saga of the shadow lord

8/6/2019 Saga of the Shadow Lord

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XII An Adventure for Characters Levels 59 9165

DUNGEON.S , DRAGONS. 0&0, PRODUCTS OF YOUR J1iIIAGINATION, and the TSR logo are trademarks owned by TSR Inc.


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MAP XIII GERETH MINAR LEVEL I

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"1986 TSR, Inc. All Right. Reserved.


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AP XIV GERETH MINAR

LEVEL III

UPPER AND LOWER LEVELS

LEVEL II

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NAME

Bat, giantBear, gri zzl yBoarBrigand (Human)BugbearCaecilliaChimera, undead

Cobra, spittingCum man man, servantCrab spider, giantDark LancerDenagoth officerDragon, black

Efreeti (lesser)"

ElfFollower of IdrisGhoulGiant, cloudGnollGoblinGolem ", boneGuard, warriorHawkHell HoundHobgoblinHorse, ridingHorse, warInsect swarmLion, MountainMedusaM,nnmy'OgreOreOwl bearRat , giantRust monsterSalamandcc', flarneShadow'Shadow Lord, NPCShrew, giantSkeletal beastSpectre'

Stirge

ThoulTrollViper, pitWight'Wolf, direWraith'

Wraith Lord'

Wyvtrn

Zombie

AC HD

COMBINED MONSTERS STATISTICS TABLE

AL , Sp. A~iL

5% vampireBear hug

6 2 98 5 237 3 15

6 55 3+1 146 6' 304 9" 4S

I' 59 4

4' 185 F5 304 F8 6S

2 7" 49

o 9" 63

3 10' 50

5 I' 6

6 C2 76 2' 64 13 ' SO

5 2 156 1-1 42 6' 30

4 F5 40

6 ." 24 6' 406 1 + 1 77 2 14

7 3 207 4' 306 3 + 2 20

8 4" 243 5 + 1 30

5 4 + 1 256 ] 65 5 40

.t, 22 5' 25

2 S' 507 2+2' 12

2 MU10 364 \' 62 Var, Var.2 6" 15

7 I' 4

6 3" 154 6 + 3' 306 2' 85 3' 186 4 + I 18

3 4" 20

2 10 .. .. 80

3 7* 35

8 2 10

hp NAT THACO D

I

22

I area

3

I

3

4

I

13

3

1

3

1919

18

9

1820141720

1418

1817

None1716

141519

1520

1512171519Var.14

4

I

3I

1

3

1

2:l

23

2

181517

19161411

1-41-4/1-4/1-8

2- 81- 62- 81-8

1-3/1-3/2-SHO/3-12/3-J8

1-3/poison1-4

I-Ii/poison

1-B

2-9

2-5/2-5/2-20

1920

IG

1715

13

11 2-7/2-7/3-30

10 2-16

I- S1-6

l-:lIl-:l/I-:l

6-362-91-6

1-6x41-81-2

1- 6 or 6d 6

1-8

1-4/1-41-611-5Special

1-3/1-3/1-61- 3 + poison

1 - 1 2 + disease3-121-6

1-8/1-S/1-8j - : l + Uisease

rust

1-4/1-411-81-4

2-121-611-6

2-512-512-201- 8

19 1-3

o 1-3lround1-311-3

]-611-611-10

1- 4Energy Drain

2-8

1-6

17131817

1616

10 2-12

13 2-16/1-6

18 1-8

NNNC

C

NC

+ I to h itSwallow preyBreath weapon

NNN

N

NC

Poison spit

Poison bite

Spells, breathbreath: 49

Spells, breathbreath: 63

Illusion, flam.'invisibility

Spells (M-U)Spells (C)Paralysis

Hurl boulder

N

c

LCcNCCNCNCCNN

NNcCCCCC

NNCCNC

C

- 1 in daylightImmunities

Detect invis.

No hit rolls

Gaze w .. aponFear

+ 2 [0 hit

- I in daylightHug for 2-16

DiseaseRusts metal

Heal J) 1-8/rd.Surprise, touch

Spells

Blind, fearImmunities

2 Energy Drains

immunitiesBlood drain

cC

N

C

NC

Paral., regen.Regenerates

PoisonEnergy d rain

Semi-intelligentEnergy drainimmunities

Spells, undeadimmunities, etc

Poison sting(save or die)Slow to attack

C

C

c

MV

180'(50')

120'(40')90'(30')120'(40' )90'(30')

60'(20')

120'(40')]80'(60')

90'(30')90' ClI)')

120'(40')90' (:10')90'(30')90' (30')240' (80')90' (30')240' (80')90'(:lO')240' (80')

120'(40')

90'(30')

90'(30')120'(40')90' (30')90'(30')120'(40')90'(30')240' (80')120'(40')90' (30')240' (80')

120'(40')

60'(20')1SO ' (SO ')90'(30')50'(20')90'(30')90'(:30')120'(40')

120'(40')120'(40')

120'(40')90'(30')90' (30 ')180'(50')

90'(30')

1.'>0'(50')

300'( 100')30'(10')180' (60')120' (40')120'(30')90'(30')

90'(30')150'(50')120'(40')

240' (80 ')120'(40')

240' (80')90'(30')120'(40')_90'(30')

BOOK

BasicBasicBasicExpertBasicExpertAppendix

Expert

Basic

Basic

Basi,

Basic

BasicExpertBasicBasicExpert

ExpertBasicExpertExpert -

ExpertBasicBasicExpertBasicBasicBasicBasicBasicExpertBasicChapt 4Basic .-Appc mfi x

Expert

Basic

BasicExpertBasicBasicBasicExpert

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Appendi]!.


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Book of Runes


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Expert Game Adventure

SAGA OF THE SHADOW LORD

CreditsDeveloper: Bruce HeardEditor: Edward G. SollersCover Artist: Keith ParkinsonInterior Artist: Mark NelsonCartographer: Dennis KauthTypography: Betty Elmore and Kim Lindau

C l1 98 6 T SR Inc. A ll R ig n t: 5:Reserved. Primed in U.S.A.

DUNG EO NS &. DRAGON S and D& 0 a re r egi ste re d t ra de ma rk~cweed by TSR Inc.The 1'8 R log o i~ a trademark owned by T S R rnc.Di5"~ri bu ted to the book trade i the U :n i te d 81 a . ! " := ! i by RandomHOU:k : I' I nc_, and in Canada by Random H 0 use of Can ada. Lrd.Di smbu r ed to the toy and hoboy trade by regional d E~I..bu t-CT~_ Di!-rribured in the- United Kingdom by TSR UK Ltd.

T his m od ule i ; ! ;pro re ere d u nd e . .. t hewpy r-igh l IaW.!I 1;1r the U n i re dS t a r e s of America. A .ny reproducuon or other un au rhon ze d U.!i~ of[he rn at e rial CI T a r t work h e r e in i.a p roh.i bi te d wi rhou L Ihe ex prt:!~W],j en permission of TS R Inc.

TSR [ncoPOB 156Lak e Geneva,WJ53lH

TSR UK Ltd.Th. Mill, Rathmore Road

Cambridge CB1MDUnited Kingdom

~ . .TSR,lnc.

ISBN 088038311-9

by Stephen Bourne

Table of Contents

ADVENTURE ONE ElvensrarINTRODUCTION .. . .......................................... 2CHAPTER I Highpass !O Denagoth . .. 4CHAPTER II Beyond the Mengu! Mountains 10

CHAPTER II I On 10 Gereth Minar 20CHAPTER IV The Tower of Gereth Minar . 23

ADVENTURE TWO The Halls of Drex TellenINTRODUCTION . 38CHAPTER V To the Hills of Kevar . . . . . . 39CHAPTER VI The Great Forest of Geffron . . . . . . . . .. 42CHAPTER VII To the Halls of Drax Tallen 45CHAPTER VIII Epilogue , 58Appendix (Artifacts, Magic & Monsters) ......................................... 60

MAPS AND HANDOUTS

Map 1. Castle of the Cloud Giant ,................................... 8Map 2 Map of Geron .............................................. 11

Map 3. Temple of Idris 16Map 4. Denagoth Camp ...................................................... 19Map 5. Lothenar Forest 21Map 6. Trail to Denagorh ...................................................... 31Map 7. DM's Continental Overview .......... , 32Map 8. Drax Tallen, Levell .................................................. 33Map 9. Drax Tallen, Levels 2 &:1 . . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . 34Map 10. Great Forest of Geffron 43Map I 1. The King's Hall . 46Map 12. Players' Continental Overview 63Map 13. Gereth Minar Levell . CoverMap 14. Gereth Minar, Level 2 & 3 . . CoverMonsters Statistics Chart . . ...................................... CoverBook of Runes . .................................. CoverRandom Encounters Chart ..................... . 62

Unknown Runes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64Pre-Rolled Characters .. 29-36

9165


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ADVENTURE ONE

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Principalities of Glantri and the Heldann Free"holds (these two realms are described in theo&l) Expert SeL Beyond these realms lievastbarren lands, called the Northern Wildlands,

which extend forhundreds of miles to the northand west. This vast expanse of rocks and dryplains is sparsely inhabited and lawless. If theOM has already settled the areas north of theO&I) Expert map, the adventuring areashould then be relocated further north, alongthe Mengul Mountains.

INTRODUCTION

In the aSt a kmcoom ~Is,

In the west the snaoows rase,

~Rom the noRth the baRk IORO (laZES ...to the south With B3nerul yes.

So to the rlelO or honon,

With shlIO anb pashlnCj swoeo,

~R hlCjh aOventuQ Beckons.

to the halls or the shaoow loco.

Saga of the Shadow Lord is played with theO&OBasic and D&D Expert Set rules. Theadventure is intended for four to eight char-acters of level 5 to 9. For the best results, theparty should have a minimum of 30 levels atthe beginning of the adventure. If the playersdo not have player characters (PCs) of suffic-

ient level, they may use some or all of the Pre-rolled Characters provided in the Pull-OutSection. at the center of the booklet, either asPCs or as extra NPC companions.

