Based on the original Blackmoor Setting, associated characters and places owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Used with permission, all rights reserved© 1975 Wizards. Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor: Episode Thirty: The Black moor Wives Club is ©2006 Zeitgeist Games, Inc. Zeitgeist Games is a trademark of Zeitgeist Games, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This product contains no Open Gaming Content.

EPISODE XXX:

THE BLACKMOOR

WIVES CLUB

By: Jennifer Barth

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned…or even worse, a group of women who are all working together. Can testosterone filled heroes save themselves? A Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor episode for players levels 1 to 4.

Dedicated to my husband who has had to earn his Wife Points on many

occasions.

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Preface by Dave Arneson: One day, a little over thirty years ago, I discovered that I was bored. The campaign that I was running had become a drag. It was consumed with these long tedious battles and constant bickering over historical details. These most recently uncovered details would mess up next week’s battle. Curses on all such books! Why not just use one source and be done with it? CLICK! Graph paper, pencil, the old 20-sided dice we never used, some really poorly sculpted plastic monsters…I began to imagine a dungeon. My mind raced…I began to draw. Maybe I can fill it with critters and gold! This dungeon needs a name? Hmm, it’s a dark place in the wilds of wherever. Ahh! Blackmoor! By Sunday night the first six levels of the dungeon were done and the gaming table in the basement had been transformed into a small medieval town with a castle. A dungeon seemed like a good idea since it would keep the players from running all over the place. We still needed some more details… Ah! I drew a map of the town and the country around it. These last details took me most of the rest of the week to complete. I was really excited about this idea. Now everyone could be a hero like in a book but without a tight (and often dumb!) plot. They could do just about anything that they wanted to do, for better or for worse. In that short time, Blackmoor was born. The campaign setting now known as Blackmoor was done within the month with additional details added as needed. Both the setting and the rules continued to grow over the weeks. Most, but alas not all, the guys liked the game and wanted to keep playing. So the next few weeks were spent fleshing things out and trying to maintain the structure. In a very real way I have continued to “flesh things out” over the last thirty years. I continue to run the Blackmoor campaign in the games I judge at conventions and in my classroom. Over the years some 5,000+ people have adventured in Blackmoor in excess of 1,500 game sessions. The roads are well traveled but the adventures never end. (Orlando, 2004) Introduction to Blackmoor by Dustin Clingman: Welcome to the magical world of Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor! The original Blackmoor campaign began over thirty years ago and served as the impetus for an entirely new gaming experience where every player could be both a fantastic hero and a winner. The game that would become

Dungeons & Dragons relied heavily on the core discoveries made while Dave Arneson created a new gaming genre through his exploration of Blackmoor with his core group of players. So what’s the big deal with Blackmoor? It’s a distinct and compelling world to adventure in. Blackmoor provides a solid, almost classical launching point for players of all gaming backgrounds. Before there were adventure or role-playing games, there was Blackmoor. Blackmoor can be defined by its key precept: High Fantasy. Powerful heroes defend the land against impossible odds. What could be more fun that that? The frontier kingdom of Blackmoor sits in quite a precarious position. Ruled by the young King Uther Andahar, Blackmoor is beset on all sides by enemies and would be conquerors. Blackmoor’s enemies range from the savage Afridhi to the amorphous superbeing, The Egg of Coot. On a moment’s notice, the people of Blackmoor must be prepared to take up arms to defend themselves from invasion or even worse horrors. Compound this political turmoil with the constant discovery of new power and horrible monstrosities to find a populace quite uneasy with their lot in life. Some of them take up arms to define their destinies rather than waiting to become victims of fate. These brave adventurers serve a heroic purpose for both people and country. What is Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor: The MMRPG (Massively Multiplayer Role Playing Game)?: Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor: The MMRPG is designed to allow players to participate alongside each other in groups of 4 to 6 players (and up to 7 players when necessary) in the rich fantasy world of Blackmoor that Dave Arneson created over 30 years ago. The campaign allows players to travel all over the world attending conventions and game days that are running Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor events. Since the rules for the campaign are the same everywhere in the world, players can quickly jump right into the action just about anywhere people are playing without having to worry about house rules. These complete rules can be found in Dave Arneson's Blackmoor: The MMRPG Campaign Sourcebook or by visiting www.dablackmoor.com.

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Notes to the Judge: The most important part of Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor: The MMRPG is to have fun. Both your enjoyment and that of the players is paramount to the game. With this in mind, you may alter the episode as necessary to ensure the enjoyment of the group and accommodate any unforeseen actions of the players. However, this ability should not be construed to reward foolish actions by players. In those situations, players should earn what they deserve. We ask that you as the judge use common sense in these situations. The complete episode should be read by the judge prior to play. The duration of the event should be approximately three and a half (3.5) hours of game play with time before and after the event for brief record keeping and preparation. When you run a Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor: The MMRPG episode we assume that you have access to the following books: Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor, the Player’s Handbook, the Dungeon Master’s Guide, and the Monster Manual. You should also have a set of dice (at least one d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20), a way to track combats (such as graph paper or battle mat), some scrap paper, and a writing implement. In addition, you should be familiar with Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor: The MMRPG Campaign Sourcebook . The players should have fully completed Blackmoor character sheet, a character log sheet, a set of dice, a writing implement, and any other useful tools for play such as scrap paper or a miniature to represent their player character. You should have at least four players to have a sanctioned event. Prior to beginning play, the ATL (Average Table Level) should be determined to select the appropriate level of play. To do this, the total level of all players including EL racial adjustments (such as Westryn +1EL), followers, and animals that are not “class features” are added together (“Class feature” animals are animal companions, familiars, and paladin mounts and do not affect ATL.) The total levels are than divided by six players regardless of the number of players at the table. This number constitutes the party’s ATL. The party may choose to round up or down if the particular number is not an offered ATL.

Time Units: The Blackmoor calendar has thirty-seven (37) weeks, with each week lasting a ten-day (10). Every character is allowed thirty-seven (37) time units (each unit being a week) for the Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor: The MMRPG campaign year (January 1 to December 31). Playing this event is a cost of one (1) time unit.

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Episode Background The Unchained Adventuring Company has been so busy adventuring as of late that they’ve forgotten to take care of their wives. The chores have piled up and as a result their wives have prohibited them from going to the Blackmoor Ale Festival. The Festival only comes once a year and the Unchained refuse to miss a full day of food and drink, but, being experienced adventurers (level 10+), they consider the menial tasks that their wives have assigned to be beneath them. Lucky for them, a group of eager to please…or at least get paid…adventurers shows up. Let the delegation of responsibility begin.

