Marvin Marmor (Order #8003634)

CK1: Tree Maze of the Twisted Druid

BY CHRIS KUTALIK!

Introduction
The Twisted Druid needs a punch in the nuts.

Once known to the world as the Druid Onald Agon he lived a life alone deep in
the dark wild forest among the tall elms, live oaks and grackles. Alone day
after endless day his brain turned in on itself and thoughts of raw power ate
at him.

It was then that the old pecan tree, twisted in trunk with blackened gnarled
bark, began talking to him. Telling him to do things. Dark things.

First it was little things like cutting the heads off chipmunks. Then evil
and eviler things until his heart became as black as the trunk of that
ancient tree. And in that great embracing evil he began drawing around him
and corrupting others of the forest in a maze made from living perverted
trees.

It made him laugh.

But the Realms of Men cannot abide such Evil forever. Heroes are gathering
and it is time to enter the maze, slay the Druid and take his ill- begotten
booty.

Hooks to Get the Party to the Adventure

1. The party is in the hamlet of Hamlet in the Gnome Hills and the Sheriff
says, “ bring me the head of the Twisted Druid, or I will chop off your head!”
He has 5d8 hobilars in ring mail with bec de corbins and scimitars (40%
chance of horseman' s mace).

2. While drinking at the Prancing Pony Inn the player characters are kissed
by a naked lady. Then 4d6 sailors slip knockout drugs into the beer. They
steal the best item from each party member and hide them in the Maze!

3. The party is in the Cathedral of Elemental Naughty and a chute opens and
they fall into a big cave that has the Maze in it!

Marvin Marmor (Order #8003634)

 Rumors
1. There are many factions in the maze which can be played against each
other! (False)
2. Singing psalms to St. Cuthbert will frighten the dead of the Maze!
(False)
3. The safest and easiest way through the maze is to climb over the tree
walls! (False)
4. Shouting the Twisted Druid' s true name, Argone, will give you power
over his soul! (False)
5. The Song of Power will harm only the Maze’s Greatest Evil! (True)
6. Look out for the dancing swords! (False)
7. Magical pecans are delicious! (False)
8. Magical pecans are nutritious! (True)
9. A magic flute is hidden in the Maze! (False)
10. An old man will ask a riddle and if you answer it with “ time” you win a
treasure! (False)
11. Beneath hidden trapdoors in the Maze lies an underground
shortcut! (False)
12. The Twisted Druid is not the true master of the Maze (true)

Marvin Marmor (Order #8003634)

 Wandering Monsters, d12
1. Faragarrar, Half- Orc Fighting Man, 3rd level, HP; 17, AC: 7, +1 ratty black
leather, eye patch, 2 handed sword, dagger, 100 gp. Mute and evil- looking, but
Lawful and Good. Encounter only once then roll again.

2. 1d4 Evil Pecan Ents, AC:0, Hp: 29, HD: 6. Three morningstars each, can hurl
magic pecans that explode in 10 foot radius for 2d4 damage.

3. 2d20 Brigands, AC: 6, HP: 5, HD:1. Tridents, black leather, longswords, ZZ Top
Beards. 1D8 gp each.

4. 1d4 Evil Blink Dogs, AC: 3, Hp; 11, Chaotic and Evil. Teleport.

5. 1d6 Evil Leprechauns, AC: Hp 4. +1 to hit with shillelaghs. Will attack

back rank while invisible.

6. 1d6 War- Ocelots. Hp: 9, AC: 7, HD 2+1. Bite 1d6. Helmet Spike 1d6. Silver
collar (worth 25 gp).

7. 1d4 Wereboors, AC: 5, HD: 4, HP 21. Will attack unless bribed to leave.
Offering less than 200 gp will make them attack.

8. 1d6 Bear Skeletons. Hp: 16, AC: 6, HD3, Bite 1d6, Claws 1d6 x 2.

