Citadel by the Sea
Designed by Sid Fisher
An AD&D module for 4-8 characters,
1st-3rd level each
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[Compilers note: It is recommended that
you open two windows, side by side, when you DM/read this one. Use one
window for the map, one for the text.
If you have any suggestions to make this
more user-friendly, please email me at modheaven7@gmail.com]
C i t a d e l b y
t h e S e a i s a n A
D & D g a m i n g m o d u l e
f o r 4 - 8 c h a r a c t e r s , e
a c h o f 1 s t t o
3 r d l e v e l .
T h e f e w e r t h e c h a r a c t
e r s a v a i l a b l e ,
t h e h i g h e r
t h e i r l e v e l s s h o u l d b
e . C h a r a c t e r s
s h o u l d b e
w e l l e q u i p p e d , w i t h a
t l e a s t o n e
m a g i c a l w e a p o n
a p i e c e , b u t d o n o t
n e e d a n y
p a r t i c u l a r g a m
e e x p e r i e n c e . I t i s
r e c o m m e n d e d t h a t a t l
e a s t o n e r a n g e r c h a r a
c t e r
a n d o n e e
l f c h a r a c t e r b e m e m b e
r s o f t h e
a d v e n t u r i n g p a
r t y , a n d t h a t n o
p l a y e r
c h a r a c t e r b e
a h a l f - o r c . T h e D u n g e
o n
M a s t e r s h o u l d
r e a d t h e e n t i r e m o d u l
e
c a r e f u l l y b e f o
r e r u n n i n g t h i s a d v e n
t u r e ; t h e
e v e n t s a r e
l a i d o u t i n t h e
a p p r o x i m a t e o r d e r
i n w h i c h
c h a r a c t e r s w o u l d n o r m a l l y
e n c o u n t e r t h e m , a n d t
h e t e x t b u i l d s t h e
a d v e n t u r e a s o n e r e a d
s t h r o u g h i t .
I N T R O
D U C T I O N
O n t h e n o
r t h e r n c o a s t o f t h e
l a n d w h e r e
t h e c h a r a c t e r s
l i v e i s a s m a l l
f i s h i n g v i l l a g e
c a l l e d A w a d
( s e e t h e campaign map)
. A w a d
h a s a p o p
u l a t i o n o f o n l y 5 0 0
p e o p l e , a n d i s
n o t p a r t i c u l a r
l y i m p o r t a n t i n a n y
r e s p e c t ;
o n l y t h e
f a c t t h a t i t l i e s
a l o n g a c o a s t a l t r a d e
r o a d k e e p s
i t f r o m t o t a l o b s c u r i
t y .
T h e c h a r a c t e r s
b e g i n t h e a d v e n t u r e t
r a v e l i n g e a s t o n t h e
t r a d e r o a d t o w a r d A w a
d .
T h e y c o u l d
b e o n a q u e s t o f
t h e i r o w n , s i m p l y o u t
w a n d e r i n g , o r c o u l d b
e s e r v i n g a s
g u a r d s f o r
a m e r c h a n t c a r a v a n ( a
s p e r t h e
Monster Manual, Merchant)
. W h e n t h e
c h a r a c t e r s a r e
a b o u t f i v e m i l e s o u t s
i d e o f
t o w n , i n
t h e e a r l y a f t e r n o o n ,
t h e y w i l l e n c o u n t e r a
f a s t - m o v i n g p r o c e s s i o n o f
f i v e
c a r t s , l o a d e d
w i t h b e l o n g i n g s , a n d
s e v e r a l
h u m a n f a m i l i e s
c a r r y i n g b u n d l e s o f c
l o t h e s
a n d d r i v i n g
l i v e s t o c k . T h e f a m i l i e s
w i l l f e a r f u l l y w a r n t
h e c h a r a c t e r s a n d a l l
w h o a r e
w i t h t h e m
t h a t ? t h e c u r s e o f
t h e e l v e s h a s
f a l l e n ? a n d
? t h e d o o m o f a l l
w h o g o t o
A w a d i s s
e a l e d . ? If questioned, they will say
that the curse is in the form of a plague,
but
will know nothing else about it. If any
elves
are among the characters, the family
members will be variously hostile, fearful,
and supplicative (begging the elves to
remove the curse, or threatening the elves
if
they approach the carts). The families
consist in total of 7 men, 5 women, and 21
children (all zero-level, 1-6 HP each;
adults
use no armor but carry knives, clubs,
and
spears). They are led by a 2nd-level fighter
(18/30 strength, 14 HP, leather armor,
broadsword and 4 daggers). All of the
family
members are lawful neutral or true neutral
in alignment. They will hurry westward
away from Awad once they leave the party.
If the characters continue on to Awad they
will encounter more refugees, to a total
of
about 300 people in all. They are all
carrying
their worldly goods with them (worth very
little in treasure terms) and all of them
are
obviously very afraid to go back to their
town. Little else, other than what was
gained
from the first group of families, will
be
learned about the situation in Awad. It
will
be said at some point that a ?nosy sage?
drew the curse upon the town, and that
many have been stricken and slain by the
curse already. The curse is said by some
to
be a disease, by others to be invisible
lighting from the heavens, and by a few to be
clouds of death gas. However, no one has
actually seen a victim of the curse; everyone
has heard about the curse from someone
else
in a second-hand fashion. All the refugees
are in too much of a hurry for chit-chat,
and
each will only stop for a minute (at most)
before moving on. The refugees have the
same mixed reaction to elves as the first
group of families had, and all these people
are lightly armed and sparsely equipped.
If the characters are traveling with a
caravan, the caravan will disintegrate
and
abandon them after a few refugee groups
have passed; the characters will be hastily
paid for their services and left without
horses, They may continue on into the
town
in any event if they dare.
The town of Awad consists of about 50
one-story dwellings, none of them larger
than 40 by 40 feet. The buildings are
made
of wood and have stone foundations;
generally, the town is unremarkable, and
referees may sketch it out for players
as
desired. In the center of the town is
a plaza
with a circular flat rock about 30 feet
in
diameter, usually employed in the past
as a
speaking platform for public gatherings.
When characters arrive in Awad, they will
find more than half of the homes deserted
and empty of valuables. Investigation
of any
particular dwelling has a 5% chance of
producing treasure types J and K together (hidden in a drawer or cupboard),
a 5% chance
of encountering a thief (2nd level, 8
HP,
leather armor, short sword and 3 daggers),
a
5% chance of encountering looters (2-8
zero-level humans, 3-6 HP each, no armor,
each using dagger or club), and a 40%
chance of finding the dwelling barred,
locked, and occupied by villagers. All other
houses (45%) are abandoned.
The thief will avoid everyone at all costs,
fighting only if it seems necessary; she
is
neutral in alignment. The looters are
mostly
neutral, but a few are neutral evil, and
there
is a 50% chance that a gang of looters
will attack the characters if the gang is confronted
or discovered while engaged in suspicious
activity. Nowhere will any bodies of plague
victims, or other physical evidence of
that
sort, be found. Characters will hear noises
coming from the center of town, sounding
like an angry mob has gathered there.
If the characters investigate, they will
find
about 40 townspeople clustered around
the
?speaker?s rock? in the plaza. Of these
villagers, 30 are zero-level figures,
6 are
1st-level fighters, 3 are 2nd-level fighters,
and one is a 4th-level Hero. Characters
will
quickly see that the villagers are armed
with
spears, short swords, axes, daggers, tridents,
and clubs, and the mob is quite angry
and
agitated. The person on the rock whom
they
are shouting at and threatening is a confused
old man, being held by three strong
villagers. The characters will be told
if they
ask that the old man is the ?meddling
sage?
who brought the ?elven curse? upon Awad.
The old man is begging for mercy and trying
to deny the charges, but the situation
doesn?t
look too good for him. He will call to
the
player characters for help if they let
themselves be seen by him.
If the characters intervene, the villagers
will allow them to question the sage,
who
says his name is Crommard
(see below). At
this point, characters have a chance to
learn
some of the history of Jawarl Avignon
and
the curse lore from the text sections
that
follow. If characters fail to intervene,
the
villagers will eventually get stirred
up
enough to beat up the old man and throw
him out of town with his possessions;
he will
then subsequently be encountered in the
wilderness, wounded, and will appreciate
any help the party can give him.
Note that the townspeople of Awad are
very sensitive to the presence of elves.
If an
elf appears at the mob scene in the plaza,
he
or she will not be touched, but will be
the object of dozens of direct threats, pleas for intervention to lift
the curse, and terrified expressions at everything unusual the elf or
elves might say or do. The mob will attack
one or more player characters only if
a
villager is injured by the actions of
a member
of the adventuring party.
All the time that characters speak with
Crommard, he will beg to be taken with
them away from the mob. If the characters
agree, the mob will permit it but will
refuse
to allow Crommard back in town. He will
be
given his possessions (confiscated by
the
villagers earlier in the day) as he leaves.
The
villagers are very superstitious and believe
that sages can cast curses themselves,
so
while they won?t kill Crommard, they won?t
be pleasant to him, either.
C r o m m a r
d t h e S a g e
Str 8, Int 16, Wis 13, Dex 11, Con 7,
Cha 9
Neutral alignment
Attacks and saves as an 8th-level magicuser
AC 8, HP 18 (HP 5 if beaten up by mob),
Age 68, MV 12? .
Major field: Humanoids (special
categories of orcish history and
archaeology).
Minor field: Demihumans (elves only).
Languages: Common, alignment, orcish,
elvish.
Spells known: Comprehend languages,
s c a r e , infravision, fumble
(as an 8th-level
magic-user in effect).
Possessions: +1 staff; +2 ring of protection;
several books and notebooks; shards of
pottery, wrapped and kept in two sacks.
Crommard is not a particularly imposing
sage. Though
intelligent enough, he tends to
be absent-minded and is sometimes not
very
wise. He likes to discuss orcs and orc-related
topics (how they eat, what they wear,
their
history, styles of weapons they use, etc.),
and speaks of them constantly. He will
do
this even in the presence of dwarves,
who
may get the impression that this sage
is
friendly with orcs (he has never met one,
however). Crommard enjoys speaking with
elves, but even then he tends to come
around
to orcish topics before long. He wears
brown
robes with a hood he keeps pushed back,
and
has a thick, white beard and a bald head.
He
will not tell anyone, for any reason,
what
spells he possesses.
T H E H I S T O R Y O F J A W A R L A V I G N O N
The information in the following
paragraphs is more or less commonly known
to the inhabitants of Awad and to the
sage
Crommard. The
DM should not give out
this entire story all at once. Bits and
pieces of
it may be discovered as player characters
encounter different villagers or talk with Crommard; divinatory spells
and psionic powers
(e.g., legend lore, commune, object reading)
may also be used to gather or confirm
this information. The sections of the background
information in brackets ([]) are false,
nothing more than popular misconceptions
the villagers have about Jawarl Avignon
and
aspects of its history. Detect lie, ESP,
or a
similar force will not reveal the falsehoods,
because the natives believe these "facts"
to
be true.
More than two thousand
years ago,
humans built a fortress town on the northern
seacoast cliffs and named it Jawarl Avignon.
In time the human empire that built the
fortress
fell into decline, and the citadel was
given over to the elves of the region.
Under
the elves' direction, Jawarl Avignon became
the center of a thriving jewelcraft and
foreign
goods trade carried on with distant human
and elven seaports, and all was well for
hundreds
of years.
Then, some three hundred
years ago, a
great army of orcs and monsters under
the
leadership of their chieftan, Mondru IV,
laid siege to the citadel and its lands;
though
many elves were able to escape by sea,
many
others perished in the assault. The citadel
was eventually taken by storm, at great
cost
to the orcs, who cared not how many of
their
fellows died in the battle, as long as
the elves
went first. No prisoners were taken in
the
fight, and afterward Mondru IV, [the son
of
a godling], proclaimed himself ruler of
Jawarl Avignon, or Alhurmus ("Elves' Blood"),
as the orcs called it.
The victory of Mondru's
forces came in
no small part because of the great weapon
the ruler possessed, a terrible spear
made by
orcish shamans ages earlier, that burned
elves when it struck them [and made its
user
invulnerable in battle] . Alkarg was the
spear's name, and orcs even of other tribes
and nations respected the orc ruler who
bore
it, seeing him as favored in the eyes
of
Gruumsh, the orcs' dark god.
The orcish victory was
short-lived,
however; ten years after the fall of the
elven
citadel, plague struck down the orcs.
It
ravaged them without mercy. [The first
victims
of the plague were Mondru IV and his
bodyguards. The plague came as a dying
curse of the last elf to fall in Jawarl
Avignon]. Only a few orcs survived the
effects of the disease.
Many conflicting stories
have circulated
over the years concerning the fate Alkarg.
It is variously said, by different sources,
that
[an elven god destroyed it, thieves stole
it,] it
is buried in the citadel, [elves found
it and
cast it into the sea, or retreating orcs
took it
with them.] No one knows of any of the
interior
details of the citadel, just its general
outward appearance. The ruins are strictly
avoided by all the natives of the area.
A week ago, Crommard
and a human
cleric, Sethus Maximi, arrived at Awad
with
an expedition of workers and guards. The
two men were on their way to excavate
and
explore the ruins of Jawarl Avignon, looking
for orcish pottery shards and other archaeological
trivia. The villagers were horrified
that someone would dare enter and
disturb the ruins, and there were several
arguments and fights before the expedition
moved on to camp at the old fortress.
The
workers set about immediately digging
and
c l e a r i n g a w a y
t h e s a n d a n d d e b r i s
t h a t h a d
a l l b u t c
o v e r e d t h e f o r t r e s s s
i n c e i t w a s a b a n d o n e d
. S o m e o f t h e f r
i c t i o n b e t w e e n v i l l a g e r s
a n d a r c h a e o l o g
i c a l c r e w m e m b e r s e a s
e d a s
d a y s w e n t
b y a n d n o c u r s e
m a n i f e s t e d i t s e l f .
Suddenly, this morning as Crommard was
i n A w a d p
i c k i n g u p a f e w
m i n o r s u p p l i e s ,
S e t h u s M a x i m i
w a s s e e n s t a g g e r i n g b
a c k
f r o m t h e
d i r e c t i o n o f t h e f o r t
r e s s , s h a k e n a n d
e x t r e m e l y i l l .
