^>VENTURES FOR TSR ROLE-PLAYING GAMES

Milestones The Readers LETTERS 6

With this issue, we finish another yesu: of publication, our
eighth. (This magazine’s first issue was published in Septem- Lisa Smedman TO BITE THE MOON
ber 1986.) I issue #4, so this is my 44th
came on board with (AD&D® adventure, levels 9-12)
issue of DUNGEON® Adventures (a nice repetitive number). Discover the secret life of gnolls, and
And in just a few months, we’ll start work on our 50th issue! meet their goddess 8
Thanks to everyone for making DUNGEON Adventures such
a success.
We have a special goodie for you this issue; a full-color map,
Paul Culotta THE ORACLE AT SUMBAR
drawn by Michael Chris Perkins’s adventure “Them
Scott, for (AD&D adventure, levels 3-6) Cross
Apples.” Although the text says that this is a giant’s home, the Sea of Fallen Stars to see old
with an equivalent scale, we hope you find the map useful in debts repaid 16
other adventxures. Just adjust the scale and it can be a human
habitation as well.
In last issue’s “Coming in Issue #48,” we listed “All That Christopher THEM APPLES
Glitters,” an AD&D® adventure for levels 9-12 by Lisa Smed- Perkins (D&D® ^adventure, levels 1-3) There’s
man. During the editing phase, we came up with an even a rotten apple in Wistil. Is it the
better name for this adventure. You’ll find it on page 8, now gourmet giant, the bumbling
titled “Tb Bite the Moon.” We’re sorry for any confusion this
halflings, or something else? ... .32
might cause.
I’d like to remind everyone that readers may now correspond
with us and submit adventure proposals by electronic mail. Leonard & Ann MELODY
You can reach us via the Internet at [email protected]. Wilson (AD&D adventure, levels 6-8) Why
If you subscribe to the GEnie information service, our email
does the caged bird sing? To keep
address is TSR.MAGS. If you’d like your email address pub-
the ettins happy. 44
lished with your letter, please let us know. Otherwise, we will
assume you want to keep it private.
And last, but not least, don’t forget to check out the third Bill Slavicsek SLEEPING DRAGON
DUNGEON Magazine index, on page 64. 'This index covers (AD&D COUNCIL OF WYRMS™
adventures in issues #37-#48. Previous indexes appeared in adventure, level 6 dragon PC) In
issues #24 and #36.
dreams, your ancestor calls to you
for aid. Something foul has come to
Silver Island 50

The Editors INDEX TO ISSUES 37-48

More than 60 astounding
adventures, arranged and
accessible 64
Vol. Vlil, No. 6
PUBLISHER: TSR, Inc. EDITORIAL ASSISTANT:
Paul Hamilton HONOR LOST,
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Dale A. Donovan Beattie HONOR REGAINED
Brian Thomsen ART DIRECTOR: (AD&D adventure, levels 4-6)
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Larry W. Smith “Come into my parlor,” said the
Kim Mohan CARTOGRAPHER: Diesel
EDITOR: Barbara G. Young TYPESETTING: Tracey Isler spider to the paladin 66
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: SUBSCRIPTIONS:
Wolfgang H. Baur Janet L. Winters Watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you,
ADVERTISING: Cindy Rick because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most
Printed in U.S.A.
unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never
find it.

Roald Dahl, The Minpins

 LEUERS
Please let us know what you think hands the bottle to T’Bubnik. The wea- major one. Adventuring and making the
about this issue of DUNGEON® Adven- sel spends one round sucking on the players think up interesting solutions to
tures.Although we can’t print every bottle’srubber “nipple.” The following problems is the fun of the game, not
letter we
receive, we read them all and round, it transforms into a giant weasel trying to play every little mundane
seriously consider your comments and of formidable size. (See the Monstrous thing that your characters would do in
suggestions. Write to: Letters, Compendium® supplement for giant real life. The AD&D® game is not about
DUNGEON Adventures, P.O. Box 111, weasel statistics.) 'The potion’s effect real life, it is about having a good time.
Lake Geneva WI 53147 U.S.A. You can lasts 10d4 +4 turns, and the may DM Sometimes when I play (my friends
also contact us by sending electronic decide how many doses T’Bubnik’s “ba- and I switch roles often), my character
mail [email protected]. We
to by bottle” holds (up to four). goes into a store to buy rations, and I
will not publish your address (regular When I pla5rtested this module several have to go through a half-hour discus-
or email) unless you specifically request years ago, my PCs were taken aback by sion about what kind of food I am sup-
us to do so. Rastull’s giant weasel familiar (much posed to get! If I ask for rations, my DM
like the fighter depicted in Mr. Day’s thinks of the most disgusting thing
Weasel Quandary artwork). In fact, T’Bubnik was person- imaginable to eat and then tells me
ally responsible for mutilating the party that’s what “rations” are available. So I
I was enthralled by the wonderful
mage. The point is, I would never allow have to think of what kind of animal
blend of adventures in issue #47. 1 was the rules governing spells to restrict the lives in that climate, if my character is
particularly taken with “Fraggart’s
drama and flow of creativity within an a gourmet or not, and what kind of food
Contraption” and “When the Light adventure. We DMs and module design- he likes. By the time I am done, time
Goes Out.” Hats David Wright as
off to ers walk a fine line between maintain- has passed in a shop getting food, in-
well; I intend to place his “Shades of
ing rule integrity and creating truly stead of outside playing adventures.
Darkness” into my existing campaign. innovative and memorable encounters Further difficulties are encountered
David Day’s artwork for my adven- to entertain and challenge our players.
ture “Quelkin’s Quandary” was perfect.
when my character has to eat the food. I
If an enlarge spell won’t do, then some- have to decide what fraction of my rack
Beautiful, in fact. His rendering of
thing else will. of lamb I want to eat then, and how
Rastull Fizzlewand and his enlarged
weasel familiar was just how I pictiu-ed
Christopher Perkins much to save for the rest of the journey.
Georgetown, Ontario I admit that this is like real life. But
them. However, I was dismayed to see
this part of real life is not fun or inter-
that T’Bubnik’s stats were altered to
The editors apologize for any confusion esting to play. The great thing about the
conform to the rules governing Rastull’s
enlarge spell. Granted the spell can
about T’Bubnik’s size in Chris’s adven- AD&D game is that you can skip over
ture. We tried to fix a rules problem at the tedious and mundane parts of life.
increase T’Bubnik’s size by only 60%
the expense of the story and got caught! Reality is boring enough, so why repeat
(10% per level), but a weasel that size is
the boring parts for fun?
hardly a monstrous challenge for the
PCs— and certainly not the beady-eyed Reality is Boriny Noah Keating
behemoth depicted on page 18! New York, New York
I am writing a reply to Thomas Over-
The fault is mine, really. I should’ve ton’s letter in issue #47 about excessive
read the description of the enlarge spell role-playing. It talked about “The insis-
A Fiendish Contraption
more carefully. What’s the point in tence among many gamers to stress I wholly enjoyed Willie Walsh’s latest
enlarging T’Bubnik by 60% its normal role-playing above all else,” and that (and it was late) module, “Fraggart’s
size when all that does is increase its “Nowadays, people want to role-play Contraption” [issue #47]. Though at
damage by 1 hp? My suggestion is this: every last thing their characters do .”
. . first I was hesitant about introducing
Give Rastull a potion of growth in- I would like to say that I totally agree such a modern item into my campaign, I
stead of an enlarge spell. When in- with this letter. When I DM, I try to soon found several ways to insure that
truders £u:e detected, the evil wizard make role-playing an issue but not the my campaign would not be disrupted or

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6 Issue No. 48
 LEUERS

my players become too powerful. I understand and share Mr. Scott’s ten years ago. Despite these apparent
First, with no means of repairing worries. If youwant to know what hap- shortcomings, they acquitted themselves
Fraggart’s contraption (except Fraggart pened when steam power was intro- very well. Though I helped them a bit
himself), the PC’s will have a hard time duced, take a look at England during (very discreetly), they still came up with
keeping the machine in working order. the Industrial Revolution. However, the good ideas. The group showed intelli-
Second, the cost of running the ma- adventure can be included in an ongo- gence, initiative, and enthusiasm— all the
chine is sure to give the PC’s second ing campaign by various means. qualities of superb players in the meiking,
thoughts about using it. At about 180 If you like steam but don’t want and it has been a rare privilege to foster
gold pieces per day to run, plus the everybody to get hold of it, change your this development.
adventure involved in collecting the campaign world’s physics. In the case of I think it is the responsibility of game
unusual materials required to manufac- ‘"Train of Events,” change the proper- masters of any role-playing game to
ture its fuel, Fraggart’s contrivance is ties ofwater so that it takes magical come up with good scenarios
sure to become a more of a headache to fire toturn it into steam, and let the (DUNGEON magazine is of inestimable
the characters than an advantage (re- dwarves of the Thrghazarn Mining help to those like me who also have
member that each use of a wand burns Company have devised a way to put a other important commitments) and to
a half day’s worth of fuel). fire elemental into one of their contrap- encourage their players to get the most
Third, consider for a moment the tions. This would also make a nice link of what these open-ended games have to
reaction of the townspeople when the to the water elemental-powered boats in offer.
PCs come lumbering into their city in a “Moving Day” (issue #43). If you want This is also what Matt Mulcahy
noisy contraption. Magic itself is hard to avoid all that hassle, have the (DUNGEON #44) has to remember. He
to believe, but when a bunch of adven- dwarves find a way to control rocks and even says that his group is still eager
turers drive into town in a horseless, make some huge, heavy wheels with for more. Mate, if you’re still running
spell-shooting carriage, frightening enough momentum to pull a train (a the group, keep it going! Emett Barfield
horses and running into things, people wheel-shaped stone golem, perhaps?). III (DUNGEON #46) is 100% correct-
are sure to become hostile. Local busi- I guess that, in short, this letter is yet hang on to that player with the “Oh, I
nesses may refuse to deal with the PCs, another rephrasing of the old DM’s wonder what is in this cave?” routine.
fearing their contrivance may bring a maxim, “If you don’t like it, change it!”. There were all sorts of possibilities. The
curse upon their village. Soren Thustrup tasloi, being high as kites on a fairy
The key to running the module “Frag- Copenhagen, Denmark dragon’s breath weapon, probably
gart’s Contraption’’ is to remember that should have just pointed and giggled at
you are in control. If giving it to the Advice for Beginners him. Or asked if he had any weapons or
PC’s makes them too powerful or the food that they could buy. Or even mis-
vehicle disrupts your campaign, you Just a short letter to let you and the taken him for a. big tasloi!
have the ability to make owning it a readers know about a rather unusual Matt, come along to the Western Sub-
living hell. Don’t take the machine gaming group. I am 33 years old, male, urbs Wargaming Association one Satur-
away from the characters, but instead with nearly eight years’ experience day. It’s nearly a two-hour drive for me
make them want to give it back to you. DMing to my credit. Recently, I man- to get there, but for twelve hours’ gam-
Imagine trying to find a parking space aged to get together a group of four ing, it’s worth it! There are lots of
for your car in a village of the Middle people to play the AD&D game, in addi- games from period miniature wargam-
Ages. Little things like these are what tion to my regular group. ing and fantasy wargaming to role-
will make Frank the Fighter decide to While it has been a short-lived experi- playing.
run Fraggart’s contraption off a cliff. ment, for we had only three sessions Ron L. Newsome
Chris Donathan II due my many other commitments, there 9 Wallaby Way
42236 Montroy were two unusual things about this Badger Creek 3777
Sterling Heights, MI 48313 mob. The first is that our games took Victoria, Australia
place immediately after we had finished
Great minds think alike. Everyone who work on Friday afternoon. The second is
that all the players were female. They
Equal Time for a Rebuttal
enjoyed “Fraggart’s Contraption” is
encouraged to read Roger Moore’s short ranged in age from eeirly twenties to I wanted to rebut Louis LaMancu-
just
story,“A Dragon to the Core” in The late thirties. sa’sstatement (in issue #47) that “al-
Dragons of Krynn (TSR, 1994). Heck, I used two adventures from most every beautiful and friendly
read all the stories. Margaret Weis and DUNGEON. The first was “A Wizard’s female encountered by an adventuring
Tracy Hickman edited this anthology Fate” [issue #37], and the second was party is either a thief, a trap, or an evil
and picked out some wonderful tales. loosely based on “Isle of the Abbey” monster in disguise.”
[issue #34], though set in a tarn some On the contrary, there are plenty of
500 miles from the coast of my cam- nonthreatening women characters in
A Change of Physics paign setting of Marlikosa. DUNGEON Adventures. Casually pag-
This letter in response to Tim Scott,
is Two players had no role-pla3ring experi- ing through my more recent issues, I
who was worried about the introduction ence, one had played the “Eye of the find several examples: Martinique (#40,
of steam engines in the AD&D game Beholder” series, and the fourth had
through the adventure “Train of played the AD&D game for a short while Continued on page 71
Events’’ (issue #44). in her university days in Britain, about

DUNGEON 7
 Lisa titxiiu am Oi '
i i 0- . / ‘
yao ,i>,

olde/ >n I ,1 • d 'n > lin n,

tures ,itu ',0 ,SL. t|<>' /mn; >• ,o.h<

ries (if 'III nmi I. ‘fa L/y! 7 , 0 1

“classiftea ’
/h/,m’/-*no '
, I Ih ai , i/o.

merits anil panJihf; ,11 ' fi ;( a il !h"

I ts( tiiiu I a jii iifi I III '

freelance game th -ninei ,1 h > < -k ‘f

work fir TSH nil liiih mnilnh 1 'Li

DARK SI' V anil /I. li 7 \ / c 7 « T

worlds She also tvnii s iiiiiHi‘,11 n" >

science fiction.

“To Bite the Miooii” is an AD&I)®' ad-

venture for 4-6 player characters of
levels 4-7 (about 30 total levels). How-
ever players who are adept at role-
playing stand a good chance of seeing
their lower-level characters survive.
This adventure explores the habits
and religious beliefs of the gnoll race.
(Ideas for role-playing: gnolls can be:
found in The Complete Book of Human
oids.) It may be dropped into any ongo-

ever, mcmae a ciciric cape, Die oi aeaimg

with poison.

For the Dungeon Master

The of the Pricklepine Mountains
giiolls
are a dying brecid. Not too long ago, they

TO BITE THE were the masters of the mountains, thcjir

teiTitorial claims undisputed. But in
recent years, human fortune-seekers,
drawn to the area by gold dust in the

MOON mountain streams, ha:ve encroached on

one side, while hobgoblin raiding parties
have made incursions on the other. The
once-mighty giioll nation has teen brokei
into smaller tribes that now make their
Inmgby staging iFolcUod raid'- on tlu
BY LISA SMEDMAN wagon tram.' tiuf bring '.U[ipl«‘s lo t!n
human gold rush settlmiient =
Kurgahr a (Imd gntiil is tli,* h adi > i I

one of iliose trilif-' ,\ n ik til Ih-ln.ii.i

the gnoll uoddt
A little gnolledge is a
of th
Ins penph* to a hnl3 1
Pnckiepine Mount
‘

'in-
11

tw
!h to in if.
dis-p nitla
iiu it'il

,<

^^3 n ’»««r
^ ^
^**3
1 n >./
they en)oy llu- '•poil ol lln ir mI
lair,
Here loo the/ u>d timIo iPi
,

i
1

ing'totiHit plan Oil •hmIiU b' ,

1 -t

out of a hu!c iti th,. nt a 1

cave with'ri 0 biu m it

f I i '
la t 1 in
goddesM }'o- t nial llu m p f
I
hi ,1 <

Artwork by Tom Dow

and ha im n lla os
• < 10 1 • til

w mil tinr . iii-i hionj.i n, ih-t o.

 a

TO BITE THE MOON

panic, leaving their treasures behind for charges, a situation that the spirit naga
the gnolls to plunder. will use to her advantage. She doubles Lying in bed in one of the upstairs
Kurgahr, however, is mistaken in his her demands for food and treasure, rooms of the inn is a stocky dwarven
belief that the goddess Refnara lives making false promises to restore the woman. One of her legs is propped up
inside the hole in the lair’s inner cham- wand’s functions once Kurgahr’s tribe on a pillow; it ends just below the
ber.In fact, the creature the gnolls has proven themselves worthy again. knee in a stump that has been
worship is a spirit naga. This snakelike wrapped with bloody bandages. Her
being with glowing skin and a human- Starting the Adventure long red hair was once neatly braid-
oid head has tricked the gnolls into ed but has begun to come undone,
providing the rotten meat that she feeds The adventure begins as the PCs enter and her face is pale. Wincing, she
on and the treasure that she craves. The Fortunado, a hastily constructed mining
motions to you to shut the door.
spirit naga has charmed Kurgahr into town in the foothills of the Pricklepine
“Thank you for coming,” she says. “I
Mountains. The town has a population
believing that she is the earthly mani- am Jacinth. I summoned you here
festation of a divine being and now of about 2,000 people, most of them
because I thought you might be able to
receives offerings from his tribe. would-be gold panners who are tempo-
help me. Three days ago, I was part of
rarily housed in tents, preparing to
So far, the ruse has worked. According a wagon train, bound for Fortunado,
to gnoll lore, the goddess of fear appears make the hike into the mountains and
was attacked by gnolls.
that
in the form of a serpent. Not only does stake a claim. The town’s main street
“The attack began when a gnoll
the spirit naga’s snakelike body fit the consists of a few dozen buildings: gen-
bill, Wher glittering, gemlike skin
gives her an aura of grandeur in the
eral stores, blacksmith shops, stables,
laundries, and taverns. New stores are
leaped out of the bushes heside the
trail, pointed a wand at us, and
swept a pale red beam over the wag-
gnolls’ eyes. The gnolls first discovered being constructed every day; the smell
ons. The driver of my wagon scream-
the cave of the spirit naga while seek- of fresh-cut pine and the sound of ham-
ed in terror, and his mules panicked
ing shelter during the night of a full mers fills the air.
and bolted. I was thrown from the
moon, the night on which The PCs may be in the area for a num-
sacrifices are wagon as it surged ahead.
traditionallymade to Refnara. This ber of reasons. Perhaps they are just
“The next thing I knew, close to
confirmed the serpent naga’s identity as passing through or have come to meet
two dozen gnolls were upon us. I
with friends. Or they may have come to
their goddess. drew my war hammer and managed
Three days ago, the gnolls raided a Fortunado to try their hand at gold pan-
to hold my own, despite my wounds.
wagon train that was hauling barrels ning or to make some quick money by
of But the others were not so fortunate.
wine and ale to a tavern in the frontier providing services to the miners.
Panicked by the magical effects of
town of Fortunado. The raid began well As soon as the PCs arrive in Fortuna- the wand, they were easily cut down
enough, with Kurgahr using his wand do, they begin to hear stories about the as they ran blindly through the gul-
of fear to panic the drivers as well as ill-fated wagon
train that was attacked ly. Then one of the gnolls dealt me
the mules that drew the wagons. 'The by gnolls three days ago. When they try the blow that cost me my leg, and I
mules raced headlong into a gully, to order drinks in a tavern, all they are
lost consciousness.
where the wagoneers were savagely served is sour wine because the expect-
“When I came to, I found myself
ambushed by the gnoll tribe. ed shipment of beverages is missing.
hidden in bushes near the gully. One
Partway through the raid, Kurgahr’s Perhaps the PCs learn that the friends
of the drivers— a fellow dwarf who
wand stopped working. Some of the they were planning on meeting here
shares my immunity to magic— had
humans escaped its effects and were died in the gnoll raid. The PCs may
dragged me to safety and bound my
able to fight back. A handful escaped. simply become curious about the row of
wounds. I saw the gnolls stripping
Although the injuries inflicted on the fresh graves being dug for those bodies
the wagons of their contents; they
gnolls were slight, Kurgahr was deeply that were recovered from the gully, or
also took several of the dead drivers
troubled. Had the goddess turned her about the stockade that is being hastily
and mules. I insisted that my com-
back on the gnolls due to some failure constructed around the town.
panion help me set out after the
on Kurgahr’s part? According to gnoll The people of Fortunado are itching to
gnolls, but he refused. Instead he
lore, the goddess of fear regularly tests stage a retaliatory daid on the gnolls
carried me here to Fortunado. I prob-
her subjects by deliberately exposing but are terrified at the prospect of fac-
ably owe him my life.
them to frightening situations. Kurgahr ing gnolls capable of wielding powerful
“I lost something very valuable in
now wonders if he is being punished by magic. Although one of the survivors
the raid, in addition to my leg—
Refnara because of a momentary dis- has offered to tell them where the gnoll
magical ring and sword, two items
play of fear during the ambush. lair is located, the people have opted
that I had been entrusted to carry
Kurgahr’s tribe, however, was delight- instead to concentrate their efforts on
safely to a client in a city several
ed with the results of their raid. They building a barrier to protect their town.
miles from here.” Sighing, Jacinth
hauled the spoils back to their lair, A short time after the PCs enter the steu'es at the stump of her leg. “I may
where they proceeded to indulge heavily town, they are summoned to a room in
no longer be any good as a courier,
in the wine and ale. All were too busy one of the taverns. There they meet the
but I intend to complete my last
congratulating Kurgahr on the success woman who will send them on their assignment. I also intend to see the
of the ambush to notice how worried he adventure. Read or paraphrase the
deaths of so many innocent people
had suddenly become. following to the players:
avenged and the last of the gnolls
In fact, the wand simply ran out of

DUNGEON 9
TO BITE THE MOON

for a week. She speculates that the gnolls to pick up and the trees start to creak
driven from this area.”
will likely allbe too drunk to stop the and sway. The solid gray clouds over-
Jacinth’s eyes search yours. “Will you
P*Cs from simply walking into the lair head break up and blow away.
help me to recover what was stolen and and recovering the stolen property. The entrance to the lair of Kurgahr’s
to wreak vengeance on the gnolls?”
The stolen ring is a ring of three wishes tribe is a lO'-wide cleft that winds its
that has one wish remaining. Jacinth will way 200' into the mountainside before
Jacinth is a member White
of the tell the PCs only that the ring is magical, reaching the main cavern. At the 170'
Riders, an elite courier service whose describing it as a wide gold band with one mark, the gnolls have blocked the pas-
members specialize in the transport of red ruby and two dull black stones. “If sageway with a door.
magical items between powerful wiz- the ruby has also turned black, the ring When the PCs arrive, this door is ajar.
ards. All are dwarves, chosen for the has lost its magical powers,” she explains. The gnolls, having drunk too much ale
service due to their innate resistance to “But my client will still want to see it, to and wine, have forgotten to lock it.
magic and general disinterest in magi- verify this fact.” The key to the door hangs around
cal devices. Each courier works alone,
sword is a sword +1, luck blade
'The Kurgahr’s neck on a leather thong.
traveling incognito. Jacinth’s delivery thatwas made to match the ring. Its hilt
should have been straightforward, but
she had the misfortune of being in the
ends in a golden claw-shaped hand balled 1. Main Cavern. A
total of 71 gnolls
into a Like the ring, the blade of the
fist. (adults and young) live in this wide
wrong place at the wrong time. sword is set with three rubies that dull cave. They sleep on crude beds made of
Jacinth has little to offer the PCs at and blacken as each wish is made. When pine boughs and blankets and keep the
the moment except the promise of fu- Jacinth took delivery of the sword, two of cave well stocked with food. The cavern
ture reward. If she is able to complete the rubies were still red. Jacinth will has a 20' ceiling and is warmed by two
her delivery, she will be paid 6,000 gp. describe what the sword looks like, again fires that cast a dim, flickering light.
She will pay the PCs up to one-third of leaving out the exact nature of the magic Smoke is drawn out of the lair through
this amount if they help her recover the the sword contains. a natural chimney in the rock. This
ring and sword, or two-thirds of it if Jacinth was seriously wounded as a chimney narrows dramatically near the
they also help her complete her journey. result of the gnoll raid and will be top, but a small person might be able to
(The wizard recipient’s home is six days grateful for any healing spells the PCs exit through it, if not for the thick
from Fortunado, through the Prickle- cast on her. Unless the PCs find a way smoke and sparks.
pine Mountains.)
If the PCs had friends who died in the
to regenerate her missing limb, how- A large pile of firewood is stacked
ever, she will be unable to accompany along one wall. The barrels and boxes
gnoll ambush. Jacinth commiserates them into the gnoll lair. stolen from the wagon train are piled in
with them, saying what fine people the Jacinth, dwarven courier: AL LN; AC a loose heap against the other wall. The
PCs’ friends were. She might even have MV
3 (normally 12); F4; hp 18 (nor-
8; emptied boxes and barrels have already
a final message for the PCs from one of mally 39); THACO 17; HAT 1; Dmg by been burned.
these friends. The DM
should make up weapon type; S 15, D 16, C 18, 1 15, W When the PCs enter this area, the
something appropriate that will lead Ch MR special; SZ S (4' tall); ML
12, 14; gnolls are sleeping off the effects of the
the PCs to trust Jacinth. war hammer.
12; last of the wine and ale. Trusting the
Jacinth knows the exact location of
supposedly locked door to protect them,
the lair of the gnoll tribe. She gained The Gnolls’ Lair they have removed their armor and
this information by using a crystal ball
tossed their weapons to one side. Some
to watch the gnolls as they returned to The gully where the wagon train was
of the gnolls stir, growling in their sleep
their lair. This fist-sized quartz crystal, ambushed is a one-day journey from
or waving their feet in the air as the
which she keeps in a pouch tied to her Fortunado. The gnoll lair is another two
days’ journey, up into the mountains.
PCs try to sneak through the cavern.
belt, was part of a previous shipment.
Using Jacinth’s directions, the PCs Kurgahr is easy to spot; he is shorter,
The wizard who ordered it died prior to
broader and more muscular than the
delivery, so Jacinth kept the crystal as must follow a stream that flows down a
other gnolls and has darker fur. He also
payment. As a dwarf, she has limited steep moimtain slope into the gully. When
they reach a bare outcropping of rock, wears the finest clothing. The now-useless
success in using the crystal ball, it mal-
they must turn right, following a faint wand offear is stuffed into his belt.
functions 20% of the time.
trail until they reach a tree that has been
Kurgahr (flind cleric): INT average;
If the PCs agree to help Jacinth, she
will keep an eye on them with the crys- blasted by lightning. The entrance to the AL LE; AC 10 (3 in armor); MV
12; C8;
gnoll lair is just up the hill.
hp 50; THACO 16; ifAT 1 or 2; Dmg by
tal. If they decide to abscond with the
The journey should be relatively un- weapon type; S 18 ( + 1, +2), D 16, C 14,
ring and sword. Jacinth alerts her cou-
rier service, and its far-flung members eventful. If the DM
feels the need to add
1 10, W 13, Ch 14 (18 to gnolls); SA
are put on the alert to apprehend the random encounters along the way, the spells, disarm; SZ M (6V2' tall); ML 10;
PCs and recover the stolen items. She PCs could meet up with a mammal that XP 2,000; MM/158 (Gnoll); club, flind-
is common to temperate forests, such as
bar,chain mail.
will tell the PCs about the crystal only
a badger, porcupine, boar or wild stag. Kurgahr is normally a strong leader
if absolutely necessary.
During the entire journey, the skies with high morale, but the failure of the
Jacinth tells the PCs that the wagon
are overcast and a light drizzle falls wand and his worries that the goddess
train carried a shipment of nearly two
from the sky. As the PCs reach the has rejected his latest offering (the
dozen barrels of wine and ale, enough to
sword) have reduced his morale.
keep the busy Fortunado taverns going lightning-blasted tree, the wind begins
As high cleric of Refnara, gnoll goddess

10 Issue No. 48
 TO BITE THE MOON

of feeir, Kurgahr has the following spells: emerge from their fingers and toes. gnolls, the members of Kurgahr’s tribe
courage*, emotion read*, morale*, re- As gnolls, the PCs have a keen sense of are still intoxicated. They react with
move fear; augury, calm chaos*, emotion smell. Thanks to Argor ’s wish, they also surprise to the change, rubbing their
perception*; emotion control*, glyph of speak Gnollish. 'The first time they try to eyes and blinking stupidly. Then
warding (as fear glyph), remove curse; say something, they speak in a language Kurgahr leans forward to sniff the face
cloak of bravery, protection from good 10' that is a mixture of sharp barks and of the nearest PC. Satisfied that the PC
radius. Spells followed by an asterisk are howls. The PCs still understand any is indeed a gnoll, he laughs, claps an

from the Thme of Magic sourcebook. If languages they knew previously but have arm around him, and shouts, “Welcome,
the DM does not have access to this difficulty pronoimcing some of the words. friend! What tribe are you from?”
book, these spells may be replaced by the 'They think in Gnollish. Kurgahr questions the PCs about
following: bless, command, protection While the PCs’ Wisdom scores remain their tribe, asks for the name of its
from evil; aid, chant; magical vestment. unchanged, other statistics are differ- leader, and inquires about the location
Gnoll males (31): INT low; AL CE; ent. Each PCs’ Strength increases by of their lair. When he is satisfied with
AC 10 (5 in armor); MV
9; HD 2; hp 12 + 1 (or to 6 if below that number). Dex- their answers, Kurgahr asks whether
each; THACO 19; #AT 1; Dmg by weap- terity and Constitution are increased to the newcomers have come to worship in
on type; SZ L (7V2' tall); ML 11; XP 35 meet the minimum score of 5 for gnolls the holy cave. As long as the PCs’ an-
each; MM/158; sword, battle axe. or are lowered to meet the maximum swers are reasonable and they don’t
Gnoll females (13): AC 10 (no armor); score of 18. (If they are already within contradict one another, Kurgahr accepts
hp 10 each; hand axe; other statistics as this range, the scores do not change.) them as fellow gnolls and offers the
for gnoll males. Intelligence and Charisma decrease by hospitality of his tribe. Unfortunately,
Gnoll young (26): HD V2 hp 3 each;
;
- 1 (or are lowered to the maximum accepting this hospitality means drink-
THACO 20; ^AT nil; Dmg nil; SZ S (3' score for gnolls of 14). ing copious amounts of ale and wine-
tall); ML 8; XP 7 each; unarmed; other 'The PCs retain their former align- enough to muddle the PCs’ thinking
statistics as for gnoll females. ments, hit points, and abilities (mundane and slow their reactions. Fortunately,
and magical) although wizards may find the real gnolls are equally addled.
A Terrible Transformation spells more difficult to cast. If Intelligence 'The gnolls’ supply of beverages is run-
drops to 8 or a gnoll PC loses the
less, ning low, but they intend to drink until it
As the PCs search the lair for Jacinth’s
Wizard gnolls func- gone. 'Die ale and wine served in
ability to cast spells. is is
magical sword and ring, a gust of wind
tion as witch doctors but do not gain the huge wooden Anyone handed a cup
cups.
blows the tunnel door shut. (If the PCs
they con-
clerical abilities of this class; is expected to drain it. Consuming one
closed the door behind them, a small rock
tinue casting only wizard spells and are cup results in a reduction of Wisdom and
falling inside the natural chimney creates
limited to spells of 3rd level or less. (See Intelligence by one point each. Consum-
the necessary noise.) One of the gnolls
page 79 of The Complete Book of Human- ing a second cup results in a reduction of
(probably Kurgahr) awakens and shouts
oids for ideas on how a gnoll tribe would Dexterity by one point. Each subsequent
an alarm that alerts the rest of the tribe. cup consumed further reduces one of
re£u:t.to a witch doctor.)
There is general confusion eis the intoxi-
Clerical PCs who become gnolls may these three statistics (DM’s choice) by one
cated gnolls scramble for their weapons.
find (at DM’s discretion) that some of point Eind additionally reduces hand-eye
In the midst of this chaos, Kurgahr’s
their abilities are limited, if their god is coordination, for a - 1 penalty on attack
mate, Argor, awakens. Annoyed by the
one who would find their new form rolls. All of these losses are temporary.
intrusion, she stares at the PCs. Anyone
offensive or displeasing. Once consumption stops, lost points are
standing close by who can understand
Equipment is unaffected by the restored at a rate of two per hour, with
gnoll will hear her grumpily mutter,
change; clothing and armor simply the player deciding which of the statistics
“Humans? Hmph. I thought they were enlarge and expand to fit the P(5s’ new (Wi^om, Intelligence, or Dexterity) will
gnolls from another tribe. I wish they
bodies. However, the PCs may have be restored. The attack penalty is de-
were gnolls. Then I could go back to
difficulty explaining any non-gnollish creased at a rate of one point per hour.
sleep. Oh well. I guess we can use some
items of clothing or equipment, such as Gnoll tradition insists on an exchange
fresh meat.”
holy symbols, plate armor, etc. The PCs of gifts whenever members from differ-
Unfortunately for the PCs, Argor is
also retain their former personalities— ent tribes meet. Kurgahr asks which of
weeuing the ring of three wishes, which
for the moment. But for each day that the PCs is the representative for their
Kurgahr reluctantly gave her after
goes by (starting with the day after tribe, then slowly circles that person,
finding it was too small to fit on any of
their transformation) they must make looking for any valuables or weapons.
his fingers. As Argor utters these
an Intelligence check. (Use the system He begins the ritual exchange by stat-
words, the ring’s remaining ruby flares
outlined in the 4th-level spell poly- ing, in a formal tone, “I welcome you,
brilliantly, casting a bright red light
morph other.) Those who fail an Intelli- tooth brother (or sister), to my tribe.”
through the cavern, then fades to black.
gence check assume the personality and He then leaps forward and uses his
Each of the PCs (even outside the lair)
canine teeth to nip the PC hard enough
mentality of a gnoll.
isimmediately transformed into a gnoll.
'The PCs may regain their original to draw blood (for 1 hp damage).
Each PC now has a 7'-tall body covered in
forms only by means of another wish “Argh!” Kurgahr barks. “You are
coetfse yellow-red hair. 'Their ears are
spell (thus giving them added incentive hurt! I will ease your pain.” He staggers
pointed and erect, their noses are whisk-
to find the magical sword). No system over to the heap of boxes that hold the
ered snouts, and their canine teeth are
shock rolls are required. gnolTs treasure trove and scoops a
elongated and sharp. Yellow, cmwed nails
When the PCs are transformed into handful of gold coins from one of them.

DUNGEON 11
 TO BITE THE MOON

He then presents these to the PC, who make a check against this skill. PCs
is expected to nip Kurgahr in return, without this nonweapon proficiency Kurgahr enters the smaller cave on
then present him with an even more must make Dexterity checks at -5 (plus his hands and knees and crawls to
valuable gift. penalties for having drunk too much) in the rear of the cavern. In the dim
If the PCs react to Kurgahr’s bite with order to succeed at gnollish dancing. light cast by the fires behind you, it
an attack, other members of his tribe Throughout the exchange of gifts, the is just possible to see the outline of a

rush in to subdue them. “Be polite!” meal emd the game pla5ring, the wind wide, jagged hole in the floor. Your
Kurgahr tells the PCs. “It was only a nip. outside dies down. Eventually, one of the sensitive noses twitch as you catch a
Surely a tough gnoll like you can take it.” gnolls leaves the party to momentarily faint odor of rot.
He then adds, “Now it’s your turn.” exit the cavern. When he returns, he Kurgahr leans over the hole, cups
The DM can carry on the exchange annoimces that the sky has cleared, re- his hands around his mouth, and
until either Kurgahr or the PC runs out vealing a full moon. In response to this chants loudly: “Oh Refnara, goddess
of gifts. The gnolls’ treasure includes news, the entire tribe of gnolls nervously of fear and dread. Your servants
3,000 gp, two gems (500 gp and 50 gp crouches, the hair on the backs of then- come trembling into your chamber.
value), a jade necklace, and a silver necks raised, looking fearfully at We beg you to appear before us and
dagger with a dog-headed hilt. Eventu- Kurgahr. He may respond by casting a tellus what we must do to appease
ally, Kurgahr demands the ring from morale or remove fear spell on the most you so that you will bite the moon
Argor and presents it to the PCs as a frightened members of the group. and return darkness to the skies.”
gift. If asked about the sword, he ex- For several minutes, there is noth-
plains that he presented it as an offer- Into the Temple ing but silence in reply. Then you
ing to Refnara four days ago. He then hear, echoing up through the hole, a
Gnolls are highly superstitious and distant noise that sounds like high-
peers at the PCs and asks, “But how did
place great emphasis on the phases of pitched screaming. After a moment
you know about the sword?”
the moon. They believe that whenever a or two it stops.
If the PCs stumble too much on their
full moon can be seen in the sky, it is
answer, the DMcan help them out a
highly dangerous to leave the lair. (This
Suddenly, Kurgahr scrambles back-
little. Kurgahr prompts, “Did Refnara ward from the hole. Something is
belief probably comes from the gnolls’ stirring below.
reveal it to you in a nightmare?” Give
instinctive avoidance of bright light. With a frenzied fluttering of wings,
the PCs a little time to stumble over the
name, then have Kurgahr add, “Do you When they do ventiu-e out during the half a dozen bats fly out of the hole.
day it is usually overcast and gray.) The They whirl around the cave, then
bring offerings for the goddess?” If the
PCs’ answer is yes, Kurgahr is delight-
PCs will look out of place if they show disappear into the darkness at the
no terror at the news of the full moon, ceiling. A rustling sound comes up
ed; perhaps the offerings of the new-
which will not set for several hours. from below, and a faint pxirple glow
comers will placate Refnara.
The gnolls offer their new friends As the goddess of fear, Refnara regu- begins to fill the hole.
larly sends the full moon to test the brav- Slowly, the head of a woman rises
fresh meat. The PCs are able to tell,
ery of the gnolls who worship her. The through the center of the hole. Her
through their improved sense of smell,
tribe will expect Kurgahr to placate the hair is stringy and her dark eyes
that some of it is mule. The rest is uni-
goddess with a sacrifice or offering, so hold a burning intensity. What little
dentifiable and faintly unsavory. If they
that she will bite pieces out of the moon you can see of her neck glitters
refuse to eat, the gnolls regard them
with shock; the flesh they are serving is and return darkness to the night sky. brightly; it looks like she is wearing
Reluctantly (for he is intensely fearfol a tight wide necklace of red and
a delicacy. Kurgahr is highly offended if
that he has offended Refnara in some black gems. Elsewhere, every inch of
the PCs refuse the grilled mule livers
way), Kvirgahr prepares to consult his her skin and hair glows with an
he offers them.
goddess. unearthly purple light. The rest of
After the exchange of gifts and the
meal, the gnolls invite the PCs to play her body is lost in the purple glow
games with them. One of these games 2. Temple of Refnara. This cave is that fills the hole below her.
closed off from the main lair of the The woman’s head bobs gently at
involves blindfolding one gnoll, then
gnolls by a stout door that only the center of the hole as her hungry
slapping and kicking him while barking
furiously. Anyone whom the blindfolded
Kurgahr is allowed to open. gaze lingers momentarily on each
Beyond the door is a cave with a 15' person in the room. At last she opens
gnoll is able to catch and wrestle to the
ceiling and a lO'-wide sinkhole in the her mouth, revealing wicked fangs.
ground becomes the next victim. 'The
floor at the far end. This hole leads down When she speaks, her breath carries
gnolls also like to dance. While some of
to a series of passageways and caverns the rot of the grave.
the tribe beats on the floor with bones,
that form the lair of the spirit naga. “'Treasure and meat,” she hisses.
other gnolls leap into the center of the
Tb the gnolls, this cavern is a holy “That is what crave. You must
circle to dance in a series of hops punctu- I
temple. They must wait for Kurgahr to bring me more.”
ated by moments in which all of the
enter first, then crawl forward on their “Did the sword not please you, O
dancers remain stock still for several
moments, each standing on one foot with hands and knees. When Kurgahr leads Great Goddess?” Kurgahr asks.
the tribe into the temple, read or para- 'The woman’s face darkens with a
nose in the air as if sniffing the wind for
phrase the following to the players: frown. “Y)u must do better than that.”
prey. Especially good dancers are ap-
plauded with a chorus of yips and howls. Kurgahr begins to tremble. “But
Any PC with dancing proficiency should the wand ...”