9. 1d20 Green Men, Hp: 4, HD: 1, AC: 7, Battle Axes. 1D8 ep each.

10- 12. Arboreal Gelatinous Cube, AC: 6, HD: 6, Hp: 26, slides out of nook in tree
canopy and blocks the closest red marked square on the map. Difficult to
detect.

Approaching The Tree Maze

At first glance the Maze looks like a dense thicket of dark- trunked trees
tangled through with sharp briers, sickly holly bushes, poison ivy and
mountain cedar. The twisty muddy path to it winds past mounds of decapitated
animal skeletons and petrified gorgon paddies. Once closer the party will
notice the Maze' s uncanny straightness and regularity and rigid north- south
alignment- - more like a living wall of malign power than a free- growing wood.

Inside the Maze is dark and murky even in the brightness of the noonday sun,
the tight trees close over head at thirty feet to form a near- impenetrable
canopy.

Marvin Marmor (Order #8003634)

 Any attempts to climb, fly over, burn, cast spells or otherwise fuck with the
tree- wall will be met with a visible tightening of the ranks by the trees.
After three rounds of such messing, the limbs will start thrasing at the party
member with limbs up to 30 feet long as a 6 HD monster inflicting 1d6 damage
with. Each 10 foot section of the trees is 80 HP and AC 3 if attacked.

Room Key
Stumpy the Entrance Gnome, Hp 1, a wizened little creature whose legs and left
arm have been chopped off and cauterized with tar, greets any who enter the
entrance of the maze with the question, “WHO DARES BRAVE THE PERILS OF THE
TREE MAZE OF THE TWISTED DRUID?” He cares not for answers.

1. Snare Trap. Two iron chain snares concealed by leafs and vines whip the two
front rank characters up to the canopy (30 feet) unless they save vs. paralysis.
A gong will sound in 2 and 3 to alert the Green Men.

2. Guard Room. Seven Green Men, Hp 5, AC: 7, Composite Bows, Whips. 6 ep each.
Barrel of Beer and ebony carved- dominoes (100 gp value) on a table.

3. Guard Room. Five Green Men, Hp 4, AC: 7, Heavy Crossbows, Hand Axes. 7 ep each.
Beef jerky (in barrels marked “ Deer Jerky” ) and wineskins litter the ground.

4. Roc' s Nest. A steel- beaked Roc with his wings cut off is nested here. He' s
pissed and will attack unless fed a pound of seeds. Hp: 46, AC: 3, Peck 5d6
damage. Platinum arm from Saracen King (1000 gold pieces value). +1 Battle Axe,
2286 gold pieces in the nest.

Marvin Marmor (Order #8003634)

 5. Free Treasure. Burlap sack filled
with 500 gp on top of short white marble
pillar. Describe it suspiciously. Check
wandering monsters at +1 for every
minute spent here.

6. Torture Grove. Three Evil Hackberry

Ents with military forks are
tormenting a tied up second- level thief,
8 hp, 4 daggers. Cheyrl Teigz, the
youngest daughter of the Duke of High
Brazos. 40% chance she tries to
pickpocket a random member of the
party. 25% she falls in love with party
member with the highest CHA.

7. Pungi Pit. 20 foot pit with pungi

sticks at bottom hidden by a leafy cover.
2D6 damage from fall. Pungi sticks are
covered in festering Green Man urine.
Save vs Poison or roll on the DMG
disease chart.

8. Green Man Camp. 17 Green Men live

here in canvas tents, Hp: 4, Atlatls,
broadswords. Three beaten gnome slaves,
HP 3,6,8, tend the campfires and tidy up.
A golden soup ladle is in the old cast iron stew pot (300 gp value).

9. Hidey Hole. Escaped gnome slave, Augustus, has hollowed out a space here
behind a pile of deer bones. He will barter a Potion of Gaseous Form to a
friendly party for a decent weapon.

10. Stoned Grove. Petrified Basilik and Cockatrice locked in a staring

contest. They will attack if changed back.