Episode Summary While visiting the Blue Imp tavern to acquire the schedule of festivities, the adventurers discover the Unchained drowning their sorrows. Chapter One: The adventurers enter the Blue Imp tavern and interact with the Innkeeper briefly before meeting the Unchained. The players then, in talking with the Unchained, learn about the various chores that need to be done as well as their payment for doing the chores. Chapter Two: The adventurers travel to the Dwarven fighter’s house to take out the trash. They quickly discover that whatever was thrown out wasn’t quite dead yet. They’re forced to fight (or flee before) a group of zombies that were thrown out with the trash. Chapter Three: In the wizard’s library, the players must dust books. Unfortunately, the wizard’s vindictive wife has cast a few of her own spells. Some of the books are now Carnivorous Books! Even more unfortunate is that one of the animated books is the wizard’s spellbook. Chapter Four: Moving on, the players have to disguise themselves and have lunch with the cleric’s wife and his in-laws. The wife and the in-laws are fiends/devils. If the players role-play well enough, they can get by without any fight at all, but if the devils discover the deception, the adventurers are in for a challenge. Chapter Five: The noble’s wife isn’t even talking to him. In order to get him back on good terms with his wife, he needs a dress fit for a queen. The players need to ask the right questions in order to figure out the wife’s dress size and figure out what

her taste in clothing is and get the dress at a good price. Chapter Six: The adventurers must feed Fluffy. Fluffy is…an ordinary dog who is quite happy to see the adventurers. If they are nice to Fluffy, she “asks to play fetch by bringing them her favorite “stick”…otherwise known as a magic wand. Important Note to the Game Master: After the players have accepted the tasks from the Unchained, keep careful track of how much time they are taking and how many Wife Points they earn. These directly affect their awards. A table for tracking time and Wife Points can be found in Appendix II. Introduction Whether by chance or by divine intervention, your travels have brought you to the city of Blackmoor: Obsidian Enigma of the North. It’s home to the University of Blackmoor, Regency Hall, and, of course, Castle Blackmoor. You arrived here hoping for adventure. Your heart is pounding to find some lost treasure. The only thing you have found so far is boredom. Your only hope is the upcoming Ale Festival. Several of the local taverns of Blackmoor publicize a single evening of happy hours extending from the west side of the City clear to the East side. A man could walk…or at least stagger…from one end to the other and never have an empty mug. Someone once said that the best cure for boredom is ale. That someone was probably a dwarf.

Gather Information DC 0: It's a slow time of year in Blackmoor. Not much to do except go to the Ale Festival. DC 5: The festival starts in the Blue Imp bar in two nights. They'll have a schedule of events there. DC 10: Where's the wine? None has flowed from Vinereach for close to five years. DC 15: The Unchained Adventuring Company has been quiet as of late. Normally they'd be bragging about a magical item, or monstrous fiend, or gold. Lots and lots of gold. Makes you wonder what they do with all of it... DC 20: Vintages from the Vinereach region have been fetching high prices. Just last month someone bought a bottle of a 1008 Mountain Red for five thousand Andahars! DC 25: Vinereach has been plagued by problems. I've heard that close to four hundred people have died due to sickness.

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Chapter 1 – Blue Imp You approach the Blue Imp bar despite its appearance. Its bright blue walls seem to shimmer repugnantly in the daylight. As you squint against the glaring sun, you can make out the sign hanging above the doorway. On it is a short blue figure with a white hat and white pants. To make matters worse, the sign itself seems to be singing… *sing Smurf theme here* At this point, the players should make a Will save DC 15. If they fail, they have the Smurf theme stuck in their heads for the rest of the module. While annoying, this does provide them with the benefit of +1 morale bonus to attack and damage to any blue creatures. Also, players can make a Spellcraft check DC 20 to determine that the sign has been enchanted with a permanent ghost sound. Caster level check to dispel magic is 9th.

Entering the bar, if only so you can hear yourself think, you notice that the bartender is a male half-orc dressed in the most ridiculous outfit you have ever seen. If a circus tent could ever possibly breed with a poodle, the suit currently covering the bartender would be the result. If the players question Michell, the Bartender, he critiques their attire and, after some time, lets them know that the schedule for the Ale Festival is not available until early tomorrow morning. Seated at a table near the center of the room are six melancholy males: a Dwarf, a Gnome, a Cumasti, a Thonian, a High Thonian, and a Peshwah. A Sense Motive check, DC 5, notes that all six of them, save the Peshwah, are crying into their ale. Descriptions of the Unchained The descriptions below are meant to help with role playing the personalities of the Unchained in this encounter. They should not be read verbatim to the players. Mal’iron Preemad – Male Dwarf Fighter – True Neutral - This stocky dwarf wears a fine set of full plate. In a scabbard at his side is an equally fine looking long sword. On a good day, he looks as though he’s just drank the most bitter dwarven ale known to Blackmoor. Today isn’t a good day. Mal’iron has no notable skills aside from his excellent fighting abilities, which include, but are not limited to, the following: Power Attack, Cleave,

Great Cleave, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Combat Expertise, Whirlwind Attack, and Improved Bull Rush. Gree Desten – Male Gnome Rogue – Chaotic Neutral – Easily the shortest member of the Unchained, Gree makes every attempt to look like the stereotypical gnome tinkerer. He can talk for hours as though he is a master of clockwork, but really knows absolutely nothing. By the time most people realize this, Gree has already convinced them to give him a grant and he has hurried off to “work”. Gree has a Disguise check of +20, a Bluff check of +15, and a Sleight of Hand check of +20. Faast Veteld – Male Cumasti Wizard – Lawful Neutral – Faast is so pale he almost glows. The general disarray of his person seems unlike any other Cumasti. His hair is disheveled and his robe horribly wrinkled. The only thing about him in pristine condition is the book that he is reading with some difficulty. After all, it’s difficult to keep one’s book dry when one is crying a river. Faast has a Spellcraft of +15 and at least a +8 in any Knowledge related checks. Lark Strongblade - Male Thonian Cleric of Khoronus – Lawful Evil – Like the dwarf, the group’s cleric also wears full plate, but it is full plate that has been purposefully dulled and blackened. On his shield, which is propped up on the table, is a unique symbol. It is a beautiful merger of the heraldry of the Duchy of Ten (Knowledge: Nobility DC 15) and the holy symbol of Khoronus (Knowledge: Religion DC 15). He would do anything to kill Afridhi…anything at all. Lark possesses the Track Feat and a +19 Survival check. Meryl Justican – Male High Thonian Noble – True Neutral – Meryl is actually rather toned down compared to most nobles. He doesn’t wear extravagant clothing, and he doesn’t complain about the substandard beer offered at the Blue Imp. However, players making a DC 15 Spot check followed by a DC 15 Appraise check notice that the flagon that he is using worth at least 2,000 gold. If asked, he says somewhat pompously that “It would even make rotting swamp water taste better.” Meryl has a Diplomacy check of +22. Peshwah na Duka – Male Peshwah Wokan – True Neutral – In direct contrast to his fellows, this Peshwah is grinning madly and points and laughs at each of his fellows in turn. Their marital problems amuse him greatly, as he is the only