DUNGEON 13
TO BITE THE MOON

(acovering of mold from area 5). is exposed to sunlight, all of the mold on
“More meat!” the goddess shrieks. Bats, common (10-100): INT animal; that creature will instantly begin to
“More treasure!” AL N; AC 8; MV
1, fly 24 (B); HD V4 hp wither and die. (Artificial light, such as
“But the moon ...” Kurgahr whis- 1-2 each; THACO 20; #AT 1; Dmg 1; SA
;

that cast by torches or spells, has no ill

pers. “You will bite away the moon?”
“I will bite away the moon,” she
swarm; SD confusion; SZ T (1' long); ML effects on the mold.)
2; XP 15; MM/15.
answers. “And you will find me more
6. Descent into Darkness. The corri-
treasxire. And meat.” 4. Tick Attack. 'Tucked away behind dor widens, forming a cavern. In the
“O mighty Refnara,” Kurgahr one of the stalagmites in this cave is a floor of the cave is a jagged hole about
answers, nodding obediently, “your
glittering, empty tube of dead skin that 8' wide and 20' long. Cool air rises from
fear drives us onward. We will do as
the spirit naga shed one year ago. Its the hole, accompanied by the sound of
you demand.” bands of red and black scales glitter like gurgling water.
Refnara nods and smiles wickedly.
obsidian and ruby. The skin is 15' long If the PCs search this cave, they can
Then, with a rustling sound, her head
and was shed before the naga became find a grappling hook wedged between
sinks quickly back into the hole, and
infected with lavender mold (in area 5). two of the stalagmites. A short piece of
the dim lavender glow fades away.
The spirit naga used to make her rope is attached to the hook. The rope is
Kurgahr ushers his tribe out and home in this lair until it became infest- just long enough so that if it were
closes the door to the inner cavern.
ed with ticks. 'These insects hide on the stretched out, its frayed end would
stalactites that fill this cavern, drop- reach the edge of the hole.
The Lower Caverns ping on the PCs to feed on their blood.
Tb recover the magical sword, which now 'Ticks, giant (3-12): INT non; AL N; 7. Underground Stream. The floor of
lies deep inside the spirit naga’s lair, the AC 3; MV
3; HD 2; hp 10 each; THACO this cavern is 30'below that of area 6.
PCs must think of an excuse to enter the 19; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4; SA blood drain, In the middle of the floor is a pool about
lower caverns. They could tiy to bluff disease; SZ S (2'-3' long); ML 9; XP 35 8' deep. Pale white fish, each about 4"

their way back into the Tbmple of Re- each; MM/204 (Insect). long, flash in the water.
fhara while the gnolls are still inside Any sounds of battle from this area The pool is fed by an underground
their lair, but this will take some fast have a 10% chance of alerting the spirit stream that flows into it through a
talking
3. and creative excuses. Or they naga to the presence of the PCs. She narrow fissure, about 5' wide, in the
might wait until the moon has set and immediately slithers from her lair and northeast wall. The stream continues
the gnolls leave their lair to raid another begin to search for intruders. out of the cavern through a larger pas-
wagon train. However, the gnolls will sage, about 10' wide, in the southwest
expect their new friends to accompany 5. Lavender Mold. A narrow corridor, no wall. The stream is about 6' deep.
them—especially since the PCs were in more than 3'
wide, leads to this small cave. Lying on the floor of the cavern, just
the presence of the goddess when Refnara Inside, patches of mold on the walls, ceiling, under the hole in the ceiling, are two
commanded the tribe to go out raiding. £md floor glow with a soft purple light. If the dead hobgoblins. They wear chain mail,
Alternatively, the PCs might volunteer to PCs touch this lavender mold with bare bright red tunics emblazoned with their
help guard the gnoll lair, but this will skin, they find that it begins to spread across and
tribal crest (three black skulls),
earn them suspicious looks from the gnoll growing at a phenomenal rate.
their bodies, heavy leather boots. The hobgoblins
raiders, who will jeer at the PCs’ lack of Within 3-12 rounds, the mold has covered carry shields and long swords. A coil of
courage. It will also mean overpowering every inch of skin (even inside the mouth rope with a frayed end lies beside them.
or fast-talking the females who remain and nose). The infected person begins to If the PCs carefully observe the hob-
behind to care for the young. glow with a faint purple light (just strong goblins, they notice that the swords and
Note: All of the lower caverns have enough to be seen 30' away in absolute armor are badly corroded and smeared
10 '-high ceilings. deu'kness). Anyone touched by an infected with a glistening slime. 'The tunics and
person will also be infected. boots have holes in them, and the bodies
Cavern Entrance. The floor of this Lavender mold cannot be washed off of the hobgoblins themselves have terri-
cave lies 12' below the floor of the 'Ifem- the skin except with alcohol (which kills ble wounds that look as if the flesh and
ple of Refnara, and is connected to it by the mold). Because the mold has rooted bone had been melted away. One of the
a jagged hole. Below this hole lie a itself in the skin, it cannot be brushed hobgoblins has a broken leg.
number of loose stones. Careful observ- or scraped away without damaging the The hobgoblins’ pockets contain a
ers will notice that large, glittering infected creature. A cure disease spell, total of 28 cp and 6 gp. One of the hob-
black and red scales are scattered however, will quickly remove it. goblins has a dagger +2 in his boot. Its
among the stones, as if they had been While the light cast by the mold may hilt ends in a grinning black skull. The
scraped off some large creature. be a nuisance, there are also beneficial other hobgoblin has a potion of clairvoy-
This cave is home to a number of bats. effects. Creatures covered in lavender ance in his backpack.
If disturbed by the PCs, they will drop mold heal at an accelerated rate, recov- The hobgoblins are two scouts from
from their toeholds on the ceiling and ering 1 hit point per hour. Additionally, the Grinning Skull tribe who had been
flutter around the cavern, some winging lavender mold causes missing limbs to searching for a secret entrance to the
their way through the corridors that regenerate in 2-8 days. gnoll lair in preparation for an attack
lead away from this area. Other than 'There is only one drawback. Exposure on Kurgahr’s tribe. They entered the
getting in the way of the PCs, the bats to sunlight— even indirect sunlight- cavern through the larger fissure. 'This
pose no real danger. About 10% of the killsthe lavender mold. If even a por- lO'-wide natural passageway runs for
animals glow with a faint purple light tion of the mold on an infected creature 500' before emerging behind a thick

14 Issue No. 48
 TO BITE THE MOON

9.

screen of brambles, not too far from the ments that these insectoid creatures use within 20' of it, making speech and vocal
8.
entrance to the gnoll lair. to snare their prey. spellcasting impossible.
10.
The hobgoblins were just starting to Normally, cave fishers will not attack Occasionally, the crickets are set off
explore this area when they were killed by larger creatures. But if one of the PCs wan- by the bats from area 3, which fly into
a giant slug, which weis attracted to the ders into this area alone, or if the party is this cave to feed on the tiny offspring of
scene by the hobgobhn who fell. The slug seriously weakened, the cave fishers’ hunger the cave crickets. 'There is a 10% chance
emerges from the smaller crack as the PCs might override their caution. that the spirit naga will ignore the
are investigating the hobgoblin bodies. Cave fishers (2): INT semi; AL N; AC crickets as a false alarm and remain in
Slug, giant: INT non; AL N; AC 8; 4;MV 1; HD 3; hp 13 each; THACO 17 her lair. Otherwise, she immediately
MV 6; HD 12; hp 44; THACO 9; #AT 1; or 15; #AT 2; Dmg 2-8Z2-8; SA adhesive slithers out to investigate.
Dmg 1-12; SA spits acid; SD immune to trapline; SD climbing; SZ M(7' long); Cave crickets (8): INT non; AL N;
blunt weapons; SZ H ML
(25' long); 12; ML 12; XP 175 each; MM/40. AC 4; MV 6, hop 3; HD
1 +3; hp 8 each;

XP 5,000; MM/319. Any sounds of battle from this area THACO 20; #AT nil; Dmg nil; SA chirp-
Fortunately for the PCs, the gurgling have a 25% chance of alerting the spirit ing; SZ T (6" long); ML 2; XP 15 each;
of the stream and their distance below naga to the presence of the PCs. She MM/204 (Insect).
the main caverns will muffle the sound immediately slithers from her lair and
of any battle. They can easily escape the begins to search for intruders. Lair of the Spirit Naga. The
giant slug by climbing back out of this spirit naga makes her lair in the back of
cavern— if they have thought to secure Cricket Alarm. As soon as they this cave, surrounded by the rotting
their own rope to the grappling hook enter this cavern, the PCs begin to corpses she loves to eat and the treasure
found in area 6. smell a strong, putrid odor coming from the gnolls have given her as offerings.
the passageway beyond. Somewhere in the foul-smelling pile of
Cave Fishers. Hiding on a ledge This cavern contains eight cave crick- human and mule carcasses and dung-
above the entrance to this cavern are two ets. Any creature passing through starts smeared treasure is the sword the PCs

cave fishers. These unusual creatures the crickets chirping loudly. (This W8is the eu*elooking for.
normally feed on the bats that occasional- high-pitched “screaming” sound the PCs The first thing the PCs see on enter-
ly stray into this cavern; a number of bat heard when the spirit naga left her lair to ing the lair is a faint purple glow com-
skeletons litter the floor. Observant PCs talk to the gnolls in area 2.) The echoing ing from the rear of the cavern. This is
who enter the cave have a 20% chance of noise of the chirping is so loud that it the spirit naga, who some time ago
noticing one of the sticky weblike fila- drowns out all sounds inside the cave or Continued on page 31

DUNGEON 15
 Paul would like to dedicate this maritime
adventure to his dad, Sam Culotta, the
youngest chief engineer in the U.S. Mer-
chant Marine in World War II. Sam sur-
vived two torpedo attacks during the war
and is retired in Richmond, Virginia.

Paul remembers his dad coming home

laden with booty from faraway lands and
many wild tales of life at sea. As this
adventure is being published, Paul and
his family are on their way to the West
Coast for a new military assignment.

‘‘The Oracle at Sumbar” is an AD&D®

adventure for 4-8 good or neutral player
characters of levels 4-6 (about 30 total
levels). It will be helpful if the PCs have
some means to breathe underwater
[helm of underwater action, water
breathing spell, etc.). The adventure
takes place in the Sea of Fallen Stars
(the Inner Sea) in the Forgotten Realms,
but the DM can easily adapt it to other
maritime settings with a little bit of
work. DMs with access to Pirates of the
Fallen Stars (PFS) may wish to review
that book to add atmosphere and tex-
ture to the story line.

For the Dungeon Master

Many a pirate has sailed into the Sea of

THE ORACLE
Fallen Stars to gain notoriety and
wealth, but the most famous of all was
Immurk “the Invincible.” He was the
first to give his men fair shares of trea-

AT SU M B AR
sure in exchange for total loyalty, and it
did not take him long to build up a
large following. Fat merchant vessels
fell quickly to his plundering, and he
developed a network of spies and sabo-
teurs to hinder the civilized nations and
prevent them from retaliating. Nine
BY PAUL CULOnA expeditions were undertaken against
Immurk, and each one failed miserably.
Immurk died of a heart attack at the
end of a battle with a Sembian warship.
Does it tell the truth or When his successors anxiously searched
the pirate chieftain’s private treasure
vaults, they found a vast trove but not
spin tall tales? everything they expected. Some of Im-
murk 's treasure was missing: several
very fine gems, the stolen crown of
Palaghard I of Cormyr, many platinum
pieces, and some magical items. Search
Artwork by David Koohorlan parties scoured the Dragonisle, Im-
murk’s base of operations, but no one
could find the missing treasure. Mages
cast locate object spells and drank po-
tions of treasure finding, all to no avail.
Finally the most powerful cleric among
the pirates cast a speak with dead spell

16 Issue No. 48
 THE ORACLE AT SUMBAR

on Immurk’s remains, but his questions of one of the PCs. Aunt Marla
is a wid-
only provoked eerie, hollow laughter ow whose husband, a merchant captain, trading season have just made port.
from the corpse. It was very generous of Aunt Marla
died several years ago. Captain Slorus
In the end, everyone gave up and Wyverhold had built up a tidy sum for to invite you and your companions to
Immurk’s body was buried at sea. But his retirement, and Marla used it to her home for a farewell dinner. It has

rumors persisted, and soon the legend of open a dress shop featuring the latest been a sumptuous feast, with rare
the lost treasure of Immurk had spread styles of the south and east. dishes accompanied by fine wine.
throughout the Sea of Fallen Stars. Three months ago, Marla’s wastrel After the servants have cleared the
Unscrupulous con men often sell false son. Spunk, became of legal age, and last of the dishes away. Aunt Marla

maps to novice adventurers, but all she signed papers making him a full clears her throat and says:
treasure-hunting expeditions to the partner in the business. Her hope was “I am glad you all have spent some
Pirate Isles have resulted in failure or that this new responsibility would en- time in our fair city, but I see that
death. courage him to stop frequenting the same spark that always came into
Like most legends, this one is based on “wrong” side of town, drinking heavily, my dear Slorus’s eyes— the lust for
fact. Immurk’s lost treasure does exist, and gambling. Alas, it did nothing of adventure—will soon take you away.
but the pirate chieftain was the only the sort, and Spunk’s vices only got Before you go, however, I have a
mortal who knew its whereabouts. Im- worse. Aunt Marla doesn’t like to com- small favor to ask.”
murk realized that there were many plain about her son, but the PCs have Her face reddens a bit and a tear
inherent risks in his trade, and he fore- seen the results of Spunk’s life of dissi- starts to make its way down her
saw that one day he might have to bribe pation during their visit. Eventually, cheek, then she continues in a chok-
a rebellious crew or captor. So he stashed Spunk’s gambling goes too far. ing voice. “Three months ago I made
some of his private treasure in an under- Spunk a full partner in the business.
I hop>ed that a position of responsibil-
water grotto off a remote island. The winter and spring storms have
Immurk transported the loot in a ity would change his terrible habits,
finally ebbed, and you feel the need
small sailing vessel with just a few but alas, not only did they worsen, he
to hit the road again—or p>erhaps
crewmen and one priest. When he got to has now done something that threat-
catch a ship to a new land. You’ve
the grotto, he placed the treasure under- ens me with financial disaster. This
noticed that the ships that were
water himself, using a helm of under- morning a messenger from the Earl
quartered here over the winter have
water action, and ordered the priest to of Culhane arrived with this note.”
departed and the first arrivals of the
summon permanent undead gutu'ds for
the cache. On the way back to the
Dragonisle, Immurk poisoned the priest
and crew and tossed their bodies over-
board, then made up a story about how
his shipmates had perished in a fight
with sahuagin.
Even though Immurk never disclosed
the secret location of his treasure, there
is an entity that does know where the
booty can be found: the omniscient
Oracle on the island of Sumbar. In this
adventure, the PCs learn how to sail to
the mysterious Oracle. Then they must
decipher the Oracle’s riddle and retrieve
the lost treasure. Finally, the PCs must
resolve a moral dilemma concerning an
important part of the treasure.

For the Player Characters

The PCs begin the aa enture in the city
.

of Yhaunn, in the merchant kingdom of

Sembia (although the DM may place
them in another port city if that is more
consistent with the campaign). Yhaunn
is detailed in FORGOTTEN REALMS^
Adventures (FRA), pages 118-119. The
adventurers have been staying in town
for about a week, and the first merchant
vessels of the season have just arrived.
The PCs are between adventures and
are visiting Marla Wyverhold, the aunt

DUNGEON 17
 1

THE ORACLE AT SUMBAR

The DM should hand the PCs a copy Selling the Rutter sell, or he will turn them all into toads.
of the note on page 17. Aunt Marla then Unless the PCs take off rapidly, he casts
Marla offers the PCs 10% of the book’s
continues: a polymorph other spell through the
sale price as their commission, but the
magical eye on the most talkative and
“I don’t know how I can possibly pay PC related to Marla should probably persistent PC.
such a sum. All told, I only have 4,CKX) offer to give up his share. If so, give him
gold pieces set aside for emergencies, 200 XP. If he convinces the other PCs to
Town Library
and the shop itself is worth only do the same, give him 1,000 XP and
10,000 gp, which is what a merchant each PC who agrees to do so 300 XP. 'The town library has a fine assortment
offered me a year ago. I know that you 'The three prospective buyers are easy of all types of books. Samantha, a prim,
do not have this t5fpe of money to give from Marla, and
to find with directions auburn-haired woman in her late thir-
me, but I have one hope.” the PCs should have no encounters in ties,expresses considerable interest in
Marla goes to an old chest and the city unless the DM
wants to include the book. She offers 250 gp for it. No
removes a dusty leather-bound book. random events (such as a thief snatch- amount of haggling will get Samantha
“I looked once more through ing the book and running away). to raise her price because she has lim-
Slorus’s sea chest in the hope of find- ited funds for new acquisitions and is
ing something I may have overlooked Strasus’ Tower unable to go higher. She cannot read the
when he died, and I found this in a book but knows that she can hire Nico-
The wizard’s tower on the west end of
concealed compartment in the lid of demus or (as a last resort) Strasus to
town is visible from many blocks away.
the chest. It is a book written in a translate it.
It is 70' talland has no windows, doors,
strange tongue, that may be worth or any other apparent entrances or
enough money to get us out of debt. I Nicodemus the Sage
exits. 'The tower is protected by a power-
would try to sell it myself, but word ful anti-magic shell that prevents scry- In “the Stiltways,” a many-tiered shop-
has already spread through town ing, dimension door, teleport, or other ping district of Yhaunn, Nicodemus the
about my predicament and I fear that means of magical observation or entry. sage lives in a small storefront home. In
no one will offer me a fair price. I ask If the PCs use the knocker attached to his first floor office, a cluttered desk
that you try to sell it for me. If you the east side of the tower, a tooth-filled overflows with miscellaneous papers
can bring in enough to get me out of mouth and a bloodshot eye appear on and curios. Even the chairs are occupied
this terrible debt, I would gladly re- the wall. In Strasus’ deep and hideous with stacks of documents and other
ward you with a small commission.” voice, the mouth demands to know what paraphernalia held down with statu-
With more tears streaming down her the PCs want and why they are wasting ettes, paperweights, and other heavy
face, Marla bursts out crying and says, his time. Once the PCs explain, Strasus objects.
“I just don’t know what else to do!” asks them to hold the book up to the eye Nicodemus is in his early fifties. His
and leaf through the pages so that the hair and beard are mostly gray, and he
The DMshould play Marla as totally eye can peruse them all. is developing a bald spot on the very top
distraught over her predicsunent, and When he has examined the book thor- of his head. His warm smile and the
should award 100 XP to the PC who shows oughly, the wizard says, “Well, I don’t twinkle in his blue-gray eyes make him
enough sensitivity to cadm Marla down. have much use for a rutter, especially look as if he has been up to some sort of
Once she has recovered, Marla reveals one written in this language, but to get mischief. He barely supports himself by
that three people in town may be inter- you out of my hair I’ll give you 200 gp.” translating documents, buying odd
ested in buying the book: Strasus “the The PCs may negotiate, but in the end books and reselling them to the town
Bold” 'Thingoleir, a cranky wizen'd who Strasus says, “Look, it’s worth some- library, writing letters for those who
lives on the west end of town; Samantha, thing, but 400 gp is the best I’ll do. 'Hake cannot do this for themselves, and doing
the town libreuian; emd Nicodemus, a it or leave it!” a bit of magic. Nicodemus could be quite
sage who lives and works in the business If the PCs take the offer, Strasus di- successful if he were a little more fo-
center. rects them to place the book on the cused and not so absent-minded.
'The book is written in a language the ground at the foot of the tower. In the Nicodemus: AL CG; AC 9; MV 12;
PCs have never seen. It is entirely filled blink of an eye, the book disappears and W4; hp 13; 'IHACO 19; #AT 1; Dmg by
with writing except the last two pages, is replaced by a sack of gold pieces. The weapon type; ML 11; S 8, D 15, C 11,
which are blank. A read magic spell adventure, however, is over and Aunt 16, W 13, Ch 12; staff. Spells: compre-
reveals that it is not a spellbook. A Marla goes broke. hend languages, detect magic, sleep;
comprehend languages spell or a rogue If the PCs refuse Strasus’ offer, the knock, mirror image. Nicodemus has
PC who makes a successful read lan- wizard says, “Fine, now get out of four other first-level and two other
guages roll can determine that it is a here!” The magical eye and mouth second-level spells in his spellbook
rutter, a maritime navigational aid that vanish, and nothing the PCs do will get (DM’s choice). He carries a ring of pro-
details sailing instructions from place to the wizard back. tection + 1; a dagger +1; a bag with
place. As such, the book will be quite It should be obvious that Strasus is a pills of water breathing (two per PC);
valuable to seagoing captains once it is very high level grouchy wizard who and lots of pens, ink, and paper to re-
translated. If the PCs can’t determine should not be disturbed too often. If the cord what he has learned. One of the
the nature of the book, they will cer- PCs visit him again, he becomes very pens is a quill of everflowing ink', its
tainly be able to do so once they visit angry and tells them to stay away un- writing will fill 3,000 full-sized pages.
Nicodemus the sage. less they have something substantial to When the PCs present themselves and

18 Issue No. 48
 THE ORACLE AT SUMBAR

state their business, the sage greets about the island, because Sumbar is
writing for you for no fee at all ex- surrounded by deadly reefs that suppos-
them warmly and offers them a cup of
cept this: If you decide to recover this edly move every time someone asks the
tea. Then he hustles about, moving
treasure, I want to accompany you Oracle a question.
stacks of papers off the furniture so
everyone can sit down. Once the PCs and gain an equal share for myself. I Apparently, this secret message was
state their business, Nicodemus goes
am getting on in years and need to written by someone who had learned
secure my future, and I can be quite that in the second ride (10 days) of Mir-
over to his desk, lights a candle, and
useful. Many years have I spent tul (May), the reefs are locked in place.
starts looking through Aunt Marla’s
studying the history and lore of this This information presents an ideal
book. Nicodemus remarks that the book
area, and there could be occasions for opportunity to get to Sumbar, ask the
is written, fortunately, in a language he
understands, and that it is a navigation you to know a thing or two. A little Oracle where the treasure is, and then
rutter. He offers the princely sum of 100
knowledge can be a useful thing, you go get it.
know. But beware! You would not But such a mission will not be easy. If
gp to buy it, or if the PCs won’t sell, he
offers to translate it for a fee of 25 gp.
want to share this information with the PCs are new to the area, the sage
The PCs may sigh in exasperation and anyone else. Many a scurvy knave explains that Sumbar is in the midst of
decide to sell the rutter to any of the
would slit you open like a mackerel the Pirate Isles, so named for the obvi-
bidders they have visited. Conceivably to get the secrets in this book. What ous reason. Moreover, the waters in the
they could hire Nicodemus to translate say you?” isles are inhabited by fell creatures of
it and offer to sell it to one of the ship the deep. Finally, the Oracle itself is
captains or navigators in port; in this If the PCs don’t agree to Nicodemus’s reputed to give very cryptic answers.
case, they can negotiate up to 500 gp. If terms, they may be able to translate the Few people have ever visited the Oracle
the PCs do sell the book, the adventure writing themselves with a comprehend and gotten any information worth talk-
is over.
languages spell, a rogue’s read lan- ing about, and fewer still have left the
If the PCs haggle with the sage, he guages check, or a PC with ancient island alive due to the shifting reefs.
sets the book down and waves his arms languages proficiency. If they do agree Nicodemus rustles around in some pa-
wildly while he bargains. (“Why are with his terms, Nicodemus translates pers and produces a map of the Sea of
you trying to take advantage of a poor the two pages, which say: Fallen Stars and another one of the
oldman? Don’t you realize I’m doing Pirate Isles (see page 23). He also sug-
(Jhe wine Workei perfectly just as Seluuus saii
you a favor by taking this old book off gests that the P(I!s hire a ship to take
Would, and the fool spilled his guts. Cittle did
your hands?’’) As he does so, Nicodemus it
them all there.

accidentally knocks the candle onto the I suspect that he Would gii>e me a safe passage Although it is obvious that selling the

open book and is so shaken up that the to and from Sumhar! Now I Will gain great rutter will not raise the funds to help
PCs must quickly put out the
When the book is picked up and exam-
fire. riches
— perhaps it knows where Immurks
what Marco
lost Aunt Marla, it should now be apparent

that the book is potentially far more

treasure is! ‘But enough. Here is

ined, none of the pages appear seriously said between his belches and trying to drift off
valuable as a guide to reaching the
damaged. However, on the last two pages into sleep:
Oracle at Sumbar. If the PCs do not
close to the bum marks, a bit of faint “In the second ride of Mirtul, the reefs
visit the Oracle, the adventure ends
brown writing has appeared. Nicodemus with the Earl of Culhane forcing Aunt
become locked around Sumbar. Ohat is the only
exclaims, “Well, by the hair of Mystra! It Marla to give up her shop in payment of
time that one can safely approach the place. 'Be
looks like someone has penned a secret the debt. Her son. Spunk, will never be
sure to approach from the southeast, heading
message on the last two pages!” seen again.
directly toward the southernmost point. Dhere The PCs should decide to go to Sum-
He carefully holds the blank pages
above the candle’s flame, far enough for one may find a channel deep enough for a bar. They must make travel arrange-
them not to be burned but close enough seagoing Vessel to get close. Tiny other approach ments soon, because it is already
so that the rest of the secret writing will put you onto a reef and bring certain de- midway into the first ride of Mirtul and
appears. As the sage reads the newly struction. Be sure to leave b^ore the ride ends, Sumbar is about 225 miles away. There
revealed words, he exclaims, “Oh, my!” is barely enough time to get there, with
for then the reefs Will become unlocked and moVe
and “How about that!” and “So that’s no delays and favorable winds.
again, and it Will be impossible to get out except
how you can get there safely!” Only two ships are in port: the long-
through sheer luck."
When his attention is brought back to ship Arrow and the caravel Pride of
the matter at hand, Nicodemus tells the Procampur. These ships are tied up at
The PCs may be puzzled by this cryp- the city docks, with crewmen unloading
PCs:
tic message, but Nicodemus has figured
cargo, painting, and doing other mainte-
“Well, this book considerably more out what it says. He explains the legend
is nance. The crews of both ships look
valuable than I originally thought. of Immurk’s lost treasure (See “For the
tough and muscular, although those of
Contained on these two pages are Dungeon Master” for details) and re- the Arrow appear to be more serious
notes on how to get to a very mysteri- counts that the isle of Sumbar is re- and grim. If the PCs inquire for the
ous place. Anyone who goes there puted to be the home of a sentient, master of either vessel, the crewmen
may be able to unlock the answers to all-knowing oracle. If anything on Taril will direct them to Reldegar’s Roost, a
finding a long lost treasure trove. I knows the location of Immurk’s trea-
seamy pub right by the docks.
will happily translate the secret sure, the Oracle should know. Nicode-
mus also states that little is known

DUNGEON 19
THE ORACLE AT SUMBAR

The Sea Captains

Pride of Procampur
Reldegar’s Roost is a disreputable-looking
Base Movement: 4 bracers of defense AC 4. Rufus carries a place that exudes the pungent aroma of
Emergency Move: 5 sack with 10 caltrops (see The Complete rum. 1110 scarred, mismatched tables and
Crew: See below Thiefs Handbook, page 99), a potion of benches are made of thick wood. Above
Armor Rating: 9 invisibility, and a pouch of winds (PFS,
the bar, a stout club with a bronzed end
Seaworthiness: 70% page 33),which comes in very handy
Saving Throw: Thick wood when the ship is becalmed.
hangs from hooks below a sign that says
Power Type: Sail Rufus is 5' 10" tall, weighs 180 lbs., and “No Fighting! 'Ihke it Outside!”
Cargo Tonnage: 180 tons has straw blond hair, soft, blue eyes, and a A heavyset man in his early sixties
Keel Length: 70' winning, friendly smile. tends the bar. Bill is a tough retired
Beam Length: 20' Rufus’s consort, Malificat, is a gorgeous sailor who is out to make money and
Armament: two light ballistae blonde, green-eyed lady in her late puts up with little horseplay. When the
Range: 1/27 twenties who has risen quickly among PCs inquire about the captains of the
Damage: 2d6 hp the priestesses of Loviatar. Prior to her two ships in port, Bill says, “Don’t
Crew: 1 joining the Pride’s crew, no priestess had
know. I don’t sell information, just
Rate of fire: 1/2 ever gone to the pirate isles and risked
THACO: 16 exile. Recently, the grand matriarch of
drinks and grub. Now if you don’t want
No chance for a critical hit Loviatar determined that the wealth of any, just get on out.”
the pirates needed to be “shared” to Barnacle Bill; AL LN; AC 10; MV 12;
'The Pride of Procampur a caravel based
is further the ends of the Maiden of Pain. F4; hp 25; THACO 17; #AT 1; Dmg by
on the Dragonisle. It appears to be a Since there were so many worshipers in weapon type; S 17; ML 13.
helpless merchantman, quite innocent the isles (and so much opportunity to If the PCs place an order, the barman
looking with blue and white sails and a inflict pain), a missionary was needed and points to two different tables. Near the
happy crew. Its master keeps the hold filled Malificat volunteered. She intends to play
windows, a young blond couple dressed
with extra weight to make it appear filled along with Rufus for a while, then
in crisp blue shirts and pants are
with rich cargo. establish herself as a matriarch among
The band of cutthroats are the terror of talking happily and enjoying their
the pirates with an exquisite temple on
the civilized nations that border the sea. Earthspur, erected with pirate wealth. meal. In a dimly lit corner, two
The crew has been trained to dump the Malificat (Matilda Thoraker): /Hj CE; sinister-looking men dressed totally in
extra weight overboard (out of sight irom AC 4; MV12; P7 (specialty priest of black are quietly discussing something
approaching vessels) so that the ship can Loviatar); hp 50; 'THACO 16; #AT 1; Dmg they don’t want anyone to overhear.
quickly maneuver to overtake prey. In the by spell or weapon type; ML
16; S 16, D One of the men has a long gray beard
five years that the Pride has been plying 15, C 16, 1 11, W
16, Ch 14; XP 2,000; and a staff. The other is younger (about
the &a of Fallen Stars, it has captured or scale mail, shield, footman’s flail +7.
35 or so), with a bandanna, an eye
destroyed 20 vessels and carried out several Spells: bless, cure light wounds, detect
land raids. If it encounters another pirate
patch, and a raven perched on his left
magic, faerie fire ( x 2); charm person or
ship, it unfurls a bright red flag with mammal, heat metal, hold person ( x 2); shoulder.
crossed black short swords to signal its produce flame; cause blindness, prayer; The young blond couple look up in
identity. cloak of fear; pain touch (3 x /day). In surprise when the PCs approach, but
The Pride's captain is Rufus the Cruel, addition to her magical footman’s flail, they listen to the PCs’ request carefully.
a native and former slave of Thay who Matilda has been given a white wand by The man and woman introduce
escaped his hard life as an oarsman when her goddess for all of the pain and themselves as Captain Miles Thoraker
the galley he was serving on was suffering she has inflicted on mankind. of the Pride of Procampur and his wife
captured by pirates. The pirates allowed The wand will absorb up to 10 levels of Matilda. They say they are merchants,
the slaves to put their former masters to spells before dissolving. If anyone other
in port to pick up a load of Sembian
death, and were astounded at the cruel than Matilda touches the wand, it
tortures that Rufus inflicted before dissolves like a melting icicle. (See FRA,
glassware. For a flat fee of 400 gp plus
throwing the Thayvians (or what was left page 24.) crew costs (6 gp per crew member, for an
of them) overboard to the sharks. Crew members (40): AL any evil; AC additional 240 gp), they will gladly take
Rufus decided that the pirate’s life was 6; MV 12; F3 ( x 4), F2 ( x 18), FI (
x 18); the PCs to Sumbar. They are willing to
better than any he had ever lived, and he hp 30 (F3). 20 (F2), THACO 18, 19,
9 (FI); make the trip because Sumbar is not far
has quickly risen through the ranks. Five or 20; #AT by weapon type; Dmg by out of their way, and they would like to
years ago he became captain of the Pride weapon type; ML 13; XP 2'70, 120, or 65; see this mysterious island and its
of Procampur, after its former master studded leather armor, small shields. One
Oracle. They regret charging so much,
mysteriously disappeared during a storm 3rd-level fighter, five 2nd-level fighters,
at sea. Rufus recently gained even
but the trip does require taking some
and 10 Ist-level fighters are skilled heavy
greater respect among his crew and other risks. The Pirate Isles are well named,
crossbowmen; the balance are skilled
pirates of the Fallen Stars by successfully with spears, belaying pins, cutlasses, and and the reefs around Sumbar are
recruiting Malificat, a priestess of daggers. Four 3rilevel fighters are reputed to be treacherous.
Loviatar. specialized with the cutlass. The crew A PC who manages to cast a detect
Rufus the Cruel (Miles Thoraker): AL rates as crack. evil spell on this couple can sense a
NE; AC 2; MV 12; T8; hp 44; THACO 17; Ogres, shock troops (4): INT low; AL faint glimmer of evil emanating from
#AT 2/1; Dmg by weapon type; ML 16; S CE; AC 5; MV 9; HD 4 + 1; hp 28 each; the lady, because she is strongly
14, D 16, C 15, 1 13, W 11, Ch 17; XP THACO 17; #AT 1; Dmg 1-10 ( + 2); SZ L; aligned. Though the captain will try to
2,000; short sword of quickness +3, ML 12; XP 270; MM/272. prevent spellcasting, a know alignment
spell reveals that Miles is neutral evil

20 Issue No. 48
 THE ORACLE AT SUMBAR

Arrow who were unwilling to face a fair trial. normal fires, magic missile ( x 2), spider
Seldar is human, in his mid forties, climb; invisibility, levitate, web; dispel
Base Movement: 5/2 with gray-flecked brown hair and nar- magic, fireball, fly; polymorph self, ship
Emergency Move: 6/13 rowly spaced blue eyes. He is 5'9" tall, invisibility (seepage 22). Throxis car-
Crew: See below weighs 150 lbs., and is usually dis- ries a ring of protection +2, a potion of
guised in a black robe that conceals his extra-healing, a medallion of ESP, and
Armor Rating: 8
Seaworthiness: 60% armor. To make his appearance more a staff +2. Throxis’ spellbook contains
Saving Throw: Thin wood sinister, he wears a black eyepatch and many other spells of levels 1-4. (The
Power Type: Sail and oars a black bandanna. His pet trained contents of the spellbook can be deter-
Cargo Tbnnage: 50 tons crow, Bloodbeak, perches on his shoul- mined by the DM, but one of the spells
der at sea and on land. is water breathing).
Keel Length: 80'
Beam Length: 15' The ship’s navigator is a wizard Father Benson: AL LG; AC 6; MV
Armament: Medium ballista named Throxis, who is in his early 12; P5; hp 29; 18; THACO #AT 1; Dmg
Range: 3/30 fifties and has just as strong a desire to by spell or weapon type; ML 15; S 12,

Damage: 3d6 hp rid the sea of pirates as does Seldar. D 15, C

13, 1 12, W
15, Ch 11; scale

Crew: 2 When Throxis was a child, his mer- armor. Spells: bless, cure light wounds
Rate of fire: 1/3 chant father was financially ruined (X 3), light; aid, chant, charm person or
THACO: 14 when a ship bearing a consignment of mammal, hold person; water breathing.
Critical hit on 20 precious cargo was lost, and Throxis Father Benson carries a silver holy
Special Equipment: The bow of the was forced to grow up in poverty. Like symbol of 'Ibrm, a mace + 1 and a ,

Arrow is equipped with a corvus, a Seldar, Throxis is human and dresses potion of extra-healing.
boarding ramp that has a curved heavy all in black. He has a long gray beard Sister Jamie: AL LG; AC 7; 12; MV
iron hook on the end. The ramp is held and hair, and piercing gray eyes. The P2; hp 13; THACO 20; #AT 1; Dmg by
in the raised position until the oppos- navigator is 6'2" tall and weighs 200 spell or weapon type; 16; S 16, D ML
ing ship has been rammed. When its lbs. 12, C 16, 1 11, W
16, Ch 15; ring mail.
Throxis appears to be a man of few Spells: bless, cure light wounds ( x 2),
ropes are released, the ramp drops and
the hook smashes through the deck of words because he often concentrates on protection from evil. Sister Jamie is
the enemy ship. Arrow’s boarders others’ thoughts with his medallion of armed with a flail, and she carries two
charge across the ramp (less risky than ESP. This device, plundered from the potions of healing.
swinging over on lines or jumping from smoking body of a red wizard of Thay Crew members (37): AL LG, NG;
one ship to another). in a battle long ago, has proven very AC 8; MV 12; F3 ( x F2 ( x 6), Pala-
3),