H e s t o p p e d o u t s i d e o f
t o w n
a n d g a s p e d
o u t t h a t a s t h e
c r e w m e n w e r e
c l e a r i n g a w a y
r u b b l e , t h e y w e r e s t r
u c k d o w n
b y a g r e a
t s h a d o w t h a t a r o s e
f r o m t h e r u i n s .
T h e m e n f
e l l , d y i n g i n a g o n y
o f a v i r u l e n t
d i s e a s e t h a t
o v e r c a m e t h e m i n m i n u
t e s .
S e t h u s h i m s e l f
h a d s t r a n g e g r e e n b l o
t c h e s o n
h i s f a c e
a n d h a n d s ; r a t h e r t h a
n e n t e r t h e
t o w n , h e
t o l d e v e r y o n e t o k e e p
b a c k f r o m
h i m a n d h
e l e f t t o d i e a l
o n e i n t h e w i l d e r n e s s
s o u t h e a s t o f
A w a d . N o o n e h a s
g o n e t o l o o k
f o r h i s b
o d y , a n d n o r e s i d e n t
o f t h e a r e a
c a r e s t o
t r y . P a n i c f l e w t h r o u
g h t h e t o w n a s
w o r d s p r e a d
a m o n g t h e t o w n s p e o p l e .
T h e c i t i z e n s
o f A w a d a r e t r u l y
t e r r i f i e d
t h a t t h e y
a r e a b o u t t o b e
v i s i t e d b y t h e
p l a g u e t h a t
s l e w S e t h u s a n d t h e
w o r k e r s .
A b o u t t w o
t h i r d s o f t h e t o w n s p e
o p l e h a v e
f l e d b y n
o w ; t h e r e m a i n d e r a r e
u n s u r e i f t h e y
w a n t t o s
t a y o r g o , a n d s
p e n d t h e i r t i m e
w a t c h i n g t h e
h o r i z o n t o t h e e a s t
( w h e r e t h e
r u i n s l i e )
o r b r e w i n g c o n c o c t i o n s
t h e y b e l i e v e
w i l l h e l p
t h e m r e s i s t t h e d i s e a
s e.
CURSE LORE
T h e v i l l a g e r s
o f A w a d b e l i e v e
t h a t t h e
p l a g u e t h a t
s l e w t h e o r c s w a s
t h e r e s u l t o f a
c u r s e c a s t
b y t h e l a s t e l f
t o d i e i n t h e d e
f e n s e
o f J a w a r l
A v i g n o n . T h e c u r s e , a
c c o r d i n g t o
p o p u l a r l o r e ,
i s s u p p o s e d t o c o m e
t o l i f e i f
a n y o n e e v e r
e n t e r s t h e r u i n s ; m o t
h e r s h a v e
b e e n u s i n g
t h i s t a l e f o r y e a r s
t o k e e p
y o u n g s t e r s f r o
m s t r a y i n g a w a y f r o m
t h e
v i l l a g e . L o c a l
r e s i d e n t s h a v e d i s a p p e a r e d
o n
a f e w o c c
a s i o n s o v e r t h e l a s t
s e v e r a l m o n t h s ,
t h e v i c t i m s
g e n e r a l l y b e i n g l o n e
h u n t e r s , w h o
v e n t u r e d e a s t w
a r d t o l o o k f o r
g a m e . M a n y
p e o p l e n o w
b e l i e v e t h e h u n t e r s w
e r e s l a i n b y
p l a g u e w h e n
t h e y e n t e r e d t h e r u i n
s o r t h e
v i c i n i t y o f
t h e r u i n s , t h o u g h t h i
s , o f c o u r s e ,
c a n n o t b e
p r o v e n .
C r o m m a r d h a s
i d e a s a b o u t t h e c u r s e
. A t
f i r s t h e
d i s c r e d i t e d i t e n t i r e l y
a s a q u a i n t
s u p e r s t i t i o n ;
n o w h e w o n ? t s p e a k
o f i t .
If anyone gains Crommard?s trust by
befriending him for a day or longer, or
uses
ESP, charm person, or a similar spell
or
psionic power on him, it will be discovered
that Crommard thinks the expedition actually
freed a monster from an evil outer plane,
which had been buried deep beneath the
surface of the ruined fortress. He has read of a
similar occurrence involving a dwarven
mithral mine and a very powerful demon,
and fears for the worst. If a party member
uses magical or psionic power to get information
from the sage, see the following section for other facts that might be
obtained.
DM’s INFORMATION
The villagers do not want anyone else
to
go near the ruined fortress, out of fear
that
the curse will be further spread, making
escape from it impossible for all. If
the
characters let it be known that they are
going
there anyway, they will be attacked by
the
remaining villagers, and will either be
taken
captive or slain if they do not flee the
village
or find another way of countering the
threat
of an angry mob. Even if characters succeed
in escaping the village, they may be pursued
by a posse?in this case, a sort of suicide
squad, ready and willing to give their
lives if
necessary to keep the party from disturbing
the ruins.
Once Crommard meets
the party, he will
try to get the characters to accompany
him to
Jawarl Avignon so that he can find out
what
happened. He also wants to locate the
body
of his partner Sethus. Crommard will relate
how he was researching orcish history
in a
distant university town when he met Sethus,
a cleric of strict temperament who shared
Crommard?s interest in orcish pottery.
Sethus Maximi was able and willing to
fund
the expedition to the ruins, and Crommard
now considers himself responsible for
the
cleric?s demise and the loss of the workers
as well.
If one or more party members is able to
befriend Crommard for more than a day,
or
if a power such as charm or
ESP is used on
the sage (see the preceding section of
text), it
will be discovered that Crommard and
Sethus did not come to Jawarl Avignon
to
seek pottery pieces. Bit by bit, if carefully
approached, Crommard will come out with the
true tale.
Crommard collects orcish weapons, in
a d d i t i o n t o
p o t t e r y s h a r d s , a n d d
i s p l a y s
t h e m i n a
p e r s o n a l m u s e u m i n h i
s d i s t a n t
home city. He was going through some
m a n u s c r i p t s t h
r e e w e e k s a g o w h e n
h e f o u n d
a d o c u m e n t
t h a t g a v e g r e a t w e i g h
t t o t h e
t h e o r y t h a t
A l k a r g , t h e ? e l f s l a y
e r ? s p e a r
b e l o n g i n g t o
M o n d r u I V , w a s s t i l l
b u r i e d
b e n e a t h t h e
f o r t r e s s . H e s h o w e d h
i s
d i s c o v e r y t o
a c o u p l e o f n e a r b y
f e l l o w s a g e s ,
b u t t h e y
w e r e n o t i n t e r e s t e d i
n o l d o r c i s h
m y t h s . W h i l e
w a n d e r i n g a l o c a l l i b
r a r y h e
m e t S e t h u s ,
w h o w a s p o r i n g o v e r
s o m e
o r c i s h h i s t o r y
s c r o l l s , a n d i n t h e
c o n v e r s a t i o n
t h a t e n s u e d
h e d i s c u s s e d w i t h t h e
c l e r i c t h e
d e t a i l s o f
h i s d i s c o v e r y .
C r o m m a r d r e c a l
l s t h a t S e t h u s w a s
i n o r d i n a t e l y e x c i t e d t o
h e a r o f t h e f i n d ,
a n d
o f f e r e d a n
e n o r m o u s s u m o f g o l d
t o f u l l y
e q u i p a d
i g g i n g e x p e d i t i o n t o
r e c o v e r t h e
s p e a r . T h e
s a g e w o n d e r e d a t t i m e
s i f p e r h a p s
S e t h u s w a s n ? t
t o o e a g e r t o f i n d
A l k a r g , b u t
h e f i n a l l y
d e c i d e d t h e c l e r i c ? s
a t t i t u d e w a s
o n e o f n o
r m a l a r c h a e o l o g i s t ? s e n t h u
s i a s m .
T h e t r i p
t o J a w a r l A v i g n o n w e n
t w e l l , e x c e p t
f o r p r o b l e m s
w i t h t h e t o w n s p e o p l e ,
u n t i l t h e
d i s a s t e r t h a t
s t r u c k S e t h u s a n d t h e
w o r k e r s .
T h e s a g e
r e m e m b e r s t h a t S e t h u s
f r e q u e n t l y w e n t f o r l
o n g w a l k s a w a y f r o m
t h e d i g g i n g
i n o r d e r
t o s t r e t c h h i s l e g s
( o r s o h e s a i d ) ,
a n d w o u l d
s o m e t i m e s b e g o n e f o r
h o u r s a t a
t i m e . O t h e r w i s
e S e t h u s h e l p e d q u i t e
a b i t
w i t h t h e
w o r k i n p r o g r e s s , t h o
u g h m o s t l y a s
a s u p e r v i s o r .
Commard's
c l e r i c c o m p a n i o n i s n
o t w h a t
h e s e e m s .
H i s r e a l i d e n t i t y i s
S e r g a U l m u s , a
h a l f - o r c c l e r i
c a n d a p r o u d l i
n e a l d e s c e n d a n t
o f M o n d r u
I V . S e r g a ? s r e l a t i v e s
l i v e a b o u t
s i x m i l e s
e a s t o f t h e r u i n s
i n a c a v e r n c o m p l e x .
O r c s h a v e n o t d o n e
w e l l i n t h e a r e a
s i n c e t h e
d a y s o f t h e p l a g u e
t h a t k i l l e d M o n d r u I V
, b u t S e r g a s e t
a b o u t t o c h a n g e t h a t
w h e n h e r
e a c h e d y o u n g a d u l t h o o d .
H e w e n t
t o a f a r a
w a y c i t y t o l e a r n
t h e a r t s o f
a s s a s s i n a t i o n ,
a n d h a d a l r e a d y r e c e i
v e d
r e l i g i o u s t r a i
n i n g f r o m h i s o r c i s h
f a t h e r , a
s h a m a n o f
G r u u m s h . A n a t u r a l l y
t a l e n t e d
s t u d e n t , S e r g a
l e a r n e d t o r e a d ( a s
w e l l a s t o
k i l l ) a n d
s o o n b e c a m e i n v o l v e d
i n a p e r s o n a l
s e a r c h t o
f i n d o u t w h a t h a p p e n e
d t o t h e
m a g i c a l s p e a r
o f h i s d i s t a n t a n c e s t
o r . H i s
q u e s t w a s
g e n e r a l l y f r u i t l e s s , u n t i l
t h e d a y
w h e n C r o m m a r d
a p p r o a c h e d h i m i n t h e
l i b r a r y .
S e r g a , d i s g u i s e
d a s a h u m a n c l e
r i c a n d
c a l l i n g h i m s e l
f ? S e t h u s M a x i m i , ?
w o r k e d
h i s w a y i
n t o t h e s a g e ? s c o n f i d
e n c e a n d o f f e r e d s e v e
r a l h u n d r e d g o l d p i e c
e s t o f u n d t h e
e x p e d i t i o n t o
r e c o v e r A l k a r g . H e c o
u l d
h a r d l y b e l i e v e
h i s l u c k , a n d b e c a m e
c o n v i n c e d t h a t G r u u m s h
h i m s e l f h a d g u i d e d t h
e
s a g e t o h
i m .
O n c e t h e e
x p e d i t i o n r e a c h e d J a w a r l
A v i g n o n , ? S e t h
u s ? b e g a n t a k i n g l o n g
w a l k s
b a c k t o h
i s h o m e l a i r . H e
s t i r r e d t h e l a g g i n g
w a r r i o r s p i r i t
i n h i s k i n s m e n w i t h
h i s n e w s ,
a n d a r r a n g e d
f o r t h e o r c s a n d
o g r i l l o n s o f h i s
c o m m u n i t y t o
a t t a c k t h e f o r t r e s s a
t d a w n ,
q u i c k l y a n d
b y s t e a l t h .
W h e n t h e
o r c i s h i n v a d e r s a c c o m p l i s h
e d
t h e t a k e o v e r
o f t h e r u i n s f r o m
t h e o r i g i n a l
e x c a v a t i o n ? s w o
r k f o r c e , S e r g a s e t
t h e w a r r i o r s a n d s o m e
k o b o l d s l a v e s t o w o r k
c l e a r i n g a w a y t h e r u b
b l e a r o u n d a r e a 1 5
( s e e
e x t e r i o r m a p ) ,
w h e r e C r o m m a r d p o s t u l a t e d
t h a t a s e
c r e t e n t r a n c e e x i s t e d
t h a t l e d t o t h e
dungeons below the fortress. Then Serga
d a b b e d h i s
s k i n w i t h g r e e n p a i n t
a n d h e a d e d
b a c k t o A
w a d t o p u l l o f f
h i s ? c u r s e ? d e c e p t i o n
o n t h e s u p e r s t i t i o u s
v i l l a g e r s . T h e r u s e
w o r k e d f a r
b e t t e r t h a n h e h a d
h o p e d ; h e w a s
u n m o l e s t e d a s
h e w e n t o f f ? t o
d i e , ? a n d
w h e n h e l
e f t t h e s i g h t o f
t h e v i l l a g e r s , h e
h e a d e d b a c k
t o w a r d t h e f o r t r e s s t
o s u p e r v i s e
the digging.
S e r g a U l m u s
i s a c a l c u l a t i n g a n d
d a n g e r o u s f a n a
t i c w h o b e l i e v e s
w h o l e h e a r t e d l y
i n o r c i s h s u p r e m a c y .
M o r e
t h a n a n y t h i n g ,
h e w a n t s A l k a r g , a n d
h e
k n o w s t h a t
p o s s e s s i o n o f t h e s p e
a r w i l l g i v e
h i m t h e p
o w e r t o u n i t e t h e
s c a t t e r e d o r c i s h
t r i b e s o f
t h e a r e a . S e r g a U l m u s
w a n t s t o b e
k i n g , a n d
h e w i l l s t o p a t
n o t h i n g t o r e a l i z e
t h a t g o a l .