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bachelor among them. His dress is that of a man more accustomed to sitting on rotting tree stumps than bar stools. Group Dynamics – In all matters pertaining to the Unchained Adventuring Company, Meryl Justican is the leader. While the other members of the company, especially Mal’iron Preemad and Peshwah na Duka, may find his fighting skills to be laughable, Meryl’s slick tongue has saved them from many a fire. The other members of the group mostly ignore Gree when they are talking in a social manner. Conversely, Lark is never ignored, and, in fact, great pains are made to avoid offending Lark in any way shape or form. Talk of Afridhi is off-limits and the subject of the Duchy of Ten is treated as though one is treading on eggshells. Even Meryl does not make any jests about such things. Faast and Peshwah na Duka both interact well with the company, but occasionally say something of an ethnic variety that no-one else in the company understands. After such an exchange, the company will fall silent for several uncomfortable moments until the revelry resumes as though nothing happened. Mal’iron is treated in much the way that a dumb half-orc might be treated. Words are said to him very slowly, and he is congratulated every time he has an intelligent thought. Mal’iron, despite this treatment, is not stupid. When you approach the melancholy sextet, the dwarf raises his head and begins to berate you in a slurred, drunken speech. “Whadda you want? We’re not giving any adventuring advice today… or tomorrow. Especially not tomorrow. You can go figure out how to kill a nymph or kiss a medusa on your own. While you do that we’ll be stuck at home. Not that you’ll care. You’ll be drunk then. Just like we are now. But you’ll be happy, curse you!” Mal’iron takes his battle axe off of his belt and wields it menacingly in the direction of the closest female player character (or feminine looking male, if no female players are present). “You! You’re probably some evil succubus just like my wife! Are you going to tell me that I have duties to perform, too? Are you going to try to swindle me with some crazy concept of bartering ‘points’ just so I can have a night out? How many of your damned points will I get for cleaving you from head to…”

Just as the temperamental dwarf is about to greet you with his axe, the attractive young man seated next to him stands and positions himself between the two of you. “Mal! We needn’t take our marital problems out on these poor folk. My apologies to all of you. My name is Meryl Justican, and we are the Unchained. Well…so to speak. Sadly we’re all having a bit of an argument with our respective “ball and chain” about the same issue; all of us except for Duka, of course. Our Peshwah friend is fortunate enough to still be a bachelor. Perhaps if you have a seat, we can tell you our tale…and mayhap you can even help us out. We’ve been adventuring together for nearly ten years now. Over the years even our wives have become friends, which has led to our little problem. You see, a few weeks ago Faast’s wife came up with what all the women thought to be a brilliant idea. Why not make us earn points in order to do all the adventuring, drinking, and otherwise fun things that we get to do? My wife explained in painful detail all the merits, demerits, and rewards that I could gain from following this new “ingenious” system…I wasn’t paying much attention at the time, however. At any rate, this morning, Mal’iron, Gree, Faast, Lark, Duka, and myself were all discussing the fun we’d have drinking tomorrow at the Ale Festival, when all of our wives barged into the room. We were told, as if we were small children, that we couldn’t go to the Ale Festival unless our chores were done. In response, we all left. It seemed the proper, manly thing to do at the time. We hate to admit it, but we’re all scared to death of our wives.” All of the married men of the adventuring company look at each other for a moment, and then nod in assent. Peshwah na Duka can barely contain his laughter. “I would imagine that if my friends and I don’t return home soon, our wives will hunt us down. That is not a welcome outcome, but equally none of us want to do menial labor or anything else they’ve told us to do. We’re men after all. You understand, don’t you? It would be wonderful if you would help us out so that we can go to the Ale Festival tomorrow without worrying that our wives will drag us away and lock us up for good. What do you say?” If the players agree to help, or at least seem interested in helping, Meryl willingly answers any

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questions that the players might have. The following is additional information that the players acquire, assuming that they ask the right questions. What do your wives want you to do? Mal’iron – “The blasted woman wants me to take the trash out. Dwarves aren’t meant to be reduced to menial labor! But you seem like you’re meant for it. We live in a cairn on the shores of the Bay of Blackmoor. It should be an easy enough task for you. Gree – “Me? My wife wants me to feed that beast, Fluffy. The creature scares me to death and I’d much rather not get near enough to it to serve it food, lest it think that I’m its next meal. You’ll find the fiend at on the eastern edge of Lake Hope. Good luck.” Faast – “Dust! She wants me to dust! Can you believe it! A book without dust…is…well…it’s just not conducive to the simplest of arcane arts. I’ve never heard Jallapierie complain about dust. Have you ever seen him waste his valuable time dusting his library? I think not. At any rate, my library is located in the northern part of the city. Be sure not to hurt any of my precious books!” Lark – “Are any of you married? Well, regardless, I’m sure you’ve heard about how horrible in-laws can be. I’m supposed to have dinner with my wife, Faustine, and mother-in-law, Lilith. Knowing those two, I’m sure they’ll drag along a few others of their kin just to torture me. I love her, but she’s a devil of a woman. You’ll, of course, have to go in disguise. If you’re not capable yourselves, I’m sure that Gree would be willing to assist you in that endeavor. You can meet my wife at The Celestial Deer Café in the south district at evening bells.” Meryl – “Well, my situation is a bit…special. You see, according to my wife I’m currently in ‘negative wife points’. Just doing what I’m supposed to do apparently won’t cut it this time. She wants me to buy her a dress. You don’t even have to lay eyes on her. Just have the shop keepers bill me for the dress. Expensive is better, I always say.” Why don’t you just do the chores and make your wives happy? All of the Unchained look shocked at this suggestion. Faast is the first one to regain his composure and answer, “Logically you can’t expect us to give in to our wives. Reason states that if we do what they want, it becomes a firm

expectation in their minds. Expectations breed resentment from the expectee…that’s us…and provides the expector…that’s the wives…with feeling of superiority and might. Furthermore, my time is simply too precious to devote to the triflings of the mundane when the arcane beckons.” How long will this take? Meryl tells the players that he and his companions will remain in the tavern all night and into tomorrow afternoon. They suspect their wives will drag them away from the fun around that time. Faast, How do we enter your library? Oh yes…you’d have to enter to dust, wouldn’t you? Well, you see, I have quite the clever little trap set on my door. There are ten doorknobs, but really you just need to give the door a good, solid kick to enter. It helps me to relieve some pent up frustrations and clear my head before beginning my search into arcane arts. Note: In game it will be about 3 PM by the time the players take up their first quest. They need to have all of the quests completed by 3 PM the following day. DC 10 Knowledge: Local Blackmoor: Travel to the eastern shore of Lake Hope takes about three hours walking and two hours if you hustle. The distance is nine miles. See the Player’s Handbook 3.5 for specific walking/riding times. DC 15 Knowledge: Local Blackmoor: Travel to the Bay of Blackmoor takes about an hour walking, or half and hour hustling. The distance is three miles. See the Player’s Handbook 3.5 for specific walking/riding times. DC 20 Sense Motive: You can tell from Lark’s description of his in-laws and wife that dinner will most likely take an agonizingly long two hours. What do we get out of this? Faast clears his throat and speaks up, “I have an old spellbook that you can have if you can find it in the library. It’s clearly marked for donation to the University.” “Aye,” adds Mal’iron, “You can probably find some old weapons of mine in the trash. Another one of my habits that the wife likes to gnaw my ear off about…” He continues in a mocking female tone, “What are you doing you rock head?! That’s a perfectly good war axe. Nag nag nag nag nag.”

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Meryl finishes, “Oh, and maybe if you do well enough you can come and adventure with us sometime. We don’t often take apprentices, but if we all get to go to the Ale Festival, it will be well worth it.” When players are ready, move on to the chapter that deals with the chore that they wish to attempt. Players need not do the chores in the order given.