Read each adventure thoroughly beforeattempting to play it. Adventure One can beplayed prior to reading Adventure Two, how-ever, reading the whole would be a help forthe 0 M. In any case, elements of the Appen-dix Section at the end of the booklet containvital information for the OM. All the boxedtexts are to be read to the players (or inter"preted by the OM, according to the situation)at the moment of the correspondingencounter, Any other information is for the

OM's eyes only. Check all maps, encounters,and their locations so they become familiar.All the monster statistics appear on the insideof the booklet cover, to provide a permanentdisplay of their abilities at any time duringthe adventure. The Random EncountersChart is located on page 62. It indicates allencounters or events that could occur withinthe various areas of Wendar or Oenagoth.Each column of the chart corresponds to aspecific area. The proper column to use andthe frequency of random encounter checksare explained within the approp riate chapre rsof the adventure.

When the text calls for a character to make

an Ability Check (such as a Strength Checkor an Dexterity Check) the player rolls a d20if the number rolled is equal to or less thanthe ability number, the check is successful; ifthe roll is greater [han the ability number, thecheck fails. Sometimes, the text includesmodifiers that may will make the abilitycheck easier or more difficult.

Preparing the Adventure

Remove the four maps at the center of thebooklet and keep them aside for future use.Pull the last page of the booklet out and show

MAP XII to the players. They are to fill theblank hexes as they explore the lands beyondthe mountains. The players should use thesymbols offered of the map. Avoid showingthe runes on the back of the map. The bestway to handle this situation is 10 attach MAPXII with paper clip over the exterior panel ofthe boolet cover (concealing the runes untilthe proper moment). The runes are to beused in Adventure Two.

Overland Movement

As is often the ease with outdoor adventures,there may bethose inthegroup who would wish

to fly at specific times or all the time. In thisregard some players might try to make use ofwinged mounts such as pegasi or others mayhave accessto special magical conveyances suchas brooms off/ring_ Discourage excessiveuseofsuch procedures as much as possible. A gooddeal of the drama in this adventure istied to thefact that Denagoth isan unknown and mysteri-ous land. As such, it is designed to be exploredon foot or horseback.

If characters make a habit of flying, tellthem that the high altitude of the plateau canaffect magical items and exhaust flyingmounts; high winds in the mountains canproduce treacherous turbulences. Asa rule of

thumb, have the character make an DexterityCheck for each half-hour of flight. If the char-acter fails two consecutive checks, he mustland and rest for 1d4 hours, having becomeexhausted by flying through turbulence.

The realms of Wendar and Oenagoth(described below) are rugged wildernessareas. The wilderness movement rate is two-thirds the normal movement rate unless theparty is traveling through mountains orswamp or is traveling along a marked trail.The movement rate through mountains andswamps is one-half the normal rate; move-ment along marked trails isat the normal ratefor the terrain. Movement rates can be found

on page 41 of the 0&0 Expert Set. If theparty attempts to forage on the move (seepage 21 in the Expert Set) th is will reducetheir movement rate even fu rt her. Thechance of finding foodwhile foragi ng isonl y 1in6, due to the devastation caused by the pas-sage of evil arrnies.

The Adventure Setting

The adventure isdesigned to occur north of the

2

Wendar. For decades the small realm of Wen-dar has known peace and prosperity underthe benevolent rule of its Wizard-KingGylharen, and the protection of the mightyEmpire of Thyatis. Wendar is a large valleywedged between the Mengul Mountains, thePrincipalities of Giant ri, and the vast north-

ern wildlands. The large forests and plainscovering the rich valley are the commondwellings of elves and human farmers thatmake up the Wendarian population.

The capital city marks the end of a longcaravan route from the open city of Freiburg,in the Heldann Freeholds, and the EthengarKhanate. The trade route crosses the easternforest of WendaI' and the Kevar Hills beforereaching the mountain pass to the HeldannFreeholds. Wendarian soldiers often patrolthe trade route between the capital and thefrontier, for it is vital to the realm's survival.A small garrison is permanently located atthe pass, collecting passage fees and main-

taining order. The narrow trail beyond thecitadel of Wendar is but a narrow unfre-quented path leading 10 the dark lands ofDenagoth. It has been unused for nea r1ythi rty years.

It issaid ihroughou t the real m that Wendarthrives due to the magic and good fortune ofE/venstar, a gem of rare beauty and greatpower, older than the elves. Elveaster omcelay in a safe and revered place in Gylharen'scitadel Through the power of the gemstoneall things evil and malevolent were kept atbay. And so it was that life in the city of Wen-dar was peaceful and rich until the disaster.

Less than a year ago the star disappeared

from Gylharen's citadel. In the wake of theloss things have gone badly. The fi rst disasterto befall the realm was a plague. It spreadquickly from the rural outskirts of the stateand soon entered the capital, killing thou-sands before Gylharen could organize thenecessa ry effort to end it. In the end, one-seventh of the population perished.

Then, a serious draught withered cropsand depicted the water supply The peopleare undernourished andrheir water shortage


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ADVENTURE ONE

is grave. This sudden poverty has brought ona rash of civil disorder: murder, banditry anddesperation arc now widespread.

ln the midst of this crisis Gylharen sent outa plea for help. Through loyal messengers the

Wizard-King requested the aid of Thyatis,but the Emperor was preoccupied by a crisisof his own and was unable to lend aid to hisWendarian allies. Instead, an emperor'sadvisor has hired the help of a small group ofwell known mercenaries (the player charac-ters) to investigate the disasters of V"endar.Upon their arrival, these brave adventurersarc to meet Lord Gylharen and provide theruler of Wendar with any services he mayrequest (see Chapter One).

Denagoth, Land of the Shadow Lord.Denagoth is a bleak realm to the north ofWendar beyond an awesome barrier known

as the Mengul Mountains. The mountainsare feared almost as much as the undefinedand dark lands beyond them. The Wendar-ians were so dependent upon Elvenster thatthey never fully explored or investigated theforeboding enemy to the north.

Denagoth is located on a high plateau, atan altitude of about 6,000 feet above the val-ley of Wendar. To the south and east, the tow-ering Mengul Mountains reach 10,000 feet,forming an impassable barrier. Only a nar-row path links Wendar to Denagoth, and onlyheavily armed troops would dare to cross itand brave the monsters lurking there.Although the mountains around the plateauare within Denagoth's boundaries on MapVII, they are mainly unclaimed and uncivil-ized areas infested with ruthless humanoidsand monsters. The Naga River that flowssoutheast is totally unavigable until it reachesthe Heldann plains, due to the numerous cat-aracts and turbulent waters.

The central portion of the country runs outinto a large grassland area known as thePlains of Avien. The barren lands to thenorth are thought to be beyond the knowingof man alive. Within the Denagothian pla-teau itself there are grasslands, swamps, for-ests and marginaly arable land. Unevenlydistributed throughout a few settlements,sundry farms and other habitats, the popula-tion is comprised of humans, orcs, gnolls,goblins, and various other dark folk. The ore-ish hordes (dominant in the army) have beenculled from their camps in the MengulMountains.

The Plot of the Shadow Lord

The disappearance of Elvenster is the latest

episode in a long struggle between Gylharenand an old foe from the north, the evil necro-mancer Landryn Teriak. Thirty years beforethis time Teriak launched an invasion of Wen-. dar from his dark land of Denagoth. In the

face of superior forces and dark magicks,Gylharen appealed to the venerable Sage ofWendar, Bensarian of Kevar, In his wisdomBensarian made a gift of the wondrous Elven-stsr to the Wizard-King so that the evil oneand his minions would be turned back,

Throu gh the carefully applied power of thestar Gylharen was able to defeat the hosts ofDenagoth and thwart the invasion of Wen dar.With his evil armies scattered, LandrynTeriak withdrew to the dark realm of Dena-goth, beyond the Mengul Mountains.

For three decades Wendar has enjoyed aprosperous peace. In his heart Gylharenknows the disappearance of the star is the

work of Landryn Teriak. In recent monthsword has come from the north that onceagain the dark folk of Denagoth are massingfor war under the power of the necromancerwho is now called the Shadow Lord by hisminions. Gylharen knows that Wendar can-not withstand an all-out invasion from Dena-goth.

A former pupil of Gylharen, Camla themagic-user has stolen the gemstone and spir-ited it away to the north. For many yearsCamla was a trusted confident of the Wizard-King while hiding his secret identity as anagent for the Shadow Lord.

Through Carnlas treachery, LandrynTeriak now has the gemstone in his possessionand is attempting to ascertain its properties,and turn it to evil. Now in possession of thegem, the evil one is mobilizing for war.

Player's IntroductionIt is assumed that at least one player charac-ter is in a town or city between adventures.Wherever the adventurers may be, theyreceive a letter written by a local Thyatianagent requesting an interview to discuss apossible adventure.

"Brave Adventurer-

T wish to meet with you and your friendsto discuss an expedition that you may findof interest. It involves some risk, but trea-sure is guaranteed" .

The tavern the writer mentions is onefamiliar to you. The letter is unsigned,bu t it bears the official seal of the govern-ment of Thyatis.

The characters can take some time to makepreparations, but they will find out nothingmore until they meet the agent, who will bewaiting for them in the tavern.

When you enter the tavern, you havebarely enough time to make yourselvescomfortable before a short wiry manwalks to your table and casually sits down.The gold ring he wears bears the eagleemblem of Thy at is.

"Let's get down to business. The impe-rial government has received a request forhelp from Wendar, one of our northernallies. They are suffering disasters appar-ently caused by magic. The imperial gov-ernment thinks that a team of adventurersis the best aid we can provide, so I offeryou this.

1 you go to Wendar and help them

solve their problem, the Thyatian govern-ment will pay each of you 5,000 goldpieces. Of course, that's to be added toany other treaure you may get along theway. When your task is done, you can col-lect your reward in Wendar or in any Thy-atian city, whichever you like.

Unfortunately, I have no details on theproblem. Those you'll have to get in Wen-dar. Interested?