A l l o f t h e o r c s
a n d o g r i l l o n s w i t h
h i m w a n t
S e r g a t o b e k i n g
a s w e l l ; t h e y s e e
h i m a s t h
e i r o n l y h o p e o f
r e g a i n i n g t h e i r a n c i e n t
g l o r y a s c o n q u e r o r s .
O r c s a n d o g r i l l o n s
a t J a w a r l
A v i g n o n w i l l not make morale
checks in battle, no matter how hard-pressed
they may be: They want to win.
Serga Ulmus
Half-orc, 4th level cleric / 4th level
assassin
Str 17 (+1,+1), Int 16, Wis 13, Dex 14,
Con 16, Cha 12 (16 to orcs & half-orcs)
Thief abilities: Pick pocket 30%, Open
locks 34%, Find/remove traps 30%, Move
silently 21%, Hide in shadows 15%, Hear
noise 15%, Climb walls 91%.
Lawful evil alignment
Attacks and saves as either a 4th-level
cleric or 4th-level assassin, whichever
is
better.
AC 5 (7 without his +1 shield), HP
27,
Age 28, MV 12?.
Spells known: command, light, protection
from good, sanctuary, hold person, find
traps.
Languages: common, alignment, orcish,
ogre, elvish .
Possessions: +1 leather armor; +1 shield;
broadsword; 2 throwing axes; 4 poisoned
darts (save at +2 or sleep for 2-8 turns);
125
gp, 18 sp; 6 gems (50 gp value each);
unholy
symbol (Gruumsh); spell components;
necklace of adaptation.
To hit adjustments: +4 from behind, +1
due to strength. Backstabs with broadsword,
doing double damage from behind.
Serga can read common, orcish, and
elvish very well, but can read no other
languages.
T H E W
I L D E R N E S S
If a ranger character succeeds in an attempt
to track "Sethus," the ranger will find
that his trail leads to the southeast
away from
the village. For a distance of several
hundred
yards his route zig-zags as though he
is staggering, and his steps seem inconsistent and
labored, as though he is walking only
with
great effort in a sort of half-shuffle.
Then,
when the trail takes the tracker
out of sight of
the village, Sethus? steps abruptly become
more even and his path more direct. The
distance between his strides lengthens
as
though he has broken into a run, and his
general direction shifts from southeast
to
east, heading toward the ruined citadel.
Sethus? footprints lead along an old
pathway, partially paved with stone and
somewhat overgrown with grasses and
weeds, that leads eastward and follows
the
coastline between the northern cliffs
and the
sea. (This pathway used to be almost entirely
overgrown, but the men in Crommard?s expedition
cleared away some of the foliage on
their journey to Jawarl Avignon; the route
is
now passable, and is the only way to get
from Awad to the citadel without traversing
the rough, hilly terrain between the two
locales.) Where the path follows the coastline,
it runs along a high cliff overlooking a
narrow beach that is never more than 60
feet wide and sometimes as small as half
that size.
The following encounter tables should
be
used when characters travel in the countryside
or along the seacoast. A roll of 1 on
d8 indicates an encounter, and this check
should be made three times a day (morning,
afternoon, night). If an encounter is
indicated, roll d4 and refer to the appropriate
terrain type to determine its nature.
(Note
that the encounter tables do not include
mundane creatures such as normal birds,
small deer, rabbits, and other wildlife
that
would also be naturally encountered along
the way.)
| 1 | 3-6 wild dogs |
| 2 | 2-5 hunters |
| 3 | 1-3 wild boars |
| 4 | 1 giant skunk |
| 1 | 1-4 giant worker ants |
| 2 | 2-8 giant rats |
| 3 | 1-3 wild boars |
| 4 | 1-2 wolves |
| 1 | 1-4 wild dogs |
| 2 | 1-2 black bears |
| 3 | 3-6 hunters |
| 4 | 2-8 giant rats |
| 1 | 2-12 barracudas |
| 2 | 1-2 crabmen |
| 3 | 1-3 fishing boats |
| 4 | 3-30 quippers |
Hunters are zero-level human fighters,
each wearing leather armor and carrying
either a spear or a longbow with 3-8 arrows.
They are neutral and not likely to approach
or speak to anyone unless spoken to. Fishing
boats each contain 3-6 men (zero-level
human neutrals, as for hunters), wearing
no
armor and each equipped with a dagger
and a spear. If hunters or fishermen are
encountered during the first day after the
?plague? strikes, they will be unaware
of the
disaster at the ruins, since they have
been
away from their camps all day. They will
be
aware of Crommard?s expedition, though,
and certain groups of hunters and fishermen
may have encountered the archaeological
workers on the way to the digging site.
The
"quippers"
are actually a warm-water
relative of the creature described in
the
FIEND FOLIO Tome, otherwise identical
to that creature in all respects.
JAWARL AVIGNON
The ruins of the citadel
lie on a 90-foot-high
cliff next to the sea. As the characters
approach it, they can see that only the
10-foot-high
walls remain, the wooden roof having
long ago fallen into ruin and decay. The
citadel is much smaller than most people
envision
it; it was the quality of its guards,
not
the size of its walls, that made the fortress
great.
Around the fortress
are the foundations of
many homes, as well as evidence that a
forest
once grew here but was long ago destroyed.
The ground is very sandy, and the area
looks
like wasteland now.
N o s i g n o f
l i f e w i l l b e s e e n
a t t h e c i t a d e l
u n t i l t h e
c h a r a c t e r s a p p r o a c h w i t h i n
s u r p r i s e
d i s t a n c e ( 5 0 - 1
0 0 y a r d s ) o f t h e
g u a r d a t a r e a
1 . H o w e v e r ,
t h e r e i s a 1 0 % c
h a n c e p e r l e v e l
p e r c h a r a c t e r
o f n o t i c i n g f o o t p r i n t s
i n t h e
i m m e d i a t e v i c i
n i t y o f t h e c i t a d e l .
A n y d w a r f ,
e l f , o r r
a n g e r ( o r C r o m m a r d , i
f h e i s w i t h t h e
g r o u p ) c a n
t e l l t h e f o o t p r i n t s w
e r e m a d e b y
orcs.
C r o m m a r d ( i f
h e i s w i t h t h e p
a r t y ) w i l l b e
c o n f u s e d a b o u t
w h y S e t h u s w o u l d p r e t
e n d t o
b e s i c k (
a s h i s t r a i l w o u l d
i n d i c a t e ) , a n d w i l l
b e s u r p r i s e d
a s a n y o n e e l s e t o
s e e o r c f o o t p r i n t s - n e a r
t h e c i t a d e l . U n l e s s r
e s t r a i n e d ,
C r o m m a r d w i l l
r u s h t o t h e f o r t r e s s e
n t r a n c e
a n d c a l l
o u t f o r S e t h u s . I f h e
i s a t t a c k e d b y
t h e o r c s
i n t h e r u i n s , C r o m m a r
d w i l l i n i t i a l l y
t r y t o a v
o i d c o m b a t b y m o v i n g
b e h i n d t h e
p a r t y , s o
a s t o p u t t h e c h
a r a c t e r s b e t w e e n
h i m s e l f a n d
h i s a d v e r s a r i e s , o r h
e w i l l t r y t o
w a r d o f f
a t t a c k e r s w i t h h i s s t
a f f ( a n a t t e m p t
w h i c h w i l l
f a i l ) . Crommard w
i l l a t t a c k t h e
orcs only if he is wounded by one of them,
or
i f t h e p a
r t y i s d o w n t o l
e s s t h a n h a l f o f
i t s
n o r m a l h i t - p o i
n t t o t a l . T h e s a g e
w i l l u s e h i s
s c a r e and fumble
spells, if possible, to aid the
characters in battle, relying on blows
from
his magical staff the rest of the time.
He will
use his other spells when the DM feels
the
situation calls for it.
1 : E n
t r a n c e w a y t o C i t a d e l
At this location is an ogrillon
guard (AC 6,
MV 12?, HD 2, HP 12, #AT 2, D (fists)
2-
7/2-7) keeping an eye out for trouble.
He wears furs and resembles a barbaric,
unarmed orc. If he sees anyone coming,
he
will run into the citadel to warn his
confederates at areas 2 and 15.
In a large pile on the right side of the
entranceway are some of the possessions of the
workers from Crommard?s expedition.
These include a few daggers, changes of
clothing, bedrolls, eating utensils, and
assorted other minor items. Some of these
things are bloodstained. Crommard will
recognize the items at once. These items
have been tossed here carelessly, after
being
brought out of area 7 where they had been
stored; some items were taken from slain
workers.
Anyone who looks over the low wall down
the slope will see the bodies of two workers,
tossed there by Serga and his helpers.
Investigation will reveal that the men were killed by sword blows. (Other
bodies were on
this slope as well, but they have already
been
carried into the sea by crabmen.)
2 : G u
a r d C o r r i d o r
This area has many arrow slits in the
walls; these were formerly (and again
currently, as characters will discover) used in
defense of the citadel. In the far eastern
end
of the corridor are the skeletal remains
of
several ancient orc guards; these bones
have
not been disturbed.
Two orc guards
(AC 7, MV 9?, HD 1,
HP 5 and 6, #AT 1, D by weapon type),
each equipped with a short bow, 20 arrows,
and a scimitar, are in the western end
of this
roofless corridor behind the arrow slits
in
that area. Anyone coming into this area
from area 1 will be fired upon once by
the
orcs, who will then run through area 3
to the
pedestal at area 13, to shoot again at
intruders as they enter the courtyard of the
citadel. Because of their positioning,
these
orcs will initially surprise intruders
on a roll
of 1-4 on d6.
The ogrillon from area 1 will pass by
here,
if on the way to alert his comrades, and
then
continue toward area 15.
It is obvious that an
orcish party dropped
off equipment here when it entered the
citadel. Scattered around the room are
a
number of daggers, hand axes, furs, arrows
and quivers, tinderboxes, bundles of
firewood, spare boots, and other minor
items. (Crommard
can easily identify all of
the items as orcish in origin.) Buried
in the
southwest corner of the room is a bag
containing
80 sp that belongs to the ogrillon
guard from area 1.
4 : O l
d S t a b l e s
Formerly a place where livestock was
housed, this area was used as a trashbin
by
the workers and now by orcs. Anything
they
don?t want (broken utensils, rocks, unwanted
or spoiled food, old clothing, etc.)
ends up here. Anyone entering this area
has
a 1 in 6 chance of attracting the attention
of
an ear
seeker (AC 9, MV 1?, HP 1, special
attack) that lairs in some old lumber
in one
corner.
Some old urns may be seen in the
southwest end of this area; these are
corroded containers of brass of ancient orcish
manufacture. Crommard will probably
(75% chance) see them if he enters the
room,
and if so he will ask a player character
to get
them for him (he hates to go near garbage).
The ear seeker?s lair is beside the urns;
if
anyone disturbs them or the stack of lumber
next to them, the ear seeker will attempt
to
attack immediately.
This tank is surrounded
by a 1-foot-high,
20-foot-diameter stone platform with a
1-foot-thick,
3-foot-high wall immediately
around it. A broken stone lid lies to
one side.
The tank is 60 feet deep from ground level,
and the bottom appears to be covered with
a
fairly thin layer of sand. The tank was
filled,
in days long past, by clerics using create
water
spells; it fell into disuse when the orcs
took over the citadel, and dried up in
during
the months thereafter.
A close examination of the bottom of the
pit (which is faintly visible in daylight
conditions) will reveal a slightly raised, squareshaped area on the bottom
surface, looking
like it might be a secret door or a trap
door.
In truth, it is an old piece of wood dropped
in the tank long ago which is now covered
with yellow
mold (and a light covering of
sand on top of the mold). If any object
larger
than a fist-sized rock is dropped into
the
tank, or if one or more characters descend
to
the bottom surface inside the tank, there
is a
90% chance of bursting the mold, which
will
release a cloud of spores in the hole.
This
cloud will billow to fill the bottom of
the
cylindrical hole to a depth of 20 feet
at its
greatest dispersion, enveloping any
characters at the bottom of the tank or
suspended (by a rope or other support)
less
than 20 feet from the bottom. Those in
the
area of the spore cloud will take 1-8
points of
damage and will die unless they make a
saving throw vs. poison (see the Monster
Manual).
If any characters climb down inside the
tank (a risky proposition) or are lowered
into
it by ropes, each character so lowered
has a 1
in 12 chance of noticing a secret door,
measuring 5 feet square, located 30 feet
down on the eastern side of the shaft.
(Exceptions: An elf has his normal 1-in-6 chance
of locating the secret door if he comes
within
10 feet of it, or his usual 1-in-3 chance
of
detecting the secret door if actively
searching
for it, and a dwarf has his usual 2-in-3
chance of detecting a sliding or shifting
wall
at this location if such a thing is actively
sought.) The secret door/panel, if opened
(easily done once it is detected), leads
to a
passage that emerges in area 28 on the
first
underground level of the complex.
This room is filled with bags full of orcish
pottery shards; the orcs that now occupy
the
citadel have ignored this area so far.
And it?s
a good thing they have, because the only
member of the excavation crew to survive
the orc attack is hiding behind some of
the
bags. He is a 17-year-old boy who was
napping here in the early morning when the attack came. He will reveal
himself to any
human he sees, but otherwise will remain
concealed unless a thorough search of
the
room is conducted.
Currently the boy is a zero-level human,
unarmed and with 3 HP. If he is rescued
and
survives the adventure, he will apprentice
himself to one of the party members after
this mission is ended. In two years he
will
become a 1st-level thief, though a friendly
one, and can at that point be considered
a
henchman. He is chaotic neutral in alignment,
and will never be a friend or acquaintance of orcs or half-orcs.
7 : Crommard
' s S l e e p i n g Q u a r t e r s
This place was to have served as Crommard?s
bedroom and study during the ex-
c a v a t i o n o p e r a t
i o n . A c o t h a s b
e e n p l a c e d
a g a i n s t t h e
w e s t w a l l ; b e n e a t h a n
d b e s i d e i t ,
c o n t a i n e d i n
s e v e r a l b o x e s o f v a r y
i n g s i z e s ,
a r e n u m e r o u s
n o t e b o o k s , s c r o l l s ( n o n m a g
i c a l ) , a n d t o m e s c o n c
e r n i n g o r c i s h l o r e
a n d h i s t o r y .