Chapter 2: Dumpster Diving Traveling along the shores of the Bay of Blackmoor, you begin to notice a smell of decay invading your nostrils. Shortly after smelling what might be last week’s fish stew, you see a cave up ahead. The smell only worsens as you move toward the cave. Recently, warm days have only gone to accent Mal’iron’s laziness. Entering the cave you see that no one is home, save for fat, content houseflies. Only a few feet inside the cairn you see several large burlap sacks of trash, each bigger than a horse. The dwarf’s home is approximately four miles from Blackmoor City. Use Table 9-3: Movement and Distance on page 162 of the Player’s Handbook 3.5 to calculate how long the players take to travel. A Spot Check DC 15 reveals to the players that a large size great club (two at ATL 3) is resting propped up against a wall in the cairn, about thirty feet away from the sacks. When the players or a player with a Strength score greater than 11 try to drag the sacks, they disturb the zombies within. Each sack weighs six hundred pounds. As you try to drag the massive sacks to their final resting place, you hear movement from inside the sacks. In the short time that you stand pondering what creature could have been left in the trash, the writhing within increases until a large decayed hand stabs its way through the burlap. ATL 1 (EL 3) Ogre Zombie, Large Undead, hp 45. (Does not possess weapons when combat begins) ATL 3 (EL 5) Ogre Zombie, Large Undead, hp 45, 50. (Does not possess weapons when combat begins)

Tactics: The zombies take the first round to escape from the burlap sacks. After that, they concentrate their attack on the closest players. Because of the piled up garbage bags, the zombies cannot charge. Finally the decayed parts of the restless ogre(s) fall to the ground and lay still. It seems that you had to kill the trash before it could be taken out. Looking toward the entrance of the cairn again you notice a bright red box labeled “First Aid”. Inside are potions clearly labeled Cure Light Wounds. ATL 1: One Potion of Cure Light Wounds ATL 3: Two Potions of Cure Light Wounds If the players managed to kill the ogre(s) before they were able to move from the square they started in, the players only need to re-tie the bags before taking them to their final resting place. If the ogres have moved, it takes the players an additional fifteen minutes to get the corpses back in the sacks so they can be discarded. Searching the sacks reveals the following usable items: ATL 1 - Masterwork Dwarven Slug Bow ATL 3 – Masterwork Dwarven Slug Bow and Masterwork Arbir Discarding the Bodies There are various methods that the players can use to discard of the bodies. A Survival check DC 15 determines that burning may be the best method of disposition. Below are two options. Other options can be used. The time they take and the number of Wife Points garnered are at the Game Master’s discretion. Dump in the Bay - If they choose to drag the sacks to the shore and discard of them in the Bay, it takes them only about fifteen minutes to discard of the bodies, but the smell will still linger and make Mal’iron’s wife unhappy when she returns home. (Wife Points: 3) Burn on the Beach – If they choose to drag the sacks to the beach and burn them, it will take about forty-five minutes to arrange the sacks in a pile and burn them, but this should help dissipate the smell of decayed ogre. (Wife Points: 5)

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Chapter 3 – Read Me, Seymour! It only takes the players ten minutes to get to Faast’s from any other point within Blackmoor City After a few wrong turns, you finally find the archaic looking library belonging to Faast Veteld. It is made entirely out of the magical black stone that Blackmoor is built upon. Solid, windowless black walls with no adornments make up the main part of the building; only the solid wood door with iron straps breaks their continuous shadow. The door is covered with ten doorknobs each one is of a unique color. From top to bottom they are Violet, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Pink, Red, Brown, Black, and White The correct answer here is to kick the door open. If the door is touched in any way, including the doorknobs, a trap goes off. The only way to open the door is to kick it. If the players have to run back to ask Faast how to get into his Library, it will take them twenty minutes round trip. ATL 1: (EL1) Wall Blade Trap CR 1; mechanical; touch trigger; automatic reset; hidden switch bypass (Search DC 25); Atk +10 melee (2d4/×4, scythe); Search DC 22; Disable Device DC 22. Market Price: 2,500 gp. ATL 3: (EL2) Inflict Light Wounds Trap CR 2; magic device; touch trigger; automatic reset; spell effect (inflict light wounds, 1st-level cleric, 1d8+1, DC 11 Will save half damage); Search DC 26; Disable Device DC 26. Cost: 500 gp, 40 XP. As you enter the building, you notice that it is a single, unoccupied room. The walls are lined with shelves and, aside from a narrow walking space between them bookshelves dominate the room. In the far corner of the room sits a single bed behind a translucent curtain and a small, obviously inadequate kitchen. Every corner of the room is covered in spider webs, from the tops of the towering bookshelves to the floor. Small spiders shuffle around at your feet. You’re not certain, but you think you hear a rustling in the distance. A Knowledge: Nature check DC 15 tells the players that this particular species of spider does not grow larger than one inch in diameter.

Successful search checks help equip the players with weapons to fight the dust. DC 10 – Rags DC 20 – A Roc’s Feather Duster If the players find the Feather Duster Searching for a spot to begin dusting, you spy a beautiful feather duster sitting on a shelf behind several books. It looks as though Faast believed that “out of sight, out of mind” was the best way to tackle dusting his library. The duster, made of large Roc feathers, can easily tackle even the toughest Queen Spider webs. At least, that’s what its label claims. Even the price tag proclaiming that the duster sells for a LOW, LOW PRICE OF ONE GOLD has not been detached. Once the players start dusting As you begin to dust the cobwebs, you find yourself absorbed by all of the interesting titles in the library. Some of the titles that catch your eye as you swipe the cobwebs away are: a large tome titled “The Sorcerer Hammer”, a very thin tome called “The Peshwah Guide to Afridhi”, and “Faast’s First Spellbook”. The blue Spellbook has a thin paper bookmark with writing on it, but as you try to move the dust away to get a better view, the book lunges forward; snapping at your outstretched hand. Allow players within sight of the book to roll a Spot check DC 15. A successful roll allows the player to see the thin piece of paper flittering to the ground. If a player takes a move action to pick it up, the bookmark reads, “Note to Self: Donate this to the University”. ATL 1 (EL3) 1 Carnivorous Book (See Appendix 1) ATL 3 (EL5) 2 Carnivorous Books (See Appendix 1) Tactics: The books attack the most obvious arcane caster (or casters) in the party, taking the most direct path to the person. Faast’s wife brought the creatures to life to torment Faast for not cleaning. Faast’s spellbook is blue, so any players that succumbed to the song at the Blue Imp receive a +1 morale bonus to attack and damage.

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When the Carnivorous Book reaches 0 HP, it ceases to be a creature and returns to being a normal spell book with the normal hit points of a spellbook. If the players damage the book beyond its material hit points (20 Hit Points – Hardness 2), the book is rendered unreadable and cannot be fixed (due to its magical properties). Otherwise, the players receive Faast’s Spellbook. If the players do not continue dusting after they defeat the Carnivorous Books of Doom, they only earn 1 Wife Point. Dusting Time It takes the players 1D100 + 30 minutes to dust the entire library. Adjust as follows: • For each player that dusts, subtract 1. • If the players are using the rags, subtract 10. • If the players are using the Roc’s Feather

Duster, subtract 20. • If a player uses a gust of wind spell AND

directs it to blow out the door, subtract 45 minutes. Otherwise, add 5 minutes because they just kicked up a cloud of dust that resettled.