Ram; Yes valuable on many occasions. din 1 ( x 2), FI ( X 26); hp 25 (F3), 18

The Arrow’s crew is fanatically loyal (F2), 10 (Pal 1), 8 (FI); THACO 18, 19,

The Arrow a longship with a home

is to Seldar and Throxis. Each crew mem- #AT by weapon type; Dmg by
or 20;
port in Suzail. It looks like a typical ber has been personally interviewed weapon type; ML 14; XP 175, 120, 120,
longship except for its arrowhead- and cleared by the captain. All are or 65; leather armor. Four of the 2nd-
shaped ram. The ram is made of heavy fighters or paladins just beginning level fighters and 10 of the Ist-level

enchanted metal ( + 1 to ramming at- their adventuring careers. The only fighters are archers. The balance are
tacks) and is concealed 3' below the exceptions are Father Benson, a priest skilled with javelins, belaying pins,
water line (5' below with a full cargo). of 'Ibrm, and his acolyte, Sister Jamie. long swords, and daggers. The crew
Arrow’s sail is not of rich Cormyrean All of the crew dress in black, loose- rates as trained.
purple but a plain white sailcloth with fitting garments that can be quickly
no particular design; when at sea, the augmented with studded leather corse-
longship flies the Sembian flag. The lets, shields, and weapons.
Arrow looks like nothing more than a Seldar: AL LG; AC 3; MV 12; Pala-
fat, unsuspecting merchantman, but din 6; hp 55; THACO 15; #AT 1; Dmg
she is really a heavily armed privateer by weapon type; ML 18; S 18/11, D 15,
filled with a ferocious crew. Captain C 12, 1 11, W 14, Ch 17; SD +2 to all
Seldar ceremonially notches the ship’s saving rolls, lay on hands for 12 hp

mast each time the Arrow and her curing, cure disease twice per week,
crew destroy or capture a pirate vessel; detect evil 60' radius, immune to dis-
the mast currently has 14 such ease, protection from evil aura. Seldar
notches. wears chain mail + 1 under his black
Seldar is a knighted paladin in the robes and carries a long sword +2 as
service of the king of Cormyr. When well as a dagger +1. He wears a holy
his brother was lost to pirates in the symbol of 'Ibrm beneath his clothing.
Sea of Fallen Stars, he obtained per- AL LG; AC 8; MV 12; W8;
Throxis:
mission to become a privateer with one hp THACO 18; #AT 1; Dmg by spel
26;
goal in mind: bringing as many pirates or weapon type; ML 17; S 10, D 13, C
to justice as possible, and killing those 14, 1 17, W 13, Ch 12. Spells: affect

DUNGEON 21
THE ORACLE AT SUMBAR

and Matilda is chaotic evil. Indeed, she is may be unnerving, because each time Procampur. If they go to Sumbar with
a specialty priestess of Loviatar and her he turns his head to talk to the PCs, the Miles, they are followed the whole time
real name is Malificat. Her handsome raven (named Bloodbeak) turns its head by the Arrow, which is under a ship
lover part of the problem within the
is and stares intently at the person being invisibility spell cast by Throxis. (See

Pirate Isles. He is also known as Rufus addressed. The other fellow is known as the sidebar on this page.) If the adven-
the Cruel, so named for the ruthless mur- Throxis, and he doesn’t say much. turers choose to go to Sumbar with
ders and mayhem he has committed on Seldar states that he has just dropped Seldar and they have shown the rutter
the Inner Sea. These two would like noth- off a load of wine from Westgate and to Miles, they are followed discreetly by
ing better than to get to Sumbar so they bought a load of timber that he hopes to the Pride of Procampur, which is just
can ask the Oracle to identify the wealthi- resell in Corm3u- for a tidy profit. He is fine with Seldar. (See “Concluding the
est ship traveling the Sea this year. For not interested in fooling around in the Adventure.”)
statistics, see the “Pride of Procampur” Pirate Isles unless the pay is right (500
sidebar on page 20. gp plus an additional 300 gp for the Visiting the Earl
The duo in black appear disinterested crew). He does mention that his crew is
The PCs may decide to go to the Earl of
if approached by the PCs. The two men well trained, and that it might be easier
Culhane and ask for pity on Aunt
say, “Sure, you can sit down if you like. to getthrough Sumbar’s reefs using his
Marla. This should be a good role-
It doesn’t matter to us.” The one with longship’s oars rather than risking DM to develop
playing situation for the
the raven calls himself Seldar, the mas- using the sails.
if it occurs. The earl should be at least
ter of the Arrow. Speaking with him A detect evil spell reveals that neither four levels higher than the highest-level
of the men in black is strongly aligned.
PC, with a very strong entourage of
A know alignment spell reveals that, men-at-arms in a very stout keep just
Ship Invisibility despite their sinister appearance,
outside of town. He receives the PCs
(Illusion/Phantasm) Seldar and 'Throxis are lawful good.
graciously but is not in a mood to for-
Level 4 Seldar is a paladin and Throxis is a
give the debt. He took a very great risk
wizard, both in the service of the king of
placing the wager with Spunk and was
Range: Tbuch Cormyr. They ply the waters of the relieved when he won. The expenses of
Components: V,S,M Inner Sea, appearing to be merchants or
his men-at-arms, castle upkeep, taxes,
Duration: 24 hours smugglers, but they are really priva-
regular offerings to the church, and a
Casting Time: 2 rounds teers who prey on pirates. Tb maintain
large family are high, and winning this
Area of Effect: Ship touched their cover, they will not openly display
wager put him in the black for the first
Saving Throw: None their alignment.
time in five years. If the PCs offer the
Throxis is quiet during the conversa-
earl a substantial payment on the note
By means of this spell, a wizard tion because he is concentrating on
(at least 1,000 gp), he will extend the
can cause the ship he is aboard to reading the PCs’ minds with his medal- payment period for 30 days.
become invisible along with all its lion of ESP. Once he figures out that
equipment and all creatures aboard. their goal is to help a lady in trouble, he
While the spell is in effect, creatures
Travel to Sumbar
quietly takes Seldar to the side, ex-
aboard ship can see and hear each plains the situation, and persuades the Just before the party boards the chosen
other and the ship itself, but crea- captain to lower his price to 250 gp plus ship, Nicodemus insists on going back
tures not aboard can see or hear 250 gp more for the crew. For Seldar’s to his shop to get his pack and some
nothing. A clever watch, however, and Throxis’ statistics, see the “Arrow” “important materials.” He asks two
may notice the wake of an invisible sidebar on page 21. strong-looking PCs to help him. When
ship, disruption of water by the oars Even if the PCs don’t approach the they rendezvous with the others at the
of an invisible ship, or other clues. Cormyrians, Throxis will still be aware ship, Nicodemus’s helpers are lugging a
People or things that fall overboard of their quest. He is concentrating on large sea chest filled with changes of
become visible; anybody or anything Miles’s and Matilda’s thoughts and will clothes, adventuring equipment, and
coming aboard become invisible. The pry into the minds of any who join them lots of books. (“I’ve got to bring some-
spell is negated when anyone on at their table. The Arrow did not stop in thing along to read on such a long voy-
board ship engages in any attack Yhaunn accidentally. Seldar’s current age,” Nicodemus explains.)
against anyone or anything outside mission is to catch Rufus the Cruel and Sumbar lies some 225 miles southeast
the ship. IVaveling at ramming bring him to justice. As the Arrow made of Yhaunn. The winds at this time of
speed for more than two rounds will port, Seldar recognized the pirate’s ship. year are favorable for either sailing or
also terminate the spell. 'Ib maintain his cover, the paladin decid- oared travel. No random encounters
This spell is treasured among wiz- ed to delay any action until Rufus’s ship occur on the voyage, although the DM
ards who adventure on the Sea of set sail. Then the Arrow would follow may wish to include a few if he wants
Fallen Stars, and knowledge of its the Pride of Procampur to the open sea more swashbuckling action. Pirates of
casting is closely guarded. The mate- and capture the pirate where there the Fallen Stars is filled with ideas for
rial components of the spell are a would be no witnesses or diplomatic random encounters in this area of the
splinter from the deck of the ship to entanglements. Forgotten Realms, including monsters,
be made invisible and the tentacle of 'Ib meet the deadline for paying Aunt sea creatures, natural hazards, and
a jellyfish. Marla’s note, the PCs must take pas- rogues. The DM may also wish to flesh
sage on either the Arrow or Pride of out the ship’s crew so that there is

22 Issue No. 48
ample opportunity for role-playing. flyand invisibility spells on himself and others who came along picked the bodies
Eventually, the PCs arrive at Sumbar comes ashore to see what is happening. clean. However, any PC who searches the
and must advise the ship’s navigator Nicodemus has heard rumors that the airea for three or more turns can find a

how to approach the island through the Oracle on the east side of the island
is wand of metal and mineral detection
dangerous reefs, using the secret in- and lives at the bottom of a well. The wedged between two rocks. 'The wand has
structions from the rutter. The captain island itself is lush with vegetation, full 44 charges remaining.
of the vessel may want to look at the of howling monkeys, squawking birds, Unless the PCs have a way to fly to
book to verify the directions, but even if and an occasional growl from a preda- the top of the ridge, they must climb it.
shown the rutter, neither Seldar nor tory cat. The DM may wish to throw a (See the Player’s Handbook, pages 122-
Miles can read it.As an extra precau- scare into the PCs, but the party should 123, for climbing rules). PCs with rope
tion, the captain sends rowboats ahead run into no problems worse than slow use and mountaineering nonweapon
to take soundings (dropping weighted movement through the undergrowth. proficiencies will find them handy in
lines to measure the depth of the water). Any DM using the optional rules for this situation. Each PC should receive a
The rutter proves to be absolutely terrain effects on movement should + 25% climbing modifier because the
correct: the reefs are not moving and assign a cost of 6 (medium jungle) for ridge slopes inward.
there is a clear path past them all the overland movement. The PCs can save a When the first PC gets halfway up the
way to the shore. When the reefs have lot of time by walking around the island ridge, two huge predatory sea gulls
been cleared and the ship is close to along the beach (movement cost of 1) or arrive to see what kinds of tasty mor-
shore, the captain drops anchor, and the by rowing around the island. (The near- sels have arrived. The birds’ ear-

PCs are taken ashore by rowboat. est reefs are a quarter mile offshore, so piercing screeches draw an additional
Once ashore, the captain offers to go they should pose no problem.) big gull every round until there are a
along with a few men “to provide secu- total of eight.Climbing PCs suffer dis-
rity,” but the PCs probably will want to The Oracle advantages during combat: The gulls
visit the Oracle by themselves. The get + 3 to attack rolls (being “on higher
Fifty yeirds from the eastern shore of
captain makes no objection to this; eifter ground,” with the defenders off-
Sumbar, a steep and treacherous ridge
all, it is what the PCs paid for. More- balance). The PCs get no armor-class
rises 120' above the beach. The bottom of
over, each captain has a potion of invisi- bonuses for Dexterity or shields. Fur-
the 200' long, 20' wide ridge is littered
bility that allows him to follow the PCs thermore, a PC in combat still has to
with bones, the remains of those who did
to the Oracle. If the Arrow has been make a successful climbing check when-
not make the climb successfully. 'There
following the PCs’ ship, 'Throxis casts ever he attacks or is hit. Any loud or
are no remnants of clothing or equipment;

DUNGEON 23
THE ORACLE AT SUM BAR

vedue of the sacrifice). Both the knowledge

(75%) and veracity (73%) rolls must be
successful for the entity to give a clear
prediction. Otherwise, it gives an ambigu-
ous answer. There is no chance for insanity
to strike the questioner when questioning
the Oracle, but if the insanity roll (40%)
succeeds, the entity gives an answer that
leads the questioner to his greatest doom.
In any case, only one question may be
asked per person, and the Oracle is not
limited to single-word answers.

Situation A: Thorgrunch the pirate 1

approaches the Oracle and asks

when and where the richest treasure
ship will be a month from now.
Sadly, Thorgrunch neglected to make
a the Oracle does not re-
sacrifice, so
spond. An imp emerges from the
depths of the well and attacks Thor-
grunch, who must fight for his life.
Situation B: Thorgrunch has heard
many rumors about the Oracle, so he
drops a jewel-hilted dagger down the
well as a sacrifice before asking his
question. The DM
secretly rolls per-
centile dice three times.
The first roll (knowledge) is 71, the
second roll (veracity) is 03, and the
third roll (insanity) is 44. Both the
knowledge and veracity rolls are
explosive spell {fireball or lightning bolt, Role-playing the Oracle successful, so the Oracle answers
forexample) will drive the gulls away, correctly: “The Cormyrean treasure
The Oracle itself can be anything the
ship Porpoise will be five miles east
screeching angrily.
Sea gulls, huge (8): INT animal; AL DM wants it to be: the spirit of an im- of Yhaunn exactly one month from
prisoned lesser deity, an interplanar
N; AC 6; MV 1, fly 24; HD 1; hp 7 ( x 4),
gate to a nether plane, or whatever
now.” If Thorgrunch ensures that he
6 ( X 2), 5 ( X 2); THACO 19; HAT 1; Dmg is off the coast of Yhaunn on the
suits the DM’s campaign. No explana-
1-3; SA 15% chance of inflicting disease; appointed day, and if his attack
tion need be given to the PCs. All they
SD not surprised; SZ M
(4'-6' wingspan);
have to do is listen to Nicodemus’s clues
against the Porpoise is successful, he
ML 12; XP 35 each; new monster.
and ask the right question.
will be rich beyond his wildest
Once atop the ridge, the PCs can easily dreams.
The DM, however, has to know how Situation C: Thorgrunch makes the
find the Oracle at the center of the pla-
the Oracle works. First, each person
teau. The Oracle appears to be a plain required sacrifice and asks the same
may ask only one question in a lifetime question as in Situation B. The DM’s
stone well, 6' diameter and enclosed by a
(including any resurrections). Second,
3'-high stone wall. The well has no buck- first two rolls are 88 and 19. (Since
before the Oracle will answer the ques-
et, rope, or covering roof, but the word one of the two first rolls misses, the
tion, the PC has to throw a sacrifice into
“Nasmen” is etched on one of the top third roll is irrelevant.) The Oracle
the well. Anything object will do, even a
stones. The well shaft goes down into answers ambiguously: “The richest
single copper piece (or a lit torch!), but
darkness. If the PCs think to drop a lit ship will be in the sea, hoping to
Nicodemus has heard the prevalent make port in an hour or so.” Thor-
torch down the well, the light falls for
rumor that a valuable object must be grunch will be very frustrated not
what seems like forever, imtil it is so far
tossed in. If no sacrifice is made before a
away that it seems to wink out. Nicode- knowing exactly where to find the
question is asked, an imp emerges from
mus becomes greatly excited and thumbs treasure ship.
the well and attacks the questioner. Situation D: Again, Thorgrunch
through one of the thick books he heis
If a PC makes the required sacrifice and
been toting in his backpack. Then he makes a sacrifice and asks about the
asks the whereabouts of Immurk’s lost
says, “Ah! Here it is! According to legend, location of the richest ship. The DM’s
treasure, the Oracle answers with the
all we need to do is toss in a valuable three rolls are 10, 69, and 30. The
cryptic response deteiled on page 25. If
object and ask the whereabouts of Im- knowledge and veracity rolls are
murk’s lost treasure!”
some other question is asked, theDM successful, but so also is the roll for
should treat the Oracle as a contact other
insanity (in this case, inspiring the
plane spell for an outer planar entity with PC to act in a way that brings the
an Intelligence of 20 ( + 1 for each 1,000-gp

24 Issue No. 48
 THE ORACLE AT SUMBAR

demus reaches into a pouch and pro-

greatest doom). The Oracle states: sting. And the master himself will duces several curious items that look
“The richest reward awaits he who is protect that of the King. All of it’s like dried tadpoles and smell like strong
ten miles southeast of Suzail in ex- under a room, not in it you see, and salt. He tells the adventurers that these
actly one month.” Thorgrunch en- while there’s plenty for all, there’s magical pills bestow the power to
sures that he is where the Oracle not as much as you think.” breathe water up to four hours per day,
recommends, but on the appointed “assuming they work.” Nicodemus
day he is attacked by three Cormy- Nicodemus looks perplexed at this developed the pills for an adventurer
rean privateers and is captured. The response and states that he has never who never came to pick them up, so
three Cormyrean captains congratu- heard of “the egg of the isles,” “the they have never been tested. He has two
late each other as they share the cracked egg,” or “the jaws.” If the PCs pills per PC and is reasonably sure they
bounty for Thorgrunch ’s head and don’t think of it, he pulls out his map will work. In fact they do work, but for
sell hisship for a tidy sum, the rich- (see page 23), looks at it, and shakes his only one hour plus 1-6 turns per pill.
est reward they have ever had. head mournfully. Eventually, one of the The duration of the effect expires when-
PCs should notice The Jaws Strait on ever the user is out of the water for five
The DM must listen carefully to the the map and see that a small island or more rounds.
PCs’ conversation near the well; if anyone south of it is shaped like an egg. Nicodemus begs off from exploring the
asks a question before the sacrifice (“How As the adventurers climb down the sea bottom with the PCs, citing his age
should we phrase this question?”), the ridge, a few more of the huge sea gulls and arthritis as good reasons not to go.
Oracle responds by sending up an imp to come within a hundred feet of them but (Both excuses are bogus; he is fright-
attack the irreverent visitors. do not attack. Leaving Sumbar should ened of going underwater.)
Imp: INT average; AL LE; AC 2; MV pose no problem, and there will be no
6, fly 18 (A); HD 2 + 2; hp 14; THACO random encounters on the way to the Underwater Exploration
19; AT 1; Dmg 1-4; SA stinger poison Egg (about 50 miles) unless the DM
if'

(save vs. poison or die), detect good, wants to insert some. Before the PCs enter the sea, the DM
should carefully note what spells, ar-
detect magic, become invisible at will,
The Underwater Grotto mor, and weapons they are carrying,
use suggestion once per day; SD resist
and should also review page 79 of the
spell attacks as if 7-HD monster; hit
When the ship arrives at the Egg, there DUNGEON MASTERS Guide (DMG).
only by silver or magical weapons; im-
may be a bit of confusion about “the 'The ship can safely approach the
mune to cold, fire, electricity; regener- cracked egg” mentioned by the Oracle. “cracked egg,” and the PCs can go right
ate 1 hp per round; MR
25%; SZ T (2'
If the PCs sail around to the south side over the side. Once below the surface of
tall); ML 10; XP 1,400; MM/201. of the island, the low tide exposes a the water, they enter a new world of
The first time an imp comes up, it does
large oval rock 50 yards offshore. When brightly colored fish, softly waving sea
so in giant rat form (AC 7, Dmg 1-3 with
the PCs approach within 30' of the rock, plants, and dim light. Those in armor
5% chance of disease). The “rat” becomes they can see a 6 "-wide crack along its sink to the bottom (50' below the sur-
invisible when threatened, then visible
middle. The crack can’t be opened far- face) where they can see in a 50' radius.
again when it attacks. If the imp is de-
ther unless one of the PCs has a scroll Although no encounters occur on the
stroyed, it disappears in a noxious puff of
with a transmute rock to mud spell. sea floor, the DM should mention that
red and violet smoke. A
second imp (if the
As the PCs make preparations to visit the PCs can see a large shark swim-
PCs make the same mistake) appears in the “grotto beneath his watery realm,” ming close to the surface. If the PCs
large spider form (AC 8, Dmg 1, SA type
the captain asks what they intend to do, take cover or hide, the shark does not
A poison). A third mistake gets an imp in but he won’t push the inquiry. The notice them. If the PCs attack the
its natural form. If the PCs cem’t seem to
captain, who followed the PCs invisibly shark, swims away quickly. 'The
figure out what’s going on, a kind DM to the Oracle and heard everything, shark
it
really Throxis, who jumped
is
may have Nicodemus yell out, “Don’t ask
knows what the PCs are up to. He may into the water and cast his polymorph
any more questions until a sacrifice is
want to insist on increased payment for self speW so he could follow the PCs. He
made!”
the additional risk, creating an interest- will stay within 90' of the PCs (the
When a PC asks the Oracle where to
ing role-playing opportunity. range of his medallion of ESP), but he
find Immurk’s treasure, omit the dice
If the PCs have taken passage on the will not aid them. Throxis’ mission is to
rolling of the contact other plane spell.
Pride ofProcampur, Miles and Matilda observe where the PCs go and what
The Oracle will always respond to this intend to murder the adventurers on dangers they encounter. If they are
question in a deep, metallic voice:
their retimn with the treasure. If the killed, he will cast a water breathing
“Immurk the Invincible went with Arrow was hired, Seldar will allow the spell on himself, Seldar, and several of
riches all captured to the egg of the PCs to retrieve the treasure but intends Arrow’s crew members to finish the
isles just south of the jaws thence 50 to claim anything that rightfully be- quest.
yards due south to the cracked egg longs to Cormyr. Unless the PCs have At the sea bottom is a small under-
thence to a grotto beneath his watery an ESP spell, they should not know the water hillock made of very hard rock
realm. There it may be found if thou captain’s plans. (the lower part of the “cracked egg”). A
makest the right choice. But beware 'The PCs may not have a way to sur- natural cave entrance in the rock slopes
of the monsters unbreathing and vive underwater (such as water breath- up gently. There are no apparent traps
invisible strings that kill when they ing spells, helms of underwater action, around the cave entrance, just lots of
etc.). If the adventurers need help, Nico-

DUNGEON 25
THE ORACLE AT SUMBAR

seaweed that clings to the rock. The

cave opening is also made of
floor of the The Underwater Grotto
rock, though a lot of sand has covered
1 square = 10'
the stone in the first 10' of the entrance
tunnel. The cave is about 12' wide and
12' tall, just enough room for two PCs to
walk or swim side by side.

1. Fork (", . . if thou makest the right

choice.”) When the PCs get 40' into the
cave, the slope levels out and a side
passage veers off to the left. If the PCs
recall the Oracle’s cryptic message, they
may reason from its words that it is best
to take the right fork. Doing so avoids
the undead in area 2.

2. Wrong Way ("But beware of the

monsters unbreathing .”) Exploration
. .

of the left fork is a big mistake. The

sound of any PC heading into this part
of the cave will echo through the water
to the chamber at the end. Here, five
undead sahuagin summoned by Im-
murk’s cleric have only one duty: to
destroy all intruders into this part of
the cavern.
'Two rounds after anyone enters the
left-hand tunnel, the undead attack,
swimming lazily toward the PCs. They
approach en masse: two of the sahuagin
swim side by side about 3' from the
tunnel bottom, and two more float
above them, about 8' from the tunnel
bottom. The two monsters on the bottom
attack the first rank of PCs while the
two on top swim over the first rank and
dive into the second rank of PCs. The
last sahuagin patiently waits his turn
at the rear until one of his comrades is
destroyed. If the PCs are divided at the
fork, he can add his weight to any open-
ing in the adventurers’ defense.
The first four sahuagin don’t give
much of a clue that they are undead,
except for their lazy swimming. A front- 36; THACO 15; #AT 2; Dmg 4-16 (claw), huagin retreat to their lair. If the PCs
rank PC who makes an Intelligence 2-12 bite; SD turned as wraith, immune leave a continual light spell blocking
check with a - 8 penalty may notice to cold, poison, mind-affecting spells; SZ the passage after turning the sahuagin
that the last sahuagin, which is ex- L (9' tall); XP 975; other statistics as for zombies, the undead will not re-emerge
tremely large (9' tall), is missing a hand sahuagin zombies. There is no treasure in the lair.
and one eye. Once this monster begins Several simple tactics will help the
to melee with a PC, however, the miss- PCs if they become involved with these 3. Wide Chamber (". . and invisible
.

ing limb and eye will be obvious. undead. Uncorking or smashing a bottle strings that kill when they sting.”) This
Sahuagin zombies (4): INT non; AL of holy water will not harm the zombies circular cave has a diameter of 30' and
N; AC 5; MV 9, swim 12; HD 2 + 2; hp but will keep them at bay for one (un- is 30' high. Across the expanse of floor,
18, 16, 15 ( X 2); THACO 19; #AT 3; Dmg corking) or two (smashing) rounds. A the tunnel continues on, rising steeply.
1-2/1-2/1-4; SD immune to cold, poison, continual light spell will cause the mon- If the PCs shine a light into this cham-
and mind-affecting spells; SZ M (6' tall); sters to moan hollowly and attack with ber before they enter, the ceiling ap-
ML special; XP 120; MM/306, 373 (vari- a - 2 penalty; they will focus their at- pears to be perfectly flat. A PC who
ant monster). tacks on the PC who holds the light. If finds this very odd is entitled to an
Large sahuagin zombie: HD 6; hp successfully turned, the undead sa- Intelligence check. Success indicates

26 Issue No. 48
 THE ORACLE AT SUMBAR

paralyzation or be paralyzed and de- 1-6 turns, the effect of clerical turning
that the PC has figured out that the flat
voured in 3-12 turns); SD transparency; wears off, and he goes after any tres-
ceiling is really the water line below an
SZ L 7 V2 diameter with 30 tentacles passer who remain. While attacking,
air pocket. Any PC who examines the
'
(

inside of the chamber closely is entitled each); ML N/A; XP 420; MMl/79. the ghast repeatedly screams in a gur-
gling voice, “Leave my treasure alone!
to a percentage roll. If the roll is above
Treasure Chamber (“And the Thieves, you will die!”
90, the PC sees many transparent, 4.
stringy tentacles hanging vertically in master himself will protect that of the Immurk (ghast): INT very; AL CE;
the water. The tentacles reach all the King. All of it’s under a room, not in AC 4; MV 15, swim 12; HD 4; hp 32;
way to the water line above, where two it.
.’’)
. The tunnel continues to rise THACO 17; #AT 3; Dmg 1-4/1-4/1-8; SA
sharply and emerges into a cave cham- paralyzation, stench 10' radius (save vs.
blobby shapes are barely visible on the
surface. A detect invisibility spell will ber with an air pocket. The air seems poison or attack at -2); SD immune to
fresh, and there are tiny holes in the sleep, charm, and other mental spells;
also reveal the tentacles.
The indistinct shapes are giant Portu- ceiling that allows sunlight to filter into immune to protection from evil spells
guese men-o-war, descendants of two the chamber (from the “crack in the unless used with cold iron; SZ M; ML
that Immurk’s priest transported to this egg’’). 'Two giant men-o-war (see area 3) 14; XP 650, MM/131 (Ghoul). All of

chamber by magical means. The tenta- float on top of a pool of water at the Immurk’s treasure is in the chest; he
cles are poisoned and reach all the way west end of the cave. PCs with rope and has no treasure on his person.
grapnel or similar devices can carefully If the surviving PCs examine the
down to the floor. These creatures have
pull the creatures ashore so that the chest and its hiding place before pulling
survived by eating the occasional fish
everyone can exit safely through the out the treasure, they can see an unholy
that wandered into this chamber and
blundered into the tentacles. tunnel. symbol of Cyric lying next to the chest.
The creatures will not attack until After he hid his treasure, Immurk left This is the talisman that Immurk’s
an old broken sea chest and rusty, broken cleric used when he cast a glyph of
someone enters the tentacled area, but
they can be easily killed from a distance padlock in plain sight, to make tres- warding on this chest; Immurk slew
passers think that his treasure had al- him thereafter and the unholy symbol
with magic missiles, lightning bolts, and
ready been foimd. The chest sits beside an unnoticed. Anyone who touches the
fell,
the like. However, even if the creatures
open steel trap door set into the rocky chest without speaking the name of the
are destroyed, dozens of their poisonous
tentacles continue to float throughout grovmd. A
bit to the south, a large rock glyph will go blind (save vs. spell to
formation resembling a toadstool stands negate the effect totally). The water-
the chamber, preventing access to the
DM in a patch of sand. (When describing this tight chest is locked; so much rust that
tunnel on the other side. The
should be lenient if the PCs come up area, the DM should be sure to say “toad- has accumulated over the years that
not “mushroom.”) there is a - 15% penalty to a thiefs
with ingenious means to avoid the ob- stool,”

stacle. One method might involve cover- This rock formation is the “room” chance to open locks.
(“mushroom”) under which Immurk’s lost The treasure inside is ipdeed worth
ing every part of the PCs’ bodies with
treasure is stored. If the PCs push over allthe trouble that the PCs had getting
armor, clothing, gloves, etc. and then
the cap and stem of the mushroom, they to it. Wrapped in a purple satin cloth is
walking through. If a small part is left
uncovered, the DM
should assign a see a chest sitting in the hole beneath. a gorgeous platinum and gold crown set
chance that the unprotected area will Before anyone can make a move for with rubies, pearls, and fire opals. 'The
the chest, the sand beside the hole centerpiece of the crown is an ebony
contact a tentacle.
For example, a PC in armor, pants, erupts, and a green-skinned clawed oval etched with a purple dragon. A PC
boots, jacket, gloves, helmet, and wrap- hand grabs the ankle of the closest PC! with heraldry proficiency (or a native
ping around the head should have no A grisly being emerges, wrapped in Cormyrean) can determine that this is
more than a 1% chance to be struck by a decayed linens. It attacks fiercely with the symbol of the nation of Cormyr. 'This
its long sharp claws and elongated dazzling treasure is the lost coronation
tentacle. A wizard with several levitate
spells could lift the men-o-war bodies (and piercing teeth while emitting a horridly crown of Palaghard I of Cormyr. It was
stolen early in Immurk’s career and
thus their tentacles) so that the PCs c£in putrid stench.
crawl or swim seifely across the floor. 'This creature is none other than Im- nearly led to a war between Procampur
Other possibilities include the use of murk himself His evil was so great that, and Cormyr. (See Pirates of the Fallen
he became a Stars, page 7.) The crown is worth
pole arms to clear the way or clever use after his burial at sea,
of unseen servants or Tenser’s floating ghast. Knowing that rumors of his fabled 75.000 gp.
hoard would attract treasure hunters, 'The chest also contains 2,500 pp di-
discs to push open a safe lane for the
PCs. The safest course is to wait for Immurk swam all the way back to this vided into five large bags; four gems
high tide, when the men-o-war will rise island from his watery grave and buried (worth 2,000 gp, 1,500 gp ( x 2), and
with the water level and the PCs can himself under the sand, determined that 1.000 gp); and six pieces of jewelry. Four
walk or swim right under the tentacles. no one would get his precious treasure. of these items are necklaces of gold
If the PCs come up with these or other Immurk fights to the death. If turned he chain (value 500 gp ( x 2), 300 gp, and
good ideas, the DM should assign a flees, summoning the undead monsters 250 gp). One is a golden brooch in the
reasonable chance of success. in area 2 to cover his retreat; the sa- shape of a mermaid, with tiny emeralds
Portuguese man-o-war, giant (2): huagin zombies arrive and attack the set into her tail fin (value 2,500 gp). The

INT non; AL N; AC 9; MVswim 1; HD PCs four rounds later. last item is a gold ring engraved with

3; hp 20 each; THACO N/A; #AT 1; Dmg Immurk is a horribly evil ghast dedi- waves going around the entire circum-
SA poisonous tentacles (save vs. cated to defending his treasure. After ference. It is a ring of water elemental
1-10;

DUNGEON 27
metamorphosis that can polymorph the "There's not as much as you tack now so that the innocent PCs
wearer into a water elemental. (See think." would not be harmed. The captain or-
Tbme of Magic (TOM), pages 128-129.) dered his ship to ramming speed and,
The final encounter depends on which
The ring’s command word, “Aqua re- just before impact. Throxis unleashed a
ship the PCs hired in Yhaunn. If the
gia.” is engraved on the inside. The fireball.
PCs hired the Arrow, skip this section
bottom layer of treasure covered by a
is
and go directly to “An Offer You Can’t
When the PCs emerge from the water
neatly folded leather cloak, a cloak of and can see what is going on, read the
Refuse.” If they hired the Pride of Pro-
the manta ray (DMG, page 164). Below following to the players:
campur, however, read the following to
the cloak lies a razor-sharp short sword
the players as the PCs are .swimming up You’ve been in some rough battles
+ 1, +3 vs. marine creatures. The last
to the ship. before, but nothing like this. The aft
items are a half-inch diameter ivory
tube sealed with wax at both ends, and of your ship is totally engulfed in
This adventure is finally near com-
a leather packet totally coated in bees- flames, which are spreading toward
pletion. You have more than enough
wax. The blow tube contains one use of . the rigging. The ram of the attacker
treasure to pay Aunt Marla’s debt
powder of coagulation (TOM, page 127). is stuck into Pride’s hull on the star-
with plenty left over, plus several
The leather packet holds 10 pinches of board side.
items that may be magical. As you
powder of magic detection (TOM, pages You recognize the Arrow, the long-
approach your ship, however, you see
127-128). PCs who open these two items ship that was in port in Yhaunn. A
the hull of another vessel rapidly
in this area must find some way to long gangplank has been dropp>ed
approaching, propelled by oars that
reseal them or the powder will get wet from the Arrow onto your ship, and
strike the water in unison. A long
and spoil when the PCs enter the sea. sailors from the two vessels are
barbed ram protrudes from the prow
Once the PCs have explored the ca- locked in desperate combat. Leading
of the approaching ship. The sound of
vern, they should take their last pill of Arrow's black-clad crew is the one-
an explosion and shouts reverberate
water breathing to get back out. 'The eyed Captain Seldar, who swings
through the water as the oared hull
DM should note which PC has the cloak strikes the Pride of Procarnpur.
mightily with a gleaming long
of the manta ray and if she is wearing it. sword. His pet raven is up in the
(See the DMG, page 164.) No further rigging, cawing a warning whenever
Throxis swam back to the Arrow and
encounters occur until the PCs return to someone threatens Seldar from the
advised Seldar that the adventurers had
their ship. rear.
obtained the treasure and were return-
ing to their ship. Seldar decided to at-

28 Issue No. 48
 THE ORACLE AT SUMBAR

see page 20 for Malificat’s abilities). If must hand it over without further ques-
Miles, Matilda, and a few crewmen threatened seriously by a PC, she tries tion,adding that everything else they
Eire making a stand in the bow of the
her charm person spell. found they can certainly keep. PCs who
ship. Miles is holding Nicodemus in Rufus fights sneakily, always trying insist on seeing Seldar’s letters of
front of him like a shield, a short to backstab for tripledamage. If seri- marque (authorizing him to prey on
sword at the sage’s throat. Matilda ously threatened, he calls the ogres over pirate shipping) are allowed to do so,
uttering some words while holding a to help him. and Nicodemus (if he did not drown) can
medallion in one hand and gesturing When the battle is over, Seldar or verify the authenticity of the docu-
with the other. On the deck of the 'Throxis can be revived quickly enough ments. (“Yep, it’s the seal of Cormyr, all
Arrow, Seldar’s second-in-command if they fell (they were unconscious), and right. And if that isn’t the king’s signa-
is posed with his arms up as if he
the DM should proceed to the next sec- ture, it sure is the best forgery I’ve ever
were casting a spell, but he is per- tion if the PCs survived the battle and seen!”)
fectly frozen. were not captured. If the adventurers PCs who try to bluff and say, “What
Suddenly one of the Pride’s deck lost the fight, Rufus and Malificat re- crown?” get only a laugh from Seldar.
hatches opens, and four large yellow- lieve them of all their belongings, then The paladin says, “I’ve known your
skinned humanoids emerge from the make them walk the plank while the plans all along. Now stop the games. I
hold wielding two-handed swords. pirate leaders laugh as the sharks feast. know the crown is in (wherever a PC
Matilda finishes her spell, sees the (Rufus is called “the Cruel” for good has put it; Throxis used his medallion of
humanoids, and begins to laugh. If reason.) ESP to find the crown’s location). My
the PCs are close enough, they hear friend Throxis here has a way of know-
Miles shout “This is our payment for An Offer You Can’t Refuse ing what people are thinking.” He ges-
your betrayal, old man!” just before tures toward the smiling wizard, who
he kicks Nicodemus into the sea. This final scene should be played out
reveals a nice medallion on a chain
Matilda laughs harder, and the four when the PCs emerge from the water (if
around his neck.
yellow-skinned beasts plow into the they hired the Arrow initially) or after
PCs who refuse to hand over the
battle. Seldar and 'Throxis fully recover from
crown will find themselves in a serious
their wounds (if the sea battle was
situation. 'Throxis is a powerful wizard
By now the PCs should realize that fought). 'The following boxed text as-
and Seldar is an experienced fighter.
they picked the wrong ship to book sumes that the PCs hired the Arrow,
Even the two have been in a fight
if
passage on. Although the Arrow gained Seldar’s ship, but it can be altered to fit
with Pride’s crew, they aren’t too spent
siurprise and inflicted massive damage whatever situation the PCs are in.
to fight the PCs. Moreover, the Arrow’s
with the fireball and ram attack, the crew is extremely loyal and will fight to
'The crewmen help you on board from
retaliation of the Pride has been quick.
your trip beneath the waves, and you the death. The DM should give the PCs
Malificat has successfully cast a hold hints that a fight may not be the best
feelvery relieved to be back in the
person spell on Throxis, and Rufus sent course of action. A PC with religion
sunshine and fresh air. Captain
for his four ogre shock troopers (who proficiency can recognize SeldEir’s holy
Seldar himself comes on deck and
live in a secret compartment in the symbol as the sign of Ibrm, a lawful-
congratulates you on yom effort.
hold). The DM should allow the PCs to
“You are going to be famous in the good god. The crewmen begin to finger
join in the battle as they desire. Nicode- their weapons and come closer, while
annals of Cormyrean history,” Seldar
mus will drown (he swims like a rock) says. “Do you realize that one of the 'Throxis concentrates on spell users to
unless the PCs rescue him within three ensure that he gets off the first spell.
objects you recovered is the long-lost
rounds. Nicodemus (if still alive) might also
coronation crown of Palaghard I? On
Running the battle could be a lengthy chime in with the obvious: “Well, folks,
behalf of the king I thank you, but
affair with a lot of dice-rolling, lb speed I don’t know what choice we have, be-
you will have the opportunity to hear
things up, two Arrow crewmen and one cause we must get home and if we fight
it yourself when we make port in
Pride crewman fall every round. (Six and win, we’ll have to run this vessel
Suzail. Now,
you don’t mind, I
if
Pride crewmen are already dead from ourselves, assuming one of you can get
would like to put the crown in a safe
Throxis’ fireball and another from a us from the middle of the sea back to
place.” Seldar holds out his hand
large ballista bolt.) Every fourth round, Yhaunn.”
expectantly.
one of the ogres falls from wounds. 'The DM should let the PCs fight, if
Seldar falls in the sixth round. they decide to do so. It is extremely
'The PCs may raise all sorts of objec-
Malificat has just finished casting her unlikely that the adventurers will be
tions to this rather high-handed atti-
prayer spell by the time the PCs join able to defeat the Arrow’s leader and
tude toward their property, and may
battle. If she is not stopped, she will crew, but it is possible. If the PCs lose,
wonder just who the captain thinks he
cast a produce flame spell, hurl it on they are put in irons and thrown into
is and how he happens to know so much
Throxis, and laugh while he burns help- the ship’s brig. Spell users are drugged
about what they found. If they ask, the
lessly. When she becomes awEire of the to ensure that they don’t recover or use
right questions, Seldeir reveals he is a
PCs, Malificat casts a cloak of fear spell, spells. When Seldar reaches Suzail, the
privateer for the king of Cormyr, and
then a cause blindness spell, and at- PCs are taken to the king of Cormyr for
the crown was lost long ago when it was
tempts to touch one of the adventurers justice. After a full hearing, the king
stolen by Immurk the Invincible. Seldar
(inflicting simultaneously her pain pardons them for refusing to hand over
insists that the crown is the rightful
touch and possibly fear and blindness; the crown but banishes them from the
property of Cormyr, and that the PCs

