100 yardsaway. Damage (save vs . wands to reducedamage by half) is 12-36 hp (6d6, witheach 1 rolled treated as a 2). The light-ning bolt may set fire to combustiblematerial, and saving throws must berolled for objects (such as shields orbreastplates) that withstand the fullforce of the bolt . A lightning bolt usesup two of the 30 charges in the wand.In melee, Artanal may use the wand

to strike a target, delivering a shock for1-10 hp damage . Victims ofthis attackget no saving throws . Characters inmetal armor or shields are treated asAC 10 . Plain leather and wood armorwork normally. Magic bonuses on metalarmor do not affect armor class, but aring ofprotection does, as does any dex-terity adjustment . The shock functiondrains one charge .Artanal uses the contents ofhis bag of

beans in conjunction with the flasks ofdamp peat to form some very interest-ing grenadelike weapons . The bag isslung at his side, so the mage may usean initiative in which he's not attackingwith spells or wand to reach into thebag and draw out a bean . In the sameround, if unhindered, he can drop thebean into a flask of damp peat . The nexttime he gets initiative, he hurls theflask (make a normal attack roll) at hisopponents .

If Artanal uses this attack form, roll1d4 to determine the effect of eachsprouting bean (reroll any duplicatesuntil all four beans have been used).Bean 1 : A fog cloud of 30 yards in

diameter appears, obscuring everyone'svision and causing all attack rolls to bemade at - 3 . Saving throws involvingdodging and evasion are at -3 penalty.

Characters with blind-fighting profi-ciency attack at -1 and save at -1when dodging and evading.Anyone rushing for the exit has a

base 50% chance of blundering into thekeg ofyellow mold in the alcove nearthe door (40% chance for those withblindfighting proficiency) . The effects ofthe fog lasts for 20 minutes .Bean 2 : An explosion delivering 3d6 hp

damage to everyone within 20' of thebottle heralds the arrival of an air ele-mental . The elemental has no space inwhich to create a whirlwind, but it usesits first round to blast the PCs with anenormous gust ofwind, cast at the 16thlevel of magic use (all small fires extin-quished and small items blown over ;otherwise as per the spell) . The elemen-tal then leaves forever for its homeplane .Air elemental : Int low ; AL N; AC 2 ;MV fly 36 ; HD 16 ; hp 80 ; THACO 5 ; #AT1 ; Ding 2-20 ; SA whirlwind; SD +2 orbetter weapon to hit ; SZ H; ML 17 ; XP11,000 ; MC (elemental).Bean 3: A hedge of quickly growing

leaves sprouts up and covers an area 40'long by 3' wide by 12' high . The DMshould locate its center where the beanbottle lands, as some PCs may be sepa-rated from the main group, Artanalmay be cut off from the PCs, or thehedge may bar the PCs from getting outthe exit . A man-sized passage can behacked through the foliage in threerounds . Otherwise, the hedge remainsfor two hours before disappearing .Bean 4: A medusa appears in the

place where the bean lands . Have allPCs roll saving throws vs . petrificationto avoid her gaze . The DM should rollfor Artanal in full view of the players,declaring first the roll that is necessaryfor him to save (the mage must roll a 9or greater on 1d20 to avoid petrifica-tion). The medusa disappears in thenext round .Medusa : Int very ; AL LE; AC 5 ; MV

9; HD 6; hp 37 ; THACO 15 ; #AT 1 ; Dmg1-4 ; SA petrification, poison ; SZ M; ML13 ; XP 2,000; MC .

Concluding the Adventure

The adventure may seem to be over ifthe PCs capture or kill Artanal (seearea 4 for discussion of these points).Of course, the most successful conclu-

sion to this scenario is the liberation ofNerick from the gemstone, the retrievalof Certimfil's spell books, and the im-

Further Adventures

NINE-TENTHS OF THE LAW

prisonment or destruction of Artanal .Certimfil will certainly recognize the

significance of the gemstone as a recep-tacle for a life force, as he has the spellmagicjar in his own spell books . If theadventurers are having difficulty withthis aspect of the scenario, the DM mayallow Certimfil visit the museum andcontact the PCs with his discovery ofthe gemstone's true nature . The adven-ture may then be concluded by transfer-ring Artanal to the gemstone, freeingNerick, and quickly placing the gem ina lead-lined, magically prepared con-tainer (supplied by Certimfil) fromwhich the mage cannot escape . Nerickwill be able to explain what happenedto him in the mage's lair, though he'llhave no knowledge of Artanal's move-ments in his borrowed body. His lycan-thropy may cause further problems forthe PCs unless they convince him to seethe cleric Okinar for a cure .

If Artanal escapes, there is plenty ofscope for further adventures in whichthe PCs become involved in the activi-ties of the mage .More justification for further adven-

tures may be discovered in Germad'sjournal, parts of which are written incode . Some of the places that the cap-tain visited may lure the adventurersinto further exploration .Artanal's original lair has been men-

tioned frequently in this adventure .There may be several unexplored areasthere in which the PCs can findadventure .After assisting the thieves' guild in

this adventure, a PC thief is approachedwith a commission to remove certainitems from the home of a city official .The thief may find himself holdingincriminating, historical, or magicalpapers in the course of the burglary,thus embroiling the PCs in furtheradventures .

The Oops FileThere is an error on page 8 of issue#24 ("In the Dread of Night") . Thefirst paragraph under "Sisak Vil-lage" should begin : "Sisak is a tinyvillage located along the WestronRoad in the Grand Duchy of Kara-meikos, about 25 miles east ofRadlebb Keep."

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