• For each player using prestidigitation, subtract 10.

Successfully dusting the library earns the players 4 Wife Points. Faast carefully inventories his books every morning, noon, and night. If the players take any books aside from the spellbook that he promised them, he hunts them down, via a combination of locate object and teleport if need be, and demands the book back. If the players refuse, Faast uses all of the powers at his disposal to get the books back. This includes arcane spells up to level 6, and his adventuring company. Stealing from Faast (or any other member of the Unchained) negates the Gratitude of the Unchained certificate.

Chapter 4 – Hell Hath No Fury… If the players decide to move on to meeting Lark’s wife and in-laws for dinner without having seen Gree, gently remind the players that Lark did mention that Gree can disguise them. Gree takes 20 on a Disguise check for each of the players (giving them a 40 Disguise). This takes 20 minutes per player. The player most resembling Lark is made to look like Lark. The others are disguised as common restaurant patrons and/or waiters as they choose.

If the players prefer to be disguised as something else that’s reasonable, Gree also fulfills that request. Approaching the Celestial Deer Café, you can see two women fitting the description that Lark gave you seated at one of the outdoor tables. Lark’s wife, Faustine, is far more beautiful than you could have ever imagined. Her blue dress clings to her body, accentuating every curve. Her mother, Lilith, wears a matching blue dress to no less an effect. You spend the long minutes it takes you to make your way to their table looking at the women; it’s hard to comprehend that they are mother and daughter, rather than just sisters. Both Faustine and Lilith are Erinyes (refer to Monster Manual 3.5) currently disguised as humans with hats of disguise. The spell hides their wings and changes their skin tone to look more human. Because they are Erinyes, they also have true seeing. Lark is well aware that his wife is a she devil. Situation 1: The player is disguised using magic, the following occurs: As you approach the table and begin to seat yourself, both Lilith and Faustine stand. Angry looks cover both their faces as Lark’s wife addresses you venomously, “Where is that no good husband of mine? Does he think me some fool that he sends you in his place? Tell me, or I swear that I will be a widow by dawn, and you may not fare any better than my husband! If any of the adventurers tells the truth… Faustine looks at you enraged, but only for a moment. Then she takes a deep breath and speaks in a level tone. “My dear mother told me that no decent deceit could come out of a simple human male. Of course, it is not your fault since you follow the explicit directions of one that is powerful, like my Lark. Since I’m sure what you’re telling me is true, I will allow my husband to go to the Ale Festival. I, unlike some, appreciate the truth of things. However, know that my husband will suffer later for his poor deception. I have very, very long memories for wrongs done to me.” With that, both she and her mother disappear as though they were never there. You shudder to think what payment will be extracted from Lark’s flesh and soul for his treachery.

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The players earn 5 Wife Points. Faustine does not exact her revenge on her husband, and will, in fact, play along with the charade, until after the Ale Festival. The players are invited to stay for dinner (See Dinner Conversation section) If any of the adventurers try to Bluff Faustine and succeed, explaining that Lark has some truly just reason for not attending dinner, they invite the player to stay for dinner. Bonuses can be awarded based on the plausibility of the reason. Faustine will converse with the players over the course of dinner, giving them a chance to hear rumors from around Blackmoor (see Dinner Conversation below). The players earn 5 Wife Points. Dinner Conversation After all of the initial pleasantries of the evening have been taken into account, you settle into your meal. Dinner looks, smells, and tastes fantastic. Faustine and Lilith have both ordered Grazer steaks cooked rare and are happily diving into their food as well. After a few minutes of silent eating, Faustine stokes the fires of conversation. ‘Have you heard that there’s some half-orc that people are speaking of like she’s some kind of angel? Rumor has it that she claims to be a noble, but has been going about scrubbing peoples’ homes in order to raise money for orphans. Can you believe it?’ Without waiting for any reply from your end of the table, Lilith counters with her own unbelievable story, “Who cares about imposter nobles? I’m wondering what those delicious looking Skandaharians are doing. I haven’t seen it for myself, but I’ve heard that their longships have been seen raiding the coast between the Coot’s Watch and Maus. I was told that the raiders are looking for magic items and spellcasters.’ Just as everyone is finishing up their main course, the waiter comes to the table, ‘Would you any of you ladies or gentlemen like to order dessert? Normally, I would also offer people of your tastes the dessert wine list as well. However, we have not been getting our normal shipments from Vinereach. We do, however, have delightful berry tarts. And our cheesecake is so delicious that King Uther orders it for himself every month.’ Faustine and Lilith both order the cheesecake for dessert. Delivered along with your dessert is the bill for dinner: one thousand gold coins. Right before you begin to weep outright and reach for

your purse, you notice the divine words written at the bottom of the bill, “Charged to the tab of Lark Strongblade’. Faustine and Lilith bid you adieu shortly thereafter, and you are free to continue your chores. If the adventurers fail in their Bluff attempt, Faustine and her mother both fly into a rage. If time permits, this can be run as a true combat to make the players “fight for their lives”. If in a convention setting, it is suggested that the end result be declared, and the story continued. In either situation, Faustine and Lilith do non-lethal damage to the “Lark” player and any other players that attack them, until they are unconscious. As soon as any attackers are unconscious, both of the Erinyes greater teleport away. No Wife Points are earned, and if all players have been knocked unconsciously this delays them at least as long as it takes them to heal up to consciousness. Situation 2: The player is disguised using a skill check or other mundane means, the following occurs: Faustine looks up from her drink just as the evening bells begin to ring. A look of shock passes over her face before she stands to greet you, “It’s so nice that you could take time off of your busy schedule and have dinner with mother and I, dear.” As you move closer to take your seat, Faustine sweeps in to give you a hug, and then joins you in being seated. The players get a DC 20 Spot check to note that both Faustine and Lilith have devilish heritage. A DC 19 Knowledge (Planes) check will tell PCs that made the Spot check that they’re both Erinyes. Faustine receives a Spot check (Modifier +16). If Gree disguised the players, the two Erinyes cannot unmask the players. (At least not visually.) If the player attempts to talk during dinner and disguise his voice, he needs to make a Bluff check against the Erinyes Listen Check. If he fails, which is likely as the Erinyes have a +16 to Sense Motive, follow the actions set forth in Situation 1. If he succeeds, dinner plays itself out after two hours and the players earn 4 Wife Points. The player also has the option of faking laryngitis. This requires no Bluff checks, just successful pantomiming to the GM. As long as things go well, dinner concludes without issue after two hours. Read the previous text labeled Dinner Conversation. The players earn 4 Wife Points.