DUNGEON 29
THE ORACLE AT SUMBAR

kingdom forever. The king also takes takes the crown. All of the nonmagical and overcoming obstacles (speaking i

1,500 gp for each death the PCs caused treasure other than the crown totals with the Oracle successfully, getting
among the Arrow’s crew, to compensate 22,500 gp. The PCs can receive an addi- past the Portuguese men-o-war, negoti-
the families of the deceased. Obviously tional 8,000 gp from the reimbursement ating with Seldar, etc.).
the mission to help Aunt Marla will be of the ship-hiring fee and the award of The PCs’ further adventures depend
a dismal failure. the finder’s fee. Even with the treasure on how they end this adventure. If they
The better course is to try to coax a of the Pride of Procampur (12,000 gp) defeated Seldar and his crew, they be-
reward from Seldar, since the PCs have and sale of the wrecked ship (5,000 gp; come criminals wanted by the Cormyr-
recovered a fabulous treasure for the there is no time to repair the ship), the ean authorities. Privateers and bounty
Cormyrean king. If the PCs fought well PCs will still be short of the amount hunters begin showing up a few months
against Rufus and Maliflcat, Seldar needed. 'The only way to make up the after this adventure. After a few close
offers what treasure was found on the shortfall is for the PCs to throw in some calls, the PCs should figure out it is
Pride ofProcampur (various gems, jew- of their own funds or go back to the time to leave the area.
elry, and coins with a total value of grouchy wizard, Strasus, to sell some If, however, the adventure has a hap-

12,000 gp). He also offers to give the magical items. (“What? Are you back py ending, the limits for future adven-
PCs the pirate ship, which the PCs can again? Didn’t I warn you?’’) turing are boundless. Pirates of the
sell for scrap (5,000 gp), or full value Once he sees that the PCs have some- Fallen Stars gives numerous ideas for
(10,000 gp) if they spend 2,500 gp to get thing of real interest, however, Strasus adventures. Aunt Meu'la might get a
it seaworthy again. The Pride must be enters into a great haggling session. He ransom note from some pirates who
towed, however, because of the damage really wants the cloak of the manta ray stumbled on Spunk and figure that he is
it sustained in the battle. Tbwing will and, after tedious negotiation, finally worth at least 10,000 gp. The PCs can
slow the return trip to half speed, and agrees to pay its full value (12,500 gp). decide if they want to take the time to
the PCs will not arrive in Yhaunn until The only other item he has any interest go rescue him so that he can get the
after the Earl of Culhane’s deadline in is the ring of water elemental meta- thrashing he deserves. £1
(unless they made a down payment on morphosis, but he offers only 7,000 gp
Aunt Marla’s debt). Lastly, Seldar also for it. 'The powder of coagulation is of
refunds the fees that he took at the little interest to him, but he will offer
beginning of the adventoe. If the PCs 1,000 gp for it. If the PCs role-play well
did not engage the Pride of Procampur, with Strasus, he throws in free training TRAVEL
Seldar refunds the fees and offers the (including the teaching of two new LIGHT.
PCs 7,500 gp in gems, which is a fair spells) to any wizard who has risen in
bounty. level.
A glance at a map and a calendar will Even after selling several magical
reveal that the PCs cannot afford the items, the PCs may come up short,
time for a long trip to Corm3rr, as cap- especially since Nicodemus (if still
tives or heroes, because they will miss alive) will want his cut. Aunt Marla
the deadline to avoid the foreclosure on may well have to throw in her savings,
Aunt Marla’s shop. Once they remind and the PCs may have to put in some of
Seldar of the situation, he gives in to theirs.
their request. He is, after all, a paladin; Such an epic adventure entitles the
saving a widow’s livelihood goes right to PCs to a 9,000-XP story award plus a
his heart. 2,000-XP bonus if they meet the dead-
line. PCs who contribute from their own
Concluding the Adventure funds should get 1 XP per gp donated
If the PCs originally hired the Arrow,
(maximum 1,000 XP per PC). Any PC
who convinced the Earl of Culhane to
they meet the Pride ofProcampur on
extend the deadline should get 500 XP.
the return trip. The pirate ship has
If the adventurers don’t meet the
been shadowing the Arrow throughout
foreclosure deadline, the PCs should not
the adventure, and Rufus the Cruel will
get the 2,000-XP bonus, but all will not
make his move as soon as the Arrow
be lost for Aunt Marla. The Eeu^l of
heads back. Just as the PCs are about to
Culhane will allow her to redeem her
come to blows with Seldeu* and his crew
shop within the next month by paying
over the treasure, Rufus and his crew
the debt in full. He has no intention of
attack. The battle occurs as described
running the shop himself, and will sell
earlier, with Throxis casting a ship
it at the end of 30 days to recoup some
invisibility spell from his ring before the EXERCISE.
of his gambling losses. If Aunt Marla
Arrow closes to ramming range.
regains possession of her shop, she
Even if the PCs successfully defeat
Immurk and the pirates, there may not amends the deed to remove her wastrel American Heart
son’s name. Association
be enough treasure to meet Aunt
Marla’s 50,000-gp debt once Seldar
Award additional individual experi-
ence points generously for role-playing © 1992, American Heart Association

30 Issue No. 48
 TO BITE THE MOON

Continued from page 15 (X 3), 50 gp, and 10 gp), and Jacinth’s complete her delivery. (If there are any
magical sword. dwarves in the peirty. Jacinth might in-
blundered into the lavender mold and
was infected by it. (She now is an un-
When the PCs recover the sword +1, vite them to join the courier service.) For
luck blade, two of its three rubies are still an added twist, the client might turn out
earthly sight, a glowing lavender snake
red. If the PCs realize that the sword is to be em evil wizard, bent on destroying
with a woman’s head.) Thanks to the
capable of granting two wishes, they may the sword. Had Jacinth completed the
magical effects of the lavender mold,
want to use it to regain their original delivery on her own, she would have been
she is capable of regenerating 1 hp per
forms. However, this lawful-good intelli- able to turn the sword over to the wizard
hour, and can regenerate a missing limb
gent sword has other uses in mind for its without any problems. But with the
(or tail) in 2-8 days.
magical powers. It was created with a sword in the hands of a PC of good align-
Ifthe PCs try to negotiate with the
special purpose—to slay evil wizards. It ment, a battle ensues.
spirit naga, they will have to come up
speaks to anyone of good alignment who If the PCs brought along some of the
with a good reason why they— as mem-
picks it up, explaining that, unhke its lavender mold from area 5 without
bers of the gnoll tribe— would dare to
nonsentient companion (the ring) it can exposing it to sunlight, they can restore
attempt to enter the lair of their god-
grant a wish only to someone who swears Jacinth’s leg. If they didn’t take any
dess. If they reveal their true identities,
to help it accomplish its purpose— starting mold, or the mold was destroyed by
the naga simply laughs at them and
with the spirit naga. sunlight, they may be able to convince
says that it makes no difference to her
Anyone drawing the sword who is not of Jacinth to make the return journey to
who they are, as long as they agree to
good alignment suffers 10 hp damage; the gnoll lair. In either case, they will
serve her. She then attempts to charm
this number corresponds to the ego of the have to be very persuasive in order to
one or more of the PCs with her gaze.
weapon. 'The gnolls were able to pick up convince Jacinth to allow herself to be
The spirit naga is interested only in
the sword by its sheath. Kurgahr never infected with the lavender mold before
maintaining a steady supply of rotten
attempted to draw the weapon; he imme- she has exhausted all other possibilities
meat to feed on (the more putrid the
diately presented it to his goddess when for restoring her leg.
better)and in amassing treasure. She
he returned from the raid. The underground stream in area 7
might be persuaded to part with the
The magical sword has an Intelligence might turn out to be heavily laden with
magical sword, since her one attempt to
of 14and speaks the Common tongue gold. If the PCs explore just a short
draw it from its sheath caused her dam-
and the language of gold dragons. Its distance up the narrower passageway,
age. (She has only just recovered from
primary abilities are detecting evil and they discover a mother lode of gold
this injury; PCs can see a fresh scar
detecting magic in a 10' radius. When nuggets. Of course, they will have to
near the tip of her prehensile tail.) But
used in pursuit of its special purpose, clear out the gnolls and hobgoblins
she will demand a more valuable magi-
the weapon inflicts fear for 1-4 rounds before they can stake a claim.
cal item in exchange.
in any evil wizard it hits. Finally, the PCs may decide that they
The spirit naga refuses to let the PCs
enjoy playing gnolls. Perhaps they want
remove any other magical item from her
lair without first explaining how they will
Concluding the Adventure to try to wrest control of the tribe from
Kurgahr and lead the gnolls on raids
use it to aid her. In the meantime, she Having acquired the magical sword
against the hobgoblins. With the more
uses her ESP spell to read the PCs’ from the lair of the spirit naga, the PCs
intelligent PCs in charge of the tribe,
minds. If she learns that the PCs intend have two avenues of escape. They can
there just might be a chance that the
to break their promises or do her harm, either exit the way they came (through
gnoll nation will rise again.
she attacks them without warning. the gnoll lair), follow the passage lead-
PCs who wish to remain gnolls should
Naga, spirit: INT high; AL CE; AC 4; ing outside from area 7, or go deeper
run their characters according to the
MV 12; HD 10; hp 39; 'THACO 11; #AT 1; into the Underdark. Whichever exit
rules in The Complete Book of Human-
Dmg 1-3; SA gaze, poison bite, spells; SZ they choose, the DM can add further
oids. 'These PCs do not lose the abilities
H (15' long); ML 14; XP 5,000; MM/266. encounters if desired. Perhaps Kurgahr
they already have (aside from those lost
The spirit naga speaks the Common and his tribe have returned from their
or aJtered when their ability scores
tongue, as well as gnoll, hobgoblin, and raid while the PCs were exploring the
changed), but are restricted to the gnoll
goblin dialects. Her bite injects Type F caverns, and demand to know why they
level maximums: level 11 for fighters, 9
poi|or^j^e^M ^st the wizard spells went into the holy caves. Or perhaps a
witch doctors (wizards),
for clerics, 5 for
wluiHi^'ay, delect magic, grease, ventril- war party of hobgoblins waits at the
and 11 for thieves. Unlike “true” gnolls,
oquism; detect good, ESP, hold person; exit of the lower passage.
however, PCs txmied into gnoll witch
and the priest spells cure light wounds, If the PCs can’t persuade the sword to
doctors can, at 5th level, cast spells as a
protection from good, remove fear; heat restore them to their original forms,
5th-level wizard (spells of up to 3rd level).
metal, obscurement. they may be attacked on the spot by an
Clerics who wish to learn new spells
The spirit naga’s treasure includes a angry mob when they return to For-
should begin worshiping a gnoll god,
potion of gaseous form; a potion of heal- tunado as gnolls. 'They may have to ,
preferably one that is compatible with the
ing; a magical scroll of hold undead and sneak in under cover of darkness. If
god they worshiped in their previous
phantom steed spells, a scroll of identify, they are lucky. Jacinth has been moni-
form. Wizards must be played as witch
deeppockets, and enervation spells, and toring their progress with her magical
doctors. Any new wizard spells learned
scrolls of protection from electricity and crystaland arranges for someone to
must be limited to a single school of mag-
elementals, each rolled inside a golden meet them on the outskirts of town.
but gnoll witch doctor PCs can start to
tube (worth 200 gp each); 2,000 sp; 500 TTie DM can further expand the adven- ic,

learn clerical spells as a shaman (from up

gp; and six gems (values 500 gp, 100 gp ture if the PCs agree to help Jacinth
to three different spheres). Q

DUNGEON 31
 Chris writes: “This is my sixth appear-
ance in DUNGEON'^ Adventures and
my first attempt at a D&iy adventure.
In a way, writing “Them Apples” was
like walking down the less-traveled road.
/ felt like an adventurer exploring new
ground. I’m just thankful I didn’t en-
counter any hill giants along the way.”

“Them Apples” is a D&D adventure

designed for 4-8 player characters of
levels 1-3 (about 12 total levels). Most of
the PCs should be Lawful in alignment,
though a variety of classes and races is
recommended. To run this adventure,
the DMneeds only the D&D Rules
Cyclopedia (RC).
Although the possibility for combat
exists, the party’s success will rely more
on ingenuity than swordsmanship. The
antagonists in this module can easily
devastate a low-level party. For this
reason, suggestions for awarding non-
combat experience points are given at
the conclusion of the adventure.
This adventure is designed for a ge-
neric D&D setting, but it can be easily
inserted into the Known World or any
other wilderness campaign with few
adjustments. (The DM
running a
Known World campaign might consider

THEM APPLES using the Five Shires town of Wereska-

lot as the starting point for the adven-
ture.) With a few statistical conversions,
this adventure can even be used by DMs
running low-level AD&D* campaigns.
BY CHRISTOPHER PERKINS Adventure Background
The village of Wistil is known for only
two things; amiable halflings and tasty
red apples. The 10 or so halfling fami-
It takes just one to spoil lies who occupy Wistil tend their or-
chards with proud diligence, nurturing

them all.
the finest soil in the country to grow the
best apples they can. Visitors who fre-
quent Wistil never leave without pur-
chasing basketfuls of the delicious fruit,
often by the cartload.
Although the halflings of Wistil work
Artwork by Kevin Ward very hard to maintain their reputation as
the finest apple growers in the kingdom,
this does create some problems for the
idyllic halflingcommunity. Various other
apple growers in the region (including
neighboring halfling shires) have become
envious of Wistil’s reputation. Despite
efforts to mimic Wistil’s methods for
planting and nurturing, these competing
orchard owners often find themselves
producing fhiit that pales by comparison.
Their apples lack the plumpness, taste,

32 Issue No. 48
 THEM APPLES

and overall luster of Wistil apples. Some cuse to wreak havoc among the half- to nurse the afflicted trees back to
of the more determined rivals have actu- lings of Wistil. health, the villagers organized a party
ally stolen earth from Wistil, believing it 'The wooddrake, in its elf disguise, of six halflings to consult with the
possesses some magical secret, only to promised Yulin its services for a hefty fee druids of Gelwen Grove, a small and
discover that the earth alone does not of 20 gp. Yulin, though far from wealthy, reclusive coven situated in the depths of
guarantee a fine crop. reluctantly parted with the money (which Thistlewood (a forest some 25 miles east
The halflings of Wistil are quite will- would otherwise have been used to drink The leader of the halfling
of Wistil).
ing to reveal their “secrets” to growing himself into oblivion). band, Roland, was given two money
splendid apples: techniques that include Combining Yulin’s coins with its own purses (each containing 75 gp) in the
planting posies at the base of each tree assortment of pickpocketed funds, the event the druids requested payment for
in the spring, singing to the apples as wooddrake visited Keswig’s local their assistance. The halflings, of
they begin to ripen, and allowing joyful thieves’ guild and bought a decorative course, were unaware that treasure
children to climb and frolic among the flask of poison. The wooddrake then set holds little importance among druids.
boughs. For most other orchard owners, out for Wistil, altering its appearance to
however, such techniques have proven resemble a cheerful halfling. The poly- The Drvtids and the Giant
both arduous and (if you’ll pardon the morphed wooddrake had no trouble
pun) fruitless.
The halflings arrived in Gelwen Grove
securing a job tending the apple trees.
without incident. The druids listened
One rival in particular has become so After several days of careful village
patiently to the halflings’ plight and
incensed with the halflings over the last surveillance, the drake crept out into
were quick to identify the nature of the
several years that he is willing to destroy the orchard one night and doused the
malady. They gave the friendly half-
Wistil’s entire crop just to ruin the half- roots of six apple trees with the poison.
lings six small wooden flasks of antidote
ling villfige’s fine reputation. This rival is It then discarded the empty flask before
to treat the ailing trees (one potion per
a disgruntled human orchard-keeper returning to its room in the house of a
tree). When the druids declined to ac-
named Yulin Nell. Yulin’s small orchard, local family.
cept the halflings’ money, Roland and
located several miles from Wistil (near a
his friends happily departed for home.
human town called Keswig), has steadily Wistil’s Blight
been losing business because its apples
On the way back to Wistil, the halflmgs
The halflings of Wistil became suspi- had the misfortune of meeting a hill giant
are smaller, duller, and less tasty than the
cious of sabotage one month ago, when on a hunting foray. Awed by the giant’s
ones found in Wistil. Customers would
six of their apple trees began displaying immensity, the halflings quickly fled, but
rather pay 1 gp for a basket of Wistil’s
symptoms of a mysterious ailment. The the giant easily outran them. ITie giant,
apples than 1 sp for two baskets of Yulin’s
nature of the ailment is still unknown Brufnu by name, hurled a heavy net over
apples.
to the halflings, although they suspect the fleeing wee folk, snaring five of them,
Yulin realized long ago that he was
poison. This theory was all but con- including Erol, who was carrying the
neither brave enough nor ingenious
firmed when the village sheriff discov- potions. Only Roland managed to avoid
enough to engineer a plot against the
ered an unusual-looking flask lying in capture. He tried to hold the giant at bay
halflings of Wistil by himself. His devo-
the bushes near the poisoned orchard with his sling, but Brufnu was undaunt-
tion to apple-growing didn’t win him
only days after the initial poison symp- ed. The giemt hoisted up his netfiil of
many clever friends, either. All he could
toms were detected. The flask was care- halflings, slimg the catch over his shoul-
do was spend his evenings complaining
fully crafted into the likeness of a green der, and sauntered back to his house in
over a mug of ale at his favorite tavern
dragon (ironically, much like the wood- the hills.
in Keswig.
drake in appeeu'ance), but its former Roland pursued the hill giant, pepper-
contents could not be identified. ing Brufnu with sling stones. The giant,
A Friend In Need Even in the vastness of the orchard, irked by Roland’s tenacity, grabbed the
Two months ago (while drowning his the poisoned trees are readily visible. bold halfling and hurled him 60'
sorrows in a tankard of ale), Yulin en- The apples (not yet ripened or edible) through the air. (Five halflings make a
countered a young elf who fancied him- have fallen off, the leaves have turned fine meal; six is a stomach cramp wait-
self an adventurer. After Yulin dull black, and the bark has faded to a ing to happen.) Roland was seriously
explained his problem, the elf promised pale ivory hue. The halflings have ap- injured and could not pursue the giant
to help the discouraged orchard-keeper plied all their nurturing skills to no any farther. He limped back to Wistil,
get back at the halflings who ruined his avail. The poisoning, though limited to struggling with the loss of not only his
business. A fortuitous happenstance? only six trees, has the entire village up friends but also the druids’ potions.
Yulin seemed to think so. in arms. The very sight of such wretch-
Yulin does not know that his elven ed trees could damage WistiTs fine Roland’s Return
ally is actually a polymorphed wood- reputation or, by sheer presence, make
drake: a green-scaled, man-sized dragon
With bleary eyes, Roland described his
the other trees in the orchard “unhap-
encounter with the giant to the assem-
capable of assuming demihuman form py” (or so the halfling farmers profess).
bled halflings. When one of the vil-
(elf or halfling only). The wooddrake is Some concerned villagers suspect that
lagers asked Roland why he didn’t bribe
extremely Chaotic, causing trouble the poisoned trees are actually an omen
the giant with the 150 gp he carried,
wherever it goes. It sees Yulin’s thirst forecasting an end to their way of life.
Roland burst into tears; the idea simply
for vengeance as a way to get the poor Believing their trees (and reputation)
hadn’t occurred to him.
orchard-keeper in trouble, and an ex- to be in jeopardy and lacking the skills
The Chaotic wooddrake revelled in

DUNGEON 33
THEM APPLES

ful and “extremely dangerous” apple

grower named Yulin Nell to poison
Wistil's apple orchards. Fostering enmi-
ty is, after all, the wooddrake's favorite
pastime.

Beginning the Adventure

This adventure deals primarily with the
party's attempt to penetrate the hill
giant's lair. Luckily for the party, Bruf-
nu is not home when the P(Ds first ar-
rive. (See “The House on the Hill” for
details.) The wooddrake is an added
complication that the PCs must eventu-
allycontend with. However, before the
adventure can begin, the PCs must be
Maybe the PCs
in the vicinity of Wistil.
are just passing through, or perhaps the
locals have posted notices requesting
their services.
If the DM wishes, the PCs could stroll
into Wistil just as poor Roland returns
with news of the hill giant's ambush.
The PCs would then overhear the vil-
lagers (and the wooddrake) wrestling
with the notion of an organized rescue.
The villagers would be most grateful if
the PCs volunteered to help them. Sta-
tistics for the villagers and the wood-
drake are given in area A. (See “Wistil
and the Wilderness.”)
The villagers do not know where the
marauding giant lives (they presume he
dwells in the hills), but Roland can de-
scribe the place where he and the other
halflings were attacked: a gully filled
with statues. (See area B.) Brufnu's dwell-
ing is, in fact, located at area G.
Unlike the deceitful wooddrake, the
halflings of Wistil are Lawful. If the
PCs succeed in rescuing the five miss-
ing halflings, the village will gladly pay
them the 150 gp previously set aside for
the druids. For each druidic potion
returned intact, the village will pay
another 50 gp (hence if all six flasks are
retrieved, the payment is a whopping
this unexpected turn of events and The wooddrake, in its halfling disguise, 300 gp). The troublesome wooddrake
immediately suggested that a new party intends to follow the bold adventurers to will try desperately to keep these po-
be sent to retrieve the stolen potions the giant's lair, where it hopes to stir up tions from reaching the village.
and missing halflings, knowing full well more trouble (and prevent anyone from
the carnage that would result. The retrieving the druids' potions). Wistil and the Wilderness
other villagers viewed the situation The drake is a practiced thief, adept
with no less urgency, unaware of the at making things difficult for those
For every six hours the party spends in

wooddrake’s wish to foster more chaos. around it. The wooddrake does not like the wilderness, the DMshould roll for a
They did not, however, wish to endanger combat and surrenders immediately if random encounter. There is a l-in-6
any more halfling lives. When it was cornered and attacked. Like most good chance of an encounter occurring;
consult the “Random Wilderness En-
proposed that the village hire a band of pranksters, the wooddrake likes to take
professionals to locate and penetrate the counters” table if a 1 is rolled. Random
credit for its misdemeanors and eventu-
giant's lair, the wooddrake saw yet ally wants to be captured. What better
encounters should be nonlethal: the DM
is encouraged to modify encoimters that
another opportunity to increase chaos time to tell everyone that it's actually a
and confusion. freelance thief who was hired by a spite-
might prove too difficult for weak parties.

34 Issue No. 48
 ;

THEM APPLES

A. Village of Wistil. Roland Wickthicket. halfling ser-

geant: AC 5 (3 against large-sized crea-
Random Wilderness Kncounters
Nestled among
the grassy hills is the (Roll ld8)
tures); H3; hp 3 (12 at full); SA +2 to
village of Wistil, a halfling community attack rolls with missiles; Save H3; ML 1 Oil beetle: AC 4; HD 2; hp 8; MV
well known for its cozy hospitality and
10 (8 if Gneegin is slain); S 13, 1 9, W 10, 120'(40'>; #AT 1 bite plus special; Dmg
its wondrous apple orchards. The vil-
D 13, C 11, Ch 12; other stats and equip- ld6 plus special; SA
oil spray; Save K1

lage proper is nothing more than a ment same as Gneegin. ML 8; INT 0; AL

N; SZ M; XP 25; RC/160.
collection of burrows with small doors, This black beetle burrows up from the
Roland sustained damage from the
hand-woven welcome mats, and brick earth and squirts its blistering oil at one
hill giant and greatly appreciates any
of the PCs. (Victim attacks at -2 until a
chimneys. The orchards, with their healing the PCs offer. cure liflht wounds spell is ca.st or 24 hours
perfect rows of apple trees, stretch Halfling militia (61: AC 6 against
(4 have passed.)
across the hillsides and valleys as far large creatures); H2; hp 8 each; Save 2. GnoILs l-6i: AC 5; HD 2; hp 11 each;
'

as the eye can see. Several stout folk H2; ML 10 (8 if Gneegin is slain); other MV 90'(30'); #AT 1 Dmg by weapon tvpe
;

can be seen in the orchards, carefully statssame as Gneegin; leather armor, t 1; Save F2; ML 8; INT 7; AL C; SZ L;
tending the earth and trees with vari- small wooden shield, short sword, dag- XP 20; RC/T80; spear, 2dl0 cp each. These
ous implements. hunters are taking a slain deer back to
ger, sling (20 stones).
They attack only if
their lair in the hills.
Normal halflings (67): HD 1 - 1; hp 4 they outnumber the PCs; otherwise, they
The village consists of 10 burrows, one (adults), 3 (adolescents), 2 (children);
steer clear.
per family (the typical halfling family Save HI; ML 8; other stats same as 3. Harpy. AC 7; HD 3; hp 13; MV
consists of ld6 +4 individuals, plus guests Gneegin; typically unarmed (25% carry 60'(20'l, fly 150'(50 I.AT 2 clawaT weap-
);

and boarders). Most of the halflings, in- daggers or knives). on plus special; Dmg Id4/Id4/Td6; SA
cluding the children, spend their days singing charm; Save F6; ML 7; INT 7; AL
tending the orchards. Only the house- B. Statues in the Gully. C; SZ M; XP 50; RC/182. The harpy has a
wives and village elders remain near the nest somewhere in the hills. She attacks
burrows. At night, most of the halflings A shallow stream flows along the with her claws and a wooden club.
bottom of a rocky ravine ahead of you. 4. Hobgoblins (2-8): AC 6; HD 1 + 1; hp
retire to their homes (except ld4 + 1 mem-
A few shade trees grow along the top 6 each; MV 90'(30’i; #AT 1; Dmg by weap-
bers of the village militia assigned to
on type; Save FI; ML 8; INT 10; AL C; SZ
guard the orchards against the depreda- of the gully, and several rocky outcrop-
I M; XP 15; RC/185; long sword, short bow,
tions of wild dogs, raccoons, and other pings can be seen in the area, but your
I
six arrows, 2-8 sp. There's a 30% chance
mischievous animals). attention is immediately drawn to the I
that these hobgoblins are re.sting among a
The Sheriff of Wistil is a rotund, forth- dozen or more statues in the vicinity. cluster of boulders and arc not immedi-
right halfling named Gneegin Furfoot. Some of the statues are humanoid; ately visible. These hunters attack the
Gneegin’s job is to protect Wistil’s fami- others are carved in the likenesses of PCs on sight.
lies and orchards, in that order. He wild animals. 5. Robber flies (1-6): AC 6; HD 2; hp 7
commands the village guard, currently each; MV 90'(30’l, fly 180' (60 ); #AT 1

composed of seven male halflings in- The statues are notcarved; they are
bite;Dmg ld8; Save FI; ML 8; INT 0; AL
N; SZ S; XP 20; RC/202. These devious
cluding Roland, his sergeant. Gneegin people and animals turned to stone by a
insects are hiding in the shady boughs of
deeply regrets not sending a full militia pair of cockatrices that once laired here. a They descend and attack the party
tree.
escort with the halflings to Gelwen The cockatrices have since departed, when the PCs come within 10'.
Grove, but he feared further attempts to leaving behind 13 statues: four humans, 6. Stirges (1-4): AC 7; HD 1; hp 4 each;
poison the orchards and wanted his two hobgoblins, two halflings, one MV 30 (10'), fly 180'(60'); #AT 1; Dmg
militia close by. dwarf, and the rest animals (a deer, two ld3; SA
blood drain, -t2 to attack rolls on
If the PCs ask to see the poisoned wolves, and a mule). There is no trea- initial attack; Save F2; 9; INT 1; AL ML
trees for themselves. Sheriff Gneegin is sure to be found around the statues. N; SZ S; XP 13; RC/208. These ravenous
hunters attack the PCs on sight. These
more than happy to lead them into the This is where the halflings encoun-
stirges are black and resemble ravens
orchard where the six ailing trees are tered the giant. PCs searching the area
from a distance.
located. Unfortunately, only a druid have a l-in-6 chance of Finding 1-2 j>ol- 7. Thoul: AC 6; HD 3; hp 16; MV
possesses the knowledge to fashion an ished sling stones belonging to the half- 120'(40'l; #AT 2 claws or 1 weapon; Drag
antidote for the poison. (In the D&D ling Roland. The giant is nowhere to be Id3/ld3 or by weapon type; SA touch
system, a druid is a specialized cleric of found, but PCs with tracking skills may- causes paralysis; SD regenerates 1 hp
94h level or higher.) attempt to follow the giant’s footprints round; Save F3; ML 10; INT 6; AL C; SZ
Gneegin Furfoot, halfling sheriff: AC to area F. A skill check is required each M; XP 65; RC/209; long sword. There's a
7 (5 against large creatures); H4; hp 18; hour to locate and continue to follow the 50% chance that this vile creature is
MV 90'(30'); #AT 1 weapon; Dmg by hill giant’s trail.
accompanied by 1-6 hobgoblins. (See #4.)
The thoul has orders from a distant hob-
weapon type; SA + 1 to attack rolls with
goblin chief to kidnap some worthy slaves
missiles, +1 initiative bonus; Save H4; C. Thistlewood. and bring them back to the hobgoblin lair.
ML 10; AL L; SZ S; S 12, 1 11, W 12, D 8. Wolves (2-8): AC 7: HD 2 -t2; hp 9
C Ch You have entered a dense forest of
12, 13, 14;RC/182; leather armor, each; MV 180'(60'l; #.AT 1 bite; Dmg ld6;
small wooden shield (usually kept in mixed deciduous trees. The woods Save FI; ML 8 (6 if half are slain); INT 2;
biuTow), short sword, sling (30 stones), are teeming with all manner of wild- AL N: SZ M; XP 25;
RC/212. These ma-
dragon-shaped flask (found in the orchard: life, from small game to annoying rauders will not attack unless they out-
this container once held the poison). clouds of insects. 'The trees create a ,

I
number the PC party.

DUNGEON 35
THEM APPLES

D. Gelwen Grove. Any aligned creature that enters the

thick canopy overhead, allowing only clearing is surrounded by a faint aura
thin ribbons of light to slip through. Through the trees, you spot a strange (illuminates a 5' radius). Lawful creatures
Several paths can be seen wending circular clearing about 20 yards radiate a blue aura. Neutral creatures a
their way through the forest. ahead of you. As you draw closer to white aura, and Chaotic creatxues a green
the site, you notice the clearing is aura. The druids use these auras to deter-
The druids ofGelwen Grove are respwn- covered with grass of an even height. mine a trespasser’s likely behavior. All
sible for safeguarding these woods. They The tall trees that surround the 90'- common forest denizens (including in-
do not object to periodic hunting or care- wide clearing form a dome-shaped sects) remain outside the ring unless the
fully tended campfires, but they react ceiling of leaves overhead. The clear- druids deem otherwise.
strongly to trespassers who deliberately ing’s perimeter is marked with a Whenthe coven of druids finally as-
or recklessly endanger the local fauna series of wooden stakes jutting out of sembles, the leader, Lief, asks the party
and flora. Adventurers who hack down the earth. The 4'-high stakes are its reason for coming. If the PCs claim
trees or set parts of the forest ablaze will wrapped in ivy and tied off with to need more antidote for Wistil’s sick
be visited by an incensed coven member. sprigs of mistletoe. Nothing seems to trees. Lief flatly declines to provide it
(See area D for statistics.) The druid de- occupy the clearing at this time. for them. The ever-neutral druids have
mands the party’s immediate departure; already performed a helpful service to
if the PCs incite a confrontation, the This is where Thistlewood’s druidic the halfling village and are not bound
druid will retaliate, seeking aid from coven meets. If the PCs enter the clear- by ethics or morals to provide continued
other coven members or nearby forest ing, the druids arrive in 1-4 rounds, assistance. If the PCs reveal that the
denizens (such as a treant). having been alerted by the nearby wild- first batch of potions was stolen by a
Anyone capable of communicating life to the presence of trespassers. Each giant. Lief simply shakes his head and
with the native wildlife can easily obain of the six druids in the coven lives in a gives the PCs rough directions to the
directions to Gelwen Grove, the home of small hovel or cabin deeper in the giant’s lair. The druids know very little
the druids. It’s possible that the PCs woods. These NPCs are far too powerful about the giant except that he used to
may try to acquire more antidote from for the party to defeat. They are very hunt in the woods (until the druids
the druids rather than steal back the wise and always prepare their defensive drove him out). He got his revenge by
flasks taken by the giant. spells prior to meeting strangers. building his home out of logs from the
'The ring of ivy-wrapped stakes radiates druid’s woods, so the druids don’t mind
as magical if a detect magic spell is cast. sending trouble his way.

The Wooddrake
The wooddrake has been in Wistil for and a wry gi-in.
hair, piercing gi-een eyes, tation for apple growing. The wood-
several weeks and boards with one of If the PCs take
notice of the wood- drake tells all sorts of convincing lies to
the smaller halfling families. ’Tb the drake prior to finding the giant’s lair, paint Yulin as a ruthless villain, when
other villagers, the wooddrake is known the wooddrake confronts the party as in truth he’s quite harmless.
by the name Happy Summers. Happy is either a skilled elf tracker or a curious The wooddrake tries to keep its poly-
a brazen little halfling with blond hair, halfling villager eager to help his cap- morphing ability .secret but may change
blond chin whiskers, and a mischievous tured friends. its shape to loosen bonds or reappear as

gleam in his dark, beady eyes. He usu- When the PCs finally arrive at the other NPCs. If the party continues to
ally walks around with a gi-een cloak hill giant’s lair, the wooddrake asks to attack it, the w(xxlclrake flees, changing
over his shoulders and sometimes wears join them. The creature does everything to its natm-al form and using its wings to
a wreath of twigs and thistles on his it can to instigate a confrontation be- get away if necessary. (Wooddrakes can-
head (not a popular custom in Wistil). tween the house’s occupants and the PC not remain airborne for long.) The drake
Even when disguised, the wooddrake party. For instance, the wooddrake reappears in 3d4 turns, pursued by 2d4
cannot resist playing pranks on others. might shout some lewd comment just as hobgoblin hunters whom it has purposely
These pranks are usually benign, the PCs attempt to quietly enter the annoyed and led toward the PCs’ location.
though its penchant for pickpocketing house. If the PCs are especially toler- See the Random Wilderness Encounters
can be irksome. The other halflings ant, the wooddrake might try some- table for hobgoblin statistics.
consider Happy a lively addition to thing blatant, like “accidentally” Wooddrake: AC 0 (6 in demihuman
their community; no one suspects him of tripping a heavily armored adventurer. form); HD 4; hp 22; MV 120'(40’), fly
poisoning the apple trees. (The sound of clattering armor would 30'(10'); #AT 2 claws/1 bite; Dmg ld2/
The wooddrake trails the party all the certainly attract someone’s attention.) Id2/ld8; SA thief abilities (as 5th-level
way from Wistil to Brufnu’s house, The DM is encouraged to be as insidious thief); SD immune to first- to fourth-
hoping to foil their plans at some point. and troublesome as possible when play- level spells, polymorph at will (elf and
At first, the drake tries to remain de- ing this chaotic creature. halfling forms only); Save M8; ML 8;
tached from the PCs, using its keen If attacked, the polymorphed wooddi-ake INT 10; AL C; SZ M; XP 225; RC/173.
senses to follow the party’s tracks. Once quickly surrenders. If tlu'eatened or inter- The wooddrake carries no weapons
outside the village, it can polymorph rogated. the wooddi'ake admits to poison- and cannot fly in demihuman form. A
itself into an keep up. In
elf to better ing the orchard and claims that it was protection from evil spell will keep the
this form, the wooddrake appears as a given a poison flask by Yulin Nell with wooddrake at bay.
slim male elf named Keth, with blond the pm-pose of ruining Wistil’s good repu-

36 Issue No. 48
 THEM APPLES

If the PCs are foolish enough to attack

the coven, the druids reply with clubs Wistil and the Wilderness
and spells. The druids can also call on a
resident treant to lend assistance.
AC 6; D12; hp 45; MV 120'(40');
Lief:
#AT Dmg by spell or weapon type;
1;
Save D12; ML 11; AL N; S 9, 1 13, W 18,
D 15, C 13, Ch 14; leather armor, club.
Spells: cure light wounds, detect dan-
predict weather; heat metal,
ger, locate,
hold person, obscure, warp wood; growth
of animal, hold animal, protection from
poison, striking; control temperature 10'
radius, plant door, summon animals;
insect plague, truesight; cureall.
Druids (5): AC 7; Dll (Rosethorn),
DIO (Erthmor and Ivy), D9 (Elwood and
Acacia); hp 40, 33, 32, 29, 23; Save D9-
11; W 17; XP 2,700, 2,500 ( x 2), 2,300
( X 2); other stats similar to Lief.
Spells: cure light wounds, detect dan-
ger, locate, predict weather*; hold per-
son, resist fire*, snake charm, warp
wood; growth of animal, protection from
poison, striking; speak with plants,
sticks to snakes**, summon animals;
insect plague*, pass plant**. Only
Rosethorn, Erthmor, and Ivy can cast
spells with one asterisk. Rosethorn is
the only druid who can cast spells
marked with two asterisks.
Treant: AC 2; HD 8; hp 36; MV
60'(20'); #AT 2 branches; Dmg 2d6/2d6;
SA animate trees; SD blunt weapons
inflict 1 (plus magic and
hp only
Strength bonuses); Save F8; 9(11 ML
when defending druids); INT 11; AL L;
SZ L; RC/209.