3

The Thyarian agent is very brusque andbusiness-like, without the usual Thyatiandeviousness. His government does not standto gain anything from the situation .. If the

players want to bargain for a better price, theagent will offer up to 7,000 gp per character.

The characters can travel to Wendar withoutany encounters, if desired; otherwise use theusual Expert rules for overland encounters(see also Map VII).


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Chapter One-HIGHPASSTO DENAGOTH

Encounter Setting

The city of Wen dar is a place that suffers fromdisease, drought and famine. Many beggarswander about the streets, and houses are fre-

quently abandoned throughout the city. If theparty asks for directions after entering thecity, they will be guided to a Wendarianpatrol. Gylharen has given the patrols ordersto escort the Thyatian adventurers to his cita-del, at the center of the city. Read the follow-ing to the players when their characters enterthe city.

Arriving at theCitadel of Wendar

When you identify yourselves to the offi-cer at the gates, guards wearing tunics ofgray and gold escort you to the citadel of

Lord Gylha.ren, the ruler of Wen dar.In the streets of the city, ragged beggar

folk and children clutch at your clothing asyou make your way through. They cry outfor help and deliverance. Everywhere youhear people moaning, "Water. Do youhave any water? We need water andfood I" The guards are forced to pushaside the pressing crowds near the gate-way to the Wlzard-King's citadel

Having reached the sanctuary of themain tower you assemble in the throneroom. After a time two servants help anold man in a gray and gold robe into thechamber. They ease the gentleman into a

large wooden throne before you. With aweary wave of his arm the man dismissesthe servants and the guards.

The old man sitting in the throne isGylharen, the Wizard-King of Wen dar. Afterobserving the party silently, Lord Gylharenaddresses the PCs in the following way.

"Greetings my friends. You see before youthe ruler of this declining kingdom. I amGylharen, the Wieard-King. I have askedyou to come here in the fervent hope thatyou will undertake a very dangerous quest

on behalf of myself and the people of Wen-dar. But first, let me explain out situation.

"Many years ago we were at war withthe dark realm of Denagoth, to the northof the Mengul Mountains. Our forceswere reeling before the onslaught of thesavage invaders. In the midst of the crisis Iappealed to the great Sage of Wendar forassistance. In his wisdom he gave us a

wondrous gemstone known as the Elven-star, It was a brilliant blue sapphire thesize of a man's fist and its power wasbeyond reckoning. I used this star to effect

great magicks that turned the tide of bat-tle. The dark hosts were scattered and theevil designs of the Lord of Denagoth werethwarted.

00 After the war the Elvenstar protectedus from our enemies-the threat of itspower forestalled any attempts at subse-quent invasion ..For almost thirty years Ihave ruled this realm certain in the knowl-edge that our peace and prosperity wereassured.

"And then disaster struck. Less than ayear ago the Elvenstar disappeared. It wasspirited from my tower by a traitor.

"Soon after this a plague ravaged the

city, killing hundreds. Of late, a severedrought has withered our crops anddenied us precious water. My people gohungry, thirsty and what is worse, civilstrife has all but destroyed the goodwill ofthe Wendarians. Now it is all my guardscan do to keep order in the city. But thesethings we could overcome if it were not formy gr-eatest fear.

"Without the Elvenstar we are mostvulnerable to attack from Denagoth. Thelord of this dark realm is the evil necro-mancer Landryn Teriak, the ShadowLord. I know the heart of this creature andhis ambition knows no bounds. Even now

his dark legions are massing for war.00 Furthermore, we have ascertained

that the Elvenstar itself is in Denagoth,undoubtedly in the hands of myoidenemy. I do not greatly fear thai LandrynTeriak can use the gemstone properly andthis, at least, is some consolation. Butwithout me star we are no match for thehosts of Denagoth.

"It would appear that war is certainand perhaps sooner than we think. Ouronly chance is 10 recover the Elvenstarbefore it is too late. We are certain that it isin Denagoth but we do not know where.This is an uncharted realm, and no Wen-darian has ever returned from there ..Wemay assume that if you find the necro-mancer Teriak, the star wi!1be closeby.

"So what say you, my brave friends?Will you accept this quest? Will you try torecover the Elvenstar and thus save usfrom a war that will destroy us?"

Camla. If the PCs ask for directions acrossDenagoth, they will be told that the Elvenstarmay now lie north of the high plateau, in coldand dry barren lands. Where exactly isunknown, but perhaps a nail may lead to theplace from which Teriak rules his hordes. Nochart or map of Denagoth is available. Showthe players Map XU, but do not reveal mate-rial on the back of the map yet. Attaching ablank piece of paper to the back of Map XIIwould be a good idea until Adventure Two isplayed.

Gylharen will be quite guarded about theworkings of the Elvenstar and also aboutBensarian. If pressed about the star,Gylharen will only offer this: "Only I amempowered 10 make use of the Elvenstar.Such things are ordained by powers beyondour own." The only thing the king will revealis that it is hazardous to touch the star formore than a few minutes, however, somegood may come from a short exposure.

At the end of their discussion, the Wizard-King will also give the party another clue.Gylharen has managed to place a spy withinGeron, a small village across the the border.The party should seek to contact him. Nodescription of the spy is available for he willprobably be wearing a disguise. A passwordhas been provided for positive identification.He will respond to the password "Whae's theprice of gray breeches?" with the following"Not much, unless the trim is gold"_ Oncecontact is made, he should be able to offershelter, and perhaps some information.

If the characters ask abou t other informa-tion' the king will tell them that none hasbeen received. Wendar maintains smallpatrols of border guards, but these returnonly when there is some important news toreport. Since the beginning of the crisis, tra-vel has become far more hazardous, even forarmed troops.

Gylharen's servants will provide the partywith any non-magical equipment or provi-sions that they may require. Fresh and swiftwar hones will also be provided, if needed.The stars for the horses can be found on theinside of the booklet folder.

After this speech Gylha.ren will answer ques-tions, for instance, about the treachery of

4

Random Encounter ChecksThe party should not run into wanderingmonsters until their first night in the MengulMountains. From there, until they cross theNaga River (encounters #7 or 18), roll forrandom encounters, once per day and pernight, on the first column of the RandomEncounters Chart inside the booklet cover, Ascore of 80 or more means there are no ran-


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If the characters, have not taken any precau-tions against surprise, they will be surprisedand ambushed by 20 brigands shooting a vol-ley of arrows, Each character must save vs.Death Ray or be hit by 1-2 arrows.

If the attempted ambush fails to lake theparty by surprise, the brigands will insteadattack on foot with swords drawn, Theirleader will hang back so that he can continuetu fire arrows at the mounted characters.

Fifty yards to the north of the ambush siterhe brigands' horses stand tethered. Eachsaddle bag holds 5-50 sp and 220 gp, in addi-tion 10 food, iron rations and typical personalpossessions. The leader's horse has a darklancer's saddle (with a red wyvern insignia)and a pack with 137 gp, 57 ep and 49 sp. Allthe horses are riding horses.

The leader and two of the others in thisband are deserters from the dark lancers, If

captured or questioned under duress, any ofthe brigands will tell the group of troop move-ments in the mountains, mostly dark lancerpatrols of 5-10 lancers, In exchange for apromise of freedom, the brigand(s) will warnthe players !O beware of the "mountaindragon" (in reference to encounter #5). Thebrigand(s) will also reveal a secret cachewhere they have buried a pile of Denagothiandark lancer uniforms, taken from defeatedscouts and patrols.

Chapter One-HIGHPASS TO DENAGOTH

"Shedrak , Sergeant of Denagoth,The hour of darkness is at hand. Ride

south 10 the accursed land and observe Wen-darian current troop strength and prepara-tions. Report as soon as possible in

Geron."-(signed) Benar, Captain of Dena-goth.

2. Scorched Battlefield

As you ride north into the foothills of themountains you notice many carrion crowsswooping and circling above the ground afew hundred yards to the west of the road.Smoke spirals from the ground at thisspot,

dum encounters for thar period of the day}night.

Encounter Key

Use Map VI (page 31) with the followingencoun ters: Most of the encounters takeplace in the Mengul Mountains, along theborders of Wendar and Dcnagorh

1. Horseman from Denagoth

You have been riding north toward, theMengul Mountains for several days, Asthe ruad curls through a wooded area, agroup of riders in Wendarian uniformspull up by the roadway ahead, These sixhorsemen carry lances and wear tunics ofgray and gold,

These horsemen are disguised dark lancers ofDenagoth , Landryn Teriak's elite cavalry,wearing stolen Wendarian uniforms. If theplayers inquire, the DM should inform themthat the soldiers arc also armed with shortswords and daggers. Among them is theirsergeant, Shedrak.

Upon encoun ieri ng the characters, She-drak will claim that his troops belong to aWendarian outpost guarding the path toDenagmh. Claiming that he has not seen hisfolk for many months, he will engage the PCsin a discussion, attempting to learn as much

nc chn aooui me a'cJense aouuiesot Wcn-'r" Shcdr ak will inquire about the party'sssion in Ihe area, He will acknowledge anyswer the PCs give and avoid combat if pos-le , in an attempt to prevent being discov-d. Should the party show their suspicion,edrak will then order his men to attack theCs.Tfthe pes look closely at Shcdrak , they see

at in addition to the standard weaponry, heries a jewelled dagger in his belt (value 30). A small birdcage containing two smallrrier pigeons hangs by a chain on Shedraksddle. If released, the birds will l1y toenar 's headquarters in the village of Geronee Chapter Two-Beyond the Mengulountains), [f Shedrak learns about theCs' mission or that they are headed towardnagorh , he will release one pigeon with aessage warn ing Bcnar of t he party's arri val.Use the statistics for a hawk (listed on theide of the folder) to represent Shedrak'sgeons If the PCs kill a released pigeon,ey will capture Shcdrak 's message.Shcdrak tarries a letter hrdden in a pouchthin his armor. The letter is a small rolledrchment rhai reads a s follows:

Here the characters will discover the after-math ora terrible battle. Tweruy bodies and anumber of dead horses lay on the field. Most

of the fighters wear the gold and gray tunicsof Wendarian soldiers. Some of the bodies,however, have been stripped of their tunics.