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Chapter 5 – Window Shopping Female characters automatically get a +2 competency bonus to skill checks for the purposes of shopping. The players, hopefully, think to ask a few pertinent questions in order to find a dress for Meryl’s wife. What size does Meryl’s wife wear? After pausing in thought for a few minutes, Meryl uses his hands to emphasize the size of his wife’s various features. What kind of fashion does Meryl’s wife like? Meryl explains that most of the dresses his wife wears are simple with very little frills or lace. He’s bought her many fancy dresses over the years, but he can’t recall the last time he saw her wear one. What is her favorite color? After a good ten minutes of debate, Meryl and the rest of the Unchained agree that her favorite color is green. What are the dress shops in town? Note: Each shop that the players stop at takes fifteen minutes. Gather Information or Knowledge Local: Blackmoor: Note: PCs can retry Gather Information checks. Each check takes 30 minutes. DC 10: The two most well-known dress shops in town are “Knots and Bows” and “Lady Leanne’s Laceys.” DC 15: Knots and Bows typically sells dresses with large bows all over, although some are plain dresses with ornate knotwork patterns. Lady Leanne’s Laceys dresses, made almost entirely of lace, are all the rage among most of the noble ladies. DC 22: Rumor has it that Alwyn Morland, famed bard of Blackmoor, shopped recently at a relatively unheard of shop named Threadbare. Note that all of the shop dresses are available for purchase by the PCs, but only one is available of each type. (See Mementos section) Lady Leanne’s Laceys Through the window, the inside of this shop looks almost as though hundreds of spiders decided to web the entire interior. As you enter the door, a young Thonian woman steps from behind the counter and greets you. “Welcome to Leanne’s

Laceys. What can I help you with today? All of my dresses are made of the finest, most delicate spider’s silk. Perfect for the romantic evening out, I’m sure your lady loves will love these dresses. This dress here is my most popular. It comes in white, pink, and red; and will make any woman look like they should be Queen of Blackmoor. It sells for only five thousand gold. Wife Points Earned – 2 Points Knots and Bows Two distinct fashions are obvious in this store, as you open the door and enter. About half of the store inventory consists of dresses in wild colors that have huge bows affixed to the back of the dress. The other half of the dresses are fairly plain dresses of a comfortable fabric, but they have beautiful knotwork embroidered on the torso of the dress. The reason behind the disparity of style becomes apparent to you when two gnomes emerge from a back room. One wears a dress with a bow on her rear almost as large as she is, with a multitude of bows upon her head. The other, much shyer looking gnome, wears a knotwork dress that closely resembles the knotwork dresses being sold in the store. Her hair is neatly swept up in a braided bun. The gnome in the bows addresses you first. “Greetings seekers of fine fashion. My name is Brindela Snogglecotton. This is my aesthetically unappealing sister, Trelinda. If you are looking for a dress for one of your tall lady friends, you need look no further. I have here my most popular dress.” Climbing up a set of stairs, Brindela releases a dress approximately twice her height, made of a powder blue satin. Affixed to the rear of the dress is a bow half the height of a gnome, in a brilliant royal blue. “Only four hundred gold.” “Excuse me,” pipes up Trelinda, “but if you’re interested at all, this is the most popular dress to come out of my line of clothes.” She holds, via a long pole with a hook, a beautiful green dress. The sleeves, bosom, and skirt are all covered with clever knotwork that seem to be unending in their twists and turns. “It’s only two hundred gold.” Belinda scoffs as you’re making your decision, “Well, yes, you can always buy that if you’re not willing to spend money on beauty.” Bow Dress Wife Points – 1 Point Knotwork Dress Wife Points – 4 Points

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Threadbare The store that you’ve been directed to doesn’t even look like a store so much as a house. There is no shop window to preview the wares, only a wooden door. When you ring the bell, the door creaks open to reveal a small old lady, stooped from age. “Well, hello! It’s always so nice to have visitors! Do come in!” As you enter the house behind the shuffling woman, you see that the front room is awash with doilies and half-finished dresses draped over several large chairs. “I’m Regina Morland, Alwyn’s grandmother. Did she send you nice youngsters here to get dresses for your sweethearts? Isn’t that nice? I wish that she’d visit me more often. She hates wearing dresses, you know, except for very special occasions. Sometimes she’s even mistaken for a boy, they say. Oh, well. Kids today, you know? Well, who is this nice dress for? Hmmm?” Once the players tell Regina that the dress is for Meryl’s wife, she wanders off into a back room and returns with a dress in hand. “Well, I made this little beauty about two years ago, but I think it’s still considered fashionable.” In her hands, the old lady holds a beautiful green dress that looks almost as though it has been sewn with leaves taken off a tree. “Don’t let the look fool you. It’s really quite sturdy. Not like any of those dresses those noble floozies wear now-a-days. I’ll alter it to fit and let you have it for one thousand gold.” Threadbare Dress Wife Points – 5 Points Sizing All of the dresses come in S, M, L, XL, and HO (Half-Orc) size. If the players have asked Meryl about his wife’s size, they can correctly state that she wears a Medium. If they have not asked, they can spend time running back to ask, or they can guess. An incorrect guess subtracts two Wife Points from the points that they’ve earned from the chosen dress. The players can end up with negative wife points for this task.

Chapter 6 – The Beast Lake Hope sparkles as you walk along its edge from its northern shore to its eastern shore. As you travel, you take in the sights of swans swimming in the lake, turtles sunning themselves on rocks, and

twenty-foot tall doghouses…come again? About two hundred yards in front of you looms a structure, obviously built for a well-loved pet. Its siding is painted red, and, as you move closer, you notice a large, thick chain rests on the ground. The chain is staked into the ground about one hundred feet away now, and whatever is currently attached is inside the shadowed interior of the house. Above the door, some fifteen feet above the ground, you see the word “Fluffy” carved into the wood. Lake Hope is about six miles from Blackmoor. Use the chart on Page 162 in the Player’s Handbook 3.5 to determine the amount of time it takes the players to travel. The players can now formulate a plan to approach the doghouse. Once they decide to move forward, read the following: As you take your first timid steps closer, you hear the chain to the doghouse rustle with movement from within. The players may want to change their battle tactics here. When they wish to proceed forward, read the following: Now, obviously within reach of whatever is at the other end of the chain that snakes its way into the doghouse, you continue forward, hoping to soon glimpse the beast that lurks inside. Suddenly, a large form moves from within the structure. You watch in horror as a fifteen-foot tall monstrous dog stretches and steps out of the shadows. Streams of drool splash to the ground as it looks straight at you and licks its lips. You can only stand frozen in fear as it howls and bounds toward you. All of the players get a Will Save at this point to disbelieve (DC 19). Fluffy is actually a normal size riding dog with a veil spell cast on it. Begin combat as normal. If the players either wait to see what the dog does or attempt to Charm, Wild Empathy, or otherwise try to change the attitude of the dog, read the following. If someone is using charm, empathy, etc, have him or her be the dog’s “target”: Fluffy bounds toward you. His massive paws pound at the ground as he charges you, his approach far faster than you could hope to run away. You can almost feel his hot breath and

