The Island
Map
The numbered points (10, 19, and 21) mark
the exits from the dungeon labyrinth (and
also correspond to the appropriate area
in
the dungeon from which the players made
their escape). The lettered areas (A through
L; no letter I is used) are outdoor encounters.
The general situation the characters
encounter upon their escape from the
dungeon is not good, The same earthquake
that caused the labyrinth to collapse has
devastated the rest of the island. Suderham
and Drachen Keep are in ruins, and
Scumslum is ablaze. The "extinct" volcano
Mount Flamenblutt is now erupting steadily,
oozing lava and poisonous gases, and
sending up a huge cloud of smoke and ash
that blots out the sun. Worst of all, the
mischievous
magmen have come
out with the
lava flow and are leaping about the landscape,
igniting every combustible they can
find. It is a disaster rapidly reaching
epic
proportions. Play it for all it is worth.
As in the labyrinth, the general theme of
the outdoor adventure is escape.
It should
become clear to even the slowest party
that
staying on the island would be a fatal
mistake.
If characters move south or west, they
will encounter burning forests or fields
and
the magmen. If
they try to move through
Suderham or
the valley south of it, they will
be deterred by poisonous gases. Unless
they
swim for it (see Leaving
the Island),
PCs will probably end up at the docks
area. There they will find possible escape
boats and the surviving slave
lords.
To aid the DM in describing the situation,
a paragraph is included herein on what
the
characters can see from each of the 3
exits from the labyrinth. Use the appropriate
description, but be familiar with all
3, in case the characters, after escaping,
wander into one of the other areas.
| The cave
behind the party has collapsed,
pushing water out in a big wave. The party has emerged an the shore of the crater lake. The lake froths as whitecapped waves toss wildly back and forth, colliding and building on one another. Everywhere fish, lake eel and fresh-water squid leap from the surface of the lake, crazily trying to escape the unaccustomed vibrations. The far rim of the crater lake, a mile and a half away, seems to tremble slightly as the characters LOOK at it. On the island behind the characters is
|
Spider
Cave Exit (19.)
-
| The characters push their way out
through the spider's trapdoor exit onto a slight slope in a thick grove of beech trees. About 40% of the trees have been knocked down by the quakes, and the grove is a tangle of fallen trunks, broken boughs, and leafy debris. To the southwest, south, east, andnortheast the slope rises to a 30-foot-tall bluff; the top appears to be unwooded. Downslope to the west, about 300 feet distant, there seems to be a road running roughly north-south, but many trees have fallen across it. To the northwest it would appear that the woods end in cleared land 200 to 300 feet away. The whole island rumbles and shakes,
|
Movement through the twisted wreckage
of trees and boulders is at 1/3 the normal
rate.
| The party emerges from a hole in the
ground in the midst of a beech and pine forest. About 1/2 of the trees seem to have been knocked down or damaged. The woods seem to be burning to the south and west, and a huge pall of black smoke rises beyond the flames, blocking out the sunlight. A continuous low growl comes from the direction of the smoke, and the ground rocks beneath your feet. Northwest, a few hundred feet away,
|
Movement through the fallen forest
is at
1/3 the normal rate.
The letters on the map indicate the
approximate locations of these encounters.
| A. | B. | C. | D. | E. | F. | G. | H. | I. | J, | K. | L. |
Leaving
the Island
The only way to leave the island of the
slave lords
is by crossing the lake. The rim
of the crater lake is 1.5 miles in any
direction
from the island. The lake surface is choppy
with whitecaps.
Due to the eruption, the
waves are irregular and unpredictable.
If characters try to swim
for it, they will
find it difficult but not impossible. To
swim
the distance
successfully, an unencumbered
character must roll his or her Constitution
score or below on 3d6. (Unencumbered in
this context means basically naked. Light,
tight clothes and a belt with a dagger
are
about the limits of this class.) Encumbered
characters will notice the excessive
weight and drag of their possessions, and
should be given a chance to dump them.
If characters decide to make a raft
(assuming reasonable materials are available),
the DM should take into account the
approach of fire
and gas and decide if they
have time
to do it. If they succeed in time, it
will take them at least 2 hours to paddle
to shore.
If characters commandeer an intact fishing
boat, they should have no trouble reaching
<Boating, WSG>
shore. If they succeed in capturing The
Water Dragon,
they will have a harder time
of it. The galley sports a
small sail, but only
characters with sailing experience will
be
able to handle it properly. If the sail
can be
used, no more than 8 additional people
are needed to man the oars, plus 1 on the
rudder. If no one can handle the sail,
at least
12 oarsmen will be needed.
It is conceivable that the characters could
beat the slave
lords across the lake without
actually tangling with them 1st; for example,
by successfully making a raft
or comandeering
a fishing boat. Should this <Boating,
WSG>
occur, the DM may wish to arrange a meeting
on the other side of the lake on a road
or
trail leading to the nearest place of refuge.
The DM should take care that if such an
encounter does occur, the characters have
a
reasonable chance of winning (possibly
through some anti-slave lord source).
Going Home
Upon reaching the far shore, the PCs
have time
for a short period of
REST and
recovery, if desired. However, all
through the night Mount Flamenblutt will
continue to roar and spew. By morning the
sky will be a gray
haze of ash. Looking
toward Suderham
all the characters will see
is a roiling haze of poisonous
gas. It should
be very clear that staying in the crater
bowl
is suicide.