These men have been cut down by a muchlarger force of dark lancers, The Dena-gothians attacked this Wcndarian outriderencampment in the night. The strippedbodies are those of fallen dark lancers-theircomrades removed their tunics in order toprevent idenrification. Several Wcndariansoldiers and officers have also been strippedto provide Denagothian spies with a more

r.- annrcnriate.anirc .. tr J ft


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west.At the point marked X on Map VI o

Denagoth the beast has a lair in a cave on thesouth side of a mountain slope, 200 feet abovethe path's level. The side of the mountain isa

sheer vertical cliff. There is a 70% chancethat someone in the party will spot the cave ifthey are actively surveying the area from thesouth side of the east mountain.

The dragon's treasure trove contains a pileof 5,300 gp, a small chest with 600 pp and acache of weapons including 3 longswords, 2gem-studded daggers (value 200 gp total), aspear + J, a mace + 1, and a quiver with 21arrows + 1.

main road. Brulefer speaks the commontongue.

Brulefer has the foUowing spells:

Levell: darkness', detect magic, sleep, ven-triloquism

Level 2: ESP', invisibility, mirror image,phantasmal force

If the pes are disguised as dark lancers, thedragon will turn invisible and refrain fromattacking. It will then cast an ESp on oneplayer from no further than 90'. This shouldreveal if the characters are impersonatingDenagothian soldiers. Thereafter, the beastwill question the adventurers as to theirmotives, using a ventriloquism spell to con-ceal its position, claiming that it isa spirit ofthe mountain. If the characters have no dis-guise the creature will cast a phantasmal forceto modify its appearance to that of a wyvern.It will Oy overhead once from behind thepes. It will take 2d4 rounds for the dragon toturn around and land in front of the pes (20'ahead on the trail).

The characters can lure the dragon awayby telling it a story of a lost treasure hoard. Ifthe supposed hoard is less than 200 milesaway and the dragon fails a saving throw vs.Spells, Brulefer believes in the pes' story and

immediatel y flies off to the described area torecover the treasure. Once the dragon discov-ers that it has been tricked, it will return andtake revenge on the party if the opportunityarises. Brulefer can fly 48 miles per day (two

hexes on Map VII).If the party attempts to negotiate a retreat,

Brulefer will agree only if each characterdrops one magic item or the equivalent of1,000 gp in treasure. If not, Brulefer willattack as described below. Brulefer is a mas-ter in the arts of appraising the value of trea-sure (80% chance of appraising correctly;otherwise, Brulefer will estimate the value oftreasure at + /- 50% its real price). Some bar-gaining may be possible between the dragonand the party, up to +/- 10% of an item'svalue. For magic items, Bruelfer will cast adetect magic spell.

In battle, Brulefer immediately casts a mir-

ror image. It will then breathe once andattack with its claws and bite. However, ifdis-guised as a wyvem, Bruelfar will not use abreath weapon until one-fourth of its hitpoints are gone (to make the illusion morebelievable). Brulefer will not pursue theparty.

Whenever the party decides to withdraw,they should be allowed to return to area '4and choose the other passage leading north-

6

6a-d. Castle of the Cloud Giant(See Map T, page 8 )

The path has led northwest through themountains. After some miles the pathturns due east. At length you see beforeyou two smaller mountain peaks wherethe path ends. Between them, nestled in anarrow pass, is a castle consisting of one,tall tower. Offin the distance the cold crispair is broken by the haunting howl of awolf.


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described in area 6f.


In this chamber there are the pathetic fig-ures of four orcs huddled on the floor. Allfour wear torn, stained uniforms, bearingthe symbol of a red wyvern , Straw matsand crude wooden benches comprise thefurnishings in this dungeon.

The howl is that of a dire wolf, one of thecloud giant'~ pets. The creature has seen theparty from the cover of the rocks, north of theroadway. The howl warns the cloud giant ofintruders.

As the characters draw within 250' of thecastle the cloud giant will walk onto the para-pets of the castle and watch the approachingcharacters. If they approach within 200', hewill hurl rocks at them at the rate of one perround. If the party is disguised as dark lanc-ers the giant will continue this barrage untilthe characters reach the castle gate. If thegroup is not in lancer guise, the giant willhurl a maximum offour rocks, and then stopand disappear into the tower.

6a. The Entrance

The front gate, a large wooden and iron door,is virtually falling off its hinges (a successfulStrength Check will open it). The portcullisbeyond is old and rusty but sturdy enough(apply a -1 penalty to any attempttedStrength Chcck for raising the portcullis).The portcullis makes a loud rattling noisewhen opened, thus warning the giant that theintruders have entered his castle.

An inner secret door is located on thenorthwest section of the corridor, on thislevel. It can be opened by manipulating aloose stone in the north wall adjacent to thedoor. Beyond the secret door, at the end of the20-foot hallway, isanother secret door lockedfrom the inside. This outer door was built asasecret escape rou re from the castle.

Torches are located at the points marked(.) on the map. Pulling either of these downon their housings will neutralize the trap inthe west section of the corridor. After tworounds the levers return to their usual posi-tions, re-activating the trap.

The trap, a 10' by 10' area marked T onthe map, is triggered when it is stepped on,releasing a strong sleeping gas into the corri-dor. The gas emerges through small holes inthe wall near the floor on both sides of thehall. Everyone in the group must save vs.Dragon Breath or fall unconscious for 2 to 5turns. The gas will only affect those in thewestern section of the corridor.

6b. Prison CeUThe door to this area is locked from the out-side by a large iron bolt. A small window withiron bars isset into the door.

These orcs have been held prisoner by thecloud giant for several weeks and are now tooweak to fight. They will beg the party torelease them.

If the party does not wear Denagothianuniforms, the orcs will attempt to escape assoon as they have a chance. They come fromthe northwest, Irorn the Mengul Mountainsand know nothing useful about Denagoth,the Shadow Lord, or his plans.

If the party is wearing Denagothian uni-forms, the orcs will noisily show their grati-tude by generously hugging their "allies"and follow their orders to the best of thei r lim-ited intelligence and abilities. The orcs freelytalk about their orders (rally Mengul oretribes for a great rampage in the south).However, if the party asks too many ques-tions, the orcs will get suspicious and attemptto flee as soon as they get a chance.

6c. Lower Hall

In this large, octagonal chamber a hugeoak table dominates the center of theroom. In the middle of the west wall is afireplace and mantle. In the center of thenorth wall is a Lvshaped staircase leadingup at an acute angle. Throughout thechamber are many bones and pieces ofputrid meat-the smell is revolting. Thecarcasses of various mountain animalsand some humanoid remains are hangingfrom higher beams, out of reach from ratsand other pests scurrying about. The tableat the center of the room rests on largewooden planks more or less covered withrotting pelts, broken bones and variousrefuse. With broken chairs and rippedtapestries throughout, this chamber is buta dilapidated shadow of its former glory.

6d. Upper HallThe stairs lead to a upper landing with twodoors, one to the outside parapets and one tothe chamber of the giant. Both doors at thetop of the stair are metal-reinforced. Apply a- 2 penalty if a character attempts to forceopen either of these doors by using a StrengthCheck.

When characters manage to open the doorinto 6d, read the boxed text below.

Azor the cloud giant uses this area as a pan-try. The planks that support the table alsoconceal a small cave-in connecting with area6f below. The stairs on the northern sides ofthe hall lead to areas 6d and 6e above.

The creature that dwells in area 6f willcome up during the night, pass through theplanks and haunt this hall. Iftheparty spendsa night in the Lower Hall, run the event

7

In this large, vaulted chamber a hugegiant slouches in a monstrous, throne-likechair against the south wall. He has pale,almost white skin, with long grey hair fall-ing down over elaborate robes of whitesilk. He holds a large club in his fight

hand. On each side of the chair a largewolf stands alertly on guard-thc twocreatures growl as you enter. The giantstares at you calmly

In the middle of the west wall a largefirc burns brightly within a fireplace.Against the east wall is a giant sized bedwith canopy. In the southeast corner achest sits atop a finely carved, woodentable.

The giant in white isAzor, a cloud giant thathas taken over this old keep after its previousowners abandoned it, thi rty years ago. Histwo pets are dire wolves. Apart from his rich,

silk vestments, Azor wears a gold chain abouthis neck (50 gp) and two platinum bracelets(30 pp each).

Azor has been waiting for the party in thisupper chamber. His reaction will dependupon whether or not the PCs are disguised asdark lancers or have freed the ore prisoners.

If the characters are outfitted in darklancer garb (and/or in company of the fourorcs from area 6b), he will be quite stern withthem, ordering them to leave his castle atonce. If the PCs refuse to leave, Azor and hiswolves attack as described below.

If the party is not dressed as dark lancers,Azor will be more agreeable in disposition.

He will attempt to engage them in conversa-tion at the outset. Azor hates Landryn Teriakand the "devils of Denagoth". If the playersopenly admit that they've come to make mis-chief for Teriak, the giant will be pleased. Asa neutral and independent fellow, Azor wantsnothing to do with the dark folk but he real-izes that his presence in the mountains is anaffront to the evil one. If the players promiseto dispose of Teriak Azor will be delighted.


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Chapter One-HIGHPASS 10 DENAGOTH

MAP ITOWER OF THE CLOUD GIANT

In battle, Azor 's first move is 10 send histwo wolves to fight against presumed spell-casters. The giant then blows a loud, ringingnote on a whistle hanging from his neck-chain (to summon more dire wolves). Whenhe does so, the PCs will hear the howling ofmany wolves outside. Azor then attacks thelargest group of fighter types with his massiveclub, If he has the opportunity, he will breakoff melee, seize a piece of furniture (such as

the table) and hurl it. All the PCs within thetrajectory of the thrown object (a 10' widepath from the giant to the opposite wall) mustmake a Dexterity check or be knocked offbal-ance for that round and take 1-10 points ofdamage. Urness the giant has been defeated,6-36 dire wolves enter the castle Id6 + 2rounds after the fight began. The dire wolvesroam about the ground floor areas of the cas-tle, and the PCs will have to defeat the wolves

KEY

LEVEL -1

before they can leave. Whenever Azor isdefeated, the wolves' Morale falls to 6.