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warm drool cover you as you close your eyes and wait for your death. You can’t help but imagine how horrible a place a dog’s stomach will be to die. Seconds later, you feel a warm tongue upon your cheek and see that before you, standing upon his hind legs, is Fluffy. His much smaller paws are now upon your shoulders. As he puts his paws back on the ground, you notice that where once stood a huge monster of a beast, now stands a normal sized, three foot tall dog. If the players attack, they get another Will Save (DC 19) to disbelieve the illusion around the dog. Only spells/weapons aimed toward the center square of the 15’ area actually damage Fluffy. Fluffy, being a normal dog, only has 13 HP. If the players kill the dog before they see through the illusion, they get two negative Wife Points. Once the players have successfully ended combat, read the following: No matter what size you see him, Fluffy continues to look at you expectantly. After a moment or two, he dashes into his doghouse and emerges with a bowl in his mouth. He sits on the ground, wagging his tail madly, waiting for you to complete your task. Successfully feeding Fluffy earns the players 3 Wife Points. If the players wait for Fluffy to finish eating, he “asks” the players to play with him. If they spend ten minutes playing with him, Fluffy fetches his favorite “stick”. A DC 15 Spot check (or a Detect Magic) reveals to the player that the stick is actually a wand of some sort. A DC 15 Handle Animal check (or a combat to “disarm” the dog) rewards the players with the wand. ATL 1: Wand of Shocking Grasp ATL 3: Wand of Cat’s Grace

Conclusion Option 1: - players earn 0 – 5 Wife Points OR - players do not return to the Blue Imp by 3

PM Today you suffered through the institution that is marriage, and you feel as though you should be committed. When you return to the Blue Imp, the festivities are already in full swing and the Unchained are nowhere to be found. It seems that

you could do no better than they did in appeasing their wives. The next morning, before you leave Blackmoor City to continue your travels, you receive a note from Meryl. “Wives not happy. Grounded for a year. Next time don’t help us.” It was obviously written very quickly, probably so his “prison warden” wouldn’t know.

Option 2: - players earn 6 – 10 Wife Points AND - players return to the Blue Imp by 3 PM After the day you’ve had, you doubt that you’ll ever want to get married: it’s just one task after another after another. Not the kind of life that you would ever wish to live. Happily, you’ve returned to the Blue Imp to salve your tired muscles with a drink or two. You’re greeted by several members of the Unchained, but not everyone succeeding in escaping for the night. You learn from your new friends the horrible fates that awaited those whose wives were not happy enough with your work. Each player receives a bottle of Swamp Mead. Option 3: - players earn 11 – 19 Wife Points AND - players return to the Blue Imp by 3 PM The day and night were long and hard, but you emerge with some confidence and hope that you’ll see several of the Unchained at the start of the Ale Festival. You learn that only one of their number is unable to attend, and after a moment of silence for the poor sorry sob, you start your evening off with a free round of drinks from the Unchained. The rest of the night is a blur as you hop from tavern to tavern, tasting the finest wares of Blackmoor. Each player receives a bottle of Loch Gloomen Lager and the Gratitude of the Unchained.

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Option 4: - players earn 20 or more Wife Points AND - players return to the Blue Imp by 3 PM Confident in your wife-appeasing prowess, you return to the Blue Imp. As you enter the common room you see that all of the members of the Unchained are happily drinking and telling stories around the table where you first met them. When Mal’iron spots you, he rises to his feet, drags you over to the table, and he demands a round of drinks for each of you. “I’m not sure how you did it, but for the first time in five years, my wife actually cooked me food without throwing the plate at me. You might be a bit green, but we’d be happy to have you tag along with us any time.” All night, the ale, the stories, and the laughter flow like water. Each player receives the Gratitude of the Unchained, Invitation to Adventure, and Keg of Stormkiller Stout. Players may opt to purchase any of the spirits available at lower Options. For instance, if a group finishes the module with Option 3 results, they each receive a bottle of Loch Gloomen Lager for free, and they can also choose to purchase Swamp Mead at market value. Thus ends this episode of Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor.

Experience Points: Reward the player characters experience points for items completed below: Players attempt to do (any) of the chores: 375 Experience Players reach the conclusion of the episode, either due to time expiring or because they attempted all of the chores: 375 Experience Total: 750 XP

Mementos: List by each chapter what the players may have to take away from this episode. Values provided are full market value. Items sold are redeemed at half value, while gems may be redeemed for full value.

Maximum gold piece value for the episode (excluding certificates) is as follows: ATL 1: 500 gp ATL 3: 750 gp Chapter 2 ATL 1: Potion of cure light wounds (25 gp) “ Olga” Masterwork Dwarven Slugbow Originally a gag gift for Mal’iron Preemad from the other members of the Unchained Adventuring Company, this Dwarven Slugbow was custom made with care. On the main shaft of this Dwarven Slugbow is carved the shape of a portly, foul-tempered, elderly female Dwarf. In her right hand she holds a spoon in a threatening fashion. Because the Dwarven woman carved into the weapon is a perfect image of Mal’iron’s Mother-in-law Olga, Mal’iron’s wife “convinced” him to throw it away. (value 400 gp) Stone Slugs (12) These may only be used in a dwarven slugbow. (value 1 gp) ������������

ATL 3: (all of ATL 1 and) Potion of cure light wounds (25 gp) “Moira’s Mercy” Masterwork Arbir For their first anniversary, Moria bought her husband Mal’iron this beautifully wrought Arbir. Its wooden shaft is carved with strands of ivy and knotwork. So expert is the craftsmanship that the ivy seems almost alive. The steel blade is polished to the shine of a mirror and engraved into the steel is the image of Mal’iron striking a fatal blow to a dragon. Carved in a fine script surrounding the wooden spear tip is Moira and Mal’iron’s Wedding date. Moira always told Mal’iron that striking his foes with the wooden tip would be more merciful than slashing them with the steel blade, and so he named the Arbir “Moira’s Mercy”. Sadly, Moira never realized that Mal’iron didn’t know how to fight properly with an Arbir. It took him several years to finally find an opportune time to throw the unwanted weapon away. (value 395 gp) Chapter 3 ATL 1 : Faast’s Spellbook This dog-eared spellbook is bound in the blue hide of a Shocker Lizard. On the first page of the spellbook, written in a rough hand and thick ink are the following words in Cumasti: “My Premier Tome of Arcane Knowledge” Scrawled in the margins are notes from years of research. As the notes proceed through the spellbook, the writing seems

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to become more mature…and illegible. The pages have also faded somewhat with age, despite their continued magical properties. Faast’s Spellbook – 0 Level - Breeze, Elemental Globe – 1st Level – elemental bolt, elemental orb, lesser; magic dagger, 2nd Level –coyote’s dirge, mustang’s speed, snake’s stride ATL 3 : (all of ATL 1 and) Faast’s Advanced Spellbook –2nd Level – dolphin’s leap, hawk’s eye, otter’s claw, raven’s glide; 3rd Level – elemental ball, wolf’s sight. Chapter 5 Available for purchase at all ATLs: Lady Leanne’s Lacey Gown This floor length gown, bought at Lady Leanne’s Laceys in Blackmoor City, is made of spider’s silk. The bell sleeves hang nearly to the knees of the wearer, but are expertly cut so as to allow the lady full movement. While not proper for wearing out to adventure, it would make even the most noble lady gasp and whisper “I need that” to her husband. Color Chosen for Gown: Red, Pink, or White Market Value: 5,000 gp Bow Dress This dress was bought from the gnome Brindela Snogglecotton in the shop Knots and Bows located in Blackmoor City. The most obvious embellishment of this powder blue dress is the large, royal blue bow affixed to the rear of the dress. The bow is easily a third the height of the dress and approximately that same diameter across. Certainly it is a dress that would make an entire room stare. Sitting in this gown would be quite difficult without causing harm to the enormous bow. Market Value: 400 gp Knotwork Dress This dress was bought from the gnome Trelinda Snogglecotton in the shop Knots and Bows located in Blackmoor City. Beautiful knotwork covers the sleeves, bosom, and skirt of this green gown. Each knot is cleverly worked so that one must stare in wonder for minutes to find the beginning or end of a single knotwork pattern. Its beauty is only enhanced by its functionality. It is woven of simple cotton fabric, and could probably withstand several months of adventuring. Market Value: 200 gp