T h e o r c s h a v e n ? t b o t h
e r e d t o
e x a m i n e t h e
c o n t e n t s o f a n y o f
t h e s e b o x e s
y e t . C r o m m a r d
w i l l f i g h t t o s a v e
h i s b o o k s
a n d s c r o l l s
i f h e w i t n e s s e s t h e m
b e i n g r a n s a c k e d o r d i
s t u r b e d . U n d e r a s t r a
w - f i l l e d
s a c k t h a t
C r o m m a r d u s e d a s a
p i l l o w i s a
s h r e d o f
p a r c h m e n t o n w h i c h t h
e s a g e d r e w a
r o u g h m a p
o f t h e e x t e r i o r l e v e l
o f t h e r u i n s .
A t a r e a 1
5 o n t h e m a p i s
w r i t t e n , ? e n t r a n c e
p r o b a b l y n e a r
h e r e . ?
C r o m m a r d ? s c l o
t h e s l i e s t r e w n a b o u t
t h e
r o o m ; m a n y
o f h i s g a r m e n t s h a v e
b e e n r i p p e d o p e n b y
k n i v e s , a n d a n y v a l u a
b l e s t h a t
m a y h a v e
b e e n h i d d e n a m o n g t h e
c l o t h e s a r e
no longer present.
8 : W o
r k e r s ? Q u a r t e r s I
S o m e o f t
h e w o r k e r s w h o c a m e
h e r e w i t h
Crommard
b u n k e d i n t h i s a r e a ;
t h e i r s l e e p i n g m a t s h
a v e b e e n c a s t a b o u t
t h e f l o o r n o w ,
a n d a l l i
t e m s o f v a l u e a r e
m i s s i n g . E n o u g h
e q u i p m e n t i s
s c a t t e r e d a b o u t t o i n
d i c a t e t h a t
1 2 m e n s t
a y e d h e r e . O n l y o l d
c l o t h i n g , t h e
s l e e p i n g m a t s ,
s c r a p s o f w o o d a n d
p a p e r ,
a n d t h e r
e m a i n s o f a c a m p f i r e
a r e t o b e
found here now.
9 : W o r k e r s ? Q u a r t e r s I I
This location is much the same as area
8,
except that only 7 men stayed here. Rummaging
thorugh some of the sleeping mats,
looking for treasure, is an orc wearing
black
splint mail armor, a sergeant-type (AC
4, HP 8).
If the orc hears an alarm being given,
he will seize the 4 javelins he placed
by the
doorway and attempt to hurl them at intruders
entering the courtyard through area
3; the javelins will pass harmlessly over
any
orcs that
may be located at areas 5 and 13.
Once the javelins are
exhausted or hand-to-hand
melee is inevitable, the orc will pull
out his scimitar and flail away at anyone
he
can reach. The sergeant orc is exceptionally
strong, and gains a +1 to hit and damage
with the javelin and scimitar attacks.
He has a
a sack partially filled with odds and
ends that
he will leave behind (in area 9) if he
is alerted
to intruders. The sack contains, among
other things, 114 sp (in old orcish coin),
a
gem worth 20 gp, and a bronze medallion
set
with tiny gems with a spearhead emblem
on
it (value 50 gp).
1 0 : A
r t i f a c t S o r t i n g A r e a
Crommard
a n d ? S e t h u s ? h a d s e t
t h i s
a r e a u p f
o r s o r t i n g o u t t h e
v a r i o u s a r t i f a c t s
u n c o v e r e d i n
t h e d i g g i n g . ( T h e w o r
d ? a r t i f a c t ? h e r e m e a
n s m a n u f a c t u r e d i t e m s
o f
i n t e r e s t t o
a r c h a e o l o g i s t s , n o t p o w e r f
u l
m a g i c i t e m s . )
I n t h e c e n t e r o f
t h e r o o m i s a
p o r t a b l e t a b l e
a n d t w o s m a l l c h a i r s ;
s p r e a d
o u t a r o u n d
t h e f u r n i t u r e i n m o r e
o r l e s s
o r g a n i z e d f a s h
i o n a r e h u n d r e d s o f
b i t s a n d
p i e c e s o f
b r o k e n p o t t e r y , r u s t e d
w e a p o n s ,
f r a g i l e ( o l d )
o r c s k u l l s a n d b o n e s ,
a n d o t h e r
m i s c e l l a n e o u s
i t e m s u n e a r t h e d i n t h
e
digging.
Leaning against the
south wall, in plain
view of anyone who enters the area, is
a large
spear that appears to be newly manufactured
and unused. The head of the spear is engraved
with runes that spell out "Alkarg" in
the
modern orcish tongue; the shaft is madae
of
light, relatively fragile wood. Crommard
manufactured this item before embarking
on
the expedition, as a replica of what he
believes Alkarg looks like. (It doesn't
resemble
Alkarg at all.) The spear radiates no
magic. The orcs have not taken it and
tried
to use it because they saw (upon examination)
that the spearhead is made of soft, flexible
metal. If the spear is used in combat,
it
will do only 1-3 points of damage.
1 1 : S
e t h u s ? S l e e p i n g Q u a r t e r s
"Sethus"
u s e d t h i s a r e a a s
h i s p e r s o n a l
b e d r o o m a n d
s t u d y b e f o r e t h e o r c i
s h a t t a c k .
H i s c o t i
s o n t h e n o r t h w
a l l . B u r i e d i n t h e
s a n d u n d e r
t h e c o t a r e 2 t h
r o w i n g d a g g e r s
( w h i c h C r o m m a r
d o r a d w a r f w o u
l d
r e c o g n i z e a s
b e i n g o f o r c i s h m a n u f
a c t u r e ) .
A m o n g s o m e
b o x e s o f f o o d r a t i o n s
i s a s m a l l
p o u c h w i t h
d r i e d a n i m a l d u n g i n
i t , a v i a l
f u l l o f b
l o o d , a n d a s m a l l
t e n s e r o n a c h a i n ,
w i t h a n e
y e s y m b o l e n g r a v e d o n
i t . ( A c l e r i c
w i l l r e c o g n i z e
t h e s e a s t h e e s s e n t i a
l i n g r e d i e n t s f o r a
protection from good spell. Serga
has a duplicate set of components on his
person.) Serga is carrying with him all the
valuables he owns; a search of this area
will
reveal no coins, gems, or other treasures.
Though this area is
empty of interesting
items, Serga's father Thaagwa (an aged
orcish
shaman) is resting in the southeast corner
of the room, attended to by a pair of
ogrillon
bodyguards (AC 6, MV 12", HD 2,
HP 10 and 13, #AT 2, D (fists) 2-7/2-7).
The
venerable shaman is in full religious
regalia:
wearing black platemail armor, war helm,
dark red cloak, and keeping two giant
rats (4
HP each) on leashes. The strain of carrying
around all that ornamentation, and keeping
the giant rats in check, has all but exhausted
the old orc. If an alert is sounded he
will
move only as far as the entrance of area
15
and will stand and fight at that point,
using
his spells if a physical attack is not
necessary.
Thaagwa, his ogrillon guards, and the
rats
will fight any intruders to the death.
Thaagwa will do all he can to eliminate
or
forestall attackers, so that no one but
his son
has a chance to descend into the dungeons
and recover Alkarg.
T h a a g w a U l m u s
( 3 r d l e v e l o r c s h a m a n
)
Str 8, Int 11, Wis 10, Dex 9, Con 7, Cha
10 (14 to orcs or half-orcs)
Lawful evil alignment
Attacks as 2 HD monster; saves as either
2nd-level fighter or 3rd-level cleric,
whichever is better.
AC 3, 13 HP, MV 6?, Age 52
Spells known: protection from good,
cause
light wounds, chant.
Possessions: Platemail and helm; ironshod
quarterstaff; pouch with 75 gp, 20 sp;
food rations in bag; unholy symbol
(Gruumsh); and material components.
1 3 : R
u i n e d S t a t u e
This appears to have once been a 15- to
20-foot-tall statue of a human or elf;
it lies in
ruins now, its fragments covered with
old orcish graffiti.
The 10-foot-diameter pedestal upon which
the statue rested has also been
scrawled and carved upon. A few freshly
gnawed animal bones lie scattered about,
the
remains of an orc's lunch.
If intruders appear, the two orcs
from area
2 will take up positions here, reload
their
light crossbows, and fire from behind
the
pedestal. Their positioning will improve
their armor class by 4 levels (to AC 3,
for
50% cover), for purposes of defense against
missile fire. If the two orcs are attacked
in
hand-to-hand combat, they will stand their
ground here, and will be joined by the
orcs at
area 14 (and the ogrillon guard from area
1,
if still alive). Any intruders who attempt
to
break off the melee and back away will
be
fired upon by the orcs at areas 9 and
14, using javelins and light crossbows respectively.
1 4 : G
u a r d H a l l
Four orcs
(AC 7, HP 3, 4, 5, 7) are on duty in this room, waiting for possible intruders.
Two of them are standing with loaded crossbows at the two northernmost
arrow
slits, and will fire simultaneously at
any intruders who advance down the east-west corridor adjacent to area
2. After firing, they
will reload for another simultaneous attack.
Because they have 90% cover behind the
arrow slits, they have a bonus of 10 to their armor class (improving it
to AC -3) on defense
against missile fire; from their place
of safe-
ty, they can also easily sidestep close-in
attacks from swords, spears, and the like made
by characters from the other side of the
wall.
If any intruders make it into the courtyard,
the other two guards in this room
(both AC 6) will charge in with scimitars
and
s h i e l d s t o
d o b a t t l e , p r e f e r a b l y
i n t h e v i c i n i t y
o f a r e a 1
3 , w h i l e t h e c r o s s b o w
- w i e l d i n g
g u a r d s w i l l
l i n g e r n e a r t h e e n t r a
n c e t o a r e a
1 4 a n d p i
c k o f f a n y o n e t h e y
c a n . E a c h o f t h e
f o u r g u a r d s
h a s t r e a s u r e t y p e s K
a n d L o n
his person.
15: Entry Room to Dungeon
T h i s a r e a ,
c o m b i n e d w i t h a r e a s 14
a n d 1 6 ,
w a s o n c e
p a r t o f t h e g r o u n d
f l o o r o f a 6 0 -
f o o t - s q u a r e t o
w e r t h a t h a s l o n g
s i n c e b e e n
b r o k e n a n d
w o r n d o w n t o t h e
f o u n d a t i o n
w a l l s . P a r t
o f a s t o n e s t a i r c a s e
r i s e s u p t o t h e
e a s t , t o
t h e t o p o f t h e w
a l l , a n d a t t h i s
e l e v a t e d l o c a t
i o n a l o n e o r c (
3 H P , A C 7 )
s t a n d s g u a r d ,
l o o k i n g o u t t o t h e
n o r t h a n d
e a s t . T h e
o r c h a s t h r e e j a v e l i n
s a n d a l o n g
s w o r d . I n s i d e
a r e a 1 5 a t g r o u n d
l e v e l a r e t w o
o r c s ( A C
6 , H P 5 a n d 6 ) ,
o n e k e e p i n g a n e y e
o n s o m e k
o b o l d s l a v e s i n a r e a
1 6
a n d t h e o
t h e r s t a n d i n g a t t h e
r e a d y n e a r t h e
e n t r a n c e w a y o f
a n o p e n e d s e c r e t d o o r
o n t h e
s o u t h w a l l
t h a t l e a d s d o w n i n t o
t h e d u n g e o n .
I f t h e s e
t w o o r c s a r e a l e r t e d
b y t h e o g r i l l o n
f r o m a r e a
1 , t h e y w i l l d r a w
t h e i r s c i m i t a r s ,
h e f t t h e i r
s h i e l d s , a n d s t a n d f a
s t a l o n g w i t h
t h e o g r i l l o n
a t t h e e n t r a n c e t o
t h e s e c r e t
p a s s a g e w a y . T h
e g u a r d s i n t h i s
r o o m w i l l
c l o s e t h e
s e c r e t d o o r i f T h a a g w
a a n d h i s
g u a r d s ( s e e
a r e a 1 2 ) a r e d e f e a t e d
i n t h e i r
d e f e n s e o f
t h e d o o r w a y t o a r e a
1 5 .
T h e s e c r e t
d o o r i s a l a r g e
s l a b o f r o c k t h a t
r o t a t e s o n
a c e n t r a l p i n l i k e
a r e v o l v i n g d o o r .
I t m a y b e
p u s h e d o p e n a g a i n i f
i t i s c l o s e d ,
b y a n y c h
a r a c t e r w h o m a k e s a
s u c c e s s f u l a t t e m p t t o
b e n d b a r s / l i f e g a t e s .
I f t w o o r t h r e e
c h a r a c t e r s a t t
e m p t t o o p e n i t
( n o m o r e t h a n
t h r e e c a n
t r y a t o n e t i m e ) ,
t h e i r p e r c e n t a g e
c h a n c e s a r e
a d d e d t o g e t h e r t o d e t
e r m i n e s u c c e s s o r f a i
l u r e .
1 6 : S
l a v e R o o m
S i x kobold
s l a v e s ( A C 8 , H P
1 , 1 , 2 , 3 , 3 ,
4 ) a r e k e
p t h e r e b y t h e o
r c s . T h e y w e r e p u t
t o w o r k d
i g g i n g a w a y s a n d a n d
r o c k f r o m t h e
s e c r e t d o o r
e n t r a n c e i n a r e a 1 5 ,
a n d a r e e x h a u s t e d . I f
a n y o n e a t t a c k s t h e m ,
t h e y w i l l
c o w e r a n d
t r y t o e s c a p e b u t
w i l l n o t a t t a c k
b a c k . T h e y
w a n t o n l y t o f l e e
t h i s p l a c e , a n d
w i l l p r o v e
u n c o o p e r a t i v e i n a l l
o t h e r r e s p e c t s
b u t t h i s .