If the party reaches peaceful terms withAWr, the giant will offer [0 put the pany upfor a day or two at the castle. He will providethe lower hall (6c) for their accommodationwith the proviso that they accept one of hiswolves as an "escort" in the chamber. In asecretive fashion he will offer a potion to oneof the characters, explaining that it isa porion

of animai control and a token of good faithwith the party. Actually the bottle contains avery toxic sleeping potion-any characterwho drinks this receives no saving throw andsleeps for 3-6 hours, Azor employs this rathercrude ruse as a test of the party's good faith.

On the mantle above the fireplace are twogold candlesticks worth 200 gp each. Theblanket on the huge bed is spun from goldthread worth 400 gp. The chest on the table is

Scale: one squar~ equals 10 ft.

0 Door Portcullis. . . .Secret Door : Concealed Cave-in

TTrap - ;M : Torch

1 11 1' Stairs ~ Water

locked and the key is around Azor''s neckWithin are 1,000 gp and 4,000 gpo UnderAzor's throne is a small wooden box attachedby pegs to the frame. This box contains a rpotion of animai control On Azors bhangs the large key that opens the door toarea 6e.

6e. Open Air Parapets

At each corner of the battlements are largstacks of rocks. The giant throws these at tres-passers to discourage them from comingcloser, Unless the party has al read y defeatedAzor, many large wolves can been seen fromthe top of the walls, prowling the surroundingcountryside. They arc dire wolves observingthe tower, waiting to be summoned by theirmaster.

Large winches and levers on [he east side of

8


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themselves out of the river (on whichever sidethey choose). Horses suffer 1-8 points ofdamage from the fall.

Once the party is safely on the other side,read Chapter Two-Beyond the Mengul

Mountains.


forms, the spectre will observe the PCs, andthen fade away, in the direction of its grave.

The spectre can be destroyed in any of theusual ways In addition, it will dissipate if aremove curse spell is cast upon it (it owes its

undead existence to Qarnt's extreme hatredfor the evil Shadow Lord. The remove curseallows it to seek its final rest.

the battlements control the portcullis below(see area 6a). The portcullis can be raised oflowered with the winches, or blocked in itscurrent position with the levers.

6f. Crypt of the Spectre

This small room is filled almost to the topwith cold, crystal-clear water. Distortedby the ripples on the surface ofthe water, avague rectangular shape can be seen at thebottom, 10 feet lower, along with somevague white and grey debris. The begin-ning of a narrow stairs spiral a few feetdown, from the caved-in opening of thevault. The steps abruptly end at the sur-face of the water.

This area was built as a crypt years ago. Inthe decades after it was sealed, the water

seeped in through cracks in the stone. Thegian't'discovered the crypt by investigatingthe cave-in in the lower hall. He uses thisroom as a source ofwater, and also as a way ofgetting rid of excess bones, at the end of hismeals. The white debris at near the rectangu-lar shape are bones.

The rectangular shape at the bouorn of thewater isthe tomb of the officer who once com-manded the keep. Qarnt, the captain andcleric of the keep, was killed during thedefense of this outpost against the Iirst hordesof the Shadow Lord, thirty years ago. Sincethe return of the Shadow Lord's power, hissoul has risen from his grave, to haunt and

torment any who would profane his final rest.Qarnt, now a spectre, will rise from his

grave during the night and roam throughareas 6f and 6c. He will attack anyone foundinthese two areas. The giant living inarea 6dis aware of the spectre's existence and doesnot come down to that level during the mid-dle hours of the night, as much of apprehen-tion as respect for the soul's torment. Thegiant will not reveal the spec! re's presence tothe party, hoping they would perhaps rid thekeep from this undesirable host.

Whenever Qarnt runs into the party, hewill look as a Wendarian officer. If the party isdressed as dark lancers, the spectre will sud-

denly change its appearance 10 a ghastlyappearance and cast a animate dead spell. Sixskeletons will rise from the bones in area 6cor6 r . The spectre has no other spells and willthen fight, attempting to touch his oppo-nents. The spectre and the skeletons will notpursue the party to the upper levels or out ofthe tower.

If the party is not wearing dark lancer uni-

Leaving the CastleIf the group refrains from doing mischief inthe castle, Azor will show them a secret goatpath that will lead them safely to the village ofGeron (see Chapter Two). The path isfree ofwandering monsters and provides a discreetentrance into the village, from its west side.Without the advice of the giant there isonly abase chance of 20% to find the goat path-add 5 % for every elf in the party. Azor willalso offer them food and iron rations. How-ever, if characters show any ill will to thegiant or his pets, he will order them to leavehis castle at once or suffer his fury.

7. The Rope BridgeWhen following the secret goat trail, theparty should reach the other side of theMengul Mountains, about 20 miles north ofthe main trail. The swift-flowing Naga Riverseparates the Mengul Mountains from theDenagoth plateau, with only a narrow sus-pension bridge of ropes and planks to reachthe other side. The party may follow the riverdown to the main bridge in area 18 (see

Chapter Two), or use the smaller rope bridge.The rope bridge is designed so that the

party can cross safely if they walk carefullyand go one at a time. One person with a horsecan cross safely in six rounds. If they tfy tocross faster, or more than one at a time, thebr idge may start swaying, making it moredangerous.

If someone tries to cross in four rounds orless, there is a 25% chance the bridge willstart swaying. If two or more try to cross atonce, there is a 50% chance that the bridgewill start swaying. Characters on a swayingbridge must make a Dexterity Check orstumble, losing their footing. Characters who

stumble must make a second DexterityCheck with a ~ 3 penalty; those who fail thesecond check fall off. If characters on a sway-ing bridge stand still for two rounds, thebridge SlOpS swaying. If any player rolls a 1on a 20-sided die when making a DexterityCheck, one of the suspension ropes breaksand all characters fall into the river.

Characters who fall into the river will suf-fer 2-12 points of damage before hauling

9

8_ The BridgeThe main trail reaches the northern edge ofthe Mengul range, droping off more abruptlythan the southern rim. The terrain just northof the Naga River isthe southernmost edge ofDenagoth, rising gradually to the plateau.Clumps of pine trees grow on the slope. Halfway up isGeron, a small village (see ChapterTwo). From their position at the top of themountain pass, the party can see a largebridge that crosses the river, guarded by a fewblack-clad soldiers.

The Naga River can be crossed only hereor at the rope bridge (see encounter 11 7 ) .NearGeron, the Naga is in full flow; the powerfulcurrent prevents any attempts to swim acrossto the other side.

The main bridge links the narrow moun-tain trail to a small road winding up towardthe village. On the south side of the bridge toGeron there are ten dark lancer guards whoseduty is to check the purposes of all travellers.Currently they are mostly concerned withstopping spies and army deserters,

If sergeant Shedrak (see encounter Ill) suc-ceeded in sending a message warning Geronabout the party, the guards will be suspicious.There is an 80% chance that they will insistthat the party accompany them to CaptainBenar's building (see area 111 9 . in Geron,Chapter Two).

If the characters are not in lancer guise theguards will insist on searching their equip-men t . If the party has items belonging to darklancers, or obvious clues that Gylharen sentthem, the guards will attack. If their suspi-cions are not aroused, the guards willdemand a 5 gp fee per character, plus 10 gpfor horses and wagons.

If the party is disguised as dark lancers,they will be ordered to report immediately toCaptain Benar. If they have not done sowithin an hour, a search will be started.

If the party fails to compl y with any of theirdemands, the guards attack. While nine ofthem will attempt to capture the party, thetenth soldier will run to alert Captain Benar.Run Chapter Two from that point.

At night, there are only five soldiers guard-ing the bridge. If the party wishes to sneakinto the village under cover of darkness,allow any reasonable plan to succeed.


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The room to the east of the workshop is thefellow's bedroom, The two rooms are sepa-rated by a curtain. The shoemaker's treasureis hidden in a locked strongbox beneath thebed. The key is hidden in the hollow grip ofLendril's dagger. The chest is protected by atrap: if the chest is opened without the key, apoisoned dart is fired by a spring-loadeddevice set within the chest. Any character infront of the chest must save vs. Poison ator take 1-3 hit points of damage; if he iwounded, he must then make another savingthrow vs. Poison or die.

Within the chest are 897 sp and one pair ofboots of speed. These magical boots wafford a character the movement rate ohorse (240' /turn , 48 miles per day).

Chapter Two-BEYOND THE MENGUL MOUNTAINS

Encounter Setting

The party has several ways of reaching thevillage of Geron. They may have followed themain trail crossing the Mengul Mountains

and the bridge (encounter #8) at the entranceof Geron, or the path leading from the ropebridge (encounter 11 7 )to the northwest side ofGeron. Once the party has crossed the agaRiver, they may wander off the trails in orderto enter the village without being noticed. Allalong the plateau side grow numerous smallforest groves affored some cover for move-ment.

The village is populated by craftsmen,peasants, merchants, etc., of varying align-ments. If statistics are needed for any of thecivilian population, use the "common man,servant" statistics from the Combined Mon-ster Statistics Chart. Unnumbered buildings

on Map II are either deserted or belong tovarious neutral families living in Geron. Theinhabitants of unnumbered buildings aresimple peasants who do not know any usefulinformation and will not resist if threatened.

The community boasts the Temple of Idris,a facil ity dedicated to an ancient and evilbeing, long revered by the human populationof Denagotb.