11. Devil Traps. Weird little stick triangles cover this area. No effect.

12. Vine Trippers. Living vines shoot out and trip the first two ranks of the
party (save vs. paralyzation). 6 Green Men, Hp 5, bo sticks, run round around
the corner and attack.

13. Deer Skulls on Poles. Covered in red paint. Creepy.

Marvin Marmor (Order #8003634)

 14. Soul Gate. Severed, boiled heads of men on poles on both sides of path.
Anyone passing through them without knocking them down has to Save vs
Magic or be cursed for the adventure (- 1 to hit, saving throws).

15. Dead Pile. Corpses of animals lie in great heaps here, the smell of death is
overpowering.

16. Leaf Pile. Six foot pile of rotting leaves and branches. 1D6 copperhead
snakes have a nest inside, Hp 2, AC5, poison bite. Surprise on 1- 3. Ivory scroll
case (200 gp value) with a treasure map (40,000 gold marked on map) to nearby
Type IV Demon temple. The treasure was stolen 100 years ago.

17. Javelina Lair. Two giant javelinas, AC: 4, HD: 4, Hp 22, 2d6 gore, charge from
out of the tree cover. Half- eaten hobbit with silver dog brush (100 gp) and
tobacco chew in lair.

18. Dog Kennel. Small dark broken wood kennels, heavy wet dog and rotten meat
smell. Seven Evil Blink Dogs, Hp; 10. will act nice at first. Teleports to middle
of party and attack. Magic bone that gives +1 to WIS to anyone who chews on it.

19. Neglected Shrine. Behind a thick hanging of ivy here is an alabaster

statue to the Druid' s former patron, Cybele. Hidden in a secret compartment in
the pedestal is a silver sickle and a scrap of parchment with the Song of
Power inscribed on it.

To use the Song of Power the player must sing it to the tune of Yankee Doodle:
The Song of Power was used
To conquer magic Evil
Sung it low
Sung it high
Sung it with a weasel.

20. The Hanging Oak. Large twisted oak with the hanging corpses of eight
paladins in polished plate mail dangling from the upper branches. A giant
raven, HP 10, AC: 4, Bite 1d6, is pecking their eyes and will have to be killed
to cut the bodies down.

21. Druid' s Cottage. The Twisted Druid lives here in a small clapboard cottage
with a thatched. He is both an insomniac and paranoid, 10 percent chance
that he is here asleep in his armor (otherwise he is in 22 communing with his
master). The Twisted Druid is a 7th level Druid (see below).

Marvin Marmor (Order #8003634)

 22. Inner Grove. The true master of the Maze, the Tumbo (see below), waits here
in a grove so dark in sorcerous shadow that all attacks against him are at - 2.
Only Dispel Magic or Continual Light will lift it). Signing the Song of Power
will paralyze the tree demon for 1d10 rounds.

Twisted Druid, 7th level, AC: 3, Hp: 42, +3 leather, wicker shield, Vorpal
Scimitar. Spells: Animal Friendship, Detect Magic, Entangle x2, Charm Person
or Mammal x2, Feign Death (he will use this when he gets to 5 hit points
hahaha), Fire Trap, Protection from Fire, Call Lightning x3, Animal
Summoning I (use on first round.)

Tumbo the Tree Demon, AC: 1, Hp: 83, HD: 15, Four ham- sized tree trunks, damage.
Magic Exploding Pecans, Major 10- foot radius 2d6. Can use Suggestion twice a
day. Fire pisses him off, he takes double damage but gets a +2 to attack for the
round.

Treasure hoard: 1 million copper pieces, 3 electrum pieces, +2 jo stick, 400

magic pecans, not- exploding, tastes like shit but each one fills up your
stomach so that you don’t have to eat for three days. They can be sold to a pie-
baker for 5 gold each.

Marvin Marmor (Order #8003634)

Marvin Marmor (Order #8003634)