1 7 : D
r a i n P i p e
T h i s e n t r a n c e
i n t o t h e d u n g e o n l e v e
l s
u n d e r Jawarl
Avignon c a n n o t b e s e e n
f r o m
a b o v e , b e c a u s e
i t o p e n s o u t u n d e r n e a
t h a
r o c k y o v e r h a n g
. A n y c h a r a c t e r w h o
a p p r o a c h e s t h e f o r t r e s s
a l o n g t h e b e a c h t o
t h e
n o r t h a n d
c o m e s w i t h i n 4 0 f e e t
o f t h e d r a i n
p i p e o p e n i n g
h a s a 1 i n 4
c h a n c e o f n o t i c i n g
i t . T h e p
i p e i s a n o p e n - e n d e d
c l a y p i p e a b o u t
2 f e e t i n
d i a m e t e r ; o n l y a g n o m
e o r h a l f l i n g
w e a r i n g l e a t h e
r o r n o a r m o r c a
n e n t e r i t a n d
c r a w l t h r o u g h .
I t l e a d s u p a t a
s t e e p a n g l e f o r
t h e f i r s t
6 0 f e e t o f t h e r
o u t e , r e q u i r i n g a n y
c h a r a c t e r e n t e
r i n g t h e p i p e w i t h o u t
a s s i s t a n c e ( r o
p e , e t c . ) t o m a k e
a s u c c e s s f u l
? c l i m b w a l l s ?
r o l l ; f a i l u r e i n d i c a t e s
t h a t t h e
c h a r a c t e r h a s
t a k e n 1 - 4 p o i n t s o f
d a m a g e
f r o m s t u m b l i n g
i n s i d e t h e p i p e , a n d
a n o t h e r
2 - 1 2 p o i n t s
o f d a m a g e f r o m a
t u m b l i n g f a l l
o u t o f t h
e p i p e a n d d o w n
t h e s t e e p s l o p e t o
t h e b e a c h .
O n e c h a r a c t e r m a y i n t
e n t i o n a l l y
o r a c c i d e n t a l l
y ( i f h e i s s t a n
d i n g a t t h e p i p e
e n t r a n c e ) b r e a
k t h e f a l l o f a n
o t h e r a d v e n t u r e r f a l l i n g
o u t o f t h e p i p e ;
i n s u c h a c a s e ,
e a c h o f t
h e t w o c h a r a c t e r s i n v
o l v e d w i l l t a k e
1 - 6 p o i n t s
o f d a m a g e . A f t e r t h e
i n i t i a l s t e e p
i n c l i n e , t h e
s l o p e o f t h e p i p e
e v e n s o u t , a n d i t
t r a v e r s e s a n o t
h e r 8 0 f e e t b e f o r e
o p e n i n g o u t
i n t o t h e
f i r s t d u n g e o n l e v e l a
t a r e a 2 5 .
I f a n y o n e
i s d o w n o n t h e b
e a c h w a l k i n g
a r o u n d , t h e r e
i s a 1 i n 6
c h a n c e e a c h t u r n
t h a t a c r
a b m a n ( H P 1 9 ) w i l l
e m e r g e 2 0 - 8 0
f e e t a w a y
f r o m t h e n e a r e s t c h a r
a c t e r a n d w i l l
m o v e i n i
m m e d i a t e l y t o a t t a c k .
C r a b m e n
h a v e q u i c k l y
l e a r n e d t o f r e q u e n t t
h i s a r e a
b e c a u s e o f
t h e l a r g e n u m b e r o f
b o d i e s t h a t
w e r e d u m p e d
d o w n t h e c l i f f s i d e b y
t h e a t t a c k i n g o r c s .
T h e c l i f f s
t h a t j u t u p f r o m
t h e n a r r o w
b e a c h a r e
r o c k y a n d v e r y s t e e p ;
c l i m b i n g u p
o r d o w n t
h e c l i f f s i d e i s o n l y
p o s s i b l e f o r
c h a r a c t e r s w i t
h ? c l i m b w a l l s ? a b i l i
t y .
1 8 : D
u n g e o n S t a i r c a s e
A t t h e t o
p o f t h e s t a i r s
i s a n a r m o r e d orc
( A C 6 , H P
7 ) w i t h a s c i m i t a r
a n d s h i e l d . H e
w i l l d e f e n d
t h e s t a i r s , s h o u t i n g
a w a r n i n g t o
h i s c o n f e d e r a t
e s b e l o w i f h e i
s a t t a c k e d .
T h i s s t a i r c a s e
d e s c e n d s 3 0 f e e t t o
t h e f i r s t
l e v e l o f
t h e u n d e r g r o u n d c o m p l e x
b e n e a t h
J a w a r l A v i g n o n
. T h e d u n g e o n h a s
a n 8 -
f o o t - h i g h c e i l
i n g e v e r y w h e r e u n l e s s
o t h e r w i s e n o t e d . D i r t
a n d d u s t s h o w e v e r y w h
e r e ,
o r c b o n e s
a n d r e l i c s a r e c o m m o n
, a n d t h e
f o o t p r i n t s o f
r a t s m a y b e f o u n d
v i r t u a l l y
a n y w h e r e o n
t h i s f i r s t d u n g e o n l e
v e l .
T h e a i r i
s s t a l e a n d b a d ,
a n d e v e r y h a l f
h o u r ( 3 t
u r n s ) c h a r a c t e r s m u s t
s u b t r a c t o n e
p o i n t f r o m
t h e i r s t r e n g t h a n d c o
n s t i t u t i o n
s c o r e s , i f
t h e y a r e n o t m a g i c a l l
y p r o t e c t e d
a g a i n s t t h e
e f f e c t s o f t h e e n v i r o
n m e n t . T h i s
l o s s i s t
e m p o r a r y , a n d i s r e s t
o r a b l e a t t h e
r a t e o f o
n e p o i n t ( f o r e a c h
a b i l i t y ) p e r t u r n ,
u p t o o r i
g i n a l t o t a l s , f o r e v e
r y t u r n t h a t a f f e c t e d
c h a r a c t e r s a r e e x p o s e d
t o f r e s h a i r . I f
e i t h e r a
c h a r a c t e r ? s s t r e n g t h o r
c o n s t i t u t i o n
d r o p s t o
2 , t h e v i c t i m w i l l
p a s s o u t a n d r e m a i n
u n c o n s c i o u s u n t i l b r o u g h t
b a c k t o t h e
s u r f a c e ( b u t
w i l l n o t c o n t i n u e t o
l o s e a b i l i t y s c o r e p o i n t s ) .
A slow poison spell negates
the effect of
the bad air for the duration of the spell,
but
without loss of hit points. A water
breathing
spell allows the same immunity to the
effects
of the air, as does the psionic discipline
of
body control. Certain magic items
(such as
Serga?s necklace of adaptation)
are also
useful in this regard. A neutralize
poison
spell will immediately negate all previous
effects of the bad air suffered on the
recipient?s current excursion into the dungeon,
but will not prevent the process from
beginning anew. The rats and spiders on this
dungeon level have adapted to the air
over
the decades, and are not affected by it.
Note: The bacteria that produced the
plague of Mondru?s time have entirely
died
out ? but the characters won?t know this.
By ?playing up? the effects of the bad
air,
the DM can make it appear as though the
characters? weakness is the result of
disease.
Baktar (see area 19) and the sergeant
orcs
are affected by the air just as characters
are,
but they are too consumed by their purpose
to care. These three orcs have only recently
taken up their posts; Baktar can go for
7
hours below the surface before passing
out,
and the sergeants can last for 5 hours.
Dwarves and gnomes, and anyone with
the secondary skill of miner, will be
able to
tell that the first level of the dungeon
was
originally worked by humans, then overlaid
later with orcish stonework.
1 9 : P
i l l a r e d H a l l
In the entryway to this room lurks the
half-brother of Serga Ulmus, Baktar Ulmus
(AC 4, HD 2, HP 11, broadsword and
shield, Str 17 (+1 to hit & damage),
alignment lawful evil) with his two orcish
bodyguards (AC 6, HP 8 each). They will
be
prepared to charge out and attack any
nonorc reaching the bottom of the stairs, the
sergeants attacking first. They intend
to
allow Serga a chance to get to Alkarg,
and
will not retreat from this location. (Serga
has
already gone on deeper into the complex,
using a light spell cast upon
a bone).
If characters examine this room, they
will
see it to have been a sleeping area for
orcish
warriors. Ruined weapons and armor line
the walls, and skeletons of plague-stricken
orcs are piled in the southern alcove
of the
room. Orcish graffiti covers the stone
walls
and pillars, nearly all of the writings
and
etchings being pleas to Gruumsh to end
the
plague, and curses on elves in general.
Footprints are noticeable on the floor
in,
the area of the doorway into area 20,
indicating that three orcs and a human (Serga
is wearing human-made boots) went into
area 20, then turned around and came out
the same way.
20: Side Room
This area contains only some dust and
bones -- plus a strange-looking section
of the
west wall where some ancient writing made
with candle black has been smeared and
rendered illegible. Anyone who reads orcish
will recognize, from what little is readable,
that the writing was in the orcish language
and gives directions to a tomb or resting
place. If they are captured, Baktar and
the
orc guards will tell the party nothing
of what
the writing says. (They can't read, Serga
didn?t translate for them, and they?d
never
tell if they did know.) Even
a charm or ESP
spell would be useless here.
2 1 : Hall
of Heroes
The northern corridor leading to this
area
has many orcish sayings scrawled upon
it,
such as ?Might make right!? and ?Death
to
Elves!?
In the chamber, lined up evenly along
the
north and south walls, are 10 crudely
sculpted statues of orcish battle leaders
and
chieftains. The stone helm of each statue
contains runic letters of unfamiliar design
carved into it, but none of the runes
(nor the
statues) are magical. Orcish writing on
the
walls informs the reader that these are
orcish
champions who survived the assault on
J a w a r l A v i g n o n ,
a n d t h a t e a c h s l e w
a
m i n i m u m o f
5 0 e l v e s ( a n o u t r a g e o
u s b o a s t
by any standards).
B e h i n d t h e
s t a t u e i n t h e s o u t h w e
s t c o r n e r
o f t h e r o
o m i s a + 2 d a g g e
r o f e l v i s h m a n u f a c t u
r e , t o s s e d t h e r e l o n g
a g o b y a c a r e l e s s
o r c w h o d
i d n ? t k n o w t h e i t e m ? s
t r u e w o r t h .
2 2 : H
a l l o f T r o p h i e s
A t t h e d o
o r w a y t o t h i s r o o m
i s a l o w t r i p w i r e ;
e a c h c h a r a c t e r w h o i s
u n a w a r e o f t h e
w i r e h a s
a 7 5 % c h a n c e o f
s n a p p i n g t h e w i r e
a s h e e n t
e r s t h e r o o m , r e l e a s i
n g t h e t r i g g e r
o n t h e s m
a l l b a l l i s t a i n t h e
w e s t e r n a l c o v e .
T h e b a l l i s t a ? s
b o l t w i l l f i r e d i r e c t
l y e a s t ;
c h a r a c t e r s s t a
n d i n g i n t h e l o n g
c o r r i d o r t h a t
r u n s t h r o u g h
a r e a s 2 1 a n d 2 2
a r e i n t h e l i n e
o f f i r e .
R o l l f o r t h e b o l t ? s
c h a n c e t o h i t e a c h
t a r g e t i n
o r d e r , t r e a t i n g t h e a
t t a c k a s i f m a d e
b y a 4
H D m o n s t e r . T h e b o l t
a f f e c t s o n l y
t h e f i r s t
c h a r a c t e r i t s t r i k e s ,
d o i n g 4 - 1 4
p o i n t s o f
d a m a g e .
T h e b a l l i s t a
i s h i d d e n b e h i n d a
f a d e d
t a p e s t r y s h o w i
n g Gruumsh i
n b a t t l e , s p e a r
r a i s e d o v e r
h i s h e a d w h i l e h e
t r a m p l e s e l v e s
underfoot. Hung by chains on the north
and
s o u t h w a l l s
o f t h i s c h a m b e r a r e
1 0 e l f
s k e l e t o n s , n o n
e o f t h e m c o n t a i n i n g
a n y
u n u s u a l o r
i d e n t i f y i n g m a r k s .
2 3 : M
i n o r H a l l
T h i s r e l a t i v e l
y s m a l l p i l l a r e d h a l l
i s s e a l e d
o f f f r o m
t h e c o r r i d o r b y a
s e v e r e l y j a m m e d
w o o d e n d o o r .
H o w e v e r , v i r t u a l l y a l l
o f t h e
b o t t o m h a l f
o f t h e d o o r h a s
b e e n t o r n o r
c h e w e d a w a y
( t h e w o r k o f giant
rats) .
C h a r a c t e r s c a n
p a s s t h r o u g h t h e h o l e
i n
s i n g l e f i l e
o n t h e i r h a n d s a n d
k n e e s i f t h e y s o
d e s i r e . A s
s o o n a s t h e f i r s t
c h a r a c t e r e n t e r i n g
t h e r o o m
g e t s h a l f w a y t h r o u g h
t h e h o l e , a
l a r g e s p i d e r
( H P 6 ) w i l l d r o p
f r o m t h e b a c k
o f t h e d o
o r , w h e r e i t w a s
p e r c h e d , o n t o t h e
c h a r a c t e r ? s b a
c k . T h e s p i d e r w i l l
a t t a c k i m m e d i a t e l y ( b i t e
a t + 2 f o r 1 p o i n
t d a m a g e ,
s a v e v s .
p o i s o n a t + 2 o r
d i e ) a n d w i l l c l i n g
t o
t h e b a c k
o f i t s v i c t i m , m a k i n g
r e p e a t e d a t t a c k s u n t i l
t h e s p i d e r i t s e l f i s
h i t b y a n a t t a c k
f r o m a s e
c o n d c h a r a c t e r a n d k n
o c k e d f r e e o f
i t s v i c t i m .
I f c h a r a c t e r s c h o o s e
t o b r e a k
d o w n o r p
u s h o p e n t h e u p p e r
p a r t o f t h e
d o o r i n s t e a d
o f c r a w l i n g t h r o u g h t
h e h o l e ,
t h e d o o r
w i l l y i e l d i f i t
t a k e s 6 p o i n t s o f
d a m a g e o r
i f a c h a r a c t e r o r
p a i r o f c h a r a c t e r s
m a k e s a s
u c c e s s f u l r o l l t o b e n
d b a r s / l i f t
g a t e s . . I f
t h e d o o r i s ? o p e n e d ?
i n t h i s
f a s h i o n , t h e
s l a b o f w o o d w i l l
f a l l i n w a r d ,
c r u s h i n g a n d
k i l l i n g t h e s p i d e r t h
a t l u r k e d o n
t h e o t h e r
s i d e .