Chapter 6 ATL 1: Wand of Shocking Grasp (caster level 1) (25 charges) (value 375gp) ATL 3: (all of ATL 1 and) Wand of Cat’s Grace (caster level 3) (10 charges) (value 900gp) Conclusion Option 2: All ATLs : Swamp Mead This bottle of swamp mead smells like the feet of a rotting swamp gnome. Rather than being the typical translucent yellow of ale, Swamp Mead is a brownish, green liquid with the consistency of snot complete with the odd solid chuck. By the time you and your companions reached the Ale Festival this was the only spirit available for consumption, if any one would ever truly dare to consume the vile concoction. Market Value: 5 cp Option 3: All ATLs : Loch Gloomen Lager Loch Gloomen Lager is known throughout Blackmoor as a fine drinking ale. Neither considered too expensive nor too cheap, this lager goes down smoothly from start to finish. The bottle you have in your possession is no different in that regard. At the Ale Festival in Blackmoor, this is one of the most popular beverages for the taverns to serve. Its quality tends also serve the bartenders in preventing patrons from getting sick on ale. Market Value: 1 gp Gratitude of the Unchained For you assistance in doing menial tasks to appease their wives, the Unchained have promised to spread word to all of their contacts, better known as “bartenders”, that you are fine, entry-level adventurers. This name dropping gives you a +1 circumstance bonus on all Charisma checks made against bartenders in Blackmoor. This certificate may not be sold or traded.

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Option 4: All ATLs : Keg of Stormkiller Stout This heavy stout brewed in the Stormkiller Mountains is said to “drink like a meal”. Mainly consumed by the Dwarves that brew it, this stout is created from fresh mountain springs. A favorite cure of Dwarven wise women; it’s also prized by young dwarves because of folklore that claims it’ll put hair on any man’s chest. Because of its high quality and rarity in Blackmoor, this stout was one of the first liquors to run out during the Ale Festival. Only because of your close ties to the

Unchained Adventuring Company were you able to get a full keg. Market Value: 100 gold Invitation to Adventure Because of your fantastic ability to appease the wives of the Unchained, you have been invited to apprentice with them in the future. While Meryl Justican would give you no hard and fast timeline, he promised that at their first opportunity they would provide you with on the job training. This certificate may not be sold or traded.

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Appendix I – New Monsters

Carnivorous Library Book of Doom! Size/Type: Small Aberration Hit Dice: 3d8+ 6 (24 hp) Initiative: +2 Speed: 10 ft. (2 squares) Armor Class: 17 (+1, size, +2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 15 Base Attack/Grapple: 3/9 Attack: Slam +5 melee (1d6+2) Full Attack: Slam +5 melee (1d6+2) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: Adhesive, Crush Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., immunity to acid, vulnerability to fire Saves: Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +2 Abilities: Str 15, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 10 Skills: Disguise +6, Listen +3, Spot +2, Spellcraft +1 Feats: Weapon Focus (slam), Improved Grapple Challenge Rating: 3 Alignment: Usually neutral Adhesive (Ex) A carnivorous library book exudes a thick slime that acts as a powerful adhesive, holding fast any creatures or items that touch it. An adhesive-covered carnivorous library book automatically grapples any creature it hits with its slam attack. Opponents so grappled cannot get free while the carnivorous library book is alive without removing the adhesive first. A weapon that strikes an adhesive-coated carnivorous library book is stuck fast unless the wielder succeeds on a DC 16 Reflex save. A successful DC 16 Strength check is needed to pry it off. Strong alcohol dissolves the adhesive, but the carnivorous library book still can grapple normally. A carnivorous library book can dissolve its adhesive at will, and the substance breaks down 5 rounds after the creature dies. Crush (Ex) A carnivorous library book deals 1d6+2 points of damage with a successful grapple check.

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Appendix II – Tables

PC Action Time Taken Wife Points Earned

Total Time

Total WP

Chapter 2: Dumpster Diving Travel to the Cairn 1 hour (walk)

30 minutes (hustle) 0

Dump in the Bay 15 minutes 3 Burn on the Beach 45 minutes 5 OTHER

Chapter 3: Read Me, Seymour! Travel to Library 10 minutes 0 Partially Dust 10 minutes 1 Fully Dust 1D100 + 30 minutes 4

Chapter 4: Hell Hath No Fury… Disguising 20 minutes/Player 0 Tell Truth N/A 5 Successfully bluff N/A 4 Unsuccessfully bluff Time to heal 0 Make it through dinner 2 hours 4

Chapter 5: Window Shopping Talk to Meryl 30 minutes 0 Gather Information 30 minutes 0 Look in Shops 30 minutes/shop 0 Pick Lady Leanne's Dress N/A 2 Pick Bow Dress N/A 1 Pick Knotwork Dress N/A 4 Pick Threadbare Dress N/A 5 Pick Dress of Wrong Size N/A -2

Chapter 6: The Beast Travel to Lake Hope 3 hours (walk)

2 hours (hustle) 0

Feed Dog 15 minutes 3 Kill Dog N/A -2

Final Totals

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Appendix 3: Tale of Heroes: Episode Summary Make your results count!! Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor: The MMRPG wants to know what has occurred as this episode was played. We will use this information to shape the future story of campaign. Game master: Please fully complete this form and email it to Dawn.Coakley@DABlackmoor.com after completion of the event.

Episode 30: The Blackmoor Wives Club

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OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved. 1. Definitions: (a)”Contributors” means the copyright and/or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game Content;(b)”Derivative Material” means copyrighted material including derivative works and translations (including into other computer languages), potation, modification, correction, addition, extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed or adapted; (c) “Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent, lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise distribute; (d)”Open Game Content” means the game mechanic and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines to the extent such content does not embody the Product Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License, including translations and derivative works under copyright law, but specifically excludes Product Identity. 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(h) “You” or “Your” means the licensee in terms of this agreement. 2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this License except as described by the License itself. No other terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game Content distributed using this License. 3.Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License. 4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content. 5.Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing original material as Open Game Content, You represent that Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License. 6.Notice of License Copyright: You must update the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright holder’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original Open Game Content you Distribute. 7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and interest in and to that Product Identity. 8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are distributing are Open Game Content. 9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents may publish updated versions of this License. You may use any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed under any version of this License. 10 Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute. 11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless You have written permission from the Contributor to do so. 12 Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order, or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open Game Material so affected. 13 Termination: This License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License. 14 Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable. 15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. System Rules Document Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. Dave Arneson’s Blackmoor: Episode Twenty-Nine: The Blackmoor Wives Club by Jennifer Barth, Copyright 2005 Zeitgeist Games, Inc.