Geron is the field headquarters for the darklancers and the operations base for whatmight be termed "special forces". Camla,the Wendarian traitor and Landryn Teriak'schief henchman, have lately settled here tosupervise a number of tasks on behalf of the

Shadow Lord.No random encounters occur in this chap-

ter. Chapter One dealt with encounters 1through 8, leading to the village of Geron. Inorder to avoid confusion, the numbering ofencounters/areas in this chapter starts from119 .This chapter describes areas 9 to 25, in ornear the village of Geron. If the party avoidsthe village entirely and continues north, runChapter Three instead.

Encounter Key (See Map II)

9. Peasant's Cottage

On a roll of 1-4 on a d6 the old man who liveshere will be at home. A roll of 5 or 6 will meanthat the cottage is locked up and vacant. Theold man is not friendly but if threatened orbribed, he will warn the party about the darklancers who are billeted in the sheriffs hall atthe north end of town (see area 1121 ) .This fel-low, who goes by the name of Grimm, knowsprecious little else. When asked about "graybreeches" (see Chapter One, the spy'spassword), he stares blankly at the party and

shrug his shoulders, ignoring the strangequestion. A wooden box hidden under hisbed contains 178 cp and 13 sp.

10. Arrow-Maker's Cottage

This hut is owned by Damon, an aginghuman weapons-maker. Currently he is mak-ing arrows for Landryn Teriak's elite bow-men. The building is full of tools-vises,knives, files and saws. Many bows in variousstates of completion hang from the walls ofthe hut. Wall cabinets and benches hold sev-eral dozen arrows, in addition to a number ofcloth and leather quivers.

Damon will refuse to provide informationabout Geron but he will ask the charactersabout their own purposes. To the spy'spassword, he will raise a brow and answer" ... interested in commerce, hey?" He will

keep his distances from he who asked thequestion, wondering about the PC's strangequestion. If someone gives him a reasonableexplanation for the question, or if anyonebuys some of his merchandise, he drops thematter; otherwise, he will alert the sergeant(see area 621) after the party has left his cot-tage. If threatened, he will attempt to fleeth r ough the back door of the hut. Damon willavoid lighti fig if possible.

Damon (AC 10; F3; hp 12; HAT I hammer;D Id4 + 1; MY 60' (30'); Save F3; ML 4;ALC; St 17, In 10, Wi 11, Dx 13, Co 14,Ch 11)

Damon's bed is in the northeast corner of thecottage. Behind the headboard, set into thewall, is a false panel. In the cubby holebeyond is an unlocked chest with 15 arrows+ 1 and a sack of 397 sp.

11. Shoemaker's Cottage

This hut is owned by Ledril, the shoemaker.Currently he is at his bench making boots forthe local lancers. He is a soft-spoken, weasel-like man. If threatened or bribed (30 gp mini-mum), he will inform the party that there is alarge army massing north of the town-heknows little else of value. If attacked, he willfight unless he is outnumbered. If asked thecode question, he replies, "How should Iknow? I've too much work to do as it is. Butmaybe I have time for a little ... fun. If you'reinterested." He then winks ccnspiciously atthe PC.

Lendril (AC 9; Fl; hp 8; NAT 1; D 1-4; MY90'(30'); Save Fl; ML 7; AL C; St 6, In13, Wi 10, Dx 13, Co 10, Ch 18)

10

12. Potter's Cottage

The door is locked and the windows are shut-tered and barred. This cottage is a potteryworkshop complete with a kiln, a wheel andvarious pots on the floor or on the shelves.The kiln lies in the northwest corner, thewheel is in the center and a bed is in thesoutheast corner.

The potter is not present because he's beendrafted into the amly. At the base of the kilnthere is a loose brick concealing a compart-ment stuffed with a leather satchel full of golddust (573 gp value). A leather folder underthe bed is fil led with common business papersand records. One of the parchments has the

look of an official document with a seal at thetop bearing the image of a black dragon. Incommon tongue the work order reads: "order of the Elder- 2 vases of 600 gold piecesvalue."(This paper is a reference to Naru, thepriest at the Temple of Idris, area #22.)

13. Lane's Cottage

On a roll of 1-5 on a d6 Lane will be at homebetween the hours of 12 midnight and 6 pOn a roll of 6 she will be at the Temple oIdris. Between the hours of 6 pm and midnight she is working at the Beggar's RoostInn (area N 1 9 ).

This cottage belongs to Lane, a servingwoman at the local inn. However, she is alsoan assistant at the Temple of Idris and anagent for Naru, the high priest. She carries adagger hidden in her bodice.

Lane (AC 9; Fl; hp 7; NAT 1; D 1-4 dagger;MY 120'(40'); Save FI; ML 6; AI C; S14, In 12, Wi 14, Dx 13, Co 16, Ch 17

Lane will secretly report anything of interest


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price for information.


MAP II VILLAGE OF GERON

armor for the dark lancers-it isworth notingthat his products are inferior and his servicecharges are very high.

Rollo knows a good deal about the lancersand their captain, Benar. For instance, he is

aware of the recent lancer excursions to Wen-dar (such as Shedrak's) aimed at eliminatingGylharerr's scouts. He also knows about thelarge army bivouac 15 miles north of Geron(area 11 2 5 )and what it means: War! In addi-tion, he knows that someone of some impor-tance has recently come to town and isstaying at the Temple of Idris, This "some-one" isCarnla, although Rollo does not knowthe fellow's name.

Rollo is not a fool. If threatened in anyway, he will try 10 sell information, "I alwaysmind my own business. Business ... youunderstand?" If the characters offer himmoney he will tell them all he knows in

exchange for 40 gold pieces. To the spy'spassword, Rollo will answer in a gruff voice,"You want to make a deal on uniforms?"

If still at liberty after the encounter, Rollowill report the party to Captain Benar in area1118. In this event the DM will mobilizeBenar and six lancers for a town-wide searchfor the adventurers.

If Rollo is man-handled he will fight hisassailants until they are willing to negociate a

11

Rollo the dwarf (AC 6; F4; hp 38; IIAT 1; D2-6 hammer + 1; MV 90'; Save F4; ML8; AL C; St 13, In 10, Wi II, Ox 12, Co

17 , Ch 9)

Rollo wears a leather jerkin and a ring of pro-tection + 1. The main workshop area of thehut isdominated by a forge. Various smith'stools line the walls of the shop. Rollo's bed-room lies behind a curtain hanging along thewest wall.

In the bedroom is a bed and a large chest inthe southwest corner. The locked chest maybe opened by a key around Rollo's neck.Within are 297 gp, 99 ep, 354 sp and a set of10 crossbow bolts + 1.

The chest .issecured to the floor by bolts,Moving the chest reveals a vertical shaft with

a ladder leading down. The shaft is slightlysmaller than the bottom of the chest, whichcompletely covers the opening. The shaft isabout 12' deep and leads to a tiny cellar. Thisroom contains: a suit of dwarven platemailarmor, a silver inlaid handaxe (value 200 sp),two gold vases (value 300 gp each) and awooden box, The box holds 16 glowinghorsesh oes suitable for riding horses. Shoeinga horse with four of these will improve theanimal's movement rate from 240' (80') to360' (120').

Rollo stole the vases from the potter's cot-tage prior to their delivery to the Temple ofIdris.

15. Cottage of the CursedThis cottage is occupied by a strange charac-ter who can only be described as the village"simpleton". He was once a loyal cleric ofIdris. In the past hewas driven insane by gaz-ing at a magical cursed book. Formerly thefellow was assigned to Gereth Minar (theShadow Lord's tower) prior to his infirmity.

This pathetic creature is under the delu-sion that he's the "King of Denagoth". Hewill constantly refer to himself in these termsand regard all those in Geron and Denagothas his subjects. Most of his replies to ques-tions will be nonsensical, however, he willrecite the following riddle.

"There once was a castle keeper known asthe bearded Leaper, his watchful eye wasalways wide until age turned him into asleeper."

to Naru at the temple. In dealing with theparty she will claim to know nothing aboutimportant affairs. To the spy's password, shewill become sarcastic and answer "Funnyyou should ask' Tis' none of your business,

young lad!" Ifthreatened or bribed, she willadmit that an army is lorared north 01 'Geron(see encounter #25) and that a detachment ofblack lancers is housed at the sheriffs hall(area #21). She will not disclose her link tothe tern ple:

If left to her own devices after dealing withthe characters, Lane will immediately go tothe temple-making sure, of course, that sheis not seen or followed en route. Anythingthat Lane reports to Naru willquickly find itsway to Carnla (area 11 2 3 ) .

Beneath her bed in the southwest corner ofthe hut there are loose floorboards which con-ceal a chest containing silk (value 40 gp), a

silver bracelet (value 15sp) and necklace witha dark colored clasp. The two halves of thenecklace join together to form the tiny effigyof a black dragon-the item is worth 20 gp o

14. Blacksmith's Shop

This forge is operated by a dwarf namedRollo, An evil and self-seeking fellow, thesmith is currcruly making horseshoes and

This ditty refers to an old acquaintance of themadman. It concerns Leaper, a former stew-


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ard at Gereth Minar. Currently Leaper livesin retirement in an old cottage south of Geron(see area #24). The madman will notexpound on this riddle, nor will he provideany other useful information. If asked thespy's password, he will giggle and point at thePC asking the question. He will keep on gig-gling until the party 's departure.

The cottage is in a complete state ofconfusion-the bed, table, chairs and otherfurnishings lay strewn about. Beside the fire-place in the south wall there is a chest on oneside and a box of firewood on the other. At thebottom of the wood pile (in the box) there is asack containing 137 gp and 27 sp. The chestholds a pair of boots, a ridin g cape, two pairsof breeches, a battered mace and a small,leather-bound box. A medallion engravedwith the image of a black dragon (40 sp value)is inside the small box.

1"6.Trapper's Cottage (locked)The door to this hut has a wizard lock on it.All the windows are heavily shuttered andbarred from within. This cottage is used bythe Wendarian spy, who calls himself Seanthe fur trapper. The first time the party comesto this cottage, Sean will be out on a spyingmission. Sean will be back 1d20 hours later.He gives the proper reply to the password andwelcomes the party in.