I n s i d e t h e
r o o m a r e t h r e e s t o n e
p i l l a r s e n c a s e d i n s p
i d e r w e b s , a n d w e b s
a l s o f i l l t h e
s o u t h e r n s e c t i
o n o f t h e r o o m .
T h e b o d i e s o f
s o m e g i a n t
r a t s h a n g i n t h e
w e b s , a n d f i v e
l a r g e s p i d e r s
( H P 3 , 4 , 6 , 7 ,
8 ) a r e l y i n g i n
w a i t , c l u s t e r e
d i n t h e a r e a b e
t w e e n t h e t h r e e
p i l l a r s . T h e y
w i l l a t t a c k i f a n y o n e
s e t s f i r e t o
t h e i r w e b s ,
o r i f a n y c h a r a c t e r
t r i e s t o e n t e r
t h e r o o m
b e y o n d t h e n o r t h e r n m o s t
p i l l a r .
T h e w e b s
a r e v e r y f l a m m a b l e , a
n d w i l l g o u p
q u i c k l y i f
s e t a f i r e , b u t e a c h
s p i d e r h a s a 1 i
n
6 c h a n c e
o f e s c a p i n g t h e f i r e ,
a n d s u r v i v i n g
s p i d e r s w i l l
a t t a c k t h e c h a r a c t e r s
a n y w a y
t h e y c a n .
The minor hall appears
to have been the
chamber of an orcish sub-chief or chief
long
ago; various decayed trappings and relics
litter
the room. There are no skeletons here,
however. In the southern alcove of the
room
(only barely discernable to an observer
unless
the webs are burned or cut away) is a
set of
iron double doors in an opening 7 feet
tall
and 8 feet wide. Inscribed upon them in
a
crude and almost illegible hand is the
orcish
inscription "The Tomb of Mondru the Conqueror."
Dwarven characters will notice
that this is a shabby entrance, even by
orcish
standards. In actuality, it is a hastily
made
set of false doors with a concealed pit
trap
dug in front of them. Anyone stepping
on
the trap has a percentage chance equal
to the
character's weight (counting equipment)
minus 40; thus, a character weighing 110
lbs. has a 70% chance of triggering the
trap.
Use armor, shield, and equipment weights
as given in the DMG. See area 34
on the
second dungeon level if a character falls
into
this pit and down the shaft.
24: Main Corridor
The main corridor on
the first dungeon
level is 10 feet wide and L-shaped. There
is a
1 in 6 chance per turn of encountering
1-4
giant rats
in this area; otherwise there are no
wanderers. These rats will be in addition
to
any others encountered throughout the
dungeon, and are assumed to have come
from areas 25, 26, and 27. If these three
areas are cleared of rats, there will
be no
other wandering rats encountered on this
level.
Several orcish skeletons
and miscellaneous
items litter the dusty hall. One of the
skeletons holds a non-magical spear with a redpainted head; if anyone grasps
the shaft of
the spear, the rotten wood will disintegrate.
A number of torn spider webs appear in
the
hall, some with giant rat bodies in them,
but
none of them are inhabited by spiders.
Any character with tracking ability will
notice footprints in the dusty floor,
leading
around and under the webs. The lone
traveler was obviously using a light of
some
kind. Rangers will discern that the traveler
was man-sized and very sure of foot, and
passed by this spot within the hour.
Any sounds of fighting
coming from area
24 or area 19 will alert a recent visitor
to the
dungeons of Jawarl Avignon -- a wererat/
human illusionist named Muryar Kimuk.
Muryar arrived at the ruins two months
ago,
discovered the drain pipe at area 17,
and
crawled into the dungeon while in his
giant
rat form. He quickly made friends with
the
true giant rats in the dungeon and now
lives
a reasonably comfortable and solitary
existence
in areas 25 and 26 (when he isn't
scouting around outside for food; several
hunters in recent weeks have been slain
by
him). Because of his access to the open
drain
pipe, Muryar does not suffer any adverse
effects from the air in the dungeon. He
is
reluctant to leave his two-room domain
because of the air, and he has also heard
tales
from the giant rats about strange and terrible
traps within the ruins. Muryar keeps one
small candle burning in his room for illumination;
the light cannot be seen unless
the room is entered.
Room 25 has been cleaned of all dust and
bones, and the floor is padded with dried
straw and grass. A large stone tub, once
used
for food preparation when the orcs lived
here, sits in the northwest end of the
room;
the drain pipe from area 17 leads up into
the
bottom of this fixture. A pile of 15 daggers,
souvenirs of Muryar?s successful kills,
is in
the northeast corner of the room; three
of the
daggers are jeweled and worth 75, 120,
and
190 gp. Littering the floor under the
straw
are 22 gp and 53 sp.
M u r y a r K i m u k
( w e r e r a t / 4 t h - l e v e l
i l l u s i o n i s t )
Str 13, Int 17, Wis 12, Dex 18, Con 14,
Cha 8
Lawful evil alignment
Attacks and saves as a 3 HD monster (in
giant rat and ratman form) or a 4th-level
illusionist (in human form).
AC 6 (in either form), HP 14, hit only
by
silver or magical weapons (in either form),
Age 35, MV 12?
Languages: Common, alignment,
wererat, orcish.
Spells known (usable only in human
form) : color spray (x2), wall of
fog, blur,
in visibility.
Possessions: 4 daggers; gold ring (75
gp);
3 gems (100 gp each); 162 sp (old orcish
mint); brooch of shielding
(always worn).
Attacks as a lycanthrope: in giant rat
form, bite 1-3; in ratman form, bite 1-4
or
use daggers (throw 2/round and stab).
If necessary, Muryar will summon 2-12
giant rats from area 26 to do his bidding;
the
rats will arrive one round later, and
other
rats will emerge from the room at the
rate of
1-4 per round thereafter (until all 20
of them
are out) and will join in a battle on
their own
initiative.
Muryar heard the orcs enter the dungeon
earlier, and a while ago he heard the
sound
of Serga Ulmus going past his lair, but
Muryar has no idea of what is going on,
and
he wants to stay out of the way of this
unknown activity. If discovered, Muryar
will stay in his human form, casting his
spells
until they are exhausted or the fight
turns
against him. He will cast blur
upon himself
before engaging in combat, then will cast
color spray while the rats are attacking.
If he
must flee, he will use wall of fog
to fill areas
25 and 26 (as well as most of the main
corridor outside these rooms) with mist. He will
then cast invisibility on
himself and assume
giant rat form one round later. (He cannot
attack during the round in which he changes
forms,) Then he will crawl down the drain
pipe, leaving all his possessions behind
except for his brooch of shielding (which he
carries in his teeth). The giant rats
will cover
his exit.
Muryar may summon and control the rats
while performing any other action during
a
r o u n d ; h e
c o u l d , f o r i n s t a n c e ,
s u m m o n r a t s
a n d t h e n
c a s t a s p e l l a t
t h e p a r t y w h i l e t h e
r a t s a t t a c k
t h e i n t r u d e r s . B e c a u s e
h e w a n t s
t o b e l e f
t a l o n e , M u r y a r w i l l
n o t i n i t i a t e a n y
a t t a c k u p o n
t h e p a r t y u n t i l h i s
r o o m i s
e n t e r e d .
26: Side Room
T h i s r o o m
c o n t a i n s a g r e a t d e a l
o f d e b r i s
a n d l i t t e r ,
a n d orc b o n e s a r e
s c a t t e r e d
e v e r y w h e r e . I n
t h e s o u t h e a s t c o r n e r
o f t h e
r o o m i s a
l o c k e d i r o n c h e s t w i t
h M u r y a r ? s
i l l u s i o n i s t s p
e l l b o o k i n s i d e , p l u s
1 4 0 c p a n d
a c a r v e d
s i l v e r r i n g w o r t h 2 5
g p . T h e s p e l l
b o o k c o n t a i n s
1 - 4 o t h e r s p e l l s ( b e s
i d e s t h o s e
M u r y a r a l r e a d y
c a r r i e s ) o f 1 s t a n d
2 n d l e v e l
p o w e r .
T h e r e a r e
giant
rats i n t h i s r o o m ,
a n
o r i g i n a l t o t a l
o f 2 0 , a l l o f w h
o m a r e v e r y
f a v o r a b l y i n c l
i n e d t o w a r d M u r y a r . I
f a n y o f
t h e s e r a t s
a r e s t i l l i n t h e
r o o m ( b e c a u s e t h e y
h a v e n ? t r u n
t o j o i n t h e f r a y
i n r o o m 2 5 ) , t h e y
w i l l a t t a c k
a s s o o n a s a n y o n e
b e s i d e s M u r y a r
e n t e r s t h i s
r o o m , a n d a s m a n y
a s e i g h t o f
t h e m m a y
b i t e a s i n g l e p e r s o n
a t o n e t i m e .
A s s u m e t h a t
e a c h o f t h e s e r a t s
h a s 2 H P , t o
a v o i d m a k i n g
s e p a r a t e h i t - p o i n t r o l l s
f o r
e a c h o n e ,
o r r o l l h i t p o i n t s
i n d i v i d u a l l y i f
d e s i r e d.
2 7 : C
u r t a i n e d A l c o v e s
T h e r e a r e
f o u r a l c o v e s h e r e , e a
c h w i t h a 5
h i g h c e i l i n g
a n d h i d d e n b e h i n d a
f a d e d , d u s t y w a l l h a n
g i n g . T h e a l c o v e i n
t h e n o r t h e a s t
i s t h e l a
i r o f 4 giant
rats ( 3 H P e a c h ) ,
a n d t h e
s o u t h e a s t e r n a
l c o v e i s f i l l e d w i t h
o l d s p i d e r
w e b s ( b u t
n o s p i d e r s ) . T h e w e b -
f i l l e d a l c o v e
h a s a n o r
c i s h s k e l e t o n i n i t
c l u t c h i n g a w e l l m a d e
b r o a d s w o r d w o r t h 1 5 0
g p .
T h e f o o t p r i n t s
m e n t i o n e d i n a r e a 2 4
( t h e
m a i n c o r r i d o r )
c o n t i n u e t h r o u g h t o a
r e a 3 0 .
28: Well Entrance
This 5-foot-high alcove
is also (like the
alcove in the southeast corner of area
27)
filled with spider webs and debris, but
after
the webs have been removed characters
will
see a short corridor leading west and
ending
at a blank wall. An elf, half-elf, or
dwarf has
a chance of detecting the secret door
(a
"shifting wall"), and if detected, the
door
can be opened in an attempt to bend
bars/lift gates. Two characters may combine
their percentage chances in one attempt
if so
desired. If opened, the door pivots on
a central
pole (like a revolving door) and opens
onto the dry water storage tank (see area
5).
The bottom of the tank
is 30 feet below
t h e f l o o r
o f t h e a l c o v e . A n y t h i
n g d r o p p e d
f r o m t h i s
h e i g h t t o t h e b o t t o m
o f t h e t a n k h a s
a 9 0 % c h a
n c e o f d i s t u r b i n g t h e
y e l l o w m o l d
t h a t l i e s
t h e r e ; i f t h i s h a p p e n
s , a n y o n e
s t a n d i n g w i t h i
n 5 f e e t o f t h e
o p e n e d s e c r e t
d o o r w a y h a s
a 5 0 % c h a n c e p e r
r o u n d i n
e a c h o f t
h e n e x t 6 r o u n d s
o f b e i n g a f f e c t e d b y
t h e s p o r e s
( 1 - 8 d a m a g e , s a v e v s .
p o i s o n ) .
2 9 : C
o l l a p s e d H a l l s a n d S m
a l l R o o m
T h i s e n d
o f t h e r u i n e d c o r r i d o
r s u f f e r e d
s o m e d a m a g e
i n a r o c k f a l l a
c e n t u r y a g o .
T w o 5 - f o o t - w i d
e c o r r i d o r s a r e n o t
b u r i e d
u n d e r r u b b l e ,
a n d o n l y o n e r o o m
i n t h i s a r e a
s u r v i v e s i n t a c
t . A dwarf o r g n o m
e w h o s u c c e s s f u l l y d e
t e c t s f o r u n s a f e s t o n
e w o r k w i l l
f i n d t h a t
t h e c e i l i n g i n t h e
1 0 - f o o t - s q u a r e
r o o m i s i
n d a n g e r o f c o l l a p s i n
g . T h e f l o o r i n
t h i s r o o m
i s l i t t e r e d w i t h m o r e
t h a n 4 0 o r c
s k e l e t o n s , t o s
s e d a b o u t i n a c
h a o t i c f a s h i o n
( t h i s r o o m
s e r v e d a s a n e m e r g e n c
y i n t e r m e n t
c h a m b e r d u r i n g
t h e h e i g h t o f t h e
p l a g u e t h a t
k i l l e d t h e
orcs
) . I f a n y o n e s e a r c h e s
t h e r o o m ,
t h e D M s h
o u l d r o l l d 4 e v e r y
t u r n ; i f a 1
t u r n s u p ,
t h e c e i l i n g i n t h e
r o o m m a k e s a
g e n t l e p o p p i n g
s o u n d , a n d s o m e d u s t
f a l l s t o
t h e f l o o r ,
b u t n o t h i n g e l s e h a p p
e n s . I t w i l l
t a k e 6 - 9
t u r n s t o c o m p l e t e l y s
e a r c h t h r o u g h
t h e r o o m
a n d a l l t h e s k e l e t o n s
i n i t ; t h e c e i l i n g
i s n o t d e t i n e d t o
c o l l a p s e f o r a n o t h e r
y e a r .