E. Hill Giant’s Hovel.

Built atop an otherwise desolate hill is

a large but primitive dome made of
rocks and boulders mortared together.
The hemispherical building has one
apparent entrance, a 12'-high open
portal. Smoke belches forth from a
smaller hole in the domed ceiling.
Meveg is trying to be a good hostess for ticity and fortitude) in cherub-shaped
her admirer. She gets really irked when ceramic jars. Other furnishings in the
This remote site is where Brufnu the
hill giant spends most of this adven-
human and demihuman vermin enter hovel include an 8'-diameter fire pit
her lair, and she beats them with her with an iron spit; primitive cooking
ture. This hovel is not his home, how-
huge wooden spoon until they leave. implements; and a basket of wild let-
ever. A female hill giant named
Meveg dwells here. Her mate, Joll, Any intruders who dare remain are tuce, beets and carrots.
clubbed senseless and then discarded If the PCs are foolish enough to try to
was slain by adventurers years ago, so
outside like garbage. If Brufnu is search the hovel, use Brufnu’s and
Meveg lives alone. Brufnu desperately
present, he will assist. Meveg’s statistics as provided on page 43.
wants to win Meveg’s affections. His
Meveg’s hovel is 40' in diameter and
reasons for courting the ugly widow-
25' high. A large pile of dusty furs F. Nearing the House.
giantess are given in “The House on
serves as the giantess’s bed. Under the
the Hill” section. Atop a distant hill, you see a large
furs is a 5' X 3' X 2' wooden trunk con-
Meveg is roasting an ore for Brufnu. building with smoke issuing from its
taining 2,052 cp, 1,322 sp, 258 gp, three
Although she follows a vegetarian diet. tall chimneys. A footpath edged with
gems (50 gp each), and two potions (elas-

DUNGEON 37
THEM APPLES

climb up and down the chimneys with- from reverting to his savage ways. 'They
pretty white stones starts here and out the aid of ropes, grapples, or other are spitting images of their mother,
meanders up the hillside to the mam- apparatus if he makes a successful similar to Uthag in many ways except
moth building ahead of you. Climb Walls check. one. Neither Reynid nor Veiga can cook.
The walls of Brufnu’s house are made Although they have tried desperately to
The pretty white stones that decorate of solid 2'-thick wood logs. Scaling the please their father using Uthag’s old
the path to Brufnu’s house were placed outside walls of the house requires recipes, their meals always taste like
there by Reynid and Veiga, Brufnu’s thieving skills or climbing equipment. dirt. After several bouts of indigestion,
twin daughters. The height of the house (not including Brufnu decided it was time to pursue
the gently sloped, slate-tiled roof) is 20'. another mate. Meveg, a recently wid-
G. Brufnu’s House. Moving across the weatherworn roof owed giantess, seemed an ideal choice.

This immense house is obviously

tiles requires a Dexterity check at +2. Had Brufnu not been “domesticated,”
Anyone falling off the roof and hitting he would have taken his heavy club,
proportioned for a giant, although
the ground (the result of a failed Dexter- clobbered Meveg on the head, and
it’s certainly large enough to house
ity check) suffers 2d6 hp damage. dragged the unconscious giantess back
more than one. The building has no
Innovative PCs can enter the house by to the house to become his mate. How-
apparent windows and is made of
digging a tunnel under the log walls. ever, Brufnu was too civilized for such
horizontal wooden logs expertly
The ground upon which the house sits is behavior. Over the last several months,
plastered together. The path of white
rocky and hard. Digging a narrow, one- he’s been trying to woo Meveg into
stones ends in front of a 14 '-high
person tunnel to the building’s interior becoming his wife (and he’s been getting
iron-bound wooden door set into one
requires a minimum of nine hours of a few decent meals in the process).
corner of the house. The door handle
work for one person. Only three PCs can Having been married once herself,
is 7' off the ground. Except for the
work on the tunnel at one time. (Hence, Meveg understood what marriage
house and a few patches of wild
three people can excavate a narrow meant to most female giants: virtual
grass, the hilltop is bare.
tunnel in three hours.) slavery. Naturally, she had many reser-
vations. Despite her aloofness, however,
One hour after the party arrives at
The House on the Hill she became enamored with Brufnu’s
the giant’s house, Brufnu leaves area E
gentle manner. (Her previous mate was
and makes his way home. For reasons Most hillgiants are brutish, stupid,
intolerably primitive.) Swayed by Bruf-
described in “The House on the Hill,’’ uncivilized barbarians. Brufnu, how-
nu’s ardent courtship, Meveg decided
Brufnu is joined by the giantess Meveg. ever, is an exception. Although he’s
she would consider his proposal.
Ordinarily, it would take Brufnu no huge and ugly, he’s not as crude, unre-
In truth, Brufnu doesn’t love Meveg at
more than two hours to make the return fined, or ill-tempered as one might ex-
all. In fact, he finds Meveg rather slow-
trip home. However, he’s just gorged pect. He understands the meaning of
witted and dull, not to mention repulsive.
himself on roasted ore and has been words like courtesy, diplomacy, and
She is, however, an excellent cook. Al-
conscripted to lug Meveg’s hefty trea- restraint.
though she is not desperate for a mate,
sure trunk. As a result, the return time Brufnu wasn’t born this way; Uthag,
Meveg has agreed to accompany Brufnu
is lengthened by one hour. Hence, the his mate of 13 years, worked very hard
to hishouse for an extended visit. She is
PCs have only four hours to rescue the to domesticate him, transforming Bruf-
looking forward to getting to know Bruf-
halflings and obtain the druids’ potions nu into a veritable “model of decency.”
nu and his family better, but all Brufnu is
before the two adult giants arrive. Brufnu worshiped Uthag and built his
looking forward to is Meveg’s cooking,
Brufnu, a naturally gifted carpenter, hilltop house to her exact specifications.
particularly Halfling a la Meveg, one of
built this large house for himself and Unfortunately, as it often happens,
Brufhu’s favorite dishes.
his family years ago. He’s very proud of Uthag left Brufnu two years ago for
his achievement and considers himself another hill giant. (Barbarism does
The Halflings
far smarter than the average hill giant have its appeal, after all.) Left behind
(as indeed he is). The front door is not were the house, the laundry, and two Brufnu was out hunting when he stum-
locked. Like all doors in the house, daughters named Reynid and Veiga. bled on the halflings of Wistil. Despite
however, it requires an Open Doors roll For his daughters’ sake, Brufnu tried his initial inclination to leave the half-
to open (PCs with exceptional Strength very hard to retain his domestic life- lings alone, the malnourished Brufnu
get a bonus to this roll). Normally, a style. He endeavored to stay clean, for finally decided to seize them. (Uthag’s
door can be opened on a roll of 5 or 6 (on one thing. While the other hill giants lessons in civility and compassion were
ld6). All doors are made of 1 '-thick, 14'- engaged in bloody raids, Brufnu limited no match for Brufnu’s grumbling stom-
high solid oak. himself to big-game hunting. Yes, he ach.) The five captured halflings have
PCs can also enter Brufnu’s house by raided the occasional merchant cara- been confined to the kitchen (area 7)
climbing down the chimneys into areas van, but only when he needed more ale pending Brufnu’s return with Meveg.
3, 4, 6, or 7. Those of human size or or other supplies. Nevertheless, getting
smaller can be lowered down the chim- by without Uthag heis proven quite The Druids’ Flasks
neys without getting stuck. However, difficult, and Brufnu is slowly becoming
'The six wooden flasks containing the
all the chimneys except the one leading more inclined to let old habits resurface.
druids’ antidote have been placed on a
to Brufnu’s bedroom (area 4) have fires Only Brufnu’s ogre-sized daughters
shelf in Brufnu’s bedroom (area 4). 'The
burning at the bottom. A thief can (15-year-old twins) prevent their father
halflings were gracious enough to

38 Issue No. 48
 THEM APPLES

divulge the contents of the flasks, giv-

ing Brufnu no excuse to taste them. PCs Brufnu’s House
who try to retrieve the flasks will un-
doubtedly have to deal with Kitty, Rey-
nid and Veiga’s pet pussy cat (actually a
Area G
large mountain lion). Kitty usually 1 square = 5'
sleeps in Brufnu’s bedchamber.

The House Interior

Brufnu’s house has no windows, render-

ing its chambers pitch black without
illumination. Fortunately, several torch
holders have been carved into the walls,
12' above the floor. Some of the torches
are lit. (See text and map.) The entire
house is filled with the odor of torch
smoke, and rooms containing lit torches
tend to be rather hazy (although not
hazy enough to impair vision).
Everything in Brufnu’s house is tailored
to the giant's size. Brufnu stands 12' tall,
twice the height of an average human
male. Hence, most of the house’s furnish-
ings (with some notable exceptions, like
the bearskin rugs) are at least twice the
"normal” size (double the height, width,
etc.). Some items found inside the house

(ale bsurels and treasure chests, for exam-

ple) were stolen from human or demi-
human merchant caravans and are sized
appropriately.
Most of the rooms have shelves neatly
carved into the walls. These shelves,
like the torch holders, are 12' above the
floor. The ceiling rafters are 20' above
the floor. The floor itself is dirt covered
with uneven slate tiles (that can easily
be pried out or lifted away).

The Color Map

Included with this adventure is a full-
color map of Brufnu’s house. The map is
meant to be used in conjunction with
D&D miniatures or paper cut-outs. With
the map laid out flat, cover each room of
the house with a piece of paper cut to the
proper size. As the PCs peer into or enter
If the PCs are joined by the wooddrake, remark down each of the chimneys.
each room, remove the appropriate piece
their intrusion will probably be detected. (“Hey, you stupid giants! There’s in-
of paper. Natiu’tilly, anyone without a
The wooddrake is not afraid to enter the truders in yer house!’’)
light source or infravision should not be
house. Once it does something to attract
allowed to see a room’s interior unless the
the giants’ attention (“Hmm, what does 1. Entrance Hall.
chamber is lit.
this do?’’— CRASH!— “Ooops.”), the wood-
drake will either hide, flee, or revert to its Beyond the giant-sized door lies a
Inside Brufnu’s House true form and seek refuge in the rafters. smoky L-shaped hall. The floor is
If the PCs refuse to allow the troublesome tiled with flat chunks of slate, the
Tb free the halflings and retrieve the
druidic potions, the PCs must overcome creature inside Brufnu’s house, the wood- wooden walls are bsu'e, and the area
is illuminated by three large torches
or outsmart Reynid and Veiga. Al- drake has other clever methods of wreak-
though the young giantesses are adoles- ing havoc. It might wait until all the PCs placed along the southern wall, 12'
cents, they are not afraid of strangers have entered the building before revert- off the floor. An opening in the west-

and are brutal toward intruders. ing to its true form, flying up to the roof, ern wall is blocked by a heavy cur-
and shouting some playfully dangerous tain of sewn animal hides.

DUNGEON 39
 )

THEM APPLES

Beyond the western curtain is Bruf- Any audible noise in this chamber 4. Brufnu’s Bedroom. PCs without
nu’s cloakroom (area 2). Heavy wood (including normal speaking voices and infravision require a light source to see
doors lead to the giant’s trophy room clanking armor) has a 40% chance of the contents of this chamber.
(area 3) and bedroom (area 4). See area attracting Kitty’s attention. (See area
This huge, unlit bedchamber contains
G for details on interior doors.
2. 4.) If the wooddrake is present, it makes
several items of interest. The only piece
The torches that illuminate this hall enough noise on its pwn to alert the
giants’ pet. (The wooddrake then hides of furniture is a monstrous bed of chis-
will continue to bxirn for two hours
elled stone nearly 15' long and at least
before they must be replaced. (Extra or retreats.) The mountain lion enters
10' wide, heaped with layers of animal
torches are stored in area 5.) through the curtain in the west wall
and attacks any intruders she sees. The skins emd fiirs. Carved into the wall
lion’s roar, not to mention the sound of
above the bed is a long shelf cluttered
Cloakroom. PCs without infra-
vision will require a light source to see battle, is 75% likely to attract Reynid’s with mugs and other containers. Four
attention (area 7). Reynid alerts her unlit torches sit in holders on the north
the contents of this chamber.
sister in area 6 before investigating the
and west walls. A bearskin rug lies on
The curtain conceals an unlit chamber disturbance. the floor between the bed and the fire-
filled with a variety of odors, most of The mounted animal heads are some of place. A pile of animal skins is heaped
them attributable to torch smoke or Brufhu’s trophies. Starting with the north in disarray on the floor at the foot of the
unwashed clothing. Three large iron wall and moving clockwise, the animals bed. Near this pile there is a large (7'-
hooks are nailed to the north wall 12' long, 5 '-high) wooden trunk. Against
are: moimtain lion, moose, ogre, bugbear,
off the floor. Hanging from one of these mountain goat, giant lizard, thoul, stag the north wall are four normal-sized
hooks is a large huntsman’s cloak made and grizzly bear. There is nothing imusu-
trunks of various design. Curtains sewn
of goat hide. Fastened to the south wall al about the heads. from animal skins cover the exits in the
at a height of only 9' are three more The bearskins are in poor condition north and east walls.
3.
hooks, with a smaller cloak made of and cannot be sold. The items on the
wolf fur hanging from the nearest one. shelves are more of Brufnu’s trophies. the adventurers haven’t roused
If
At the far end of the room are two pairs Various skulls (belonging to humanoids Kitty, themountain lion is sleeping
of deerskin boots designed for larger- and demihumans) sit beside animal atop the heap of skins at the foot of
than-man-sized individuals. teeth and antlers. Several items were Brufnu’s bed. PCs who enter this room
taken from terrified merchants: a small without first rendering themselves
The huntsman’s cloak (belonging to ebony centaur statuette (worth 2 gp); a silent or invisible have an 80% chance
Brufnu) reeks of blood and sweat. The silver-studded leather gauntlet (worth of waking the lion. (Kitty’s a light
smaller wolf-fur cloak is used by Rey- 10 gp); a dagger with a 75-gp gem set in sleeper.) If the wooddrake is present,
nid and Veiga. The boots belong to the its pommel; an electrum-plated tinder- it deliberately does something to
ogre-sized sisters as well. An unlit box (worth 25 gp); a 1' x 1' x 1' wooden awaken the lion: coughing, scuffing
torch juts out of the east wall near the box with a protruding crank and a its feet, ordropping something. Any
entrance. There is nothing else of spring-loaded puppet stuffed inside loud noises in this area have a 75%
value or interest here. (worth 35 gp to an interested buyer); chance of alerting Reynid in area 7.
and a 3" -diameter glass orb that After Reynid warns Veiga in area 6,
Trophy Room. changes color at the holder’s whim and they both come to investigate.
explodes for 2d6 hp damage if shattered The 7' X 31/2 X 5' trunk near Kitty’s
'

A large fire crackles in the hearth of (10' blast radius; save vs. death ray for bed is locked, and Brufnu carries the
this huge chamber. Other than the only key (around his neck). Thieves
half damage). The magical orb is worth
fire, there are no lights, although attempting to pick the lock receive a
100 gp intact.
two unlit torches jut out of the east + 10% bonus. (The mechanism is quite
Brufnu’s five-gallon ale mug (worth 2
wall. Your attention is immediately simple.) Inside are six wolf furs (worth
drawn to the various animal heads gp) is empty. The barrel next to the
fireplace holds six large spears (usable 10 gp each). Beneath the furs are sev-
mounted on wooden plaques on the eral of Brufnu’s more valuable acquisi-
by giant-sized beings only) and four
walls, 12'-15' above the floor. Two tions: a medium-sized shield +1, a leirge
human-sized spears. One of these is a
large bearskins lie on the floor under sack of 566 gp, another large sack hold-
spear + taken from a slain caravan
a pair of cluttered, I'-deep shelves ing 15 chunks of purple quartz (worth
gUEird. 'The net hanging on the wall is
carved into the thick log walls. Care- 10 gp per chunk), a silver-horned hel-
the same one Brufnu used to snare the
fully cut logs have been stacked next met
halflings and is weighted with 16 fist- (45 gp), and two solid silver dryad
to the southern door, and two cracked statuettes (worth 70 gp each).
sized rocks. (It weighs 250 lbs.) When
stone chairs of huge size and an 'The smaller wooden trunks are un-
used by a giant, this 16' x 16' net can be
equally giant table occupy the mid- locked and weigh 40-50 lbs. each. 'Trunk
thrown up to 60' away, ensnaring 1-3
dle of the chamber. A large ale stein #1 holds 2,195 cp; trunk #2 contains
human-sized targets or double the num-
of beaten copper sits atop the table. 1,486 sp; trunk #3 holds 1,113 ep; and
ber of smaller-sized creatures. 'Treat all
Between the fireplace and a curtain- trunk #4 contains 45 pieces of fake
covered doorway, a barrel of large
targets as AC 9, then apply Dexterity
modifiers. Victims are entitled to a jewelry (worth 1-4 gp each).
spears stands in front of a heavy rope Brufnu’s bed is 5' high and made of
saving throw vs. death ray at - 3 to
net that hangs on the wall. several poorly fitted blocks of solid
escape the net.
stone. The 12' high shelf above the bed

40 Issue No. 48
 middle shelves (6'-10' above the floor):
holds Brufnu’s collection of ale mugs (15
humans; none of them
Two curtains made of sewn animal three sacks of grain; two sacks of flour;
in all, sized for
skins cover the exits of this dark 32 clay pots containing herbs, grasses,
are particularly valuable). Also on the
storage room. In the corner between garlic, and other seasonings (some mild-
shelf are the six wooden flasks contain-
the two curtained doorways rests a ly poisonous); two heavy clay jugs (emp-
ing the druidic antidote to the poison
pair of normal-sized wooden barrels. ty); and three kegs of potent-smelling
affecting Wistil’s apple trees. Each flask
Jutting out of the wall to the west of apple cider.
is plugged with a cork, and all are quite
the barrelsis an unlit torch. The Finally, here are the items stored on
durable. The flasks are tied together
remainder of the wall space is taken the highest shelves dl'-15' above the
with a 5' length of rope. (The rope is
up by 15'-high wooden shelves loaded floor): two normal-sized flasks of oil
tied in a knot around the neck of each
with common supplies and foodstuffs. (both half-full), 15 large torches, a giant-
flask.) Human-sized characters can
Needless to say, various aromas— sized mallet with an iron head, three
barely reach the shelf by standing on
both pleasant and unpleasant— fill human-sized long swords, and a sack of
the bed. The PCs receive experience
this chamber. 20 iron spikes.
points for recovering these potions in-
tact. (See “Concluding the Adventure.”) The two barrels sitting on the floor
Kitty, mountain lion: AC 6; HD 3+2; If Reynid has not been alerted to in- contain ale. Brufnu acquired them from
hp 24; MV 150'(50'); It AT 2 claws/1 bite; truders, thePCs can hear her cleaning a generous merchant whom he encoun-
Dmg Id3/ld3/ld6; Save F2; ML 9 (in up the kitchen (area 7). She has a 75% tered during a hunting expedition.
lair); INT 2; N; SZ M; XP 50 or spe-
AL chance of hearing any loud noises inside
cial (see “Concluding the Adventure”);
the storeroom. If she suspects intruders, 6. Daughters’ Bedroom. If alerted to
RC/163. Reynid fetches her sister and they both intruders, Veiga is hiding behind the
If Kitty fails a morale check, she im-
explore the room. chamber door, hoping to surprise any
TTie following items are stored on the PCs who enter without an invitation.
mediately withdraws to the kitchen
(area 7).
lowest shelves (l'-5' above the floor): three
10' X 12' wool blankets, three normal- Opening the door reveals a spacious
sized lemtems (without oil), a 2'-square chamber containing two lO'-long
firelit
5. Storage Room. PCs without infra-
wooden box containing 175 nails, six wooden beds covered with animal
vision will need a light source to see the
large sacks (empty and folded), and three skins and furs. The beds flank a lai'ge
contents of this room.
pairs of giant-sized leather boots. blazing hearth. Thanks to the fireplace
The following items are kept on the

DUNGEON 41
 .

THEM APPLES

Veiga has the same red hair and toothy trapped inside the barred storage area
and the single burning torch set into
grin eis her sister, but she is more even- beneath the western work table. If they
the north wall, this chamber is un-
tempered and contemplative than Reynid. hear intruders, the halflings pound on
pleasantly warm and smoky.
Nevertheless, she doesn’t like humans the doors, alerting the PCs to their
Shelves have been carved into the
and demihumans, and will crush them whereabouts. The halflings are very
wall above each bed, and stacked on
like she would a pesky spider. grateful to any PC who releases them,
these shelves are a number of odd
items. Other furnishings include a
and they show their gratitude by leav-
7. Kitchen. If Reynid has not been ing the house as fast as their little feet
large table, a proportionately sized
warned of intruders, PCs listening at can take them. They are not skilled
chair, and twin wooden trunks with
the door have a l-in-6 chance of hearing fighters, although they will defend
the letters “V” and “E” (one initial per
the young giantess as she hurriedly themselves if cornered.
chest) etched into their sides and front.
tidies up the kitchen (before her father The work table positioned next to the
returns with Meveg). Thieves may use hearth holds a variety of iron and clay
Unless she is summoned by the thun- their Hear Noise ability instead. pots, numerous rags, and a wooden
derous voice of her sister, Veiga is sit-
ting on the southernmost bed with her
washtub (a 3' diameter bucket) with a
The air in the kitchen is stale,
slate scrubbing board.
legs outstretched, sewing a tunic out of smoky, and warm. Various unpleas-
strips of cowhide and using sheep’s wool
The shelves are cluttered with clay
ant cooking odors fill your nostrils as
jars of spices, mushrooms, herbs and
for thread. If the PCs confront her in you survey the room’s contents. The
various natural preservatives. The
this room, she either fights with the room is lit hy three torches and a
kitchen is filled with utensils that can
torch (ld6 +2 hp damage, plus ld6 hp dwindling fire in the hearth. Occupy-
be used as makeshift weapons. The
fire damage each round) or punches ing the middle of the room is a high
barrel lying in the southeast corner has
them with her fist (ld6 +2 hp damage). table with three large chairs (one
a primitive wooden spigot sticking out
She would prefer to arm herself with a slightly bigger than the other two). A
of it; the barrel holds cheap ale (10
blunt instrument taken from the fourth chair rests between two 7'-
gallons remaining).
kitchen. (A rolling pin would be her high work tables. One table has been
Reynid, young hill giantess: hp 25;
first choice, since it inflicts2d4 +2 hp cleaned off, but the other is cluttered
other stats identical to Veiga in area 6.
damage.) with dirty dishes. Each work table
Reynid inherited her mother’s flame-red
Like her sister, Veiga is waiting for has storage space below, closed off
hair and morbid sense of humor. Her
the return of her father. She just fin- with a pair of large wooden doors. A
ished tidying up her room, as well as
narrow build, toothy smile, and inso-
broomstick has been shoved through
lence come from her father.
her father’s bedroom and trophy room, the iron door handles of the doors
'Terry, Tod, Erol, Valerie, and
in anticipation of Meveg’s arrival. below the northwest table.
When not working around the house, Neatly carved into the walls are
Walter, halflings: AC 7; HD
1 - 1; hp 5,

Veiga dreams about long, romantic four long shelves lined with jars,
4 ( X 2), 3, 2; MV 90'(30'); #AT 1; Dmg by
weapon type; SA + 1 to attack rolls with
liaisons with young male hill giants. dishes, and common kitchen utensils.
missiles; SD + 1 initiative modifier;
The shelves above the girls’ beds are A 4 '-deep barrel sits on its side in the Save HI; ML 4 (8 normally); INT 11; AL
stacked with dolls (many of them home- southeast corner.
made), small mirrors, bottles of perfume
L; SZ S; XP see “Concluding the Adven-
ture”; RC/182.
(obtained from merchant caravans by If she hasn’t been alerted, Reynid is
their father), and items of jewelry made standing on the northernmost chair,
from teeth and bone (worthless). A letrge The Bigger They Are . .

organizing the jars on the overhead

mistreated teddy bear lies slumped shelf. (Reynid stands 9' tall, and the The following text may be read or para-
under the furs of Reynid’s bed. shelves are 12' high.) PCs who have not phrased to the players when Brufnu and
Neither of the trunks (4V2' x 3' x 31/2') been detected can teike advantage of Meveg arrive (four hours after the PCs
is locked. Aside from the usual articles Reynid’s preoccupation. The young reach the house).
of primitive clothing, the trunks contain giantess is humming a mmsery rhyme
a few items of value. Inside Veiga’s to herself, although she periodically
The ground shudders underfoot as
trunk, the PCs can find a jewelled comb shouts some disparaging remark about
two huge giants come into view. The
(human-sized, worth 145 gp), an giants both stand about 12' tall, but
“young male giants” to her sister in
amethyst-studded silver tiara (Veiga area 7. ('The sisters have reached a very the female is much heavier. She
uses it as a bracelet, worth 450 gp), and studies the house carefully, like a
fickle age.)
a large sack of 593 sp. Reynid’s trunk concerned investor rather than a
If she detects the PCs, Reynid shouts
contains a small hourglass on a fine guest, trying to determine whether it
to her sister and seizes the nearest pot
electrum chain (worth 150 gp), a pouch suits her needs. The male giant is
or rolling pin (2d4 +2 hp damage). She
holding three cut garnets (worth 100 gp then attempts to club the PCs into sub- panting heavily. With one hand he
eaph), and a small sack of 180 ep. mission or drive them from the house. grasps the handle of a large and
Veiga, young hill giantess: AC 5; HD She will not negotiate for the halflings’ weighty trunk. In his other hand he
4 + 1; hp 24; MV 90'(30'); ^AT 1; Dmg by release. If Reynid fails her morale
holds a club. His round potbelly
weapon type +2; Save F4; ML 10; INT 6; check, she retreats to area 6 and barri- protrudes from the rest of his body,
AL C; SZ L; XP 125 or special (see “Con- cades the door. and his mouth is packed with yellow
cluding the Adventure’’); RC/198 (Ogre). teeth.
The five captured halflings are

42 Issue No. 48
 THEM APPLES

Brufnu, hill giant; AC 4; HD 8; hp 51; ence from the PCs or the wooddrake). If the PCs decide to visit Yulin Nell,
MV 120'(40'); #AT 1 weapon; Dmg 2d8 Brufnu, hunkered over and massaging a they find him at his home near Keswig,
(club); SA hurl boulders for 3d6 hp dam- swollen jaw, follows Meveg as far as the tending his meager orchard. Yulin is a
age; Save F8; ML
8 (10 if angered; see outside door before retiring to his bed- self-pitying middle-aged man with a
below); INT 9 (above average); AL C; SZ room to contemplate a means of redeem- sour outlook on life. He is not, however,
L; XP 650; RC/179; club, key to trunk ing himself. a threat to the party or the halfiings.
(area 4) worn around neck. While Brufnu rests, Reynid and Veiga He admits to giving an elf 20 gp to
Meveg, hill giantess; hp 40; ML
8; attempt to prepare Halfling Mignon for cause some trouble in Wistil, but he has
INT 7; other statistics as for Brufnu. their father’s dinner. Unless the PCs act yet to hear any news from the elf. (In
Unlike most giants, Meveg doesn’t quickly, the halfiings will be cooked fact, Yulin thinks he was cheated by the
like to throw bouldersand will not use (poorly seasoned and charred to a crisp) elf.) When asked to justify his behavior,

this form of attack. and devoured! Yulin claims he was drunk at the time.
If the PCs inflicted damage on Bruf- If the PCs intimidate him, Yulin prom-
nu’s daughters or their cat, Ihe giant Concluding the Adventure ises to leave the halfiings of Wistil
grabs his hunter’s net from area 3 and alone.
Once the PCs leave Brufnu’s house
tracks the party down. (He’s a skilled Yulin Nell, human; AC 9; HD 1—1;
(with or without the halfiings and anti-
huntsman and possesses tracking skill.) hp 5; MV 120'(40'); #AT 1; Dmg by
dote flasks), they must still contend
If Brufnu has not yet offended his weapon type; Save Normal Man; ML 6;
with the antagonistic wooddrake. the
would-be mate, Meveg remains at the
PCs recovered the druids’ potions, the
If
W
AL N; S 10, 1 9, 7, D 12, C 10, Ch 6;
house to protect Brufnu’s family from
wooddrake uses its thieving abilities to
XP 5; RC/197; knife.
further harm (at least until Brufnu Ifthe wooddrake survives this adven-
relieve the party of these items and hide
returns). PCs who are captured by Bruf- ture, it continues to cause trouble in the
them. If the PCs take suitable precau-
nu are clubbed to death. future. If necessary, it will use all its
tions, the wooddrake will simply leave.
If the PCs were careful not to harm guile and natural thieving skills to
It returns in 1-4 hours, having lured
Brufnu’s family, the giant will not pur- escape the party, only to return at a
wandering monsters in the party’s di-
sue them, nor does he consider the theft
rection (roll once on the Random Wil-
later time. The DM can use this chaotic
of his halfling captives or the druids’ creature as a frequent antagonist in an
derness Encounter table).
potions cause enough to instigate a ongoing campaign.
Whether or not the wooddrake is still
confrontation. If, however, the PCs
with the party, the DM should check for
made off with a sizable amount of Bruf- Awarding Experience
random encounters as the PCs make
nu’s treasure, the giant will track them
their way back to Wistil. (See “Wistil Players who rely entirely on swordplay
down and demand the return of his
and the Wilderness.”) the adventurers
If to complete this adventure are likely to
possessions. (He is civilized and tolerant
injured or killed members of Brufnu’s see their characters squashed like bugs.
to a degree.)
family, they may have to face the’ out- Brufnu and his clan are worthy oppo-
If Brufnu returns home to find the
raged hill giant. For the sake of game nents for mid-level PCs, let alone a
adventurers in his house, he commands
them to surrender their valuables and
balance, the DM
has the option of sav- whimpering bunch of lst-3rd level ones.
ing any encounter with Brufnu until The PCs are encouraged to be resource-
depart, assuming they haven’t ravaged
the PCs are better equipped to defend ful and should be rewarded for their
his home and harmed his family. “Valu-
ables” include the captured halfiings,
themselves (unless the DM
likes a good good ideas.
slaughterfest). Here are the suggested party
though Brufnu can be lulled into letting
PCs who return to Wistil with the experience-point awards for completing
the PCs keep the druids’ potions if the
halfiings and potions will be named story objectives;
adventurers behave cooperatively.
guests of honor at a great picnic feast. —Identifying the wooddrake as the
Once the PCs have been dealt with,
Brufnu turns his attention to Meveg.
An impromptu ceremony is later con- culprit responsible for poisoning the
ducted in the poisoned orchard. Six apple trees; 200 XP (only if the PCs
After introducing the giantess to his
village children are selected to pour the figure this out by themselves).
daughters (and showing off his many
flasks of antidote onto the roots of the —Each druidic potion recovered in-
hunting trophies), Brufnu escorts
sickly trees. The others watch as the tact; 100 XP.
Meveg into the kitchen. He points to the
trees slowly begin to regain their —Each halfling returned alive to
halfiings and says, “Now you cook deez
health. Within hours, the trees are Wistil; 150 XP.
for me!” Meveg, incensed by Brufnu’s
completely cured of their affliction. —Overcoming or subduing Reynid,
sheer gall, delivers a solid right hook to
If the wooddreike has been taken cap- Veiga, or Kitty without killing or criti-
his jaw and storms out of the house,
tive by the PCs, it confesses to poison- cally wounding them; double their XP
vowing never to return. The dazed Bruf-
nu casts off his civilized veneer and
ing the apple trees. The creature claims value. n
to work for Yulin Nell, a ruthless com-
retaliates by clobbering Meveg with his
petitor. The halfiings are too gentle and
club. Irked by Brufnu’s display of barba-
forgiving to retaliate against Yulin
rism, Meveg delivers a well-placed kick
themselves, but they wouldn’t mind if
that stops Brufnu in his tracks.
the PCs paid Yulin a visit and asked
With her treasure chest in tow, it
him (nicely) to stop poisoning their
takes the injured Meveg 3V2 hours to
orcheu'ds.
reach her hovel (barring any interfer-

DUNGEON 43
 Leonard and Ann are currently living
happily ever after in the mountains of
northwest Arkansas. Their idyllic life is
marred only by a relentless plague of
perverse inanimate objects that keep
falling apart just when they are most
needed.
This is Leonard's fifth and Ann’s first
appearance in DUNGEON* Adventures.

“Melody” is a short AD&D'*' adventure

for 4-6 player characters of 6th-8th level
(about 35 total levels) of no particular
race or class. The plot works best for a
group that tends toward good align-
ments, but any party may be drawn in
by the adventure hook.

For the Dungeon Master

Some years ago, a half-elven bard
named Varian found himself aboard a
merchant ship that ran afoul of a flock
of harpies. His talents salvaged what
might otherwise have been a doomed
expedition. In the aftermath of the
battle, while privately mourning the
fact that voices of such utter beauty
should be wasted as the lure of such foul
killers, Varian discovered an egg in the
harpy nest. On a whim, he took it with
him. So began the story of Melody.

MELODY Even before Melody hatched, Varian

had decided to make her upbringing his
life’s work. Though his elven blood
already gave him some natural resist-
ance to her song, he searched tirelessly
for magical talismans that would shore
BY LEONARD AND ANN WILSON up his willpower. By the time she start-
ed singing, he was ready, and her voice
him out of his senses.
rarely beguiled
Though Melody was a carnivore by
A voice to make bards nature, her urbane and kindly foster
father raised her to be a creature com-

weep pletely unlike her savage, filthy kin.