Sean has scouted the village and can tellthe party the following:

Susa (see area 1 / 1 7 ) is the village magic-userThe sheriffs hall (see area 1 / 2 1 ) holds adetachment of 5-10 dark lancers

The innkeeper's wive (see area # J 9) is a goodsource of local gossip

A mysterious person of some importance hasvisited the temple recently

Sean knows that the army is camped north ofGeron (see encounter #25) but does not yetknow the army's strength. He has been latelytrying to enter the temple (area 11 2 2 )to inves-tigate the temple's connection with theShadow Lord. Sean asks the party to searchthe temple for information, and then follow

the trail to the north to locate and searchTeriak's base.Sean did riot report to Wendar before now

because he feared he was under suspicion; thePCs are his first contact. Sean will stay in inhis house for several days to protect his cover.He will not join the party.

Sean, the trapper: (AC 6; T6; hp 30; IIKr 1;D 1-8; MY 120'; Save T6; ML 11; AL N;

St 11, In 15, Wi 14, Dx 17, Co 13, Ch 12)

The cottage itself is a ru s ti c log cabin. Manyanimal skins pelts hang on the walls and arespread on the floor. A large bed, table, andchairs comprise the furnishings. In the south-east corner a large locked wooden chest holdsthe a giant weasel pelt worth 2,500 gpo

The wizard lock was cast by Susa themagic-user.

17. Cottage of the WitchThis is home to Susa the magic user, com-monly known about town as the "Witch ofGeron" . Day or night she will admit the char-acters in the hope of doing business.Although she appears to be an elderly peasantwoman of modest means, she is a witch ofsorts insofar as she offers her magical services

and potions for money.As a Neutral NPC Susa harbors some illwill for Geron's Sheriff and Benar, Captain ofthe dark lancers. She has suffered at thehands of both and she resents the way inwhich the lancers have taken over the village.On the other hand, she does maintain cordialrelations with Naru, the high priest of ldris.The subtle balance of her affiliations has, forthe moment, secured her tenure in the town.

When the PCs visit the cottage, she willcast an ESP' spell before letting these stran-gers en ter. If rh is fails she will ask questions inan attempt to discover the PCs' purposes.She will not be fooled by any dark lancer dis-

gUIses.If the encounter is proceeding in anfriendly manner Susa will offer to read one ofthe character's fortunes for a fee of 5 gpo Thiswill involve taking the player character to oneside and looking at his/her palm. The DMshould conduct this reading in private

Through the course of the fortune-tellingSusa will talk wistfully about the great gift of"second sight" while holding the character'shand palm upward. At length she will offerthis:

"I see that a person with a quest you are.Strong your life force and your conviction

are. Something you seek. Yes... some-thing of great power a wondrous gem-stone of brilliant blue Now a great towerI see, wrapped in swirling mists. Far to thenorth lies the tower and much evil thereis ... But wait ... more there is. A brilliantblue sapphire I see, sitting on a cushion ofgold. Around the stone many bodies thereare, broken and smashed by much vio-

lence. These creatures I have seen beforeand so have you. Indeed, one of them youare! More than this I cannot see ... "

12

After the reading Susa will close her eyes anrelease the person's hand. In a plaintive toshe will offer one more dictum: "To abandontbis quest I would advise, {or in YOUl" odestruction it might end."

lfattacked, Susa will try to flee rather thanfight. She will cast an invisibility spell aattempt to escape any harm.

Susa, the witch (AC 6; MU 6; hp 22; #AT 1D spells only; MY 90' (30'); Save MU 6ML 8; AL N; St 9, In 16, Wi 16, Dx 14Co 10, Ch 6)

Levell: magic missile, read magic, sleepLevel 2: invisibility, ESpLevel 3; clairvoyance, lightning bolt.

Susa's cottage has the appearance of a gyp-sy's wagon within. Lush tapestries and exoticicons of various shapes and sizes line thewalls. A small woodstove stands in the south-west corner and a bed is in [he northeast cor-ner. A wall cabinet stands just to the sou th othe west door and a chest sits at the foot of theoed.

The cabinet is filled with bottles, jars andvarious substances in small, porcelin dishes.Substances here include: wolf's bane, mistle-toe, frogs' eggs, bone dust, crushed pearlpowder, bay leaves and sheeps' eyes. Thereare two potions: invisibility and gaseoform, on the bottom shelf.

The chest is locked-if opened without thekey around Susa's neck, a cloud of gas risesfrom the front of the lid. The gas will fill thecottage in 4 rounds. All within the gas mustsave vs. Breath Weapon or fall unconsciousfor 2~5 turns.

The chest holds a giant beaver belt (value300 gp), 210 gp, 341 ep, and 179 sp. At thbottom of the chest lies a cursed longs word2. The weapon will appear to be aweapon until it is actually used in melee com-bat. A remove curse' spell must be usedrelease the owner of [his questionable prize.

Susa's spellbook is hidden inside the stove,within a secret and protected compartment.A heavy iron panel slides back to reveapackage wrapped in scaly material (blackdragon hide) resistant to all acids. The bookis within this wrapping.


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1; D 16 crossbow; MV 60' (20'); SaveF2; ML 6; AL N; St 12, In 9, Wi 10, Dx12, Co 13, Ch 12)

will volunteer information if the characterspay for it, Alfred will try to break up the dis-cussion ifhe sees it taking place. A bribe of 5gp will serve to appease his anger in this situ-ation.

At any time there will be 69 (d4 + 5)patrons at the inn, Half these customers willbe merchants and the others will be peasantsFurthermore, there is a 20 % chance thatthere will be two dark lancers quenching theirthirst for ale. The inn isoff limits to the lane-ers so these two will mind their own businessunless there is a major uproar.

The merchants are here to do business withCaptain Benar. As horse traders, they have

found the lancers quite willing to buy theirstock. Behind the inn the merchants' horsestock are tethered to a long hitching post. Intotal there are 14 war horses tended by twoboy servants. The merchants' own horses aretethered to the post just to the north of theinn.

The merchants will be quite talkative if thePCs buy them some ale. The merchantspraise themselves on their profitable businessdealings with the lancers. If questioned, theywill freely admit that their trade isbrisk withwar imminent. They will mention the largearmy bivouac (area 11 2 5 )north of Geron. Ifthe conversation with the characters is going

well, one of these traders will ask the charac-ters if they know the dwarven blacksmith,Rollo (area 114). The merchants have somebusiness to attend to with the smith but theywill decline to disclose its nature. (ActuallyRollo had planned to sell them the two goldvases in his cellar),

Each merchant carries 100-400 sp (d4) and10-100 gp in leather pouches on their per-sons. At this point they are still awaiting pay-

Level 1: Charm Person, Detect Magic,M'agic Missile, Read Languages, ReadMagic, Sleep, Ventriloquism

Level 2: Detect Invisible, ESp, Invisibility,Locate Object

Level 3: Clairvoyance, Dispel Magic, Light-ning Bolt

Behind the bar the innkeeper has a loadedcrossbow ready in the event of trouble. In thetill behind the bar are I) 0 gp, 1060 sp and100400 cpo Prices at the Beggar's Roost areas follows: ale 15 cp; beer 10 cp; mead 4 sp;wine 6 sp per bottle; other spirits 5 sp perglass. Bread and cheese are 2 sp.

Henna, Alfred's wife, is very chatty andloves to gossip in exchange for a litte silver.She is willing to talk to the characters inexchange for 10sp for any two pieces of infer-

mation. She knows the following:

18. Burned CottageThis cottage has burned to the ground. It wasthe former home of the innkeeper and hiswife, who now lives at the Beggar's RoostInn. There is nothing here of any value orinterest to the party.

19. Beggar's Roost InnThe Beggar's Roost Inn (actually a tavern) isopen for business daily between 8 am and 12midnight. It isa single story building, with alarge barroom and smaller living quarters forthe innkeeper and his wife. The northernportion of the inn isdominated by a long barrunning east/west. A number of tables,benches and chairs are provided for thepatrons, All supplies are located behind thebar where the Alfred the innkeeper and hiswife Henna are usually working. In the eve-nings Lane, the woman from cottage 111 3willbe waiting on tables. At any given time, there

will be 69 (d4 + 5) customers here,Alfred the innkeeper is no! a talkative fel-low. If questioned, he says he minds his ownbusiness. Actually, Alfred isquite close to theSheriff of Geron (building 11 2 1 ) and willreport any suspicious questions or behaviorto this officer. If asked the password question,he scowls impatiently and shrugs.

That Lane is an agent of Naru, the highpriest of Idris.

That the lancers have sent out 3 patrols to thesouth in recent days.

That an invasion of Wenda. is imminent,perhaps before another moon has passed.

That the Temple of Idris (area 11 2 2 )isa signif-icant point of interest in Geron and thatNaru is the high priest there,

That a "shady-looking character-maybe awizard" has lately come to Geron and isstaying at the temple.

That the tower of the Denagothian ruler is far

at the end of the trail to the north. It iscalled Gereth Minar.That an ex-servant of the tower (Gereth

Minar) lives near the river (area 11 2 4 ) .That the madman from area 111 5used to be a

cleric of Idris and was once an associate ofthe Denagothian ruler himself.

If a paying character asks a question thatHenna can answer, she will do so. If not, shelfred the innkeeper (AC 8; F2; hp 15; IAT

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not return within 10 rounds after they leave,Naru will prepare an ambush in area #22j.The two guards in area #22e will arrive at#22b two rounds after Naru 's students.

The desk is littered with papers concerning

food and other routine supplies for the tem-ple. The desk drawer holds more of the same.

The bookcase holds a good deal of blankparchment and writing materials, as well asbooks on temple management and othermundane topics.


wing (leading down into area #22e).

22a. Entrances

Two guards in flowing dark tunics are

slowly pacing in front of the entrance ofthe building. Some heavy armor seems tobulge under their tunics. Both hold largemaces on their shoulders.

crossbows. On the north wall another largerack holds many spears. A total of 14 bedrollsare spread on the floor.