During the night and the following morn-
ing, the PCs discover they are
not the only survivors of the catastrophe.
Sometimes they will see powerful groups
of
armed men
rapid-marching to the cleft.
Other times they will be hesitantly
approached by small bands of slaves
or
guards. If the PCs decide to
accept leadership, they can gather about
them a mixed band of refugees.
Their group will include a little of
everything--slaves,
merchants, peasants,
guardsmen,
mercenaries, and even adventurers.
It will also include a variety of alignments,
from LG
to pure evil.
However, a rough truce can be formed for
the moment. The PCs will naturally
be given the role of leaders--for Now.
The PCs will be able to
assemble a group of 21-40 NPCs.
You can
select from the types listed or create
your
own.
Slaves
who have managed to escape their
captors. These can be of any alignment
although good and neutral alignments are
more common. All are 0 level humans.
All
have a deep hatred of their former lords
and
may have to be restrainpd from slaughtering
their guardsmen traveling companions in
the coming journey. For now they will
accept the PCs' judgements.
Mercenaries
who arrived with caravans
or worked here. They are all neutral
or neutral evil
..alignment.
They are all 1st level
fighters.
Their only concern is to get to the
coast
alive. They are professional enough to
know survival will only happen if they
work as a group. As such, they will be
the
most agreeable to following orders,
although they will have no respect for
incompetents or idiots.
Guardsmen who worked for Suderham
or the slave lords.
These men are all of evil
alignment
and the majority are lawful evil.
They are 0 level humans
with 7-8 hit points.
They will cooperate for the same reasons
as
the mercenaries, but will insist on having
their own commander (one of them) whom
they will obey. They are all willing to
kill
former slaves
if given the opportunity.
Townspeople who have lost everything
in
the eruption. These people are generally
neutral
in alignment. They hold no grudges
against anyone and are just looking for
protection.
They are all 0 level humans.
Encounters
on the March
Once the PCs have escaped
from the isle of the slave
lords, their troubles
are still far from over. Now they are
stranded in the heart of the hostile Pomarj.
News of the disaster that has struck the
slave lords is sure to travel fast and
no
friendly reception can be expected from
the
tribes on the march. Furthermore, the tensions
in their little band will begin to show,
even to the point of violence.
For the journey overland, use the <make
links>
standard encounter tables given in the
Dungeon
Masters Guide or the encounter tables
and
encounters given here. Be sure to adjust
the
size and difficulty of any encounter by
the
condition of the PCs' band. A
poorly equipped, rag-tag group should not
be faced with impossible odds! In addition
to the encounters determined by die roll
you
may wish to consider the following additional
problems. These problems are quarrels
and disagreements within the party.
Feuding: Just as the group is settling
down for the night, a furious fight breaks
out on the far side of the camp. The PCs
arrive
just in time to prevent the
death of
an ex-slave by a guardsman. The
soldier claims the slave
tried to knife him;
the ex-slave says the guard was beating
him
and pushing him around, that he "had it
coming to him." Tempers flare hot on both
sides with each group supporting its man.
The lead PC is expected to make some decision.
If he chooses for one or the other, there
will be open rebellion. The best solution
is
to work out some way of keeping the 2
groups apart.
Starvation: Feeding this many people
is
not an easy task, esp. since no one
thought to bring a lot of food.
Foraging will
prevent everyone from collapsing, but some
of the weaker ones are not so lucky. After
about a week's travel, 1 person a day will
collapse on the march. Soon there is grumbling
about the food situation and the character's
leadership. Those lucky enough to
find food hoard it and more fights break
out. Unless the players can solve this
problem,
they will be cast out of the band.
Alignments:
The situation has thrown
together a number of people of widely differing
alignments--people who would be
blood enemies
in normal circumstances. An
uneasy truce can hold for only a while.
Lawful
types are more likely to cooperate,
although lawful
goods may become out-raged
and hostile to those of evil alignment.
Neutrals of all types are likely to stay
with
the band so long as as chances for survival
are
best with it. Neutral
evils will not hesitate to
betray the band to the humanoid tribes
in
exchange for safety. Chaotics are likely
to
"go it on their own" and chaotic
evils will
rob the band of any useful equipment
before
they leave. It is the PCs' task to keep
this
dissimilar band together. Of course, when
they get to safety, all bets are off.
The Rewards
of Valor
If the PCs manage to safely
return Dame Gold
and the other slaves to
Safeton, she
will not be ungrateful. Aside
from having a debt of gratitude from each,
Dame Gold
will dip into her own resources
to reward the PCs. She will
provide a monetary reward or non-magical
possession to each character. You should
decide the scope of the reward as befits
the
hardships the PCs have undergone
and the general character of your campaign.
It is not intended that the PCs
should leave this adventure
empty-handed.
If the PCs have recovered
the medicine needed for her brother, Dame
Gold will
do them the further favor of
relieving them from their task. Another
messenger will be found. As she explains,
she is already in debt enough to the PCs
and could not presume on them
anymore. If the medicine was not
recovered,
she is sorrowful for her brother, but
does not blame the characters. "After all,
you tried all you could. It is not your
fault,"
she says. However, if there are any paladins
in the group, they must examine their own
consciences carefully. Did they do enough?
Could they have done more? Such questions
may require atonement
on their part.