Melody was raised as a cultured young
lady who used her song only to enter-
tain. She even possessed physical beau-
ty to match her voice, transformed by a
spell Varian had learned just for her.
Artwork by Terry Oykstra The sculpt features spell (see sidebar)
turned Melody into a strikingly beauti-
ful creature who bore about as much
resemblance to other harpies as an elf
does to an ore. Her wings, legs, and tail
resemble those of a golden eagle, not a
vulture, and her upper body is that of a
very attractive elven woman with violet
eyes and long, silky, golden hair. Her
small fangs, visible whenever she
smiles broadly, are the only visible
remnant of her original nature. She

44 Issue No. 48
 MELODY

even lacks the usual harpy stench, handsome features to cause a scene over
though there is no magic involved in her strangeness. Sculpt Features (Alteration)
that. She simply bathes and indulges in No one who heard the duo perform 3rd-level wizard spell
a fondness for tastefully discreet per- would ever forget the indescribable, 3rd-level wizard spell
fumes, giving her a light floral scent. soul-stirring beauty of Melody’s voice. Range: Touch
Melody grew up believing that she Tragically, however, the tour came to an
was something called an eoshee (an abrupt end only a few months after it
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Permanent
Elvish word meaning “faerie nightin- began. Melody, Varian, and their retain- Casting Time: 5 rounds
gale”), a race that Varian invented to ers were ambushed on a lonely road by Area of Effect: Creature touched
satisfy his adopted daughter’s curiosity a band of ettins. All but Melody were Saving Throw: None
about herself. Melody was old enough to slain. Melody was captured and locked
remember her original homeliness be- away in the tower that the ettins had This cosmetic polymorph spell allows
fore Varian learned the sculpt features claimed as their home. She was spared the caster to physically alter the appear-
spell, but she thinks she was simply an for the sake of her beautiful voice, ance of any one creatine touched, in-
“ugly duckling.” Varian altered her which had attracted the ettins’ atten- cluding himself. He may not cause the
appearance very gradually with repeat- tion in the first place. subject to grow new appendages, gain |

ed applications of the spell over the Now Melody spends most of her new organs, lose old ones, or otherwise
course of several years, always casting waking hours singing, both because the alter its basic body structure. He is also
it on her as she lay sleeping. ettins demand it and because nothing unable to affect the subject’s basic mass.
Melody is not the only one who be- else can ease the pain of her father’s He is free, however, to rearrange it to a
lieves she is an eoshee. In preparation death. She has already inadvertently considerable extent. By doing so, he can
for the day he would introduce his foster lured more than a few travelers to their make the subject up to 10% taller or
daughter to the world, Varian began doom. Formerly, Melody sang in public shorter than its original height, or ere- j

spreading tales of this mythical race to only with Varian’s counter-song to keep ate the visual illusion that the subject
anyone who would listen. He painted a listeners from becoming completely has gained or lost up to one third of its !

verbal portrait of them as a benevolent mesmerized, and she honestly has no original weight. ii;

race of faerie songbirds. idea how powerful her voice is. Beyond these limitations, the caster
“The eoshee are birds of prey,” the The ettins, on the other hand, quickly can alter the subject’s appearance as he
story goes, “but not monsters, for they realized what a prize meal ticket they chooses. He could make a man look like
stalk only unintelligent animals, as had found. 'Travelers that they once had an elf, change a wolf into a Great Dane,
other civilized hunters do. to look for now walk meekly up to their turn a freckle-faced little girl into a
“If you are ever fortunate enough to door to be slaughtered. haggard old woman, or cover a cow’s 15

meet an eoshee, treat her hospitably, for hide with purple spots.
this rare beauty is a good omen and her Beginning the Adventure If the caster wishes to duplicate the

song is the delight of the faerie court. exact features of a particular creature,
The fair folk will smile on those who are The ettins’ lair is close to a lightly trav- he must possess either skill with dis-
kind to the eoshee, and their blessings
eled road in any hilly or mountainous guises or artistic ability as a sculptor. If
will follow. But woe to the fool who
wilderness region the DM
wishes. As nonweapon proficiencies are being used
the PCs approach, they hear Melody’s in the game, the caster must make an
reviles or abuses her, for you can be
song.
certain his blackened name shall be appropriate skill check. If not, the
passed from sprite to spriggan, and At first you’re aware of a creeping
caster must make an Intelligence check
sorrow will haunt him the rest of his sense of melancholy that fills your
instead. If the check fails, the caster
days.” creates an imperfect copy.
thoughts for no apparent reason. It’s
Since Varian started telling this
first only when you try to pin down the
An unwilling subject receives a saving
story, it has been added to the repertoire throw to resist the spell’s effects.
cause that you consciously hear the
of more than a few of his fellow bards Because the effects of a sculpt features
song, echoing faintly through the
and circulated throughout his home- hills around you— a single, achingly
spell are cosmetic only, no system shock ‘

land. Many people already believe the beautiful feminine voice that burns
roll is required to survive the change

eoshee are real. its sorrow straight into your gut. The
and no magic is needed to maintain the
When Varian at last felt Melody was words are Elvish, but you don’t have change once it is made. The subject of a
ready for the life of a traveling performer, to speak that language to understand
sculpt features spell does not radiate
the two of them set off to tour the land the sense of loss and heartache that
magic and does not return to its original
together, Varian playing his harp as Mel- form through death or a dispel magic
fills every note.
ody sang. She had only to start singing as spell. The subject’s new features become
she approached a new town, and the its natural features. No one yet knows if
PCs who fail their saving throws vs.
entranced villagers would drop whatever the offspring of such a creature would
spells are instantly mesmerized, though
they were doing to come and listen. By inherit the parent’s original features or
theircompanions may not notice for
the time they drew close enough to come the altered features.
some time. Mesmerized PCs continue at
under the influence of the bard’s mind- The material components of this spell
an even pace down the road for about a
freeing counter song, even those who had are a few drops of doppleganger blood
quarter mile before turning off on a
never heard of an eoshee were too taken and a powdered moonstone worth no
faint track to one side— the path that
with Melody’s unparalleled voice and less than 50 gp.
the ettins’ victims have started beating

DUNGEON 45
MELODY

to their door. Even if none of the PCs are a 350-lb. slab of rock. The tower’s two axe, long bow, 12 sheaf arrows.
mesmerized, they notice the track leading different colors of stone indicate that 'The 4-HD orog is the group’s leader.
off in the direction of the singing. the walls have undergone at least one He carries the keys to Melody’s cell, to
A quarter mile down the track, the major reconstruction. the chest on the second floor, and to the
PCs come around a small hill and get Anyone approaching within 100' of front doors of the tower. Each orog car-
their first glimpse of the ettins’ tower. the tower is assaulted by the awful ries 5d20 sp and 8d6 gp on his person.
stench of the ettins’ living quarters. According to the Monstrous Manual,
The ancient, crumbled ruin of a stone The ettins share their tower with a harpy song mesmerizes only humans
fortress stands on the hillside above small contingent of orogs, members of a and demihumans, so the ettins and
you. One
lonely tower is all that tribe that lives in the vicinity. 'The orogs orogs are unaffected, although they too
remains standing, jutting toward the find the ettins’ muscle very useful, and are attracted by her beautiful voice.
sky like a spear. The plaintive tones the two groups have always had a loose 'The map shows where the tower’s
that led you here drift down on the alliance. 'The orogs act as Melody’s jail- residents are if they are aware that the
breeze from the highest windows of ers because the best place to keep her is party is approaching.
the tower. in one of the old cells on the third floor. If the PCs approach openly, they are
As you draw nearer, you see the The ettins weigh too much for the wood- automatically spotted. Cover is sceirce
fair elven face of the singer, framed en stairs to support. In return for their near the tower, so without invisibility
in flowing golden hair, watching you help in dealing with any intruders who the only way PCs can approach stealthi-
sadly through a narrow window slit. put up a fight, the orog tribe claims the ly is at night. Even then, the orogs have
lion’s share of any treasure from the a cumulative 10% chance per peirty
Whatever the PCs do. Melody will not victims Melody reels in. The ettins are member to spot the intruders. This base
stop singing until they’re inside the more interested in the fresh meat. chance should be modified for PC strate-
tower— she’s learned the hard way that The orogs have no desire to change gies such as casting weather summon-
her captors insist on exactly that—but this arrangement by claiming Melody ing to blot out the moon or wearing
she’ll do her best to warn them that as their own prisoner. For one thing, dark clothing and blackened armor. The
they’re in danger. None of her captors that would needlessly antagonize their orogs have infravision, but it extends
speak Elvish, so she’s composed a warn- brutish allies. For another, the ettins out to only 60'.
ing in her Elvish song in hopes that currently bear the brunt of any battles If the party does approach undetected,
those approaching will understand. with Melody’s victims, and the orogs are the orog sentries on the second and
Melody’s warning appears in free verse perfectly happy not to expend their third floors will still be at the positions
here, but in Elvish it has the appropri- warriors’ strength in skirmishes that marked, but the orogs on the ground
ate rhyme and meter: someone else can fight for them. Most floor should be moved up to the second
important, the orogs like having Melody floor. During the day they sleep there.
Beware and be ready,
for my life is hostage. attract attention to the ettins’ lair rath- At night they gather around the table,
And death lurks within. er than their own. If the lure ever back- drinking and gambling.
fires (sayby drawing in an archmage or If it’s night, assume that the ettins
The terror of the road
you travel. an entire Mmy), the orog chieftain are still in the positions marked but not
Flee. Save yourselves. wants the problem to land in the ettins’ ready for an attack. Each is involved in
Unless you’ve the might lap, not his. his own activities: gnawing at a bone,

to laugh at ogres. 'The ettins are too dull-witted to fore- stacking pebbles for amusement, or
Else your bones only add see any complications arising from their whatever. During the day they’ll be
little scheme, and proudly go about asleep on their piles of furs. 'The pile in
to so many before.
thinking themselves terribly clever to the southeast corner of the ground floor
Melody is not trying to speak in rid- have negotiated such a good deal with is shared by the leader and his mate.
dles, and is actually doing her best to the orogs, who su’e clearly much too
tell the party what it’s up against with- intimidated by the ettins to dare think Ground Floor
in the restrictions of the song and her of stealing their prize captive.
own knowledge. The following description assumes the
In fact, she’s being as Ettins (3): INT low; AL CE; AC 3; MV PCs come in through the front doors
explicit as she possibly can when she 12; HD 10; hp 61, 50, 47; THACO 11;
uses the word “ogres.” Despite the Mon- (the path that mesmerized adventurers
#AT 2; Dmg 2d8/3d6 (Idl0/2d6 if dis-
strous Manual definition of an ogre. will choose). 'The natural approach to
armed); SD surprised only on a 1; SZ H;
the tower is from that direction, so the
Melody has never done any sagely re- ML 14; XP 3,000 each; MM/135 (Giant,
PCs won’t even see the hole in the back
search into the various species and Ettin). Each ettin is armed with two
classifications of giants. Td her, any wall unless they go out of their way to
spiked clubs.
ugly, evil giant is an ogre. scout the area.
The band of ettins consists of a domi-
nant male (61 hp), his mate (47 hp); and The stench of offal makes you gag as
The Tower his flunky (50 hp). you open the doors. Beyond, you see
The ettins’ tower is 75' high and 60' Orogs (10): INT high; AL LE; AC 3; a floor littered with layers of nause-
square, with a crenelated roof. 'Though MV 6; HD
4, 3 ( X 9); hp 21, 15 ( x 9); ating refuse. Just inside the doors, a
it was designed with access from the
THACO 17; #A'T 1; Dmgby weapon type pair of threadbare tapestries that are
third floor to the roof, a collapsing bat- + 3; SZ M; ML 14; XP 270, 175 ( x 9);
tlement has sealed the trap door under MM/281-282 (Ore); plate mail, battle

46 Issue No. 48
 MELODY

Melody’s Tower
1 square = 5'

E = Ettin
R = Orog Leader
R = Orog
M = Melody

Ground Floor

DUNGEON 47
MELODY

the southeast corner. Modifiers:

falling apart with age have been A thorough search of the refuse will + 1% per level if the PC is a native of
hung to form a corridor toward the uncover Varian’s spellbook, discarded as the land where this adventure takes
center of the room. On a plain stone worthless by ettins and orogs alike. It place.
pedestal at the end of that corridor, a contains the following spells; alarm, + 2% per level if the PC possesses the
human skull sits facing you. cantrip, change self, detect magic, mend- local history proficiency for the land
ing, read magic; alter self, deeppockets, where this adventure takes place.
The ground floor of the tower is the sense shifting, Thsha’s uncontrollable
ettins’den and garbage dump. The Inform any player whose character
hideous laughter; item, sculpt features
outer doors are spring-loaded to snap has heard of the eoshee that Melody fits
(new), tongues.
shut and lock when a nearby rope is the description of this mythical race and
Sense shifting appears in the Tome of
pulled. The orog leader standing beside
provide the player with the account
Magic™ book and may be replaced with
the rope will tug it as soon as all the given of the eoshee in “For the Dungeon
another second-level spell if TbM is not Master.”
PCs are inside. Fortunately, Melody has in use.
If the PCs do react poorly to Melody,
learned that the boom of the doors slam-
ming shut means her captors feel the she will try to reason with them and
Second Floor
trap is sprung and she’s done her part, make emotional appeals to allay their
so she’ll stop singing. The ettins and The second floor of the tower is the fears. If they attack, she cowers in ter-
orogs’ living space. Although somewhat ror. Only repeated blows will wake the
orogs have always assumed that Mel-
ody’s victims would snap out of their shabby and far from spotless, it seems a huntress in her, but then she’ll lash out
bastion of military order next to the like a fury, instinctively singing a word-
trance at the first blow ansrway, and
Melody’s never given them a chance to atrocious squalor of the ettins’ quarters. less tune of battle. In her berserk rage,

find out otherwise. Her song always One of the orogs has hidden a small she won’t rest until all her antagonists
falters as soon as she hears the sounds pouch of five 10-gp gems at the bottom have died or fled, whether or not
of combat. of the water barrel. If a light source is they’ve been transfixed by her song. If
The skull mounted on the pedestal is held over the water, the pouch is clearly she survives, she’ll fly off into the wil-
meant to draw attention to itself and visible at the bottom. derness to be alone and do some serious
give curious folk something to do be- The chest in the southwest comer is soul-searching. The traumatic ordeal
locked and holds loot that the orogs have will have a profound effect on her char-
sides peek behind the tapestries.
collected for their tribe but not shipped acter. Whether she rises above it or
As soon as the doors snap shut, the
ettin behind the tapestry to the east home yet: 12 pp, 101 gp, 226 sp, 559 cp, a loses herself in the cold-blooded killer

lurches through it, hoping to startle silver ring engraved with floral designs instinct of her race is up to you.

intruders into stepping back through (30 gp), two suits of chain mail, and a Melody (polymorphed harpy): INT
the other tapestry and into the 15'-deep grape-cluster pendant fashioned out of average; AL NG; AC 7; MV6, fly 15 (C);

pit there. He receives a +4 bonus to gold and amethysts (1,000 gp). HD 7; hp 29; THACO #AT 3; Dmg
13;
surprise and automatically surprises weapon type; SA
1-3/1 -3/1-6 or 1-3/1-3/by

anyone who was mesmerized. Each Third Floor charm humans and demihumans by
siirprised adventurer must make a song; SZ M; ML 13; MM/184.
The third floor is dusty and unfurnished, |
saving throw vs. paralysis or instinc- Melody speaks Elvish and Common, *
pretty much unremarkable and unused
tively scramble away from the ettin and and she is literate in both. She is also
except for the cell where Melody is kept.
into the pit. skilled at cooking, etiquette, singing (of
The doors of the cells are of stout wood,
Any PCs who fall into the pit take 2d6 course), and playing the harp. Melody is
and each has a small, barred window at
hp damage upon landing in the pile of well versed in the local history of her
eye level. The windows offer an even
bones at the bottom of the pit. homeland, and she is proficient with the
more restrictedview than the arrow slit
The orogs on the west edge of the pit short sword and the long bow.
through which the PCs first saw Melody,
rain arrows on any heroes still moving Though fully grown. Melody is in
so until they Eictually open her cell door
eifter the fall. All the other orogs and
many ways a naive and trusting child,
they shouldn’t be able to see that she’s
ettins move to box the party into the having led a very sheltered life. Despite
emything but em elf.
this, she possesses a mature self-
south end of the room, thus preventing When the PCs do see Melody, describe
escapes up the stairs or out the hole in discipline and a reflective nature feu:
her in detail but avoid calling her a
the north wall. beyond her years. Varian was very care-
harpy. Let the players jump to their own
On the second round of combat, the ful to encourage this discipline to en-
conclusions.
ettins close for melee, but the orogs sure she would never revert to the
The PCs may have heard rumors
hang back, entering into the general bestial ways of other harpies.
about the eoshee and may recognize
melee only if it looks like their help Still a huntress despite her upbring-
Melody as matching the description of
would make the difference between ing, Melody prefers to stalk and kill her
this race. Roll percentile dice for each
victory and defeat. If the ettins are own meals when time allows, but she
PC as determined by class and level,
obviously being overwhelmed, the orogs flatly refuses to eat the flesh of any
according to the following table;
will flee and leave them to their fate sentient creature.
without a second thought. Bard: 5% per level Considering her confinement. Melody
The leader of the ettins keeps a sack Wizard or Priest: 2% per level is in pretty good shape. She’s undergone

of 625 gp hidden in his pile of furs in Other: 1% per level only a minimum of persuasive torture.

48 Issue No. 48
 MELODY

and the orogs have seen to her needs her fantastic voice more “audience invites her to travel with him as a part-
diligently. After all, they wantkeep
to friendly” by granting her full control ner, she’ll be glad company and
for the
their source of easy income in good over its charming ability. If not, she is the help in dealing with people. She may
health. traumatized by the failed atonement incidentally wind up in some of the bard’s
and the rejection it implies by the god of adventures, but she’s a singer, not a hero
Concluding the Adventure music. Melody flies off to become a or a treasure hunter, and she will not be a
hermit in the wilderness, with every regular adventuring companion.
The presence of an orog tribe in the
intention of never singing another note. If Melody does find herself caught up
hills is a looseend that will probably
If Melody can get her voice under in a dangerous situation with the PCs,
not come up in the aftermath of the
control, she becomes a happy and gre- be very careful about how she uses her
game, but that you may want to take
garious nomad, flying from place to voice to aid the group. She’ll be deathly
note of for inspiring later adventures in
place to perform. Tales of the eoshee afraid of having it turned into a weapon
your campaign.
will have preceded her to most towns, again. They may be able to talk her into
If the PCs don’t antagonize Melody,
spreading more rapidly the more she is using her voice as a distraction or to aid
she thanks them profusely for setting
seen, and smoothing her relations with in an escape, but if they ever betray her
her free, all the while shedding tears of
humans. If she has trouble with hu- trust and kill someone she’s transfixed,
relief. If the party treats her kindly,
mans despite her growing reputation, she’ll never forgive them for it.
they’ll have a friend for life.
she’ll likely end up performing exclu- Finally, if it turns out that the effects
Melody does realize that her singing
sively for elven audiences, who are of the sculpt features spell can be passed
attracted people to the tower, but she
more tolerant of her differences and from its subject to her offspring. Melody
thinks it’s from curiosity, not an over-
whelming compulsion. Though she feels
more appreciative of her talents. may become the mother of a whole new
If a PC bard wishes to join Melody or race: the once mythical eoshee. Q
some guilt, she reasons that people lured
in to face the ettins were put on their
guard by the mysterious song and the old
tower in the wilderness, which is better
than being caught unprepared in an
ambush along the road, as she and Varian
were. She also figures that those who
strayed off the road to investigate were
the more adventurous sorts, those better
able to defend themselves. Not that she’s
fooled herself into thinking she was doing
any good deeds, of course—she knew that
if she stopped singing, she would end up
just another victim herself—but those are
the arguments she uses to placate her
conscience.
Whether or not the PCs try to con-
vince Melody that her voice acted as an
irresistible enchanted lure, sooner or
later she will realize its effect on others.
In neither case will she believe that the
effect is something inherent in her song,
however. Instead, she assumes it is a
newly acquired curse, a poetic divine
punishment inflicted on her for the role
she played in the deaths of others, lb
rid herself of this curse, she will seek
out a powerful priest of a god of music
and offer to perform some quest for him
that will earn her an atonement spell.
She may ask the PCs to accompany her
on her search, her quest, or both, going
so far as to seek them out if they have
already parted company. With Varian
dead, they’re the only friends she has.
Kvi atonement spell might even work,
in an unorthodox fashion. Once the
spell attracts the attention of a music
god to Melody’s plight, he might decide
it would further his own ends to make

DUNGEON 49
 Bill is a staff designer and editor for
TSR, His design credits include
Inc.
Elves of Athas, The Complete Book of
Humanoids, Slave Tribes, and Night of
the Walking Dead. Before joining TSR,
Bill turned out an extensive number of
products for West End Games’ Star
Wars, Tbrg, and Ghostbusters lines. His
A Guide to the Star Wars Universe was
recently published by Del Rey Books,
and his latest design for TSR is the
Council of Wyrms™ boxed set. This ad-
venture is for use in that setting.

This AD&D® adventure is an introduc-

tion to TSR’snew COUNCIL OF
WYRMS™ campaign setting. The adven-
ture pits a single adult silver dragon
player character and its demihuman
companion (called a “kindred”) against
the minions of a terrible dracolich. Here,
we provide a ready-made dragon PC, its
kindred, and enough information to run
this one-on-one scenario. In play, a single
player could run both dragon and kin-
dred, or the pair can be divided between
two players. The Council of boxed
set is recommended if the DM
decides to
expand the adventure, convert it for
group play, or give players the opportuni-
ty to create their own dragon PCs.
If the DM decides to start a full-

SLEEPING fledged dragon campaign, this adven-

ture should take place after the four
scenarios presented in the boxed set.
Important Note: The dragon PC

DRAGON presented here should not be trans-

ported into a normal AD&D campaign.
He is designed to work in the specific
setting detailed in Council of Wyrms,
and his presence in a more traditional
campaign could cause game balance
BY BILL SLAVICSEK problems. See the boxed set for more
information, and for PCs that can be
used in other campaign worlds— like the
dragon slayer and the half-dragon.

Disturb not the sleeping Council of Wyrms Setting

dragon, nor the This brief explanation

introduce the
is provided to
DM and players to a
world where dragon PCs Addi-
dracolich who wakes
exist.
tional information can be found in the
it.
Council of boxed set.
The time is the distant past, on a
world much like Tbril or Mystara— with
one major difference. In at least one
Artwork by Peter Clarke corner of this world, dragons rule su-
preme. They control the islands of an
isolated stretch of ocean— the islands of
the lo’s Blood chain. Here, dragon civili-
zation is at its height. Dragon clans

50 Issue No. 48
 SLEEPING DRAGON

inhabit and control cities that reflect were content to follow Bloodtide. Many He tried to destroy it, but nothing
the draconic mindset. Humans, who fill devised separate schemes and strate- worked. He contemplated throwing it
most other worlds, are virtually un- gies, hoping to make their own clans away, but he feared that it would fall
known among the lo’s Blood islands. the dominant force in the isles. The evil into the possession of another Infernis.
Other creatures— including elves, Infernis, lord of the red dragons of Clan With no other option, Kagil placed the
dwarves and gnomes— serve as vassals Magma, for instance, conceived a terri- enormous talon in his treasure hoard
to the dragon lords. During their long ble plan. In his thirst for power and and guarded it for the rest of his long
lives, dragons select demihumans to dark desire for revenge, Infernis and his life. He spent the centuries trying to

bond with. These bonded demihumans slaves developed a magical item with decide what to do with it, hoping to find
are called kindred, and they sheire links one frightful pmrpose. Named the talon a solution before his life reached its
with their dragons that go beyond the affinal destruction, the item had the natural end (marked by the time called
roles of servants and masters. power to call forth a creature strong and dragon’s twilight). Using a method
Though the dragon clans currently fierce enough to wreak death and devas- known to only a few ancient great
maintain cordial (or at least nonhostile) tation throughout the domains of the wyrms, Kagil Cloudwalker transformed
relations with each other, this was not metallic dragons. (See sidebar on page himself into a guardian of the land,
always the case. Once these mighty 54.)This was to be Infernis’s master what the legends call a sleeping dragon.
creatures waged war after war in an stroke.While the metallic dragons were A sleeping dragon chooses a part of
effort to determine which dragon type busy defending themselves and their the land close to its own nature, usually
and clan would rule over all the others. lands from the creature, Infernis would in a place it loved during its life. Then,
It took the intervention of lo’s avatar wrest the chromatic dragons away from through a process somehow related to
and the threat of human dragon slayers Bloodtide’s control and lead them the 12 periods of growth all dragons
to finally teach the dragons to cooperate against soft and weak targets rich with undergo from hatchling to great wyrm,
with each other and live in peace. plunder. the dragon transforms itself into a part
The Council of Wyrms, made up of Before Infernis could unleash the of the land— a sparkling lake, a desert
representatives from each of the dragon power of the talon, however, a young oasis, or, as in Kagil’s case, a majestic
clans, arbitrates major disagreements to silver dragon named Kagil Cloudwalker hill. Legends claim that a portion of a
keep war from returning to the isles. learned of the item’s existence. Know- sleeping dragon’s treasure hoard sur-
Not only must the Council keep the ing he couldn’t hope to win a direct vives the process, waiting in a hidden,
dragons at peace, it must remain ever confrontation with the venerable red protected part of the newly formed land-
vigilant for signs of the dread human dragon, Kagil took a less aggressive scape. Kagil’s remaining hoard waits in
invaders who once nearly destroyed lo’s approach. The silver dragon stole the the caves beneath the hill he has be-
children. talon affinal destruction from Infernis’s come. Among these items rests the talon
In this setting, dragon PCs start life lair and fled. Without the talon, Infernis of final destruction.
as wards of the Council, learning to could not complete his diabolical plan. Now Infernis has returned to threaten
work with different dragon types as In a terrible rage, Infernis chased after the dragons of the lo’s Blood isles
they study lo’s message of harmony. Kagil. The red dragon never caught up through arcane means. As a collector of
Through juvenile age, these dragons with the silver, however, because the dark magic, Infernis was familiar with
perform a variety of jobs for the Coun- evil one was intercepted by the gold many legends concerning immortality
cil, including diplomatic missions, fact- dragon Baraster. and returning from the dead. He had
gathering trips, and special quests that Bau'sister killed Infernis in a bloody his clan wizards devise a contingency
promote cooperation and maintain the battle just ashuman dragon slayers in- should he fall in battle. Their solution
peace. Once this period of training and vaded the isles. lo’s avatar had taught was to imbue him with necromantic
service ends, the dragons return to their these humsuis himself, forging them into spells that would activate upon his
clans to begin a new stage of life, taking a real threat and whippmg them into a death and transform him into an uii-
the friendships they have formed, as religious frenzy to destroy the dragons of dead creature of enormous power. The
well as the ideals and aspirations of the the lo’s Blood isles. (This was lo’s method necromantic magic— far from an exact
Council, with them. for teaching his children to live in peace, science— did not work exactly as In-
hoping they would band together in the fernis’s wizards planned, and the trans-
Adventure Background face of an external threat.) Infernis was formation took a long, long time.
During the last war that rocked the lo’s
forgotten, his reign of terror ended before The dread dracolich Infernis has been
it had even begun. secretly setting his plans of conquest
Blood isles, the dragon clans mustered
Young Kagil witnessed the reconcilia- and destruction back into motion. Seek-
under two charismatic leaders. The
tion of the dragons. The metallic, chro- ing to test his powers slowly, the draco-
metallic dragons rallied to the side of
matic, and gem dragons joined forces to lich took control of the relatively weak
Exaurdon the (Jold, while the chromatic
repel the invaders, finally learning the black dragons of Clan Blackmoon. He
dragons acquiesced to the leadership of
benefits of cooperation. Kagil saw the issues orders from hiding through his
Bloodtide the Red. The gem dragons
birth of the Council of Wyrms, as rela- manipulation of Lord Deathstream,
tried to stay out of the conflict but found
tive peace settled over the islands. leader of the clan. His desire for re-
themselves fighting one side or the
These were fantastic times, but a dark- venge goes far beyond controlling a
other, depending on where the battles
ness shrouded his happiness. Kagil still single clan, however. He has been
occurred.
possessed the talon of final destruction,
Not all of the chromatic dragon lords
and it constantly haunted his thoughts. Continued on page 54

DUNGEON 51
 DUNGEON® ISSUE 48

Agoron Cloudwalker
Adult Male Silver Dragon
Dragon PC Kit
6th Level/17 HD
Lawful Good
Clan Cloudwalker
102 years old
64'body length, 28' tail length

Strength 17 Intelligence 12
Dexterity 9 Wisdom 13
Constitution 11 Charisma 15
Armor Class: - 5
Hit Points: 95
Movement: 9, Fly 30 (C), Jump 3
Magic Resistance: 30%
Combat proficiencies: Claw attack, claw/claw, bite, claw/claw/
bite, dragon flight, aerial combat, stall, tail slap, breath weapon
(cone of cold)
Noncombat proficiencies: Kindred bond (11), alertness (14),
danger sense (14), hunting (12), language (metallic dragon) (12),
language (High Draconic) (12), reading/writing (13), wizard spell-
craft (10), stewardship (12), survival (mountains) (12), tracking
(13)
Special abilities: Communicate with any intelligent creature,
magical abilities at 12th level, infravision to 120', dragon senses
65%, immune to cold, polymorph self three times per day, cloud
walk, feather fall twice per day, wall of fog once per day, control
winds three times per day
Innate spells (cast each once per day): detect magic, light,
mirror image, scare; lightning bolt
Equipment: dragon jewelry (earrings, necklaces, arm bands,
etc.); kindred amulet (the physical representation of the bond
nile of 32 years. In the 70 years they have been together, the two
shared by Agoron and Larala); large pouch; potion of extra heal- have grown to respect and even love each other. Agoron is master,
ing; long sword + (for use in polymorphed form); elven clothing
but he is also companion and friend to the elf mage Larala.
(for use in polymorphed form)
Kind and helpful, with a cheery disposition offset by a low
tolerance for evil deeds, Agoron is the epitome of a silver dragon.
Att Adj/
While he hopes to help govern his clan’s domain and possibly
Attack Type MT DmgAdj THACO Damage Range even participate in the Council of Wyrms, for now he is content to
Claw 1 -/+6 4 Ids front, sides
travel the isles to promote the ideals of goodness and harmony
Claw/claw 2 -/+6(x2) 4 IdS/ldS front, sides
among dragonkind. He spends a considerable amount of time in
Bite 1 -1+6 4 5d6 front, sides
elf form (his preferred polymorph form), moving in places where
Claw/claw/bite 3 -/+6(X3) 4 ld8/ldS/5d6 front, sides
dragons seldom tread and enjoying the company of his kindred.
’fail slap 1 -1+6 4 2dS rear, sides
Agoron’s dreams have made him edgy of late. He feels an m-
Breath weapon 1/3 -/- 12dl0+6 80' long,
gent need to do something, though he doesn’t yet know what that
5' wide at mouth
something is. In his dreams, Agoron sees a silvery hill of cloud. It
3Q' wide at end
is a sacred place, he knows, a place of tranquility and goodness.
Long sword’" 1 -1/+1 5 ldS/ldl2
But dark shadows surround the hill, moving closer and closer
" used in polymorphed form until the hill itself screams out in terror and rage. What does it
all mean? Perhaps the next dream will provide a clue.
Saving Throws Polymorphed Form: Agoron uses his innate polymorph self ability
DM RSW PP BW Sp to transform into a male elf. He retains all of his ability scores. Hit
3 5 4 4 6 Dice, hit points. Armor Class, saving throws, and innate abilities. He
doesn’t gain any of an elfs natural abilities except movement (12).
Background: Agoron is a member of Clan Cloudwalker and a Instead, he uses his own infravision, dragon senses, and THACO. In
nephew of Lord Agrannus, leader of the clan. He holds the rank of elf form, Agoron loses the dragon flight abihty as well as all dragon-
champion, the first earned title among the dominates of the clan. specific combat forms, including claws, bite, and breath weapon. He
('The term for any dragon with a noble rank is dominate. Like the carries £ui enchanted long sword to defend himself in elf form, though
term “noble,” dominate is a general class that is divided into he fights with a +2 nonproficiency attack penalty. ’The sword and his
specific titles such as champion, advocate, and lord advocate.) elf clothing are stored in a large pouch that Agoron wears slung at
Agoron spent his early years at the Council Aerie, learning from his side. He must remove the sword and clothing prior to poly-
the custodians and performing services for the Council of Wyrms. morphing, as the pouch melds into his dragon form.
He bonded with his current kindred, Larala, when he was a juve-

52 Issue No. 48
 DUNGEON® ISSUE 48

Larala Firstleaf
Female Elf Kindred
Fighter/Wizard
6th Level/7th Level
Lawful Good
Clan Cloudwalker
170 years old
5' tall

Strength 13 Intelligence 15
Dexterity 15 Wisdom 14
Constitution 10 Charisma 17
Armor Class: 4
Hit Points: 28
Movement: 12
Weapon proficiencies: Long sword, long bow, dagger, heavy
lance, quarterstaff
Nonweapon proficiencies: Kindred bond (12), dancing (15),
fire building (13),language (elven) (15), language (metallic drag-
on) (15), language (High Draconic) (15), reading/writing (16),
spellcraft (13), ancient history (14)
Special abilities: 90% resistance to sleep spells, resistant to all
c/iarm-related spells, +4 penalty to opponents’ surprise rolls
when alone and in nonmetal armor, 60' infravision, find secret
doors on 1 or 2 on ld6, find concealed portals on 1-3 on ld6.
Spells: detect magic, detect undead, feather fall, magic missile',
detect evil, invisibility, web; fireball, wind wall; ice storm.
Equipment: chain mail, long sword +2, dagger, long bow,
quiver of 12 sheaf arrows and six sheaf arrows +1, quarterstaff,
large belt pouch, flint and steel, two glass bottles, three parch-
ment sheets, quill pen, writing ink, spellbook, spell components,
potion of healing, kindred amulet.

Att Adj/
Attack Type #AT DmgAdi THACO Damage Range
Long sword 1 + 1/- 15 Id8/ldl2 —
Long bow 2 + 1/- 15 Id8/ld8 5/10/17
Dagger 1 -/- 15 Id4/ld3 —
Quarterstaff 1 -/- 15 Id6/ld6 —

Saving Throws
DM RSW PP BW Sp
11 9 11 3 10

Background: Larala Firstleaf was born to one of the vassal elf

tribes of Clan Cloudwalker. Though she was apprenticed to her
tribe’s high wizard at an early age, Larala longed for more physi-
cal pursuits. She was allowed to study both the arcane and mM-
tial arts, thus slowing her progress but expanding her range of
skills. At the young age of 68, a dominate of the royal brood se-
lected Larala to begin training as kindred to a soon-to-be-hatched
silver dragon: Agoron.
In their years together at the Council Aerie, Larala and Agoron
became the best of friends. By the time Agoron was ready to enter
into the kindred bond, there was no doubt that Larala was to be
his elf kindred. Larala cares deeply for the silver dragon and even
loves him. Her place is at his side, helping him in whatever en-
deavors he sets his sights on.
Larala is a beautiful elf with long silver hair, cool blue eyes, and
a trim, strong figure. She worries about the dreams that haunt
Agoron’s sleep, wishing there were something she could do to end
them. Dreams have meaning, she knows, though the trick lies in
deciphering that meaning in time to make a difference. Time, she
fears, is not as plentiful as Agoron thinks.

DUNGEON 53
SLEEPING DRAGON

Continued from page 51 atmosphere of chaos for him to take and must make a successful saving
advantage of. Time is short, however, throw vs. petrification (with a + 6 penal-
searching for the magical talon that the
because once Infernis’s forces start ty) or be stunned for ld4 1 rounds.
silver dragon Kagil stole from him ages
searching for Cloudwalker Hill, Kagil The noncombat proficiencies operate
before, and has finally located Kagil’s
probable resting place. All that remains
will soon awaken to his full power. A much like nonweapon proficiencies of
guardian of the land has powerful in- the same name in the Player’s Hand-
is for Infernis’s many servants— both
nate abilities and is much stronger than book, although a few eire new to the
living and undead— to break into the
a dracolich. Infernis’s only chance is to Council of Wyrms setting. They do not
sleeping dragon’s resting place and find
recover the talon before Kagil’s powers affect the play of this adventure but are
the talon affinal destruction.
reach full strength and he awakens, for included in case the character will be
Infernis wants to summon the mighty
until that happens the sleeping dragon used in an ongoing dragon campaign.
tarrasque with the talon’s enchantment.
is nothing more than a dreaming hill. Agoron also has an innate dragon
By unleashing the creature on All
Kagil, though, is not without his own senses ability. This provides him with
Clans Island during a gathering of the
Council of Wyrms, Infernis plans to kill
allies.He has sent requests for aid to his excellent senses of sight, smell, and
descendant, Agoron Cloudwalker, whom hearing, as well as infravision to 120'.
a number of dragon leaders and wreak
he needs to protect him until he fully With these enhanced senses, he can
havoc on the dragon domains. He be-
awakens. 'These requests have arrived as detect all invisible objects and creatures
lieves these deaths will provide an
dreams and waking visions, disturbing (including creatures or items hidden in
The Talon of Final Destruction Agoron until he answers the persistent, darkness or fog) within a radius of 60'.
urgent summons. In these dreams, some- With a successful dragon senses roll on
The talon of final destruction is a thing dark and foul has intruded on a percentile dice, Agoron can spot secret
magical item crafted by Infernis and sacred place. But the place is more than a and concealed doors, invisible or hidden
his wizard vassals centuries ago.
place. It is a dragon, and it calls to creatures, traps, and other things not in
Made from the talon of a juvenile Agoron, pleading for help before evil is plain sight.
gold dragon, this sword-length, rune- again set loose in the isles.
encrusted item can be activated by
Getting Started
use of the command word “Magma.” Playing a Dragon
Once activated, the talon’s enchant- Once you’ve read through this adven-
ment summons the legendary tar- The following information is summa- ture and are ready to run it, give the
rasque to the user. The talon allows rized from the Council of Wyrms boxed character sheets to your player (or play-
the summoner to give a single com- set. ers). Also, allow the player to read the
mand that the tarrasque must obey. 'Ihke a look at the character sheet “Introduction,” as it provides back-
For example, if Infernis summons provided for Agoron Cloudwalker (page ground information on the dragon
the dread creature, he will order it to 52). The first difference you’ll notice is setting.
attack All Clans Island (site of the that dragon PCs have combat and non- The adventure’s action includes en-
Council of Wyrms Aerie). The order combat proficiencies instead of weapon counters, events, and various paths
lasts for the span of the tarrasque’s and nonweapon proficiencies. Combat from one area to the next. Not every
activity cycle (ld6 -t-8 days). At the proficiencies cover the skills a dragon event described in each airea will take
end of this time, there is a 50% learns in order to make the best use of place, as the events depend on the PC’s
chance that the tarrasque will not its natural abilities. Noncombat profi- actions. On the other hand, you may
immediately return to dormancy but ciencies are draconic versions of learned have to add a scene or two if the player
will instead seek to destroy the being skills that don’t directly relate to battle. comes up with something unexpected
that called it forth. Many of the combat proficiencies are for the characters to do (and this is
Once activated, the gold talon begins self-explanatory. Dragon flight allows going to happen!).
to age quickly, eventually crumbling Agoron to make full use of his natural If you have the Council of Wyrms
into dust ais the magic is used up. The flying ability and Movement Rate. Aer- boxed set and want to run this module
item completely disintegrates when ial combat gives Agoron a + 2 attack as an adventure for a group of dragon
the enchanted command wears off. bonus while flying. (There are other player characters, increase the number
Infernis does not have the resoimces or details, but they shouldn’t come into of monsters in each encounter. Also,
vassals to craft another enchanted play in this adventure.) Stall lets because only three of the possible 10
talon at this time, but if he survives Agoron fly near the ground and halt his dragon PC types can assume a demi-
the encounter with Kagil, he will forwEird motion for one round, though human form, the party must consist of
certainly begin gathering them. he must land immediately in the next gold, silver, or bronze dragons but can
In the scope of this adventure, the round. While stalled, he can attack with include the kindred from other dragon
tarrasque should not be summoned. his bite and all four claws. Finally, tail races.
If Agoron fails, however, the DM may slap allows Agoron to strike opponents
want to develop an adventure featur- to his rear and sides with his muscular, Cloud City
ing the ravaging tarrasque. See the spiked tail. The tail can strike a num-
'The adventure begins in Cloud City, the
Monstrous Manual {page 339) for ber of opponents equal to Agoron’s age
Clan Cloudwalker community high atop
information and statistics on this category (6), but a successful attack roll
the Silver Mountains on Silver Island.
killing machine. is needed to hit each opponent. An oppo-
nent struck by a tail slap takes damage
The city extends from the rocky peaks

54 Issue No. 48
 SLEEPING DRAGON

to thepermanent cover of cloud that creating the permanent white embank-

smrounds the moimtaintops. The silver ments that give the city its name. An elf vassal leads you into the
Agoron should want to go in search of carved stone lair of Cagerol, one of
dragons have not only carved the moun-
the source of his dream visions. He knows
the clan’s lord advocates. The huge,
taintop and built edifices of stone, but
airy cavern has one open wall that
they have also used powerful enchant- that the eastern portion of Silver Island is
looks out onto the city. Cloud forma-
ments to fashion structures of solid cloud, covered by thick jungle. Vassal races
tions decorate the interior, displaying
maintain a few villages in the foothills of
both taste and opulence to those
Agoron’s Dream the Silver Mountains, as well as on the
fortunate enough to be granted an
island’s shore, but much of the jungle
As Agoron’s dreams become more vivid itself remains wild and unexplored.
audience. 'The vassal directs you to a
and urgent, the images spill across the Before striking out into the jungle,
place of comfort, a cloud-covered
bond he shares with his kindred, Larala Agoron and Larala might want to seek platform of smooth, warm rock.
Firstleaf, a female elf. Both Agoron and
help and information from the resources
A few moments go by. Then an-
Larala experience the latest dream other elf enters the chamber. He is
of Cloud City. 'Ib warn the clan of im-
equally, and it starts the adventure. tall for an elf and appears strong,
pending danger or to ask for assistance,
Agoron must request an audience with with a proud bearing and clothes of
Dragon and kindred toss and turn as
Cagerol, a lord advocate (see below). 'Ib purest silver. “Welcome, Agoron,” the
something disturbing slips into their
elf calls in a friendly tone. “How may
dreams. It is a cry of anguish, a call find information on dream visions, a
I help a sibling this fine, sunny
for help, and it reverberates through mist-cloaked hill, or a dragon named
Kagil, Agoron should seek out either a day?” With that, the elf shifts form
the corridors of sleep. As one, the two
dragon sage, a great wyrm, or an an- and grows before your eyes. In a few
of you rise into the night sky. 'The
blinks, he transforms into the silver
lofty spires of Cloud City drop away cient vassal willing to talk to him. In
this case, go to “Seeking Knowledge.”
dragon Cagerol.
with dizzying speed until you can see
the many cloud-shrouded peaks of Sometime before he leaves the city
the Silver Mountains. The call comes but after he meets with the lord advo- Cagerol is a practical dragon, not
again. “Come, my grandchild,” the cate, Agoron is approached by a green given to flights of fancy or easily
dream voice insists. “Come to my dragon from Clan Foulgrove. Jerverdi swayed by portents and omens. He
need you. Danger stalks the
hill. I the Green wants to find out what’s go- listens to his younger sibling but
land, and it carries death for Clan ing on among the silver dragon clan so refuses to rouse the clan simply because
Cloudwalker and all dragonkind.” that she can report to her dragon lord. a dragon has been having bad dreams.
Moving now, you speed away from See “The Green Dragon” for details. “We have enough problems keeping the
the mountains like the wind before a Agoron and Larala might come up clan from panicking over the occasional
storm, flying over thick jungle, with other options while in Cloud City. raids of Clan Vermilion,” he responds
crashing through dense rain forest. Use the provided encounters as guide- smoothly. “I will not upset them be-
Beware! Something watches from the lines and improvise from there. cause you are having trouble sleeping.”
dream shadows. If it sees you, it will If Agoron persists, Cagerol gives him
attack. Swiftly, you are pulled along Cagerol, the Lord Advocate permission to explore the eastern jun-
like flotsam in a strong current, to gles but refuses to provide him with any
the source of the dream voice. IfAgoron tries to meet with a leader of help. “If you find more information,
“Hurry, child of Cloudwalker,” it his clan, he is turned away by the vas- bring it back and I’ll decide then if more
cries, its haunting voice rising out of sals of Lord Agrannus (“TTie dragon action is needed,” the lord advocate says
a mist-cloaked hill. “The dead one lord has gone to All Clans Island to in dismissal.
has come, and I have not yet the participate in a session of the Council of If a foolishPC tries to return to Cloud
power him!” Movement ends
to repel W3Tms”), refused an audience with the City with rumors or witnesses from the
as abruptly as it began, and you both clan’s grand lord advocate (the second in jungle, Kagil sends increasingly more
stand before the hill, a silvery mound charge), and given the runaround by the potent and desperate dreams asking for
rising out of the steamy jungle. Sud- servants of the lords advocate. Finally, help. If Agoron returns to Cloud City
denly, the ground around the hill one lord advocate decides to hear the despite the increasing dreams, Cagerol
cracks and breaks. Hands and claws dragon out. 1110 old silver dragon provides a small army, but it will be too
reach up out of the ground to grab named Cagerol is an older broodling of late— Infernis will have recovered the
the hill. But these are not fresh, Agoron’s draca (mother). talon. See “Concluding the Adventure”
vibrant, living arms; they are skele- Cagerol has great strength and influ- for possible future adventures.
tal, flesh-peeled, decayed limbs. They ence, and he recognizes Agoron as a Cagerol knows nothing about a sacred
sink rotted fingers with putrid talons sibling. As with all dragons, family ties hill or the meaning of dreams about
into the earth. The hill screams once, go only so far, but Cagerol has a fond voices and dead-limbed monsters. He
then disappears into the ground as spot in his heart for the youngster. He knows only that Kagil was an ancestor
the dead limbs pull it down. also recognizes that Agoron is gaining
As one, both of you come fully who fought in the dragon wars and
power and influence of his own, and became a prominent member of the
awake. But the dream voice follows may one day become an important ally. clan. He has heard that Kagil was an
you out of sleep, a haunting, persist- Cagerol agrees to meet with Agoron,
ent, slow-to-fade summons. “Beware unusually quiet dragon lord, as if he
inviting the dragon and his kindred into had some secret shame or burden. Ca-
Infernis, but hurry. Kagil has need of
the lord advocate’s public lair. gerol knows even less about Infernis,
your claws and wings . .
.”