The cabinet on the north side (of the desk)contains 14 sacks, each with 100 gpo The

south cabinet holds two small chests. One ofthese contains 300 sp, a scroll and a necklace.The scroll is an anonymous letter addressedto the Sheriff. It explains that the necklace isagift from a secret admirer. This nasty item isin fact a necklace of strangulation given to theofficer by Susa the witch. Whoever dons thenecklace will be slowly strangled at a rate of6hit points per round. This item can only beremoved by a successful remove curse or dis-pe l magic spell.

The other chest contains 5 gold bracelets(value 50 gp each), a goldchain (value 20 gp),and a ruby brooch (value 180 gp).

In the floor in the northwest corner of the

building isa normal trapdoor leading to a sin-gle flight of stone steps and a si n glecell belowthe headquarters. The door to this cell isheavily barred from outside-a single peep-hole is covered by a sliding iron cover.

This only prisoner is Merak , a cashiereddark lancer, dismissed from the service andimprisoned for stealing. He will offer to helpthe party in any way he can if charactersrelease him.

Merak explains that he is a deserter fromthe army In fact, Merak will quickly see thissituation as an opportunity ta serve theShadow Lord again. He will accompany theparty until he discovers their purpose and

then, at the earliest opportunity, he will try toslip off to make a report to Benar, Naru, orCamla (in that order). In this way Merakhopes to win back his commission.

Merak knows everyune in Geron and thepurpose of most facilities. He will offer anyinformation in order to convince the party ofhis good intentions.

22. a-j The Temple of Idris(See Map III for areas #22a to #22j)

The temple is topped by a bronze dome.The statue of a black dragon stands atopthe dome. There is one main entrance to

the west, and two side entrances to thenorth and south. Two temple guards areon watch at each entrance. The doors ofthe main entrance arc open; the side doorsare dosed.

The side entrances are locked. If the partyapproaches the temple from the north side, theywill seea small trap door inthe roof of the north

If the party does not take special precautionsto approach the temple (disguise, invisibility,eic.), the two guards will immediately shoutin order to alert the other guards, and blockthe way into the temple as best they can. Tworounds later, the four other temple guardswilljoin the fight.

If the party is attacking the main door,Parx, the cleric from 622b will arrive within1-4 rounds and cast a hold person' on up to 4 -

attackers before entering the melee.

Parx: (AC 7; C4; hp24; #AT 1 or spell; D2-7mace; MV 90' (30'); SaveC4; ML 8; ALC; 5t 14, In 11, Wi 16, Dx 13, Co 17, Ch15).

Level 1: cause Iesr", cure light wounds"Level 2: hold person

Parx wears maroon robes with the blackdragon emblem on the front. At his waist thecleric carries a set of keys to rooms #22c,#22g, and all cabinets and chests within.Around his neck he wears a black dragon

medallion (value 10 gp).

22b. Temple OfficeIf the party managed to enter the templeunseen, Parx (see area 622a) will be sitting atthe desk.

A desk sits against the east wall of thischamber. A bookcase is built into thenorth wall, stocked with boxes, books andpiles of parchment. A tapestry bearing theimage of the black dragon covers the westwall. A large bronze gong stands in frontof the tapestry. Glowing braziers arelocated at both side of the door.

22c. Storeroom (locked)

If Parx ishere, he attempts to parley with thePCs, trying to discover what they are after.Parx hopes to find a way to reach the gongand strike it. If he succeeds, Naru (currentlyin room #22j) will send his students to investi-gate the noise; they arrive at #22b 1-4 roundsafter the gong was struck. If the students do

15

Six large barrels stand on end in the mid-dle of the room. The walls are lined byshelves holding several dozen sacks andten casks.

The barrels contain water or wine. The sacks

hold barley, flour, oats and bran. Three caskshold mead, brandy, or beer.

22d. Temple HallThe hall isprotected by an illusion trap. Theengravings on the doors leading into the hallserve as a warning to the followers of Idris.

You come to a closed pair of bronze doors,ornately engraved with black dragons andthe following inscription in the commontongue, "Hail, Idris! In submission tothee, gain we wisdom and might."

The characters can easily open the doors,which open silently.

The doors open, revealing a vast hall. Ahuge oak table with benches and chairsoccu pies the center of the hall. A fireplaceand cooking area occupies the northwestcorner. The walls bear the painted imagesof black dragons in various pastures andfierce combat sequences.

A powerful illusion affects the painted imagesofblack dragons, which will take effect unlessone or more characters perform a gesture of"submission" when entering the hall (any

such gesture, such as kneeling, bowing, asalute, or saying, "Hail, Idris!" is sufficient).If no one does so, three phantasmal forcedragons will emerge from the painting andbreathe at the trespassers. Make a secret sav-ing throw VS. Spell for each character in theroom. Those who succeed are not affected.The illusory dragons disappear after the firstround.


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not use the incantation if the party has sur-prised him and his students, The Elder ofIdris, Naru, wears chain mail beneath hisrobes and a black dragon medallion of Idrisaround his neck (the key to the chest in room

122i is also on this neck chain). Naru has amagical talisman which he uses for conjuringa flame salamander, however, the item willonly function once.

In melee within the shrine room all theclerics of Idris will get + 1 to hit, on their sav-ing throws and to their Morale Levels. Anymajor disturbance here will attract allremaining guards in the temple (includingthe two at each of the three entrances to thetemple, and the two off-duty in area 22e).

At the base of the north brazier there is alever device set into the leg of the stand. Pull-ing this trigger up will open a 2' by 3' secretwall panel behind the statue of Idris (east

wall). Here, in a recess, is a chest with 600gp, 850 sp and 1,750 ep. At the bottom of thechest is a small box with a silver clasp con-taining a clerical scroll of raise deed". Thepainted dragons in room 122j are normalpaintings.

Naru carries on his person a pouch con-taining 15 gp, 12 pp and 7 sp, His studentscarry no treasure.


The six characters in maroon-and-white areNaru's students. Although the students'sspell-casting abilities have been used up dur-ing the ceremony, they can fight intruderswith the maces they all carry under their

robes. The character with the silver dagger isNaru.

Naru (AC 5; C9; hp 42; IAT lor spell; D 3-8mace + 1; MV 120' (40'); Save C9; ML10; ALC; St 13, In 14, Wi 17, Dx9, C06,Ch 16).

Level 1: cause lilfht wounds, darkness",cause fear-

Level 2: bligtit", hold person", resist IireLevel S: cause disesse", bestow curse", str ik-

mlfLevel 4: dispel magic, neutralize poison

If the alarm was not sounded, the followers ofIdris will be unaware of the party's presencein the temple. If so, they will be surprised bythe PCs actions on the first round.

If characters were affected by the dragon'sillusion in area 122d, then the students andNaru are only pretending to conduct a cere-mony. In reality, they are expecting the partyto come in. Naru's chanting is really theincantation to bring a powerful creature totheir help (see below), Before the partyenters, Naru will be protected by a resist firespell and have a striking spell cast on hismace.

If the alarm has been sounded earlier in

room #22b, only Naru will be here. At thetime the party finds him, Naru will have fin-ished his incantation. In this case, read theboxed text below:

While a maroon-robed figure stands,pale, panting, and sweating heavily, adark shape forms in the center of theroom, wrapped in swirling black fumesand small sparks of flame. Then, out ofthe dark mists appears a creature of flamebrandishing a trident.

his appearance and habits. These entries sug-gest that Gylharen has been targeted forassassination.The last entry shows a date only a day or two

before this time, Below the date is the

name, "CamJa".

Behind the desk is a secret door (4' high and4' wide) in the west wall. The secret dooropens outward into the secret room beyond(area 122i). The desk must be moved away togain access to the room.

The decanter on the small table holds veryfine brandy.

22i. Secret RoomThis tiny room contains only a large ironchest sitting atop a table. The key to thislocked chest is around Naru 's neck (see room#22j.). The chest holds 500 gp, 700 sp and900 ep .. I n addition, there is a small case and alarger one within the chest. The small caseholds a potions of invisibility and potion oflevitation. The larger case holds two cloaks,one gray and one black cloak. The gray cloakhas no special properties but in the lining ofthe garment are 25 small rubies sewn into thehem (3,000 gp value). The black cape is a dis-placer cloak.

At eye level on the north wall near the eastcomer is a discreet spy hole providing a viewof the shrine room, room 122j.

22j. Shrine Room of Idris

Naru, leader of the Followers of Idris, wasformally inducting his students into the orderat the moment the party entered the temple.Read the following to the players if the alarmhas not been sounded in area #22b (other-wise, only give the room description to theplayers, and read the second boxed para-graph that follows).

This large chamber is dominated by alarge statue of a large woman warriorstanding on an elaborate dais cleverlycarved in the effigy of a black dragoncurled around the feet of the woman. Onthe lower step of the dais a maroon-robed

figure stands in front of the statue betweentwo incense-burning pedestals, The figureholds a silver dagger aloft, as if salutingthe statue. Behind this person six maroon-and-white robed figures kneel, facing thestatue, All these people are chanting indeep, resonating tones. On the north andsouth walls are the images of the blackdragon insignia.

The creature coming out of the smoke is aflame salamander. It will attempt to prevent

the party from attacking Naru. If the party isnot in the room (peeking through the peep-hole from room 122i, or spying from behindthe door), the cleric will point at the party'slocation, and the salamander move to inter-cept the party, wherever they may be.

Naru will need 1-4 rounds to recover fromthe incantation, after which he will be able tocast other spells or fight in a melee, Naru will

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23. Camla's HutOutside the hut, on the east side, are two warhorses tethered to trees. If the partyapproaches the hut openly, there is a 25%chance that the horses will neigh loudly, alert-ing the occupants of an intrusion. Wheneverthe party looks into the room read the follow-ing boxed text to the players.

Two beds, a table and two chairs c-omprisethe furnishings in this rustic cabin, Aglowing fire burns in a fireplace in thesoutheast corne

saga of the shadow lord

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