30: Temple to Gruumsh
T h e f o o t p r i n t s
i n t h e m a i n h a l l
( t h r o u g h
a r e a s 2 4
a n d 2 7 ) l e a d u p
t o t h e e n t r a n c e t o
t h e t e m p l e ;
o n t h e f l o o r a t
t h i s l o c a t i o n a r e
h a v e b e e n
s m a s h e d a p a r t b y w e a p
o n b l o w s .
b i t s a n d
p i e c e s o f t h e r o t t e d
w o o d d o o r s t h a t
I n s i d e t h e
t e m p l e a r e e i g h t s t o n
e p i l l a r s ,
e a c h d e p i c t i n g
a n a r m o r e d o r c i s h w a r
r i o r
h o l d i n g a
s p e a r e r e c t . T h e r a i s
e d p o r t i o n o f
t h e t e m p l e
i s t w o s t e p s a b o v e
t h e f l o o r i n t h e
s o u t h e r n e n d
o f t h e r o o m ; b e t w e e n
t w o o t h e r
p i l l a r s i s
a n o l d a l t a r b e h i n d
w h i c h s i t s a
t h r o n e m a d e
o f r o c k . A n e l a b o r a t e
l y a r m o r e d o r c i s h s k e
l e t o n i n b l a c k p l a t e
m a i l i s
s p r a w l e d u p o n
t h e t h r o n e , a n d 3 2
o r c i s h
s k e l e t o n s s t a n
d o r l i e i n v a r i
o u s p o s i t i o n s
a r o u n d t h e
r o o m . M a n y o f t h e
d e a d a p p e a r
t o h a v e a
s s u m e d s t o i c p o s i t i o n s ,
l e a n i n g
a g a i n s t p i l l a r
s t o k e e p t h e i r
b o d i e s f r o m
f a l l i n g .
A s e a r c h o
f t h e r o o m w i l l
r e v e a l n o
t r e a s u r e e x c e p
t o n t h e l e a d e r - t y p e
o c c u p y i n g
t h e s t o n e
t h r o n e . H e h a s o n e
m a g i c a l r i n g o n
e a c h h a n d ,
a n d e a c h o f t h e m
i s w o r t h 2 0 0 0
g p . T h e r
i n g s h a v e a n e n g r a v i n
g o f a l i d l e s s
e y e , i n l a i d
w i t h a n i r i s f a s h i o n e
d f r o m a
r u b y . A n y
o r c o f h a l f - o r c w h o
w e a r s b o t h o f
t h e s e r i n g s
a t o n c e w i l l g a i n
+ 2 o n a l l s a v i n g
t h r o w s , a n d
w i l l n e v e r b e a f f e c t e
d b y cause
fear, scare, or fear
spells as long as both rings
are worn. Any other character or creature
who puts on both rings at once will be
subject to a curse of opposite effect: -2 on all saving throws, and automatic
vulnerability to
the three types of magic mentioned above.
The ill effects will continue to function
even
if the rings are removed. (They can be
easily
put on and taken off, and the curse can
affect
any number of victims.) Wearing just one
of
the two rings has no effect. Only a
remove
c u r s e spell from a good
cleric can negate this
curse.
A staircase leads down further into the
dungeon from the north wall. Anyone with
mining skill who speaks orcish, or any
dwarf
or gnome, will notice that this staircase
(and
the entire second dungeon level) was carved
out by orcish workers, and was apparently
added some time after the first level
of the
dungeon complex was built.
The air in the dungeon is just as bad
on
the lower level of the complex as it is
on the
first level; the DM should continue to
keep
track of time elapsed in the dungeon and
the
corresponding strength and constitution
losses suffered by those within.
3 1 : S
u r p r i s e L a n d i n g
The first flight of stairs descends 20
feet to
a landing, and another flight of stairs
goes
down and to the east. On the landing,
just
before the start of the second staircase,
is a
trip-wire across the path. Anyone passing
through this location unaware of the wire
has
an 80% chance of triggering the ballista
trap
built into the wall to the west. The bolt
from
the ballista strikes as a 4 HD monster,
doing
4-16 points of damage to anyone immediately
in front of it at the top of the stairs; in addition, the impact of the
bolt will knock the
target character forward and down the
stairs
to the bottom, doing another 2-12 points
of
damage to the victim.
Characters less than 3½ feet tall
will not
be in the horizontal path of the bolt,
but
anyone who trips on the wire
must roll his
dexterity or less on d20 or fall down
the stairs
for 2-12 points of damage. If a character
passes the trip wire without setting off
the
trap and is on his way down the stairs
when a
second character trips on the wire or
is struck
by the bolt, the first character must
also roll
his dexterity or less on d20 or be knocked
down the stairs for 1-8 points of damage.
The ballista can only fire once, and is
useless thereafter. The footprints of
a lone
traveler are barely visible on both sets
of
stairs (Serga detected and avoided the
trap
when he passed this way a short time
earlier).
At the bottom of the
second staircase is an
iron door, now ajar (its lock was picked
by
Serga, and he left the door open in his
haste). Carved on the door in orcish is
this
legend:
Here is the hall of
He-Who-Watches,
The War-God
of Alhurmus, his torch and spear,
The servants and slaves
he has judged.
Great is the Eye
That Sees All, for
It Sees You
33: The Black Hall
As the Dungeon Master examines
the map of the second
dungeon level, it will be
seen that the entire level is carved out
in a
vaguely humanoid form. The orcs who took
over Jawarl Avignon (or Alhurmus, as it
came to be known) worked over a 5-year
period to tunnel out a great temple/
mausoleum complex in the form of their
deity Gruumsh. Area 33 is his chest, paved with
black marble to represent the deity?s
plate
mail; area 34 is his head; areas 35-36
represent his right arm holding a torch aloft; areas
37-41 are in the shape of Gruumsh?s left
arm
as it bears his iron spear. As characters
explore the complex, the DM should not tell
players what each area represents; let
the
adventurers figure it out for themselves.
(Crommard, if he is with the party at
this
point, will not recognize the outline
of the
dungeon level for what it is.)
Areas 33 and 37 are completely paved
with slabs of polished black marble. Lining
the walls in area 33 are the standing
skeletons of 15 orcish guards in black plate mail,
each equipped with an iron spear. The
skeletons may be easily knocked over and
are
not animated. The stone walls are decorated
with the skulls of many elves and humans,
set upon shelves so that they look out
upon
the room, and many suits of armor, worthless
furs and pelts, and other grisly trophies
of orcish warfare. No footprints are noticeable
in this hall beyond 10 feet from the
western doorway, so characters cannot
tell
where whoever made the tracks went from
here. There is a secret door in the southeast
corner of this room, behind an orc skeleton.
Unknown to everyone, adventurers and
orcs alike, Serga is hiding in this room,
behind a pelt and an orcish "guardian"
on
the northern wall (the fourth skeleton
in line,
counting eastward from the west door).
He
cannot be detected unless someone uses
a
detect evil or detect invisibility spell
(in
which case the area Serga occupies will
be
the source of strong emanations) or begins
tearing items from the walls and bashing
all
the skeletons. If discovered, Serga will
charge into battle and once and will fight
to the
death.
Serga will not be hiding,
and will be subject to surprise, only if the adventurers have
been completely silent while descending
the
stairs and passing through the doorway
at
the end of area 32. If he is not surprised,
Serga was trying to locate
the secret door
leading to area 37 when he heard the adventurers
arriving at the doorway at area 32. He
then hid, and will wait in hiding (unless
discovered) until the characters either
leave
the area the way they came or until they
detect and open the secret door leading
to
area 37. If the adventurers get through
this
door, Serga will follow at a prudent distance
as silently as possible, being sure not
to be
discovered, letting the group get ahead
of
him until characters manage to find area
40
and open the door to area 41. He will
then
rush up from behind to backstab or
assassinate stragglers, after preparing
for
this onslaught by casting protection
from
good on himself. He will use his
command
spell (?Sleep!?) and hold person
spell
(against up to 3 opponents) before closing
to
hand-to-hand melee. Serga has already
used
his light spell (the bone
he cast it upon is
wrapped carefully in his clothing and
cannot
be seen) and his find traps
spell (now
expired). See area 41 for special details.
34: Room of Judgment
The entrance to area 34 is obvious and
intriguing; past a 5-foot-wide opening
(Gruumsh's
neck) can be seen an oddly
shaped room. A dwarf has a chance to detect
the stonework trap at the entrance, as
does a
thief, but only if the character has declared
his intention to conduct such a search.
A short flight of stairs descends 5 feet
into
the room. The floor of the room is stone,
and
the 10-foot-square section of floor at
the base
of the descending stairs is covered to
a depth
of about 2 feet with the bones of humans,
elves, and orcs. A 3-foot-high oval altar-like
structure with the top painted to look
like an
eye rests near the center of the chamber,
and
beyond it to the east is a 5-foot-high
raised
platform with a huge throne upon it. Seated
on the throne is an enormous armored orcish
skeleton clutching a 10-foot-long spear
that
is laid across its knees. The figure is
so
hideous that anyone gazing upon it with
even moderate illumination must save vs.
spells at +2 or be affected as if by a
scare
spell (and note that elves, half-elves,
and
clerics are subject to this effect). The
armored skeleton does radiate magic if
such
is detected for. It is AC 3 and will take
10
hit points of damage before it falls apart.
There is nothing on or around it to identify
the skeleton as that of Mondru IV or any
other ?famous? orc.
If any character steps onto the pile of
bones between the stairs and the ?eye,?
there is a 70% chance that the stonework
trap beneath the bones will be triggered.
As
the floor settles slightly and makes a
?clunk?
sound, the 5-foot-square ceiling over
the
?neck of Gruumsh? will start sliding down,
revealing itself to be a great stone slab
that
threatens to trap intruders inside the
chamber. Characters in the chamber must
roll their dexterity or less on d20 to
get out of
the room and back to area 33 before the
slab
falls so far that an easy escape is impossible.
Anyone who fails this roll must save vs.
paralysis to successfully dodge back into
room 34, or else they will be crushed
beneath
the slab. When the slab grinds to a stop,
the
huge orc skeleton (or its skull, if the
body
was broken apart) will appear to laugh
deeply and will say in orcish: ?So sets the judgment of He-Who-Watches.
You shall join
the ranks of those who sleep at my feet
for all
time to come.? The magic mouth
will then
cease to function. The spear, of course,
is
non-magical.
Characters may also unwittingly enter this
room by falling through the floor in area
23
on the first dungeon level. After a 30-foot
drop through a section of the shaft liberally
covered with old spider webs (which will
slow the character?s fall), the victim
will hit a
slide and tumble into the room. There
is a
30% chance that the victim will slide
far
enough to set off the stonework trap (by
disturbing the pile of bones); otherwise,
the
character will come to a stop in the 5-footsquare
area at the base of the slide. The
v i c t i m w i l l
s u f f e r 2 - 8 p o i n t s o f
d a m a g e f r o m
t h e f a l l
a n d t h e s l i d e a n d
w i l l b e c o m p l e t e l y
c o v e r e d w i t h
w e b s , a s p e r t h e
m a g i c - u s e r
w e b s p e l l
i n a l l r e s p e c t s , e x c e
p t t h a t t h e w e b
h a s a n u n
l i m i t e d d u r a t i o n ( u n t i l
b r o k e n ,
p u l l e d o f f ,
o r b u r n e d a w a y ) , a n d
t h e e n t r a p p e d v i c t i m
h a s n o c h a n c e o f
b e i n g s u f f o c a t e d
by the web.
O n l y c h a r a c t e r s
w h o c a n c l i m b w a l l s
h a v e
a c h a n c e
o f b e i n g a b l e t o
e s c a p e f r o m t h i s
r o o m a f t e r
t h e t r a p i s t r i g g e r e d
; t h i s c a n b e
a c c o m p l i s h e d b
y c l i m b i n g u p t h e
s l i d e a n d
a s c e n d i n g t h e
s h a f t t o t h e f i r s t
d u n g e o n l e v e l .
( I n s u c h
a c a s e t h e w e b s
l i n i n g t h e s h a f t c a n
b e a v o i d e d ;
t h e y d o n o t c o v e r
a l l t h e s u r f a c e s , o n l
y m o s t o f t h e m . )
I f t h i s e s c a p e r o u t e
i s u s e d ,
c h a r a c t e r s w h o s u c c e e d
i n c l i m b i n g
t h e s h a f t
m a y h a v e t o d e a l
w i t h t h e s p i d e r s i n
a r e a 2 3 i
f t h e s e w e r e n o t
s l a i n b e f o r e h a n d .
C h a r a c t e r s u n a
b l e t o c l i m b w a l l s
c a n o n l y
c a l l o u t ,
i n t h e h o p e t h a t
t h e y w i l l b e h e a r d
? u p s t a i r s ? i n
r o o m 2 3 o r t h e m
a i n c o r r i d o r
i m m e d i a t e l y o u
t s i d e o f t h a t r o o m ;
n o s o u n d
w i l l p a s s
t h r o u g h t h e s t o n e s l a
b .
3 5 : ?
R i g h t F i s t ? R o o m
T h e i r o n
d o o r w a y t o t h i s r o o m
h a s a n i n s c r i p t i o n r e
a d i n g ( i n o r c i s h ) :
F l a m e s d e v o u r
thieves w h o
S e e k t h e
r i c h e s o f t h e t o m b .
So is the judgment of
H e - W h o - W a t c h e s .
The door has no lock and may be opened
normally. The room behind it has huge
m u r a l s p a i n t e d
o n t h e w a l l s , d e p i c t i
n g o r c s
i n t r i u m p h
o v e r a l l f o e s o f
e v e r y r a c e k n o w n
t o t h e o r
c s .
T o t h e e a
s t ( r o o m 3 6 ) c a n
b e s e e n t w o
a l c o v e s a n d
a n o t h e r o c t a g o n a l r o o m ,
i n
w h i c h l i e
t h r e e s t o n e b i e r s .
As characters approach
this areaw, they will
encounter a glyph
of warding laid down long
ago by a half-orc cleric (using a scroll
spell).
Only a detect magic or detect invisibility
spell will permit detection of this trap.
Anyone crossing this area on foot without
passing the glyph safely will trigger
the glyph
for 12 points of fire damage (half damage
if
save vs. spells is made).