DUNGEON 55
SLEEPING DRAGON

and none of the details about the talon than to Agoron. but he might be surprised by her inter-
affinal destruction or Kagil’s transfor- Helag knows the legends of a sacred est in him.
mation into a sleeping dragon. He hu- place called Cloudwalker Hill. It is Jerverdi asks lots of questions and
mors his sibling but doesn’t take any of located somewhere to the east, in the listens intently, though she rarely gives
this dream business very seriously. jungle. It is in sight of the peaks of anything away herself. She starts by
Cloud City but hidden by tropical forest asking where she can find something in
Seeking Knowledge and mist. the city (such as an expert crafter or a
Corelveron, an ancient elf vassal, particular kind of food), then comments
With a little persistence, Agoron can
can shed light on the red dragon In- on the good weather and lovely view.
locate someone willing to talk about the
fernis, though he knows nothing about She eventually attempts to steer the
meaning of dreams and the ancient
Infernis’s plans, current state as a dra- conversation toward what she wants to
history of the clan. The DM should work
He knows that Ka-
colich, or the talon. know. “Do you know Lord Advocate
out the details and meeting places
gil participated inthe battle against Cagerol? Could you introduce me to
where Agoron and Larala encounter the
Infernis, and that the red dragon was him? Is something wrong, friend? You
following nonplayer characters. If the
seeking the silver when Baraster chal- seem distracted.” If Agoron or Leu*ala
player is having trouble, Cagerol can
lenged Infernis to his last fight. Cor- let something slip, Jerverdi volunteers
mention them.
elveron can also explain the legends of toaccompany them on their quest (after
Magika, a female silver dragon sage,
sleeping dragons to Agoron, but he does she has had an opportunity to send a
is an absent-minded scholar. She loves
not necessarily believe that such a message to her dragon lord). If they
to share what she knows with those who
transformation is possible. However, refuse to tell her anything of impor-
will listen (and who offer her some ar-
there are legends of a guardian of the tance, she excuses herself. Then she
cane tome or historical text, such as
land contacting its descendant through does her best to follow the pair around
those available in the Cloud City ba-
dreams when something of extreme the city and into the jungle.
zaar). She has a tendency to explain
importance must be conveyed. Cor- Jerverdi, mature adult green dragon;
evers^thing in great detail, providing
more information than anyone (except
elveron requires nothing in return for INT very; AL LE; AC -3; MV
9, fly 30

perhaps another dragon sage) could ever

his help; he serves his dragon masters (C), swim 9; HD 16; hp 81; THACO 5;
want. Her field of expertise is the histo-
readily. #A'T 3 plus special; Dmg Id8/ld8/2dl0
(claw/claw/bite); SA + 7 damage to all
ry of the Cloudwalker Clan.
The Green Dragon physical attacks, chlorine gas breath
Magika knows about Kagil and In-
weapon once every three combat rounds
fernis, and can relate this history with Sometime during Agoron and Larala’s
(Dmg 14d6 + 7); SD immune to gases; SZ
one minor alteration. She doesn’t know wanderings around Cloud City—but
that Kagil stole a magical item from after they have visited the lord
G (64' body, 58' tail); ML 16; XP 15,000;
MM/67.
Infernis, though he did sometimes advocate— they are approached by a
speak of a dark thing he gueurded. She green dragon from Clan Foulgrove.
Saving throws: DM 4, RSW 6, PP 5,
knows no details concerning it. Kagil Jerverdi, an adult green dragon, is in
BW 4, Sp 7.
Special abilities; communicate with
disappeared sometime after advancing Cloud City to negotiate a trade agree-
any intelligent creature, magical abili-
to the age of great wyrm, but his fate ment with the silver dragons. While
ties at13th level.
remains a mystery to this day. Clan Foulgrove does want the ores
Innate abilities; water breathing,
The dragon sage takes great stock in pulled from the Silver Mountains, Jer-
suggestion once per day, warp wood
the worth of dreams and visions. She verdi also seeks information that would
three times per day.
advises Agoron to seek out this dream give her clan an edge in its dealings
Wizard spells (once per day each):
and find the source of the voice.
hill with Clan Cloudwalker and in the
change self, friends, hypnotism, unseen
“You have been chosen, champion,” the Council of Wyrms.
servant.
sage declares. “1b refuse the call could When she notices that Agoron has
lead to disaster— both for you and the been trying to gain an audience with
The Jungle
clan.” The sage may even attempt to the leaders of the clan, she takes an
decipher the meaning of the dream, but immediate interest. When he actually Eventually, Agoron and Larala will be
she believes that dreams are mostly spends time with a lord advocate, she ready to strike out into the jungle. Fol-
symbolic. For example, the hill repre- becomes very excited indeed. Perhaps lowing the advice of Helag, Agoron may
sents a goal or wish that Agoron has, whatever information the silver dragon decide to travel directly east of Cloud
and the dead limbs his fear of failure. possesses could be used to great advan- City to find a hill in sight of the silver
This, of course, is wrong, but it could be tage by her own clan. dragon metropolis. Otherwise, the drag-
fun to point the PCs slightly off track as Jerverdi follows Agoron around for a on champion and his kindred may just
they head out into the jungle. while, waiting for the right opportunity begin searching and hope something
Helag, a silver great wyrm, dislikes to approach him. When she catches him turns up.
visitors. It will take a great deal of and his kindred alone, she makes her Thke a look at the Silver Island map
convincing and an appropriate gift to move, introducing herself and striking on page 57. Cloudwalker Hill is
make Helag accept the presence of visi- up a conversation. As an honored guest approximately 50 miles from Cloud
tors in his huge lair of solid cloud. How- of the clan, Jerverdi can come and go as City. The player should declare how the
ever, he has a keen interest in elven art, she pleases. Agoron should not be svu-- PCs are traveling, either on foot or
and he will be more friendly to Larala prised by her presence in Cloud City, flying. Larala is not a trained dragon

56 Issue No. 48
 SLEEPING DRAGON

rider. She can ride on Agoron’s back, but

neither of them receive any of the bene-
fits given true dragon riders and their
moimts (as described in the boxed set).

A. Ogre Settlement and Wounded

Ogre. The ogres living here serve the
silver dragons. They know nothing
about the events happening to the east,
but they can tell Agoron that an ogre
hunting party hasn’t returned yet from
a trip in that direction. The ogres aren’t
too worried, as the party is only a day or
so overdue. After the PCs leave the
settlement, the heroes encounter the
surviving member of the hunting party ^ '•m/ V'luuuwcuikvx xxui «-« / ±1
about 10 miles to the east.
The hunting party was traveling ^Vassal Village ViUage # A / ^ ^,/-

through the jungle when it encountered

S Lizard Man Village • ^
^ /}, ii'

Infernis gazing at the mist -cloaked hill.

Before the ogres could slip away, In-
fernis spotted them and belched out a — i'tuK# ^
Af
stream of fire. Only one of the ogres
survived, though it was badly wounded.
Agoron and Larala come upon the uu /V/
burned ogre as he stumbles into a clear-
ing and falls to the ground.
The ogre’s statistics are not provided
because he is close to death and in no
condition to fight or flee. If either PC
f -^iM-
uses a potion of healing on the ogre,
award an additional 1,000 XP. No mat-
ter what the heroes do, the ogre
awakens only long enough to whisper,
“fire bone dragon ... all dead
. . . . . .

misty He can tell them little

hill . .
.’’

else unless massive healing magic is

provided.
Jn '
'

B. Lizard Men. Lizard man patrols

protect the lizard man village from the
black dragons currently loose in the
jungle. There are 2-8 lizard men in each
patrol, sweeping area B. While the PCs
are traveling through this area, roll ld6
every turn. On a roll of 1 or 2, the PCs
stumble across a lizard man patrol. On
a roll of 6, the PCs meet a pair of
makes a point of stressing his identity as PCs can benefit from this knowledge
wyverns. In this case, go to area D.
a silver dragon of Clan Cloudwalker, the only if they talk with the lizard men.
Because the lizard men are fnghtened
and anxious, they attack anything that
lizard men stop fighting and beg forgive- Lizard men (2-8): INT low; AL N; AC
looks like a dragon— including Agoron.
ness. They request the help and protec- 5; MV 6, swim 12; HD 2 + 1; hp 14 ( x 3),

Unless Agoron is in demihuman form, the

mighty dragon of Clan
tion of the 13, 11, 10, 9 ( X 2); or THACO 19; #AT 3
Cloudwedker. “Black dragons roam the 1; Dmg Id2/ld2/ld6 (claw/claw/bite) or
lizard men will try to knock him from the
sky with javelins. (They each carry two
the leader of the patrol explains,
jungle,’’ ld6 (javelins) or 2d4 (clubs); SZ (7' M
javelins.) On the ground, the lizeu'd men
‘"rhey attacked a hunting party and tall); ML 14; XP 65 each (120 if the PCs
killed almost a dozen of our tribe. They talk to them); MMy227.
set an ambush and attack from all sides,
wait in hiding ahead. Please help us.” The village of the lizard men is lo-
first tossing javelins, then closing to me-
An encounter with a lizard man patrol cated southeast of Cloud City, approxi-
lee with clubs. If Agoron is encountered
provides the PCs with a warning that mately 15 miles from the sleeping
in elf form, the lizard men do not attack
the black dragons lie in ambush around dragon’s hill. 'The small community has
but instead ask for help.
the hill, reducing the dragons’ surprise mobilized itself, sending patrols into the
After two rounds of combat, if Agoron
bonus from +6 to +4. Of course, the jungle to defend the village from the

DUNGEON 57
SLEEPING DRAGON

black dragon invaders. Since the initial bit of information: “A slayer of dragons (area D). Under no circumstances will
alert, the village shaman has informed waits beneath the hill, and not
the all the giants accompany Agoron.
the lizard man king that something else dead lie still. You must save the drag- 'The jungle giant village is home to a
rises from its sleep in the jungle. The on’s claw, for it can bring doom to the dozen adult males, an equal number of
shaman is receiving dream visions islands.” With that, he presents a spear females, and six children of various
similar to Agoron’s, and he is extremely made of sharpened bone and engraved ages. If the PCs approach the village,
frightened by what these visions might with arcane runes. “This will make the the giants cautiously welcome them and
mean. He has spent long hours crafting dead rest, but its magic can be used pass on the information above.
a special weapon for use against the only once.” 'The weapon is a spear vs. Jungle giants (1-3): INT average; AL
dread creature he sees in his dreams. undead. It causes ld6 + 2 hp damage N; AC 3; MV 15, climb 6; HD 11; hp 62,
While the PCs are traveling in area B, against any type of undead, double 44, 33; THACO 9; #AT 1 or 2; Dmg 2d8
a lizard man shaman approaches and damage against the undead dragon (tree-trunk club) or 2d6/2d6 (arrows); SA
greets them. No matter what form slayer (see area 11), and triple damage surprise ( + 1 penalty to foes); + 9 to
Agoron wears, the shaman recognizes against Infernis. After it successfully damage rolls; poisoned arrows (save vs.
him for what he is, the silver dragon hits an undead target, the spear shat- paralyzation at + 2 or be rendered im-
called by the guardian of the land. If the ters and its magic is lost. mobile for 2d6 turns); SZ H (18' tall);
PCs are flying, the shaman uses pyro- ML 16; XP 6,000 each; MM/142.
technics to attract their attention, cast- C. Jungle Giants. A
small commu-
ing this spell on a fire to send a thick, nity of jungle giants lives in Silver D. Wyverns. A flight of wyverns
writhing stream of smoke spiraling into Island’s tropical forest. These giants do makes its lair here. While the PCs are
the air. If they travel on foot, he simply not go near the mountains, the vassal traveling through areas B and C, or
steps out of the jungle in front of them. communities, or the well-traveled paths through the jungle between them, a
between them. However, they consider pair of wyverns spots the heroes (on a
A lizard man, wearing a variety of the rest of the island their hunting roll of 6 on ld6). These huge flying
bones, feathers and animal teeth, grounds. Agoron and Larala may meet reptiles have been disturbed by the
bows before you. His raspy voice is 1-3 of these giants while traveling black dragons. In their anger and confu-
low, but you can make out the bro- through the shaded area marked C on sion, the wyverns attack the first crea-
ken words of the metallic dragon the map. While the PCs are in this area, tures to wander across their path. In the
language. “Grand Master,” the lizard roll ld6 every turn. On a roll of 1 or 2, air, they streak toward Agoron and
man says, using the formal address the heroes meet a jungle giant hunting attack by bursting unexpectedly from
for all adult dragons, “you are the party. On a roll of 6, the PCs encounter the jungle canopy ( + 2 surprise bonus).
dream champion, called to aid the a pair of wyverns. In this case, go to On the ground, they swoop down to
guardian of the land. I have seen the area D. snatch Larala before Agoron can react.
visions, too. Will you stop at our If the PCs are flying, the giants try to If the PCs actually discover their lair,
village and listen to the words of our attract their attention by firing giant- the wyverns attack upon returning. The
king?” sized arrows across their path. If the lair is a large cave hidden in a thick
dragon and kindred are traveling grove of jungle plants. 'The cave de-
If Agoron refuses, the shaman calls through the jungle, the giants stalk scends into an underground cavern 50'
after him as he turns away. “A slayer of them for a while before making their square. In the lair, Agoron and Larala
dragons waits beneath the hill,” the presence known. Agoron can spot the can find two unhatched eggs and trea-
shaman warns. “Not all the dead lie giants with a dragon senses check at sure worth 3,000 gp.
still this day. Grand Master.” + 15%. Wyverns (2): INT low; AL N(E); AC 3;
If Agoron agrees to go to the village, Agoron and Larala might mistake the MV 6, fly 24 (E);HD 7 +7; hp 41, 33;
the lizard men welcome him as an hon- giants’ actions as attacks and respond THACO 13; #AT 2 or 1; Dmg Id6/ld6
ored guest. The tribe acknowledges the in kind. If so, the giants will defend (talons) or 2d8 (bite); SA stinger (ld6 hp
dominance of the silver dragons, and themselves before fleeing into the jun- damage); poison (save vs. poison or die);
many hope that Agoron will help them gle. Ifthe pair do not attack, the giants snatch (one talon hit to snatch man-
against the terrors loose in the land. provide some information about the sized creatures, two to snatch large-
The lizard king pays the proper respect jungle ahead. “Evil walks the jungle sized creatures); sting and bite snatched
to Agoron, then asks why the dragon this day,” the jungle giants explain. creatures each round with a + 4 attack
has come to this part of the jungle. If “Dead things march toward the hill of bonus; SZ G (35' long); ML 14; XP 1,400
Agoron answers truthfully, the king silver.” The giants do not normally each; MM/366.
nods and responds, “Dreams and black acknowledge the rulership of the silver
dragons—will our problems never end?” dragons, but they believe this danger E. Trolls. For additional defense, In-
The lizard king gives the PCs more can be handled by only the powerful femis has recruited a pack of trolls.
information about the activities of the dragons. If Agoron is friendly, they tell and fear for the powerful
'Their respect
three black dragons, reducing the him that they spotted monster zombies undead dragon has made them eager to
blacks’ surprise bonus from +6 to +2. and bugbears heading toward a place please Infernis. 'They patrol the jungle
He also provides the exact location of they call “the hill of silver.” They seem between the mountains and Cloudwalker
the mist-cloaked hill. Then he motions genuinely frightened by this and gladly Hill, searching for anyone who could
for the shaman to approach. direct Agoron to the hill. The path they cause problems for their new master.
The shaman provides this additional point out passes right by a wyvern lair One of the trolls carries a two-handed

58 Issue No. 48
 SLEEPING DRAGON

sword. The rest battle with their natu- (9' tall); ML 14; XP 1,400 each; MM/349. do not know about their clan’s connec-
ral weapons (clawed hands and teeth). tion to Infernis.
They battle to the death, for Infernis F. Black Dragons. Three black drag- Juvenile black dragons (3); INT
has promised to revive them should ons patrol an area approximately 10 average; AL CE; AC 1; MV 12, fly 30
they fall in his service. This is a lie, but miles 8uround the site of Cloudwalker (C), swim 12; HD 12; hp 67, 59, 51;
the trolls believe it completely. Hill. Infernis, through Lord Death- THACO 9; #AT 3 plus special; Dmg ld6/
The trolls encounter the PCs just stream, has ordered the dragons to keep Id6/3d6 (claw/claw/bite); SA +4 damage
before the heroes enter the shaded area any and all creatures from reaching the to all physical attacks, acid stream
around Cloudwalker Hill. If they can’t hill. Enthusiastic and eager to please breath weapon once every three combat
get at the PCs because Agoron is flying, their lord, the dragons do their best to rounds (Dmg 8d4 +4); SD immune to
they wait for the first opportunity to comply with these instructions. Shortly acid; SZ G (26' body, 22' tail); ML 16; XP
attack (certainly when the PCs finally after Agoron and Larala enter the 10,000 each; MM/65.
land before the hill). shaded area labeled A on the map, the Saving throws; DM 8, RSW 10, PP 9,
If Agoron and Larala somehow find dragons attack from ambush. BW 9, Sp 11.
the trolls' lair, it is empty. The trolls are If the PCs are unaware of the black Special abilities: magical abilities at
busy watching for threats to their new dragons, the blacks receive a + 6 surprise 9th level.
master along the path from the moun- bonus. If the heroes were warned by ei- Innate abilities; water breathing,
tains. The lair is a foul, smelly hole in ther the lizard man patrol or the liz^lrd darkness three times per day, 40’
the middle of a jungle grove. From the man village (see area B), the bonus is radius.
outside, it looks like some huge nest. reduced to +4 or +2 respectively. Wizard spells (one spell per dragon):
Inside, it contains the remains of many The dragons attack one at a time magic missile, shocking grasp, wall of
troll meals and a scattering of treasure from hiding, each using its breath fog-
worth 1,6(X) gp. weapon in a different round. If two of After the fight with the black drag-
TroUs (6): INT low; AL CE; AC 4; MV the dragons fall, the third attempts to ons, Agoron and Larala experience
12; HD 6 +6; hp 43, 39. 37, 35, 28; escape. If captured and questioned, the another dream vision. This dream,
THACO 13; #AT 3; Dmg ld4 +4/ld4 +4/ blacks will say only that they are fol- however, happ>ens while they are awake.
Ids SA leader
+ 4 (claw/claw/bite); at- lowing the orders of their dragon lord, If Agoron is flying when the dream
tacks with two-handed sword Deathstream of Clan Blackmoon. They occurs, he glides for the duration of the
(2d4 +8/2d8 + 8); SD regeneration; SZ L vision.

DUNGEON 59
SLEEPING DRAGON

Agoron, though their numbers could and company. They hear a swift wind,
A swirling cloud of silver mist opens cause some damage. After two rounds of the cracking of branches, and the belch
before you, revealing a large hill.
battle, Jerverdi the green dragon ap- of dragon fire. The first pass drenches
You watch, and the hill rises and pears. She moves to help Agoron and Jerverdi in a shower of flame. Before
shifts, taking on the form of a great
Larala in their fight, and with her aid the PCs’ eyes, the green dragon is con-
silver dragon. Its pained, tired face
the battle ends quickly. sumed and destroyed. This serves as
turns toward you, and you hear the Because she has been following them both a warning and a motivation. 'Ib
haunting dream voice that has filled since Cloud City, Jerverdi has learned stay outside is extremely dangerous,
your sleep these many nights past. much of what the pair knows. She ex- but the cave offers some hope of
“Agoron, my child,” the dragon plains that she heard the same call for protection.
calls. “Where are you? I need yoxu*
help as they did, though this is untrue. The PCs are not meant to battle In-
help. Infernis draws closer, and al-
She just wants to learn more for her fernis at this point in the adventure.
ready his foul servants have entered dragon lord. If she really understood the (They’re not supposed to fight him at
my hidden caverns. They seek the danger before them, she would not have all, but that’s another matter.) If they
talon. You must find it first, or at
followed. However, she volunteers to decide to stay outside and fight, let the
least keep them from returning it to help and refuses to take no for an battle proceed as it will. (Infernis’s sta-
Infernis. Hurry, my child. You are
answer. tistics are given on page 64.) Every few
the only hope for the clans.” Skeleton, monster (6): INT non; AL rounds, Kagil sends visions calling for
N; AC 6; MV
12; HD 6; hp 42, 39, 34, help against “the invaders inside me.”
The swirling mist draws back on it-
30, 27, 21; THACO 15; #AT 1; Dmg ld8/ If this doesn’t get the PCs into the cave,
self, closing off the vision of the hill- ldl2 (long sword); SD immune to sleep, let the adventure conclude here at the
turned-dragon. Time is running out, charm, fear, and hold spells; immune to claws of the dracolich.
and the PCs must hurry. cold-based attacks; half damage from If the heroes enter the cave, continue
edged or piercing weapons; SZ H (9' with the rest of this section.
Cloudwalker Hill tall); ML special; XP 650 each; MM/315.

When the PCs finish battling the black Skeleton, giant (4): INT non; AL N; Into the Hill
dragons, they spot something huge AC 4; MV 12; HD 4 + 4; hp 32, 29, 27,
The interior of the hill is very different
circling the raised treetops that mark 24; THACO 15; #AT 1; Dmg ldl2
from the exterior. For one thing, though
the location of Cloudwalker Hill. If the (spear); SD immune to sleep, charm,
the walls are dirt and stone and grow-
heroes stay in the air, the flying crea- fear, and hold spells; immune to cold-
ing roots, the interior looks a lot like
ture will notice them, and it looks large based attacks; half damage from edged
the inside of a living, organic being (in
enough to give Agoron a real problem. or piercing weapons; SZ L (12' tall); ML
this case, a dragon). Each chamber was
The best course is to land and push on 20; XP 975 each; MM/316.
formed from Kagil’s body, though it has
through the undergrowth, using the Zombies (12): INT non; AL N; AC 8;
MV 6; HD 2; hp 14 each; THACO 19; become an actual part of the landscape.
dense jungle to hide their approach to
#AT Dmg ld8; SD immune to sleep, A strange undercurrent of feeir and
the hill. Of course, this is also just what 1;
anxiety echoes in the caves as Kagil
Infernis expects his enemies to do. charm, hold, death magic, poisons, and
comes closer to fully waking.
Anticipating that the sleeping dragon coZd-based spells; SZ M
(6' tall); ML A troop of bugbears works directly for
would call for help as it awakened, special; XP 65 each; MM/373.
The trek through the jungle ends Infernis, whom these creatures view as
Infernis has placed a vEffiety of undead
a deity. Four teams of four bugbears
creatures one mile from the hill. He when the hill from Agoron’s dreams
each (16 in all) operate in the caves
needs to slow down any help only long comes into sight.
beneath the hill. The bugbears are well
enough for his forces to find the talon of trained and fight intelligently, seeking
You push through the heavy jungle
final destruction. As soon as Agoron and
brush and there it is: a hill of pleas- to weaken their opponents while taking
Larala land, the ground around them
ing shape and natm-al beauty, sur- as little damage themselves as possible.
explodes and an army of undead rises
rounded by a fine silver mist. A 'They do this by striking from hiding,
up to attack.
setting ambushes, and firing ranged
wound mars the otherwise perfect
You step into the jungle, sure that surface of the hill. Someone or some- weapons Because of their faith in
first.

the hill must be close, when the thing has opened a hole into the Infernis, thesebugbears have unusually
ground beneath you starts to shake. mound, digging a path into its side. high morale. If forced to break and run,
Dirt and rocks fly into the air as The small cave-like opening is too they attempt to assemble elsewhere in
skeletal limbs reach up like fast- small for a full-size dragon to enter, the caves to make another attack. Their
growing, hideous plants. You remem- but Larala, or Agoron in elf form, orders are to find the talon of final de-
ber your dream vision as zombies should have no problem. struction and bring it to Infernis.
and skeletons reach for you. These Bugbears (16): INT average; AL CE;
undead creatures surround you, teeu" Before the adventurers can decide AC 5; MV 9; HD 3 + 1; THACO 17; MT
at you, claw at you. And overhead, what to do, Infernis attacks. 1; Dmg Idl0/3d6 (two-handed sword) or

something large and fast passes ld4 + l/ld6 + 1 (sling bullet); SA sur-
prise ( + 3 penalty to foes); -h 2 to dam-
above the jungle canopy. Dracolich Strike
age rolls; SZ L (7' tall); ML 14; XP 120
Infernis dives through the jungle cano- each; MM/32. Hit points are listed
The undead can only hinder and delay himself to Agoron
py, barely revealing

60 Issue No. 48
 SLEEPING DRAGON

where the bugbears are encountered.

Monster zombies, created from the Cloudwalker
dead bodies of bugbears and ogres, also
serve the dracolich. Eight of them have Hill
been placed to guard the caves while
the bugbears search for the hidden
treasure hoard. The zombies will not
leave the areas they have been ordered
to protect, but they attack any beings
not loyal to Infemis who linger in or
pass through the chambers they guard.
The monster zombies’ hit points area
listed where the creatures are met.
Monster zombies (8): INT non; AL N;
AC 6; MV 9; HD 6; THACO 15; #AT 1;
Dmg 4d4; SD immune to sleep, charm,
hold, death magic, cold-based spells,
and poisons; SZ L; ML
15; XP 650 each;
MM/373.

1.Entrance. The dracolich attacks

the PCs and destroys the green dragon
here. The hole in the side of the hill
appears dark and jagged, as though it
was gouged out with sharp claws. The
opening is barely 6' tall and 3' wide.

2. Monster Zombies. This chamber,

shaped like the inside of a dragon’s
skull, has walls of pale white stone.
Sharp columns formed from Kagil’s
jagged teeth line the curved walls,
growing down from the ceiling and
jutting up from the moist, muddy floor.
A number of these columns have been
broken away to allow entry into the
chamber. Their smashed pieces litter
the floor.
Two monster zombies (hp 30, 27)
guard this chamber. They move to at-
tack as soon as anyone enters through
the cave opening. The zombies battle to
the death but will not leave this cham-
ber for any reason.

3. Monster Zombies. This long corri-

dor of circular ribs of white stone ap-
pears organic in nature. PCs in this PCs pass by the side tunnels where they and walls, and a few chunks of raw
tunnel should get the distinct impres- hide, then emerge and strike from both silver (worth a total of 3,000 gold pieces)
sion that they are walking through the sides. lie scattered about.
center of a giant rib cage. Water drips
from the moist ceiling to puddle in the 4. Empty Chamber. A short corridor 5. Bugbear Team. Agoron and Larala
spaces between the floor ridges. Open- of crumbling, striated soil leads to this meet the first team of bugbears in this
ings lead off each side of the corridor, three-pronged chamber. The walls here clawlike chamber. It resembles area 4,
and strange sounds echo from all direc- seem to consist of pale stone streaked except the bugbears (hp 20, 14, 13, 8)
tions. Some of the sounds might be are still here, breaking open sections of
with veins of glittering silver. Ridges in
voices or footsteps, but there is an un- the walls, floor, and ceiling give the the wall.
derlying pulse that gets louder and impression of freshly cleaned bone. The
more persistent the deeper into the hill place is deserted, though there is evi- 6. Large Chamber. A layer of stag-
the PCs travel. dence that this chamber has been nant water coats the floor of this large
Two monster zombies (hp 35, 25)
searched recently. Large gouts of rock chamber. The air is cool and damp, and
guard this corridor. They wait until the
and soil have been dug out of the floor moist dirt clings to the walls and ceil-

DUNGEON 61
 1

SLEEPING DRAGON

ing. A
steady breeze whispers through discovered, they emerge into area 10 for slayer knows that he serves as an in-
this area, and the mud on the walls “The Final Battle.” strument of Great lo’s judgment, and
bubbles as it contracts and expands to carries the ancient commandment in his
some unknown beat. 9. Side Chamber. This chamber looks heart: destroy the unworthy dragons of
A team of bugbears (hp 16, 13 ( x 2), much like area 8. The last bugbear the Blood islands.
lo’s
10) searches through a mound of trea- team (hp 19, 18, 14, 13) searches here Although lo used the humans to force
sure that juts from the water’s surface. for the talon. A scattering of treasure the dragons to work together, the drag-
A monster zombie (hp 35) stands near- (worth 7,000 gp) fills part of the cham- on god never counted the humans
by, providing additional support should ber, but the magical item that Infernis among his followers. The human dragon
the bugbears need it. Clems and chunks craves is not here. If the bugbears are slayers, however, have taken lo’s words
of precious metal make up the bulk of not dealt with here, they move to area and turned them into a doctrine of faith.
the treasure, though a magical item or 10 to join in the final battle. Marcub believes that Great lo has a
two may be included if the PCs need special purpose for him. That’s why lo
extra help. The taUm is not here, how- 10. Vast Chamber. This area was sent Infernis, who is as undead as the
ever. Because the treasure belongs to formed from KagiTs main body. The slayer, to lead him against the dragons.
the sleeping dragon, neither Agoron nor walls of the cave still pulse with ancient For Marcub Bladesong, the holy war
Larala should be tempted to take any of life, and the remains of his vital organs continues.
it. They can gather as much as 15,000 hang from the distant ceiling: a large Agoron and Laiala can easily spot the
gp worth from this location if they so heart beats steadily, a stomach churns, talon, as the slayer has strapped it to

choose, however. and other organs pulsate. One strange his back. If Agoron wants to make full
growth, covered with ice, hangs far from use of his dragon abilities to battle the
7. Broken Chamber. Shaped much the oppressive heat that fills the cham- slayer, he must return to area 9 (which
like area 6, this area is as hot and ber. 'The great crack that divides the is large enough to hold his true form).
steamy the other is damp and cool.
£is chamber throws out fiery light and hot When Agoron does this, go to “The
The dirt on the walls has become dry steam, and the sounds of hot, bubbling Final Battle.”
and brittle from the heat, and the far- rock far below echo freely in the air. Marcub Bladesong, undead dragon
ther in the PCs go, the more uncomfor- This area is empty when the PCs first slayer: INT genius; AL CE; AC 0 ( -
table the area becomes. A gaping crack enter. In elf form, Agoron may have vs. dragons); MV 12; HD 9; hp 63;
splits the far end of the cave. The crack trouble crossing the cracked ground, THACO 11; #AT 3/2; Dmg ld8+2/
drops over 100' into a bubbling lake of though a rope has been set up for the ldl2 + 2 {long sword +2, dragon slayer);
molten lava. The lava belongs to the bugbears in area 9 and the undead SA +3 to attack, +6 damage against
same stream that feeds most of the dragon slayer in area 11. The area is nondragons; +5 to attack rolls vs. drag-
volcanoes of the southern islands (in- large enough for Agoron’s dragon form, ons, + 15 damage bonus vs. dragons; SD
cluding the Silver Mountains). The though flying will be nearly impossible. immune to dragon feau'; no damage if
crack was caused by one of the frequent The final battle occurs here, after the save vs. breath weapon successful, half
earthquakes that have rocked the is- PCs have fought the slayer. damage otherwise; immune to clerical
land over the centuries since Kagil turning; SZ M
(6' tall); 19; XP ML
became a guardian of the land. 11. Tail Chamber. This twisting cave 7,000; DRAGON® Magazine #205.
One monster zombie (hp 32) hides holds the bulk of Kagil’s surviving trea- Special abilities: breath stun ( + 4
along the wall of the chamber near the siue hoeu'd, including the talon of final penalty to attack rolls, success disables
crack. Make a dragon senses check at destruction. An undead dragon slayer a dragon’s breath weapon for a number
65% for Agoron. If Agoron succeeds, he and the last of the monster zombies of rounds equal to the damage caused
spots the undead creatxire. Otherwise, (hp 21) lurk here. The PCs arrive just as by the attack); dodge attack ( -t2 to
when one of the heroes gets close to the the slayer has uncovered the tahn. His attack roll; +4 to AC against dragon
cracked ground, the monster zombie hatred of dragons (other than Infernis) physical attacks, -t-2 to saving throws
stumbles out and forces the PC over the extends to Agoron, and he leaps to de- against breath weapons, on successful
edge with a successful attack roll. Fall- stroy the polymorphed elf as soon as the Dexterity check); great blow (additional
ing into the boiling lava means instant dragon’s true form is revealed. The damage inflicted up to slayer’s remain-
death for either Agoron or Larala, slayer will not immediately attack the ing hit points; slayer loses these hit
though they can make Dexterity checks PCs unless they threaten him, reveal points regardless of whether blow suc-
to save themselves by catching an out- Agoron’s true identity, or attempt to ceeds); weapon throw (toss primary
cropping. take the talon. weapon at flying dragon); breach attack
Infernis raised the dragon slayer ( + 6 bonus to attack roll on successful
8. Side Chamber. 'This narrow cham- Marcub Bladesong as an undead crea- Intelligence check, +2 bonus if check
ber of pale silver stone is inlaid with a ture. This slayer retains most of his fails).
disturbing pattern of thin, pulsing-red memories, and the skills that made him
veins. It should remind the PCs of a dangerous when he was alive, with the The Final Battle
dragon’s membranous wings— from the added powers of the undead to bolster
The final battle takes place in area 10,
inside looking out. his formidable abilities. Infernis has
after the PCs meet the undead dragon
A team of four bugbears (hp 23, 20, convinced Marcub that any dracolich is
slayer. The battle could include some or
17, 16) and a monster zombie (hp 32) an avatar of lo, the dragon god wor-
se£irches this chamber. If they are not shiped by the human slayers. Each