T h e a
l c o v e s t o t h e n o r t h
a n d s o u t h j u s t
b e f o r e t h e
e n t r a n c e t o r o o m 3 6
e a c h c o n t a i n
a n a r m o r e d
o r c s k e l e t o n w i t h i t s
b o d y c a v i t y
f i l l e d w i t h
b l a d d e r s o f o i l a n d
b a g s o f w o o d
s h a v i n g s . T h e r
e i s a 2 0 % c u m u l
a t i v e c h a n c e
i n t h e 5
r o u n d s f o l l o w i n g t h e
e x p l o s i o n o f t h e
g l y p h t h a t
t h e b u r n i n g w o o d i n s i
d e t h e
s k e l e t o n s w i l l
c a u s e t h e o i l b l a d d e r
s t o e x p l o d e , s e t t i n g
t h e e n t i r e e n t r a n c e w a y
a f i r e
f o r 1 0 - 4 0
r o u n d s t h e r e a f t e r a n d
d o i n g 1 - 6
p o i n t s o f
d a m a g e p e r r o u n d t o
a n y o n e
c a u g h t w i t h i n
t h e f i r e b e f o r e t h e
v i c t i m c a n
e s c a p e t o
( r e l a t i v e ) s a f e t y o n
o n e s i d e o r t h e
o t h e r . T h i c k ,
b l a c k s m o k e w i l l f i l l
a r e a s 3 5 ,
3 6 , a n d 3
3 ( i f t h e d o o r l
e a d i n g t o t h a t a r e a
w a s n o t c
l o s e d ) w i t h i n f o u r r o
u n d s a f t e r t h e
e n t r a n c e w a y c a
t c h e s o n f i r e . A n y o n e
c a u g h t
w i t h i n t h e
s m o k e m u s t s a v e v s .
p o i s o n o r
c h o k e , u n a b l e
t o d o a n y t h i n g o t h e r
t h a n
m o v e a t 6
? s p e e d . N o r m a l v i s i b i l i t y
w i l l f a l l
t o 2 f e e t
f o r t h e d u r a t i o n o f
t h e f i r e a n d
smoke.
I f a n
y o n e s u c c e s s f u l l y g e t s
p a s t t h e t r a p t o
a r e a 3 6 (
b y l e a p i n g a c r o s s t h e
5 - f o o t - w i d e
p a t h c o v e r e d
b y t h e g l y p h ) , t h a t
c h a r a c t e r
( o r c h a r a c t e r s
) w i l l s e e t h r e e
o r c i s h b o d i e s o n
s t o n e b i e r s .
T h e b o d i e s a r e n o t
i d e n t i f i e d i n
a n y w a y ,
b u t a p p e a r t o h a v e
b e e n p o w e r f u l
o r c i s h l e a d e r s
. O n e c l u t c h e s a
+ 1 s c i m i t a r ,
a n o t h e r h a s
a p o u c h w i t h 1 2
r u b i e s ( e a c h
w o r t h 1 0 0
g p ) i n i t , a n d t h e
t h i r d h a s a
c u r s e d d a g g e r
t h a t w i l l n o t l e a v e
t h e h a n d o f
a n y o n e w h o
p i c k s i t u p , a n d
i s - 3 ? t o h i t . ?
O n l y a r e
m o v e c u r s e s p e l l f r o m
a g o o d c l e r i c
w i l l a l l o w
a n a f f l i c t e d c h a r a c t e r
t o b e f r e e o f
the dagger.
3 7 : S
h o r t H a l l w a y
T h i s s h o r t
h a l l l e a d s t o a n
u n m a r k e d i r o n
door
. T h e f l o o r i s p
a v e d w i t h b l a c k m a r b l
e .
3 8 : ?
L e f t F i s t a n d S p e a r
S h a f t ?
T h i s r o o m
a n d t h e h a l l w a y t h a t
b i s e c t s i t
a r e t a s t e l e s s l
y d e c o r a t e d w i t h c r u d
e p i c t u r e s
a n d m u r a l s
s h o w i n g orcs
s l a y i n g e l v e s d u r i n g
t h e b a t t l e f o r J a w a r l
A v i g n o n . G r u u m s h
i s s h o w n
i n v a r i o u s p l a c e s k i l
l i n g e l v e s w i t h
h i s s p e a r ,
a n d a h u g e , s c a r r e d
o r c i s h c h i e f t a i n o f o
g r e - l i k e p r o p o r t i o n s i s
s h o w n d e s t r o y i n g e l v e s
b y t h e d o z e n s w i t h
a f l a m i n g
s p e a r . T h e
d o o r s a t e i t h e r e n d
o f t h e c o r r i d o r
a r e m a d e
of iron and have no markings.
3 9 : S
m a l l T e m p l e
This narrow rectangular room is a small
temple area devoted to Gruumsh.
A 10-
foot-tall iron statue of the deity stands
in the
west end of the room, towering over a
small
altar before it. The statue has a single
ruby
(2,000 gp value) for an eye, but its natural
brilliance is somewhat dulled by elements
in
the air that have covered it with a layer
of
deposits. The ruby will not be noticed
unless
something in the room is providing illumination
(light from the corridor will not do) and
the statue is examined for 5 rounds. Getting
to the ruby (without magical means) requires
a ?climb walls? roll (at -20%) to ascend
the
statue, a ?remove traps? roll to get the
ruby
out of its setting without damaging it,
and
another climbing roll (again at a penalty)
to
get back down safely. The ruby can be
rather
easily pried out with the tip of a dagger,
but
unless a certain amount of care is taken
(as
indicated by a successful ?remove traps?
roll), the gem will be scratched and flawed
in
the attempt, reducing its value by 50%.
The
ruby, if it falls with the thief, must
save vs.
fall at -1 or shatter.
40: Room of Guardians
Shaped to resemble the spiked portion
of
Alkarg's head (see
picture), this room has
four skeletal orcs in armor, one standing
in
each of the four "spike" alcoves and being
partially supported by metal frameworks.
They appear to be particularly large orcs,
but are not animated. Each is armed with
an
iron spear.
The iron doorway to area 41 has the
following words engraved on it in orcish:
You have been chosen
by He-Who-Watches
To meet destiny behind
this door.
For Orcs, there is
Power.
For humans and dwarves,
Destruction.
For elves, there is
Fire.
4 1 : "
S p e a r h e a d " M a u s o l e u m
When the door to this room is opened,
an
irregularly shaped area will be visible
beyond. About 80 orcish bodies are packed
along the walls in this area, all kneeling
down facing a large throne on a 2-foot-high
platform. The ceiling in this room is 12
feet
high at the center, arched upward from
the
north and south walls.
On the throne sits an armored skeletal
orcish chieftain, clutching across his
lap a
great grey spear with a wickedly barbed
head. If any elves or half-elves are within
60
feet of the spearhead, it will be glowing
orange-red with heat when the door to
the
room is opened, as if it had just been
brought
out of a forge furnace.
Kneeling just before the throne is a redrobed
skeletal orc holding in its lap an
amulet shaped like a skull. The amulet
is
usable only by neutral or evil clerics,
and will
cast animate dead once per day (as per
the
cleric spell, at 6th level of ability).
A good
cleric or paladin who touches the amulet
will
take 2-5 points of damage at once from
electrical shock; no other character will take
damage from it or be able to use it. The
kneeling skeleton is dressed in the red
robes
of an orcish witchdoctor of Gruumsh (which
Crommard will recognize at once); it was
he
who set this room in order, using the
amulet
and some invisibility spells. He arranged
the
orcish bodies, and then himself died of
the
plague.
If detect magic is cast in this room, the
figure on the throne and the spear will
be
found to be magical, as will (if checked
for)
four other places where nothing of note
apparently exists (spots A, B, C, D on map). A
detect invisibility spell will reveal
one invisible orcish skeleton, decked out in plate
mail and spear, at each of the four locations.
These skeletons are AC 3 and have 2 HD
each (HP 7, 9, 10, 13); they do 1-6 points
of
damage per strike, and are otherwise like
normal (animated) skeletons. They are
turned as ghouls, not as normal skeletons (a
special favor bestowed upon them by
Gruumsh or one of his minions). They will
become visible and attack the moment they
are given the order to do so by the skeletal
form on the throne, or when any one (or
more) of them are attacked directly.
The skeleton on the throne is indeed Mondru
IV, and the spear is Alkarg. Mondru IV
becomes animated the moment anyone
passes all the way through the doorway
into
area 41; the skeleton is AC 3, HD 4, HP
25,
damage by weapon type.
The skeleton?s first action, regardless
of
who or what passes through the portal
first,
will be to say in orcish (by means of
a magic
mouth spell) the following words, in a
deep
and rasping voice: ?Come forward and hear
the judgment of the one-eyed god, HeWho-Watches.?
If an orc or half-orc is the nearest
character and continues to approach the
skeleton, Mondru will hold the spear out
in
front of its body and say, ?He-Who-Watches
has guided you here. This is
Alkarg, the elf-destroyer.
Take it, go forth,
and conquer!? If an orc or half-orc takes
the
spear from the skeleton?s grasp, all the
animated skeletons in the chamber will
deanimate and collapse into pieces.
But, if a non-orc enters the chamber first
and remains nearest to Mondru IV, nothing
will appear to happen following the opening
message. If arrows or hurled weapons are
launched at Mondru IV, or if a non-orc
approaches
within 10 feet of the skeleton, it will
rise and appear to shout, "Death to those
who defile the tomb of Mondru IV!!!" The
four orcish warrior-skeletons will attack
at
this time, as will Mondru's skeleton itself.
If characters flee from
room 41, the
skeletons will pursue as far as the door
to
area 32 before going back to their normal
positions, closing all doorways behind
them.
The warrior-skeletons will no longer be
invisible,
of course, but Mondru's magic
mouth spells will repeat the same phrases
for
three more times before the spell is
exhausted.
Note on Serga and Alkarg:
If Serga enters
room 41 during a battle involving the
adventurers, none of the skeletal guardians will attack him. If he can
get to Mondru?s skeleton,
the orcish chieftain will hand the spear
to
him at once and then disintegrate at once
(along with the other skeletons), leaving
Serga on his own. If possible, Serga will
use
his sanctuary spell to escape, not bothering
to attack anyone. Since he is not yet
skilled
with the spear, Serga will suffer a -2
?to hit?
with Alkarg (or any other spear), in addition
to all other penalties or bonuses.
Serga will not be possessed by Alkarg
(see
below) when he grasps the spear unless
he
has been badly wounded beforehand; his
?resistance? to the spear?s influence
is based
upon his intelligence (16), orcish charisma
(16), and assassin?s level (4).
Dear Editor:
"Citadel by the Sea" (issue #78) is a
very good
adventure, but I found one small mistake:
In
room 41, the text lists invisible orcs
at points A,
B, C, and D, but those points aren?t given
on the
map. Where are they?
Geordie Robertson
Guelph, Ontario
(Dragon #80)
Would you believe that A, B, C, and D are on
the map, but they're invisible? . .
. Okay,
would you believe we forgot to put
them in?
The places that should have been marked are
the corners formed by the diagonal
walls, 10 feet
inside the doorway, and the midpoint
of the north
and south walls about 25 feet inside
the doorway
Of course, you can put the letters
just about
anywhere without spoiling the adventure
--
which, we assume, is why Geordie was
the only
reader who wrote in to ask about the
map.
-- K M
(Dragon #80)
Alkarg is a spear made
ages ago by orcish
shamans to use in their wars against the
elven folk. This weapon's shaft is made
entirely of an unknown gray metal; the
rune-covered spearhead is fashioned of
iron.
Normally Alkarg is a +1 weapon ?to hit?
and damage. When an elf approaches
within 60 feet of the spearhead, it glows
red-hot, and attacks made with the heated
spear against any creature are at +2 ?to
hit?
and damage.
If Alkarg strikes an
elf, however, it is a +4
weapon "to hit" and damage (or +3 against
half-elves). An elf who grasps Alkarg
will
take 4 points of damage immediately from
heat (3 points for half-elves), no matter
what
part of the spear was touched. No other
characters or creatures are so affected.
The
weapon radiates an aura of lawful evil.
Unknown to anyone, Alkarg is also intelligent
(score of 12) and has an ego (12),
and will attempt to possess any non-elf
who
grasps it. If it succeeds, Alkarg will
urge the
wielder to attack and slay all elves that
are
encountered, regardless of the consequences.
The spear saves as hard metal with a +1
bonus, is immune to all fire-related attacks,
and bestows to its (non-elf) wielder a
+2
bonus to saving throws vs. fire-related
attacks (but not immunity in any case).
If an orc
or half-orc uses Alkarg, other
orcs will regard the bearer as if he or
she
possessed an 18 charisma, because of the
many tales and legends about the weapon
that have made it holy in the minds of
the
orcish folk. Alkarg is not an artifact,
and
may be safely destroyed in any one of
a
number of logical ways.
O n D e i
t i e s
At no time in this adventure, regardless
of
what occurs, will any deity appear. Any
good-aligned characters should avoid saying
Gruumsh's
name (if they do say it, they may
get twinges in their consciences, put
there by
the DM). No orc or half-orc will ever
dare to
speak Gruumsh?s name aloud, and will instead
say ?He-Who-Watches? if they refer
to him. Only shamans and clerics may use
Gruumsh?s name.
A F T E R W
O R D
This adventure can continue from here
in several ways. If the party doesn't
stop
Serga Ulmus from obtaining Alkarg, he
will
probably cause lots of trouble in the
area and
will have to be attacked by a stronger
(or
more refreshed) party later. Good-aligned
characters, especially elves, should desire
to
destroy Alkarg as well as Serga (although
the
DM cannot require them or force them to
do
so). A low-level group, acting in concert,
can
accomplish a lot if all of the group members
are careful and thoughtful.
Because of Alkarg's
power and nature, it
is advised that half-orc characters of
1st to
3rd level not be included in this adventure.
This adventure may be set up as part of
a
?special quest ? for such characters to
undertake ? alone ? once they attain 4th or 5th
level; if it is used in this fashion,
eliminate
the Ulmus family and the orcs who are
trying to get into the dungeon and let only the
solitary half-orc character enter the
ruins
without help. (?Only the strong survive,?
as
the orcs are fond of pointing out. . .
.)