62 Issue No. 48
 SLEEPING DRAGON

all of the following opponents: the slay- Cloudwalker,” Infernis demands as he

er and a monster zombie from area 11, climbs the broken ground. “I created it and my powers are greater than your
four bugbears and a monster zombie long ago, and I want it back. Defy me own. Leave now and trouble the
from area 8, four bugbears from area 9. and you will not receive the mercy of a living no more.”
Agoron and Larala must defeat the swift death.” Infernis retreats to the great crack,
dragon slayer to claim the talon of final If PCs have not yet used the spear
the but he pauses long enough to look
destruction. During the battle, Kagil’s vs. undead (see area B) that the lizard address the silver dragon who caused
voice echoes from the very walls of the man shaman gave them, this is as good his latest plan to fail. “I will remem-
cave. “You must destroy the talon of a time as any. A successful attack while ber this, descendant of Cloudwalker,”
final destruction before it falls into Infernis is climbing will knock the dra- the dracolich sneers. “There will be a
Infernis’s possession,” Kagil implores colich into the boiling lava, delaying reckoning!”
them. “It has taken many dragon ages, him for three rounds. Other attacks, if “Enough!” Kagil roars. “Begone,
but I believe I know how this can be strong enough, may do the same thing. dracolich! Begone before you follow
done. In fire hot enough to melt the Any single attack that does more than the talon into oblivion!” Ice begins to
land itself, the talon will be destroyed!” 20 hp damage will force Infernis back spread along the ceiling of the cave
The pool of lava provides just such forone round. This includes spells, and down the walls as Kagil gathers
heat, though it may take the PCs a single physical attacks, and breath his powers of cold to rage against the
moment to come to this conclusion. weapons. dracolich. A bolt of absolute cold
Before the heroes can act, however, they When the
talon is tossed into the lava, assaults the undead creature, shat-
hear another voice fill the room. It is an itexplodes in flame and disappears tering one claw with a frigid blast.
evil, malicious voice, and it rises from beneath the bubbling surface. Infernis The dracolich screams, then shouts,
the great crack like so much scalding screams in rage and prepares to punish “Another time, Kagil, you can be
steam. Infernis has found a path into Agoron and his kindred. However, at sure!” With that, Infernis disappears
the hill. Two miles north of Cloud- this moment the sleeping dragon comes back the way he came, and peace
walker Hill, the dracolich discovered a fully awake. The hill shakes and a once again settles over the lair of the
cave system with openings to a vast strong, benevolent presence fills the air.
guardian of the land.
underground lake of lava. Infernis, who
still has his red dragon immunities, is “It is over, Infernis,” Kagil’s voice Fully awake, Kagil has powers and
not bothered by the heat at all. thunders through the hill. “You have beyond even the most
abilities far
“Give me the talon, descendant of no business here. I am awake now.
Continued on page 72

DUNGEON 63
ADVENTURES FOR TSR ROLE-PLAYING GAMES

Issues 37-48
Issue Title of Adventure Author(s) System Levels
40 Aerie Borne Rea, Ralph & Rick, Greg AD&D® 4-6
45 All Things Nice Baichtal, John AD&D SideTrek 2-4
45 Artist’s Errand, An Kurtz, Steve SPELLJAMMER® 6-8
47 Assassin Within, The Culotta, Paul AL-QADIM® 3-5

39 Below Vulture Point Fairbourn, Jeff AD&D 0-1

38 Blight on the Land, A Green, Richard FORGOTTEN REALMS® 8-12

41 Deadly Treasure Hedberg, Goby AD&D 10 +

46 Dovedale Zuvich, Ted James Thomas D&D® 1-3

40 Draven Deeps’ Menace, The Fairbourn, Jeff DRAGONLANCE® 3-6

39 Fire Giant’s Daughter, The Baur, Wolfgang AD&D Viking 8-10

46 Floating Rock Kurtz, Steve AD&D SideTrek 5-9
39 Flowfire Kurtz, Steve SPELLJAMMER 5-9
39 Fountain of Health, The Dupuis, Ann D&D 1

47 Fraggart’s Contraption Walsh, Willie AD&D 1-2

46 Goblin Fever Maxwell, Randy AD&D 3-5

45 Gritzel’s Guidance Schell, J. Bradley AD&D SideTi'ek 9+

64 Issue No. 48
 Adventure Author(s) System Level
Issue Title of

44 Hand of Al-Djamal, The Smith, Stephen D&D 9-12

48 Honor Lost, Honor Regained Beattie, Paul Hamilton AD&D SideTrek 4-6

41 Hopeful Dawn Lai, Gary GREYHAWK® 3-6

38 Horror’s Harvest Perkins, Christopher RAVENLOFT® 2-4

44 Hot Day in L’Trel, A Zuvich, Tfed James Thomas AD&D 1-3

43 Into the Silver Realm Kurtz, Steve AD&D 8-12

46 Iron Orb of the Duergar, The Aberg, Peter AD&D 11-15

42 Izek’s Slumber Lai, Gary GREYHAWK SideTrek 12-14 or 7-10

43 Jacob’s Well Maxwell, Randy AD&D 2-4

40 Khamsa’s Folly Picking, J. Mark FORGOTTEN REALMS 4-6

43 King Oleg’s Dilemma Sheppard, Lee AD&D 1-4

42 Lady The
of the Mists, Aberg, Peter AD&D 6-8

39 Last of the Iron House Jones, Jasper AD&D 2-4

42 Legacy of the Liosalfar Hind, Chris AD&D 1

39 Legerdemain Schutt, Matthew AD&D 4-7

41 Mammoth Problems Kapture, Lawrence SPELLJAMMER 8-10

43 Mayhem at Midnight Stratton, Trae DRAGONLANCE 4-7

48 Melody Wilson, Leonard & Ann AD&D 6-8

43 Moving Day Baker, Roger AD&D 3-5

37 Mud Sorcerer’s Tomb, The Shel, Mike AD&D 10-14

41 Old Man Katan . . .

Zuvich, 'Ifed James Thomas AD&D 1-6

48 Oracle at Sunbar, The Culotta, Paul AD&D 3-6

38 Pandora’s Apprentice Wilson, Leonard AD&D 1-5

42 Price of Revenge, The Kurtz, Steve RAVENLOFT 4-6

45 Prism Keep Baker, Rich AD&D 6-8

47 Quelkin’s Quandary Perkins, Christopher AD&D 3-5

44 Raiders of the Chanth Maxwell, Randy DARK SUN® 3-5

42 Ransom Howery, David D&D 3-5

45 Rudwilla’s Stew Perkins, Christopher AD&D 1-2

37 Serpents of the Sands DiCicco, John AD&D 6- 10

47 Shades of Darkness Wright, David C. AD&D 4-6

48 Sleeping Dragon, The Slaviscek, Bill COUNCIL OF WYRMS ™ dragon 6

47 Smoldering Mane Kreekel, Rona AD&D SideTrek 7-10

40 Song of the Fens Schell, J. Bradley AD&D 1-3

37 Their Master’s Voice Baker, Roger AD&D SideTrek 2-4

48 Them Apples Perkins, Christopher D&D 1-3

38 Things That Go Bump in the Night Stump, Rich AD&D 3-7

48 To Bite the Moon Smedman, Lisa AD&D 9-12

44 Train of Events Ide, Timothy AD&D 6-10

39 Ulrich Monastery, The Aberg, Peter AD&D 5-6

41 Way With Words, A Woodruff, T. & Beach, T. D&D 1-3

41 Well of Lord Barcus, The Baker, Roger AD&D SideTrek 2-5

47 When the Light Goes Out Loken, Steve AD&D Priest 1 Solo

37 White Boar The

of Kilfay, Walsh, Willie AD&D 3-7

42 Whistledown’s Mantrap Schell, J. Bradley AD&D SideTrek 3-4

37 Wizard’s Fate, A Perkins, Christopher AD&D 1-3

DUNGEON 65
 Paul writes: “My life the past few years
has been a whirl. After graduating from
the University of Chicago in 1986,
spent a year in Europe, another doing
graduate work in immunology, and two
more in the Marine Corps. After surviv-
ing that, I went on to law school at the
University of Michigan and graduated
last May.
"Since high school, I have played role-
playing games intermittently, as a wel-
come relief from the sterile rigors of
modern professionalism. More recently, I
resolved to combine my interests in writ-
ing and fantasy gaming by making my
own modest contributions to TSR’s crea-
tive exploits.”

“Honor Lost, Honor Regained” is an

AD&D® adventure for 3-5 player char-
acters of 4th-6th level (18-20 total
levels). The party should include a
priest and at least one warrior. Because
the principal NPC is a fallen paladin of
Helm, no PC should be overtly evil. The
adventure works best if a party priest
also worships Helm, but a lawful-
neutral or lawful-good priest of any
order will do. Although this adventure
is set in the Forgotten Realms, it can be
easily adapted to any campaign.

HONOR LOST, For the Dungeon Master

Edgar grew up
soldier.
in Tilverton, the son of a
His father died in battle when

HONOR
he was young, and his mother— a re-
sourceful woman— found him a position
in Helm’s Shrine as a servant. In time,
Edgar grew strong and capable, and the
abbot trained him as a paladin. Confi-
dent and dauntless, Edgar crusaded in

REGAINED Helm’s name, winning praise from

Tilverton ’s beleaguered citizens.
'There was, however, one thing that
truly frightened Edgar. In his youth,
while exploring the sewers beneath
BY PAUL HAMILTON BEAHIE JR. Tilverton, he became helplessly trapped
in the web of a giant spider. As the
horrid monster approached, Edgar could
do nothing; his sword arm was caught
in its webs. The spider crawled up to

Fallen from grace, fallen him, ogling him with its beady, black
eyes. For many long minutes it gloated

into despair over Edgar, its mandibles gnashing

inches from his face.
Edgar was rescued by his companions
that day, but he was deeply trauma-
tized. He continued to dream of the
horrible creature: its hairy, bloated
Artwork by Tony DITerlIzzi
body, its beady eyes, its gibbering
mouth. Edgar had developed an uncon-

66 Issue No. 48
 1

HONOR LOST. HONOR REGAINED

trollable fear of spiders. pany with them.

With the advent of Cormyrean occupa- a morning star, he leaps to his feet, a If someone agrees to fight Edgar, he
tion, the task of guarding Tilverton fell guilty look on his tired face. will scrupulously follow the rules. ('The
to the Purple Dragons. Additionally, the
“Will you sneak up like thieves on rules for nonlethal weapon combat are
Time of Troubles lowered Helm’s stand- a servant of Helm, taking advantage on page 98 of the Player’s Handbook.)
ing in most northern towns. Feeling of my prostration and misery to rob Edgar’s opponent can attempt to cheat
that it was a good time to see the world, me? You will not find me easy prey, by swinging harder than agreed. A PC
for though I am unworthy of Helm, who cheats recovers as much of the
Edgar traveled west in search of adven-
still I can give my life to rid the land
ture,accompanied by his trusted friend penalty for nonlethal combat as he
Father Darvin, a priest of Ibrm. Months of lawlessness and evil.” wants. Standard nonlethal combat dam-
later,they came upon a deserted half- age is half damage with a -4 penalty to
ling village in the Far Hills. Nearby, If the PCs insist that they mean him the attack roll. An attack roll with a - 3
they found a dark cave. no harm, Edgar concentrates for a few penalty hits for % damage; a -2 penal-
The cave had recently been occupied moments on several of the adventurers, %
ty roll strikes for damage; an attack
by a baleful drider named Karinza. then shakes his head sadly. roll with only a - 1 penalty does %
Scorned by the drow for failing the rite damage. All damage is permanent when
“Just as I suspected,” he groans. “My
of passage of the drow’s dark goddess, the PC swings with less than a -3
dishonor has cost me Helm’s bless-
the hideously transformed Karinza fled penalty. The PC can, of course, swing
ing. I can no longer sense evil inten-
her subterranean home beneath the Far normally with no penalty. However,
tions. I must judge you by your
Hills. She and her retinue of adoring whenever his opponent cheats, Edgar
actions.
spiders took up residence in the dank makes a Wisdom check with a bonus
“Let one of you step forward, and
cave. An unsuspecting halfling village equal to the amount of the attack roll
we will test each other’s mettle. In
nearby provided an abundant food penalty recovered by the cheater.
battle, a man can judge another’s
source until, after weeks of Karinza’s If Edgar catches his opponent cheat-
true worthiness. If we strike with the
predation, the surviving halflings fled ing, he denounces the “villain” and
flats of our blades, like squires at
into the hills. begins fighting normally until one of
play, we can judge each other with-
When Edgar and Darvin investigated out much loss of blood.”
them is knocked unconscious or killed.
the cavern, they were ambushed by After this, he will probably have noth-
With that, Edgar slips his morning
Karinza’s giant spiders. Father Darvin ing more to do with the party.
star into his belt and draws his long
became entangled in sticky spider webs If his opponent is honorable, Edgar
sword.
and immobilized before he could cast acknowledges his worth after a few
any spells. Edgar fought on valiantly well-fought rounds. The former paladin
Edgar, fallen paladin of Helm: AL
for a time, until— overcome by his irra- uses his healing proficiency to cure any
LG; AC 0; MV 6; F6; hp 43; THACO 15; wounds he has inflicted, and he asks
tional fear of spiders— he dishonorably
#A'T 1; Dmg by weapon type; S 16 (0,
fled the cave, leaving his friend to die in permission to camp with the party.
agony, and losing the favor of his patron
+ 1), D 15, C 15, 1 11, W
13, Ch 17; ML
As soon as the group makes camp,
14; plate mail, medium shield +1,
god. For over an hour Edgar ran in Edgar approaches the priest who seems
morning star +1, long sword, hand axe,
terror, finally collapsing in exhaustion most sympathetic to his beliefs (a priest
potion of healing. Specialized in weapon
on a small mountain trail. of Helm or one of lawful-good or lawful-
and shield fighting style (optional rule
neutral alignment) and asks to make a
from The Complete Fighter’s Handbook).
For the Player Characters private confession. With a look of utter
Edgar is 5'11" tall, with a medium
shame, Edgar tells the priest the story
Read or paraphrase the following to the build, short brown hair, and well-
of his disgrace and asks him to prepEire
players: trimmed beard and mustache.
a prayer seeking Helm’s guidance. The
Nonweapon proficiencies: healing (11),
%u have been traveling all day along horse riding (16), etiquette (17), herald-
DM should take the player running the
narrow mountain trails. Late in the priest aside to hear Edgar’s confession.
ry (11), religion (13)
afternoon, you came across a recently The person playing the priest has
Edgar has lost all his paladin abilities
deserted halfling village but were several great opportunities for role-
and is too ashamed to pray to Helm for
unable to discover why it had been playing. First, the player should actually
forgiveness. He must make a morale
abandoned. Evening is approaching. compose a short prayer, asking Helm to
check at the beginning of every round
As the shadows lengthen and the air forgive Edgar and seeking a sign show-
in which he faces giant spiders (or dri-
cools, you begin to look for a campsite. ing how Edgar can redeem himself. The
ders), or flee in terror. A remove fear priest must hold a lengthy prayer vigil (6
Off to the side of the trail, you see Edgar
spell allows to function normally
something lying in the dirt. It appears hours or more) to intercede with Helm on
in the presence of giant spiders for up to
to be a fully armored man lying face Edgar’s behalf. If the prayer is well writ-
one turn. A bless spell gives him a +
ten, the DM should award 200 XP for
down in the dust. As you get closer, bonus to his morale checks. The DM
you think you hear sobbing. the prayer. Second, the priest should
should decide the effects of other magi-
At your approach, the man looks inform the party of Edgar’s dilemma
cal efforts to bolster Edgar’s morale.
up, tears running down his dusty while protecting Edgar from further
If no one in the party steps forward
face. He glares at you and gropes in embEtrrassment or shame. Sensitivity to
to accept Edgar’s challenge, he con-
the dirt for his weapon. Brandishing Edgar’s honor should gain the priest an
cludes they lack honor and parts com-
additional 300 XP.

DUNGEON 67
HONOR LOST. HONOR REGAINED

Karinza’s Lair !
curving out of sight. At the outer
edge of the path there is a steep,
1 square = 10' rocky decline.

Anyone who falls off the path takes 3d6

hp damage and faces a long and ardu-
ous climb back up. The moist air that
billows out of the cave mouth reeks of
carrion. Unidentifiable bones litter the
tunnel beyond. Edgar turns pale and
mutters something about spiders. “It
happened right inside the entrance,” is
all he can manage to say.

2. Black Widows. Large black widow

spiders wait to drop on unsuspecting
victims who travel down this rough
passage. Careful examination of the
ceiling 15' above reveals large black
spiders scurrying about in their webs.
The spiders drop onto the party if it
enters the passage. If any PCs linger
near the mouth of the cave, the spiders
drop in front of the party and attack.
Spiders, large black widows (5):
H = Huge spider INT non; AL N; AC ^MV 6, web 15;
HD 2; hp 15, 13, 11, 10 ( x 2); THACO
K = Karinza 1^, #AT Dmg 1-4; SA poison (save at
1;
-2, type B, Dmg 20/1-3, onset 2-12
minutes); SZ S (3' diameter); ML 11; XP
175; MM/326 (modified).
Ifthe DM likes the prayer, Helm terror, to make an ill-fated foray against Because of Edgar’s warning, the party
sends an omen to the party in the morn- the spiders. Each member of the party is not surprised. Sounds of combat here,

ing. Read or paraphrase the following to incurs a minor curse: all PCs strike at however, alert Karinza to the party’s
the players: - 11. until they make a donation at a presence. (See area 4, “Karinza’s
temple to Helm or a remove curse spell Actions.”)
In the early morning, you awaken to is cast. The DM may also penalize cler-
the sound of birds screeching. Look- ics or paladins with the temporary loss 3. First Cavern.
ing up, you see a lone sparrow at- of spellcasting or other abilities.
tacking a flock of large black crows. If the party agrees to help Edgar, the Fifteen feet above you, stalactites jut
One of the crows grasps a limp spar- paladin suggests that they fully recover from the roof of this cave like teeth
row in its talons, and the lone spar- before approaching the cavern. He asks from a monster’s maw. Stalagmites
row is attempting to rescue its party clerics to pray for spells that will thrust upward from the floor, some-
fellow. The crows chase the sparrow counteract his irrational fear of spiders. times joining the stalactites to form
off, and it retreats to the protective If the DM
chooses, a few huge spiders smooth, hourglass-shaped stone pil-
cover of a nearby tree. Soon the lone may attack the party during the night. lars. The cavern floor is uneven,
sparrow is joined by several more making movement difficult. Bones
sparrows, and together they attack Karinza’s Lair are scattered about, and thick spider
the crows, forcing them to drop the webs, glistening with moisture,
limp sparrow, which falls to the If the PCs agree to help Edgar, he leads
them along narrow mountain trails for droop from the ceiling and between
ground lifeless. The sparrows alight the pillars. A dingy gray light filters
around their fallen friend and, after several hours. The footing is treacher-
through from the east.
a moment of silence, fly away. ous, but the party arrives at the mouth
of the cave without event.
'The scattered bones are mostly from
Edgar asks the PC cleric to interpret small demihuman creatures, probably
the omen. If none of the PCs grasp the Cave Entrance.
halflings. Combat in this room is ham-
meaning of this event, Edgar suggests The mouth of the cave is set in the pered by the uneven footing and the
that Helm wants the party to help him
side of a small cliff. A narrow path thick spider webs (if the party does not
rescue Darvin’s body from the giant
winds its way along the cliff face, burn them). Each PC moves at half the
spiders. If the party declines to help
passing the mouth of the cave and normal Movement Rates and incurs a
Edgar, he remains behind despite his - 1 attack roll penalty and a + 1 penalty

68 Issue No. 48
 HONOR LOST. HONOR REGAINED

to initiative rolls because of uncertain 30' to attack their victims, imposing a

footing. These penalties do not apply to -6 penalty to the PCs’ surprise rolls. seem to hold up the an-
pillars that
missile attacks. Additionally, PCs in Anyone struck by a leaping spider must The sound of water
cient ceiling.
melee must make Dexterity checks (with make a Dexterity check to avoid being dripping from the ceiling and strik-
a + 2 bonus) each round to avoid getting knocked over. The spiders will leave ing the surface of the pool echoes
stuck in spider webs for one round, their alcoves to pursue prey. through the cavern.
thereby losing their actions. Anyone who Spiders, huge (3): INT animal; AL N; A dull gray light emanates from
gets stuck in a web (fails a Dexterity AC 6; MV 18; HD 2 +2; hp 16, 13, 12; the east face of a large pillar at the
check) must make a saving throw vs. THACO 19; #AT 1; Dmg 1-6; SA poison entrance to the cavern. The pitiful
wands to avoid becoming utterly entan- (save at + 1, type A, Dmg 15/0, onset light faintly illuminates the wide
gled. For the consequences of entangle- 2-20 minutes); SZ M (6' diameter); ML 8; ledge that narrows to form the stone
ment, see page 326 of the Monstrous XP 270; MM/326. perimeter path. The light comes from
Manual. a small stone attached to the pillar
Three large black widow spiders 4. Great Cavern. Because of Karin- by a sticky glob of spider web. 'Ib the
(hp 14, 9, 7; see area 2 for statistics) za’s actions (see next page), the party east, across the vast depression, a
hide in their webs at the back of the may not initially get a good description flickering red glow barely reveals the
cavern, 80% undetectable without very of this large cavern. entrance to another cavern.
bright light. The spiders wait until the
party enters the cavern, then quickly The roof of this cavern is shrouded in A dingy drow version of a continuous
move along their webs, falling upon the darkness 20' above. A precarious light spell has been cast on the stone,
party with a -2 to penalty to the par- stone path follows the perimeter of which illuminates the landing with a
ty’s surprise roll. If the party burns the
the cavern. Inside this treacherous dim, gray light. (The stone is indicated
webs, the black widows take 1-6 hp rim, the cavern floor declines steeply, by an X on the map.) Karinza illumi-
singe damage before dropping to the forming a bowl with a little pool of nated the stone so she could study her
floor to attack. murky water at the bottom. spellbooks and identify intruders more
Additionally, three huge stalking Stalagmites and jagged rocks pro- readily. (Karinza only needs light to
spiders wait to pounce on PCs who pass trude from the sloping cavern floor. read if the DM is using the optional
in front of their alcoves. The location of In four places, great stalactites and infravision rule; see the DMG, page
each huge spider is noted by an H on stalagmites meet, forming thick 119.)
the map. These spiders can leap up to Anyone falling off the path rolls down

DUNGEON 69
HONOR LOST. HONOR REGAINED

the steep decline, taking 2d6 hp damage 'Troglodytes (5): INT low; AL CE; AC 5. Karinza’s Lair.
from the jagged rocks before coming to 5; MV 12; HD 2; hp 12, 11 ( x 3), 8;
rest near the pool. PCs may move up THACO 19; #AT 3; Dmg 1-2/1-2/2-5; SA/ This cave reeks of death. Bones,
little

the sides of the bowl at only 20' per SD disgusting smell (opponents must bits of tom clothing, and rotting mor-
round. Numerous bones are scattered save vs. poison or lose 1-6 Strength sels of flesh are scattered throughout

around the pool, the products of Karin- points for 10 rounds); SZ M

(6' tall); XP the area. A small fire illuminates the
za’s grisly meals. 120; MM/348. Because they are sum- room with dancing orange light. Near
A careful search of the depression moned, these troglodsrtes never check the fire, a thick mat of straw heis been
reveals the corpse of Father Darvin. His morale and will vanish when slain. placed over a carefully arranged pile of
swollen face peers vacantly from his When Karinza hears the sounds of bones, forming a grotesque bed. Large
battered helmet. His body lies crumpled combat between the troglodytes and the stalactites and stalagmites join in two
at the bottom of the depression, partly party, she quickly scampers along the places, forming smooth, hourglass-
immersed in the murky water and still ledge until she is in range to cast two shaped pillars.

clad in chain mail. Karinza is letting grease spells on the narrow paths near
the body age a little before eating it. the landing. She hopes that PCs emerg- Behind the southern pilleu" is a large
If Darvin’s body is found, Edgar men- ing from the fog will slip and fall into wooden chest; it is neither locked nor
tions that Darvin always carried a mag- the depression. Karinza then scurries trapped. The chest contains 680 cp, 407
ical mace. A PC who carefully searches back to the east landing, where she sp, and 278 gp in a velvet pouch; a vial
through the murky water, which is no casts shield, blur, and invisibility spells of clear syrupy liquid (a potion of heal-
more than 3' deep, can recover Father on herself. ing); a vial of thick brown liquid (a po-
Darvin’s footman’s mace +1 and vari- She remains invisible and watches the tion of strength); a wizard’s scroll with
ous other odds and ends improvised by battered party as it emerges from the grease and wall of fog spells; a jumble of
the DM. A detect magic spell can help mist. At an opportune time, she be- small nonprecious jewelry worth about
locate the mace. comes visible by casting a Melfs minute 100 gp (from halfling victims); and a
Several small alcoves line the cavern, meteors spell, targeting spellcasters in small felt bag with five gems, worth 500
with access from the narrow path. In the party. Unless the party somehow gp, 250 gp ( X 3), and 50 gp. If Karinza is
two of these alcoves, huge spiders (hp detects her while she is invisible, Karin- killed or has been unable to get to the
12, 11; see area 3 for statistics) wait to za should win initiative, and perhaps chest, her spellbook is also there, along
pounce on any prey that walks by. Any- surprise as well. She then presses the with a quill, a few sheets of paper, and
one struck by a spider leaping from an attack, attempting to destroy the party. some good ink. The spellbook is a small
alcove must make a Dexterity check to If reduced to 10 or fewer hit points, black leather-bound volume. Its pages
avoid falling off the path and into the Karinza flees to her lair (area 5), grabs are made from the dried, stretched
depression. her spellbook, polymorphs herself into a skins of Karinza’s past victims. This
small bat (using her scroll), and at- book contains all the spells the drider
Karinza’s Actions tempts to fly from the cave. has memorized, as well as cantrip, de-
Karinza (drider); INT high; AL CE; tect magic, read magic, hold portal, web,
The vile drider Karinza is languishing
on the wide landing east of the depres-
AC 3; MV12; HD
6 +6; hp 39; THACO and polymorph self.

13;#AT 1; Dmg 1-4 (bite) or by spell or If the PCs scatter Karinza’s bed and
sion when the party enters her lair. (Her
carefully search through the bones, they
weapon type; SA cast spells as 7th-level
initial location is indicated by the K on
wizard, poison bite (save vs. poison at can find a ring of blinking slipped over
the map.) When she first hears the
sounds of battle, she immediately casts
-2 or be paralyzed for 1-2 turns); MR a finger bone. Inscribed on the ring are
15%; SZ L (9' tall); ML 14; XP 6,000; the command words “Wok Firebrand.’’
a clairvoyance spell centered on the first
MM/112; drow short sword +2 (de- Anyone knowledgeable about the Far
cavern. She then watches the PCs to
stroyed on exposure to sunlight); com- Hills region can tell the PCs that Wok
learn their capabilities.
posite long bow; quiver of 20 drow Firebrand is an itinerant wizard who
When the party is on the verge of wanders through the area, often in the
arrows +2 (destroyed on exposure to
defeating the second group of giant
sunlight); wizard scroll with polymorph form of a large gray wolf.
black widow spiders, Karinza drops her
self,minor globe of invulnerability, and
clairvoyance spell and casts a wall of fog
stinking cloud spells. Karinza’s weapons Concluding the Adventure
spell centered on the western landing of
will become nonmagical in 15 days,
the great cavern. The whole area be- IfKarinza escapes, the party will have
even if not exposed to direct sunlight. an implacable enemy. If she gets away
comes obscured in a thick, moist fog
Karinza has the following spells memo- with her spellbook, she will begin at-
that stretches from the eastern third of
the first cavern to the western reaches
rized when the adventure begins: grease tacking the party within days. Her
(X 2), shield, wall of fog; blur, invisibility, knowledge of the polymorph seZ/" spell
of the depression. She then casts a mon-
ster summoning II spell, bringing five
Melfs acid arrow; clairvoyance, Melfs allows her to disguise herself and follow
minute meteors; monster summoning II. the party into towns. If Karinza loses
troglodytes to the western ledge of the
Additionally, she can use each of the
great cavern. her spellbook, it may be months before
following drow abilities once per day:
Immediately smelling human flesh, she seeks revenge. Her biggest limita-
dancing lights, darkness, detect magic, tion is her hatefulness, which may at
the troglodytes quickly deploy to am-
bush the party as it enters the fog. (The faerie fire, know alignment, levitate.
times affect her judgment.
party gets -2 to its surprise roll.) If Edgar survives the adventure with-
out disgracing himself by fleeing a

70 Issue No. 48
HONOR LOST, HONOR REGAINED LEUERS

he will be cured of his arachno- Continued from page 7

battle, Discouraged
phobia. After repeatedly confronting his
page 11),Eliza (#42, page 54), Lucilla I am a very discouraged DM whose last
irrational fear of spiders, he will have
(Jermanicus (#42, page 30), the githze- adventure was disastrous. My players left
finally mastered it, understanding— at
rai Arelisa (#43, page 55), and the
some deep, subliminal level—that giant in the first third of the game. I couldn’t
reigar Cosette (#45, page 10). These are
spiders are terrifying but no more so imderstand it. I knew the adventure by
friendly, powerful (except Martinique),
than other fearsome creatures he has heart, went over the rules dozens of
and complex characters. times, but I still failed in the DM’s most
encountered in Faerun. Any priests who If in fact there is a “TSR cliche” of the
took particular care to shepherd Edgar important duty: to entertain the players. I
beautiful woman disguising a trap or
through the adventure should split an can’t face my players now, and I’m terri-
monster, it’s certainly not the fault of fied that I can’t excel in my only hobby
additional 500 XP. Edgar’s main con- DUNGEON Adventures. Most of the (heck, I can’t even do passably).
cern now will be to take care of Father authors are not employed by TSR and it
Darvin’s body. Now, I admit that I don’t have the best
has been stated many times that players in the world, and the adventure
Edgeu* asks the adventurers if they
DUNGEON magazine only prints what wasn’t managed very well (the only play-
know someone who cem raise Father it receives. If a person wishes to see
Darvin from the dead. Such great acts of er who had an incentive to play was the
women (or anyone else) portrayed differ- fighter), but I still should have done bet-
faith are beyond the modest powers of
ently, send for the writers’ guidelines
ter. I knew that the gamers I play with
Helm’s abbot in Tilverton. Edgar will
and start submitting manuscripts. seem bent on not following the story.
willingly undertake the most hopeless
John Baichtal They are intent on wasting time doing
quest to resurrect his friend. He reminds
Minneapolis, Minnesota worthless, pointless stuff and then getting
the party that they have to act quickly;
Darvin has probably been dead for two bored and blaming me when the story
days. If the PCs cannot suggest a way to We Want Grit! slows to a crawl because I have to create
raise Darvin, Edgar asks them to at least situations to whet their stubborn appe-
I really eiyoyed “Dovedale” in issue
tites. Here’s a sample:
help him escort Darvin’s body back to #46. It was an excellent introductory
'Tilverton for honorable buriaJ. Because adventure for novices to the game, one of
DM: “Okay, the banquet is over and
Helm is severe and hard to please, he has the other knights go to bed, anticipating
the better low-level modules that you’ve
not yet restored Edgar’s paladin abilities. a long, strenuous day tomorrow. Do you
published. However I have one complaint
Edgar is therefore eager to join any follow suit?” ('Ibmorrow is the day when
about your low-level adventures. Most are
quests that might appease Helm. the action gets going and the plot be-
quirky and very “non-gritty.” While I
If Edgar fled from spiders in terror gins to thicken.)
realize that the AD&D system makes it
Fighter: “Yeah, I think I’ll turn in.”
during the adventure, he waits for the difficult for low-level adventures to be
party outside the mouth of Karinza’s lair, Cleric: “Me, too.”
dark, brutal, and nasty, it is possible. I
downcast and ashamed. His fear of giant 'Thief: “I want
to go to the temple and
would like to see darker, more “realistic”
spiders remains. He gives all his arms steal minty green incense sticks.”
low-level adventures.
and armor to the party and walks back to Wizard: “I want to seek out that blonde
Richard Lyon
I saw in the mess hall and hit on her.”
'Tilverton, carrying Deirvin’s body on his Canton, Georgia
back. When he arrives there, he renounc- So you see my plight. Now I have to
es his faith in Helm, retires from adven- ignore the sensible fighter and cleric to
turing, and becomes a monk of Ilmater,
More Grit! waste time looking for the blonde and
living out his life in abject poverty. Only I have noticed a pattern in the content
describing the vast temple just so the
extraordinary events can turn him from of your magazine I wish to bring to your thief can take some incense sticks. I
this self-abasing comse. attention. Tfour magazine features very don’t hold it against the wizard, because
Finally, the party may attempt to locate few modules for the D&D® game. In addi- he was just trying to role-play, and he
the mercurial wizard Wok Firebrand, tion, the modules of this type you do was the only one who enjoyed the ad-
either out of curiosity or to give him back include are usually lighthearted. venture, but my thief was just being
his ring of blinking, which he lost while Various authors printed in this maga- stupid. I wanted to grab him by the
fleeing a drow patrol under the Far Hills. zine have made statements to the effect throat and scream, “Why? Why do you
Originally a conjurer living in East- that the D&D
game is not “AD&D want to do something that stupid?” The
ing, Wok Firebrand came to view power- Light,” yet you portray it as such. wizard was the only one who role-played
ful conjuration and summoning spells Please stop. during the adventure. Everyone else
as anintolerable perversion of the natu- I would like to see some grim, blood-
always used the third person approach.
ral order. His revulsion for the conse- thirsty D&D modules. I realize that you So maybe I ought to get new players,
quences of his own spells moved him to can only print what is submitted. Are but I still can’t DM. I need all the advice I
seek peace in the tranquility of nature. you really receiving no hardcore D&D can get from experienced DMs and play-
In time he came to revere Silvanus, adventures worthy of print at all? I’d ers alike. Please write to me personally
eventually becoming a druid. He has send you some, but everything I’ve with your thoughts and tips. I really want
not been seen or heard from since he set written turns out to be pure [expletive my players (and myself) to have fun.
off to investigate mysterious events in deleted by editors], 'Ihj Wood
the Wormrot Woods, a small wooded A. J. Sample 28531 N. 'Twin Oaks Valley Rd.
area south of Easting. But that story is Des Moines, Iowa Vista, California 92084
for another day. Q fi

DUNGEON 71
SLEEPING DRAGON

Continued from page 63 sleep, enfeeblement, polymorph, cold, 125,000 XP. (See the boxed set for drag-
powerful great wyrms. He can’t move, electricity, hold, insanity, and death on story award guidelines.) 'This award
but his magic and innate powers make spells or symbols; S 19, D 13, C 14, 1 16, is in addition to individual monster

him extremely devastating to lesser W 11, Ch 13; SZ G (160' body, 144' tail); awards.
creatures. A description of the full scope ML 19; XP 23,000; MM/61-62 (draco-
68 (red dragon).
lich), Kagil’s voice echoes through the
of his powers cannot be given here, but
guardians of the land are one step above Saving throws: DM 3, RSW 5, PP 4, interior of the hill. “Thank you for

mortals and one step below immortals. BW 4, Sp 6. coming to my aid, grandson,” the
Special abilities: communicate with guardian of the land intones. “You
Like all guardians, Kagil can’t main-
any intelligent creature, spells and have helped not only this ancient
tain his waking presence very long.
magical abilities at 19th level. dragon but the entire Council of
After a short time, he must return to
his state as a sleeping dragon.
Innate abilities: affect normal fires W 3rrms. Be proud, for you have done
three times per day, pyrotechnics three well. Thke from my remaining hoard,
Infernis has been sensing Kagil’s
times per day, heat metal once per day, for you have earned it. Remember,
growing power since he first discovered
suggestion once per day, hypnotism once keep my location secret, but if you
the hill and roused the sleeping dragon.
per day, detect gems three times per day, have need of me, I will be here.”
At first he was not concerned, for the
dracolich’s own powers are great. But
undead control once every three days.
Wizard spells: magic missile, spider Kagil allows Agoron to take a total of
after a while the sense of power began
to overwhelm him. He instinctively
climb; darkness 15' radius, mirror im- 25,000 gp worth of treasure from the
realized that Kagil ’s powers were be-
age; lightning bolt, spectral force; magic remains of his hoard. If Agoron asks his
mirror. ancestor about Infernis and the talon of
yond even his own.
Priest spell: pass without trace. final destruction, Kagil tells his descen-
Infernis, dracolich: INT exceptional;
AL CE; AC - 11; MV 9, fly 30 (C), jump dant the full story before the guardian
3; HD 21; hp 145; THACO - 1; /fAT 3; Concluding the Adventure of the land returns to sleep. Other ques-
tions receive a chuckle and the re-
Dmg Idl0/ldl0/3dl0 (claw/claw/bite); If Agoron and Larala fail to destroy the sponse, “Some things are best learned
SA + 10 damage to all physical attacks; talon, Infernis sets his plan to endanger
2d8 hp chilling damage with each hit
by the one who asks the question.” If
All Clans Island into motion. 'The re-
(save vs. paralyzation or be paralyzed
Agoron asks how Kagil became a guard-
sults are left to the imagination of the
ian of the land, the ancient being tells
2d6 rounds); breath weapon once every DM.
three combat rounds (damage
him to “Return when you become a
If the PCs do manage to destroy the great wyrm, and perhaps I’ll tell you
20dl0 + 10); SD immune to charm, fire, tolon, they receive a story award of
the secret.” O

Coming in issue #49

Hear the strange music of the Castle of the Blind Sun
Explore the sea caves north of Narborel,
and meet a new breed of Outer Planar terror!
“North of Narhorel,”
by Chris Perkins and Bob Waldbauer AD&D® adventure, levels 4-7
“Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow,”
by J. Bradley Schell AD&D SideTrek adventure, levels 1-2
“Castle of the Blind Sun,”
by the Culotta Clan AD&D adventure, levels 10-14
for the Road,” by Ibny Quirk AD&D SideTrek adventure, levels 2-5
“The Dark Place,” by Lee Sheppard AD&D adventure, levels 5-7
“Lenny O’Brien's Pot o’ Gold,”
by J. Lee Cunningham AD&D adventure, levels 3-6

On Sale in August
72 Issue No. 48